It Started With A Kiss-->updated till chapter 18

annehuda

PERHATIAN!!!!

NOVEL FIKSYEN INI ADALAH BERBAHASA INGGERIS SEPENUHNYA DAN MUNGKIN MENGANDUNGI UNSUR-UNSUR SEKSUAL YANG TIDAK KETERLALUAN. ADEGAN-ADEGAN YANG DITULIS ADALAH REKAAN SEMATA-MATA DAN TIADA KENA-MENGENA DENGAN SESIAPA YANG MASIH HIDUP ATAU SUDAH MENINGGAL DUNIA.   

CHAPTER 1
“Anne! Anne! Where are you? Anne!”

The 12-years-old Alex called out his younger sister’s name, frantically running around the big oak tree searching for Annelise.  They were sleeping on the big, moldy roots of the oaks, the big oaks on the edge of their grandmother’s 13 acres grazing field that was said to be a home of the elves who like to kidnap little children like them.  But they never took their grandmother’s story seriously though. In the world of Playstation and I-pod, elves and fairies and nothing compared to bullies and strangers.

“Anne!”

Alex almost lost his voice for calling out her name so loud.  He looks around, nothing but green grass and few horses lazily grazing grass at a little oasis not far from the oak. He regretted coming here, sneaking out from their grandmother’s house, they were tired of the tantrum their mother threw at their father on a subject they can’t understand yet, but they recognized the words ; ‘money’, ‘house’,’car’,’credit card’.
It’s the word ‘debt’ that they couldn’t figured out yet.  It has been 3 months since they moved here to their grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma (saje je letak. Mokcik geografi us mmg fail la. Hehehe).  They used to live in a penthouse in the tallest building in New York, but since the recession, they were forced to sell everything and moved here to Oklahoma.  Then the fighting continues….  Their parents were so indulged in the fighting that they didn’t even realized, Alex and Annelise is here, outside under the oaks, sleeping.  Never in his life had he felt so lonely like this.  He always has Annelise, no matter what or when.  Born in the same year, just eleven months apart, they went to school together, to the same class, to the same playground.  Even when mom and dad are fighting, he will always have Annelise. Now she’s gone… Alex stumbled down to the ground, crying. It’s hopeless. Everything’s gone.
His face is covered in dirt but he doesn’t care. Nothing, I have nothing now…So he thought.  “Alex?”.

Alex, upon hearing Annelise’s sweet voice, looked up, and through tearful eyes, saw Annelise in her white summer dress, her right hand holding some purple and orange flowers.  Annelise ran up to him and swept away the dirt covering Alex’s sculptured face.
“Alex, what’s wrong?”  The blond boy was still speechless, but he has quit sobbing now.  He pulled Annelise to him and embraces her so tight, holding on to the only treasure he has right now.

“Anne, don’t leave me. Please….”.

annehuda

Anne woke up from a dream of the ‘oak incident’, something that happens 5 years ago in Oklahoma.  But now they’re in Chicago.  But not at the place they used to lived, they no longer lived in a penthouse in New York, but at a dingy 3 bedroom semi-D house at a suburban area of Glenview.  Her father, Alec Harrison who used to be one of the top brokers of Wallstreet, now an owner of a little café called Midnight at Park Center whilst her mother, Karen helped as a waitress at the café.  They don’t earn as much as they used to, but at least they still live under a roof and they still have food on the table.  And Glenview is not pretty bad either.

Anne grabs her towel and went to the bathroom she shared with his brother, Alex.  Alex and Annelise, who would have thought they were sibling?  Alex is drop dead gorgeous, he’s still 17 but he’s a towering 6 feet 1 blond, with rippling muscles, the result of training football intensively. He excelled academically, maintain his 4.00 CGPA every semester, a pure gentleman who’ll open a door for a lady and let them in first.  He’s adored by female students in Glenbrook South High School for his chiseled face and toned body, respected by his fellow friends and teachers for his hardworking and commitment in his sports and studies.  Even before coming to Glenview, Alex has no trouble at all in being popular.  He stands out from the rest.  Whilst Annelise, she just an average looking dark haired girl, normal grads with 2 left feet and no hands-eyes coordination at all.  Compared to Alex, Annelise is like a marble, dull and unattractive, but Alex, he’s a gem. A 2 carat diamond that outshine her all the time.  She sighed upon realizing the fact, and as she open the unlocked bathroom door, there he stand, in front of the bathroom mirror, clad in only a skimpy towel, shaving.

“Alex…would you mind hurry up?  I need to take a shower”.  She blushed, seeing her older brother half naked somehow make her blushed.  

