Lyla
“She’s still alive, she has a heartbeat.” a deep, rich voice says, waking me up from my soundless slumber.
I felt him lift his finger off the hollow of my throat. Why the hell is he touching me? My eyes bug open and I recoil back, getting ready to scream, when the mystery guy smiles at me. It’s a beautiful, bright, genuine smile, and I know in my heart that he means me no harm.
I settled back onto the ground and looked up at him. His beauty was otherworldly.
His hair was as black as a raven’s wing, and his eyes were a deep green like the grass that I lay on. His face looked like it’s been chiseled out of marble. His cheek bones are high, and his lips were full. The bottom lip was fuller than the upper, just slightly. His skin is a milky-white, and there isn’t a blemish in sight. He is around my age, maybe a few years older. He has about a week’s worth of stubble lining his jaw. He wears black pants, and a black shirt that says Disturbed on it.
I’ve never saw someone so perfect before… like, ever. I didn’t think anyone could be perfect until I laid eyes on this guy. How can someone look so… good? Isn’t that a sin?
“Are you okay?” he asked, holding out his hand so I can get up.
I took it, and slowly got to my feet. I staggered a bit, but he kept his hold on me so I didn’t fall back to the ground. I noticed his hand was soft in mine. I looked at both of our intertwined hands, and quickly pulled away. I felt my face flush, but I forced myself to make eye contact with him.
“I’m fine.” I said. I brought my arm up to run my fingers through my hair, but quickly gasped in pain as my arm moved. Shit, I forgot I had a broken limb. It wasn’t aching or anything until I moved it. I gently cradled my arm with my good one. I watched mystery guy’s eyes flash in concern as he looked at me.
His eyes go from my arm back to my face, and then back to my arm again. “You’re hurt…” he murmured, knotting his eyebrows together.
I nodded.
He took a small step forward. He reached out toward my jaw, and I flinched against the pain when he brushed it with his fingers. I sucked in a sharp breath as he continued to poke and prod my sore face.
“Who did this to you?” he asked, looking me in the eyes.
I blink a few times and clear my throat before I answer him. “I got beat up.”
He lets out a low chuckle that warms my body in ways it’s never warmed before. “I can tell that you got beat up, I just want to know who did this to you. And by the way, what’s your name?”
I force myself to look down at the ground. Why does this guy even care what happened to me? If I was back in the Summer Solstice, nobody would even take a second glance at my injuries. I bring my eyes back up to his and reply. “My step-dad did this, and my name’s Lyla Hall.”
“We need to call the police and follow a report, this isn’t right…” He shakes his head back and forth like he is trying to get rid of a nasty memory. “Nobody should get away with this.”
“No, I can’t go to the police. Please don’t make me.” I said, suddenly frightened. I couldn’t tell the police that they would never find my step-dad here and that he lived in a different world. They would think I was freaking crazy. “Just let it drop, okay? I’ll be fine.”
He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and glared at me. “You don’t look fine. Your arm is obviously broken, and perhaps your jaw is too. I can’t tell.” He shook his head again. “And anyway, that’s only injuries that I can see. Did he break your ribs too while he was at it?”
“I can’t go to the police, please respect that.” I almost pleaded. I tried to give him my best puppy eyes. It seemed to work.
“Fine, but can I please take a closer look at your wounds? I live right down the street and I will be able to take x-rays and patch you up. I have everything that I need at my home, no need to go to the doctors.” His voice is almost a plea, so I agreed to follow him back to his house.
I don’t have anywhere else to be, so I might as well make some friends while I’m at it. If he tries anything with me, I’ll cook his ass.
We started off walking down a narrow path that leads to black iron fences. Cars wiz past down the street, and I try not to let a look of surprise enter my face. I’ve never seen anything move so fast in my life. It was sort of amazing… maybe I would get to ride in a car one day soon.
We crossed the threshold and I almost had to run to keep up with him. His legs are long, and it’s almost like with Tanner—one of his steps equaled five of mine.
