by Carly Marino
Wynter scrunched her nose at the girl giggling next to Ethan. His body language screamed, “someone please save me.”
“I better go run interference. Hurry up.”
I nodded, thankful she didn’t insist on coming with me. As much as I wanted to have fun, I needed a minute to myself.
Cheers echoed from the sitting room as I passed. Two guys on either side of a table tossed a ping pong ball into red cups. A group crowded around, high-fiving after the ball splashed into one.
Macy Vargas danced with a group of girls to loud hip-hop music. They swayed close together, laughing. She stopped to rub on Holden Lavoie at the stone fireplace. Her hand drifted from his cheek to his chest. I sighed.
Holden’s eyes caught my peering gaze. He’d grown into his looks over the years. His curly hair that once snarled past his shoulders was now short and wavy, and he’d ditched the thick black-rimmed glasses for contacts. His lips curved into a smile. I glanced over my shoulder. Was he looking at me? Why? Embarrassment burned my ears, and I turned toward the glass doors in the back of the house.
A guy slammed into me.
One of the four drinks in his hand spilled onto the floor. “Shit, I’m so sorry.” He set the cups on the closest table and grabbed my arm. “Are you o—”
His voice drifted to a whisper as heat snaked up to my vision, forcing me to shut my eyes.
When I reopened them, his memory played like a bad movie.
I stare down at a circular cake with a green dinosaur decorated in icing. Five candles flicker on top, and the smell of smoke and burnt wax fills my nose.
The crowd of people around the table sing Happy Birthday in unison. I scan the group until I reach a smile that comforts my heart.
My mother nods. “Happy Birthday, my sweet, Jason. Now blow out your candles and make a wish.”
Pictures jumbled in lines of colors that I couldn’t quite make out, but I could feel Jason’s terror. His desperate need to get away and hide and the angry words of his upset father. “Get back here you little shit.”
Jason’s memory dissolved to blackness, and a new one began in its place.
“Why the hell were you talking to Lavoie?” I grip Macy and slam her against the wall. “Are you screwing him?”
“Jason, stop it. You’re hurting me. Holden and I have a project together. That’s it.” She jerks from me.
“Liar.” Anger bursts through me. I wrap my fingers in her mess of curls and toss her to the floor.
She scrambles. “Jason, stop!”
My fist balls. My nails cut into my palm. I draw my arm back and swing.
I yanked away. Had he hit Macy? I thought back to when they went out. She’d had a black eye in the tenth grade, claiming she’d fallen from the balance beam at gymnastics. Her nose had been broken. Her forearm too.
Tears blurred my sight. He disgusted me. I wanted to punch him in his face.
“Get away from me,” I yelled, loud enough that the people beside us turned.
“Whoa, I didn’t mean to bump into you.” He put his palms up in defense. “Do I need to call the asylum? You don’t have any sharp objects on you, do you?”
A group of girls behind me laughed.
Jason acknowledged one of the brunettes smiling at him.
Heat burned my cheeks, and my fists balled. “What did you just say? I know what you—”
“Hey there, Thea.” A strong hand gently held my sleeve.
I angled my chin. “Cole? What are you…”
His gaze fixated on Jason, and he placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “She and I were just leaving.” Cole’s tone was even and smooth without the slightest sense of distress.
Jason’s shoulders drooped, his expression glazed over, and his neck dropped to the side. I tilted my head, confused at the sudden change in his demeanor.
I scrutinized Cole. What was he—
A white flicker flashed in Cole’s eyes. I blinked to clear the crazy from my head. A white flicker?
Cole released Jason.
Jason stood motionless, staring at me with a vacant expression. “You okay, Scotty? Sorry, I bumped into you.”
I narrowed my eyes, ready to retort, but the dizziness from his memory took over. My shoulders swayed closer to Cole, and he led me away from Jason and his cruelty.
We walked out the back sliding glass door. The moment I stepped onto the stone terrace fresh, air kissed my cheeks, blowing lightly through my hair. Closing my eyes, I let the wind release me from Jason’s memory.
