Elaine
"This is a bad idea"
"He snores?"
"And he added a touch of glittery unicorn to the already masculine pink wall of mine"
"This is a bad idea" I repeated wishing some sort of brain cells might convince Aiden to drop this plan and retreat.
"He snores so loud" Alex stated the obvious fact as on cue the vibrating thunder from Noah's chest took the orchestra an octave high.
All three of us stood at the foot of Noah's bed admiring his shirtless back as he laid on his stomach, arms sprawled, mouth agape. His visage appeared so small and so innocent. At times I tend to forget how young he is, credit to the colorful vocabulary of his.
"What if he dies of a shock or heart attack?" I swallowed, reasoning it to Aiden.
"He's a seventeen year old boy Elaine, he will survive. If he doesn't, Alex here knows how to perform a CPR" He said fiddling with the button on his digital high revolution camera took his position on the right side of the bed.
"He's sixteen" Alex nodded in Noah's direction, his last try to melt Aiden's revengefully burning heart.
"He turned sixteen just a few months back" I added. My voice still wheezing and muffled due to the fangs. It sounded as if I had stuffed a whole donut into my mouth in one go.
Deep thoughtful lines crowned his head, even in the night light his features were visible enough for our naked eyes to see.
"Then the kid has a thing for older girls" he went back to his old stance. Rolling eyes in defeat I moved to the left of the bed where Noah's face was angled in an uncomfortable position.
"What am I suppose to do?" Alex whispered, still in the same position to no one in particular.
"Hide your pretty ass somewhere" a faint groan erupted in my throat as the two began bickering back and forth again.
I crouched to level myself to his face as he stirred in his sleep.
I signalled them both to shut up.
And for the sake of a sleeping Noah, they did.
"Wake him up with your charm" Aiden from ear piece said wickedly, and yes I have a Bluetooth stuck to my ear. Insert a mission impossible theme here. Except that the set up looks like a failed attempt on low budget parody.
"Wakey wakey Noah" I tried the croaked old woman's voice.
"You are suppose to scare him, not convince him to play candy crush"
Clearing my throat, I tried again
"Noah Ross, your death is here" the creepy baby one this time had both the boys snickering. I could hear them in between a loud rupture of Noah's snores. Yes, that's all the reaction I got from the knocked out goat of a friend of mine.
"That sounded like a cat going through rough phase of diarrhoea"
Growling I sat erect, hovering over his face. I even cracked my neck from left to right for the effect.
But before I could vomit my best horrific vocal of all time, tore open his chocolate brown eyes. Solely to blankly look at me for a few seconds and closing it back.
Confused I still went close to him. But this wise he did open his eyes.
I saw them grow, grow in size and shape along with his lips quivering as if he tasted the sourest substance ever existed.
For the special effect, nature blessed us with a rumble of thunder rolling outside as the room flashed with white streaks. And then the heaven broke loose.
He screamed, it was contagious so I started joining him too. But my fangs came loose and with a clink fell on his face.
I didn't know it was possible but the scream intensified.
I mentally made a note to encourage him to audition for scream five, or is it six. Whatever it is, I might as well tag along with him considering the fact that I was doing a pretty good job of waking the neighborhood myself.
The train of thoughts was angrily intruded by the series of percussing footsteps which came to an abrupt halt just outside his room.
"What is going on?" came a subdued terrified sound of Dr.Ross.
Before I could comprehend the situation, a bulk of muscle was at my side as it got hold of my wrist, as I was roughly dragged away from howling Noah. I laid flat on my stomach, as a loud crash waved above my head.
The door was suddenly whammed open and the source flickered on the lights. Sensitive to the sudden brightness my vision squinted to see a pair of really comfy looking house slippers by the door.
Hiding under the bed, with Aiden beside me in the same position as me. Except he struggled to shrink his large frame.
But wait_ something felt out of place, like a missing puzzle. And I do not mean it in a philosophical way...
We both caught each other's eyes, wide and questioning. Slowly, ever so sluggishly we craned our head to peek at the action unfolding in the mirror of Noah's dresser which sat straight to our cramped hiding forms.
It gave the genuine and perfect view of Noah's bed, it was like watching television.
Alex was on top of Noah, and Noah at the bottom. It's basically the same thing but my thoughts seem to have stopped functioning.
Alex had clamped his palm shut around Noah's mouth as a surprised Noah stared at him with big doe eyes. He must have tried to stop Noah, that explains the crash.
"Oh my God, is this why you have been acting so stressed out these days?" the soft yet crisp words from Dr. Ross made me finally acknowledge the scenario.
"Dr. Ross, its nothing like what you see" Alex stated calmly, but the esteemed mother of the victim had different plans, that did not involve being generous to a man above her shirtless son.
"Get away from my son. RIGHT NOW" though I couldn't see her face, her wrath must've been exclusively dangerous as Alex shuffled out of the bed, leaving a panting Noah behind.
"And you, you have a lot of explaining to do young man. You could've talked to me about it. I would've helped you with coming out of the closet thing they do these days, you needed support and I am a Psychiatrist. I would've understood. But surprising your ageing mother like this is a-"
I tuned out their conversation as soon as I heard the word closet. Did she really- this is the best thing that happened to me in ages. I clutched my stomach and vacuumed my mouth with the heels of my palm to stop myself from laughing.
But Aiden's hysterical formulation had different plans, he did his zenith to compress his lips into thin line, but his glossy watering eyes left no place for doubt. He lost it after a while as a few airy sputtering voice spilled out of his lips which sounded so much like-
"Fart? Did you just farted?" I could picture the disbelief in her eyes. Him on the other hand stared longingly at the wall, probably wishing it to swallow it as whole.
