The Really Secret World of Alex Mack (Chapter 2)
Chapter II: A bond is rekindled...
The wind sweeps Annie's hair rudely across her face. The stiff breeze is tense and restless, like if it was signaling that a terrible storm was brewing somewhere in the horizon. To the brainy teenager, such a strange climate could be scientifically explained and not be mistaken to be a dark omen of things to come.
Somewhat annoyed, Annie brushes her hair aside with her fingers and tries hard to divert her gaze from the blazing sun burning unmercifully her focus. She needed it because her sister Alex could show up at any given moment.
It had been three days since they had had that argument about Alex's refusal to write down on the GC-161 journal all she knew about what her former evil twin did with her super powers. During those same three days, Alex had managed to avoid any verbal contact with her older sister.
Such attitude had only multiplied Annie's suspicions that something important was being kept secret from her. In addition, she was becoming very determined in getting Alex to come clean and confess at any cost.
As soon as she got home from her internship at the Plant, Annie stood in the front porch of the house gazing out toward the street. Specifically in the general direction where she figured Alex would appear.
She realised that stalking her sister in such a manner was an aggressive move. And taking aggressive moves could increase the danger of their parents becoming aware of their latest quarrel. She had to be careful.
Annie felt that it was very fortunate that everything had been carried out in a discreet manner so far. Alex was actually being helpful in keeping things below the parental radar.
For instance, Alex did not moved out of their room and taken refuge in the living room each night. Neither had she decided to take a self induce exile in the shed that was outside the house. Just as she had done the last time they had argued.
It was apparent to Annie that her sister did not wanted to cause mom and dad any unnecessary grief. And for that, Annie was thankful.
Nevertheless, Annie felt that it was very important that she could find out why Alex was keeping secrets from her. And how it was possible that those same secrets could so severely damage the bond that had always existed between them. She desperately needed to take drastic steps to uncover the truth. No matter what happened, she was going to get a complete confession from Alex.
Presently, Annie closes her eyes as the wind picks up once again. Blowing her hair hard against her face. Some strands of hair hit her face so fiercely that they actually felt like tiny whips. The pain made Annie decide to pull it back into a simple pony tail at the base of her neck.
As she was performing that hairy operation, she heard the sounds of footsteps coming nearby. She could also hear familiar voices coming from the same direction.
"It must be Alex!" She muttered to herself.
She made her way to the front sidewalk to take a better look. Her heartbeat suddenly increased as she walked. She played nervously with her hands as she tried to investigate the source of the noises she had heard.
It was Alex all right. Ray Alvarado, her best friend, accompanied her. They were walking rather lazily side by side, talking with each other as they walked. Ray was holding Alex's backpack in front of him with his arms.
Annie went forward to intercept them in their path, as she yelled out her sister's name.
"Alex!"
As soon as she heard her sister calling, Alex's face stiffened and she quickly turned around to walk in the opposite direction. She also grabbed one of Ray's arms and ordered him to follow her.
"C'mon, Ray!"
"Ouch! What the...? Al!" Whined Ray in protest. Nevertheless, he did as Alex demanded. He followed Alex while keeping a sharp eye on Annie, who had increased the momentum of her strides in an effort to catch up with them.
"Alex! Wait!" Annie shouted as she saw them walk away from her.
Alex was unfazed by her sister yelling out to her and she continued to walk even faster without looking back. Ray tried to keep up with Alex despite the fact he was carrying both his and Alex's backpack at the same time.
Annie then attempted to run toward them. It was a desperate act for sure. One that she failed to give much thought as she started to take off on an accelerated sprint.
But almost as soon as she started to run, she tripped and fell on her knees. She cried out in pain on the ground while cursing herself for her dismal agility that was practically legendary.
Alex became alarmed when she heard her sister's cries and she immediately stopped walking. She finally looked back and saw Annie sitting on the ground holding both her knees with her hands.
She then turned to face Ray who was now bending over trying to catch his breath.
"Ray... I'll see you later, 'kay?"
"S-sure Al...(gasping and whizzing)... whatever you say. I'm going home!" He did so after returning the backpack to her.
Alex then begun running toward Annie who was still on the ground, unable to get up due to the pain in her knees.
"You okay, Annie?" Chirped Alex to her sister as she was helping her get on her feet. Her voice was tuned up to sound extra cheerful despite the fact that she didn't exactly felt that way.
"Yeah, sure... Ouch!"
