“That, I kinda' figured,” I reply, laughing.
“What are you going to do about your mom?”
I tilt my head back to look at her, upside down.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, this is a lot to take in, and at first I'm sure you thought she didn't know anything about it, but now you know she does, at least some of it.”
I stare at the ceiling for a second before answering.
“That's true. At least when I tell her about you, she'll understand. She may not be able to see you, but at least she'll know I'm not crazy.”
“Not about this anyway,” she says, giggling.
“You are just the funniest girl, ever.”
“You're not the first person to tell me that.”
“Hmm. What a surprise.” We both start laughing.
She raises her arm over her head and touches my shoulder. Immediately, I reach up and take her fingers in mine. We lay there for a while, probably only a few minutes, just enjoying a quiet moment together, until the bell rings. I jump up from the couch and open the door. The delivery boy is a kid I know from school. He's tall, with loose dark, curly hair, expressive blue eyes, and a winning smile. I may be gay, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good-looking guy.
“Hey, Brad,” I say, smiling.
“Eve. This your place?”
“Yup, me and my mom.”
“Cool.” He looks up at the front of the building.
“I didn't know you delivered for Panda,” I say, as Kateri walks up and stands next to me.
“Yeah, for a few months. Just on the weekends though,” he replies, handing me the bags.
Kateri puts her arm over my shoulder and leans against me. It's so odd to know that he can't see her.
“Awesome. What do I owe you?”
“Oh, yeah. It's fifteen even.”
I dig the other twenty my mother gave me out of my pocket and hold it out for him. At that moment, Kateri blows in my ear and I giggle while shrugging my shoulders. Brad looks at me and smiles.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothin’. Just thought of something funny from earlier.”
E ~ Stop that!
K ~ Stop what?
“How much do you want back?” he asks, taking the twenty.
Kateri blows air onto the side of my neck and I giggle again, tilting my head to the right. Brad looks at me, a confused expression on his face.
E ~ You are so bad. Cut it out, he's going to think I'm some sort of weirdo.
K ~ You are.
“Just keep it,” I finally manage to say.
“Really? Thanks.” He slips the money into his pocket.
“No problem. See you at school tomorrow.”
“See ya, have a good one.”
As he turns, Kateri reaches out and tugs on one of his curls on the back of his head. He spins around and looks at me.
E ~ What are you doing?
K ~ Just having some fun.
“I think there was a bee, or something,” I say, struggling to find something to say.
He brushes his hand across his neck a few times.
“Okay,” he says slowly while giving me an odd look. “Well, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” I reply as I close the door.
I turn and look at Kateri. She's standing there with a shit-eating grin.
“I am going to get you back for that, I hope you know.”
“Ooooh,” she says, waving her hands in front of her face. “I'm so scared.”
I sigh and shake my head. “Let's just eat. Do I need to cut it up for you, since you're such a child?”
“Ha ha. Just gimme,” she says, taking the bag containing her food.
We carry our meals into the living room, and sit on the floor, our backs against the couch. I lift two cans of Coke out of my bag and hand one to Kateri. When she takes it, her fingers brush mine, and that lovely chill runs up and down my spine again.
“You wanna try mine?” she asks, holding a piece of brown, glazed chicken on the end of her plastic fork.
I open my mouth and she feeds me the spicy, little morsel. I know it's nothing, a simple gesture of sharing, but it feels incredibly sensual and personal.
“Whew. That's hot,” I say, my words carrying more than one meaning.
“I like it spicy,” Kateri says with a sly little smile.
“You wanna try mine?”
“Sure,” she replies as I repeat the same quiet act of intimacy.
As she takes the batter covered piece of chicken off my fork, a bit of sauce drips onto her chin. Without thinking, I reach over and wipe it away with my thumb, brushing her lower lip at the same time. The touch sends a charge of electricity running down my arm, into my chest before it settles deep down inside my belly. My heart is racing as I pull my hand back, trying to hide my trembling fingers.
“That's really good,” she says.
“What?” I swallow hard.
“The chicken. It's really good.”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is,” I reply, staring at the whirlpool of color in her eyes.
Again, I feel that sense of loss when I think about having to spend the day at school tomorrow without her. We eat for a time in a comfortable silence, simply glancing up at each other and exchanging smiles or knowing looks every now and then. Eventually, I set my fork down, the Styrofoam container nearly empty.
“Can I ask you something?”
Kateri looks up and nods, her mouth full of chicken and fried rice.
“You said a while ago that there are a few times of the year when humans can see Shayds.”
Kateri wipes her mouth with a napkin and nods. “Uh huh. This about your mom?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Don't you think it'd be better to ask her?”
“I will. I just want some information before I do. Okay?”
“Sure.” Kateri sets her empty container on the coffee table and turns to face me, her legs crossed. “Shoot.”
