by Joshua Laack
Chapter 14
It was the hugs that threw them off. Andrew gave one to each of his parents as he came in the kitchen where his mother was preparing supper. The last time he had hugged either parent had been around the age of five and he hadn't wanted to even then.
“What's for supper? It smells great!” Andrew smiled at his mother as she stirred whatever was in the big pot on the stove. His parents looked at each other and then back at Andrew. His father's eyes narrowed.
“The friend you were with today wouldn't happen to have been a girl would it?” Andrew grinned at his parents. Until that point, he had been unsure how to explain the change in himself he knew he would be unable to hide. The truth would just frighten them. That was the reason the Blood hid it in the first place. Now his dad had just given him the answer to his problem and it was even the truth, at least part of it. He waited a moment and then let his grin widen.
“Actually, yes. There is a new girl at school and we seem to have hit it off.” Of course this answer spurned a whole slew of questions that Andrew was unprepared for and unsure how to answer. He did the best he could, but his parents still seemed unnerved by the continuous smile on his face. A small part in the back of Andrew's mind worried about it too.
Would this good feeling last? What would tomorrow bring? He forced the thought out and focused on connecting to his parents for the first time in his life. They sat down for dinner together, another thing which Andrew had not done willingly for a long time. Most dinners he took to his room or ate leftovers when his parents were done.
Andrew enjoyed the small talk conversation during the meal and wondered at all the things he had missed. Instead of feeling resentment for those things, he found instead that he was excited to explore the world around him with new eyes as he discovered all that he had missed. His new vision allowed him to see more than he noticed before. Each instant looking at the world was a bright snapshot filled with amazing colors, textures and feelings. His mind grabbed each of these new sights and stored it away, a new picture to look at later. Each laugh and word shared with his parents worked to fill the moat of separation that had kept them apart.
All three went to bed later than usual that evening, each reluctant to destroy the mood of the evening, each afraid that the next day would bring a return of the darkness that had been present for so long. There was no reason for their fear.
Morning dawned bright and clear. Andrew looked out the window at the gray clouds and pouring rain and smiled. The rain smelled so fresh and clean when he cracked his window to enjoy it. The drops splashed off puddles in the yard, fountaining up and scattering droplets in all directions to land among the waving stalks of grass. Despite the gray sky, Andrew saw light reflected in each raindrop and that light scattered and bounced and wavered with each drop of rain falling. It was like watching an impressionist painting come to life in his window.
Andrew's parents were wary of him as he walked into the kitchen before they were gone for work. Most mornings he waited until they left to finish his morning routine.
“Morning,” he said with a smile. “Looks like a beautiful day out there today.”
“Are you feeling okay,” his dad asked? Andrew laughed and nodded.
“Never better. I'm just excited to get to school.” His parents looked at each other and his dad shrugged.
“If you say so. We just want you to be careful. We love that you are so happy, but please take things slow with this new girl,” his mom's voice was filled with concern and Andrew smiled to reassure her.
“Don't worry mom, we are still just friends at this point and I have no desire to rush into anything. Just the fact that I am interested in someone and they are interested back has opened my eyes to all that I have been missing. I have decided to approach life a little differently than I have before. On that note, I have to tell you guys that I am sorry I have been difficult. I hope that we can share a little more together than we have in the past.” He smiled at them again. “Well I guess I'm off to school. Hope you guys have a good day at work.” His parents were both staring at him a little flabbergasted. His mom called out after him as he walked to the front door.
“But Andrew, it's only seven.” The door closed on her words. John and Mary Marks stared at each other for a long time, not speaking, not knowing what to say. A slow tear trailed itself down Mary's face. Unlike the multitude of frustrated tears that had fallen over the years, this was the first happy tear that had fallen for her son since before he had learned to talk.
They had resigned themselves to who their son was long ago and never expected much more from him. They considered the idea that something was wrong with him, but since he continued to do fine in school and had at least one friend that he spent time with, they decided not to do anything. But they never expected to see the change in their son that they seemed to now be witnessing. There was a light in him that they had known was missing, but they had not realized how much that lack had affected both them and him until they saw him with that light in his life.
