Part I ~ Surprise You're not Human
Chapter One
Funny Feeling
You could saythat nothing ever happened in Aytonville and you’d be right, because nothing ever did happen. It was one of those funny little towns that happened to be forgotten and seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but you could get a train ticket into the city for ten dollars, as everyone who had a life tended to do.
It had pretty tree lined streets named things like Tulip Crescent and Sesame Grove, even though it wasn’t a grove and that’s not how you grew sesame seeds. There was a main street, one post office, a primary school, movie rental and ice cream store, herbal healing and a high school just outside of the town limits, surrounded by fields. Most kids either had cars or took the bus – or if you were an unfortunate person like Noel Lewis, you biked.
It was a past time of Noel’s to narrate everything she saw, and as she biked home from a long day of school, book bag jumping every time she went over a speed bump, that’s exactly what she did.
‘Noel Lewis, a seemingly normal person bikes through the sleepy town of Aytonville, just as the leaves fall. However, this girl is anything but normal. She is a-’
Just as she was bout to burry deep in her favourite superhero fantasy, Noel found herself on the ground, head throbbing. Once again she had hit the curb of the street oddly and tumbled head first onto the neighbour’s lawn.
“Bugger.” She said haughtily, blowing dirty blonde bangs out of her eyes.
Noel was glad she hadn’t worn her glasses today, or they’d definitely be broken – that would be the second pair this month.
“Noel! Noel dear are you alright?” Mrs. Foster, the owner of the lawn Noel now lay sprawled upon, came rushing out of the house “You must be more careful, this is the third time in a week!”
Glancing up at Mrs. Foster, Noel smiled sheepishly “I know, sorry. Wasn’t paying attention.”
Mrs. Foster gave her a kind smile and a shake of her head before turning to speak to the person Noel hadn’t noticed – though she’d been thinking of all day.
“Gabriel, help Noel up while I go find an ice pack.” Mrs. Foster quickly disappeared into the house.
“Sure Aunt Helen.” Said the somewhat stranger as Noel protested, but found a large and callused hand being offered to her.
Looking up, Noel found herself being gazed at very strongly at by a pair of robin egg blue eyes. “I’m fine.” She said, but took the hand anyway. The second she did however, she yanked it away; shivers ran up and down Noel’s spine, and not in a good way.
“You okay?” he asked, but looked almost confused as he studied her.
“Yeah, fine.” Getting up, Noel brushed grass from the seat of her pants and avoided his gaze “Uh, sorry.”
The guy shrugged so the fabric of his fitted sweater stretched, and Noel looked away quickly. “You’re the one who fell.”
“It’s your lawn.” She retorted, and took the opportunity as awkward silence bloomed to pick up her bike and books, which had spilled all over the lawn. He watched her, both amused and curious as she stuffed them all in her bag, cussing lowly at the sight of her tires; they were completely bent out of shape.
Standing, Noel and Gabriel observed each other; they’d briefly caught each others gaze the night before when Noel was sitting on the front porch reading. She’d watched as he pulled up in an old silvery blue Volvo and dragged his bags up the front walk; seen the Fosters rush out of the house and embrace him, ushering him inside. It was as if he’d felt her eyes on him, as he’d turned around so fast she froze under his Sistine gaze – and then he’d winked. Boys didn’t wink in Aytonville unless they wanted to be made fun of, and Noel had sucked in a breath and ducked out of sight, burying her nose in her book.
It wasn’t the wink that made her cautious though, it was just his whole manner. Something about those pale features and watchful eyes, how he seemed to know exactly what you were thinking and when. As they stood on the lawn, Noel realized the whole situation was ridiculous – two strangers staring at each other, they must look like utter loons.
“Do you go to AytonvilleAcademy?” he asked her, breaking the intense silence. His voice was smooth, rippling like small waves and taking bits of Noel’s trust back into the sea.
She laughed without thinking – nobody called it AytonvilleAcademy, just AyCa. “You mean the only school in town? Yeah, I go – along with every other person fourteen and over. We call it AyCa for short, or hell, whichever you prefer.”
