Midnight Rider by Aleia (ereader ebook txt) 📕

He hadn’t seen her in weeks, a time length that bothered the hoodlum teen more than he thought it had. Furrowing his brow Rei shuffled about the messy room, socked feet kicking the discarded clothing out of his way as he paced upon the carpet.

The girl in question, Lucrecia, wasn’t like most girls. Rei had always known she was gorgeous and yet as he thought about her he couldn’t remember why; her image fuzzy within his memory. She was a force to be reckoned with, strong and willful but even as tough as she was Rei still felt the urge to protect her. A few hours in the police station was worth pounding someone’s face in for just looking at Lu the wrong way!

Biting down a snarl the teen stopped his pacing. Being grounded sucked. Calloused knuckles clenched tightly as Rei glared at the door, clinging to the last shred of respect that he held for his foster parents by not walking out of the house. The Smiths, his current ‘parents’ didn’t understand him and in the same breath Rei couldn’t stand them. They were a ‘happy’ family, centered on the family members and the community. The teen couldn’t even fathom why they’d accepted him into their household; hell the System had told them that Rei was a handful! And yet here he stood, pacing in his room about to go crazy. Maybe they thought they could ‘save him’? Who the hell knew because he sure as hell didn’t!

At age sixteen Rei was already a delinquent and had been for almost two years now. Since his own parents passing the teen had lost just about everything he’d once had; all save for a motorcycle that had been his fathers. He knew how easy a ‘family’ could be broken by fate that snickered upon the pathetic beings known as humans… how easily they died. Never again would Rei experience the crushing feeling of loss- he didn’t have the will to make the connections but was unwilling to let go of the current ones he held. Hence his urgent need to see her.

Cursing under his breath the teen pulled his shirt off before swapping it out with a cleaner one. It was much the same, a slightly tight grey shirt with a dipping V-neck. Not even bothering to change out of his jeans Rei slipped on his shoes and grabbed the keys to his bike.

Speeding down the highways as he dipped between the cars, Rei was thankful he’d managed to remember to grab his backpack that always held a change of clothes. The Smiths reaction to him leaving hadn’t been pretty, John, the husband had shouted quite loudly as he’d left while Megan had almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. Standing beside them had been his ‘sister’ the strange girl smiling ever so softly as she watched Rei yet again defy her parents. Lora was an oddball, convinced that she was in love with him and demanding of his attention. Quite frankly it freaked Rei out.

Cutting a quick right upon an exit ramp, the rider gunned his bike; speeding up before coming to a quick halt before the light. Glowering from beneath the helmet Rei impatiently waited for the go ahead before gunning off again. He was so close now; only about ten minutes out and with hardly any traffic on the roads… he could make it in five.
Sylvillius was a small housing community slightly south of the school Rei had once attended and within an easy walking distance. Slowing down drastically as he curved the bike onto the one lane street Rei released a long held breath at the familiar houses. Propping one hand upon his knee as he reached a safe enough speed to drive one handed the teen cruised past several houses until he reached the one he’d been looking for.

Settled side by side, the slightly old paint telling of both houses long standing, the Chimaeya and Sairyn households offered a sense of peace that Rei hadn’t had in a long while. Cutting the engine with enough momentum to roll to a stop before the red and black house Rei quickly took off his helmet, gloved hands running through the messy brown locks of his hair. Ruffling the strands in an indifferent attitude, knowing that they would not be calmed, Rei wasn’t the least bit worried about his appearance but more so about what to do. In his rush to leave the teen hadn’t even warned his friends he’d been coming.

Blue eyes shifted between the two windows that faced one another, one belonging to Tsukiya and the other to Alyse. Without a doubt Rei knew he could throw a rock at the girl’s window and within moments be ushered into the house but he hadn’t come to see Alyse now had he? Yet the teen had no clue if Tsukiya or Lucrecia were still up and knowing the Chimaeya twin’s mother… she’d be less than thrilled to find a run away in her sons room without permission.

Pushing the kick stand down with his heel Rei leaned back on his bike, arms crossed over his helmet. His glasses had slipped low over his nose; the square rims making him look sterner than usual. Sighing for a moment Rei fished his phone out of his pocket before flipping it open.

[05-23-xx 11:48 pm] Lu:

Is your brother awake?

