Chapter 3: Brotherly and Sisterly Love
I found myself asleep on top of Brad or Leon. I could feel his chest going up and down steadily and his warmth. His heart was beating smoothly, not going too fast, but not too slow. One of his arms was resting on my back. I felt secure on him. But yet I don't understand, Vlad didn't come into my dream to torture me. I think to "awaken" my power he had to physically touch or whatever me.
I slowly opened my eyes to see the TV on, but with very low volume. I looked at T-shirt he was wearing, it was white, and so it was Leon I am lying on. I looked down at the end of couch expecting to see Brad, but no one was there. Then I looked at the TV, he was watching Comedy Central.
" Leon," I said sleepily, " Where's Brad?"
I was now looking up at him, still laying on him, and he looked at me and said:
" He's looking up where your sister lives or the Finch's family. As soon as he finds out where, we'll be off. Or if he finds the school, we'll go there."
" Oh, okay…" I said fading off into my daydreams.
" Leon, I found out where the Finch's live. And where her sis goes to school," Brad said with excite.
I shot up into a sitting position.
" Really?" I joyfully said, " We better go now, I need to see her."
" Wow, didn't know you were awake. Oh well then we better go," Brad said.
I got off the couch and stood by the door. Then Leon got off the couch.
" Uh, Kiri, you better change and get some shoes on. Or people might think you poor or somethin', " Leon said.
I looked down at myself; I was a disaster.
" Do you have anything for me to change into?" I asked.
" Uh, you can where a pair of our clothes, I've seen girls where guy clothes before, and you can where the shoes that you were wearing when we… I mean we'll have buy new shoes. Um… what size do you wear?" Brad said.
" I wear 8 1/2s and give some of your clothes, these clothes are beginning to itch," I said.
Leon walked into his room for a few minutes and then came back out with some clothes.
" I grabbed the smallest clothes I could find," he said as he handed them to me.
" As long as they don't fall off of me, I don't mind," I said.
" Okay then you go change, I'll go buy some shoes for you," Brad said as he pulled out some keys from the counter. " I'll be back in a bit."
He opened the front door and then walked out closing the door behind him.
" Do you mind if I use your shower before I change into these," I asked.
" Not at all, go ahead," he said as he moved out of the way.
" Thanks…" I mumbled and walked into the bathroom.
I shut the door behind me, and locked it. I walked over to the shower, and turned the knob and pushed it an inch away from H. I set the clothes on the bathroom counter. Then I looked up at the mirror to expect to see my dirty, worried self. I did see that, but I also saw Vlad standing behind me in the mirror. I jerked around, but he wasn't there. I looked back at the mirror; he wasn't there either. Am I seeing things or was he really there? I waited a few minutes, before I took off my clothes to get in the shower. I didn't know if that was real, and if it was and he did come back… I wouldn't want to see him to see me naked.
After I got out of the shower, quickly dried myself off and grabbed to clothes and slid the shirt over my head and the pants up my legs. I looked into the mirror, looking at the girl on the other side. She looked lost and confused. Then suddenly behind the girl in the mirror, the bathroom became a destroyed town.
" No!" I screamed and threw the nearest thing at the mirror, which happened to be a hairdryer. It broke the mirror, I expected to hear the hairdryer hit the tile floor, but I didn't I turned around and found Vlad holding it.
" Who said your future would be 'average'?" he said as he faded away and then the hairdryer fell onto the floor.
Leon thudded on the door.
" What's goin' on in there? I thought you really wanted to go see your sis?" he said.
" I do, it's just…" I opened the door and walked past him.
He peered in the bathroom and saw the shattered mirror and the hairdryer on the floor. I sat down on the couch and then hugged a pillow, burying my face in it. I felt someone touch my shoulder. I didn't move.
" Tell me what's wrong," he said softly.
I shook my head and then looked up at him.
" Look, I'm sorry. You just don't know what goin' on with me…can we just go see my sis?" I pleaded, trying to change the subject.
He eyed me for a few moments, and then he looked up at Brad who was coming through the door with a box of shoes. He nodded at me; he seemed a little frustrated with me. But it was all right, as long as he didn't know, he wouldn't think I was insane.
" Hey guys, here's your shoes Kiri, put them on and we can go," Brad said as he handed the box to me.
I opened them up and the shoes were all black. They had a zipper instead of shoelaces and they were size 8s. I slid them on and them walk around in them to make sure they weren't too big or worse, too small. As I walked, I noticed Leon whispering something to Brad and he was looking at me. I knew he was talking about the broken mirror and me.
