Illusion

Enigmatic

I couldn't sleep that night. Mainly because the wind was so fierce, it rattled my window. But, also because my thoughts were filled with the mysterious boy that asked to borrow my pencil. There was something different about him. He spoke very formally, like he was addressing somebody important. And, also, that he was abnormally, and impossibly beautiful. I rolled over and sighed. Lukas Iverson. It sounded old fashioned, and outdated. That name didn't belong to this century. I frowned. The name, 'Iverson', sounded vaguely familiar.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep, until a bright light throbbed under my eyelids. I opened my eyes in shock. Sunlight filtered in through the thin curtains. I immediately felt better, especially when I realized it was a Saturday. I heard the front door shut. Probably my Dad going to work. I checked the clock on my bedside table. It was 9:00am. I was surprised that I had slept for so long. I was an early morning person, usually. I pondered on what I wanted to do today, as I lay in bed. Maybe I should call Rylee, or maybe Clarice, and find out what they were doing. I reached over and grabbed my phone to phone Rylee. She picked up on the fourth ring.
"Anna, hey! What's up?" She said.
"Hey, Rylee. What are you up to today?" I asked. I hoped she wasn't busy. I didn't know what to do in a small town like this.
"I wasn't planning to do much. Homework, maybe, but that's it. Why? You wanna come over?" She asked me. I sighed in relief.
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. Clarice might be coming too. See you in ten?" She asked.
"I don't know where you live," I reminded her.
"Oh yeah, sorry. 7 Portland Drive," she said, laughing. I wrote it down on a notepad I kept in my bedside drawer.
"Thanks. See you soon." I hung up. I packed my bag, so I could do homework there too. It felt nice, as I walked out of the door, not to grab my jacket on the way out. I was wearing a thin blouse, and jeans. Although it wasn't cold, it wasn't hot either, and I didn't trust the weather here. It could change in a blink of an eye. I was taking a jersey with me, just in case.

When I arrived at Rylee's house, I immediately felt poor. There was a glossy, black Mercedes SLK Convertible outside her house. I swallowed as I tried not to look at it, as I walked up to her front door. It was a fairly big house; slightly bigger than mine, but not big enough for her to own a Mercedes. She opened it, a big grin on her face. Her short hair was pulled up in a short ponytail that didn't even reach the end of her neck.
"Is that yours?" I demanded, pointing my finger at the car. It looked out of place in this town. She burst out laughing.
"No. It's Clarice's car. Her family is... Rich," she chuckled. I folded my arms.
"I feel poor," I grumbled. She laughed.
"Trust me, my car is worse than yours. Come in," she grinned. I followed her into the kitchen. It looked a lot like mine, apart from the fact that the wallpaper wasn't peeling off, and it was a lot more organized. Every time I tried to clean the kitchen, or any room, my Dad protested and said that it was his house, so it was his duty to clean up. I disagreed, of course, because he didn't have time to clean. I did make small improvements while he was at work. He was so stubborn, though. I smiled at Clarice as I walked in. It hurt to look at her; she was so beautiful. She was sipping a glass of water, and doing homework. I sat down next to her.
"What homework are you doing?" I asked her.
"Chemistry," she answered. I pulled a face. I didn't do Chemisty; it had never appealed to me, and I wasn't particularly good at it either.
"So, is Lukas Iverson new to the school?" I asked. He either was new, or didn't fit in, because everybody ignored him, or stayed a close distance from him.
"Fairly new. But he's been there quite a while. Why?" Rylee asked. I shrugged.
"Doesn't he have any friends?" I wondered. Rylee and Clarice both looked at each other.
"I think he just intimidates people, that's all," Rylee said.
"I know the Iverson family very well," Clarice said. I looked at her, an eyebrow raised.
"He has brothers and sisters?" I asked. No doubt they would be unnaturally beautiful too.
"Yes. He has two brothers; one young, one old. Their names are Kaleb and a Elijah, respectively. And he has a sister: Arianna, who is the youngest out of the four of them. Their mother is called Isobel, and their father's name is Charles," she answered. Unusual names. Old fashioned, once again.
"How do you know them so well?" I asked Clarice.
"Isobel and my mother are very good friends. They've known each other for... A very long time. " I nodded.
"How come I haven't seen the rest of the family?"
"Elijah is nineteen, so he is no longer in school. Kaleb is thirteen, and hasn't started high school yet. And Arianna is ten."
"Do you have any siblings?" I asked Clarice. She nodded.
"One brother. Alec. He's twenty two. He lives with his girlfriend: Sadie. They live on your road, actually," she said to me. I made a mental note to go and introduce myself some time.
"And who is Isaac?" I asked. I would never forget his eyes burning through mine. It was definitely a glare he gave me.
"Isaac Nikolas. He has lived in this town for a long time, him and his sister, Valkyrie. They are both twins. You probably haven't seen Valkyrie yet. She doesn't come to school a lot. The Nikolas family are very... Reserved. They aren't very sociable. They keep to themselves," Clarice said, and I knew the subject was closed.