The Watcher

by Heather Kindt

  His eyes lit up as he knelt next to her. “Are you sure you’re up for going?”

  “I think I will, but I’ll call you if this doesn’t get any better.” She leaned forward, massaging her ankle.

  “All right, I’ll see you around four.” Nick left out of the door, and they were alone again.

  Grady’s eyes rested on the rose in Laney’s hand. “Do you plan on breaking that boy’s heart?”

  She placed the card and the flower on her lap. This wasn’t an easy conversation out loud or in her head. “I’ve told him the truth. Nick knows that I’m in love with William.”

  “Laney. You and I live in two different worlds. We have the world we call reality that we can take in with our senses. It’s a world that’s based on science and logic. It’s a world where you can fall in love with that boy, get a job, have children, and live in a house with a white picket fence. It’s not a bad world. In many ways, it’s incredible. Your parents live in this world. And then, there’s our other world. Some would call it our fantasy world. To me, it’s a world built on faith, until it becomes a reality. If you love William, you have to have faith that you’ll be together again because right now, you have nothing to hold onto but words.”

  A lump formed in Laney’s throat as courage surged within her. She knew what she had to do, and with Brian locked up, it was possible. “Then I need to go to him.”

  Jonas gagged, flinging the passenger door open in the lower parking lot near the path to the forest. A plume of smoke rose into the area and clung to every crevice of his body. The ride to Madison with Lucius had been the longest twenty minutes of his life. “Thanks for nothing.” Jonas slammed the car door shut, and Lucius sped away, his tires squealing around the first corner.

  The narrow road that led out of the woods was barely visible as Jonas trudged down the path. A smile crossed his lips. He thought about how he’d gone two days without a drink. He could do this, and with a shower and the clean set of clothes he’d swiped from a dorm room, he could fit in with the college students. Most women found him attractive. He’d rely on that to set his plan into motion.

  When he came around the last bend in the path, a shadow ran toward him in the parking lot. He darted behind a tree. The shadow jumped to avoid the chain but landed face first in the dirt. Jonas suppressed a laugh, leaving his hiding spot to help the stranger. He stopped short when he recognized her, sliding back into the shadows. It would be so easy to grab Delaney right now as she ate the dirt, but something deep inside told him it was not the time. The torture of his presence in her life was too much to look forward to. After Laney limped away, he found the field house and followed another student in through the front door.

  The shower in the men’s locker room removed the stench of cigarette smoke and released the tension in his muscles from sleeping on the ground. How hard could this be? The Gate Keeper gave him everything he needed to fit in with these kids. He’d easily pass as a senior. Stepping out of the shower, he put on the pants they called jeans—bit snug and stiff, but doable. Before pulling on his shirt, he ran his hand through his hair. Someone left a blade by the sink, so he used it to clean up his face.

  Walking to the library, he reviewed the plan in his head again—blend in among the college students, make friends and most of all, get close to Delaney. The Wanderer thought she had her agenda, but Jonas still had his.

  He found a seat near the rear of a classroom when he first entered the doors. Students settled around him before the professor walked in and set his coffee cup on the front table.

  “Are you new?” A girl with blonde hair, probably a freshman, leaned over to him.

  “Nope.” Jonas stared straight ahead, forgetting he was supposed to make friends. He faced her. “Just picked up this class. What is it again?”

  “Sex Education in the Middle School Setting.” The girl didn’t bat an eye. “Are you sure you’re not new? Because I would’ve noticed you.”

  “Nope. We must not run in the same circles.” Jonas realized that while he looked the part, he didn’t have any supplies. “Do you have paper and a pencil I can borrow?”

  “Sure.” The girl bent over her bag. Her shirt slipped halfway up her back. A pink and black butterfly tattoo covered her skin.

  Jonas had never seen that much skin in his life. He swallowed and turned away.

  “What’s your name?” The girl reached over and put the paper and pencil on his desk. Her shirt went back to covering her mid-section.

  “Jonas.” He scribbled the date at the top of the paper. It all seemed so futuristic, yet he still wrote the standard way. Several of the students around the room typed away on computers.

  “Cool, like the Jonas Brothers. I’m Missy.” She scrawled something on the paper she had on her desk. “Here’s my number if you want to hang out sometime.” The paper had numbers and her name with a heart over the i.

  He choked down the bile rising in his throat. She was not his kind of girl. A proper woman would wait for him to make an advance, not throw herself all over him like a cheap blanket.

  An hour later, the bile rose again. The professor lectured on things he had never heard from his parents before. What in the world was a condom or a birth control pill? He shook his head and stuffed the note from Missy in his pocket. A hand touched his arm.

  “My roommate Laney texted me that she’s going to be out tonight at some festival. Maybe you could come over for a while.”

  He grinned. Missy just became a lot more interesting.

  Laney practiced walking on her foot around the hallway before icing it again. After doing this about four times, she felt she was good enough to hang out with Nick. She clung to Grady’s words throughout the day. She had to have faith in her relationship with William. If he couldn’t get to her, she had to find a way to get to him. But there was also the matter of Nick. She didn’t have the courage to open the card from him yet; after all, it was accompanied by a red rose.

