He looked at her, shocked by her sudden outburst. He didn’t know what to say, because technically the answer to her question was yes. After a moment of meeting her furious gaze, he looked away feeling ashamed.
“Ugh! I can’t believe you!” Riley forced her door open aggressively, got out, and then slammed it behind her, leaving him alone in his car. He was simultaneously both thankful and depressed that the confrontation was over.
Even though he knew he couldn’t make her happy with his decision, he still wished he could keep her as friend. They just had too much history together to throw it all away. Looking at the clock, he saw that they were already late to their first class.
Deciding an extra five minutes wouldn’t make a different at this point, he leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel. He contemplated just skipping his first class, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself by doing so. Not to mention his teacher might give him detention, leading to his parents finding out he had skipped, which would be just more complications to add to everything. At least if he was just a little late then Mr. Crawford might let him off the hook. He could just say he had car trouble or something.
Groaning, he forced himself to sit up, grab his backpack, and get out of the car. He felt like a zombie as he headed to his first class, skipping his locker entirely. It was like all his energy had been sucked out of him. When he got to study hall, Mr. Crawford was surprisingly sympathetic to his plight, which was especially unexpected since his excuse the day before had been that he had stayed up too late playing video games. Michael realized that he must really look sick if he was getting such special treatment.
The first thing his teacher did was bring up the nurse. “Are you sure you don’t need to get checked out? You look a little more than just tired.”
“Well, I am sick,” he admitted. “But it’s nothing serious. Just a fever. A little sleep and I’ll be as good as new.”
He could tell that Mr. Crawford was skeptical, but he didn’t press the issue further, instead he decided to change subjects. “Oh, and have you seen the new girl? She’s not here yet either.”
“Oh…” Michael wasn’t sure if he should play dumb or come up with an excuse. He realized it might seem suspicious if he pretended not to know, since she had specifically sat next to him the day before…and since they were staring at each other so intensely that it had apparently looked like they were having sex with their eyes. “Umm…she’s sick too, more so than me. I think she was throwing-up last night, so her parents made her stay home.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Her parents called the office to report her absence, right?”
Michael confirmed that they had, and then was relieved to be free to find a seat alone again so he didn’t have to feel obligated to talk to anyone. As he laid his head down on his desk, he realized the school’s security really was relaxed like Miriam had said. The teachers didn’t get lists of students who were absent that day. Instead, most of them just relied on word-of-mouth from other students. Technically, they could call the office and ask if they were really concerned, but most didn’t bother. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, but it’s just that there weren’t many problems with people abusing the lack of communication. And the few bad apples who might abuse the system were already well known.
Furthermore, Miriam wasn’t actually a registered student as far as he knew, but Mr. Crawford wouldn’t know that since it might take a few days to get updated information on the students supposed to be in his class. And other than lunch, he was pretty sure this was the only class she had attended yesterday.
She could virtually disappear without a trace, and few people would have ever known she was here at all. He hoped she didn’t have plans on leaving for good anytime soon. He knew that was the source of his anxiety, that if she did decide to leave he would never be able to find her, especially if she went back ‘home’ where he would most likely die instantly according to her.
Sighing, he tried to clear his mind in order to get some sleep. Miriam had said he slept six hours last night, but he sure didn’t feel like it anymore. He felt extremely fatigued again. Smiling to himself, he briefly wondered if she was actually a succubus that was slowly sucking him dry. He wasn’t sure why he thought the idea was funny, since for all he knew that could be exactly what was happening – it would certainly explain why he inherently couldn’t be with her. However, if that was the case then he doubted she would be able to do anything about it. She seemed at least somewhat optimistic that getting her brother’s assistance might help the situation…
❖ ❖ ❖
Abruptly the bell rang, and Michael woke up to find that he had fallen asleep. Groaning, he grabbed his backpack and headed to his locker to drop off his stuff. He felt like he was in a fog all during his second period, so he was glad his teacher didn’t call on him. By his third class, he was looking forward to being around Grayson – someone familiar who was a neutral party in all this mess.
Thus, he was unexpectedly disappointed when Grayson took Riley’s side, suggesting he reconsider. Annoyed, Michael ignored him during class.
As the bell rang for lunch, his friend finally changed gears and apologized. “Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Jeez. I’ll stay out of it.”
“Good. Please do.” Michael scoffed.
“Jeez man, you don’t have to be a jerk about it.”
Michael knew he was right, he was being a jerk, but he just didn’t have the energy to put up with arguing with everyone. He almost wanted to skip lunch to avoid having to deal with any more confrontations. However, he secretly hoped Miriam might show up, even though he doubted she would. Without even thinking, he began heading towards the courtyard like yesterday. Grayson grabbed him by the upper arm right on one of the bruises, causing him to wince.
“Hey…” Grayson paused when he saw Michael’s pained expression. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, what do you want?”
“Well, I asked where you wanted to eat today, and you just completely ignored me.”
