Chapter 16:
When Aldric gets me home, it is empty. "It's so quiet. I'm not used to it."
"I'll stay with you again, if you want." He says.
I nod, "Yes, I want you to stay. I'm not really tired right now, but you're welcome to go to sleep if you want."
He shakes his head, "No, I'll stay with you."
I smile, "Okay."
"Do you ever eat?" He asks. "You haven't eaten since I've met you. That's been like a week now."
I shrug, "I haven't actually thought about that. I'm not hungry though."
"Well I won't force you to eat. So, what do you do for fun?"
"I guess we could watch T.V." He nods and we sit on the couch. I grab the remote and flip to a local channel. The screen is black, "Okay, maybe we won't watch it."
"Does Skylark have control of the networks?"
I nod, "Yes, he did that a long time ago. That's the only way he can control what we watch, or what we learn. It's called dictatorship."
"I know." He shakes his head.
"Well, I guess I'm going to bed."
"Do you want me to come?" He asks.
"If you want." I say.
I guess he did want to, because he follows me. I sit at the end of the bed, and kick off my shoes. He sits down beside me, and just looks at me. Then slowly he leans in, the closer he gets the faster my heart gets. Is he going to kiss me or bite me again? When his lips do touch mine it is like an explosion of emotion. His lips are soft, and I let my body melt into his, until I don't want to pull away. After a few seconds of bliss, he pulls away slowly, I see a look of guilt cross his face. "I'm sorry. That was wrong." He says.
"Why?" I ask.
He shakes his head, "Nothing." He stands up, and sits in the chair. "I'll sleep here."
I nod, and lay down on my bed, confused. I stay awake for what seems like hours. The next time I look up at the clock, it's midnight. I sit up and look over at Aldric still in the chair. He is in a deep sleep, so I slowly sit up on the edge of my bed, trying to be as quite as possible. But, of course, his eyes shoot open. "What's wrong?" He asks.
"Nothing, I just can't sleep." I say.
"Why? Are you having dreams?" He asks.
I shake my head, "I haven't fallen asleep yet, so I couldn't have dreams."
I stand up and walk to the window. I hear him rise up out of the chair, and he stands beside me, "I'm sorry. I know you're upset."
"I'm not upset. I just feel?confused. First, you tell me you have feelings for me, but when you act on them, you say it's wrong. It just doesn't make sense."
He sighs, "I know, but I don't think you would understand if you knew. I don't even completely understand it."
"Try to tell me then."
"You really need to get some sleep." He says ignoring what I said.
I shake my head, "Why don't you just explain it to me? Is it really that bad, or do you think I'm just not smart enough to get it?"
He sighs, "We'll talk about this later. You need sleep.
"Fine." I turn away from the window and go to my bed.
I guess I fall asleep this time, because I wake up at seven o'clock. Aldric is looking out the window, he looks deep in thought. I get up, go to the bathroom, and get dressed, not really sure what to wear I just put on jeans and a black t-shirt. As I walk back by my door I notice Aldric still hasn't moved. "Aldric, are you okay?"
I seem to pull him out of his own world, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was?thinking."
I nod and walk down the stairs. He follows, "Happy birthday." He says.
"Don't remind me. For once, I'm not excited."
"Today is the day that somehow you will be presented with a choice on whether to keep your powers, or not. What will you do?" He asks, sitting in one of the chairs at my table.
"I don't know yet." I say, getting a pot of water for the coffee.
"Well, we have to go soon. Will you be ready?"
I nod quietly.
There is complete chaos when we get there. People are getting weapons; people are ordering others to do stuff. Aldric looks out across them, "This is so out of order." He stands up on a chair, "Hey!" His voice is amplified ten times his normal sound. "What is going on here? Don't act like we have never been in a battle before. This isn't a big deal. The men we are going to fight are just humans. We can do this. Do not let the people who have died already die in vain." A roar erupts in the crowd. "Today we take the first step to our freedom!" The crowd gets louder with every word. He jumps off the chair. "How's that for a short and sweet pep talk?" He asks.
"Really good pep talk, but not Braveheart good."
He laughs, "Yeah well, no one can do as good as Mel Gibson."
I laugh, "Maybe if you had on a skirt."
He shakes his head, "It's called a kilt."
"Whatever." I laugh. We make our way through the crowds of people to the tent. A tall brown headed girl that looks like Aldric, and Allison are waiting for us.
"Hello, ladies. How are you doing this morning?" Aldric asks.
Allison is obviously still angry, because she just rolls her eyes. The tall girl smiles, "We are fine. Hi, Ren?e. My name is Bliss, I'm Aldric's sister."
"Oh, you're the one he consults about everything. I've heard a lot about you." I say.
She laughs, "Yes, we talk about everything. Have you seen your brother lately?"
I shake my head, "No, I haven't seen him since he stormed out the other night. Why?"
She takes a deep breath, "I think instead of him joining Skylark, like he wanted to, I think Skylark has him prisoner."
"Why would you think that? The last thing Jacob will let anyone do is control him." I say.
"Maybe, but wouldn't he have made a show about it if he wanted to get back at you?" Bliss asks.
I take a deep breath, "Well, we are attacking his mansion today. We can get him if he's there."
Bliss nods, "That's a good idea."
Aldric tells Allison and I to go train a little more, so Allison defiantly storms out of the tent. I slowly leave also. "Ready to train?" Chris asks running up to me.
I nod, "Yeah, but don't get upset when you get beaten by a girl."
"Only in your dreams, darling."