Golden eyes opening as Rei's brief ringtone sounded from somewhere underneath the covers of her bed, Lucrecia shifted. Yawning for a moment as she sat up, the young woman blinked a few times, before searching through the blankets. Letting out an impatient sigh as it still was nowhere to be found, Lucrecia finally just threw the comforter off of the bed before spotting her black smartphone at the far edge of the white-and-pink sheets. Making a grab for the phone before plopping back down on her back and pulling the comforter over her body again, the girl blinked again.

Was he awake? Shaking her mind off of the fact that she was tired as hell, the black-haired teen was too lazy to actually check. Listening for any signs of life from Tsukiya's room, which was right next to hers, Lucrecia could faintly hear the music that she knew her twin to love. But then again, sometimes Tsuki tended to crash at his desk with his computer still on, usually face-first into a drawing he had been working on.

Tapping her finger on her phone, the girl suddenly got an idea. Curving around her laziness, Lucrecia texted Tsukiya.

[05-23-xx 11:49 pm] Tsuki

Turn your music down. I can't sleep.

Either he'd turn down the music or text her, but if nothing happened, then chances were her twin was taking a nap in his chair. Waiting another two minutes and seeing that nothing has happened, Lucrecia turned on her side and sent:

[05-23-xx 11:51 pm] Motor boy:

Nope. Why?

Perking up as Lucrecia’s ringtone went off Rei quickly flipped open his phone with a smile. Lowering his body until his back was flush against the leather seat of the bike Rei held his phone up so as he gazed at the screen he could see the night sky. As usual the raven haired young woman’s reply was short and to the point, a habit that always placed a smirk upon his lips. Hesitating for a moment as Rei pondered himself why he’d bothered texting the girl rather than just directly finding out for himself Rei shrugged it off and texted back.

[05-23-xx 11:53 pm] Lu:

Come outside, I’m bored!

Knowing Lucrecia it was a 50/50 chance she’d actually do what he’d asked and seeing how it was a weekend neither had to worry about being up late. Either way Rei knew he couldn’t stay for very long but the nagging feeling that he felt would only be eased at seeing the black haired teenager. Opening his phone after a two minute pause, yes he had been keeping count, Rei sent another quick text.

[05-23-xx 11:55 pm] Lu:

I had a nightmare so come comfort me~

Lucrecia paused as her golden eyes took in Rei's text. Finally pushing the covers off of her, the black-haired teen rose from the bed and ran her fingers through her hair as she moved towards the window facing the street. Shuffling her feet in her sleepiness, Lucrecia managed to avoid tripping over anything and reached for the curtains. Drawing them back before looking through the blinds, the black-haired girl grinned and shook her head. Sure enough, Rei was perched on his bike out front, waiting for her.

Not bothering to send another text, the black-haired teen turned and opened her dresser before pulling out a shirt and pants. Closing the curtains again, the young woman quickly changed out of her thin nightgown and into a pair of sweatpants and a white camisole. Hearing Rei's ringtone sound again, Lucrecia took the phone and read his new message. Rolling her eyes as she giggled, the girl put it back in its place on her nightstand.

Grabbing a hair tie and putting her hair into a banged sloppy bun as she walked towards the door, the young woman knew she wouldn't have a problem getting out of the house. Her parents shouldn't be awake. If they were awake, they'd probably be in their room. If they heard her, they'd probably assume it was Tsuki, and thus the blame would be turned on him, conveniently. Sounded mean, but it was true.

Tip-toeing down the stairs for the sake of not waking them up, Lucrecia reached the middle of the staircase before stopping abruptly. The tv sounded from the brightened living room. Silently working down to the last step, the young woman peeked around the corner. Her father sat snoring on the couch, arms spread around the back of it, the tv talking at him about a new set of acne products. Pursing her lips, the black-haired teen quietly made her way towards the back door, passing through the kitchen on the way. Grabbing a granola bar from the counter and her zip-up hoodie from the coat hanger as she walked by, Lucrecia opened the door and walked onto the steps before turning around and closing the door behind her.

Shrugging into her jacket, the black-haired teen made her way around the house and onto the sidewalk. Spotting Rei, Lucrecia started to speed-walk. Unable to help the grin that presented itself as she saw her close friend for the first time in weeks, the girl reached the delinquent and immediately pulled him into her arms. The hug was slightly awkward since Rei was sitting on his bike, but nevertheless