Lifeless (Book II)

Not Insane

Chapter Twelve

Alex sat in his living room trying to yet again pull the pieces to the puzzle together, but there was still so much more missing. How had Vicky ended up with the Holiday family? Was it possible that Vicky might have faked her own death?

"That's impossible, she wouldn't hurt her family that way," he whispered. He shuffled through the papers again trying to find some sort of hint that could help him glue everything together.

"Alex, its Max let me in man, it's pouring out here!" Max called banging on the door.

"The door is open you dope." He shouted over.

Max rushed in slamming the door and quickly shook out of his coat. "What are you doing?" he asked walking over to the sofa. Alex placed the papers over the coffee table and rubbed his eyes. They felt tired of searching each page. Leaning back into the sofa Alex let out a defeated sigh. Max approached while he ruffled the water out of his brown hair. His eyes looked down to the pile in front of Alex and curious he took a page from the pile. His eyes scanned the information and then he looked up at his best friend with a concerned glare.

"Alex," he sighed placing the sheet down. "Look man, I know its been difficult and losing someone like Vicky has been tough...but reading this stuff isn't going to help you get better."

"Max...over the last three years that she's been absent, I've felt more dead than alive. I miss her, miss her smile, her eyes, the way she laughed and most of all...I her presence." He confessed. Getting the words out there seemed to make him less tense.

"Look, you're gonna get through this, I know nothing or no one will ever replace the impact she left in your life but I do think it's time you get out there, it's been three years going on four." He said.

"Would you think me crazy if I said she was alive that she hadn't died." Alex questioned.

"Don't do that, don't lie to yourself like that."

Max stared at Alex with a worried expression. He couldn't blame the guy for thinking him insane.

"I can trust you right?"

"Of course."

Alex paused for a moment and looked at the pile of papers on the coffee table. He argued with it, but in truth couldn't hold it in. The need to tell someone was eating away at him. Was he really going insane or was Grace in fact Vicky.

"Alex what is it," Max pushed irritated by his silence.

"She's alive, Max," he whispered. Max stared at Alex a little wide eyed and then slowly a frown overtook his features.

"I want to believe that you are just going through a really hard time here, and you thinking that she is alive might help you." He muttered.

"No, Max she's alive...and I can prove it," he suddenly snapped.

"Alex listen to yourself, this is insane, you identified her body at the morgue," Max retorted.

Alex rose off the couch and quickly searched the pile of papers pulling out the information given to him by the mortician.

"Look, see...the autopsy says she had a tattoo on her ankle, Vicky didn't have any tattoos, Max."

Max rose off the couch as well and gripped both of Alex's shoulders.

"Listen to yourself Alex, please don't do this, don't hurt yourself like this," Max said.

Alex let out a frustrated growl and yanked Max out the door and into his BMW. He needed to prove to him that he wasn't lying.

"Where are we going?" Max asked.

"Proving my sanity." He replied.

Max stared at his best friend in complete shock, he was more than certain Alex had gone completely nuts. The car soon came to a stop in front of a small cabin style home, the rain now simply drizzled as they both sat there starring ahead.

"Where are we," Max asked.

"Wait here," Alex muttered slipping out of the car.

****

Grace rolled around in bed trying to get some sleep, but the fact that she had a date this Saturday night and with Alexander Jewels none the less made her nervous. The date was only three days away and it already felt like eternity to her. She laid there looking up at her ceiling listening to the droplets of water beat against her window. This kind of weather always seemed to knock her out cold every single time, but not tonight.

A rapping on the front door was heard and Grace quickly sat up gripping the sheets closer to her chin. Who on earth could be knocking at her door at twelve at night? She quickly slipped out of bed and hurried over to the front door in hopes that her parents still laid asleep. Her father could be a real grouch when woken up. The rapping came again and she flinched at the light knocks. It was almost as if she were in a horror movie. Grace quietly neared the peep hole and leaned in to meet a pair of aqua color eyes.

A gasp escaped her as she covered her mouth and with trembling hands unlocked the door. It almost felt like eternity as she tried turning the knob and finally unbolting the door.

"Alex?" she whispered. She quickly stepped out unto the porch and hugged herself. The cool breeze mixing with the rain almost felt like the beginning of October.

"Grace, I'm sorry I just showed up out of the blue," he whispered as well.

"Was there something that you needed?" she asked.

"I wanted to call you, but I wasn't certain if your parents knew about us yet," he went on. Her stomach did a back flip at his words and a blush consumed her. About us? What was he implying with those words?

"I haven't told them," was all she could reply.

Alex smiled and looked behind him to his car, another man sat on the passenger side starring at Grace wide eyed.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"That is my best friend Max, come and say hello," Alex said. Grace opened her mouth to protest but was already being dragged down the stairs.

She was glad that the rain had stopped falling and only a faint drizzle remained. Alex neared the door and yanked it open. Grace shyly looked inside to find a handsome face starring at her with his mouth slightly gaped.

"I'm M-Max," he stuttered sticking out his hand.

"Grace," she replied. There was something about Max she couldn't quite put her finger on almost as if she had met him before. She stared at him for a long moment and then quickly averted her eyes.

Alex closed the car door and led Grace back to the safety of her porch. She squeezed her arms tighter around herself as Alex brushed back a few of his dirty blonde locks.

"Why did you come here?" She asked.

"Honestly...I wanted to see you." He replied.

She was nearly overwhelmed to ask why, but kept her mouth shut instead.

"Grace?" Alex questioned. She pulled out of her fantasy land and looked down to her feet fiddling with her hands. Had she actually day dreamed in front of him? She felt stupid and most of all embarrassed to have been caught doing that. She quickly composed herself and smiled trying to hide the humiliation from her face. Dear Lord what was Alex doing to her!?