The Date
"I don't need your permission to go out!" Jessie yelled.
"That isn't it." Jonny fought to keep his voice low. The last thing he wanted was for Count Marcus to over hear the conversation or anyone else for that matter.
"I don't want you to go out with Marcus." Jessie placed her hands at her hips and stared at the light blue eyes in front of her. " That is what you said."
"You don't understand." Jonny took a step forward. " I have a bad feeling about this guy."
"Why?" Jessie crossed her arms and raised a her thin red brow.
"I can't explain it." Jonny ran his hand through his bleach blond hair in frustration.
"You haven't even had a conversation with him." Jessie pointed out. "You don't have any room to say you don't trust him. In fact, you didn't even know who he was until I told you. How can you be so quick to judge someone?"
"Instinct," Jonny smiled. He knew it was the wrong thing to say as he heard himself say it. But it was the truth.
"Well," Jessie started towards the door of his room. "That isn't good enough."
Jonny watched his red head friend as she left his room, closing the door behind her. He sat on the end of his bed and looked down at Bandit, who sat silently as he and Jessie argued.
"I don't know boy." Jonny sighed.
"Am I interrupting?"
Jonny nearly left his skin. He suddenly found himself on his feet and staring into violet eyes.
"I'm sorry to startle you." Alleyah began as she stood in the doorway. "It wasn't closed all the way and I'm afraid I over heard you and Jessica a moment ago. Is everything all right?"
"No," Jonny sat down again. His heart was still beating rapidly within his chest. His breath had literally been knocked out of him as he looked at Alleyah who wore a stunning saree that flattered her petite figure.
"I didn't hear you." Jonny regained himself slowly.
"Right," Alleyah replied as she shut the door and walked without sound to a chair next to Jonny's bed. "It was about Marcus?"
"Yes," Jonny relaxed and a watched as Bandit jumped up in Alleyah's lap and snuggled up to her as if he'd done it a thousand times before. " I guess you over heard that."
"Voices carry in silent hallways," she replied as she began to pet Bandit on the head. Jonny noticed the gold ring on her finger.
"He asked her to dinner. The guy is, " Jonny searched for the right words. He wanted to try and phrase it better then when he tried to explain it to Jessie.
"Dark," Alleyah replied.
"Yes," Jonny's eyes lit up and he leaned closer to Alleyah and lowered his voice. "He gives off a cold feeling that I have never felt before. Trust me, I've been around."
The corner of Alleyah's lips turned up slightly and she looked down at Bandit.
"I don't mean it like that." Jonny defended. Could Alleyah have such a sense of humor? The thought intrigued him.
"I know the history of 'The Quest's' and their adventures," she replied softly. Her voice was calm and soft. Jonny felt as if they had some how reached a common ground. He felt as though they had suddenly become friends with the simple fact that they both disliked Marcus.
"Marcus just rubs me the wrong way," Jonny sighed to himself. He briefly remembered the look on Hadji's face when Marcus referred to Alleyah as Leyah. "I can't find the words to explain it. I just feel like everything suddenly got complicated the minute Marcus got here."
Jonny looked up to see a distant look in Alleyah's violet eyes. Her expression was stone cold and her beautiful eyes looked beyond him and his room.
"I think you are very perceptive to the situation at hand," she replied after a moment of silence.
"Jonny?"
Jonny looked towards the door as it opened before he could respond.
"Oh," Hadji stared blankly at Jonny then to Alleyah. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No," Jonny stood up nervously. He suddenly realized how bad it must appear. He was alone in his bedroom with the door shut, on his bed, talking to Alleyah who sat silently in a chair inches away from him. "No big deal."
"Jessie told me you were rather upset." Hadji replied. His expression was still stunned and his eyes were filled with questions.
"We had a disagreement," Jonny sat back down and sighed to himself.
"His dinner invitation to Jessie?" Hadji asked with small smile. It appeared that his two friends were still running in circles, at least where their feelings were concerned.
"I don't trust the guy Hadji." Jonny kept his eyes on the wood floor. Alleyah said nothing, as she continued to stroke Bandit on the head.
"You just met him, my friend." Hadji pointed out with a small smile.
"I know that." Jonny muttered under his breath. He had already gone this route with Jessie and didn't feel like explaining himself again. "He makes me nervous."
"Jonny?" Hadji placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and looked down at him calmly.
"I'm okay." Jonny looked up with his all American smile. "Really, I'm going to take a walk."
"If you say so, my friend." Hadji watched Jonny's back as he walked away. There was an off beat in Jonny's stride that confirmed what Hadji already knew. It wasn't all right.
Hadji turned to face Alleyah, only to find she was no longer in the chair. Only Bandit sat there looking back at him. In fact, as his eyes looked around the room and back to the door that was the only way to enter or leave. Alleyah wasn't anywhere. It was as though she disappeared.
'What is going on?' Hadji was filled with a growing anxiety that spread from his heart to his entire chest. Something wasn't right and he didn't know what it was.
