Gravity by M. Leighton

feigning surprise at seeing Lacey.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked, wide-eyed.
    “I’m gonna help Brady with his Physics homework.”
    “Physics?  But Brady you get—”
    “What’s for dinner tonight, P?  Maybe Lacey can stay and eat, since she’s being nice enough to help me out.”
    I nearly laughed out loud at Brady’s expression.  His eyes were warning me to go along with his ruse, not to ruin his plan.
    Plan?  What plan? I thought, suddenly overcome with the urge to snort.  This pathetic attempt at subterfuge?  Pa-lease!
    Lacey was glaring at me as well, her eyes promising me torture and revenge of epic proportions if I messed up her chance to spend time with Brady.  It was then that I sobered to the situation.  I could very well lose everyone that I loved in my life because of whatever untold events had happened that night under the waning light of the slowly-disappearing moon.
    “Spaghetti,” I answered softly, all the humor with which I’d seen the situation suddenly gone, leaving me feeling anxious and afraid.  “We’re having spaghetti.  And of course Lacey can stay,” I said turning to her.  “She’s my best friend in the world.”
    Lacey’s expression softened and she bumped me with her shoulder. 
    “Are you trying to make me cry?” she teased.
    I smiled, feeling very tearful myself at that moment.  “Nope, not at all.”
    “Good,” she said brightly, reaching for Brady’s arm.  “We’ll be in his bedroom.  Studying.”
    I wondered if everyone in the room heard the air quotes that Lacey practically mimed around the word studying .  With that tone, she all but winked at me.  And I would’ve been happy for her and amused by her behavior if it had been anybody but my brother she was putting in danger.  Well, no, I could never be okay with knowingly putting someone in or allowing them to be put into danger, but it certainly would’ve been easier to swallow if it hadn’t been Brady.
    They were just starting off down the hall when I spoke up.
    “Actually, spaghetti doesn’t take very long, so I think I’ll do my homework before supper, too.”
    Neither Brady nor Lacey argued, although I thought they both probably wanted to.  My room was right next to Brady’s, very much within earshot of whatever went on in his room.
    With a satisfied smile, I followed them back and then proceeded on past Brady’s door to my own.  I left my door ajar so I could hear better.  Of course, I got absolutely nothing done within the confines of my room; I was too busy listening for signs of distress coming from Brady’s.
    I was just closing the book I was pretending to work out of when I began to feel an unusual hunger gnawing at my stomach.  At first, I thought it was just my body naturally signaling the proximity of meal time.  But when my stomach growled, I realized that I felt two separate, very distinct kinds of hunger.  One was related to the need for food, for physical nourishment.  The other was a thirst for something else.  It was a physical need, yes, very similar to hunger, but there was another element to it, a ravenous quality that seemed to originate somewhere in my soul.  As soon as I recognized the difference, I plunged headfirst into worry.
    I’d felt it before.  A couple of times.  And I knew what was coming.
    Bolting into the hall, I flung open Brady’s door just in the nick of time.   He and Lacey were facing each other on the bed, their knees nearly touching, each leaning forward.  They were just about to kiss when I burst in.  That’s not what scared me, though.  What scared me was that Lacey’s plumage had already erupted from her back and Brady’s skin had turned that sickly gray I’d seen before.  Both were panting heavily, although they hadn’t even touched yet.  I could feel their thirst for each other, something far more potent than physical desire.  I didn’t know if they even knew that it wasn’t desire they were feeling.  I