Thoughts of my curse drifted as Cole escorted me down the long stone staircase leading into the gardens. Green hedges blocked out the music and voices, leaving behind only the sound of a trickling fountain hidden somewhere nearby. We stepped under an arbor with twinkling white lights. Vines twisted up the posts and pink night-blooming flowers came to life as Cole and I strolled past. I breathed in their sweet aroma.
On the other side stood a unique tree. One I’d never seen before. Thick, rope-like knots tangled to form the trunk. The bark sparkled in the darkness like someone had sprayed illuminating paint all over it. I touched the rough surface and peered at my fingertips, expecting them to glow. They didn’t. “This tree looks like it’s glowing?”
Cole let out a soft chuckle mixed with a cough. “Nah, just the reflection.”
“Hmm.” I searched for a spotlight but didn’t find one.
I lifted my gaze. Lavender leaves umbrellaed over a wooden gazebo-like treehouse nestled within the branches. “Is that a gazebo in a tree?”
“Yeah. Drake and I built it. Pretty cool, right?”
Cole placed his free hand on the ladder.
I raised an eyebrow.
“I promise it’s safe,” he said.
I nibbled my lip and climbed to the top. He followed and then motioned for me to sit on the bench next to him.
“Are you all right?” He angled toward me. “What happened back there? Did he hurt you? If he hurt you—” His brows pinched to the center, and his jaw muscles tensed.
“Um, nothing. I just really hate that jerkface.”
I wanted to do something, but as much as I wanted to get involved, I knew I couldn’t. If I reached out to Macy, she would wonder who told me and would probably direct her anger at me. If I went to the police, they’d ask how I knew, and talking to Jason would be a waste of breath. He’d just lie.
There was one other way I could help her … but I didn’t want to do it again. Altering Doctor Casey’s and Aunt Karen’s memories sickened me, but, maybe it happened for a reason.
Who knew. I could have this ability to avenge wrongs like a vigilante. I might not be able to go to the authorities, but if I changed Macy’s memory, she wouldn’t have to live with what happened to her. Doing it again, just this once, wouldn’t do much harm, right? What was the point of having this power if I never used it?
Deep laughter belted from the handsome guy sitting next to me. “Risky coming from a girl who just used the word jerkface.” Flickers of light from the glowing tree trunk danced in his eyes.
“Wait—what?”
“You shouldn’t intervene.” He shook his head as if I amused him. “Plus, I doubt you’d have the skill to do it, anyway.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Intervene?” Okay, I was freaking out now. I needed to get away from this hottie who was clouding my brain to think. “Listen, thanks for helping out back there. I appreciate it, but don’t think for a minute that I’m gonna to be another one of your many groupies.”
Cole’s eyebrows cocked. “Groupie? You sure about that? I think if you followed me around I could teach you a thing or two.”
I growled, about to respond, but he cupped my hand and his fingers slid through mine.
The simple gesture should’ve sent sweet ripples through me, but instead my words caught in my throat and I stiffened, waiting for what never came.
I stared at my hand then at Cole.
He was holding my hand and nothing happened. Pr
ickles lifted the hairs on my arms.
Nothing.
I ripped from him, scampered from my seat, and gaped, opening and closing my mouth like one of those Koi fish swimming around in the fountains at the mall. “You—you touched me.”
Cole tilted his head, squinting as he gazed deeper into my eyes. I stepped back, but he stood and moved in closer. “Thea, what happened back at the house? With Jason?”
My mouth felt like sandpaper, my tongue heavy. “I—I told you.”
His lips pursed. “First Barbosa, then Jason. Just tell me, Thea. Just say it.”
Barbosa? Had he seen? How would he know? He couldn’t. I didn’t react, at least I didn’t think I did. Was that why he smirked at me in the auditorium? He’d seen me read a memory?
“Barbosa?” I said his name in a squeaky croak.
Tension released from Cole’s forehead, and he tipped my chin so I’d look at him. I winced, expecting an influx of secrets, but the stillness of the night and soft chirping crickets surrounded me, instead. Cole’s gorgeous eyes studied my face as if taking me in. He drew in a deep breath. “You don’t know, do you?”
