The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 08

Alex’s POV:

It was a while before I pulled away from Cody. I didn’t want to because even though I didn’t remember much of what happened in the past hour, I was cold and empty – and scared.

I looked down at my cold hands and found them stained with blood. My breathing was still uneven and I was trembling – from fear or cold, I didn’t know. I pulled up my legs from under me and leaned my back against the footboard of the bed, wrapping my arms around myself.

“Are you alright?” Cody asked slowly from beside me. It was a weird question to ask, given everything that just happened but I didn’t say anything. I just nodded.

“You scared the hell out of me,” Emma said.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. Both of them fell silent after that and I closed my eyes. I was feeling this strange coldness inside me that couldn’t be overcome by the warmth of a blanket. I desperately wanted Cody to put his arms around me again but I knew I had bothered him enough.

“It’s late,” I said. “You should go home now.”

“You should get some rest too,” he said. I nodded although I knew I wouldn’t be able to.

He got up and paused. Even though I had my eyes closed, I knew he was looking from the door of the room to the window.

“Window,” I muttered. I didn’t know whether Troy had gone back to his room but I knew Cody couldn’t risk finding out. His barely audible footsteps receded as he left through the window. Once I knew he was gone, I opened my eyes to look at Emma.

“Do I even want to know what happened?” Her eyes were puffy, her skin as pale as her hair.

“You don’t,” I said. “But you should.” The exhaustion was overpowering the fear that was trying to fight its way forward.

“I know all the… bleeding and poisoning were because of the bullet but…” she paused, taking a deep breath before saying it. “Your eyes were red. No bullet should be able to do that.”

There. She’d seen it. Everything that I’d been hiding out of fear, she’d seen it.

“It was a weird bullet,” I admitted. “But it affected me differently than it would’ve affected you.”

“Why?” She whispered as if scared to know the answer.

I looked at her, pressing my lips into a thin line. “Because you’re normal.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not like you, Em. I’m your sister but I’m not like you. There’s something else inside me. I can do things. Bizarre and inexplainable things,” I said, biting on my lip so hard I could taste the blood in my mouth.

Emma looked as if she would shield herself from the truth if she could. “Alex…”

“I know you want me to be normal. I know you want me to function like others my age. But I’m sorry, Em. I don’t. I’m different and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Her expression nearly made me crack. Her eyes glittered with tears.

I knew it. I knew this would happen. Now she would turn her back on me. Treat me like a stranger. The thought consumed me and for once, I truly wished I wasn’t what I was.

Emma gasped lightly, looking at me and I knew why. My eyes had changed their color from hazel to a glowing blue now. I looked at her helplessly.

“Emma,” I said, fear clear in my voice. “Em, please don’t.”

She slowly got up from the floor in front of me. Her footsteps receded until her back hit the door of my room. Her hand reached for the doorknob and when it found it, she opened the door and walked out. Without a single glance at me, she closed the door behind her.