When the Sky Comes Down

Chapter 7

[Alexia’s P.O.V.]

Before continuing you way to the rec room, I check with Bellian if she wants to come along. She glances over at the boy with whom she is talking. ‘Only if you want to,’ I assure her. ‘We can also meet up again later.’

She smiles and then turns to the boy. ‘Ellion, do you know the way to the recreation room?’

‘Eh- Yeah, sure I do.’

She turns back to me. ‘Then I’ll meet you there later.’

I nod and we part ways, she stays behind with Ellion and I continue on with Nicole and Harlen.

‘When did you and your brother arrive?’ Harlen asks me. He walks on my right, while Nicole walks on my left. I must admit that I had expected them to be walking together, seeing how they seemed so close before.

‘About a week ago,’ I say. I still feel out of breath when talking with him.

‘A week ago,’ he frowns. He sees me staring at him. ‘Keith never arrives that early,’ he explains.

‘Do you know each other well?’ I pull my fingers a little.

‘I started two years ago, so we don’t share the same classes, if that is what you’re asking.’ He gently takes my hand, forcing me to stop pulling. ‘But we are friends, yes.’ I stare at his hand, which is still touching mine.

‘You shouldn’t pull your fingers like that.’ His face is suddenly so close that I feel a shock going through my body. ‘If you do it too often, you might end up hurting yourself.’ He breaths on my neck and I get goosebumps. He smells like mint. He probably brushed his teeth before leaving. Should I have done the same? How close together do people usually stand? His fingers softly caress mine. And then they are gone and he pulls his face away from my ear. I barely dare look at him, but from the corners of my eyes, I can see him smiling at me. My heart is racing. He probably doesn’t even mean to cause my heart to speed. He is just being kind, after all.

‘Lexi.’ Keith pulls himself away from a group of girls that have surrounded him in such a way that I believe they might have planned on cornering him. He doesn’t look to happy. ‘Why are you dressed like that?’ He looks me up and down. ‘And where did you even get it?’ He knows I don’t own any dresses.

‘I lent it to her,’ Nicole says. ‘This is her first party ever, her first real social gathering of any sorts…’ She goes and stand behind me, pushing my hair over my shoulders. ‘…I figured she should at least feel beautiful.’ I can’t deny that I feel that way. I have never felt more like a girl than I do now. ‘She does look beautiful, doesn’t she?’

‘She does,’ Harlen says. I feel my head burn and I am sure it is noticeable. I turn my head away in an attempt to hide it.

Keith just grunts something that sounds like: ‘Yes, but that wasn’t the idea.’

I look at my brother. ‘Can we just enjoy tonight? You know I only borrowed the dress, and we have uniforms, so it isn’t like I will be dressed up that often.’ Even though I feel like I am whispering, Keith seems to have heard me.

He sighs. ‘You’re right.’ He looks at Harlen. ‘Good to see you Har, just arrived?’

Harlen doesn’t even get a chance to answer, because one of the girls that had surrounded Keith earlier, apparently decided it took him too long. She hooks her arm in his and lies her head against his shoulder. ‘Keith,’ she says, her voice naggingly high. ‘Will you come and dance with me now?’

Keith looks from her, to Nicole, to me. ‘Eh-‘

‘Pleeeeaase.’ She starts pouting. ‘I never got to dance with you last year.’

‘Eh-‘ Keith says again. ‘Okay, I guess.’ He glances at her and then looks at me. ‘Stay with Nicole and Harlen, okay?’ I nod. ‘Harlen, you don’t mind looking out for her, do you?’

‘No, of course not,’ Harlen answers. ‘I will not leave her side, promise.’

The girl pulls him away. Just before they enter the rec room, I see her give a nasty look, of which the receiver is none other than Nicole. I look at Nicole, who looks absolutely heartbroken.

I carefully touch her arm. ‘Nicole?’ I ask softly.

She looks at me, then seems to remember I am there, shakes the pain off of her face and gives me a smile. But it isn’t one of her usual smiles, it isn’t filled with joy and kindness. ‘Yes, let's go inside.’

