"Oh, you know her, too?" I asked, turning my head to look at her. Piper huffed and rolled her eyes.
“Please, everyone knows that girl and her siblings," she said. "I meant they're totally weird, aren't they? I know they are damn gorgeous and all that, but still! They never talk to anyone."
Even so, her tone had a touch of jealousy in it. But I admitted she was right. Piper looked at me again.
"What did you two talk about?" she asked.
"Nothing much," I said. "I asked her about her period cramp and she almost bit my head off."
My cousin burst out laughing.
"I told you, that girl is not even human," she said, still sniffing. "I bet she's not gonna get a boyfriend dressing and acting like that."
I just wanted to groan. Right, a teenage life is so boring, a boy has to make it better. Because that is the only way anything gets better in life —with boys.
"Anyway, Nina, have you ever dated a boy before?" she asked. I knew my answer would shock her, so I just nodded, hoping she would get the hint, but Piper Black seemed to be living in the world of need-to-know basis.
"Really? You have dated a guy?" she said. "I thought you were gay!"
A staff and a few other customers gave us an eavesdropping glance.
I turned to Piper again.
"Piper, you make it sound like homosexuality is a disability," I said. "But it’s just the natural feeling you were born with. It just happens like the color of your eyes. Of course, I have had three boyfriends in the past, but that doesn't stop me from being gay."
“Oh.” She just blinked at me.
I waved my hand off and turned away from her. After we finished shopping a while later, we both drove back home in silence. Piper kept peering at me from the side. Her hands grabbed and released the steering wheel nervously.
"What else do you want to ask me, Piper?" I said without looking at her. "I guess it's an honest hour now."
My cousin seemed to blush for getting caught.
"Oh—well—I'm sorry if I have offended you, Nina. But I just wonder—you know—" she said and cleared her throat again. "What is like having sex with a girl?"
I kind of saw that coming.
"I have never had sex with a girl," I said flatly.
"What?" she squeaked. "Never?"
I was pretty sure she was thinking, ‘what kind of a lesbian are you?’
"You don't need to have sex with a girl to know you're a lesbian," I said. "Why does a girl have to have sex with a girl to be considered gay, but a virgin straight girl doesn't get asked how she's straight even if she's never had sex with a guy? What's the difference?"
Piper pursed her lips.
"Then what about sex with guys?"
"Not either."
"I can't believe it!" she said. "So you're a virgin?"
I turned to look at her at last.
"You said it like it's disgusting — like it's a sin or taboo or something," I said. Piper blushed really hard.
"Well, my dad is a full-blown Christian, you know," she murmured. "I think I'm more of a sinner than you, considering that I've already done it."
"Oh," I breathed, ignoring what she had implied that being gay was supposed to be a sin. I let out a sigh, not knowing what to say.
"Just a few times when my boyfriend insisted, though," Piper added like she needed to explain herself.
"Well Piper, people make their own choices with their bodies, I'm not going to judge you," I said a while later. "But I think you should never feel obligated to have sex for someone else's pleasure. It has to mean the same for both of you."
"I know, Nina," she said. "I just don't want to disappoint him."
"You will find yourself disappointing people, no matter how hard you try to please them," I said. "But the person you must never disappoint in this world is yourself. You don't need to use your body as security to make you feel that someone needs you."
Piper's eyes began to tear up. I wasn't sure if my words had affected her or whether it was just the reflection of the streetlight. We were quiet again until she pulled up into the driveway. I was gathering the shopping bags under my feet when I felt Piper's hand touching my shoulder. I looked at her again.
"I wish we had grown up together, Nina," she said.
"If we had, would we still pretend like we don't know each other at school?" I said and then opened the door to get out.
~*~
The next day was a Saturday. I had come to school on Friday, which was kind of ridiculous. As usual, the sky was a perfect blue although there were some opaque clouds here and there and the air was hot and humid. I had to get used to not being in a constant cold.
