by Sarah Carter
You want to do something with botany, right?
Of course, but I’m not sure where I would want to go for that.
We do have two years to decide.
That we do. Are you going to go to college?
Oh my god. I am going to have to, but it’s going to be horribly boring.
Don’t you learn anything, ever?
Well, sure, obviously how to use the information I get, but as for facts or history, I know it all. I know everything. It’s actually super annoying.
So, is it just like constant information through your head?
No, it’s only when I choose to do it. I think I would be twitching in the corner if it was a constant thing.
Do you know what your IQ is?
Yes, it’s high, but that doesn’t matter. This secret society doesn’t put much stock into IQs.
So, everyone is like you?
No, not at all, but they are very smart.
Genetics?
Yes, sort of. It’s a family thing.
You are all related?
More or less. I really can’t talk about it. I wish I could, but I can’t. You shouldn’t even know that there is a secret society. You definitely shouldn’t know about me. That’s huge in itself. But, the secret society is off limits.
How many people are in this secret society?
More than you would guess, but again, I really can’t talk about it. Let’s move on to something else.
Like what?
Tell me a secret about you. You know so much about me.
I’m not sure what to tell you. Let’s see a secret, huh? I cheated on my final exam my freshman year.
That’s not really that juicy of a secret. You know my ultimate secret.
Okay, I would sneak out of the house when I was little, in the middle of the night, and go see my mom. I would visit her grave all the time. I missed her so much.
I’m so sorry, Connor. That must have been hard.
My step dad caught me one night and was furious. I never got to do it again. He set up an alarm system so it would go off if I opened the door.
Wow, do you still visit her grave?
A few times a week. I talk to her all the time. I really believe that she’s listening. I believe in life after death.
I don’t know if I do.
Really, why not?
I don’t think some people deserve to have a life after death. Take my mother for example. She was pure evil and did unspeakable things. Why should she get a second chance?
I kind of believe in reincarnation. I think we keep cycling through lives. Learning different lessons as we go.
So, how does that work? If your mom is listening to you, but you believe in reincarnation.
Well, my mom was the sweetest person alive. I also think there is time between lives. I don’t think it’s an instant one life into the next. Like it’s a break in between. The idea is so out our realm of thinking. How can we, as humans, understand what happens after we die?
That’s very true. I don’t know what I believe. We have a religion, sort of. We believe in a divine power but not necessarily a god. We are a very scientific group. Very scientific. But we do believe in a higher power but not necessarily what people envision a god as.
I’d like to learn more about that religion. It sounds interesting.
Sorry, it’s part of this secret society. I really can’t tell you about it.
So, again, cult.
Oh gosh. We are not a cult. It’s not like that at all. I wish I could explain more, but I can’t.
I understand. We can leave it alone. But, I hate to cut this short, but unlike you, I have homework to do. I have a paper I need to research on. Hey, wait a minute. You can just give me the info.
No way, in hell, am I doing your homework for you. You need to learn. Me giving you the info is not you doing the research and learning. You won’t remember it. That’s the great thing about writing papers, you have to look up the facts. You have to read articles about the subject, so it will impact you more. I won’t do your homework for you. Lana and Ashe tried that numerous times. I won’t.
Well, you’re no fun then. I thought you’d be handier.
Nope. People need to learn. You don’t learn from cheating.
Got it.
I will see you tomorrow, though.
Heck yeah! FRIDAY.
Ha ha ha, yeah it’s Friday.
Slacking this weekend. Totally. One hundred percent slacking.
Sounds good.
Talk to you tomorrow.
See you in the morning.
Are you picking me up?
Of course.
See you then, dear.
Bye.
Lexi smiles to herself. She couldn’t be more happier. Completely content, she goes to make a snack before bed.
Chapter 9
The next morning, Lexi is eager to get to Connor’s. She impatiently waits outside his house. The minutes tick away. She is about to call him when he finally emerges. Walking to the car, he is slow. Opening the door, he slides in and doesn’t say much.
“Are you okay?” Lexi asks.
He half smiles. “Yeah, of course. I’m great.”
“You don’t seem great. You seem...I’m not sure,” Lexi replies, sounding somewhat concerned.
Connor shakes his head. “I’m all right. Just a rough morning.”
Being completely unconvinced, Lexi stares at him but pulls away from the curb anyway. “What made it rough?”
“I got into it with my stepdad,” Connor mumbles. “It happens all the time. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Lexi eyes him up. “Are you okay?”
Half smiling, Connor says, “Of course, I am okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay? I’m great!”
She doesn’t believe him. She doesn’t believe him at all. Lexi stares at him and then looks out the window. “Well, that’s good. I don’t believe you, but we will move on.”
“I promise, I’m great. There’s nothing to worry about,” Connor promises. “So, are you excited for school?”