"It seems that you run pretty much the same way you drive a car... terribly!" Alex finished her comment with a soft giggle.
"Very funny!" snapped Annie rather coldly.
It was at that very moment that Annie did something that got Alex by surprise. She let herself go from Alex's grasp and she sat right back on the ground with her legs crossed in the familiar lotus position (familiar for those who practice yoga, that is).
"Annie! Get up!" Alex was not amused and she quickly grabbed her sister's arm to lift her up but Annie wasn't having any of it. She was staying grounded.
"Annie!" Alex was now pleading. But she no longer tried to help Annie to get up. She was just too heavy and there was no spicy curry in sight to give her some super-duper-strength.
"I'm not getting up until you give me some answers, Alex"
"Are you serious?" Alex countenance then changed from incredulity to passive anger. "I am not going to have THAT argument with you again, Annie".
Annie sighted and stared directly at her sister. The sun was now hiding behind a fluffy cloud and the wind became colder than before.
"I-I'm going home. You can stay there if you want" Alex was getting flustered by her sister's attitude.
"I will stay here" Was Annie's reply. Her voice barely audible.
"You'll get covered with ants in no time" she warned. "I can see some right now"
Annie pulled out a tootsie roll from her lab coat and placed it ceremoniously on the ground. "That should get those pesky ants away from me," she said with a dry grimace.
Alex made like she was leaving, but she stopped walking almost immediately. "Annie! This is not like you. This is so... so childish!"
"I know" Annie's stare was now pensive. Her eyes wide open but not really taking in anything at all. She then felt an ant crawling on her leg and she quickly dusted it away with one hand and looking down at it with a frown.
Her eyes were alive again and they returned to her sister's face as she said: "But losing my maturity is nothing compared to losing your trust".
Alex was silent. She then busted out laughing as she begun to notice that Annie kept dusting away ants from her clothes.
"What the!...did I sat on an ant hill?" Annie was alarmed. The ants were tiny yet numerous.
"They don't like tootsie rolls? Try some stoodles!" Alex was obviously trying to be funny.
"Apparently they find me a lot sweeter than candy" was Annie response. She quickly got up on her feet to finish cleaning herself from the insects.
"I find that hard to believe!"
"Must be because of the saccharin based formula we were working on at the Plant... Ew!...help me get them off!".
Alex was flicking away the ants that were crawling on Annie's backside. She was laughing out loud and pretty much having a ball. The ant hunt lasted but a few seconds.
"They sure ruined my dramatic moment with you" Annie said with an exaggerated frown and a curled up lower lip. She looked goofy like that.
"You were getting a bit dramatic. I almost shed a tear in desperate agony!"
"Tsk! Don't make fun of me or I'll give you one" Annie was smiling. Her hands were inside the pockets of her lab coat. Two other tootsie rolls were inside one of them. Perhaps the ants were seeking them out? Sheesh! they sure like to work hard for a living.
"Listen" Annie's smile quickly dissipated as she spoke. "It is very possible that this subject causes you some trauma and that you think that I'm being a bit insensitive..."
"Gosh, Annie. Don't be so damn intrusive! Respect my privacy!" Alex's face muscles had a very hard time changing her expression from joy back to passive anger. But she did managed to do it quite well.
But Annie could no longer see Alex's face. The sun had dissolved the fluffy cloud and it was shining just behind Alex's head. It looked like Alex was an angel or a saint from some old medieval painting.
Annie's eyes suddenly fell to the ground. Like if they could not bare to look into the angelic apparition before them. Instead, her eyes targeted a few ants presently storming the tootsie roll on the ground. The ants were fierce and merciless. Digging their fangs into the poor tootsie roll. Biting. Pulling at it.
It was then that Annie realised the irony of it all.
She was in a way... just like them. Just like... THEM!
"Alright, Alex. I will not pressure you anymore...SIGH...I-I will back down". Annie suddenly felt ill. "I'm sorry. Really, I am so sorry".
And as she was heading back to the house she turned and added, "Soon I'll be gone from your life and... and you'll be totally free".
Alex stood silent. Looking at the defeated and sad figure of her sister was a painful sight. Many things came to her mind at that very moment. All of them had to do with Annie. It was then that she realised that if she had to trust anybody in her life, it had to be Annie. For in a few weeks, she would be off to college. Time was running out for both of them.
"Annie! Wait!"
Yes, it was time... for the secret to be revealed.
Next chapter: A Secret Revealed! The Next Chapter is currently up! Go read it!
