by Clark, Bekah
“Let him go, he’s got nothing to do with this,” her voice was shaky.
“Lexa,” he said, “run back to the pizza place.”
“I have no intention of letting the human live. You, on the other hand, we’ll be taking. Your sister, Alyssandear, will come for you.”
Confusion filled Kyle. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he had to get both of them out of there. He grabbed Lexa’s arm and tugged her after him, heading towards the pizza place.
“Run,” he said. But in an instant, one of the men was in front of him. He’d never seen anyone move so fast. Changing direction, he tugged Lexa after him. They got a little distance when the large guy appeared in front of them. And then, suddenly there was a barrier between them. Kyle didn’t understand it; it was like an energy field in a sci-fi movie.
Lexa pulled him away and soon both men were in front of them.
“What the hell is going on, Lexa?!”
“Don’t worry,” she said only barely loud enough for him to hear, “Lyssa will come.”
“What? No!”
“Trust me, Kyle. She’s already on her way,” Lexa said. Gone was the lighthearted girl and in her place was someone serious, focused.
“Where did this…shield… come from?” he asked as the smaller man started pounding on it.
“Me. It’s my gift, a small defensive one. I can keep them away from us. For a while, at least.”
“I don’t want Lyssa here,” he said, worry filled him. How could Lyssa stand against these men? How could Lexa even do what she was doing? “What the hell is going on?”
The man pounded on the shield, “Where is she? Where is Alyssandear?”
Suddenly, Lyssa’s car came out of seemingly nowhere. Doing a one eighty, the back of the car struck the larger man who flew through the air. In an instant, Lyssa was out of the car and before Kyle could focus on her, she was behind the smaller man with one of her wakizashi sticking out of his chest. Her eyes were on Lexa, but then suddenly she met his gaze. His heart split seeing the jumble of emotions that ran through her eyes. Fear, shame, guilt, sorrow.
“Keep both you and Kyle safe,” she said.
And then suddenly she was flying through the air, the larger man having come up, grabbed her and tossing her aside. He grinned savagely as she slammed into a wall and fell to the ground. Kyle’s heart stopped.
“Lyssa!” both Kyle and Lexa screamed together.
He watched in horror as she struggled to her feet, the man held up his hand, and what Kyle could only describe as a plasma ball, formed and hovered over his hand. The large man hurled it at Lyssa. But suddenly, seven plasma balls formed around her and blocked it. Three of those spheres hurled themselves at the man, who dodged them as Lyssa stood.
In a rush, Lyssa attacked. Her strikes where swift and precise as she kept moving so that he couldn’t land a hit on her. Kyle knew that if she were hit, she’d go down. His heart sped. He had to do something.
“Let me out, she needs help,” he said to Lexa. She remained silent. “Let me out!”
“I can’t. Lyss said to protect you and so I will.”
He pounded against the barrier, “He’ll kill her. Let me out!”
“Lyssa will keep us safe, trust her!”
Lyssa barely dodged a punch and she hopped back. Suddenly those seven plasma balls were around her again and in a rush, they all attacked the man. He was able to dodge a few, but soon three of them had him. He fell as the rest of them surrounded him. The light went bright and when they rose, there was nothing but dust. The plasma energy moved to the body of the slender man and soon he too was dust. Lyssa’s beautiful and shame-filled eyes met his. And then she collapsed.
Chapter 19
Lyssa woke with a start. She was in the tanning bed that they used to get needed extra ultraviolet light. She was sore, but the bed had done its job and she was healed. Rising, she stretched and retraced the events of the night.
Kyle. He had seen her for what she was, an alien who was a killer. She’d have to track him down and wipe his memory. Her heart was pierced by the thought and she felt tears start to flow. She never should have let herself date him, if she hadn’t, he’d never have known about this. He’d never look at her, knowing she was a killer.
Making her way out of the basement, she stopped and her eyes widened. She could make out the sounds of voices. Lexa and Kyle were talking and he sounded…normal, if a little worried.
“And you’re sure we shouldn’t take her to a hospital?” Kyle asked.
“Yes, our bodies aren’t like yours. We convert UV rays into healing energy. Trust me. She’s going to be just fine.”
“Why are you here?” he was curious and that was Lyssa’s cue.
“Lexa.”
Both of them looked over and Kyle rushed to her, pulling her close and hugging her tightly. Her heart squeezed tightly in pain as she returned his embrace. Looking over his shoulder, she could see Lexa look at him and then leave the room. She looked up at Kyle and he kissed her. His lips were full of passion and worry and she found herself responding before she could stop herself. She wanted him so badly.
“I know we should talk,” he said softly between kisses, “But I’ve learned enough from Lexa that I think we can talk later. Right now, I just need to be with you. I was so worried.”
She melted at his words and he kissed over her chin, down her neck and to the hollow of her throat. From there he kissed across her collarbone and then to the back of her ear. She shivered madly. Feeling him smile against her ear, she trembled as he said, “Your room?”
