HalfWorlder #Wattys2017

Chapter 9-Don't call long distance

As soon as Alexandra figured out how to control electricity, I pretty much walked around covering my back everywhere I went. First she avoided me. Now this. She was practically as weird as Simon. Just clearly more pretty. At least my little speech seemed to have done some good. She was back to acting like the Alexandra who shook my hand that first day – just with a little extra something. She was Jekyll and Hyde or bipolar. I wasn't sure which.

I ducked behind an ancient pine tree as I made my way to the Big House. Sure enough, a shower of bark exploded off the back of the tree. Alexandra laughed and dive bombed me from the air. I ran zig zagging across the lawn. Looking back, I saw small charred circles of grass flying up at my ankles as she took machine gun aim from above.

Oh no she didn't.

I launched myself skyward and grabbed her by the ankles. I think I shocked her, because she yelled "Oh!" and fell. We landed with a thud on the steps of the Big House.

We were laying there twisted and panting as ash floated down from above. "Did you fry a bird or something?" I asked her as I spit the black stuff from my mouth. She raised her shoulders as if to say, 'I don't know,' and burst out laughing. Joining her, my body shook so hard, I could barely breathe, until really I couldn't and had to stop.

We lay there panting and staring at each other in silence, all the amusement suddenly fell away to something unexpected. Time slowed down.

Literally.

The rush of bodies around us came to a near halt. The people that once hurried in to breakfast only inched by us now as if moving in quicksand, but we stayed in normal time.

My eyes lit up in fascination as I watched the ash float down on us in leisurely slow motion. Alexandra's fingers tilted skyward to catch the slow-falling flakes. The air was heavy and charged. Even with the people moving slowly by, it felt like we were the only ones here.

Something in her eyes struck me. Suddenly bold, I reached toward her face and wiped away the black stuff that kept falling unhurriedly on us. Blue sparks danced off my fingers as lazily as the falling gray flakes. She took a quick breath at my touch and inclined her face into my hand, unable to stop herself. There was a war behind her eyes, but it was one she couldn't win in this hidden moment.

She was so still.

She didn't stop me.

I knew exactly what I wanted, but she didn't – still. Her eyes were troubled. My fingers lingered on her face, tentative because of what I knew she felt. Still, I found a stray curl that escaped her ponytail to tuck behind her ear. I kept my eyes locked on hers. She held her breath, but she didn't push me away.

I took her in with my eyes, and she held mine too. Her lashes were long and dark, her eyes piercing like an x-ray. Her mischievous grin softened. She trembled beneath my hand and her cheeks suddenly flushed with color, and her eyes fell, like it had all been too much for her, and she needed to get away.

"You almost got him that time, Alexandra." Ryan interrupted walking up with Amisi. Time sped up again.

In way too much of a hurry, if you ask me.

"Yeah, but he's too fast for you," Amisi added.

That couldn't possibly be true, I thought. She was the fast one. I was just prepared for her attack. That's all.

Alexandra, suddenly self-aware, huffed and got up, but it was hard for her to untangle herself from me. Ryan stifled a laugh.

"No, he's not," was her curt answer once she was free. "You'll see. I'll get him one day." Her eyes narrowed. She grabbed me by the elbow and roughly pushed me into the building, leaving Ryan and Amisi outside.