FrAcTuReD (Part One) (Completed continued in Part Two)

Chapter. 14

The cat meowed at her.

Charla laughed. "Alright, alright, today I actually have some food I can give you so you're lucky but don't think I'll do this all the time." She carried the cat back over to the stone bench by the tree only to stop and look at her food seeing the other half of the sandwich that she had offered to Mordecai was resting with the other. "Huh? I thought I gave this to Mordecai, was he not hungry after all?"

"What's going on with you?" Alex stopped in the hallway of the school and looked back to Jason with a slight frown.

"Huh? What are you talking about Jason?"

His eyes narrowed on her. "I think you know what I'm getting at. You've been acting strange this past week, you're distant and what's more you keep going home early too. Charla thinks that she's to blame."

"What? Why would Charla think that?"

"Because of how you've been acting around her!" he said. "I've noticed it too, you may not be aware of it but you have a warry expression whenever you look at Charla, as if... as if you think she's some type of monster. Just what is going on Alex?"

Alex looked away from him, she couldn't say anything to deter what he thought but wasn't sure what to say at all. She had been constantly looking into issues involving brain injury and split personalities. "It's not like I mean to do that it's just..."

"Just what?"

"I've been looking into Charla's injury, and there's something I wanted to ask her about it but I'm not even sure how to go about it."

"Then why not just ask her flat out like you always do?" Jason said. "Something like that never held you back before."

She looked away again. "It's not that simple..."

Jason merely looked at her in silence as a number of students walked by talking and laughing as the two remained quiet. He knew pushing the matter wouldn't solve anything so with a sigh he said. "Alright fine I won't push, but you should try to talk to Charla about it since it concerns her, and soon. She's a nice girl, it'd be sad if she went back to being alone..."

Alex merely turned and left. I know that... she thought to herself as she stopped see Charla eating lunch by herself in that small garden while listening to music and writing notes for class as a black cat seemed to lie close to her lap. I know I should ask her, but can I really just go up to her and ask what's inside that head of hers? Wouldn't that be more like I'm accusing her then just asking?

Alex then saw a first year coming over and spoke to Charla, she seemed familiar with the first year student and smiled and talked to her while the black cat just remained where it was.

Alex shook her head and glared towards the floor, what the hell was with her? She wasn't normally like this so why was there so much hesitation in wanting to know one thing about something that the girl many not even fully know?

Was there even a point in asking, knowing that there might not even be any answer to be given? "What's wrong with me?" Alex asked to no one, as she headed to the bathroom nearby and looked at herself in the mirror, she stared long and hard at herself, glaring hard at her own reflection. "Why I can't I just ask her? What am I so afraid of in asking such a seemingly simple question to one damn girl?" she shook her head and grit her teeth. What the hell, it shouldn't be this hard, she shouldn't waver so damn much and yet she did.

Why?

The last time she did was when her mother became sick.

Alex froze when she realized, remembering how long she felt hesitant before she laughed, laughed at what seemed so damn stupid. "God, how stupid can I be?" she said with a bitter smile before looking at herself in the mirror and shook her head. If you were here Mom you'd probably think I'm one hell of a sorry sight.

Letting out a deep breath Alex left the bathroom and went back to where she saw Charla, she was alone again, both that first year and the cat were gone and now Charla was leaning against the tree with her eyes closed listening to music. Alex began to approach only to stop; maybe this was a bad idea.

Maybe asking her now wasn't the wisest thing to do. She shook her head; no she couldn't keep wavering on this. She had to talk to Charla about this now; Alex couldn't keep making excuses for this.

Charla was now reading another book, a book that looked to be in German, she had finished one of the books that were written in Japanese and now another book in German from that same book store that they had gone to before when Charla first arrived. Alex went over to her, quickly so not to lose her nerve. "Hey..."

Charla looked up to Alex with a slight blank expression. As if waiting to see if Alex would say anything else.

"Uh, look. I'm sorry for avoiding you this past week. I didn't mean to do that it's just... I looked into something about your head injury and... there's something I want to ask you." she stopped when Charla stood up putting her things away in her bag and kept looking at her with a blank expression.

"I figured, it shouldn't surprise me in the least." She slung her bag over her shoulder. "If you really want to know, best to follow me."

Alex looked at Charla's back, the wind began to pick up, lifting her hair to reveal the tale tell signs of a scare from the accident. Alex followed her; she had a feeling that they would skip the rest of school for this, and talk in a more private area.

Mordecai stood in one of the entry ways of the small garden area sticking to the shadows as he watched the two girls leave before he went and headed to his next class.