Time After Time

Chapter 8

Hopping out of the Uber he took from the airport to home, Erik notices what looks like Lexi's car in the driveway. That's odd, he thinks to himself, but knowing Dante, he isn't all that surprised. As he walks through the front door, he gets a sense of Lexi's thoughts and she is in bliss, it doesn't appear she is shielding at all. He doesn't usually do this, because Dante hates it, but he channels his energy towards his brothers thoughts. Dante's thoughts as always are harder to read than a mere human, but Erik gets a good idea that Dante is enjoying himself as well, causing his stomach to drop.
Striding into the living room, he sees Dante sitting on the couch, Lexi is laying down with her head in his lap, her back arched in pleasure as Dante massages the back of her head and her neck. Lexi's eyes are closed, but Erik does not care for the expression he sees on Dante's face. Suddenly, Lexi gasps, her eyes fly open and Dante's hands stop moving as they stare into each other's eyes. What in the hell is going on? Clearing his throat, he sees Lexi's slowly turn her head and her eyes meet his.
"Whats going on here?" He asks, his tone more gruff than he intended.

Lexi practically bolts into a sitting position, but Dante just looks at him, smoothly moving his hands out of the way as Lexi rises. "Brother, Lexi has a bit of a headache. I was just helping her to relieve it."
Erik turns to look at her, waiting for her response. She sighs, her face flushed. " Yes, we have been working on focusing and shielding and it gave me a pretty bad headache."
His eyes fly to Dante's and he shakes his head, almost imperceptibly. Quickly, he scan his brothers thoughts and he allows him to see that he has only told her part of the story, not nearly all.
Erik nod his head slowly, processing this, trying to keep the jealousy that is trying to flare inside him down in case Lexi can pick it up.
" Okay, I see. Well it's a good idea for you to work on that, I suppose." Erik says.
Lexi regards him carefully, before turning to Dante and squeezing his hand, asks him "Do you mind if I talk to Erik for a moment, alone?"
He smiles at her charmingly " Of course, as you wish." With that, he head upstairs, turning back to throw casually over his shoulder " We will catch up soon, brother."

As Dante heads up stairs, he listens in on Erik and Lexi's conversation. He knows it is impolite, but what is the point of enhanced hearing if not to use it, and he needs to know what they are talking about. He feels a sense of satisfaction when he hears Lexi speaking of him in a defensive manner, but his mood quickly darkens when he hears Erik telling her that he is not completely honest. Like he is? Rolling his eyes, he continues to listen in. The rest of the conversation doesn't really matter much.
Pacing, he thinks to himself, Lexi is surprising him, he got closer to her trying to accomplish my goal, but he didn't expect to like her so much. She just seems familiar somehow, like he has always known her. And whatever we both apparently were seeing before Erik walked in, as strange as it was, felt so real. He is concerned that Erik, will try to come clean with her before he can and ruin everything. He can't let that happen. Not only because we need her, but because for some reason, he can't seem to get her out of his head.

