by Jamie Gray
"Alright, then." she agreed, nodding to cement her decision. "Oh, and look." She lifted up a white circular pendant attached to a long string around the baby's neck, carefully examining it in her hand. "It's heavy, almost like a rock."
"L," David read, noticing the letter engraved in it.
"What do you think it means?"
He shrugged. "I always liked the name, Lexi," David suggested, "The 'L' could stand for that.”
Katherine couldn't help but smile. "Alright, then. Welcome to our family, Lexi Danvers."
Lexi
A Clarissa Lovett Novel
Jamie Gray
Chapter 1
17 YEARS LATER
Lexi sped along the top of the abandoned warehouse, the same one she had been coming to explore since she was a little girl. With her heart pounding with incredible energy, she began sprinting across the flat gravel roof. Her pale white skin glistened in the light of the setting sun as her wide grey eyes sparkled. She yelled and cheered as her pure white hair flew behind her, and her light grey skirt rapidly waved in the whistling wind like a flag. The white pendant that hung from a string around her neck pressed tight against her chest as she ran against the raging wind. Upon reaching the edge, she leaped from the two-story-high roof, clutching her white pendant in her left hand while her right hand reached out behind her. With seamless accuracy, she caught herself on a bent railing that was attached to the second-floor balcony. Upon catching herself, she felt the aggressive pull of her shoulder and the rough rusty nature of the railing scratch against her open palm. But she ignored it as her adrenaline was at its peak.
"Lexi! Please be careful!" she heard a voice shout from behind her. It was a phrase she'd heard shouted a million times before. She peered down at her two best friends Kadence and Adrian. Kadence was clearly the one who had screamed at her as her olive cheeks had flushed red of aggravation. Lexi knew a reaction like this would come sooner or later. She was just surprised that Kadence hadn't come to tolerate her shenanigans by now.
Lexi, now hanging by one hand on the damaged, rusty railing that was slowly cutting away at her palm, blew her long wavy hair up out of her face and swiftly pulled herself up. She swung her legs over the railing and dropped onto the platform with a bright bounce. Once on the somewhat stable ground that was the rusted balcony, she took her time to adjust and clean off some of the dust and dirt from her grey skirt, and peach coloured t-shirt. Stains of mud tainted her clothes, marking them with brown spots that would surely get her into a load of trouble later. Once she was more or less satisfied, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bent railing as she looked down at Kadence and Adrian, her best friends for the past 3 years. They still hadn't made it over the main fence, an ignored "No Trespassing" sign displayed clearly on it’s links.
"What?!" Lexi finally called back. "Have you two still not made it over the fence yet?" A cocky smirk pressed across her plump lips as she peered down at them both.
She could see Kadence standing just off the dirt road, through the tangled metal bars, with her arms crossed and a scowling expression that indicated her distaste for being there. She was a skinny girl. She didn't have a lot of meat on her bones, but she didn't necessarily need it. She had flawless olive skin that glowed beautifully against the rays of the setting sun. However, what really made Kadence stand out in a crowd was her bright lavender coloured hair. She always tied it into a single braid that rested over her right shoulder and dangled down to nearly reach her waist. She wore a knee-length purple knit sweater with a pair of bright blue skinny jeans and light purple closed toe shoes. She also always wore a large collection of purple string braided bracelets around her wrists. Lexi found it strange how she always wore the same ones on the same wirst, every single day, but she figured perhaps it was like a lucky piece of jewelry for her.
Adrian sat atop the fence, holding on to the center of it as one of his legs hung off either side. He was much taller than Kadence, as he was a hair under six feet. He was very proud of his muscular physique, often showing off his arms with sleeveless tops and hoodies, that Lexi really couldn’t have cared less about. He also had naturally tanned skin that would never fade or breakout, not even in the off-seasons. He always took good care of his body, inside and out, but he definitely had a bigger head than most. Like Kadence, his most notable feature was his brightly coloured hair. He was a brilliant orange. It was almost neon, it was so bright. He always had it spiked upwards, making it appear like a little pocket of fire on the top of his head. Adrian wore a sleeveless red hoodie, intentionally highlighting his defined biceps for all to see, as well as a shiny golden watch that, he too, always wore. One would think Adrian to be intimidating, but he had the sweetest smile and softest heart out of any of them. He held himself with a fierce sense of confidence, and always had a noticeable skip to his step.
