When the Sky Comes Down

Chapter 4

[Alexia’s P.O.V.]

With a sigh I let myself fall onto the bed. I am absolutely exhausted. After dinner, we spend some time in Nicole’s room, playing some simple card games. I like her. She gave me time to feel comfortable with her around me and didn’t just focus on Keith, whom she has known for as long as they both go to school. She has a room to herself and has it organised perfectly. It was incredibly homely and smelled really nice, like chamomile and coconut. When I asked her how it came to smell like that, she even gave me one of her scented candles. “Don’t burn them too long,” she told me, “just for a few minutes, half an hour tops.” I look at the candle I put on my nightstand. “Lavender & Almond” the label reads. She gave me a few options and this was the one that popped out to me. Mostly because of this vague memory I have. Though maybe the word “memory” isn’t quite fit as I don’t remember much about it. All I remember is feeling very happy and the smell of lavender. I pick up the candle and take a little whiff of it as I close my eyes. I smile, feeling perfectly happy. It clocks me as I fall asleep, candle still in hand.

When I wake up, the sun is shining on my face. I stretch my body and blink my eyes a couple of times to get the sleep out a little. The candle is still on my bed, so I put it on the nightstand first. I roll on my side and get up in one swift movement. Seeing how there’s nobody here yet to share the shower with, I can take my time gathering my things and occupying the bathroom. The bathroom is only for me and my two roommates. It is surprisingly big and the toilet and shower have walls separating them from both each other and the sink. The school apparently wanted to make sure that people could go to the toilet or go to the toilet, while someone else brushed their teeth and everyone still had their privacy. A strange setting, but definitely handy if everyone needs to make use of the bathroom at the same time. I hang my towel at one of the racks near the shower and walk to the sink. There I brush my teeth and inspect my skin in the mirror. There’s a tiny little scar on my right cheek, right near my nose and I have a mole near my ear, but no pimples. Liath always said I would eventually get them, when puberty hit. Jackle always jokes that, seeing as I never have any, I might never go through puberty. I look back into my own eyes for a moment, wondering if people would like the way I look. Would I fit in, would they think me skinny, or maybe fat? I turn my body and pinch the little layer of fat I have around my hips. Maybe they would think I am strange looking, without noticeable teeth, ear, or other marks. Would I fit in?

‘Just be yourself,’ I tell my reflection. ‘They said you would fit in fine if you’re just yourself.’ I take a deep breath and turn away from the mirror. Time to take a shower.

After my shower, I get dressed and wait. Keith told me not to go out of my room without him, at least not these first few days. Nicole said to make an exception if I ever felt like visiting her. I left the door to my dorm slightly open, to show Keith that he can come in once he gets here. Instead, it’s Nicole who knocks and enters.

‘Good morning,’ she says. I smile. ‘How was your first night here at Hellgate?’

‘I slept well, if that’s what you mean.’ She knew how my first evening was, she was there.

‘Really? I would have found it creepy staying in a room this big all by myself.’

I shrug. ‘I’m used to being alone.’ She falls quiet and seems not to know where to look, so I decide to lighten the mood. ‘I wonder what they have for breakfast.’

‘Oh they normally have quite a lot of options. Though it obviously depends on whether you’re paying for room and board or not.’ She stops talking again, but just for a moment. ‘But even if you don’t pay the food definitely isn’t bad. Every now and then they have a waffle or pancake day. On those, you definitely need to be early, because when they’re gone, they’re gone and it’s back to cereals.’ She looks around a little. ‘So, should we go to the canteen?’

‘Keith wants me to wait for him here.’

‘Want me to wait with?’

‘Sure,’ I say. She walks up to my bed and comes sit next to me. She continues to look around a little.

‘We really need to make this place more yours,’ she concludes. ‘Maybe get you a nice whiteboard- oeh, or perhaps a bulletin board, so you can pin up some things against the wall. Some messages from friends or cute boys.’ She gives me a playful push. ‘I’m sure you will be a hit amongst the boys.’ A grin appears on her face. ‘What am I saying, you’ll probably be too amongst the girls.’ My cheeks are burning like crazy and I feel like an i***t. ‘So what way do you swing? Just so I know who to set you up with if I come across someone cute.’

I am afraid to tell her that I haven’t spend quite enough time with people, so that I might not know exactly what it is I am looking for. It isn’t like you’re given a handbook about yourself when you get born telling you exactly what your sexuality is and what your heritage is. I am just about to open my mouth to say something smart, or perhaps stupid, when Keith knocks.

‘Good morning lovely ladies,’ he announces as he walks in. From the corner of my ear I see Nicole blush. He walks up to us and reaches out both his hands, so we can pull ourself up to him. We both kindly accept. ‘Let us get some breakfast,’ Keith says, letting go of our hands.

[Keith’s P.O.V.]

