Flames;Sparkles...

chapter four

Chapter four

Alex grunts silently as she throws her phone down on her bed. She has to get an excuse to get a new phone. This piece of… fecal matter, is really making it hard for her to stay the cute innocent little girl that these new people in her life believe her to be. She runs down the stairs and walk up to her mother's study. 'Can I use the land line, please?' she asks as she walks into the room. Natalya looks up and smiles at her. 'Yes, you may. But why don't you use your phone?' perfect! Now I can ask her for a new phone and maybe become a little bit of what I was… no, I don't want to be who I was, this was to be different- she cuts of her thoughts and answers the woman in front of her. 'Uhm, mine has seen it's as- metal behind ' she corrects her self before her mother can raise an eyebrow at her. 'Well, then we should go get you a new one, how about one of those new ones that we see on those bill boards everyday?' she asks and before Alex can voice her protests, Natalya has floated out of the room to get ready for a shopping trip. Alex didn't think that she could get tired after all the training she had but nobody ever told her that you can get tired from a "short" shopping trip. There was no stop to Natalya and her nine different limitless credit cards that was intended for shopping and shopping alone. She scared Alex with all the bags she managed to carry after just twenty minutes of huffing and puffing at things she supposedly likes. When they got to an interior decorating shop she insisted Alex choose anything she wanted for her room, when Alex's new phone buzzed in her pocket she answered it to hear the familiar voice of Mandy, the girl who helped her with her new identity. 'Nat, you won't believe what I just heard about the princess… they think she's hiding in Mexico! Can you believe that?' Mandy very subtly lets her in on the latest news revolving her escape. 'I'm sorry you must have the wrong number. I don't know Natalie or anyone like that. But I'm sure she'll be happy if you call the right number.' Alex replies and ends the call. After that she decides to go full out renovate her room to suit her new, kind of old, personality.