Lexi wasn't sure what drove the two of them to dye their hair that way, since they'd had those very distinct hair colours since the day they first met, in freshman year of high school. She had always found it a little strange since not only were their hair colours out of the ordinary, but their eyebrows and wardrobe shared the exact same colour scheme. But she couldn't really judge them, considering her own abnormal hair colour. She'd been made fun of all her life, not only because of her naturally white hair, but also for the strange marking on her wrist. Her parents could never figure out exactly what it was. She had been taken to countless doctors, none of them presenting any real explanation. Many kids said that her parents abused her, or she was secretly a part of some satanic cult. It certainly bothered her at first, but over the years she'd come to terms with it, and it didn't really bother her much anymore. It's what made her an individual amongst all the rest, and Adrian and Kadence were no different, but what she found especially interesting about them both was how they all had grey eyes. Perhaps it was one of the many things that drew them together? Regardless, she found it hilarious that she became friends with two people so similar and yet so different from her.
Behind Kadence and Adrian was a vacant dirt road, along with acres of forest that went on for what looked like miles. In the middle of it all stood an abandoned warehouse Lexi had brought them there to explore. All around and behind the building were endless fields of grass and open fields. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. They had explored the warehouse before, but Lexi believed that there was always more to see and discover from these deserted places, even if they’d been there in the past.
The abandoned warehouse was very wide with two full floors, but it was ancient, like many things in this town. And without anyone to maintain it, the building was slowly falling apart piece by piece. The brick walls were chipped and spray painted over, while the windows were either completely smashed open, or boarded up. The fence that Kadence and Adrian had yet to hop over went along the entire perimeter of the building, covered in signs telling people to keep out, but of course, they didn't listen.
Lexi waved for Kadence and Adrian to hurry over the fence so that they could get on with their exploration, but Kadence shook her head.
"Um… I prefer not," she insisted, taking several steps away from the fence.
"What!" Lexi groaned. "Come on, Kadence. We do this all the time. What are you always so afraid of?!" she asked from atop the railing. Everything always turns out fine. What's her problem with this stuff? She thought to herself, growing tired with Kadences less than optimistic attitude.
Kadence shook her head as if it were obvious. "Oh, murderers, perhaps!" she shouted back in a strained yell, like she was trying to stay quiet but was too emotionally driven to hold back. “Do you know how many kids go missing in poorly monitored places such as this, in this town?” She paused, as if waiting for Lexi to give an answer, but she only looked down at her, unamused. “Nearly six thousand every year, and that’s within a population of thirty-five thousand people. How many of those people do you think are idiot kids deciding to explore disgusting abandoned places where any mu
rderous freak could be lurking around any corner?”
Lexi shook her head at her and her statistics. She was being paranoid. "Kadence, I can promise you right now that there are no murderers in there!" She spoke with full confidence, unconcerned with staying quiet as she let her voice sore. She was positive that no one else was in there, considering she had already sprinted through the building to get to the roof.
Suddenly, another shout echoed from atop the roof as a younger girl leaped off with a cheer, same as Lexi.
Lexi instinctively cheered along with her, recognizing the girl as her younger sister, Brooke. Her thin olive hair was tied back in her regular ponytail, and she wore a cheap leather jacket with jeans that stretched tight against her skin as she reached for the damaged railing. Brooke reached as far as she could, her fingertips getting mere inches away from the brown rusted railing, but she couldn't quite reach. Before Brooke had a chance to plummet to the ground, Lexi threw her arm over the railing, taking grip of Brooke's hand as her chest smashed against the sharp rusted railing. She smiled as she met Brooke's wide eyes and open hanging mouth, and she began to pull her up and over the railing.
