I didn't even get to class before the rumors about Illyana and I spread like wildfire. No one said a word to me, but I could tell by how they looked at me when I walked in and sat beside Roberto that they knew something had happened. I'm the type of person who likes to live a private life; I like keeping my business to myself. It's safe to say that I was out of my comfort zone, which I already was being the new student and adjusting to the whole mutant thing.
"You know, some people like to live private lives." I sneered at Roberto, who was sitting with a dumb and innocent smile, acting oblivious. If everyone knew, he was the only person who could have possibly spread that information.
"What do you mean?" he said in jest. It wasn't even worth the energy to further humor him.
"Why is everyone acting like we did anything out of the ordinary for high school seniors?" Their eyes pierced me as I spoke, but I looked forward as if I couldn't sense them.
"Well, you're the new kid and Illyana has sort of been a hard egg to crack if you know what I mean," Roberto dug his elbow into my side, compelling me to move over in my seat. How did I get stuck with this guy as my first friend at this school...?
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean look at her-" Roberto and I both glanced over at Illyana, who was looking down at her phone momentarily before looking up at us. I swiftly averted my eyes while Roberto waved to her.
"Okay? And?"
"Aaaand almost every guy has been trying to you know... get in that..." Roberto whispered, prompting me to shake my head.
"Jesus Christ, man..." I spoke with a sigh. "I wasn't even 'in' anything."
The class went on about as normal as it could've. By the time lunch came around and I was sitting around the fountain with my friends, Illyana came over with a mischievous grin etched on her pretty face.
"Hey, Shai. Can I talk to you about something?"
Roberto, Laura, and the others let out a resounding "Ooooooh!" behind me.
I shook my head at them. "Yeah, sure."
I followed Illyana into one of the gardens of the mansion. She sat down on the grass, encouraging me to sit beside her. We sat in silence for a few seconds before I asked, "What's up?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to see you."
"I'm confused," I stammered. "Why didn't you just sit with us at the fountain then? They wouldn't mind."
"Oh, I'm sure. I just wanted you to myself. I couldn't wait until tonight."
I didn't even know what to say -- I could barely even process how forward she was being. To be honest, it almost sounded like a joke or a prank. I didn't have much to go on, but she seemed a bit possessive; perhaps her past trauma had to do with this. Still, why me?
"Can I ask you something?"
Illyana nodded. "Ask away."
"Why me? This whole thing just doesn't feel real to me. It feels more like a book or something."
"Hm?" Illyana tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I heard from Roberto that you're really popular with the guys-"
"Girls too," she interrupted before stammering. "Ah, sorry."
"Well, if everyone is so interested in you, why are you so interested in me?"
Illyana leaned back into the grass, tapping her chin with her finger. "Mmm... Well, at first, I really just wanted to see what was up with that weird distortion thing. I thought if I got close to you, maybe I'd get some answers about my past or my powers. Turns out, I got both."
"What about now?" I asked her.
"I think you're a nice guy. And kinda cute." Illyana looked at me; her eyes were somewhat solemn. "Am I doing too much?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that I'm not used to this sort of thing. You know, the kiss and then you saying you want me to yourself and all that. It's just kinda sudden. But it's not a bad thing. I'm just... I don't know. Maybe I'm scared."
"Forgive me if I'm being too direct but, is it because you're afraid that I might throw you away like..."
She couldn't finish her sentence -- perhaps it came off as rude in her mind. Still, I knew exactly what she was trying to say.
"Yeah, that might be it. If my parents were willing to throw me away, why wouldn't my classmates? It's not just you, even Roberto and them... I fit into the group so fast but I didn't even do anything."
"I think that sounds pretty normal," she said quietly, chuckling under her breath. "That thing I said about wanting you all to myself was only half true. I'm scared of everyone else."
I exhaled humorously. "I thought you were popular with the guys AND the girls?"
Illyana smiled shyly, shaking her head. "I think people find me attractive but intimidating. I think I might be unapproachable."
Hearing her say it out loud, I could see that being the case. Had she never approached me, or I guess stared at me, I probably wouldn't have ever approached her.
"I think people are just scared of punk girls," I told her.
"Should I change?"
"Definitely not. I like that about you. Besides, I'm glad the other guys are too scared to approach you." The bell signaling the end of lunch blared, compelling us to stand.
"Why's that?" she asked me.
"Well. I can be selfish too. Maybe I also want you to myself. I'll see you tonight, Illyana."
With that, the excruciating wait for eleven o'clock began. Throughout the rest of my classes, all I could do was watch the clock tick by in slow motion.
By the time I got back to my dorm, there was a phone sitting on the bed for me. I guess everyone is supplied with their own cell phone once admitted into the school, which makes sense considering the fact that most of us get kicked off of our parents' data plan.
I wished that I had gotten Illyana's number or knew what dorm she was in or literally had any way of contacting her, but alas I did not. So, I just waited in my dorm, playing with a tennis ball I found lying around in the hallway.
The cool thing about that new ability I got was that I could essentially play catch with myself. Throwing it off the thin walls of my dorm room would've been obnoxious, but if I reversed the time around the ball just before it hit the wall, it would come back to me. Sort of like a yo-yo.
I was so bored, that I even did my homework days in advance to pass the time. Lying in bed with a laptop I rented from the library, I was making some final touches to my English essay. However, I suddenly felt a warmth above me and a golden portal appeared.
Before I could even react, Illyana fell through it and landed on top of me.
"Ow!" I yelled, feeling one of her ear piercings stabbing into my chest. She peeled herself off my body and looked at me with a huge grin.
"It worked!"
She sat on the side of my bed and looked around my room. "Your room's kinda boring."
"I just moved in... So are you going to pretend like you didn't just fall from my ceiling?"
"Oh, yeah. Apparently, I can teleport!"
"You teleported from your room?"
"Nope, Russia."
I leaned forward in an instant. "What do you mean, Russia?"
"Well, remember how we were talking about parents and stuff?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Well, I was thinking about my parents while messing with my powers and I opened a portal by accident. When I stepped through it, I was at my parents' farm."
"Did you talk to them?" I asked her.
"No... I don't think I'm ready for that. But I wanted to tell you about it so I did the same thing while thinking about you and now I'm here."
"That's incredible..."
"Right? Where do you wanna go? Let's get out of here. Just for tonight."
I sat beside her on the bed, looking over at one of my textbooks on my desk that showed a cherry blossom tree in the background.
"How about Japan?"
"One first-class flight to Japan coming right up!" Illyana closed her eyes and placed her hands in front of her. A portal started manifesting in front of her. However, my excitement turned to horror as Illyana was suddenly pulled into the portal by a pair of demonic arms.
"Illyana!" I called out, jumping in after her.
That displacement I used to feel when I was near her was unbearable as I traveled through the portal, only to finally end once I faceplanted onto the ground.
I ignored the pain and sprang to my feet, only to find Illyana standing over the corpse of whatever it was that dragged her into the portal. She held a greatsword in her hand, it emanated the same temporal energy that she was able to fire from her hands and create portals with. The sword, caked in blood, dematerialized as Illyana looked back at me with quivering eyes.
"I remember everything..." she told me.
Looking around at the hellish environment told me all that I needed to know.
She and I were no longer on Earth.
We were in Limbo.