SPECTRAMy heart began beating faster for a split moment, but it calmed down almost immediately. I stared down at Rick who was on the other side of the stands. He wore the Jersey of the opposing team and he was with one of the boys from the other night. Rick stood up and tapped his friend, whispering something I couldn't exactly hear amidst the noise. The friend stood up too. He glanced my way with a stern look, but I didn't mind. If they dared cause a scene in this crowded place, I'd beat them both easily. Besides me, Mira whooped in joy as a guy on Dad's team hit the net with a goal. The crowd was agog and Rick looked away then to the cause of the shouting. “Did you see that??” Ai Fei shouted from her side of the stands, putting her hands around her mouth in a bid to drown the noise out enough for me to hear. I nodded in affirmation, even though I'd not seen the action due to my staredown with Rick. I glanced at the goal playback on the huge screen, and sure, the goal was magnifice
SPECTRA The rest of the evening breezed by. I pored through the pages of the journal, so much that even when Mira came into the room later on to announce dinner, I didn't even look up and I insisted I wasn't hungry. The grandfather clock downstairs ticked Nine pm in its routine loud manner, making me jump. I sighed and stared out the window. The street had morphed from the busy marketplace it seemed like in the morning to something like a track road leading to the cemetery. Insects chirped as the moon shone brightly on that summer night. My stomach growled loudly and at that moment, I wished I'd gone down for dinner when Mom had asked Mira to call me. I stepped out of my room, in nothing but my briefs, down the hallway leading to the stairs.The lights in Mira’s room were on. She's still up. I came down the stairs into the kitchen area, trying to check if I could salvage anything. Mira was seated there, munching on a pizza box. “You’re Awake,” I called out, moving to the refr
SPECTRA Mira surrendered into my embrace as we kissed, roaming and looking at every corner of her mouth. She clung to me in a very fast fashion, wrapping her thigh around my waist. When we finally disengaged, we were both breathing heavily and short of words. Her eyes were still glazed with passion, and her body was awake in response to my touch. We stared at each other, not saying anything and as if a spell was broken, Mira looked at me very sharply. I stared right back at her, too stunned to speak. She blushed and ran out of the room and banged her door closed as she went into hers. I shook my head and smiled, slumping to the beanbag by my bed. I had mixed feelings; guilty pleasure. While she wasn't a child of my dad's or mom's, and technically we were not related in any biological way. Heck, I wasn't even from this dimension anyway. But you are now, a thought came. I sighed. Yeah, her Dad was married to my Mom. So we were siblings, however by way of marriage. Why does it have
SPECTRA“Hey, Spectra! Over here!” Familiar voices yelled the moment I got on the bus. Kalidor, Ai Fei, Silyn, and Benjamin were seated at the extreme, waving me over. I smiled and scanned through the sea of faces, faintly recognizing some; others, not so much. “I was just telling Kalidor how much of an exciting game he missed on Tuesday,” Ai Fei said with a cheerful smile. She tapped the empty seat beside her, motioning for me to come sit down. Kalidor and the others exchanged knowing glances amongst themselves but said nothing.“What?” Ai Fei asked, laughing. “Oh, nothing!” Silyn responded with a cheeky smile plastered on her face. “Did we say anything was up?” Kalidor chimed in with a smirk. I smiled and shook my head. Sure, they could think of anything they wanted. Who cared? Mira would. Maybe smoke too, that annoying, persistent voice I'd come to hate whispered. I shook my head and turned my thoughts to the conversation they were having. “So, away from the games. Who has seen
SPECTRA“Hey, Spectra! Over here!” Familiar voices yelled the moment I got on the bus. Kalidor, Ai Fei, Silyn, and Benjamin were seated at the extreme, waving me over. I smiled and scanned through the sea of faces, faintly recognizing some; others, not so much. “I was just telling Kalidor how much of an exciting game he missed on Tuesday,” Ai Fei said with a cheerful smile. She tapped the empty seat beside her, motioning for me to come sit down. Kalidor and the others exchanged knowing glances amongst themselves but said nothing.“What?” Ai Fei asked, laughing. “Oh, nothing!” Silyn responded with a cheeky smile plastered on her face. “Did we say anything was up?” Kalidor chimed in with a smirk. I smiled and shook my head. Sure, they could think of anything they wanted. Who cared? Mira would. Maybe smoke too, that annoying, persistent voice I'd come to hate whispered. I shook my head and turned my thoughts to the conversation they were having. “So, away from the games. Who has see
SPECTRASmoke looked at me incredulously, in a disturbing manner. I went over to her seat, and even as I made my move, she didn't seem to see or notice me coming towards her. “Smoke? Are you alright?” I asked, searching for any sign of bodily harm. She jerked then as if she was in a coma all this while. “Smoke?” I pestered. She shook her head frantically. “Yes? What were you saying?”“I was asking if you're okay,” I responded. “Okay? Of course not! Nobody on this bus is okay,” she forced a laugh. I laughed too, but I didn't believe that was all. Something was wrong about her disposition, but I couldn't quite wrap my hands around it.“you’re sure?” I pestered. “Jesus, Spectra!” Smoke rolled her eyes at me. “I said I'm fine. You don't need to be my knight in shining armor. Not this time, at least.”I chuckled at her witty remarks, but still raised my eyebrows in askance. She scowled and opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her from saying anything more. I raised my hands in moc
SPECTRAI stood there dumbfounded, staring at her. She looked at me with her eyes widened like she'd just seen a ghost. “Spectra?” Smoke pestered, wearing a curious look on her face. “Oh, it's um, it's just a talk show I'm listening to,” I managed to say. She didn't look like she believed a word I said.“Hello? Eva Marcel on tonight's show?” I spluttered, turning my ears to reveal an earpiece situated in my ear. Nothing was playing in it, but I hoped she would buy it.She looked disbelievingly at me for a second, and then she took the earpod from me and put it in her ears. I closed my eyes tight because I knew any moment from now she'd uncover the lie to its very root. But when I opened it, she was listening to something. I tapped the other piece on my left ear and crazily enough, an actual talk show was going on. It took me only a second to recognize the voice speaking. It was Eva, my machine assistant. It had split its voice to sound like three distinct speakers and it seemed lik
SPECTRAYou've got to be kidding me.All four boys from the safe that night sat there whispering something to themselves. Slowly, Rick’s eyes looked up and found mine. He tapped his friends and pointed in my direction. They looked at me with a devilish glee in their eyes and mischief written on their faces. I sighed and rubbed my temples wearily. Not again, I sighed again.“Spectra?” Smoke’s voice called from across the circle where we sat. “Are you okay?” She had a concerned, desperate-to-please look in her eyes. She probably thought I was still upset with her. Kalidor, Silyn, Ai Fei, Benjamin, and Brucy also turned to me at the moment.“Yeah,” I said with a casual wave. “My head just hurts a little from the spinning on the bus,” I muttered. They gave understanding nods, and Kalidor gave me some water to take my own medicine with. I took it and smiled graciously, allowing them to slowly turn away from their scrutiny of me and back to the discussion. I turned back to them and they sti