new friend

Who: Alexis and Lullaby
Where: Down by the lake
When: Pre-dawn

When her father woke in the middle of the night, Alexis woke up with him. She made breakfast, packed it in a brown paper sack, and waved as he headed out the door. He expected her to go back to bed. He'd be back by nightfall, if everything went according to plan, and he hated messing with her schedule. But she couldn't sleep when she knew he was leaving, and she couldn't just crawl back in bed once he was gone.

The car pulled out of the driveway and the taillights disappeared down the street. Alexis pulled on a blue hoodie and a pair of blue jeans, tied her hair back in a pony tail, and headed out. She spent enough time in the house as it was. Maybe the cool night air would calm her nerves. With that thought, she knew one thing that would set her at ease regardless of the situation, and she headed down to the lake, flashlight in hand.

It wasn't too long a walk and, once her eyes adjusted, she didn't need the light. She took a seat on the beach, watching the water, listening to the soft noises it made when stirred by some external force. Laying down on her side, she dipped her fingers in and watched the ripples, focusing her mind on them. If she really was what she thought she was, she should be able to do something more. The water swirled slowly and she smiled.

Alexis wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. Lullaby couldn't either, and had long since taken off from Billy and Maddie's house to go for a long, hopefully brain-cleansing walk. So far, that wasn't working out for her as well as it could be. Mostly because all it was doing was drifting distraction away from everything else, and she had nothing to focus on but that. But, she was getting a break from the bad, too, so that hepled. That didn't help her sleep situation either. Because being mentally all over the place, and dealing with having a skin crawling sensation? Yeah that totally didn't fucking mix. So...she was out. And walking, along the beach, because it was pretty, and she'd always loved the water. The moon was bright, and that had her noticing up ahead there was...someone. She stopped, wondering if now would be the best time to turn around and walk away before she was noticed. Was she even fully visible? She glanced down at herself, holding her hand out, and she seemed solid enough. Shit. Shit shit shit. Her mind needed to shut the fuck up so she could not be out in the middle of the night walking...or something. Shit.

Though Lullaby hadn't made a noise, Alexis suddenly had that feeling that she was being watched. She couldn't say why, but she drew her fingers from the water and turned, reaching for the flashlight, should she need a weapon. Fortunately, that didn't look like it would be necessary. "Hello?" she called out, her eyes on the girl. They looked close to the same age, and while that didn't make her creepy, it did make her a curiosity. There weren't usually that many girls their age out this time of night.

"Hello?" Lullaby said questioningly, realizing that the girl had said something, but she hadn't quite caught what. Walking closer, she gave a little half smile. "Sorry...was kind of off in my own world. Hi. I didn't mean to disturb you or anything." she added, realizing that this girl--who upon closer inspection she had never before seen in her life (thank god, the last thing she needed to night on top of heavy thoughts was an old friend screaming and running for their life).

"You just surprised me, that's all," Alexis said, turning completely to face the girl. "I didn't expect anyone else to be out this late. Or early." She tried to remember if she'd seen the girl at school, but her face didn't seem the least bit familiar. Maybe they just didn't have any classes together. It was possible; Alexis hadn't even come close to meeting all her classmates. "Couldn't sleep?"

Giving a wry little half smile, Lullaby nodded. "Yeah. A lot on my mind." she said. "So...figured I'd go for a walk. It's a nice night. Same thing?" she asked sympathetically. Someone new. Okay. She could deal with that. She wondered if she went to Marquette, or if she was visiting, or something. She wondered if she knew Dean. Or Isaac, or any of her old friends.

"Yeah, something like that," Alexis said. "My dad left town and the house was quiet. Couldn't sleep." Oh. Yeah. Bright. Tell a complete stranger that you're alone in town with an empty house. Real intelligent, Lex. At least she doesn't look like a serial rapist. After a brief mental reprimand, Alexis smiled. "Do you live around here?"

