Chapter 5 - revised

Alex woke up feeling exhausted. She rolled over and glanced at her clock to discover it was only 5:30 am. Groaning, she rolled out of bed, threw on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt she had laid in the corner of her room, then sluggishly made her way to the kitchen.

The room was quiet and dark, leaving Alex with the feeling of loneliness. It was a feeling Alex had gotten used to over the years.

Alex turned on the electric kettle and pulled out a mug. As she prepared her instant coffee, she heard the front door open and shut, followed by quiet footsteps. Alex reached up and pulled out a second mug just as the intruder entered the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Alex turned around to face her older brother, Andrew. The loneliness she felt earlier nearly vanished when she saw his face.

"Waiting for my favourite big brother, obviously." Alex smiled. Andrew sat down at the table and watched as Alex prepared and carried over two cups of instant coffee. She handed over to Andrew.

"Something going on at school again?" Andrew asked before taking a sip of the offered coffee. Almost immediately he made a face of disgust and then reached one long arm over to the counter to grab the sugar. He then proceeded to add another two large teaspoons of sugar to his coffee.

"Want some coffee with that sugar?" Alex commented, taking a sip of her own black coffee.

"Look, some of us actually have taste buds." Andrew retorted.

"Yeah, me. You, on the other hand, may as well live off of sugar."

"I'll have you know my taste buds are very refined." Andrew sat up straight to give him a more prim and proper air. Alex laughed.

Andrew sat with Alex talking until the sun's rays poured in through the kitchen window. The house slowly came to life just as Alex wished her brother sweet dreams. Alex watched Andrew disappear into the basement trying to hold onto the warm feeling his presence brought. Alex left the house shortly afterwards.

It was still early enough for the dew on the grass to make Alex's shoes to get wet. Alex walked through the field behind her house to school.

Due to the hour, Alex had not expected anyone else to be around. Which is why the sudden presence of a tall figure rushing past her caused her to jump sideways and fall flat on her backside. The runner, not the ninja serial killer her imagination had conjured up, slowed and turned around. He approached her with an expression of slight surprise.

Embarrassed, Alex pretended to not notice the runner. Praying silently to herself that he would decide to continue on with his run. Instead, Alex found an outstretched hand in front of her. She looked up to find one of the most beautiful faces she had ever seen. It was almost angelic. Alex couldn't help but stare at the perfectly shaped lips and nose, azure eyes.

Suddenly Alex was being pulled up. The young man had grabbed her hand without her realizing it and lifted her to her feet. Unfortunately, his pull was a bit stronger than expected and Alex was not as heavy as anticipated. As a result Alex ended up ramming her face into the young man's chest.

GROAN

Alex stepped back and covered her nose. "Jesus, what are you, Ironman?"

The young man laughed, "You're so funny, Alex."

"Huh?" Alex stepped back, surprised. Did she actually know this perfect human? The angel like human looked back into her eyes. She suddenly felt like she was being swallowed, and her mind became foggy for a moment. She felt her body stumble slightly and a strong hand reached out to steady her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alex shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She looked back at the young man once more. Then she smiled. Of course she knew Dylon. They had been friends practically forever.

"Dylon! Geez, you scared me." Alex smiled. "You need to let me know when you are coming up behind me."

Dylon smiled his perfect smile and threw his arm around her. It made Alex feel uncomfortable for some reason, but why? Dylon had been always like this. He'd always been the friendly, touchy-feel-ie type. Alex allowed Dylon to walk with his arm over her shoulder until the reached the end of the field.

"Well, Alex, I better clean up. I'll see you at school." Dylon waved and walked in the opposite direction. Alex watched him walk away until he was out of sight. Finally, she turned and continued to make her way to school, a strange feeling nagging at the back of her mind.