Five hours, one hundred bags, two last-on-the-shelf-fights later, she helps Natalya unpack the car. She carries her bags to her room and Natalya's she leave in the family room. She excuses herself and start unpacking her bags to start with her decorating the room. She switches on her playlist, and start to make her new home more of a home. When she finally starts to change the curtains, her phone rings. The person on the other end is definitely not who she expected. True, she didn't know who to expect but how in the world did Rez get her number? 'How the in the world of pink and purple did you get this number, I'm supposed to be incognito!' she whispered franticly into the phone. 'I'm sorry Lexie, but I had to ask if you need me. Rose said that she would accompany me to St. Shan's if you need me. She loves you, we all do. We just want you to be safe.' Alex breathes in deeply and closes her eyes. 'And my mom, and Lisa?' she asks the only question that keeps her up at night. 'Well, that isn't important. But they did issue an order for your termination. Lex, if a guardian finds you anywhere, he or she is authorized to kill you on site.' The panic in Rez's voice made Alex laugh. 'My dear friend, they will have to find me catch me and then beat me in a fight first.' She says when her friend nearly looses her cool. 'What do you mean, care bear?' 'I mean that the last three years I have been spending my time, becoming the best guardian slash assassin slash criminal mastermind that I can possibly be. And according to some of my trainers, I unfortunitley can't name them, I was born for it. So Rez, do me a favor and don't worry, I'm not defenseless anymore. I can take care of my self. I was trained by the best.' Alex reassures her friend, smiling at the concern she hears inn the other girls voice. 'So can I come and visit or should I apply for a scholarship at the school?' Rez asks in an eager voice, Alex is alerted by the doorbell and improvises quickly when Natalya walks into the room. She only hopes Rez understands her code. 'Yes sure, I'd love to help you with your report on foster care, maybe we can meet up at the coffee shop right across school on Monday?' Rez laughs and disconnects the line. 'Who was that?' Natalya asks as she looks at the phone skeptically. 'That was a girl in my history class, she wanted help on her foster law project, and it's a little confusing.' She explains her voice basked in innocence. 'Oh well, you have a friend here.' By the look on Natalya's face it can't be Bruce so Alex curiously makes her way down stares. Her curiouosity is quickly doused by the sight she sees in front of her. Now she understands why. Ghalia has a gash on her fore head and her lip is split, the black eye only makes her hollow eyes look even emptier. Little Max is holding her hand so tightly that his knuckles is are white against his olive tone skin, his eyes are big and the excessive water shows that he had been crying, and that just a glass breaking would send him into hysterics. 'Hi, I'm sorry to barge in like this but I really need your help. My dad went crazy and well I ended up as the punching bag. I'm really sorry but I didn't know where else to go, I mean Lloyd won't be home it's Saturday and my cousin is in a gang so taking Max there will be totally out of the question, we just can't go back home, Alex, I'm truly sorry your mom looks really angry and I'm sure she'll yell at you for being my friend-' 'Ghalia, don't worry. Mom, can you bring me to glasses of whiskey, no ice they really need to calm down!' she yells as she ushers them to her room up the stairs. When she has got them in her room she rushes down to the kitchen to find Natalya waiting for her. 'I don't like the friends you've made, Alexa. They can only mean trouble if the look like that.' She says sternly handing Alex two glasses of whiskey. 'Actually it's exactly the friends that I need, you see before you saved me from my so called life, I had friends that was rich and that did for me what I want to do for this girl. Now if you have a problem with that then I suggest that you call child services and ask them to come and pick me up.' She rambles on and the woman in front of her looks at her intently. 'well, then you better go and take those glasses to them but don't let the boy drink all of it at once, and I'll get blankets ready if they want to stay, just make sure they use your room.' Alex smile and hugs the woman. She runs up the stairs and closes the door behind her. 'So tell me the whole story, don't leave anything out, and don't tell me it's a long story. I have lots of time. My mom said that you can stay as long as you want.' She edits her mother's words a little. 'well, my dad has a drinking problem and well, my mom had worked for a law firm when she was still alive, she fell in love with one of the lawyers there and, that's how Max came along, well, she died a few years ago and we had to go stay with my dad and grandma, but granny died a year ago. And dad lost his third job this month now. He tried to hit Max on Thursday and that's how I got the black eye.' Now Alex understands why Ghalia wasn't at school on Friday, she must have been embariced about the bruise she was sporting. She really has to give it to the girl; it takes a lot from someone to take the hit against a stronger enemy. She had to do it almost four years ago, poor Luanda… Alexa Mazur! If you don't pull yourself together right now! Se gives herself a mental shake and then replies, 'well, why don't you call child services or are you afraid that they might separate you and Max?' Ghalia shakes her head and looks at Max where he sits on the window sill, staring at nothing in particular. 'Dad never really gets to him, they won't help me because I'm eighteen, and Max doesn't have any evidence of abuse like I do so there's really nothing they can do. And I don't even think my father cares if we leave but just in case, I think you should know that he can really get upset and he's very dangerous.' The bracelet on Alex arm vibrates a little and she can feel its anger. Don't worry I'm going to get this SOB and then I'm going to choke him so hard he'll never be able to swallow a beer or any cheap alcohol again. She promises silently. 'Okay, you can stay here for the night and maybe until we have figured out what to do-' she is cut of by her phone ringing loudly. The bright music a sharp contrast to the mood. 'Hey my own guardian angel.' Bruce greets happily as she presses the talk button. 'Hey, what's up?' she asks ready to get to the point, no time for small talk. 'Uhm, I actually wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight but you sound wind up. What's wrong?' he asks catching on to her mood immediately. 'I'm kind of in the middle of a very important problem right now.' She replies vaguely. 'Can I help or is it personal, I'd be happy to lend a hand.' He says and she can hear him getting into his car. No matter what she says he's going to come here and expect her to tell him what's going on. 'Hold on.' She turns to Ghalia and motions for her to come closer. 'Listen Bruce is coming here, there's no help in trying to stop him. So would you like to clean up? I'm sure I can get rid of him, or get him to help.' Ghalia nods and she walks to the bathroom mouthing thanks to Alex, who nods and smiles at her. 'Okay I'll meet you at the door, where are you?' he laughs and she hears a car pull up to the side walk. As she rushes down the stairs she decides to yell at him later for his reckless driving. 'So I gather the problem is with Ghalia Sanchez?' he whispers as she opens the door. She nods and lead him up the stairs, luckily Natalya was to busy in the kitchen to notice the teenagers up stairs.  After Ghalia and Alex told Bruce the story he asks if she knows the lawyer is and she says that she left their suitcases outside when she came in. she blushed a little when Bruce looked at her like he saw for the first time she was only dressed in a silk robe. He offered to go get it and Alex said she would ready their bed for them. Ghalia helped Max clean up. After they settle in on the bed they made on the floor they discuss the options they have, they were in a heated argument about how to get Ghalia's abusive father out of her life when Ghalia's phone rang.  The man on the other side of the line sounds like he could climb through it and kill the girl. Ghalia just stands and listens for a moment more before disconnecting the line and bursting into tears. That made Alex's decision for her. She picked up her phone and replaced the card with an untraceable one. Then she called Jack's number. 'Old man!' she greeted as he picks up the phone. 'What do you want; I'm in the middle of planning another prison break.' He grunts into the phone and she smiles as Bruce's eyes widen at what he hears. She had forgotten how good shape shifter's hearing can be. 'Well, I need you to tell Mandy, Rez and Maya to enroll at school here, you did give them the same training I had didn't you?' she asks and order all in one. 'Yes but they are still busy with their guardian training, they are not born killers like you are my violent butterfly.' He jokes with her. 'Yes well I need them here. No questions just get them here and please I'd like to stay anonyms.' She says and she hears him flip open another phone. 'You know, Maya should have stayed in that hospital. She's already threatening to kill her current lover.' He says while he searches for the number he wants. 'Well, then he must really be bad in bed.' She jokes, Maya may be a little unstable, but she would never abandon her real friends. She was one of the only people that believed Alex's innocence. After a few more orders to her real adoptive father she hangs up. Ghalia has calmed down and Bruce looks at her curiously. 'okay, we can't do anything until my friends get here so I suggest we get some sleep and then pick them up at the train station tomorrow, and we have to find them a place to live. Not a hotel. She states as she sees Bruce take out his phone. 'Now what did he say to you?' Alex asks Ghalia as Bruce speaks into his phone.

