The Truth Lies Beneath Your Eyes (12 page)

“Happy birthday! It was my idea!” Alex
beamed. She looked up at the huge tree in the middle of the
park.

“Where is it?” She asked.

“It’s hidden with a charm I had made,” Alias
said looking down at his feet.
Alias has been acting weird ever
since that day of school. He’s been acting all shy and more awkward
than usual. Then again, I guess that the whole me going out with
his brother thing is a step in itself to deal with so…I guess it
will take time until were back to whatever we used to call
normal.
They phase up into the tree and then are inside the
tree house full of comic books and posters.

“That’s so freaking cool!!! Thanks Alex!” she
exclaims. Then there was this dizzying noise and crippling
heat.

“You okay? You look flushed” Christophe asked
distracted by something but Amethyst could only hear her heartbeat
pounding in her ears and then her head hitting the wood floor.

Snow, snow, snowing. The forest covered in a
blanket of white and I’m so hot. I’m laying in the snow looking up
at the sky and I can’t see anything worth it and then I’m being
buried in snow. Then, there are prickles on my skin that go from a
tickle to a stabbing pain and then the sky flashes bright and the
burying stops and the burning stops and I’m standing and everything
is brighter and clearer and I feel stronger but I’m crying so hard
even though I feel myself smiling. My head hurt so bad and I’m not
talking and can’t make any noise and I wish I could because I would
scream until somebody heard me, until I burst my eardrums, until
whatever the ache that I wish I couldn’t feel began to melt away. I
see Christophe lying on the ground.

“
You can have my heart,” he says
weakly.

“
What?” I don’t understand what he’s
talking about.

“
You will die without it, take my heart…I
don’t need it” Christophe smiles at me but it still makes no sense
and then I see him pick a box cutter out his pocket and gash an X
into his chest which is bare and wet with snow and now
bleeding.

“
I don’t need that! What makes you think I
need that!?” I yell but I feel my eyes burn at the sight and it
tempts me.

“
Your eyes…and Alias…and I- don’t deserve
to-to-be here. I’m a waste of a second chance, at least if I give
my heart to you; I know that it won’t go to waste” He sighs,
letting the blood rush from him. I lick at the wound with tears
streaming down my face and then…black. When I looked back there
were bone and the clothes I had put on this morning were covered in
blood and there was this insane taste on my tongue and I laid back
in the snow and there was no more hurt for a moment and the snow
melted when I laid upon i. Then I saw Alex, crying and Alias
staring blankly between me and the skeleton and I realized what I
had done but I couldn’t cry or talk but I knew I felt sorry or…that
I should but…I couldn’t, I didn’t. I mean..I loved him, didn’t I? I
ruined a family and took a life, right? And then Alex said,

“
What happened to the superhero?! I warned
you! I knew it was a bad idea!” He screamed. I stared at him and
then looked toward Alias,

“
I don’t blame you, It isn’t your fault I
told you, I told them all…and then for a minute you know, I thought
you were different and i- just…I told you to stay away from him
Ami,” And then he hugged me and all I could offer him was my now
sharp toothed smile.

“My throat burns,” I say hoarsely.

“Your okay!!!” I can hear my mom yell but
officially have no idea where I am, so I open my eyes.
A
hospital? Why am I in a hospital?! What the hell just happened?
She thought. I look around the room and see all the guys sitting in
chairs across the room. I look at my blouse covered in blood as
well as my tie. I look across the room at Christophe with the look
of
‘what the fuck?’
and he looks back at me carefully.

“You spent 20 minutes blacked out and
coughing up blood” he says softly.
Happy birthday to me,
I
think and then lay my head back down, I’m dizzy.

Chapter 20

We all scream for Ice Cream

That was scary…she was talking and then,
It looked like a horror movie scene,
He thought. Alias watched
her from across the room, at her now talking to her mom.

“Baby you are spaghetti, let’s go, I’m ready
Tirame por el blackberry, Vamos en el ferry…be happy, don’t worry.
Watagatapitusberry!!!” Alex yells from the corner of the room
looking toward Amethyst who starts laughing.

“Ouch!” She groans still smiling.

