FORBIDDEN CH.4 SECRETS
Friday, January 23, 2009
When I got to school, English had already started. I had to get a late pass from the office. I opened the door to my class and Mr. Ferrel said, "Miss Greene, thank you for finally joining us. We all have paired up for a poetry project due in 1 month. You are with Mr. Aciari." I slowly walked to my seat.
I looked around and everyone was with their partners. Mr. Ferrel never allowed talking unless we were paired up for a project. I sat down next Addam and he was obviously not paying attention. "Hello? Addam are you there?" I asked. I waved my hands in front of him and snapped my fingers.
"Hello Eva. So I guess you're my partner, eh?" He spoke so suddenly, I almost jumped. I nodded in answer to his question. He turned toward me and smiled. He handed me a piece of paper with writing on it. I took it from him and read:
You will be doing a poetry project on types of poems people have written. You will also have to write your own poem. It does not have to rhyme. This project is due on December 16. Addam and Evangeline, your topic is love poems. You will have to write one as well. You have to choose five love poems to use in this project. One of them has to be by the poet you will be researching on. Your poet is W. H. Auden. Your rubric will be sent home with you tomorrow.
I handed the paper back to Addam. I loved projects like these. I just didn't like the part where I had to write a poem. I was just glad I could be with someone else. "So, do you want to do the poem first or the poet?" He asked me. I thought about that for a second. "How about we start off with the poem. I have a feeling it might take a while." He nodded and we pushed our desks together so we didn't have to talk in the aisles.
He took out a blank piece of paper. We stared at it for about ten minutes, thinking. I wasn't thinking about the poem, I was thinking about what I had found out last night. Addam and his family were not human, that would explain the unnatural eye coloring. The story they fed the public was that the kids were all adopted. They probably said that because their parents looked too young to have 5 kids. They all looked so alike. From what I have seen so far, all of the Aciari kids have at least a few of their mother's features.
I hadn't seen their father yet, so I don't know if they have anything in common. They were lying and I knew it. I don't know what triggers my memory of that day, but it is really helpful. I almost jumped a foot in the air when the bell rang. "Er, how about we work on this during lunch?" Addam asked, picking up his books. "Yes, that would be great. See you then." He walked out of the room as I gathered my things. I walked straight to Calculus, my next class.
The day was going by really quickly. I hadn't even realized that it was time for lunch. I walked out of the gym and to my locker to put my stuff up. I decided to deliberate on going to lunch. Even though I hadn't had breakfast, I wasn't very hungry. I still went. I wanted to talk to Addam. I grabbed a bottle of water and looked around for him. He and his brothers and sisters sat isolated from the rest of the school. Before they came that table was always empty. I walked toward them.
I was stopped by Amber. "Hey Eva. Would you mind telling me what happened yesterday when I was gone?" She asked. I looked past her and saw Addam looking at me. "Um, Amber I promise I will tell you everything, but later. I have to do something else right now. I'll give you a ride home and we can talk about it on the way." I saw her in my peripheral vision. I wasn't really looking at her. "Okay, but tell me the whole thing." I nodded and she moved past me.
I walked toward Addam and he waved at me. I waved back. I noticed that his family was staring at me like I was a stranger. Yes, I was a stranger to them, but I was not to Nicolette. She waved at me also. Addam stood up and led me to another isolated table. We sat down and he took out the blank sheet of paper again. "Why aren't you eating anything?" He asked. I looked at my hands and saw that I only had a bottle of water. "I just don't feel that hungry. What about you, you're not eating anything?" I accused. He took out a bag of Lay's Chips and laid it down on the table. "I am always prepared. I mean, I'm a guy, I need to eat." He ripped open the bag and took a few chips. He offered me some, but I refused.
He was so remarkable. I stared into his eyes while he was devouring his bag of chips. He stopped eating suddenly and looked at the piece of paper. "Addam, do you know any love poems we can get ideas from." His head jerked up. He swallowed then spoke. "Yeah, I know a few. Celestial Love by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Really good. What do you know?" I thought for a moment. I really didn't know any good ones at all. I shook my head and his eyes opened wide.
"I thought you were a girl. Aren't you supposed to know this stuff?" I playfully hit him on his arm. We laughed there for a second. His laugh was musical, mine was just normal. He was an angel, not better than an angel. No one could compare to how astonishing he is. What were these new emotions? I always felt so restless and hopeless without him. I wanted to tell him what I had found out about him and his family, but I didn't have the nerves.
