The Stone Sisters: Lyssa (The Stones Sisters Book 1) (13 page)

Steven grabbed a bag of chips and a soda and dropped them on the counter, “Well, we’ll make sure people know Tori’s rumors are false.
 
Good luck with getting off of ‘trial basis.’
 
That is fuckin’ hilarious by the way.”

Kyle frowned as he rang up Steven’s purchase, “No it isn’t.”

“Oh yeah, dude, it is,” chimed in Brad.
 
Great.

“What do you guys want to do later?”

“Sweet, we thought you were going to abandon us for Lyssa.”

“I didn’t make any plans with her.
 
Wanna go to Faneuil Hall?
 
Get something to eat?”

“We can try to pick up girls.”

“You two can pick up girls, I got Lyssa.”

Laughing, Brad said, “Yeah.
 
On a trial basis.”

Turned out he wasn’t able to go out at all.
 
When he got home from work, his father wanted him to help out in the yard.
 
That sucked.
 
What was worse is his father wanted to work out in the yard
with
him.
  
Kyle loved his father, but when his father wanted to work out in the yard together that usually meant he wanted to have a talk.

Kyle raked leaves quietly, waiting for his dad to start.
 
It always took a little while before the actual conversation began.
 
His father was on the other side of the yard and they were making a pile in the middle.
 
The silence stretched out and Kyle was just starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, his father wouldn’t want to have a talk.

“So, how’s school going?”

Damn
, Kyle thought, and then said aloud, “Good.”

“Just good?
 
What about a girlfriend?”

Finally, the real question his father wanted to ask popped up.
 
Kyle sighed.
 
Then, he smiled smugly, “I’m on a trial basis.”

His father stopped raking and looked at him confused.
 
Kyle grinned at his dad.
 
He didn’t think his father would understand that one.

“What the hell is a ‘trial basis?’”

“Well, I like her.
 
I asked her out.
 
But she’s never really dated before so she wants to give this a trial run before she decides to be my girlfriend.”

His father brushed some more leaves into the pile.
 
Kyle could see him trying to figure that out.
 
It wasn’t like Kyle had ever said something like that to him before.
 
It also wasn’t difficult for Kyle to get himself a girlfriend.
 
He had had several.
 
It was just that it always ended in him being a bit disappointed by the girl.
 
The ones he had picked in the past had been gorgeous, but ultimately shallow.
 
Lyssa was sexy as hell, but she was complex and unlike any other girl he had known.
 
He’d never really considered a quirky girl; he’d always gone for normal.
 
Good body, great smile and pretty eyes were pretty much all it took for him to decide to ask a girl out.
 
But, after the Tori debacle, he’d taken a little bit of a break and decided he’d think about it before he asked a girl out.

Then, he met Lyssa.
 
Most girls would respond to him with a little flirting.
 
Unless they were really shy, but even they’d show that they wanted him.
 
Not Lyssa.
 
She’d been uninterested.
 
She didn’t want to get involved with people to protect herself and he wanted to know why.
 
He’d tracked her down and found her charming, funny and interesting.
 
When he found her in the library she wasn’t reading a fashion magazine, she was reading H. G. frickin’ Wells!
 
She was odd and refreshing.

“You really like her.”

Kyle looked up to find his father staring at him.
 
He smiled sheepishly and looked away, “Yes.”

“You using protection?”

“God, dad!
 
We aren’t even at that point yet.”

“Yeah, well when you get to that point, make sure you do.
 
I don’t need a grandchild this soon.
 
Tell me about her.
 
Cheerleader?”

Letting out a sharp laugh, Kyle shook his head, “No.
 
She’s actually a really odd girl.
 
Beautiful and doesn’t care one bit about popularity.
 
She doesn’t fall easy for my charms and I’ve been trying.
 
I feel like she really likes me.
 
I just have to be persistent.”

Kyle looked up when his father started laughing at him.
 
His dad gave him a grin and Kyle arched a brow, “What?”

“You don’t sound overly confident.
 
You also sound far more interested in her than any of the other girls you’ve dated.
 
Don’t hurt her if you manage to get off being on a ‘trial basis.’”

Going back to raking, Kyle was quiet for a moment.
 
Then he said softly, “I won’t.”

“If you really want to fall in love with her, you gotta put yourself out there and be open to getting hurt.”

“Honestly, dad, I think I could get hurt.
 
Really hurt.
 
It’s only been a couple of weeks since I met her and… I don’t know what it is.”

Walking over, his father clapped him on the shoulder and grinned, “It was like that with me and your mother.
 
But, we were seniors in college, not high school.
 
Don’t go running off and marry her.
 
Date her.
 
For a long time.
 
A long, long time.
 
Got it?”

“Dad, I like her I’m not… Well we only just met.”
 
Meeting his father’s gaze, he rolled his eyes, “I promise I won’t run off and marry her.”

“Good.
 
Coz I loved your mother, but getting married after two months was stupid.
 
Sometimes I’m amazed we never got divorced.”

“Ah! Dad!
 
I don’t need to hear the word divorce.”

Laughing, his father gave him a bear hug, thumped him on the back and went back to raking.
 
