Pyxis: The Discovery (Pyxis Series)

by K. C. Neal

  When we walked into the gym, the dance was in full swing. The DJ was blasting an upbeat dance song I’d heard on the radio a lot recently, and the dance floor was packed. We left our coats at the coat-check table, and Ang and Toby headed over to a far corner to get their picture taken. Mason grabbed my hand, and we weaved through the crowd to the drink table. His palm was warm against mine. On the way, several guys clapped him on the shoulder or waved. Most of Tapestry High hadn’t seen him in nearly half a year. Lots of female heads swiveled his way and watched us as we made our way through the gym. I could feel a blush spreading up my face.

  I watched as Mason poured us two cups of pink, fruity-smelling liquid. The suit and slick hair make him look like an actor in a spy movie. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then splashed each cup with his flask. With a wink, he handed me one of the cups. My heart did a little flip.

  I was already pleasantly buzzed from our backseat cocktail on the way over, but I figured, what the hell?—and downed my cup in about three seconds. Feeling decidedly tipsy, I stumbled after him onto the dance floor where we got sucked into the mass of moving bodies. We shook it to a couple of fast songs, and I noticed that Mason was actually a pretty good dancer.

  The lights lowered a little, and a slow song started. Everyone obediently stopped moving and paired up. Mason locked his arms around my waist. The glow I was feeling intensified at his touch. I slid my hands up to the base of his neck, and he leaned down until his mouth was at my ear. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Excellent. Slightly drunk, but excellent,” I answered, and he chuckled. “How ‘bout you?”

  He straightened and gave me a half-smile. “Awesome.”

  We swayed around the dance floor. The end of the song melted into the beginning of another slow song. I was sure the alcohol had something to do with it, but I was the most relaxed, the most content I’d been in weeks. I felt good, but I was getting dizzy from the spinning lights. Mason’s arms tightened around me as if he sensed my unsteadiness. His eyes softened, and I knew he wanted nothing more in the world than to kiss me.

  The next several seconds were in slow motion. I pulled him down to me and tilted my face upward. I saw his eyes register surprise, and then they brimmed with intensity. His lips met mine in the gentlest of touches, as if he were afraid a sudden move would break the spell. I closed my eyes, and the gym seemed to spin around us. We stopped swaying to the music and stood, heat spreading from our lips, locked in each other’s arms for seconds. An up-tempo song began, and Mason’s lips broke away from mine.

  As the reality of the moment started to sink in, I felt someone’s eyes on us and glanced to my left. Bradley was about six feet away, watching us over Sophie’s shoulder. He grinned and gave me a sly, knowing nod. I shrugged ever so slightly. What could I possibly say in my defense? Now he’d never believe there wasn’t something going on between me and Mason.

  I turned my attention back to Mason. He was searching my face. Just then, I remembered the picture of him and Sophie, and my whole speech about all the crap we were dealing with and how we should just be friends. What had I done?

  || 27 ||

  BEFORE I COULD SAY anything to Mason, Ang and Toby threaded through the crowd to where we were standing.

  “Did you get your picture taken yet?” Ang asked, looking from me to Mason. I shook my head. “You better get over there. The photographer’s leaving in, like, fifteen minutes.”

  Numb, I glanced up at Mason and then walked toward the corner of the gym that boasted a fake stars-and-moonlight backdrop. I was still a little buzzed, but no longer happy and relaxed. I couldn’t even bring myself to look back to see if he had followed. My face burned as I mentally flogged myself. What the hell was I thinking?

  I stopped between the velvet ropes set up near the photo area, and I felt Mason stop just behind me. There was one couple ahead of us in line, and the photographer was arranging another couple in front of the backdrop. A white, metal bench sat beneath a latticed archway with fake flowers wound up the posts. The girl sat primly on one end of the bench, and the guy stood behind, at his date’s shoulder.

  Mason put his hand on my elbow and leaned down. I was afraid to meet his eyes. “Corinne, I think we need to talk,” he said, low enough so the couple ahead of us wouldn’t hear. His breath smelled like punch.

  “Yeah,” I said, still staring straight ahead. “Um, I guess I didn’t realize how drunk I am.”

