Flight

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “Ha ha, my hair is not that red.”

  “Okay, but it’s close.”

  “If you’re jealous, why don’t we dye your hair purple like your car?”

  “It’s lavender and low blow. I didn’t pick out the color.” I regretted pointing my car out to her.

  “Sure, sure. I thought we’d head up to Magazine Street. It’s no Madison Avenue, but it’s kind of fun and different,” Hailey explained as she parallel parked along the street.

  Hailey was right; Magazine Street was fun. Lined with a good mix of trendy and vintage boutiques, it kept us busy for several hours. Surprisingly, we didn’t buy anything in the first few stores, but just as I was ready to congratulate myself on not spending any money, I found a dress I couldn’t leave behind. Little, black, and a bit racy, I wasn’t sure when I’d wear it, but it looked too good to resist.

  “I might have to borrow that dress sometime,” Hailey said as we waited for the clerk to put it in a garment bag.

  “Deal, as long as I can borrow that skirt you picked out.”

  “Think of the clothing collection we’d have if we combined,” Hailey laughed. Trying on clothes at the first store we had discovered we were the same size.

  “Good point, maybe we can mail things back and forth.”

  “It’s always nice to get packages.” Hailey glanced down at her cell phone as we walked back to her car. “Wow, is it that late already?”

  “Why? Do you have somewhere to be?”

  “Kind of. I mean I can get out of it.”

  “What is it?”

  “My soon to be roommate is in town for orientation and wants to meet up.”

  “Why aren’t you at the orientation?” I asked.

  “Oh, it’s totally optional. I pretty much grew up on Tulane’s campus so I don’t need it. I tried to get out of meeting her, but she was pretty persistent.”

  “It might be nice to get to know her now instead of the awkward move-in meet and greet. I wish I could do that, I still don’t know who my roommate is.”

  “If it’s such a good idea, why don’t you come with me?”

  “Oh no, I’ll take a cab back downtown or something.”

  “Please. I don’t want to meet this girl by myself.”

  Hailey’s discomfort at meeting her roommate surprised me so I questioned her on it, “Why not?”

  “She just seems a little too bubbly to be safe.”

  “You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

  “But I’m being totally serious. Something is off with her; no one is that perky naturally.”

  I laughed. “Where are you meeting her?”

  “At PJ’s. It’s a coffee shop on campus. It could be fun; you haven’t even seen the school yet.”

  “Sure, why not?” I shrugged before stowing my bag in the back of the jeep. I didn’t have anywhere else to be, and I could tell that Hailey really wanted me to go.

  We drove a few minutes before she parked along the curb. “We could never find a spot this close during the school year, but it’s fairly quiet on campus over the summer.”

  “Yeah, it looks that way.” I glanced around the street lined with dorms, and one open grassy area. I’d always loved college campuses, and being on one reminded me that I was really going to be a college student in a few months.

  I followed Hailey into a coffee shop located on the first floor of a brick dorm. Glancing around, I noticed that a scattering of tables were taken, and I figured many of the students were pre-frosh in town for orientation. “Do you know what your roommate looks like?”

  “Yeah, black hair and—”

  “Hailey! Hi!” A petite girl hugged a startled Hailey. “It is so nice to finally meet you!”

  “Umm, hi Anne. It’s nice to meet you, too.” Hailey gave me an “omg” look over Anne’s head. “You look just like your picture on Facebook.”

  “So do you!” Anne said with a lot of enthusiasm.

  “Oh, hi there. I’m Anne. Are you going to be a freshman too?” She reached out to shake my hand. I guess I wasn’t entitled to the hug treatment.

  “Hi, I’m Allie and I’ll be a freshman, but not here.”

  “Oh, where are you going?”

  “Princeton.”

  “Cool. Are you from New Orleans then?” she asked.

  “No. I’m just here for the summer.”

  “Fun! I found us a table already.” Following her gaze, I noticed a table with a large to-go cup on it.

  “Why don’t you go ahead Hailey? I’m going to get a chai tea, you want anything?”

  “Make that two.”

  “Okay, see you in a sec.”

  With our teas in hand, I joined Hailey and Anne. Passing Hailey’s cup over, I tried not to interrupt their conversation.

  “It’s awesome you’re from here. That means you know all the best places to go out, right? My dad wanted me to stay closer to home in Jackson, but there was no way I was giving up the chance to go to school in New Orleans.”

  “Yeah, definitely,” Hailey said unenthusiastically.

  “Have you decided what classes you are taking yet? I’m pre-med so I have to take Chemistry and I want to get my freshman writing over with, but otherwise I have no clue,” Anne said all in one breath. The girl could talk fast.

  “I’m going to be an art history major, so I need to get into the intro class, and I’ll probably take French as well,” Hailey answered.

  “And you Allie? Have you picked your classes yet?”

  “Not yet, but I’m majoring in business.”

  “Business? You so don’t seem like a business major,” Hailey said.

  “Yeah, I’d probably major in biology if it were up to me, but my dad wouldn’t go for that.”

  “Wow, it sounds like your dad is as controlling as mine,” Anne said sympathetically before changing the subject again with no warning. “So Hailey, you must know tons of people here? Know any cute guys to introduce me to?”

