Copyright © 2011 Noel Elizabeth
I smiled at him. “You really don’t know?” I asked him. “No, now why is my name on your tattoo?” He asked again. “That is something you’re going to have to ask Jason. I can’t tell you that.” I explained. He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why are you here?” He asked. “I was in a compromising situation. Jason sent me to you because you were the closest to my location.” I explained. He nodded. “Very well, there is one open room on the right. You can stay there. How long are you going to be with us?” He asked showing me to the room. “I’m not sure. Jason said that he would meet me here as soon as he could. What time does school start?” I asked him. He stopped and looked at me with confusion. “How old are you?” He asked. “I’m 18. I graduated last year but I’m looking for someone that may still be in high school.” I shrugged. “School starts at 8, we leave here at 7. We can go to the office in the morning and let them know who you are.” He said opening the door. “What is your name?” I looked at him. “Jason didn’t tell you my name?” I was confused. “No, he said that a girl was going to need a place to stay for a short while. I guess he’s deciding to let you choose what name you give me.” He looked me up and down. “My name is,” I paused wondering if I give him my real name or a code name. “Elle.” I finished. “Well, Elle. If you’re hungry the kitchen is this way.” He said leading me to the kitchen. The girl from the door was in the kitchen talking with a few other guys. She grinned at me.
“Elle, this is Sarah, Luke, Adam and Ryan.” He said pointing to the people in the kitchen. “Guys, this is Elle. She is going to stay with us for a little bit. She is also going to school with us, but she is like me. Only there to make sure nothing goes wrong and she is there looking for someone.” He explained. “Awesome. We are all seniors so you might see us in some of your classes. Are you hungry?” Sarah smiled at me. “Actually, I am.” I said moving towards her. “No, sit down. I was just going to make a grilled cheese, so I’ll make you one too.” She smiled and went about making the grilled cheeses. I looked around and noticed that all the guys were staring. “You are THE Elle.” Luke said. I gave him a confused look. “Would you stand up and twirl?” Adam asked. I titled my head at him. “Please.” Ryan added. I smirked and twirled slowly for them. “Oh. My. Word. It is you!” Adam said excitedly. “It’s the hazel eyes with the flecks of gold in your eyes that are the tell.” Luke said staring into my eyes. “Then your amazing body,” his eyes wandered down my body. “And finally, we come to your graceful movements.” He said returning his eyes to mine. “If you’re Elle, then where is your mother Jasmine?” Dylan finally spoke up. I looked him in the eyes, “She’s dead.” I stated. There was a collective gasp and Dylan’s eyes went wide. “How?” He asked. “I’m not ready to talk about it, plus I’ve just met you. I don’t trust you that well.” I explained. They all nodded their heads and Sarah slid me a plate. “Thank you.” I almost whispered.
“When you’re done just leave your plate. Mary comes in to do the dishes and make lunches for all the kids.” Dylan explained. I nodded my head. “Good night. You guys should go to bed as well.” He told them. They all nodded again and he left the kitchen followed by Luke, Adam and Ryan. “So, I think I know but I’ll leave it because it must have just happened.” She started to say. My eyes grew wide and looked at her with wonder. “I know the look, I’ve only had to kill once and it was my father. No good bastard was beating my mother and he came after me. I wasn’t going to take it and I ended up killing him. My mother sent me back to the foster home but Jason came and adopted me.” She told me her story. “How did you cope with it?” I asked her. “One day at a time, my room is three doors down from you. My door is open for you if you find yourself reliving the moment in the middle of the night.” She said giving me a hug and leaving me in the kitchen by myself. I felt dampness on my cheek and then I realized that I was crying. This is the first time that I actually have cried in a really long time. I put my head down and let the tears flow, I knew I was alone and I was in a safe place. A few minutes later I felt a hand on my back. I jerked up and quickly wiped my face. “It’s alright you don’t have to stop crying.” Dylan said rubbing my back. I felt the tears coming again and I placed my head in my hands and let the tears continue to fall. “I lost my mom as well. Well, she isn’t dead she’s just banished.” He said. “I know, our mothers were close.” I said between the sobs. “You knew my mom?” He was shocked. “Yes, I saw her a week ago. She is doing just fine. Where she is no one knows about her or who she is. She always asks about you and I think once my mom was able to give her a picture of you. I can take you to see her if you want.” I suggested. “I can’t see her.” His words were filled with hurt. “When you’re ready, let me know.” I said getting up and walking out of the kitchen to my room.
