Lyla
I didn’t get much sleep that night. All I kept thinking about was my damned necklace, and the shit I read in that book.
It can’t be true, or can it? I didn’t have wings, and I know damn well I’m not that powerful. I was categorized as a level three a few years ago. And the thing about ice… what the hell did ice have to do with anything? The person born of both Fire and Ice… that didn’t make any sense.
And collecting the whole souls deal? I’d never heard of anything like that before, so that book has to be false. There was no other way to explain it. And I had a soul. People without souls don’t have feelings.
And I have feelings dammit!
I pulled my long brown hair into a high ponytail, and walked out of my bedroom, and then down the stairs. Rylan was already waiting for me by the door. He had on a puffy black jacket, and boots. It’s freaking snowing out, and I didn’t even have the sense to put a coat on.
He let out a small laugh. “Lyla, not to be rude, but you look like shit today.” he said.
I glared at him. “Thanks.” I said drily.
“I didn’t mean it like that; I meant you just look really tired. Have you not been sleeping?” he asked.
I crossed my arms under my breasts. “No, I had a bad dream, nothing to worry about.” I looked down to make sure I had my necklace, just in case that book was true. I didn’t want to turn into a damn dragon.
That was so not on my list of priorities.
My mother gave me the necklace when I turned twelve, and she told me to never take it off because it was from my great-grandmother. God, I was so confused, I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I was two seconds away from smashing my head through the wall.
When I arrived at school my mood wasn’t any better. The only thing I was looking forward to today was seeing Ethan.
I really wanted to see him.
It didn’t take me long to find him in the packed hallway. His laugh gave him away. He was standing at his locker surrounded by a group of guys. When he saw me, his eyes sparkled like a gem.
“Hey, Lyla,” he said joyfully, coming up beside me.
I shot him a grin and waved like an idiot. “I’m heading upstairs to my locker, you wanna join me?” I asked.
He gave me a single nod and started walking beside me. Every now and then I felt his fingers brush against mine, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I wanted him to curl his fingers around my own.
Actually I couldn’t admit it… but I took matters into my own hands. I reached over and just like that, he knotted his fingers though mine. I let a small bounce hit my step. I was ecstatic. I’d never really done things like this with a guy.
But oh man, did I enjoy it. I enjoyed it so much that I possibly had a big stupid smile plastered on my face. I didn’t much notice, or care.
When we reached the stairs he went first, and I let him pull me along. When we got to the top I made a left and headed right for my locker. Ethan didn’t speak until I busted the door open with a small bang.
“Hey, at least I know where your locker is now so I can slip little cute notes inside for you.”
My heart totally tripped over itself by how freaking cute that statement sounded. “Oh yeah?” I stammered, feeling myself blush.
“Yeah, and I might even leave you some other surprises…”
I grabbed a couple books, and turned toward him. I swallowed hard before I spoke. “Yeah, like what?”
He leaned in close, and I couldn’t help but catch his sweet scent. “I guess you can wait to find out… huh?” he asked in a low, throaty voice.
I shut my eyes because I didn’t trust myself being this close to him. I wanted to grab up his face in both of my hands and plant my lips onto his.
As if he knew what I was thinking, he leaned away and let out a small shutter. I slammed my locker door and without another word, headed back down the stairs to 1st hour. Ethan never left my side. He followed me into the class and went to take his seat behind a not-so-happy Miranda. She cut daggers at us when she saw us come in together. I wasn’t positive, but I didn’t remember if he still had my hand or not when we entered the room..
Good, I hope she saw it.
I sent a big smile in Miranda’s direction, which just made her scowl even more. If I didn’t know any better, she either had a thing for Ethan, or they were a thing at one point. I made a mental note to ask him about that later.
All through first hour I kept sneaking glances in his direction from under my lashes. I wanted to kick myself because I was acting like a love-sick puppy right now. He was caught more than once looking at me too, and I was really happy about that.
By the time lunch came around, I was greeted with a bone-crushing hug from both Hannah and Katie.
“So, you have a thing for Ethan?” Katie asked. “No, we’re just friends.” I lied. I did have a thing for him.
A major thing.
Both of the girls shared a long look, and then started laughing. I didn’t know if I had anything to be offended about so I cast my eyes downward, picking at the mushy fries on my plate. The fries that Rylan got me were so much better. They were crispier and saltier.
“No, darling, you want to sleep with him, I know all, and I see all. And the way you look at him tells me everything I want to know.” Hannah said quietly so she wouldn’t be overheard. “And I see the way he glances at you. I’m physic, so I know love at first sight.”