Aunt Vikki had asked me about school and whether the kids were nice to me and if my jetlag was still there. I reassured her with all the positive things I could come up with.
Then I spent most of my time in my room, avoiding Jay. He would frown at me now whenever he saw me, and sometimes he shouted mean things to the people on the TV. In my room, I arranged clothes that I had unpacked into the closet. I put some of the books I had brought with me on the empty shelf and tidied the room up a little. When I was left with nothing else to do, I sat down and wrote things in my notebook.
I got into a habit of writing because of my best friend, Klara, who constantly told me I had a way with words. Then I was hooked, like a fish to the bait. And I would go off on my own to the park and sat by the honeysuckle vines and watched the squirrels and birds. I wrote short stories about them. Sometimes I gave my writing to Klara to read. They were what got me through middle school.
That night, I sat down and wrote about a girl in black.
The weekend passed by at a drop of a hat. My school day started with me sitting in biology class studying flowers. Ms. Peterson spent half an hour teaching us the different flower parts. Inside her class, plants were growing like it was in a greenhouse.
The students in the back almost dosed off. Then Ms. Peterson mentioned that flowers needed bees to procreate. Their ears suddenly perked up and soon the class was roaring with a discussion of how many times a queen bee had orgasms in one day. Most of the girls looked disgusted, while some of the boys blushed in embarrassment. Ms. Peterson hushed them.
My partner was a quiet girl, named Jordan. We both were the quietest people in the class. I had difficulty reading words at first, but Jordan helped me out and things made sense after you looked at them long enough.
During pair work, I found a seed of apple in a pot near my window. It had split open, showing a white stem inside. I picked it up and looked at it like a curious scientist.
"Biology is so cool, isn't it?" I said with a smile. Jordan looked up and then smiled back.
"Yeah." She shrugged.
"An apple tree grows from an apple seed that grows inside an apple from an apple tree," I added.
Jordan giggled.
"Like the chicken and eggs, eh?" she said.
"Mother Nature is so cool, isn't she?" I said. "She always finds a way to make things procreate."
Jordan snickered again, louder, causing a few students to look at us. I smiled.
"But maybe not for me," I murmured to myself afterward. "I'm different."
~*~
I hadn't seen a certain blonde since the first day we met. But I figured we only had one class in common anyway. Besides, I didn't look forward to meeting her either.
After school, when the other students were playing sports, in a band, or a drama class, or going somewhere and doing illegal things, I went off to look for a place I could write. I thought of going to the library but dismissed the idea.
I went around a few buildings, past the football field where I spotted Jay and his friends practicing. I learned later that Jay was a quarterback. I didn't know what a quarterback was supposed to do, but it sounded important when he said it.
"Mom, I'm a quarterback! My friends need me to go practice with them. I promise it's not a party." He would say to Aunt Vikki. Although she
wasn't convinced, she would let him have his way. All day he would do nothing but complained about everything. Jay needed to spend some time in Russia to learn how lucky he was.
I walked past the tennis courts and got inside a glass building, which housed an indoor swimming pool. It was quiet with no one around. I walked to the back of the building and found a metal stair that led to the rooftop. The wind was blowing gently as I climbed up. There was another door to another building which I ignored, thinking it was probably locked anyway.
I dropped my bag on the floor and sat down with my back against the wall. Then I opened my notebook.
"It was a dark and stormy night," I said out loud and chuckled to myself. Sometimes, I would start with this sentence just for a laugh. I was writing about a girl who was trapped in a coconut, and the thought of Allecra Knight floated into my mind again. I had a feeling that something about her was a mystery wrapped in a banana leaf of ordinariness.
I just wanted to creak open that hard shell of hers and see who she was inside. But the taste of the coconut juice could be sweet or sour.
Then the wind started to pick up. My page kept flipping. I didn't want to stop writing yet so I turned towards the door. I wondered if I could open it and get inside. With that thought, I rose to my feet, brushed off my pants, and picked up my bag again.