Michael looked at him confused. He sincerely hadn’t heard the question. “Oh, sorry. I figured we could eat in the courtyard again. I was going to save us a seat.”
Grayson held out his hand. “Then do you want me to get your lunch?”
Michael stared at the open hand blankly for a second, trying to register what Grayson wanted. After a long moment, he felt stupid for not knowing the obvious and grabbed some money out of his pocket. “Sorry about that. Here.”
“Dude, are you sure you’re okay?” His friend seemed genuinely concerned.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, just not looking forward to any more fights.”
“I’ll say, I think Riley’s got it out for Miriam. She’s probably going to confront her.”
Michael was stunned that his and Riley’s recent conversation hadn’t been enough to make her give up, but then he remembered that she was first and foremost a good friend who sincerely believed Miriam wasn’t good for him. Sighing, he reassured Grayson that their fight was not on the menu today. “Actually, Miriam’s home sick.”
“She is? Oh, well I guess maybe we can expect a peaceful lunch after all.”
“Hopefully,” he agreed. He then turned around and headed out to find a table.
Amelia was the first to find him like yesterday. He hadn’t noticed this morning that she was wearing a green shirt today. It really made her eyes pop more than usual. She sat down quietly and set her milk in front of him.
“What’s this?” He asked.
She looked at him triumphantly. “To take your medicine. I brought some from home for your fever, knowing you’d probably refuse to go see the nurse.” She then held out her hand, revealing two white pills.
He quickly accepted them, knowing she wouldn’t allow him to refuse. “People are going to think you’re my drug dealer.”
“I am.” She said seriously, before a smile slowly crept on her lips. It was nice to see that her cheer had
returned. He returned the grin and took the medicine.
After a few more minutes, Riley showed up looking more determined than ever. She stood at the end of the picnic table, arms crossed over her thin black sweater. Her blonde hair rested on her shoulders.
“So, where is she?” Riley demanded.
Michael just sighed as Amelia nervously answered for him. “Oh, umm, she’s not here today.”
Riley’s postured loosened in surprise, and she visibly contemplated how to proceed given this new information. “Oh, well then I guess I’ll sit here in case she shows up.” She quickly plopped herself down on his other side so that he was sandwiched between her and his sister.
They were all silent for a few awkward seconds as Amelia began poking at her food with a fork. Without thinking about it, she leaned into Michael as she occasionally did, accidentally touching his bruise with her shoulder.
“Ouch.” He exclaimed, surprised by how much the small amount of pressure hurt.
“Oh, sorry!” She looked at him apologetically. “I forgot…”
“Forgot what?” Riley demanded, immediately suspicious that she was being kept in the dark about something.
“Nothing.” He tried to pretend like it really was insignificant.
“Nothing doesn’t hurt.” She scolded, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling on it to see down his back. Her anger dissipated immediately, replaced with deep concern. “Michael…what happened to you?”
“I fell out of a tree.” He knew there was no hiding it now. “It was stupid, I know, but I’m alright. Nothing’s broken. I’ll be fine.”
“Michael, I’m not stupid. You don’t get bruises like that falling out of a tree!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down.” He demanded. “People will hear you.”
“Michael…” She started to say, before lowering her voice like he had asked. “Who did this to you? Was it Miriam?”
He groaned. “Why does everyone assume that?”
“Who’s everyone?” She demanded. She then leaned forward to look at Amelia, scolding her. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? This isn’t okay.”
Amelia bowed her head, visibly ashamed. Grayson suddenly announced his presence as he arrived with his and Michael’s food. He sat down, noticing the visible tension for the first time. He was about to speak when suddenly Amelia exploded unexpectedly.
“What the hell Grayson?! When did you become such an asshole?!” She abruptly got up and began walking away.
Everyone exchanged glances, completely shocked by his sister’s reaction. She had never flipped out on anyone in her entire life. Not to mention it was completely unprovoked.
“What did I do?” Grayson asked confused. “I didn’t even say anything.”
Riley was just as confused. “Did you kick her under the table or something?”
“No, I swear. I didn’t do anything.”
“I’ll go talk to her.” Michael said as he got out of his seat to catch up. She was already back inside the building. As he stepped through the doorway, he saw that she was heading down the hall towards the bathrooms. He glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention before quickly walking to catch up. He didn’t want to run, because then he would have unwanted stares.
Just as he was within range to call out to her without everyone hearing, she slipped into the girl’s restroom. For a second, he stopped at the entrance, blocked by the invisible barrier that was all of society’s norms.
“Dammit.” He whispered to himself as he stepped inside. There was a ‘Closed for Cleaning’ sign just a few feet in, leaning against the wall, so he immediately grabbed it and placed it in the middle of the entrance. Amelia was the only one in the bathroom – he could see her shoes from the opening in the bottom of the last stall.
He walked right up to the door and spoke. “Amelia, let me in.” He knew she wasn’t using the bathroom at a time like this. It was a big deal for her to explode like that.
“Go away.” She demanded in a whisper.