"I can't believe this, we are having a life changing conversation and you fart for an answer?"
On the side, I saw Aiden biting the sleeve of his shirt for control, but I on the other hand had enough. I gave in.
Dr. Ross was anything but pleased. But when we cleared the air and story for her, she was more relieved to know that her son has a life sized cut out of Meghan fox in his closet, and even if he literally did hide out there, he'll be still deemed straight.
It was awkward in my witch costume to stand in front of my therapist, illustrating how we broke into her house to traumatize her son for life. But her focus of centralization was keen on something else entirely as she smiled at me, pulling her robe tighter around her as I stood at the entrance door.
On this occasion, we decided to leave in a civilized manner.
"I am glad you are moving on," she said, genuine warmth and happiness in her eyes and suddenly nostalgia hit me when the flash of my mom's smile invaded my thoughts.
I see Aiden behind ruffling a pissed looking Noah's head, while Alex on sensing my gaze lifts his eyes from mobile screen and gives a heart warming smile accompanied by a sexy wink.
My heart flutters inside, like it's finally stirring awake to something that it likes, or a life to look forward for. I find myself saying so low, just enough for my instinct to be assured.
"I am glad too"
But little did I knew that the brewing dark clouds which had now fallen over the argent constellations were a mere indication of how my fate was. Within seconds the fat drops of rain pelted down upon Aiden's beat up van.
They both sat at the front brooding precisely over something. The tension was like one eighty turn from the festivity and light-heartedness we shared a few moments back.
Sighing, I leaned against the window tracing patterns of water cascading over the glass with my index.
They reminded me of my relationship with Alex, relevant to the water on the glass. I was close, could see him, sense him, interpret him but not know him. I was ready to get drenched in the storm with him. But he won't let me.
I could see it in him, regret or was it pity. Like he already curses himself for promising me something that he can't keep.
I had removed the gore makeup and was now comfortable in my jump suit. But the cold air was not that was nipping at my skin, we had the heat on. But it was rather from inside. As if a warning in disguise.
My eyes fall upon the neon fonts near the indicator, its reads 12:47, a small yawn escapes my lips and suddenly high ringing clash resonates, then gravity starts playing tricks as my whole body is thrown mercilessly to side, my wrist hits something hard as a slow buzz of pain fills my arm.
I hear sounds, a shuffle of something bursting, the air bag?, I don't know how long I stay like that, my ears hurt due to the constant raising frequency, like that of a broken amplifier.
Voices again, but they were drowned by the sound of splatters, they fall on me too.
"Can you hear me? Elaine, open your eyes dammit." I do as It says, I take my time to blink away the fog as a drenched Alex comes into view, his hair now dark cause of wetness matted against his forehead, the rain still soaking on our clothes as my frame is wrapped around in his arm, but it's the eyes that takes me by surprise, they were not just two blue stones that held cockiness and coldness with only rare honesty to spare on to sometimes. Or the genuine anger and frustration that was its second nature.
For the first time, they held fear, angst and sadness.
They were a hurricane of emotions, I will myself to look away from it, the wait of it held me captive. My gaze darts to the tear in the brown leather jacket that he had over his work clothes, blood flowed out of it from a huge gash.
"Are you okay?" he asks me still not letting go as I stare wide eyed at his wound, the blood flow mixed with the water now licks up his entire arm.
"How am i? Look at your arm you idiot" I sit up abruptly, and drastically scanning the surrounding, it was a bad idea as my consciousness blurred again. He held me tight against him, placing his chin above my head. we were in the middle of the road, the hood of the car now shattered behind us embraced a large tree.
We had been in an accident.
Shit.
"Is She awake?" Aiden walked towards us as I released a heavy breath on seeing he was fine, except for a small cut above his right eyebrow.
"Yes," Alex said delicately pressing my swollen wrist as if I am made of glass. But his carelessness towards his own pain made me question how tough was he. He was the one who was injured the most but shrugged it off as if it was a papercut.
"Head injuries?" Aiden kneeled among us, his spectacles dangled in his right hand which he has preached upon his bent knee.
I Blink away the water weighing down my lashes as I clung onto Alex, fisting the front of his shirt as a startling thunder rumbled over the dark sky.
"She fainted of shock" with a clenched jaw he inspected purple nerves, brushing his thumb against them in a feather touch. He was back to the castle of a hostage he built for himself. I wanted to pull my hair off and scream at him to tell me what happened in these past four days.
"I am informing this to Mr. White" out of nowhere Aiden stood up, pulling his phone out. It must be water proof since it magically functioned.
"You would do no such thing" Alex said blankly as he helped me on my feet as we both walked up to him. I took a few steps before stopping as the two boys faced each other eye to eye. Challenging each other.
I felt small and intimidated simply by their presence.
"It was just an accident and nine- one-one is what we call" it was order, Alex was trained for this.
"you want to live in fucking denial? Even after this?" Aiden was frustrated as he waved his arms around to point the destruction. Though I felt out of loop I could see some realization in Alex's eyes. He kept staring at the concreate, hands fisted in balls and rain dripping over his existence.
He kept silent, it was an indication of defeat.
But my questions have still not met their demands? It could be composed in a single direct sentence.
What the actual hell is going on?
And for the first time I was answered, and I wasn't expecting it to shake the ground beneath my legs.
"This was not an accident Alex, this was a planned attempt on murder"
Somewhere above me the sky groaned as lightning brewed, but it didn't appeared as formidable as it did before.
***