Once Brooke was over the railing, standing safely next to her, Lexi’s smile grew with excitement as she turned to face her. "That was better this time. You almost had it," she exclaimed, patting her litter sister on the back.
Brooke shook her head as she frowned. "Yeah, but not as good as you." Leaned back against the brick wall behind them, her chin dropped to her chest as she crossed her arms.
Lexi knew that Brooke looked up to her, and she enjoyed spending time with her. It was a part of their bond. Sure, they weren’t bound by blood, but ever since the Danvers had Brooke a year after she was adopted, the two of them had been inseparable. The best of friends. They’d always supported each other, and Lexi couldn’t have asked for a better sister to spend all of her time with. Not being blood related mattered little to Lexi. Brooke was her sister, and no one could ever tell her otherwise.
Lexi shrugged, a smirk plastered across her face. "Well, I'm pretty sure that it's the older sibling's job to be a cooler version of their younger and lesser half," she joked.
Brooke's face lengthened as her mouth dropped down into an oval shape. "What?! Excuse me?" she shouted, looking around aimlessly, as if looking for something to shift the focus to. Brooke huffed as she spotted Kadence and Adrian. "Those two haven't even gotten over the fence yet."
"Yeah, and we're not going to," Kadence yelled
"What?" Brooke blurted.
"Come on," Adrian whined playfully, chuckling as he peered down at Kadence from atop the fence. “Kadence you’re my step-sister. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He paused, smiling as he shook his head at her. “Cuz I know you would never let me forget it.”
Kadence scowled and shook her head furiously at him. “No. Do you have any idea how disgusting it is in there? How many diseases those two could be breathing in just standing there on the balcony,” she told him sharply, pointing up at them with a trembling finger. “It’s astonishing that none of us have caught anything yet, considering the amount of times we’ve been here.” She shook her head again. “No. It’s not a good idea.”
Adrian laughed. "Does it EVER sound like a good idea?"
Lexi knew that if anyone could convince Kadence to go, it was Adrian. They had been friends well before she and Brooke had met them. They were orphans, like her, having been adopted by a loving couple that just so happened to move across the street from her and Brookes house before freshman year. Lexi had never really had friends like this before then, and she couldn’t see herself without them.
Kadence was beginning to falter. "But what if-"
"You can't sit in a corner forever, Kadence. You need to live a little." Adrian paused, then shrugged with a tired sigh. “Fine, if you won’t come in then, then we’ll go in by ourselves.” A smirk clearly tugging at his lips as he looked away from her, and up at Lexi and Brooke. Lexi nodded, holding back her smile. She wanted to laugh, but knew she needed to keep a straight face in order to get Kadence to take it seriously.
Lexi refrained from chuckling as Kadences face grew wide and filled with panic, as she immediately shouted back, “Yes! Fine, okay! But let me be the first to say that this is a terrible idea, and the internet agrees with me.” She took grip of the tangled metal fence, looking up at Adrian again. “If something happens in there, I’m telling Stephanie and Joseph you’re all to blame.” She began to climb, but continued talking to herself as she climbed. “I was a simple bystander in all of this, and deserve no further punishment.” As she reached the top, Adrian jumped down to the otherside, offering her his hand to help her down, but she only glared at him as she cautiously spun herself around and climbed down herself, stepping down on the ground with a soft slow step.
∞∞∞
Lexi and Brooke turned around and raced back inside, speeding across the second floor and down the staircase to meet Kadence and Adrian as they pushed their way through the dragging double doors at the main entrance. The warehouse was mostly empty. The floor consisted of a small front area, followed by a long hallway with several doors along the walls, and a rusted spiral staircase at the very end, leading to the second floor. The brightly coloured spray paint that decorated every wall was the only reassuring aspect of the space. Despite the perverted phrases and photos that had been drawn, and how it greatly toxified the smell of the air, it brought a sense of comfort to Lexi. It was so dark, as the sun continued to set that she could hardly see the floor ahead of her. The width of the hall was barely large enough for two people to walk through side by side, but the group of four made it work, wanting to stay close to each other out of fear of what they might find in one of the dark, undiscovered rooms that consisted along the sides of the hallway. They walked slowly, peering into every dark room they passed by, which were a lot in this hallway.