“Is anyone ever excited for school?” Lexi counters.
He smiles. “I’m excited now that you are there.”
“Awww, that’s so sweet,” Lexi sighs, looking at him.
“Well, it’s true,” Connor states. “School is so much more entertaining with you there.”
“School wouldn’t be the same without you,” Lexi agrees. “So, how is your paper writing going?”
“I’m actually having a hard time finding the info I need,” Connor replies. “It’s a paper on ancient Mayan ruins and rituals.”
Lexi presses her lips together. “Where have you looked?”
“I spent an hour on the Internet,” Connor answers. “I want good information, not Wikipedia.”
“All right, I will help you a little bit,” Lexi declares. “But I will just give you the addresses. You have to do the research.”
“That sounds like a total deal,” Connor agrees.
She shakes her head. “I will only help a little bit.”
“That’s better than where I am right now. I’m at a total loss. I pride myself on my grades, so I don’t want to half ass it.”
Laughing, Lexi says, “I will help you a little bit, but only a little bit.”
“I will totally take a little bit,” Connor replies. “This paper is a lot of our grade, and I want to do a good job.”
“I’m really happy that you take so much pride in your school work,” Lexi states. “Intelligence is really important to me.”
Connor grimaces. “I wouldn’t say I’m intelligent, but I like to get good grades.”
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Lexi says, “You’re smart. Even if you don’t say so. I think you’re smart.”
“Well, maybe that’s true,” Connor replies, “But I don’t have much of an ego.”
“Really?” Lexi sarcastically scoffs.
He grins. Running his hands down his chest, Co
nnor says, “I know I’m good looking. There is no doubt on that.”
“Oh my god,” Lexi groans.
“What?” he snorts. “It’s true.”
“Yeah, you don’t have an ego at all,” Lexi emphasizes.
With a wink, Connor just smiles. “No ego, I’m just playing around.”
Lexi smiles anyway. “Well, you are awfully handsome.”
“You’re the epitome of beauty.”
She looks at him and rolls her eyes. “That’s a little much.”
“No, seriously, take the compliment. You are beautiful. Both inside and out.”
“Thank you,” Lexi replies. “That’s appreciated. I have always looked down on myself. I will never fit in with the norm of any society. I’m so different. People are scared of me. I don’t see beauty in that.”
“I see so much beauty in that,” Connor counters. “Are you kidding me? You’re the definite definition of an individual. You are you, and you own it. You may care, but you sure put off that you don’t give a crap what people think.”
That makes Lexi smile. “I try not to let what people think bother me. I’m never going to be normal. Might as well as own who I am.”
“Dude, you have super powers; no one else is like that, right?”
Biting her lip, Lexi says, “No, not really.”
“Dude, that is something to be proud of,” Connor declares. “A super being.”
“Like I have said before,” Lexi sighs. “It’s not as cool as you think it might be.”
“I understand what you are saying,” Connor says, “But you have super powers!”
A light laugh comes from Lexi. “That’s true. It can be fun at times.”
“Can we please mess with people today?” Connor pleads, folding his hands together.
Her jaw drops. “No, we may not.”
“Come on, please,” Connor says. “It will be so much fun.”
“I could get into a lot of trouble,” Lexi states. “I am monitored.”
“Seriously?”
“For the most part,” Lexi sighs. “I have to be careful.”
Connor puts his hands out. “Okay, we have to mess with at least one person today.”
“What do you have in mind?” Lexi asks, looking at him. She knows this could mean trouble.
“His name is Hunter,” Connor states. “He’s a complete ass. Picks on Maddie all the time.”
“Hunter Cox,” Lexi replies. “Hmmm.”
He looks at her and gestures dramatically, “Please, let’s screw with him a little bit.”
“What do you have in mind?” Lexi responds.
“I am not sure,” Connor replies. “He’s just an asshole and deserves to be taken down a few pegs.”
A few visions comes to Lexi. “Oh, I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
She grips the steering wheel a little harder. “It will come in due time. He is going to mess with a kid this afternoon. Little does he know that I am going to mess with him even more.”
“Who’s the kid?”
“Someone named Jeffery Johnson.”
“He’s a freshman and in band,” Connor states. “He’s going to pick on him?”
Lexi smiles broadly. “He’s going to try.”
“What are you going to do?”
“It won’t be as much fun if you know,” Lexi counters. “Just trust me on this.”
“Do you do this often?”
Looking at him, she raises an eyebrow. “What? Mess with people?”
“Yeah.”
A smile creeps across her face. “Only when it’s warranted. I have to be careful. I made a jock piss in his pants the other day because he teased Maddie.”
“That was Scott!” Connor yells. “That was you?”