I grab her arm, stopping her from walking away. ‘Won’t you tell me what that was about?’

‘What what was about?’

‘The girl, the look?’

‘Oh, that,’ she gives an obvious fake laugh and then waves her hand, as if she tries to wave away the subject. ‘That was nothing.’

‘If it wasn’t, why do you look like she and her friends have just hit you in the stomach?’

She sniffs. ‘Those aren’t her friends, they are just more competition.’

‘Competition in what?’ She seems to have said something she shouldn’t have, because she doesn’t like my question. I see her look over at Harlen, clearly asking him for help. I look at the girls, who are all pouting. Some are watching my brother dance with the girl, others are in a heated conversation. ‘They are wolves too, aren’t they?’

‘Alexia, it is-‘ Harlen starts.

‘Aren’t they?’ I look at him and he just stares right back at me. He has the most gorgeous sky blue eyes. They turn a little darker right before my eyes, making them look more like dawn than a cloudless sky.

‘Yes,’ he answers.

I have to pull my eyes away. If I don’t, I might end up staring at him for too long. Hell, I might not be able to pull my eyes away from his at all if I don’t watch out. What is wrong with me? Am I truly this awkward around boys that are not my family? I take a few deep breaths, composing myself, while looking at one of the other wolf girls disappearing in the crowd. Then it dawns upon me. ‘They are fighting over my brother.’ It stays quiet and I look at Nicole with big eyes. ‘Are you fighting with them over my brother?’ She doesn’t look at me. ‘Nicole?’

‘It isn’t that black and white,’ she whispers.

[Nicole’s P.O.V.]

On our way to the rec room, I try to give Harlen the room to flirt a little with Lexi. I know how it feels when you find your mate and I don’t want to keep him from her. At the same time, I don’t want Keith to find out. He will surely hold me responsible, seeing how I am supposed to get her to the party safely. If he finds out I let anyone, let alone one of his closest friends, flirt with his little sister, he would surely never want anything to do with me. So when we get close to the recreation room, I softly clear my throat. Loud enough for Harlen to hear and let go of her hand.

We turn the last corner and there he is. Keith, surrounded by slutty girls who would throw each other off of the stairs in an attempt to get his attention. I immediately freeze up. Keith has been beloved by most of the unmated girls. Not surprisingly, he has all the qualities that we desire. He is big and muscular, meaning he can keep us girls safe. He is kind and social, not to mention great with kids, meaning he would fit in great with any pack. He is also just, so if he sees something he doesn’t like, he will step in. That’s the thing. I saw him step in once, pulling two fighting guys off of each other. It didn’t cost him any energy to keep them up in the air, far away from each other. And the moment he started talking. I feel my knees get weak thinking about the deep, dark voice he had put up. The crowd had gone silent in seconds and everybody had hung on his lip. At least the wolves had. I am sure he would have been a great alpha, had it not been for him growing up without a pack. Now the highest he would be able to reach would be a beta. Not that I care about his rank. I knew he was my mate long before any of the others decided to try and make him theirs. I knew the moment I heard him laugh. I hadn’t even seen him yet, hadn’t smelled him yet. But his laugh, it had filled me with such warmth that I just had to find him. I know he feels something too, but he doesn’t quite seem to understand. Seeing him with all these girls hurts, and I hate that he doesn’t know this.

‘Lexi.’ Thankfully, he pushes the girls away and walks up to us. I see him frown and take her in as he walks up to us. He doesn’t look too happy. ‘Why are you dressed like that?’ He looks her up and down once more. ‘And where did you even get it?’

‘I lent it to her,’ I answer. She doesn’t look out of tune. She fits right in with the crowd and moreover, she clearly attracts some attention. ‘This is her first party ever,’ I explain to him, ‘her first real social gathering of any sorts.’ I see one side of her neck is exposed. Not good, we want Keith to feel like she can’t be taken advantage off. A bare neck might attract vampires. I quickly get behind her and move her hair over her shoulder. ‘I figure she should at least feel beautiful.’ I move back to her side and look at Keith. I fear what might happen if he doesn’t agree, so I decide to make sure he simply can’t disagree. ‘She does look beautiful, doesn’t she?’