  About an hour before it was time to leave, she ripped the back of the envelope and pulled out the card. It had a heart on the front. Her stomach tightened.

  Laney,

  I know you have William. But I have to tell you how I feel, or I’ll regret it. Over the past four months, I’ve grown to know a woman who’s more amazing than anyone I’ve ever known. I tried to tell you this, but it’s easier for me to write it. I thought you were a jerk when I heard Jason’s side of the story, but I only knew you through his eyes. I couldn’t understand why he still wanted something with you. But now I understand. If William never returns, know I’m here.

  Love,

  Nick

  Tonight. How was she going to make it through tonight? She could always lie about her ankle or at least fib a bit because it did still hurt, but she wanted to go. She liked hanging out with him.

  They found a parking spot for the bike near the front of the dirt lot because it didn’t take up a lot of space. Nick put his arm around her to support her slight limp. It felt good to be close to him while the evening chill set in around them. He wore a flannel shirt and a gray beanie. Some girl deserved a man like him in her life.

  They stopped by a crowded stand to buy some chili before trying their luck at a few carnival games. Laney tossed the winning ring in the bottle toss and picked out a teddy bear. She handed it to Nick.

  “Why are you giving this to me?” He held the bear out to Laney.

  “Because the guy always wins the stuffed animal for his date, and I thought it should go both ways.” She pushed the bear back at him. “You can call him Mr. Sparkles.”

  He stuffed the bear under his arm and took her hand. It felt as warm as his flannel. “Let’s go check out this local band I’ve been wanting to see.”

  They weaved through the crowd and found a couple of seats near the front of the small stage. A handful of people sat in anticipation of the group that would begin in a few minutes.

  “Can you save my seat? I’ve got to go to the bathroom.” Nick arranged the
bear on the seat beside her.

  She yawned and stretched her hand over the seat behind the bear. “Sure.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you. I was asking Mr. Sparkles.” He patted the bear’s head before walking to the left of the stage.

  An MC came out to announce the next band, and Laney scanned the crowd for Nick. She didn’t want him to miss any of the show. Four guys walked out on the stage. One of them carried a guitar, wore a flannel shirt and a gray beanie. Nick smiled down at her.

  Her heart skipped a beat as the drummer raised his sticks above his head to get the whole audience clapping. Nick was in a band and was about to play in front of her. Why didn’t he say anything?

  The group played three fast songs, and she got up and danced with the rest of the crowd that had grown since the beginning of the performance with stragglers drawn in by the music.

  “Our next song is a new one.” Nick sounded like a professional on the microphone. The crowd of people in front of him didn’t faze him. “In fact, I recently wrote it for someone I care about.” He set his eyes on Laney; her blood rushed through her body like a flash flood. He wasn’t going to give up.

  The rest of the band stepped back as he took a seat on a stool near the microphone. A short intro was picked on his guitar before his lips approached the mike.

  “You’re torn between two worlds

  So what’s it going to be?

  He’s way over there

  But you’re standing here before me.

  My heart’s an open book

  Just waiting to be read

  There’s really nothing else

  Left unsaid.

  * * *

  Conflicted

  That’s what you are

  Conflicted

  My bright morning star

  And I don’t know how to make you mine

  So I’m waiting…

  For my time.

  The rest of the songs in the set passed by with Laney in a daze, unsure of how to react to Nick’s public proclamation that passed secretly between the two of them. Grady was right. She was going to break his heart.

  When the concert was over, Nick was behind the half shell. He gathered up the gear with the rest of the band.

  Laney clasped her hands in front of her, unsure of what to say. “Nick.”

  He set down his guitar and wrapped his arms around her. “Wasn’t that awesome?” He spoke the words in her ear, and she could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his body.

  “You guys are really good.” She pulled away from his arms and picked up his guitar to help him put it in the case. “I might have to become a groupie.”

  “I was kind of hoping you would.” He unplugged some cords from behind a speaker. He started to wrap one of the cords, then stopped. “Did you like the song I wrote?”

  “It was beautiful, and I’m honored, but…”

  “Laney, I already know the but…” He looked at her and reached out to touch her face. “I’m not going to give up trying. It’s my best way of expressing myself—through my music and my words.”

  “I know.” She held his hand and lowered it. “Promise me you won’t be heartbroken, because I don’t think I could handle that.”

  He lifted his guitar and the box of cords to take to his friend’s pickup truck. Laney sighed.

  A gust of late autumn air whipped through the trees and down into the flaps of the tent. Laney gathered her hair into a ponytail holder before turning around to see if there was anything else that needed to be picked up.

  She found herself face-to-face with Jonas. The icy tentacles of fear gripped her veins. His black hair was tied back in a neat knot, and he wore a red-checkered, buttoned-up shirt and jeans. Before Laney had time to contemplate his change of clothes, or how he escaped from the Weavers, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her toward the tent.

  The stench from the livestock overpowered her senses, and the pain in her ankle returned as he half dragged her through the flaps. She hit him with her other hand, but he was too strong. She let out a single scream before disappearing under the tent curtain.

  Jonas flung her down on the ground and stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth. “You know what I want.”

