Fate Fixed (2 page)

Where would she sit in the cafeteria?

A sarcastic thought crossed her mind -
well at least I’ll
have
my new brothers to suffer with.
Maxim was almost nineteen and a year older than Lexie. The more approachable Alik was seventeen and Nicolai, the youngest, was going into

ninth grade. They could walk around town with her, hang out, do homework, and sniff her.

Seriously, the random act of smel ing people was too

weird. Ruby suggested they had al ergies, but Lexie could swear she felt each of them lean in beside her and take a
big whiff.

Rol ing her eyes, she snickered at their weirdness – she either had bad taste in perfume or they were part beagle.

If it turned out her new brothers were the only ones to hang out with, she would spend al of her time locked in her bedroom until she could escape to a residential col ege far away from Moosevil e.

Lexie closed up the final box beside her bed. In the two hours since she had awoken, she managed to pack away

the remainders of her life: her pajamas, toiletries, and even her weird Garfield slippers which were a gift from Liz. She wrapped her most prized possession in newspaper and set it gently into the case. It was a picture of her dad holding her when she was in the third grade. It was the only photo she had of just the two of them together. If anything

happened to it, she knew she would lose it.

Twisting her light brown hair up into a ponytail, she pul ed on a pair of low rise jeans and her favorite Seconds to Mars Echelon t-shirt. No point dressing up when you’re going to be in the car for hours. This time tomorrow she would be

awakening to her life in purgatory as a Maine resident, but for today she was determined to leave Connecticut on her
for today she was determined to leave Connecticut on her terms.

Heading down the stairs to the barren kitchen, she could see al the essentials were packed and loaded aside for a few Styrofoam cups and plastic spoons on the counter by the coffee pot. Lexie poured herself a steaming cup ful and inhaled the rich aroma. She and Liz had been drinking the brew in secret since they were twelve, but only recently did she start helping herself to a mug at home. Her mom had never al owed minors to drink the caffeinated beverage, but lately Ruby had become a lot more lenient. Drinking coffee was just one smal gain in a life fil ed with too many losses.

The fridge was empty, not a new occurrence with four

males now under her roof. In the last two weeks her

hummus and string cheese had been replaced with family sized packages of pork chops and rib eye steaks. But,

after scanning the kitchen, al that could be found to eat for breakfast was a package of glazed donuts sitting on the counter. On closer inspection of the box, she noticed it was empty except for a few crumbs.

The house was silent. After al of the noise and the chaos of the morning, they pul ed out rather quickly. Peeking through the doorway into the living room, she could see there was nothing left to be loaded onto the U-Haul except for her things

upstairs and the sleeping bags the boys had been using for the last two weeks since moving from White Plains.

Returning to the counter, she leaned over the Formica to look out the window at the driveway. She hoped to find it empty.

Lexie grinned at the fantasy of them moving to Maine

without her. But the moving van was stil parked in the driveway and only her mom’s Prius was gone.
They must
have gone to
breakfast.

With the sudden wedding and subsequent move, Ruby had

been acting forgetful and high strung over the last few weeks. Before Dragos entered her life, Ruby never would have left without tel ing Lexie or leaving a note. Her mother was usual y very warm and thoughtful, even a bit of a

helicopter-parent. She was constantly hovering over her and El a, making sure they were always comfortable and had plenty to eat. Lexie sighed with reluctance; she knew her mother was just trying to adjust to managing a large family.

A sense of unease blanketed her as the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

I am not alone….

Turning slowly, she found Maxim standing behind her.

His penetrating gaze fixed on her as she looked up into his hard face.

Did he just smell my head?

For a brief moment, his expression softened and he

appeared almost curious before masking it with his usual aloofness. Unsure how to respond to his proximity, Lexie questioned if he could possibly get any creepier.

Feeling awkward, she stepped to the side and pretended to warm her coffee by adding more steaming Joe to the

flimsy cup.

“You weren’t up with the rest of us,” he chastised.

He looked at her like she was a confusing word problem, one that was impossible to solve. His brows furrowed and his steel grey eyes examined her own for some sort of

explanation.

Oddly, she realized that he was not an ugly guy, just

menacing.

Should I be nervous or should I be pissed off? He won’t
get violent...would he?

In the short time they shared their residence, Lexie had not seen him hit his brothers, but she had not spent any time with them without the folks around. His blond hair looked damp as if he had just showered, so maybe he was not

ready to leave either.

Lexie bit back her tongue although she wanted to tel him to go play in the street with moving cars. What she did or did not do wasn’t going to become a concern of his. Up until then, she had been trying to be exceptional y nice. It was a long drive to Maine and they were supposed to “bond” and “attach” and al

of her mom’s other social-worker terms, but he was

pressing his luck.

“Yeah,” she mumbled into the tasteless coffee, “I didn’t sleep wel .” Her face reddened with a mixture of

embarrassment and anger. “So, why didn’t you go with

them?” she tried redirecting the attention away from herself.

“I waited for you. You need to eat before we leave.” He grumbled and tilted his big head to the side. Lexie was almost touched by his thoughtfulness until he blurted, “It’s a long trip and we won’t be stopping a lot. I’l drive you in my father’s Jeep. No more time should be wasted.”

Maxim stood too close for Lexie’s comfort.
He’s totally
invading my purple circle
. He outweighed her by a hundred pounds and she knew the extra was al muscle.

Until standing so close to him, she never realized how big he was. What did Dragos feed him when he was a baby,

Miracle Grow? Nicolai and Alik were both tal too, but they didn’t have Maxim’s mass.

“Ah, that’s nice Max, but I thought I would stop by Liz’s house before we leave and say goodbye. I’l eat there.”

