Rupture

Chapter 11

I ran straight to the Park, ignoring suspicious glances as I pushed past people on the sidewalks. The tears had dried on my face from the wind. 

I ripped through the bushes and trees and entered into the clearing, stopping and taking a look around. I caught my breath before scurrying over to the woods. 

I didn't have anywhere else to go.

I slipped into the woods, glancing around. I started to jog towards a tree when I tripped over something.

"Whoa!" I flapped my arms and tried to regain my balance. I looked down to see what had caused the disturbance in my jog. It was a boy.

No, just not any boy. Xavier.

"Xavier? What are you doing...?" I peered down at him, him staring into nothing.

"Oh, so now we pretend like nothing ever happened? I don't scare you anymore?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, gruff.

"No."

"No?" He peered up at me to see if I was lying.

I was exasperated. There wasn't much time.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong, okay? But Brynne is-"

"Wait, what is this?" He was staring at my face, which I'm guessing was a mess, since I'd just been crying. My eyes felt all puffy and my cheeks were damp.

He stood straight up and gently placed some fingers on my cheek.

"You were...crying?"

The sparks flying from his fingers in contact with my cheek was quite distracting, so I shook him off.

"Look, that's beside the point. We need to-"

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my shin and I buckled to the ground. I looked up and saw Xavier staring at his foot, suspended in midair.

"What the heck Xavier? You might be upset but that gives you no right to-"

"You're mad. And you cried." He looked happier about that than a normal person should.

I was getting extremely frustrated with him. There was a red mark on my shin and he kept cutting me off.

"Even if that fact makes you happy you don't have to publicly display it," I huffed, glaring down his smile.

"Hey, you're actually experiencing and feeling emotions. I think I have a right to be happy about it, and publicly display that." He smirked down at me and offered a hand. I ignored it and hoisted myself up.

What he said slowly sunk in. He noticed that I could feel now. And the feelings hadn't disappeared, like they usually did after awhile.

"Xavier...I just got kicked out of my house, because Edith and I got in a fight when she told me she reported Brynne for kissing a boy. I yelled and Rosie was screaming and then...everything just kind of rushed in. I'm feeling now, and it hasn't gone away. I...I think it's here to stay."

I looked at him curiously to see how he would take the news. 

"I've been waiting for this, and now it happened...I knew you would feel eventually, you always had something, more life behind those green eyes than almost everyone else..." He whispered this, beaming at me. 

Then he closed the distance between us and scooped me up, twirling me around in a hug. My whole body zapped with electricity, never having been this close to him before. He slowly put me down, and brushed the hair out of my face. 

I bit my lip, nervous of what would come next. So I brought up Brynne again.

"What about...Brynne?" I aksed.

"I don't know," he said, "When did Edith report her? If it was this morning we might still have a little bit of time..."

"It was last night," I whispered, fearing we might be too late.

He frowned. "I'll let some...friends know. Some of my...kind are in the government, secretly. Maybe they can help her."

I felt something swell up inside me...gratitude, maybe?

"Thank you," I whispered.

He just smiled, studying me.

I suddenly felt exhaustion come over me, emotionally and physically. I fell awkwardly to the ground, groaning.

He stooped down instantly and caught my head.

"Angelica?" He questioned, worried.

"I'm..fine. I  guess after all those years and then all of the sudden being able to feel takes a lot of energy." I snorted, the world spinning.

"Okay, if you're sure that's what it is." His brow was furrowed as he said it, he looked adorable.

I stretched out and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come, and the vivid dreams that would surely follow it...