I woke up to Sarah yelling my name. “ELLE!!!!” She shouted again. “You’re lucky that I don’t sleep with a knife under my pillow.” I said to her. She laughed and walked out of my room. I hopped in the shower and got dressed quickly. I threw on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a plain white t-shirt with a black and white plaid shirt over it, finished it off with my black boots. I put a little product in my hair to hold the waves of my golden brown hair. When I was finished I walked into the front room and found a bunch of kids. There were about 6 kids that were from the age of 5 to 12 and then there were 10 kids that were 13 to 18. “Leave the knife.” I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned around to see Dylan. I frowned at him. “You have to leave your knife at home, actually all weapons. The school is filled with Duke’s and Blair’s. There are metal detectors and if they find you with a weapon it will mean that you are no longer allowed in. Plus, there are regular kids there too.” He finished holding out his hand for me to hand over the knife. I rolled my eyes and reluctantly handed it over. “Thank you.” He smiled and walked away.
The ride to school was interesting. They told me that I couldn’t drive my own car because there are assigned parking spots and the lot is full. I think it’s just their way to have a little control over the girl that shows up on their door step but won’t tell them why. Dylan lead me to the office. “Good morning, Dylan.” The lady smiled at him from behind the desk. “Good morning, Mrs. Wimbly. This is Elle, she needs a hall pass like mine.” He smiled at her. Her eyes left Dylan and met with mine. “Hello, Elle.” She smiled at me. “Hello.” I smiled back. I was getting antsy, the office smelled like a moldy doctor’s office. “Here you go darling.” She said handing me a special hall pass. I went to turn and walk out but was stopped. “Wait.” She said. I turned around and saw that she had a piece of paper. “What’s this?” I asked. “These are the classes that you are able to sit in on. Only these classes, doesn’t matter what hour but you cannot enter another teachers classroom.” She said sternly. “Alright, thanks.” I said and walked out. “Come with me to the first class, then you can go to which ever class you decide.” He said leading me to the first class. He stopped whena shrill voice called his name. “DYLANNNN!” He stopped and looked to find her. That’s when I saw her. I narrowed my eyes at her as she touched Dylan. I had every right to be like this, I mean his name was tattooed on my hip. “Silvia, this is Elle. Elle, this is Silvia.” He introduced us. She glared at me. “Why are you with her?” She whined. “She is new to this school and I’m showing her around.” He shrugged.
“The class is right here on the left. Grab a seat in the back.” He said pointing to a door and then turned his attention back to Silvia. I looked at her again and tried to figure out how I knew her. I shrugged it off and went into the class. The teacher called me over and I showed her my pass and schedule. She nodded her head and pointed to a seat. The bell rang and Dylan came in. His hair was a little messy and his shirt was wrinkled. I shook my head. I scanned the room looking for her but didn’t find her. The rest of the day was the same, going to a class and looking for her. Finally the lunch bell rang and as I entered the common area I spotted her. Her eyes locked with mine. “Elle?” She said walking towards me. “Amber?” I put a fake smile on my face. “Oh my gosh girl! What are you doing here?!” She squealed. “I go to school here now. What are you doing here?” I squealed right back. “I go here!” She hugged me. I rolled my eyes. “How is that hunk of man of yours?” She asked teasingly. “We broke up, turns out he wasn’t the one.” I said shrugging my shoulders. “Oh you poor thing, there are many more out there.” She winked at me. “Definitely.” I smiled.
