Alpha Centauri

Three - Jaden

 The girl doesn't say a word more. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. After that, she pretty much disappears. I just try to dismiss her, but I can tell Julian is almost desperately looking for her. I guess I can't blame the guy.

After school, Julian and I walk to the diner where he has a part-time job. I would have a job there, but I can't even join a school club without being kicked out within the first week, so there's no way I could keep a job for as long as Julian. Sometimes I envy him for his tolerance for stupid ass-hats.

I'm about to follow Julian into the diner when I feel a hand on my arm. I turn around to see the weird chick from lunch.

"Hey," I say cautiously, stepping away from her. "Where've you been?"

"Retrieve your brother and come with me," she says abruptly.

"Excuse me?" I close the door to the diner, preparing to show this bitch how I take care of potential kidnappers.

"You and Julian must come with me immediately."

"Look," I say, folding my arms. "I'm no expert on the whole job thing, but I don't think Julian's boss would be too happy if he skipped work to go rendezvous with some preppy girl from school."

"He does not anymore." The girl looks about as pissed as I am.

"Uh, guess again, Miss—"

The girl shakes her head. "Julian does not hold a job at Lucky's Diner. You two do not attend Amsterdam High School. You do not live on 426 Franklin Street. As of now, you and Julian do not exist."

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I grab the girl's arm and shove her against the brick wall of the diner. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I only just met you, and I'd appreciate it if you left my brother and me alone and stopped telling me weird shit."

Despite her current position, the freaky girl seems relaxed. "If you want to know why I am here, where I came from, and who your father is, I would suggest that you come with me." Then she grabs my hand and twists my arm, forcing me to back off of her.

Before I can lunge for her throat, Julian bursts through the diner door, the bell jingling like crazy. "Jade, what the hell are you doing?!"

I back away from the girl and smooth my clothes. "This little bitch secretly knows jujitsu," I seethe, rubbing my arm. "And she also claims to know who our father is."

"Hm," Julian says. "Do you really?"

She nods. "You sister lacks the trusting quality."

"Tell me something I don't know," he mutters.

If she was any less attractive, Julian would be giving her the same look I am.

As Julian and the girl talk, I keep looking at her. I notice something unusual about her. It's her eyes. She has pretty eyes like she's supposed to, because she's drop-dead gorgeous, but they're not exactly eyes you'd expect a girl to have. They're a dark, stormy gray, with a distinct ring of gold around the pupil. They almost look unnatural.

Then something clicks at the very bottom of my memory. Mom always tells Julian and me that we have our father's eyes. Julian and I both have bright, turquoise-ish eyes, with the same weird gold ring around the pupil.

"Okay," I say, interrupting their conversation. "We'll go with you."

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Julian seems pretty confused as to why I suddenly agreed to. I don't blame him.