PAUSED

CHAPTER 13 : We Exchange Stories

ALEX

         13|We Exchange Stories

     "EXPLAIN! I'm old enough! Stop trying to protect me!" If you're wondering, such sentences were a regular occurrence in my house. "I can't tell you, Alex. I'm sorry. We both are." How my aunt can be so secretive still amazes me to this day. I keep asking. You'd think I'd get tired of doing so, but no. I need to know. I have a right to know. Hey! That's actually good!

     "I have a right to know what happened to mom and dad!" I exclaimed. "You shouldn't ask questions you don't wanna know the answers to", Anne said, walking off to the kitchen. I followed her, "You're thirty-two! Don't quote Men in Black. And I do wanna know!" "Doesn't matter. I can't tell you anyway. But I will tell you this, because Adam and I love you, we tell you anything you need to know. But not this. Please." I analyzed her. She was right. My aunt and uncle do tell me anything I need to know. They also give me whatever I want --- as long as they can afford it, of course. But this . . . this piece of information was forbidden. Why? I'll never know.

     I know what you're thinking. 'What on earth is she talking about?' Right? I'll fill you in.

     I was fifteen. And most importantly, I was happy. As happy as any teenager could be, that is. My parents still forced me to study, I had a curfew, I got the occassional C grade. My life was normal. One morning I woke up and my parents had gone and Adam and Anne told me they weren't coming back. 'Ditched me or dead', I thought. I was right. Haven't seen them since. Adam and Anne had taken care of me all this while. They're cool. But they have not yet told me what happened to mom and dad.

     Mom and dad's disappearance occurred around the time I noticed my powers. Wasn't a good time. We moved to Malibu a year later. That's when I meet Lee and she explained everything. I learned to control my power, but never really used it. Why should I be able to change weather?

     Lee praised me. Said I was the strongest she met. Almost two years into our friendship, she told me about her past. Her mom and sister dying, dad re-marrying to her obnoxious step-mom. I wanted to console her. And so I did, the only way I know best. I too told her my past. It isn't as depressing as her's, but I wanted to share. After exchanging stories, we became even better friends. We were the only two amissiums in town and we had to stick together.

     But nothing lasts forever. The new girl. The one called 'Kate'. A Class Pénte. Stronger than me. Lee seemed to be very interested in her powers. I know, I know. I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But I couldn't feel a pang of jealousy pass through me. I was eager to know her powers. Why was she so special? What was the difference between us?

     Thank goodness she wasn't in my class for the first lecture. Or I would've left school. I couldn't bear to be in the same room as her. Yet.

     "Something's wrong", Lee turned to me. It was the first day of school and the first lecture had begun. "What?" I looked at her worried face. "It's Kate." Oh, her. "With every passing second, I feel her aura less. I think she's running away from school." "Couldn't handle the first five minutes. So what?" I shrugged. Lee narrowed her eyes, "Al, this is serious. She could be in trouble. We need to follow her." I turned my attention to the lecturer. "MISS DUNN? MAY ALEX AND I BE EXCUSED?" Lee stood up and yelled.

     The next thing I knew, we were standing at the beginning of an alley, watching Zach hug Kate.

     "What do you think that was all about?" Lee and I were walking back to school. And don't judge, but we were talking about Kate. "No clue", I said, fiddling with my phone. "Come on, Alex. You know that's dangerous. Put that stupid thing back in your pocket." I made a face and shoved it in my back pocket. She never gets technology. That's the only reason she despises the people who do. Or, you know, maybe she's concerned that I'll trip or something. Either way, I come off as the bad guy.

     The next few moments passed in silence. I was trying to come with interrogation-like questions for Kate. If only I knew any . . .

     "Guys! Wait up!" At first, the sudden voice startled me. We turned behind, only to see Kate catching up with us. How on earth is she running so fast? We stopped and waited for her. When she reached us, she was fairly out of breath. She placed her hands on her knees and started panting. "I . . . I can . . . explain."

     We were sitting on a park bench. Kate started her story with what happened to her in school and why Zach was hugging her. I'd heard the rumors, but I've learned to never give them a second thought. After all, there's a rumor that Adrian kissed Clarisse. But that can't be right. Anyway, Kate said she told her back story to Zach while she had paused time. I didn't know what was more surprising. That she could stop time in its tracks, or that she had recently stopped time and I didn't even notice. The image of me stuck in time . . .  like a statue . . . only Kate could reverse it. Not a pleasant thought, really. But even more shocking, is that she told a human she's an amissium. A human!

     "Okay? So, that's what happened today. Now, about me. After I'm done with my 'sad little story', I don't want either of y'all looking at me with pity. I already got that from Zach. Capiché?" she warningly looked at us, narrowing her eyes. Lee and I nodded our heads simultaneously.

     The more she spoke, the more guilty I felt for being jealous of her. She's adopted because her parents abandoned her. Which actually, is probably what my parents did too. But at least I had Adam and Anne. Who did agte have? No one. At least not until she was adopted. And then what happens? Her parents die and she's left in charge of her seven year old sister in a brand new town.

    Lee and myself didn't dare utter a word. Kate was fidgeting with that stupid silver ring of hers. She keeps doing that and frankly, it's getting annoying.

    'Awkward silence' doesn't begin to describe our situation. No one was willing to speak. I mean, who would. Too much information. "So . . . shouldn't we get back to class?" Kate said, standing up. "Yeah", I replied, pulling Lee up too.

     "If it's any consolation," Lee told Kate, "Alex and I aren't the biggest fans of the Maiores either." Kate hadn't shifted her vision from the ground. "Why? They kill your parents too?"

     Wow! Two awkward silences back to back. Just . . . wow. Lee told her our stories. Mine didn't have much to do with the Maiores. But I never liked them. After Lee told me her story in junior year, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that my parents' disappearance had something to do with them. I mean, my parents never shred any indication that they were unhappy. I didn't want to believe that they just left.

     While Lee was explaining, I was thinking why I hated . . . No, not 'hated', disliked. I was thinking why I disliked Kate.

     And as much as I didn't like it, sooner or later I would have to admit that I, Alex Walter, am kin of jealous of Kate Doyle.

     I sighed.

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Hi! A sneak peek in Alex's life! Yay! Don't hate me for making Al jealous of Kate. It was necessary. Well, not really. But there's nothing you can do about it. Muuuwwaaahhahhahahaha.

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And thanks you all of you lovely people for the reads, votes and follows.

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PEACE OUT!!

RACHEL...

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