Storm 》Clifford A.U

015;

     STAYING ON TASK WASN'T one of Darya's strong suits. She procrastinated and was easily distracted, always wanting to move on to something else. She didn't like sticking to a schedule and having things planned, but rather just going with the flow and taking life as it came to her.

     That mentality was even visible in her journal, where her entries weren't updated on a day to day basis, but rather in the span of weeks or months. Even with "A", she had seemed to gain feelings for him out of nowhere, purely because of the way she wrote everything. Moreover, it seemed like he had fallen from the sky, and like his existence had become apparent to her one day to the next. It seemed like sometimes, she forgot (or couldn't be bothered) to write what was going on. I was only hoping that reading the journal in it's entirety would eventually give me clearer, more concise information, because I really needed it.

     Then again, I didn't seem to be that great at sticking with my tasks either, since I was completely blanking on what to tell Ivy. The plan was to get in, wait for her to show up, and try to get her on board with this whole, "tell me everything you know and help me find my sister" thing. I, however, had neglected to come up with the exact words I would tell her or how I would go about asking her or getting her to trust me, since I was too caught up in looking at the pictures and letters and drawings spread out along the walls.

     "I'm waiting for an answer." Ivy says, sounding furious as she stares at me with her big, icy blue eyes. Her hands clench into fists at her sides and she is shaking, anger on the verge of bursting out of her. "No one is allowed in here. No one. Do you get that? How rare it is for me to bring people in here?" She is yelling at me, but it seems to be directed more towards Michael, who she has now shifted her gaze to. "You. You should fucking know that since her, I'm the only person who comes in here. Now explain what you two are doing in here or I swear-" There is the deepest form of anger in her voice and she is clenching her teeth, trying -albeit failing- to conceal her emotions.

     "You ran away from me. You know who I am." I say quickly, not wanting her to get any angrier with me. I couldn't work with anger. I couldn't get her to trust me, to form a friendship with me, if she was angry. "I'm Darya's sister." My voice is quiet; a barely there whisper. Ivy swallows, inhaling sharply.

     "I know." She tells me, voice cracking. "Both of you just get the fuck out of here."

     "Look, I've never even met you, but we need your help. This is bigger than someone invading your spac-" Michael begins, holding out a hand.

     "I said get the fuck out!" Ivy screeches, causing me to jump backwards. Quickly realizing that there was no way in hell she was telling us anything anytime soon, I grab Michael's arm and pull him, hard, towards the door. Before leaving, I mumble an apology and as soon as we are past the door frame, she slams the door shut behind us.

     Michael and I sprint away and out of the art room, breathing heavily by the time we're outside. The cool air glides over our skin and deep into our lungs, making it feel like the cold is not only in the air that we breathe but burrowed deep within our bones, too.

     "How are we ever going to get her to be less of a raging psychopathic bitch?" Michael sputters, resting his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

     "She's not a psychopathic bitch, she's just scared and angry. We'll figure something out. We'll figure her out." I say, my voice determined as I press my lips together and turn around, facing the entrance of the art wing again. "And, by the way, I'm still waiting on my one honest answer."

     "Sorry, Ivy interrupted and the opportunity is gone. You're gonna have to warm me up again." He smirks, standing up straight and running a hand through his bright red hair. "We should write down everything we know so far and keep reading. The more we know, the easier this should all be. And we have to make a list of who we're interviewing, too." Michael continues, changing the subject like what I had just said didn't even matter.