Back downstairs, Erik turns to her, waiting. She runs her hands over her thighs, and taps the seat next to her where Dante just was. She is shielding, he is sure of it, because he cannot get a handle on her. He sits down next to her.
" Erik, I asked Dante what abilities you have, but he told me that it wasn't his place to tell me, I would have to ask you."
Sighing, he says " This is quite a change from the other day at lunch, when you were avoiding this subject."
He can see anger flash across her face, but he can't feel it. Dante taught her well, apparently.
She raises her chin " Well maybe if I had known that you had similar abilities, I might have been more inclined to share."
Smiling sarcastically, he quips " Yes, you shared them quite well with Dante, clearly."
Her eyes actually flash " Well that would be because he is actually honest with me and wants to help"
Erik has to hold back the laughter bubbling in his throat " You have known him all of what? Two days now? Don't assume he is always honest and only wants to help." He stops himself, because this line of conversation needs to end. He doesn't want to get into this any further, not yet.
Lexi is sitting there, fuming.
Even though he doesn't mean it at all, he apologizes.
" I'm sorry Lexi, I should have been honest with you. It just not the easiest thing to bring up, I was going to talk to you about it, I was just waiting for the right time."
She glares at him, gradually her anger fading. Finally relenting, she gives him a half smile
"Are you going to answer my question?"
He smile back and tells her "Well, your probably not going to like it, but I read minds."
She appears to be thinking in this a moment.
"So you can read my mind?"
"No, I can't read yours, exactly. Every once in a while, I get a flash or snippet, but for the most part, no. I assume your shielding is blocking it." He shrugs.
Lexi looks relieved. " What about Dante, can you read his?"
Looking at her, he shakes his head " I don't read Dante's mind, normally. That is a boundary I try not to cross. He also can keep me out, for the most part."
Tapping her chin, she seems to be processing all this. " Okay, we'll it is getting late, I need to get home."
" I will walk you out." He says, rising up with her off the couch, walking her to the door and she hugs him at the threshold. " I am glad I met you and Dante both. It's nice to know I'm not a freak"
Erik just hugs her back " Me too."
He cannot tell her the truth. Meeting Dante and himself isn't something to be glad of. He can hear Dante coming back down the stairs and leaning against the wall, Dante asks " So how did your weekend getaway go?"
Erik turns toward him. " Dead end, as usual.
I don't know what your trying to pull with Lexi, but I don't like it."
Striding forward, Dante grabs his younger brother by his collar, growling at him " I don't care what you like or don't like, brother. Don't stand in my way. You know we need her."
Erik pushed him off and glares at him, saying
"I know we need her, but something tells me that not all that is going on. Don't interfere Dante, I really like her."
Staring back at him, he coolly replies " So do I."
Erik shakes his head and warns " Don't mess this up like you did with Kalista."
Dante feels pure rage burning through his veins "I messed it up? Hardly, brother" He sneers the word at him " You had just as large of a part in that as I did." Shoving Erik into the wall, he stalks out the door, ignoring his protest behind me. Once outside, he morphs into the familiar form of a hawk and heads to Lexi's house. He loves flying at night, the whole world takes on a different look in the dark. When Dante arrives, listening in, he can hear what sounds like Lexi doing the dishes. Flying to her open window ( this girl has no idea about safety, clearly, he thinks to himself with exasperation) and clutch onto the frame with his talons. Once he has a good grip, he changes back to his normal self and waits, perched in her windowsill.

.........

Lexi

Heading back home, I run through the past two days events. I was telling Erik the truth, I am glad I met him and Dante, but something tells me it won't be easy. When I first laid eyes on Erik, I was drawn to him and I didn't know why. It was starting to make sense now, he was like me and stirred up feeling I had never felt before. The kisses we have exchanged definitely caused those feelings to hit overdrive. Dante on the other hand, I have the same feeling as I do with Erik. There is something different about Dante though. He just seems so familiar to me somehow. Even though I sense danger in him, he feels like home. Whatever those vision we are having are about, it is freaking me out a little though. Shaking my head, I have clearly lost my mind. Someone I met two days ago cannot be home. Good grief. I can't shake the sense that I know Dante, somehow. It's strange.

My thoughts turn to Erik, I like Erik, I really do, and up until I laid eyes on Dante, he was all I wanted. Which makes no sense, I just met him and he is Erik's brother. What is wrong with me? I want to see where this goes with Dante. Dante hasn't said anything or kissed me (at least in real life, visions don't count) like Erik has, but I can tell he feels like I do. I realized it earlier, that feeling I was getting from him that I couldn't put my finger on? That's what is was, he was trying to hide it, but it slipped through. Seeing Eric at school tomorrow, I don't know how to handle it. Pulling into my driveway, I head inside and to the kitchen where Mom and Lizzie are just sitting down to dinner.
I kiss my mom on the cheek and ruffle Lizzie's hair. She swats my hand away. Rolling my eyes at her, I ask Mom " What's for dinner?"
Mom returns my kiss and smiling over at Lizzie days " Chicken spaghetti, Lizzie's favorite. It a treat for placing at her choir program this weekend."
I turn to Lizzie " Way to go, Lizzie!" I give her a big hug. She returns it and mumbles " Thanks"

I study her for a moment, I worry about Lizzie since dad died. While it was tough on all of us, middle school an especially tough age to go through such a huge loss. She is much more withdrawn since then. I just hope she can come out of it. When I try to sense her moods, they are almost always sad and dark. I make a mental note to talk to mom about maybe getting her some counseling. We finish dinner and after we eat, I do the dishes for mom. Heading upstairs to my room, I call out to both of them " Good night!" I close my door and turning around I see Dante sitting in my windowsill. " May I come in?" He asks casually, as if he isn't perched two stories above the ground.