Seeing Clearly

Chapter Three

Tough luck sweetheart.

Alaya busied herself by making a list of things she wanted to do when she got back to Lily’s house. Only two things came to mind. She wanted to, one, curl up into ball and cry; and two, eat ice cream until she was sick. It was damn good plan too; or it seemed like one until that voice in her head returned.

Go ahead. Cry! See what that does for you. Or, you can face the truth. What’s done is done, and you can’t fix it.

Alaya ground her teeth together, trying hard to block out Arianna’s patronizing voice. It was happening more and more often now. Whenever she thought of something, anything, Arianna’s voice soon followed. Not that she cared. Arianna could go rot in hell for all Alaya was concerned.

Tsk, tsk, the voice scolded her. Lying to yourself is just as bad as lying to everyone else.

“I know-“ thud  “I have it-“ crash ”son of a-“ thud

Alaya laughed quietly, carefully repositioning her back on the wall opposite Danielle’s doorframe. “You okay in there?”

“Fine! Don’t worry about m-“ boom “The next goddamn-“ crash  “That’s it!”

Alaya shifted her weight onto her right foot and placed her left on the wall, trying to hold in her laughter. “What on earth keeps falling on you?”

“It’s Aidan’s friggin sports shi-“ boom ”I am going to kill him!”

Danielle’s annoyed voice travelled across the hallway. “You really don’t have to-“

“I am going to find this recorder if it-“ bang “AIDAN!”

This time Alaya couldn’t help but laugh aloud. She stopped abruptly as fire shot up her abdomen and hips. Push through it Alaya.  

“Aidan’s your brother, right?” she asked.

“If by brother,” Danielle’s voice grew softer as she travelled further away, “you mean giant pain in the-AIDAN!”

Alaya giggled quietly as Danielle proceeded to swear colourfully. The sound of sports equipment hitting the floor drowned out most of Danielle’s profanities. Suddenly the wall Alaya had been leaning on fell out from behind her. Alaya squealed in surprise as her body went flying backwards. Her head hit something solid and warm and a pair of hands gripped her waist to right her.

Alaya bit her lip to keep from gasping in pain as whoever had caught her shifted their hands on her hips. A low chuckle sounded from behind her. A low masculine chuckle.

“You alright Red?”

Alaya snorted and gently removed the boy’s hands from her waist. “Red, wow. Original,” she said sarcastically.

“It’s either that or Pippi Longstalking- your choice.”

Alaya frowned. “How about you call me Alaya?”

Crash.

“AIDAN HENRY! “ Danielle’s voice screamed. The boy chuckled once more before brushing past her. A woody scent followed.

“Yes Danny dearest?”

“I,” -crash -“am going to burn,“-bang- ” and then bury, all your sports junk!”

“And what exactly did my sports junk do to you today Danny?” Aidan’s asked. Alaya could hear the grin on his lips.

“It keeps falling on me!”

“And whose fault is that?”

Alaya listened absorbedly as Danielle and Aidan argued. Alaya couldn’t help but feel sad and a bit nostalgic as her stupid fights with Arianna played through in her mind. All those stupid little arguments seemed so pointless now. Now, she would kill for just one more day of teasing banter and screaming matches that, when you looked back on it a few hours later, made no sense.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to find later Alaya.” Danielle’s voice interrupted Alaya’s train of thought. Alaya forced her lips into a carefree smile.

“No problem Danielle.”

“Sorry about my ass of a brother- he was dropped as a kid. Messed up the part of his brain that filters the words that leave your mouth.”

Aidan answered with a grunt. “Please. Red, explain to her how charming I really am, “Aidan’s voice called from somewhere down the hall. “I even saved her from falling to her death.”

Danielle’s small hands landed on Alaya’s shoulders as she gasped dramatically. “No way! Aidan Klemins actually did something....nice? He is such a sweetheart.”

“That’s more like it.”

Alaya smiled in amusement. “Danielle, you make it sound like he’s a monster!”

“Only on the inside,” came Aidan’s reply. “This face is much to pretty.”

Danielle shook her head sadly. “Only in your dreams bud, only in your dreams.”

“And in the dreams of every lady between the ages of 13 and 90. “

Alaya laughed loudly now. “Wow.” Danielle laughed as well before letting out a sigh. “You poor deluded boy.”

Alaya’s vibrating cell could barely be heard over the siblings’ chatter. Aidan was trying to convince his sister that he could get any girl he wanted- Taylor Swift included, while Danielle tried (in vain) to set him straight.

“Hello?” Alaya said into her phone as she slid down the wall and plopped down onto the carpeted floor. “This is Florence Day Arts Academy calling; please hold,” a female voice said primly on the other end of the phone. Before Alaya could even process what she was about to do, she slammed her phone shut in a panic.

“Alaya? Who was that?” Danielle asked.

“Wrong number,” Alaya answered wiping every trace of panic from her face. Danielle must have fallen for her lie because the next thing Alaya heard was Danielle, listing reasons why Aidan’s theory was complete shit.

Florence Day Arts Academy? Why in the world would they be calling me?

That question and many possible answers bounced around Alaya’s head for the rest of the evening. By the time Alaya got back home her brain hurt. She walked into her room and picked up her acoustic propped up on the left corner of her headboard.

She positioned her fingers delicately on the strings and began strumming. It was song she played often; or one she used to before- At the thought of the accident Alaya’s mind went blank and she messed up the next four notes. Frustrated, Alaya cursed the ever present darkness behind her lids. She forcefully shoved the guitar away from her body, her breath coming out in pants.

It is possible to continue with your music studies Alaya. Being blind won’t affect anything.

Alaya narrowed her eyes in defiance. “What do you know?” she growled at the voice in her head.