I glanced to my left, and made sure Ethan was still in the lunch line before I spoke up.
“Okay, you got me. I like him, but I don’t know about having sex.” I said with a small shrug.
“Oh, Lyla, by what Miranda has told everyone, he is… very large in that department.” She snickered, and I wanted to smack her over the head.
But wait, so my hunch was right. He and Miranda did used to date. Or, at least he had sex with her at some time. I shouldn’t be jealous, but I was. There was no way I could compete with her. She was flawless and perfect, and I was just plain and homely.
I pursed my lips and looked at her dead on. I felt my stomach go all gooey just thinking about what she had said about Ethan’s… er… unmentionable area. I felt the table dip under someone’s weight, and I shot a look to my left.
Ethan was looking between all three of us, and shaking his head. “Do I even want to know?” he asked, setting his food down.
I shook my head frantically. God, I didn’t want him to know what we were just talking about.
My hope ran dry when Katie spoke up. “No, we were just talking about Lyla being a virgin.”
Oh, I was going to kill her slowly.
Ethan turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Yep, I was going to kill her extra slowly and hang her body parts all over the place.
My face got red and I busied myself with my carton of milk. I picked the paper off and made a neat little pile on the table, ignoring them all.
“So, are you?” Hannah asked.
“None of your freaking business,” I said quietly, shoving food in my mouth, trying to be nonchalant about it.
“Oh come on, Lyla, you can’t still be a virgin. I can tell by the way you’re cocking an attitude at us.” Katie said, nodding at Hannah.
I was silent. I really wished they would let this whole thing drop. I don’t even know why they were so amused by my virgin status.
“Leave her alone, you guys; can’t you see how uncomfortable you’re making her?” Ethan said, coming to my rescue.
I could have kissed him on the mouth if no one was looking.
The two girls went back to eating, leaving me alone for the rest of my lunch period.
***
A little while later as I was walking down the hallway, I noticed that there was some weird mist along the ceiling… it was so peculiar that I actually stopped and jumped, trying to touch it. It seemed to dodge my fingers.
Then it slid into the bathroom through the crack above the door.
I narrowed my eyes.
I looked just to make sure no one was looking before I headed into the bathroom after it.
I looked along the ceiling, and noticed that it was swirling around like a mini tornado.
“What the fuck…” I said slowly, walking closer to it.
Then it disappeared into nothingness.
I thought I heard my step-dad’s laughter, but I couldn’t be quite sure about it.
My head started to pound horribly, and I left the bathroom feeling confused, not knowing why I was in there in the first place. Was I supposed to be in class, did I use the bathroom? I didn’t know, nor did I care… something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what.
What the heck just happened?
***
By the time school was over, Ethan and I had made plans again for tonight. I didn’t know what he had in mind, but after our last outing, I couldn’t wait. He and I really kicked it off, and I had a feeling he felt the same way. If anyone asked me what I thought a soul-mate was, I would compare it to what Ethan and I had. Is it normal for me to say that I think I’m already falling for him? Something invisible just seemed to be dragging me to him, but I didn’t mind. I actually loved it. Something about it made my heart full and content.
Rylan was waiting by his SUV for me again like the previous day. I gave him a smile and got into the passenger’s seat. I folded my hands into my lap and didn’t speak until we got home.
“So, Rylan,” I started. “Yes, Lyla?”
“I’m going back out again tonight.” I winced as my head pounded in time with my steps. It hurt so bad that my vision was going blurry.
“That’s great. Who are you spending all your time with? Should I be jealous?”
“A guy named Ethan Killman.”
I waited for a response from Rylan, but it was like his mind shut down. His eyes glinted a hard shine, and I almost wanted to punch myself in the face for mentioning anything. About a minute later he snapped out of it, and met my eyes.
“Please be careful, Lyla.” he said softly.
“Why, is there something wrong with him?” I asked.
“No, not him per se, but I know of his family. They aren’t good for you to be hanging out with. They’re not normal.”
“What do you mean they aren’t normal? Is there something wrong with me hanging out with him?”
“No, nothing like that. He won’t hurt you. Forget I said anything… but be careful, okay?”
“Okay, I will.”
I really wished that I had one of my mother’s pain-relieving potions. I didn’t think there would be any here. I would have to see if Rylan could give me something that didn’t involve getting a freaking shot.
“Rylan?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have anything I can take for a headache?” I asked, rubbing my temples. The pain was stabbing and getting worse.
“Yeah, go into the loo in the hall, and the bottle is in the cabinet, all the way to the far left.”
“Loo?” What the heck was that?
“It means bathroom.”
