Light flooded the room and Carson and I hopped down off the counter.
I peered down the dark hallway. “It blew out all the lights?”
“Yes indeedy,” Dakota answered. “I could only find one flashlight, so Shiloh’s running around fixing the rest.”
“Must have been one powerful spirit.”
Louise cringed. “His aura was brown and thick as mud—so much hostility and unresolved anger. He also broke a couple dishes. Harmony has her hands full with that one.”
“Is she still here?”
“No.” Dakota pushed his haphazard waves of blond hair from his eyes. “She didn’t want him doing any more damage to the house.”
Dakota wasn’t a member of our kindrily, but he was a member of our family. To Harmony and Faith, he was related by blood. The rest of us became connected to him by heart, which in many cases is as strong as blood or soul ties.
He grabbed a rag and scrubbed at wet spots on the Element logo of his t-shirt. “I tried a Repelling Evil spell on him, but the poltergeist prick exploded a can of soda on me.”
I grinned. Dakota had never successfully cast a spell. “Trying to protect your sister again?”
“Some spirits just don’t know when to let up,” he spat. “In my next life I’m going to be a Ghostbuster.”
Louise and I laughed. Carson rolled his eyes.
At age thirteen, Dakota’s harness malfunctioned during a rock-climbing adventure and he nearly fell to his death. Carson and I reacted instinctively. Dakota witnessed me safely anchored to the rocks above him one second, and below him on the ground the next. In actuality, Carson saved his life. My intention was only to break his fall, but Carson grabbed him mid-plummet, and Dakota halted within inches of my arms. He refused to believe the explanations we constructed, so the kindrily entrusted Dakota with our basic secret of abilities. Over the years he attained further knowledge about us, and it strengthened his desire to be an Element.
“Anyway,” Carson said, as the hallway light flickered on. “Shiloh had me text you.”
Shiloh spun out of the hallway into the kitchen, singing a chimerical song about lights and ghosts. A head full of braids had replaced the thick unkempt hair I’d seen him with a few days earlier. “Natty bro!”
“Carson said you had him text me. Why didn’t you just call me?”
“Left my phone at the dance studio.” He dumped an armful of bulbs into the trashcan. “All the lights are fixed, Louise.”
Louise patted his back. “What would I do without you, Shiloh?”
“You’d use a flashlight.”
She playfully shoved him, and in true Shiloh style he dramatically fell against the refrigerator. “Maybe so, but none of us have the ability to know what you told us earlier. Hurry up and tell Nathan.”
“Tell me what?”
“Let’s go outside,” Shiloh said. “I’d rather show you.”
∞
We walked to the far end of the deck where the spiral staircase led to the rooftop. I traversed to the top and waited for him.
When he reached the top stair, I asked, “Why are we up here?”
“The closer the better.”
“Closer to what?”
He pointed upward.
I glanced at the sky. “Beg your pardon.”
“This might sound crazy, but keep in mind I see differently than the rest of you. Just like you see colors and I can’t, I can see things that you can’t.” He rubbed his hands together. “Promise you won’t push me off the roof when I tell you this.”
“I’ll do my best to refrain.”
He sucked air through his teeth and blew out a long breath. “Okay, last night, I thought I saw something in the sky, but I dismissed it due to Faith’s contagious optimism. Tonight though, it’s a tad brighter. I can’t deny it’s there.”
“Deny what’s there?”
He stepped past me so he wasn’t near the roof’s edge. “Maryah’s star.”
My eyes darted upward, searching for the celestial light that used to shine beside mine. I saw only darkness. The empty grave in the sky matched the black hole inside me. I lowered my chin and glared at Shiloh.
“Dang. You don’t see it either. I’m telling you, where her star used to be is a pulsing spec of mist that’s halfway between gray and silver of my color spectrum.”
“Her star burned out almost two decades ago. Once a star falls it doesn’t rise again.”
