by Rue Volley
Elijah shook his head and opened the door to the dark house.
“No, he changed.”
Elijah stepped in and looked around; it was cold and smelled musty... as if spring cleaning had never occurred here.
Gracie followed him, her arms crossed on her chest and obviously irritated with him.
“Like I need to listen to you, you are a demon… something that is prone to lies.”
“You don’t need to get all bitchy about it; I know what I am… I accept myself exactly the way that I am… unlike some people.”
Gracie let out a sharp laugh, more of a “ha”.
“Seriously, you need to work on some people skills.” She said.
Elijah started to walk around the room and then he stumbled over something and almost fell to his knees, he looked down and saw a book, dusty and left to rot. He picked it up and blew on it, dust flying everywhere. Gracie stepped up to him and snatched the book out of his hand. Elijah looked at her and rolled his eyes.
“I need to work on people skills?”
Gracie ignored him and looked at the cover of the book and then she rubbed her fingers across the embossed tree on the cover, her eyes lit up as the fireplace lit up too, like a fireworks display and the room lit up with warm light. Elijah looked at Gracie and her soft features. She truly was stunning despite her rudeness and overall hatred for him. Her hair caught pieces of light from the fire and he got lost staring at it for a moment. Gracie noticed his attention to her and started to walk to a large chair by the fireplace. She brushed off the leaves and dust from the cushion before she sat down and laid the book on her lap.
“Do you have any idea what you have found here?” she asked him.
“I would say an old book.”
Gracie smiled and rubbed the cover of it then she looked up at him again and grinned.
“This is a book written by my Mom.”
“What?”
Elijah walked to her and looked down at it.
“Yes, I told you that she was a recorder of time… this is her book and she has the story of all of us in it.” She said.
“And you talk about my family like they are freaks.”
Gracie stared at him and her grin faded.
“My Mother is not a freak, she is very important.”
“So…” Elijah said as he regretted calling her a freak. “We are all in there?”
“Yes.” Gracie said as she looked down at the book and decided to open it up. The binding creaked as she slowly revealed the first page and she narrowed her eyes and then shook her head.
“What?” Elijah asked her.
“It is blank.” Gracie said and then she turned the next page and the next and nothing... every page was empty.
“I don’t understand this.” Gracie muttered.
Elijah looked at the blank pages and shook his head.
“Maybe she erased it.”
“Oh my God.” Gracie said as she stood up and placed the book on the chair.
“What?”
“I think you are right… or maybe partially right. I mean, if she changed things, then these books do not exist.”
Elijah looked at the book on the chair.
“Well, it is right there… it exists, just nothing in it.”
“Oh, yes.” Gracie said as she started to walk towards the next room. Elijah followed her.
“Do you think it would be too much to ask you to share what you are thinking?”
“Oh…of course.”
Gracie started to look around the room and saw nothing, and then she spotted a door and grinned.
“We need to find the rest of the books; there have to be hundreds of them somewhere.”
“Hundreds? Holy shit, your Mom likes to write a lot, huh?”
Gracie laughed at him.
“Recorder of time, remember? There have to be more books here; I think that one was left on purpose.”
“By who?” Elijah asked her as she opened the door and grinned.
“My Mom, she cannot erase everything, memory was not built by her… it is just a storage space of sorts. This was created by my Dad, for her.” She said.
“What?”
Gracie smiled and grabbed his hand and pulled him into a large room, full of books and an old wooden desk sat in the middle. They both looked up and the roof was extremely high and made out of glass. She sighed and took a deep breath.
“Do you smell that?” she asked him.
“Smells like old dusty things.” Elijah said.
Gracie looked at him and shook her head slightly.
“No… it smells like history.” She whispered.
***
I slept, but not very well. I mean I thought about Josh all night and as I tossed and turned the shock of the situation slowly started to turn into uneasiness. I hoped he was really okay. Josh has a tendency of belittling things and whatever happened to him was so not cool. I hoped that he did not lie or twist the truth and not tell us everything.
I woke up irritated and sleepy, two things that would not play well with my well-known impatience. I walked downstairs and found the coffee already made and smiled. Coffee would at least give me a fake sense of being alert. I turned when Sam entered the kitchen and Theo and Kai quickly followed her. Theo walked to the fridge and opened it up, pulling out eggs and bacon and started to make breakfast. I sat down and rolled the hot cup of coffee in my hand and then Sam sat down and looked at me.
“He is fine.” She said and I looked down at the steam curling up from my cup and wanted to believe that.
“So… you are an animal, huh?” Kai said as he laughed and plopped down in the chair next to Sam and I sighed and leaned back.
“Nothing happened.” I muttered.
“Oh… better not have, your parents would simply die.” Theo said as he flipped the bacon and shook his head.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Sam.
“It was just kissing.” I said.
Kai wrinkled his nose and shook his head.
“And gross.” He muttered.
“Oh please.” I said as I took a drink of my coffee and stared at him.
“The thought of you making out just scrapes my bacon.”
