Infinity

Chapter Twelve

The next morning I wake up cold, knowing that Andrew is gone. The side of the bed we shared that he slept on is cold. I look at the clock. It's nearly noon. My head hurts along with my heart, which aches like someone stabbed it as I think of Aaliyah. I want to cry again. I want to cry until I turn to dust--to paper. I know I can't. Today, I am to become the leader of my town.

I will become the Luminary. I breath in, then allow myself to smile a little. Despite what it means, I can't help but be amazed that the Luminary chose me. I wonder if Aaliyah would live with me. If, when my family was still whole and together, we would have lived together. I wonder I would have still been saved to Terry or if Andrew would be saved to me again.

There is a knock on the door to the bedroom I'm sitting in, and Andrew peaks his head in. "Speak of the devil," he says with a grin. "How are you doing, Infinity?"

"Fine," I say, my throat dry, and my voice croaky, like a frog's.

"You should get changed. You remember what day it is, right?"

"How could I forget?" I ask, laughing nervously. I brush a bit of hair out of my face.

He's grinning at me, and I can't help but grin back. It's like it's contagious.

"You really should get ready," he says, walking over to the bed. He smirks at me as he sits down.

I tilt my head to the side, a piece of my hair falling once again into my face. "Should I?" I say, while he brushes it behind my ear again. He leans in closer.

"Or," he says, "you could wake up first."

It's only now that I realize just how close to me he is. There is about an inch of space between us. My heart starts to flutter nervously. "No," I say. "No, I--I'm fine." I back up a bit. "I'm awake. I n-need to get dressed. The ceremony... I mean--"

"Yeah," Andrew cuts off my ramble. Though his eyes don't show it, his head hangs slightly downward, dejectedly.

I grab a shirt and a pair of pants from the closet and rush into the bathroom. He was going to kiss me! At the thought of someone kissing my, I get a mixture of nervousness and wonder. Butterflies play in my stomach and I wonder what's wrong with me. Why am I feeling this way?

I decide to ignore it. I can't waist all my time dwelling on things like this. Not when I have more important things like the chip and being made Luminary. I take a deep breath and, with it, bury the thoughts deep down. I then change clothing and am out of the bathroom in less than 5 minutes.

When I get into the bedroom, Andrew is gone, but the bed is made. I sigh, slightly revealed that I don't have to do it. I've never really done it unless I knew someone important was coming. And I only did it then if they were coming into my room.

I go downstairs and am surprised to see the Luminary sitting at the table, munching on a piece of toast in a regular shirt and pair of pants.

"M-my lady," I stutter, "what are you doing here?"

"I came for breakfast," she says simply.

Andrew laughs slightly. I look at him as he grins into his coffee cup, stirring it slowly. "You're not being very polite, Infinity," he says.

I roll my eyes, grab a piece of toast, and sit at the table next to the soon-to-be-ex Luminary. "Who are you? My mother?"
"No," he says. "But, I am saved to you. Therefor, I have to make sure you don't get hurt. Or into trouble."
"Oh, Andrew, I'm sure Infinity can hold her own. Wasn't she the only one who could beat you in a fight when you were young?"
Andrew sits down at the table next to me and grins. A part of me finds it slightly adorable, and the other, more dominate part of myself, tells it to get a grip. "Must of slipped my mind," he says.
"We'll, you might want to remember it, because it's still 100% true."
He raises his eyebrows, his grin turning to a smirk. "Oh, really?" He says, standing up. He crosses his arms and looks down at me.
I stand as well. I cross my arms, too, and stare at him, coldly. He's slightly taller than me and the way he looks down at me makes me feel like a child. "Yeah," I say. "I could beat you in under 5 minutes."
He leans forward, bending down only slightly so that he can whisper in my ear. "Prove it."
"Okay," I say as I pull back. We'll do it tomorrow. Around noonish?"
"It's a date," he says, winking at me.
He then walks out of the kitchen, leaving his uneaten breakfast on the table.
I roll me eyes.