She nodded and he swept her up into his arms. Lyssa didn’t want to think about anything. She didn’t want to dwell on their future, she just wanted to feel what it was like to be with him. So when he laid her back on her bed and she looked up into his eyes, she was completely lost.
Slowly, he kissed her as his hands removed their clothing. His fingers danced across her body, she felt fire in her veins. Being his was all she wanted. When he paused, she looked up at him, confused.
He blushed, “Just getting protection.”
She laughed, “At least one of us is thinking straight.”
Then he was on her again and she could feel nothing but his body and his lips and her senses were consumed by him. As they made love, he kissed her so adoringly that she could feel tears falling from her eyes. He raised his head and looked down at her, gently wiping the tears away.
“Did I hurt you?” his voice was so full of worry, she smiled.
“No, you didn’t hurt me. I’ve just never felt so happy before.”
And it was true. She never had felt so happy. Or so devastated. Kyle knew.
As they laid, cuddled together, staring into one another’s eyes, he stroked her hair and asked, “Tell me everything.”
“Everything? That’s a lot to tell.” She kissed him softly, “Let’s just lie here.”
He pulled her closer, “I’m serious. I want to know.”
Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and burrowed into him, “On my world, all of us have certain abilities. That’s normal for us. However, every once in a while, someone like me is born. My abilities are so much more than what is normal, that there is a law on our world that if a parent even suspects their child is a Taldee, as we are called, they are to bring that child in for execution or the whole family will be slaughtered. My family hid me, taught me how to hide what I was. They loved me too much to lose me. Unfortunately, there was a man who realized what I was. He took me and when I saw a flash of what he was going to do to my family, I escaped. I wasn’t there in time to save our parents.”
Her voice cracked and she stopped. Kyle’s arms pulled her as close as he could, squeezing her as his hand softly ran through her hair and he said meaningless things to calm her spirit. When she could speak again, she took a deep breath.
“My parents were dead, but the men who were there were taking Lexa into custody.”
“They called you and
Lexa different names,” Kyle interrupted.
“Yes. I was born Alyssandear and my sister was Elexarn. Lyssa and Lexa sound more… human. At this point, it’s who we are.”
She could feel him nod, “So they were taking Lexa and they had killed your parents.”
She froze for a moment, scared to tell him the rest. He stroked her hair and made soft noises, “You can tell me.”
Relaxing just a little she said, “I killed them all and I took Lexa.”
“It must have hurt you. I saw your pain, Lyssa. I know you hate killing.”
For a moment, she almost broke to weeping, but she carried on, “We came here. Once I was on Earth, I set our ship to fly into the sun, to leave no trace on Earth of our being here. But then, Hunters started to come after us. Every year we move in order to elude them. If I had known that they would be on this planet. Well, Lexa and I wouldn’t be here still.”
“You mean, at the end of the year I’ll never see you again.”
Her heart ached, she felt so heavy as she said, “You won’t miss me.”
He rolled her down onto her back and stared down at her, “What do you mean?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached up and touched his cheek. “I love you,” she said as she watched his eyes go blank.
The next morning, she got up early and got the coffee going. She sat at the counter and stared at the pot as it brewed. Her heart was heavy, but there was nothing that could take away that pain. If she were being honest with herself, even time wouldn’t take it away.
Lexa came downstairs and stood next to the pot and looked at Lyssa with a grin, “Uh, don’t tell me the sex was bad, because sadly enough I had to listen and it sounded like it was … hey, why are you crying?”
Lyssa sat up and wiped at her cheeks, she hadn’t even realized she was crying, “I broke up with Kyle last night.”
“What? What happened?” All humor had left Lexa’s voice and her eyes filled with concern.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just want my damn coffee.”
Lexa’s eyes went wide and she nodded. Quietly, Lyssa waited for the coffee. When the machine was done and the coffee had stopped dripping, she poured herself a cup. She pulled out the cream and nearly wept, thinking about the time when in her pajamas she’d gone to Kyle’s work. Closing her eyes, she poured the cream and headed to the living room.
She sat quietly, staring at the TV, not even seeing when Lexa turned it on. She sipped her coffee, saying nothing. All she wanted was the warmth of Kyle’s arms one more time, just one more time.
“I’m going to make breakfast,” Lexa said.
“I don’t want anything, thank you.”
“Lyssa! We aren’t like humans who can skip a meal or two and be fine. Without the large amounts of UV light like we get on our world, we need the food to keep going. You have to eat.”
Lyssa looked up at her sister, “I’m not hungry.”
“And if Hunters attack? Would it be worth it?”
Sighing, she replied, “Fine, but just a few eggs.”
She had always loved Lexa’s cooking, but today it was tasteless. She sat there, eating out of necessity, with Lexa watching her nervously. Softly, she said, “I’ll be alright, I just need time.”
