Pro number three wasn’t even a pro, it was a guilt trip. The more I thought about last night, the more I realized that I’m a one hundred percent, to a tee, complete and utter jackass. I was completely insensitive to Albert, just like how I was completely insensitive to Lyle when Kisuke and Mayuki dropped me off. I didn’t mean it, I just got… scared. I did, I can admit it to myself. I just sort of raised my defenses I guess and… maybe that wasn’t the best thing to do. But I have to get points for the fact that this isn’t just about me. At least I don’t take these decisions lightly.
How do I know Albert won’t start robbing banks or killing old ladies as soon as I hand him this power? And then I’ll be the girl who let it happen by Joining with a murderous Twined. What Mayuki said was spot on, it’s just like letting a dog off its leash. Only problem is you don’t know if this dog is a Chihuahua or a rabid Rottweiler. Trusting Albert is the risk that comes with this ordeal.
I realize that he needs a bond to live, I get that, I really do. And if it was just a survival thing then maybe I wouldn’t be hesitating as much as I am. Maybe I wouldn’t be so… cold. But the fact of the matter is I need to quote Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility. The problem with this situation is that Albert will have the power… and it will be my responsibility.
It’s not just life that I’m giving him. It’s something much, much greater, much more dangerous… something that could impact a lot of people’s lives. And then what he had said last night hit me. He needed to find answers. He said that there was something sinister in this town that he needed to figure out; that so many people would need what we were capable of. I don’t know what that meant. But the look on his face was so pained… like he was hurting. He looked as if something had scarred him deeply.
When I realized that I was writing this T chart in my classroom, and that my teacher was giving me the stink eye for not paying attention to her lessons on prose, I realized there was only one place in this school that I could go to get an honest opinion on this issue. So I packed up my stuff at the end of class and headed down to the lower floor. I sucked at prose anyway.
If there was anyone who could help me, who could give me some kind of insight, it was Ms. Gray.
I walked down the hall scanning for Prajna or Lyle. To be honest right now they were the last people I wanted to see. I wanted to keep my normal life and this freak stuff as far from each other as possible. And I doubt Lyle was craving much Avalin at the moment anyway, so it’s best I stay clear. At least until things ease up and I come to some kind of decision.
I turned the doorknob and entered the nurse’s office. I breathed out in relief as the room was empty, only Ms. Gray was sitting at her desk. She looked to me with that big smile and shrugged her shoulders cutely at me, “Avalin! I’m glad to see you!”
I laughed, “I swear you never have a single kid in here.”
“They pay me to be beautiful,” she giggled. “Oh just kidding. Come in, come in.”
I did as she asked and set my bag down next to me as I took a seat across from her. She turned in her swivel chair and sighed, setting her hands in her lap. To my surprise she got right to business, like she knew why I had come.
“So… how are things between you and Albert? I hear he went out to find you last night, said you were sleepwalking out on a main road of all things! Is everything okay?”
I grimaced, “That’s kind of why I’m here.” I told her, “Albert asked me to… he asked me to Join with him last night. And I kind of… turned him away. I just have so many questions that I’m really kind of lost at this point.”
“I figured as much. Dear whatever you need to know, I can answer… for the most part,” she said as she scratched her forehead gently. “Lord knows I had the same questions and considerations as you when I went through this.”
“Well that’s what I’m hoping. I… well I’ve been thinking of the pros and the cons of Joining with Albert… in fact here.” I went into my bag and handed her the list I had made in class earlier. She grabbed her glasses, which were chained to a clip on her uniform, and proceeded to read it over with a smile.
“You’re a very smart girl, Avalin,” she said to me. “These are all very good points. And I like the Spiderman quote as well.”
“That was to lighten the mood. Thinking about this is… I don’t know. Tiring, I guess.”
“It’s hard dear, no doubt about that,” she said as she set the paper down on her desk. “I have to be some kind of honest with you Avalin. When you said that you thought I had met Albert before? You were right. We had met before, if only briefly.”
My eyes widened. So I was right! She did have something to do with how he found me!
“The reason I work here isn’t just so I can help sick children. It’s so that I can spot maturing Twined… so I can help these children cope with their abilities.”
“You’re here to… weed out Twined?” That didn’t surprise me as much considering she hung around Kisuke and Mayuki.
“Precisely. So that we may single them out and teach them what they truly are.” She crossed her legs. “Some kids are not properly informed of their Twined heritage, or they lose their Twined parents before they’re properly educated. But mostly I’m here to show these kids that they’re not alone. That they’re not freaks or outcasts, but what they can do must be properly controlled.”
I understood what she meant, “That’s really kind of you to help people like that.”
“It’s a perfect set up really. When kids express certain powers or abnormalities, they think they are “sick” or they want a surefire way to go home. And when they think they’re sick or want to leave, where do they go? To the nurse’s office! They come in, I sit them down and use my Tracking and badda bing, badda boom.” She shrugged, “That’s all there is to it!”
“So if you don’t mind me asking… why did you send Albert to me?”
