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~Chapter One~

Annika

The storm raged outside.  Lightning lit up my small room casting eerie shadows along my walls.  For a moment, my clothes were visible.  They were laid messily on a chair in the corner.  My books sat neatly on the shelves above my desk where my laptop lay.  The room went dark again.  Only a moment passed before lightning struck again.  This time I glanced up at Jeremiah who was fast asleep.  His arm was around me, tucking me up against his limp body.  His chest rose and fell.  His beating heart echoed in my ear.  He stirred for a moment as a big crack of lightning struck outside my window.  He opened his eyes slightly, showing the icy blue hue of his eyes.  He shut them an instant later.  I glance behind me at my alarm clock. 5:27. I kissed his forehead softly to wake him up again.  After a moment he moaned and opened an eye.

              “Good morning handsome,” I said kissing his chest.

              “Morning beautiful,” he said sleepily.  He glanced at the clock which now read 5:29am.  “I better get going before your parents wake up, huh?”

              I shrugged, “Let them find us for once.  We’ll be together forever so they can’t do anything about it.”

              “Annika love, we don’t want World War Three to begin,” he said sighing.

              “I know,” I said sadly.

              Jeremiah sat up and grabbed his shirt, which was laying on the floor.  He slowly began buttoning it up, stopping before the last one.

              “You broke one of my buttons last night,” he said chuckling.

              I bit my lip slightly.  “Sorry,” I said lightly.

              “I better get going,” he said standing up and putting his jeans on.  

              “Please don’t,” I said grabbing his hand from his belt.  I pulled him gently back into the bed.  He came willingly.  I began kissing him, hard.  He kissed hard, too.  We sat there for a while, kissing and enjoying the moment of us being together.  We had no idea how long it would be till we got to touch again.  I began unbuttoning his shirt, but he stopped me after only two.

              “You don’t want another button to fall off, do you,” he asked batting my hands away playfully.

              I shrugged, “I bought you that shirt anyway.”

              He smiled, “And I love it.  Why would I want to be unable to wear it?”

              I laughed quietly.

              “I really better get going,” he said moving toward the door.

              “It’s raining outside,” I said sadly.

              He shrugged, “I can handle it.  Walk me out?”

              I nodded.  I threw my robe on my bare body, grabbed his hand, and opened the door quietly.  The hallway was dark and nothing moved.  I threw him a thumbs up before walking into the hallway.  We made our way down the stairs, slowly, trying to avoid any creaky steps.  Once we reached the bottom, we made our way to the front door.  I turned the knob and opened it quietly.  We both stepped outside and shut the door behind us.  

              “That’s always so fun,” Jeremiah said smirking.

              I nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

              “I love you,” I said.

              “I love you more,” he said annoyingly.

              He knew that I hated when couples did the whole ‘I love you’ ‘No, I love you more’ thing.  I pushed him slightly.  He pretended to fall backward before “falling” forward and kissing me on the lips once again.  His lips sat there for a few seconds before he pulled away.

              “I love you so much Annika Marie Hyatt.”

              “And I love you Jeremiah Donald Zubec.”

              “The third,” he said winking.

              “The third,” I added.  

              Before leaving he gave me a big hug, twirling me in a circle before setting me down.

              “Now go, before my parents wake up,” I said laughing.

              “I love you,” he said before walking away.  

              I was going to say it back, but he was already down the sidewalk before I could say anything.  Sighing, I opened the door and walked inside.

              “Who was that,” my mother said coming out of the kitchen.

              I almost jumped out of my skin.  My hands began to shake.

              “Who?  What,” I asked as I pulled my robe tighter around me.

              “That.  Outside.  I could hear your voice talking to them,” my mother said as she furrowed her eyebrows.

              “Oh.  That,” I said rubbing my hands together.  

              “Yes, Annika.  The person outside,” my mother said annoyed.

              “Uhm.  Well I could hear someone outside the door so I came down to inspect.  Turns out the UPS guy was putting the Zubec’s package outsideour door,” I said trying to sound annoyed.

              My mother’s eyes lit up with furry.  The Zubecs and The Hyatt’s have had an ongoing family feud since the beginning of the 19th century.  I forget all of the details, but something along the lines of someone stealing someone else’s pizza recipe and giving it to the town baker.  This happened back in 1816 when our families were new to America.  You’d think that our families would be over it.

