by Clark, Bekah
“Done,” Lyssa said softly.
“That was fast.”
“I’ll have to keep checking for the next few weeks, or at least until this dies down. It helped that you gave me a list of people who had mentioned it.”
Nodding, Lexa smiled, “Am I… still allowed to go out tomorrow?”
“Should be safe enough, I’ll keep watch for changes. But, do go, have fun.”
Lexa slipped onto the couch and curled up to her sister’s side. Glancing at the book Lyssa was reading she discovered that she was studying quantum mechanics. It figured. Even if having a boyfriend was a step toward normal, this was a step back. Lyssa would never be an average teenage girl. But, that was her charm.
“You should come with.”
“Nope. I have plans.”
“What? Stalking your boyfriend?”
When Lyssa’s cheeks went all shades of red, Lexa laughed, “I knew it!”
“It’s not stalking. I just… check on him.”
Laughing again, Lexa settled in, “Hey, let’s watch a movie.”
“Put in whatever you like.”
“Well, duh. Your choices are boring.”
Lyssa got up to make popcorn, calling out, “So are yours!”
Lexa was settled and into the movie when Lyssa returned with popcorn and two sodas. She had started it because she knew Lyssa really didn’t care about the movie and would probably end up reading at about the halfway point. This was exactly what happened as they spent their afternoon together. They didn’t talk much, but they talked so often it didn’t matter. The tension eased away just from their spending time together and by the time Lexa got up to make dinner, they were once again back to normal.
The next day, Lyssa was up early getting ready to go buy snacks at the gas station. Right, she was going to see Kyle and the snacks were an excuse. Lexa thought it was cute as she made breakfast. When Lyssa came down, she set some eggs and bacon before her and then sat next to her at her own plate.
“Can you do the dishes? I gotta get ready myself. The girls will be here at ten.”
“I usually do. Where are you going?”
“The mall, for some so-called serious shopping. Later in the day we’re going to Lexington, walk the shops and then eat.”
“Why not eat at the mall?”
“Because I told them I wanted to see something other than just a mall. We’re ‘new to Massachusetts’ and all.”
“Well, have fun,” Lyssa said before scooping up some more eggs to eat.
When the girls finally arrived with Ben, Lexa was surprised to see Anna in the front seat with him. She smiled as she slid into the backseat next to Missy. Shooting Missy a look, her friend shrugged and kept quiet. The gossip about the two in the front would obviously take place later.
The mall was uneventful and Lexa bought herself and Lyssa some great tops. They were a gift to make up for the other day. Lexa knew Lyssa was over it, but she felt guilty. Lyssa was always devoting herself to protecting Lexa. She didn’t need Lexa making her job more difficult.
While they were walking down Massachusetts Ave and exploring the area, Ben and Missy started getting into a fight.
“I don’t know what the big deal is, Benji.”
“Stop calling me Benji! It’s annoying!”
Lexa looked at Anna and then linked arms with her. Calling out to the others, “We’re gonna walk ahead.” She dragged Anna down the street a bit before letting go.
“Why’d you do that?”
“Sorry. I don’t know about you, but listening to them fight was super embarrassing. I’d hate for people to listen to me and Lyss fight.”
Anna nodded and Lexa was about to turn away when the reflection of a man in the window behind her gave her pause. He was looking at them. No, he was downright studying them. It was a dark overcast day, but he was wearing sunglasses. Lexa remembered when she and her sister arrived on Earth. They had a hard time keeping their eyes adjusted on overcast days and always wore sunglasses to hide the change.
But, maybe she was wrong. Maybe he wasn’t a Hunter. However, he sure was interested in her and Anna. She had to do something to protect both Anna and herself. Maybe he was just a pervert. But, if he was a Hunter, he’d kill Anna to get to Lexa.
Grabbing Anna’s arm again, she took them down Grant Street.
“What are you doing?”
“Just exploring.”
“But there isn’t very much down here.”
Anna was right, after the buildings that were on the main drag, it was just a parking lot. Glancing behind her, Lexa noted the man was still following with earnest. Shit.
She smiled brightly at Anna and kept dragging her along. Anna glanced behind them and then turned to meet Lexa’s gray-blue gaze with her own fearful brown eyes. Softly she said, “Is he following us?”
What could she do except answer, “Yes. I think so, so let’s keep going.”
Lexa knew she’d be easy pickings for the Hunter. Anna more so. She could see a bike path coming up and there were houses after that. She could get Anna some time to get to a house. When they got near them, she’d force Anna to run to a house for help. While she did that, Lexa planned to lure away the Hunter by going in another direction. They got pass the bike path and kept going. Lexa glanced back one more time and her eyes went wide.
