The Exception

Chapter 11

Crystal stepped inside James's house to feel a sudden change in temperature. The air was colder, sending chills up her arms.

"Did you fix that branch?" James asked as Crystal walked inside.

"What?" she asked.

"The branch. Did you get rid of it?" James explained.

"What branch?" she asked again.

James eyed her suspiciously. "The one you said you would get rid of. The one that was tapping on the window."

"Oh," Crystal said, remembering the lie she had told James earlier. "Yeah I fixed it."

James kept looking at her, not seeming to believe her.

"It took you forever. Guess you aren't good at cutting down branches," he teased.

Crystal was too busy thinking about her encounter with Edward to notice.

"Crystal?" James said, trying to get her attention.

"What? Oh, yeah," she replied, giving a fake laugh.

James stood up and walked into the kitchen, not attempting to make any more conversation.

Crystal sat there for a few more minutes, desperately wishing it was time to go see Edward again. She then sat there for a few more minutes. And a few more. The minutes seemed to drag on. The sun seemed to set slower than it normally did, Crystal not able to wait. Slower than Crystal ever remembered it setting. Finally, once Crystal decided it was a good time, she went to her room and tried to sleep. It was a little too early, but Crystal wanted to hurry to the next day. But once she got under the covers and closed her eyes, she found that she couldn't sleep. After thirty minutes of being wide-awake, Crystal gave up and walked back into the living room to see James sitting on the couch.

"I thought you were going to bed," he said.

"I couldn't sleep."

James didn't respond.

Crystal decided to watch some TV until she got tired enough to get in bed. She plopped down on the couch as James turned on a movie. She watched for about five minutes, but couldn't really get into it, as her thoughts ran wild.

She thought about many things, most of her thoughts involving the next day.

She thought about Edward showing her some of his recent machines, doing things she had never imagined as she stood awestruck at his genius.

She thought about telling him about her magic, and how impressed he would be when she showed him what she could do.

She thought about telling Edward everything that had happened recently.

Edward...

~~~~~~

Crystal woke up to find beams of sunlight seeping in through the closed curtains. She realized that she was sprawled out across the couch, her body covered in a thick, furry blanket.

"I must have dozed off," she thought.

She looked around for James, but found that he was no where in sight. Thinking that he was still in bed, Crystal walked into the kitchen and poured herself some cereal.

As she sat down at the table, the front door burst open, making her jump. A very familiar figure walked into the house.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"It's Friday," James explained.

"And?"

"I normally eat breakfast with Glenda on Fridays."