To my surprise, Harlen is stupid enough to answer. ‘She does,’ he says, underneath his breath. I look over at him in shock, but he isn’t looking at me. I don’t think he is even aware that he said that out loud. He just stares at Lexi.

Keith grunts something and my attention is pulled to him once more.

‘Can we just enjoy tonight?’ Lexi starts. I look at Harlen and slap his arm from behind Lexi’s back, hoping nobody else will notice. He looks over his shoulder, then looks at me in confusion. I try to make it clear to him that he should stop staring at Lexi now that Keith is around.

‘You’re right,’ Keith admits. He looks at Harlen and so do I. I can’t help but feel relieved over warning him. ‘Good to see you Har, just arrived?’

‘Keith.’ I feel the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. I push my jaws together and look at Felicia, who is holding onto his arm. I feel like growling, I feel like shouting at her, I feel like pulling her hair and dragging her away from my man. ‘Will you come and dance with me now?’ She blinks her eyes a few times. One of her tricks to get what she wants. I know, because she is one of the few of my own pack that is still pursuing him, despite my telling that he is my mate. “Big deal,” she had said. “There are plenty of us who don’t end up with our mate, Nicole. If he hasn’t accepted you now, he is free game.” I could rip her head off, but then she is in my pack and we aren’t allowed to solve our conflicts like that.

‘Eh-‘ Keith says. He looks uncomfortable with her on his arm. I am hoping he will decline. Maybe use Lexi as his excuse.

But Felicia doesn’t give up easily. ‘Pleeeease?’ she says, while pouting. ‘I never got to dance with you last year.’ I see her intertwining her fingers with his.

‘Eh-‘ Keith says again. I see him glance over at me. Those small gestures make me think that there is still hope. But then he decides upon stamping on my heart. ‘Okay, I guess.’ He looks at Lexi. I can’t believe he said yes. ‘Harlen, you don’t mind looking out for her, do you?’ I catch him saying. Of course Harlen doesn’t mind you i***t! He is probably thrilled that he is allowed to spend time with her with your permission!

I feel tears welling up, but I push them away. Felicia pulls Keith away and gives me a look of victory. She knows how much pain she has just caused me and she enjoys it.

‘Nicole?’ Someone softly touches my arm.

I face her, wanting to scold her, mostly because I want to get rid of this feeling. But I see Lexi’s caring eyes and I shake off the feeling. I try putting on a face, but my jaw cramps up. ‘Yes,’ I mutter. ‘Let’s go inside.’

She grabs my arm and looks at me. ‘Won’t you tell me what that was about?’

I don’t want her to know. She might come to the wrong conclusions. ‘What what was about?’ I play dumb.

‘The girl, the look?’ So she noticed too. I purposely don’t look at her, because sometimes it feels like her eyes pierce right through the surface.

I swallow the new sting of pain away. ‘Oh that,’ I try to sound as relaxed as possible, but it just sounds wrong coming out of my mouth, so I wave it away with my hand and try to distract her with a chuckle. ‘That was nothing.’

She doesn’t let me fool her. ‘If it wasn’t, why do you look like she and her friends have just hit you in the stomach?’

I feel the anger boiling up. ‘Those aren’t her friends, they are just more competition,’ I sneer, while looking at the pouting girls at the entrance. I am sure they will try to get their own share of Keith tonight. He rarely comes to these events, so of course they will try their best to get a piece of him. Knowing Felicia, she will do her very best to keep him by her side. Knowing her, she will probably find a way to wind Keith around her little finger.

‘Competition in what?’ I hadn’t realised I had misspoken until she repeats my own words. I look at Harlen, pleading for his help, but he is too preoccupied with staring at Lexi. I slap him again from behind Lexi’s back. He looks up disturbed and then seems to realise what is going on.

‘They are wolves too, aren’t they?’ Lexi suddenly says, looking at the girls frowning. She is going to figure it out. I feel the panic built up in my body.

