Clouded by Envy

by Candace Robinson

  “Yeah, who knows. I’m sure there isn’t anything to worry about.” Bray felt like she was lying to herself a little bit, because it still was strange.

  “There’s someone I think you need to talk to, though,” Wes pointed out. Bray knew she needed to talk to him, too.

  When Wes walked her inside, Bray hopped off his shoulder and transformed.

  “Also, warn me about that next time, too,” Wes said with sarcasm. Then he headed to the living room without looking back.

  The light beamed out from underneath Luca’s closed bedroom door. Tapping softly on the wood, Bray took a step back. “Come in,” Luca’s soft voice answered.

  Bray opened the door to find Luca leaning against the headboard of his bed. Wet hair framed his face and a book was flipped open in his hand.

  “What are you reading?” Bray asked as she took a few steps closer.

  Unsmiling, Luca glanced up at her and then back at his book. “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

  “I love that book!” That was one of the first stories Ruth had read to her and Brenik. She remembered almost all of it by heart.

  “Me, too. It’s my favorite out of the series.” Hers, too.

  She owed him an apology. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to leave like that.”

  “It’s okay. I should be used to people leaving by now—they always do,” Luca whispered, not meeting her gaze.

  Bray knew that feeling all too well, and her eyes started to glisten with tears. She didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. Especially not the little beast who had become a friend in such a short time.

  “If I ever leave to go somewhere, I’ll let you know from now on,” she promised.

  Luca nodded, his face relaxing. “Thanks, Bray.” He was about to return to his book, but then he stopped. “Do you want me to read some of the story to you, since you like this book, too?” A tiny smile lifted at the edges of his lips, freckles highlighted under the incandescent light bulb.

  “I would love that.” She looked at his small twin bed, wrinkled her nose, and switched back to her bat form. Bray flew up to his cozy shoulder and curled into a ball, his soft voice enveloping her through each wonderful word he read.

  She had been sleeping in her tree house for the past week, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Luca had gotten to the part where the lion finally makes an appearance, and those were the last words she remembered before falling asleep on her friend.

  11

  Brenik

  Brenik had cooped himself up in the house for the last week. At night he would go for walks around the graveled track, thinking to himself.

  Every time he passed by Jeremy’s cabin, he felt ashamed by what he had done, yet the inevitability of it lessened his self-loathing somehow.

  He could not bring himself to check inside the house to see if the body was still there. He was sure it was.

  Just like the tree, the cabin had become a prison, swallowing every part of him, until he was becoming that thing inside again he despised. Taunting—toying—obsessing, his head was a place he hated to be in almost all the time.

  Urging himself to do something, he decided to walk for a while. Crickets were chirping, and he missed his sister. Brenik had spent twenty years around her, so he couldn’t help it.

  Street lamps slid into view, and the loud music coming from Sam’s Bar boomed through the air.

  As Brenik drew nearer, he could see the graveled parking lot filled with cars. Through the open windows of the building, he heard the clank of pool balls smacking each other.

  The place itself was a dump. But what the hell? He needed to get away from his old loner self, so he might as well check it out. Shuffling himself between two cars parked too close together, Brenik headed for the glass door at the entrance.

  Inside the run-down building, he found himself engulfed in a room full of smoke, loud music, and a cluster of people. His gaze darted all around the room, taking in everything. Brenik had been there before at night and peered in, but he had never gone inside. He now wished it had stayed that way—the place was disgusting.

  There were box TVs in each corner of the room playing different channels, but the sound was overpowered by the terrible twangy music.

  Several guys and girls in the middle of the room, past the four pool tables, were throwing darts at a dartboard. Playing poorly, he added to himself, as one of the tall girls in a miniskirt missed and struck the blue painted wall.

  Growing bored already, Brenik looked toward the bar area filled with more people. They were bouncing drunkenly, except for one woman with hair like shadows that fell to her shoulders. She seemed to be gazing down at her drink—alone.

  Feeling alone himself, Brenik swaggered over to the bar and took a seat on a torn cushioned stool beside her. The bartender was busily waiting on other people, and after what happened at Jeremy’s, he wouldn’t be having any alcohol tonight.

  Under the hanging lights, Brenik turned and gazed at the profile of the woman’s face: warm brown skin, dark eyebrows, a tiny mole a few millimeters below her bottom lip. He felt the urge to lick it, but he didn’t.

  He continued to study her. As if she felt him watching her, which she probably did, her eyes flicked back and forth to the side to see if he was still looking at her—which he was.

  She turned her stool abruptly to the side, and asked, “Are you not drinking?”

  Brenik stared at her ruby red lips. “Not tonight.”

  She pulled her drink closer to her, as if she was afraid he was going to drop something in it. “Then why are you up here?”

  “I saw you sitting here and thought I’d say hello.” He liked that this woman pretended to not seem the slightest bit interested in him. “So, hello.”

  “Goodbye.” She smiled and turned her chair back to face the front.

  Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, “My name is Brenik.”

