by G. Bailey
“Landon is not my biological brother. My mother adopted him, and he is dark, like you. That’s why he was so insistent on being your friend; he has never met one of his own people before, so even a half was a shock for him. Landon doesn’t use his powers, so he couldn’t be sure of who you are,” he states, shocking me a little bit. I know Landon and Maxx look nothing alike, so it shouldn’t be a shock to learn that, but it is.
“Why did you make a deal with them?” I ask.
“For you, for peace and to keep everyone safe. They moved into town last week—and made it clear they were staying. Those dark are running from the same people we are, therefore it makes sense to work together rather than make a big fight that could expose us all,” he says, like it is simple and not scary to think of them all fighting each other.
“I don’t get why you would do anything for me…you hate me,” I state, being selfish and focusing on the only part of that sentence that really hit home.
“You’re part of my soul, whether I like it or not, and that makes you my responsibility to protect,” he replies, his tone suggesting that he really didn’t want to tell me that.
“I’m your soulmate? Are you joking?” I humorlessly laugh, which only seems to make him mad.
“Yes, and trust me, I’m not happy about it,” he growls out. I think back to when Maxx admitted I was his mate to Cameron, and know he isn’t lying. This alien asshole is my soulmate…what did I ever do to the world to deserve this?
“Thanks,” I reply and exhale a long breath. “Right, well, explain the marks on my forehead and stomach? The ones that look like yours. Explain why I woke up from a car crash that should have killed me with nothing more than bruises, blue marks and hair that grows out pink?”
“Another day, I have things to do,” Maxx suddenly says, getting up, and I quickly jump up to stop him walking out.
“You can’t just tell me you’re my soulmate and an alien from another planet, then walk away,” I shout as he keeps walking away. “I have a lot more questions.”
“Ask Landon and forget the crash, Freckles. I need to go,” he says with a slight chuckle at the glare I give him, and I step back as all of Maxx glows a bright blue light—and then he disappears. I stand speechless, staring at the empty room before sitting back down on the sofa and placing my head in my hands. Aliens that disappear…how do you deal with that?
Chapter Fifteen
“Why did I get a phone call to say you’re not in school today, Ura?” dad asks after I answer the phone and pause in my walk down the street to the bus stop.
“I’m just running late to school. I missed the bus,” I lie, hating that I have to lie to him at all. I keep walking as I hear dad sigh down the phone.
“Alright, at least you are going in. I will call them and let them know,” dad replies.
“Sorry, dad,” I mutter.
“Skipping school is a normal teenage thing to do, don’t worry about it,” he says, making me smile. “I have to go, have a good day.” I close the call after saying bye and slide my phone into my bag I picked up from the house. I turn when I hear the loud rustle of the bus engine and hold my hand out to stop it before it gets to the bus stop. The tires squeak as the blue bus pulls up next to me, and I wait for the doors to open. I jump on the bus when they do and pay the driver before making my way down the aisle as the bus starts up again. The bus is completely empty, in a creepy silent way, and I sit myself down at the back, resting my feet on the back of the seat in front of me. The bus suddenly stops again, and I look down the aisle, wondering who would be getting on at the end of my road when there are no other houses near ours. Austin walks onto the bus, grinning at me as he hands a note to the driver and tells him to keep the change. I straighten my back, feeling that cold wave creep over me as Austin gets closer. Austin sits right next to me, and I press myself as close to the window as possible as the bus starts moving again.
“What do you want?” I ask, not trusting Austin at all.
“To talk away from your light up boy,” he says, clearly meaning Maxx. “It is near impossible to get you alone.”
“He isn’t my anything,” I snap. “And I’m alone all the time.” He only smirks, leaning back in his seat.
“Good to know you aren’t his…yet,” Austin replies, and I give him a questioning look as he rests back in the seat.