“What?” I said as I choked on my coffee.
Kai laughed and pointed to his crotch.
“Oh god.” I said as I laughed and Sam did too.
Theo placed a plate in front of me and the bacon stared up at me.
“I have lost my appetite.” I said as Sam laughed and Kai reached over and grabbed the bacon from my plate and chewed it like a beast.
“Uggg.” I said as I stood up and started to walk away.
“You know, you just need to go over there.” Sam said and I knew that she was right. I nodded and ran to my room, setting my coffee down on my vanity. I started to go through my clothing and for some reason I really wanted to look cute… well, not for ‘some’ reason, I wanted to look overly cute for Josh, who was probably all embarrassed.
Then it hit me, he had not called me… he said that he would. I walked to my phone and nothing blinked at me. I bit my lip and hit speed dial, calling his number and it went straight to his voicemail. I heard him start to talk and I hit the button and laid my phone down on the bed and decided that I was going regardless. I don’t care if he called me; maybe he was just getting home now.
I walked down Hideaway Dr. and rounded the corner to run into none other than one of the new kids… and maybe I should not say “kid” when it comes to Michael. He looked young but he was slightly taller than Josh and that is pretty tall, or at least to me. I ran right into his chest and backed up saying “I am sorry” before I even looked at him. Then I did and he looked amazing, just as he had the day before. He stood there for a moment and I thought he was pissed but then he smiled and so did I.
“I didn’t mean to run into you.”
“Well, that is unfortunate.” He said.
I looked at him for a moment and grinned.
&nbs
p; “Anyway, I’m sorry for running you over.”
“You seem to be flustered, are you okay?” he asked me and his voice made me feel calm and almost made me want to share the previous nights adventure. I bit my tongue though, as I often do with people I do not know. Odd that he made me feel that way.
“I am going to see a friend.” I said and that just came out odd. I mean Josh is more than a ‘friend’ to me and the fact that I said it that way sounded odd, even to me.
“Oh, everything alright with your friend?” he asked me.
“Yeah… not a friend, Josh… I am going to see Josh. You know the guy who was with me yesterday. He is my boyfriend.” I said.
Michael smiled and brushed his hair back with one hand as he stared at me.
“The boyfriend.” He said.
“Yes.” I said.
“Huh, well… he is most certainly lucky.” Michael said and I started to walk away from him, glancing back to see him staring at me. I shook off his slight flirtation and headed to Josh’s house, only three blocks from my own.
I stopped on the sidewalk in front of his house and stared up at it. Josh’s house was always something I loved to see and right now I need to swallow the weird lump in my throat and just put one foot in front of the other. There is no reason I should be this strange about this. It was a ‘thing’ that happened, nothing more… nothing less. I mean, not the end of the world.
I ran up the steps and raised my hand to knock on the door and it opened and Josh stood there, looking all pretty… but tired with good reason. I smiled and he grinned slightly and he waved his hand and I walked into his house. I stood there, waiting for him to take my coat off of me as he so often did and he walked past me and sat down on his couch and I took it off myself and placed it on his coat stand. I rubbed my neck for a moment and then decided to try to snap out of weirdo mode and back into us…just me and Josh, as we had always been.
I walked to the couch facing his and sat down; I leaned forward and tilted my head as I rested my hands on my knees. Josh smiled and leaned back, looking more like himself.
“So.” I said.
“So.” Josh added to a bad start to a conversation.
“Ummm, anything new? On what happened, I mean?” I asked him.
Josh sighed and shook his head, without talking to me.
“Okay.” I said as I started to scoot back, feeling an oddness forming between us.
“Rue.” Josh said and I looked at him and waited.
“I love you.” He said.
“Well, I love you too Josh.”
He hesitated and I waited, yet again.
“I think we need a break.” He said.
I opened my mouth and nothing came out. I had to swallow first, almost choking on my spit and as I leaned forward he did too and stared at me. I looked up at him and shook my head.
“Are you breaking up with me?”
He looked down at his hands and then back up to me.
“No… no, not that. I just need a little time, that’s all.” He said.
“Listen, whatever happened… it was weird, I will give you that and you scared the shit out of me, but a ‘break’ sounds like you just don’t want to be with me.” I said to him, hoping to get some truth.
“I don’t, not right now… I am sorry.” He said and I stood up, swaying a little and hit my shin on the coffee table separating us. I rubbed it and hissed as he stood up and reached out to me, but he pulled his hand back and I rolled my eyes and started to walk to my coat. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and the empty hollow feeling in my chest and then the churning started in my stomach, making me feel as if the coffee was about to come back up. Josh followed me and I tried to get my coat on but I struggled with it, completely lost and feeling dizzy. Then I felt his hands on my coat and he tried to help me. I swung around and looked at him as I continued to try to get my arm in one sleeve.
“Rue.” He said.
“Don’t.” I said.
“Rue… please.”
