A/N: I am SO SORRY that I haven't posted for almost two weeks. There was just so much going on and I was either too busy or too tired to do it. But more on that topic at the bottom A/N's. Anyway here's Chapter 6 "Moodswings", I just felt like naming it this (theres almost no reason). I hope you enjoy and please review!
I do not own The Darkest Powers series (I do, however, have all three books sitting on my shelf :D).
Chapter 6
Mrs. Talbot set me up to peel carrots for lunch. I didn't dare tell her I've never peeled anything in my life. After hacking my thumb off, I got the hang of it.
"Peeling duty already?" a voice whispered. "What did you do to deserve that?"
This time when I wheeled around, there was actually someone standing there, talking to me. No bodiless voices. A guy, in fact, maybe a year older than me, a half foot taller and slender, with high cheekbones and dark blond hair worn in short, messy spikes stood behind me. His almond-shaped brown eyes danced with amusement.
"You must be Chloe."
He reached out. My body jumped back at the same time as a weird vibration started up in my mind, slightly overpowering the buzzing.
"I-I-" I didn't know what to say. Why did I just jump back... was this my mental illness coming through?
He put a finger to his lips, then pointed at the dining room door. Beyond it, Mrs. Talbot was talking to Liz.
"I'm not supposed to be in here," he whispered. "I'm Simon, by the way."
I suddenly became aware that he was standing between me and the exit. Maybe that was it. My unconscious mind realized this before, and that's why I jumped back – I wasn't going crazy. Yet his smile was friendly, and he was definitely cute, but cute didn't count with a guy who had you cornered in a group home.
He backed up to the walk-in pantry, lifted a finger telling me to wait, then disappeared inside. I could hear him rooting, rather loudly, around in the shelves. When I peeked in, he was taking down a box of graham crackers.
A kitchen raid? I couldn't help smiling. Guess it didn't matter whether it was a group home or a summer camp, guys and their stomachs didn't change. Simon pulled out an unopened sleeve of crackers.
"The other one's already open," I whispered pointing.
"Thanks, but he'll want the whole thing. Right, bro?"
I followed his gaze over my shoulder and felt it again - the pressure on the temples, as though, all of a sudden, there wasn't enough room inside my head. I was, however, trying to focus on the situation at hand. In particular, the guy standing behind me, who had to be at least six feet tall, with shoulders as wide as the door. Though he was as big as an adult, he'd never be mistaken for one. His face could be used as the "before" picture for acne cream. Dark hair hung in his eyes, lank and dull.
But the most interesting of all was the feeling that I got from him, or rather, the intricate jumble of feelings, all mashed up into one. I was curious. I wanted to run and cower. I wanted to stand my ground and show that I'm not afraid. I wanted to attack him, yet I also wanted to become closer with him. Standing next to him made me feel both as comfortable as though I was at home and as paranoid as though I was in no-man's land, facing my sure-to-come death. And I was definitely curious.
"I – I – I –" I couldn't find what to say, or the side of the 'feeling' to go with, so I went for stating the obvious: "I didn't see you there."
He gave me a quizzical look and reached past to take the crackers from Simon. When he started to retreat, Simon grabbed the back of his shirt.
"We're still teaching him manners," he said to me. "Derek, Chloe. Chloe, my brother, Derek."
"Brother?" I said, curiosity winning over the other emotions.
"Yeah." Derek's voice was a low rumble. "Identical twins."
"He's my foster brother," Simon said. "So I was just about to tell Chloe –"
"We're done here?" Derek said.
Simon waived him away, then rolled his eyes. "Sorry. Anyway, I was just going to say welcome –"
"Simon?" Tori's voice echoed through the kitchen. "Aha. I thought I heard you." Her fingers closed around the pantry door. "You and Derek, always raiding the –"
She spotted me and her eyes narrowed. Mine did, too.
"Tori?" Simon said.
"Her expression flopped from simmering to simpering. "Yes?"
"He jabbed his finger at the dining room door. "Shhh!"
As she babbled apologies, I graciously accepted the opportunity to leave.
I met the last housemate, Peter, over lunch. He said hello, asked how things were going, then turned his attention to his PSP as he ate. Like everything else at Lyle House, it was all very normal. Too normal. Every time someone moved, I tensed, waiting for her to start speaking in tongues or screaming about bugs crawling up his plate. No one did.
Since everyone else seemed to be occupied with something or other, Simon tried to play host. I knew he was just being polite – including the new girl in conversation – but if Tori had been a cartoon character, smoke would have billowed from her ears. So when I told Simon, after he asked, that I go to A. R. Gurney High, Tori decided that she was welcome into the conversation.
