Sarah looked up at the big clock hanging from the bright ceiling for the third time. Four-and-a-half. If everything went as planned they’d be boarding in less than thirty minutes.
As soon as they’d arrived at the airport she’d bought a suitcase, where they’d stuck the few clothes they brought with them. Then she’d anxiously went to buy their tickets, only to be informed that the next vacant flight departed at five thirty to Los Angeles, not Las Vegas as it had been her intention. Still she had bought the tickets, promising Selena that, once in Los Angeles, they’d find a way to fly to Las Vegas. The important thing was to leave Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
They’d had lunch at the airport's cafeteria and visited all the stores more than once.
However, as the scheduled time approached, her anxiety had also started to grow. Because, besides the fact they were about to leave all they knew behind, the sun was also about to set, outside. Her biggest fear was that their flight might be delayed, which would place, not only herself, but Selena in danger, as well. And that was something she’d promised herself she’d never allow to happen again.
Selena came back from the information counter with a smile on her face.
“Everything’s on schedule. There are no delays. Our flight will be departing on time,” she informed and Sarah sighed relieved. To think that something might actually go well, for a change, she thought. All she wanted was a normal, mundane life, where people slept at night and went out during the day, where they used their hands to open doors and where no one disappeared into thin air.
The sudden wave of emotions that flooded her brain, completely ignoring her mental defenses, made her jump to her feet and look around urgently. Until she noticed the dark figure stumbling and staggering, as he leaned against a wall to stop himself from falling.
Her heart beat painfully against her chest and, without a second thought, she grabbed their suitcase, holding Selena by the hand, and dragged them both away from that place.
“Sarah? What’s wrong?” Selena asked stumbling on the floor, unable to understand what had just happened, but Sarah didn’t slow down, nor turned back to look at her.
“Hush, be quiet!” she rebuked between clenched teeth and knew without even looking the precise moment his eyes found her, alerted by the young girl’s voice.
“Sarah!!” His shout made her shudder, echoing all over, making her blush from embarrassment and anger, but still she didn’t look back. “Sarah! Please listen to me!”
“Sarah? He’s calling you,” Selena reinforced trying hard to keep up with her sister’s furious footsteps; as if she could have ever missed that echoing shout. “And he doesn’t look well …” she added, sounding worried now, and Sarah clenched her teeth squeezing the girl’s hand even harder.
“Be quiet, Selena!” she growled as the black figure kept insistently calling her name.
A wave of murmurs surrounded her as she walked by, when people started to realize that she was the reason behind that mindless shouting. The pain and despair in his voice ruthlessly pierced her mind, resonating with her own pain that she’d been trying so hard to hide in the deepest parts of her being. The light of the day had to be hurting him beyond anything she could ever imagine, but still she refused to feel the slightest trace of pity for him.
“But Sarah …” Selena stumbled again while looking back, and Sarah pulled her forward, preventing her from stopping.
“We have to get out of here, as soon as …” The words died on her lips when a deep, dark anger overcame all other emotions.
Suddenly the world around them grew darker, as if someone had covered the lamps and ceiling skylights with black veils. The sound of small gasps and screams, some of surprise others of fear, begun echoing everywhere, making her stop and finally look back. She was completely stunned, watching how long shadows were slowly spreading through the floor and walls, disintegrating tables and chairs into piles of black dust. The people closest to the strange event kept stepping back with surprised exclamations, avoiding the ever growing darkness. And, in the middle of all those shadows, kneeling on the shiny tile floor, was him, his head down, his loose hair falling over his face.
The wave of anger that took over her was as intense as the one emanating from him, and Sarah let go of Selena and their suitcase, covering the distance between them in an even faster pace.
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What in hell was he thinking? Wasn’t he supposed to keep all things concerning his Race a secret? Weren’t they supposed to avoid direct contact with Humans? And what was he doing destroying public property just like that, in front of dozens of witnesses?! What if he ended up hurting someone? What then?
Sarah didn’t even think about what she was doing as she kept walking, stepping on one of the shadows that had just disintegrated a garbage bin. But the instant she did so a clearing of light open beneath her feet, as if the darkness were unable to touch her or simply feared her too much to do so.
