Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows Read online

  I also had a special connection with nature. I mean, I could actually feel whenever a plant or tree would come alive, or…die, taking a piece of my heart with it. I didn’t know how to explain that either. It was just there; just another part of me.

  Relief flooded my system when the bell finally rang. Grabbing my bag, I made a beeline for the door, as if a pair of hellhounds was nipping at my heels.

  Racing into the next class, I finally took an easy breath. My books were already out when Molly took a seat in front of me. It wasn’t her normal seat, so she had to have an ulterior motive for what was about to come.

  “What happened to you? You took off like a bat out of hell.”

  “Nothing.” I snorted at her. Molly kept staring at me with one perfectly groomed eyebrow arching towards Heaven. “I’m just excited about our poem reading today.” Great, now my voice was cracking. Why didn’t I just hand my head to her on a silver platter?

  “Uh, huh.” Molly smiled. “And I’m going to believe that from you, the person who avoids all contact with people. I might be blonde but I’m not stupid. Now, spill it! I saw him talking to you. What did he say?” Scooting closer, she leaned across my table, looking like she was about to explode with excitement.

  “It was nothing. He just commented on my drawing.” She kept staring at me and I could see she wanted way more information than that. “Really…that’s all.”

  “Then why did you run out of class like that?”

  Like the Bull Terrier she was, Molly wasn’t about to let this go.

  “I just wanted to read over my poem again. I’m nervous. Aren’t you?”

  “Nope. You know me, I love draaamaaa.” Her eyes lit up with mischief. “So? Did you get a good look at him? You must have! You’re so lucky he sat next to you. He is just to die for.” Turning away, she whispered, “I wonder what his story is.” I could hear her slight squeal, as she suddenly froze in place. Molly barely breathed, “Here he comes.”

  I had to force my eyes to stay down.

  Molly gave a nervous giggle. “He’s heading our way.”

  Her whisper carried an undercurrent of electricity and excitement which shouldn’t have been in her voice, seeing as that she was so desperately in love with Robert - the moron. He’d be one unhappy puppy if this ever reached his ears.

  Both our desks had open seats, so you could imagine my total surprise when the chair next to mine scraped across the floor. I tried to look casual as I pretended to read over my poem, while my heart beat out against my ribs.

  “You forgot your textbook.” Ryan’s voice was kind as he held it out for me to take.

  “Thanks.” I kept my eyes on my poem. I was in no rush to make a total idiot out of myself.

  Miss James began to pick us at random to read. That was a bad thing, because there was no way for me to tell when I would be up next. On top of that it was a double period, so the odds of everyone getting their turn were way too good. We started hitting a monotonous tone after a few minutes and I allowed my mind to wander to the seat beside me. Ryan Eames. That can easily be a name that I can give the guy from my dreams.

  As if he could hear my thoughts, his head turned slightly in my direction. Swallowing the sudden embarrassment, I kept my eyes down. Well…I forced them down. I wanted so badly to see the color of his eyes but didn’t have the guts to even try. Thankful that my thoughts were my own, I dropped my head even further and let my hair fall like curtain between us.

  ~*~

  Ryan walked in front of me as we entered the ole’ math room, and it was no surprise he looked just as good from behind. My heart started beating faster when he moved into my aisle, and then it pounded off the charts when he took the seat beside my desk in the corner.

  Mr. Frost, who everybody called Freezo behind his back, began rattling on like he always did, and passed out quizzes. Math was a hated subject by most students. Half the students’ eyes were already glazed over, and the other half’s were confused. Mine were locked on anything ‘Ryan’-related, which made this the first time ever that I actually enjoyed Math. And I wasn’t the only eye-stalker in class. As Mr. Frost’s voice drummed on and on, there were many girls enjoying the ‘Ryan Eames Fantasy Hour’.