'So, are you going to tell me why that guy said you were a born killer?' Bruce asked later that night when she saw him out. 'Well, it really is a long story and I don't really like talking, let alone thinking about it.' She tried to postpone the explanation that she was going to be forced into. He nodded and cocked his head to the side. 'So, all of this has to do with that little sentence that will keep me awake for the next, uhm, I don't know week? Alex, you know that you can trust me. What I don't understand is why you keep everybody at a distance.' He shook his head at her and made to walk away when she stopped him, 'okay, let me talk to my friends first, it's as much their story as mine. If I get some information from them I'll tell you. But, you have to promise not to kill me or drag me to court in shackles.' She rambled off as he folded his arms; however when she begged him not to hurt her he took her hands lightly. 'No, I don't think you are a killer, that's why I won't drag you to court at all. But I do think that you know more than a girl your age should about death, and betrayal.' He stated and turned walking to his car. She didn't know what to say or do but she knew she had to ask Rez to hack in to the system and find out why he might be the only dragon alive. And maybe he is a spy for her mother, or maybe he is a friend of Lisa's boyfriend. Ugh! She was getting herself worked up for nothing, but she didn't want to trust the voice in her head that said she could trust him. Right now she didn't want to trust anyone but the people that stood by her for the last four years.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the slight spell that missed her with only an inch. The spell caster cursed quietly and disappeared into the darkness of the night.