“What?  Just go ahead take your shower. Don’t wait for me to finish.” She stand there at the bathroom door, eyes roving everywhere except at Alex.  She is somehow not comfortable sharing bathroom with her brother nowadays.  

“Owh come on Anne.  It’s not like I’ve never seen you naked before. We used to take a bath together, remember?”.  

“That’s was before I got boobs you idiot!”

“And now you think you’ve got boobs?  I don’t see any”.  

She throws her towel to her laughing brother. She didn’t hit the target, the towel landed right at a potted cactus at the right side of the sink, which makes Alex laugh even harder.  “You need a lot of practice before you can hit a quarterback Anne”.  Alex wash his soap-laden face and dried it out with Annelise’s pink towel, throw it back to Annelise and walk out from the bathroom, with a smirk on his face.  Annelise quickly closed the door and locked it.  “Silly brother”, she thought to herself, “next time lock the bathroom door!”   She was used of her brother mocking her around like that.  But she wonders if Alex still remembers the oaks incident, or even dream about it.

annehuda

As usual, they had their breakfast of cereals and milks, packed their own lunch and went to Glenbrook south high school in their old red truck, a gift from a distant relative from .  All on their own, their parents are too busy managing the café 16 hours a day.  Usually it would be Alex who prepared the breakfast and their lunch while Annelise made her and his bed.  In the truck, on the way to the school, they passed by a big oak tree by the road.  “Alex, do you remember the oak incident?”, Annelise asked.  “What oak incident?” Alex frowned.  He doesn’t remember it; Annelise is somehow disappointed with it.  “Did you fell from an oak tree?  You fell and then you whacked your brain somehow and got a permanent brain damage?” Alex laughed at her again.  Annelise began to realize that her brother is not the one she dream about last night; he’s nothing but a naughty brat who likes to make fun of her.  “Never mind”, she sighs and stared out at the window again.  And it’s all peace and quiet until they reach the school.  

“Hey Anne, I have a football practice this evening.  You can’t drive a manual truck, so you want to watch me practice?”, asked Alex, as they headed to Alex’s locker.  Annelise simply shake his head, “Nope, I rather stay at the library, thank you very much”.  Alex already expected such answer from a shy girl like Annelise.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, why? You want to introduce me to one of your teammate?”

“Never.  Not in a million years”.

Annelise notice the stern look Alex had on his face. But she laughed it off. They can talk about everything, from her missed period to his growing facial hair, but the subject of coupling seems to be a taboo for them, at least for Alex.  Alex himself dated few cheerleaders here and there, but it always temporary.  “Those girls just want to date me, so I date them”, he said to her one day, “they never want to know me anyway”.   

Annelise went to her own locker, just as she unlocks her locker, a red envelope pop out from her locker down to the floor.  She quickly grabs it from the floor and put it in her jacket pocket as Alex approached her. “What’s that?”, Alex definitely see it.  “No, nothing”, she shakes her head vigorously, mainly for trembling, not denying.  She put her bag in her locker and takes everything she need for her Geometry Class, and leave Alex in questions hurriedly.  But she didn’t go straight to her class, she went to the toilet.  Locked herself in one of the cubicle and take out the crumpled letter she desperately hide from her brother.

It’s one of the letters, again.  A letter from an anonymous sender.  This is not the first time she received a scarlet letter.  Third time this week.  The red letters were hidden anywhere, in her backpack, under her table, even in one of the book he borrowed from the library.  The contents are always the same ; if your brother is not here, you’ll be dead.  I’ll come and get you.  Alex is too good for you, you filthy little hopeless weakling! It makes her sick to her guts that all this time, someone is watching her.  Someone with a bad intention to harm her when Alex is not around.  

“Annelise, are you okay?” there’s a knock on her cubicle’s door.  She wiped away her tears with her napkins, tears the letter of threat into pieces and flushed it down in the toilet.  “I’m okay, I’m already finished”.  She opened the door, and saw May, the American born Chinese staring at her worryingly.  “Sorry to bother you, but Alex asked me to tend you.  He seems worried about you”.  Annelise force herself to smile.  “Well, I’m okay.  Stomach cramp.  You know, time of the month”.  

“Owwhhhh….”, May smiled back at her.  “Hey, Alex is waiting for you outside.  If you don’t come out anytime soon I bet he’ll be barging in the ladies’ room”. She giggled.  “Geez…you guys are more like couples than siblings.  Even my boyfriend doesn’t do that.  I’m so jealous”, said May, as she exited the bathroom.  Her words pondered Annelise’s thought for a moment.  Someone is jealous of her being so close to her only brother.  Why? Why shouldn’t she?  He’s the only brother she got.

