Chapter Twenty Four: Pressing Pennies
The conditions had to be near-perfect if I wanted to sleep through the night; a pea under the mattress would probably agitate me. In this case, everything was perfect...except for the bright lights that perpetually crept through my eyelids. The only thing that kept me from jumping up and turning them out was the soothing lullaby that I heard all around me.
Thump... thump thump... thump thump... thump thump...
Lysander's heartbeat...that's what it was. My ear was pinned up against his heart, his chest filling the role of my new favorite pillow. I would've been blissfully content with going back to sleep in his arms if it hadn't been for that pesky light...
Wait, why was I in Lysander's arms again?
Ah yes, that's right!
At first I was smiling, invigorated as I recalled each and every beautiful detail of our night together. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Just another day in paradise!
Except for the fact that I'm not supposed to be here...at all.
Everything rushed back to me at once and I sprang up, breathing into my palms and trying not to scream.
Oh my God...we fell asleep.
Father was already furious with me; I had already made a mistake with my grades, I was already grounded, he already didn't trust me and certainly didn't trust Lysander...why did we think this was a good idea? And if sneaking out wasn't risky enough, I actually let myself fall asleep on his chest, in his room, at his house, where I'm not supposed to be...at all.
Well, I might as well just tell my father the downright, honest-to-goodness truth when I turn myself in to the authorities. There certainly won't be any denying it...
'Good morning, Father! Where have I been, you ask? Oh, I had a most delightful night, indeed! Lysander ravaged me, defiled my purity, stole my virtue like a thief in the night! Whatever you want to call it, we did it, and I loved every second of it! ...You've had the entire town on lock-down? Search and rescue dogs? Helicopters? I'm fine! My virginity on the other hand...'
...Oh God, what have I done?!
In a second my eyes were open and I was sitting up, looking around frantically. Lysander laid fast asleep still, his mouth agape, soft humming breaths falling from his lips. The curtains were drawn on the window, but no light shined through, and I reached for Lysander's cellphone on the nightstand to check the time.
I'm so dead.
I'm grounded for an eternity.
Father is going to find a way to imprison me for life, I just know it.
Maybe I should just take a nap on the railroad tracks...
Or if we leave now, maybe we can get to the Mexican border before they think to follow us!
It's...
It's...
It's only 4:34am?
My whole body expanded with my inhale and I stared at the phone, watching the time turn to 4:35, and then 4:36. I couldn't help myself from sputtering a chuckle of disbelief. Oh my God...I'm officially the luckiest person on the entire face of the planet.
4:36am. I could work with that! There was time...my life wasn't over. This night could stay perfect; nothing was going to ruin it for me. I'd gotten away with it...with everything.
As much as I would have loved to lay back down for a while and bask in my prosperity, my luck definitely didn't need any extra pushing. I hated to admit it, but it was time to go home. First though, I had to wake my dear Lysander, who looked so peaceful it should've been a crime.
I couldn't help but to admire his innocent beauty for just a moment. He was lovely, and I tried not to giggle while I watched him dream, his slender brows raised and his eyelids flickering. I'd never tried to read dreams, but from what I understood they were extremely difficult to decipher. The conscious part of the mind was loud and spoke in volumes, while the subconscious (where we dream) hid way in the back. Instead of speaking, the subconscious weaved whimsical feelings, memories, and images together to convey thoughts.
Lysander would never fail to surprise me, though. I should've known that. His dreams were shockingly clear.
There was lots of me, of us. Echoing laughter that sounded like ours, the swaying branches of willow trees, sunshine, swollen lips, beige suede boots, rabbit-shaped-clouds and hot green tea with honey swirled together to create something beautifully abstract. There were many untenable things, as in every dream: an unusually large pineapple, an owl in a business suit...all of it was there, available to me as if it were my own.
How was this possible? Maybe it was because my connection with Lysander was so strong. At any rate, it was a wonderful thing for me to witness, and I just couldn't bring myself to wake him. Unfortunately though, I had to.
"Lysander..." I started softly, combing my fingers through the knots in his ashy, misshapen pillow-hair. He laid completely still, and after a few soft chants I started to coax him with a gentle hold on his shoulders.