“It's a miracle,” said Mary finally, throwing herself into her husband's arms, tears now streaming down her face. John just nodded, not knowing what else to say because that's exactly how it seemed to him as well. He squeezed his wife as tears of his own formed in his eyes.
Andrew whistled along to the music playing on his stereo while he drove in the falling rain. The tune was something light and airy that he hadn't heard before. He listened to music before, but just to drown out the silence, not because he cared what was playing. Today, the sounds lifted him and brought his already cheerful mood to a new level. The beat vibrated in him causing the little wires of light to dance around. Different songs seemed to affect it in different ways, but each tune made him feel like dancing along with the strands within himself.
He pulled into the parking lot, parked and started walking to the building still whistling some of the songs. He realized that he could recall every song he had heard on his drive. Like the sights his eyes took in, his ears grabbed onto new things and stored them away, refusing to release their grasp on the new freedom they had.
There were few students in the building and Andrew realized that it was only a quarter after seven. He grinned, he had never been in the building so early. He started to wander the halls, seeing for the first time all the posters, drawings and other decorations that filled them. Lockers were covered with hand drawn posters wishing players luck for different sports. Andrew marveled at the time it must have taken to draw all those signs.
He always thought so negatively about his fellow classmates, but it seemed as though at least some of them cared about their school and about encouraging their fellow classmates. It was possible that he had judged them too harshly. Maybe he could change that starting today.
He came to his own locker and opened it, depositing his bag and most of his books inside. He took what he needed for English and then closed it. He almost dropped the books.
“Hello Andrew,” said Johari from where she stood behind where his locker door had been moments before.
“Good morning,” he said, though the words sounded strange to his ears. Johari's eyes widened.
“You still speak Aramaic,” she asked in surprise? Andrew shrugged in answer to the question that he didn't know the answer to.
“I suppose so. I didn't mean to, but that's how it came out.” Johari nodded, her expression wary.
“I know we connected, but I just don't understand how your mind would be capable of absorbing an entire language and retaining it in that short amount of time.”
“Would any of the others like you have an idea?” Johari frowned.
“It's possible, but I can't ask. You aren't supposed to remember me as more than a fellow student, let alone have any idea about the powers we possess. The penalty for breaking the Blood's code of silence can be quite severe and I fear for me it would be even more so. I am well known among the Blood and I would be used as an example that not even the high can break
the code.”
“How do more people become members of the Blood if you can't tell anyone about it?”
“We don't add many. We are a small group, somewhere above two thousand. The number has remained close to that for a thousand years, about the time the main rules were instituted. A few new humans become blood and a few blood are killed in the fight against the demons.”
“Why did the rules come about?”
“Some of the blood were changing humans without considering the ones they changed. Some pretty bad people gained immortal and powerful bodies. Our kind was forced to fight others of our kind and still hold back the demons.”
“How do you decide which humans to change then?”
“The humans who are changed are decided upon by the main council which leads us in our struggle. The council is two of the first of our kind and two others who are selected from the group and serve for a time. Of those who are selected, most do not survive the change. It is not an easy process, so most of the time it is only attempted when the person is already dying.” Andrew felt his hopes fall a little at that. So much for becoming Blood himself. For that to happen, she would have to tell her people that he still knew and it sounded as though that was unlikely to happen. Not to mention the fact that he probably wouldn't survive the transformation. He resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck as a human.
Even this couldn't keep his spirits down for long though. For the first time in his life, Andrew was excited to experience school. It was more than just Johari being there. He was looking forward to make up for his harsh judgment of his fellow classmates. He wanted to make new friendships that he would never have attempted before with the demon dragging him down. He always believed that they weren't worth his time, but the truth was that he had allowed the demon to keep him from making new connections.
That brought up another interesting thought. Why had it allowed him to become friends with Jason? That friendship had sustained him through the darkest of his days. Maybe that was the intention. It might have allowed him one friend because it would be enough to keep him moving forward, but not enough to give the ability to break free from darkness.
