AFTERTHOUGHT / / Xavier Thorpe

2. Walking on a Dream

Swallowing, I say my thoughts out loud, "Doesn't she look familiar?"

"Oh yeah, I actually think she's the one who--" Xavier tries to start.

"Jeez, I can't figure out where I know her from. That's so weird."

I sit down on the bed, by her feet and place a hand on my chin to keep my face up.

"We actually know--"

"I'll figure it out one of these days," I shrug, lost in my own thoughts as I hear Xavier sigh. I look down at the girl, my thoughts swirling in my head. She looks like she was readying herself for death, as if it were a sweet embrace--her arms are crossed, each one on the opposite shoulder. In some ways, she reminds me of a flower. She looks peaceful as she rests.

"This wasn't how I planned to spend my evening," Xavier breaks the silence with a chuckle as I feel her body twitching.

"Shut up, she's waking up," I grumble, a little upset he could've cause this random girl a concussion. I turn my head back towards her to see her right in my face, her arms falling to her side. "Oh, uh...hi?"

I mentally curse myself for being so awkward.

"Y'know, I'll just get you some water," I quickly stand up, mentally applauding myself for getting out of that situation.

Quickly, I close the curtains as I walk away, almost stumbling. I'm never gonna smoke again.

"Y/N? Can I help you sweetheart?" The nurse asks while I approach. I explain to her that Wednesday had woken up and I wanted to get her a glass of water.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you," she ruffles my hair. "I'll get it for you, just a moment."

It's a definite plus, being able to charm adults. I mean, I break Nevermore's dress code all the time, and I don't get caught--purely from the love of my teachers. Except Ms. Thornhill, but she's a new teacher. She can't come across as a rulebreaker to her superiors just yet. Soon though, I hope.

I smile and thank her as she returns, carefully guiding myself back to Xavier in the far corner of the room. I watch them converse through the shadows of the sheet before softly pulling it back to reveal myself.

"I got you some water," I hold it out to her, yet she makes no move to take it. I look to Xavier, then to her, wondering what the fuck is happening.

"Uh, well," Xavier pauses, probably still to high to fully think, "Wednesday and I were just talking about how we knew each other."

I raise a brow as he grins, trying to decide whether to set the glass down on a nearby table. I decide to hold it close in case she makes a move to take it, just so she won't have to move so much.

"Remember that time you almost cooked me alive?"

My mouth forms an 'O' shape, my epiphany hitting me like a brick.

"I wondered why you looked familiar! I knew that I knew you!" I quietly rave, trying not to make much noise. The nurse said it was only a minor concussion, but they definitely hurt all the same.

"Yes, your family were the ones who owned the crematorium that burned my great grandmother, correct?" She states, as if she already knew it to be true.

Truthfully, my mother's side of the family does own a crematorium. With being children of the sun and all, most of us have pyrokinesis. Which, having a crematorium could help us practice our powers and make a pretty good profit. We have the lowest prices of any crematorium in our city, as we don't have to pay for coal or fire power. The latter comes naturally.