We chatted about basic subjects that needed updated, such as how school was going, if I had any boyfriends, blah blah blah. I didn't mention Jace for a reason I couldn't explain to myself. Riley told us about his routine in the army, how he was talking to a girl named Sarah and that she was really great. I was happy for him and how content he seemed. I sat next to him on the couch, his weight dipping the cushion so much that I was gravitating to his side.
"I cleaned your room for you. It was a dump." He mussed my hair once again, so I stuck out my tongue like a five year old. His presence reminded me of how young I actually was; being with Jace for the past couple weeks had put me in an adult mentality and role. Time slipped further into the evening with low sun rays peering through the curtained window.
But then, a knock on the door paused the good mood.
"Expecting anyone?" I asked my family. My parents shook their heads in return.
I got up to answer it, Riley two steps behind me with curiosity written clearly on his face.
"Jace?" I hissed. He stood in the cone of porch light like a Greek statue that had been dressed like a modern teenager. His shoulders were held in a tense line as shadows exemplified the sharp bone structure of his face.
"Jace?" Riley echoed, teasing. "I thought you said you didn't have any boyfriends?"
I rolled my eyes and quickly introduced them. Riley looked suddenly uncomfortable, a hint of guarded protectiveness radiating from his stance.
"He's a good friend, is all. Be nice," I scolded. Turning back to the alien, I said "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
I pin him with a pointed look that clearly said that he wasn't supposed to be here. He looked more awkward than usual now; he didn't know the tools to handle this kind of familial situation.
"Um...I need you for...." He searched for a word. "Something. You would be interested."
A flash of worry had me throwing an excuse at my parents in passing, grabbing a leather jacket and slippers, and joining Jace on the porch ready to go instantly. Riley watched us for a moment, then closed the door.
Turnng on Jace, I asked him the obvious question. "What's wrong?"
He squirmed a little. "Um...there are people at my house. I do not know what to do. They are asking me questions." Confusion and annoyance made me scowl as we started the walk to his place. I spotted the car from down the street immediately, a sleek black Mercedes sedan that was parked elegantly against the cracked curb. My panic peaked as ideas of FBI agents with guns and secret organizations filled my head. It wouldn't be odd, considering his kind seems to have been coming here for a long time.
Upon entry, I made out two figures sitting on the sunken brown couch by the living room window. It was a middle aged couple; the woman was very thin and short, with a severe bun and expensive cocktail dress that complimented her frail form. The man was short as well, with a startlingly stocky build and gray hair. His charcoal suit was finely pressed with straight edges and pristine neutral colors.
"Hello," the woman said in a shrill whine that failed the polite expression on her face. "May we ask who you are?"
I draped my jacket on the banister while watching them. Jace remained silent, studying every move I made and obviously waiting for my reaction to these strangers. He leaned on the wall with crossed arms, the perfect picture of ease.
"Darlin', I was going to ask you the same thing. Who are you and what do you want?" My voice cut through the now tense air like a knife. I crossed my arms in offended resolution. I didn't like them already.
"We are Mr. and Mrs. Smith," the man replied in a faint European accent, chortling softly in an attempt to break tension while getting up and offering a hand. I stared at it and then back at his face. His eyes had me doing a double take; they were pitch black, so dark no pupil could be visible. The left had a gray line cutting down the middle while the right seemed slightly larger than its counterpart.
"Great. What do you want?" I repeated. The hand slowly went to his side, awkwardly fidgeting his jacket hem. He glanced back at his wife. Then cleared his throat. She in turn twisted her wedding ring in continuous circlets about her knuckle.
"We noticed this gentleman was new to the neighborhood, so we thought we'd stop by on our way back home from a work dinner to welcome him. But we didn't realize we would be intruding, or that someone else was here. Please excuse our rudeness."
I caught onto the odd mention of "someone else was here." And this late of all times? I don't think so. The apologetic undertone in his meaning was an obvious attempt to let them stay longer and smooth what damage they'd already caused. If I were a dog, I'd have my hackles up.
"Okay, well, I'm Skyler and this is Jace. Thanks for stopping by and all, but it's late and we have school tomorrow. Nor do we want strangers in our home in this dark hour."
I motioned to the door. Mrs. Smith was noticeably offended, but didn't budge. Mr. Smith shrugged and grabbed his wife's arm to haul her up. I noticed her eyes had the same peculiar traits as her husbands'. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I could practically feel the crackle of energy prickling through the room, but from where it came, I didn't know.
"Skyler, we'll be checking up on your progress to see how you like the house. You two are awfully young to be renting a house on your own. Congratulations. If Jace would be so kind as to contact us..." The flat, deadpan way his voice fell threw me temporarily, in the way he was directly addressing Jace in such a strange manner. He handed Jace a business card. Mrs. Smith finally rose, yanking her leather purse onto her shoulder and stepping past us to the door. A wave of intoxicating perfume attacked my nose and I sneezed. She cringed away from me, glaring. They left.
"What was that about and what did they ask you?" Jace let a breath out and sat on the bottom stair. I turned to him, my shoulders relaxing. At least they'd left quickly with hardly a fuss.