"Sorry to hear about your dad leaving town..um. You're not alone, are you?" Lullaby asked, thinking that was a spectacularly bad thing to be in Marquette, lately. Says the girl out for a walk at night with nothing to protect herself but the ability to disappear into shadows. Where the hell was her armed escort when she needed him? Not that he was actually an armed escort. He just...was sometimes. Kinda. Occasionally. Stop thinking about that now. "Not that that's my business. Sorry. Um. Yeah, kinda. I live kinda...out-of-townish, but not actually in another one if that makes sense. Are you new here?" she asked, feeling distant, almost forgotten tugs of her old nature drifting up. How she liked to welcome people and make them feel comfortable.

"Umm..." Alexis didn't want to answer that question. It was creepy and dangerous and... well, she'd been taught her whole life not to project that kind of vulnerability. She was relieved when the girl moved on, allowing her to skip out on an answer she didn't want to give. "Yeah, moved here just a while ago. Started school a bit late, so I'm still getting to know people. Do you go to Marquette Senior High School?" she asked. The girl had said she lived out of town, but not out of town, so... where did that put her school-wise? "I haven't seen you around."

Lullaby noticed that she didn't get an answer there, and figured that meant the worst. That Chick here was home alone. Or. Out by the water at night and alone. That wasn't good. But what was she going to say? 'Hey, you should get home, it's not safe out here! Oh, don't mind me, I'm already dead anyways'. Yeah that would go over stunningly well. "No, I don't." she said, quirking a little half smile. "I'm um. Home schooled." she made a face. That was kinda true. Sorta. "I don't usually get out a lot, I'm sorta out there a bit, so...yeah. My name's Thia, what's yours?" she asked, smiling again. God, the story I just gave probably makes her think that I'm some abused child under lock and key with weird crazy parents who ensure I don't talk to anyone. Awesome. I need a better cover story.

Alexis wasn't sure that 4am was the best time to wander out and make friends, but if that was when Thia could get out, well... best she use her time wisely, right? She smiled, trying not to wonder how awful it would be to be home schooled. If her father had gone that route, she'd probably know absolutely no one by now. "Alexis," she said. "I like it in the morning, like this. It's so quiet, you can hear everything. The air smells so fresh. I don't usually run into anyone else though. You don't mind the company, do you?" she asked. Seeing as how she wasn't going back to bed, she'd love someone to chat with, even if she'd be completely exhausted at school.

Lullaby shook her head. "No. I don't mind at all." she said genuinely. It was odd. She didn't usually hang out with girls. Girls were generally fairly crazy. And this one actually kinda looked like the type of girl that she didn't get along with very well. Blonde, very pretty. But Lullaby also wasn't that prone to making snap judgments on people based on appearances, so Alexis wasn't getting judged. "And I like the sort of later night early morning air around the lake too. I kinda like the quiet." Not that she could share in on that whole 'you can hear everything' thing. Since she couldn't. But she was doing her best to follow what Alexis was saying. She sat down on the shore, and smiled. "So, where are you from?"

"Most recently, Tuscon, Arizona," Alexis said. "My dad's in sales, so we move around a lot. But I grew up in Florida with my grandma. This is probably the coldest place I've been so far." It was something she was looking forward to, even if people kept warning her to wait before making such a judgment. She was used to change and tried to embrace it; she had to, otherwise she'd be miserable. "What about you? Are you from around here? Or did you move in recently?" Most of the people she'd met so far had been born in Marquette, but she knew that couldn't be the case for everyone. Of course, if that was truly the case, it explained why she stood out so much as the new girl.

