Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows (4 page)

             
“I got special permission from the office to be here.”

             
His smile widened. “This is
your
corner then. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

             
His face was completely sincere. It felt weird being around another person for such a long period of time. I mean a person who was actually being nice to me.

             
I looked around at my corner. It was beautiful and, yes, I considered it to be mine. There were two large Willow trees that gave plenty of shade in the summer, and there were evergreen shrubs everywhere to make up for the drab winter colors.

             
“This beauty reminds me of your eyes.”

             
“What?” It was easy to confuse me. And, believe me when I say, he’d just been very successful.

             
Ryan smiled. “The garden. The green is the same color as your emerald eyes.”

             
“Uh-huh.”
Sid, what was with the compliments?

             
“I must also say that your poem from yesterday’s class was very nice.”

             
The warning bells tolled inside my skull. “We’re going to talk about my poem now?” My voice was rude, but he was making me more and more nervous as every second passed.

             
Ryan shrugged. “Just trying to make you more comfortable. You look like you are about to run off.”

             
My whole body was tense. “I just don’t understand why you don’t hang out with the
cool
crowd? You’re gonna’ kill your reputation if you’re seen anywhere near me.”

             
“I do not see anything amiss about you, and I do not trouble myself with what others think about me. Believe it or not, I am not inclined to be a crowd pleaser.” He seemed to hesitate, as if not quite sure what to say next. “I was searching… What I mean to say is that, I am looking for someone I can be friends with. I do not mean anything by it, just a friendship.” 

             
“Oh.” I could only get the one word out. Looking for a friendship…with me?
You hear that, Sid? The hot guy’s insane.

             
Ryan looked at me again and offered that lazy smile. It was totally starting to unravel me.

             
“I’m sorry,” I began. “I d-don’t make f-friends. I mean, I d-don’t have f-friends. I’m alone. I mean…I’m a loner.” My stuttering upset me even more.
He
wanted to be my friend. The most gorgeous guy to walk the face of the planet wanted to hang with
me
. Yup, he had to be nuts.

             
Of course, I was even more insane for saying no, but what did I have to offer him in return? Being friends with me would destroy the rest of his senior year. People would label him the same as me, and I couldn’t do that to him. I may be weird but I wasn’t cruel.

             
“Don’t take th-this the wrong way; th-this isn’t about you. See…um…” Crap! This was gonna’ be way harder than I thought, especially if he kept looking me straight in the eye with those perfect smoky-violet orbs of his.

             
“I d-don’t…um…mix at all. You have to be t-totally insane to want to be around me.” I looked at the grass.

             
Ryan cleared his throat. “There is always a first time for everything. I mean it. I would be honored to have your friendship.”

             
How much more embarrassing could this get? I was busy making a total ass of myself, and he was practically begging me to be friends. Now was a good time to keep quiet. But knowing myself as well as I did, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

             
“I’m the weird one in this t-town.” I took a deep breath. “Look, I’m not t-trying to be d-difficult or rude—”

             
“Then do not be,” he stated, firmly.

             
“Excuse me?” I stared at him with big eyes. How had we even gotten to this point? I just couldn’t get my head around why he was sitting here with me, and why on earth he would want to be friends with ‘the freak’.

             
“You could just show me around,” Ryan said. “You do not even have to be kind to me. You could pretend.”

             
I smiled. Although I couldn’t get myself to trust this situation, he was absolutely intoxicating. As perfect as Ryan was, there was something different about him that I just couldn’t wrap my mind around. But until I figured it out, I knew I couldn’t walk away. I looked down and then, as if possessed by Sid, The Mighty Sloth, I found myself going against all my better judgment.

             
“Sure. Why not?” Now I was stuck. Yet somewhere deep inside me there was a slight quiver, one I didn’t quite understand.

             
I had to get to my falls where I could be alone and figure all this out.

             
“You will not regret this, I promise.” Ryan wore a smile so wide that, if he didn’t have ears, would’ve wrapped right around his head. What I couldn’t grasp was what the smile was for.

             
I laughed. “Don’t get too excited. I don’t know the first thing about being someone’s friend. So you’re doing all this at your own risk.”

             
The bell rang, signaling the end of our break. Getting up, Ryan held his hand out to me. “Thank you for the warning.”

             
I let him walk one step ahead of me to French, hoping no one around us would notice anything. It didn’t work. I could hear the whispers as we walked.

             
‘What’s the new guy doing with the freak?
’

             
‘
Maybe someone should warn him about her.’

             
I wondered if Ryan could hear them. He must’ve, they weren’t being very discreet about their opinions. But they didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

             
If someone had told me yesterday that a wildly handsome guy was going to walk up and demand to be my friend, I would’ve asked them whose socks they’d been smoking. Yet, here I was, walking a step behind him while everyone talked wildly about us.

             
~*~

After school I made my way to Rainbow Falls and crawled behind the curtain onto the ledge, where I could comfortably lie down and watch the water rush past me.

             
I wanted to sort through my very confused feelings and try to figure out what it was about Ryan that bothered me so much. But it only took a few minutes before I drifted off to sleep, completely unaware that my new ‘mystery friend’ was only a few short feet away.

