by Joshua Laack
Chapter 6
Most evenings when Andrew got home from work, he ate leftovers from his parents' supper alone in his room. After that, he glanced at his homework and did the vital stuff and then spent the rest of the evening reading.
Andrew's parents weren't thrilled with their son's reading choices. They felt that the fantasy didn't do anything to help him focus on his future. They wanted their son to read and do things that would help him to further himself.
One time Andrew had tried to argue that he might want to be a fantasy author so in effect, he was just doing research. That didn't seem to comfort either of them. They tried to understand their son's passion for make believe, but it was beyond them. Everything about their aloof son was hard for them to understand, but they never gave up trying. They were determined to reach him no matter what it took.
One of the reasons that they didn't like the fantasy is they felt it didn't fit with their religion. It had been Andrew's too, sort of, until he turned sixteen. At that point, his parents told him that it was his choice whether or not to join them at church. Andrew knew they were hoping that he would choose to continue going on his own. To their disappointment, he took the out that they offered and slept in on Sundays.
Despite the fantasy that he read, or maybe because of it, he couldn't bring himself to believe in a glowing figure who sat up in the sky watching everything and judging everyone. It just seemed too impossible to be real. Andrew was certain that there was about as much chance of God being real as there was that something from one of his fantasy books was.
On this particular night, Andrew pulled up in front of his house and for once, reading was the furthest thing from his mind. The normal distraction from reality it provided was far overshadowed by the creature coming to his house. It was strange for him to realize that there was something in the real world that he wanted more than he wanted to escape it.
Andrew sat in the kitchen with his leftovers and wondered when Josefina might show up. He hoped it was soon. He was looking forward to spending some time with her outside of school. He wondered for a moment if he could sneak her in and out of the house without his parents knowing that she was ever there.
They weren't home at the moment. There had been a note on the counter about drinks with friends and that they would be home around ten. It was possible that he could keep her visit to himself. That way they couldn't ask questions that he didn't know the answers to.
After scarfing down food without tasting it, Andrew went up to his room and grabbed a book to pass the time. He opened the book and stared at the first page for a long moment before realizing that he wasn't reading. He tried to focus, but couldn't seem to keep his eyes on the words long enough to register any meaning to them. After a few moments, he gave up and put the book back down on his desk. He lay back on the bed and stared around the room at the two posters on the walls, which were the only decorations.
One was a dragon poster that Jason had given him as a present for his fourteenth birthday. It was quite the artistic piece with a spiral of fire blasting out of the dragon's mouth toward a wizard in the background. The wizard was responding to the fire with streams of lighting exploding from the ends of his finger tips into the flame and the dragon beyond.
The other poster was a silver, two thousand and four Lamborghini Murcielago. It had sleek lines and paint that glistened in the artificial lighting under which the picture had been taken. It was not a realistic car for Andrew to ever own, but it was a dream car of his nonetheless. He didn't even get into cars all that much, but that was one he felt as though he could get excited about driving.
The rest of the walls were bare and a plain light beige color. The lack of activity had never bothered Andrew before, but as he sat there waiting he was worried about it. What if Josefina thought that he was boring because of his plain walls. Of course, he knew he was boring, but he didn't want her to know that. He lay there considering different things he could hang up to disguise it as a more exciting room.
The doorbell rang.
Andrew almost fell on his face in his haste to get up. His feet tangled in the blanket that was laying on the end of his unmade bed. After he got that untangled, he rushed out and down, nearly falling again on the stairs, twice. In front of the door, Andrew screeched to a halt, took a deep breath and then opened the door as if he hadn't almost killed himself in the process of reaching it.
His real smile faded into a half hearted attempt at a smile. The figure on the other side of the door was not who he had been expecting to find.
“Oh, it's you,” Andrew mumbled after a moment.
