Chapter 2: Lysander

Lysander was walking down calmly when he heard a scream in the distance which brought him to halt. He peered over his shoulder but nothing, there was only people walking here and there on the street.

Part of him was still dazed. He had run into a girl making her fall down. Normally, a girl would scream her head off at him for making her fall down or gape at him, blush, stutter and ask for his phone number. He preferred the former, he didn't like people staring at him, it made him feel self-conscious. But this girl was different, she had ignored his hand, looked at him for a moment her eyes looking at him carefully, like one would examine an art piece and then her eyes became cold, she apologized and looked away from him picking up her things.

He felt embarrassed, so he bent to pick up her book and his notebook that had fallen down. When she saw him with her book her eyes widened slightly, surprised though he couldn't know why. He offered her his hand to help her stand but she ignored him yet again and stood up for herself. She took the book and looked directly into his eyes.

"Thank you." She said quietly. He finally noticed her eyes. Almond shaped eyes, with long, long eyelashes that concealed a pair of brown eyes. One was a slightly lighter than the other. However, he wasn't sure if it was something natural or just an effect of the light falling into her face. Her both eyes had a ring of black around the edge of her iris. He felt a smile creeping into his face, she had lovely eyes. "And I'm sorry for running into you." She added quietly.

"No, I'm sorry. My head was in the clouds." He said, her eyes didn't change they were cold or trying to be. There was kindness hidden in her eyes.

"It's okay." After a moment of silence she cleared her throat. "I should get going, goodbye." She inclined her head which surprised him no girl he knew did something like that. She walked past him and he got glimpse of her face, she was frowning with anger and there was faint blush across her cheeks. Whatever she was feeling, it didn't show in her body language, her walk was calm but hurried. He couldn't help but stare, something about her was… unnerving. He didn't know what or why.

When her body disappeared in the crowd of people, he turned around walking back home. He lived among the older buildings with his older brother Leigh. His parents preferred quiet areas so they lived in a farm outside the city. Lysander and Leigh didn't like it, he didn't like it very much but he did like the rabbits. His mother had loved them and she had many which they sold as pets.

Although they went to school and high school in the city, it was way too far and Leigh's dream was to become a fashion designer. So, when he became 18 he dropped out of high school and opened a shop at the Sweet Mall in the center of the city, despite the protests of their parents. Lysander didn't really like living in the countryside so he too went to live with Leigh when he was 16.

He loved the freedom that came with living alone but whenever both brothers felt homesick, they both hopped on their car and drove home where their mum would make them crepes. He would never admit it but he secretly hoped that one day he would meet a girl that made crepes better than his mother's. Come to think of it, if she cooked well then he would just marry her immediately. He was tired of Leigh's and his own poor cooking.

He shook his head. It was sexist to think like that women were more than house wives he reminded himself. His mother had taught both brothers since they were little that perhaps women looked delicate but they were more dangerous than men. He had taken those particular words at heart partly because it had proven to be true but also because he had seen his mother bringing down a brick wall with her bare hands when a pair of guys had tried to kidnap both brothers when they were little.

He shuddered. It still gave him chills to remember the traumatic experience. The furious expression of his mother, the snickers of the criminals when they had seen his mother and then the blank expression of both of them when she knocked them unconscious.

He still remembered the other one, the one that had creeped behind his mother's back and that he had tried to warn her. He still remembered the guy swinging a bat over her head and the sickening crack as it has broken on her back. Her mother's expression hadn't changed. In fact, she hadn't even moved. She had turned around calmly and much too Lysander's horror and relief she had beaten the guy bloody.

It had scared him beyond his wits, seeing the blood on her mother's knuckles and Leigh hadn't had it better. As soon as his mother released him from his ropes he had gone to barf to the nearest trash can. His mother had looked at him, when he saw tears welling in the corner of her eyes he wanted to hug her, to say something, anything to soothe her but he couldn't move. He was way too scared. When their eyes had met a silent understanding passed between them and she untied his ropes being careful of not touching him and had gone outside, telling them she would wait for them outside.

Later they had discovered that their mother had once been a gangster and those guys were a pair of guys she had beaten and wanted revenge from her, so they both kidnapped them. It took them a week for both sons and husband to coax Amelia out of her room. She was so sure they were disgusted by herself that she had locked herself in her room.

The good thing, their father also learned martial arts over the years so he was able to bring their mother out by knocking off the door. And after a lot talking and crying her sons had hugged her, and told them about her past as a criminal.