" Can we go now?" I said interrupting them.
" Uh, yeah sure," Brad said awkwardly.
He opened the door again, he also so seemed angry with me. If I told them this, they 'd probably give me to an insane asylum. I will tell them when I'm ready.
" Look, guys, I'm sorry about the broken mirror, I'm sorry about everything. You just don't know me; I'm not like everyone else. I don't have normal parents. I don't know where to go to hide. I'm scared all right! I just can't tell you why! I- I can't hide from him!" I said as began to walk out the door and quietly burst into tears still walking away.
I got to the car and leaned against the back door and sobbed. I am scared, and you would be too, if you knew you were going to destroy the world. I heard them shut the door and then footsteps on the pavement.
" I'm sorry… I didn't know," Leon said as touched my shoulder.
I couldn't look at him. I put my fist against my mouth. Then I felt Brad touch my other shoulder.
" I'm sorry too," he said quietly.
" C'mon lets go," Leon said as he let go of me and walked around to the driver door.
" Who is 'him' anyways?" Brad asked.
I bit my knuckle gently and then opened the backdoor and jumped in. I shut the door and ignored Brad. Then he got in the passenger seat, next to Leon. I couldn't tell him who "him" was, that's what I couldn't tell them. Leon started the car and began to back out. I stared at my reflection on the window. Then my reflection turned into Vlad. Scared out of my wits, I unbuckled my seat belt and moved to the center of the two seats. I looked back at the window and he was gone, again.
Brad and Leon were compromising where the school was.
" There it is, up ahead," Leon said.
I jerked my head up. Finally, we were here now I had a chance about this whole issue.
" Are you happy, Kiri?" Brad asked.
" Yeah…" I said, though I didn't sound happy.
We turned into the parking lot and found a parking spot. Leon turned off the car and waited for the rest of us to out. I stepped out of the car. The school was huge; I hadn't been near such enormous building since the day before I ran away.
" I'm glad you guys helped me," I said right before they entered the office.
Leon and Brad, with me behind them, walked up to the front desk.
" Um, hi, we need Aeris Finch to come with this, family issue," Leon said in the calmest way he could.
" Alright," the lady at the front desk said.
Then she picked up the phone and said: "Aeris Finch, please come to the office you'll be leaving. Aeris Finch, please come to the office."
" She'll be here in a few moments," she told us, " You can sit and wait."
I was too excited and nervous to sit. I paced around in circles; while Brad and Leon sat and watched me wait. I looked at the door and saw her coming in. I was jumping in and out of my shoes. I was so excited to see her. Before she could enter, I ran out the door and hugged her. She was a little shocked.
" Aeris, don't you remember me, your long lost sister, Kiri?" I asked.
She thought there for a moment and studied me.
" Kiri! I missed you so!" she cried as she hugged me. " Vlad was chasing me, and gave me the power to erase memories, but-but he said you had a stronger power and was going after you… please tell me you believe me."
" I do! I really do! He's been haunting me and chasing me. I won't let him get me. I don't want my power. My power will end the world and I don't want it. I've seen what it will look like. He won't leave me alone. I can't look at myself without seeing my own future destruction. I hate it," I told her.
" I'll keep him away with all my might, if you want me to," she said.
" I do, and my new friends, Brad and Leon, are helping, though they don't know what from though-" I said as I was cut off.
" We know, we heard the whole thing…" Leon said as he opened the door with Brad behind him.
I looked at him with a little anger, but with more relief. I didn't have to tell in his face, but I didn't want him to know yet. I looked at Aeris; I wish she would make them forget everything I had just said.
"Aeris," I whispered, "Make them forget what I just said. Please, I don't want them to know yet."
" All right…" she said as she closed her eyes.
I could tell she was focusing and trying to figure out how to use them. Then a few minutes later, she opened her eyes.
" There, I think," she said.
" Hey guys, watcha doin'?" I asked.
" We were just picking you guys up. Time to go," Leon said.
Yes! It worked. Then I looked at Aeris. I smiled at her.
" What'd we do now?" I asked.
" Hmm. How 'bout we go out for some lunch and get to know each other?" Leon said.
We all agreed and so we all headed off. I dropped my locket, I didn't know where though.
" Hold on guys, I gotta get my locket. It's over there. Go ahead get in the car, I'll be back in a few," I said as I trailed back.
" Okay! We'll be in the car!" Brad yelled over to me.
I walked backed. I was bent over looking for it. My head bumped into someone's stomach. I looked up.
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