EMBER IN DARKNESS Chapter 8 (Revealing)

“Wouldn’t it be a bad idea to come to school?” I asked River when we were left alone in the living room. It’s still a little dark outside…the sun’s slowly crawling up the sky. “Thanks to you, I’m under the impression that my ex really is a bloodsucker besides overboard possessive.”
“You attracted a vampire. How careless can you get?” River whispered.
“The point is I don’t have any proof to accuse him of being an antique, humanoid legend.”
“Stay away from him.” The venomous tone of his voice registered in my head. How could he hate Neon so much, well, not that much but considering that he is nothing more than a friend whom I have only known for less than a week, should he really be someone I must listen to?
Neon is the last person I would rather be with, within a thousand miles on the face of earth; Neon and River never spent time with each other. He acts as if he knows Neon’s bad side, besides the incident last night and I would completely understand if he’d start avoiding him.
However, he’s ordering me.
“Believe me, I’ve been doing that all semester, no go…and forgive me for saying this, but I even told his phoney spies that you were my fiancé! Imagine a seventeen-year old chained to a fiancé.”
River just stared at me. I’m dying to tell him how those sapphires make me melt.
“and the worst part is, I told the guys who followed me that I just told that to get rid of him. So, you don’t have to worry about that made-up social obligation. You know the story.” I continued.
“He’s still after you.” He said.
“Yes! Ever since we broke up, everything changed. Almost everybody in school despises me; that would explain why I became worried when you came because I knew that somewhere along the way, you or anybody who gets close to me would be in trouble.” Take my family, for example. “It’s not paranoia…and look at you, I don’t even know what you are, yet I feel secure-compared to the guards who occasionally, indirectly threaten me with their handhelds.”
“Feeling secure doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thank you, now I feel MORE secure.”
Dr. Burke honked his car, a signal for us to go.
We walked towards the car and went in, buckled our seatbelts and drifted off to our own pool of thoughts.
My pool of thoughts include an unanswered question branching out to other bothering inquiries unaccounted for, which I asked Dr. Burke. “Do you have any news about my brother?”
He never updated me about my family. My parents are supposed to be having a burial; my brother should be found and maybe, sent to a sanitarium
“I haven’t received any; but look at the bright side, Lily. You have us.”
Not exactly he answer that I’m expecting to hear.
Dr. Burke and I looked at each other at the front mirror and exchanged smiles. He’s right. Spade needs space; he’ll come to me when he’s ready.
Never mind about smiling at River. I never saw his smile. In fact, it might kill him to smile.
“River never smiled.” I told Dr. Burke, as if River wasn’t there.
“You noticed?” he giggled. “Actually, he never smiled… ever since-”
“Ever since when?” I curiously asked. Since River can’t tell me anything, I’d rather ask somebody who could.
He ignored my question and, without warning, stepped on one of the pedals. The car jerked a bit, going faster and faster. I can’t see the speed meter…If I’m correct, we would already be running beyond the speeding limit, which I am totally unaware of because I don’t know how to drive.
A real pity. My parents insisted on cabs and footwork, they always say it’s good for the lungs, good for the environment and good for the circulation. Smoke is everywhere-ends up in my lungs then end up in my blood circulation. When I inha toxic gases that have already accumulated in my air sockets, I might die. My corpse, together with all the gases will rot underground. The chemicals will spread and be a contribution to land pollution.
I’ve told them that, but in reality, I just want a car, next to a motorcycle.
“When?” I repeated, when I wasn’t able to hear anything from him.
The tires screeched to a stop.
“You’ve got a lot of questions.” He teasingly said.
Why isn’t he answering my questions directly?
“I was just wondering. I also wanted to ask you if his parents can also change their eye color.”
For a moment, I noticed Dr. Burke’s sudden break for air.
“Are you alright?” I asked him. He just looked straight ahead.
River squeezed my hand and shot a warning glare.
“We’re in school already? Bye doctor, we’ll see you after class.” I rushed outside, almost scraping my knee on the curb. Again, every girl’s heads turned to my subnormal companion.
I can’t blame him. He’s just too much for the eyes to handle. River isn’t perfect. His skin isn’t as smooth as a Hollywood star has; in fact, he has a scar on his right eyebrow. So, there is that obviously deep scar forever standing in the way, no hair on it. It should be a flaw but for me, he looks more of a man, like models that could make girls’ underwear fall off with a little pose.
Two words: hot and infuriating.
As soon as we were several meters away from the vehicle, River’s iris darkened.
“Is there something wrong?”
He clenched his fist and strode to an empty classroom.
“Hey!” I jogged, following him.
Once I stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind me and his eyes came into view, drilling into mine before I could even blink.
GASP!
His fist caused a deep dent on the door, leaving a loud, ringing sound on my right ear. That ear started throbbing inside, following my racing heartbeat at his sudden attack.
