Julia Hoffman

Chapter 36

"Maria! Maria!" Julia and Erica cried, after realising that she was the only one Viola could possess. "Maria, where are you?"

"Jeez guys, calm down, I'm in here." Maria said, looking really confused. "Are you just doing this to make me change Shelby again? I swear this is the las-"

"No, Are you okay dear?" Julia asked, looking quite worriedly. "We were...uhh..just wondering.." She added innocently.

Maria sighed. Ever since she'd found out she was pregnant, everyone had been constantly asking her if she was okay and if she needed a rest. It's why she spent so much time with Shelby; the baby really couldn't care less. Of course she was excited at the prospect of getting to meet little Phoebe, but at this point it was starting to drive her insane. "Fine, I'll change her."

"No, no, I don't want you to change Shelby." Julia said, waving her hand. "Have you...have you been possessed today?"

"Excuse me?" Maria said, trying to laugh. "No, I have not."

"Oh, thank the lord." Julia said, hugging her tightly. Obviously, if Viola had possessed her, she would have probably denied it. Actually, no. Viola would have probably got all sassy and manipulative strait away, plus, god knows what she would have done knowing she was an aunt, as her and Maria were adoptive sisters. "I'm just glad your okay."

During the hug, three of them heard the baby monitor go off, and Erica went to get Shelby. She walked up the stairs, she saw the usual wallpaper and old-fashioned decoration that the house had. She picked Shelby up, the girl was almost one years old, she couldn't quite walk herself yet, but had grasped saying 'Ewica!'. Erica looked at the table by her sister's crib, and saw a piece of paper, it had Luke's number on it. She had been meaning to call him, talk to him now all the Rachel drama was starting to die down.

She picked up the phone, Shelby still on her hip, and dialled the number.

"Hello?" Luke said.

"Hey, it's Erica, you know, the girl who saved your life." Erica explained.

"Oh, cool. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to talk, you know, about Rachel and all that. I think it would be important for you to be honest, you were clearly pretty shaken up about it." Erica explained.

"Yeah okay." Luke agreed. "You want to meet by the beach in twenty minutes? I'll buy you ice cream?"

Erica laughed. "Yeah sure, do you mind if I bring a baby?"

"You-You have a baby?" Luke asked, thinking back to when he last saw her and thinking that she might be way older than she looked.

"No, it's my little sister, don't worry." Erica smiled. "I'll see you in a minute, bye!"

Erica went down the stairs with Shelby and went to see Julia and Maria. "Hey, mom, do you care if I go out?"

"No, as long as you take Shelby, she hasn't left the house in almost a week now, and I think she's going slightly insane, she keeps trying to climb up onto the windowsill." Julia said, she was still more focused on Maria though, even the mention of the name Viola really freaked her out. She put Shelby in her pram, and left the oversized mansion of a house.

By the time she got to the beach, Luke was standing there holding three ice creams, one for Erica, one for himself, and the other one was for Shelby to lick.

"So, you wanted to talk." He said, offering one out. "I got you strawberry, I hope that's okay."

"Thanks." Erica smiled. She sat down on the sand with him, Shelby on her lap getting ice cream all over her face. "How have you been?"

"Better I guess." Luke shrugged. "I'm not suicidal anymore, but I thought Rachel was my soulmate, you know, and now I have no idea what I'm going to do without. She was like...like the head cheerleader, and I was just the stupid nerd who embarrassed himself all the time. She made me who I am I guess, and I love her more than anything else, still. I mean, Rachel Gillian White, what a beautiful name, right? I guess she was too good for me..."

"Don't say that, that's not true." Erica said, shaking her head lightly. "She didn't make you anything, I didn't know her very well at all to be honest, but for that day she was mean, and bitter, and stuck up."

"I guess she was a little like that..." Luke admitted. "You know, I tried to find her friend after she broke up with me, but her body was found the beach a couple miles up from here. Tilly Harper, have you heard of her?"

"No, I haven't." Erica said, shaking her head and biting her lip. "I was home-schooled, I don't get out much. I'm Erica Collins, that weirdo who hides from normal people."

"Erica Collins? Do you know Hunter Collins? He was in my Chemistry class in school." Luke said.

"Yeah, he's my twin brother." Erica said. From the age of four, Hunter had been sent to normal school and Erica had to stay behind, she was home schooled because at that age she couldn't control her powers and Julia didn't want to risk everyone finding out about it. Erica would have been lying if she'd said she wasn't jealous, she'd always wanted to go to a normal school with her brother, but she'd come to accept that would never happen. "He lives in the big house with me."

"Why did he go to school and not you then?" Luke asked.

"Not the point, we're here to talk about you, not me." Erica said sternly, not wanting to spill her soul to a boy she had known for ten minutes.

They talked for almost an hour, but Shelby let them know when she was bored, she started to scream as usual. Instead of going strait home though, Erica tucked Shelby's little dress in her nappy and held her arms as they little girl paddled in the sea, she was giggling and squealing in delight. "You like that?" Her big sister laughed.

"I think she does!" Luke said, splashing water. He has never had a friend that was a girl before, he didn't have any sisters and the only girls he had really spoken to were Rachel and Tilly, and at this point he hated both of them, even though they were both dead. During all the splashing, Erica was caught off guard, as Luke kissed her like Oscar never could, he kissed her and meant it. Ohhh.....

Oml Lerica I ship it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!