Kyle’s mom always went on about her epic love with his father.
 
It was embarrassing, but the love his parents had was something he wanted someday.
 
But, not in high school.
 
Hell, if he and Lyssa went out, it wasn’t like they were going to get married.
 
College would come and Lyssa was pretty sure that they’d move before the next school year.
 
He’d probably never see her again.

Kyle stopped what he was doing.
 
Why did it bother him if after high school he’d never see her again?
 
Sure, she was cute.
 
No, beautiful.
 
No, beautiful and sexy.
 
So damn sexy.
 
Plus, her personality was not like any girl he’d ever met.
 
Every time he learned something about her, it was exciting.

Dammit.
 
Maybe he was falling harder for her than he thought.
 
Graduation was months away.
 
They’d probably break up before then.
 
All the girls he’d ever dated before, well, he eventually got bored with them.
 
What made Lyssa different?
 
All the others had been pretty.
 
A few were even as sexy as Lyssa.
 
All of them had started by acting as if dating him was an accomplishment.
 
They had practically tossed themselves at him the moment he’d shown interest.
 
Lyssa had strongly resisted.
 
He had to trick her to get her to go out on a date with him.
 
She was interested in what he liked, but she never tailored her tastes to his.
 
She didn’t behave like other girls either.
 
It made her unpredictable and he didn’t quite understand her.
 

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it.
 
He was nearly eighteen.
 
This was his senior year and, hopefully, he’d officially have himself a hot girlfriend soon.
 
Yep, this was gonna be a great year.
 
He just had to get off that damn trial basis b. s.

Chapter 10

It
had been a little over two weeks since the first encounter with Tori.
 
Lyss and Lexx made their way into the school a bit early.
 
No one was in the hall, which was a good thing when they came to Lyssa’s locker.

“That bitch!”

“Lexa, language.”

“Lyssa, she wrote whore on your locker in large red letters.
 
I think this deserves some sort of action.”

Lyssa sighed and looked at her sister with a gentle smile, “It doesn’t matter.
 
I don’t think a lot of people have seen it anyway.”

Searching the hall a moment, Lyssa nodded to Lexa who took up scanning the hall for any newcomers.
 
Lyssa put her hand over the red letters and they slowly faded from sight until they were simply gone.
 
By the time Missy called out to them and made her way towards the sisters, Lyssa’s locker looked normal and she was opening it.

“What are you two doing?”
 
Missy grinned as she leaned against a nearby locker.

“Just trying to get ready for class.
 
How’s it going, Missy?”

Missy started gushing about some romance novel she was reading.
 
Apparently, Lexa was also reading it because they were talking about some chapter or another and how hot the romantic lead was.
 
She was surprised and delighted to see her sister interested in reading books.
 
Even if they were definitely not something Lyssa would have read.
 
She finished exchanging her books, making sure to grab her current novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth.
 
It was awesome.
 
She smiled as she listened to Lexa bemoan the lack of character development in this particular romance.
 
Having never really read a romance novel, Lyssa wasn’t sure what qualified as character development in one.
 
Romance novels had just never been something she was interested in.
 
Now, however, she found herself a little curious.
 
Would it give her helpful tips on dealing with Kyle?
 
She wasn’t sure.
 
Old science fiction was safe, a fantasy world where she could escape the reality of their situation.
 
There were many times when Lyssa would bury her nose in a book after scouring the tabloids for odd news.
 
As long as it didn’t seem there were any Hunters around, she could let herself get lost in her own world.
 
If only for a little while she could live in a place that was not her own where she did not have to worry whether Lexa was in danger or not.
 
Then, she would close the book and worry again.

Although, lately, her thoughts were occupied with Kyle.
 
There was something about him she just couldn’t escape.
 
When she wasn’t with him, she craved his attention.
 
There date was still on hold because his co-worker had quit and until the boss got a new hire, he was on Saturday duty.
 
But, that was fine, she just would visit him again while she bought snacks.
 
Plus, they saw each other every day in school.
 

Lately their routine was during his free period they’d head into the back area of the library and talk quietly.
 
She could sense when a teacher would head their way and always made sure they were sitting a respectable distance and reading.
 
They still had not had a first real kiss and that was making Lyssa anxious.
 
He said he was waiting for their next real date.
 
Most likely, he was telling the truth but Lyss couldn’t help but worry.

Often, they would share the latest gossip about Lyssa and laugh.
 
His genuine disbelief in that nonsense was all she needed.
 
Normally, she’d tell him about the writing on her locker, but how could she explain why it vanished.
 
As she slipped into her seat in her Physics class, she realized she probably should not have removed it.
 
Or, at least, she should have left it looking like a custodian had painted it.
 
Damn.

The guy himself made his way over and sat down next to her.
 
Lyssa had done something she normally would never do, she “convinced” the teacher to let him change seats so that they were next to each other.
 
Leaning over to her, he kissed her brow.
 
When was he going to kiss her lips?

“Hey, beautiful, what’s shaking?”

She rolled her eyes, “What’s shaking?
 
Seriously?”

Grinning, he bumped his shoulder to hers, “Seriously.”

“Not a whole lot,” she smiled up at him with a slight blush, “What about you?”