“Okay, so when are these times, when my mom could have seen my dad?”
“Well, the only ones I know about are during the summer and winter solstices, and the autumnal and vernal equinoxes.”
“So, four times a year?”
Kateri nods. “Yeah.”
“But he could touch her, right? I mean when I first saw you, you were moving down the sidewalk dodging out of people's way. So, you can touch people, and they can touch you.”
She shakes her head slowly. “Sort of. Humans can bump into us, and vice versa, but it's touch without feeling.”
“What does that mean?”
“It's like running a pencil up your arm, except you're the pencil. It's cold, impersonal, dead.”
I look down at the floor for a minute as that sinks in. So, the man my mom fell in love with was someone who she could only see, hear, or touch just four days out of the year.
“Jesus,” I mutter to myself.
“I know. That's sorta why I told you not to be too hard on her. She didn't tell you about any of this, partially because she probably doesn't know a lot about it, but also because I'm sure it brings back a lot of bad memories. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been to be in love with someone and only being able to see them once every three months.”
That sends a chill down my spine, but not a nice one. I'm worried about not being able to see Kateri tomorrow while I'm at school, but my poor mother suffered with that feeling of loss all the time.
“Do you know anything else about him? My dad?”
Kateri shakes her head. “No, I'm sorry. Father told me that he had died fighting a fire demon when you were just an infant, but that's all I know,” she says, reaching out and gently taking my hand in hers. “You really should talk to your mom about this. I mean, now that you know about us, she should be able to tell you about your father.”
I nod while caressing her fingers with mine.
“I will. I think we're going to have a
lot to talk about.”
“That's for sure,” she says with a bright smile. “Come on, let's clean this up.”
She releases my hands and gets to her feet. I follow suit and we carry our empties and plastic utensils into the kitchen and toss them into the garbage can. As we’re finishing, Kateri sighs, turning and looking at me.
“What's the matter?” I ask.
“I'm gonna miss you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, me too. I was just thinking about that.”
Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. I check the screen.
“It's Mom,” I say before tapping the answer button. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, sweetie. Just wanted to call to say goodnight.”
“Cool. How was the rest of your day?”
“Busy. Trying to get everything settled before I come home. Did you eat?”
“Yes, Mom. I ate.” I roll my eyes at Kateri.
She smiles at me and giggles.
“Sorry, you know I have to ask. So, what are you up to?”
“Just kinda hanging out with a friend.” I look over at Kateri.
I reach out and take her hand.
“You mean Amanda?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Someone new.”
Kateri looks at me, a little shocked. “Oh yeah, someone from school?”
“Nah, we met at the park,” I say, grinning at Kateri.
“Really?” she asks, and I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
“It's cool, Mom, I'm not stupid. She's really nice.”
“Okay. What's her name?”
“Kateri,” I say as I wink at her.
There's a long pause before she says anything. “That's ... different.”
“Yeah. She's different, so it kinda fits her.”
When I look over at Kateri this time, her smile has vanished, replaced with a frown.
“Maybe I can meet her sometime,” Mom says.
“Sure,” I reply quickly, already regretting telling her.
“Well, don't forget about school tomorrow.”
“I won't. You'll be here for dinner tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, my flight gets in around one.”
“Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then.”
“Okay sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
As soon as I end the call, I look over at Kateri.
“She can't know you, can she?”
“Sure seemed like it, right? Or at least she recognized my name.”
“What about Father? Does he know my Mom?”
“I guess it's possible. Your Dad was a Shayd, so Father might have known him, which means he might know her.”
Suddenly, something moves just outside the front window. Kateri darts from the kitchen to the front windows. She grabs her sword, before yanking the door open and rushing out onto the stoop.
“What?” I ask as I join her. “What is it?”
“A demon,” she hisses between her clenched teeth. “Stay here.”
With that, she jumps off the side of the porch into a shadow cast by the setting sun and she's gone. I run back inside, searching for a weapon, but the only thing I can find is a fireplace poker. I wrap my fingers around the handle and start for the door, when Kateri walks back inside, and she doesn't look happy.
“Are you okay? Did you get it?” I ask, rushing to her side, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest.
“Yes and no,” she says before looking at my choice of weapon. “Seriously?”
“Well, it's all I've got.”
She shakes her head and closes the door, never taking her eyes off me. “That demon that attacked me, the one you injured. Tell me exactly what happened,” she says, her jaw clenched.
“Well, after I cut his arm off, he came at me and while I was backing up, I slipped and fell and a second later, he was on top of me.”
“Then what?”
“Not much, it just leaned in really close to me and …” I say, my words trailing off.
“And what?”
I swallow hard as I realize what it might have been doing. “I think ... it was like he was studying me.”
“And then Reeva and Clay chased it off, right?”
