Grey Eyes

by Ramey, Quinteria; Alston, Brandon

  “Oh my god!” I shouted into the darkness.

  A realization struck me like lightning and I sat up in the examination bed. Tristan’s story didn’t seem so farfetched anymore. I mean, if I could bring my mother back from the other side… then why couldn’t I bring myself back?

  Goosebumps sprouted across my body and my heart began to thump in my chest, pounding against my rib cage. It was all real, the emotions, the explanation for it, everything fit. The only thing that had stopped me from believing was how outrageous it sounded. I now knew that I was perfectly capable of outrageous. I reached under the pillow and grabbed Darren’s card, holding it up to my chest. Guilt stirred inside of me. Crap.

  Morning came fast, and I woke up smiling. I had dreamed that my mother had come to and that she’d heard all the things I’d said to her while she was out. Suddenly, all those memories I feared I’d miss out on began to play out like mini-movies. She was there to walk me down the aisle, and she was there with me when I was having my first child. And what’s more, Darren was there too.

  Unfortunately, as soon as I leaned up in bed, it all immediately felt like a lie. I suddenly found myself missing Tristan terribly. His scent, those eyes. It was like my heart was punishing my brain for dreaming about the wrong boy.

  I found Dr. Roberts working with my mother. His eyes were red and huge bags puffed out beneath them. He’d been up with her up all night. Half of me wanted to tell him to get some sleep, while the other half was scared that if he did, something might happen while he was gone. I decided not to say anything. Instead, I took up a seat in one of the chairs beside the bed and watched him work for a little while. He had set up the device below her heart and though the black streaks still webbed across her lower extremities, they were much fainter now.

  Try as I might to stay in the present, my thoughts kept drifting to Tristan. He was coming back tonight to tell me the rest of the story and it was going to be bad. Did I really want to hear bad? And then there was the fact that I wouldn’t see him again after that. It was the last thing he’d said to me and conveniently the part I thought about the least. Even knowing this, I found myself eager to meet with him, to feel those intense emotions again.

  “Where are you right now?” asked Dr. Roberts, laughing as he waved a hand in front of my face, disrupting my daydream.

  I’m with a vampire, who is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and who I’ve apparently loved for lifetimes already. Only, he’s changed his mind for some reason, maybe because I don’t remember him, or maybe because the current me doesn’t stack up to the old ones. “Nowhere,” was what I actually said.

  The hours seemed to crawl by, with not much change in my mother’s progress. So when my grandmother arrived with the younger woman from before, I found myself almost overjoyed for the break in the monotony.

  “Bringing people back from the dead? Aren’t we full of surprises?”

  I nearly panicked before I realized it was London’s voice that I was hearing.

  “Where are you?” I thought as she stepped into the room. She rolled her eyes at me and I remembered that she was still pretending to hate me. As to why this was, I had no idea. Still, seeing her triggered even more thoughts about Tristan and as she undoubtedly saw the images flash in my mind, she almost let a smile slip.

  “Ana, I want you to meet the woman who will be replacing me soon as your chief adviser. After you turn twenty five, of course. This is Bethany McArthur.”

  The younger woman smiled and reached out her hand. “Let’s hope it’s not for awhile though, your grandmother’s in excellent health.”

  I took her hand and she nodded for London to come closer. “You’ve already met my youngest daughter, but London here tells me that you two didn’t get a chance to meet on your first day of school.”

  I shook my head. “You’re really committed to this, aren’t you?”

  She laughed inside her head. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

  I couldn’t believe the easy way in which we conversed. Albeit telepathically. The fact that she now knew two of my biggest secrets and hadn’t immediately tried to blackmail me or something made it concrete. She was really someone I could trust.

  After listening to her mother and my grandmother flatter one another for another ten minutes, with London doing her best to make it as obvious as possible that she hated being here, they got to the point of the visit.

  “Here it comes,” London thought as her mother turned to address me.

  “Ana, since you’re new here, you probably don’t have a lot of friends. I was thinking that maybe London could kind of show you around a bit. Help you get to know some people. She has some community service activities happening tonight. I’m sure she’d love for you to join her.”

  London stared blankly at her mother. Her mother cleared her throat. London rolled her eyes again. “I would really like, super duper love it if you could come, it would totally make my entire year.”

  The sarcasm was not lost on anyone. My grandmother looked uncomfortable, while her mother looked to be on the verge of losing it.

  “Say yes. We are not going anywhere near the food bank, I can assure you.”

  “Sounds like fun,” I answered.

  Relief spread across Mrs. McArthur’s face. “Alright then, she’ll pick you up around seven!”

  I glanced at Dr. Roberts. He nodded and then said, “Have some fun. It’s just a waiting game now.”

  ********************

  Darren’s truck was flashy, but it was nothing compared to the shiny silver convertible moving down the driveway. I’d come home to take a shower and to get some clothes and was now standing next to the thin driveway that wound back to the side of the house near the ballroom. While up in my room, I found myself checking the balcony constantly for Tristan’s arrival. I’d stalled an extra ten minutes while getting dressed to see if he’d show up. No luck. As I watched London skid to a stop in front of me, I couldn’t help but hope that she was facilitating tonight’s meeting.

