When We Seared The Sky

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

November's Touch

Alexis snapped her cell phone closed and stowed it in her pocket with a sigh.

It had taken her ten minutes to convince her mother to let her stay over at Mikaela’s; even though she had been delighted that Alexis had finally made a friend close enough to have a slumber party with, she had made her daughter promise not to touch any form of alcohol or drug and had offered to drop some clothes and a sack round, but Alexis had quickly fended her off, saying that she would use Mikaela’s stuff.

It was true that she had never really had any close friends. She had once had a best friend that she had played with as a child, but she had been a little bit of a loner since. Although she had never been bullied, she was definitely someone that people found it difficult to communicate efficiently with. She did not like talking very much, and was often quiet when she met new people.

Oddly, she had not acted in this way with Starscream. She would not usually willingly tell the tale of her father’s death to anyone, especially not if they were as rude and generally bad mannered as her guardian was.

She lay back on the grass and stared up at the night sky. She was staying with the Autobots at their base overnight, but she had found herself quite unable to sleep. The Autobots had supplied small beds in the human wing of the base, which was under construction by Bumblebee and Ironhide, but they were rather uncomfortable and not quite long enough - she had stayed curled up in a ball for an hour before she had cracked and come out here.

Into the night.

The air was freezing at this time and her breath was expelled in a cloud of white vapour with every exhalation. She watched it idly as she breathed in and out, listening to the steady rhythm and relaxing her body as she did so.

She considered the Autobots as she lay alone under the stars.

It was still quite shocking and unbelievable to an ordinary girl like Alexis Paxton that she, of all people, should be having this adventure. Fate had certainly thrown an odd person into the mix, she thought. She was not special in any way but for her astounding emerald eyes. She was not strong or particularly brave, nor was she beautiful – not above the average, anyway. She could not quite comprehend her fortune.

However, she found herself rather enjoying it.

From the moment that her father had let her sit in the cockpit of his sleek, aerodynamic Raptor, she had longed for adventure. Longed to take to the skies and leave the ordinary world behind, and pursue her wildest dreams. But after he had died, everything had become… pointless. Without her heroic father, there seemed to be little to aspire to.

Now... well, it was different. She enjoyed Sam and Mikaela’s company – they were both pleasant and funny, Sam often making her laugh. And they stood up for her, which no one had ever done before. Mikaela was someone she thought she would never be friends with – the most popular girl in the school! She, for one, looked like the sort of girl to be involved in an adventure like this. She was almost princess-like; slim, beautiful, and kind. Sam wasn’t exactly a dashing prince but she could tell that he was plucky.

The Autobots were also growing on her, Ratchet and Optimus particularly. The medic had shown her little but acceptance and kindness since he had rescued her from the hillside, and she found him to be amusing and sweet. Optimus, too, was compassionate and noble, and, as she had admitted to Sam earlier, she considered him the ideal leader of a faction such as theirs.

Bumblebee was as cute as his name suggested, and made her laugh with the way he was so enthusiastic and willing to play a part in the team. His quirky personality delighted her endlessly and she couldn’t get enough of the way he sometimes talked using lyrics. He and Sam were a hilarious duo, always pranking the others, and they both made her smile.