by C.M. Owens
“So, Amy’s decided she’s going to ask Craig out today.” Angelica said, beating her friend to the punch and earning herself a dirty look.
“Yeah, you have fun with that. He’s too dumb for my tastes.” Tracy said, rolling her eyes.
“He’s the quarterback of the football team Trace, what’s not to like?” Amy asked as she scanned the area in front of the school for him.
Angelica looked around too, but it wasn’t for Craig.
“You know better than to get me started on that one Aimes. Looking for Thomas?” Tracy asked Angelica after dismissing Amy’s question.
“I know I’m not supposed to even look his way but I can’t help myself.” Angelica said and plopped down next to Tracy on the wall when she didn’t spot him on her scan, disappointed.
“What is the deal with your parents? Why do you two have to suffer because they can’t get along?” Tracy asked irritated. She knew how much Angelica liked Thomas, and she thought the rule of no contact between them was dumb.
“I have no idea. Anytime I ask, I get told that it’s nothing for me to worry about. Then they start asking why I’m asking. I can’t tell them the reason, so I have to drop it before I get into trouble.” Angelica said with a sigh.
“Why is it that the grownups act more like children than we do? We’re supposed to be the children, not them.” Tracy asked leaning back with her palms in the dirt of the flower bed.
“I don’t know, but I wish they’d grow up.” She said and scanned the crowd of people again. As her eyes passed over each person, she felt a gaze on her back and turned her head to look for the source.
As she turned halfway around, her eyes met Thomas’ and locked. For a few minutes, it was as if they were alone in their own world together, as if nothing else existed. It felt like it lasted forever before the connection was broken when the warning bell for homeroom rang out, and Tracy tugged on her arm so they weren’t late for class.
*****
Thomas watched for Angelica to get off the bus every morning just so he could see her. This morning his friend Alex had him checking answers to their math homework, so he didn’t notice when her bus arrived. When he was finished, he handed the paper back over and looked around. He saw the bus, but no Angelica.
Becoming worried that he’d missed seeing her, his eyes glanced around quickly, looking for a glimpse of her dark chocolate brown hair. He made several scans of the crowd before he spotted her sitting with her friend Tracy.
Once his eyes landed on her, he couldn’t pull them away. Alex said something to him that he missed, and he didn’t care. When she turned around and their gazes met, he knew it was just a matter of time before he broke the rules his parents had laid down and talked to her. She was just so beautiful and had captured his heart completely.
When the bell rung he wanted to scream out his frustration, but instead he picked up his backpack and followed her inside at a distance. He knew they’d pass each other in the halls several times throughout the day.
“Yeah, you need to ignore your parents and just go talk to her, because you’ve got it bad man.” Alex said with a nudge to Thomas’ shoulder.
“That obvious huh?” Thomas asked, not really worried whether it was or not.
“Duh.” Alex said as they entered their homeroom.
“Yeah well, you know there’s nothing I can do about it.” Thomas said, sliding into his seat. Alex slid into the one next to his and gave him an ‘are you stupid?’ look.
“You need to stop being all goody-goody and go talk to the girl already.” Alex said as the teacher walked in and effectively ended all on-going conversations.
Chapter Two
The day passed almost in slow motion. Angelica felt like she was going to scream her frustration out loud by the time the bell finally rang to signal the end of the school day. As much as she didn’t want to go home and be around her mother, knowing that Thomas was in the same building, but she couldn’t talk to him was driving her insane. She didn’t know why it was bothering her today when it didn’t normally bother her much.
Jumping out of the seat of her last class, she bypassed her locker and headed straight for the bus. Being at home with her insufferable mother would be a lot easier than trying to keep herself from giving in to the pull of talking to Thomas. Shaking her head, she pushed her way through the crowd of students, forcing herself not to use her Lunarian powers to make them move out of her way.
When she reached the bus, she climbed on board and sank down by the window in hers and Amy’s normal seat, to wait for everyone else to be loaded. Leaning her forehead on the window, she prayed that Amy wouldn’t pester her with questions about what was going on with her, because she had no answers for her friend. She was asking herself those same questions and coming up with no answers.
Amy climbed on board the bus and flopped onto the seat next to Angelica giving her a strange look. Angelica never left without walking with Amy to the bus.
“Don’t ask.” Angelica mumbled to her friend without looking over.
“Something’s wrong. What’s going on?” Amy asked anyway.
“I don’t know but I wish this bus would go already.” She said, closing her eyes, the pull toward Thomas growing stronger and stronger for her. She needed distance and fast.
“Angie, talk to me.” Amy pleaded in a low, worried voice.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I need to figure it out for myself first. I’ll call you and Trace later.” Angelica responded in a low voice.
Amy stopped asking questions and pushing her to explain as the bus pulled away from the curb. Angelica hoped that distance was the answer to her current problem otherwise, she was in deep trouble.
It felt like ages before the bus rolled to a stop at her drop off point and Amy scooted out of the seat to let her pass.
“Don’t forget to call us later.” Amy reminded Angelica with a quick hug.