“I discussed that with Faith and Louise. Maybe it never fell. What if it just faded like her memory, and now it’s slowly being rekindled?”
“The star that represented her has burned out. The heavens are through weeping for her, and so am I.”
“Do you really expect me to believe you’re not going to fight to bring her memory back?” I stared at him, unblinking. “You aren’t yourself anymore, bro. We miss the old Nathaniel, the believer of love and miracles. I swear, Nate, there is a trace of light up there.”
I shook my head. “Impossible.”
“We’ll see about that.” Shiloh sat down, dangling his legs over the side of the roof. “Carson thinks I can see it because of my ability to see in the dark. He’s hoping to reproduce my gift by designing special hi-tech glasses. If he pulls it off, I’ll prove you wrong.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
He reclined back with his hands behind his head and smiled. “We know. That’s why Carson is making the glasses.”
JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS
Maryah
After an all day tour of Sedona, and lots of Faith singing, we pulled into the Lunas’ driveway. That’s when I saw it: a white Mustang.
She did it. Faith’s scary sister convinced the Lunas to give Carson his car months before his birthday. He wasn’t even sixteen yet! It’s not like he’d be able to drive it. How could Harmony talk Anthony and Louise into breaking their family tradition?
Maybe they feared Evil Twin as much as I did.
As we entered the house, Carson’s voice echoed through the foyer. He was discussing nitrous and racing stripes, but the conversation halted when we entered the kitchen. I tried to stay behind Krista, using her as a shield from Carson’s dirty looks.
“See my new ride?” Carson asked, grinning smugly.
Faith fist bumped him. “Very swank. Congrats.” She punched a blonde boy’s shoulder when he was in mid-sip of his drink. Soda spilled down the front of him and onto the kitchen counter. “This is my little brother, Dakota.”
“Seriously? I just cleaned this shirt!” Dakota rubbed his arm where Faith hit him. “Hi, Maryah. Hi, Krista.”
Krista spoke for both of us. “Nice to meet you.”
Dakota was shorter and smaller than Carson. His scabbed elbows and wrist brace made him look breakable and corruptible. Carson would probably turn him against me—if he hadn’t already.
“Shiloh will be in in a sec,” Faith said after glancing at her phone. As if Krista and I knew who Shiloh was. She poured herself a drink. “We’re going to hang out here and watch a movie. You boys want to join us?”
Carson flipped through the pages of a car magazine. “Sure. What are you guys watching?”
Wow. Carson agreed to an activity that involved my company? Guess the excitement of getting a car curbed his bad attitude toward me. I didn’t want to hang out with Carson, but I also didn’t want to look like an anti-social brat by hiding out in my room all night.
“No chick flicks,” Dakota moaned.
“I second that!” A guy with braids and caramel skin came through the kitchen door. “Hey, Maryah, I’m Shiloh. Faith’s other half. It’s awesome to see you.”
“Thanks. You, too.” I’d learned from meeting so many people in the last twenty-four hours that people in Arizona didn’t say it was nice to meet you, they said it was nice to see you. No use fighting their system.
His smile gleamed. “Hello, Krista.”
“Love your bandana,” she said.
“Much thanks. One of my
dance students gave it to me as a gift.” He wasn’t much taller than Faith, but he looked pretty buff under his baggy black t-shirt and white basketball shorts. His day-glo sneakers coordinated with Faith’s hair and bright outfit.
“You’re a dancer?” I asked.
“Shiloh’s parents own a studio,” Faith explained. “His mom is from Jamaica and his dad is from Asia. They do everything from Salsa to African. It’s where my Jamasian gets his talent from. They’re the coolest people in the world—well, besides us.” She playfully elbowed me. She obviously had no idea how uncool I was.
Shiloh demonstrated a fancy foot-work spin, then dipped Faith and kissed her.
I smiled at how cute and in-sync they were. “How long have you two been together?”
Faith giggled. “A looong time.”
“What flick are we watching?” Shiloh asked.
