On my hands I could count the number of times I dreamt of my sister, and in all of them, she was never so eerie. But as I sat up in my bed Friday, I couldn't help but take a while to explore the dream I had prior to my wake, contemplating the aspects of its importance and meaning; if a meaning could actually be drawn from it.
We were on stage, only I was behind the scenes watching her grace the floor. She never showed interest in drama alive, so it was unordinary. The crowd was invisible, yet I heard their resonating applause as I walked closer to see her, still behind the maroon curtains, which when I looked up, never ended. I looked at the seats, searching for someone, anyone, to prove I wasn't insane. But the screams and claps filled my ears too much for thought to pass. Then one of their voices came through, and older gentleman sound, "So amazing! I wonder if it's real."
The only thing she had done was walk, with a smiling paper mache mask, on a dusty white, and did small elegant poses, moving her arms like a doll. The stage became even more illuminated by the stage lights, and she jumped, putting her hands on her hips, tilting her head, and shaking it no. Then she looked at me, and my heart as well as the applause stopped. The cheery and glowing mood turned into pure angst, shooting through my body.
"Don't be fooled," she whispered, echoing through the room.
Her head shot like a bullet back to the audience, who had grown silent. I followed. Standing in the back of the auditorium, was a tall bold shadow, standing out compared to all the rest. He was the only one there, and turned the dream into a nightmare.
He was the killer.
Then her screams were hears behind me. I turned, and she was gone.
And I woke up.
"I'm driving you to school today," Dad said when I finally emerged from my room.
"Me and Claire were gonna ride with Serena's mom today," I said.
"Well tell her I'll take them off her hands," he said, "I'm going in later today, and I wanna talk to you."
I sighed, "Okay."
I stretched the duration of my shower out longer than I had done before, trying to waste as much time as I could before she came.
"I know what you're doing," he said from the hall, "I've already talked to her by the way. She said thank you and Serena should be ready."
I got out after that. Mom was already venturing to work when I finally sat, ready, at the breakfast table eating a cheese stick and an apple; a horrible breakfast for anyone in the world.
"Okay. Now we can talk," he said sitting across from me.
"About what?" I said.
"Anything you wanna talk about."
"What if I don't want to?"
"That's not a topic. That's just a request."
"You decide then."
"Who you're seeing."
"What about him?"
"I wanna meet him in person."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah. What did you think I wanted?"
"I don't know. It just seemed like you were mad and gonna lecture me or something."
"Not until after I meet him."
He stood up, and motioned for me to come along with him to go, "Come on."
We picked up Serena first, before turning around and getting Claire and heading to the school.
"You all have a nice day," he said as we got out.
"You too Mr. Spencer," they both said.
"Bye Dad," I said.
"I love you Alexis," he said.
"I love you too."
"Remember, I wanna meet him."
"Okay."
His car soon faded into the distance, while I faded into the cafeteria.
"I'm just gonna get a milk or something," I said to the two as the walked towards my locker, "I'll catch up with you guys soon."
"Alright," Claire said.
"I'll see you," Serena said, "I'm going to Jack's locker."
I smirked cocking an eyebrow, "I wonder what you could possibly be doing over there when no one's around."
"Shut up Alexis," Serena said.
"Well then I'll come with you to the breakfast room since I'm gonna be all alone," Claire snarled playfully.
"Okay then," I said as we split from Serena.
"Hey," someone called from behind me.
"Hey Sam."
"I never told you when it started," she said, "it starts at 8:00."
"That's what we already thought."
"Who's we? Did you invite someone else?"
"No my boyfriend Levi, he had said-"
"What! You go out with Levi?"
Claire slowly disappeared into the background behind me.
"Yeah. Why?"
She yanked my arm, "Ow!" I screamed.
She finally dragged me into the bathroom.
"Listen," she whispered, "he is a weirdo."
"What?"
"My brother's girlfriend is his ex, and she said his brother is not right in the head. She said that after she started dating Levi, his brother would follow her and do other creepy weird stuff."
"Well that's not really a concern. His brother is weird, but I don't have to worry about him."
"Just listen. If he asks to go to his house for dinner, just don't."
"And if I do?"
"Just don't."
She walked out.
"What was that all about?" Claire said as we sat in front of my locker.
"Just weird stuff," I said.
"Like what? The fact you called Levi your boyfriend officially?"
"No. Just about how his brother is weird. She was saying someone she knew dated Levi, and Levi's weird brother started to stalk her."
"That's crazy. Looks like Levi does come with some baggage."