Lyssa was running up the street at full speed, not even bothering to pretend to be human. She sprung up into the air and landed on the Hunter’s back like a spider monkey. Wrapping her arms around the Hunter’s head, Lyssa twisted and jerked up. Lexa knew his neck had snapped like a twig and he started to go down, her sister released him in time to land on her feet. Lyssa’s eyes flicked to Anna and then back to Lexa. Lexa knew she had to keep Anna from seeing what just happened. She nodded just as Lyssa grabbed the now cooling corpse and dragged him onto the bike path.
Anna was about to turn and Lexa was not sure how far out of sight Lyssa had gotten so she grabbed Anna and said, “Run, now!”
They ran and made a right onto Sherman. They kept running until they hit Fletcher and took another right, quickly making their way back to Massachusetts Ave.
Mass Ave, Lexa reminded herself. A lot of people in the area just reduced the name to Mass.
Anna kept up surprisingly well; Lexa had to give her props for that. When they finally started back up the street towards the area they had left Ben and Missy, Anna finally spoke.
“Who was that?”
“Don’t know. But he’s gone now.”
“Gone?”
Lexa kept her eyes steadily ahead, “Yes, not following us. Maybe I was mistaken. I thought he was like a pervert or something.”
“Maybe.”
Lexa shot Anna a look. She seemed a wreck. Lexa was sure she herself looked just as worn-out. When they finally found Missy and Ben, they had, blessedly, stopped fighting.
“Hey, isn’t that Lyssa’s car?”
Lyssa must have not been sure where to catch up with them at first, because she had parked on the street in front of a café. Shit.
“Could be. If it is, she’s probably just wandering.”
“Does she know we’re here? Is she looking for us?”
“Doubtful. Lyssa said something about exploring the area this morning. She didn’t tell me where though. Lexington’s interesting so she probably thought she’d look around here. If it is her car.”
“It looks like her car, Lexa.”
“Hey!” Lyssa came towards them with a bag from a jewelry shop. Lexa was grateful once again for Lyssa’s sight. “What are you guys doing here?”
Ben’s eyes nearly bugged out. He’d probably never seen Lyssa before because, from what Lexa understood, he wasn’t exactly book smart. Anna looked hurt and Melissa elbowed him.
“Down, jerk, she’s going out with Kyle Adams.”
“You’re going out with Adams? He’s a total nerd.”
Lyssa being Lyssa knew exactly how to handle this guy, coldly she said, “I’m a
total nerd and he’s totally hot. We’re a perfect pair.”
Missy covered her mouth, trying to not laugh. Anna openly gaped at Lyssa and Ben’s brows shot up in shock. He probably wasn’t used to someone who wasn’t interested in him.
“Um. Ok.”
Lyssa turned a sweet smile on the girls, “Have you guys eaten yet?”
Ben brooded, but Melissa smiled brightly, “No we haven’t. Want to eat somewhere?”
“I saw a Japanese restaurant…”
“No, mom makes Japanese food once or twice a week,” Ben said. Melissa rolled her eyes.
“Well we could do something else.”
Lyssa seamlessly entered the group dynamic. Or at least the girls’ group dynamic. Ben seemed put out by her presence and now that Anna knew that Lyssa wouldn’t take Ben away either, she was happy. Anna walked next to Ben and Lexa wondered if he even realized she liked him. Anna was pretty and cute and Ben could do a lot worse than Missy’s quiet and sometimes brooding friend.
The rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch, but Lexa kept wondering if there would be a report about a pile of ash on or near the bike path. Lyssa could do a lot of things others of their kind could not and when she was angry, there was no telling what she’d unleash. Lyssa had been furious when she jumped on that Hunter’s back.
Dread made its way into Lexa’s belly and killed her appetite. What if Lyssa decided this random attack was enough to force a move? Lexa feared that when they got home, Lyssa would say “ten minutes.” If she did, that meant Lexa had to get what she needed and they’d be gone in ten minutes. But, it was a random attack. Just one Hunter who got lucky enough to see Lexa and know who she was.
After they ate, Lexa slipped into Lyssa’s car to go home. It made no sense to drive back with Ben, Missy and Anna. She waited for Lyssa to speak. But, she was silent the whole ride home. Glancing over, Lexa realized Lyssa was full of regret for having had to once again take a life. Lyssa might beat some would-be rapist senseless and wipe his memory, but she hated killing. And that was what these Hunters forced her to do, kill.
When they walked inside, Lexa started, “I don’t want to leave. I have friends. You have Kyle. It was a random attack. You would have sensed if he had partners.”
Softly, Lyssa replied, “You’re right, I would have. As I drove to Lexington after the flash of sight, I kept searching for another. He was alone. He must have landed nearby and that was his first place to search. We’re lucky Anna didn’t know what was going on. You did well with her.”
Lexa’s heart swelled from the praise and she smiled, “Thank you.”
“You’re street choice was much to be desired. What if I hadn’t made it in time?”