  When the bell rang it sounded like my favorite song playing; it meant getting the hell out of here. Just one more class and it would be lunchtime - one whole hour of freedom. I checked my watch for confirmation as I walked to my locker to get a book for Social Studies. While engaging the lock, a hand came from out of nowhere and slammed into the metal right next to my damn head. I’m sure Sid had heart failure!

  “Asswipe!” It was an automatic reaction but if I’d known who it was I would’ve added a whole lot more curses.

  “What do we have here?” My heart sank as Robert turned me around and pushed me lightly against the locker.

  “I have a class to go to.” I tried to sound as bored as possible. When I attempted to pass by, he stood in front of me, snorting a laugh in my face.

  “Why the hurry, Sweetling? I’ve noticed you being friendly with the new guy. Why not spare me some of that kindness?”

  I had a bad temper and little control over it when it came to this idiot. “You’re not worth my time, let alone my kindness. Why don’t you go crawl back down that hole you just came out of and leave me the hell alone.” With that, I pushed past him and breathed a sigh of relief when I actually got away.

  Still steaming, I made it to class in the nick of time and wasn’t surprised to find Ryan sitting at my table. Frankly, I was too upset to care. My hands were still trembling when Ryan opened the textbook. When I glanced up at him, I looked into a face that held complete concern. Giving him a shaky smile, I focused all my concentration on the book in his hands.

  Well…I tried to concentrate.

  ~*~

  The shrill bell finally rang, signaling the long awaited lunch. I needed some alone time so I could recharge my batteries.

  I stood up, preoccupied with thoughts of temporary freedom, and moved towards the aisle. Unfortunately, Ryan Eames picked that exact second to step to his left. The next thing I knew, it was just arms and legs as I struggled to find my balance in the very small space between us.

  “Sorry…um…sorry. Crap!” Muffled words were all I could get out between my nervous breaths. His touch was electric as his arms circled around me to keep me from falling.

  That’s when it hit me…I was standing in his arms and we were all alone in the classroom. It didn’t take me long to reach the darkest shade of burgundy known to mankind. The dizziness was so overwhelming that every drop of blood I owned must’ve been pulsing in my face at that very moment.

  “Um.” What? That was all I could say? Talk about a Rhodes Scholar. My ‘inner’ Sid would even have more to say at this moment!

  Loosening his grip on me just a little at first, Ryan finally let go when he was sure I was able to stand on my own two unstable feet.

  “Do you need to sit down? You look a bit shaken.” His cool, confident, collected voice reached my ears.

  “Oh…no.” The words came out in a rush. “I’m okay. Really.” I added a small smile to make my statement more believable, and was relieved to hear that I sounded somewhat normal, even though my nerves had been put through a shredder.

  Looking up at him I felt the lightning strike. His eyes were unbelievably amazing, a mixture of smoky blue and violet. Was that even a real eye color? I’d never seen eyes more striking in my life, and they suited his black hair perfectly. It was official; Ryan Eames was just too perfect for words and he was talking to me! The ignored, avoided, unnoticeable me!

  “Would you like to go for a walk outside? Or we could sit… somewhere?”

  I just gawked at him out of pure shock. However, then reality set in, along with the little IQ that hadn’t fizzled out with his touch. This had to be some sort of sick initiation thing for him, and I was definitely not going to stick around to see the results of his achievement.

 
“No th-thanks. Th-things t-to do…places t-to be. I’m sure your f-friends are waiting f-for you outside. Enjoy lunch.” I didn’t stick around to hear his response. I just shoved past him and made for the door as fast as I could. I was livid with myself for stuttering at the one moment when I’d needed to play it cool.

  “Aislinn, please wait!” I could hear him following me, but his footsteps stopped when I slipped out the class. “Dammit!”

  He could ‘dammit’ all he liked. I didn’t care, not when I was sure this was some sort of joke being played on the ‘odd’ girl once again.

  My eyes began to tear up as I neared my corner where I always spent my breaks, but I wouldn’t allow myself to cry. I never have and I never will. None of these people deserved my tears; they deserved nothing from me.