By this time, the halls had flooded with students as first hour rapidly approached. Andrew and Johari went to their respective morning classes. Andrew wondered as he entered English why Johari had chosen not to take this class and third hour with him. He supposed that if she had shared every class with him, someone would notice, maybe even him since at the time of the scheduling, he had not yet known anything about her.
He sat down in his desk and waited for class to begin. Before, he couldn't wait for the days to be over. Today he was looking forward to experiencing the simple things that were a part of everyday life without the darkness imposing its own spin on it. He wasn't disappointed either.
They were done reading together as a class and now the teacher was discussing the book with them as well as assigning them a paper to write on the book. Andrew looked around at his classmates as they avoided the teacher's gaze with each question. A strange realization came to him. Each student was in their own self imposed darkness as they put their effort into avoiding school instead of using that same effort to enjoy it and get what they could from it. Andrew raised his hand.
“Um... Andrew. You have the answer?” Mr. Davies sounded surprised and confused that Andrew would volunteer. He had been the worst of the lot at not paying attention and avoiding the dreaded questions. Andrew smiled. His teachers and his classmates were in for a surprise in the days ahead.
“Yes Mr. Davies, I do. Hamlet both stabbed Claudious with the poisoned sword and forced him to drink the poisoned wine.” Mr. Davies paused and then nodded. He still seemed surprised, but shook it off and continued with the class. Andrew didn't know all the answers, but when he did, his hand was in the air. Other students saw that the most antisocial of them all was participating and it seemed to prompt them all to not be left behind. By the end of class, people were suggesting different opinions for motives in the story and others were arguing these and offering alternatives.
All in all it was the most productive English class Andrew had ever been to and the beaming smile on Mr. Davies face said that he felt the same. The bell rang and instead of the usual rush for the door, a great many of the students filed out in twos and threes, still discussing the book that the previous week, none had seemed to even care about. Andrew walked out with two, Kyle and Corey, discussing the reality behind the ghost of the king. Reluctant to end their conversation, the three parted ways to head to next hour.
Andrew sat down beside Johari in Spanish just as the bell rang. He grinned at her.
“That was fun.” He described his first hour. Johari chuckled and shook her head.
“¡En Español por favor,” interrupted a voice. Mrs. Stimets always said the same thing when students were talking in her class. Before it had worked as she intended. It made students be silent since most struggled to pass the tests let alone speak the language, but today Andrew smiled.
“Lo ciento Maestra.” He turned back to Johari and continued the story in fluent Spanish. Poor Mrs. Stimets didn't know how to respond for a moment. In effect, she had given him permission to talk, it just had to be in Spanish. There were several grins and laughs across the classroom as the rest of the students realized what was happening. Small conversations in halting Spanish struck up across the whole class. Students pulled out Spanish-English dictionaries that they hadn't touched since the beginning of the year when they got them.
Mrs. Stimets watched in wonder as the classroom filled up with the sounds of students who now wished they knew more Spanish instead of wishing they could be somewhere else. There was laughter and failures as some of the students mispronounced words, but others corrected them and fifteen minutes into class, it was still going strong. Finally, Mrs. Stimets interrupted, but there was a happy smile on her face as she called the class to order. She didn't launch into her lesson plan though. A new idea had taken a root in her mind.
“Did anyone have any things they struggled to find a way to say?” About half the class stuck their hands in the air and upon seeing this, most of the rest followed suit. The rest of the class period was filled with questions and answers as students talked about things that mattered to them and learned how to say those things in Spanish. The bell to end second hour surprised them all and like first hour, students filed out in small groups, many still speaking Spanish or discussing the strangeness of the class.
“Andrew, stay a moment will you,” said Mrs. Stimets. Johari raised an eyebrow at him, smiled and then left.
“What's up,” he asked his teacher as the last students left the room.