  “Not really, sorry.” I had never seen Hailey so uncomfortable.

  “Speaking of guys, we need to have a system of letting each other know when we have male company.”

  “Excuse me?” Hailey nearly spit out the first sip of her tea. “You do know we’re in JL, one of the girl’s dorms, right?”

  “Of course I know that, but I’ve asked around and there are ways to get around the check in rules.”

  “I really don’t think we need to worry about that now.”

  “I just think we should have a signal. Socks on the door handle seem too cliché, how about we use panties?”

  Hailey and I froze looking at each other in disbelief.

  “Just kidding.” Anne giggled.

  I really wasn’t sure she was.

  Aside from the look of panic on Hailey’s face as Anne described her panty suggestion, the evening was fairly enjoyable. Anne was pretty intense, but I could tell she was nice and Hailey could do worse in a roommate. Watching their somewhat awkward conversation reminded me of what I faced arriving at Princeton at the end of the summer. Not only did I have to meet a new roommate, I also had to face Toby. By the time our acceptances had rolled in I was already starting to doubt the permanency of our relationship. College was about a fresh start, now I had to start with an ex-boyfriend.

  “Allie?” Hailey called me back from spacing out.

  “Oh sorry, what were you saying?”

  “I was telling Anne how you had to get home early…”

  “Oh yeah, sorry, but it was really nice to meet you,” I said with a smile.

  “Same here! You’ll have to come down for a visit this year. Maybe for Mardi Gras?”

  “Sure, that could be fun.” As I agreed, I imagined visiting Levi and discovered I didn’t mind that thought at all.

  Hailey grabbed my arm as we hurried down the brick steps of the outdoor patio. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Did she seriously suggest putting panties on our door?”

  I snickered. “Yeah, I believe she did.�
��

  “Shoot me. Who says something like that?”

  “Aw, she seemed nice, maybe a little too over eager.”

  “Nice? Let’s try scary.”

  “Calm down, Hailey. She’s just your roommate, you don’t have to be best friends.”

  “Great, now you sound like my mom.”

  “I’m only trying to help,” I said defensively. I wasn’t used to this side of Hailey. My gut reaction would have been to snap back at her, but I figured she was just really nervous about starting college and I knew the feeling.

  “I know and I appreciate it. Are you in a rush to get home?” She calmed down.

  “Not really, why?”

  “Are you up for some ice cream?”

  “Sure, I’m always up for ice cream.” I smiled

  Twenty minutes later we were enjoying waffle cones filled with decadent vanilla Häagen-Dazs. Unable to find a seat inside, we took our cones outside, dripping sticky ice cream with sprinkles all over us as it melted.

  After finishing our cones, we headed back to the car. The main lot of the shopping center had been full, so we’d parked on a side street a little ways down. It was dark out, and I was ready to get back to the car and the hotel.

  “You do realize our dinner tonight consisted of a chai tea and ice cream, right?” I laughed.

  “Yeah, that’s why we went for the extra scoop.” She smiled. “Thanks again for coming with me. I know I was pretty bitchy back there.”

  “It’s okay, and this was a good way to make up for it. Anyway, thanks for treating.”

  “No problem—Hey! What the hell are you doing?” Hailey sprinted the remaining distance to her car.

  A man was trying unsuccessfully to break into the driver’s side of the jeep. Whipping around, he took out a gun and pointed it at us. “Get back and drop your bags.”

  “Get away from my car,” Hailey demanded without a sign of backing down.

  “Let’s just give him our stuff. I’d rather not die right now.” I barely choked the words out. My flight response was ready to take over.

  “Not a chance,” she fumed.

  “I told you to back up, bitch,” the man yelled.

  Without warning Hailey moved like a blur and had the guy’s arm pinned behind him and slammed on the hood of the jeep. “You had better not have scratched my car!” She tossed him like he weighed nothing. Her eyes were completely black. Picking up the gun from where it flew during their altercation, she calmly pulled out the clip before throwing the rest of the gun into the bushes.

  “Open the back and pull out some rope,” she directed.

  “Rope?” I asked as I walked around the car. Sure enough, there was a length of rope.

  I tossed it to Hailey who proceeded to tie the guy to a tree.

  “You just happen to have rope in your car?”

  “It’s climbing rope. I occasionally climb and you never know when you’re going to need it,” she explained.

  “What kind of freak are you?” The guy started coming around.

  Hailey kicked him in the stomach shutting him up. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Hesitantly, I opened the passenger door and slipped inside. Hailey joined me with a quick glance over her shoulder. “He scratched my door. I shouldn’t have been so nice.”

  “You can’t seriously be worrying about your door right now! Shouldn’t we call the police?”

  “No, how would we explain what just happened? The scumbag would talk. I’ll have to call the cleanup guy.”

  I sat silently as she placed her call. “Gary, it’s me. I had a slight mishap off Carrolton tonight. I kind of left a guy incapacitated.” She laughed. “He was trying to steal my car, but I took care of it. All right, thanks.”

  “We’re set.” Hailey pulled out and we headed back downtown. She watched the road like nothing had even happened.