“Sorry, its just that the silence got to be
too much for me,” He smiles. Amethyst’s mom looks

concerned for her daughter as well as
confused by all of us.

“So who are you boys?” She asks.

Christophe stands up first, “My name is
Christophe Cardei and these are my brothers Alias and Alexander,”
He says and we all wave.

“Well it’s nice to meet you boys…may I ask
though what was going on before-uh-this happened?” She asks.

“We were in the tree house that we built her
for her birthday and she was laughing one second and then she
looked kind of faint but before we could do anything..well…you know
what happened,” Alex says.

“Oh…okay. How exactly do you know her so
well?” She asks us. I can see Amethyst staring at me intently with
the
‘don’t say anything stupid’
glare.

“From school,” Christophe and i say in
unison. Ms. Alexander glance shifts towards Alex.

“By association with my brothers and the fact
that I go to the middle school in the building,” He says. Ms.
Alexander laughs and we all stand confused.

“So you must be her boyfriend, one of you
two,” she says.

“Mom!!!” Amethyst squeaks.

“Hmm, so now you can talk huh?” Ms. Alexander
says, “So I must be right, so who is it? One of you must be the
explanation of the charm bracelet she refuses to take off,” She
says smiling. “That…would be me. Pleased to meet you Ms. Alexander”
He says softly.

“Same here, I was beginning to wonder who she
must have been talking two on the phone in the middle of the
night,” She says. Both Amethyst and Christophe tense and then
relax.

“How about the three of you come over for
dinner tonight?” She offers politely.

“Mom, are you sure about that?” She says
quietly.

“Yeah, the doctors said theres no sign of
tearing or lacerations in your throat anywhere and that you look
perfectly healthy, actually so you can go home straight away,” she
says.

“And on that note, lets go” Amethyst says
hopping out of the bed noticing they cleaned her shirt and tie.

“So, have you two kissed yet?” Ms. Alexander
asks.

“Mom, really!?” Amethyst squeaks.

“That’s a yes,” She concludes.

Amethyst rolls her eyes and then looks toward
Alex, “My iPod? Glad to know to you care! What are you listening
to?” She asks.

“Um…that song by Ke$ha about being a lovesick
crack-head” He laughs.

“Where’s my present?” Amethyst asks
Impatiently.

“Sitting in the living room, Ami” Her mom
answers quickly.

“Open the door, you’re presents from me are
on the couch,” Ms. Alexander says. Amethyst runs inside and we
follow close behind.
Oh shit,
He thought. On the couch were
two things, A new electric guitar, and Amethyst’s father

“That’s your dad Amethyst, he called and said
he was flying in and wanted to see how you had grown, I thought
it’d be a fun surprise along with the guitar,” Ms. Alexander
beamed. Alias knew the look that washed over Amethyst’s face. A mix
of anger mixed with terror that turned in to more anger when her
father looked at her and said,

“Daddy’s little girl”. She squeezed her eyes
shut. Alias knew that meant her eyes were flashing. “Mom this is
great!!!” She faked joy and enthusiasm flawlessly. She glanced over
toward Christophe, Alex and I. We all nodded in unison to a shared
thought,
you aren’t being left alone with him.

“Hey mom? Me and Sunny didn’t get to hang out
yet so can the guys and I all go hang out with her in the tree
house?” She asks innocently.

“Oh sure! Just be back in time for dinner
kids”, she smiles. And with that all four of us are out the door
and In the tree house.

“What are we going to do?” Alex says.
Amethyst shrugs,

“You guys, I know this doesn’t sound like a
very normal thing for me to say but…there’s nothing we can do,” she
sighs.

“What are you talking about?” I half
growl.

“He’s my…father. My mom let him into our home
and I can’t tell her what happened in Romania. She either won’t
believe us or he will kill her and if he kills her…” She stops and
breathes in deep

“lets just say that you guy wont be the only
ones stuck here,” she says. We sit in silence for a moment before
Alex chimes in,

“What are we supposed to tell Sunny?” She
stares at him,

“She will know when she needs to.”

Chapter 21:

So do you like strawberry milkshakes too? I
do

“Amethyst!?” Her father is yelling her name.
She pokes her head out the tree house window and shrugs her
shoulders and I watch.