  “That’s lovely.” Still smiling, she brought her drink to her mouth and set it back down on the bar underneath her chest, which he was looking at, but trying not to.

  “Your eyes are telling me differently.”

  “Okay, what kind of line was that?” The woman laughed under her breath. “Shouldn’t you maybe move over there?” She pointed in the direction of the stools filled with women in tight dresses at the opposite end of the bar table.

  “Sorry, the seats are all taken.” He smiled like he had just revealed a secret.

  “Then, silence is a must. Shh!” She pulled up an index finger in front of her red-lipstick covered lips. Her eyes seemed to beam, as if she was starting to become entertained.

  “So, do you want to come and hang out at my place?” The smoke was really starting to mess with him, and he was tired of trying to talk and listen over the music.

  Slowly, she swiveled her chair back to face him and arched an eyebrow. “Look, just because you have a semi-pretty face, doesn’t mean I’m going to come home with you and hop in your bed.”

  “Only semi?” He cocked his head to the side, biting his lip.

  “Wow. Okay, whatever. I never—and I mean never—get hit on and when it finally happens, I get a stalker?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve never had a relationship.”

  “I highly doubt that.” She laughed and moved a lock of hair away from her face.

  “Listen, I was pretty much homeschooled my whole life, so my social skills are not up to par. But I promise, you do not have to worry about stalking.” He didn’t have the drive to sit there and bother with that nonsense.

  She stared at him, as if trying to find a way to doubt his story, but what he said was true. Ruth tried to school them the best way she could, even though he didn’t grasp everything she had tried to show him.

  “Not everyone is going to break your heart,” he added. “I just haven’t been around a lot of people, and I want to change that.” Brenik held out his hand. “And you are?”

  The woman let out a long sigh. “
My name’s Rana.” She gingerly enfolded her hand into his.

  “A very exquisite name.”

  “What exquisite vocabulary you have, Brenik.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain her smile.

  “My name did sink in for you, then.”

  “Maybe it did.”

  Brenik stood from his chair, anxious to leave the bar. “So, hang out?”

  “I’ll come hang out, but only because I’m in a weird place tonight. And—don’t even think anything frisky is going to happen, because it isn’t, Brenik.” Rana grinned and Brenik’s stomach fluttered at the sight.

  “Anyway, let me call my friend real quick and let her know if I disappear, it’s because of some guy at a bar,” she teased. Taking her drink with her, Rana went to the end of the bar and picked up the phone, then dropped in a quarter to call her friend.

  Brenik looked around the room while he waited for her, still unimpressed with the crowd and decor. Rana walked back toward him a few moments later—still smiling and appearing genuinely amused. “I described to her exactly what you look like, so be prepared if I go missing.”

  Giving her a small smile back, Brenik said seriously, “Don’t worry, you can leave anytime you want. I’m really not a stalker.” He wouldn’t feed on this woman—there was something about her he was attracted to.

  Relieved to be outside, Brenik took in a deep breath of the fresh air. Getting away from the horrific atmosphere made him feel better already. He had no idea what intrigued humans so much about that kind of life—but if you are drunk or high, anything must seem like a good time.

  “Where are you parked?” Rana surveyed the parking lot, waiting for Brenik to point to one of the cars.

  “I walked here.” He motioned in the direction he had come from.

  “I should have guessed you’d say something along those lines,” she said sarcastically.

  “Well, I don’t have a car.” Brenik shrugged as he smiled at her.

  “Let me guess—you don’t have a job either?”

  “I did say I was homeschooled before. But I’m attempting to become an artist.” He had to make something up. All he could think about was the portrait at the cabin, so an artist was the first thing to come to mind.

  “Well, at least you have some kind of goal.” Pulling the keys out of her purse, Rana headed toward an aging silver car.

  After he took a seat on the passenger side, she turned to face him. “Wait, how old are you? You’re legal right?”

  “I’m twenty. You?”

  “You know, you weren’t even supposed to be in that bar. You’re just a baby,” she groaned. “I’m twenty-four.”

  “I do like them older.” He scanned her over and liked what he saw even more.

  “Whatever.” Rana laughed. “So where do you live?”

  Brenik pointed her in the direction of his home up ahead. Because of the hidden cabins, Rana joked she was inclined to believe that maybe tonight was her night to die. But he wouldn’t let himself get out of control.

  When Rana pulled up to the cabin, she sat in the car for a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, not sure what to make of this girl.

  Without looking at Brenik, her head fell to the steering wheel. “It’s just… Look, like I told you before, I’m only coming here to hang out, not to do anything. It’s incredibly cliché, but my boyfriend cheated on me with my roommate, who is no longer my roommate. That’s the first serious relationship I’ve ever been in. Growing up, my parents were incredibly strict, until I moved out on my own a few years ago.” She lifted her head from the steering wheel to look at him. “Anyway, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, but I’m here right now to escape.”

  Brenik understood the need to escape more than anything. “We’ll just head inside and watch some TV, and then you can go home. How does that sound?” Brenik didn’t really know her, but it bothered him that she was unhappy.

