Transformers: The Cross

Chapter 2 - Trouble

     By this point, everything was surreal. Without that hellish pain to ground me, I sort of just went wherever I was pushed. I barely registered being guided through the screen door into the house. Next thing I knew, I felt couch cushions under me, and....Shia rushed away to do something, leaving me alone.

     I blinked languidly. I was in a heavily decorated living room; there was a lot of floral design, and candles and lamps. On the frames of windows were white, billowing drapes and along the sepia walls were bookcases. On top of them were lots of vases, mini statues, and other things of abstract nature.

     My hands clawed at the couch as it all sunk in. My thoughts accelerated, and my leg bounced agitatedly, trying to keep up.

     Shia's voice drifted into my ears.

     "Are you cold?" He mocked himself, a question he'd asked while hurrying me into the house as my teeth clacked together quite noisily; the AC might've been turned up all the way. I heard maybe what might've been a metal object slam noisily onto something. My eye twitched.

     "What a dumb question. Of course, she's cold. Stupid, stupid."

     A few minutes later, he came with a steaming basketball-themed cup of tea. Carefully, he placed it on the tray table and sat down next to me. I was trying to refrain from panicking. I really wanted to panic.

     The boy next to me cleared his throat loudly, diverting my blank stare from the steaming cup. "You know what? I'm so sorry."

     This can't be real.

     "I should've asked if you wanted tea. That was very selfish of me. I didn't even ask what flavor," he rushed as he began to stand up. "Do you prefer green tea or oolong or black? I actually recommend green. I like it myself. It's, uh, healthy. Very healthy. Oh, god, I'm rambling. Sorry...."

     "....Sam?" My voice was small and uncertain.

     He went rigid, silence engulfing the room once again. I noticed the change in his body language, how his shoulders were tense, and the slight fluttering in his hands had ceased. He stared at me intently, like I might pull out a gun.

     "How do you know my name?" he asked lowly, his Adam's apple noticeably bobbing.

     I thought carefully about how to answer this. He responded to 'Sam' but not Shia? He was nervous because I knew his fictional name? My stomach curdled.

     "I... um, heard you were dating that girl Mikaela," I lied weakly. "My older brother goes to school with you. He's insanely jealous. Won't shut up about you guys."

     "Uh-huh..." Shia narrowed his eyes. "Who's your brother?"

     My eyes darted around the room, and landed on a football on top of one of the bookshelves. "Trent DeMarco."

     "Really?" He asked, his eyebrows raising to the ceiling. "You look nothing like him."

     "Adopted."

     "I didn't know Trent had a little sister," he remarked, still studying me. "He's a world class dick."

     I gave a stiff shrug. "I would know. I live with him."

     Shia agreed, slowly nodding his head, though he still looked uneasy. "Does that explain why you were on the front lawn? Did you run away from him or something? Too many football jokes?"

     I nodded passively, wringing my hands together. "Got a bathroom?"

     "Yeah, c'mon," he said, walking down a hall. I got up and followed, snagging the tea cup, shivering in my wet clothes.