Chapter 2

A New Friendship

For someone to see me, is for the person to know me.

For someone to know me, is for the person to care for me.

It was twilight in the forest; the time of day when the wildlife began to prowl. But this particular twilight offered no chirping birds, nor any familiar ’snap’ of branches and twigs as the animals emerged from their safe havens to explore. There was just a dead, chilling silence all around me.

             
I could feel every hair on my body rise as a thick electric current seemed to sizzle in the faint breeze. Even the heavens began to churn; dirty gray clouds amassed above my head.
             
There was a sudden explosion of sound - so loud my ears were stinging. I could feel blood trickling out of them. I heard the trees screeching, and smelled the ferns burning all around me…dying fast.
             

             
I grabbed at my ears but I wasn’t fast enough. Blood seeped through my fingers, while my heart was literally torn from my chest. The pain increased as the seconds passed. The fear enveloped me completely as I tried to scream. My vision blurred, and I found myself standing in a park where everything around me was being torn apart, and there was nothing I could do. I heard people yelling. …I shouldn’t have looked.

             
The earth shook and massive chunks just disappeared. I saw people fall into massive gaping holes, as the ground gave way beneath their feet.

             
“Alchera!” I heard a man calling someone. His voice sounded so familiar. I wanted to turn and look but I couldn’t break out of the fear and panic that held me in its grasp.

             
Chaos surrounded me. Trees were being uprooted; one whipped past my head - its massive branch missed my face by mere inches.

             
“Alchera, we have to move. Dammit!” Strong hands grabbed me, but as I looked to see who it was everything, mercifully, turned black.

~*~

“Aislinn! Dammit, wake up!” Molly was shaking me. That alone was enough to bring me back to the living.

             
“What?” I looked at her, confused.

             
“Wake up.” She crossed her arms and waited for me to sit up. “What time did you come in?”

             
Crap! Was this ‘morning questioning’ going to become a habit now? Her eyes followed me as I got up to get dressed.

             
“I came in just after two.”

             
“This
morning
? No wonder you look like crap. Where were you?”

             
“I was in the forest. I fell asleep. What’s with the twenty questions again? It never mattered to you what I did before. Why now?” I wasn’t in the mood for this, or her.

             
“Ryan Eames is why. This hot guy is into you and I want to know why!”

             
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I had to watch myself and keep it short and sweet. I couldn’t deal with Molly now, not when the dream was still so fresh in my mind. I had to get rid of her.

             
“Look, Molly, you go ahead. I’ll walk to school.” As always, I was ignored.

             
“After what I saw yesterday you expect me to believe there’s nothing going on? He pulled your chair out for you. No other guy in the world would do that.” She was really starting to annoy me. From being alone twenty-four-seven to having someone annoy me all the time was one hell of an adjustment.

             
“Nothing happened yesterday, okay? Stop imagining things. He just wants to be a friend, that’s the end of it. You’d swear I was sleeping with the bloody guy the way you‘re acting!” I bit my lip when I saw the smile on her face grow larger. I was no longer in control and I didn’t like it.

             
“Get out!” My voice was shrill.

             
Her smile just grew wider, as she stood up and walked out of the room.

             
I didn’t waste any time after that. Grabbing my favorite black jacket, I raced from the house.

             
I’d only put a block behind me when a familiar brown jeep pulled up to the curb.

             
Ah, crap! Hey, Sid? How about you possess me for the rest of the day so I go back to bed?
I couldn’t handle this now. I hadn’t even had coffee yet!

             
“Morning, Aislinn. May I offer you a ride?” I blushed the second I heard his voice and was so thankful for the hoodie that offered me at least some cover from those amazing eyes.

             
“Sure, thanks.” I mumbled, while getting into the passenger side. I sent up a silent prayer that no one would notice us arrive at school together. More gossip was the last thing I needed right now.

             
“I was not aware that you walked to school. I will come by every morning to pick you up.” He wasn’t asking me. It sounded more like an order. You know the kind you saluted and then waited for your next instruction?

             
I just sat there with my mouth hanging open wide for at least a full minute before I realized I had to say something; the ‘Sid’ in me was fighting back again.

             
“I usually go with Molly, but I was late, so…I, ahh…”

             
“I could ask her? I am sure she would not mind if you traveled with me.” Gone was the demanding tone replaced with an alluring one - as if he were the spider and I was just the miserable fly.

             
“Are you warm enough?” Ryan leaned into me as he posed this one, simple question.

             
“Yes, thank you.” He was so damn gorgeous!
Okay, let’s get the panties out of a knot, Sid. We have to stop this.
He was just a friend. Bloody hell, I was turning into some lovesick puppy! Me, of all people. Ugh! I was just a plain, normal girl; I didn’t know the first thing about how to deal with any of these unwanted emotions crawling around inside me.

             
Parking in his usual spot, we walked across the stretch of lawn to our classroom.
Together
. I didn’t like it in the least. 