Tanner. Oh God, he must be so worried about me. I haven’t a clue how long I’ve been gone. It could have been a couple of days, or hours… who the hell knows? I sure didn’t.
God, I probably slept overnight lying on the ground. It smelled like morning out here. The grass had fresh dew on it, and the air was mixed with warmth and a small chill.
We turned onto a main road and kept to the sidewalks, me gaping at everything like an idiot the whole time. From the houses to the different signs on the road to the weird lights hanging on wires, everything seemed so brand new—I couldn’t even cope with it.
My head was spinning, but it was a good spinning.
I’m dizzy with elation that I’m not in the Summer Solstice anymore. I am rejoicing inside that my step-dad will never get to hurt me again. I am thankful that I’m free now, and free to do anything I wish, for as long as I wish.
It seems like we’ve been walking forever when we finally get to a huge white mansion. Holy crap, this guy has some serious money. No one where I come from has a house even remotely close to this size.
We walked up a small staircase, and I watched him insert a key into the huge double doors. He pushed one of the doors open, and waved me through.
I stepped inside, and took in the home’s immaculate condition.
It was so clean.
I watched him as he took off his shoes, and toed them over to the rug by the door. I did the same, and turned to him. “I don’t even know your name.” I said a little shyly.
His lip turned up at the corner as a stray piece of hair fell into his eye.
I had an uncanny urge to reach over and brush it back.
“My name’s Rylan,”
***
Ethan
“Why does my mom have to be sick?” I asked myself for the thousandth time that evening. I scribbled furiously in my notebook, gritting my teeth together. I can’t stand to see her this way anymore. Last night, for at least four hours, she was awake throwing up from her medication, and then started acting really weird. I stayed up just to make sure she wouldn’t go walking around town like that.
When my mom gets into one of her moods, she’s like a ten-year-old girl. Literally. She giggles, and doesn’t think things through. She just does, and then faces the consequences later. I didn’t think she cared much. I didn’t want to see her get into trouble… or worse…
One time I left for school and found her walking around the streets in a daze, not knowing what she was doing. I had to coax her to get into my truck, and then I had to convince her I was her son and I wasn’t an “alien sent from Mars looking to get laid” Seriously, that’s what she said. She thought I was an alien.
I ended up missing the whole day of school to take care of her, and to make sure she didn’t leave the house anymore. There was no way I wanted her to get smoked by a vehicle if she decided she wanted to run out in the middle of the road.
Her mind was so messed up, so much so that if I was under eighteen still, CPS would come and get my ass if they knew. I found out my mom was sick when I was sixteen, but I’ve kept quiet about it. Not a lot of people know except a few friends from school, and my mom’s doctors.
I didn’t want anyone to know.
It wasn’t because I’m embarrassed by her—because I’m not. It’s the fact that I don’t want pity. I don’t want anyone throwing me a pity party, because then I would only feel worse.
“Son?” Mom yelled down the steps.
I set down my notebook and hurried over to the stairs, looking up. It’s too dark to see her face, but I know she’s there.
“Yeah, Mom?” I called up, wiping invisible dirt off of my hands onto my black jeans.
“Do you mind helping me with laundry? I’m not feeling the best tonight. I would greatly appreciate it.”
How could I refuse my mom? I knew she didn’t have a lot of strength to do household chores, and I never minded helping her. I wanted as less stress on her as possible. “Of course I will.”
I hurried up the stairs, and I was surprised when she swept me into her arms when I made it to the top.
“I love you.” she whispered into my hair, pressing a long kiss to my temple. I closed my eyes, and I clung to her. My mom was my best friend.
“I love you too.” She smelled like lavender and wildflowers.
She started to rub my shoulders, and I smiled. When she let me go, I went into the first floor full bath and began emptying out the laundry hamper. I went into the laundry room. I began mechanically loading up the washer, and dumping the soap in. When I was done, I exited.
Then my butt vibrated, seriously.
