When the Sky Comes Down

Chapter 8

[Alexia’s P.O.V.]

We walk back to the recreation room and really enter it this time. Keith is nowhere to be found, but then the dancefloor is booming with people. Nicole takes my hand. ‘Stick close to me, okay?’ I can barely hear her over the sound of the music. She just pulls me with.

We stop at a table, which is filled with bowls, cups and bottles. Nicole bows towards my ear. ‘What do you wanna drink?’ I look at all the drinks, but don’t really know any.

‘You decide,’ I say. She shrugs and pushes her way through the crowd circling the table.

It feels strange. In a room as filled as this one, it almost feels like she is miles away, while in truth, she is really close by. I feel a hand on my lower back and look to my side. Harlen is looking around as if he is scanning the room. Then he sees me looking at him and smiles. He is absolutely beaming.

He bows towards me. ‘Do not worry, I will keep you safe. Just stay around me and no one will hurt you, ever.’ He accidentally touches my cheek with his nose when he pulls back.

‘Okay,’ I whisper. I am sure he doesn’t hear, but that doesn’t keep me from saying so anyhow.

‘Drinks!’ Nicole comes back. She holds three hands tactically in her hands. Harlen takes the one in the middle, without removing his hand from my back. Nicole hands me another one. ‘I put a little alcohol in yours too,’ she tells me. ‘Just a little.’

I take a little sip of my drink. It tingles a little on my tongue before I swallow it. It tastes sweet, but then that might also be the non-alcoholic part of it.

‘Do you like it?’ Nicole asks.

‘It is sweet. Tastes a little like-‘ I lick my lips a little. ‘Cherry?’

‘Sounds about right.’ Nicole says. ‘But Lex- maybe don’t lick your lips in public.’

I turn red. ‘Sorry. Keith tries to help me to get rid of all my little quirks.’ I look at my drink. We try, but it is hard when there is actually never anybody around to notice. I take another sip. ‘How do you know who to look out for?’ I ask.

‘Well- that’s a complicated question to answer,’ Nicole says. She frowns a little. ‘I guess it depends on the situation. Never let anyone get too close to your neck- Un-unless it is someone you trust, of course. What else.’ She seems a little nervous. ‘The eyes, they tell you a lot about the person. With- with vampires, for example, they turn red when they are thirsty or turned on, or when they get into their instinct. With Fey they turn fully black when they are hungry or go into their instinct, like- no white anymore, fully black. So, look at the eyes.’ She puts a string of hair behind her ear and then takes a sip from her drink. ‘You will learn more about it in your classes,’ she then concludes.

‘Hey.’ A tall, slim boy comes walking up and gives Nicole a hug. His hair looks bleached and he doesn’t hide away his vampire teeth. ‘Love, what are you doing at the side line, come on and dance with me.’ He takes the glass out of her hands and puts it away.

‘Harlen?’ Nicole asks.

‘No worries, I got her,’ Harlen answers, as Nicole is being pulled away by the boy. Harlen turns to me. ‘She is in good hands Alexia,’ he tells me, ‘Jakey is a good guy.’

I look at how Nicole is being forced to dance by the boy Harlen calls Jakey. She doesn’t seem to mind and I can even see her laugh a little. ‘Would you like to dance too?’ Harlen asks.

‘I wouldn’t mind,’ I admit. It is one of the few things I actually know how to do. I remember dancing since I was a little girl. First it was just moving to the music, later my brothers and sisters taught me some of the dances they learned here, at school. Whenever they came over for the holidays, we would put on the radio or one of the old cd’s and we would dance. Sometimes I would even do it by myself.

Harlen gently takes the drink out of my hands and puts mine and his own away. Then he takes my hands and guides me to the dancefloor. He looks me in the eyes the complete time. Nicole was talking about eyes and how they give away the person. I wonder whether the darkness in Harlen’s eyes stems from the same source as she mentioned before. Instinct, desire or hunger.

He starts moving my arms a little, by moving his own, not letting go of my hands once. I can’t help but giggle. I start moving my feet, my hips my body. I close my eyes as I listen to the music, letting the rhythm take control of my body. I open my eyes again and laugh. Harlen is clearly enjoying himself. He has a funny way of dancing, but I like it. He laughs along and we continue dancing, until we hear a high voice screaming.

‘How dare you! You did that on purpose, you jealous b***h!’

‘I- I didn’t.’

‘You are just jealous because you couldn’t get him yourself.’

‘Stop it!’ The low voice is so loud and angry, that everyone stopped dancing. I feel my heart stop. That is Keith’s voice. Somebody stops the music. People are whispering in excitement.

I start to pushing my way through, hurrying to the place the voices had come from.

‘Alexia!’ Harlen shouts from behind me.