“I just wanted to thank you for what you did this morning. I always assumed that you didn't pay much attention in class because you didn't like the language. I never considered that it was because you could speak it already. In either case, I think you have started something that will change how I teach Spanish for the rest of my time here.” Andrew smiled.
“Everyone did seem to enjoy the different style of class. I'm glad I could help, though the effect wasn't intentional.” By this point, a few students started coming in for the next class and Andrew made his own escape to his locker and on to his third hour.
Chemistry had always been Andrew's favorite class. He didn't care for conversions, but the idea of how different things combined or reacted fascinated him. The change in this class wasn't as drastic, but again Andrew noticed that the more he participated and got excited about the class, the more others felt comfortable to do so. Some of the students from either Spanish or English were also in the chemistry class and they were still hyped up from those classes. It was the loudest chemistry class to date, but like with the other two morning classes, it was one of the most productive as well.
“What is going on,” Johari asked as Andrew dropped into his seat next to her in study hall?
“I'm not sure I know what you mean,” he repl
ied.
“The whole school is buzzing and while no one specifically cites you as the cause of it, I witnessed the reaction in Spanish. For whatever reason, people seem to be drawn into your new optimistic view of life.” She shook her head. “And now you seem to speak another language fluently that I'm quite certain you didn't know before.” She paused and her eyes narrowed as she stared at him, deep in thought. “I just don't understand how you are doing any of this and it's going to bother me until I figure it out.”
Lunch was interesting. Like the first day that Johari had eaten lunch with them, Andrew found himself at a table surrounded by classmates. Unlike that first day though, on this day it was his choice to be there. In fact, he deliberately found a group of people that included some of those from his first three classes. The conversation at the table was still over the strangeness of the day. The general consensus was that despite being strange, the three classes had been better than ever before.
Jason's face darkened when he stepped out of the lunch line and saw Andrew at the group table instead of in the usual place. Andrew waved him over, but Jason went and sat down in the usual spot. Andrew hopped up and went over to his friend. As he approached, he felt the dark cloud around his friend. It was a tangible fog, though like the brightness around Josefina, Andrew seemed to be the only one who could see this darkness billowing in the the air.
Andrew approached and reached out his hand to touch Jason. His friend squirmed and backed away from the touch. Andrew's hand landed on his friend's bare arm. There was something like a static spark at their touch and in that instant, Andrew felt the darkness that his friend had absorbed from him. It didn't feel as if Jason were possessed, just influenced by the dark.
The spark didn't vanquish all of it, but it did reduce most of it. Jason was reluctant at first, but he followed his friend back over to the other table. They accepted him in just as they had Andrew and soon a real smile crept onto Jason's face. The same smile was on Andrew's as he absorbed everything that he had been missing for so long.
Beside him, Johari, or Josefina as the others knew her, seemed to be having just as much fun as he was. After eight hundred years, Andrew wasn't sure that he would still be as interested in the short little lives of humans. He resolved to ask her about it later. He noticed that she shared little about herself, but kept asking questions about their lives and things that mattered to them. In between questions though, her eyes continued to wander back to Andrew. Each time they did, they were full of contemplation as if he were a puzzle that she was struggling to comprehend. That strange look followed him throughout lunch and the rest of the afternoon. The afternoon was no less interesting than the morning had been.
First was Government Studies. Andrew didn't even need to initiate it this time. Other students that had been at his table during lunch and in earlier classes were paying attention and asking questions they wouldn't have bothered to ask before. Ms. Frankin was as responsive as his morning teachers had been to the change. She took every advantage of it by catering to the interest and questions of the students in order to keep the conversation going. Most of the questions dealt with the upcoming election and trying to understand the purpose of the electoral collage. The consensus on that was that it didn't have much of one anymore.
After Government was Trigonometry. Math never held much interest for Andrew, but today, he paid attention and asked questions. He found that it still didn't excite him, but it was better than it had been. He smiled at that thought. It wasn't just math. Everything was better than it had been before.
Health was interesting for a different reason. Johari smiled at Andrew as they sat down. He took a long look at her with unclouded vision and thought about her without the darkness pulling him back.