"It's time to get up, sleepy head." Rattling him lightly was futile, and I shook his shoulders faster until his hair whisked around his face and his lips moved with the ferocity of my efforts.
"Lysander!"
At this point, I was calling out his name quite loudly, but still he slept on. It was only then that I remembered what he'd told me yesterday: he was such a heavy sleeper, Leigh sometimes had to drag him out of bed and to the ground...
The shaking turned into tickling, and when that didn't work, I actually took a pillow and swung it to his shoulder a few times, and then to his chest, and face...nothing. Was I going to have to fill this thing with paperweights after all? It was like he'd slipped into a coma...
"Lysander, wake up!"
His eyebrows moved with my words, but it was quite obvious that he was dormant. If he wouldn't wake up, I'd have to walk home by myself. I was okay with doing that, but I knew Lysander; he'd never forgive himself even though it wasn't his fault. I had to find a way to wake him up.
I clambered over him and looked around at the clothes lying on the floor with appreciation. My dress reminded me of having to go back home, so I threw Lysander's white button-up shirt on to cover myself while I skipped across the hallway to quickly use the bathroom. His torso was so long and tall that the shirt covered me like a dress. His smell was all around me, and I never wanted to take it off.
When I walked back into his bedroom I tried my best not to stop and stare at him forever. He definitely looked just as sound as he was, sprawled out, an arm over his head, wearing only tight gray boxer briefs, the rest of him lustrously exposed. I couldn't help myself from climbing on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning down to brush my lips across his collarbone, trailing them up to his neck, and then to his lips...where I felt him come alive. His mouth twitched on mine, his hips squirming from under me. A crisp blush burnt my cheeks when I blinked and saw his kaleidoscopic eyes blinking back at mine.
'Lunabelle...' He gently tossed his head in the pillow, his lips tugging into a sleepy smile while his eyes examined the situation. 'Are...are you wearing my shirt?'
I giggled and bit my lip, pulling away with a devilish smirk. 'It's quite comfortable...'
He gazed up at me in astonishment, his mind whisking me to a place that wouldn't be clever to return tonight... although it certainly was tempting.
I kept my lip tight in my teeth and shook my head. 'Don't entice me...I think you're forgetting that I was supposed to go home...'
"Wh-what time it is?!" Lysander exclaimed, his whole face flushed as he shot up breathlessly.
"It's not quite five in the morning. I've never been so thankful for my restlessness! Unlike you, sleeping beauty..." I told him, stifling my giggles on his cheek.
"Oh thank heavens... You truly even me out, my little early bird. I told you I was a heavy sleeper...no one's ever managed to get me up so effortlessly, though. As soon as I felt your lips on mine I was dying to kiss them back..."
"I tried everything else first! Shaking you, tickling you...I even hit you with a pillow!" I told him, crossing my arms and straightening my torso.
'A pillow, hmm? Valiant efforts, my dear. In the end it seems you've found a truly sufficient technique...and I can't say I'm disappointed about waking in such a fashion. I must admit: wavy-haired, sleepy-eyed, naturally flawless, and wearing nothing but my favorite shirt...it's an incredible look on you.'
His grasp wandered to my hips while a shameless smirk played on his cheeks. He narrowed his eyes into a conspicuous smolder and I was nipping at his lips hungrily in no time, relishing under his firm hands.
Anyone else would've surely accepted their limits; a responsible person draws a fine line between 'work and play', responsibility and pleasure.
Everyone else craved balance. Everyone else drew that line, separating their lives into priorities; but I wasn't everyone else, and maybe I wasn't ready to be a 'responsible' person. Work, play; it was all the same to me, and while everyone else drew their hypothetical lines, I drew invisible ones with a lazy finger on Lysander's chest, refusing to accept the fact that I really had to get home.
Going home was work and Lysander was play. Or maybe Lysander was work and play, and everything else didn't really matter at all? I liked the second option better.
I was pressing my luck like a penny on the train tracks. Thankfully though, I had a pocket full of shiny pennies to spare.
I missed when time didn't matter. When Lysander and I rolled around on what felt like a cloud and explored every inch of each other, time not only stood still...it ceased to exist. We had no sense of time, no sense of responsibility...our senses were limited to the ones that came naturally, all six of them.