“I didn’t send Albert to you directly per say.” She took off her glasses and donned a more serious look. “Albert was different. He is still different. More or less he’s… picky. He’s had plenty of opportunities to Join with amazing partners, partners that would have made him just as powerful as you could. Instead… he chose to wait. Until he came here, that is. Now he’s bent and determined to persuade you to Join with him.”
That shocked me, honestly. I shrugged, “Me? Why? What’s so special about me?”
“I don’t know sweetie. Oh gosh, that’s not what I meant. I mean you’re a special girl. But why Albert wants you so desperately? That I cannot answer. That’s something that needs to come from him.”
I rubbed my arm gently. So he had opportunities to Join with other people, who could have given him power, but instead he waited… and now he wants me? “He told me… he told me that if I Join with him that I may be in danger. He said there are things lurking in this town… that he needs to find answers.”
She pushed her swivel chair out from behind her desk so that I could see her fully, “Well you and Albert should know better than anyone what kind of beings lurk even in this very school,” she said, speaking of Jessica. “And it is understandable that he doesn’t want to tell you everything until your participation is assured.”
I could understand that. “Yeah I respect that. At least he was honest about the danger.”
Gray nodded. “There is a lot I’m not telling you Avalin. There’s a lot I can’t tell you… not unless you do fully decide to Join with Albert. I can’t tell you what to do, sweetie. And this choice is entirely up to you, it must be done by your will alone. But what I can say with full confidence is that Albert’s morality is not what is in question. His intentions are good; he truly is a just and noble young man.”
I breathed out, a little relieved that he has someone like Gray vouching for him. However what I heard next was something that scared me almost as much.
“Wh
at you need to consider, darling, is the danger…” she said with a serious yet concerned expression. “Because Albert was right in what he told you. If you Join with him, you’ll be committing yourself to something that could possibly put you into many dangerous situations. Situations that make what Jessica tried to do seem like a simple play date. If you Join with Albert, your life will change Avalin. Nothing will ever be the same.”
The lunch bell rang as soon as I bid Gray goodbye and left her office. I decided that I wasn’t exactly hungry at the moment, mostly because I knew Lyle and Prajna would be waiting for me in the cafeteria. Besides, I had other things on my mind.
All right, so what Gray said made me feel both extremely relieved and extremely uneasy. I was relieved in the fact that apparently Gray trusted Albert enough to feel that he wouldn’t simply use me to grow powerful. I was uneasy because apparently the thing I should be worrying about is the fact that by Joining with Albert, I’m essentially entering myself in a situation that could be detrimental to my well being.
She said that she couldn’t tell me things. Well, she couldn’t tell me certain things until I agreed to Join with Albert. I was still getting used to the idea of Gray having secrets. She didn’t pressure me into making a decision, but she didn’t steer me away from accepting Albert’s offer either. So essentially talking to her took me three steps forward and then sent me three steps back to being neutral again.
I went for the next couple days without coming to an answer. And I literally thought about it every waking minute. Okay… all right, not so much “it” as “him”. I exhausted myself wondering what I should do about Albert. So much so that I even made my brother worry about my well being. I hated to admit it but he was always on my mind.
I woke up a mess on a Wednesday morning. Getting ready for school was a disaster multiplied only by the fact that dad’s car was in the shop so he had to take my Camaro. And once I realized I was without a ride, I also realized that I had missed the bus by the time my hair was dry.
I tried calling Prajna but she had already left. And considering I don’t have a complete lineup of people waiting to take me wherever I wanted to go, I realized I had came down to one option.
I called Lyle.
It was short sweet and to the point on Lyle’s end. Simple one word answers were all I got, but he agreed in the end to take me to school. So I guess I was at least thankful for that. I got dressed and put on my grandmother’s ruby necklace. I rubbed my dog’s belly and let him sleep on my bed as I headed out the door. But before I left I grabbed two things; my phone and the pink origami crane Mayuki had given me the day Jessica came after me. I had been carrying that crane around for a while now, but don’t ask me why. I hadn’t even looked in it yet.
I walked out the door of my house without eating any breakfast or anything. As soon as I got out there I saw Lyle’s car in my driveway. I took a nervous breath in. Here goes nothing.
I climbed into the passenger’s seat. But I was shocked to see that the driver wasn’t who I expected it was.
As soon as I got a good look at him, my head reeled back. “Reggie?”
Lyle’s six foot three brother sat in the driver’s seat with his blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. He gave me a stunning smile as he leaned back into his chair, “Avalin Marsh. I haven’t seen you since you were running around in my muddy back yard with your boy shorts!”
I laughed and gave him a hug. “And I haven’t seen your sorry ass since you were sporting that ridiculous bowl cut!” I shook my head in amazement. “Speaking of which what is going on with this?” I played with his ponytail. “You decided to grow it out?”
He grinned again. “You like?”
