Down End Road

Saturday, it was finally Saturday. It had been three days since Heidi had suggested I go visit my parents. Three days since I had broken down and told Alex everything.

I was so glad I did. The weight of that knowledge in my chest no longer felt so heavy. Although I still had nightmares, they weren't as bad and I had gotten better sleep because of it. And every time I woke up, Alex would be waiting in the common room popcorn and fruit juice in hand, either with a movie or book.

Our early morning hang outs were now a regular thing. It was nice having him there all the time. Although a small part of me knew it wouldn't last forever and that after the summer ended I would be in England and he would be in California. Thousands of Miles apart.

A red, ugly flare of jealousy inflamed every time I thought of him falling in love with someone else. And each time I scolded myself for not wishing Alex a good life. One possibly without me.

Alex and I drove through the streets of Bramborough, the small suburbs flying past us as I floored it to my parent's house. I hadn't known how desperately I had missed them until that morning, when I had finally realised I was going to see them for the first time in two months.

Sure I had been to summer camps before, some for twice as long, but I had never been under any... pressure. The stress of knowing that the portals were collapsing because the order of Adams' descendant was missing, well to say the least it was taxing.

But when I told Alex, it was like I suddenly wasn't so alone anymore. And that was because I wasn't. I never was, and I don't know why I kidded myself into thinking that it was better to keep the secret to myself. I should've known Alex was the answer. He always is.

The rumble of my jeep slowly died as I turned off the engine. The sight of my house alone, made me feel better. In fact, my mood was so drastically changed that I felt like crying because I was so happy.

However, not wanting to look like a weeping mess in front of... well anyone, I turned on my heel and grabbed Alex's muscled arm. Dragging him to the front door, I saw the curtains shift as the housekeeper dusted the window sill.

Just as I raised my finger to the doorbell the door swung open, revealing a chuffed Maria. Her thin lips pulled back into a broad grin revealing a crooked smile. I took a sniff of delicious smelling cinnamon snicker-doodle cookies. I reached out my arms and wrapped Maria into a tight embrace.

We talked for a bit and she told me my parents were out doing errands and should be back in thirty minutes. Maria practically shoved us into the parlour. With a hesitant Alex in tow I strode over to the card table and took a seat at the familiar carved wooden table.

Alex folded himself into the chair whilst I started shuffling the card deck.

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True to her word, my parents arrived around half an hour later. My mother burst through the doors. Her eyes misty and her lips stretched into a crooked grin.

She dashed toward me and squished me in her embrace. I felt my lungs tighten with the pressure, but squeezed her back in the same bone-crushing hug. I heard a shuffle of heavy feet, before I saw my fathers curly head pop into my view.

He had a sack of soil hitched onto his shoulder with three shopping bags dangling from his fingers. I saw him narrow his eyes suspiciously at Alex.

Poor Alex just cleared his throat awkwardly and took the bags from my father before holding them in his hands. I looked down as my smile broadened, hiding my face in my mothers shoulder. I never wanted to let go but knew that we couldn't stay locked in each others arms forever.

"Hi, mom." I said quietly pulling away to look at her. Her usually springy vibrant blonde hair was a little limp and dull, twisted into a Washington awful messy bun that I knew she would never dare step out of the house with. My eyes roamed her face, taking in her puffy eyes and the slight wrinkles that had developed around her eyes.

She seemed to do the same, and for the sake of not completely ruining this entire visit just yet, we both decided to keep our mouths shut. I moved away from her, and stepped toward my father.

He was a gruff man who wasn't big on talking. I rushed into his arms as soon as they outstretched. I squeezed him tightly. Slightly lifting him off the floor. Alex tapped lightly on my back, when I realised I was lifting my dad a foot off the ground.

I gasped and sheepishly looked down to the floor. "Sorry dad." I mumbled, slowly retreating toward Alex out of habit. My father eyed the action and narrowed his eyes further. Deciding the silence had stretched long enough, I finally introduced them to Alex.

"Mom, Dad, this is Alexander Griffin. He's from the society." I gestured toward the hulking 6"2 teen next to me.

My mother smiled warmly at him, whilst my father still glared at him warily. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Remington, Mr. Remington." My father moved to stand next to my mother putting a hand around her waist.

"Well it's good to meet you too, Alexander." My mother said.

"Just Alex, Mrs. Remington." Alex said formally. I threaded my fingers with his and gave his hand a slight squeeze, silently telling him to ease up. My father eyed the reaction and finally sputtered to life.

"ARE YOU TWO DATING!?!" My father roared. My mother gaped at him then smacked his chest. Hard.

"Charlie, Myra is a responsible adult, she is allowed to date." My mother scolded. I held back my grin, but immediately felt Alex tense up beside me.

"No dad, we aren't dating." I reassured. He seemed to relax slightly, but still eyed our joined hands warily. My mother rolled her eyes, before coughing out an almost inaudible, 'yet'.

"Moving on from your fathers breakdown," my mother joked. "It's great to see you honey truly, I mean look at you, you've gotten so strong. I bet your fast too, and smart. That's always been the Remington gift. Our gifts always come in threes, we always have the same level of speed, strength, and intelligence." My mother speculated.

"Must be true." Alex cut in, "she can lift 350 pounds without batting an eyelash, it's crazy. She might give me a run for my money, literally, ten miles takes her around what's it down to now? Like 3 minutes." he bragged, I grinned shyly and bit my lip when I saw their proud faces.

"Alright tough girl, lets see you take these to the back hey," my father challenged, throwing me the bags of soil like they weighed nothing. I caught them with a stumble. Guess I know where my strength comes from then. I thought.

The rest of the day went pretty well. We talked. We laughed. We played cards.

It felt like a normal family thing to do. Like I finally wasn't this freak monster girl who was caught kicking it with some beasts, or whatever. And it felt great, it felt freeing to finally just feel... normal, for a while. Especially after so long of abnormality being the most prominent thing in my life.

However, deep down this irritating part of me kept nagging about how I wasn't normal. That as soon as I returned to the manor I would slip back into the role of monster girl. It was a suffocating feeling. But whenever I got too distracted by my negative thoughts, Alex would nudge me in assurance.

Our connection was atypical, to say the least.

When we finally got to dinner my parents had Maria make every one of my favourites. We sat at the dinner table in the kitchen, to make it less intimidating and more intimate. I could tell Alex felt a little awkward at the idea of sitting in the dining room we usually held dinners with guests in.

But I knew it was time to shatter the picture perfect family time we had been having. Time to ask the questions that had been burning a hole in the back of my throat. Time to come back to the reality of our lives.