Lullaby nodded. "Yeah. Born and raised." she said. Then wondered if she shouldn't have lied and said she wasn't from here at all. But...fuck. Lullaby's nature was to be truthful. In fact, she was a bad liar. She always had been. It wasn't in the way her mind worked, it didn't even occur. Like now, when she automatically answered without thinking about the implications. I need to be better at this. "It's quiet most of the time and such. Do you like it so far? Made a lot of friends?" she asked. Anyone I know? You could maybe tell me about wonderful people you'd met, and I could find out how they all are. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior. So far I like it," Alexis smiled. "Everyone seems nice. I haven't met a ton of people, but this girl-- Peyton-- invited me to a party on Friday, so maybe I'll meet more there. And there's this guy that plays the piano..." She laughed softly and shook her head, hoping that might get Thom out of it. They'd talked once. It was nothing to get hung up on. "I just applied for a job, so I'm waiting to hear back on that. Have you heard of Nevermore? It's a bookshop." Her conversation with Harper had gone fairly well, so she was hoping she'd get the job. She could never tell though, especially since she had no experience in sales.

Lullaby smiled. Someone who played the piano...she knew Thom lived in the music room. And Peyton she knew. It was good to just kind of hear about them even in a backwards, roundabout way. "Yeah, I've been there a few times. The owner was really nice. I'm sure it'll be a cool place to work." she said. That book shop had gotten a lot of use from her if nothing else. God. A job. That would be so...nice. Something simple, and she could have money for things, and could start paying back for her ID. Dean's words echoed through the back of her mind. The 'we' of it all. Like it was his debt too. Stop it. Now isn't the time to get depressive over things.

"I don't know if I've met the owner," Alexis said thoughtfully. "Is it a young girl? Maybe mid-twenties? She's the one I filled the application out for. Harper." That was who Alexis assumed she'd be working for, and hadn't even considered that there might be anyone else. "I like the subject matter," she said. "I figured I could get some reading time in while working, rather than attempting to buy out half the store." That was something she definitely didn't have the money for. Working at Nevermore would be a win-win situation for her: money plus free books to read!

"No, guy, nice, cuteish." Lullaby said. "His name's Dorian. He was really helpful when I wanted to buy some books." she said. Then she paused, and kind of eyed Alexis subtly. "You like the subject matter? All the kinds of...strange stuff?" she worded awkwardly. What else could she say? She had to wonder if Alexis was just one of those people who wanted to read up on all the weird and thought it was all bullshit, or someone in the know. But how did you ask that without sounding batshit insane?

"Haven't met him yet, but I'll be on the lookout," Alexis smiled. She'd have remembered a nice, cute owner, had he been there. "I guess it's kind of a hobby of mine?" she said, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, but preferring not to lie about something that was such a huge part of her life. "It's so hard to find books that capture what's really out there, rather than Dracula and Frankenstein and all that mess. I mean, I know a lot of people don't believe, but..." But how could anyone in Marquette not? Alexis had rarely seen such a large show of the supernatural in one place as the shadow creatures had been. "I know it makes me a little weird, but oh well," she shrugged.

Lullaby followed, and smiled. "So you kinda...know about things then." she said. It wasn't a question anymore, since it was obvious. Huh. Now she just wished she could point her in the right direction so she could talk to people that also knew. Like Charlie, Isaac...everyone. Everyone. How could she do that? She didn't know. She probably couldn't. Because they might want to know where she'd gotten their name dropped from. "It doesn't make you weird. There's...well. Lots of people around here who kinda do." she offered. She twisted the ring Dean had given her around and around her finger, watching how the moonlight caught it. "I'm sure you could find a few people at school who did. If you...if you wanted to feel less alone." she said. I could tell you who they are. But you wouldn't be able to tell them about me.

"I know about things," Alexis laughed softly. "I guess that's a nice way of putting it. Everywhere else I've been, people look at you like you're crazy, but I guess with what's gone on here, that's kinda hard, right? I've met a few people who seem to believe: I met a girl at the library who pointed me towards Nevermore, and then the guy that plays the piano. His name is Thom. We BS-ed about zombies," she grinned. That was probably what she'd liked about him, that he'd been so easy to talk to. So accepting. "What about you? Do you know about things? Or do you just know people like me?"