I gently guide Nicole and Lexi down to the canteen. After a whole discussion on which cards game to play tonight, we finally reach a moment of silence as we eat our food. Today they have eggs, bacon and beans. Lydia gave me some extra bacon, knowing from her own experience how much we wolves enjoy our meat. Nicole got even more, but that’s because she actually pays for her food. I barely have taken one bite, or I feel something cold in my neck. ‘f**k!’ I exclaim and jump up. I turn around with a red-hot face of anger and see the grinning face of Coden. ‘You ass,’ I sneer.

He starts laughing and pets my shoulder a few times. ‘Nice to see you too, mate.’ He puts down the tray he held with one hand and walks around the table to sit next to Nicole.

I growl and sit back down, rubbing the cold spot in my neck. I watch as Coden opens the ice cold ice-tea can he had held onto my skin just seconds ago. ‘I didn’t know you would be here this early?’ he said. Although he is talking to me, he is staring at Lexi. I don’t like it. He might be my best friend, but he can also be a d**k.

‘Yeah-‘ I start, but I can’t even finish one sentence.

‘And who are you, beauti-‘ I growl loudly, making Coden stop mid-sentence and finally turn his eyes to me. ‘What?’ he says. I can hear his confusion.

‘Don’t dare try to flirt with my sister Coden,’ I growl. I see Nicole move around in her seat.

‘Your- f*****g hell.’ Coden looks at Lexi with widely opened eyes. ‘You are Lexi?!’

‘Y-yes?’ Lexi answers.

‘Mate, you should have told me she started this year, I obviously wouldn’t have flirted with her had I known she was your sister,’ Coden assures me. ‘Hell, I think nobody will once they know who she is.’ He takes a sip of his ice-tea.

‘Good,’ I growl, a little more calm. I look at him as he takes another sip. ‘Man, what’s up with the drink?’

He smiles widely. ‘You like the sight of it? My dad brought me a ton of these when he went up to the Middle a couple of weeks ago.’

‘I can’t belief you’re drinking that s**t over breakfast,’ Nicole says.

In response, he holds the can out to me, offering me a sip. I decide to take it, which was a bad move. My lips pull together as my jaw stiffens. Coden just laughs.

‘That’s disgusting. It’s way too sweet,’ I tell him.

I am about to hand him back his drink, but he shakes his head. ‘Give it to your sister, so we can see who she sides with. Flavour wise, that is.’ I shrug and hand it over to Lexi.

She just stares at the can for a while. ‘Come on,’ Coden encourages her. ‘You don’t know until you try.’ She lifts the can and takes a small sip, after which she sucks in her lips and even slightly licks them. ‘Not too bad, hu?’ Coden says, happy with the fact that someone seems to be siding with him.

‘Not too bad,’ Lexi confirms. She stretches out her arm to give back the drink, but once again he shakes his head. ‘Keep it, I’ve got plenty up in my room.’

For a moment, Lexi seems at loss, but then she slowly puts down the drink and whispers her thanks.

‘So, seriously, mate,’ Coden says, while we’re eating. ‘Since when are you this early at school? Are you just here to give your sis an early tour around campus?’

‘No,’ I respond, after swallowing my latest bite. ‘We sold the house.’

‘You what?’ Nicole interrupts shocked.

‘They sold the house. Girl, did you not hear him? He sold the house?’ Coden teasingly says. Nicole does not seem amused by it.

‘Yeah, after we had law last year, I decided to ask Mrs. Herobil some questions about our rights. She gave me this book to help me along. Turned out we had the right to sell it. So, we did. That’s why we’re here early. We’re going by Liath’s today to store all left over furniture and all in the attic.’

‘Need some help?’ Coden offers.

‘Sure, if you don’t mind?’ He just shrugs. He’s a big guy who works out on a daily base, so lifting heavy furniture is no problem to him. ‘Great, thanks.’ I say.

‘So why sell the house?’ Nicole says. ‘Where will you live now?’

‘Well, I figured that we didn’t really have any good associations with that place anyways and that, when I’m ready with school, I will need a place to go where Lexi can come to as well. So she at least can stay over during some weekends and holidays if she’d like.’ I glance over at her. ‘So once I’m done, I’ll go looking for a place.’

‘I thought you might want to find your own pack, once you’re done,’ Coden says, bringing up the one topic I so desperately was hoping to avoid. I shoot him a look, but it is already too late.

‘No, no I’m not.’

‘Is that because of me?’

‘No Lexi, it isn’t,’ I lie. I can’t even look her in the eye right now.

‘Because Lydia was offering yesterday, wasn’t she?’

‘Lexi, don’t worry about it.’

‘You should find a pack.’ I look up at her, she’s staring at her plate, moving some beans around. ‘You should, because that would make you happy. I can probably live with Liath and Gill for a while, you know.’ She doesn’t allow me to respond. ‘Or maybe with Jackle, I’m sure none of them would mind. You have been looking over me for so long now.’ She finally looks up at me. To my surprise, I don’t see any pain in her eyes, only determination. ‘You should go looking for a pack. I will be fine. It’s only for a couple of years anyways. Only for holidays and weekends.’

I don’t quite know how to respond, so I don’t. I simply avert my eyes and look at my plate. Suddenly, the bacon seems a whole lot less appealing.