Dissonance - Book One

twenty-three

I find Wyler in the main corridor where Lex told me he would be. He's sitting at a table with a group of people that I don't recognize. It seems like he's made friends rather quickly, but then I realize that he probably already knows all of these people. He used to live here. Just another reminder of his secret life before me, before he was tasked with the job of keeping tabs on the freak show, Ever Lewis, I mean Attwood. That name will take some getting used to.

I approach the group slowly. Wyler glances up and our eyes meet. At first it appears his expression is one of excitement at seeing me, but then it seems to turn to worry, concern, sadness? I can't quite tell. I used to know all of his facial expressions. I could tell what he was thinking just by the look in his eyes, but it's difficult for me to read him now. I find myself second guessing everything that I thought I was so sure of.

I remember that day he kissed me for the first time. We were hanging out at my house, working on a project for our English class. Wyler had suggested we partner up, which wasn't unusual. He was always trying to work with me when we had group projects. I figured it was because we were friends, or more so, because he knew I was a perfectionist and would do most of the work. But either way, I didn't care. I would take any excuse to hang out with him.

My parents were out running errands, so it was just the two of us at my house, sitting in my bedroom. I never felt uncomfortable about being alone with him because I knew he didn't reciprocate my feelings, and lord knows I would never have the guts to make a move. I was pretty sure he saw me as more of a sister than someone he would want to date.

"So I'll be in charge of sections 1 -3 and you need to answer questions 3, 4 & 5. Oh, and summarize chapters 4 - 6. Okay?" I told him as I typed our responsibilities into a spreadsheet on my computer. "Wyler?" I said, looking up from my laptop when he didn't respond.

"What? Uh, yeah, sounds good," he replied as he wandered around, looking at the pictures and knickknacks scattered throughout my room. I didn't understand why they were so interesting to him. He was so nosy sometimes.

"Are you even paying attention?" I asked, slightly irritated.

"Of course I am," he said, plopping down on the bed next to me. "What's the deal with these?" He held up the snow globe he'd stolen off of my dresser.

"It's called a snow globe," I said sarcastically.

"I know," he rolled his eyes playfully. "But why do you have so many?" he asked, pointing to my collection.

"My parents get me one every Christmas. It's kind of a tradition," I replied, slightly embarrassed. It probably seemed childish to him. I took the globe from his hands and set it next to me on the bed. "You probably think it's stupid."

"Actually, I was thinking it's pretty cool that your parents love you enough to do some silly tradition with you every Christmas, even now that you're practically an adult."

I could see the pain in his eyes. That was the side of him that I loved. Not the pain, but the sensitivity. He didn't show it often, but when he did, it seemed to be reserved for me. I knew how lucky I was to have two loving parents who would do anything for me. Wyler only had one parent, and she was far from loving. I wanted to say something to make him feel better, but he hated when people pitied him or tried to comfort him, so he looked up at me and let out a small smile to lighten the mood and indicate that he was okay.

"Enough of that," he said, switching topics to avoid the pity party. "What are you even typing on your laptop anyway?" he asked, reaching for my computer.

"Nothing, stop it," I squealed as he tried to grab it from my lap. "It's just our roles for the project," I said as he continued to paw at the laptop.