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Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. And so, accordingly, I do not own any works credited to that name. (Or to related names. i.e. Uncle Rick.)
Previously on More Than A Mortal:
"Alright." I said. He went back down to the party, closing the door behind him.
I took out my makeup remover from my bag and washed off the makeup and fake blood. Then I took out the contacts and fangs. I took off my boots and gloves, but not the dress. I want going to get changed just yet. I fished through my bag for my phone and charger. I plugged the charger into the wall and sent Maddie a quick text saying I was just going to stay here for the night and not to worry about me.
I looked around the room again and spotted Kiernan's guitar. I picked it up and sat down on the air mattress. I checked the tune and began to play.
"Have you been playing that since I left?" A voice asked. I looked behind me to see Kiernan.
"I guess?" It came out as a question. He laughed.
"Well, it's been an hour. I kicked everyone out and I just finished cleaning up. Pretty much everybody was gone by ten, though, so that made my job easier." Kiernan said. I got up and put his guitar back on its stand. "Let me grab some clothes and I'll change downstairs while you change up here." He went over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of sweatpants, then went back downstairs.
Once he was gone, I pulled off my dress and put on the shirt he gave me. It was large, and reached the top of my thighs. I buttoned it up, except the top few buttons. A little bit of my bra could be seen at the top, but that was fine. I sat down on the air mattress and began to take out the Bobby pins, tossing them toward my bag one at a time.
I had just tossed the last Bobby pin away and was pulling out the tiny rubber band that held my braid together at the end when Kiernan sat across from me on the air mattress. The only pajamas he wore were sweatpants. I slowly undid my braid, being careful not to tangle my hair. It would be hell to brush in the morning if I managed to tangle it before I even undid the braid.
When I was finished, Kiernan spoke. "So, are you tired? Because I'm not, but if you are, I'll go downstairs or be quiet."
"I'm not really tired." I said with a shrug. "You are free to make as much noise as you'd like, at risk of consequence from the sleeping dragon called Lydia." He cracked a grin at that.
"She's out cold. I could hear her snoring through the door, and she's a heavy sleeper." Kiernan told me.
"Well, I guess you're free to do as you wish, then." I told Kiernan.
"Turn around." He told me. I gave him a questioning look. "Just do it." I turned around and I felt him move up behind me, so that we both sat at the center of the air mattress. I felt his hands in my hair.
"What are you doing?" I asked him curiously.
"Your hair." He told me.
"Let me clarify. Why?" I asked.
"Lydia always used to have me do her hair, before she could. I'd never tell her this, and don't you go tell her, either, but I kind of enjoyed it. I've always loved doing stuff like that for her." He told me.
"I won't tell. But I think that's really sweet of you." I told him. He snorted.
"Yeah, well, let's keep the sweet side hidden. I've got a reputation to uphold." Kiernan said.
"Even within your own family?" I asked.
"Especially within my own family." Kiernan said. I felt him run his hand through my hair, taking down whatever he just put it up into. He started to move my hair to one side.
"So, what are you-" I started to ask, but stopped when his lips met my neck. My heartbeat picked up as he pressed his lips to my neck in another spot. And another. And another. And then he started to suck lightly on my neck, no doubt leaving marks. I was breathing hard now.
Then his lips trailed up to my jaw. He brought up a hand and lightly tugged my chin so that my head was turned to the side. He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. I didn't know what I was doing or why, but I kissed him back. His lips pressed against mine harder, and he licked my lips. I parted my lips and his tongue entered my mouth. He pulled me around to face him and pulled me half into his lap.
After a few minutes, we broke apart and he rested his forehead against mine. His eyes were closed, but he opened them and looked into my eyes as he spoke, breathing heavy. "You look goddamn sexy in my shirt." Then he kissed me again.
I woke in the middle of the night to a rumble of thunder and the steady patter of rain on a roof. For a moment I didn't realize where I was, but then I remembered it all. Every. Single. Damn. Moment.
