Violet Eyes

6: Through the Cracks

The next morning, Nyx woke up before Nate. She opened her eyes and for the first time since the accident, she wasn't drenched in sweat. She slowly sat up in bed and thought for a moment before deciding to try out her power some more. She raised her hand and attempted to lift the blanket off of her. The most she managed to do was move it down her legs a few inches. Nyx made a grumpy face before she looked to her vanity and saw her hairbrush. She turned her body towards it slightly, pointed her finger at it and concentrated. She visualized it lifting into the air and it did, she smiled brightly as she watched the brush bob in midair.

"Having fun?" She heard Nate's deep sleepy voice chuckle, causing her to break concentration. The brush fell and bounced off the vanity before falling onto the ground.

"Dammit, Nate. You ruined my groove!" Nyx looked at him with a playful pout. Nate chuckled slightly, "I'm sorry, but don't worry because with enough practice you'll be able to lift things without even trying. You should be careful though, anyone can lose control of their power if they get pissed enough, as I'm sure you know." Nate sat up and lifted the covers off of him, he saw Nyx suddenly tense and her cheeks get flushed. "What?" Nate looked confused for a moment before he looked down and remembered that he didn't have a shirt on, his lean body in full view.

"Oh, shit. Sorry." Nate said urgently as he scooted to the bathroom. Nyx laughed and got out of bed, she walked over to Nate's dresser and slid open the second drawer. She grabbed a cotton shirt and walked over to the bathroom door. She cracked the door and threw the shirt inside, "You forgot this, stupid." She said before she heard Nate let out a small yelp of surprise as his shirt hit him in the back. Nyx smiled to herself before she turned and left the room to go downstairs. She entered the kitchen and it was empty, but there was a pot of coffee already made. Nyx smiled and moved to the cabinet to grab a mug to prepare herself a cup of coffee. She made her favorite caramel coffee and took a gulp, smiling through a sigh as the warmth spread through her body. She took the cup of coffee upstairs but when she entered the room, she saw it empty. The bathroom door was shut and she grumbled slightly, she desperately needed a shower. She knocked on the bathroom door, "Nate? You decent?"

"Yeah, one second." Nate said through the door before it opened and Nyx was slapped in the face by the smell of clean clothes and cologne.

"Damn dude, how much cologne did you use?" Nyx said as she waved the air away from her nose.

"You like it? Alan gave it to me last night." Nate lifted his arms and flexed in a stupid pose in front of her. Nyx rolled her eyes before she leaned forward to smell his shoulder and Nate tensed. Nyx smiled softly, "Ya know, it's not bad, I was just surprised." She said before she waved him away from the bathroom so she could shower. Nate walked over to his bed and sat down with a sigh as Nyx shut the bathroom door.

"Dammit..." Nate grunted under his breath while he rubbed the back of his neck. He heard the shower turn on as he laid down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a bit, breathing deeply. His mind wandered to a slightly dark place, the previous day Nate had told Nyx his biggest secret. Sure, he did it to try and make her feel better, but he also trusted her with a lot of his safety with that secret. He just...didn't want her to feel alone. Nate was jolted out of his thoughts when the bathroom door opened, Nyx was wearing faded black skinny jeans and a dark purple tank top, her raven black hair still wet from the shower. Nate looked at her for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, his mother barged into the room with a slightly panicked look on her face. "You two have to hide, there's a cop here!"

"What? Shit! Nyx, come here." Nate said urgently as he sprang out of bed and gripped Nyx's wrist. He dragged her to the closet and pushed her inside gently. "Stay here until I come to get you." He said in an urgent tone, Nyx didn't get time to answer before the door shut in her face. Nate followed his mother downstairs and stood in the room next door. He focused himself and listened in with his ability. His mother wordlessly opened the front door and came face to face with the police officer.

"Oh, hello sir! How can I help you?" Mary sounded sweet and respectful as she spoke to the cop.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry to bother you but I wanted to ask if you've seen this girl? She is a new Odd One and she is extremely dangerous." The cop showed Mary the most recent school photo of Nyx. She looked at the photo and pretended to think for a moment.

"No, I haven't, she is a pretty little thing though." Mary said as Nate listened in, he gulped as anxiety clawed at his throat.

Upstairs, Nyx stood in darkness in the closet and tried to listen closely to what was going on downstairs. However, she couldn't hear much over her thumping heartbeat. She couldn't even hear Nate coming up the stairs, he opened the closet door and Nyx jolted violently in surprise. Suddenly, Nate grunted as he was sent flying backwards until he hit the wall and fell down onto the floor. Nate lifted his head and looked at her in shock, "Ow..." He said quietly as he repositioned himself to stand up. "What was that for?"

"Nate! I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you!" Nyx said as she left the closet and helped him up before hugging him tightly, Nate was caught off guard for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Nyx, it's okay. It just startled me, I didn't know you could do that." Nate said in a soothing tone as he held her close, trying to calm her down.

"I don't want to live like this anymore, Nate. I want to see my mom, I want to go back to school. I just...want a normal life." Nyx choked out as she tried to swallow her tears, knowing full well that could never happen again. Nate stared at the ground behind her, not knowing what to say as Nyx fully let her tears go and sobbed into his chest. Nate took a deep breath before he moved his hands to her shoulders and moved Nyx away slightly before he leaned down to look her in the eyes.

"Nyx, look at me. I know how you're feeling, but I promise you...I'll be here right beside you and keep you safe. You will not be alone, I promise." Nate sounded genuine and sweet and it made Nyx smile slightly. She stepped forward and hugged him again, this time in a happy and thanking type of way. Nate smiled as he looked over the top of her head. "It'll be okay Nyx."