I went back into the kitchen and grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. I had a text from my stupid ex-girlfriend. Didn’t she get that I didn’t want any communication with her anymore? After I caught her cheating on me, I was done. I can’t stand when someone can’t be faithful. It’s rather simple: If you can’t keep your hands off of other guys, what’s the point of being in a relationship?
Go away. I sent. I didn’t have anything to say to her. It’s been over a month and she still won’t give it up. I didn’t have time for someone who couldn’t stop being a whore. I knew how she was when I got with her, but I thought she would change.
I was wrong.
I still love you… 
Goodbye.
I shut my phone off and shoved it angrily into my pocket. I really didn’t have anything more to say to her. I wish I could find a girl who wouldn’t do this to me. I didn’t mind having one night stands, but I liked being totally committed to one girl. It made things worthwhile and have a purpose.
“Ethan, honey, would you get me some iced tea?” Mom’s voice rang out from the living room.
I didn’t respond.
I filled up a cup of lemon iced-tea, and went to the freezer to get some ice cubes. There wasn’t any. I sighed, and grabbed the empty ice tray, and began filling it with water. I held it in my hands, and pushed the coldness out. When I looked down again, the water was frozen, and whoo-hoo—I had ice.
I tipped the tray over, emptying half of the shiny cubes into my mom’s cup. I put two sugar cubes inside, and went to give her the drink. I found her curled up on the couch, reading a book.
When she seen me, she smiled.
“I have such a good, helpful son. How’s your girlfriend doing? I haven’t seen her in a while.”
I almost wanted to smack my hand over my face. I told my mom weeks ago that she and I were over for good.
“We aren’t dating anymore.” “Oh?”
“Yeah, oh. She cheated on me, and I don’t tolerate that. At. All.” I bit the words out. I didn’t mean to sound so sharp with my mom, but I couldn’t help it. It was still a rather sore subject, and after telling her over and over again that we weren’t together, I didn’t wanna talk about it anymore. I wanted to forget all about that part of my life and move on.
“Want me to go beat her ass?” she asked with a small smirk, taking a small sip of her drink, and then shutting her book.
“Mom, don’t…” I said in warning. My mom would end up in jail if she even tried anything was someone under age.
She shrugged. “Fine then,”
I turned away from her and went over to my piano. I slid onto the bench, and ran my fingers lightly over the white keys. The smoothness felt amazing under my fingertips. I closed my eyes, and began playing the beginning notes from Beethoven’s Sonata.
It didn’t take me long to get into it. I let my fingers glide across the keys with no effort. Making music came naturally to me. I even played the trumpet in my schools band—sometimes the saxophone.
I guess I was kind of a band geek.
No, I had that wrong. I was a band geek. There was no “kinda” about it.
I don’t know how I would survive without music.
When I was done, I started playing a haunted sounding piece that I didn’t have a name for. I made it up I guess. After I heard that my mom was sick, I created it.
Tears burned my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. I squeezed my eyes shut, and let the music drift me away.
***
Lyla
Rylan? What an odd name. That’s the first time I’d ever heard of anything like that. Well for the most part, he probably thinks the name Lyla is weird too. I don’t know if there is a difference in names between both of the worlds, but I know I would have to hear a few more names from here to find out.
“Come,” Rylan said with a wave of his hand to follow him.
I trailed after him down a long hallway, and up a flight of stairs. The stairwell was made of beautiful oak, and I noticed that there aren’t any pictures or anything else on the walls except a few sconces. The sconces had silhouettes of deer and moose on them. They were kind of cute if you asked me.
When we reached the landing, he took a sharp left down another hallway, and pushed open a door. It squeaked open, and I followed him inside only to be greeted by what looks like a super maxed out hospital room.
The hospital back home had small rooms, and doesn’t compare to this. This is awesome. I looked around in awe. There were different machines everywhere, and tons of cabinets, even a small refrigerator—the ones back home aren’t nearly as cool as this. The ones we have are all dark green and super bulky.