A lump swelled at the back of my throat from his nearness. “Know what?”
He leaned down, his breath trailing across my cheek. “What you are.” As each word drifted from his lips to my ear, a pleasant tingle traveled down the side of my neck. Instead of welcoming the feeling, I reacted the opposite.
I shoved him. “I—I have to go.”
“Thea—”
I climbed down the ladder, ran toward the driveway, and didn’t look back.
Chapter Five
Sunshine reflected through the crystal dangling in my window, creating tiny rainbows around my room. I’d found it among my stuff a few years ago. Aunt Karen had never seen it before. She said I should hang the string from the curtain rod. I was glad I’d listened. I loved waking up to dancing colors every morning.
I yawned and glanced at my phone. Wynter and Ethan had called and texted close to twenty times since last night. Understandable. After I’d hopped into an Uber, I texted them a quick—I’m tired, going home. Stay and have fun. See you tomorrow—as my only explanation. I couldn’t go back into that house. Not after my bizarre interaction with Cole. You don’t know, do you? What you are.
Did he know what I could do? Why else would he bring up Barbosa and Jason? Maybe I’d imagined the whole thing. I did drink tequila.
There was no way he knew. But there was definitely something different about him.
He touched me. His hand clasped mine. Our fingers intertwined and nothing happened. No blurred vision replaced by a sick and twisted memory. Why didn’t I see anything?
“Cole Conway, who are you?” I whispered to myself.
I bit my fingernails. It didn’t matter who or what he was, all that mattered was that he knew something and one way or another I had to make him forget what he thought he did or did not see.
I had no clue how I’d altered my aunt’s and Doctor Casey’s memories, and I had to search Cole’s mind for specific ones. This meant I also needed extra time with him. I’d need to touch his skin for at least one full minute. I shivered at the thought.
A loud buzz startled me. I winced at the caller ID. “Hey, Ethan.”
“Where the hell are you? Are you with Conway? Are you okay?”
I laughed. “No, I’m not with Cole. I’m at home, and I’m fine. Geez, simmer down, tea kettle.”
“Wyn and I were worried. You didn’t tell us who you rode home with.” He sighed. “What if something had happened to you?”
“Nothing happened, Ethan. I swear.” I repeated the words to convince myself as much as him. “I was just tired so I got an Uber.” I fidgeted with the pastel quilt. “How mad is Wyn?”
“She’s pissed, Thea, but you did ditch her.” He chuckled. “I did as much damage control as I could.”
“Thanks for trying. I better get this over with.”
“Glad you’re okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight? What’s tonight?”
“I’m spinning at Metro. That asshole finally listened to the demo I gave him.”
“No way.” I sat up. “That’s awesome. You’ve wanted to do that forever.”
“Yep, and our song is part of my set.” Ethan beat-boxed the song I’d helped him make a few years ago.
Someone pounded on my door. “Thea!”
“Wyn’s here. I’ll see you tonight, Ethan.”
“Good luck.”
Wynter barged in and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I would’ve just walked in but I wasn’t sure what I was walking into.” She glared. “You worried me, Thea. I saw you walk outside with Cole and then you disappeared. It’s not like you go to parties like that. What if someone had abducted you?”
“Like aliens?” I wiggled my fingers, making a scary gesture and laughed in a sinister way. “Maybe they did.”
“You’re such a dork.” She plopped onto the edge of my bed. “Whatever. I’ll forgive you as long as you give me every last detail about you and Cole. Did you hook up?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but nothing happened. He just rescued me from Jason.”
“Did Jason do something?”
I set my phone on the end table. “He just bumped into me.”
She darted her suspicious gaze back and forth as if searching me for signs of dishonesty, but then she grinned. “So, nothing happened between Cole and you?”
“No, Wyn.” I glanced at my hand as I opened and closed it a few times. “He’s kind of confusing. A mix between cocky and … protective, I think?” I smiled, recollecting the few minutes we spent in the gazebo before things got weird.