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Alex grew impatient waiting for Annelise to come out from the ladies’ room.  They are already 15 minutes to class, and they bound to be a penalty from the spinster Ms Hersheys.  But still, he waited for her to come out.  He wants to know about the letter, he wants to know why it bothered her so much, why there such a fright on her face when she saw the red envelope popping out from her locker.  Why she ran away from her without telling him anything.  He was so desperate to know, if it wasn’t for chivalry and dignity he’ll be barging in and demand answers from her forcefully.  

May exit from the ladies’ room.  “Back off, Alex.  It’s her time of the month.  Endure it”, May barked at him before he even got a chance to open his mouth.  Time of the month?  But didn’t just last week she….He scratch his un-itchy scalp and walk away anyway.  

Slowly, Annelise push the door and Alex was not there anymore.  Thank God….She sighs in relief.  But still, she needed to escape.  She can’t face Alex in the classroom, not yet, and she’s already late.  The hallway is already empty except for a janitor busy mopping the floor with his headphone blaring with some 60s songs.  She needed to escape, and this is the perfect time.  But to where?  Maybe she could go to the school’s infirmary, pretend to be sick and lay at bed all day.  Didn’t she just tell May she’s having cramp?  

It’s so easy to fool old Nurse Butler about her sickness.  The kind middle age lady even serves her a mug of hot chocolate ‘to dampen her raging PMS moods’.  She felt a bit guilty of cheating, but right now she badly needs to escape.  At least this is way better than loitering or skipping school completely.  Somehow she ends up sleeping, so soundly.  Nurse Butler must have put some sleeping drugs in her hot cocoa.  And she dream about the ‘oak incident’, again, only this time, Alex is calling her name so softly…

“Anne, are you awake?”

Awake?  Who could be stupid enough to ask a sleeping person that question?  Alex, with his one hand smoothing her right shoulder.  She jolted; “Alex?  What are you doing here?  How long has I sleep?”.  She glanced at her wristwatch, a gift from Alex for her birthday last year.  4.03 pm??? That long???  Miss Butler did put something in my cocoa after all.  Her head feel dizzy for waking up so suddenly.  “Hey are you okay? You’ve been acting weird since this morning.  Do you want me to take you to see Dr Hall, Anne?” Alex sits beside her on her bed, both hands on her shoulder trying to support her from falling back again.  She feels queasy, the only thing she ate before she turns into Sleeping Beauty is cereals and milks and that’s about 8 hours ago.  She noticed Alex is still in his grey t-shirt and blue jeans, not in his usual no 13 yellow and blue jerseys.  “Alex, you didn’t go to the practice?”  Alex smiled, there’s a hint of loveliness in his perching blue eyes as he knocked his temple with his middle finger.  “I didn’t just skip the practice; I skip the whole class.  Instead I went here and watch you sleep”.  She can feel Alex holding her tighter, closer to him.  “And of course, I brought my Nintendo here.  You’re a pretty good excuse to skip classes”, he lightly pinch her nose, and they both smiled radiantly to each other.  She feels better now, in the arms of her loving but sometimes naughty older brother.  She never feels so protected and taken care of, that she wish, why can’t you be more than my brother, Alex?

And it snapped her.  Maybe this is what May meant, maybe this is why someone actually jealous of her relationship with Alex.  Impulsively, she push him away, her smile disappeared, and once again, Alex gets confused.  “We shouldn’t be like this.  What if someone see us?”  Now he becomes more confused.  “What?  What if people see us like this?  What will happen?”  She wanted to open her mouth and tell him everything about the letter, but she can’t.  You’re hiding cowardly behind your big brother’s figure all the time, without him you’re worthless.  You can’t do anything without him helping, and backing you up all the time.  That’s right, if she tells him, it won’t do her any good.  He’ll stand up for her, fight for her, and that’s just another testament about how small and minion she is.  You’re nothing but valueless rubbish without Alex.  

“Come on Alex, let’s go home” she grabbed her books by the bedside table and walk out from the infirmary without even bother to wait for Alex.

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Alex was baffled.  Her mood swings this month are the worst.  He can’t figure out what she really wants, and her acting grumpy all day since morning didn’t help him to understand her better.  Is it because she’s having her period twice this month?  He thought.  Maybe.  He’s going to let this one go.  He’s so glad he’s not a girl, but at the same time she feel bad for being a guy who has to cope up with an only sister  during her period.