“I don't have to work tonight. Do you want to come over?” Johari smiled at Andrew, but the smile seemed curious.
“This whole thing hasn't sunk in yet, has it,” she asked him? Andrew frowned.
“What do you mean,” he asked, confused? “I don't know if this change in me will ever sink in.” She rolled her eyes.
“What do you think I'm referring to? I mean the things you know about me. How can you want me to come spend time with you after school. I keep waiting for you to run screaming like any normal person would do.” Now it was Andrew's turn to roll his eyes.
“That's not going to happen. It has sunk in and I'm not going anywhere.” She shook her head and was about to say something else when another voice interrupted her.
“Would you care to join the rest of us Ms. Sanchez.”
“I'm paying attention just fine Mr. Parson.” The portly teacher frowned at her.
“I see. Would you perhaps care to recap to the class what we are discussing then?” She smiled at him.
“Certainly.” Her face looked a little distant and then she began to recite something. “The long term effects of alcohol abuse range anywhere from fatty build up in the liver causing nausea, vomiting and weight loss to incurable diseases like cirrhosis and brain damage.” She looked up at the teacher. “Would you like me to continue?” He frowned at her and shook his head.
“No that's alright. Just try to focus up front a little bit more if you would.” She nodded at him with a smile. Andrew was impressed for a moment, but then he realized that just as with the songs this morning, the words of the teacher were recorded in his mind. While his recall wasn't as good as hers seemed to be, he could have come close enough to appease the teacher just as she had. That thought surprised him. He never used to have a great memory. Now he seemed to remember things he wasn't aware that he heard. Up until Johari had repeated his words, all Andrew had been paying attention to was her voice. As class continued, he realized that he was hearing far more than he had thought possible. Even the muted conversations of students flowed to his ears and was captured by his hungry mind. Andrew shuddered away from the implications of that.
They kept conversation to a minimum after Mr. Parson's admonition to pay attention. It wasn't that hard as the information was interesting. Andrew and the rest of the class were again more involved than normal. Mr. Parson didn't seem to notice as much as the other teachers had, but it was still a fun class. It was over before he knew it. The bell rang and then they were closing lockers and walking toward the parking lot.
“I will be over in a little bit,” said Johari as they broke out of the building to where Trusty Rusty was parked.
“Want a ride,” Andrew asked her? She shook her head and then vanished. Andrew shook his head, grinned and climbed into his car. “Show off.” He wondered if she was still close enough to hear.
The afternoon was still cloudy, though the rain had subsided. Andrew drove home with a smile on his face and music blaring on his radio. Just as he parked in front of his house, a ray of light broke through the clouds. Andrew stepped out of his car into the warm sun and took a deep breath of rain fresh air. Today had been an amazing day at school and it would only get better as Johari would be there soon. Andrew grinned at the joy welling up within him. His life was only going to get better from here.
Inside, Andrew made a snack of an apple and a turkey sandwich. He sat at the island in the kitchen and ate it before cleaning up his mess. Before, he would have left it for his mom to take care of, but for some reason, that didn't seem right. He rinsed his plate, stuck it in the dishwasher and wiped his bread crumbs off of the counter before heading up to his room. On the way up, he passed the wall he had crashed through and shuddered as his mind recalled what had taken place there. The fight flashed through his mind. It was a little fuzzy, but he was surprised that he remembered so much of it. He could find so little sign that anything had happened here that anyone who wasn't aware of it would never be able to tell. Johari wasn't kidding when she said her people were good at protecting humans, not just from the actual threat but from the truth as well.
In his room, he sorted through his homework and started to make some notes for his English paper that was due in two
weeks. There was no point in putting things off. Besides, by starting now, he would have time to do a little more research and write a better paper.
Andrew jumped at a soft tap at his window. He set aside his paper, stood up and crossed over to it. On the other side was a pretty face, smiling at him. It seemed as though she were just floating in the air, though her hands were holding her up on the window ledge. Andrew raised the window up.
