Beginnings (The Trifectus Series - Book One) (20 page)

I went downstairs to get some water.  I needed something refreshing to try to calm me down.  As I was standing in the kitchen, I looked out the window.  It was dark and ominous outside.  Fog gently flowed above the grass as if something big was blowing it away.

As I looked at the dim neighborhood lights, I saw a shadow in the distance.  It was moving, and it was moving fast.  I wasn’t sure what or who it was.  It didn’t seem to have a purpose or direction.  Just moving about from rooftop to rooftop.  I closed the blinds and went back upstairs.  I hope whatever it was it didn’t see me.

I opened my computer silently and hoped Marcus would be online.  I wasn’t supposed to be on the computer this late, but I needed to talk to him.  I needed an answer for his actions.  He wasn’t online.  I sighed and closed my computer.  I guess I would have to wait a little longer before finding out his intentions.

On Monday I considered talking to Mr. Garret.  He wasn’t the best counselor in the world, but he was all I had.  If I went to a professional, my parents would find out and then I would get questioned and have to tell them why I was going to a therapist.  If I went to Mr. Garret, I would get someone not as qualified but nobody would find out.  I decided to not have anybody find out.

I got to school early and went to see if he was in his office. 

“What can I help you with?” his secretary asked.

“I was wondering if Mr. Garret is available.  I would like to talk with him.”

“Have a seat.  I will let him know you’re here.”

I went and took a seat on a hard chair as I waited for Mr. Garret to show up.  I sat there for ten minutes before anybody acknowledged I was even there.

“Ms. LaVoe,” Mr. Garret said.  “I’m ready for you now.”

I walked back to his office with him and sat on his couch trying to prepare myself for what was coming next.

“What can I help you with?” Mr. Garret asked.

“I am having a problem and was hoping you could help me with it.”

“I can sure try my best.  Why don’t you tell me a bit about what is troubling you?”

“Well,” I said.  “I like two guys.  One is my ex-boyfriend, and the other is a good friend who has always been there for me.  Recently my friend kissed me unexpectedly when we hung out.  I had a dream the other night they were fighting.  The fight was very strong and intense, and I didn’t know how to feel.  I sort of rooted for both of them.”

“How did the dream end?”

“Well, I woke up as one was about to go down.”

“Which one was about to go down?”

“My ex-boyfriend.”

“Well,” he said.  “That could signify that you are done with your ex-boyfriend.  Your mind was battling itself to figure out who you wanted, and in the end your friend won.  Maybe you don’t want to be put through whatever your ex-boyfriend put you through, and this new guy beat him for your heart.”

“I’m just not sure.  I had thought of the possibility of dating my friend, but that was a long time ago.  I like him and all, but I am not sure I would like him as a boyfriend.  I was very much in love with my ex-boyfriend though, and would most likely get back together with him if he wanted to.”

“You need to look deep within yourself and find out what you truly want.  Who can give you the most safety and security?  Your friend might be a better option because he might not hurt you the way your ex-boyfriend will.  Your ex is your ex for a reason.”

“I understand, but I also don’t want to lose my friendship with my friend.  If I date him and it doesn’t feel right, I might lose him as a friend.  Either that or I won’t be as close to him anymore.  Is it worth it to risk that?”

“Sometimes in life you need to take risks.  What if you date your friend and it happens to be the best relationship you will ever have?  What if you get married, have children and grow old together?  What if you lost that opportunity by turning him away?”

I had never thought about it that way.  I always thought of the friendship, and not the great potential a relationship could have. 

“I’ve never thought about that.”

“Most people never do.  They just focus on the little things and don’t take into account the big picture.”

The first bell rang, signaling ten minutes until school starts.

“Well, it looks as if our session is over,” Mr. Garret said.  “If you ever want to come in again I would love to help you more.  I think you have a lot of things to think over.  I am always here to help,” he said, smiling.

“Thank you.  I will consider everything you’ve said,” I said while getting up.

I grabbed my bags and walked out of his office and down the hallway.  He really knew a lot more than he let on.  I really had to detach myself from the friendship view of things and really think about my feelings for each person.  I owed it to both of them to pick someone.  If I waited too long I might lose them both.  I couldn’t live with myself if I lost them both.

Chapter Nine

Finals

“Juliet!  Juliet,
wait up!” shouted Ariel and Taylor.

“What’s up?” I asked them.

“What are you doing this Friday night?” they asked.

“Nothing that I know of, why?”

“We are having a girls’ night!  We want you to stay over.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Everything!” shouted Taylor.  “Gossip, watch sappy movies and pig out on junk food.”

“Oh and boys.  Don’t forget about the boy talk,” interjected Ariel.

“So, are you coming?” asked Taylor.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said.

“Yay!” Taylor said while hugging me.

I was excited about this upcoming girls’ night.  I desperately needed and wanted it, and it would help me not think about my guy problems. 

I had never had a girls’ night or sleepover before.  Well, that’s a lie.  Once in the fifth grade Connie Syverson had a slumber party and I went to it.  I didn’t count that though because only one other girl showed up out of the dozen invited. 

I gathered my things and went to biology.  My smile turned askew immediately when I walked in.  There he was: James.  He looked straight at me as my stomach turned inside out.  What was he doing here?  Why did he have to show up?

I went and got a seat on the other side of the classroom next to Ariel.  I didn’t feel comfortable sitting next to him. 

“Juliet,” Mr. Johnson said.  “Please go to your seat over with your partner James.  You need to stay with the partner you chose at the beginning.”