Time was everything now, and every minute brought us closer to saying goodbye.
'It's not goodbye, my love. Goodbye is so permanent, so abiding..." Lysander reminded me. Always so optimistic, he had the ability to scatter bad feelings into the air like dust. When the dust cleared, I always found myself smiling.
We finally managed to coax our clothes back on and shuffle out to the car, but not without plenty of reluctance. The ride home was shorter than ever, and I could have sworn that Hydrangea Drive shrunk three sizes since we'd last traveled down it.
At 5:28am, we beat the sun. Darkness still covered Amoris, and although it was technically Saturday morning, everything still felt and looked like the dead of night. Lysander parked on the curb, and we dashed down the sidewalk to my front lawn. My heart broke when I realized that I was exactly where I had started, and that the best night of my life, as I'd rightfully assumed, was coming to an end.
Lysander turned to me, his face quietly illuminated by the light of the moon. His eyes softened, and he ran his thumb across my lower lip with a smile. 'Parting is such sweet sorrow...'
'There isn't anything sweet about it.' I frowned.
His smirk made me giggle, and he cupped my face in his hands to pull me in for a kiss. 'Parting is sweet only because it brings me closer to seeing you again. Come Monday, the week will be ours.'
...The week will be ours.
I climbed (quite literally) into bed with that notion in my head.
And Lysander wasn't lying. He never does.
Father didn't suspect a thing, and for two weeks I lived a dream.
I was a heroine, Lysander my fearless white knight, and we were writing our very own adventure, fueled by adrenaline and passion.
We worked with father's schedule, and we were sly. Everyday after school we'd run away to our world to watch clouds and climb trees, or to his house to find each other's ticklish spots. When Lysander assured me that what we were doing didn't hurt anyone, he was right. On top of our clandestine escapades, I actually managed to pay attention in class. We studied when we could, and my grades for the semester began flawlessly.
I soon found myself no stranger to scaling the trellis, and no matter what we did, no matter how much we put at risk to be together, it truly seemed as though fate was on our side because we never got caught. Not once.
Today was especially significant for me. It marked two weeks since Lysander and I took that wordless, unwritten vow of infinite devotion. For two weeks my mind had been permanently blocked from my father...there was just no way I could think around him without being caught.
Tonight also brought the promise of another Despite Chaos concert, this time an inner-city venue. It was the biggest show they'd ever landed, and a very exciting opportunity for Lysander that I wasn't going to miss for the world. Two weeks had been enough time to really focus on gathering some impressive grades to present my father, who told me that if I earned it, I could attend the concert.
Lysander dropped me off on his way to meet with Castiel and Nathaniel to prepare for the show, leaving me time to brush my hair and check myself thoroughly for visible...um, baseball bruises, before father got home. I was also left with plenty of time to get into the part I'd chosen to play. I wasn't much of an actress, but I'd been going out of my way to make sure that every day when father came home I was busy behaving, acting casual as ever. He didn't need any reason to suspect me for blocking my thoughts.
This evening, I'd be playing the role of 'enthralled, guiltless Whovian'; one I hadn't tried yet, but that I'd been saving for a day like this. It was impossible for father to be in a bad mood; not when there were bow ties and British accents involved. Fishing through his DVD collection took me a minute, but finally I settled on one series and popped a random disk in. 'Gosh, there's so many! ..This is the eleventh, right? Sure, father likes him...'
I sat crossed legged on the couch, picking a random episode and taking a deep breath. I had to get into the part, and tried to gather plenty of information to portray the correct emotions one should feel while watching Doctor Who; and boy, were there a lot of them.
Okay, I've been sitting here watching Doctor Who for hours and I definitely know what's going on. Let's see here...there's the Doctor, obviously. He talks really fast! Oh, her hair is pretty! ...He's seriously talking so fast. Wait, what's going on? Alright, I'll just skip ahead to the next one. Whoa, confusing... Oh my, how adorable! So funny! AH! Scary! ...I like him, he's silly! Oh my God, that's so depressing... Those accents and goofy British words make everything better...'
I was in the middle of giggling when father walked through the door, and with a quick zip, I blocked my mind. His shoes clicked on the hardwood, and he stood at the edge of the living room as I fumbled with the remote to pause it.