Surprisingly, the door was not locked. It opened and closed with a loud metal screech. The door really needed serious oiling. Then I realized it was the attic of a dark storage room. The attic had a small glass window that provided enough light to see through. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I walked to a corner and sat down by the window.
About two feet below me was school equipment. There were some stakes for old floats, carts full of basket balls, and some old cardboard boxes that the school might have thrown in.
After sitting there writing for a while, I heard movements coming inside. There were soft voices talking in the shadow but clear enough to be heard in this quiet place.
"You think it's her?" a girl voice's spoke. I looked up from my book and peered through the dark.
"Her name is Antonina Black," answered a familiar angelic voice. I closed my book gently. I would have sneaked out of there if it wasn't because of the mention of my name. I should have crawled out, but it felt like my body was frozen with curiosity.
"Are you sure she's the one?"
That was when I saw them — the beautiful short-haired girl and the blonde mystery. With a jolt of additional shock, I realized I was eavesdropping on them by accident. Allecra's back was turned to me. I could only see the other one's face over her shoulder.
"I'm not sure yet, but she gave me the sensation," Allecra said and I just wanted to ask, 'What sensation?' but I knew I couldn't.
"How many times do we have to look for the right one, Alle?" the dark-haired girl said almost with a sigh. "If she isn't the one, then we will have to move out if here."
"I know," Allecra said, sounding tired. The girl in front of her looked sympathetic. She stepped over and ran her fingers through that messy blonde lock. The gesture was like a lover would do more than a sister. My heart leaped forward as I watched them.
"That's alright," Xenon said. "We'll try one more time."
What are they talking about? Why was I mentioned in their conversation? The questions kept running through my mind. Then Xenon came to wrap her arms around Allecra and kissed her cheek over and over.
"Are you still tensed from meeting her?" she whispered softly. Allecra gave a slight nod.
"I can relieve you," Xenon said.
"It’s fine," the blonde said. "I can handle it."
"Come on, we all know it hurts," she said and then slowly slipped her hand inside Allecra's pants. I almost squeaked. Allecra let out a groan when Xenon started moving her hand.
"No—Don't!" Allecra tried to speak but her tall frame doubled over by the impact of her sister’s touch. I put my hand over my mouth. My breathing was getting too loud, I was afraid they would hear me.
"Be still," Xenon said and lowered herself until she was kneeling between Allecra's legs. She unzipped her pants. The sound of that sharp sliding was unmistakable.
What are they doing?
I wanted to get out of there, but the situation didn't allow it. They would hear me if I dared move, let alone open that stupid rusty door to escape.
Before I realized it myself, I was stuck watching them. Allecra's laborious breathing grew louder in the dark storage room. The girl between her legs tilted her head slightly. There were slurping sounds. I almost died right there in the corner.
'Go!' My mind screamed at me. 'Get the hell out of here!'
Instead, I was paralyzed by what I saw. I was bound by a spell of shock.
Allecra was groaning now. She said something in a language I had never heard of. It sounded ancient.
"Please, stop—" she said once again. Then she cursed and threw her head back. I almost jumped at her reaction.
"You’re out." Xenon was licking her lips. "Come here. I'm ready."
She pulled Allecra by the waist, coaxing her to come closer. Xenon leaned herself back against a pile of boxes. Allecra walked over to her. Xenon reached her hands out and peeled the leather jacket off of the blonde's shoulders, revealing her tattooed arms.
Even in the dark, I could see the strange outlines of ink curving all around her exposed skin. Each stroke looked like a Maori tribal tattoo or some ancient symbols.
Her supposed sister rolled up her short skirt and opened her legs. Allecra slowly went between them and seemed to be guiding something. A moan echoed from their throats at the same time. Their bodies seemed to join together. I took a deep intake of air through my nose and felt my stomach churn.