“I like,” I confirmed. I couldn’t believe Reggie was back home, I haven’t seen him in years, not since Lyle and I dragged him into all of our adventures when we were younger. Words couldn’t express the nostalgia I felt right now. It was so good to see the guy.
But then I realized something that made this reunion a little bittersweet.
“Wait… so where’s Lyle?” I asked him.
He sighed, “Avalin, come on. Let’s not waste a good reunion by talking about my dumpy little brother.” He put the Pinto into reverse and backed out of my driveway.
But the fact that Lyle sent his brother to pick me up bothered me. “Is he busy or something?”
“He’s busy being a moody teenager, yeah.”
I sighed. My fears had been confirmed. “So he’s still mad.”
“You still have that honesty addiction?” he asked me.
“Somewhat.”
“Then you honestly don’t need to worry about it,” he said and I laughed. That brought another smile to his face. “You know he’s sensitive. You get him started and he keeps on going. Batteries come included, you know?”
I nodded, “Yeah I guess so.”
He gave me a quick look. I guess he felt bad about my disappointment over Lyle’s absence. We drove in silence for a bit before he said, “Come on Ave. You know he cares for you.”
“I know he does.”
“He just has a very nagging, motherly way of showing it.” Reggie scratched his forehead. “I mean think of everything you guys have been through. He’s just dedicated to you. You’re great for each other. You’re both equally as quirky.”
“Yeah, quirky is a good word for it,” I said with a brief and bitter laugh. “I’m horrible for him Reggie. I honestly don’t know why he sticks around. I have a habit of ruining his life.”
Reggie shook his head, “No, no. You’re missing my point baby girl. You haven’t ruined his life. You just worried him, that’s all. You don’t need to beat yourself up over it, just like he doesn’t have to beat around the bush with it.”
“I really didn’t try to upset him. Things are just a little confusing right now and I don’t know where I stand.”
“Where you stand with Lyle?”
“Where I’m standing period,” I said to him. “Just a lot of confusion, like I said. And I want to keep Lyle as far from the chaos as possible.”
“See, that’s where you always make your mistake Avalin,” Reggie said. “You try to push and push him away when you’re hurting. And you know he’s only going to force his way into the situation eventually. You know him; his head’s harder than my grandmother’s yearly fruitcake.”
I tried to suppress a laugh. “Damn you and your humor, funny man.”
“Just give him some time. He’ll live, he’ll get over it. Just try to realize what you take from him when you keep him in the dark, all right?”
Reggie gave me that brotherly look and I just about melted. So I have to say that did give me a little more confidence. “All right. I will.”
He laughed, shaking his head at me. “You haven’t changed a single bit.”
“Now why would I change if I’m already perfect?” He rolled his eyes. “Kidding, Reggie, I’m kidding.”
Reggie dropped me off in the bus loop while it was still empty. All the busses must have came and gone already. I grabbed my things and thanked Reggie for the ride. That was the best thing about Lyle’s brother. He could leave for ten years and the conversations would flow like he was never even gone a day.
“Have a good day at school.” Reggie shot me a sexy look, “Do you want a kiss goodbye?”
“I might want more than a kiss if you keep looking at me like that,” I joked. He ushered me out of the car and I gave him a wave goodbye. The Pinto sped out of the bus zone as I wondered about the next time I would see Reggie again. I forgot to ask why he was in town and how long he’d be here for.
I wonder how Lyle got to school today. If Reggie had the Pinto, wouldn’t it have been easier for Lyle to ride to school with me? If Lyle was so mad that he didn’t even want to be in the same car with me… well let’s just say that I felt like scum right about now.
&nb
sp; This had to stop. I couldn’t stand having Lyle upset at me while I was going through this stuff with Albert. I needed someone who I could talk to about normal things and Lyle was the closest thing I had to someone I could trust. I had to find him and make things right. I just had to.
I ignored my classes and all of my responsibilities. I went to the school’s head office and lied to the secretary because they won’t tell you where students are located unless you have important business with them. I said that I had to deliver a message to Lyle from his brother. The secretary believed the lie and told me what class he was in. Never could remember what class Lyle had this period.
I went up to room 312 and knocked on the door.
Mrs. Bingly, an adorably round woman with an infections smile, greeted me with a heavy southern accent and a look of pure delight, “Oh Avalin Marsh. To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“Hey Mrs. Bingly. I have a message for Lyle. Can I borrow him for just a second?”
I saw Lyle in one of the front rows. He looked at me with a confused expression.
“Oh Lyle? Of course dear, anything you need,” she turned around, the blessed woman, and said, “Mr. McCormick? You have a lovely pale young beauty here to see you.”
I laughed at the pale young beauty part. Lyle got up quickly and came to the door. He gave me a quick nod as we both exited the room. I thanked Mrs. Bingly as she shut the door behind us.
Lyle walked over to one of the many windows that made up the hallway’s far wall. He didn’t say anything to me. I looked at him from behind and sighed, unsure of how to start the conversation. Awkward, my name is Avalin.
“So… seeing Reggie was a nice surprise,” I said at a meager attempt at small talk.
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