Grey Eyes

by Ramey, Quinteria; Alston, Brandon

  He stood up and stuck out his hand. “Friends then?”

  I looked up at him and couldn’t believe how well he was taking this. I didn’t imagine that he was the type of guy who got turned down often. But then I probably shouldn’t be surprised, I’d known for a while now that he was amazing.

  I got up and took his hand. A small part of me screamed inside. “Friends,” I replied.

  He laughed. “Our grandmothers are gonna be so disappointed.”

  I forced a smile. “Yeah.”

  Another wordless moment passed as we headed over to the door. Darren again broke the silence. “I don’t know if you knew or not, but I kinda have a bad reputation. I tried to be a different person around you, mostly because I didn’t want to screw it up this time. Thing is, I like the person I am around you. I feel kinda proud to be in my own skin for once. You’re different from any of the girls I’ve dated. That day when you got on me about having three cars, that blew me away. Most girls I know wouldn’t be able to get past how much they cost. Even if we never work out, at least I know what to look for now. Thanks for that.”

  He looked into my eyes now and there was more than friendship behind his stare. It was much deeper than that. This would probably be the last time he would ever look at me like this. After tonight, our spark would begin to fade, and though it might resurface sometimes, it would never be this intense. Eventually, he would find another girl, she’d be lucky to have him, and then I’d stop getting this look at all. He was waiting, giving me a chance to change my mind—to tell him that I didn’t want him to go. That I wanted to be with him. Things would be different between us, maybe forever, if I allowed him to leave now.

  I didn’t say anything.

  He tried to conceal the disappointment he was feeling behind that handsome smile of his, but I could see it was there. My heart ached. He turned and started down the hall. I watched him go.

  “Oh,” he said turning around. “You should call Taylor. She was really upset when she called me earlier. She thinks that you’re ashamed of her or something?”

  I thought back to how quickly she’d left the clinic. “I’ll give her a call.”

  He nodded and then disappeared down the steps. I waited a few moments and then went in search of the phone.

  Patching things up with Taylor was much easier. She admitted that it had hurt her feelings for me to include the fact that she was from New Brighton in my introduction to Dr. Roberts. She thought that it was my way of letting him know that she wasn’t rich like I was. Floored that she would think I, of all people, classified people based on their wealth, it amazed even me how quickly an explanation popped into my head. I told her, that I’d told him, that I was having trouble making friends with girls from Old Brighton. I explained that he’d suggested that I would have more in common with girls from the other side of town because the girls here were so stuck up. So when I told him that she was from New Brighton, I was really just letting him know that he’d been right. She sighed and gave me a goofy “Oh, gosh,” and we were instantly best friends again. She invited me to ride with her to the season opening football game tomorrow night to watch Darren and Chris play.

  It struck me, after hanging up the phone, that Darren hadn’t mentioned anything about the game. But then, if I hadn’t just “kinda sorta” broken up with him, I’m sure he would have. Feeling awful again, I buried my head under my pillows and fell asleep.

  And once again, I found myself inside a memory from a lifetime before.

  Pitch black surrounded me, and there was pressure against my eyelids to keep me from opening them. A mixture of muffled laughter, hushed voices, and the humming of an engine sounded in my ears. I was sitting on someone’s legs, and being up in the air like this gave me the disconcerting sensation of floating.

  “You don’t have to hold my pants so tight,” Tristan’s voice whispered. I could feel his breath on my ear. “I won’t let you fall.”

  I wasn’t so certain.

  Something began to tickle my nose and I could hear someone in the front seat struggling to conceal their amusement.

  I had no idea who else was in the car, we’d picked them up after my sight had been taken away, but their subdued laughter sounded strangely familiar to me. It almost sounded like— no, that was impossible. Still, I hoped it might be them.

  “Leave the poor girl alone,” Tristan said chuckling. “You’ve been messing with her since we left—you know how much she hates surprises.” His words were meant to be a reprimand, but he could hardly keep the laughter from his voice. “She’s never going to agree to something like this again.”

  “You’re right, I’m not,” I agreed. I did hate feeling like this, but I trusted Tristan completely. I wondered if he might have truly done the impossible. Who else would get such a kick out of teasing me?

  We rode in silence for a little longer, and I felt myself relax a little. Then the car began to slow.

  “It’s just on the other side,” Tristan said to whoever was driving.

  I felt myself grow uneasy again, as competing butterflies—both of apprehension and anxious anticipation—warred in my stomach. The car stopped, and Tristan spoke into my ear again.

  “Running away has never been easy for you, but it’s always been necessary for us. This time has been especially difficult, I know—“

  “Tristan, you know I’d give up anything—“

  “I know you would,” he breathed. “But this has been the first time that you’ve had siblings, and I know how much you’ve missed them. You always accuse me of going overboard on your birthday, and though the location might be in line with birthdays past, I doubt you’ll find fault with the gift.”

  He removed his hands from my eyes and “Surprise!” rang out around the truck. My mother, father, and two sisters surrounded me, and I felt my jaw plummet. He’d really done it.

  “But…How? This can’t be…I…Tristan!”