I was feeling a very wide mix of emotions, lying there naked under the comforter on the air mattress, next to Kiernan. I was slightly horrified at what we'd done, for one. Another part of me felt... Joy? And a whole range of other emotions I couldn't decipher. A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. Was I causing the storm? I hoped not. Jay would probably kill me if I was. But that wasn't my biggest concern at the moment.
I moved off of the air mattress and found my undergarments, throwing them on. I grabbed the nearest article of clothing, which happened to be the shirt Kiernan had lent me. I didn't bother to button it up. I went over to my bags and just grabbed the essentials. My dance bag, phone, charger, boots, helmet. I left the bag of clothing and all of my costume stuff. I slipped the boots on and then put the helmet on, giving me less to carry. I threw my phone, charger, and keys in with my dance stuff and put the drawstring bag on my back.
I went over to the window and opened it, pulling it inwards. Some rain got inside, but I didn't worry about that. I just climbed out the window and into the large oak, closing the window quietly behind me. I climbed very careful through the wet tree to my window, and pushed it open. It had a lock, but I'd cracked it open the other day, and though I'd closed it, I hadn't locked it. I went into my room and closed the window behind me. I moved to the center of my room, threw my bag off to the side by my armoire, and sank to my knees, staring at the floor.
And that is where I stayed for the next couple hours, as the sky started to brighten, though the rain didn't lessen. I only started moving when my alarm went off. I knew if I didn't, I'd be late to dance. I didn't want to be late for practice for dance team, especially not only two weeks in.
I took a shower, but I couldn't scrub away the feeling of last night.
When I went back up to my room, against my better judgement, I put Kiernan's shirt on my bed. Then I dressed in jeans, a sports bra, a t-shirt, and my leather jacket. I threw on my boots, and grabbed my helmet. I took my keys from my dance bag and put them in my pocket. I checked my phone. Only one text message. From Maddie, last night. It was her saying she'd see me at dance. There were a lot of missed calls, though, all Jay. And a from the middle of the night, probably from when the storm started. It must've been me.
I went downstairs to the front door, stopping at the bathroom to grab a ton of Bobby pins. When I did get to the front door, I willed the metal to reform. A few moments later, I held a key to the house. It was black, the color of the Bobby pins. I added it into the ring my motorcycle keys were on. Then I went out the front door and locked it behind me. I went to my motorcycle, which was unfortunately subjected to the rain, and started it up. And then I drove to dance.
I got to the studio really early. Practice started at eight, it was seven. They were open, of course, they opened as early as six for anyone to come and practice, but no one other than the administrative staff were ever there before seven thirty. And the administrative staff had to go in at six to open the studio.
I said a quick hi to the lady at the desk, who look surprised to see me there so early, and went into the girl's locker room. I went over to my locker and changed into the dance wear I had brought in my dance bag. I changed into a loose tank top and my dance leggings, a pair that were a little longer than normal, covering the arches of my feet, and had holes for my heels. I slipped on my toe undies, printed with a camouflage design, and put my helmet, bag, keys, and shoes in my locker. I checked my phone again. Another missed call from Jay, as well as a multiple texts and a call from Kiernan. The texts asked where I was and why I had left. I ignored them, set my phone to silent, and put it in my locker. I went out into the studio.
I stretched for the next fifteen minutes. We used the first five to ten minutes of each of my classes to stretch, but most girls stretched a little beforehand.
After I stretched, I started to work on my routine. It didn't matter how hard I tried, I wasn't doing it right. I was off. I wobbled when I should have stood straight, my movements were too sharp when they were meant to flow, and I completely screwed up my transitions.
I kept working at it when more dancers entered the studio to get extra time in before practice started. At one point, I thought I saw Maddie in the lobby, but I wasn't sure. The blinds on the large window were half open, so I could've been mistaken. But sure enough, she came in a couple minutes later. She came over to me and I started over on our routine, her joining me.
"So you stayed over Lydia's after the party?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah." I said, concentrating on not wobbling. I was a mess today.
"Jay was worried about you." Maddie told me.
"And what were you doing with my brother in the middle of the night?" I asked teasingly. She blushed slightly.
"Okay, nothing happened. His ride flaked on him, so I let him stay over my place. The air mattress was already set up for you, so I just let him have it." Maddie explained. I completely missed my cue. "Lyric?"
