Elixir

Chapter 13 - Answers

Chapter 13 - Answers

I woke up with Alex's arms around my waist and his head buried in my hair on my shoulder. I smiled, my heart was warm, radiating a sort of white light covered in peace, joy, happiness, tranquility.

But then my mind woke up from the last few inches of peaceful sleep to the unpleasant reality. There was a whole missing from my heart, a desolate hole that contained my worries, veiled from emotion, a dark pit on my heart. A center of uncertainty and weariness, emotionless pit surrounded by a small layer of joy that congealed the emptiness, a superficial cover-up to what I really felt in the bottom of my heart.

I sat there for a moment and thought.

I needed to confront my father, it may not be as important as staying alive, but I need to know if he's cheating on us.

I thought back to what Alex said last night, how he was stronger after taking the elixir, and how he wasn't hurt anymore. So I didn't have cancer, but did I have those abilities that he was talking about? I remembered how I saved Katie at the dance. Was that because of the elixir? I needed more of an explanation, and I needed to know why we were here, I didn't even know if we were still in Texas.

I was getting answers today. All of them. And Katie needed to know, she needed to know about her father's cheating, she needed to know where we were and why we were here, and she needed to know what she was running from and why.

So did I.

Even though Katie was young, she was smart. And she had so much maturity now, so little innocence, that I was afraid to take it away from her. But it had to be done, she had to grow up at some point. She couldn't stay sheltered and innocent forever. She had to know and comprehend to the greatest of her ability, what was coming and how to prepare herself.

I gently got out of bed, carefully detaching myself from Alex's embrace. He moaned slightly and turned over, still submerged in the sweet oblivion.

I stood up and looked around the room. I didn't have a suit- wait. If Alex broke into my house to get me clothes, (how did he know where I live?) why would he just pack me one set of clothes?

Either Alex is an idiot and he didn't (which I'm pretty sure Alex wasn't an idiot) or he packed me more clothes.

There.

I spotted my black and white suitcase in the corner of the room, the one I always used to go to Daisy and Diana's houses.

Daisy and Diana.

In worrying about Katie, I never thought about them. What if Venen got to them? Would he take them? What would he do to them? They don't understand anything. But Venen didn't know that. What if he tried to get information about the elixir from them?

I had to tell Alex.

I rushed to him and gently shook him with urgency.

"Alex. Alex wake up. I need to tell you something."

"Hmm." He grumbled as he grabbed my hand and pulled me down to him, holding me hostage against his hands and legs as he curled himself around me. I laughed.

"Alex. It's important."

"What's important?" Alex grumbled behind me in a deep morning voice.

"Daisy and Diana! We left them! Will Venen get to them? They can't protect themselves."

"Violet." He whined my name.

"What?"

"He won't go after them, they don't know anything. Can we just go back to sleep? I wouldn't leave them behind if they were in danger."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. He's my brother, I know him."

"Okay." I said, a bit deflated. I laid there for moment, not tired. My stomach grumbled. When was the last time I had eaten? I was starved.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?" I asked sweetly.

"Grrmm." He made an odd whining sound.

"Please?"

"Downstairs has a open breakfast."

"Okay. I can just go alone... Or take Katie with-"

"You're not going out of my sight."

"Why? I'm stronger now."

"But Venen is smart. It doesn't matter. Besides, I would kill myself if anything happened to you."

I smiled.

"So can we go to breakfast then?"

"Ugh. Fine."

"Yay!" I smiled and turned over to face him. To my surprise, his bright blue eyes were wide open, staring at me intently.

We stayed like that, Alex's arms around me and staring wonderingly and intently into each-other's eyes for what seemed like hours, but would never be enough time.

Finally, I sat up and went over to my newly found suitcase and looked inside.

"I see you found that." Alex said.

"Yeah."

He had packed me random things it seemed, and I blushed when I found my unerthings at the bottom of it. I turned to face him with one eyebrow cocked.

"What? You needed them!" Alex protested.

I just shook my head and analyzed the clothes he had supplied. I estimated that he had packed enough for a while, as my huge travelling case was full to the limit of clothes.

"How long will we be gone for?" I whispered, still peering through my suitcase for something to wear. I didn't know what we were going to do, how was I supposed to dress?

"I don't know Vi." Alex's voice softened and my heart picked up a beat when he used Katie's nickname for me.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked. How was I supposed to choose an outfit when I didn't know what we were going to do?

"I'll tell you at breakfast okay? After Katie wakes up."

So much help there Alex. I just chose a random t-shirt and jeans and went into the bathroom to go change. When I came out, Katie was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and seeming energetic. I looked around for Alex who was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd Alex go?" I asked.

"He said that he was going to go talk to the office or something. I don't know."

Why would he have gone to talk to the office? I put my clothes in my suitcase and noticed Katie's pink matching one against the wall next to her bed. Well that question was answered. I sat down next to Katie just as Alex entered the room in the same clothes he wore yesterday, looking wrinkled but dry.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Checking out. We shouldn't stay in the same place for very long."