Uninvited

"Cierra?"

The voice was distant and seemingly far away. I was dreaming and what a sweet dream it was.

"Cierra Rose Cayle!" This time it was a screetch.

I groaned, watching as the colors, the people, and the images faded away.

"Mother," I whispered into the darkness.

My eyes were still closed but I knew she was standing in the doorway at the bottom of the stairs. She never entered my room. It was some unspoken rule of hers. We never got along. Sometimes, I even had trouble calling her mother.

"Your sister is awake and ready... And what are you doing? You're still sleeping! Get your a_ss up now!"

Her voice echoed throughout my room.

Unfortunately for me, my room consisted of the whole attic. Of course, I didn't really mind. It was spacious and even though it was hot in summer and cool in winter it was the perfect getaway.

No one came upstairs apart from myself.

I heard her fading footsteps and I sighed in relief.

Rolling over, I hit the ground with a thud. It was something of a tradition and the only thing that motivated me to actually get up.

An hour later, I was running out the door to reach the bus. Unfortunately, I had no car although I had the license to drive. I had not saved enought money to buy a car yet.

"Better hurry up, CeCe." my sister called.

She was a year younger than me, but my mother treated her like royalty. It no longer bothered me as it once had when I was younger. Kristine was the golden child and my mother saw no falt in her.

I sprinted for the bus, but my eyes were not intent on anyone until I crashed into Ethan.

"Cierra," Ethan scolded, "she would have waited you know."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him.

"It's good to challenge myself."

He smiled back that perfect smile of his. My heart beat always increased at such a thing. I had always had a crush on him, but he was my best friend and our friendship was not something I was willing to sacrifice.

I smiled at our bus driver just as she said, "I would have waited for you, dear."

"I know," I responded quickly, "I just like to challenge myself."

She smiled knowingly and I moved towards the back of the bus.

I sat down in the furthest seat from the front and Ethan slid in beside me.

"How are you feeling?"

My smile deminished quickly and I glanced over at Ethan for a long moment before responding.

His brown hair was curly and playful around his face. His eyes were a deep aqua color and whenever they rested on you breathing became a difficult task. He wore a band t-shirt I recognized instantly. He and I had gone to a Metallica concert.

I smiled at the memory.

Looking back at his face, I smiled wider. His skin was dark from long hours in the sun and his jaw was squared.

I held back my laugh as I thought about his crooked nose. He'd gotten into a fight two years before and his nose had never straightened back out again.

I glanced back out the window and my smile faded. Just the night before I had fainted in my room and hit my head. My arm was brused from the inpact against the floor but I made sure to wear a long sleeved shirt to cover it.

"CeCe," Ethan whispered, "There is something going on here. You're wearing a long sleeved shirt in summer and you look... pale."

I turned to meet his eyes, however deadly I knew they were.

"I fainted last night and I bruised my arm," the words were out my mouth before I knew what hit me.

Never on my own accord would I say such a thing, but that was the thing about Ethan. He had a way of making people say things they normally wouldn't.

"I hate you," I whispered fiercly.

"I love you too," He said back. "Now let me see that arm."

It was the unspoken truth that Ethan was going to be a doctor when he graduated from college. He claimed he loved helping people. I claimed he just liked telling people what to do.

"No," I said stubbornly, "Tell me why you and Lara were fighting."

"I was attempting to break up with her and she cut me off by telling me it was the last thing on Earth I'd ever do."

He seemed surprised he had just spilled everything.

"Yeah, how does that feel?" I asked with a laugh.

Just then, the bus hit a large bump and I shot up in the seat, banging my arm on the window on the way.

I called out instinctively and immediately, Ethan's eyes were exaiming my arms.

"Are you okay?"

I shoved his hands away.

"Just leave it alone." I whispered, "They'll heal soon."

From the look in Ethan's eyes, I knew my choice of words had scared him.