  She hopped out, her light brown hair tied back into a pony tail. She wore a pair of fitted khakis, though not nearly as tight as the ones she wore on the first day of school, and a white short sleeved button-up. “Sorry,” she said in a sweet voice. “Sometimes I get a little excited.”

  My grandmother eyed her curiously. “I take it I do not have to tell a girl with your reputation about behavior, so I’ll just say that she needs to be back by no later than ten—eleven o’clock.”

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. Adams. I’ll have her back in plenty of time.”

  My grandmother smiled, seemingly satisfied with that response, and turned for the house.

  I followed London to her car, and was floored by the interior. It looked like the inside of a space ship. So many knobs and buttons, and the seats hugged me like a giant teddy bear. Without warning, the car jerked forward, tires screeching from the sudden acceleration. I turned just in time to see my grandmother’s head whip around.

  London was beaming by the time we’d turned onto the highway. “Wednesday nights—the only time I get some freedom!” She threw up both her hands. “WOOOO!” The car nearly veered into oncoming traffic but she corrected herself and thought the whole thing a hoot.

  “Oh come on, loosen up!” she said turning to me. “You’ve got a lifetime to be stuck in this awful town, live a little while you can!”

  Despite fearing for my life, I tried to give her a big smile to show I was having a good time.

  She laughed. “You forget I can read your thoughts.”

  I did forget, but thankfully she did drive more carefully.

  I did my best to resist the impulse to ask her if she was taking me to meet Tristan. I was pretty sure she could hear my wanting to ask her, but she didn’t say anything. Then again, once her favorite song came on, she’d turned up the radio so loud that I could barely hear my own thoughts.

  When the car slowed and we turned into the parking lot of a Big Buy department
store, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was here somewhere. When we pulled into a parking space as far from the store as was possible, I felt my heart race. We were definitely not going inside.

  London hopped out and pulled the tie from around her ponytail, letting her hair fall down her back. Next, she opened the trunk and pulled out two large shopping bags. She threw one to me. Inside was a stretch t-shirt and the smallest shorts I’d ever seen; they could easily pass as underwear. By the time I’d turned to see what she’d bought for herself, she’d already removed her top in broad daylight and in full view of anyone passing by. I could hear car horns honking from the highway, and was I sure I heard someone yell “Got milk?”

  I was in shock. “London, what are you doing?!”

  She tilted her head and sighed. “Honestly, you are way too young to be so uptight. It’s not like I don’t have a bra on.”

  “But—“

  “But nothing. They’re just breasts. Every girl has ‘em. We keep them covered up like it’s some kind of secret. Girls have breasts, big deal. Why is it that a guy can go topless and it’s nothing, but the minute a girl pulls off her shirt, everybody acts like it’s the end of the friggin’ world?”

  I didn’t answer. I just took another look inside the bag. I didn’t have anywhere near the kind of gall necessary to wear something this revealing. Or the curves for that matter.

  London got back into the driver’s seat, visibly disappointed that I hadn’t agreed to be her twin as far being overly sexy goes. Feeling like I’d let her down, I didn’t bother asking about Tristan. There was, however, one thing I did know about our destination as we passed the city limits sign a minute later. It was not in Brighton.

  “So what’s up with you and Darren?” she asked.

  “Oh, uh, we’re just friends,” I said.

  “But you wanna be friends with benefits?” she asked next.

  I felt my face flush. “Um, no not like that…”

  “So let me get this straight, you have feelings for him but you don’t want to nail him? You know, he already has a sister.”

  I couldn’t believe how casually she talked about sex. “Have you done it before?”

  “Uh yeah,” she said. “with Darren.”

  That hurt to hear. I knew he had a past with her, but to hear the specifics?

  “Don’t fall for that “I’m so into you…you’re the one…” act he’s trying to put over on you. It’s seriously not anything I, or the girl before me hasn’t already heard. Besides, he’s more interested in your title than anything else.”

  I know that it was Darren that she was putting down, but it was my feelings that were getting trampled. Surely sensing this, she’d back off a little. Nope.

  “Listen, I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s all part of the game here, and your coming back has shaken everything up. Take my mom for instance—she’s been kissing your grandmother’s butt for years to become her choice for Chief Advisor/Head of the Council of Elders. You think she meant what she said about hoping your grandmother keeps her health? Yeah right, she would like nothing better than for her to drop dead today. I’ve heard the thoughts in her mind. Before you came back, it would have meant she could run Brighton like an heir. But seeing as you have come back, she’s decided to use me to get in good with you. Because, who knows? When your mother fully recovers, you might decide she’s best suited to be your Chief Advisor. And Darren, well he’s always cherished the Chief Guardian command. Of course, it’s little Nathan’s inheritance, and the only way he could obtain it is if he had your backing. It’s all a game here Ana, with everyone fighting and backstabbing one another to get to the top. My mother could write a book on the subject. The only one with nothing to worry about is you—unless you let it slip that you’re a conjurer.”

  It took a moment for all of that to sink in. Despite what she’d said about her mom and Darren, it was her remark about being a conjurer that I wanted to discuss further. “But you’re one too, right? It’s how we can both read minds?”