"Eva, do you want to go for a walk outside for the rest of the lunch period? I mean, we have another 20 minutes?" I snapped out of my trance and followed him as he got up. I was dazed again. How could someone so sophisticated, so graceful, so beautiful, so wonderful, want to spend time with someone like me. I was walking too slowly for him so he took my hand and pulled me. His hand was so warm in mine. I looked at it with appreciation. I wanted him. With me.
I was so confused. We were outside and it was very bright. I was squinting. He took us under the protection of a tree's shadow. We sat down on the grass. We sat silent for a moment. I decided this was the perfect time to tell him. "Addam? Can I ask you something? Promise you won't get mad?" I asked. He looked at me, confused. "Why would I get mad at you? I promise I won't get mad." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Addam, I remember everything that happened to me. You were there and there was also another man.
"He had blood-red eyes and long dirty blond hair. He was flying and so were you. Addam, you really did save me, from dying. Addam, I just want to know what you are. And I know that you are lying to the public about being adopted. You all have the same color eyes, and all of you have at least a few features of your mother." He looked shocked. His jaw dropped all the way down to the ground. His eyes were angry. "Eva, how do you know this?" He stood up. "I just--" He stopped me. "Eva, how do you know this? Who told you this nonsense?" I stood up and stared straight at him. "I found out myself. Addam, can you just please tell me. I am so restless; I have to find out that you are not in trouble so I can sleep at night." He glared at me for a moment.
"It doesn't matter anyway; no one is going to believe you." I looked into his eyes and said, "I am not going to tell anyone. Addam, I'm just worried." I felt my eyes get moist. I could feel that first tear coming on. How could someone like him make me cry? I tried to hold them back, but failed. He stepped closer to me and reached out. "Addam, I wouldn't care if you were a monster, I wouldn't care if you had eight legs. I wouldn't care if you were different; I just want you to be you. I just want to know who you are, so I could know who I'm falling in love with." He looked at me and I looked down at the ground. "Yes, you heard me right. I'm falling in love with you. Friday the Thirteenth was not a bad day at all. It was not unlucky at all because that day I met you. You were the one who brought a smile to my face that day. You were the one who helped me when no one else was there. You were the one who believed me when no one else did. Addam, you are the reason I am still alive and breathing. Though whenever I catch a glimpse of you my heart beats faster and my breathing gets uneven."
I could still feel his eyes on my face. I regretted what I said immediately. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my head to look at him. I looked through his eyes, trying to recognize any emotion. He wiped away my tears. He looked into my eyes and smiled. "Maybe I can trust you. How about I take you home today? I'll ask Nicolette to take your car home." His hands held my face so delicately, as if I was very fragile and one twist of the fingers can hurt me.
I held his hands, not moving them from my face. He embraced me and this time it felt right. Like he belonged here, in my arms and nowhere else. I held on to him tightly. He pulled away to kiss my forehead. I caught a few people looking at us. One of them being Maddison. She looked shocked and betrayed. He was never her's to begin with. Why should she grieve over something she never had? Addam's brothers and sisters were also looking at us. Nicolette was smiling and so was Elizabeth. I found out that the guy with the curly brown hair is Nathaniel and the one with the shaggy sandy brown hair is Isaac.
They both were giving him thumbs up. I looked away from them and up at Addam. "I think we should get to class. I haven't been to biology in 2 days." I said. He let go me, but kept hold of my hand. We walked to class together. I didn't believe that a person could fall in love in 5 days. It wasn't a part of reality. This seemed too easy, which meant that this relationship won't go on without obstacles. I didn't want to think about that so I just paid attention to where I was walking. We stepped inside the classroom and Mrs. Miller yelled. I jumped a foot in the air.
"Where have you both been for the past two days we had class? And don't say you were sick because I saw you at school." She was yelling in my ear. "I got hurt on Friday and that is how I got this scar and yesterday I had to go pick up my brother from the airport. Addam went with me yesterday and he took me to the hospital Friday." I told half the truth. I skipped class on Friday and Monday.
There were only two seats left so we took them. We sat at the same table and we were partners. I usually am partners with Michael, but looks like I was replaced. He was sitting with Rebecca Lyons. She was smart and pretty and it seemed like they were friends. I was happy for him. We were learning about Bioenergetics. Instead of her teaching we were watching a movie on it. This was good because then I wouldn't have to pay attention to her boring voice. She closed the lights and the only light in the room was coming from outside and the television screen. Next to me, Addam was staring down at his hands. He looked like someone had just died. I saw a spark come out of his fingers. I gasped.