That had Lullaby smiling a bit more. Zombies. One of her own favorite topics. "I have the zombie apocalypse discussion with my best friend a lot." she said. "Always entertaining." She said that because she needed to stop herself from saying 'Thom? Thom Harkin? He's really nice. Talk to him, talk to Isaac, and if you see a british guy around named Dean, talk to him too'. "I know about things." she confirmed. "Sorta newish to it, this summer, but I know now." she said. Which at least was the truth.

"I like comparing the realistic to the movie-fantasy versions. What's possible and what's not. I swear, I could talk for hours on some of those topics, but usually by the end people think I've lost my mind, or seen way too many movies. Which could be true, but doesn't mean I can't separate fact from fiction," Alexis said. You talk too much. Stop it. You'll get yourself in trouble. She stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her hands. "Who's your friend?" she asked. "He'd probably get along with Thom. I think everyone around here's new to it, or should be. I guess I've known a little longer, so I'm not as shocked."

Lullaby had a tiny bit of trouble keeping up, but thought she got the gist of it. "When did you find out?" she asked. "And...his name's Dean." she said. She didn't give more information, but her eyes ticked away for a second when she said it, and she kept fidgeting with the ring he'd given her. Dean. Dean Dean Dean, who she was trying to not be thinking about right now. Who she was preoccupied with and she shouldn't be. At all. Ever. Really the whole distracted thing could stop any damn time now. She could happily return to not having noticed...things. "But what happened with you that you found out?" she asked.

Well, shit. She realized she'd had that coming, and wondered how quickly she could backpedal without it being obvious. She'd rather talk about Thia, learn more about her than talk about herself. She'd never been comfortable giving away secrets, especially to people she just met. "Um. I found out when I was little," she said, trying to spin a believable lie in her head, one that she could keep up with over time. She didn't realize her eyes had started to wander as she thought, making the lie a little less believable than she preferred-- eye contact was usually essential to pulling it off. "My dad believed, and he told me. You run into things, when you move a lot. See a lot of different things. Learn to keep your ears open. Like when the vampires came to town, we took a weekend trip. A long one."

Lullaby followed, or kept trying to, but Alexis wasn't looking at her properly when she spoke, which kind of made Lullaby wonder if it was the truth or not. And why would you expect the truth? Though...she did just come out and blatantly tell you she knows all about the weird. So...dunno. she thought. She nodded, sort of not calling her on it, but also not jumping on the 'oh I see' bandwagon either. If the girl wanted to keep the reason to herself, she could, though in Lullaby's opinion if she didn't want to get into it, she probably shouldn't drop the information that she knew to just anyone.

The silence made Alexis uncomfortable, far more aware of the fact that she'd screwed up than she preferred. She looked at the ground for a moment, digging her fingers into the dirt, then finally back up at Lullaby. "My mom died," she said, her voice softer, but eye contact present this time. "After that... I couldn't not believe." There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Just ignore the fact that your heart feels like it might explode at any second. And don't be sick. That will not help with making new friends. Alexis checked on the inside of her cheek, focusing on the action rather than further thoughts. She could feel where her molars dug into the soft inside of her mouth, feel each ridge with her tongue-- teeth that weren't meant for ripping someone's throat out.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom." Lullaby said with genuine sympathy. The softer voice thing didn't matter so much to Lullaby, so long as Alexis's lips were still in view. This seemed a bit more like the truth though. So, she was going to accept it. And if it was just another, better told lie, oh well. "That sounds awful." I lost my parents too. Only in the backwards sense. I died, not them. Everyone lost me, and I lost everyone. Almost. So she could understand the pain there, on different levels.

"I don't remember her," Alexis said with a sad smile. She wished she did-- she'd seen pictures, heard stories, but she'd only been two years old when her mother was killed. "I guess these things happen, but... what do you do when it happens in a way that shifts your whole belief system? It's hard not to accept it, you know? It's there." There were times Alexis wondered how her father could have so fully believed at the moment of her mother's death, but she hadn't been there to witness it herself. He'd always been short with the full story, so she just had to trust him, up till the point where she knew he'd been telling the truth, even about things unsaid. "What about you? Just the weirdness in Marquette, or something more?"

