belongings, but as she swung open the door she saw that nothing
appeared to have been touched. From her grandmother’s handmade
quilt to father’s photograph sitting on the table near her bed, it
was all there. Even her laptop still sat on her desk where she’d
left it.
She plopped down on the bed, pressed one of
her many colorful pillows to her face and screamed until her throat
ached from the strain. Her gut wrenched as she turned on her side
and drew the pillow into her chest with knotted fists, letting the
tears flow freely—again.
Several hours passed and the room grew
darker. The house felt like a tomb—so quiet and cold. The only
sound came from the tree branches just outside her window, brushing
against the house as if dragging its sharp claws up the length of
her spine. She shivered to the core, but lay still, not daring to
move. She couldn’t, fearing that what was left of her world would
crumble around her.
Chapter Fourteen
Kira skipped school on Friday. By Saturday
she was more than upset with Lydia. She hadn’t heard a word from
her. She thought the least Lydia could do is send Octavion to tell
her she was okay, or maybe a, “ Hey, thanks for saving my
freakin’ life. ” But nothing.
When Sunday morning came, the anger turned to
depression and Kira didn’t want to get out of bed. She lay there,
barely alert, wishing she could get in touch with Lydia. Her lack
of contact made Kira feel abandoned all over again.
When she finally peeled her quilt back and
slid out of bed, it was almost ten. The last thing she expected to
find when she stepped into the living room was Lydia perched on the
arm of the couch with a smile on her face. She had on her usual
worn-out pair of blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and she’d
kicked off her boots, making herself at home.
“You really should lock your door,” Lydia
said. “A stranger could walk right in.”
Kira had spent the past two days thinking
about this moment—wondering how she would react when she was
finally able to talk to Lydia. The anger she felt didn’t surprise
her. “Strangers, I can handle. It’s my friends I have to
worry about.” Kira knew by Lydia’s expression that her words cut
deep, but she didn’t care.
“I guess I deserved that,” Lydia said.
Kira turned without a word and went back into
the bedroom. She sat on the bed, and pulled the covers over her
legs just as Lydia appeared in the doorway.
“Look, Kira. I know this all seems strange,
but I didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what, Lydia? Sorry you lied to me?
Sorry you got me involved in your secret little life, or sorry you
abandoned me and left me here to deal with all this crap by
myself?”
“All of the above.” Lydia sat across from
Kira on the bed. “I knew you were overwhelmed with everything that
happened. I just figured you could use the time to regain your
strength and let everything sink in.”
Kira shook her head. “You were wrong. What I
needed was a friend . What I needed were answers to all my
questions and someone to talk to about the crap that’s going on in my life.”
Lydia nodded slowly. “I can see that by how
upset you are. I really am sorry.”
“And is it true that you can hear my
thoughts? Because I even tried that. Where were you?”
Lydia looked down at her hands. “It’s
complicated.”
Kira huffed out the air in her lungs and
threw her hands up. “And you don’t think my life is
complicated?”
“I just don’t know what to say.”
Kira let the tension in her body relax a
little when she saw her friend struggling with Kira’s anger. She
had to admit she was glad to finally see Lydia, but letting her
know that was difficult. “So, where’s your brother ?”
“He’s my half-brother, actually. We have
different mothers.” Lydia flashed her crooked smile. “You don’t
like him very much, do you?”
Kira grabbed the pillow of the bed and hugged
it to her chest. “I don’t
appeared to have been touched. From her grandmother’s handmade
quilt to father’s photograph sitting on the table near her bed, it
was all there. Even her laptop still sat on her desk where she’d
left it.
She plopped down on the bed, pressed one of
her many colorful pillows to her face and screamed until her throat
ached from the strain. Her gut wrenched as she turned on her side
and drew the pillow into her chest with knotted fists, letting the
tears flow freely—again.
Several hours passed and the room grew
darker. The house felt like a tomb—so quiet and cold. The only
sound came from the tree branches just outside her window, brushing
against the house as if dragging its sharp claws up the length of
her spine. She shivered to the core, but lay still, not daring to
move. She couldn’t, fearing that what was left of her world would
crumble around her.
Chapter Fourteen
Kira skipped school on Friday. By Saturday
she was more than upset with Lydia. She hadn’t heard a word from
her. She thought the least Lydia could do is send Octavion to tell
her she was okay, or maybe a, “ Hey, thanks for saving my
freakin’ life. ” But nothing.
When Sunday morning came, the anger turned to
depression and Kira didn’t want to get out of bed. She lay there,
barely alert, wishing she could get in touch with Lydia. Her lack
of contact made Kira feel abandoned all over again.
When she finally peeled her quilt back and
slid out of bed, it was almost ten. The last thing she expected to
find when she stepped into the living room was Lydia perched on the
arm of the couch with a smile on her face. She had on her usual
worn-out pair of blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and she’d
kicked off her boots, making herself at home.
“You really should lock your door,” Lydia
said. “A stranger could walk right in.”
Kira had spent the past two days thinking
about this moment—wondering how she would react when she was
finally able to talk to Lydia. The anger she felt didn’t surprise
her. “Strangers, I can handle. It’s my friends I have to
worry about.” Kira knew by Lydia’s expression that her words cut
deep, but she didn’t care.
“I guess I deserved that,” Lydia said.
Kira turned without a word and went back into
the bedroom. She sat on the bed, and pulled the covers over her
legs just as Lydia appeared in the doorway.
“Look, Kira. I know this all seems strange,
but I didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what, Lydia? Sorry you lied to me?
Sorry you got me involved in your secret little life, or sorry you
abandoned me and left me here to deal with all this crap by
myself?”
“All of the above.” Lydia sat across from
Kira on the bed. “I knew you were overwhelmed with everything that
happened. I just figured you could use the time to regain your
strength and let everything sink in.”
Kira shook her head. “You were wrong. What I
needed was a friend . What I needed were answers to all my
questions and someone to talk to about the crap that’s going on in my life.”
Lydia nodded slowly. “I can see that by how
upset you are. I really am sorry.”
“And is it true that you can hear my
thoughts? Because I even tried that. Where were you?”
Lydia looked down at her hands. “It’s
complicated.”
Kira huffed out the air in her lungs and
threw her hands up. “And you don’t think my life is
complicated?”
“I just don’t know what to say.”
Kira let the tension in her body relax a
little when she saw her friend struggling with Kira’s anger. She
had to admit she was glad to finally see Lydia, but letting her
know that was difficult. “So, where’s your brother ?”
“He’s my half-brother, actually. We have
different mothers.” Lydia flashed her crooked smile. “You don’t
like him very much, do you?”
Kira grabbed the pillow of the bed and hugged
it to her chest. “I don’t
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