“Want to come to my house for dinner?”

“Um… what?”
 
She squeaked out nervously.

“My parents want to meet you so I’m inviting you to dinner.”

“What… if they don’t like me?”

Kyle grabbed a lock of her hair, tucked it behind her ear before he pinched her cheek softly, “I like you.
 
They’ll like you too.
 
Please?”

Looking aside, she said softly, “I gotta check in with the family.
 
I’ll let you know later?”

“Sure.”

With that, the teacher walked in and Lyssa kept her eyes glued to her work or the teacher.
 
For once, she didn’t have her hand up with every question.
 
When the class finished, she was called over.

“Everything okay, Miss Stone?”

Smiling softly she replied, “Yes, Mrs. Johnson.
 
Just a little headache.
 
Sorry I didn’t participate as much as normal.”

“Do you need a pass to go see the school nurse?”

“No.
 
I’ll be fine.
 
Thank you for your concern though.”

“Well you are one of my best students and you always participate.
 
Such unusual behavior from you made me worry.
 
But if you say everything is okay…?”

“It is, ma’am, trust me.”

Nodding, the teacher went back to the stack of papers on her desk, “Alright, then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that dismissal, Lyssa headed to the library.
 
Once inside, she made her way to the back where the science books were.
 
She and Kyle usually met up in there when his free period started.
 
She sat down with her book and started reading, losing herself in the fantasy world of an old sci-fi classic.
 
She loved the imagination involved in such books.
 
She was enchanted when an author of the past wrote about something that humans had recently made reality.
 
However, when it came to the ridiculous and simply impossible, she smiled and enjoyed the good piece of fiction it was.

“What the hell are you doing?”
 
It was Tori.
 
Great.

Looking up with a cold smile, “I’m ensuring my brain doesn’t atrophy like yours.”

Tori blinked and tossed her black hair over her shoulder.
 
Lyssa had to admit she was pretty with her contrasting creamy skin.
 
Just behind her were two girls.
 
Back up, Lyssa supposed.
 
The last thing she was afraid of was humans.
 
So, Lyssa played it cool and tilted her head as she waited for the girl to get it.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means wither and die.
 
Generally, from lack of use.”

Tori stormed over and grabbed Lyssa’s shoulder, pushing her back so that their gazes met.
 
Tori’s eyes were full of burning hatred and embarrassment.
 
But the moment she looked into Lyssa’s eyes, Tori backed up a second, eyes widening when she saw how cold and emotionless the older Stone sister was.
 

“Are you saying I don’t use my brain?”

“It would appear that way.”

Tori’s lips twisted into a hateful smile, “There are three of us you know.”

Lyssa leaned forward and said softly, “Only three?
 
Come back when you have an army, little moron.
 
Three of you are still like fighting a baby for me.”

“You bitch!” Tori pulled back her arm, when would she learn.
 
Lyssa grabbed it and as she rose, twisted the arm around, and face planted Tori into the table.
 
She was careful not to use too much force so that she didn’t break her arm or mark up her face.
 
Her two friends ran forward and Lyssa swung her leg up and pressed against the neck of the nearest one.
 
Once again, careful not to hurt.

“Which one of you knows seven ways to take down a man?”

The two girls exchanged looks and backed away.
 
Lyssa lowered her foot and smiled sweetly at the girls.
 
Well, sweetly in a “I’m a deadly predator” kind of way.

“There, now.
 
My friend and I are going to have a little chat.”

The two girls exchanged glances and looked at Tori.

“Don’t worry.
 
I won’t hurt her, just like I won’t hurt you if you walk out of here quietly.”

The two girls backed up and left.
 
Lyssa knew she didn’t have long until they sent a teacher, so she had to act quickly.
 
Pulling Tori up, she pulled her close so they were eye to eye.

“Listen, moron, I’m only going to say this once so that you can understand.
 
You can say whatever you want about me, I don’t care.
 
But if you touch me again, I will put you in the ground.
 
Got it?”

Tori nodded dumbly.

“Now run along and if you are asked, we were only talking.”
 
That last bit, Lyssa influenced Tori’s mind.
 
She didn’t want to get kicked out of school.

Letting Tori go, she sat down and opened her book just in time for the school librarian to come around the corner.

“What are you two doing?”

Lyssa looked up with a smile, “Tori just had some questions for me about a project.
 
She’s leaving now.
 
I was reading my book.”

The librarian looked at Tori and arched a brow.
 
Smoothly, as if nothing was wrong Tori said, “We were only talking.
 
I have to get going now.”

Once Tori left, the librarian had no reason to stay.
 
Lyssa was known for being a good, quiet student so, even though the librarian would otherwise have told her to leave, she said nothing more and walked away.
 
That was good because she’d hate to have to influence her too.
 
She probably should feel worse about using her powers on the unsuspecting but, after four years on this world, Lyssa only felt such pangs occasionally, if the person was particularly nice.
 
She found it interesting how even though they didn’t speak the language in the beginning, she used her gifts more in the last three and a half years of school then their first six months on Earth.
 
As for Tori, well, she’d stop the bullying altogether if it wouldn’t be suspicious looking.