Lullaby followed along, nodding a touch as she did so. She wondered how that would be. Growing up with the knowledge. Where the belief system is just that everything's out there, other people just don't know about it. She would imagine if that were the case, that there wouldn't be any not believing it. "And just weirdness in Marquette." she told her. "There's...been a lot of it this past summer." she admitted. "Quite a lot. The sort of kicker was I was attacked by this...thing. A demon, I guess. I don't know. That really had me going to find out everything I could."

"Are you okay?" Alexis asked, immediately concerned. She'd been lucky enough never to be faced with an attack, not really, and a demon was up at the top of her list of "things she never wanted to run into". In fact, vampires were the only creatures to trump demons, though some day she hoped to take a few down. "Demons can be vicious. They-- You're lucky you survived!" She was shocked on that point, especially when it came to Thia's size and age. Kids didn't usually survive a demon attack. In fact, most adults couldn't, even when armed.

"Oh, yeah, fine." Lullaby said. Discounting the fact that you're speaking to a dead girl with a ton of scars now, I'm just peachy. "I know, I'm not sure why I did? Other than it like...I don't know. Decided to let me go. Because I know that nothing I did hurt it. Then I was let go and off I ran. He roughed me up a bit, but nothing permanently damaging." Like, say, getting shot through the back.

"Something must have startled it," Alexis said, amazed. "Do you wear religious jewelry maybe? I know that might do it." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "You know, I've been a lot of places, and most of the time I'm just the weird girl that believes in monsters. Here, it's like... those that don't know seem to be the minority. Or they should be, with all that happened. I guess if they're sticking their head in the sand, then they could miss it, but otherwise? It's just different. I don't know what I can say and what I can't and how people will judge me. I thought I knew the routine," she said, laughing a little. It was nice to be accepted, but she'd not been expecting it, so it still came as a surprise every time. "I'm glad you're okay," she smiled.

Lullaby shook her head, thinking no, nothing startled it. It had just opted to let her go. It even could have chased her. It didn't. She had no idea. "No, though I started-" giving all of my friends necklaces and I can't tell you that because people would know who you were talking about, and then tell you that you couldn't have talked to me, because I'm dead. Fuck. "-I wasn't very religious or anything, I'm still not," Even if I know an angel. He doesn't like me. "I read though that that doesn't really work." Then she smiled in return. "Thanks. Me too. And you really just...told people?" she asked. "When I found out, I kinda just...well I figured just about everyone would think I was nuts on top of traumatized."

"I probably shouldn't tell people," Alexis admitted. "Because you're right, most people think I'm nuts. I try not to be as open about it sometimes, but, here, I guess I kinda feel like what's the point? I have a hard time understanding how anyone can deny what's been happening lately." She'd been more open in Marquette than she'd ever been anywhere else, due to the happenings since she'd arrived. The fact that some people were still able to pretend nothing existed astounded her. "I know it'd be different if I didn't know anything before, but... it's hard to put myself in their shoes. It'd be like, if, you know how you're told that Santa Clause exists when you're little? What if no one ever told you differently? And what if you continue to see proof? I don't think there's a Santa Clause, but that's how it is for me. I try to remember that I'm the exception, but it's hard when things show up out in the open. It becomes a top of conversation and I open my mouth without thinking about it."

"Sometimes I hadn't wanted people to know." Lullaby said thoughtfully. "Like...why ruin their lives? I found out the hard way. I didn't necessarily really want like...everyone else needing to deal with the sudden 'oh yeah all the scary things in the dark exist' aspect of things." She paused again, twisting the ring around her finger some more before she righted it and attempted to stop fidgeting. "I was torn though. Because if they knew, then maybe they'd be able to protect themselves, but at the same time, knowing is this huge thing, and it...well. Makes everyone really insanely stressed out. It's like the world cracks. And everyone who doesn't know is on one side, and everyone else is on the other. It's painful, in and of itself. I wanted to protect people when I found out. I tried to. Didn't work, but I gave it a shot. But yeah, I didn't really tell anyone in so many words. Just talked about it if people brought it up and stuff."