“Dude you miss the practice?  That’s not cool ok”, Keller, his wide receiver shouted at him when he saw Alex exiting the infirmary.  Keller is wearing his yellow and blue Mighty Eagle sweater, his blond wavy hair sway as he makes his way to Alex furiously.  Yes he is mad.  The QB skipping practice when they got an important match a couple of weeks are not cool at all in Keller’ book.  “Dude, I’m sorry.  My sister got sick okay. I can’t leave her like that.  Beside didn’t I ask Bryan to replace me?” Alex tried his best to apologize.  He has known Keller long enough to know how inflexible Keller is in football.  It’s his discipline and persistency that made him one of the best wide receiver in Illinois. Sometimes he’s so thankful of having Keller as his friend, a friend who can push him to get better, do better and be better.  It was Keller’ who pushed him hard enough to double his effort in football, till he won the title MVP of the Chicago High School Football Tournament last year.  He’s forever grateful of having Keller as his friends and his teammate, but it is about Annelise.  “Let her get sick, man.  Let her lay on the bed all day if she wants to.  She can do that.  That’s the only thing she can do.  She’s not gifted to do anything, but you my friend”, he poked his chest with his knuckles, “you can do a lot more than her, you’re a talented, gifted football player and she might be your sister, but she’s weighing you down man”.  Alex’s face turns sour upon hearing that.  But he can’t deny it, at least most of it.  It’s the part ‘weighing him down’ that he completely disagrees.    He pushed Keller’ knuckles away from his chest.  “Look, it is my sister.  You might think she’s worthless, but she worth more than anything to me”.  Keller recognized the menacing fire glinting in Alex’s blue eyes.  It’s a warning, stop messing around with me.  “I know what I’m doing Keller.  And still, I’m sorry for ditching the practice.  I promise I’ll go to the practice tomorrow okay?”, and with that Alex walk away from Keller.  

“Alex might look like a hard-hearted young man, but he’s so affectionate towards Annelise”, suddenly out of nowhere Nurse Butler speaks to Keller.  He startled a bit.  Nurse Butler must have been eavesdropping on him all this time.  “You know, if they didn’t share the same family’s name, I probably thought they are lovers.  He was watching her sleep for hours.  Oh such a romantic man Alex is.  I wonder if both of them are blood related at all”.  Keller laughed mockingly at her.  She always thought of her as a senile cat lady who should be retiring right now.  “Didn’t you check their medical records?  They have the same blood type. A+.  Alex was born in January; she’s in December, same year.  I bet their parents must be so horny back then; they can’t wait a couple more months to do it.  You think too much Ms Butler”.  Nurse Butler patted Keller’ shoulder before she left to the opposite directions.  Keller watched Alex’s back as he walk away to the school main entrance.  He is intrigued with Alex’s real feeling towards Annelise.  Could it be….No, he shakes his head.  That’s impossible.  It can’t be.  Even if they didn’t share the same family name, Alex couldn’t be fallen to an invaluable girl like Annelise…  No Alex, not Annelise.  Annelise won’t do you any good….

lesprincesse

nice.. but . 17 years old siblings seeing each other naked?? ... euwww

annehuda

nice.. but . 17 years old siblings seeing each other naked?? ... euwww
lesprincesse Post at 12-3-2011 16:02

    die gurau je tu...nk tunjuk yg diorg ni rapat giler masa kecik2...

annehuda

CHAPTER 2

Cassandra Patrick watched Alex walking along the hallway towards the main entrance of the school.  The head cheerleader was once dating the QB briefly for weeks, but the dates were limited to movies, a dinner at Dimple Dumpling in the city, a class trip to the Navy Pier.
They never kissed, or cuddled in his parked truck or even held hands.  The most that Alex has done to her was a peck on the cheek, as he sent her home after a night out at Chique Boutique.  And that’s about it.  She wants to make out with him; she wants to take it to another level with him, a refine and infinite relationship.  She’s the princess of Glenview soon to be entitled Glenbrook prom queen, and she wants Alex to be his king.  Alex is perfect, more than perfect to fill the position as her king.  She can’t be taken as another girl who went to a couple of dates with Alex, that’s too regular for her standard.

“Alex!” she called his name as Alex passed her by. Alex turns around, and flashed a smile at her. “Hey, Cassie”.

“Hey….”.  Cassandra seductively twirls a lock of her brunette hair around her perfectly manicured fingers.  “Hey Alex, you wanna hit the swimming pool with me, like, now?” Alex politely declines her invitation. “I’m sorry Cassie, I can’t. Not right now. Some other time, shall we?”
Cassandra sulked.  Alex has just turned her down again. “But why? Don’t you wanna have some fun?”.  She sweeps her dainty fingers along his chest, a hint of what waiting for him behind the closed door of the school swimming pool. “No Cassie, I can’t. I really can’t. Not now”, Alex seems not tempted with it. “I think Anne needs me right now”.  Anne, Annelise. That name again. That boring, dull, ordinary girl who happens to be his sister.  What’s up with this big brother? “Oh come on now Alex. Annelise is a big girl. I’m sure she can takes care of herself, can’t she?” she moved closer to Alex, palm now firmly on her chest, her honey brown eyes staring directly to his sapphire blue eyes.  Alex back away a little, uncomfortably. “Woaa…You know what Cassie. I really got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?” Alex promised her, before he tightens his hold on his bag pack and dash away.  Alex won’t call her back. She already knows that. And once again, she feels humiliated, rejected, disappointed.  Who do you think I am, Alex? A chewing gum you can chew and spit out? Annelise can’t be compared to me!