  “Yeah, but that’s the most that I can do. You’re an heir, it’s your affinity. Pretty soon there will be nothing you can’t do. You can cheat death for goodness sakes—bringing people back from the other side… bringing yourself back. That’s insane.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” It was quiet for a while after that.

  “I wouldn’t worry,” she added. “Whatever he has to tell you, it can’t be that bad.”

  Seriously? I was starting to find her ability more than a little annoying and didn’t care if she knew. I didn’t appreciate having my mind raided whenever she saw fit. With her there was no such thing as privacy. You didn’t even have to be thinking about something for her to know it, I’d just discovered. I had been doing my very best not to think about what it was he was going to tell me tonight, and yet she’d plucked it out my head like it was a piece of fruit or something. For all I knew, she could have my whole life story locked away in her brain somewhere. Confirming that she was in fact aware of my irritation with her, she turned up the radio and didn’t say anything else. At least until we pulled up in front of a building. Club Redd blinked on the exterior in neon lighting.

  “Where are we?” I asked, feeling tremendously out of my element. There was a couple sitting in the jeep next to us that looked like they were glued to one another. It wasn’t hard to guess what they were doing.

  “Boston, Mass,” she replied. “Now get out, so you can shake your …”

  Chapter 19

  Aiden

  “Is Tristan here?” I asked desperately. Surely, there had to be some reason she would bring me out here. She had access to my thoughts so she had to know how uncomfortable I was right now.

  “Not really Tristan’s scene,” she answered. “But an hour here and I’ll take you to him. I promise.”

  I weighed my options. I didn’t see that I had much of a choice. I could either sit in the car for an hour and risk her being too mad to take me, or suck it up and go inside.

  “Oh come on,” she pleaded. “It’s not like you wore the outfit I picked out for you.”

  “Fine,” I said, slamming the door behind me. I really did not want to be here. Unfortunately, London didn’t seem to care all that much.

  There was a line outside but London went straight for the door, ignoring the shouts she was getting from both guys and girls. Music blared from inside. An enormous man was standing out front holding a clipboard, and his face lit up with recognition as we approached.

  “Hey!” he shouted. “We missed you last week. What happened?”

  London smiled back. “Got sick, but I’m better now! I’m back to show my friend here a good time.”

  He frowned at me. “What is she? Twelve? Come on now. No way I can let her in here.”

  “Not even for me?” London asked sweetly.

  He eyed us over, and London gave him what I supposed was her “puppydog” face. He started to crack. “Alright, but you keep an eye on your little sister. Anything happens to her in there, not our fault.”

  “No worries, our guys are already inside.”

  Feeling insulted and uneasy, my body suddenly tensed. Did she say guys with an “s”? Before I could say anything, she had me by the arm, pulling me into the madness that was this club. It was almost pitch black, with violent red bulbs flashing overhead. She kept us the near the wall, and I was thankful. I could easily see myself drowning in the sea of gyrating bodies at the club’s center.

  London was leading us toward a door with steps beyond it, I could tell that much. Unfortunately, there was a group of men in our way who looked a little too excited to see us coming. The biggest of the four, a balding man whose belly was spilling out from underneath his t-shirt, put his hand up to stop us.

  “Hot damn! You musta come straight outta my dreams baby,” said the man to London. “My wet dreams,” he added with a snicker.

  The other men ate it up. One of them, an odd looking man sporting a large earring that pierced both h
is lip and earlobe (gross!), advanced to join him. “And you,” he said looking me over. “I think you want daddy to give you a spanking. Have you been a naughty girl?”

  London was livid. Pressing the palm of her hand firmly into the first man’s chest, she pushed him aside. I was being pulled behind her again and as we passed, I saw his hand reach up and grab London’s backside. Her head whipped around. “Did you just...?”

  The man wore a smirk. “No fair you get to feel me up and I don’t get to do the same.”

  The door behind them burst open. The rude man who had grabbed London was suddenly lifted in the air, and held there—a feat considering just how he large he was. While his friends dispersed, including the creepy guy who’d addressed me, I stared at our rescuer. He was large, a little bigger than Darren, and wore only a black vest over his thickly muscled frame. His hair was dark and spiked, and he stared up at the fat man with intense brown eyes. In fact, with every passing second his eyes got more intense, and I could see him balling up a fist that seemed capable of permanent damage.

  London saw it too. She dashed over to him, putting herself between the two. She lifted her hands to his face and brought his eyes down to hers. “Look at me Aiden… Look at me,” she said in a relaxed voice. Seeing her light brown eyes in the lamp light seemed to have the desired effect. He shook himself free of the rage that had possessed him and spoke calmly to the man he had suspended in midair. “Please apologize to London.”

  The man, whose face was beet red and shivering, turned his face to London. “I-I’m so s-sorry.”

  “Okay, Aiden that’s enough,” London said next, this time more firmly. “You’ve made your point.”

  Aiden sighed. Clearly if it were up to him, he’d drag this out a bit. But he obeyed, setting the man back onto his feet before watching him scurry off in the opposite direction. Seemingly eager to put that behind us, London waved me over.