Book 1: Awakening (The VIth Element Series)

Chapter 5: Alex

I woke up to the sound of someone gently tapping on my bedroom door. Groaning, I realised that I must have fallen asleep halfway through packing. Snatching a look at my alarm clock, I hurriedly started throwing the remainder of what I needed into my suitcase, before answering the door.

"Come in?" I called out, my back to the door.

When I turned around, expecting to see my parents or hopefully my brother, I was both surprised and relieved.

"David!" I cried, dropping the pair of pink knickers in my hand on the floor and throwing my arms around him, making him blush the same colour as the pants. "You don't know how much it means to me to see you."

David threw me a pleased look, although his face became stricken with concern, once the pink tinge had somewhat faded.

"The same can be said for me, although no offense Alex, but you look awful."

"Thanks." I retorted laughing but, glancing at the mirror in front of me, from the redness of my eyes, I realised that I couldn't disagree. "Tell me about it," I abruptly muttered, walking over to the mirror and gazing at my drained features, tracing the outline of my tired eyes with my fingers. "I feel awful."

Sensing him place his hand supportively on my shoulder, I spun around - only to find myself inches from David's face. As soon as this had happened, I felt my heart rate increase, much to my surprise and, to make matters worse, I blushed. Due to the unfamiliar responses my body was undergoing, I quickly widened the gap between us.

David didn't say anything.

"I missed you so much at school today," he eventually whispered and I desperately tried to lose the awkward heat in my cheeks. "When I heard that you'd left Science, because you were ill and had to go home, I was beside myself with worry, particularly after seeing you badly on edge this morning. What's more," he added, "I failed my Maths test."

I groaned.

Thankfully, my earlier embarrassment had subsided.

"Was it the same test that I'd helped you revise for every single day?"

He nodded.

"Yep, that same wonderful test that both of us found utterly riveting to discuss."

A silence fell between us before I replied.

"Sorry." I finally mumbled.

David chuckled.

"What are you saying sorry for?" he retorted. "It's only a test. I'd rather fail a thousand Maths tests than hear that you were lying, in hospital, in a critical condition. Trust me when I say that, after hearing gossipy horror stories all day, I'm extremely glad that those stories are not true."

I felt my heart heave at his words, before I realised the time had come to break both the good and bad news I had pent up inside of me. Taking his hand in mine, I led him over to my bed, sitting down on the edge, to which he followed suit. All the humour vanished from his face the moment he registered the tension in my frame.

"David," I said slowly, avoiding his piercing gaze. "There's something I have to tell you."

At seeing my nervousness and, at hearing the serious tone in my voice, David threw me a worried and pained expression.

"Please tell me that you haven't killed anyone?" He blurted out, with what looked like fear and horror in his eyes.

As soon as David had made this shocking exclamation, I couldn't help but choke. This was because I was one of the last people on Earth who would have ever thought of committing such a crime. Clearly, even though David knew this, logic and sense had apparently abandoned him.