The Truth Lies Beneath Your Eyes

by Nzingha Keyes

  Chapter 18

  Watch your mouth, kiddo. Smart comments like those start fires

  It’s so hot here…I love the ocean though. “Hey Amethyst,” I say happily. I see her lie down next to me and then all of a sudden the beach is empty and she’s kissing me and I kiss back. I look up at her and realize that were both magically naked and still on the beach and then…

  “Ack!! Fuck! Christophe why are you choking me you ass!?” Alias chokes out. Christophe’s hand is still wrapped around Alias’s neck.

  “You know you talk in your sleep?” He asked.

  “What does that have to do with you choking me?” Alias asks all confused.

  “Why are you moaning my girlfriends name in your sleep?” He asks.

  “Ah shit.” Alias groans remembering the dream and realizing a semi issue.

  “This is at the moment, gay…please move,” He continues and Christophe leaves the room wordlessly, this was far from over.

  “I’m going to back to bed, it’s three in the morning,” he mumbles and tries to roll over on his stomach.

  “Ugh ouch, that was dumb,” He sighs and closes his eyes.

  And now it was the next morning and Alias was starving because he skipped breakfast because of the death glare he was catching from Christophe all morning. He walked over to the store by school and got a breakfast sandwich and just about inhaled it. He could see Amethyst and Christophe from down the block. He walked toward them with his head down and tried to go un-noticed. “Well, well little brother, just talking about you we were,” He says calmly. Alias looks up at him and sees the Amethyst is talking to sunny and not paying much attention to the situation.

  “And so…what do you know?” Alias asks.

  “Don’t touch my girlfriend, got it? She’s not property to me or you. What you did on any respect was disrespectful to her, me and yourself.” He said calmly.

  “Did you ask her how she felt about it, cause I’ll be damned if she didn’t like it,” Alias blurts out. “Excuse you!?” Christophe tried not to yell and then stopped.

  “You wanna ask her?” Christophe says.

  “I don’t need to ask her, I know the answer already, Christophe,” He replies noticing that Amethyst is gone and smirks and walks away. Christophe wouldn’t attack me in broad daylight…and definitely not with human witnesses around. He looks back and Christophe is glaring.

  “You have a death wish?” Amethyst says in my ear once were in study hall.

  “He’s on the war path now, why’d you do that!?” She says.

  “I’m sorry, really I am, I just…don’t even know what came over me,” I smile.

  “Can I ask you why you kissed me and why you said that? Cause your officially confusing me,” she says sitting on the table.

  “Um well…I-uh- I like you and like…it seemed perfect even though I know it wasn’t and I said that because I meant it.” He stutters endlessly. She blushes and looks across the room.

  “What is it?” Alias asks.

  “Nothing, I was just kind of afraid of that is all,” She says.

  “Can I ask you something now?” He asks. Amethyst nods slowly.

  “Did you like it? The whole kissing thing?” Alias says trying to sound confident. She laughs,

  “I’m so dead if I answer that! Nice try, troublemaker!” And she jumps down off the desk to go chill with her friends.

  If you didn’t answer then that means that you liked it huh? You just won’t admit it? I’m smarter than you think I am, Amethyst, He sends to her thoughts and wonders if she’ll respond or even know how to respond at that. Wow you’re full of yourself today huh, Alias? She answers back almost instantly.

  Hmm this has been quite a week so far, Alias thought. So far I have managed to kiss Amethyst, tell her how I feel, royally piss off Christophe which I’m sure will result in him trying to use my face as a mop. And he only found out because of a dream I had- did he tell her that!? Oh god I hope not…ugh I don’t think I can deal with that just yet. How did he even hear me? We don’t share rooms anymore…he must have been sneaking back in the house or something like that. Maybe I should have stayed-nope, never mind that. What if she thinks I only like her because my brother has her…if she does I can fix that. This is what I asked for in a way, for her to know how I felt, the only thing wrecking it is Christophe. And he’s my brother and I love him, I do it’s just that…him having her is unfair because what if…what if he breaks her heart? What if he’s not really sincere. He always gets what he wants but, I swear I’ve never been so sure about a girl, about anything really. But like…she’s special. If I told this to Christophe, I wonder what he would say to me and I wonder if she even likes me back…if I get my chance to, I’m going to find out, for sure…

  All the thoughts were pooling up in his head endlessly. It was now the last class of the day and he realized he probably just spent the last few minutes staring like a moron lost in space. “Smooth,” He mumbled and wandered outside for the last few minutes of gym.

