Broken Chains

#4 Back for Round Two (Part 1)

Alexa did as request by Cody and came to school early to plant the mysterious note in Skylar’s locker. It was no surprise that when she found the note she was astonished as it was too perfectly composed, and she really wanted to know who it was from.

And as promised, Alexa kept her mouth shut as she knew that Skylar had to figure it out all on her own. Upon finding the note in her locker during the first period, Skylar was already asking Brooke and herself the golden question, Who is the note from? But being the sly fox that she was, Alexa found a way out of being interrogated by Skylar, by coming to school only after lunch.

 ***

“Brooke, have you seen Alexa? I need to ask her a question,” Skylar had been looking for Alexa all morning but wasn’t able to find her anywhere.

To lessen her anxiety that something had happened to Alexa, Brooke told her, “Didn’t she tell you that she wasn’t coming to school today? She had some family matters to handle.”

“What sort of family matters?”

“Dunno, but then she did say that her brother is back in town. That’s probably why she was busy. Why are you looking for her anyways?”

“It’s just this note I found in my locker. I have to know who it came from. The handwriting does not look like any of the guys that I know and now I am just trying to find this mystery boy who left this note in my locker.”

“Ooh. Is it a love letter from another admirer?”

“No, this one seems like he already knows who I am, and it is more of a declaration of love but then I just can’t match any of the guy’s handwriting with this one.”

“Could it be from a senior?  Wow, imagine if you end up dating a senior by the end of this year. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“Brooke! Please focus on the situation!” she commanded. “Remember what happened the last time this happened? I don’t want to be in a relationship.”

“What about Cody? I mean like he isn’t that bad of a guy right plus the initials match his.”

“You’re right! But then there was no way that he could enter the school without being seen by anyone else. Plus, I doubt that he knew which locker was mine to be precise,” Skylar was in denial.

“Or maybe he had gotten help from someone! Remember how he had taken Alexa for a small chat yesterday,” Brooke recalled enthusiastically.

“Maybe, but then we’ll need to check with her once she gets to school afterwards.”

Dearest Sky,

            Although we had just gotten to know each other. I just wanted to say that

You’re the most extraordinary girl, Sky

As clear as a musical note

As sincere as a melody

You are the music that’s been playing inside

My head since the day we first met

            Can I be the one you call your hero...

Love,

    C

***

Cody was pacing about more than usual and when Tyler spotted him, immediately questioned. “What’s wrong?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Cody tried to deny, “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think that anything was wrong?”

“First of all, you would never be seen pacing around like that. And second, it’s just a hunch but is it a girlfriend - I mean ex-girlfriend problem.”

“How did you know?”

“Let’s just say that I have my ways of figuring things out. So, what’s up? And don’t lie to me because I know you too well that you have your hands tied in this problem.” She said it like he knew him so well.

“It’s just that I really like this girl and I don’t know if she’ll feel the same way about me-”

“You are a Frost. And when I heard about this case that you can never get a girl that you want.” You can reel in any girl like she was a fish from the sea so how is this girl any different?

“She is different from all the other girls I’ve known before. Every time I am around her, it’s not her heart that starts racing but instead it’s mine.”

“Are you sure this girl has not possessed you? Well anyways have you tried confessing to her yet.”

“Not exactly but then I already written her a confession letter. And I want her to make the first move.” He continued to tell him how he had gotten Alexa to help him to plant the confession letter in her locker without telling him who it was that he was crushing on.

Alexa had just arrived in school when she was caught by Skylar. She had expected an interrogation from Skylar but not in this way. “I thought that you’re not coming to school today. Why didn’t you tell me that Cody asked you to leave me a love letter in my locker?” she immediately asked.

Alexa already knew about it, and she was now unsure if she should tell her the truth but ended up with an excuse that she just wanted the two of them to get together faster. “Look Skylar, Cody made me do it but then I knew it was for the best-”

“So, it’s true.”

            “Yes, and he wants you to be the one to make the first move.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Uh... It’s just a hunch.”

“How do I know that you aren’t lying?” Skylar started questioning Alexa with a raised eyebrow.

“If you really don’t believe me then why don’t you just ask him yourself. Stop covering your eyes just because your heart tells you otherwise. I can tell that he is the one for you,” Alexa was starting a lecture.

“But we’re family now - isn’t it illegal to be dating your brother?” Skylar protested.

“Look who’s talking now. Wasn’t it you that said that you would only date him when hell freezes over? Actually, it is not illegal as the two of you are step-siblings.”

“How am I going to tell this to my dad? ‘Hey Dad, Cody and I are dating if that’s alright with you? or even better Sorry Dad but I have decided to go against our religion and start dating Cody.’ What am I going to do?” Skylar started panicking.