“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to a small bed with railings on it.
I climbed on, and sat there Indian-style until he gave me further instructions.
Rylan pressed a button on a huge machine and it hummed to life. He went over to a cabinet and took out a few tiny bottles of what looked like medicine.
And then he grabbed a needle. I felt myself go white.
There is nothing in this world or the next that scared me more than needles. I would rather have a demon chase me or a dragon, and it still wouldn’t add up. Or my step-dad with a freaking gun.
Now I’m shaking.
My mind tilted, and my heart raced at the sight. The times that I’ve had to get shots over the years never turned out well. I’ve puked, passed out, or both, leaving my mom super worried about me. She’s asked before if I could skip the shots, but the Counsel said that they were mandatory. If I skipped them, there would be major consequences. We never asked what the consequences were. We didn’t want to know, because it most likely had something to do with let’s say… someone dying.
I cleared my throat before I spoke; I needed to focus my mind on something else besides the needle he held in his left hand. “How do you afford all of this? Aren’t you a bit… young?” I asked. My voice seemed small in the vast room.
He looked over his shoulder at me, grabbed something else out of the drawer, and came to sit next to me on the bed.
“I am a bit young… I’m twenty-one.” he said with a soft smile that brought a dimple out on his left cheek.
Cute.
“Yeah, but how do you afford it?” I pressed.
He just smiled bigger and shook his head. “I can’t really talk about it.”
He can’t talk about it? What, is he some type of surreptitious drug lord or something? “So… it’s a big secret or something?”
He let out a small chuckle in answer. “How much do you weigh?”
“One-hundred-ten,” I replied. “Give or take a few pounds.”
He nodded and started to fill the stupid syringe with the medicine.
Oh God, he was going to give me a shot.
I jumped off the bed and raced to the other side of the room. I pressed my back against the wall, and spread my arms out to the sides. I know I looked like an idiot, but I didn’t care. If it meant getting away from that needle I would do anything.
And I mean anything.
I would fight to the death if I had to.
My breathing comes in ragged gasps, and my heart was racing a mile a minute. I tried so hard not to let any fire come out of my mouth, or to have smoke start to rise from my nose… I couldn’t give myself away like that.
Anyway, I seriously felt like I was about to faint or something. My panic level just hit a new high, and I didn’t know how to bring it down. I ignored the pain shooting across my body as I shook with fear.
“Lyla?” he asked, concerned,
He stood up and moved closer, which had me pressing as hard as I could against the wall. My eyes darted around for an escape, but I didn’t see one that I could reach in time. I wanted to melt into the wall and I wanted to live in there so no one could ever touch me again. I didn’t want to be hurt.
My eyes welled up, but I stopped the tears from coming out just in time.
“I’m not going to hurt you; this is for your pain.”
He pleaded with his eyes, and took a small step closer.
“Please let me take the pain away, I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
“Is it going to hurt?” I asked even though I already knew the answer. There was no way in hell that this wouldn’t hurt.
“You might feel a burning sensation, but I promise you will feel better.” He nodded at me.
I crossed the distance back over to the bed and sat down. I didn’t know why I came back over here, but it was like my feet weren’t my own any longer.
“Please don’t hurt me.” I said shakily.
He lifted my shirt sleeve up and wiped my skin with an antiseptic cloth, which had me jumping around already. He hasn’t even come after me with the needle yet. His green eyes found mine.
I noticed myself being unable to look away, even though in my peripheral vision I could see him moving the needle closer and closer to my skin. I was almost hypnotized in his eyes. I felt a sharp poke, but I barely noticed it. I felt like I was drowning in his gaze before he cut it off. I almost begged him to come back when he went over to a container that said Sharps to get rid of the needle. I watched him drop it in.
I sensed myself start to get dizzy. A small bubble of a giggle spewed from my mouth. My God, what the hell did he give me?