"If it's not a lie someone spread around.
"I guess."
She had been looking down at her phone the whole conversation.
"Texting Robert?" I said.
"Yeah," she giggled, still entwined with his words.
"When am I going to get to see this guy?" I said.
"You have seen him, in the photos."
"I mean physically see him."
"Oh. Well he's staying at my house until next Monday if you wanna come over too."
"Ooo, he's sleeping over."
"It is not like that. His parents are going out of town for a break or something, and he's supposed to go over his grandma's house, but he says she's so boring you'd turn to dust. So he asked if he could come over to my house, and I said yes. My mom doesn't care as long as I don't do anything stupid and if I do be safe, and Dad just moved the last of his stuff out."
"Well your mom is pretty blunt."
"I know. A little too much if you ask me. I think it's because Dad just started to move out, and she can't cope with being alone. I'm just upset because he's doing this for that ugly Debbie girl at the front desk. I heard my mom arguing with him, and she apparently got a call from his coworker who said that they walked in on him and Debbie having sex on the office floor; but since he's one of the mains in the office, he didn't get fired or reported."
"That sucks."
"It does."
From nowhere I was pulled up from my waist, flying into the air. I screamed, echoing through the world because the frequency was so high.
"Levi!" I screamed.
He, laughing, only put me back towards the ground to stand on my feet, and nuzzled his head atop my shoulder, snuggling it more and more with my neck as I punched him, "You are so immature! I thought I was gonna die!"
"Who's after you?" He chuckled, still ensnaring my limbs until no steps could be taken to stop him.
"Hey Levi," Claire said.
"Hey," he replied.
"Can you let me go now?" I said.
"Not until you say you love me," he said.
"I wuv you," I sighed.
"Uh-un that's not right," he said.
"I love ooo."
He started tickling me along my sides and my underarms.
"Okay okay I love you!"
"That's better. I love you too."
"You two should be in a magazine somewhere," Claire said, "for barf awards central."
"And you won't be saying that tonight when Robert comes over in nothing but boxers and socks?" I smirked.
"Shut up!" She exclaimed, "It is not like that!"
"I'm gonna get breakfast babe, I'll be back," Levi said.
"Okay," I said as he walked off, me watching him with a smile. But when I turned I got the opposite feeling.
"That happened," Claire said. Her voice was different, tangled, I could hear an odd tone in it that couldn't be completely described. It was awkward, yet interrogative in nature.
"What do you mean?" I said.
"I mean that little moment," she said.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Have you had sex with him?"
"Claire? Why would you say that? I'm your best friend, and you know I wouldn't do that. Why are you acting weird about it?"
"Don't get offended, I was just asking. Like you just did with me."
"That was different, I was playing around, and you could hear it in my voice. You sounded serious."
"Well I guess I was."
"Why? Do you think I'm different or something?"
"Actually no. But it feels different. I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm probably just. . . never mind."
"Alright, I'm back," he said.
I was going to continue the conversation with Claire, but she walked away.
"What happened?" He said.
"I don't know."
Although I didn't understand the reasoning for her behavior, or what its purpose was, her words stuck to my thought patterns, filling my mind with the cold of being unanswered. She didn't sit with me at lunch that day.
"Can you believe about 100 people want to come to my party?" Sam said, filling the gap where Claire used to sit.
"That's a lot," Jasmine said, "I hope you have enough pizza for all of them."
"I don't know what you thought," Sam laughed, "I have chips, dip, and little sandwiches."
"Wow," Sydney said.
"Besides last time I had a house party, some of them just brought their own food."
"True," Damian agreed.
"Katie did you find out if you can make it?" Sam asked.
"I can't I'm babysitting all night."
"I can't either, I'm babysitting too," Lily said.
"It's called sneak out," Sam said.
"And leave the kids by themselves?" Katie said.
"Duh. The brats can entertain themselves. Just buy a pizza and play cartoons and lock the channel. Problem solved."
"The baby I'm watching is seven months old, and the other is ten," Lily said.
"Well tell the ten year old to take care of the seven month old, and say it's all a game."
"You are crazy. We would be dead, and probably go to jail," Katie said, "plus the kids would get hurt."
"And? Are they your children?"
"I desperately hope you're not being serious," Sydney said.
"Serious as cancer."
"Goodbye Sam. There is no way in the world that I would do that," Katie said.
"Same," Lily said.
"Okay then. Your decision."
"Dewy are you gonna keep texting the whole day?" Sydney said.
"Lexi what's wrong?" Levi said, "You look distracted."