"They drove up...and knocked. They said they wanted to welcome me...and then they wanted to come in. They started to talk about things I did not know or understand, asking about where I came from and...my ancestry? And I did not want to do anything with out you. I am sorry for interrupting your time with your brother."
I just shook my head, contemplating the odds of two individuals having the same eye effects.
"No, you're fine. You did the right thing. I'm glad you did. If they come by again, get me immediately."
******************************************************************************
I left him at his house and ran back to my house. The Smiths' car was gone, leaving no trace it'd ever been there. When I arrived home, I found Riley sitting in the living room, his posture tense while trying hard to look relaxed. It wasn't working.
"Hey. What's up?" I asked. He stood up and smiled. From the kitchen, I heard food cooking in pans, so that meant my parents were making dinner. I looked at the clock-it was late, but I was starving.
"Nothing. I was just waiting for you. Just bored." I raised an eyebrow at his obvious curiosity.
"Don't ask. Everything's good. He just had...family issues. Just needed a friend." I shrugged and put on an innocent smile. He in turn slumped in petulant response.
"Come on. Dinner's almost ready!" Mom yelled.
"Well, by the looks of it, you need the sustenance." I softly flicked his tummy, which resulted in hollow thumping. He laughed and hooked an easy arm around me as we joined our parents.
***********************************************
The next morning had me cracking bones in a full body stretch. Glancing in the vanity gave me a cringe: my auburn waves surrounded my ghostly face in a gnarled mass of bedhead hair. My eyes looked stormy and grumpy. To think it wasn't even 6:00 in the morning yet.
I took the hottest shower I'd had in awhile, temporarily washing away the worries and stresses of the past couple of days. Slathering on a little eyeliner and mascara made me feel a little more attractive and put together. Though when I put on actual full-faced makeup, people tended to stare and I feel self conscience in those instances. I wouldn't describe myself as stunning or truly breathtaking, but I was enough on that scale to draw attention even bare faced. Hence Riley's surprise to find I had no boyfriends, I guess. I could get one if I wanted, but...nah. Then a nagging picture of Jace popped into my head and I had to shake it away. He was on another level.
Going downstairs, I found him at the dining table eating some cereal. Dad was there too, reading the newspaper and sipping some steaming coffee. I smiled. That was Dad's way of saying 'I accept you as a fellow humanoid'. Usually, dads get all protective if their daughters get any kind of involvement with boys. But Dad appeared to be relaxed and truthfully, not caring. The opposite of my mother it seemed, no matter how much she tried not to look it.
"Good morning," I said in passing to the kitchen. Jace's eyes locked momentarily with mine, resulting in a lopsided smile. My heart did a flop. I still felt half asleep and accidentally poured milk on the counter while making my cereal.
"Crap," I muttered and shook my head to try and clear it. I was losing it.
"What?" Riley asked from behind me. I jumped a foot and turned to see him standing in the doorway, still in PJ pants and shirt. He looked tired too.
"Ah, nothing. Just having a mini heart attack is all. Not to mention no coffee yet." I gestured to the spilled milk. He nodded, understanding.
"I think we've all done it. Here."He grabbed a wad of paper towels and helped me mop it up. Then promptly poured two cups of coffee from the stovetop percolator.
"Jace, when did you get here?" I asked as I entered the dining room again. He looked up.
"Twelve minutes ago. Your father let me in." He glanced at Dad, who shook out his newspaper and purposefully ignored us. I chuckled.
Jace was already done with his cereal, so I stuffed my mouth with the delicious taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk. We went out to the entryway to get my backpack and jacket, letting Jace outside before me.
"Laters," I called back to Riley and Dad. They grunted in response. No matter how many times I rolled my eyes at the universal guy language of grunts would help females to understand it.
************************************
It was raining. Hard.
In PE, we got dressed in work out pants and plain, ugly T-shirts that were baggy and hung off of us like trash bags. I was tying my shoe when I noticed Ms. McCarthy was smiling.
"Hey ladies. It's raining." She chuckled impishly. Some nearby girls groaned, knowing the meaning. "You know what that means. It's a perfect time to go out to the track." Now I groaned too. We'd get soaked. It was the coaches' way of teaching 'discipline'. I wondered if the guys were outside as well. Jace was in football now, and that meant he practiced outside with the football team every PE period. Maybe I'd see him... A little flutter of anticipation had me bouncing. I glanced at Karen who in turn shrugged miserably.
We headed out of the side door that led directly to the field. Rain poured down on us from every angle, and by the time we made it to the muddy turf, I was soaked through. Wind gusted in erratic gusts that swept my ponytail loose. I instantly regretted the makeup this morning.
"Alright ladies! Listen up. If you run your five laps quickly, the quicker you can go back inside and dry up. Got that?" She blew her whistle and headed to a bench as class set off at a jog.
And then I saw the football players on the opposite field, doing workouts and running. I quickly made out Jace's tall frame, his pale skin practically glowing in the gloom. He stood out clearly from the others, with his unique coloring and unnatural grace of a teenage boy. The descriptor of 'boy' didn't seem adequate enough- he was a strange cross between boy and man that was tilting in the balance towards man. I blinked water and makeup out of my eyes.
I then noticed that Isabella was watching him.