Three months have passed since then.
Nightmares continue to torment me every night, each morning when I look at the mirror my eyebags look darker.
During this time, the most I spoke to Lucca was "hi" and "hello". He seems distant, not at all like he was at first.
Not even while we were working on the project (about crossbreeding two plants – which turned out really cool) did we exchange many words.
It seemed like he didn't even notice me. I don't know how to feel about that.
Marcy kept hitting on him, as did all the girls in high school.
I didn't bring up the subject of Theodore Emmerich with Sammy anymore. She doesn't want to talk about it either, so we just skim around useless stuff.
I felt like she was still very sensitive.
I became more closed off. I can feel it happening but I have no energy to fight it off, I can only focus all my might to keep myself going forward no matter what.
Everyone associates it with the loss of my parents. Only me and Sammy know it's much more than that.
The Hawks were very kind to let me stay as long as I needed. Which is fine, because I can't go back home right now and face that someone killed my parents and I have no clue of why, who they are and how to make it right again.
***
As soon as Louise parks I see Lucca's black BMW parked right next to it.
Mechanically I open the door. Coincidentally at the same time as Lucca.
I stand face to face with him.
He's not wearing glasses, that's my first thought.
His emerald eyes are staring straight into mine, he looks a little cold, that's my second thought.
As if he wanted to enter my thoughts and dissect it with a knife, that's my third thought.
I'm paralyzed. In a trance.
My body breaks into goosebumps for no reason.
I can feel a drop of cold sweat slowly descending my spine.
I can't move or speak, it's so sudden I start to panic, trying frantically to move my body that remains irresponsive.
An image appears before my eyes like I teletransported somewhere else.
A magnificent landscape of green, blue and yellow. I'm watching the sunset from the edge of a tall mountain and the sound of the waves crashing into the sand far away are very faint, I look to the side and there's Lucca, more beautiful than ever. He kisses me so intensely that I'm breathless. And then, the image disappears.
"Alex, wake up, we're going to be late!"
Lou snaps me out of my trance waving her hand in front of my face and it's like nothing happened just moments before.
I walk as quickly as possible straight to the classroom with my head down.
I try to stay as far away from him as possible but I can feel his gaze boring into my back.
I barely remember that my next class is biology.
A whirlwind of thoughts invades my mind every second.
What had just happened? How did he do that? Why me? Who is he really?
These questions echo in my mind.
When I reach the door of the room, I notice that something unlikely has happened.
Lucca is sitting in the chair next to mine, whereas seconds ago he was walking behind me.
And he didn't pass me in the hallways, which are the only way to get to the room.
What is he? That's the only question that silences my mind at once.
***
"Hi. He says with a smile at the corner of his mouth, which unsettles me as soon as I sit down."
"Don't give me that," I say, trying to sound serious, but my voice betrays me and comes out shaky at the end. "How did you do that?"
"What?" he replies with a mock offended look.
"Those images you put in my head, and then you arrived here without even having passed through the hallway."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Alex." He leans in and whispers near my ears making me shiver.
It feels like the demon whispering in my shoulder.
"Of course you know, I'm not stupid!" I retort.
His expression turns cold.
I'm instantly on alert.
"Do you really want to know?" He looks directly into my eyes like he is analyzing me.
I pause for a moment then say yes forcefully, pretending a bravado I'm not really feeling.
I can barely speak, my breathing becomes difficult, for some reason I can't look away from his penetrating gaze.
"I'll come by your house at seven." He smiles innocently.
He's pulling my leg!
What a bastard!
"What for?" I ask confused.
"I'll take you on a date."
Okay, this is not funny! Now I know he's trying to toy with me.
This month is without a doubt the strangest of my life.
No boy had ever asked me out.
And now the weirdest and hottest guy I've ever seen asks me out.
I think I'm imagining things.
"Why would I go on a date with a stranger?"
"Because if you go, I'll tell you everything you want to know, including about Theodore Emmerich! It's your choice: go out with me and find out the whole truth, or stay home and wait for them to catch you." He says nonchalantly.
My body gets right and cold instantly, I feel my blood freezing and another shiver immediately assaults me. My eyes must be as big as saucers right now.
How does he know about Theodore? What truth is that?
I feel tears threatening to appear, out of pure frustration.
He can't be serious.
I feel like going insane.
"Who are they?" my voice threatens to fail.
"I'll only tell you if you go out with me." His tone is soft and he continues staring at me making me feel like prey.
"Is that a threat?"
He laughs suddenly.
What now? I go out with this stranger who claims to know the truth?
Or do I just forget what happened?
I hate indecision. I feel tethering on the edge of something that will swallow me whole.
My revenge speaks louder and I give another step into the abyss.
"Okay, I'll go out with you, but if you're joking around you'll be in big trouble, and don't try anything funny."
"You have my word," he says, but the smile at the corner of his mouth says completely the opposite.
Here we go…
After that he didn't say anything more and I just pretended I was paying attention to the teacher instead of going crazy in my mind, with my heart beat spiking and my anxiety devouring my very being each minute that passed.
I need to know more, but I'm reluctant to admit I'm afraid too.
How I miss my parents right now.
The tears threaten to emerge again but I force them back.
I can only hope he will actually say something useful instead of toying more with me. I don't have any other option but to comply and be in this passive position for now.