Carson glared at me through his parted curtain of bangs and stepped way too close to me—way too quickly. “Have you seen Jumper?”
I stumbled backward but the kitchen wall stopped me. “Jumper?”
“About the guy who can teleport.”
“Never heard of it.” I made tentative eye contact with him. His words sounded neutral, but his expression was intense.
“Jumper it is!” Faith announced. “I’ll start the popcorn.” She danced over to the kitchen pantry.
“Should we see if Harmony wants to join us?” Krista asked.
Great. Let’s invite all the members of my lynch mob.
Dakota answered before unease fully washed over me. “Nah. She’s hanging out with Nathan tonight.”
Faith whipped her head around, and Carson threw a bottle cap at Dakota. Why were they acting so weird?
“Oh, it’s Nathan from Oak Creek.” Dakota peeled the corner of his bottle label. “Not Nathan-Nathan,”
Carson faced me again. “Our Nathan has Jumper on DVD. You should help me find it.”
“Sure,” slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
I followed Carson down the hallway, staring at the back of his white hoodie, certain he’d turn around any second and say something mean. Maybe he was trying to get me alone so there’d be no witnesses.
He opened the door to Nathan’s room and my worry turned to confusion. This was Nathan’s room? The same Nathan who designed my gorgeous bedroom? His room was so small and plain. The bed had a boring green comforter and no headboard. His dresser, bookshelves, and desk looked like they came from a thrift store.
Carson searched through DVDs while I studied the pictures on the walls. Several sketches hung around one of Louise’s paintings. They were all the same—a pair of female eyes drawn in intricate detail. Their shape reminded me of my own, but they were prettier than mine and the brows were darker.
I spotted a framed photo on the nightstand of a tall curvy girl with long curly hair. She had dazzling green eyes—definitely the ones in the drawings—and a warm smile. She looked like a supermodel.
Carson walked over and stood beside me. “That’s Mary.”
“Your brother’s girlfriend?”
He tugged on the strings of his sweatshirt. “You could call her that.”
I thought about how Dylan was already married at twenty. “Are they married?”
“Let’s just say they’ve been together forever.”
I held the frame close to my face, examining the dull coloring. “Looks like an old photo.”
“Nathan is old-fashioned. That was taken with real film. Eighties-style camera.”
“She’s beautiful.”
Carson’s mad-at-the-world look resurfaced. “She’s not my favorite person.”
I was beginning to think he didn’t like anyone. “Why don’t you like her?”
“She’s selfish. She’s caused Nathan a lot of pain.”
In a way it was sweet, him being protective of his big brother. I looked at the picture again, wondering if Carson judged Mary as harshly as he did me. My mother always said there are many sides to every story.
“Did she go off to school with Nathan?”
Carson’s laugh bordered on sinister. “Nope, she’s here in Sedona.”
“Must be tough for them to be so far apart.”
“You have no idea.” Carson took the frame from me and laid it face down on the nightstand. “Movie time.”
∞
As the closing credits rolled up the screen, Faith grabbed my hand. “What’d you think?”
“Pretty good. Krista used to make up stories about a boy with the same kind of power when we were little.”
Faith’s sparkly grin gushed free when she looked at Krista. “You did?”
“I told her about all kinds of supernatural stuff,” Krista said.
Dakota brushed potato chip crumbs off of his seat. “If I had powers, I’d want to fly.”
Throughout the movie Dakota commented on teleporting like it was real. Faith mentioned he was only fifteen, but did he really believe people had supernatural powers?
Faith squeezed my hand. “What’s wrong? You’re irritated. Do you not like discussing this stuff?”
“I’m not irritated.”
“Yes, you are. I can sense these things. What ability would you want if you were a superhero?”
It wouldn’t be much different from reality. “I’m sure I’d have the power of invisibility.”
Faith scrunched up her nose. “Well, it’s been a long day, and I have to take Shiloh home.”
