Proxy [l.h]

7. Taxi Rides and Long Showers

Luke got legs for dayzz

I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE, HERE U GO - Also unedited oops

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«DAY 6»      

Lissa

"Wake up," a gruff voice says above me, a hand violently shaking my shoulder. I groan and pull the covers over my head, and an unfamiliar smell of dust suddenly overwhelms me. Coughing a fit, my eyes fly open, and I sit up to see Luke standing in front of me. His lips are pressed in a firm line.

"W-What's going on? Where are we?" I exclaim, scoping the unfamiliar room. It's got a strange, musty smell with the white paint peeling off the walls. Not to mention that there are mysterious stains on the carpet. And that I'm in a different bed than the one in Canada.

"You never told me your brother was in San Jose," Luke says plainly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Huh?" I ask sleepily, rubbing my eyes. "I did. I told you he was at St. John's centre," I say, suddenly distracted by a strange feeling in my gut. It's as if I ate something bad. My mouth tastes bitter, like I'd just drank rubbing alcohol. Something is definitely off.

"Well, I had no idea it was in San Jose, Jesus! That's the same place I saw Jane two years ago," Luke explains. "We could've done this so much faster if you'd told me earlier," he lectures.

"Okay, sorry," I say, rubbing my temples in exhaustion. "Now can you tell me where we are?"

I try to get off the bed, but before my feet even reach the ground, I'm hit with a sudden migraine that strikes through my skull. Luke sees the obvious pain in my eyes and rolls his eyes at my clueless expression.

"That's a hangover," he answers the question in my mind.

"A hangover?!" I squeak in alarm. "How?!"

"So...basically, I found you and Michael, super wasted, nearly passed out, and then I googled your little brother's rehab shit and it was in San Jose, and so is Jane, probably, so I flew you here," he says nonchalantly. "Now get up. We have things to do."

I squeeze my eyes shut, having a hard time processing the information. "Wait, wait wait, what?"

With careful steps not to make the migraine worse, I rush to the window to see tall cement buildings, the sun hanging in the blue sky, and realize that Luke is right. We are in California. I'm back home.

Luke hasn't stopped talking behind me. "I'll take you to see your brother after breakfast, and we can do whatever you want all day. As long as you start helping me look for Jane tomorrow," he says. He doesn't ask me if I can help him. He simply states that I need to.

"So..." I drawl. "I have one whole day to roam around with my brother, and then tomorrow, I'm all yours?"

"Yes," he replies.

I can't stop the smile that starts to form on my lips. "Thank you," I say gratefully.

"I didn't do it for you," he snaps. I lower my eyes and nod instead.

"Take today as a free pass to say goodbye to him. Savour those hours because you're not coming down here until you're done your thirty days with me," Luke adds, referring to the fact that this is still a job, and when today is over, I'll be leaving my brother again, to follow Luke on his journey to find his unrequited love. I want to correct him and say that he has, in fact, twenty four days left of Lissa the proxy. But he cuts in before I can open my mouth.