  “It sounds brilliant.” A grin spread across her face, and Brenik wanted to brush his thumb right under her lip where her mole was.

  “What do you want to watch?” Brenik asked as he turned on the TV. To get rid of the static, he straightened out the antenna to get a stronger signal, but the screen was still a little fuzzy.

  The main channel that worked was playing an old episode of Gilligan’s Island. Rana shouted, “Leave it here! I love old television shows.” So did Ruth, but she had been around when the original episodes aired.

  Brenik took a seat beside Rana on the old cloth couch and studied how entranced she was with the show. Her eyes sparkled, and she laughed at things Brenik did not quite understand. A smile crossed his face every now and then from her giddiness.

  He had adjusted well to becoming semi-human and losing his wings. It was as if he had never been anything other than what he was now.

  After a few episodes, Rana looked down at her watch. “Well, it’s getting late. I have to help a friend move her stuff into the apartment tomorrow morning, so I better head out.”

  A surge of something unfamiliar found its way inside Brenik’s chest, and he didn’t want her to leave. Yet he still told her it was okay.

  “It was interesting meeting you—maybe I’ll see you around?” Rana asked.

  “Okay.” He didn’t sound hopeful or optimistic as he stared at the floor, while she stood in the doorway.

  He watched her velvety hair bounce against her shoulders as she descended the porch steps. At the last second, she turned around. “Hey, if you’re up for it, some of my friends and I are playing charades tomorrow night if you want to come over.”

  Brenik thought it over for a minute and knew he wanted to go. “Sure.” Charades was something he had only seen on TV—it wasn’t a game he had played with Bray or Ruth. Something about that made him feel invigorated.

  “Great. I’ll pick you up around five—or do you want to walk again?” Rana smiled, and it reached all the way up to her caramel eyes, highlighted from the porch light.

  “I can walk.” He didn’t mind walking.

  “That means I’ll pick you up. See you then, stalker.”

  Brenik ran a hand across his face and shook his head.

  “Right, maybe I shouldn’t joke about such a serious subject.” She laughed and waved goodbye as she headed to her car.

  Brenik shut the door behind him and crashed his back against the wood, sinking down to the floor. I have to figure things out, he thought as he gripped his hair tightly.

  The gnawing inside him had begun to stir again, drowning out the goodness of the evening. He knew it would take over eventually, and he almost hated admitting to himself that he had liked the rush of pleasure when it had happened the first time.

  One thing he did know: this time he didn’t want it to happen around Rana. He desperately wished it hadn’t happened around Jeremy either.

  A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and he jumped up to answer it. Maybe Rana had forgotten something.

  He tore the door open to a face that was not Rana’s. It was a short, bald man wearing a police uniform.

  Dread filled Brenik’s chest, and he swallowed slowly. “Can I help you?” Brenik asked, his voice sounding ever so calm.

  “We just wanted to inform you that the man who lives at cabin twenty-five was shot down earlier this evening.”

  Brenik’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Shot?”

  “Yes. We are investigating the incident and need to know if you’ve seen or heard anything strange going on.”

  Brenik thought about it for a moment, but he hadn’t heard anything. “No, I was just over there a few days ago, watching a football game. Everything seemed fine.”

  “Okay. Well, thank you for your time, Mr.?”

  “Schwartz.” That was the first name he could think of.

  “Mr. Schwartz, I can’t discuss the case, but there have been reports on the news. Have a good evening.” The officer turned around and walked back in the direction of Jeremy’s.

/>   Brenik shut the door and headed straight for the TV, flipping it to a station that had local news. The damn antenna wasn’t working right, so he swiveled the long metal rod back and forth, until he found the sound coming out clear.

  “A man was gunned down earlier tonight after he tried to attack a civilian. It is unknown as to what caused him to spiral out of control, but an autopsy is going to be performed. Police have been baffled by the lack of blood surrounding the gunshot wound. The case is still under investigation.”

  What? Jeremey’s body wasn’t found in his home? He was dead when Brenik had left the house. Sinking down into the sofa, Brenik ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to think.

  12

  Bray

  “Bray, can ya go outside and pick some peaches from the tree? I want to make a peach pie for you two,” Ruth called from the kitchen to Bray, who was seated in the living room.

  Bray and Brenik were sitting on the table playing checkers. Brenik was in the process of shoving a black checker forward. “Sure, Ruth!” Bray hollered back.

  Lifting her head to Brenik, she asked, “Do you want to help me?”

  “What else do I have to do?” he responded with a moody grunt.

  Bray cocked her head to the side, folding her arms across her chest. “I suppose you can play checkers for the both of us while I am outside.”

  Brenik shot her a glare and then smiled. “I do want the peach pie as soon as possible and not have you poke around out there.”

  “Whatever,” Bray said. She transformed, and Brenik landed on her shoulder.

  “You do not understand how much I wish I could transform, too.” He sighed. But she did. For years, she had snuck off to the Stone of Desire, begging it to give the gift to Brenik or let them both have it. Every single time she had failed to rouse the Stone awake to answer her.