“Again, what do you want?” I ask, wanting to get to the bottom line. I freeze when Austin suddenly places his finger on the top of my hand, it glows a bright grey color. A cold feeling overwhelms me, making me feel like I’ve stepped into a freezer, and I can’t move. The light suddenly has a pink glow around it, and I’m frozen as I stare at our hands.
“I wanted to see what color you glow. I should have guessed pink, with the hair, but I had to be sure,” Austin says and then moves his hand away, allowing me to finally feel like I can breathe. “Humans dye their hair all the time.”
“What did you do to me?” I breathlessly ask.
“Oh, my power overwhelmed you, and until you know how to defend yourself, it always will,” he says, like it is nothing.
“Don’t touch me again,” I warn him, and he chuckles, trying to face me and leaning into my space.
“Don’t tell me what to do, little halfling. You need me on your side, or I might just tell the wrong people about you and your light up boy,” he states. “Or drain those pretty light up sisters he protects.”
“Fuck you,” I spit out.
“That would be a good way of keeping me on your side, but I think a date first would be better,” he says. “I have something I want to show you, and we need to leave town to do so.”
“You are blackmailing me for a date?” I ask.
“Yes. This town is boring, and you’re the only remotely interesting girl here,” he shrugs. “Plus, you are a half, and there are certain things I can’t do with humans because they couldn’t handle it,” he winks, and I flash him a look of disgust.
“You’re insane,” I spit out.
“Most people call it charming,” he says, sounding a little annoyed at my lack of interest in his offer. “I will pick you up on Saturday at eight, and don’t even think of standing me up. I don’t care about peace as much as my brother and the light up boy.”
The bus stops to let people on in town, and Austin stands up, smoothing his white shirt down before walking off the bus. My heart pounds in my chest until the bus doors close, and I finally feel a little safe. I don’t doubt for a second Austin will ruin everything, threaten everyone if I don’t do as he asks. I sit silently as the bus pulls up at school, and I quickly get off, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold wind blows towards me. I run up the school steps, trying to get out of the bad weather as fast as I can. I get inside the school and see Maxx stood in the middle of the corridor. He storms up to me as I stop just in the archway. For some reason, all the fear and doubts I was feeling disappear when he is near me and are replaced by a safe feeling.
“What did he want?” Maxx asks, and I know he means Austin.
“How did you know?” I question, raising an eyebrow but Maxx seems focused on my hand like he knows what Austin did.
“I keep an eye on you in case of trouble, and Austin has been following you since you came here. I knew from how he looked at you there might be trouble,” he admits, but it’s more of a statement with no apology about him following me. I suppose, in a weird way, it is sweet that he wants to keep me safe. In other ways, it freaks me out that I need to be kept safe in the first place.
“That’s creepy of him, and weirdly sweet of you,” I answer, and he finally pulls his blue eyes away from my hand to meet my eyes.
“I’m not sweet,” he snaps, his lips pulled in a thin line.
“Sure, you’re not,” I laugh.
“Freckles, what did Austin want?” Maxx asks.
“He blackmailed me into a date on Saturday,” I answer, and Maxx honestly looks shocked.
“He did fucking what?” he sna
ps.
“What I just said…” I say, drifting off when Maxx starts glowing brightly. I should be scared, I should run, but instead I end up moving towards him. I step closer, placing my hand on his jacket-covered shoulder, and his eyes burn down at me.
“Calm down. I doubt you want the whole school knowing what you are, Maxx,” I soothe him, not having a clue why I feel like I should.
“He can’t have you,” Maxx states, the glowing calming down into a light shimmer around his skin instead. Maxx lifts his hand, picking up a strand of my hair and twirling it around his finger before letting it fall. “Austin is not someone you can date.”
“What do you mean by ‘can’,” I ask, moving my hand away and stepping back.
“I don’t like him,” he points out, like that explains everything.
“Who I date has nothing to do with you, Maxx. You made it clear you don’t like me, and you have Iris,” I snap, and he all but growls at me.