“Dammit Amelia, don’t make me crawl underneath this door.”
She was silent for a second, before he heard her get up and unlock the stall. Tears were streaming down her face, so Michael immediately enveloped her in an embrace, grunting from the discomfort the pressure caused against his bruising. Ignoring his nonverbal signs of pain, she held onto him tightly. He knew he didn’t have to ask what was wrong – she would tell him on her own eventually – so he just let her cry silently for a few minutes.
Finally, she looked up at him accusingly. “Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on with you?”
Confused, he replied. “Wait, what does this have to do with Grayson?”
“Everything.” She looked away then, laying her head against his chest. “And nothing.”
“Amelia, you’re not making any sense.”
She glared up at him again. “Michael, I saw the hand-shaped bruise. I knew you were lying to me this morning. And I know Miriam is the one who hurt you.”
“O-Oh.” He suddenly found that he couldn’t meet her gaze anymore. He looked away. He should have known he hadn’t really convinced her. She was testing him. She was trying to see if he would come clean on his own, rather than force it out of him. But he still had no idea what this had to do with Grayson. He wondered if maybe he had given her a look she didn’t like.
Resting her head on his chest again, she asked, “Was it really an accident?”
“Yes.” He tried to reassure her. “I swear.”
She looked up at him again, assessing his expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but then abruptly shut it, appearing to reconsider her words. Finally, she replied. “She would have to be much stronger than she looks to cause that much damage accidentally. Like inhumanly strong.”
Michael’s eyes widened in response to her choice of words. Did she know? He wondered. Surely, she couldn’t. How could she?
He thought about how to respond for a few seconds, realizing that his sister’s deduction was actually logical, even if she didn’t know the truth. She was right – Miriam would have to be inhumanly strong to do this accidentally. Amelia was completely right, which meant she had him trapped. She was forcing him to either admit that it wasn’t an accident, or that Miriam wasn’t human.
Sighing in defeat, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. He didn’t know what to do now. Of all the people to possibly find out about Miriam, his sister was both the best and worst option. Best because he knew he could trust her to keep it a secret, but worst because it placed her in the most danger. He still didn’t know what lie in store for humans who knew about Miriam’s kind, but he suspected they never left anyone alive long enough to tell the story – at least not usually.
He didn’t think Miriam would hurt his sister, since he’d confirmed that she only kills people who are dying anyway. But he didn’t know about her brother, who might be very different. If he found out, he might not hesitate to eliminate Amelia immediately. Really, for all he knew he might be in the same danger from Miriam’s brother.
Feeling overwhelmed, Michael’s eyes filled with tears. When had he become such a crybaby? He used to never cry. But he didn’t want something bad to happen to his little sister. He could live with his own decisions, but he didn’t want her to suffer for them if it turned out he had made poor ones.
Michael knew Amelia could see that he was crying, because she moved her hands up to his face. Her tone was tender as she spoke. “Michael, talk to me. I can’t read your mind.”
Sighing heavily, he opened his eyes to see that her emerald irises were brimming with tears too. “I know. I’m sorry for making you worry. Just…please, can you just trust me? It was an accident. And Miriam did feel bad about it. Can we just leave it as that? It won’t happen again.”
She again looked at him carefully, seeming to contemplate his words for some hidden meaning. After a few long seconds, she let go of his face and wrapped her arms gently around him again, returning her head to his che
st. “Okay. I’ll trust you. Just…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Just please be careful. You’re like an anchor in my life. My only anchor. I can’t lose that. I can’t lose you.”
Michael hugged her back tightly, despite the discomfort. He felt horrible, because even with how much he cared about his sister, he would still follow Miriam right off a cliff without hesitation. Even if his little sister, who he used to love more than anyone else, was holding out her hand calling him back to safety, he would turn around and chase after Miriam – the demon goddess who had stolen his heart.
Chapter 7: Betrayal
The rest of lunch was awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. Amelia didn’t want to explain to Grayson what he had done to make her so upset, and Riley didn’t want to have another fight with Michael over Miriam. The tension was thick enough to almost be seen.
Once lunch was over, Michael found his mind preoccupied with wondering about all the questions he had regarding Miriam. It caused the rest of his classes to pass in a blur.
He realized that he really didn’t know that much about her. For one, he had no idea how old she was. He knew she was older than him by her disclosure that she had felt him ‘come into existence,’ but that might mean she was only a few years older than him. She did look to be old enough to be starting college, maybe eighteen or nineteen, which Riley had also pointed out the day before. However, he was reminded that she wasn’t human, which meant she could be much older despite her appearance. Not that he really cared either way. It would just be nice to know more about her.
He hoped that Miriam would be successful in getting her brother’s help. Michael wished he knew what was preventing them from being together so that he could spend some time putting thought into possible solutions. He doubted he had the intellectual resources to come up with a viable resolution, but at least it would give him something productive to do.
As it was currently, he was left wondering what the problem was in the first place. Granted, Miriam had said there were multiple reason, not just one.
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