A bitter twisted irony, nothing about his appearance soothed Luxor, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the light. She now understood the term, silent but deadly.
Like a switch, her mind flickered through a montage of memories that ever since the accident she tried to piece together like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. As much as she tried, the fragments of the flashbacks never made any sense. Her childhood history of an abundance of love as a young child, to growing up privileged in Hampton Cove with nannies, followed by neglect after the freak accident, resulting in a new name and makeover. Mixed memories which has ended up with contempt from the one person who was supposed to love her.
Am I supposed to remember and solve the puzzle? Or is it a clue signalling me to forget, and the memories will eventually fade? Why do I have terrors every night? And why do they feel real?
"Luxor!" Meredith screamed from downstairs, dragging out her name out for what seemed like ages. "Get up or you'll be late for school."
She stretched her aching muscles, and stood on her shaky legs. It took a moment to recognise her surroundings, as she noticed the suitcases and packed boxes that lay everywhere.
My new home.
Luxor power showered to clean herself of the mixture of dirt, sweat and tears. Wrapping a towel around her body she wiped the fog off the mirror. Puffy bags protruded from underneath her eyes, proof of her lack of sleep. After she quickly brushed her teeth and slipped in her blue contacts, she made herself fit for society by applying foundation and a coat of mascara.
Now I pass as a human and not a vampire, if they exist.
She fumbled around in near darkness, slipping into the first pieces of clothing she could find. It was the typical generic jeans and top combo. Plain and simple.
School was the last thing she wanted to contend with. She wondered what was worse to deal with. The nightmares, or the parasite named Meredith. Yes, it was cruel to say that, but she was denying her the truth.
Downstairs Meredith was washing a load of dishes in the sink when Luxor wandered in. She headed straight to the fridge and poured orange juice into a plastic cup.
"Where did all these dishes come from, it's not like we have food?" Luxor leaned against the sink and sipped. She screwed up her face, and poured the remainder of the juice down the sink. "Ugh." She stuck her tongue out. The taste of the toothpaste and orange juice left a foul taste in her mouth.
"I bought a few items last night, and cooked chicken breast strips. There's a salad prepared, so mix it together, and there's your dinner, just in case I'm not home. You're not allergic to those as well, are you?" Meredith asked.
Luxor shook her head. For once it didn't come out sarcastic. In fact, she tried to suppress her shock that a meal was prepared in the first place.
"Do you think that'll be the case? Having a late night, I mean?"
As much as Meredith neglected her, Luxor didn't want to be alone. Too many strange occurrences were happening, and if something went wrong, she wouldn’t know who to turn to.
"Oh, babies come when they're ready. Sometimes women have long labours and sometimes they are quick. Too quick, like your mothers." Meredith's voice cracked and trailed off, as if she was remembering something that happened yesterday. "But in the end, it's all worth it."
It was the first-time Meredith ever said anything about her mother, and she wanted to know more. Maybe after last night she was ready to reveal the answers she so desperately craved.
Luxor swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. "So, my mother..." she lingered on the sentence to give Meredith time to answer.
"Is that what you're going to wear to school today?" Meredith abruptly changed the subject, eyeing her black jeans and matching long-sleeved top. "Do you know it's going to be thirty-eight degrees?"
"Yes, this is what I'm wearing to school, and yes I know the temperature." Luxor huffed, annoyed at again being denied any answers. After rinsing her cup, she slipped her hands through the straps of the backpack. "I feel comfortable when I'm covered, you know that."
Meredith sighed. "If you are going to continue this charade where you see freaky veins as you call them, at least wear shorts. You won't stand out as much." Meredith wiped the suds off her hands with a tea towel and picked up her handbag from the bench.
Luxor passed by not meeting Meredith's eyes and hurried outside, actually eager to get to school. Anymore dodging answers and she would go bat shit crazy.
It always came down to appearances and fitting into society, that was where Meredith's priorities laid. She had always wondered why her name was changed.