Something, that had shocked them both siblings because their mother was so…different from what she described. Her mother had told them that their father had changed her, that love was the most powerful force in the world. Ever since, Lysander had always fantasized having a love like that. He really wanted to look at someone the way his parents looked at each other, eyes full of love.

He stopped short, he had finally reached his building. It was a high skyscraper with a white walls, square windows, little balconies where different decorations that the residents of each apartment kept trying to personalize their spaces and finally the doors that led into the building, glass but not see trough, overall it was an old building but well kept.

He opened the door and greeted the janitor. he went to the elevator and pressed the number 10, the floor in which he lived and entered the little apartment where Rosalya was sitting in Leigh's lap both of them sitting on the couch talking animatedly. When they saw the door open their gazes snapped to him.

"Lys-baby!" said Rosalya clapping her hands together delightedly.

"Hi Rosa."

"Did you find it?" asked Leigh resting his chin on her Rosalya's shoulder.

"Yes, it was just where you told me." he said flipping the notebook in front of him. His brother breathed out in relief, just as something slipped from the notebook and fell to the floor with a clink. Lysander kneeled to pick it whatever had fallen out of my notebook and frowned, it was a simple copper ring. Looking at it closely he realized the ring was designed o look like a feather.

"Lys, what is that thing?" asked his brother. Lysander didn't reply. It couldn't be… he thought and then realization dawned upon him. He had picked up the wrong notebook. Normally he wasn't a very curious person but seeing that he needed information to contact the girl, the real owner of the notebook he flipped open the notebook. Inside the first page had been scribbled by the owner. Rosaline Walker, the owners' name was written in a careful, cursive handwriting, he looked for any contact information but there was none. Lysander groaned, something that wasn't really in his nature. Rosalya and Leigh exchanged looks, something odd must have had happened.

"Lys-baby what happened?" asked Rosalya in her loud voice. Lysander tore his gaze away from the notebook.

"Earlier I ran into a girl and we her things fell down, she must have had a notebook like mine because I took hers by accident."

"Is there any…"began Leigh but Lysander shook his head.

"No, just the name."

"We can search her name?"

"There are many girls called Rosaline Walker, I think we would have a hard time finding her."

"Is that her name?"

"Yes." Rosalya narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know why it rings a bell."

"Probably because there are many girls with that name?" said Leigh smiling lovingly at Rosalya, while she crossed her arms and huffed. Leigh laughed and placed a peck on her cheek. Lysander smiled wistfully; he knew how much those two loved each other and he was honestly jealous that those two shared a love like that.

"Well, I don't know about you two but I need to get going to university and I think you too Rosalya have to come." She snapped her head towards the silver haired boy and gave him the evil eye.

"There is an hour left for school." She pointed out.

"And I'd like to arrive 30 minutes before to talk with my friends again."

"You talk like you haven't seen them in all summer."

"It's been two weeks." He said sadly. All his friends –including himself- had to get ready for the new phase that they all had start, university. All of them needed those two weeks, to buy the books, the clothes (yes not only women), the food, the electronic devices, condoms even decorations. That and all of them had had seminaries about their courses stuff like that. Add to that the search for jobs, none of them were able to see each other. Rosalya smiled, she knew that even though Lysander wasn't very expressive he was quite an emotional fella.

"Okay Lys-baby let's go and see your friends again."

"you make it sound as if they were not your friends." Rosalya rolled her eyes.

"our friends are not the same people Lysander Ainsworth." She rarely called him by his full name and when she did it was to emphasize a point or talk about something deadly serious.

"Rosa, you should listen to Lys, you can't be irresponsible this year." Said Leigh looking at her meaningfully. Rosalya had also wanted to become a designer but she had spent most of her last year of high school helping Leigh with his shop and learning things- that were indeed useful- but had affected her grades deeply, she almost didn't make into the prestigious university but thanks to her talent she finally managed to get in. Lysander on the other hand managed to get in, with excellent results but his inability to decide between two careers made him choose both of them, tightening his schedule, leaving no time for part time jobs. Lysander didn't mind but his parents, Leigh, Rosalya, Nathaniel and surprisingly Castiel had told him that it wasn't a good idea, that he shouldn't strain himself.

Rosalya sighed exasperatedly and leaned to kiss her boyfriend softly. She drew back and both she and Lysander went down in silence, not an uncomfortable one, it was understanding silence. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts, something that wasn't surprising from Lysander but it was something weird in Rosalya, she liked to talk. A lot.

"are you nervous?" he asked gently. Rosalya looked up at him and he was able to see through her with ease, she was scared.

"Rosa, you made it this far didn't you?"

"I only made to the beginning."

"Well, you can hardly start at the end of something, can you?" he said smiling.