Finally after much interruption, Alex finally reached his red truck.  With no Annelise in it.  Only a note under the wiper.  “Going home with Amanda”.  Amanda, their neighbor who lives just 2 houses away from them.  Disappointedly, he throws away the note and drives home alone.

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Amanda calmly folded the letter and put it back in the red envelope it came with.  The content is horrendous and alarmingly threatening, but she can’t freak out now.  Now that Annelise is crying, she needs to stay calm, though deep inside she would do more than just crying if she is Annelise.  “How long have you been getting this sort of letters?”  Annelise takes a few short breaths before she answers.  “Since January”.  It’s already March.  Annelise was taunted by this mysterious person for nearly two months now.  

Amanda strokes Annelise’s back gently, as she tries to comfort her.  When she saw Annelise at the school parking, pleading her to give her a ride home, but not right back to Annelise’s home, but to hers, she knew something wrong has happen to Annelise.  But she didn’t suspect it could be this sinister.  

Amanda always has a soft spot for Annelise. Annelise is probably the only girl in school who didn’t see her as a stork.  Amanda is the tallest girl in the school, as tall as Alex.  She’s skinny to the bone, her horn-rimmed spectacles over her sunken face and her braces didn’t help her at all either. She dreaded going to school everyday, but since Annelise moved in to Glenview, it changed her point of view.  She might looks like a freak, but she has a friend.  And a friend should help a friend in need indeed.

“Why me, Mandy? Why me? What did I do?” Annelise teary doe-eyes say it all.  She knows that feeling.  She’s been there, once.

“You should tell Alex about this.  Or your parents.  You must tell them.  You can’t just let this happens, Annelise” Amanda suggested.  But Annelise just shook her head.  “No, no.  I can’t Mandy.  My parents don’t care about this.  They are too busy running the café, and if I tell Alex, it just clarify everything”

“Clarifying what?”

“That I’m weak, and hopeless.  Maybe it is true.  Maybe I’m too depending on Alex on everything”.

Amanda feels like slapping Annelise’s head.  “Don’t be stupid Annelise.  Alex is your brother.  This guy, or girl”, she waves the letter in front of Annelise’s face “is a psycho.  She or he has no right at all of being overzealous or envious on your relationship with your brother.  I mean you should be lucky Alex is such a caring brother”, she smoothed Annelise long straight hair.  “Look at my brother”, she gestured a picture on her table lamp, a grinning bulky man wrapping his arm around Amanda’s face “my brother is a bully; he stuffed me with foods so that I can get fat like him and can wrestle him.  I have the worst brother in the whole wide world”.  Amanda sighed.  Annelise smile a bit upon hearing the story.  Yes, she experienced it herself how one day Brian come home from his college spring’s break and brought them to Pizzeria Uno because he thought ‘Amanda is like a walking mantis’.  And he ordered 3 king-sized thin crusted tomato and pepperoni pizzas and ordered Amanda and Annelise to ‘finish it all up or not go home at all’.  Brian is pretty adamant in putting some meat to Amanda’s bones.  

“He called me mantis”, Annelise’s smile broaden. “At least Alex never called you ‘The Frankenstein Bride or Wednesday Addams”.  Annelise finally laughed at her remarks.  Well, she did resemble Wednesday Addams a bit… “Thanks Mandy Mantis.  Thank you for cheering me up”.  Annelise hugs Amanda tightly, she can feel how her burden just slip away from her chest, she feels more relaxed now that she has let go of her painful secrets.  But Amanda knows, and so does Annelise, that it is not over yet.  “So, Annelise, what are you going to do now?” Annelise hesitated a little.  “Maybe I’ll tell Alex about it, discussed it with him.  About what should we do next”  Annelise lied, straight to Amanda’s anticipating and hopeful face.  She won’t do that.  The last thing she wants is Alex investigating everyone in school to find out the culprit behind the threatening letter.  “Yes, you should do that Annelise!” Amanda is so happy Annelise decided to follow her advice, she gives her another hugs.