I looked at Ariel and she gave me a sorry look as I picked up my things and went over to sit next to James.  He smiled at me as I sat down as if nothing happened at all.  Everything was normal in his mind, and I didn’t know why.

“Okay, class,” Mr. Johnson said.  “Today we are going to be going over differences in humans and androidians.  What can anybody tell me about their differences?”

“Androidians are cyborg-like beings,” yelled Justin.

“That’s right, they are.  They implant themselves with technological and mechanical parts to make themselves more advanced.  They believe they are next on the evolutionary chain and that this is what humans are supposed to be next.”

“Is that true, Mr. Johnson?” asked Justin.

“Well, I am not entirely sure.  It really depends who you ask.  As a scientist, I think someday humans will evolve further, but not like this.  This isn’t something that happens naturally so it cannot be what is next.”

“Do you think they will rise to power and force everyone to be like them?” asked James.

“Well, James, I’m not really sure.  They have very low numbers and don’t seem to organize efficiently compared to us.  There are also different groups of them that all have different ideas and plans for everything.  Some are rather nice and calm while others are hostile and vengeful.  I don’t think they will ever come to power, though.”

“I feel the same way,” said James while looking at me.

Why was he looking at me?  Did he know about Marcus?  Was he the shadowy figure I saw outside?  Things were starting to get way too weird for me. 

“Mr. Johnson, why are some androidians more powerful than others?” asked Greg.

“Well, kind of like why some humans are more powerful than others.  Androidians get their power mostly from their parts.  The more money they have, the better the parts they can implant, which can make them more powerful.  Some are good at weaponry and others are better with technology and hacking computers.  It really just depends on the person’s preference and their money.  If an androidian had a large money source, they could ultimately do whatever they wanted and be whatever they wanted.  The options are limitless.”

“Wow,” said Greg.  “I never knew they had those options available to them.”

“Most people don’t because it isn’t reported on.  The government doesn’t want people to know if they have a lot of money they can get these parts and be even more powerful.  You could even do cybernetics and have nobody even know.  That way part of your brain is like a computer and you can do a lot of cool things in your head where nobody can even see.”

As Mr. Johnson was continuing talking, the bell rang and interrupted him.

“Well, class,” he said.  “The class is already over.  Don’t forget the things I said, for you might need to know them for an upcoming quiz.”

I grabbed my things and walked out before James could even catch a breath. 

“Wait!” I heard James say.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to see him standing there.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked.

“I’m not,” I replied.

“Yes, you are.  You won’t talk to me or anything.  It’s like you don’t care anymore.  Don’t you want to talk things out?”

“I don’t know.  Now isn’t the time to do it anyway.  Maybe we can do it another time,” I said as I walked hurriedly to my locker.

“I get the hint,” he said.  “Have a great day.”

“James, you’re taking it the wrong way,” I said as I turned around to see he wasn’t there anymore.

Amidst the sea of students was no sight of his face.  He disappeared just as quickly as he showed up. 

I went on with the rest of my day without seeing him again.  I wasn’t sure how I truly felt about this.  Deep down I still did love him, but how could I be with someone so aggressive, someone so careless?  I needed more than that.  I needed stability, and I wasn’t sure I was going to get it from him.

When I got home, I saw my mother in the kitchen baking cookies. 

“Hi dear, how was school today?”

“It went well.  I’m having a girls’ night this Friday with some friends.”

“Oh, that sounds great!  I bet you will have fun!”

“What do you do on a girls’ night?  I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m nervous I’ll look stupid in front of them.”

“Oh, well, it is a night where you and your girlfriends get together.  You talk about boys, watch movies and have a big pig-out.  You can let your hair down with no makeup on and not worry about being judged.  Just a time when you and your girlfriends can be yourselves without having to impress anybody.”

“That sounds great,” I said.  “I’m going to spend the night with them and then the next day the track finals are taking place.  Is it okay then if I stay over at their house?”

“Of course!  I’m jealous that you are going!”

My mother had plenty of friends but hadn’t seen them as much since the move.  I could tell she was secretly hurting and probably was truly jealous I was hanging out with a bunch of girlfriends and she wasn’t. 

As I was standing around talking to my mother, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

“Hey, how are u?” asked Marcus.

Finally he talked to me.  I had been waiting to talk to him and figure out everything that has been going on. 

“Hey u, I’ve been wanting to talk to u.  How are u?”

“I’m good, just missing u,” he said with a smiley face.

“I wanted to talk 2 u about what happened,” I said.

“What do u mean?”

“Well, u kissed me.  And then left.”

“Yeah,” he said.  “I’m sorry if I offended you by doing that.”

“Not at all,” I said with a smiley face.  “I just was confused.”

“I’m sorry.  I just couldn’t resist.  Ur so beautiful.”

My cheeks turned beet red as I tried to hide my blush from my mother’s eyes.  Marcus was sweet, and he was making me happy.  I was torn, however, about how to proceed with our conversation.  I liked Marcus, but I also loved James.  I didn’t want to lead anybody on, but I myself didn’t even know what I really wanted.  Do I go with the one who makes me blush, or the one who makes me crazy about him?

“Thank u,” I replied.

“Ur welcome babe.”

What should I do?  He was already calling me babe and it seemed like it went so fast.  I put my phone back in my pocket and went upstairs.  I paced as I started going over my options.  If I chose Marcus, I would have somebody who was my best friend,  somebody who has never let me down and has always been there for me when I needed him.  On the other hand, however, he was an androidian.  I could never bring him home and he lived in an abandoned subway tunnel.  We would never be able to have a normal life together.  We would always be hiding like mole people underground.