The TIMELINE

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The Past Catches Up (Part Two)

Nyre opened her mouth to scream but a hand cupped over it quickly and she was suddenly pressed against the metal wall of the elevator.

“Don’t scream. Please… don’t scream.” The soft male voice whispered in her ear.

She heard the doors shut themselves.

It was just the two of them in there now.

Just him and her.

Her heart stopped for a split second as the boy stepped back and met his eyes with hers.

Oh God.

“Sade…?” He whispered so softly, the tone quaking with each word. So softly. “Sade… it’s me.” Gentle fingers touched her cheek and ran themselves through her hair. “Sade… its Darien.”

In those eyes was a plea.

“It’s… Darien, Sade.”

Nyre felt herself tremble and she felt her knees give way.

And as he did so many times before… Darien Alastair caught her in his arms and held her tight as they both sank to the floor.

“Ohmigod… ohmigod… ohmigod….” Nyre whispered as she reached out and pulled him close to her.

She trembled in shock and something else.

It was Darien.

Darien Alastair.

The soft hum of the elevator reverberated about them. “It’s Nyre Leviste now, isn’t it?” He spoke softly after awhile, as they sat there, the elevator rising all the way to the top floor, no other passengers bothering to use it. Pulling back he brushed away the strands of ebony hair from her face and kissed her forehead gently.

She nodded, and bit her lip softly.

Darien stood and helped her to her feet. “We’d better get out.” He glanced back to her. “Can I talk to you for a few minutes. Please?”

Nyre inhaled and nodded shakily.

“Okay.”

* * *

“Why did you run from me?”

I blushed as Darien broached the topic.

God. I couldn’t believe he was here. I’d been dreading it. But now that he was… it brought so many things rushing back…

I didn’t want him to go.

I was glad he was here.

He reached out to touch my hand, but pulled back when I instinctively moved it away.

I bit my lower lip and heard him whisper. “I’m sorry.” He turned his gaze away.

We were at the most inner booth in the upper Sbarro’s, hidden from the view of anyone outside. I’d paged Drake a little earlier saying that I wouldn’t be back for another thirty minutes and that they shouldn’t worry.

I just need to talk to someone about something. Tell the others not to worry. I’ll pay you back for the drinks. Tell Castel not to throw a tantrum, and to Dee that I’ll tell her about it later same goes to Levi. And oh, tell Wing I love him.

That was what I’d said.

Darien blinked in turn.

Well I shouldn’t be surprised. Those were the words he’d told me as we went to search for a seat. But the look in his eyes dug deep.

He can’t still be inlove with me… can he? I mused as I looked him over.

But then again… I’m not so sure if I’m over him.

It all ended too fast afterall… I never even explained to him why….

I’d been unfair.

I’d wanted to get away and leave it all behind because I’d never been more unsure or scared in my entire life. But now, as I looked at him, I realized. There are some things you never learn to forget. There are some things you never learn to stop being afraid of.

He hadn’t changed at all in the course of three years.

His brown eyes were still as piercing as ever. His hair still had the same silken curtain bangs spilling over those eyes. His features were still serious, his lips still devoid of a smile.

“Sa… I mean, Nyre.” He slumped into silence and waited for me to speak.

“Yeah?” I managed to smile as he called my attention. Not that he’d needed to. “What?”

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” He tilted his head to the side and managed a curious smile.

God. I could’ve melted.

I glanced away and swallowed softly. He could still turn my insides to mush.

“Hey…” He reached over and lifted my chin with his gentle artist’s fingers and it was all I could do to TRY to hide the whirlwind of emotions coursing through my system. I went ahead and bit my tongue because I didn’t trust myself to speak right there and then. “You okay?” He asked, genuine concern showing in his eyes.

I inhaled deeply and nodded, smiling weakly.

When I finally found my voice and stuffed it back in my vocal chords, I gazed into my glass, stirring the contents with my red straw. “Hey…” He blinked and raised a brow. “How’d you find me?” I paused and arranged my thoughts. Tried to. “I thought you were supposed to be in Europe?”

Darien eyed me quizzically, his brow arching delicately. “How’d you know about that?”

I swallowed. Caught. “Been keeping tabs on you since I left.”

A sigh. “Well… I told my parents that I wanted to stay… in Anaheim.” He smiled sheepishly, “after I had one of my cousins track down a certain Sade Elise MacKenzie under the real name Nyrene Angeline Leviste.”

I looked away. Embarrassed.

His hand reached out to mine and held it firmly but gently. “Hey…” He murmured quietly and tried to get my eyes to meet his. I bit my lower lip and looked further away, not wanting to see what was there. Not wanting him to see that my control was a complete mess inside. “Hey.” Darien moved from his seat and slid into the one next to mine. “Hey,” He lifted my eyes to his, “Nyre…?”