“Alexis! What the hell are you doing?!” she demanded, stopping right in front of him, noticing how his whole body shook uncontrollably, his breathing heavy and dragged, and he raised his head to look up at her.
“If you won’t even listen to me then nothing else matters anymore … I rather destroy everything.”
The wrath that took over her made her blood boil and she raised her hand, hitting him hard across the face. His sunglasses flew from his nose, sliding across the floor until they too were turned into black dust, and Alexis took one hand to his reddened cheek, too stunned to even talk, as he looked up at her.
“Stop it this instant!” Sarah demanded in a perfect expression of fury and the shadows started to slowly recede as if he’d called them back. “How dare you? How much arrogant can you be? If you have a problem just deal with it! Don’t involve other people that have nothing to do with you!” She stopped as she noticed his bright gaze, still dumbfound, slowly crystallizing, as if the small points of light in his eyes were expanding and connecting until they seemed made of ice.
“I just wanted you to hear me out …” he whispered and then Selena was at her side, hugging her arm, transmitting her that peaceful feeling she always felt in her company.
“Sarah … everyone’s looking …” she whispered and those few words were enough to help her restore some measure of self-control.
“Go home, Alexis. It’s still too early for you to be outside,” she declared coldly, taking one step back, and he lowered his head once more.
“I won’t go anywhere unless you come with me …”
“Just stop it! Stop being selfish!” she rebuked between clenched teeth so she wouldn’t shout at him again, and his arms shook under his weight.
“I don’t care … I just want you to listen to me …” he insisted in a whisper and Selena squeezed her arm once again.
“Sarah, why not give him a chance? We can always catch the next flight to Las Vegas. We keep standing here like this and someone might call the police,” she pointed out, looking around at the dozens of faces changing whispers between them as they watched with interest the drama unfolding right before their eyes, and Sarah frowned.
Selena was right, she thought wishing it wasn’t so. Besides, ending up getting involved with the cops was definitely a big no, taking into account the already difficult process of custody she had to face in court. With a sigh she gently tapped Selena’s hand and looked down at Alexis, his head still hanging.
“Fine,” she conceded and he seemed to stop breathing, expectantly. “Go home, Alexis. Selena and I will meet you there,” she told him and he immediately raised his head with a hopeful expression, even though his gaze seemed strangely distant.
“Swear it, Sarah! Swear that you’ll really come back!” he demanded, urgently, and she sighed again.
“I swear,” she conceded and turned her back on him, pulling Selena by the hand, refusing to look back one single time.
Selena followed her in silence, dragging their suitcase behind her, although the people they walked by kept whispering under their breath.
Once back on the streets Sarah stopped the first cab that passed by and, leaving their small suitcase in the driver’s care, they slid inside the car, closing the door that seemed to isolate them from the world of noise and emotions bustling outside.
“You like him,” the younger girl declared and Sarah faced her with an outraged expression, since that hadn’t even been a question.
“What are you talking about?”
“Alexis, of course. Or have you already forgotten the idiot that knelt in the middle of the airport shouting your name?” she asked ironically and Sarah took a deep breath, looking out the window.
Her life had always been like that, she thought. She on the inside and the normal world on the other side of the window. And, no matter how hard she’d tried to open the window, the world that had greeted her was never a welcoming one … Until someone had surprised her. Because, contrary to all the others, that someone had not appeared from the outside … That someone didn’t even know what a window was.
“This is not the time for stuff like that,” she firmly declared. “And even if it were. Alexis’ world is just too complex and we need to focus on rebuilding our lives. Besides he doesn’t even feel anything special for me.” Except despise …
“That was hardly what it looked like,” Selena insisted.
“He’s just being absurdly childish! Throwing a tantrum just because he lost one of his toys,” Sarah retorted ironically and Selena took a deep breath.
“Sure I don’t know him all that well … But Sarah, he really doesn’t look the type that would cry over a toy. He looks more like someone ready to fight for what he really wants, to the last consequences.”
Sarah kept her silence, since the driver had gotten back in the car and that wasn’t the kind of conversation she’d want to have in front of a stranger. But still Selena’s words echoed persistently in her mind, progressively aggravating her already inflamed irritation.
Ah! That could even be true! If he only knew what he wants!