“I won’t.” Angelica promised and got off the bus. Walking very slowly, she made her way to the enormous monstrosity her parents called home, but what she felt was more like a prison than a home. She still couldn’t get Thomas off of her mind and wanted, more than anything, to go find him and talk to him.
“Crap.” She said to herself when she realized that distance was not helping how she was feeling at all.
She climbed the porch stairs, entered the house and went straight to her room, locking the door behind her. Throwing her backpack on the floor, she flopped onto the bed and covered her head with her pillow, trying to block whatever it was that was going on with her.
Fighting it was giving her a headache that made her want to know what was going on even more. If her mother knew that she felt pulled toward the son of people she hated, there was no telling what she would do to her daughter. Camilla was cruel when angry and her punishments were painful and humiliating.
Groaning, she rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She had to get control over herself before dinner otherwise, her mother was sure to know something was wrong. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to push any thoughts or feelings for Thomas out of her mind and body.
Putting herself into a meditative state, she focused on creating peace within her mind and body. She kept herself that way until the strong pull dissolved into the normal little nag she was used to and could hide from her mother.
Feeling better, she resolved to make it through dinner before she tried to figure out what had happened within her today.
Pulling out her homework, she got busy because her father was very strict about it being finished before dinner, unless she had an unusually high amount of it. She wasn’t blessed to have that excuse today so she had to get busy, because her stomach was rumbling. Lunch had been a joke today. All she could do was pick at her food because of the emotions rolling through her with such high intensity.
Focusing, she breezed through her homework and finished just as the maid knocked on the door to let her know it was time for dinner to be
served. Thanking her through the door, she stood, smoothed out her clothes and mentally prepared herself for the usual torture that was their nightly meal with her mother.
*****
Thomas was pacing the floor of his room, unable to get Angelica out of his mind. She was like fire in his blood and he couldn’t understand why. They’d had no more contact today than they’d had any other day before this, yet today he felt like he had to be near her or he’d die.
“What is wrong with me?” Thomas asked himself in the mirror as he walked toward it.
Shaking his head, he turned and walked back toward his bedroom door. The phone in his room rang and he hurried over to answer it.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Hey man.” Came Alex’s voice over the line and Thomas sighed in relief. It could have been one of the many Solarian girls his mother kept giving the number to his private line to, in hopes he’d like one of them and find his mate.
“What’s going on?” Thomas asked as he dropped into the chair at his desk.
“You tell me. You took off from school this afternoon like you had a swarm of bees on your butt and you’re allergic.” Alex replied.
“I don’t know man.” Thomas said and closed his eyes. The bright side to having Alex as a friend was that he was a Solarian and not human, so he could actually discuss this problem with him, but the down side was Alex tended to see through any lies or excuses he’d tell to get his friend off his back when he didn’t want to talk about something.
“You can either tell me now over the phone or I’m coming over.” Alex said in a mock threatening voice.
“Oh no, you can’t come over.” Thomas feigned being scared by the threat.
“Yeah, you’re funny. So what’s going on with you man?” Alex asked again.
“It’s hard to explain when I don’t understand it myself.” Thomas replied and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.
“Well, when did it start?” Alex persisted.
“Dude, you’re like a dog with a bone, you know that?” Thomas asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, but you already knew that. Stop avoiding the question.” Alex said, digging in his heels.
“This morning, just before homeroom.” Thomas answered his friend’s question without elaborating more.
“Like, right after the eye lock with the forbidden fruit?” Alex asked, definitely interested.
“Yeah.” Thomas said.
“I told you, you’ve got it bad man. You need to do something about it.” His friend told him.
“What would you like me to do, that wouldn’t get me into deep trouble with my parents?” Thomas asked him with exasperation.
“Just talk to the girl. It’s ridiculous that the two of you can’t even be friends because your parents can’t get along.” He insisted.
“Yeah well, it’s a shame that my parents and her parents don’t agree with your thoughts on the matter.” Thomas told him, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Are you going to tell them? I won’t.” Alex said in a daring voice. “What your parents don’t know won’t hurt them.”
“You may have no problem breaking rules, but I don’t have that luxury. My father will make me wish I was dead if he found out I disobeyed his rules.” Thomas told his friend, wishing he had the courage to be more like Alex.
“You know what, you are such a sissy. Either come up with a way to get that girl out of your head or talk to her, but do something. I’ve gotta run, my mom’s calling for me.” Alex said and Thomas could hear the eye roll that went along with it over the phone.
“Yeah, you’d better go before she actually dares to enter your room. She may never be seen again if she goes in there.” Thomas teased. He was such a neat freak that he couldn’t stand hanging out in his friend’s room for even a few seconds.
“Yeah, you’re full of laughs tonight. Ha, ha. Talk to you later.” Alex said with a fake laugh.
“Later.” Thomas said and hung the handset back up on the receiver before leaning back in the chair. He let his thoughts wander back to this morning and the connection he’d felt with Angelica.
Shaking his head, he pushed her to the back of his mind when he glanced at the clock and saw it was time for dinner. He headed down to the dining room and prayed he’d hidden his feelings for Angelica deep enough that his parents wouldn’t question him about them.