I laughed weakly and pulled away, my knees shaking at their own accord. “You shouldn’t have come.” I stood and ran my fingers through my hair. “You shouldn’t have tracked me down Darien.” I let out a small breath and shook my head. “I need to go.”

Turning away, I began walking back to where the others were waiting. Where the others were wondering where I was.

To the team. To my friends. To Wing.

“I still love you Sade!”

I stopped and clasped both hands together to stop their quivering.

“Always have.” Came his voice again.

I shut my eyes and shook my head, resuming my walk again.

Darien simply sighed and dug his hands into his pockets and whispered softly as he watched her go. “And I always will.”

* * *

In the parking lot, the team was waiting by the Migrator for the last member. Nyre.

Wing glanced up to see her walking slowly towards them. Head hung and eyes shielded by her hair. “Hey Nyre!” he heard one of the others call, but she didn’t look up.

“Hey ‘gel… what’s with the long face?” Duke asked as he slung an arm over her shoulder.

“Duke… just leave me alone.” She whispered raggedly and pushed his arm away.

Wing watched as she hopped in the Migrator and followed with a worried gaze.

What’s wrong? He thought as he reached out for her hand. Her ebony eyes turned to his and she blinked away unshed tears. “Baby, what’s wrong?” He asked.

“Sorry…” She whispered and placed herself in his arms.

* * *

Nyre felt her head throbbing as she glanced around the table that night.

I want to rest. I want to sleep.

She stood, pushing away from the table and turned to leave, causing the whole team to quiet down.

“Nyre?”

She stopped and turned to face the owner of the voice… Dee.

“Hey sis, what’s wrong?” the lavender-eyed girl blinked. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Nyre shook her head and rubbed lightly at her right temple. “I’m… feeling a bit woozy… you go on without me.” She smiled weakly.

“You sure?” Dee pressed and held out a closed pack of instant noodles and a fork for her to see.

“Yeah…” Nyre nodded tiredly and turned away.

That was odd. Dee mused as she sat down too eat her meal.

Nyre never turns down her instant… Her thoughts began to wander as she picked idly at the food on her plate. She’s been acting strange since last week. She keeps on glancing behind as if someone’s following her or somethin’.

“Yo Dee!”

She glanced up and blinked several times before she identified the voice. “Yeah…?” Hacker and Ace eyed her with concern.

“Now don’t you go weird on us.” Ace murmured, still keeping his gaze fixed on her. “Nyre’s been out of character since… since whenever… we don’t need you goin’ that way as well.” He cocked an eyebrow.

Dee shrugged and tried to concentrate on her dish.

A sigh. This isn’t working. Damn.

She stood and pushed away her plate. “Look guys,” she said to the team, “I can’t do this. I can’t not do anything when Nyre’s obviously not feeling okay.” She turned to Grin, “wash up for me tonight okay?”

The big, grey duck nodded in agreement.

“And…” She glanced to the other’s plates. “Whomever wants the rest of my chicken, you can have it!” She turned and ran for the indoor elevator.

* * *

Why did he have to come back???

Nyre buried her face in her pillow and began to sob.

“WHY?!”

She let out a scream and dissolved in a fit of sobs and hiccups yet again.

Rap. Rap. Rap.

“Sis…?”

Nyre sniffled and opened her swollen eyes. “D-d-dee?” She managed to get out.

Her lavender-eyed best friend came into the room, shut the door and suddenly was at her side… cradling her head and cooing softly. “It’s okay… it’s gonna be okay….” She whispered and rocked the sobbing ebony beauty gently. Dee pulled back a slight and gazed down thoughtfully at her foster sister. “Now,” she paused, “what’re those tears for?”

Nyre smiled weakly and buried her face on her sister’s arm yet again. “I—” a renewed batch of tears, “I… I don’t know what to do…”

“Shhh… take it slow… don’t rush…” Dee cooed yet again, “now… from the start.”

Nyre inhaled and paused and sniffled for a few minutes.

A sigh. “Y-y-you know… *hic* that… t-that I’ve been edgy for… t-th-th—”

“You’ve been edgy for the past few days.” She nodded, “I know… go on….”

“I-I-it’s because of…” a pause, “because of someone.”

Dee frowned thoughtfully. “Someone? Who?”

“D-d-d…” several hiccups again, “Darien.” She finally got out. “Dairen… A-Alastair.”

“Okay…” Dee nodded despite her inability to understand or comprehend, and stroked her sister’s hair soohingly. “Okay. Darien.” Dee paused. “Who… is he sis?”