I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The freaking ceiling was moving. I blinked hard to try and clear it, but it’s no use.
I felt like getting up to do a naked happy jig, but being nude with a guy in the room wouldn’t be a good idea.
I glanced back over to Rylan and started thinking some very good, delighted x-rated thoughts. I knew the mechanics of sex, but I’d never actually saw what a guy looked like nude. He shot me a look. It was almost as if he heard my thoughts.
I pouted in disappointment for reasons I didn’t understand.
“What did you give me?” I asked, and noticed that I was slurring a little bit. I felt good, really good. I brought my hands to the front of my face and waved my fingers around. I think I was singing, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Morphine,” I heard Rylan say.
I turned my head to look as he brought the big machine he turned on over to the bed.
“It’s an x-ray machine. And after I’m done, I need to know about any other cuts or anything that I can’t see so I can clean them.”
I had to get something off my chest that I’ve wanted to ask for the last ten minutes. “Why are you taking care of me?”
“Because I can, and I want too.” He gave me a small grin that lit up his whole face, and I found myself in a trance again.
“What are you doing to me?”
“I’m going to take some pictures of your bones to determine if anything is broken,” he murmured while positioning the large machine over my body.
He didn’t answer the way I wanted him too. I wanted to know what he’s doing when he looks at me. I’ve never found myself so entranced by someone before.
After about twenty different poses, he brought the film over to some other machine to look at them.
I rolled my head to the side, and shut my eyes for a second.
I must have fallen asleep because I’m being shaken away.
“Your arm is broken, nothing that can’t be taken care of. Now, I need to clean your other injuries if you wouldn’t mind…”
I nodded reluctantly, and pulled my shirt down to expose my shoulder.
Rylan gasped. “He bit you?” “Yeah…”
“Son of a bitch,”
About twenty minutes, ten bandages and one cast later, I was finally done being treated. I held my arm up and smiled at the bright pink cast Rylan put on. I’d never had a cast before, and I thought it was sort of cool. Rylan even took the time to sign it and tell me that he was my biggest fan, so I deserved his autograph… or did he say it the other way around? I couldn’t remember, but it was something like that.
“So are you going to tell me why you didn’t want to get the police involved?” Rylan asked suddenly.
I thought about telling him the truth about what I am, but I didn’t want to come off as a crazy person. So I answered the only way I knew how, even if I had to twist the truth a little bit. “The police never believe me, and I’ll just get abused worse when he finds out I called them.”
Rylan sat back in the chair and just looked at me. Then he speaks. “Where do you live?”
“I… I don’t have a home to go back to.” I told him truthfully in a soft, soft whisper. I don’t even know if he heard me or not.
He pursed his lips and kept looking at me. “Well, I can make you up a room here. As you can see, I have plenty of space.” He chuckled as he gestured around with his hands.
I really couldn’t impose on someone else’s home, especially someone that I had just met, it wouldn’t be right. “I don’t know…” I started. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“You’re staying; I don’t want to see you out on the streets. You’re much to pretty for that,” he said as he stood up.
I did the same.
We walked back out into the hall, and I followed him to a white door. He pushed it open to reveal a huge room with a large four-poster bed in the center. There was a bathroom on the left that looked as big as my whole house back home.
“Is this okay?” he asked, looking at me.
I glanced up at him and nodded. How could I refuse when he wouldn’t take no for an answer? The bed was starting to look very inviting. I realized how exhausted I was just by looking at it. After spending a night on the hard ground, I wanted to lie down on something comfy and warm.
I really shouldn’t be staying here. I didn’t know this guy, and doesn’t it seem kind of weird that he would want a stranger to stay in his house? I stretched, and let out a wide yawn.
I heard him laugh.
“What?” I snapped. “I’m sorry,” I said in a softer tone. “I’m just tired.”
“You’re good, go get some sleep, you sure could use it. And I laughed because you look cute when you yawn.”
