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Chapter 7: We have problems

LEECI'S POV

Alexander, huh. That name does suit him. And I like it. When Mike and I get married, I was planning on naming our child Alexander. It's such a nice name, it reminds me of stars. When I hear the name Alexander, the little voice in my head doesn't process it as Alexander. It processes it as AlexSTARnder. I don't know why, it's just how I hear it in my head.

Oh and yes, Mike. I really miss him. I would be playing with him right now having the time of my life. Especially in Hand Key Heidi. There's never a time he fails to entertain me. Or care for me. Or love me. He's always there, all the time. And now I'm not there for him and that really bothers me.

"You okay?" Alexander muttered. He had his head down again but he was facing me. Was he watching me the whole time?

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Yep yep!" I said and turned to face him. He was still across the room looking at me and now I was looking back at him. He was cute now that I examined his face. Y'know how when you stare at people for a while they don't look like themselves anymore. I was having that moment, he looked cute. He is cute.

"Whatcha thinking about?" I asked in attempt to start a conversation. His eyebrows rose for a second and then he spoke.

"Why I'm here." he said.
"Figure it out yet?" I teased.
"I'm unhealthy." he guessed. So he's like me? "Did they force you out of your house?" I asked.

His head shot up. "How do you know?" He asked. "Just a guess, it's how I got here."

"By who?"
"Those Strangers."
He giggled. "You call them Strangers too?"

"Our first connection." I laughed. If he calls them strangers too, he must've been through exactly what I went through. "Hey hey.." I said slowly. "Come here."

Alexander got up and walked over to me. "Sit." He sat in front of me and crossed his legs. Our faces were 2 feet apart. Closest I've been to a human in 4 years.

"You got your system taken away too didn't you..?" I asked staring him in the eyes, trying to see through his expression. He nodded really slow. I thought he was hesitating to tell me and then I noticed his lips start to quiver and his eyes water.

Oh no please don't tell me he's gonna cry. I can't stand watching guys cry, it's the saddest thing. AND he's looking me in the eyes.

He wasn't moving. He just sat there staring at me quivering. I probably looked the same. I don't know how to react to this without making a scene. Okay Leeci think back to movies. Movies. The girl usually hugs the guy in movies. Or makes out with him. That's not happening, I don't get how that could make someone feel better. But I'm me not him.

His body shifted forward and he looked down at his feet. A tear landed on my foot and I held my breath desperately trying to keep my tears in. I hesitated for a little but I eventually managed to get my hand back in control and move his hair out of his way, behind his ear.

I looked at him empathetically. Maybe he's in a worse condition than I am after all...

"Alexander." I whispered. It was really quiet, all you could hear were his sniffles and whimpers. And the AC. "Alex." he whispered back.

I laughed. "Alex," I corrected. "Can you tell me what happened?" I asked. He nodded. "So uh, I'm gonna assume that you and I are here for the same reason," he began. "and that we both went through the same thing on our way here. Is that okay?" He asked.

"Yep."

"I'm 18 right now. When I was 14-at the age of 14 I guess I isolated myself from everyone else and that's where this bullshit started. I don't think it was that I wasn't social, I just-talking to people was kind of a workout. It gave me a headache so when I did talk I wasn't the nicest guy. I hate getting people down so I just stopped trying."

I giggled. "Do you have a headache now then? I mean you are talking." He laughed. "Man, something is wrong with me. I don't have a headache." he said matter-of-factly. "Do you mind telling me more?" I asked. "I enjoy talking to you."

"Talking wasn't of liking to me when I was 14 up until now." He began again. "I'm having fun with you. When my parents noticed that I wasn't being social they tried to comfort me. I used to go out all the time with my friends and stuff-like: I was in clubs and track, so I bet it was pretty obvious that something was wrong. Anyway, they came up to my room because I wouldn't go to them and asked to talk. I remember that I was on my playstation and didn't want to talk so they just lectured me right there. I wasn't real into computers at that age, or at all really. I was always on playstation. When I was 15 I met this girl named Melly on there, in a game called Sky Jeje 3. Sound familiar?"

"Oh my god, yeah! I loved Sky, I had the first and second, too." I said. This is getting exciting! "So what about Melly?"

"Yeah, Melly. Not too long ago she asked to Skype. You can imagine someone who hasn't verbally talked for years talking. A mess. But she coped with me..and uh then she started talking all weird and shit so I ended the chat. Then those Strangers came and she was with them. My guess is that she was behind it all because I know that my parents wouldn't waste their time on me anymore."

"The same thing happened to me except with my mom." I said. "She turned on me and called these stupid people to my house. She always brung me food so that I didn't starve and when I went to get it she had the food but the Strangers were with her. She probably gave up on me." I explained.

"You had it easy, I had to steal food from my neighbors." Alex said. "You never got caught?" I asked surprised. He lifted his head off my shoulder and looked at me.

"My neighbors were elderly, I felt kind of guilty stealing from them and I guess that's why they never noticed. I was thinking that Melly wasn't my friend from the start, that she was just a spy or something and that my neighbors were the ones that contacted her. If I'm right then they knew I was stealing."

"I think they knew." I said. "You shouldn't underestimate the elder." I laughed. He smiled. It was cute. "Besides, elderly or not, I think anyone would notice missing food."

"Yeah..." he sighed, realization hitting him. "Since when have you been locked in your house?" he asked.

"Since I was 15." I said. "I'm 18, too. So 4 years." He nodded in understanding. "Were close." he laughed. "5 for me."

It was quiet after he said that. Not an awkward kind of quiet, it was soothing. Like we were both comfortable with the fact that we've run out of things to say. Or maybe a headache was beginning to form in his head.

Alex is awkward alright. More than I am. More than I thought I was, but I don't feel better than him which is good. I don't want to feel like I'm looking down on him and I don't want him to feel like I'm looking down on him.

ALEXANDER'S POV

"Immmmm gonna crash." Leeci said and hit the ground. Her arms and legs were spread out as if she was preparing to make a snow angel and her eyes slowly closed. Her silky hair was spread out on the ground, leaving her face exposed.

"Hey, Leeci?"
"Hm?" She hummed.
"Doesn't the light bother your eyes?" I asked.
"Yep." and she smiled. It was weird because she didn't open her eyes.
"And Leeci,"
"Yep?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"You know how Melly was a special friend of mine?"
She nodded.
"Did you have anyone special like her. Except without all the spy stuff. Like y'know that you maybe ha-"
"Yeah, yeah I know what you mean." she interrupted. "Someone I had feelings for?"

"Yeah exactly." I said, relieved I didn't have to say it. "His name was Mike. Or at least that's what he told me." She said and smiled again. Eyes closed.