              “Those bastards,” was all my mother could spit out before she stormed off into the kitchen.

              Guess not.  Stupid feud.

              “It’s not the Zubecs fault that the UPS guy put the wrong package on our doorstep,” I said following after her.

              “They probably put the wrong address on the package on purpose,” she said angrily.

              “Why would they do such a stupid thing?”

              “Well you can’t argue or question stupid.”

              I began laughing hysterically.  Soon my mother did too and we just sat there, laughing.  My father walked into the kitchen adjusting his tie.

              “What’s so funny,” he asked walking over to the coffee pot.

              “Mom is just a nut case,” I said hopping down from the countertop that I had perched myself upon.  “I’ve got to get ready for school.”  

Chapter Two

Jeremiah

              The rain pelted my jacket as I walked across the street.  My house was a two story, small Victorian structure with updated large glass windows.  There was a small oak tree placed prestigiously in the lawn to give it a more “warm feeling”, or so says my mother who was still fast asleep inside.  I opened the door quietly trying not to wake up the 100 pound boxer that slept in the living room.  I creaked up the old staircase, stopping for a moment at my baby sister’s door. 

              “Jerry,” she said sitting up in her bed.

              “Good morning Lily,” I said as I walked into her room.

              “Are you just getting home Lily,” she asked rubbing her eyes.

              My little sister was about 7 years old, but she was extremely intelligent for her age.  She would know if I lied to her, so I decided to tell her the truth.

              “I stayed the night at a friend’s house.  Don’t tell mom and dad okay,” I said kneeling down next to her bed.

              “Okay, I won’t tell mom and dad about Annika,” she said smiling before laying back down in her bed.

              “Good,” I said getting up then realized that she knew about Annika.  “Wait, how do yo-“

              It took a moment to find out that she was sleeping once again, so I decided that I’d ask her later.  I walked out into the hallway and shut the door halfway once again.  I snuck passed my parent’s bedroom doors, which were closed, thankfully.  After holding my breath for what felt like a million years, I reached my bedroom.  I closed the door behind me quietly.  Closing the door, I shrugged off my jacket and threw it onto the chair that sat in the corner. 

              “Jeremiah, are you there?  Over,” Annika’s voice came over the walkie talkie that sat on his nightstand.

              “I’m here.  Over,” I said into it.

              “Great.  Did you make it in alright,” she asked.

              “Of course.  Both my parents are still asleep, although Lily found out about us somehow.  No worries though, she promised not to tell.  Over.”

              “It’s okay I trust her.  Over.”

              All I could do was smile down at the small black walkie talkie that lay flat in my hands.  The girl on the other end was so perfect she was like from a different world.

              “I love you so much.  Over,” I said.

              “I love you too.  Over and out,” she said before the line went static.

              I sighed heavily before switching off his the walkie talkie.  I threw it gently into the chair.  Downstairs came the sound of pots and pans clinking together, which signaled that my parents were up.  Quickly I threw off my jeans and button up, and traded them for my plaid pajama pants.  I ran a hand through my hair, ruffling it up, and stumbled down the stairs.

              “There’s our little trouble maker,” my mom said chirpy as she cracked an egg into the pan.

              My father looked up from yesterday’s newspaper for a moment before continuing to read an article on a local home invasion.

              “What time did you get home last night,” he said monotone.

              “Around 1:45,” I said taking a seat at the kitchen bar.

              “Uh-huh.  Seems a little late for a school night dontcha think,” he said setting his paper on the table and taking a small sip of his coffee.

              I just shrugged.  There was no need to get in a fight with my father this morning.  He was in a foul mood, as per usual.  We’ve had our fair share of fights over the last few weeks anyway, you’d think he’d give it a rest.  Without saying a word, my father rolled up his newspaper, grabbed his briefcase and walked out the kitchen door.  No goodbye.  No hug.  Nothing.

              “Well he was in a great mood,” I said sarcastically.

              “He’s just worried about this meeting today.  The company is going through a few financial setbacks and if your father can’t get these new buyers on board, the CEO is threatening to fire him,” my mother said as she took the eggs off the pan and slid them onto a plate before sliding the in front of him.  I looked at the eggs for a moment before looking up at my mother, who had a single tear running down her face.

              “Mommy,” Lily called from upstairs.

              My mother quickly wiped the tear away before going to get Lily. 

              “Happy Monday to me,” I said taking a sip of my now warm orange juice.