“So now you’re hitting on me?” I said while putting my hands on my hips. “You think you’re real smooth do ya?” I asked jokingly. I stalked into the room and plopped down on the bed. “I’m grateful for being able to sleep here, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to stay.”
He busted out laughing at that. “We’ll see about that…” he murmured as he shut the door with a small thud. I heard his footsteps retreat back down the hallway.
What an arrogant bastard.
A good looking bastard, but whatever.
I lie back against the mountain of pillows, and shut my eyes. How dare he call me cute… he doesn’t even know me! Well, at least he didn’t call me ugly I guess. Cute is a much better word. I would have preferred beautiful princess, but I’ll take what I can get.
I shouldn’t even be staying here… what the hell am I doing? This guy could kill me in my sleep and I wouldn’t even know it until it was too late… wait, that didn’t make any sense at all.
I rooted around the bed until I found the corner of the comforter, and pulled it up over my shoulders. I yawned again, and felt myself sink into sleep.
***
I woke up sometime later to find that the bedroom was engulfed in darkness. I sat up, and felt my hair fall around my face like a curtain. I’m slow getting off the bed, but when I’m off, I hurried to find a lamp or something. I hated being in the dark in an unfamiliar place.
It didn’t take me long to feel a switch. I flicked it on and flinched against the sudden light that flooded the room. I squinted.
I made my way over to the large bathroom and did my thing, getting out as fast as possible. I walked over to the door and cracked it open. There was a small light on in the hallway sitting on a white table.
I stepped out. I got to the stairs quickly, taking two at a time. When I reached the bottom, I was really lost. I had no idea where to go.
I continued down a short hallway until I heard voices. All of a sudden I was shy, and I stood there for about an hour it seemed before I made my move to walk further down and to stand next to a doorway.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat, feeling nervous. I walked into a huge room that was only lit by a massive fireplace in the corner. I took in Rylan, and a girl about his age arguing from the couch.
“So, what, are you screwing her too?” I heard the girl yell. Good time for me to make my exit. I backed up slowly, but Rylan turned to me and gave me a small smile.
“Ruby, this is Lyla.” he said, gesturing to me with his hands.
I watched as the girl’s face blossomed red in anger as she dragged her gaze over to me.
“So this is the little tramp.” she snarled. She pointed an accusing finger in my direction, and then flipped me off.
I flinched at her words, but I didn’t move. I needed to be able to hold my ground. There was no way I was going to back down when she was talking to me like that. Hell no. I would totally cook her ass before anything else. She doesn’t know me; therefore, she has no right to talk to me that way. She knew nothing about me, so she didn’t know what kind of power I had hidden away in my small body.
I puffed up my cheeks and glared at her, trying to not let smoke pour from my nose.
“Ruby, calm down. I found Lyla in the park, and I brought her back here to get her healed up. She was beaten pretty badly.”
Ruby stood up, and pointed a finger back in Rylan’s face. “I don’t fucking trust you. That’s it, I’m finished.
We’re over.” she screamed, stomping off in my direction.
I pressed myself further into the wall when she growled at me, slipping out the door.
“Good riddance,” Rylan muttered under his breath. He quickly stood up. “I’m sorry, Lyla, Ruby is my…. Was my…” He scrubbed his hand over his face, and I suddenly felt bad about being the person who broke them up.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to break you guys up.” I lowered my head in shame. I always screwed everything up, it didn’t matter what it was.
He barked out a laugh. “I was going to say she’s my friend. And no, we were never together. She was always pushing it and pushing it, but she always thought that she had a hold on me and could control what I do, so I never gave her a chance. She’s just one of those annoying girls who never get the hint and go away. You know what I’m saying?”
I smiled and nodded, did I ever.
Before I could say anything else my stomach growled so loudly that my face turned crimson with embarrassment. God, did it really have to do that now?
He grinned at me. “Someone must be hungry.” He headed over to the other room and started putting his shoes on.
I followed him and I nodded when he looked at me, unable to stop myself. I seriously think it’s been two da