Nix

PROLOGUE

The day the Nix boys arrived was one for the record books in Aslyn. Nana Ferris still holds it as the hottest day she’s ever experienced in her ninety-six years on this earth. Because of the extreme heat the streets were virtually empty. Only those that had a death wish or could muster up the strength to head down to Tony’s convenience store to buy bucket-loads of ice ventured outside. I was the unfortunate soul that worked the morning shift at Tony’s and so whether I liked it or not fell into the first category.

Now, I blamed the fact that I had to walk all the way from Tony’s to home out of town on my mother’s inability to organise her life sufficiently. Because she woke up late that morning despite two alarms – which I had personally set before she left on her business trip – she’d missed her flight back. That meant instead of being able to pick me up then head out to lunch as we planned she was only now getting on a plane destined for Aslyn and I was forced to walk home and eat the left-over pot roast.

As I turned to lock up Tony’s for the morning with sweat plastering hair to my face and the sun beating down unforgivingly down on poor ol’ me, they arrived. The car they pulled up in wasn’t particularly memorable other than its faded cherry-red colour and tinted windows – no one in Aslyn has tinted windows. I’m not a car person but it looked like any other four-door car you see fifty times on the highway which is why I didn’t pay particular attention to it until a guy around my age popped open the door and climbed out.

I can still remember my jaw hitting the floor the first time I saw Adam Nix. He wasn’t the average Aslyn kid with board-shorts, flip-flops and a sunny smile ready to head out for a day on the beach. No, Adam Nix looked like one of the druggies you usually see on TV getting busted for possession. Spiked black hair that defied the blistering heat, black combat boots with glinting silver buckles, tattoos running up his left arm and a ratty black t-shirt that announced some band I’d never heard of in my life and probably didn’t want to. No, he definitely didn’t belong.

When he purposefully strode in my direction I had to stop myself from turning and high-tailing it out of there.  Of course, Nana Ferris’ motto slid through my memory. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover, sugarbean, or you’ll miss the story inside it.’ If I died, it was Nana Ferris’ fault.  So, instead of making a hasty retreat I jammed my keys to Tony’s in my pocket and turned to face Adam Nix fully.

“Can I help you?” I’m sure he could see the slight confusion on my face despite the cheery tone of my voice.

With lips pursed and glowing blue eyes ice-cold he gestured stiffly towards Tony’s. “When are they open again?”

I stared at him dumbly for a second, “Uh, in an hour but I can open up for you.” I pulled out the keys and jangled them. “Won’t take two seconds.” Not waiting for his response I whirled around and unlocked the door once more.

The Goth boy followed right behind me, heading straight for the floor-to-ceiling fridges to grab two Cokes and a Twist as well as a handful of candy bars. I rung everything up and gave him his change in complete silence. I noticed how his fingers tapped his thigh impatiently from where he stood a few feet from the counter, eyes darting constantly darting out the door to the car.

It made me a little uneasy and slightly curious too. Wonder what’s got him so on edge? My overactive imagination supplied that he was on the run from the cops or had some poor soul held hostage in the car. I shook my head to clear it of the ludicrous thoughts as I handed over his change and watched as he practically vanished from the shop. I leaned back to get a look at the car through the window next to the cashier’s desk and caught a glimpse of a white-blond head a second before Goth boy climbed in the car and slammed the door shut behind him.

That small amount of exposure sent tongues wagging all over Aslyn and they didn’t stop for months. I found out that the blond head I’d spotted was Goth boy’s twin brother and that their names were Adam and Jake Nix. There were various theories as to why they’d come to Aslyn ranging from being in hiding to punishment for being kicked out of yet another boarding school. Of course because of the number of rumours I couldn’t say what was possibly true and what was just plain idiocy. There were one or two things that I decided were true, however.

Jake was apparently very ill which explained Adam’s desire for haste that day in Tony’s and the boys lived alone on the old Gregson farm. The only time they ventured from the property was about three months after their mysterious arrival. I was taking a walk along the road that connected all the out-of-towners together when I heard a commotion coming from the next driveway over. I ran to see what was going on to find Adam Nix with a rail-thin ghost of a boy cradled in his arms and hastily moving towards that same red car they arrived in. Worry setting in from the frightened expression on Adam’s face I needed to do something. The drive wasn’t that long so I met him there, pulling open the back door before he reached the car so he didn’t have to shift Jake to do so himself.

He completely ignored my gesture until Jake was safely lying on the back seat. I couldn’t take my eyes from the shivering, gasping form of Jake Nix and the small pained moans that escaped his pale lips until Adam tugged me out of the way and closed the door. I lifted my eyes to his, wanting to ask a hundred things at once.

“Thank you.” he whispered before running around to the driver’s side and all but tearing down the drive.

I just stood there for an immeasurable moment, staring after them, wondering what just happened and if Jake would be okay. That was my second and last encounter with the Nix twins until over two years later.