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It’s almost 8, and a bit dark outside, so Annelise declined the Smith’s family offer of dinner at their house.  As she reached home, Alex is at the kitchen, preparing their dinner, sautéed broccoli, mashed potato and baked cod.  This is the side of Alex that only Annelise can see, Alex enjoys being in the kitchen.  He’ll look up for recipes in the Internet and try cooking it in their kitchen.  And Annelise will be the food taster, complimenting or criticizing his cooking so he can improvised his skills.  He boasted about how an athlete should watch out what he’s eating, and so he resorted to home cooking instead of takeaways.  But she knew better.  She knew how he loves cooking so much.  And she loves watching him cook in his black apron, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows…”Hungry?” Alex already plated the mouth watering dishes for two.  Yes, she is starving.  She put down her bag to the sofa and eats her dinner.  She gnaws at the tender cod without waiting for Alex to say the prayer first.  “Is my cooking really that good or are you really that hungry?” Annelise grinned.  “This is the best cod ever!” she exclaimed.  “Really?” Alex tastes his own cooking.   He’s glad that Annelise enjoys his cooking. “I like cooking for you.  At least it won’t go to waste”.  Would you want to cook for someone else instead of me, Alex? Annelise wonders.

Annelise retreated to her room after the dinner.  This is their family dinner.  Their parents are so busy running the Midnight; they rarely have time to have dinner with their own children.  But Alex and Annelise couldn’t care less; they understand how focused and driven their parents could be.  It runs in the family.  Besides Alex and Annelise have each other.  That’s more than enough.  

Annelise forgets to bring her bag back to her room, and so Alex pick it up and a corner of a red envelope stick out from an unzipped compartment of her bag.  “Alex!”  Annelise hurriedly walk down the stairs and snatched her bag from his hands.  She is so closed of being exposed.  “That’s my bag!”  Alex is a bit shocked with Annelise’s sudden reaction.   He didn’t do anything, yet though he admits that red envelope did catch his eyes.  “Is that a love letter, Anne?”  Annelise huffed, and walk back to her room, Alex following her from behind.  “You have a boyfriend now, Anne? And you didn’t tell me?” Annelise couldn’t even bear to look at Alex.  She remained silent as long as she could.  “Why didn’t you tell me?  Who is he?  Do I know him?  Someone from Glenbrook?”  His questions are suffocating her.  Alex couldn’t think of anything worst.  “Did you guy….kiss?”

“Alex, how could you think like that?  It’s my privacy.  I can choose to tell you or not!” And I am supposed to tell you this but I can’t Alex.

Alex slumped to her bed.  He is utterly disappointed.  This whole day, Annelise is avoiding him, and now, she’s totally blocked him out from her life.  She is part of his life, this whole life long.   “Are you saying that I’m a busybody?” Alex questioned her.  Annelise wanted to say no, but she can’t.  “I thought something bad happens to you today Anne.  I don’t know, I just got the feeling, something is bothering you” Alex’s tone suggested Annelise that he is frustrated.  But Alex is right, his intuition hits the bull’s-eye.  “I want to be there for you, Anne.  Through anything and any times.  But I guess you don’t need me right now” Alex ambles weakly to the bedroom door but Annelise caught his right elbow.   She wraps her arm around him.  His last sentence is so not true.  She needs Alex more than ever at time like these.  “Alex, looks, this is something I need to handle on my own, okay?  I don’t want to bother you with my tedious problem”.  Problem?  He wants to question more but he lets Annelise to pour her hearts out.  “I do need you, but I need to rely on myself Alex.  I don’t want you to carry me along your way, I want to walk beside you” Alex reminisce the conversation he just had with Keller few hours ago.  It sounds very similar with what Annelise is saying.  A burden that will weight him down.  Why do everyone thinks like that when he himself won’t mind it at all?  Annelise is his favor. A favor he will defends, above everything, and anything he considers as important in his life.  

Alex never really like being hugged, but right now, he doesn’t want her to let go.  Her head resting neatly on his back, the softness of her arms engulfing him, he has never feel as comfortable and loved as he feels right now. But slowly, Annelise unwrap her arms from him, but her fingers still lingers on his hips.  She wants to let go, but she can’t.

Alex turns around, facing her.  But she can’t bear to look up and stared right back at those sapphire eyes.  Those eyes that can shake whatever strength she got left inside of her, which can dig out whatever secrets she buried deep within her.  There’s always something about Alex that makes her melt.  And she knows if she fights him now, she will surely lose.