"Art school," she breathed. "Isn't that just fascinating. Tell me Chloe. What do you study there? How To Attack Your Teachers, Hallucinations 101, Control Your Inner You?"
I choked on a chunk of meat.
"Oh." Tori turned her Doe eyes on Simon. "Didn't Chloe tell you why she's here? She hears and smells things and she can't control her actions."
When I looked up. Derek's fork was half way up to his mouth, green eyes piercing the curtain of hair as he stared at me, his mouth slightly gaping, as if to say, as if he was astonished with the length some people would go to get attention. The problem was I wasn't doing this for attention.
The other problem was the searing headache which clouded my thoughts. The vibration that I felt when I first met Simon came back, only stronger and I was suddenly aware of my expression. I was glaring. And from the looks the others gave me – wide-eyed and taken-aback - I would say that that was the scariest glare that I could have possibly mustered up in all of my fifteen years.
"Stop being such a bitch, Tori." The words tumbled out of my mouth, surprising us all.
Tori froze, mouth open – but only for a moment. Her eyes filled with rage and her face became flooded with blood. She looked like she was swelling up - a red balloon ready to burst.
"Someone's PMSing," Derek grumbled.
I shot him a look, receiving one back. As Tori started yelling her long list of profanities, I decided that my room seemed much more inviting than the atmosphere in this room. Before anyone could stop me, I got up from my chair and left.
I was hurrying up the stairs when Miss Van Dop stopped me. Instead of letting me be by myself, she sent me downstairs to help Rae with the laundry, telling me that "bedrooms are for sleeping." Miss Van Dop definitely did not come off as caring; otherwise, she would know that isolation was the best remedy for me at the moment. The last thing I want to do right now is go talk to someone, especially since I have little control over what I say.
As I walked down the hall and into the basement, I thought about how much I was changing. If someone accused me of being a crazy drama queen a week ago, I would have died of embarrassment. Currently, I couldn't care less.
My train of thought, however, was interrupted by an acrid smell. Only two steps down from the first floor, and could already smell smoke. It seemed a bit too strong for cigarette smoke, but that was the only explanation I could come up with. I stepped quietly down the rest of the stairs, slightly admiring how well the basement was made. The stairs didn't make any eerie creaks, or at least I couldn't hear it over the washing machine, and the passage was brightly lit.
Once I stepped into the laundry room, I could see the washer and dryer, an old recliner, and a bunch of shelves. No Rae. No fire. Yet the smell was still there. It seemed to coming from my right, and as I turned, I saw Rae squeezed between two towers of shelves.
Her lips formed a silent oath as she shook her hand, putting out a match, I looked for a cigarette. There wasn't one – just a smouldering match.
I wasn't sure what to think, but Rae didn't give me much time. Afraid that I might go tell on her, she tried to explain her 'thing' with fire. What I got from it was that she was obsessed with fire. She didn't do anything dangerous though. It was more of a fascination, one she had to keep secret since that's exactly why she's here. If the nurses found out that she wasn't getting any better and still played with fire, she might get transferred somewhere else. Somewhere not as pleasant and cheery.
Then Mrs. Talbot came and whisked Rae away to her classes, leaving me to finish with the laundry and alone with my thoughts.
Rae seemed to be nice enough and I was happy that I was able to make a friend even in my slightly pissy state. And thinking about my mood swings made me think back to Derek's remark. PMS. As rude as it was to say, I realized that there may actually be some truth to that short statement.
As everything seemed to click into place, I felt the weight lift off of my shoulders. I really wasn't going crazy. It was just the hormones messing with my head. That's why I was changing. I was maturing. And since I was already fifteen, I guess I had some catching up to do.
I wasn't crazy. I just had to bide my time, wait for the two weeks to be over, and I'd be out of here, back to my normal life.
A/N: So, how was it? I hope you guys liked it. I was being constantly reminded to post by a friend of mine (hi, Alexa) and I would have posted this yesterday if my friends didn't show up at my house (without an invitation) and dragged me to the local park. I got my payback though... I kicked their butts at sandman =P.
On another note, I bought The Reckoning today. I AM SOOO EXCITED!! But I can't read it, cuz then I'll forget about everything else and I have an important test coming up (I'll still read it though, no self control what so ever, already 10 chapters in).
Oh, and just some food for thought... if Chloe was a werewold or a vampire, wouldn't Derek smell it?
Now, I have a question for the reviewers, what do you think about the way Chloe acts now? Do you like it, or is it too different and hard to swallow? Do tell!
Thanks!!