“Elle, do you want to eat lunch with us?” Dylan asked me. I turned around to see Silvia plastered to his hip. “Sure.” I said to him. “I’ll see you around Amber.” I smiled. “You bet you will.” She smiled. Oh how I hated that girl with everything I had. If Tony would have never met her, I think he would still be alive. She wasn’t that attractive, which I found odd seeing as we Duke’s have a distinct look, unlike those Blair’s we were graceful, attractive and stealthy. Those Blair’s had two left feet, all looked like they were built to be a linebacker and so powerful. “Elle?” I heard Dylan say my name. I looked over at him and looked to Silvia at the same time. All of a sudden I realized something and it wasn’t a good thing. “Yeah?” I asked. “How is your day going so far?” He asked me. “It’s going well. I didn’t know that Amber went to school here.” I said looking over my shoulder at her. I realized that she was hanging out with other Dukes. “Yeah, she has for the past two years. She’s a senior this year.” He said shrugging his shoulders. “So Silvia, do you have any tattoos or piercings?” I asked her. She looked at me with wide eyes and then relaxed. “Yeah, I have a tattoo.” She whispered. “Can I see it?” I asked. Her eyes darted around the table. “Ummm…” She stuttered. “Okay, come on. You can show me in the bathroom.” I said pulling her to the bathroom. She looked at me nervously. “Show me it.” I told her. Slowly she lifted her shirt. “SHIT! I knew it!” I said looking at her tattoo. She quickly pulled her shirt down. “Wait.” I said walking towards her to look at it again. “What?” She was worried. “I was just checking to see if there was a name.” I shrugged. “Can I see your tattoo?” She asked. I figured it was only fair. I pulled up my shirt and let her see it. “You have a name. DYLAN. My Dylan?” She asked. “I’m not sure. I just know his name.” I lied. I knew that this Dylan was my Dylan.
I walked out of the bathroom and ran into Amber. “Hey, so is it alright if I come over after school. Now I have a reason to get to know Dylan.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Sure, that would be so much fun. I’ll make sure you meet Dylan.” I smiled sweetly at her. As I walked away I cursed her for everything that she did and finally, I’ve found her and I was about to expose that bitch for what she really is. The final bell of the day rang and I met up with everyone where we were dropped off. “How was your first day?” Sarah asked. “It was so much fun. I have a friend coming over after school.” I told her. She looked at me and then looked at Dylan. “Did you tell Dylan?” She asked. “Um, no?” I said quietly. “Go tell him now.” She said pushing me towards him. “Hey, so Dylan is it alright if Amber comes over after school?” I asked him. “No, but she can come over after the basketball game. You’re working the cookie stand.” He told me. I looked at him. “I’m what?!” I yelled. “You’re working the cookie stand. Sarah needed someone to help her, I volunteered you.” He said walking towards the van. I groaned and saw Amber. “Hey, Amber!” I yelled. She turned to face me. “So, I guess we are all going to the basketball game. Why not come over after the game.” I said. “That works out better.” She smiled.
When we got home I called Jason. “Elle-bell! How is it going?” He sounded too happy for me. “It’s fine. I found her. I need you at the house after the basketball game. There are a few things I need to tell you.” I told him. “Alright, sounds good.” He said. “See you later Zander.” I said and hung up. I hope he knew what I was talking about and realizing that I was using his code name. “Hey, Dylan.” I said walking into the kitchen. “What?” He snapped. “I wanted you to know that Zander is coming over after the game.” I looked him in the eyes. His eyes grew wide but nodded his head. Oh man was he in for a real shock tonight. I walked away chuckling to myself. “You haven’t unpacked.” Sarah said standing in my door way. “No need to, I’m always on the move.” I explained to her. She just nodded her head in understanding. “What would you do if you weren’t born into this?” She asked sitting next to me on the bed. I thought about this a lot. I let out a sigh.
“If I weren’t born into a life where I was a killing machine, I would be a ballerina. I’ve always loved to dance. My mom used to tell me stories about how my Dad would come home and put on classical music, I would come into the living room and dance around on my toes with plastic garbage bags tied around my waist. I would spin and move my arms, just like I saw when I watched the girls dance at the dance studio. I used to dream that I was a ballerina and right after high school I went to Juliard and became a well known ballerina. Then I would fall in love with one of the investors of the show, start my own dance company and dance until I died.” I smiled looking at Sarah. “Have you ever danced?” She asked. “When I was younger and not moving around as much, I took some dance classes, my mom used dance to teach me self-defense as well.” I giggled. “I never knew my parents, but I know that they were great people. If I weren’t a killing machine, I would be a movie star.” She smiled. “Girls, let’s go!” Dylan yelled making us jump. We giggled and walked to the van. As we walked into the school we took over the cookie stand for the girls that were there before the game. We sat and chatted while selling cookies. “Elle, we need to sell more cookies. Those girls before us totally beat us.” Sarah whined. I smirked at her.