  When I reached my corner I dropped to my knees and refused to think about Ryan Eames again. Taking out my sketchbook I worked on my drawing, until my one hour of freedom came to an abrupt end. Shoving everything into my bag, I rushed into the crowded hallway and ran directly into Kate. The ‘I am head cheerleader and don’t you ever forget it’, Kate. She was once again surrounded by her clan of Barbie-doll admirers which was never a good thing of the ‘odd’ girl.

  “Well, well, well,” Kate sneered. “Look what escaped from the circus again, girls.”

  I decided to say nothing and just squeeze past the future silicone squad to get to my class.

  “The freak can’t speak.” Kate’s sarcasm filled my ears, along with her tribe’s laughter. “Seen anything in your own future on when you’ll get a life?”

  I flinched, but forced my legs to move. I was supposed to be used to this by now. After all, it was the daily routine. I slipped into Art Theory with great relief but it was to be short-lived. As I walked toward my table in the corner, it was obviously not empty. Ryan was there looking straight at me, like he’d been waiting on the edge of his seat for my arrival. What was with this guy? And why did he have the exact same schedule as me?

  My blood started boiling immediately and I didn’t blush. I was way too angry for that. I took my seat next to him and slammed my sketchpad and textbook down to show him how impressed I felt. I did not find his little game amusing anymore.

  “Look, Aislinn—”

  I dragged my chair forward, scraping it across the floor.

  “Please, could you just—”

  I threw my textbook down in front of him, figuring I would have to share.

  “I just want—”

  “Do me a favor, will you? If you’re gonna’ insist on sitting next to me in every damn class will you please just shut up?” He stared at me with a frown; his left hand gripped the textbook.

  I looked away immediately, not wanting to have any more contact with him then what was completely necessary. I hadn’t had a bad day like this in a while and couldn’t wait for it to end.

  As we moved from one class to the next, he kept sitting beside me. Maybe the initiation was an all-day thing. By the time school ended for the day I was a nervous wreck, trying to figure out what Robert and his ‘guys’ were up to. They’d never been this adamant with their pranks before. The only blessing was that Ryan had kept his mouth shut the rest of the day.

  Yay! Silence!

  ~*~

  I was heading for my waterfall as usual and had just entered the forest when I heard a car coming down the road. No one ever came down this road, so I cut into the thick bushes to make myself as invisible as possible.

  A brown jeep passed by me, and for the zillionth time today my heart stood still when I recognized Ryan behind the wheel.

  Seriously, Sid! What is this guy up to? This was my territory. I ran to my falls hoping he wasn’t there. There should be at least one place in this corrupt town that was sacred.

  Wave after wave of relief washed over me when I reached my Rainbow Falls and found it undisturbed. I hurried to my ledge and crawled in behind the curtain of water onto my soft, moss bed provided by Mother Nature.

  This was where I stayed until the late hours of the night, replaying the whole messed up day over and over inside my head, trying to make sense of what’d happened. I was so deep in thought I didn’t hear the footsteps crunching on the dead leaves.

  Nor did I spot the headlights that followed me home.

  ~*~

  When I woke up I almost had a heart attack. Sid, on the other hand, was grabbing at his chest, his tongue hanging from his mouth.

  “What the hell?” My voice was thick with sleep as I glared at Molly leaning over me. The shocker was she was already dressed and ready for school.

  I grabbed my watch and brought it right up to my eyes. “What time is it?”

  “It’s only ten past six.” She sat at the foot of my bed. “I got up early so we could talk while you get ready.”

  I stared at her strangely as I walked to the closet. “Are you feeling okay?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Come on, get dressed.”

  Sitting cross-legged on my unmade bed, she smiled. I, on the other hand, was worried. I grabbed a baby-green sweater and another top with a lime-green hoodie.

  “What’s with you and all the layers?” she asked.

  “I like to cover my head,” I shot back.

  “But, why?”

  Ugh! It was way too early for this. “For privacy.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “Molly, why are you here? It’s not like we’re the best of friends.”