“No,” I say, as my blood runs cold, even though I'm not exactly sure why. “It left before they got there.”
Kateri looks at me for a few seconds. “Shit,” she finally says.
“What?”
“I think it was studying you, and now they know about you. Demons don't usually run from a fight, but that one did ... and this one tonight did too.”
“You think he was spying on us?”
“I'd bet anything on it.”
“So, what do we do?”
“I'm gonna call Father and get those reinforcements to watch the house,” she says, stepping over to me and taking my hand. “Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you.”
“I know you won't.”
Chapter Sixteen
My alarm clock goes off at six. I roll over and fumble for the cutoff switch. It takes me a few seconds before I'm able to silence the annoying blare. Grey clouds are blocking the sun this morning, which makes getting up even harder. It feels like one of those days you just want to spend in bed. That, combined with thoughts of Kateri makes me even more reluctant to get on the move.
With more effort than it really should require, I roll myself off the edge of the bed and make my way to the bathroom. I look in the mirror and immediately notice the bright white ring surrounding my pupil has returned. Even after blinking a few times, it's still there. My vision doesn't seem affected, but I hope as with a lot of stuff having to do with the Shayds, that Amanda and the rest of my classmates won't be able to see it.
Turning the shower on, I let the water warm up as I continue to look at my reflection. More thoughts of Kateri invade my mind as I step into the tub and let the water wash over me. As I lather up, I wish it was her hands on me; as the warm liquid caresses my neck and back, I wish it was her lips on my skin, instead of just water.
E ~ Am I turning into some sort of pervert?
K ~ Really? That's interesting.
I rip the curtain open, but no one’s there. I have to admit that part of me is a little disappointed.
E ~ Where are you?
K ~ Downstairs. I’m not some sort of weirdo peeping at you in the shower…again.
E ~ You sure about that?
K ~ We said we're taking this slow, remember?
E ~ I know.
K ~ Then stop thinking about it, otherwise I'm going to renege on our deal.
“I have to remember not to think so much when she's around,” I say out loud to myself.
I finish as quickly as I can, skipping my hair to save time. A light blue t-shirt, black jeans, and blue Nikes complete my outfit. I tie my hair back and head downstairs. I can't wait to have a few minutes with her before I head off to school. My heart is racing as I hit the landing. Kateri is sitting on the island, two plates in front of her, each one with an Eggo covered with grape jam. A small glass of orange juice sits next to a taller one filled with milk. Sometimes I forget she's been guarding me for years, so she knows all my likes and dislikes.
“Morning,” I say as I walk into the kitchen, my heart rate speeding up when I see her.
“Morning to you,” she replies, her eyes sparkling.
“You didn't have to do this.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “It's nothing. I just figured it would give us a little more time together.”
I smile at her words, thrilled she feels the same way I do. I boost myself up onto the island next to her, our knees touching.
“So, what are you going to do today?” I ask as I take a bite of my waffle.
“Not sure yet, I've got to talk to Father.”
“About what?”
“About what happened last night,” she says before taking a drink of orange juice.
“I thought you did that when you left here.”
&
nbsp; “All I did was tell him about the demons, and get the extra sentries posted, but we need to talk about what to do next, what our plan is moving forward.”
I sigh. “I wish I could be there.”
“Me too, but you've got school and you can't just skip out. I know it's weird to say, but you have your ‘normal’ life to live,” she says, making air quotes with her fingers when she says, ‘normal’.
“I know,” I reply as I pop the last bit of Eggo into my mouth.
I don't care how much I try, my life is never going to be normal again, and a little part of me is fine with that.
“You gonna walk me to school?” I ask, grinning at her.
“Sure,” she says, returning the smile.
After brushing my teeth, double checking my hair, and grabbing my backpack, we head out the door. Just like before, I keep my phone to my ear as we walk, so I won't look like I'm having a conversation with myself. We can't really hold hands, but Kateri brushes her hand against mine every few minutes, each touch setting off a series of electric charges that run up and down my arm.
“How are we going to deal with school, my Mom, and everything else and still make this trip into the Abyss?” I ask.
“I don't know yet. I hope Father has worked out something. If he hasn't, I have no idea what we're going to do.”
“Well, let's hope he does.”
Eventually, I get tired of the on-off touches from Kateri, and I just reach out and take her hand. It might look odd to someone if they look down at my hand, but several people pass by and no one gives me a second glance. I squeeze her fingers gently and she responds in kind. This is the first time in months that the voices don't overwhelm me; I simply wade through them, and the shadowy figures that used to haunt my vision come into focus. I nod at a few of them I recognize from the Factory as they’re on their way to God knows where. As the school comes into view in the distance, I look over at Kateri.
“I wish I didn't have to go today,” I say.
She smiles at me and squeezes my fingers again. “Me too, but you have to, so there's no sense fighting it.”
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