His expression was unreadable, but she noticed his hands clench into tight fists as he twisted away from her without saying another word. Seizing the opportunity to flee, she grabbed her cel phone and bolted out the backdoor, text messaging Liz on the way to meet at their halfway mark for old time’s sake.

She shrugged off Maxim’s bad mood. Instead, Lexie

contemplated her neighborhood while trying to memorize every single detail of each house, tree and yard. It had not changed much in the years she lived there, yet as she

moved along she could not help but feel like she was

seeing it al new for the first time. Would she remember it?

Lexie saw her best friend rounding the corner next to the
Lexie saw her best friend rounding the corner next to the park. Her tal , lithe figure looked stylish in the al black ensemble that was truly a Liz original. Her smile had not changed one bit since the day they became best friends in the fifth grade.

Looking at Liz, warmth fil ed her heart when she realized one certainty in life – her friendship with Liz and their shared adventures would always be a central aspect of her life. Just like the memories of her father and his smile and what it was like to have him as her dad, it was al a part of who she was – even the emptiness once he was gone.

Although Lexie did not want to leave her hometown, she wanted to see her mom content. If Ruby’s happiness meant she had to move to the moose capitol and have aliens for stepbrothers, then that was what she would do. Lexie knew deep inside she could cope with the transition if she had to, it would not be the hardest thing she had ever done.

Her eyes met Liz’s. Lexie smirked and then gave a brave smile. They both pledged to not dwel on the fact that she was leaving. They had done nothing but that for weeks and did not want to spend their last morning together repeating the same conversations. It was time to begin planning new memories.

Torin’s sleep had been restless. When he awoke, his

sheets were in a tangle around him and he was damp with perspiration. The closer he got to the change, the harder it was to sleep through the night. For weeks he had tried to at least get in three or four hours, but sleep eluded him until the early hours of the morning.

Had he real y dreamed of her again? Her skin was soft and her long caramel hair felt like silk when it ran through his fingers. It was her eyes, a deep green with flecks of gold, which struck him – they had the power to keep him

dreaming of her over.

Frustrated he climbed out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was only eighteen, though he knew he looked much older. He was muscled and lean, with defined broad shoulders and a mature face framed by his dark, chestnut hair.

His blue eyes seemed more acute every day and his

hearing amplified. Ful of power, he was becoming the hunter he was meant to be.

Braden, who was the oldest by six months, had already

made the change and he said it was the best possible pain you could ever imagine. Torin doubted he would turn out as wel as his cousin. Braden did not look much different on the outside, maybe tal er with more build, but Torin could see the evolution of his mood, gate, and speed. Although their elders, including Torin’s father, were exceptional themselves – it was as if his cousin had discovered an untouched energy source that was more impressive than

any of them anticipated.

After a few short months, Braden was already hunting with Donovan and the others. Braden was one of Torin’s closest

friends. He always knew that when it came time for Braden to make the change, his cousin wouldn’t give into the

temptation to fol ow the darkness. Even during the final phase, when it was hardest to resist, he knew Braden

would master his blood thirst.

Torin simply wished that he had the same confidence in himself and his younger cousins, Cian and Teagan. The

three of them were so different from Braden. The eldest
was a natural born leader from the time they were young up until they graduated from the smal private school their parents had them attend in Nova Scotia.

Torin didn’t share Braden’s enthusiasm over what and who they were. He hated that he had no control over his future and that he could just cease to exist without thoughts and desires, living only to hurt others. His entire life he was forced to remain distant from outsiders, pretending to be something he wasn’t, with only his cousins and family to turn to. Now that he was eighteen, the finality of the change would be coming over

him and once again he would be restricted to the caged life his ancestors imprisoned him in.

What Torin could not understand, was why he was

dreaming of her. It went against the order of things. She exuded innocence and kindness, so different than how he felt inside.

Every time she touched him, he could feel his own body ease and meld into hers.

Anger began to simmer just under his skin – maybe it was a cruel guise and she was going to be his downfal . After al , it always ended the same way. She ran to him with such readiness, without any alarm and just after he embraces
her, she screams in horror…Maybe he wil feed on her and unleash his own damnation.

If she knew what I was capable of, she would run in
horror
all right.

He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. No time for trying to find sleep now. She was out there somewhere

awakening to the sun streaming through her windows. He

wondered if she thought of him during those first few

moments of consciousness, confused as to why she was

dreaming of him, too.

Maybe she will think of me today.

Torin gathered his clothes from his closet and headed to the shower. He might as wel make good use of what was left of his time. It would be his turn to face his fate soon enough. He would see if his fate was fixed, or if he could control his destiny.

He didn’t want to hurt her – he just wanted some of her gentleness in his life. If she was his, he could hear the ring of her laughter and learn what she found exciting. He would spend eternity discovering if being with her for real was as wonderful as his imagination, or better.

The dream’s ending stil bothered him. He couldn’t harm her though, as much as the dream left him cautious.

Besides, if he fed on anyone, then Braden and the others would have to hunt him down and kil him. He felt sick with dread just thinking of

it. If that time came, he would try to find the ones already cursed to darkness and kil a few of them first.

Without even having to discuss it, the two friends began to walk towards their favorite coffee shop. Lexie was

determined not to cry, she just wanted to share a muffin with Liz like it was any other Tuesday morning.

It was in the seventh grade when Liz was the ‘new kid’

in school that the two became best friends. None of the other girls in class would sit next to her because she was different with her nails painted black and a
Buffy the
Vampire Slayer
novel always in her hands. Lexie found Liz intriguing; she seemed different than al of the other girls
who looked alike in their matching pastel getups.