Spectrum (On hold)

Chapter Ten

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     Ten

     The next whole week was nearly unbearable. I had skipped school everyday just to sit in my apartment and shift through the past. Something was tugging the back of my mind, something was visiting me in my dreams, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't put all the pieces together. My father, Alec, Andreale, the Nephilims, the danger I was supposedly in... none of it made sense. Sunday had finally rolled around when I decided that school might actually be a good idea. 

     "You can't just run away from your problems, Spectrum," I muttered to myself as I crawled under the sheets that night. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed for a dreamless sleep. One free of burning angel wings, my fathers desperate voice ringing through the fire, free of terror. I didn't get my wish. 

***    

    Beep, beep, beep, beep.

     "Ugh!" I groaned, rolling over and smacking the off button on my alarm clock. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and yawned, something on my dresser catching my eye. Gingerly, I got out of bed, walking over to find a neatly pressed note laying on the smooth, black surface of my dresser. I grabbed it, ripping it open quickly, expecting another note from Lepious. 

     I'll kill you. it read. 

     "Andreale," I mumbled, a shiver running down my spine. Had she been in my apartment in the middle of the night? No. Surely she would've killed me in my sleep if that had been the case. Then again, maybe she wanted a fight. She'd get one alright. I'd die taking down that bitch if I had to.

     Shredding her note up into tiny pieces, I decided I didn't have time to worry about it. I was already sick out of my mind about seeing Alec-- especially after our last awkward encounter outside the warehouse. Plus, all my crazy dreams and memories were driving me up a wall as I pushed myself to remember what had happened with my father. 

     Dressing quickly, I popped in my brown contacts and headed out to school, the brisk Seattle air cooling my clammy skin. It felt surprisingly good as I shoved my hands in my pockets. I never had recovered my backpack from the alley, but my teachers could deal with it-- even though Lepious would be pissed about me paying the fee for all my missing textbooks. Oh, well. 

     It was a strange sensation, walking into the high school. Almost like my first day all over again. I felt like a stranger as I paced the dull halls. I got frequent stares as I walked down the hall to chemistry, but no one said a thing to me. 

     "Spectrum!" I heard a relieved voice yell the moment I walked into my warm classroom. I looked up to see Vanessa jumping up from our lab table, sprinting to throw her arms around me. 

     "Whoa!" I yelled as I stumbled backwards, catching myself on the doorframe. 

     "Where in the hell have you been?" she demanded, letting go and stepping back. Working my brain, I tried coming up with a good excuse, but as I did so I caught the eyes of Alec over Vanessa's shoulder. They were so startlingly familiar. "Hello-o-o?" Vanessa snapped her fingers in front of my face, causing me to break eye contact with Alec. 

     "I was on vacation," I quickly lied. Seeming satisfied, she nodded and trotted off to her seat as the final bell rang. Mimicking her actions, I followed her to our table. 

      I really was relived that Vanessa was okay, that Andreale hadn't hurt her yet, but my body still went rigid every time she touched me. Even though she was perfectly human, with the help of Andreale, she was also perfectly capable of hurting me. I just wanted her out of danger. But more importantly, I really didn't want her trying to kill me along with everybody else.