And there it was, the lecture about being careful. All heartfelt swelling ceased as she sat down and listened to Lyssa lecture about studying maps and learning streets before going to a town she didn’t know. Lyssa was right. Lexa knew in advance she’d be going there, she should have prepared. The truth was, she’d come to rely upon Lyssa’s sight so much, she sometimes forgot to do her own prep-work to make sure she was safe. Nodding, she silently took the lecture, which lasted over an hour.
After, she hugged Lyssa. Lexa understood the disquiet within her sister. Understood that after killing someone, Lyssa felt depressed. So she hugged her sister tight and made pumpkin pancakes, Lyssa’s favorite, for dinner. That didn’t take away the pain, but at least it showed caring. And, hopefully, it was a bit of a distraction from reality.
Chapter 12
Kyle was excited. Lyssa was coming to dinner to meet his parents. Well, as much as he loved his parents, it wasn’t her meeting them that excited him. In fact, he wished they were out for the night. That it was just him and Lyssa. They’d sit on the couch… Focus. She was coming to meet his parents. This was the first time his parents had ever wanted him to bring the girl he was dating home to meet them. He wondered why they wanted to meet her and he had to admit to himself at least he was nervous about that. Why did they suddenly want to meet her?
Walking into the kitchen, he found his mom hard at work on lasagna. “Hey, honey, think I should make your girl some garlic bread too?”
He laughed softly, “I’ve never seen Lyssa turn down food. She loves to eat and isn’t embarrassed to eat in front of me.”
His mom cast him a brown-eyed gaze, “You seem smitten.”
Blushing, he looked away, “I might be.”
He could feel his mom staring so he turned his eyes back to hers. His mother grinned, “Is she pretty?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Kyle looked away. Discussing girls with his mom was not something he ever did. Lyssa coming to dinner must have made his mom feel like the topic was up for discussion. This meant he now had no choice but to answer her question. Shi… Shoot.
“She’s gorgeous. Smart. You’ll like this, she doesn’t swear and she actually asked me to tone down my language.”
“And are you?”
“I am, but it’s hard to do. I’ve tried to curb my language elsewhere, too. Otherwise, I’ll probably swear in front of her out of habit.”
His mom started laughing. Hard.
“Hey! It isn’t that funny!”
“Yes it is. I’ve been after you to clean up your language for the last three years and she gets you to stop in a matter of weeks. I like her already.”
“Mom, when she gets here, don’t crowd her. And please, please don’t start taking pictures or show her my baby pictures or anything weird like that.”
His mother let out a roar of laughter, “Ooh. Such good ideas.”
“Shouldn’t you have put that in the oven a while ago?”
“Why? I wanted to spend a little time with your girlfriend before dinner. You trying to rush this?”
“Honestly, just a little.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I want to show her my room and avoid all of this.”
His mother folded a dishtowel that she was using and folded her arms, “What do you think we’re going to do?”
“Scare her off with all the questioning. Lyssa,” he paused and took a breath before starting again, “Lyssa is private. It takes a little while before she shares. It’s one of the things I like about her. I always learn a little something new.”
“What if you learn something you don’t like?”
Kyle shoved a hand in his jean pocket and looked out the kitchen window, “When that happens, I’ll take the good with the bad. I really like this girl. I want to know everything about her.”
The next thing he knew, his mom was giving him a big hug. His mom was a hugger and long ago, he had learned to just accept the hugs and feel the love. He wrapped an arm around her and returned the affection. She’d never let go if he didn’t. And, he actually enjoyed his mom’s hugs. But, he’d never tell anyone that.
“I can’t wait to meet her!”
“Mom! Don’t scare her. I’m serious about that.”
His mother just laughed as he went into the living room to check on his dad. His father was sitting on the lounger, reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Man, his dad had weird tastes. He sat across from him on the couch. Quietly, he waited. If his father was in the middle of a paragraph, he didn’t want to disturb him.
With a laugh, his father looked up at him and smiled, “Nervous?”
“Yes. The closer we get to her being here, the more I am thinking this was a bad idea. I should have had her over when you’re not around.”
Seriously, his father said, “No. You don’t have her here without us. Have you met her parents yet?”
“Not yet. I’m sure I will soon.”
“Done anything fun?”
“Still waiting for the new guy to start so I can take her out on a real second date.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll happen.”
“Hey, you aren’t going to leave that book out are you?”
“Why not? You said she likes sci-fi. This is a classic.”
&nb
sp; “It’s not really sci-fi.”
His father laughed at him, “I beg to differ. It may be comedy but this is also a classic sci-fi.”
Rolling his eyes, Kyle looked around the room. His father usually left magazines and books everywhere. He didn’t use an eBook reader, he thought eBooks were the end of an era. Kyle on the other hand loved the idea that he’d have his whole library at hand anytime he needed it. Not that he read anywhere near as much as his father. Or Lyssa for that matter.