Our Forbidden Love 2

23: Starley

I wake up as soon as Daddy starts crying. It seems that anytime before that I wasn't able to open my eyes, like Fate itself was keeping them closed. I wake up with a jolt, and Alex's long arms pull me closer.
"Hey baby," I say, pressing my body against his.
"Hey babygirl," he replies. Holy s**t his voice is hot. Like how can someone actually be allowed to have a voice that hot. "We breaking in today?"
I nod, still trying to get the vision that had turned my vision-less night into one of sorrow and upset. Mummy had been so brave until the very end. Whoever the interrogators had been, I hated them. It was pure white hatred. They'd killed her. She was just the one to greet them, had it been anyone else, they would've died, it was just unfortunate that it had been Mummy.
"You okay?" Alex asks me. I roll over in his hospital bed to face him. I readjust my positioning so he's not so blurry. I nod.
"What's going on?" He taps my forehead.
"Try looking for yourself," I suggest. It's actually a good idea though; he can practice his new talent and I don't have to voice the horrid memory.
"I'm sorry baby," he says as I feel his senses leave my mind. He was getting quite good at it.
"You didn't make it happen," I say, "I've Fate to blame for that." I smile at him and his green eyes return it. I get up out of the bed and reposition the starfish clip atop my head. When I turn around again, Alex is gone. He's not in the bed or beside it like I am. I turn around, perhaps he's trying to scare me? But there's no one behind me either.
"Alex?" I call out, nervously.
"It's happening again!" he exclaims, but his voice doesn't come from anywhere in particular.
"What's happening?" I ask. I'm so confused right now, is he even in the same room as me anymore?
"Everything, it's shiny... holographic... like a reflection almost," he describes. "Why? What does it look like from your end?"
"You're gone. Like I can hear your voice but, it's like your body is invisible... invisible! Your new powers! Alex! You have invisibility!" I exclaim.
Slowly he fizzes back to normal, waiting beside the bed.
"When I was little I always wanted to be invisible, so I could win at hide-and-seek but I never thought it'd come true!" he says, excitedly, his eyes dancing with happiness. I head towards the door and hold out my hand for him. He moves towards me and slips his hand inside mine. We were taking a risk doing this in regular morning hours and not in the middle of the night like last time. But honestly, I was sort of hoping that Piper would be there and I could tell her off again. She couldn't restrict our knowledge unless she had a perfect reason to.

When we get there, I place my hand against the door and the purple magic flies through it. The door clicks open and we swim through.
"What are we looking for?" he asks. "What's the actual name?"
"I'm not sure," I respond. "Maybe we start with Nightmare Reading?" He nods. Together we make our way to the 'N' row and I look on the shelves, but there's nothing even similar to what I suggested. We go to the 'R' row next bit in the Reading box there's only files on 'Reading' and 'Reverse Reading'.
"There's nothing here Alex," I say. Then we hear the door click open and both of us freeze, looking at the other.
"Starley?" they call out. Their voice is soft, caring, female. We relax slightly. The voice belongs to someone too young to be Piper. I swim to the end of the row and stick my head out the end, into the centre aisle.
"Lilliana!" I exclaim.
"There you are," she says, swimming over. "I couldn't find you anywhere. Bubbles said you might've been here."
"How can we help you?"
"We?"
"Yeah, Alex and I."
"Oh, right. Yeah. Umm... it's stupid really, but... uhh... I was wondering if you had any allergies. Piper and I are going to update some of the more health aspects of the files."
"Oh," I say. The whole thing really was quite odd. It was almost like she just wanted to see me or talk to me, but she didn't have a really good reason to. She was hoping I'd be here on my own, I wonder why. Alex comes to swim and wait beside me. He instantly tenses up.
"I'm allergic to apples," I say.
"Okay, cool. Thank you," she says, sort of half bowing to me before hurrying off and exiting the room.

Alex is still tensed up beside me. He grabs my arms and swings me around to be in front of him, facing him. His green eyes are looking so intensely into my blue ones and it's scaring me.
"Alex, what's wrong?"
"Lilliana," he says, finally breaking his intense gaze.
"What about her?"
"She likes you. The way she looked at you, it's the same way I look at you! I mean, what's not to like but you're my girl, right?" I nod in response. Lilliana? Me? Alex getting jealous?
"Yes, I'm yours, always and forever until the very end."
He smiles and pulls me in for a hug.
"Oh, hey. I know I'm going to sound like an absolutely horrible boyfriend, but what do you want for your birthday?"
"You remembered!" I say, excitedly. I didn't think he knew my birthday was next week. "It's okay, you don't have to get me anything..."
"No, it's not okay. And yes, I have to get you something. Okay fine, if there were no limitations what would you want?"
We break out of the hug.
"No limitations? I'd want for us to go back to your world, even if it was just for a day. We could stay in one of those really tall buildings near the beach. That's what I'd want, but only if there were no limitations. That doesn't mean you have to get that for me."
"Yes, baby. I know. Don't worry, I'll get you something amazing," he says.
"What like you haven't already given me something amazing? You gave me a life with you, Alex, and that is the most amazing and most precious gift anyone could ever give me. I'm just so glad it was you. I love you, Alex," I say.
He smiles. "I love you, too."