“It was,” Lexi answers. “You don’t mess with Maddie. I will mess with you.”
“That is absolutely fricking awesome,” Connor laughs hard. “The whole school knows about that.”
Lexi smiles. “Well, you don’t mess with me.”
“Obviously,” Connor continues to laugh.
“I only unleash the powers in defense of other people,” Lexi declares. “I will protect other people. It’s in my blood.”
“I can see that. I can totally see that,” Connor agrees. “I would too if I were in your shoes.”
She looks at him. “You said you wanted telekinesis as a super power. What would you do with it?”
“Hands down, mess with people.”
“I won’t lie. It can be a lot of fun,” Lexi snickers. “A lot of fun.”
“I bet,” he agrees.
Looking over her shoulder to change lanes, Lexi says, “Now, you understand why I had to stay secluded most of my life. My parents couldn’t risk me showing my powers. It was a long time before I could be around anyone that wasn’t in this secret society.”
“Does everyone in this secret society know about you?”
“Yeah,” Lexi replies. “Sometimes you can’t help being in the spotlight, but like I said, people are scared of me.”
“I don’t think you are scary.”
She looks at him. “People fear the unknown.”
With a shrug, Connor says, “That’s true, but it’s still stupid. You are obviously a good person. I would worry if you were some asshole or mean. These powers at the hands of a bad person would be scary, but it’s you. You’re not like that at all. Or at least that’s what it seems like.”
“Well, truly, my goal is to take over the world,” Lexi states, with a grin. “Become some supreme ruler.”
“Will you enslave everyone?” Connor jokes. “Millions of people doing your bidding.”
Lexi shakes her head. “I doubt it. I would try to enforce world peace.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible,” he replies. “People are still people. There will always be good versus evil. You can’t control everyone.”
“That’s why I think it would be bad for humans to have powers,” she says. “They are so juvenile sometimes.”
“Well, you have powers. Maybe some humans could handle it then. Unless you are going to claim that you aren’t human.”
Nervously laughing, Lexi says, “Of course I’m human! What else would I be?”
“A fairy,” Connor replies.
“A fairy,” she laughs in return.
He turns and smiles at her. “Yeah. Think about it. Magical powers. Purple hair. You’re a fairy. Maybe you don’t know it.”
She can work with this. “Yeah, maybe I am.”
“So, you don’t know,” he counters.
“I don’t think anyone understands why I am the way I am,” Lexi replies. “I mean, maybe a little.”
Connor puts his hands out. “I think you are something other than human.”
That makes Lexi tense up. “What are you talking about?”
“I think you are part something mythological,” he declares. “Like part fairy.”
“Something magical?”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “You do have magical powers.”
A wave of relief washes over her. “Yeah, it’s weird that I have magical powers.”
“Is this secret society really a bunch of fairies?”
Lexi looks at him and raises her eyebrow. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”
He sits straight up. “Yes!”
That makes Lexi shake her head. “No, we aren’t a bunch of fairies.”
“Maybe just you are,” Connor says.
“Maybe...”
“Wouldn’t that be cool!?” he yells. “Dude, to think there was something else out there.”
She shakes her head again. “That’s a little unbelievable.”
“So are magical powers,” he counters.
Having to agree, Lexi says, “That’s true.”
“Your family truly doesn’t know.”
“We aren’t sure how I have my powers,” Lexi says. “Only my real mother knows, and she’s dead.”
Stickin
g his hands out again, Connor says, “Maybe she was really an evil fairy queen.”
A huge laugh comes out of Lexi. “An evil fairy queen, huh?”
“Your parents aren’t really your parents,” he rebounds. “Think about it. Maybe your dad was really a fairy. No one knows for sure.”
“That’s a pretty big theory,” Lexi says.
Connor smiles. “It could be true.”
“It could,” Lexi snorts.
“You never know,” he laughs, poking her with this elbow.
“Let’s talk about something else,” she suggests.
“Okay,” Connor agrees. “Have you been watching the reboot of Game of Thrones?”
She chuckles and nods her head. “Yeah, I have.”
“It’s amazing...” Connor starts.
They get to school, and Connor walks her to chemistry. She turns around to him. “See you at lunch.”
“Definitely,” he replies. “Have fun in chemistry.”
“I sit next to Jackie.”
Connor grimaces. “Well, just ignore her. I’m going to have to now.”
“I hope she's not a problem.”
He shakes his head. “I will deal with her if she is.”
“Well, you should get to class. I will see you later.”
Leaning over, Connor whispers, “I’m giving you a very passionate kiss right now. Such a passionate kiss, that everyone in the hall is going to stop and stare at our drastic display of affection.”
Lexi laughs. “That sounds good.”
“See you later, babe,” he says, as he backs away. Lexi waves and Connor smiles.