"I don't need your permission to go out!" Jessie yelled.
"That isn't it." Jonny fought to keep his voice low. The last thing he wanted was for Count Marcus to over hear the conversation or anyone else for that matter.
"I don't want you to go out with Marcus." Jessie placed her hands at her hips and stared at the light blue eyes in front of her. " That is what you said."
"You don't understand." Jonny took a step forward. " I have a bad feeling about this guy."
"Why?" Jessie crossed her arms and raised a her thin red brow.
"I can't explain it." Jonny ran his hand through his bleach blond hair in frustration.
"You haven't even had a conversation with him." Jessie pointed out. "You don't have any room to say you don't trust him. In fact, you didn't even know who he was until I told you. How can you be so quick to judge someone?"
"Instinct," Jonny smiled. He knew it was the wrong thing to say as he heard himself say it. But it was the truth.
"Well," Jessie started towards the door of his room. "That isn't good enough."
Jonny watched his red head friend as she left his room, closing the door behind her. He sat on the end of his bed and looked down at Bandit, who sat silently as he and Jessie argued.
"I don't know boy." Jonny sighed.
"Am I interrupting?"
Jonny nearly left his skin. He suddenly found himself on his feet and staring into violet eyes.
"I'm sorry to startle you." Alleyah began as she stood in the doorway. "It wasn't closed all the way and I'm afraid I over heard you and Jessica a moment ago. Is everything all right?"
"No," Jonny sat down again. His heart was still beating rapidly within his chest. His breath had literally been knocked out of him as he looked at Alleyah who wore a stunning saree that flattered her petite figure.
"I didn't hear you." Jonny regained himself slowly.
"Right," Alleyah replied as she shut the door and walked without sound to a chair next to Jonny's bed. "It was about Marcus?"
"Yes," Jonny relaxed and a watched as Bandit jumped up in Alleyah's lap and snuggled up to her as if he'd done it a thousand times before. " I guess you over heard that."
"Voices carry in silent hallways," she replied as she began to pet Bandit on the head. Jonny noticed the gold ring on her finger.
"He asked her to dinner. The guy is, " Jonny searched for the right words. He wanted to try and phrase it better then when he tried to explain it to Jessie.
"Dark," Alleyah replied.
"Yes," Jonny's eyes lit up and he leaned closer to Alleyah and lowered his voice. "He gives off a cold feeling that I have never felt before. Trust me, I've been around."
The corner of Alleyah's lips turned up slightly and she looked down at Bandit.
"I don't mean it like that." Jonny defended. Could Alleyah have such a sense of humor? The thought intrigued him.
"I know the history of 'The Quest's' and their adventures," she replied softly. Her voice was calm and soft. Jonny felt as if they had some how reached a common ground. He felt as though they had suddenly become friends with the simple fact that they both disliked Marcus.
"Marcus just rubs me the wrong way," Jonny sighed to himself. He briefly remembered the look on Hadji's face when Marcus referred to Alleyah as Leyah. "I can't find the words to explain it. I just feel like everything suddenly got complicated the minute Marcus got here."
Jonny looked up to see a distant look in Alleyah's violet eyes. Her expression was stone cold and her beautiful eyes looked beyond him and his room.
"I think you are very perceptive to the situation at hand," she replied after a moment of silence.
"Jonny?"
Jonny looked towards the door as it opened before he could respond.
"Oh," Hadji stared blankly at Jonny then to Alleyah. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No," Jonny stood up nervously. He suddenly realized how bad it must appear. He was alone in his bedroom with the door shut, on his bed, talking to Alleyah who sat silently in a chair inches away from him. "No big deal."
"Jessie told me you were rather upset." Hadji replied. His expression was still stunned and his eyes were filled with questions.
"We had a disagreement," Jonny sat back down and sighed to himself.
"His dinner invitation to Jessie?" Hadji asked with small smile. It appeared that his two friends were still running in circles, at least where their feelings were concerned.
"I don't trust the guy Hadji." Jonny kept his eyes on the wood floor. Alleyah said nothing, as she continued to stroke Bandit on the head.
"You just met him, my friend." Hadji pointed out with a small smile.
"I know that." Jonny muttered under his breath. He had already gone this route with Jessie and didn't feel like explaining himself again. "He makes me nervous."
"Jonny?" Hadji placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and looked down at him calmly.
"I'm okay." Jonny looked up with his all American smile. "Really, I'm going to take a walk."
"If you say so, my friend." Hadji watched Jonny's back as he walked away. There was an off beat in Jonny's stride that confirmed what Hadji already knew. It wasn't all right.
Hadji turned to face Alleyah, only to find she was no longer in the chair. Only Bandit sat there looking back at him. In fact, as his eyes looked around the room and back to the door that was the only way to enter or leave. Alleyah wasn't anywhere. It was as though she disappeared.
'What is going on?' Hadji was filled with a growing anxiety that spread from his heart to his entire chest. Something wasn't right and he didn't know what it was.