The lampshade that lighted her neatly rustic room emitted a radiance of melancholic but pleasant ambience, the sweet smelled of lavender scented bags just enhanced their fleeting, dreamy mood.  There’s something about Annelise that makes him feel alive.  He parted her long hair that covered her faces and cupped her chin.  Tilting it up to face him.  Her mouth, the solemn in her eyes are so inviting.  She’s a damsel in distress and he wants to be her knight in shinning armor, just sweep her away from her feet and gallop away from this world on uncertainness.

Out of the blue, he kissed her.  

And naturally, she kissed him back.

annehuda

CHAPTER 3

There goes their first kiss.  And it was awkward.  When their lips finally parted, they couldn’t utter a single word.  Was it sweet, astonishing, memorable?  Yes indeed. But was it appropriate?  Of course it not.  

They both knew what they have done.  They can’t look at each other anymore without the feeling remorse.    Guiltily, Alex dashed out from the house.  If he stays longer there, God knows what else they could be doing.  He wanders aimlessly around the avenue they live in.  Till a red, convertible Mustang pulls over in front of him.  Cassandra.  “Hey Alex, what are you doing out here?” Cassandra gleefully asked.  He is still speechless.  “Hey come on in”, Cassandra opens the passenger door for him.  Alex obediently enters, staring at Cassandra’s red lips, reminiscing his first sweet kiss he shared with his blood sisters.  And guiltiness quietly creep inside of him, he’s a sinner who should beg for repentance, not to request another repeat.  Cassandra is blabbering something he couldn’t register to his head, and as Cassandra prepare to ignite the engine, he asked “Cassie, would you mind if I kiss you?”  Cassandra is dumbfounded.  Yes she did wish for his kiss, but not here, not now, not so sudden.  She wants to ask why, but a smart girl should know best.  She leans towards him and gives him the kiss that he demands.  

Alex tries to enjoy it as much as it can, but it was nothing like what he has experienced with Annelise.  This is just lips-to-lips treatment, no pure emotion involved at all.  It lasted longer, but he can’t feel anything.  Cassandra lips tastes like cherry, but Annelise’s lips are softer, warmer, and sincere.  When he closed his eyes, he pictured Annelise is the one whom he’s kissing right now.  But as Cassandra try to slide in her tongue, he stopped.  That’s just too much.  Cassandra bit her lips when he let go.  But it still satisfies her.  She realized that Alex is too stiff when they were kissing, and now he’s fidgeting uncomfortably in the seat.  “So what are we now Alex?  You can’t just kiss a girl and pretends nothing happens”.  Yes, I can’t.  I can’t just kiss Annelise and wakes up tomorrow morning acting like usual.  “Are we couples now?” she boldly asked.  Alex is indecisive at the moment.  He kissed her because he wants to erase the memory of his first kiss, wishing it could undo it.  It didn’t.  But he could try; he could try to develop the same feeling he has to Annelise with Cassandra.  He never cares about other girls as much as he cares for Annelise, but he could change that.  Is this what Annelise meant when she try to shun him out from his life?

“If that what you want, so be it”, a fake smile emerges from his face.  He thought if he could make Cassandra happy, he can try to be in love with her.  Cassandra is so happy she started to cry the tears of joy.  It will ruin her makeup but she doesn’t care. Alex know as a good boyfriend he should wipes her tears and gives her a hug, like she did to Annelise when she is upset about something.  And he did just that.  Double joy for Cassandra, she didn’t expected Alex is this thoughtful.  Through their few dates, she knows that Alex is a guy with a great sense of humor, but she didn’t expect this at all.  “Hey Cassie, it’s already late, so let’s have a date tomorrow night, okay?  But right now can you drive me home?” Cassandra happily obliged.

annehuda

As he reached home, and gives her yet another good night kiss, Alex looked up and saw Annelise’s room is still lights on.  It past 10 pm right now and she’s not sleeping yet.  How can she?  She has just been kissed by her own brother.  She must be disgusted at me now. Alex thought to himself, as he slumbered to the front door, unlocked and entered it.  There she is, Annelise sitting on the sofa, watching tv.  Annelise has changed to her PJs, all fresh and clean, and she smells like fresh cut strawberries.  Annelise nervously turn off the TV and hurriedly sprints upstairs.  “Wait, Anne, stop, please” She stops midway.  She was waiting for Alex to come home, she needs to explain something, and she needs to say sorry for leading him to a kiss. “I’m sorry I kissed you.  It was….a spur of the moment”.  Alex momentarily pauses, and takes a long breath.  “If you’re disgusted at me now, you should.  But maybe you’re right; we shouldn’t intervene with each other life too deeply”.  What the heck am I saying????

She wanted to agree, but she can’t compose the proper words to say it.  “Yeah, right. Maybe that’s what works best to us.  I mean, it could happen to anyone right?”  Could it? She doesn’t know.