  My father, who had been driving, leaned forward and cleared his throat.

  Regret stained his face and I knew what was coming. “Papa…you don’t have to...”

  He’d put up his hand. “No, this is something I need to say in front of all of you. I should have listened. You tried to explain things and I didn’t handle it very well. I didn’t give you any choice but to run away and for that I am so sorry. I ripped this family apart, and there wasn’t a night that went by that I didn’t hate myself for it. Every day I prayed for your return, and when Tristan’s letter arrived, explaining everything, and how much you’ve missed us, well I just had to come…you’re still my little girl…and…”

  I reached up and wrapped my arms around him. “I know Papa. I love you too.”

  Beyond him, I could see the Pyramids rising up in the distance to tickle the fading sun. It was breathtaking. On the ground in front of the truck was a large blanket, and there were cakes and pies littered across the top of it.

  I turned my head to Tristan. “Did you tell them about…?”

  He nodded. “Tomorrow, you’re going home.”

  ********************

  A gentle rocking woke me.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  “Mom!” I shouted, suddenly fully awake. I wrapped my arms around her and she laughed. “You’re home?”

  “Well, I’m not at the clinic…” she answered.

  I rolled my eyes. Her sarcasm had been a constant source of annoyance in the time before the attack, but it was clear to me now that I’d come to miss it since.

  “When did you get here?”

  “About an hour ago.” She sighed. “Your grandmother’s gone ahead and moved up my birthday party, despite my telling her that I absolutely did not want any kind of celebration in my honor.” I released her so that she could see me stick out my tongue. She grinned and continued. “Dr. Roberts is supposed to be getting honored as well. After that, Genevieve is flying him out to Marseilles to learn his techniques.”

  I felt a pang of guilt inside me. K
eeping my secret meant that he’d have to keep lying, probably for the rest of his life.

  “When is the party?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow night,” she said shaking her head.

  “That soon?”

  “Your grandmother’s never been one to turn down an opportunity to party. You should hear the stories of when she was your age.”

  I laughed. “That, I would pay to hear.”

  She smiled a bit more before turning serious. “Do you really like it here?” she asked. I nodded. “Then you must hate me for keeping you from the life you would have had here. Maybe we could have kept your secret—Lexy did, albeit narrowly at times. I know you would have never wanted for anything if we hadn’t left.”

  “Mom, I already told you that I understand why you did it. Besides, I’d much rather talk about your party!”

  She groaned. “I would, but you’ve got classes to get ready for. Your grandmother told me how you fought to be in school. I’m proud of you, Alek—I mean Ana.” She laughed. “Being in this room, with how much you favor my sister, it’s got me saying the wrong name.”

  That slip-up sent my mind spinning. “Did my grandmother tell you anything else about me?”

  “Just that you do seem to be happy here and that she’s thankful to be getting the chance to know you. Is there anything else I should know?”

  “Oh, no,” I answered quickly. “I guess not.”

  She stood up. “Then go on and get ready for school.” She looked around. “This room really does bring back… memories.”

  She’d never called me Aleksandra before. And why did she look back to me when she said “memories?” I wanted so badly to ask her if she knew about me, about Tristan, our past.

  I went for it. “Tristan,” I blurted as she neared the door.

  She looked confused. “What was that?”

  “I said…Tristan.”

  She stared at me for a moment. “Should that name mean something to me?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  She shrugged as she turned into the hallway. “Guess you just like the name…or love it.”

  Chapter 25

  Runaway

  School went by in a blur. Taylor apologized at least three times in each of the classes we had together. Darren still offered to give me a ride to school, and Carlos was noticeably more cheerful now that it was official that we weren’t pursuing anything. That irked me a little, but who else could I blame but me? Chris had apparently made his move last night and now he and Taylor were downright insufferable at lunch. She was now just “Tay,” while his nicknames ranged anywhere from “dumplin’” to “Christaboo.” Insufferable. London was a “no show.”

  All that remained was the pep rally, which took place during Mrs. Moorer’s class, last period. Taylor and I sat together. At least, for a little while. Heathwood had a tradition of allowing the girlfriends to stand with their boyfriends after they were introduced. Taylor was all giggles and grins when they called “Christopher Dent, number eighty four, wide receiver.” They saved Darren for last, and he walked out to thunderous cheers. Only, he had to stand by himself, much to the shock of everyone present. It was as though the entire gym turned to me all at once, their expressions ranging from confusion to contempt. My heart was already taking a beating but when my eyes met Darren’s at the center of the gym, it became too much. I had to get out of there.

  Taylor came after me, catching me out in the hallway. “What’s wrong? Did you guys break up?”

  “God Taylor! We were never going out! Why doesn’t anybody understand that?”

  She was silent after that. I kept walking and she followed.

  “I’m sorry,” I said finally. “Things have just been kinda weird for me lately. Can you take me home? Please?”

  Taylor glanced back at the gym. I knew that she wasn’t ready to leave school yet, but she said “yes” anyway.

