Heal My Scars (A Lapidot Dystopia) (ON HIATUS)

X-Peridot

Lapis had wrapped herself in a blanket the next morning, leaving only her face exposed. She was smiling ever so slightly. I moved to caress her cheek, feeling it heat up under my hand.

"You're blushing," I said.

"I know." She fell into my arms, blanket and all. The blanket had slipped off of her head, unconvering her soft blue hair. I carefully took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently until she giggled, then wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes. The house was unusually quiet around us.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked.

"No," Lapis answered. "Cuddles are fine."

We were leaning closer to each other when Jasper strolled in, staring us down. We scooter away from each other under Jasper's scrutinizing glare. My hand fell into hers, and I felt her interlace our fingers. I let one side of my mouth curl into a smile.

"I don't have anything for you two to do today," Jasper said, "and I can't let you just roam the streets anymore with the cops going around. You're coming with me to work today."

"How are you going to hide us?" Lapis asked, squeezing my hand.

"Today," Jasper answered, "I'm your foster mom. Got it?"

Lapis and I nodded. I squeezed her hand back and saw her blush. Jasper wasn't amused.

"I'm gonna get dressed, and I expect you two to do the same," she said. "Really, don't do anything stupid. One mistake, and people are going to hand you right over to the cops."

"Okay, okay," I replied. "Chill out. We're fine."

"But that doesn't mean you'll stay that way." Jasper looked away and sighed. "Get dressed."

Lapis looked over at me for some sort of reaction, but I only shrugged. If we were going, we were going.

Jasper handed us new clothes to put on, and, once again, they were much nicer than either of us could ever dream of. That black leather jacket was still included, and I had to admit, I liked it.

When we walked out, Jasper was waiting for us in her white blouse and black slacks. She took a long look at us, approached me, and smoothed my hair down. I only glared at her.

"You have to look nice if you're going to fool people," she said, "and that applies to your hair, too."

"Are we going on the bus?" Lapis asked.

"Yep," Jasper answered. "You're sticking with me, though. No exceptions. I can't risk losing you two at this point. People are out looking for you, harder and harder. They're looking for me and everybody else like me. That's why you're my kids today."

"Jasper, really," I said. "You're so uptight. Calm down. We're fine."

"Don't tell me you're fine," Jasper snapped. "At any second, they could come for you and do who knows what. You're not going to leave my sight."

I nodded. "You're letting us stay with you. Your rules."

Lapis looked at me for a reaction again. This time, I only squeezed her hand.

Jasper took us to the bus later that morning, her hands constantly resting on our backs. There were only two bus seats by each window, so Jasper made us take one right in front of her. I tried to convince her to let us sit in the back, but that didn't go over well either.

We arrived at the restaurant, which, like everything else at this point, was nicer than I expected. The interior was made out of rustic bricks that made the place look like it had been around forever. Jasper took us inside and sat us down at a table with booths on each side. They were definitely comfortable.