“Well it's certainly wonderful to see you too,” replied Jason, as he stepped around his disappointed friend and into the entryway. “Who were you expecting? It wouldn't be a young transfer student would it?” He frowned at Andrew. “One that you somehow managed to get a date with a day after she shows up.” Andrew grinned at him. Now that he was over the initial disappointment, he was glad to see his friend.
“Come on in for a bit, but if you don't mind, I might kick you out at some point. She is coming over, though I'm not sure how soon.”
They headed up to Andrew's room where Jason sat on the computer chair while he sat down on the bed again.
“I heard that she somehow ended up in four of your classes and your study hall. Is that true,” Jason asked? Andrew grinned and nodded.
“Yeah, I'm not sure how it happened, but it is true.”
“How did you manage it,” Jason asked his friend, sounding a bit grumpy?
“How did I manage what,” Andrew asked back in feigned ignorance? His friend stared at him, a small frown in place.
“How did you get her to like you so fast? No offense, but she seems like she would fit in with the popular crowd a lot better than with you or I. Yet somehow, she ends up at our table and agreeing to a date with you.” Andrew shrugged, and felt a shudder of doubt and fear course through him. His friend's questions struck a little too close to the fears he was trying to keep squashed. He still didn't know how much of the date was because she liked him and how much was avoiding other unwanted attention.
“I'm not sure. She initiated most of it. I have just been sort of swept up in the whole thing. Not that I'm complaining of course. I just didn't have anything to do with it that I know of.” Jason frowned and shook his head.
“It just doesn't make any sense. That girl is hot! She could have any guy in the school she wanted.” He stared at Andrew. “You are so lucky, you know that right?” Andrew smiled back and nodded though he wasn't sure what he was lucky about yet. Whatever Josefina became for him, he just hoped it involved more of the brightness that having her near seemed to bring him.
Jason stayed for about a half an hour talking about Josefina before he left for home and then Andrew was alone once again. Before this week, that would have been fine with him. He preferred to be alone, but he didn't like it at all as he sat downstairs in the living room on the big, brown, leather couch. He stayed there for a few minutes before realizing that sitting there wasn't going to make her show up any sooner. He trudged back up the stairs to his room, which was on the left, right at the top of the stairs. He opened the door and just about jumped out of his skin.
She was sitting in the computer chair, looking as though she had been waiting there the entire time. Andrew's heart was racing, though from being surprised, or from her just being there, he couldn't decide. Most likely a bit of both.
“Hello.” she murmured and then she smiled.
“Um, hi. How did you get up here?” Andrew stared at her. Now that the initial shock was fading, curiosity was setting in. There was no way she had gotten through the front door and up the stairs without him noticing. She must have figured out a way though. It was impossible to climb to the second floor on the outside of the house. He knew because he had tried it himself several times. Josefina shrugged and smiled the half smile at him.
“I am just good like that,” she said. An
drew shook his head, not sure whether to be amazed or frightened. He hadn't told her his name, never mentioned an address or anything about where he lived, yet she had known both and then managed to get into the house without him noticing. There was something not normal about this girl. Andrew wondered what he was missing.
The other thing he wondered was why he wasn't bothered by any of this. He was sure that most people would freak out if someone sneaked into their house and knew things about them that they shouldn't. For some reason, Andrew couldn't seem to feel disturbed by any of it.
“Did you know that if you rang the doorbell or knocked, I would probably be willing to let you in? Then you wouldn't have to sneak in and scare me half to death.” Josefina gave him a half smile.
“You'll get used to it. I like being where people don't expect me to be.” Andrew felt a thrill run through him. If he was going to get used to her, that meant she was planning on sticking around for a while and he liked that idea. He walked over to his bed and sat down.
“I think I can deal with that.” Josefina looked at him with some surprise on her face.
“It doesn't it bother you? Why are you so accepting of how strange I am acting?” Andrew looked away from her for a moment so that he could concentrate. She seemed to make his thoughts go all awry. Sometimes even to the point of overlapping again, dark thoughts blasting in over the top of happier ones.