"Hello, sweetie!" Was the quote really necessary? Am I trying too hard? ...I'm pathetic.
Father blew out a muffled snicker, rolling his eyes as he dropped his briefcase at the side of the armchair across from me, plopping down in a huff. "How curious... I don't think I've ever caught you watching that by yourself before."
I shrugged, "I uh, decided to give it a try; it's rather amusing."
He glanced over at the paused image on the TV and knew immediately what episode it was. I'd been skipping through the entire thing aimlessly, and I think I was at the last one on the disk. "Hm, this is the sixth disk. You've watched the entire series? Roughly ten hours, then?"
I brayed with laughter. "No, of course not!"
"Ah, I see. You're just trying to act nonchalant...is that it?"
A hard knot formed in my throat, and I shook my head, shrugged, swallowed, and blinked simultaneously "No...wh-what? I've just been skipping through a little..."
"Mhm..." He gritted his teeth, crossing his legs as he rolled his eyes with a sigh, "today marks two weeks..."
"Yes! Yes, I know, and I've got these test scores...all A's! I'm serious about improving!" I took the papers that sat beside me on the couch and leaned to hand them to father, but he ignored me. His eyes darted from the floor, to the TV and back to me.
"It's been two weeks since I've seen a single thought in your head, Luna..."
Oh.
"We um, we talked about this...about privacy..." I stammered as his stare narrowed in on me like a hawk's. It was as if he could see my flickering heart beat.
"Yes, and not being able to see your thoughts half of the time was one thing...but ever since I reprimanded you for your grades you've been on lock-down; and you've been acting strangely casual lately, to boot. You know I'm right...I can see it in your eyes. So what is it, Lulu? What's the big secret? Living a double life as a murderous outlaw? Addicted to narcotics? Robbing convenience stores?"
"That's ridiculous!" I shouted, my entire body trembling with the sudden discharge of confrontation. I could already foresee my life ending...either way, this was not going to turn out well.
"You're quite obviously hiding something. Unblock your mind and tell me the truth..."
Pressing my eyes shut, I had no other choice. What was I supposed to do, just say no? He'd know for sure that I was hiding something, then. The best I could do was to unblock and try not to blow my cover.
Oh god...oh god...think about flowers. Flowers, and reptile monsters and the Crucible lecture in English class and popcorn...and...no, don't think about how you just got home from Lysander's house...don't think about what you were doing...and what you've been doing...oh God...he heard that, didn't he?
Father scratched his chin, straight-faced at first while I sunk into the couch and melted into a pile of indignity. I kept my eyes on him from underneath the strands of hair that covered my flushing face. I wanted to click my heels and disappear...anywhere but here.
"You've been having sex..." He admitted to himself, before wiping his hands over his face with a chuckle of utter disbelief. He abruptly stood to his feet and began pacing in circles, his hand on his head. I just watched on, doe-eyed and quivering; the dead silence churned the tension in the room thicker. I could feel a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead as I anticipated his next move.
"GOD DAMMIT LUNA!"
I flew out of my seat, scurrying to the other side of the couch and gripping the arm in absolute horror when he took his fist and drove it straight through the dry wall. I'd never in my life seen him do something like that. My eyes twitched closed from under the perspiring palms that covered my face.
"That FUCKING gadje! I'll fucking kill him!"
Wh-what did he just say?! Oh, I don't think so! I stood up, my teeth clenched in rage, inhibitions nonexistent. "Father! Don't say such things!"
"Sit the fuck down before I make you!" He took a step towards me, raising the same red, now-bloodied fist to me in a way that he'd never, ever done. W-was he threatening me?
I fell straight back onto the couch and cowered, raising my hands to protect myself as he stood over me. I was frightened, but kept my eyes on him through squinted lids. He ran the furiously idle hand through his hair, a hand on his hip as he paced a circle.
"I knew we should've never come here...you're just as stupid as your mother. You're going to make the same stupid fucking mistake that we did...you could be pregnant, for fuck's sake!"
I sat there shocked, shaking my head. "No...no, I'm not. I know that."
Just as stupid as my mother...
The same mistake they did...
I'm nothing but a 'stupid mistake' to him?