  He yanked a small piece of rope off of the metal animal enclosure to tie around her ankles. The pressure of his hands on her twisted ankle caused her eyes to well up with tears. She struggled to draw breath into her lungs. As he began to untie another rope for her hands, Nick’s voice called from somewhere nearby. Jonas held still and bore his eyes into hers daring her to make a sound. A drip of sweat ran off his brow onto her cheek.

  “Laney!” Nick was right outside the tent.

  She had to try something. From deep within, she made loud groans, hoping he’d hear before Jonas had the opportunity to silence her.

  The flap opened, and light flooded the room. Nick held a tent stake in his hand. “Get off her!”

  He jumped on top of Jonas, knocking the larger man away from Laney. She struggled to sit up with her ankles bound. She grasped the animal enclosure and used it as a ladder, hand-over-hand, to wiggle herself to a standing position. The two men rolled on the ground nearby in their scuffle. It appeared that Jonas had the upper hand because blood was streaming from Nick’s nose, and a dark shadow encircled his eye. Adrenaline pumped through Laney’s veins. She reached for a shovel that lay next to a pile of manure and hopped toward them. She could kill her Ender if she hit him hard enough on the head with the sharp edge of the shovel. But something stopped her.

  “This is for William.” She drew back and whacked him on the back of the head, not hard enough to kill him but to render him unconscious. From the force of her swing, she was flung backward into a pile of hay.

  Nick rushed over to her, holding a rag over his nose. “Are you all right?”

  Laney shook so much that her teeth chattered. She dropped the shovel.

  “Is that?” Nick placed his hands on her shoulder as he stared at Jonas with a look of immense hatred.

  She nodded.

  Nick reached down and lifted Laney into his arms. He carried her out of the tent to his friend’s car behind the stage and set her down in the passenger seat. The pain in her ankle radiated through her lower calf from the confrontation, but Jonas’s appearance troubled her more. Why was he trying to fit in this world and how did he escape?

  Nick jumped into the driver’s side and rattled a set of keys. “Scott’s letting us borrow his ride.”

  Laney leaned her head back against the passenger side headrest. All of this… Jonas, Nick… was too much for her to take at the moment.

  He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. “Go to sleep. We’ll come back for your bike tomorrow.”

  Chapter 11

  A light flurry fell as Nick drove into the parking lot of Starr Hall. The flakes melted, forming a thin sheet of ice on the blacktop, so Laney put her arm around his shoulder so he could help her to her room. When Jonas tied the rope around her ankles, he aggravated her injury. Pain shot through her leg again when she placed any weight on it at all. After an excruciating trip up the stairs, they made it to her room. Nick lowered Laney down slowly onto her bed.

  “Go clean up and get some ice on that eye.” Laney used her good leg to push herself back against her pillow.

  “I’m not going to leave you. I’ll wash up in your bathroom and grab some ice from the fridge upstairs.” He settled down on the bed next to her. His eyes told her that there would be no arguments.

  “Are you worried about another attack?” She lifted her body slightly, so that she could place her hand on his shoulder.

  He turned his head to the side, blocking his face from her view. He drew in a short breath. She didn’t want to put him through this, and she definitely didn’t want a repeat of last year. This was her battle, and bringing Nick into it wasn’t fair to either of them.

  “That’s the first fight I’ve ever been in, except with my dad.” He gave her a lop-sided grin, but
his eyes still glistened. “Guess I’m not very good at it.”

  “You were perfect.” She rubbed his shoulder to reassure him. “But I’m glad you finally saw him with your own eyes. The man who killed Jason.”

  He ran his sleeve along his puffy cheek. “The one thing I don’t understand is how someone so gentle and caring as you created someone like him. That man… that creature, came from you.”

  “It’s something I deal with every day. When I see Jason’s mom, I want to tell her that I killed him. That he’d never take his own life.” Tears formed in Laney’s eyes. “I—I don’t…” She lowered her head. “I’m not sure we should hang out anymore. I mean, you probably shouldn’t be around me.” She swallowed hard. “At least not until I get this figured out.”

  Nick moved closer into the crook of her arm, snuggled into her shoulder and closed his eyes. “After today, I’m not going anywhere. I can’t even imagine leaving you when that guy is out there.”

  A half-hour later, he got up to take a shower in the bathroom, so Laney stretched out and closed her own eyes. William was in the back of a stranger’s cart rumbling off to who-knows-where. If Brian was locked up in the shack in Rockport, she might convince the other Weavers to let her near him. But she also had to do what was right and set him free. It wasn’t his fault that he was the vessel for evil to enter this world.

  The door clicked. Missy tiptoed in probably thinking her roommate was asleep. Seeing Laney’s eyes, she kicked back on her bed with a huge smile across her face. “I met someone really interesting yesterday.”

  Laney yawned, sitting up a little more to hear about Missy’s newest fling. Brian dated her last year, so he’d be close to Laney. Her roommate was beautiful and fun to be around, but she tended to get bored easily with men.

  “Do tell.” Why not play along with Missy’s little game?

  “He’s in my sex ed class, and I think he’s lying about not being a new student because I’ve never seen him before.”