“You do like him. I knew it. Cocky and caring? Girl, that is H-O-T. Especially if you decide to lose that V-card you’ve been holding so dear to your heart.” She placed her hand on her chest.
“You’re gross. I’m not going to sleep with him. My V-card is staying in my wallet, thank you very much. And, by the way, I do hold it dear to my heart.”
She giggled and then hopped off the bed. “At least one of us does.”
I rolled my eyes with a half-smile. “The slut and the prude, a perfect pair.”
“You really are a dork. Ethan and I are going to the beach. You should come. It might be the last beach day.”
“You know I don’t do bathing suits.” I might as well walk out in front of a bus with my arms spread out.
“You used to,” she grumbled.
Her jabs were getting old, but I ignored her as usual. I didn’t feel like fighting. “You guys have fun at the beach.” I fingered the lace around a throw pillow. “I want to paint.”
“Paint?” Wynter chewed the corner of her mouth. “Are you … seeing memories, again?”
I groaned. “I just haven’t been in my studio in a while.”
“I love you. You know you can tell me anything. Right?”
“Honestly, I’m good.”
“Okay, I’ll drop it,” she said. “I got my car back so I’ll pick you up for Ethan’s gig at eight. Wear your hair down. I’m sick of looking at that damn ponytail.”
I covered my face with a pillow and fell back on my bed.
****
I painted until the sun no longer shone through the small windows in the garage door. I took my time blending colors and closed my eyes, allowing my hand to flow over the blank canvas. The smell of turpentine mixed with car exhaust enveloped me in comfort. My studio gave me sanctuary. The only place I could relax and not worry about people.
Just me, three concrete walls, and a brush in my hand. I leaned back and admired my work. The more disturbing the memory, the darker the piece, but this one, this one was different.
I had painted the white canvas black. A hand reached out from the left edge. Yellow waves flowed from the fingertips to a small, round metal box nestled at the corner. The lid had a mirror cut into the shape of a star.
The nightmare rushed into me. I remembered a
bright light, blinding me. Then … this box. I think. Why did I paint this? It had nothing to do with Jason’s memory. Does it?
I nibbled on the end of the brush. Usually, channeling a memory onto a canvas helped me to forget. The reason I painted this particular image didn’t matter. I could still leave Jason’s brutality behind.
A light tapping interrupted my thoughts.
“Thea,” Aunt Karen said softly from behind the door.
“You can come in,” I said, not removing my eyes from the canvas.
“Wow, Thea, that’s beautiful.” She cleared her throat. “There’s a very sweet girl waiting for you in the living room.”
I looked at her, puzzled. “Who is it? Do you know?”
“I’ve never seen her before. She said her name was Nora.”
I whipped around, dropping my brush on the ground. Yellow paint sprayed across the concrete and onto Aunt Karen’s white tennis shoes.
“Sorry.” I bent to pick up the brush.
She quickly wiped the drops with her fingers, smearing the paint across the toe. “It’s fine. I hate these shoes, anyway. Do you want me to send her in here?”
“No. Tell her I’ll be right out. I have to wash my hands first.”
Aunt Karen chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Your face, too. You’ve got some paint on your nose.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled. “Thea, I’m glad you’re making friends.”
I nodded and waited until the door closed before scrubbing my hands and face. What the heck was Nora doing here? She must be Cole’s girlfriend and saw us walking together. Why else would she be here? Girls like Nora never talked to girls like me. I dried my hands on the paint-covered towel hanging next to the basin sink.
“Only one way to find out.” I gripped the door handle. My heartbeat quickened, and I closed and opened my hands a few times to stop the shaking. With a deep breath, I stepped through the garage door and into the living room.
Nora stood from the sofa when she saw me. Her dreads hung in a big ponytail at the crown of her head. She had sort of a punk rock vibe going on with her plaid miniskirt and combat boots. Up close, I spotted the round silver stud on the side of her nose. Black eyeliner outlined her gunmetal eyes.