Nyre paused and seemed to think deeply for a moment, as if analyzing the question carefully.

“Well?” Dee pressed. God I feel like someone in an interrogation. She blinked and eyed her sister’s appearance.

Hurting and sad. Aching. Jumbled up inside.

The last time she’d seen Nyre like this was back when they first met. Back at when they still studied at the center.

If I don’t press for details I’ll never find out. “Nyre… who is Darien Alastair?”

A soft hiccup. “Someone from way back.” She sniffled softly and wiped the tears from her eyes. “From Boston. From before the center.” She blinked, and teardrops glistened on the tips of her lashes. “He was to me what Wing is now.”

Silence.

Dee blinked in surprise. God. It’s the first time she’s ever mentioned anyone from her past. She squeezed the older girl’s hand. “You mean, your former?”

Nyre nodded slowly and reached down to snatch up a tissue from the box lying on the carpeted floor. She breathed a moment and then cleared her throat. Dee smiled. Nyre always preferred control to breaking down. It was seldom you found Nyrene Leviste crying to a group, although there’d be occasional bouts.

The loner in Nyre preferred she spend her tears alone.

“I was thirteen… he was fourteen…” She paused. “I was in Boston at the time… with… with my ‘new family’. You know, the one that was abusive and all. The one I played undercover cop for. The one Rhea never knew about until the end.” Nyre shut her eyes for a moment and sighed.

“And so…? What about Darien now?”

The ebony-eyed teen swallowed and felt Dee’s fingers tighten around her own.

“He’s here… in Anaheim.”

Dee blanched.

“He’s been following me since last week.” Nyre blinked several more times. “And he approached me this afternoon.”

“You mean… he was the one you talked to?!”

“Dee calm down.” Nyre said. Her voice was even, her eyes serene… and melancholic.

Disarming.

As always.

“He didn’t hurt me sis.” She continued. “We just talked.” At that same moment, she reached over to the lower cabinet of her side table. The one she always kept locked, unlocked it, opened it and pulled out a small box, a beat-up looking scrapbook and an envelope.

“What… are those?” Dee eyed her quizzically.

“Uhm… this,” she opened the box, “is where I keep little memoirs… trinkets and the like… that came from back then.” She lifted up a folded piece of paper and sighed. “One of his earlier letters to me.” She glanced to Dee and shut the box. “Anyway…”

Dee glanced thoughtfully up at Nyre and gestured towards the scrapbook. “Dare I ask?”

Nyre sighed and opened to a page where a younger version of herself stood, dressed in light gray cotton pants and a gray blouse to match, hair an inch past her chin and with a boy whose arm was slung over her shoulder.

“That’s him?” Came Dee’s sot whisper as Nyre nodded sadly.

“Yup.” She sniffled again, “three years ago.” She frowned. “Sis…?”

“I saw him several times this past week! I don’t know why I missed the connection!” Nyre paled at her sister’s bright smile and excited eyes. “This does it! I’m gonna talk to this guy!” She grinned.

“NO!”

Dee blanched yet again as Nyre’s expression changed from thoughtful to terrified. Her happiness seeped out of her. “Why…?” She asked quietly, unable to hide the disappointment she felt. I just wanted to know more… She thought quietly to herself.

“Because…” Nyre turned away, stuffing the box, scrapbook and envelope away. “Because I’ve asked him to leave and move on.” A soft, suffering sigh. “I don’t want things to turn up-side-down because he suddenly decides to waltz back into my life. I’m okay now. Whatever there was between me and him—it’s the past. Finished. Over. Done.” There was a quiet pause. “ He can’t just decide to come back into my life like that. It doesn’t work that way.” She glanced back at her foster sister with pleading eyes. “Don’t think about it Dee. Don’t talk to Darien. Please.”

“But Nyre…!” the younger girl reached out.

“NO DEE!” Nyre pulled away and felt her lower lip tremble. “Please Dee… for the love of God and the team. Don’t talk to him… don’t go to him, don’t even think it!”

“Nyre---”

“No Dee.” The look of finality in her eyes left Deanna speechless. “No.”

* * *

Drake was taken aback as he head a shout from inside Nyre’s room.

What the heck? Was that Nyre? His brow twitched. Nah… couldn’t have been… but….

“Drake…?” Mallory suddenly came up behind him. “Drake, what’s wrong?”

He smiled at her, trying his best to hide his surprise. “No, nothing Mal. Hey what d’ya say we go catch a movie huh?”

Mal rolled her eyes and slipped her arms around his waist. “Why not.” And the two left.

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T Be Continued…