by Clark, Bekah
The bell rang and she rose. Making her way to her car, she got in and quietly waited for Lexa. Turning her eyes towards the building, she could see her talking and laughing with Missy and Anna. She was glad that they had become such good friends. For the first time, she wished she had a group of friends. Maybe then, she could have someone to cry with over the loss of Kyle. Well, other than poor Lexa, whom she refused to cry to.
When Lexx finally got into the car, they drove home in silence. She could feel that her sister wanted to talk, but Lyssa just didn’t want to get into it. Not with Lexa. So they drove in silence and when they pulled up to the house, she got out of the car and headed in. Normally, she did her homework, today she just sat on the couch. She’d get it done later.
“Hey.”
She looked up when Lexa spoke and smiled. “Hey, what’s up?” she replied
Lexa fidgeted a moment and then sat beside her with the bag Kyle had given her. She said, “I wasn’t sure if I should give you this. It isn’t my bag. Kyle and I had gone shopping because he wanted to buy you a present. These are for you from Kyle. You… well I think you should open it Lyssa.”
For a long while, she held the bag. Kyle had bought her a gift before the Hunters had come. If those Hunters hadn’t come, he would have given this to her. She pondered not opening it. Would it hurt more, knowing what he’d bought for her?
Sighing, she opened the bag and pulled out two old books. She smiled; Lexa must have told him she preferred the old ones. The first book she saw was The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe. There was no doubt in her mind that Lexa had suggested that one. She smiled and set it aside. Then she froze. Lord of the Rings. It was a beautiful copy. When she opened it up, it was full of incredible illustrations. It was also in excellent condition. Trembling, she clutched it to her chest. Tears formed and she put the book aside, afraid she’d ruin it. He had wanted her to read that. She wondered if he had read Dune. Curling up on the couch, she wept openly.
The next day, the two of them went to school, but she found Mrs. Johnson her Physics teacher and influenced her so that she wouldn’t realize Lyssa wasn’t in class. Then, she hid in the library. The idea of reading, however, didn’t appeal to her so she finished up her homework. That didn’t take long and soon she was twirling her pencil. She had to do something; maybe she could get her classes switched? It wouldn’t take much to influence someone in the office and have herself put in all classes that he was not in. She just wasn’t sure how much she could take. Seeing him was painful.
When the bell finally rang for lunch, she left the library to head to the cafeteria. But as she was making her way there, she froze. Her heart raced and then almost flat lined. In front of her, Kyle was talking to Tori. He turned and headed towards the cafeteria and when he did, she trotted after him and slipped her arm through his, leaning on him. Her heart cracked and she almost called out. Tori glanced back, gave her a smirk and swished her hips as she walked away by Kyle’s side.
Lyssa couldn’t take it. She headed to her car and decided not to go to another class that day. She got into her vehicle and closed the door. She let out a loud gut wrenching scream before falling to tears.
Chapter 20
Lexa found Lyssa curled up on her side, weeping in the car. She banged on the window, which startled Lyssa. Looking up, she unlocked the door and Lexa got in. For a long moment, she said nothing.
Finally, she asked, “What is it?”
“He… was… with… Tori,” Lyss got out between sobs.
“Seriously? He never liked her, Lyss. If anything, he was tolerating her. Have some faith in him.”
“I know… I know, I just can’t help it. He’s not mine anymore and I…” She broke off and Lexa wondered if Lyssa was unable to continue or simply didn’t want to share her feelings.
“Move over, Lyss, you are in no shape to drive us home,” Lexa said, softly giving her sister a shove.
“You don’t have a license,” Lyssa said listlessly.
Lexa laughed, “Yeah, well in actuality, you don’t either. You forged it into the computer system and then ‘renewed’ it on the website. So don’t give me that nonsense. Move over, I don’t want to get into an accident.”
Sighing, Lyssa got out of the car and went around to the passenger’s side. As she watched her sister go, she was grateful that she could manipulate objects well enough that she was able to remove the dent from the attack. The last thing Lyss needed was another reminder.
They got home and she watched her sister crash on the couch. If Lyssa in love was annoying, but sometimes funny, Lyssa depressed was just plain tragic and not something Lexa knew how to deal with. Usually, Lyssa was in charge, she kept them going. She was the one who gave Lexa encouragement that made their hard wandering lifestyle bearable. Lexa didn’t know what she was going to do if Lyssa didn’t become strong again. She wasn’t sure if she could take control and protect her sister.
“Hey, why don’t you stay home a couple of days? I’ll bring in a note from our ‘mom’ telling them you’re sick.”
Lyss looked up at him, “Good idea. I don’t know if I can face Kyle right now.”