             
Everybody noticed. Of course they would. Sid might as well have had a neon sign above our heads, reading; ‘Lookie here! Freak show approaching’. I sighed, wishing with all my heart I could disappear into the hoodie and never return.

             
They whispered and laughed as the grapevine started up for the day. The eerie girl and drop-dead gorgeous guy was the headline. Bang! Right on the front bloody page!

             
I was upset, confused and, worst of all, infatuated with Ryan. I refused to use the words in love. I did
not
fall in love, ever.

             
I hated these constant butterflies and this stupid smile that wanted to appear on my face the whole time. But the feelings Ryan stirred were way too overwhelming. Hell, they even had Sid paddling around in a canoe on cloud nine.

             
The final bell rang and the class began to fill up. Everyone glanced in our direction, to view the weirdest pair of ‘friends’ ever created. But their sneering faces were not nearly as annoying as what happened next.

             
I completely zonked out, dazed off, went into a trance - you name it, it happened. One minute I was avoiding funny looks and, the next, I was completely oblivious.

~*~

“
Alchera, we need to talk. We have both said things better left unsaid and you have had a very exhausting day.”
It was the voice from my dream. It sounded so familiar - almost like Ryan’s - but this voice was far away, and sounded way more mature.

             
I was suddenly lying on a bed, feeling just like I’d gotten hit by a freight train. I felt so tired - so disappointed, and angry, too.

             
“Raighne, just leave me alone. I don’t have any strength left to hear more of your insults.”

             
“Alchera, please understand.”
I was about to turn around to see who was talking when Ryan’s hand suddenly folded over mine. I bit back a shriek.

             
“Aislinn?” His voice was soft but urgent in my ear.

             
My eyes shot open; my heart beat so fast from the mixture of fear and embarrassment that I thought I would die. What was happening to me? Why was I dreaming about this, ‘Alchera’ girl, and seeing disasters? And right here in class? This only ever happened when I was sleeping or giving a palm reading.

             
“Aislinn, are you alright?”

             
I couldn’t answer Ryan immediately; it felt like my lips were stitched together.

             
“Aislinn?” Ryan’s whisper was more urgent this time.

             
I tried to shake the fog from my mind. “I’m…f-fine. Just…a daydream.” I tried to add a smile, but I was sure it must’ve looked like some dork-ass attempt. I’m actually not sure what stunned me more - the dream or Ryan’s concern for me? Either way I was blushing. I was so embarrassed; I was so uncomfortable; and, he was
still
holding my hand.

             
“Aislinn? Ryan? May we have your attention, please?” Mrs. Woods glared at us from beneath her glasses.

             
I felt like an idiot for being called out in front of the class. Now
everyone
was looking at us.

             
“We will talk at lunch,” Ryan stated.

             
This time I just nodded, staring at his strong hand still holding mine.

~*~

The thirty minutes went by way too fast. The bell rang although there was no comfort in its familiar sound this time. We had to head to Biology.

             
Ryan didn’t let go of my hand, and it gave the impression that we were a nice cozy item. I was so anxious about what was going to happen during lunch. I had to think of a story - a lie, if possible. I didn’t want him involved in any of my ‘strangeness.’ The embarrassment would be the end of me.
             

             
We were dissecting frogs in our one hour practical and I just couldn’t do it. I’d been planning on skipping class, and somehow I had to get Ryan to let go of my hand so I could disappear. I wanted to be left alone.

             
I tugged on Ryan’s hand to get his attention in the crowded hall. Stopping dead in his tracks, Ryan bent down to hear what I had to say, but not once did he let go of me. His face was mere inches from mine, and his silky hair hung slightly across his forehead.
Damn, Sid. How are we still standing?
             

             
“I can’t kill frogs.” I didn’t dare look him in the eyes after what happened earlier.

             
“We can have an early lunch, then.” Ryan walked so fast we were practically running. Once outside, Ryan dragged me down to the grass and I ended up tripping; my bag went in one direction and I went in the other. His hands stopped me in midair, as if I weighed no more than a dove in flight, and set me down beside him. Too close for comfort, but I didn’t dare move, not this time.

             
Oh crap, Sid, we’re in a bit of a sticky situation right now.

             
I’d never in my life been so nervous. I was stuck between being scared of what was going to happen, and embarrassed of being caught with my stupid dreams. 
             

             
Ryan’s hands looked so strong as he picked at the blades of dead grass. And for a minute I allowed myself to wonder how it would feel to be really touched by them. I started blushing again, and quickly pulled the hoodie as far as I could over my face.

             
“Why are you blushing?” I could hear the laughter in his voice.

             
“Am not.” The blatant lie made me blush even more. My face was now a heat source in its own right. We could toast marshmallows from the fire that came from my skin.

             
Ryan pulled at the hoodie, and as it fell back I yanked my head to the side so he wouldn’t see my face, almost giving myself whiplash.

             
“I beg to differ. You, my dearest Aislinn, are.” He was laughing now, and I was as red as I could get. Poor Sid had to be suffering from the worst heat wave ever.

             
“You don’t need to laugh at me,” I scolded.