Was Ellie a much more normal name than the name my mother chose for me?
''I've unlocked your phone. Don't make me regret it,'' Meredith said before entering the car.
“Why? After last night I’m surprised you haven’t confiscated it.” Luxor side-eyed her and clicked her seatbelt.
“To prevent any more excuses.”
Luxor switched on the radio and turned it up. The chatter of the announcers prevented her from spurting something which surely would cause further problems.
Luxor had never been as relieved to arrive at school as she did now. A cluster of students gathered in front of the school, but most were lazing about their cars. Different styles coming from the stereos of each and every car, resulting in an incomprehensible mash up of noise pollution.
Luxor and Meredith exiting the car at the same time. Momentarily it crossed her mind that the argument with Scarlett had been revealed, and Meredith would accompany her into the school, resulting in yet another thing on the list of stuff to be ridiculed about. Then there would be a meeting with the principal, and that would not end well...At all. As quickly as the idea came, Luxor dismissed it. If Meredith got word of the run in at The Hive, a meeting would have already taken place. Meredith would not hold back. It wasn't her style.
Meredith hesitated and glared in a silent threat, re-entering the small car. "Don't forget your appointment this afternoon, it's a condition of the deal," her voice had a hard edge.
How could I forget?
Marked on the calendar in the kitchen, with repeated circular motions in thick red texta around the date had served as a reminder. Undoubtedly Luxor would receive a text message also later on. Attending the Renaissance Centre and seeing Dr. Valencia Lawson was one of the main reasons for the move to Hampton Cove. The Centre was Victoria's leading facility for juvenile delinquents. The notion of having to see a psychiatrist to get her life back on track unnerved her as it further enhanced she was a train wreck, a girl who had plummeted severely from the acceptable norm of society.
Good luck with that, don't expect miracles.
Luxor crossed the grass, aware of Meredith's hawk eyes on her retreating figure. She scrunched up her nose and held her breath as a select few smoked, their cancer sticks dangling from their lips, black ash dropping to the ground.
"One day your lungs are going to thank you," Luxor mumbled sarcastically to herself. Because that's what a crazy person does.
Even more disturbing were couples glued together, hands twisted around each other, their heads and tongues moving wildly as if they were dogs lapping up water.
Ugh, where's a hose when you need one.
"Hey Ayla."
Luxor was pulled into a warm hug, sunflowers wafting through the air, with Ayla being her overly sweet self. She stiffened up and gave her a small smile, she was hardly affectionate, but this interaction strangely wasn't awkward, if anything it was comforting. It was great to see Ayla. Between crazy Evie and stalker Hunter she was normal.
Ayla stepped back and smoothed down the invisible crease in her knee length dusty pink dress. "Someone looks frantic."
Luxor didn't want to explain the reason of her agitation. Her nightmares were her burden to bear alone. "Where did you go yesterday? You disappeared leaving me with Evie at The Hive," she said, eager to change the subject.
"Sorry, family obligations. Hopefully the last.” Ayla ga
ve a short laugh. "How'd you get along with Evie?"
Luxor hesitated and tried to find the exact answer. "She's...different."
"Different? Good or bad different?"
"In the middle, she's very hyper." She thought she would be perfect for the face of Red Bull.
"Yeah I knew you'd get along,” she said. “How great is it that we have Spirituality together?”
“You definitely will make it bearable,” Luxor said. The book weighed heavily in her arms, and dug into the crook of her elbow. She shifted it underneath one arm and juggled the loop of the backpack with the other.
"Where'd you get that book from? Not our library, that's for sure,” Ayla tilted her head to read the title.
"We have a library?" Luxor yelped, attracting stares.
"What school doesn't? I guess I must have missed it on our tour, thanks to assembly." Ayla lifted her shoulder as if to say "oh well."