  “Don’t wonder, moonlight, your last wonder just about got you killed,” He could hear Sunny talking.

  “The bus might’ve stopped if you hadn’t yanked me backwards though,” He hears Amethyst say.

  “Yeah, after it’d have run your hyperactive ass!” Sunny laughs.

  “Yeah, it would have to stop then!” Amethyst laughs and climbs down from the play set. The bell rings and I wait for Amethyst and Sunny and decide to walk with them.

  “So how was your day, Alias?” Amethyst asks while stopping in front of the building for Alex. “It was interesting…I’ll tell you that much for sure,” Alias says and then sees Alex rush out the building.

  “Hey bro, hey superhero chick,” Alex smiles.

  “What new, Lex?” Amethyst asks as they walk.

  “I uh have a bunch of stalkers or something,” He laughs.

  “You sound happy about that, what aren’t you saying?” Amethyst asks him.

  “I’m only happy about one of them. She’s pretty and cool and not creepy,” he says.

  “Sounds like a crush, Alex,” Alias says. “I’ll let you know, how about that?” Alex says.

  “Bye Lex, bye Alias!” Amethyst and Sunny yell as the catch they bus.

  “Where’s Christophe at?” Alex asks.

  “I haven’t a clue,” Alias shrugs.

  “Why was he trying to kill you with a look this morning?” Alex asks.

  “Ask him when you see him,” He answers.

  “Christophe?” Alias says as he walks into the house and walks toward Christophe’s room. He was just sitting there on the bed looking out the window, and that was bizarre. Alias walked in the room cautiously.

  “Get out my room Alias,” he says calmly without looking from the window. Something was crazy wrong here, calmness? Quiet? Still? This couldn’t possibly be my brother.

  “Who are you? What have you done with my brother?” Alias says even more cautiously.

  “I am your brother and nothing of my doing has been done, please leave,” Christophe replied.

  What just happened here? Why does he sound so timid and vulnerable? Nothing of his doing has been done? What? Where’s the confidence and wisdom gone? Are the other demon guys still on him? No…he would say something and he wouldn’t lead them here for sure. Maybe he’s messing with me…yeah that’s it probably, Alias thought.

  “So how was your day Alias?” He says almost robotically.

  “Paranoid…but tolerable up until now, how was yours?” Alias asks.

  “It was great, I’m kind of tired now though, I’m going to take a nap,” Christophe yawns and looks up at Alias.

  “Why are you eyes all red?” Alias asks. “They itched all day, close my door,” he yawns again and rolls over on his bed to face the window.

  Alias walked toward his own room and reached for his cell phone. He decided to text Amethyst and ask her what was up.

  Did you and Ch
ristophe break up or something?

  Alias…that’s not funny

  I’m serious. Did something happen with you two today?

  Not that I know of, he went home at lunch though, he said he didn’t feel well…is he okay?

  He does seem kind of sick now that you mention it. He wasn’t acting weird though?

  Affectionate and polite as always, he acted normal. Just kind of slow and cautious…did you do something or did I?

  I think I did…aw crap. I have to go for a bit.

  Later Alias, watch out for him will you?

  I will, that’s a good thing you know, that you care about him so much…

  LOL I care about you too Alias, and Alex as well

  I know…

  But?

  Nothing, nothing. I care about you too.

  But what?

  I don’t care about you the way you care about me. You’re not like my brothers to me. I have to go now Amethyst, see you tomorrow because I know that you never miss school. =o

  And then Alias cut off his phone and went to go figure out if Christophe was in his room. I think I would rather just have him kill me of something, he thought. I think I broke my brother, or said the wrong thing or maybe she doesn’t know about what happened this morning at all. He walks into Christophe’s room and sees the window wide open and Christophe standing at it with his wings extended with a smile. “I feel kind of better now, Amethyst just called and asked if I wanted to come over if I felt better like a minute ago. I’ll be back later…keep your phone on little bro, dinner’s in the oven,” he flies away.

  “Christophe, wait a second!” Alias yells. She doesn’t know…he’s going to go and tell her! He screamed internally and felt himself burn red with anger and embarrassment. “He’s not going to kill me not going to physically kill me…he’s going to let me die of embarrassment and let that kill me instead!” Alias collapses on to the bed. “Cupid hit me with a Nuke…and now I have to pay for it…maybe I won’t go to school tomorrow,” He says aloud. “Can’t call my brother dumb,” he sighs.