Above

42

Estelle
I wake up to a pounding on the door. 
"Breakfast is served!" The woman yells through the door. "I'll be at the fire hall helping serve it." 
"Okay!" I say, grogginess filling my speech, slapping Leeciy's chest where my head was resting. 
Leeciy grumbles above me, rubbing his face. "What time is it?" 
I get up and look out the window, seeing it's barely dawn. "Probably around six." 
"Ugh, that's so early." He pushes himself up. 
I walk to my suitcase and fish out some jeans and a turtleneck. "You should get up." 
"I'm tired." He whines. 
I grab one of the throw pillows, which was embroidered to look like a farm land, and chuck it at him. 
It hits his face, which seems to wake him up, laying back down to go to bed. 
I laugh at his surprised response and walk into the bathroom. 
*** 
Our breakfast table was filled with slightly delirious people, with rugged bed head and smiles on their faces. 
I sit down, eating a forkful of eggs. 
Leeciy sat next to me, yesterday's clothes hanging off his body. 
Logan was next to me on the other side, perfectly avoiding her bacon, focusing on eating her hash browns. 
Logan became vegetarian after she watched August be burned alive, and several people die, meat just became unappealing to her, so she doesn't eat it. 
I take bite of my hash browns, which were definitely the best thing on the plate. 
"So..." Logan says. "How was your night?" 
I shrug, trying to keep myself from looking at Leeciy, since we agreed to keep it a secret. "I slept fine, well, after reading for two hours." 
She smiles. "Classic you, let me guess, that one book that lost its cover but you read it almost everyday." 
I nod. 
"You should really Google the name to that book." She says, eating another bite of the hash browns. 
"No, it would ruin the whole mystery behind the book." I say. 
She smiles. "You are crazy." 
"As I've been told." I laugh. 
She laughs before turning away to talk to Luca. 
"I thought you were joking when to said you didn't know the name of the book." Leeciy whispers in my ear. 
"Why would you think that?" I ask. 
"Well, sounds like you've read it about a million times, and you don't know the name, that just seems kinda odd." He says. 
"I never thought it was odd." I say. "I guess it's just my norm." 
He grins, taking a bite of his toast. 
"Dad?" Cirus asks. "Where were you last night?" 
The table goes silent, and I can hear Titanios cracking his knuckles. 
"I went on a walk." He says. "I fell asleep on some hammock." 
Cirus doesn't look convinced, but she shrugs and goes back to eating her toast.
It doesn't take long for everyone to finish their food, placing their trays in the soapy water provided. 
"What now?" September asks. 
I shrug. 
"Should we keep traveling?" Nigel asks. 
"I think that's best." Leeciy says. 
I nod. "Pack up." 
Everyone seems a little disappointed but not surprised.
***
We drive for what seems like years before we find a locally owned motel, which we check into. 
The town was one of those small places where everybody knows everybody and doesn't want to meet anyone else, so I automatically knew that tonight, we wouldn't be leaving the motel much. 
I put my bags into the room that September and I are sharing, he already got in the shower so I was alone. 
I lay back on my bed, closing my eyes. 
For some reason all I could think about was Maverick, and how she disowned me. 
My nose crinkles in distaste and I push myself up, grabbing the used notepad off the desk. 
I ruffle through my bag, looking for the avocado-printed lighter, which I find with ease. 
I grab the pen off the table, and write my sisters name above a tracking rune on the tacky to-do list paper. I rip out the page easily, before lighting it on fire. 

Maverick and the President were holding hands, talking softly over spaghetti. A blue candle flickers between the servings, which were placed on the president's desk. 
The name plate that read Alyxa Finn sat on the side of the desk on top all the paper work. 
"This pasghetti is really good." Maverick says, taking a large bite. 
President Finn chuckles. "It's spaghetti, sweetheart." 
"That's what I said." Maverick tilts her head. 
They go quiet. 
"Our relationship's been strained ever since I killed your sister, I'm worried that you still care for her." President Finn says. 
Maverick shakes her head. "She was shellfish leaving Pangaea, now that she's dead, it's better off. Now I can be shellfish." 
"Selfish." The president corrects, smiling. 
Maverick looks at her spaghetti. "I fear she's not dead." 
"What?" The president stands angrily. "Why did you not tell me?"
"I wasn't sure, she could be anywhere by now." Maverick says, standing. 
"You have got to be kidding." The president says. "I killed innocent people to get to her and now she won't die." 
"I know how you feel." Maverick consoles. 
"No you don't!" Alyxa roars, her dark eyes almost black with anger. "She's like a cockroach, every time you step on her, she doesn't cease to exist." 
"I know." Maverick says.
Alyxa sighs. "I want to suffocate her." 
"You already told Neeva she could suffocate her." Maverick says. 
"Neeva can suffocate her friends, I want to kill Estelle." The president says angrily. 
"What if she kills you?" Maverick asks, her eyebrows furrowing. 
The president turns to Maverick, eyes blazing. "Do you not believe in me?" 
Maverick shakes her head. "It was a what if, I don't think she'll kill you." 
The president closes her eyes, before storming out of her office, the door slamming making Maverick jump. 
"What did I do wrong?" Maverick asks. 
As everything goes black, the message is clear. 
I have to kill Alyxa Finn before she kills me.