Fractured

Chapter 57

But we did speak up.  After all, what if Clare could pick up that we were up and moving around, not saying anything?  "You up?" Luke asked in a purposefully groggy voice from where he was sitting next to me on my bed against the headboard.

"Yeah..." I moaned, my eyes in his and I knew they were filled in worry.  This was all a little play we were doing for Clare.

"Did you hear that noise?" he asked, looking down at the bed and gave an audible but not too obvious yawn. 

"No I think you're going crazy," I sighed.  "Just go back to bed," I mumbled, looking down to Jack who was laying between us.  Running my fingers along him, I bit my lip.  It was easy just to talk randomly about something not even happening; but I hated it.  My freedom has been stripped away from me my whole life.  But... the one thing I did have was my mouth.  I would back talk, insult, scream, sometimes spit at Clare if she did it first.  But now... I didn't have a voice, at least in my room anyway.  I couldn't speak with Luke without knowing Clare would be listening.  And that limited everything until we found out more.  It made my insides hurt.

We said nothing more for hours.  After all, we were 'sleeping' - and staying quiet was better than a false conversation we would have had to have.  So we just sat there silently as the clock ticked by. Though I was still freaked out, with a million different possibilities running through me, I did slump down in my bed a little and rest against the pillow.  But I wasn't going back to sleep.  The lamp on and keeping me up like I wanted, my eyes rested on the bed, on Jack, and Luke's thigh which was eye level with my eyes.  He was still sitting against the headboard and just softly, I felt him caress my cheek, my hair, and it made me a little more relaxed at least. 

We stayed like that, sitting there in bed, for the two hours it took for the alarm clock to go off - which was unneeded with both of us up already for hours.  So when it went off, Luke shuffled over and shut it off, coming back to sit beside me again.  "Albany... get up," he said in a tired voice again.  This time, I doubt he was pretending he was tired. 

I moaned softly in protest.  After all, it was locked in my head that she was hearing everything.  Sounding like I was still trying to get up, I said, "No, I'm too tired." I said as my hands continued running over a sleepy Jack. 

After that though, and when we really did get up and out of bed, we just went back to getting ready like we normally do in the morning.  Of course, not daring to bring up Clare or anything we were currently panicking over.  It wasn't too strange in the morning staying silent.  After all, for the past week or so, that's all it really was between us.  Just silence and awkwardness.

Clare leaves for work first lately.  But even then, we said nothing.  We couldn't.  Luke was supporting his uniform I noticed though when we were both ready to leave.  After all, even if for a minute, he was heading to the station to get a few things then take the day off and head back home.  So when Ramper came to pick me up for school, Luke walked outside with me towards where Ramper was waiting in his car.  I raised a brow up to Luke who walked at my side towards Ramper's car.  Free of any bugs out here, I looked up to him and asked, "What are you doing?  Coming to school with me?" I smirked. I looked Luke over in curiosity, his dark officer's jacket wrapped around him I noticed.

"I want to pick you up from school today so I'm going to tell Ramper.  After all, who knows if we will be able to talk in the house.  It would be safer to just talk in the truck if I come and get you.  No doubt I'll be anxious too to tell you what I found."

I nodded and was happy he said that.  After all, I was anxious enough as it was.  I wondered the past few hours the possibilities.  Of what he could find.  I hoped it was just that one mic and no more.  It could be good or bad.  There might be mics all over the house and we wont have one sliver of privacy if that's the case.  So yeah, I was happy he would be willing to get me.  The sooner I know, the better.  Plus like he said, what if the only private space we have is in his truck?