“I don’t like you, but I won’t let you date that asshole. He doesn’t deserve you, and there is nothing like that between Iris and me,” he tells me. “I protect her, I always will, but I don’t have feelings for her.”
“Whatever, Maxx. You don’t own me, we aren’t even friends, and you don’t get an opinion on who I date,” I tell him, ignoring his angry glare as I walk away. I also ignore the fact that I don’t even want to go on this date with Austin, but between Austin’s blackmail and Maxx’s demands, I don’t have a real choice.
Chapter Sixteen
“You really don’t get the whole staying away from my Maxx thing, do you?” Iris asks, smacking her tray down next to me on the lunch table. I glance up at her, seeing her perfect blonde hair is falling over her shoulders and her makeup is done to perfection. I tug at my pink hair, knowing I must look like crap with my tired eyes and lack of any makeup on. Abby slides into the seat opposite me, also looking great but in a more natural way. She smiles at me before opening her can of pop and pretending like there is no one else in the world as she plays on her phone. I put my sandwich down and face Iris, shrugging my shoulders at her question.
“He isn’t your Maxx, and he isn’t mine either,” I say. “I don’t want to argue with you over someone that is a total dickhead to me most of the time.” Abby bursts out in laughter while Iris doesn’t look one bit amused as she taps her fake nails on the table and muses over my words. I finish eating my food and drink my Coke before seeing if she is still looking at me, which she is. I quickly glance around the lunchroom and see how all the students are watching us, whispering between each other and no doubt taking bets that we are going to fight or something. I’m not crazy enough to even think a fight with Iris would go well, and I’m not fighting over Maxx damn Faraway.
“Maxx likes you…I know it,” she bites out. “Are you seriously telling me you don’t like him?”
“If I do or not, it isn’t your business,” I retort, because there is no way I am admitting anything to her. Especially not something like that.
“Remember, he is promised to me. I will always be there and never go away from his life. If you want to be with Maxx, you will have to fight me for the rest of your life to have him. So maybe you should just disappear and let him get over it,” she says, and I shake my head, looking away from her and going back to my food. I can’t deal with the bitch after everything I learnt today. I’m starting to think moving to this damn town was a terrible idea.
“Maxx said you know everything now,” Abby says into the awkward silence. I don’t know if her comment makes it more awkward or not, but I know I can’t just ignore her. At the end of the day, she is just here for her sister.
“That you guys are glowing aliens?” I ask and answer myself before she can. “Yep.”
“You will glow too,” Abby replies, grinning. I haven’t even thought about the fact I could have power, or I could possibly do that disappearing thing that Maxx does.
“I don’t know if I want to glow, it would make me crap at hide and seek,” I say, lightening the mood, and we both laugh. Iris starts picking at her food while playing on her phone, and I’m surprised at how comfortable it is to be sitting like this with them.
“You two are annoying,” Iris eventually says, but I spot a little smile on her lips. I quickly finish eating my crisps, so my plate is empty before getting up. I slide my tray to the end of the table, where the staff collect them before pushing my seat back in.
“What class do you have?” Abby asks me as she gets up and does the same as me.
“I don’t have class as art was cancelled. I’m going to get the bus which will be here in ten minutes. I thought I might as well get lunch while I wait,” I explain, annoyed that I even bothered coming into school today with my main lesson cancelled. All of today has just been a disaster.
“If art was cancelled, that means my class was as well, want a lift home?” Abby asks, looking thrilled. I forgot that she was in my class for a second. The only reason I know the teacher isn’t here is because I had to sign in late and the receptionist told me.
“And how am I meant to get home after class?” Iris asks, sounding beyond pissed off.
“Flash? Walk? Get the bus? I don’t know, figure it out, sis,” Abby says, and I kind of enjoy the non-amused look on Iris’s face before she storms off out of the lunch hall.
“Well, do you want a lift or not?” Abby asks when I look back at her. “It would piss Iris off if I gave you a lift home.”