Grabbing a few of the cookies I pulled my shirt down a little lower and walked over to a group of guys. “Hey guys.” I smiled at them. They all smiled at me in return. “You see, the booster club is looking to get new gear for some of the sports and me and my friend are selling cookies, but no one is coming to see us.” I pouted. “Oh baby, you don’t need to pout, we will buy some of your cookies.” One of the guys smiled. “Really?” I sounded cheerful. “Yes, as long as we get your name.” He smiled. “Well, what kind of cookies do you want?” I asked leading them to the table. They looked at all the cookies and ended up spending 20 dollars each on cookies. “Sweetheart, what is your name?” The guy smiled. “Megs.” I smiled back. “Megs, you do look like a Megs. Almost like the one from the Hercules story.” He winked and I faked a blush. Damn I was good at this. They walked away and I turned around to face a very pissed off Dylan with a clingy Silvia attached to him. “Dylan, you should really get that tumor checked out.” I said glaring at Silvia. “What tumor? Baby, are you sick?” She asked. “Oh my goodness! It talks!” I yelped. Sarah was holding back a giggle. “What the hell was that?” Dylan yelled at me. I looked back at the guys he kept looking at. “Oh that? I was selling cookie and I did a pretty damn good job.” I smiled. “She did. You should have seen her. They bought all the cookies.” Sarah beamed. “Oh, well the game is over, let’s go. Zander is probably waiting for us.” He said. We cleaned up our area and Sarah turned in the money box.
Zander was waiting at the house for us. “Megs. I’m so glad to see you.” He said smiling at me. I ran over to him and hugged him. “Zander this is Silvia.” I said introducing the two to each other. Dylan just glared at me known that if I spilled the beans about Silvia he was a dead man. He was cautious about what he said as he opened the door. I was the last to go in and he grabbed me by the arm, closing the front door. “You mutter a word about what you know, I will kill you.” He threatened. “Don’t you worry about what I say, just be open and alert.” I said pulling from his grip. “Wait. My name is on your hip because you were made for me.” He said quietly. I nodded my head. “How come you didn’t tell me that?” He asked confused. “I didn’t tell you because, you may not be that Dylan. I’ve met many Dylan’s and they haven’t been the one and I find out before it gets too far. You have a girlfriend so, I won’t come between that.” I smiled at him and walked into the house. I found a very uncomfortable Silvia in the front room surrounded by people asking her questions. “There you are.” Zander said. “Sorry, Dylan was giving Amber directions. She should be here in a minute.” I said walking over to Zander. There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it.” Dylan said.
A few minutes later, everyone was in the front room talking. “Silvia and Dylan will you help me in the kitchen?” I asked them leaving Zander in the front room with Amber. “Silvia, I need you to trust me right now.” I said to her. She looked at me puzzled and her eyes grew wide when she saw me pull out my knife. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Dylan hissed. “You shush. Silvia, do you trust me?” I asked her looking her in the eyes. She nodded her head. I quickly pulled her shirt up and made a cut along her tattoo and realized that she didn’t bleed. “I knew it!” I whispered excitedly. “Knew what?” They both said at the same time. I looked at them side by side. “Oh man, this is going to be great!” I said and walked back into the front room. Amber was all over Zander.
The minute that Dylan came back into the room she threw herself at Dylan. “Can I see your tattoo?” He asked. She smiled and pulled up her shirt to show a tattoo similar to mine with his name on it as well. “Why is my name on your tattoo as well?” He was confused. “Well you see, we are twins in a way. When we were born we were branded. We were born on the same day, at the same time, yes even down to the very last second. As you know, every guy has a girl that is made for him. It seems that you have two to choose from.” I explained to him. “If I have to choose, I’m going to choose you Elle. There is no way that I would date her” He hissed. I smiled knowing that he chose me over her but that didn’t mean anything. I saw the anger in her eyes. Just then she looked back at Zander and smiled.