The Last of the Pure

Eleven

“You look exhausted,” Serena told me on Monday. I’d stayed at Samuel’s all weekend, sneaking out of my house around one in the morning and him dropping me back at my house before my mother got up at six. I wasn’t sleeping well either, despite how cozy his bed was (we’d fought each night about me taking the couch, him taking his bed, but I never won).

I told her about my vision, about staying over at Sam’s and she gave me a disapproving look.

“You should stay with us, Alexandra. Not him,” she looked at me seriously. “He’s—he’s not a good guy.”

I glared at her, unintentionally at first, but after feeling my face contort, I made no effort to change my expression.

“You don’t know him, Serena.”

“I know enough,” she countered.

We were sitting at the lunch table we ate at every day, waiting for Paul and Nate to take their usual spots.

She sighed heavily, burying her fingers through her short hair and looking at her tray.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “There are just some things that you don’t understand at this point, but I want you to know—we don’t trust him. You can’t expect us to.”

“Enlighten me,” I challenged. I looked at her, waiting for a response for a few moments when Paul slid in beside her. They exchanged a small smile before he turned to me, cringing slightly.

“Sleep much?” he laughed a little, but looked a bit worried. “What’s up?”

He looked between Serena and I, noticing the slight tension and furrowing his brows. I shook my head, but Serena rolled her eyes at me before turning to Paul.

She repeated everything about the vision as Nate slid in beside me, catching the last bit. He looked at me seriously when she finished.

“Alexandra,” he began, running his fingers though his hair, sighing heavily. “Cyril took him in and he turned his back on all of us. He was with Lucas for so long, then suddenly, once everyone began to disappear, he’s changed his allegiance? He can’t be trusted, you don’t know—”

“I know enough,” I snapped, picking at my tray with my fork, no longer feeling that anything was edible. “He’s told me, okay? I get where you guys are coming from, but I trust him. That doesn’t mean you have to. I know what I need to know.”

“I’m sure you do,” he rolled his eyes, scoffing a bit. “I’m sure he’s told you just enough to keep you around.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means, Alexandra. Just because you’re—”

“Enough,” Serena interfered, putting her hand up. “Nathaniel, that’s enough.”

Serena turned to me, apology written on her face. Paul gave Nate a ‘shut the hell up look,’ his eyes bulging and his eyebrows lifting significantly.  

“What are you doing after school today?” Serena said, turning to me.

“Training, with Thomas,” I shrugged, still a little peeved at all of them.

“Not anymore,” she smiled softly. “The Homecoming Dance is next weekend and—”

“And I’m not going,” I shook my head, having no interest in attending. I had barely spoken to anyone at this school apart from the three of them and I sure as hell wasn’t about to spend an evening trying to socialize.

“You’re going. We all are,” she pointed her finger at me. “Shit’s about to hit the fan and we all need a little bit of normalcy before that happens. We should go to Cleburne today, just you and me. We’ll get our dresses and have a girls night?”