Valley of Bones

Chapter 2

Romana gave a little squeak of surprise when she entered the kitchen later that afternoon to find Alexi and Jem sitting at the table, notebooks and textbooks strewn about in front of them. They both looked up to where she hovered near the archway, slightly leaning forward as if she was frozen in the middle of putting one foot ahead of the other.

"Hi," Jem said, flashing an authentic grin despite the scowl he had just been wearing.

Romana gave him a small nod in greeting, retreating towards the other side of the arch. "I didn't know you had company, Alexi," she said, her eyes darting to where Alexi sat on the other side of the table. "Such...interesting company."

"Interesting?" Jem repeated. "I wouldn't say I'm interesting. Complex, perhaps. Jovial, maybe. But no interesting attributes about me."

Romana nodded again. "Um, what are you two doing?" She glanced over her shoulder; Alexi could tell she was planning her escape. She and Jem were minutes away from a shouting spackle and whatever it was Romana felt, it was overwhelming.

"Nothing," Alexi said as Jem answered, "Tutoring."

"History," Alexi added quickly.

Jem nodded and echoed, "History tutoring."

"I'm failing," Alexi explained.

"She's failing," Jem said.

Romana's gaze flicked between the two – they talked over each other, but there was more going on under their words. A sort of silent rapid-fire back and forth between their eyes. Alexi shot him irritable glances, and Romana flinched.

"Has Tina met him yet?" Romana asked, trying to keep her voice light. A headache began to form behind her left eye from listening to these two and being in such close proximity to their stifling hatred of each other.

Alexi's grin was chilling. Her hatred was purer, deeper, redder. Jem's lurked just underneath the surface, controlled. Alexi's was wild, and that had always worried Romana.

"She's not home yet," Alexi answered. "Romana, we need to get back to studying," she added, allowing Romana to make her escape. The other girl turned and fled down the hallway.

Jem spun back to Alexi. "Who's Nicholas Bremmt?" he asked again.

"Nobody," Alexi answered again. After history class, and after she had refused to answer him the first time, they hadn't seen each other again until he was waiting for her on the front steps of the school, loudly reminding her he was going to tutor her that afternoon. She had suggested his house. Her thoughts earlier about having him over at her house to annoy Romana and Tina had vanished the moment he had opened his presumptuous mouth in front of the teacher and requested to tutor her, but he was adamant they hold tutoring sessions at her house. He had pestered her on the drive home about Nick, and at least three times in the past hour he had brought it up again, referencing the notepaper she had foolishly brought to the kitchen. "It's somebody I used to know. Aren't we studying history?"

"He's part of your history," Jem said with a dark twinkle in his eye. If they weren't at each other's throats about this, Alexi might have thought it was a cheesy pick-up line. "Which is incredibly fascinating, by the way."

"You don't know anything about me!" Alexi argued.

"I know you're failing history. I know there's something going on with this Nicholas guy, whoever he is. I know you live in the Halfway House, which itself has an interesting history. I know you get angry pretty easily."

"You're one to talk," Alexi spat. "Or did I not strike a nerve back in class? Whatever I said pissed you off, and now you're acting like a baby to get back at me for it."