FORTITUDINE (COMPLETED)

14) Something's Different About Her

Three days after talking with Thanatos:

"Alexa, you have been locked away in your room for days. I know the mind link took a toll on you but I think you've rested long enough." Said Stephen giving me, yet another, one of his speeches.

I rolled over from my comfy spot on my bed and glared at the door which the annoying voice kept coming from.

"Should we go in?" Asked a hushed voice.

"She needs to go do something, anything, before people start to think she's dead." Said another voice.

I frown and quietly slide off the comfy bed. 'She is about to go and kick these boys butts for waking me up.' I growled to myself.

"I don't know maybe we shouldn't-" I cut them off by opening the door.

"Alexa!" Yelled a hazel-eyed boy who was about to wish he had said goodbye to one of his ears.

"You're alive!" Said a French boy who was going to have to learn how to write with his left hand.

I took a deep breath and took two steps forward making the boys take three steps back...right into a wall.

"You!" I practically scream as I point a finger in front of the hazel-eyed boy's face. "Don't you Alexa me! I am sick and tired of your long and boring speeches about how I need to stop my pity party and enjoy life. Well guess what? My life is back home with my family and my clan so until my feet hit King's Tomb soil I will go on living just how I please."

The boy visibly gulped and frantically shook his head indicating that he understood.

"And you!" I screech shoving Thomas even further into the wall. "Your little smart remarks on what's wrong with me is starting to get on my nerves just a little bit." I say with sarcasm dripping on every word.

"I'm so-" He started to say but I slapped a hand to his mouth to keep him quiet.

"I wasn't done." I say in a creepily cheerful tone.

"Since you boys obviously don't know when to leave a girl alone...you're taking me shopping."

They look at me with wide eyes and start to talk all at once.

"But why do I have to go? I wasn't the one who kept knocking on your door!"

"I thought you wanted to stay inside! Why do you what to go shopping?"

"Haven't you tortured us enough you crazy woman?" Wined Thomas.

'Big mistake.' I reach out and grab his hand.

"Alexa wha-ow! Ow! Ow! Okay! Okay, we'll take you shopping!" Yelled Thomas as I twisted and pulled his hand up between his shoulder blades.

"Good." I say and look over to Stephen who was cowering behind a tall plant.

He sees me staring at him and he attempts to make a run for it but I was one step ahead.

I dropped a pouting Thomas on the ground and dashed after Stephen cutting him off right before he could run down the stairs.

I smile like a cat who had just found its mouse. "Stephen..." I take a step forward and he takes a step back.

"I-I just remembered...I have a-a thing! Yeah, and it's really important so I...I won't be able to go shopping with you!" He stutters as I take another step forward and he takes a step back.

"Oh really?" I ask feigning interest. He looked at me quizzically and nodded his head slowly.

"Well I guess you'll just have to cancel." I whisper before taking one last step forward.

Stephen jumped back...right onto a low table. The next few seconds went by in slow motion. Stephen's eyes went big as he started falling backwards.

He then tried to catch his fall which resembled a horse trying to stand up from laying down.

Once he realized that he was about to hit the table full force he curled up into a tight ball and let out a small yelp as I barked out a laugh.

Boom. Crack. Thump.

The poor table was too weak to hold Stephen's weight and splintered into pieces at first contact.

Thomas came running into the room right then and joined me on the floor laughing and holding our stomachs.

Stephen rolled off of what was left of the table and began talking like a true sailor.

My eyes widened and Thomas laughed even harder. I frowned and reached over and grabbed Stephen's ear.

"Mister you sure have a mean sailor's mouth." I say as I pull him off the ground. "Now what ever will we do about that?" I ask him as his eyes begin to resemble Mrs. Dupont's dinner plates.

"N-nothing?" He asks, his voice squeaking at the end.

Thomas barks out a laugh but shuts up when he sees me glaring at him.

"Wrong answer Mr. Andrews." I state as I drag both him and Thomas outside and into the waiting buggy. "For that, you will buy me lunch." I say with all seriousness. "After Thomas takes me shopping of course." I say with a smug smile.

Both boys just stand there with shocked expressions sketched on the faces.

"Well are you going to hop in or am I going to have to drag you again?" I ask them.

They exchange horrified glances with each other before fighting each other on who climbs in first. 

I give them a playful smirk but it left my face as soon as it had come. 'The old Thanatos would've loved to be here. He's always the funny one.' I think to myself as the buggy begins to pull away from the big house.

A single tear falls down my cheek as I close my eyes and lean my head against the wall of the buggy.

Both boys exchange concerned glances. "Did you just hear her say..." Asked Thomas.

"Yeah." Whispered Stephen. "Something's different about her. Something's not right." He said as he watched me drift into a dreamless sleep.

Hey guys!

I sorta feel like this is a filler chapter but it really isn't, I can assure you! This mood swing that Alexa is going through is leading up to a major part in her future.

So pay close attention to the small things-even if at the time it doesn't seem like much-because you may get pretty confused in future chapters!

I also completely free handed this chapter, meaning, on my other draft of this book...this chapter doesn't exist. Neither will the next few chapters so they may or may not be a little rough around he edges. But hey, that's why it's called a rough draft! Right? Yeah.

Au revoir mes amis!