“Mind if I come in,” she asked? He shook his head.
“Not at all, and you don't have to ask. You are welcome anytime.” Before he even finished speaking, she was standing beside him and the window was closed.
“Are you sure you are okay with this, my being here,” she asked? Andrew grinned at her.
“Yes, I am definitely alright with you being here. More than alright. The reality of what you are has sunk in and I find that I want more than anything to have you around.” The corner of her lip turned up in a half smile. He moved to the bed and she sat down on it beside him.
“Do you have any more questions for me,” she asked after a while?
“What is it like to be immortal?” There was a long moment of silence after he asked the question and Andrew wondered if maybe he shouldn't have asked it. Before he could take it back, she responded.
“There are many good things about it, but honestly, I would give it all up in a heartbeat if I could.” Andrew frowned into Johari's hair.
“Why do you say that? I don't know, but I feel like I would love having your strength and to see all the things you have seen.”
“I enjoyed it a great deal at first, but no one was intended to live this long, especially not alone. I have been alive for nearly eight hundred years and have found many things to occupy my time, but since joining the Blood, I have been incredibly lonely. Not always alone, but always lonely.” Andrew knew exactly what she meant about being lonely, but he shuddered as he tried to imagine being as lonely as he had felt during his darkness, but spread out over eight hundred years. His mind couldn't wrap itself around the sadness of that idea.
As horrible as it had been for him, it had to have been so much worse for her. Her face was sad as her thoughts dwelt on that sadness. Andres slipped an arm around her and pulled her up against his side, as if to pull her away from the loneliness.
“I can't even imagine how hard that has been for you,” he whispered into the air above her. She didn't say anything, and Andrew didn't add anything else.
They sat there for a long time. Andrew felt a great sense of peace above and beyond the joy of light in his life with her by his side. He hoped that she was getting some of that same peace and that maybe with him, she could feel less alone for a time.
That was unlikely though. He had no doubt that she had looked for comfort from humans and also from her own kind before. If she hadn't found it from others, what could he offer her above and beyond them? In spite of this knowledge, in Andrew's mind, the fantasy formed that he was the one who was able to provide true companionship. It was a little ridiculous to think that, but he wanted it to be true and couldn't seem to stop the thoughts. The truth was that this made him more nervous than what she was. He still knew little about her and on top of that, he just wasn't accustomed to having feelings for another person.
They sat there in silence for a time before Andrew asked her some small talk questions about likes and dislikes, favorite movies, book, colors and other things like that. He was trying to distract her from thoughts of her past. In turn she asked him some of the same questions and others like them.
Before they knew it, evening descended. A door slammed as his parents came in from the garage. Johari sat up.
“I should go,” she said, “before your parents find me here.” Andrew shrugged.
“I don't mind if they know you are here, and I'm sure that they won't mind either.” She looked at him.
“Do you want that? Do you want me to be around that much?” Andrew did not want to be too obvious about the desire, so he half shrugged and nodded.
“You have made a pretty major difference in my life in a short time. I would like to see if more time brings more good changes. If you want the same thing that is.” Johari smiled at him.
“I would like that. You have surprised me more than anyone else has ever been able to do in this life and I would like to see if you can continue to do so. I am going to go for now, but if you still want me around, I will be around.” She brushed his arm with her fingertips and then as a knock sounded on his door, she vanished. The curtains in front of his window shivered. That was the only sign of the direction she had gone.
“Andrew?” His dad's voice echoed from the other side of the door.
“Yeah dad, come on in,” he called as he picked up his English notes from where they sat on the corner of his desk. He looked up and smiled at the amazing man who had always been there for him even with Andrew failing to reciprocate. “Hey, how was your day?” The impromptu question and the underlying implication that his son cared about his life took John Marks by surprise for a moment, but he recovered quickly.
“Pretty good day today.” He smiled at his son. In his eyes, the hope all parents have that they can connect with their children reared its head a little bit after so long lying dormant. “How about yours?” John was even more surprised when his son launched into an excited description of how much better his classes had been today.