“I want a lift,” I reply with a beaming smile, and quickly grab my bag before jogging to catch up with Abby. We run through the light rain to get to her red car, and quickly get inside. It is always raining here.
“Iris likes you, you know,” Abby randomly points out as we both pull our seatbelts on, and I flash her a look that suggests she is crazy.
“No, she doesn’t. Iris has threatened to kill me and looks at me every day like she is waiting for the chance. Now I know what you guys are, I know she was being more serious than I thought,” I say, ignoring how scared that actually makes me to think about it like that. I doubt I would be able to fight her if she can do the disappearing thing like Maxx. I might just have to stick around Maxx and Landon so she can’t get to me.
“Iris didn’t mean that. She couldn’t kill a fly, and she doesn’t know how to fight. Iris is a healer,” Abby states, waving off my concerns. “And I know my sister well enough to understand her. She likes you, she just won’t admit it, and she is scared of you taking Maxx from her.”
“Maxx isn’t hers,” I say in frustration, and it comes out way too possessively even to my ears.
“I know, he is yours. Iris has known that a long time, she just can’t admit it,” Abby tells me and starts the car, driving us out of school. I don’t correct her because it seems pointless when it sounds like Abby’s mind is made up. I couldn’t think of Maxx as mine at all, even if we are soulmates.
“Then why doesn’t she move on? Find someone else?” I ask.
“After what happened with me and a human…she wouldn’t risk it. I got my heart broken because I thought a human would want to be with me despite what I am,” she admits to me, her hands tightening on the wheel and a light green glow spreading over her skin.
“I heard what happened,” I reply, feeling sorry for her. I couldn’t imagine being in love with someone and them not only rejecting you but running away. It must have been horrible. I wonder if I can ever have a normal relationship now with Maxx always hanging over my shoulder and the possibility I might not be just human.
“Humans are not designed to be with us, and I made a mistake thinking I could break all the rules I had been told my entire life by my mother,” she says, her voice full of emotion, and most of it sounds like pure pain. She clears her throat and looks over at me for a second before watching the road again. “Iris can’t date a human, her soulmate is dead, and Maxx is the only straight guy of her kind we know. That is why she is so desperate to hold onto any chance of them being together
again. Maxx only dated her the first time because he felt guilty and wanted to see if there could be anything between them. But there wasn’t.”
“It makes more sense when you put it like that,” I mutter, understanding Iris a lot more now. I can’t say I feel sorry for her, but I don’t hate her as much suddenly.
“One day, someone will walk into my sister’s life and change her view on everything, and she will know it was worth waiting for,” Abby states. “But I doubt it will be for a long time, so you will have to put up with her until then.”
“You will find someone…maybe not a human next time,” I say, and she smiles sadly at me.
“I doubt it. I will always love him, even if he hates me enough to run away,” she tells me. “Some things you won’t be able to just get over.” There is an awkward silence in the car as Abby drives us down the road.
“Who says I will be around for long anyway?” I eventually say to get rid of the sadness and tension in the car.
“I do,” Abby says, and grins at me like we didn’t discuss anything bad. “Aura Scott is staying for good, and surprisingly, I think she fits in well.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Thanks for the lift!” I shout at Abby, and she waves her hand out the window as she speeds off down the road and out of sight. I pull my bag higher on my shoulder as I walk to the house and get my keys out of my blazer pocket. I unlock the front door, going inside and closing it behind me with a sigh. I’m glad to be home after today. Even if home is this creepy old house. I drop my bag on the floor and slide my shoes off before deciding to go upstairs and get changed into something comfier than the horrible uniform. I run up the stairs and see that my bedroom door is open, which is strange because I locked it this morning. I assume my dad must have needed something, but after today, I can’t help but feel a little worried. I carefully open the door and jump at the sight of Maxx lying on my bed, looking through my sketchbook like he lives here.