‘Alexia, it is-‘

She turns her head so quickly towards him that he stops talking immediately. ‘Aren’t they?’ she asks a little stern.

For a moment, they just stare at each other. I see Harlen’s eyes turn dark. If he doesn’t watch himself, he might just jump her here and now. ‘Yes,’ he whispers, underneath his breath. He looks like he is craving for her. I am already thinking of ways to pull him out off his instinct, when Lexi turns her head away and breaks their eye contact. I see the pain in his eyes. He doesn’t want her to look away. I know the feeling all too well.

‘They are fighting over my brother.’ It feels like somebody just threw ice cold water over me. I look at Lexi, but avert my eyes as soon as she looks back. ‘Are you fighting with them over my brother?’ I hold my breath. ‘Nicole?’ she insists.

I feel the tears well up again. ‘It isn’t that black and white,’ I whisper.

Before I can say more, she pulls me away from the rec room. Harlen follows, as a pup follows his mom -or in his case more a crazed love pup. When we are away from the loud music and listening ears, she starts talking. ‘Are you in love with him?’

‘It- It’s-‘ I try to avoid her eyes.

‘Just tell her Nicole,’ Harlen buts in. I hate him for it.

‘Fine- Fine.’ I look at Lexi and take a deep breath. ‘He is my mate.’

She looks confused. Has nobody ever told her about the concept? She grew up with at least two wolves in the family. Someone must have told her.

‘My mate,’ I repeat. She really seems clueless. ‘I thought he might have told you a little about the mating process amongst wolves? It- Well, you will learn it at school anyways. I suppose I might as well give you a head start.’ Poor Harlen. If she doesn’t know anything about it, how is she ever supposed to accept him as her mate? ‘We wolves have mates. There are three different types of mates. The first one is based on soul. You see, when we get our wolf – well our wolf is like this whole second person we share our body and mind with.’ She looks worried. ‘It- ehm- It is basically our instinct, what we get. It is a part of ourselves. It gives us certain desires, it puts things into our heads, but it also makes it possible for us to change into a wolf. When it turns on is different for everybody else.’ I am expending too much. ‘Eh- So that part, we call it our second soul. For some reason, some off these souls are pre-connected or- or they make a connection with the soul of someone else. Not just the second soul, because this soul mate is not necessarily a wolf too.’ I glance over at Harlen. He is staring at her, tracking every movement on her face. ‘Then there is the second one, the emotional mate, which is based upon a certain amount of time and effort put into a relationship. It can be forced on, but mostly come into existence naturally. Then the last one is the instinctual mate- which is- well, it is technically forbidden and it’s not really relevant.’ I swallow. I anticipate her next question and decide to answer it already. ‘Mine is based on the soul,’ I tell her. ‘It is something you can’t do anything about. It just, happens. You don’t even know the person in question, but when seeing, hearing or even smelling them, the feeling comes up and you have to be around them.’

She stays quiet a moment. ‘What does it feel like?’ she whispers.

‘I- I.’ I look over at Harlen. ‘It feels like-‘ It a hard feeling to put into words, especially if it has been so long it has start to hurt.

‘It feels like you can breathe for the first time,’ Harlen says. ‘Like-‘ Lexi looks at him and so do I. His eyes have darkened again. I should interrupt him. ‘Like you are finally home when you have found her. It feels like-‘ He moves closer to her.

‘Like you want to give your all to him, in the hopes he will do the same,’ I decide to interrupt after all. ‘Because you don’t feel fully whole without him.’ Lexi still looks at Harlen. I can’t blame her, his eyes are pierced into hers. He bows forward a little, so I pull her away. She looks at me, completely dazed. ‘That is what it feels like,’ I conclude softly.

She seems at a loss for words. ‘Please don’t tell him,’ I whisper. ‘He needs to find out for himself.’ She just nods in agreement.

‘Now,’ I pull myself back together. ‘Let’s go to this party, because you should enjoy yourself.’ I give her a little smile, a real one this time. ‘Let’s just dance the night away.’