Xenon wrapped one of her arms around the blonde's shoulders; the other went around to her back. Then she lifted a leg up to the taller girl like she was climbing a tree. She bit her lips and moaned in obvious pleasure. A sensual look on her face became more evident. Allecra was moving the way a guy would do when he does it. Their gasps came out in tandem with one another. Xenon closed her eyes and arched her trembling body against her sister.
"Please, Alle, don't stop," she whimpered. I couldn't see Allecra's face, but I could hear her moans in response. Blood drained from my face. I lost my ability to think. I felt like throwing up, yet I couldn’t even move.
Then Xenon looked like she was coming. She started wailing and shuddering, clawing at her sister’s back with her nails.
After a minute passed, something stranger happened. It hit me like a wave of otherworldly madness. Allecra's visible tattoos started to glow in a deep neon-like blue light. It spread along her arms and shoulders, following the inked patterns.
My eyes went wide.
And a burst of scream exploded out of my lungs.
CHAPTER 4
I woke up in the midst of a painful headache. It was a sharp and intense pounding. But then it was gone even before I could check to see whether I had busted my head with something. My notebook was still lying on my lap. The unfinished writing glared at me. I was surprised to see how much I had written on the page. I didn't remember having gone through these lines before. That was strange.
The sky was getting dark as the sun had already set. I wondered how I could fall asleep unceremoniously on the rooftop just like that. I gathered my bag, put my book aside and rose to my feet. My legs felt wobbly and were on pins and needles. I didn’t know how long I had been sleeping.
The school campus began to switch the lights on. I gripped the railing for support. My eyes glanced at the door of the other building. For a moment, I got a weird feeling just by looking at it — a strong sense of déjà vu — and I didn't know why. I walked over to the rusty door and tried to open it, but it was locked.
Another stronger feeling flooded through me. I couldn't grasp what it was - something felt like fear or shock? My heart was telling me something my mind couldn't seem to comprehend or remember.
I
had woken up with a splitting headache. Obviously, my brain overworked, probably from all the writing. This had never happened before. I shook my head to clear the inconceivable thoughts and left the rooftop.
Once I reached the parking lot, I saw Piper there. She was on the phone and looked as pissed as when she got stuck in the traffic. But I felt eyes following me from behind. It was a chilling sensation. I looked over my shoulder and found three dark figures hovering by a familiar black car. It was the Knight trio.
The big guy stood resting his elbow on the roof of their car while the short-haired girl stood closely beside the blonde one.
Allecra Knight and her siblings were staring at me. Her very presence knocked the breath out of my lungs. She bore the kind of stare that sent a woman's heart hammering by instinct. The other two had a curious expression on their faces.
"Where have you been, Nina?" Piper yelled from across the lot. "I’ve been trying to call you all day!"
As she was babbling about the long wait and how I made her anxious, my eyes were still glued to the three siblings. I tore my gaze away from them and turned to my fuming cousin.
"I thought you had gone home, but the maid said you weren't there," she said, "Where have you been?"
"I'm sorry. I fell asleep," I said. Piper stepped back and squinted her eyes as if she was staring at something too bright.
"You what?" she said.
"My jet lag," I lied.
"Oh," Piper breathed and then her face muscle relaxed a little. She looked past me. "Are they the Knight kids?"
I fought the urge to look at them and just gripped Piper’s hand and steered her away from the spot.
"Don't look at them! Let's go home," I whispered. I didn't know why I had to whisper. It felt like I was reacting to some dangerous predators in the jungle.
"Are you having a problem with them or something?" Piper asked as we walked over to her car. She pressed a button on the remote and the engine automatically hummed to life.
"I don't know," I said once we got inside.
"Yeah, but people say they seem to have this clothe-ripping magnetism about them, don't they?" she said, meaning to be funny, but I didn't laugh. The darkness of the car interior and the familiar perfume from Piper eased my nerves a bit.
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