She kissed Lyssa on the brow and went to make dinner. Usually, she made a lot more food, but with Lyssa barely eating, she made half of her usual amount. They ate in silence and Lyssa went to her room afterward. Lexa cleaned up, which was usually her sister’s job. With Lyss the way she was, Lexa had a feeling that there would be a huge pile of dishes in a few days if she didn’t do it herself.
The next day, forged note in hand, Lexa went to school using the bus. She left Lyssa the car because if something were to happen, if Lyss got a flash of the future, she had to have a way to get to Lexa. So, she rode the stinky bus and when she got to school, she went into the office and gave them the note. Lyssa being such an excellent student, the teacher she gave the note to completely bought it.
“Hey, where’s your sister?” Anna asked.
“Um, she’s sick today.”
Melissa came over and arched a brow, “Sick, huh?”
“Yep, she’s sick,” Lexa hoped that that would be the end of it.
Unfortunately, lunch came and Kyle walked over, “Where’s Lyssa?”
She smiled up at him, “Sick. I think it’s the flu.”
His eyes were lit with genuine concern, “Maybe I should swing by and see how she is.”
That’s the last thing you need to do, she thought.
“She’d be upset if anyone saw her looking like she does right now,” she said with a smile.
Kyle looked at her a moment, his eyes unfocused and then he smiled, “Please tell her I was asking about her.”
“I will.” She watched him walk away.
“What is up with your sister and Kyle? She’s trying to avoid him, he’s looking for her. What happened?” Missy asked.
Lexa smiled, “Nothing. They broke up, decided to be friends, end of story. Lyss is sick, that’s all.”
“Lyss is sick my left eye. She’s avoiding him. Was he the one who broke up with her?”
Lexa looked at Melissa and then Anna. Anna was quiet, probably because she understood. Missy may have understood too, but she was too interested in the gossip not to ask.
“I don’t know. Lyssa won’t talk about it.”
“I bet he broke up with her. He’s so stupid. Lyssa’s a little weird, but she’s really a nice girl, unlike that skank Tori.”
Anna laughed, “Missy, please.”
“Well it’s true. I saw her hanging all over Kyle the other day. I bet Lyssa saw that and she’s all broken up,” she said as Lexa sighed.
“Come on, guys, she’s my sister.”
“We aren’t being disloyal. She’s the best girl between the two of them and he’s an ass if he doesn’t realize it.”
Lexa didn’t know what to say. Missy was going to say and think what she wanted and there was nothing she could do about it. She sighed and looked over at Kyle. He didn’t deserve to be spoken bad
about either.
“Hey,” Anna said, “My brother Ryan is in town, want to meet him Saturday?”
Lexa smiled, “Sure. I’d love to meet him. What’s he like?”
“Hot,” Missy chimed in, “And totally not interested in dating. Actually, he kinda reminds me of your sister. He’s super protective of Anna.”
Smiled, Lexa said, “I bet I’d like him then. Lyssa’s protectiveness, while annoying at times, is one of my favorite things about her.”
Melissa rolled her eyes, “Good luck with that.”
When Lexa got home, she found Lyssa on the couch, in her flannels, mindlessly flipping through television stations. Her eyes were blank and red. Lexa had a feeling her sister had been crying again. This had to stop.
“I bet you’d be happier with him.”
“My happiness isn’t the issue, the safety of you two is,” Lyss said without looking up.
Lexa rolled her eyes and went about her evening. She cooked, she cleaned and then did her homework. When it was eleven, she headed up to bed, Lyssa still on the couch.
The whole week was the same and Lexa was at the end of her rope by the time she left to go out on Saturday. She dressed in some black leggings and a tight red sweater. Putting on her black boots, she glanced over to the couch.
“I’m heading out.”
“Wait,” Lyssa’s eyes went bright blue-gray, and then settled back to their usual state, “you’ll be safe tonight. If anything happens, I’ll come for you.”
As Lexa walked out the door, she said under her breath, “At least you’ll still look for Hunters and come for me. But I wonder if you’d win.”
Lexx got into the back of the car, Ben was driving and Missy was sitting in the front. As soon as they drove off, Melissa turned, “How’s doom and gloom?”
Rolling her eyes, she replied, “Still glued to the couch.”
“I thought she broke up with Kyle,” Ben said.
“I’m not sure on that score.”
“Brad told me Kyle’s been really weird since the breakup. Sometimes he’s perfectly fine and other times he talks about how much he misses her.”
Lexa looked out the window, “Who can understand? Unless Lyss tells me what I need to know, I can’t explain it.”
“Maybe we should lock them in a room together,” Melissa laughed.
If only that would help, Lexa thought as she watched the other cars.
They pulled up in front of Anna’s and she walked out. Lexa waved and then her heart quickened when she took in the form next to her. His hair was a pale brown, almost but not quite blond. His eyes were stormy gray and when he looked at his sister, he had quite a gentle smile.