"Do you realize what could've happened, Luna? They would've come here...and all I've ever wanted is to protect you from them...I've protected that melalò gadje for you, too! Dammit, Luna!"
"Who are you talking about?! What is a gadje?!" Tears streamed down my face in a frenzy of emotion. Is he going crazy?
"He's not one of us, Luna! Telepath or not, he's not one of us! He's an outsider! He could be dangerous! We don't know what he is capable of!"
Dangerous? Not one of us? What does he know?
"Father, Lysander isn't dangerous! What are you talking about?!" I stood again, my bravery being restored for a split second.
My quick movement angered father even more, and he picked up a chair from the dining room, hurling it across the room straight towards me. I lunged back to the couch and curled up in a shivering ball as he kicked over another chair and hung his head, clutching his forehead in anguish.
"I can't believe this is what you've become. You can guarantee you're not going to that fucking concert tonight! I want you in your room, and I don't want to see you for the rest of the night until I figure out what to do with you..."
"No, father please! I'm sorry...I'll stop...please!" I worked so hard... the concert! Lysander! I can't miss it!
"Dilo chavi...porradì beshèl...lazhàv..." Father pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling to himself in some kind of strange tongue that made my skin crawl.
"Father..." I was frightened, especially when the translations of each word appeared in my head through his thoughts... foolish child. impure, shame, disgrace, immorality... "Father...I'm sorry...please forgive me. Let me explain!" I respired through hyperventilating breaths.
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, NOW!"
I was afraid to leave the couch; to pass by him, afraid that he may reach out and lash at me, but closing my eyes and holding my breath I raced to my room, blinded by frantic cries. Just like that, my entire world was over. The hot, sticky tears gushed as I bounded up the stairs. I slammed my door in a fit of rage, flopping on my bed and screaming at the top of my lungs into my pillow.
...I should've seen this coming. How could I have been so foolish?
How am I going to tell Lysander? He's going to be so disappointed in me! He isn't going to be able to preform tonight; he'll be devastated! I can't simply tell him through the phone...but if I just don't show up he'll be distraught! I can't do that to him...I need him right now. I need him so badly I might just break. I know what I have to do.
In the background, my sweet little Apollo was trying to cheer me up. It didn't matter how many songs he sang to me, though. Nothing mattered but getting to Lysander. I grabbed for my phone, trying to find her name in my contacts list through blurry vision and bubbling tears before pressing it to my ear frantically.
"Hey Boots!" Her cheerful voice sang through the line, but I couldn't smile at her use of Castiel's nickname for me. I could barely breath.
"B-Brooke..." I sputtered, before breaking down in gasping tears.
"Luna! Wh-what's the matter? Are you okay? Oh my God! Are you crying?"
"C-can you...can you come and get me early? P-please? I'll...I'll explain it all when you get here...I just need to get out." I sobbed.
"Of course, of course! I'll be right there!" Her voice was dripping with sympathy, and I heard her grab her jingling keys.
"And Brooke?" I sniffed, glancing out the window to my faithful trellis. I was thanking my mind for keeping that secret from father, at least. I still had a way out. He'd surely be hitting the bottle tonight pretty hard, and after successfully climbing up and down so many times there wasn't a doubt in my mind about my choice.
"Yeah?"
"...P-park the car down the street, closer to the stop sign, okay?"
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY :)
A/N: Hello all you beautiful people :) Sorry if there's an abundance of mistakes and/or things that don't make sense. I just got my wisdom teeth removed yesterday and so I'm not all the way there, but I tried! xD
I'm so glad you guys are still liking it. I got some CRAZY coming at you next chapter, and the chapter after that! I'm excited!
Blaaah, so here's the deal: if you read What You Do to Me, you may remember that as soon as I completed it I had to take a quick break before starting this story because I was moving across country. Well, this monday I'm moving BACK! Woooo! (Only not really.)
My wisdom teeth surgery has gotten me out of packing and I'm on bed rest for a little while because I'm a big baby, so HOPEFULLY I'll be able to get one more chapter out before Monday. If not, I PROMISE I'll be publishing as soon as I can, but it might be just a few extra days. :P
These next two chapters are extremely important, so I want to do them justice!
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING THE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE EVER.
I LOVE YOU ALL BE MY VALENTINES PLZ&THNKUZ?!