"Please don't mention air mattresses around me right now. Or ever again." I said. She gave me a questioning look, but I didn't say anything else.
Class soon started, and I wasn't as off as I thought, really only enough for me to notice and for Maddie to notice, but that still wasn't a good thing. I felt bad when I didn't do my absolute best, especially when I was working with others.
After class, I went into the locker room and quickly changed. A quick phone check told me I had seven more missed calls from Kiernan, a call from Lydia, and three calls from Jay; as well as many texts from Kiernan, a couple from Lydia, and about a million from Jay. I didn't message any of them back. I kind of wanted to just go home and be alone.
When I went out into the lobby, Maddie behind me, I was surprised, to say the least. Jay, Lydia, and Kiernan were all sitting in a couple of the chairs placed out in the lobby. I stopped and looked accusingly at Maddie, who just replied with "I told you, your brother was worried."
I turned back to my brother. He stood and came up to me. "Where the hell were you, Lyric?" He asked. He was using my full name. He was not happy.
"I came to dance early." I said with a shrug. "I've been here since seven."
"And before that? I called you a million times last night." Jay said.
"I texted Maddie that I was staying the night. She texted me back saying she'd see me at dance in the morning." I said wearily.
"You know that's not what I meant." Jay said, voice low. "What happened last night? What happened to you to cause this storm? Talk to me, Lee." He pleaded. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside. It just made Jay more desperate to know, to help. But it wasn't anything he could help with.
"If you want to know, just ask him." I said, pointing at Kiernan. "I don't know what he'll tell you, but I'm leaving." I turned and walked out of the studio, all four of them staring after me. I out on my helmet and started my bike, then drove the opposite direction of home. I wasn't actually going anywhere else, I just didn't want them with any guesses at where I was. After driving a few blocks, I drove back home.
My bike had a garage button on it. I hadn't put it in the garage the previous day because I wouldn't have been able to get back into the garage to get it out again until mom got back. After I parked my bike in the garage, I closed the door and went unlocked the door into the house from the garage. It, like the front door, let out into a little foyer where we kept the coat rack and shoe rack. I took off my wet boots and hundreds my helmet on a wooden peg on the coat rack on the wall. Then I went upstairs to my bedroom.
When I got to my bedroom, I took my phone and keys out of my dance bag and tossed it by the armoire. I set my keys on my end table, and checked my phone. More missed calls and texts from my brother and my friends. I looked through the texts. It was all them asking where I went and what had happened. Except Kiernan, because he knew damn well what happened. He was just asking if we could please talk about it. It was also apparent that he hadn't told them anything, because they were asking what had happened.
I plugged in my phone and set it on my end table, then I hung my leather jacket in my armoire. I stripped off my wet t-shirt and jeans and threw them in the hamper. I glanced at my bed and saw Kiernan's shirt. Against my better judgement, again, I put it on. I didn't button it or anything, just wrapped it around myself and sat there on my bed, staring at the wall.
Sometime later, I don't know when, I moved to lay down and stare at the ceiling. Everything was catching up with me. I was able to hide my emotions in front of others, something I had always been adept at, but now that I was alone, I couldn't hold back the tears or all the random emotion. Eventually, I fell asleep.
When I woke up and checked my phone, it was evening, just after six o'clock. I looked through my messages and missed calls. More of the same. Jay and Maddie and Lydia desperate to know what happened, Kiernan wanting to talk.
At that moment, I made a decision. I needed to be away from everyone for the moment, so I decided to go drive out to where Mom was staying at her brother's farm. It was about a two hour drive. I packed a backpack with two outfits, Kiernan's shirt, a hairbrush, and my phone charger. I changed into a pair of jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and my leather jacket. I braided my hair so that it'd stay up under my helmet, and went down to the garage. I unpacked the things from the backpack into the two side compartments on my bike, and rolled up the bag and put it in as well. I kept my phone in an inside pocket of my jacket. I knew the address, Mom had told us, so I put it into my GPS and set off.
And there is the eighth chapter!
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