Alexis knew she really needed to work on the whole keeping her mouth shut aspect of things. It wasn't her goal to ruin everyone else's world view. It was just hard when theirs was so different from her own. "I've never been anywhere where it was so out in the open as it was with the shadow things. After that, it felt like people should know, but there are some people who really... really just do a good job of ignoring it, I guess." That was a technique that Alexis didn't understand for just the reason Lullaby had stated-- it left them vulnerable. "It could always be a fluke. It could be the one time in their life that they run in with something they don't understand. And maybe then it's better that they don't know. I'm not sure. I have a hard time believing that would be the case here, in Marquette."

Lullaby followed that, wondering how long Alexis had been in town. "It's been interesting. I think a lot of people by now know." she said. "But...I don't know. I don't know that many people either, I suppose. So, whatever you think is best, that's what you've got to go with." she finished.

"Yeah," Alexis said with a little smile. It as kind of nice having someone she could speak so openly with. Even with Charlotte, she'd wanted to hold back a bit. "Are you out here often?" she asked, changing the subject. "It'd be nice to hang out... you know... if your not bothered by the complete stranger aspect."

That had Lullaby smiling, and brightly. "I can be." she said. "Tonight I was just going for a walk, but if you did want to hang out and such, we always can. Um. I can give you my cell number too--only don't call me, just text me." she said, taking her phone out. "Do you have a cell?" Having someone to hang out with, that would be nice. And a girl, for once. She did seem to live a lfie surrounded by guys. And while that had never in her life been even a slight problem, at current...she could actually use a female to talk to now and then. "We won't be strangers for long." she pointed out.

"Yeah, I've got one," Alexis said, checking her pockets till she found her cell phone. She never left home without it, just in case her dad called her in some kind of an emergency. She handed her cell phone over to Thia so that she could dial her number in. "I'd love to hang out," she smiled, "And maybe during hours that aren't so crazy. I promise I'm a better conversationalist when I've had a good night's sleep."

Lullaby handed hers over as well, and keyed in her own number for Alexis, handing it back. She wondered if she'd be able to do that. Daytime...didn't like her. But she'd try. "Sounds good. I'm usually up stupidly late, I don't...um. Sleep very well, I guess." she admitted. Or, since my untimely, horrifying death, I'm nocturnal. Take your pick. "On other subjects...meet anyone cool and stuff so far? Meet any cute boys?"

"I am too, sometimes. Like tonight. Though I know it's gonna kick me in the ass tomorrow," Alexis laughed softly. Just because she wasn't tired now didn't mean she wouldn't be later. Maybe she could get away with sleeping in class, but she doubted it. "I've met a few people," she smiled. "This girl in my gym class invited me to a party on Friday. Her name's Peyton. And I met Charlotte, the girl at the library that also seemed to believe in stuff. As for cute boys, there's Thom, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's taken."

He was last time I checked, but you know, it's been a while. Lullaby thought to herself. She recognized Peyton and Charlotte, though, of course. And had that pang of missing people. "A party? Sounds good. You should definitely go. And you never know about people being taken. You'll have to find out. And if he isn't, you should go for it." she encouraged, with a smile. Boy issues. She'd never had a lot of those. She hadn't exactly been a sought after girl(as far as she knew) when she'd been alive, and certainly wasn't now. The only boyfriend she'd ever had she'd broken up with, and then there was the Dean Issue. ...which she had no one to even bring that up with. Maybe she could with Alexis. Hm.

Alexis wasn't sure she was at a point where she could even consider going after Thom. In her mind, that meant talking to him more than once, because even if the first time had gone well, it could be a fluke. "Maybe. I don't really know anything about going after guys though," she admitted. "They've always been friends, but nothing more. Plus, I'm not even sure if he'd consider us friends. We only talked once. I could be making something out of nothing." Even if she hoped that wasn't the case, she had to keep it in mind, otherwise it'd hurt worse if she ever gave it a shot.