  “Any chance you can teach me how to fight like that?” I knew I was in shock, because the fact that a guy had held a gun on us hadn’t quite set in yet. My mind could however, handle Hailey’s awesome moves.

  “No, it’s not really something I can teach.”

  “You’re incredible.”

  “Tell my brother and his friends that. I’m the resident weakling. Wait until you see the others in action.”

  I could only imagine what Levi must be like.

  Hailey dropped me off out front of the hotel.

  “Thanks for an, um, interesting night,” I said, opening my door before grabbing my bag from the back.

  She laughed. “I’m glad you still have a sense of humor. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Night!”

  The reality of the danger we’d been in finally hit me as I entered my room. I checked the locks on my door and balcony twice before getting ready for bed.

  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I heard a faint knock on the balcony door. After a moment, I realized that no one trying to break in would knock. I tentatively pulled back the curtains to reveal Levi, wearing a white tank that must have allowed room for his wings. Opening the door, I wordlessly ushered him in.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped, well aware that my cami and shorts pjs left little to the imagination. Levi seemed to realize it too because it took him a moment to respond.

  “I heard what happened and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine.” I certainly wasn’t about to admit that I was glad for his presence, but I decided to take the attitude down a notch. “But it was thoughtful of you to come.”

  “Well, I’m glad you decided to let me in tonight, last time you practically slammed the door in my face.” He grinned.

  “I guess tonight’s your lucky night.” The second the words left my mouth I regretted them, especially as I watched his eyes widen. “Um, scratch that. Not lucky in that way.”

  Figuring that honesty was probably the only way I was getting my proverbial foot out of my mouth, I admitted to my fear. “Fine, I’m glad you’re here. Tonight was pretty scary. I mean Hailey took care of the situation quickly but I’ve never had someone pull a gun on me before.” Admitting it out loud made it more real and I started to shake.

  “It’s okay. I promise that guy has been taken care of.”

  “What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear the answer.

  “He’s been apprehended. Leave it at that.”

  “Okay…”

  “Come here.” Levi sat down on the couch, opening his arms up to me. Without hesitating I snuggled into him, leaning my head on his chest. His warm skin felt good against mine as he gently kissed the top of my head.

  “It’s normal to be scared. Not everyone is like Hailey and can just let something like that slide. Don’t fight it.”

  I didn’t say anything; I just let him hold me.

  “Do you want me to stay?” he asked quietly.

  I wanted to take him up on it, but my pride wouldn’t let me. “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, this hotel is probably the safest place in the city.” He didn’t press his offer further and I appreciated it.

  “Oh.” Remembering the secret rooms beneath the hotel, I figured that security was probably pretty good. “It does make me feel better.” I picked my head up from his chest, and smiled to let him know I was okay.

  “Call me if you need anything or you just want to talk.” He stood up and walked toward the balcony door before pausing. “Thanks, by the way.” He grinned sheepishly and I was afraid to take the bait.

  “For?”

  “The image. I was wondering what you slept in. Goodnight, Al.” As usual, he suddenly took off before I could respond. I didn’t mind his comment, he had been attempting to lighten the mood and it worked.

  “Goodnight, Levi,” I whispered even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What kind of party are we going to?” I asked while slipping into the passenger seat of Hailey’s jeep. When she
called me during work to see if I was free, I thought it was to hang out like usual. I wasn’t expecting a party, especially not one that came with warnings.

  “Well, you might be the only human there, but I guess there could be a few others.”

  “Lovely. You do realize how weird it is when you say things like that, right?”

  She laughed. “Uh-huh, but you’ll get used to it. Just be careful who you talk to, and don’t go off alone with anyone, okay?”

  “Really? Because I was planning on going home with some random guy tonight.”

  “Seriously, Allie, these guys aren’t the type to mess around with. Not to mention I’d have my head served up on a platter if you did that.”

  “You do realize I was joking, right?”

  “Yeah, but I just wanted to emphasize how important it is that you’re careful.”

  “If it’s so dangerous, then why are we going?”

  “Because it’s going to be a good party, and I know for a fact my brother and his friends won’t be there.”

  “Okay, good enough reasons.”

  “I’m glad, because I wasn’t going to turn around even if you didn’t like them.” She gave me a cheeky grin.

  Something about Hailey’s expression reminded me of Owen, so I decided to ask a question that I’d been mulling over for a while. “Can I ask you something about your brother?”

  “My brother? Sure…”

  “Why is he single? I mean I haven’t seen him even flirt with anyone.”

  “So you noticed? Yeah, he got hurt pretty badly and hasn’t dated since. I think he’s too scared of being that vulnerable again.”

  “Why, what happened?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  “He met a girl freshman year, Chloe. They got pretty serious, and he planned to propose to her.”

  “He wanted to get engaged at what, 19 years old?”

  “Yeah, I know, pretty young. But anyway, he knew before he could ask her he had to tell her the truth about who we are, and well, let’s just say she didn’t take things as well as you did.”

  “She broke up with him when she found out he was a Pteron?” It’s not that I could blame her, it was shocking, but at least for me it was also incredibly cool.