  It was a quiet ride until we entered Old Brighton. Taylor gawked at the estates, saying things like “Whoa!” or asking “Is all of that one house?” I remembered feeling that same awe on my first ride into Old Brighton, but I was far too depressed to share in the moment with her.

  Her eyes got really big when she saw the wall of hedges blocking off the view of my family’s estate. We had barely turned onto the winding driveway when we were stopped by a man I recognized.

  He came around to the driver’s side window and knocked. Taylor shot me an anxious glance and I shrugged in response. She rolled down the window.

  He ducked so that his face was visible in the window space. “State your business.”

  “I…I’m dropping off my friend.”

  He ducked lower until he could see me sulking in the passenger seat. “Oh, hello there! Remember me? From South Carolina?”

  “Yeah.”

  My short reply seemed to knock him back into business mode. “If you’ll do a three point turn and head on back, we can send a car up to take her the rest of the way.”

  I saw the same hurt from yesterday show up on her face and that drew out my anger. “What’s going on? We’ve never had guards stalking the driveway before. We’re going through.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”

  “I order you to let us through. This is my home.”

  “Ma’am, I apologize, but I have strict orders not to let anyone not invited to the party through to the house.”

  “Wha—“

  “Ana, it’s okay,” Taylor interrupted. “Really. It’s not your fault. I have to get back to put in my vote for Editor anyway.”

  “Are—are you sure? Because this is ridiculous.”

  She nodded, but the hurt remained. “I’m sure.”

  Eddie apologized profusely as he drove me the rest of the way. He explained that the ballroom was being prepped for the party tomorrow night and since magic was involved, they couldn’t risk an outsider being anywhere near the house.

  Little did I know, I wasn’t allowed back to the ballroom, either. Eddie stopped the car at the part in the hedges, and I followed the walkway around to the front door. I thought that maybe I’d be able to sneak a peek from the entrance near my room, but that was blocked off by a tent.

  I set off to find my mother, but ran into Helena instead. “Have you seen my mother around? I really need to talk to her about something.”

  “She’s at the clinic again. Nothing to worry about. Dr. Roberts just wants to run some more tests to see if there will be any long-term side effects from her bite.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said, relieved.

  “How have things gone with your friend?”

  I was ready to scream, but realized she wasn’t talking about Darren. With all the craziness of the last few days, I’d forgotten that it was Helena who’d brought me to him. A big smile spread across my face.

  She smiled back. “I’ll take that as a “great.”

  Helena was called over to sign for something so I headed up to my room.

  It was a lazy, extremely boring rest of the day. My mother was still with Dr. Roberts, even as evening was settling in, while my grandmother and Helena had spent the entire day running around the house like crazy people. I’d started to go for a walk; I wanted to see if Tristan used his cabin during the day, but in my gut I knew that he didn’t. I tried calling Taylor, but her dad had borrowed her cell phone for the day. I called Darren’s cell but hung up on the first ring. He called right back but I told Helena to tell him that I was sleep. Like that was believable. Finally, I tried to take a nap, hoping it would mean another memory, but that wasn’t happening either.

  So, when nightfall came and I looked up to find three figures standing on my balcony that absolutely were not there a second ago, I could have danced. I waved them inside, and London dove next to me on my bed. She had a book in her hands that reminded me of the last book she’d showed me.

  “Your spell must have worked. I’ve gotten two memories from different lifetimes.”

  “Great! I wasn’
t sure it had so I stole this book from my mom’s library to look for some more spells. I kinda got busted by Tristan and Aiden so pretend that I’m helping you with some other magick. Hang on to it for a while so it looks convincing.”

  “Okay.”

  Aiden cracked a smile. “She looks bored enough.”

  “So bored,” I returned.

  “How about a little getaway?” Tristan suggested. “Do you think anyone will miss you for a few hours?”

  Helena and my grandmother were so busy I doubted they’d even notice. I thought about my mom coming home to find me gone this late. Yikes. But with the way she’d acted this morning, I was fairly certain that she had to know about Tristan and me. She’d pretty much told me without saying the words. As unsettling as that was, I felt pretty confident she wouldn’t blow my cover.

  “Cool,” I said finally. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise,” Tristan answered.

  “But you know I hate surprises.”

  His eyes narrowed and my heart stopped. “Do I know that?”

  “I mean, you should by now. If you’re going to say that I loved them in my past lives, then you might have the wrong girl. I’m pretty sure I’ll always hate surprises.”

  Tristan laughed. “You’re definitely the right girl. You have always hated surprises…but that doesn’t mean I stop surprising you.”

  “Nice save,” thought London, chuckling inside.

  I shrugged at Tristan. “What can I do? Ready when you are.”

  London and I were scooped up from the bed and within seconds we were both being carried across the estate at blistering speeds. Without my having to think it, my body relaxed in Tristan’s arms. I laid my head onto his chest and closed my eyes. About fifteen minutes passed before I felt us stop.

  We were on a long strip of beach with the stars and moon shining brightly overhead. In the distance, I could see Aiden and London kissing, but other than those two, we had the beach to ourselves.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Does it matter?” he grinned.

  I laughed, dropping my head. “No, I guess not.”