It isn’t until I am almost there, until I can see my brothers face over the shoulder of the person in front of me, that I feel someone grab onto my arm. It is Harlen. ‘Do not run away from me like that.’ His dark eyes pierce into mine. The blue in his eyes is so dark that it is nothing like the clear blue sky, nothing like dawn. It is like a stary night, with the small, flickering lights that have been put up as decoration reflected in it. ‘You can not run away from me like that,’ he whispers. He pulls me close to himself, pushing my face against his chest and tying my arms against my body. ‘You have no idea what could have happened,’ he whispers. Indeed I haven’t, but neither has he.

‘Nicole!’ I hear my brother shout. I hear people rushing off, but only by their footsteps. It doesn’t take much longer before the music is put back on.

‘Alexia,’ Harlen says. I look up at him. His face is so close to mine that I feel his breath in my face. ‘Breathe,’ he whispers. I haven’t even noticed until now, but I have been holding my breath. I take a deep breath in. I wonder if it is him I smell. If it is, he smells absolutely intoxicating. I close my eyes and take another deep breath.

Suddenly I am grabbed by my shoulder. I open my eyes. It is Keith. ‘Time to go Lexi,’ he growls. He doesn’t seem to happy. Harlen’s arms slip off of my body. I look at him one last time, before Keith drags me away.

The whole way to my room, he doesn’t speak to me.

[Keith’s P.O.V.]

I regret accepting Felicia’s pleads to dance immediately after we step onto the dancefloor. Every time I try to take my space, she pulls me back in closely. She keeps eye contact so intensely it makes me feel uncomfortable. She is a beautiful woman, but I also know she is mostly led by her emotions. Meaning her mood can shift from happy and flirty to angry and possessive in seconds. When the song finally ends, she grabs my arm giggling and rubs her head against my shoulder a little. ‘You won’t leave me alone now, will you?’ She blinks her eyes a couple of times. I look around a little, hoping to spot one of her friends.

‘No, of course I won’t,’ I tell her, feeling a little guilty over hoping that I could hand her over to one of her friends.

‘Good,’ she says. She pulls me in close, for the next song is a slow one. She nestles herself into my arms, placing her head on my chest and wrapping her arms around my neck. ‘I like dancing with you,’ she tells me. ‘I am happy you said yes.’ Now I feel even more guilty. Here is this girl, this beautiful, young woman who loves dancing and who is enjoying herself, and all I can do is hope for a way out. I let out a sigh and decide to just let go all the prejudice I have of her. I should at least give her a chance, shouldn’t I? ‘Hmmm,’ she whispers, ‘you smell really good, has anyone ever told you that?’

‘Eh-‘ I try to recollect whether anyone ever did. I remember seeing some eyes turn, but to actually say it is something different. ‘I think not?’

‘Well you do.’ She takes a little sniff and rubs her head against my chest, making me feel even more uncomfortable. If I had seen anyone else exhibit this behaviour, I would think them to be a couple, but Felicia and me, we are not a couple.

‘I heard a rumour,’ she says. I am not surprised. In a place like this, rumours spread around like some sort of infection. The question is whether to trust the rumour or not. Now, for example, I am sure there are rumours flying around about Felicia and me, solemnly because of the fact that we are dancing. ‘Aren’t you curious about what I heard?’ she asks.

Not really, but I can’t say that to her. ‘Sure.’

‘I heard…’ She looks up at me. ‘…that you are looking for a pack?’ So she arrived today, maybe only a couple of hours ago, and has already heard that Lexi told me to go and look for a pack? ‘Are you?’ she asks. Her eyes are glistening in the sparkling decorative lights.

‘I am not sure. I mean- I suppose so.’ I promised Lexi that I would at least give it a try. It isn’t like you aren’t allowed to leave a pack if it turns out not to be the perfect fit for you.

She makes a strange sound and suddenly pecks my cheek. It is a quick kiss, but it has me completely thrown off. ‘You simply must come and join mine. I am sure you will love it.’ She starts playing with my hair and suddenly I am very aware of how close together out bodies are. The song changes into an up-beat one and I quickly free myself from her arms.

She pulls me back a little. ‘One more,’ she begs, bending her knees a little, making herself look small and innocent.

‘Just one more,’ I grunt. ‘But after that, I should check in on my sister.’

‘Is she finally going here too?’ It is the first question she asks that is about someone else.

‘She is. They put her in the East wing, third floor.’ I am not sure why I tell her.

‘I am on East wing third floor!’ she exclaims. ‘Oh, that’s just perfect!’

‘Perfect?’

‘I can take her under my wing, you know. Teach her all the tricks she needs to know and make sure she isn’t left out and all. Is she a wolf too?’ She gives me a smile, exposing her teeth and creating a dimple in her right cheek.

My mouth goes dry. ‘We aren’t sure.’