"Lysander, have I ever told you how much I love you?" Lysander was taken aback, surely Rosalya couldn't mean…

"I mean as a brother." She said rolling her eyes at his doe eyed gaze, Lysander calmed, down. Good, because he really loved Leigh and as much as he liked Rosalya, he was already over her.

"Really, lys-baby I am completely in love with your brother, he really is something."

"I'd rather not like the details." Rosalya's eyes widened.

"did you just joke lys-baby?" she asked teasingly punching his arm. He smiled, true at one point he liked Rosalya but seeing her with Leigh and seeing them both together made them very happy. There was a ting! as the elevator's doors opened and Rosalya dashed out much to Lysander's surprise.

"Shot-gun I drive!" she said in her eager, rosalya-ish manner.

"That's okay with me." He said politely but goodness, he was slapping his face on the inside, let Rosalya drive? It was like letting Castiel and Nathaniel start singing. Awful. He noticed that he was still carrying the notebook of the girl.

Lysander had always been a curious person, but he knew that it wasn't correct to pry into someone else's things. And he had years of practice at not prying into other's business but even so, he needed his notebook and if he only searched for information to contact the girl, surely she wouldn't mind, would she? He shook his head and started walking, his hand clutching the feather ring. In his left hand. He hurried to the garage of the apartment complex to his old car where Rosalya was sitting in the driver's seat tapping her white freshly manicured nails impatiently against the wheel.

"Oh, hurry up!" he smiled at her impatience, glad that she was finally letting go of the nervousness and hurried his pace. As he was tucking his seat belt and muttering a good luck prayer, so that they wouldn't crash.

"Are you're going to read that notebook Lys-baby?" she asked really casually.

"I need to contact the owner and return her this." He said holding out the feather ring.

"it's an old battered, ring. And that's a cheap notebook." She pointed out.

"Still, it could be important."

"then why are you hesitating so much in looking at her notebook?"

"it is something private, it's not mine."

"Lys-baby, I'm pretty sure the girl won't mind, as long as you return it to her and as long as you tell her it was to search contact information." She said happily but when she saw Lysander's anxious face in the rearview mirror she talked in a light manner. "and if she does mind use your looks to make her not mind."

Lysander debated with himself a little while and finally decided that if he were to find this girl, and not give the notebook to the wrong person, he might as well know her a little, no? At least, this way he would be able to tell if the person claiming to be the owner was the owner.

He paused flipped open the notebook and looked at the writing, it was very odd indeed. The style of writing changed drastically, it was careful cursive on some pages, messy on others as if done in a hurry but it was beautiful nonetheless. There were assortment of dialogues, letters, quotes, poems, outlines, summaries even letters. Everything was disorganized but lovely. There were also doodles and dribbles occasionally in the edges of some pages. None of them were obscene something that surprised Lysander.

"Lys-baby?" he looked up at the mention of his name and was surprised they were already in the parking lot of the college. Did time fly so fast?

"I'm sorry, it's just, I didn't…" she looked at him oddly.

"You were lost in whatever you were reading Lys-baby, I've never seen you this distracted."

"What do you mean?"

"It's strange you have been reading that notebook and you have made little expressions and I have only seen you make those whenever you read something good."

"Your point?" she smiled mysteriously.

"When I have it complete I shall tell you." they both got out and Lysander shook his head, the notebook had kept him distracted too long.

He looked at the building in front of him. It's architecture differed from place to place. The north wing for example, was quite modern with blue windows, steel decorations and white walls. The south wing was a mixture of Victorian and gothic. With high pointy roofs reaching to the sky and huge windows painted white. Some with illustrations, others without but every corner of that place screamed grandeur.

Roslaya was already at the gates hugging Iris, Melody, Bianca and Violette. Nathaniel and Castiel were at the door. Castiel leaning against the door real casual while Nathaniel was standing with poise arms crossed talking with the red-haired boy. Lysander looked down at the notebook. He had been reading a very sad story that talked about a caged girl with no one by her side. It had made him feel so lucky to have friends. He hadn't finished it completely but he was already predicting that it was going to end in tragedy. It didn't lift his spirits, he really wanted to read but he also missed his friends so the notebook would have to wait.

He sighed and walked to his friends who were already waving at him. It was going to be a long day.

Sooo, um, I wanted to explain something about an aspect of my writing. I will make it in third person but in each chapter the focus will be one character's perspective but that will not mean that you're not going to see the perspective of another character. For example a chapter can be focused on Alexy but there will be perspective of other characters like Rosaline or Leo (both of them are my creation) or Violette, Kim or Rosalya.

That's all. :P