Luxor swallowed her irritation, but couldn't help to still be peeved. It had nothing to do with assembly, Ayla could have given her a proper tour and shown her the library instead of the church. She wouldn't have had to go to the lengths of making the trip to the library in the Village Bowl. She wouldn't have encountered Hunter, and he wouldn't have borrowed the book for her, serving it up with a side of sexual innuendo, and a dollop of an I.O.U. if she returned it late. And mostly, the encounter in the creek could have been avoided, and so would the altercation with Meredith.
“So where did you get it from?”
"Hunter borrowed it for me. Although I don't know why he'd go out of his way to help."
Ayla swiped the book and flipped through the pages. "That's nice of him to help," she replied in a flat tone, her face devoid of emotion. She slammed the book and passed it over. “Give it back, pronto, I’ll help.” She stroked the end of her side braid. "I have to give him props, it’s a great way to become better acquainted. Some boys bump into a girl on purpose to strike up conversations, others give a huge book. Very original."
"I doubt he needs to use anything, he's too confident to use props. Confident bordering on egotistical. I seriously fear for myself.”
"Why? What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Ayla stopped fiddling with her hair and fired a string of questions at her. With each question, the urgency became stronger.
Luxor placed a hand on her shoulder to placate her. The girl seriously needed pills to calm down, she was completely high strung, it was only a matter of time until she would snap. "Relax, no. I meant his ego is so large I don't want to be around when his head explodes. Having smeared brains all over me will not be fun. Eww, imagine getting that out of my hair!" She laughed.
It had been too long since she made a joke, even though it was lame and morbid.
"You are very strange. It'll be for the best if you steered clear of him," she said darkly and stiffened up as if her personality had been sucked into a void.
Luxor furrowed her eyebrow. Was Ayla’s aversion to boys so deep Hunter bore the brunt of her dislike?
"Are you settled in yet?" Ayla snapped Luxor out of her internal, mini bad tantrum.
"Nope. Still in boxes, although I have the necessities out. Clean clothes and a toothbrush," Luxor said. Unpacking wasn't on top of her to-do list. Finding out what Meredith was hiding was.
"Is that all?" Ayla gasped, and Luxor nodded. "I'm coming over. I'll help you settle in."
"It's not important. I'm not fussed," Luxor replied straight away. The last thing she wanted was visitors, and if Ayla was there, there was no way she could do her search.
"No arguments. See you at six." Ayla waved and flitting away. It wasn't until she left the building that she realised she didn't give her the address.
Up ahead, trouble awaited. One that stood out from them all. Scarlett Kingsley. The devil's mistress herself, the main candidate who has made it her mission to make Luxor's life hell. And why? Well that's a damn good question.
Primped to perfection, her silken chocolate locks trailed down her back. Clustered around her, Scarlett was with her group of followers, talking animatedly and giggling like hyenas on heat.
As Luxor neared, Scarlett reached over to her best friend, cupping her hand to her ear, and not so subtlety whispered. It's was something nasty because both kept looking over, making it clear she was the object of their ridicule. As Scarlett continued, she must have been oblivious her denim shorts, rode higher and higher for maximum exposure. She paired them with a white midriff halter neck that exposed her bejewelled navel ring.
Luxor silently laughed to herself, shaking her head at the irony. For someone who was considered royalty, the outfit suggested she lived in a trailer park. She held her head up high and hesitantly passed Scarlett towards the arches of the school, keen to avoid a sequel to yesterday's incident at The Hive.
Luxor let out a sigh of relief at the smooth transition when no words were uttered and the silence was golden.
"Isn't that nice of mummy to drop you off? Did she put your lunch in a brown paper bag too?" Scarlett mocked.
And it begins.
It would have been asking too much for the day to start off without a hitch. Luxor wasn't that lucky. The smart thing would have been to ignore her, but the temptation stirred strong within. Girls like Scarlett would keep taunting, in the past she had been around girls like that too often. Luxor was best friends with a girl like that. It was as if Scarlett was waiting for her to snap and do something disastrous. History had a habit of repeating itself, and she had to resolve it before it snowballed beyond repair.
