Chapter Twenty-Four

Ellie has been a self-pitying mess.

I found myself so busy researching the lab my father had worked at to create Ellie, that I'd purposely ignored how Ellie hadn't come up from the basement in three days -and if he had, I hadn't noticed.

Part of me felt bad for refusing to acknowledge him, but the other part of me was relieved that he was displaying such human emotion.

Regret, humiliation, depression even. Whatever it is that he's feeling, I was horribly happy about him feeling it.

I left my bedroom for the first time all day when I heard someone knocking on the front door. I had no doubt in my mind on who it was, but for the first time, I didn't dread it.

Descending down the stairs, I realized just how eerie the house is with nobody living in it. The living room was trashed with candy wrappers thanks to Ellie's sugar addiction, and the floor was encased with thousands of colorful drops of paint, thanks to my own carelessness. The walls were vibrant in paintings and colors, but none of the paintings were happy ones. In fact, most of them were of creatures, that even Ellie claimed were "our monsters like Victor Frankenstein's."

The kitchen was a mess. I refused to see it, I refused to acknowledge it.

I opened the front door half-way, and peered out. Just as I expected, I was greeted with Levi, who was grinning at me like a child.

I smiled back, and I found it not as difficult to do as I remembered it being.

"Good morning, Levi." I said, thought I wasn't quite sure if it was morning or already past noon.

"Good morning, Ripley." He said, as he immediately cut straight to the point, "I, uhh, came by to invite you to dinner, tonight, I mean. Dinner tonight." Even I noticed how nervous he was. I couldn't help but be slightly amused.

I opened my mouth to answer, but he quickly cut me off, "Before you say anything," He spoke incredibly fast, "Just so you know, I'd be taking you out to dinner," He made sure to emphasize the word 'out', "Meaning my mother will be nowhere in sight."

At least he was aware at how insane his mother is.

I was about to politely decline when a voice in the back of my head tugged all thoughts of saying no away. I've never been on a date before (well, I have, but they were never any good), what reason do I have for saying no? I haven't done anything like a normal teenager since my father died -and even then seeing me socialize was scarce.

I looked Levi up and down. He's hardly attractive, and I don't know much about him other than his family are all psychotic -not that I'm one to speak.

I allowed the words to slip free before I'd have time to think about them and regret it, "Sure, I'd like to go to dinner with you."

I don't think I've ever seen someone smile so wide, it was actually a bit terrifying, "Cool." He said with an exhale of breath I didn't realize he was holding, "I'll come by around six tonight."

I nodded, "Sounds good."

I closed the door.

I was suddenly screaming in my head from regret or shock, or a bit of disbelief, I wasn't too sure. I'm going on a date, with Levi. My neighbor with the creepy mother and rude sister who I think may be a sociopath. No big deal.

I took a deep breath, and sighed. This is good, I tried to convince myself, this is what I need to ease my way back into a normal life.

I walked over to the basement door, refusing to allow my rushing emotions to show, I pounded my fist on the

door, "Ellie!" I shouted, "Get up here and talk to me like a normal human being!"

I returned to the living room where I picked up a half-eaten piece of candy that Ellie had left in a pile of other half-eaten pieces. I popped the half-piece in my mouth and glanced over at the white canvas I promised myself I'd paint on yesterday, but never did.

I took a paintbrush, and began pouring different colors of paint for myself to use while Ellie walked through the entrance of the living room. I threw him a paintbrush, in which he caught, and began to pour himself some paint as well.

"So." I said, realizing just how much I missed talking to him, "How has your day been so far?"

"You have not spoken to me."

I frowned, "Well you haven't tried to speak to me either."

"I was in the lab."

"I was in my room."

Ellie shook his head slightly as if he didn't think my point was valid, "And you are eating my candy. My day is not good so far."

I rolled my eyes and took another candy from the pile. We held eye-contact as I shoved the piece in my mouth, "Just so you know." I said while I was exaggerating my chewing, "I was cooped up in my room researching the laboratory you were born in."

"It means nothing." He said as began to move the pile of candy away from me.

I sighed, and dipped my paintbrush in a mixed pile of autumn colors. "You still don't think it'll work?"

"I still don't think it'll work."

"You're a faithless man."

"I am not a man and I do not have faith in ridding the plague from my body."

I used the brush to point at him, "Okay, so then what? You just want to live the rest of your life in this house? Hiding from everyone?"

"There is a plague in my body." He repeated, as if it were a good enough answer.

"Well," I said, "Despite what you think, I'm going to do it anyway."

He didn't respond as he began to paint on the wall. He was swirling black, and gray, and blue, and white, all together mixing them until the entire section was engulfed in swirls.

I didn't question it, and returned to my own painting.

We were quiet for a long while, just painting, and allowing one another to be in each other's company even if we really didn't say anything. I had even turned on a record of Frank Sinatra and I sang out loud, and Ellie stared at me, but I could see he found it amusing. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was happy today. Happy that I had a plan to fix Ellie, happy that I had hope for him.

And then I looked at the clock, and I panicked.

"Oh no." I said seeing it was already five-thirty. I hadn't realized how long we had been painting. Ellie stopped painting and watched me as I turned off the record player and dashed up the stairs.

I hadn't realized he had followed me as I was too busy pulling clothes out of my closet trying to choose what exactly someone like myself should wear to dinner with an individual of the opposite sex.

A date. A date. A date.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked as he walked into the bedroom and gently touched one of the shirts I threw mindlessly on my bed.

"Looking for an outfit to wear."

He stared at me, and then back at the shirt on my bed, "But you are wearing clothes already, Ripley."

I realized he must think I've lost my mind. "I know that, idiot." I said though I couldn't help but grin, "Levi came over, he uhh, he's taking me on a date tonight."

Ellie tensed, but I refused to let it bother me. "A date?"

I nodded, and pulled out another shirt but it was definitely more casual. "I decided to say yes since I haven't been on one."

"You said yes." He said it not as a question, but a statement.

"I should be home before nine." I spoke as I pulled my shirt off, not acknowledging boundaries, I slipped on the clean shirt, and chose a plain black skirt to go with it. I stepped in front of the mirror, and began to brush my hair. I saw Ellie through the mirror, staring at me intently as if he was desperate to say something but couldn't -wouldn't.

I huffed, "Just say it, Ellie."

Silence.

"Are you going to talk?" I spoke again, and this time he finally replied.

"You shouldn't go."

I stopped brushing my hair, "What?"

"You shouldn't go." He repeated.

"Why not?"

Again, silence.

I turned to him. I wasn't sure if the color in his veins were getting darker, or if it was just my imagination, "Why shouldn't I go, Ellie?"

His eyes trailed to the floor.

"Ellie."

"I-" He paused, "I don't know why."

"Do you not want me to?" I was selfish, and it was cruel of me, but I wanted him to say yes. I wanted him to want me to stay. If he says yes, I know, I will stay.

He looked up at me one final time, then down at the clothes I was wearing, "My wantings are insignificant." He drew a breath, "I'll be waiting for your return, Ripley, at nine." And he left.