The rest of the day, was spent in pretty much the same manner. When she went to bed, she laid there, inhaling her pillow where she could still smell Kyle. The next day she’d bag up these sheets and never wash them until Kyle’s scent was gone, but for now she wanted to be surrounded by his rich fragrance.
Monday came and she headed to her first class. Kyle sat next to her and she dreaded his not being hers. When he entered, he paused and looked at her with an unreadable expression. Her heart crumbled at the sight. She pondered asking Lexa to move early as he sat down. His stared at the chalkboard while writing in his notebook. She could almost smell him from where she sat.
“I don’t want things to be weird with us. Friends, you said. You meant it, right?” he suddenly asked.
“Y…yes. Always.”
He nodded, but didn’t turn to her. She watched quietly as he spoke to his friends and when class started, she participated and tried to pretend nothing was wrong. Brad and Steven gave her odd looks, so she smiled and nodded.
As she sat alone in the library, she couldn’t bring herself to read. Instead, she found herself staring at the shelves of books and remembering all the times Kyle and she would talk in that back area. She couldn’t bring herself to sit there so she found another spot. Every time she heard someone coming, she’d look to see if it was Kyle. Moreover, each time it wasn’t, her heart ached a little more.
Staring at her Chicken Tikka Marsala, which Lexa had gone out of her way to make herself, Lyss found she could barely eat it. Her favorite food and it was going to waste. She could feel the eyes of Lexa, Missy and Anna on her, but she dared not look up.
Finally, Missy said, “Is it true?”
Lyssa said nothing, pretending Missy was talking to someone else.
“Lyssa, is it true?”
She turned her eyes to her as she fought tears, “Is what true?”
“Oh no! It’s true! Look at you, you’re about to cry!”
Anna said softly, “If you want to talk about it, we’re here.”
Lyssa smiled as Lexa softly stroked her hair in support, “Thank you, but I’m more of a private mourner.”
Missy huffed, “I can’t believe he hurt you like that! I thought he really liked you.”
Weakly, she smiled, “It was a mutual thing. We’re still friends.”
“Like hell you…oh wait, he’s coming over here.”
Lyssa’s heart froze, as did the rest of her. She stared straight ahead. Please keep walking, please keep walking, please keep walking.
“Hi girls,” he said, his voice as warm and rich as ever. She missed hearing it in her ear.
“Hi, Kyle,” they all said and stumbling over her words she said softly, “Hello.”
She couldn’t look up at him. However, she leaned back and inhaled deeply. His rich scent was just as intoxicating as ever and she just wanted things to go back to the way they were. But she couldn’t let that happen. For his sake and for Lexa’s.
“Hey, Lexa, the other day you left this bag in my car.”
Lyssa looked over at Lexa who looked confused for a moment before she smiled up at him, “Thanks.”
When she got to gym, her heart sank. There Kyle was, looking sexy. She shook her head and tried to focus on volleyball. Every time someone spiked the ball at her, she missed it. Eventually, it became the routine. Her team tried to cover for her, but finally she was hit in the head.
As she leaned over, holding her head, the gym teacher came over to her, “You alright?”
“Honestly, I have a really bad headache. Can I just go?”
“Go to the nurse’s office, I’ll get someone to take you.”
“I can make it on my own,” she put her hand on the teacher’s arm and watched her eyes go blank, “I’ll be fine on my own.”
The teacher nodded, “You’ll be fine, on your own. Go to the nurse’s office now.”
She left and changed her clothing. When she came out to the hall, she found Kyle and her heart skittered to a halt. She smiled up at him and said, “What are you doing here?”
“You took a bad hit, Lyssa. I’m taking you to the nurse’s. Besides, we’re friends. Can’t a friend worry?”
Sighing, she looked away and started down the hall, “Sure, why not?”
They walked in silence. She remembered how he’d take her hand. The way he’d tease her. It left her fighting tears.
“Are you ok?” he asked, his voice tinged with worry.
“Just my head,” she replied, keeping her eyes firmly on the hall in front of her.
“You might have a concussion. If the nurse thinks you should go to the hospital, I’ll take you.”
She couldn’t take it anymore, she grabbed his hand and smiled gen
tly as his eyes went blank, “I’ll be fine, Kyle, why don’t you go back to class.”
For a short moment, it almost looked like he was fighting her influence, but then he nodded and walked away. She continued on her way to the nurse’s office and told the secretary in the office she was hit in the head. Once inside the room, she grabbed the nurse’s hand and sent her out of the room. When she was finally alone, she curled up on her side and waited out for the final bell.
She tried to sleep, but couldn’t. As she laid there, eyes staring at the wall, she remembered Kyle. Even now, he still was worried about her. She didn’t want to leave, but she didn’t want to stay either. There was Lexa to consider as well, she had made friends and leaving them sooner than normal would be painful for her.