“Stop stressing yourself out. You can keep it a secret from him you know. And don’t start playing hard to get because it would never work.”

“We’ll see, Alexa. We’ll see,” Skylar said nervously while staring into Alexa’s eyes.

Alexa knew that Skylar was up to something, but she could not put a finger on the situation. Maybe a little magic will do the trick, she thought. While Skylar and Brooke headed to class, she told them that she left something in her locker and that she would catch up with them afterwards.

After reaching her locker and taking out a vintage style notebook from it, instead of heading back to class she went elsewhere to send Cody a message.

She knows about the little plan of yours, but I think that she is planning to play hard to get. I don’t think that your plan is going to work. I’m planning to use a spell to give this thing a little push if it's alright with you.

That was when she felt that she was being watched so she used her Cheshire cat powers to teleport herself somewhere further and out of the school compound. When she was outside the school’s perimeter, she tried to think of spells that might help (but then it never actually helped when she tried to use it to help Skylar and Jackson get together). She gave up and teleported back to the school only to find that Skylar had already gone home. All Alexa could hope was that things would actually work out between Cody and Skylar.

***

“So where are you taking me?” Skylar was sitting in the front passenger seat of Cody’s car. “Isn’t tomorrow a holiday?” Skylar was as usual, full of questions.

“Yes, indeed tomorrow is a holiday, but I just wanted to pick you up from school. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No. It’s just that this is not the way home.”

“I just wanted to take the long way home.”

Cody was being a little suspicious. Skylar immediately knew that something was up, so she continued questioning. Apparently, Tyler had never annoyed him to the point that he had to give in and finally answer. So, Skylar was also surely not going to be the first to annoy him. His patience was so great to the point that she gave up after asking about twenty questions and never got the answer she wanted.

Soon they arrived at the outskirts of New York. She had not realized that it had already such been quite a long car ride. “You said you were bringing me home, what are we doing here?”

There was a long pause before he said, “I just have something to handle first - wait here.” With that, he left her in the car and went to find someone. Skylar minded her own business and listened to some music but there was weird silence that began to creep her out.

Soon the silence was broken by the screeching sounds of a creature that she had never heard before. She took her earphones out of her ears just as the screeching stopped. She looked around and while she was not looking, a giant scorpion-like figure appeared right behind her outside the window. It screeched at her. Her whole face turned pale because she remembered seeing the exact same thing in one of her nightmares. She was frozen to her seat, she dared not move as it continued screeching as more of the same creature started coming to surround the car.

Before the creatures could surround her in their darkness, she heard a familiar voice exclaiming, “Leave her alone!”

The scorpions looked over to where the voice came from, but Skylar kept her head in her hands. Her eyes were glued shut as she did not want to look at those hideous creatures. In a matter of seconds, her hero cracked open the door of the car, “Are you alright?” the voice asked. She looked up to see the face of her hero, it was Cody. She had never been so relieved to see him.

She jumped out of the car into Cody’s arms, frightened. “What were those things?” she whispered her whole body felt like jelly, traumatized by sight of the scorpions that looked demonically deformed.

“You won’t believe me even if I told you,” he told her while stroking the hair at the back of her head. He could still feel the tremor of fear that ran through her veins as he was calming her down.

He looked down to find a pendant from one of the scorpions with the initials, A.A.B and he immediately knew who the demonic creatures belonged to. It all matched up all too well.

He pulled back from the hug. “I think we better get going. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah...s..sure.”, she shuddered.

He picked up the pendant and drove Skylar back in one piece.

***

Later that night, Cody received a call from Alexa, “So, how did it go?” she asked in a sheepish manner.

“Have you lost your mind? Sending those Shax demons after us. I get that you are part demon too, but this is really too much!”

“Wait did you say, Shax demons? They are not allowed in this world without any warlock's supervision.”

“So, you’re telling me that you were not the one who summoned them?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but no. Why did you think it was me?”

“There was a pendant that stated your initials. How else would I have known?”

“Look, I know that you may be mad-”

“Furious, you mean?”

“Yeah, but I’m telling you that it was not me that summoned those ‘Shax’ demons. Someone is definitely framing me for this.”

“In the meantime, I think I better tell you this before we leave-”

“Wait… What? Where are you guys going?”

“Skylar is transferring to my school in Houston. But not to fret, we’ll be visiting occasionally so that Skylar would not miss you all too much when we’re away.”

“Nah, there is nothing to worry about that but then I want you to promise me that whatever happens, you’ll protect her, got it?”

“Okay. I will keep that promise.”

“Oh, and Cody?”

“Yea?”

“When the two of you do become a couple, I want to be the first to hear of all the deeds, got it?”

“Got it...Alright. Bye.”