As Adrian peered inside one of the rooms, he saw nothing but darkness. His face had turned pale as he quietly asked, "Hey, does anyone have a flashlight?"
"No," Brooke harshly replied. "Why would you want one? It's way more thrilling to be in complete darkness!" she cheerfully stated, creepily wiggling her fingers as she backed away and disappeared into one of the lightless rooms. "This way, you have to listen to your surroundings."
Lexi chuckled as she nodded to Adrian. His fearful reaction to the darkness was amusing for her to watch. Someone of his size and statue showing fear of something as silly as the darkness of a room was incredibly humourous to witness. "It is more fun," she agreed.
"Brooke!" Adrian quietly called, rushing in front of Lexi as he stood in the center of the door frame, peering into the room of darkness where he saw Brooke disappear into. Although Lexi stood at a slightly further distance from the doorframe, she could see nothing inside. Nothing but what looked like a black painted wall. She knew what Brooke was planning. It was painfully obvious, but Adrian could never pick up on it.
Adrian looked entranced. Squinting as he tried to see inside the room. A hush fell over all of them, allowing nothing to be heard but the whistling wind as it pressed against the walls and gave a slight chill to the inside of the building.
Suddenly there was an echoing yell as Brooke's face emerged from the darkness, and Adrian tripped back reaching out to catch himself as his hand slammed against Lexi’s chest, taking grip of her pendant necklace as he roughly pulled. Her heart dropped, and a slight ripping sound echoed in her ear. As he released his grip, he crashed onto the concrete floor, and Lexi pressed her hand against her chest, holding her white pendant tight in her grasp. She found herself unable to breathe as the moment played again and again in her mind. All she could think of was what might have happened had he managed to snap it off completely. As silly as it sounded, it would be like him ripping her away from her birth parents. That necklace was the only thing she’d ever had from them. She never took it off, and she never planned to. Adrian nearly pulling it off was lik
e being stabbed in the gut. Like a flash of every emotion she’d ever felt towards her birth parents had all rushed through her in an instant, shuddering her to the core. Lexi was in such shock that she hadn’t realized Adrian had screamed in fear until she heard the high pitched echo as it bounced off the hollow walls.
Brooke burst into a tearful laugh as she stood in the light between the doorframe.
As Adrian got to his feet, he stared at Brooke, red-faced and steaming. He began to shout at her, as she continued to laugh, but Lexi was too stuck in her own mind to listen. She could think of nothing besides her pendant. Nothing felt more important to her in that instant. She knew that Adrian was aware of how important this pendant was to her. He knew its significance to her. So why would he grab it like he did? Why would he pull on it, risk pulling it off her neck? She couldn’t take it anymore as she yelled, “What the hell Adrian?”
Each of them went quiet, staring at her.
“You almost ripped off my necklace!” she cried, still gripping her white pendant furiously. By now it had become quite sweaty in her hand, but she hardly cared.
Adrian swallowed, speaking softly. “Lexi, I-”
“This is the only thing I have from my birth parents, Adrian. And you nearly ripped that away.” Her face had begun to turn red as tears pressed against her eyes. She hated being so vulnerable, but losing her necklace, was a fear of hers that she was not willing to face.
“Lexi, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even paying attention when I grabbed it. I had no idea what I was doing. I’m so sorry,” Adrian beggingly apologized, pleading with his hands clasped together.
Lexi’s expression fell, swallowing as she met his sincere gaze. She knew Adrian meant no harm. And if she didn’t forgive him, he would never forget it. He would beat himself up over it until the end of time. Never had he ever done anything to hurt another person. The guy wouldn’t even hurt a fly, and he did apologize for it. She couldn’t stay mad at him, it wouldn’t be fair. “It’s okay, Adrian. I know you didn’t mean to,” she replied with a sigh, smiling up at him.