“What’s your problem?!”I cried, nearing tears.
“What is YOUR problem?!” He shouted back at me and walked in small, overlapped circles. “You don’t know him. Now, you made situations worse. How could you just-“ he sent another fist to the door, too swift that I felt the wind rush against my face.
My face tightened, teeth sinking on my bottom lip to divert my attention to the pain instead of crying.
River took one look at me and stopped. “TALK!” He yelled.
At first, I took a few short breaths, and felt my chin trembling.
He waited for my response, staying still as a statue.
I was speechless. Nothing came to my head.
Finally, he lowered his eyes.
“Listen, I was with him for three years…I woke up, chained to a wall…” he ran his hands over his head and continued in a calmer but hesitant tone. “-he kept me in a dark cell for months. During that time, all I had in mind were two names: Lily Rione and this name which I knew was mine-River. There were papers given to me, where I only wrote your name…nothing but your name circled around my head. They tried talking to me but I chose not to respond. My last name, Zardis, is just something Justin made up.” River stepped back and flashed me a very lonely look which later returned to indifference.
His words needed a little convincing to digest. “It was you-you wrote my name on those papers Dr. Burke told me about.”
He nodded. “If you don’t believe me -.”
“Where did Dr. Burke find you?” I interrupted.
River shook his head.
“Okay…and you knew me before you met me…” that sounds absurd.
“Yes, and Justin knew you before you met him. That’s the sole reason for him transferring to thi-“ he halted at the loud bell’s ring. “Try to stay away from Neon as much as you can when I’m not around.” He opened the door and walked after me.
My mouth opened to protest. Neon, again?
Vampires, amnesia and a doctor who knew me before I met him-this is going to be a long semester.
“Hey.” A girl’s shy voice crept up on me. When I stepped outside, I saw Jane sitting on one of the benches.
I gave her a small smile and walked towards her.
A surprised look on her face surfaced and as if I have a contagious airborne disease. Maybe she is that scared to show an interest of being friends with me. Recently, I have stopped wondering why people started treating me oddly. For all I know, Neon must have done something to have that put on. It’s their choice if they follow his lead.
Sadly turning away, I walked up the stairs for our first period, surprised to see River waiting for me.
“You are protective of me, aren’t you? Can you tell me why?” I gave him a sly smile.
He narrowed his eyes with disdain and motioned me to come closer, which I did, obediently.
“Don’t think too highly of yourself.” He whispered.
Excuse me?! did he just tell me that I am undesirable to him, that not a single strand of hair on his body will stand on end when he sees me?! He’s asking for it.
River is really asking for it.
“Oh, look, it’s the girl who thinks she’s all that.” A perky voice exclaimed. I glanced to the classroom parallel to the stairs. Great, Trish Grail and her squadron of crows found another place to perch on.
I crossed my arms and waved a few fingers at her. Her cheerleader skirt’s shorter than her orange cycling, a typical wanna-be. I can’t believe she was accepted in the cheering squad.
Maybe it’s because they need people who can really make noise. Then that would be understandable, her name’s high on the list. Tongue-ing with somebody else’s boyfriend must be an initiation task in their group. Almost every girl wearing the acidic layers of spandex (called their uniform) already ruined their reputations by stealing other girls’ boyfriends to fill the gap between their empty project completion list and insecurities.
They can’t even give the difference between the cafeteria and detention.
I have absolutely nothing about cheering and cheer dancing, but when the leader’s a miserable hag with untraceable background in academics whatsoever, except for an expertise for homework-her homework distribution to top students who consider it as charity, and when her followers fool themselves into thinking that it’s a divine thing to do to further stupefy themselves and be convinced that doing so is another pedestal to being worshipped, then, it’s a different story.
“Hi. Are you lost, or are the room numbers too challenging for you?” I didn’t mind the volume of my voice. Even if I don’t make it loud enough, kids who can see or hear us will watch and wait for a catfight.
Trish opened her mouth to toss something back, but I have more to say.
“The boy’s locker room is outside, next to the gym. There might be another prospect for one of you-no, wait. I’m sorry. I almost forgot that you can only chew tongues that belong to guys who are already taken.” I continued, adding as much weight as I could to the last word.
“Ooooh, jealousy.” Trish exclaimed.
I shifted from one foot to the other, thinking of a way to kill her. Pulling her hair and tying it around her neck won’t work. Her hair is too brittle, plus, the split ends are beyond technologic repair. “Not really, I’m not into recycling over-used and owned men. You might want to check yourselves for HIV. It’s called a disease.”
River tapped me at the shoulder and brought his watch to my face.
“Thanks for reminding me.” I told River.
Before climbing the stairs, I took one look at Trish and gave her a look that says: I feel sorry for you, and turned away.
She’s not worth it.