He described the new beginnings of friendships and his interest in subjects that had bored him before. He skipped over the fluent Spanish part, but mentioned how saying a little in Spanish had inspired a whole different kind of class. After he finished his long description, Andrew smiled up at his dad.
“I know I've never said it before, but I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you and mom have done for me. I know I have been difficult and distant in the past, and I am working hard to change that. Thanks for not losing hope in me.” John Marks stepped farther in the room and patted his son on the leg and then left, though not before Andrew saw the tears beginning to form.
Andrew stayed in his room a bit longer, making a few more notes for his paper before heading downstairs to find his mother and share the joy of his day with her as well. She was working on sloppy joes for supper when he stepped into the kitchen.
A flash of apprehension filled him when he saw his mom chopping some vegetables. He shook it off and greeted her, sharing the same story and a similar appreciation for her patience with him for so long. She gave him a big hug during which a few tears landed on his cheek and shoulder before she went back to finishing the food.
During supper, the conversation was lively and full of laughter, though his parents glanced at each other several times throughout the meal. Andrew didn't mind their surprise. It was a different feeling for him as well. He felt a moment of sadness that he had missed out on so many years of this, but most of his focus was on the joy of experiencing it now. He was determined not to miss another minute of what life could be.
After supper, he spent the rest of the evening on homework, a little reading and a great deal of contemplation on the changes and the future that his life now held. After a shower and other bathroom bedtime preparation, he lay in bed for a long time, thoughts preventing him from sleeping. After a while though, a smile on his face, he succumbed to sleep's strong grasp.
That night, he had the same old dream again. He stood at the window, staring out into the backyard at the wooded lot, taking a break from whatever book he had been reading. Then, she was there, standing just at the edge of the yard. At first she was obscured by the shade of a large tree, but then she stepped into the moonlight and there stood Johari, in all her beauty. The moonlight glowed off of the gems in her eyes and glistened across her velvet hair and alabaster skin. Those bright eyes looked up at Andrew where he stood in the window. Her mouth lifted in a smile to reveal perfectly strait and glistening white teeth. And then she was gone. For some reason, Andrew was not afraid. He wished that she
would come back. It is not every day in a young teenager's life that a gorgeous woman shows up in your backyard and smiles at him. His wish was granted.
He felt a chill flow down his spine and he knew that she was in the room right behind him. Andrew turned to face her. Up close, she was even more beautiful than he had realized from the window. Her smooth skin was perfection and those large glowing eyes pierced him through and through. The waterfall of glistening auburn hair flowed down and over her shoulders to cascade across her back. She was a little over five feet tall, not much shorter than him at that point. He experienced his first crush in that instant.
“So you are the one they are interested in.” She smiled again and took a step toward him. Andrew's heart stopped beating.
He had heard of someone being so beautiful they stopped a heart, but hadn't ever imagined it being a real physical thing. Yet here was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and his heart was dead in the water. It wasn't from fear either, at least he didn't believe that was why. It simply stopped beating. After what felt like forever, though it was only a few moments, she reached out and touched his arm. It burst back into beat.
The beat was different than before though. Somehow, it was stronger than before. In the instant his heart restarted, she gasped and jerked her hand away, though whether in shock or pain, Andrew couldn't tell. She stared for a moment and then her head whipped toward his door. A moment later she was back, staring with those bright blue eyes into his.
“Forget everything about me,” she whispered, and then she was gone.
A soft knock sounded upon his bedroom door.
“Yes?” The door opened a crack and Andrew's dad leaned his head into the room. Andrew looked over at him from where he had been standing, looking out the window into the trees for a bit. “I just couldn't sleep so I was looking outside for a bit.” John Marks nodded.
“Alright, try to get some sleep son.” And then he was gone. Andrew went back to staring out the window as he had been doing before. He sighed. The darkness which was always within him pulled at him, as if to make sure that he was as depressed as possible tonight. He fought it as he struggled with the strange thought that something special was missing. He had no idea what it could be.