“So are we cool, Anne?  Are we siblings…. Again?”

“Yeah, of course we are.  What a stupid question”.

Alex slapped his own forehead, grinning cheekily.  Yeah, what a weird night and a weird question. “Let’s shake hands, Anne.  Let’s promise we won’t kiss each other again”.
Annelise walk to him and grip his palm, a mutual recognition of forgiveness and pledge of promises.  His coarse hand over her soft little hand, it induces a sense of tingling sensations in each other’s heart.  It shows in their faces, as they stare at each other lovingly.  Before she knows it, she was edging closer to him.  If it wasn’t for the sound of the click on their front door…

“You guys are not sleeping yet?”  Mrs Harrison looks so drowsy and disheveled.  Long hours of works for the past 3 years have made her look older than her real age.  Mr Harrison is almost bald, and he was too lethargic to talk to the kids, he just go straight to his bedroom.  Annelise and Alex looks at each for the last time, a silent promise to each other, ‘it won’t happen again’.  Annelise retreats first to her bedroom, followed by Alex.  “Owh Alex, Mrs Darlington says she saw you and Cassandra in her car, K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Is that true?”  Mrs Harrison smiled approvingly.  “Cassie is such a nice girl.  It’s a good thing you hooked up with him Alex”.  Alex is shocked; he didn’t expect anyone would see him and Cassandra kissing.  What’s more, Annelise knows this from their mother.  And so is Annelise, she was shocked too, heartbroken, and a bit jealous of hearing the news from her mama’s mouth.  She run upstairs and angrily slammed her door.  It bangs so loud it upset her mother.  “What’s wrong with Annelise today?” Alex just shrugged, walk upstairs leaving his mother in a confused state.

Reaching upstairs, he wants to knock on Annelise’s door and explains everything.  He feels like a jerk, a total douche bag.  He kissed his own sister, he made out with Cassandra all in one night.   But in the end the one he desires the most, is Annelise.  His stomach churns with repulsiveness.  He is so disgusted with himself right now he wished all this never happen.

Annelise squeezes her teddy bear so tightly.  She can’t sleep and she can’t close her eyes without the vision of Cassandra and Alex getting intimate played in her imagination.  Aggravation, jealousy, sad and a whole lot of negative emotions ball up inside of her; she wants to hurl it at Alex and demands his explanation.  Her first kiss, wasted at the lips of her own brother.  And she led him to it.  And it almost happens again.  Annelise’s face reddened with mortification.  She has degraded herself to the lowest position a normal human could ever be, she has special feeling for her own blood brother.  And she’s craving for his kiss again, and probably more than that.

Annelise covers her head with her blanket.  How she wish nothing like that ever happened tonight.  How is she going to face her brother tomorrow?

fizziany

tajuk sebijik macam cerita Taiwan.....

annehuda

tajuk sebijik macam cerita Taiwan.....
fizziany Post at 13-3-2011 00:53

    actually....takde idea nk tulis tajuk....huhuhu

cmf_blingblings

nice.. but . 17 years old siblings seeing each other naked?? ... euwww
lesprincesse Post at 12-3-2011 16:02

mat salleh//// topless pun biasa je

annehuda

takde komen pasal jalan citer ke? grammar, spelling, gaya bahasa bla bla bla?

tp bg aku lah, kelemahan aku adalah nk wat dialog. slalu stuck kt situ.  kekdg panjang lebar mcm org membebel plak...huhuhu

Puteri_Naning

amazing...something new is happening in the board???
love reading yours..
speed reading je tadi, macm ada few grammar error tp x kisahlah.
yup dialog dlm chp 2 agak berjela and hampir nak rasa boring, yg lain2 agak menarik.
cerita pasal sumbang mahram ni tak tahulah malaysian boleh terima ke tak...tapi xpe teruskan menulis....masih terlalu awal nak bagi komen...

annehuda

amazing...something new is happening in the board???
love reading yours..
speed reading je tadi, m ...
Puteri_Naning Post at 13-3-2011 14:43

    few grammar errors are unavoidable...

err spoiler ni bukan sumbang mahram ye...in the end they are not actually blood related. one of them is adopted and disowned by the harrison. sapekah die? jeng jeng jeng

patutkah sy re edit balik dialog kt chapter 2? part alex sembang ngan annelise? adakah part kissing tu terlalu cepat?

Puteri_Naning

alamak...knp bagi tau jalan cerita yg sebenar??? i just test u je tadi...biar pembaca teka sampai habis...
keller's part... d culprit? boleh kut...tp jgn sampai cerita tergantung pulak..

bintang

Cam baca novel dari barat la pulak ...