"Nothing, just thinking," I said.
"About what?"
"Us."
"What about us?"
"Sex."
"Woah. Where did that come from?"
"Are you sexually attracted to me?"
He cleared his throat, blinking rapidly, "I don't know how to say that without sounding weird."
"It's okay. I won't get offended, we've been dating for nearly three weeks. I think we can start getting personal in our conversations."
"Well could we wait until we get home or something, I feel uncomfortable talking about it here."
"Sure."
"You two were just whispering an awful lot over there," Sam said, "care to share the discussion with the group. I'm sure we'd all like to hear."
"Nah, it was nothing," Levi said.
"Just family stuff," I said.
"Oh. Well okay then," Sam sighed, not buying obviously.
At home, the conversation still didn't continue. I ate the dinner that Mom had cooked, leaving a note saying, "Your father and I will be back. We just made a run. Here's your dinner."
It was early in the day, at around four. The thought of calling Levi lingered around my mind, yet was never strong enough to be acted upon. I decided to walk to Claire's house and meet Robert. I took my house key, locking the door behind me, and started off into the frosty weather, its taste sour and moist.
Winter was basically knocking on the door, but no one cared enough to let her in.
I knocked on Claire's door a while before I was passed acknowledgement just the same.
"Hey Alexis," Her mother said, "sorry I took so long, I was just running some bath water."
"No problem Ms. Claudia," I said.
"So what's up?"
"Is Claire home?"
"No sweetie, her and Robert just went to McDonald's with his grandma. She should be dropping them back off eventually. You could come in and stay a while if you'd like."
"No thank you, I was just stopping by for a quick second. My parents are out, and probably would be crushing their teeth if they knew I walked off somewhere. But could you tell her I stopped by?"
"Sure thing hun."
"Thank you."
"No problem. Have a good day."
"You too."
And back into the house I walked. There was nothing interesting to do that I hadn't already done, so I just paced the halls until I had an epiphany. Alice's room. I walked up the stairs, and the never-ending hall, to her door. It hadn't been opened in weeks, but I would break that abstinence. I pushed it with slight force, creaking it open to a slow-coming stop.
It looked the same. Purple and black themed, with the white bookshelves dust-free, yet the air thick from being unoccupied. The same stains on the beige carpet, soft enough to be felt through my shoes. The covers were pink though, making its artistic design distinct. Her ghost gave the room itself goosebumps. It lost all of its emotions since that day. I looked through her drawer with the mirror in front of the desk part, finding nothing but photos of us as children, and her old friends, the ones known to man. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but anything would soothe my boredom.
As I walked to my closet, my phone in the other room rang.
"Lexi?" Claire said.
"Yeah, I stopped by," I said.
"I know, that's what I was calling about. What's up?"
"I just wanted to see Robert, nothing serious. Maybe hang out with you a little while."
"Oh, well I guess we could come down there."
"It's okay if you don't want to."
"Well we had planned to just play Sorry or something. It's really cold outside too."
"Okay then, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye."
"Bye."
After that awkward conversation, I simply lost interest in her room. By the time the sun fell, the internet was the only entertainment. Mom and Dad were still gone, and I was still alone. Then Levi called finally at around seven, but since it was fall the sun fell early so it was dark.
"Hey," he said, "you wanna continue the discussion?"
"You waited until night because?" I laughed.
"Just because I can lay in my room and talk all night."
"Alright then. You remember the question."
He let out a sigh, the covers and springs adjusting in the background, him getting comfortable, "Remember don't feel awkward."
"Okay."
"I am sexually attracted to you."
"Enough to have sex?"
"Enough to have sex for days."
"Okay Mr. Hotshot. That's enough info."
"What you wanted honesty. What about you?"
"Yes."
"How long? Two hours, two minutes, two years?"
"Shut up."
"I guess it's cool we're this comfortable with each other."
"Yeah."
"So do you want to have sex with me?"
"Umm. . . That's a little fast don't you think?"
"I was just asking. We're talking about it."
"I don't know. Maybe if we were in a situation and something happened. I guess I wouldn't stop it."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Lol. Moment turn awkward."
"Yeah."
My mom and dad came into the house.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow love."
"Talk to you tomorrow."
"Mom, Dad?" I said, walking out my room.
The said nothing, so I walked down to them.
"Where were you guys, you took forever?" I said.
The didn't say anything.
"Mom, Dad?"
"Levi's last name is Bradford right?" Dad said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"He's a suspect in the murder of Alice Spencer."