Library Lunch

The library wasn’t the quiet place it was after school, but it was one of the less crowded areas during lunch. It had become our new place since our rooftop sanctuary was currently buried under several inches of snow. Not to mention poor Chloe would freeze with that skirt on. The school never seemed to care about that. Appearances before all.

I didn’t like being around so many people normally, but Chloe’s presence did wonders to the ambient Noise. Still never figured that out. It was a uniqueness that only she had. Alexis and Natalie’s Noise was always easy to pick out, but only hers was something that completely dominated my attention. Was that my version of love? The unwavering focus I gave her when she was near me?

“Natalie doing okay?” she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich. My attention fell back on her. Concern swarmed around her as she waited for my response.

“Better every day.” She was still hurting from what had happened, but Natalie wasn’t the type of person to lie on the ground after getting knocked over feeling bad for herself. There was an envious amount of strength there to stand up, brush yourself off, then continue forward. That was Natalie though. Always moving forward.

But it was movement based on sheer **** of will. Her relationship with Thomas had been a large part of her. Beyond the comfort and companionship, she had already made significant plans revolving around the two of them. With those plans now shattered, she was moving forward without a direction, without a plan. I saw it in her Noise every day I left. The only thing holding her together was Alexis. In an odd twist of fate, it was Natalie, or a part of herself, that was helping them both. The piece of her inside Alexis was clear every time I saw the younger sister. It was fighting against Alexis’ natural desire to flee from a difficult situation. Her Noise was filled with a determination to help her sister, even if she was unsure how to do it.

It was difficult to leave Natalie in Alexis’ hands, but I would have only made things worse trying to help. While my Gift allowed me to see the emotional state of others, I didn’t actually understand how to interact with them on that level. Instead, I trusted in the sister’s bond and found that trust rewarded. If she put her mind to it, Alexis did have a way of connecting with people. Maybe that was why her Gift manifested itself as it did. Some of the fringe theories regarding The Gift stated there might be a connection between an individuals underlying personality and their Gift. I didn’t put much stock in it, but in Alexis’ case, I could understand how people might think that.

“Wish there was more I could do.”

“Alexis has it well in hand. The only thing now is for time to heal.”

Chloe looked down at her sandwich. “I’m not sure what to do in this situation. Alexis is my only friend and I know she is having a hard time with this. Natalie seemed like someone I would like to get to know as well.”

Her Noise was a multitude of emotions with concern and worry shining brightest. “I’m not sure either,” I admitted. “Perhaps something normal.”

“Normal?”

“Knowing Natalie, she is probably tired of Alexis fussing over her.” I thought for a moment. “How about dinner? I’ll cook something for the four of us. Hopefully it will give both of them some time to relax and enjoy themselves.”

Chloe’s Noise rippled happily. “That sounds great!”

“How about Friday?” She nodded happily, giving me a smile that matched her Noise. “Great. We can invite them today after school.”