Chapter Three
Dinner was a chore to get through. Camilla did a good job of keeping Angelica from thinking of Thomas by nagging her about finding her mate like her older sister, Anna, had done already. Angelica spent the meal wishing Anna was there to be a buffer between herself and their mother, like she’d always been as they’d grown up. It was obvious that Anna was Camilla’s favorite child between the two of them.
“I’m sure I’ll find my mate when I’m meant to.” Angelica said, getting more than a little annoyed by her mother’s constant rant.
“Are you even trying Angelica? You aren’t getting any younger.” Camilla snapped at her daughter.
“Camilla please, she’s still young. Let her enjoy her youth.” Angelica’s father, Marcus, pleaded with his mate.
“Does anyone else not understand the importance of this?” Camilla shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.
“We both understand the importance, but there isn’t any rush. She’s only sixteen years old.” Marcus told her with obvious irritation.
Angelica knew her mother only cared about her finding a mate so she could get her out of the house for good. The two of them had never gotten along and never saw eye to eye on anything. Being in the same room was torture for both of them.
“I was sixteen when I met you.” Camilla pointed out with a smirk.
“Yes, you were but that doesn’t mean everyone finds their mates at such a young age.” Marcus responded. Angelica was thankful that her father was backing her up this time. At a normal dinner, he’d sit and eat without uttering a single syllable, while Camilla badgered their daughter, over and over again.
“She needs to at least be trying. I’m sure she’s not even making the smallest attempt to find her mate just to spite me.” Camilla declared with a glare in their daughter’s direction.
“Give it a rest. I’m tired of trying to eat my dinner while listening to you go on and on about this.” Marcus said between gritted teeth.
“May I please be excused?” Angelica asked with caution.
“No. I am not done speaking with you.” Camilla stated in defiance of Marcus’ statement.
“You may leave. Go get some rest for school tomorrow.” Marcus told her and shot Camilla a silencing look when she opened her mouth to object. Angelica fled the room as fast as she could, before the fireworks really got going.
As she hurried up the stairs, she heard yelling coming from the dining room. It wasn’t often that Marcus opposed his mate, but when he did, everyone steered clear of them because Camilla exploded. Marcus picked his battles with his mate, so he must have been extremely fed up to have told her to stop and then overrode her when it came to excusing Angelica from the table.
Reaching her room, she closed and locked the door behind her. She wanted fair warning if her mother followed her after the argument with her father was over.
She grabbed her phone, pulled it off the end table next to her bed and dialed Tracy’s number. They had a three-way call going with Amy in no time. Even though both Tracy and Amy were humans and she couldn’t tell them everything, she could tell them just enough to ease the pressure her mother placed on her every day.
Before long, her two friends had her laughing so hard there were tears streaming down her cheeks. She was thankful Amy didn’t press the issue of what had happened after school during their phone conversation, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Amy would demand answers.
After talking for almost an hour, the girls got off of the phone and Angelica climbed into a nice hot shower. Closing her eyes, she thought over the day and tried t
o figure out exactly what had happened.
She knew she’d felt a strong connection when her eyes had connected with Thomas’ before school. This couldn’t be a mating connection because both of them were Lunarians and that just wasn’t possible. Was it?
Wishing she had the answers, she finished her shower and toweled dry. Dressing in her favorite pajamas, she wrapped her hair in the towel and walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge. Staring at the wall, she wished the answers she sought would come to her.
She didn’t know how long she sat that way, staring at the wall, but when she finally yawned, she got up, took the towel off her hair and brushed it until it shined. She turned off the light and walked over to her bed, sitting on the edge again. Climbing in the bed, she wondered what would happen the next day at school, or if she should fake being sick to put more distance between them so the same thing would not happen the next day.
*****
Dinner for Thomas was not even half as bad as dinner was for Angelica. There was an active discussion around the table about each person’s day, teasing and laughter, but it was still difficult for him to make it through the meal. His mind kept wandering back to Angelica’s beautiful face and how green her eyes were. They were like two brilliant emeralds set into the most perfect face he had ever laid eyes on.
He picked at his food, not really eating until his mother noticed and commented.
“What’s wrong son? You’re not eating.” Marie asked, concern making her features look older than she actually was.
“Just thinking about some things. I’ve got a big exam coming up in a few days that I’m planning study time for.” Thomas lied and prayed his parents wouldn’t catch on to it. Luckily for him, the lie detector, Alex, wasn’t over for dinner tonight otherwise, he’d be busted already.
“Yes, your grades are very important. You should eat so you have what you need in your body to prepare for this exam.” Jacob, his father, stated.
“Yes, sir.” Thomas replied and placed a large bite of food in his mouth. Nodding, Jacob turned his attention back to Marie and planning for whatever social function was coming up. Thomas drowned out the conversation. He had no interest in those kinds of things.
Forcing himself to finish eating, he asked politely to be excused from the table. Both of his parents excused him, and he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek as he passed her chair.