‘You’re not?’ Felicia puts her hand on my chest and moves her hips from side to side. I can’t help but look, feeling almost hypnotised by her rhythm. She moves closer and closer, until her hips are swinging against mine. She moves her head close to my neck and I feel her breath on my skin. Then she places a gentle kiss on my neck. I close my eyes and she places another, just a little higher than the last one. Her hips continue to swing against mine. She puts another kiss on my neck and then gently bites my earlobe. Before I know it, I have let out a soft moan. I might not specifically like Felicia, but she sure knows how to make herself desirable.

‘How about-‘ She is suddenly cut off, as she is pushed away from my body. I open my eyes and see her and Nicole in the ground, both of them on their back, Nicole’s legs over Felicia’s body, half up in the air. Despite my surprise, I can’t help but look at her legs.

‘Get off of me!’ Felicia sneers, getting me right off of that high she had put me in.

‘Sorry,’ Nicole says, as she tries to get up. I rush over and offer her my hand.

‘Don’t take his hand!’ Felicia sneers again, as Nicole reaches out. She pushes Nicole away and takes my hand herself. She pulls herself up and crawls against my body. She gives Nicole the most hateful look I have ever seen anyone give. I start growling. I don’t like it when people look at my friends like that, let alone someone as friendly and caring as Nicole.

‘How dare you!’ Felica shouts at Nicole, who has finally gotten back up on her legs. Her voice is all squeaky and high, it hurts my ears. ‘You did that on purpose, you jealous b***h!’ I feel my anger boil up like boiling water in a pan too small to hold it.

‘I- I didn’t,’ Nicole says. Tears are streaming down her face and she seems committed to looking at the floor.

‘You are just jealous, because you couldn’t get him yourself.’ Felicia growls. It makes Nicole look up. Her eyes meet mine and the pain I see in them makes me boil over and break at the same time.

‘Stop it!’ I suddenly shout out. I grab Felicia’s hand, which she had possessively put on my chest. ‘Stop being so possessive, stop being so mean! You did not get me.’ The words start flowing out and I can’t help but want to hurt her like she has hurt Nicole. ‘Why would I ever go for someone so toxic that she wants to put down everyone around her? Someone so insecure that she insults every girl, even those who are kind to her and who haven’t done anything to deserve it, just in order to feel better. Someone who is so vain that she rarely ever talks about anyone else. I don’t belong to you, I don’t belong to anyone!’

Nicole runs off. I turn my head and follow her movements. I push away Felicia’s hands. ‘Nicole!’ I run after her.

I eventually catch up with her when she is halfway up the stairs. ‘Nicole,’ I say. I grab her wrist. She stands still and rubs the tears away with her free hand. She seems to stand so unstable on her heels, that I can’t help but worry about her falling down. ‘Please, sit,’ I beg, stepping up a few steps myself. Without looking at me, she lets herself slip down, until she sits on one of the steps. ‘Did you hurt yourself?’ I ask. I let go of her wrist and gently pick up one of her feet, checking if I see any bruising on her ankles. My fingers move over her skin, searching for any signs of injury. I haven’t even finished, when I notice her staring at me, with these big, dark eyes.

‘Sorry,’ I carefully put down her feet. Even I sometimes forget the effect simple gestures might have on our instincts. My mouth feels dry. ‘She shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. She can become very irrational. She probably had something in her head…’ I look away, feeling guilty over getting so turned on by Felicia earlier. ‘She knows exactly how to push the right buttons with people.’ I look at her, but she isn’t looking at me anymore.

‘I’m okay Keith,’ she whispers. ‘I just- I want to go back to my room.’

‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Okay. Let me get Lexi and then I’ll take you. You shouldn’t be wandering around by yourself right now.’ I can’t help but touch the top of her head. I want to make her feel better. I want her to stop hurting. ‘Just- wait here for me, okay? I will be right back.’

‘Okay,’ she whispers.

I get up and quickly hurry back to the recreation room.

It doesn’t take me long to spot Lexi. I just follow my nose. Her scent is so familiar to me, I can pick it out of a crowd easily. When I get near, I see her in Harlen’s arms. Her arms are loosely against her sides, but his are holding her close to him. She has her eyes closed and I can see her breathing in his scent, and he is breathing in hers. His eyes are almost black from desire and his muscles tighten a little. When I see him bow forward to kiss her, I step in.

‘Alexia!’ I shout, grabbing her shoulder. My eyes are fixated on Harlen. His arms are still on her and I want him to let go already. When I look at Lexi, she seems just as disturbed as him. In her eyes, I can see that she is barely registering me. ‘Time to go Lexi.’ She blinks and finally I see some form of recognition. Finally, Harlen lets go of her. I grab her arm and pull her away. This is one of the strangest nights I have ever been through, and that says a lot.

When we get back to the stairs, Nicole is nowhere to be found. Maybe it is the fact that she promised, or maybe it is because I am worried about her, but my chest feels hollow when I see she is not there. I just drag Lexi along. I should never have agreed to dance with Felicia. None of this would have happened, had I just refused.