Smiling, Lullaby thought this was something she might be able to help with, at least a bit. Sure, she didn't have the personal experience per se, but that didn't matter, now did it? "You spend time with him, say hi when you see him out, and maybe ask him to like...eat with you at lunch or something, and maybe see if he wants to get together outside of school sometime. That ought to at least get you the 'I have a girlfriend' vibe, he'll say it, or you'll meet her, if she exists, and if she doesn't, if there's a chance, then he'll probably take you up on at least something." She watched Alexis with a little half smile. "And hey, might as well try, y'know? Better to do that than sit back and wonder what could have been."

Biting her lip, Alexis nodded. She wasn't all that sure of herself, but Thia was right, that she could at least gauge Thom's interest with little things along the way. "I'll stop by the music room tomorrow," she decided. "Not today, cause I'll be dead on my feet, but tomorrow. Maybe he'll be there again." She didn't know if he would be, but it was worth a shot. "What about you?" she asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Though she figured Thia would have a lot more trouble meeting people, she seemed personable enough.

Lullaby colored a little, but it was probably dark enough to cover that. "No. I did before, but we broke up." she said, going back to fidgeting a little bit. Mostly because her mind was going in other directions and she didn't know if she could bring it up or not. Alexis hadn't asked 'got any issues you wanna dump on me, I'm game!' or anything, now had she?

"Oh," Alexis said, her voice falling. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Is everything okay?" she asked. She didn't know if Thia wanted to talk about it, but she'd be willing to listen, even if she didn't know if she could help. While she wished she knew more about dating, she'd always had trouble letting people that close. She wanted to, and she tried, but at some point she became scared they'd find out too much. She wasn't sure what her father would do if one of her friends, or a boyfriend at that, found out he was a hunter.

Lullaby smiled at that actually. "Oh it's fine, actually." she said, in a reassuring sort of manner. "Honestly. We're even still friends, he's..." she kept smiling, looking down a second before she looked back up. "He's actually a really great guy. We didn't break up because he was a jerk or anything like that, things were just...complicated. So it's really not a sore spot or anything." she finished. "He's the kind of guy who I'd recommend to anyone, if that makes sense." she tacked on the end there.

"Well, that's good," Alexis smiled. "I think if you're gonna have a break up, then maybe that's the best kind? It's nice that you could stay friends with him." She imagined that would be hard, seeing as how emotions had been attached. Then again, she'd always been more emotional than other girls sometimes were. Her father attributed her mood swings to her mother, saying she'd been the same. "If things don't work out with Thom, I'll have to meet him," she teased.

Lullaby smiled. "Well...if you did, I'm sure he'd treat you well." she said firmly. And hey look, she'd utterly avoided talking about anything else. Could she even bring it up now? Would it be weird? Probably. "Give Thom a shot though." she said again. Thom had been nice. She'd liked him. Seemed like a really stable sort of guy.

Alexis laughed softly, just the thought of it making her slightly nervous. Then again, when she'd actually been talking to Thom, it'd been so very easy. "I'll have to let you know how it goes," she said, slowly rising to her feet. "I should get home though. It's late, or early, and if I can sleep a few more hours before school, then maybe I won't sleep in class. I'll text you though. We should hang out some time."

Lullaby nodded, not sure if she was disappointed or relived that she didn't get to talk about some things. She got to her feet as well though, brushing off the back of her jeans. "Yeah, sounds good. Just text me, and we'll definitely get together. It was really nice meeting you, Alexis." she said genuinely.

"Nice meeting you too, Thia," Alexis said, waving before she headed back towards her house. That feeling of loneliness that she always got right after her father left was gone, replaced by the excitement of meeting a new friend. She wouldn't forget Thia's advice, and she'd be sure to update her on it, even if the result wasn't what she hoped for. The point was, she'd have someone to talk to about it, since that's what friends were for.