He didn't seem to notice. The spark went from one finger to the next. It looked really cool. Is this what he was talking about? Who he is? What he can do? I wasn't afraid at all. I didn't care if he could kill me with glance. I didn't care that if he pointed in my direction he could be doing something to me that I don't notice. I just wanted to be with him, even if that meant I had to get hurt a lot. I deserved it for falling in love with someone who could hurt me. But I knew he wouldn't hurt me. He never would. I saw the look in his eyes when he found me alone in the woods. I saw the look in his eyes when he saw me cry from the hurtful words of Maddison. I saw the way he looked at me, and he didn't look at anyone else like that.
I can't believe I never realized that he was so unique. He was the one who was always there for me. Why should I even think that he would ever hurt me? Something was thrown at my head. I turned around and saw that Michael chucked a piece of eraser at me to get my attention. "What?" I mouthed. He reached over to hand me a piece of paper. I took it from him and read it.
Why are you hangin' out with that Aciari guy? And what was that
fight between you and Maddison about yesterday? You really hurt her
and I'm not happy about that.
I ripped a sheet of paper out of my notebook and wrote:
The new kid has a name and it's Addam. I like him
and you should know what that fight was about yesterday.
You are the reason she hates me right now. Just don't talk
to me and stay away from me. I hate you so much and
being around you makes me kind of uncomfortable.
I threw the sheet at him. I made sure Mrs. Miller didn't see me. He caught it and once he read it he crumpled it up and got up to throw it in the trash can. I looked away from him and at the TV screen. I looked, but I didn't really see. All I saw was object moving, color, and that was it. I always zone out like this.
I stared at the table top. Before I knew it, class was over. I only had two more classes to go. I had history next. Addam had Calculus. I didn't want to be away from him. He got up and waited for me to get up. I slowly gathered my things and left with him. "Remember, I will be giving you a ride home today." That triggered my memory again. I had totally forgotten that I had to talk to Amber. Well she had History with me; I could talk to her then. I mean, our teacher never teaches us. She just gives us a section to read in the book for homework and that's it.
I walked in the classroom and saw Amber talking with her date for the dance. I walked up to them. "Hey Amber. Do you want to hear the story now? I don't think I'm going to go home in my car today." She looked away from Nick unwillingly. "Yes, that would be fine." She and I sat down beside each other and I told her the whole story. From the part where Maddison asked me if I liked Addam to where Addam took me to the airport. She listened quietly and attentively. She was really enjoying this. I didn't tell her about the secret I had uncovered about Addam's family. I didn't think that was right. It was his family's secret; I shouldn't go around telling people about it.
She hugged me. I was surprised. I was also very confused. My story was not so sad, why was she hugging me? She let go of me and said, "Eva, you are in love with him!" She was so happy. I calmed down a bit when she said that. "I think I know that. I kind of told him that today." Her mouth opened wide and she said, "Oh my God! What did he say? Does he feel the same way?" She was really in the mood to interrogate me today. "I really don't know. After I told him he hugged me and then kissed my forehead. After that we headed off to class. He was holding my hand though. I really don't know a lot about this relationship stuff. I have never felt this way about a guy before. I really like him, more than he might like me. Amber, I'm in love with him." I felt the need to say how I felt to her.
She is a really good friend. I told her basically everything. The rest of the day went by even faster than before. I was walking with Addam to his car. We were both very silent. He opened the door for me and I watched as every guy around stared. I hopped in as he walked around to the other side. As soon as we pulled away from the school I asked him, "So, will you tell me now?" He smiled and looked at me. "When we get where we need to be." He looked to the road again. He took one hand off of the steering wheel and reached over to take my hand. "So, you're in love with me huh?" I looked down at his sudden question. When I told him that I was falling in love with him, I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. I just blurted out what was on my mind. "Um, yes, I am. I've never actually felt this way before. It is all just new to me. You might be used to girls falling all over you." He laughed.
"I am not used to that at all. I actually have never felt this way before. I saw you and I don't know what came over me. I followed you into the woods and then rescued you from Charles." I was shocked at hearing the homicidal man's name. "How do you know him?" I asked. I could tell that my voice went up a couple of octaves. He smiled at me again. It was a smile that I enjoyed seeing. "He was an old family friend, until he became evil. He started to gain power by taking people's lives. My family and I gain power by exercising our powers, or just drinking the serum. Sometimes one of us, people like me, give in. It is just too complicated to stay away from something so sweet and useful. That is why my brothers and sisters and I stay isolated from the rest of the school.
"We are here." He got out of the car so quickly I didn't see him. He opened my door for me and I stepped out.
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