I nodded, and patted down the hallway, and into the bathroom. I opened the cabinet, and took out the bottle that he said. It said: X-Strength Laxative.
Huh, weird name for a painkiller. I shrugged, popped the bottle open, and swallowed four pink pills without water. I set the bottle back down on the sink and walked out of the room.
I shivered, and walked to my room to light my fireplace. I sat down in front of it, and shut my eyes. When I felt the fire come up in my throat, I blew gently, lighting the wood up. It caught instantly, and I smiled from my effort. I liked playing with fire… but I liked creating it more.
I felt giddy with energy. I squealed in delight.
My head felt a little better. I think it was because I was using my powers.
I cupped my hands together, and made a small, golf-ball-sized sphere of fire. I rolled it back and forth between my hands, and grinned at the sweet, pleasant warmness of it. I controlled my fire… I knew I couldn’t burn myself… I rolled the sparkling ball into my left hand, and used it as a hot massager on my neck and temples. The relief was immediate. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. I think I sighed in liberation, but I couldn’t be sure.
All of a sudden, I felt eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I extinguished my flame. I turned around to look at the door, and Rylan was standing there—watching me.
His face was passive and hard to read.
How much had he seen? I was suddenly afraid. “Cold?” he asked, walking further into the room.
I nodded and shivered, but this time, it wasn’t from the cold.
“Did you want me to bring more blankets up here?” “No, the fire will be okay.” I said with a smile.
“Is your head feeling better?”
I nodded, and he grinned.
“That’s good. If you need me, I will be downstairs.”
He turned back around, and left the room.
A couple hours later when it was time for Ethan to come pick me up, my stomach was hurting painfully. I picked up my phone, and called him. I really didn’t want to bail on him, but there was no way I could go out tonight feeling like I was. I felt like I was going to throw up or something.
“Hello? I’m on my way to get you, Lyla.” Ethan stated.
“I’m not feeling too good.” I said, sitting on the end of my bed, clutching my stomach. I took my hand off to cover up with my quilt. I put it around my shoulders like a cape and closed my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.
“Nothing really, I just started getting a really bad stomach ache all of a sudden.” I clamped my hand over my abdomen again, and bent over when another wave of pain stabbed through me.
“Well that’s fine, I’ll just come over and keep you company.” he said. “Is that okay?”
I smirked at that. “Okay, see you soon.” I hung up.
After about ten minutes, I crawled onto my bed, keeping my hand tightly over my stomach. The cramps just got worse and worse. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.
“Come in!” I cried.
***
Ethan
As I was walking up to the door of Lyla’s house, I felt bad she wasn’t feeling good.
I stopped and got her some presents before I showed up. Anything to make her feel better I was willing to try. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being ill; the pull I felt toward her was deepening. I didn’t understand it, but it was like someone cast a love spell or some shit over me. Everything else in my mind clouded when I thought about her. My heart raced, and my breathing picked up when she was near. I didn’t know if this was normal, but I wasn’t complaining.
I knocked on the big door, and waited patiently for it to be answered. When the door swung open, a guy with black hair and green eyes stood there, staring at me. He didn’t offer me a hello or anything.
It was rather rude.
“Um, I’m here for Lyla,” I said after a few seconds. He nodded. “Of course, come in. She’s upstairs in the last room to the left.”
I left him after that, and went up the huge staircase. That guy was her uncle? Wasn’t he a bit young to own a house like this? If he wasn’t related to her, I would be jealous that she’s staying here with him. At least he was protecting her, that’s all that mattered. I didn’t care about anything else other than Lyla’s safety. I felt oddly protective of her. I didn’t know why.
It felt like I’ve known her for years.
I knocked on her door, and heard her tell me to come in.
I popped the door open, and walked into her bedroom, carrying some flowers, and a heart shaped box of candy. She was sitting on her bed, with her hand wrapped around her tummy and a worried/pained expression on her face.
“Here, I thought these would make you feel better.”
I said with a small smile.
She squealed, and jumped off the bed. She grabbed the flowers from me and brought them up to her nose, inhaling a deep lungful of the sweet scent. “I love them!” she cried, then grabbed the box, and shook it. She gave me a weird look, almost as if she didn’t know what it was. In a way, I didn’t think she did.
Who didn’t know what a box of chocolates was?
Something wasn’t adding up, but I didn’t know what. I furrowed my brows in slight confusion.
“It’s chocolate.” I said in a soft voice.
Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires. I think I was falling in love with her.
My heart fluttered, and I grinned like an idiot. I bit my lower lip.
