Livia had never felt more hostility since she had wandered onto her old neighbor's lawn and a 200 pound dog ran at her, barking madly.
So far she's received dirty looks from all the girl's sports teams and most of the clubs (book club being a notable exception). She sat at a corner of the gym trying to blend in (which she knew was impossible).
"Not your cup of tea?" said a girl's voice.
Livia turned to look beside her, and standing there, leaning against the bleachers, was a very pretty girl, dressed head to toe in black, her dark brown hair falling partially over her eyes, which were thickly lined with black, and her face as pale as a ghost.
"I'm Nyx," she said, smiling, "You're Livia?"
"Yeah" replied Livia, "You some kind of mind reader?"
Nyx giggled in response, "While that would be awesome, no, I'm Eldric's friend."
"Oh, ok." replied Livia, smiling, "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." said Nyx, as she sat down next to Livia, scanning the crowd in front of them.
Livia suddenly felt different. She wasn't nervous or awkward, as she usually was, for a moment she felt warm, sort of.......fuzzy? And suddenly she was back to normal.
What the hell was that? she thought.
"You ok?" asked Nyx.
Livia looked over at her. Nyx was smiling, but there was worry in her eyes.
"Fine." said Livia after a few seconds, "Just not my kind of event."
"Same here," said Nyx, turning to face the crowd.
Livia's phone buzzed, and she pulled it out,
Mom: Gonna be working late, can you get yourself home?
Livia sighed.
"What's wrong?" asked Nyx.
"My mom's working late, which means she won't be off until 8," said Livia.
"Well you need a ride?"
"I live all the way across town."
"It's cool." said Nyx, smiling, "I wasn't going straight home anyway, my dad's probably still at the bar, In was gonna do some CD shopping downtown."
Livia sighed, smiling, "Alright, but I'm gonna make this up to you."
Shaking her head and giggling, Nyx stood up and grabbed her things. Livia did the same, and the two walked quietly out of the crowded gymnasium.
----------------------------------------------------
On the way to Livia's house, the two girls talked and talked. About bands they liked, TV shows, school. Livia found it easy to talk to Nyx, she was perky and positive, and it was clear she didn't care what people thought.
Livia wished she was that confident.
She was lost in thought when a very bright light reflecting off the rearview mirror snapped her out of it.
"Ow, what the hell is that?" she asked, covering her eyes.
"Some guy in a truck behind us with his high beams on." said Nyx, squinting, "This next turn?"
"Yeah" said Livia, recognizing her street, "Take the next left."
After a few more directions, they were in front of Livia's apartment. Thanking Nyx, she said her goodbye and walked up the steps and walked over to the door marked 2J. She pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door.
The apartment was still littered with boxes, some empty, some half full.
She made her way to her room, stepping over boxes and scattered possessions that littered the floor.
Her bedroom was almost as plain as it had been when she and her mother had gotten there. The walls a sickening cream paint color, devoid of utility or decoration, save a few shelves. Her posters were still in one of the boxes, rolled up.
She decided to get some of her own unpacking out of the way. Opening the first box she saw, she drew out her posters, laid them on the bed, and started working out how they would be arranged.
Immortal, Bauhaus, Black Veil Brides, Candlemass, she thought to herself as she went through her posters, making sure that she had all of them.
After they had been hung up, she went back to the box and pulled a few of the books it contained out, and a metallic glisten made her freeze.
She reached back in, and pulled out a small metallic box. It shone beautifully and almost unnaturally against the low light, and it was very smooth, and although it appeared and felt like it was made of metal, it was very light.
Livia tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She examined the latch, it was locked shut, and there was no keyhole, which she found strange. Laying it on her bed, she went back to work. In half an hour her new room resembled her a bit more. Her walls lined with her posters, her CDs in a row against the wall, held up by a spare bookend, and her books on the shelf.
She reached into the last box.
What the heck?
It was empty. She felt along the bottom, and her fingers grazed over something.
She pulled at it, and in her hands was a small potted plant. Three brown stems poked out from the black dirt, with greenish-brown leaves covering them. Livia had never seen anything like it. Laying it on her desk, she stared at it for a bit. To her it looked a bit malnourished.
Stepping out of he room, she went to get the mystery plant some water.
Outside her window, in the parking lot below, was parked the truck that had been driving behind Nyx's car, and inside it were two men, their faces shrouded in the shadow of the setting sun.
YOU ARE READING
The Lost Nephilim
FantasyThe sons of men were greatly attracted to the daughters of men. However, this attraction was not only limited to men. The offspring of angels and humans were brought into the world. They were called the Nephilim. Their existence was a symbol of th...