Luxor halted and turned to face her. "Look I don't know why, but we seem to have gotten off on a bad start. I don't want any trouble." She was becoming an expert at faking sincerity. If resolving this meant looking weak, so be it. She would sacrifice her dignity any day.
"That's really sweet of you to say that." Scarlett rolled her eyes, a bored expression across her face. It was followed by an almost sincere smile crept but she saw through the fake tone. "But here's the thing. I don't like you. Who cares what you called me, because believe me I've been called worse.”
"Then what? You threw a damn latte on me!" Luxor tried to contain the anger in her voice, the vibrations pumping through her veins.
How could she hate me straight away?
Without any explanation Scarlett was hell bent on making her life much difficult than it is. If that was even possible, which it was.
"It's you," Scarlett said matter-of-factly. "It's you turning up here and ruining everything." Her nose turned up in disgust. "Do everybody a favour, take that trashy car, your trashy looks and go back to whatever hole you crawled out from."
Luxor surveyed her clothing. There was nothing trashy about a pair of a three-hundred-dollar pair of Diesel jeans. And that was on sale.
“It’s funny you say that since you were so desperate to friend me,” Luxor retorted.
“Jokes on you, as if I would have let you join even if you said yes. You’re a class A freak. It's a heat wave and you're acting like it's a snow day." Scarlett strode away followed by her minions, a bounce in her step, her confidence clear for all to see that she had gotten in the last word. “By the way cute bag…if you were in primary school."
Luxor ground her teeth against each other, balling her fists firmly, leaving her nails to dig into her palms. The burning sensation started immediately within her veins and she cradled her arms, an icy chill running through.
Please calm down. You are strong. Don't let her get to you.
All of her resolve was being tested and there was no way this was going to end well. Luxor knew better than to start trouble, especially as Meredith was still in the car lot, but she swallowed her pride and called a truce only for it to be slammed back flat. In a bad move, she wanted to humiliate Scarlett the way she constantly did to her. After all that's only fair, isn't it?
"This coming from a person who dresses like a stripper," Luxor retorted loudly.
Scarlett stopped mid-step and stomped over in her wedge
s until she was an arm's length away. The difference in her features was startling. She was no longer the same girl she was five minutes ago. Her face hardened and distorted her beautiful features. Even under all her make-up, her cheeks flared, and a line protruded from her forehead. "You better take that back."
"Or else what?" Luxor taunted.
"Or else I will bring you down, don't think I won't. I have ways to make sure every fear and secret you have will be exposed. Just think of it as me spilling the contents of your diary. Your pathetic life on display for all to see." The hardened edge in her glaze promised she would follow through with her threat.
Luxor stepped back and let her pass, and zipped her mouth shut, letting Scarlett win.
"Yeah, because going around naked looks so much better. By the way I'd check your top, you're giving everybody a show," a new voice arrived.
The earthy, sweet smell of the forest overwhelmed Luxor, spicy and fresh. Electric currents infused her body, particularly hovering around the small of her back. It could only be from one person. Although there was no contact but the heat was undeniable. With her rage, and heat she didn't feel or hear Hunter sneak up.
Why did he have to say something?
Scarlett would not doubt assume Luxor put Hunter up to it. She couldn't stand him in the best of times, so why would she need his help?
Curiosity got the best of her, and she couldn't help look over her shoulder. Scarlett looked down, her face turning a crimson red when it was revealed Hunter had told the truth. Her friends giggled, but a death stare from her shut them up.
Finally, it was over, but for how long?
"Hey, wait up I was just getting started." Hunter jogged up closer, his black scuffed, lace up boots tread violently against the grass and joined her side. Despite his actions, his heavy presence was a welcome distraction. Clad in dark blue denim jeans, grey t-shirt and teamed up with a military green cargo jacket, Luxor wriggled away from his touch, not out of discomfort, but because it felt too good.
Unveiled: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Page 13