“Your mom said that we should spend some time
together, come with me for a walk would you? If it helps you can
bring your friends with you as well,” he yells up. She turns
sharply toward the boys.

“You three should stay here, or go home
or…just don’t come with me, okay?” Amethysts asks quietly but
seriously.

“No,” Christophe says faster then she can
process.

“Look, If I go with him and something crazy
happens…I can get to you, you would know. If all three of you guys
come hes going to ditch you anyways and you know it, I can read his
mind, he really just wants to talk and I’ll be back for dinner and
cake so just be here for that and I’ll let you all know what
happens, okay?” Amethyst says in a way that let them all know that
the subject isn’t up for discussion and then climbs down and out of
the tree house.
What the hell am I getting myself into?
She
thinks as she stands in front of her father.

“So how are you kid?” He says sounding
totally father-like, Amethyst didn’t give him a chance.
“Traumatized by you being here, thank you very much,” she says
angrily.

“Still with that caliber boy? I don’t
approve.” He shakes his head and we start walking. At this,
Amethyst laughs.

“Um okay, point one…he isn’t evil. Point two,
since when are you in any position to comment on my boyfriend?” He
sighs.

“I am your father, I don’t like him…I forbid
you do see him,” He says sternly. She laughs harder and stops
walking.

“Yeah right.” He glares at her with red eyes.
He really thinks that I’m going to listen to his commentary on
my boyfriend after being out of the picture since shit knows
when?
She thinks. “I’m serious, Amethyst Lyell Alexander…you
are not allowed to see that boy,” He growls.

“Some father you’ve been. I will continue
seeing him because to be completely honest, I don’t see you as a
father…I see you as a crazy person who kidnaps and tries to kill
children, human or not,” She says very calmly.

“I was trying to protect you my child,” He
says equally as calmly.

“From happiness? From humanity?” She asks.
“

From yourself, you were never supposed to
know what you are…you were supposed to live life as any other kid,”
he sighs.

“But I’m not,” she says.

“Tell me something, before these three boys
wandered into your life, did you ever
really
think you were
so different from most kids?” He asked.

“Apart from the purple eyes and the tendency
to break things, nope,” She sighed.

“That’s what I wanted, you away from this
spiraling death trap! But now you know things and of anybody to be
involved with, you get involved with the eldest son of those two-”
He stops. She feels her phone vibrate and picks it up
automatically, a call from Sunny.

“Hey sis, what’s up?” I say

“Happy birthday!!!!! Are you home?” She
asks

“I’m in the backyard in a new tree house,
come over?”

“Gimme five minutes” and then she hangs
up.

I stare at my dad for a moment knowing that
he going to continue trashing Christophe.

“I’m going home, okay?” She half asks.

“You know that I’m living in your house for
at least a week don’t you?” He replies.
Ah fuck!
She
thinks.

“Don’t curse; it’s unfit for a lady” He
smirks.

“Get out of my head!!!” She yells and looks
around the empty block and flies away.

She gets to the tree house about a minute
before Sunny.

“Happy bir- what’s the matter” she says
studying her expression briefly. Amethyst can’t think to slow down
at all.

“My dad is here and wants to kill my
boyfriend,” she says in one breath and then leans her back against
the wall. “

You’re dad?! What? I thought he like…died or
something! Kill Christophe? But he doesn’t even know him or you.”
She says.

“I’m a fallen angel, My dad is a demon,
Christophe and his brothers are fallen angels,” She said playing
with her hair.

“I always knew you were 20 types of weird,”
she laughs.

“You believe me?” She asks shocked.

“Why wouldn’t I? That’s not something you
would lie about, even more so because you look so seriously unhappy
on your birthday…so what’s the plan?” She asks.

“No idea,” She sighs.

Sunny is sleeping over, currently talking to
Angel on webcam. Cake was awesome and Christophe is leaning against
the wall talking to me while I’m zoning out because my dad is
sleeping in the guest room downstairs.

“So I guess you don’t want me here?” He asks
me.

“I do but, my dad is all like ‘ugh’ about you
and is so close that I bet he can hear us,” I mumble. Christophe
pins me and I squeak.