“I'm not part of the popular crowd as I'm sure you noticed, but it goes a little deeper than that.” He shrugged, “I've never connected well with people. Even as a child growing up, I always felt like I didn't belong. My parents have struggled to relate to me since I was born and I have all but given up on finding someone I fit well with. Most normal people pass me by without a second glance. You didn't. If I have to deal with a little strangeness, I can handle that.” Andrew realized that he was pouring out everything to a girl he didn't even know. It was doubtful that she cared to hear his sob story. Why was he doing that? His mouth slammed shut as he continued to stare away from her.
Josefina reached out and touched his shoulder, on his shirt so there was no current. He glanced up at her face and found a look that surprised him. She looked sad, like she might care after all. She leaned back and her hand fell to her side.
“That sounds horribly lonely.” she said. Andrew nodded after a moment.
“It has been more so than I ever expected it to be, but it hasn't been all bad.” He smiled at her. “I do have my friend Jason. We get along well, both with the fantasy and because we are outcasts.” Andrew paused before continuing, “Even with him though, the connection is not terribly strong.” As he shared this, Andrew recognized that he had been even more alone than he had known. “I never knew how much it bothered me, but I would just love to find something or someone that makes me feel like I belong here in this life.” He glanced over at Josefina again. There was a look of sympathy and maybe even empathy on her face. Did she know what it was to be alone in a world, even when surrounded on all sides by people?
“I know you may not believe me, but I understand how you feel. I have been lonely for a long time as well. I also have a difficult time connecting with those around me. I too must pretend that I am happy with who and where I am, but in truth, I wish to find someplace with someone where I feel as though I belong.” Andrew recognized the raw pain on Josefina's face from his mirror. It seemed that she did know what he felt.
“Maybe we can try to find a place where we fit in together,” Andrew blurted out. He turned bright red. Where was this coming from? He had never been so forward in his entire life. She shook her head.
“Even you would not fit with me I'm afraid.” She frowned. “I didn't mean to say that much out loud.” She sighed. “I think even you would not be able to accept the real me. Maybe I should go.”
“Please don't leave. If you have something that you cannot share, it is fine, but I would like you to stay.” Josefina looked surprised.
“You are willing to let me stay even if I have a secret I can't share with you.” Andrew nodded.
“Everyone has secrets. I don't know how to say this right, but for some reason, I feel a connection to you, something that I have not felt with anyone ever before. I don't think there is anything you could be hiding that would make me not want you here.” She looked at him askance.
“That is sweet of you to say. Also a little crazy, but you are right about the connection. I feel it as well, and as much as I know I should get up and leave, I want to stay too much to do that.” The corners of her lips turned up then, though Andrew could still see pain in her expression. He felt a fierce desire to take away that pain.
“I'm glad that you feel it too. I was beginning to think that I was losing my mind. What with the connection and other strange feelings.” Her eyes narrowed and her face tightened.
“What do you mean, strange? What exactly have you noticed?” Andrew flushed.
“Well, I felt like someone was watching me, and I thought it might be you, but then in Spanish class I could see that it wasn't. I guess it must have just been someone else noticing the connection between us.”
One instant she was sitting in the chair, right by the bed and the next instant she was standing up, staring out the window. The motion happened so quickly that it appeared that she transported between the two spots. Andrew's jaw dropped. No one could move that fast.
She was looking around outside, but even there, the motions of her head were too fast for the average person. While she looked, she was muttering to herself. He tried to hear what she was saying, but the words were not in English.
“Um... is there something wrong,” he asked, his voice tentative? She spun toward him, almost as if she had forgotten that he was there. There was a pause as she reconnected with reality. Realization dawned and her motions became normal and fluid. She smiled a half smile, though she still seemed distracted.
“I'm sorry Andrew, but I must go. I will explain more when I can. I will see you later.” She walked to the door, opened it and closed it again before he could even open his mouth to say a single word. He stood up and rushed to the door to ask what was wrong or at least to say goodbye. She wasn't there.