“Ready when you are.” Shiloh yawned and stretched his arms above his head. The sleeve of his t-shirt crinkled up, exposing a tattoo on his shoulder—the number twelve surrounded by linking circles.
“What’s your tattoo mean?” I asked.
“Oh, uhh.” He looked over his shoulder then at Faith. “My soccer number is twelve.”
“And the rings?”
He smiled. “They represent an unbreakable bond.”
Kind of odd someone would love their soccer team that much, but who was I to judge?
Faith wrapped her arms around Shiloh’s waist and said something in a foreign language. He answered in the same sort of incomprehensible words.
“What language is that?” I asked.
“Duh,” Carson said. “Japanese.”
“You both know how to speak Japanese?”
“Just a little,” Shiloh replied, holding his thumb and index finger close together.
“We should get going.” Faith giggled. “Dakota, you want a ride?”
“Nah,” he replied. “I’m spending the night here so I can beat Carson at his new video game.”
Krista and I said goodbye to Faith and Shiloh, then ended up following Carson and Dakota toward the game room.
Carson stopped short and I ran into his back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Yet another awkward hallway encounter with Carson. “To the guest room.”
He pointed down the hall. “No, we fixed yours today. No more guest room for you two.”
No way could they repair that much fire and water damage in one day. After he and Dakota walked away, Krista and I headed for our original room.
I took a few weary steps toward the door. “He’s messing with us, right?”
Krista shrugged.
I squinted, like that would make the scene easier to look at, and pushed the door open. “What the—?”
MOVING AWAY BUT GETTING CLOSER
Maryah
Everything looked exactly like it did before the fire. The same tree branch bed posts, same linens, even the dream catcher looked identical to the one that hung there before. No scorched floors or ceiling. No water damage or smoke smell.
“How?” I asked Krista.
“They work fast.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s a big family. They must have pulled together and worked all day. They’re trying hard to make you feel comfortable and happy here. It’s sweet.”
Another hint that she wanted me to live with th
e Lunas. I’d always believed that Krista and I were inseparable, but ever since we arrived in Sedona, it felt like she was pushing me away. Only one way to be sure.
“I’ve decided I’m staying.”
And there it was. A gleam in her eye. “You are? You’re sure?”
I hesitated, not sure whatsoever. “It’ll be a fresh start.”
She actually smiled—a huge, blinding, so-relieved-to-be-ditching-my-zombie-cousin smile. “I am so jealous. I mean, I’m sad we’ll be so far apart, but I know you’ll feel much better here.”
Sad? She was so far from sad she’d need a GPS to find it. I’d never seen her look happier. I didn’t know whether to cry or yell at her for being so heartless.
“Oh, Pudding, this is going to be your healing place. I just know it. I’ll explain everything to my mom and dad so they understand. And I’ll make sure all your stuff gets packed and shipped to you.”
She didn’t even want me flying home with her to pack my stuff! I couldn’t open my mouth or I was certain I’d cry or scream, so I just nodded.
“You should go tell Louise. She’ll be thrilled.”
Go tell Louise. What if Louise didn’t want me either? What if she was being nice and hospitable out of respect for my mother, but never expected me to actually move into her home?
A headache unfurled at the base of my neck. I sucked in air, realizing I hadn’t taken a breath in at least fifty sprinting heartbeats. What if no one wanted me?
∞
I found Louise in the library, working on her laptop. I knocked on the doorframe before entering. “Hi.”
“Hello.” She stopped typing and folded her screen down. Her silver bracelets clinked together initiating a long moment of us silently staring at each other until finally, “Carson told me you watched one of Nathaniel’s favorite movies tonight.”
Poor Louise. She had a severe case of Nathan withdrawal. “You miss him, don’t you?”
“Do I miss him?”
“You talk about him a lot. I figured it’s because you miss him.”
“Oh.” She paused. “You’re right. Maybe I miss him more than I realized.”
Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) Page 6