They got into the car and Anna gave Lexa a quick hug. Lexx shyly looked at her brother and he coldly looked back. Well, Anna was cold in the beginning too.
“Hi Ryan, I’m Lexa.”
“When did you move here?”
She blinked, that wasn’t exactly how she thought he’d respond, “Um, the end of August.”
Anna sighed, “Come on, Ryan, not now.”
“So,” Lexa said, “I thought we were hanging out at Anna’s, where are we going?”
“We are going to party!” Missy chirped.
“Um, I don’t drink.” Lexa worried about Ben drinking too. If she needed a ride, would Lyssa see something as minor as that?
“Aw, come on, it’ll be fun,” Ben said.
Ryan was eying her quietly and her cheeks reddened. Why did such a jerk have to be so sexy? But, more than that, what if she did need a ride.
“Ok, let’s go,” she said, trying to sound happy about it.
They arrived at a big yellow house and she could see a lot of people inside. In fact, it looked completely packed. There was a loud thumping noise from music. Lyssa would definitely not approve, which made her worry about how good her sight was tonight. What if Lyss missed something? No, she couldn’t let herself think that way.
They exited the car and looked around. Everyone was drinking. Great. She looked over and Missy and Ben both had drinks in their hands. Anna and Ryan, however, did not.
“Mind if I stick with you two? I really don’t drink,” she asked.
Anna smiled, “Sure. At least now I don’t feel like the only loser here.”
“Do you think with my sister I could get away with coming home drunk?”
Anna laughed and Ryan looked over at them. She asked, “So, you two wanna dance or something? It looks like some kids are dancing over there.”
Anna smiled, “I don’t dance, but Ryan does. Ryan, dance with Lexa.”
Ryan looked put out, but he grabbed Lexa’s hand and took her into the living room where a bunch of people were dancing. Just as they were about to start, the music slowed and everyone coupled off. They looked at each other and he took her hand, his arm snaking around her waist.
“Sorry. I didn’t think Anna would do this to you,” she said.
“Anna likes to make me uncomfortable.”
She laughed, “I like doing that to Lyssa. You the protective type too?”
“Your sister is protective?”
“Yes she is.”
He looked at her a moment and asked, “Then why isn’t she here?”
She smiled sadly, “My sister’s heart has been broken for the first time, that’s the only reason. Plus, she had no idea we were going to a party. She thought I was going to your house tonight. Hell, I thought we were too, at first.”
The only thing she could think was that Lyssa had restricted her look ahead to Hunters only and hadn’t noticed Lexa was going to a party. That had to be it, because she could not see Lyssa letting her go otherwise. Unless, her sister was that far gone. No. No, she couldn’t think that way. She turned her eyes up to look at Ryan. He may not have been a nice guy, but being in his arms was fun. He was sexy after all.
“You met my parents before, huh?” His voice was low and reminded her of warm honey.
“I did. They’re nice people.”
“Too nice,” he said, “There are too many dangers out there.”
“Wow, you really sound like my sister. Sure, there are dangers out there, but we can’t live constantly hiding. Eventually, there will be no reason to continue living.”
He held her as they swayed to the music. There was something about being close to him, something about his scent that made her heart quicken, but she didn’t dare tell him. She was sworn off men, she reminded herself.
“You can’t live if you’re dead,” he said softly.
Looking up into his eyes she said, “You can’t live if you’re dead inside.”
His eyes fixed on her, for a moment, he pulled her closer. Her heart raced, her mind blanked out anything other than the color of his eyes and the shape of his lips. He leaned closer, his eyes locked on hers. He tilted his head. And then, the music changed to something loud and fast. As if coming out of a trance, he shook his head and pulled away. He let her go.
“I’m done with dancing,” he said.
Nodding and blushing, Lexa walked away to try to find some place to relax. Everywhere she looked, there were people. Making her way to the door, she slipped outside and sat on the stairs of the porch.
She stared up at the stars, her eyes invariably finding the area of the sky that contained her home world. The star was difficult to see when her pupils were forced to stay human normal. However, she took comfort in it being there. The bodies of her parents were there. She’d never see it again.
“You alright?”
She looked up to find Ryan standing there. She blinked, “What?”
“You’re crying. Are you alright?”
Putting her hands to her cheeks, she realized they were wet and she wiped away her tears. She smiled up at him and found him staring at her with his storm gray gaze. For a moment, her breath caught in her throat and then she looked away.
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Just remembering something from a long time ago.”
He sat next to her,
his eyes going up to the same area of sky before turning to her. He asked, “You like the stars?”
Like the stars? She loved the stars. She missed them. What she wanted was to be back on her home with her family and sister and looking up at the stars all together. Tonight was probably the first time she had really looked at the stars in a long time. And they were all wrong.