  “I’m gonna’ pretend I didn’t hear that.” She laughed; her voice sounded almost like a purr. “Why is Ryan sitting next to you in every class?”

  “I’m sure it’s a prank. So, just sit back, watch, and then you can laugh right along with the others.” I hoped she missed the quiver in my voice.

  Her face grew serious. “I would never laugh at you and you know that. Who do you think’s in on it?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you know?”

  “I don’t think it’s a prank…and Robert wouldn’t do something like that.” She got up quickly, making her way to the door. “I’m gonna’ get some breakfast. See you in a few.” She was out in a flash, as if guilt were pushing her from the room. She knew Robert would do exactly something like that. Who was she trying to fool? Robert was trouble, but she still stuck with him. Sometimes I wondered if he didn’t force her to stay in the relationship.

  Then again, it wasn’t my problem.

  ~*~

  Molly had one of the best parking spots in school, right by the gate. Only the cool crowd parked in this block, so it was no surprise when Ryan’s jeep pulled up right beside us. I got out as fast as I could, almost running across the grass patch to get a head start to the Home Economics building. At least this would be one class he wouldn’t have with me.

  Ryan was faster and his legs were longer. Damn Sid, our day isn’t starting out very well.

  “Morning, Aislinn.” His voice was cautious as he fell into step beside me.

  “Morning, Ryan.”

  “How are you?”

  “Fine.”

  “I am well, too. Just in case you were wondering.”

  I sighed heavily. Okay…maybe he was just a nice guy and I was being a neurotic moron for no reason. I decided to have it out with him then and there. “Why are you talking to me, Ryan? Did the guys put you up to this? Because you can go and tell them I’m not falling for the prank.”

  “I am sorry?” He sounded truly puzzled. “There is no…prank. I am talking to you because I want to.”

  I glanced up at him and almost tripped over my own feet when I looked into those eyes. He seemed to be serious, and a bit upset, which took the wind right out of my sails. “Why me?” The question was out before I could stop it. I felt my face changing color again, so I did the next best thing and stared at my feet.

  “For the mere reason that I felt we could become friends. Which students were you referring to earlier, regarding the prank?”

  He had a slight frown on
his face, which started to affect my knees. I began moving backwards, slowly, hoping I wouldn’t trip over something.

  “Just Robert and his clowns. Nothing to worry about. Um…I have to go now. See you later.” Sid, on the other hand, seemed to be clinging to Ryan’s leg with no intention of letting go. I forced myself to move.

  “I will see you in Biology, Aislinn.”

  Ryan kept looking at me as I backed away. I tried to act casually, taking one last look at him before turning away. My eye caught quite a few people standing in their separate groups, staring at us. I had to admit, it felt good.

  I smiled at them all. Yup, Ryan Eames was talking to me. Eat your hearts out, you maggots.

  ~*~

  I was still unloading my backpack when Molly sat down next to me.

  I rolled my eyes. “First you sit in front of me and now you’re sitting next to me; big step for you, Molly. Aren’t you scared of what the other girls might say?”

  “Don’t be sarcastic with me. I’m not the others. Tell!” She was almost sitting in my lap.

  “He greeted me. Molly, you do realize I’m not going to tell you every little thing I learn about him, don’t you? You are the most popular girl in school. Why don’t you go talk to him yourself?”

  She stared at me as if I’d gone around the bend. “Firstly, a girl does not approach a guy. Secondly, don’t you know he has only spoken to you in this entire school? He hasn’t even talked to any of the guys. What do you make of that?”

  I smiled at her, my biggest smile. “He has brains and taste?”

  “Damn you, Aislinn.” Getting up, she returned to her loyal followers who were eagerly waiting the ‘new guy’ report.

  When I walked into Biology he was sitting at our table, drumming his fingers impatiently. As I neared, he rose up and pulled out my chair. I stood there, flabbergasted at first, and then moved slowly forward.

  “Thanks.”

  He stood very close; his hand still on my chair. “It is a pleasure.”