Her brashness didn’t affect him whatsoever, and he merely smiled in his stupid amused way “I’ll go with Academy – it’ll impress the social workers.”
Noel’s eyes widened “Social workers-?”
“I got it!” Helen’s cheery voice interrupted her, and she appeared with a tea towel and ice pack “Noel, I haven’t properly introduced you to our new house member! This is my nephew Gabriel, my sister’s son. You’ll be going to school together!”
Noel smiled tightly “Yeah, I gathered.” She accepted the tea towel and straightened her bike.
“Would you like to come in for a cuppa Noel?” asked Mrs. Foster “Gabriel brought some lovely toffee from New York.”
Shaking her head, Noel fixed the strap of her book bag and gave her neighbour an apologetic look “Thanks Mrs. Foster, but I’ve got loads of homework and – uh – stuff.”
“Stuff?” asked Gabriel, amused.
“Yeah.” Noel glared at him “Stuff.”
Mrs. Foster looked between the teens, confused “Well, you’ll be seeing each other tomorrow at school. Come along Gabriel, we still have a lot to sort out before school tomorrow. Have a nice evening Noel!” she said and retreated into her home, leaving Gabriel and Noel on the lawn.
“Good luck with your – stuff.” Chuckled Gabriel, following his aunt into the house.
Haughty and sore, Noel glared at his back and trekked across the lawn and onto the sidewalk, making a sharp turn up her own garden path. The leaves of the Japanese maple brushed her arms and bike handles as she passed them, down the side of the house and into her backyard. Leaving her bike by the porch and bounding up the steps into the kitchen, Noel threw her bag onto the ground and kicked off her tattered converse.
“Did you put your bike away?” asked Noel’s mother, Bernie.
“Ahh…yes.” she said, picking a diner biscuit from the racks that covered the island, separating the kitchen from the smaller dining room. The ‘party’ dining room was through the left set of arched doors, and if you walked in a full circle you’d go through the long living room running along the front of the house, through the larger dining room and back into the kitchen.
Bernie sighed and swatted her daughter’s hand away “Those are for supper Noel – and for the Fosters.”
Making a face, Noel snagged a biscuit “Why, ‘cause they have their nephew?”
“Yes – having a teenager is hard you know! They deserve a little yummy biscuits with their dinner.” Bernie tugged on her daughter’s long, dirty blonde ponytail “I sure would like someone to make me biscuits!”
“Are you calling me difficult?” she joked “I’m not difficult – I’m perfect!”
“Sure Ellie,” Mark Lewis entered the room, holding a long roll of paper “You’re the ideal child, flawless in every way. Except -” peeking out the glass sliding doors he smirked “She doesn’t put her bike away.”
Bernie gave Noel a stern look before pulling out another tray of biscuits “Go on you, put it away – it’s supposed to rain.”
“And I see you met our new neighbour.” Mark exclaimed “What’s his name, Jason or something?”
“Gabriel.” Said Noel distastefully.
Chuckling, Mark opened his New Yorker and flipped to the back “What’s with the attitude missy – he give you a funny feeling?” husband and wife shared amused looks and Noel turned on them, obviously annoyed.
“Yes actually, he does.”
“Same kind of funny feeling Mr. Daws did?” asked Bernie, referring to Noel’s fifth grade teacher.
“Or Miss Jeanie?” asked Mark, offering up Noel’s old dance teacher.
Huffing, Noel slid open the glass door “Yes, and I was right about all of them – they’re all…odd.”
“He looks like any other seventeen year old boy, Ellie.” Reassured Mark “I know you trust your sixth sense, but it’s getting old. The kids new, the least you could do is be kind to him.”
Narrowing her eyebrows, Noel merely shrugged “Fine.” She was never wrong about her funny feelings, had been getting them all her life – and she was never wrong, and she doubted this would be the one time she was.
A/N: So! I don't know if I'll post any more of this, because it's not a fanfic and needs a lot of tweaking and fact-checking. I love it, adore it really, and hope you do to.
Question: What do you think of Noel and Gabriel?