Royal's Way

Chapter 18

I woke up the next morning, finding Levi's mother home this time. I sighed, using the last crystal I had to disguise myself as I tried to sneak downstairs and get outside.

But I was too late; Mrs. McCready was already awake.

She didn't notice me until I made it to the bottom of the stairs, thinking I was one of the kids as she said, "You're up early-"

She was cut off when she noticed who I was. "Who are you?"

I swallowed, feeling the crystal pulse in my back pocket. "Er, Ruth. Sorry for scaring you, I-I thought Levi told you about me."

She went blank. I was decently proud of myself for the lie.

She bit her lip. "No, he did not." "I'm... a friend of his."

She rose a brow, her eyes lighting up a bit. "I see. He's never talked about any... new friends." She then turned, grabbing two cups from her cabinet and setting them on the counter. "You drink coffee?"

I swallowed. I had never even heard of the drink before. "Sure."

==

She had me sit down at the island of the kitchen, sliding over a mug of this "coffee," then sitting down across from me.

After she took a sip, she asked, "So, Ruth, right?"
I nodded. I couldn't lie; I was nervous.

She nodded, as well. "Have you guys been friends for long?" I shrugged, feeling my heart beat. I couldn't remember a time I had been so nervous about talking to someone. "No. We met a few weeks ago, when his brother went missing. Just... giving him some support."

She smiled softly, though the bags under her eyes gave away her concern. I hesitantly took a sip of my drink as she spoke; it was actually kinda good.

"You go to the same school?" I paused. "Yeah." "He sure hasn't talked about you before."

I didn't know how to reply to that, and she seemed to sense it. "We're... gonna be working together on a project." How did school projects go on Earth again?

She was about to ask what kind, when I cut her off, sliding my mug over as I said, "Do you have more of this?"

She rose a brow. "Yeah." She took the mug, and put it in the machine.

While her back was turned, I flustered with the crystal, making sure it still had enough magic.

"So," she continued, causing me to swerve back around when she turned back, "Where are you from? I mean, you live here, did you move here...?"

This whole thing was like some kind of test. I regretted not doing any research.

Didn't I see a city written on one of Ian's papers?

"N-New York." Was that how I pronounced it?

She rose a brow. "Alright." Her expression suddenly fell. "Have you noticed anything weird about Levi?"

The irony was killing me. "I don't know him well enough to know the different between his normal behavior and something that is strange, so I cannot help you."

She narrowed her eyes a bit. "I just... I've felt so distant from him. And after Ian just appeared again, he seems to act stranger and stranger. He's been sleeping longer than usual, avoiding me..."

I frowned, realizing how much she really did care. I always had this vibe that she was just not very supportive, and she might not be at all, but I know she cares. But I didn't want to forgive her for not stepping forward and genuinely asking. "I'm sure he's fine."