I swung around and felt the cry coming on and nothing is worse to me than giving someone the satisfaction of knowing that they have hurt me. I swallowed the hurt and let the anger well up in me.
“Your ego will cost you everything.” I said to him.
He shook his head and reached out to me.
“This is not an ego thing.”
“Whatever.” I said and ran out, slamming his door behind me.
I walked and walked and then walked some more and I found myself in Red Woods, heading towards the lake. I had cried, then I stopped and as I wiped my tears and saw the lake in front of me I kept heading towards it. I have no idea why I always end up by the water, in the woods when I am upset, but I have done it my whole life.
Many times my parents tracked me down here when something had gone wrong, but nothing has ever gone as wrong as this and I dropped, by the lake and the crying started again and then the regret, all the thoughts of what I could have said to make him stop feeling whatever he was feeling, but I have never been one to try to change someone’s mind and begging is not in my nature. If Josh doesn’t want to be with me, he does not want to be with me and nothing I could say would ever change that.
I sniffled and wiped my eyes again and then I heard laughing and I turned to see Jessica, running through the woods and then I spotted Michael close behind her. I cleared my throat and stood up, still feeling completely off balance and they spotted me. I stared at the water and heard my name called out and I turned to see both Michael and Jessica walking towards me. I sighed and brushed off the leaves from my jeans and they stepped up behind me as I turned and looked at them both.
“Oh.” Jessica said as she looked at me and then glanced at Michael. Michael returned the look to her and then back to me.
“You okay?” he asked me and again with the soothing tone. I felt my heartbeat slow down and my stomach settle a little. I looked at him and nodded.
“I need to go home.” I said as Jessica looked at Michael and then started to leave us. I watched her go and then tried to grin at Michael, but it was 100% fake in every way.
“Mind if I walk with you?” he asked me and I wanted to say no, but I started to walk and he followed me.
We walked for about five minutes before he decided to talk to me.
“How was your visit, with your friend?” he asked me.
I swallowed and then glanced at him.
“Not good.” I said.
“Oh…?” he asked me.
“It seems that he wants to be friends.” I said.
“Oh… I see.”
I kept walking and felt that hallow feeling welling up in my chest again and then Michael spoke and it eased a bit.
“Sometimes people make bad choices.” He said.
I laughed, I could not help it and I looked at him and shook my head.
“He broke up with me!” I yelled, louder than I meant to.
Michael stopped walking and I kept going. Then I stopped and looked back at him. I shook my head and it was then that I felt it, the weight of the reality of those five little words. I started to cry so hard I could not breathe, or think or even care who saw me. I felt as if my soul had been ripped apart and there was nothing that would ever make it right.
I felt two arms wrap around me and I sank into Michaels chest and sobbed as he held me there… a complete stranger, and yet he felt so familiar to me and so comforting I wrapped my arms around his waist and allowed him to help me stand, because truly, I think if he had not hugged me at that moment, I would have dropped to the ground.
Michael pulled me back and looked into my eyes and then he started to lean towards my face, his lips looking soft and inviting. I stood there and then broke his hold and ran; I ran all the way home until my lungs burned and my legs ached. I ran up the steps, through the door without closing it behind me, I blew past Sam and Kai and up the stairs where I finally found my room, I slammed my door and locked it, falling onto my bed and allowing the grief t
o settle in.
I heard a light tapping on my door and I ignored it until I heard Sam’s voice.
“Rue… let me in.,” she said and I debated, I really did but knowing Sam she would more than likely take the hinges off of the door if I said nothing.
“I would rather not.” I yelled out to her.
“Open the door.” Sam said and I stood up, not wanting to. I walked to the door and unlocked it, then stepped back.
She stepped in and took one look at my red eyes and shook her head.
“What did he do?” she asked me.
“He said he…”
She raised her eyebrows.
“He said he needs a break.” I said as the words tasted bitter on my tongue.
“He what?” she said, looking pissed immediately.
“Yeah, he said he needed a break from me.” I said.
“No way.” She said as she pulled out her phone, I grabbed at her hand.
“Sam, don’t.” I said to her. She lowered the phone and looked at me.
“I can talk some sense into him, this is ridiculous.”
“I don’t need that; I need for him to see what he is doing.” I said to her.
“I can call him right now.” She said to me.
“I appreciate it, but please don’t.” I said as I looked at her with teary eyes.
“Oh shit.” She muttered as she hugged me and I buried my face into her shoulder.
“Dick.” She muttered and I closed my eyes.
She pulled me back and looked at me.
“You know that Theo is going to throw a hissy.”
“Don’t say anything to him… don’t say anything to anyone, okay?” I said.
“You think he won’t find out?”
“I would rather he not.”
She stared at me and tilted her head.
“You want this?” she asked me.
“I don’t know what I want right now.” I muttered and she sighed and hugged me again.
“I am going to kick his ass.” She said and I had to giggle for a quick moment, I knew she wanted to… I did too, but something would not let me and then she left me alone and I lay down and covered my face with my hands.
Chapter 8