I haven’t known her that long, but that didn’t matter to me. I finally knew what people meant when they said love at first sight. This girl had herself inside of my heart from the moment I laid my eyes on her. I had a feeling she felt the same way about me.
After she found a blue vase to put the flowers in, she made a confused face, and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
I sat down in a big pink chair and waited for her to come out. I almost went and knocked, but figured she would like her privacy.
She came back out about ten minutes later with a small groan. God, she must really be sick. Did she puke? I didn’t know, but she stood in the bathroom doorway, still clutching her stomach in a painful way.
She was in pain, I realized. The urge to go to her was so strong I had to grip the sides of the chair so I wouldn’t get up and look like an over-worried dummy.
“Are you okay?” I asked. I was really concerned about her.
“No,” she said. “I ate something bad, really bad. I wouldn’t go into the bathroom if I were you.”
I went over and grabbed her small hand. “What did you eat? And I wasn’t planning on it. I’m okay for now.” I said.
“I don’t remember, but I was fine until I took some pills.” she said, closing her eyes momentarily.
“Pills? What kind?”
“It said X-Strength Laxative on the bottle. I didn’t know it would cause this. I just had a headache. I took four pills and I didn’t know it would do this. It’s horrible! Who takes this kind of stuff? How can people handle this?”
I started laughing. I laughed so hard that my eyes started to water. “Um, Lyla, pills like those aren’t meant for a headache, they’re for… other problems.” Okay, as funny as this situation was, could she really not know what laxatives were for? I almost felt bad. I’d never taken them before, and I was glad I hadn’t. It didn’t look like fun.
She cocked her head in uncertainty, making her hair fall into her face. She quickly pushed it away.
Then I told her what they were, and what they were used for.
“I can’t believe I grabbed the wrong bottle! I never wanna do that again.” she groaned.
“I don’t blame you.”
Lyla pulled me over to her bed, and sat. I followed suit, and smiled.
She looked like she was debating on whether or not to tell me something. She looked torn. She also looked really tired, and I didn’t want to keep her up just because I was here. Knowing Lyla, she wouldn’t kick me out. She was too kind-hearted for that. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew. It was like an instinct.
“Did you want to lie down?” I asked.
She nodded, and crawled to the top of the bed.
I reached over and covered her up with the soft, pink blanket. I sat next to her, and gently rubbed her temples. Every once in a while, her eyes would seek mine out, and I would blush every damned time.
I couldn’t help it.
When she started nodding in and out, it figured it was time to go. I didn’t want her to keep forcing herself awake on my account. She was sick and needed her sleep.
I stood up, and she instantly grabbed my hand, pulling me right back down.
“No… don’t go.” she said in a small, sad voice. “You’re tired, b—” I said. Shit, I almost called her “babe”, that would have been really awkward.
She nodded. “But maybe you can stay?” she asked hopefully. “My bed is big enough.” She slowly patted to the space next to her, and yawned widely.
I really would love to, but I shook my head. “I don’t think your uncle would like that too much.”
“You’re right… okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I bent down and pressed a small kiss to her overly warm forehead. After sending one last look at her, I left. Is it normal to be that hot? Maybe she was really sick, and it didn’t have anything to do with those stupid pills she took.
I found my way out of the house, and climbed into my truck. I started it, and turned the music on. I was really into heavy metal music. There was something calming about it that really called to me.
Halfway to my house, I got another restricted call. I sent it to voicemail, promising myself I would listen to it when I got home.
Just as I’d hoped, they left one. Actually it wasn’t a “they”, it was freaking Miranda. It had to be. I’ve never had a problem with these kinds of calls before, and now that she knows I’m interested in Lyla, she’s going to start her crap to get attention.
It was really pissing me off.
I stopped in the kitchen on my way to my room. I was pretty hungry. Hungry enough that my stomach was actually hurting. I was planning on going out to eat with Lyla, but that didn’t end up happening. I warmed up some left over lasagna, and sat at the table to eat. I dumped over half of the parmesan cheese from the container on top, and stirred it in. I took a big bite, and chewed slowly, thinking about Lyla as always. I thought about how hot her skin was. Maybe I should have taken her to the hospital, or at least taken her temperature. What was wrong with me? Why didn’t I try to help her more than just sitting on her bed?
When I finally got into my room, I listened to the message. It was just as creepy and eerie as the last. It took me a few times to make it out, and when I did, I got scared.
More scared then I’d ever been before. I didn’t know why I was so frightened; since the message really didn’t say anything too bad. But it was enough to make me close the curtains on my windows, and block the ones that didn’t have a cover until I could go to the store and buy more.
I’m watching you, beware.