  The couple in front of us moved toward the set, and I stepped forward and out of Mason’s reach. The couple took their place, and the set lights flashed a couple of times. Then it was our turn. I sat on the bench with my ankles crossed and my hands folded in my lap, and Mason stood behind me. I smiled woodenly, the lights flashed, and I tried to blink the spots out of my eyes.

  Searching for Ang in the crowd, I turned back toward the dance floor. I prayed she was ready to go. My head was starting to hurt, and I really needed some water. Mason grabbed my forearm tightly and spun me around to face him.

  “Will you just stop for a minute and talk to me?” His eyes were intent on mine. I glanced around. No one seemed to be watching, so I moved into the dark hallway leading to the locker rooms, and Mason stayed at my side. It was much quieter away from the main area of the gym, and I tried to sort out my muddled thoughts.

  He stepped close and tried to close his hand around mine, but I pulled back.

  “Mason,” I said, my voice pleading. “Don’t do this.”

  “Why?” His hazel eyes looked so wounded I thought my heart would break.

  “I don’t…” I swallowed, and my mouth tasted like the inside of a tin can. “I didn’t mean for anything to happen between us. We’re friends, that’s it.”

  “Then why the hell did you kiss me?” I felt a flutter of fear in my stomach. I’d never seen Mason really angry, especially not with me.

  “I don’t know! I wanted to! You wanted me to!” My voice was strained with frustration, and angry tears threatened to flood my eyes. I knew I’d done something I shouldn’t have, but I also knew I needed him. My insides were tumbling, and I felt like I might throw up. “Please don’t be mad at me. It was just an impulse, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”

  He jammed his hands into his pockets and glared at the floor. “Really? That’s all you have to say after everything?”

  “I’m really sorry, I am.” A couple of hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I lifted my arms helplessly. “What do you want me to say?”

  His head whipped up, and he looked at me with such intensity I nearly took a step back. “Honestly? I wish this wasn’t all such a big mistake to you. Because it didn’t feel that way to me.”

  I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I opened my mouth, but no words came. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I turned and dashed into the girls’ locker room. I banged into the first stall just in time to hurl my dinner and a bunch of sour pink liquid into the toilet. I tore off some toilet paper and wiped my mouth, then flushed it all down. Hunched over with weakness, I leaned against the stall wall for a minute and let my tears trail down my face.

  I didn’t want to face Mason or anyone else, but I needed to get back out there and find Ang. I grabbed another wad of paper and stood in front of the mirror to mop my face. I looked like hell, with eye makeup smeared, red-streaked cheeks, and nose running. I cleaned myself up the best I could, rinsed my mouth, and thanked my lucky stars I had the bathroom to myself. What a pathetic display, on top of the mess I’d made of everything. I remembered the hurt on Mason’s face. I grabbed another wad of toilet paper and left the safety of the locker room.

  The crowd in the gym had thinned considerably. A song ended, another one started, and the DJ announced it would be the last song of the night. I nearly wept with relief when I saw Ang and Toby near the coat-check table. I made the mistake of looking at the bowl of pink, fizzy punch as I passed the drink table and tried to ignore the sour sensation that threatened to lurch u
p my throat.

  “Are you okay?” Ang asked, her eyes scrunched in concern.

  “Oh, yeah. I think something at dinner didn’t agree with me.” I glanced around, trying to smile casually whenever someone looked my way. I didn’t see Mason anywhere.

  “Want to go back to your place now?”

  “Yes, please,” I said. “Mason, uh, said he’d meet me outside.”

  Toby, Ang, and I emerged from the gym into the cool night, and my ears buzzed in the silence. I squinted, scanning the sidewalk and parking lot for Mason. I finally spotted him talking to Jesse and Garrett not far from Ang’s car. He noticed us and joined us at the car. He slid into the backseat without so much as a look in my direction. Fortunately, Ang and Toby were wrapped up in some private joke, something that’d happened at the dance, and they were oblivious to the silent passengers sitting behind them.

  My chest tightened, and I bit my lip hard to hold back tears. I remembered the awful days when Ang refused to speak to me. As bad as that had been, this felt even worse. Mason had been my friend forever, and now we shared some sort of bond I didn’t understand. I needed him. The thought of him freezing me out terrified me.

  When we got to my house, we all tiptoed down to the basement. I closed the door at the top of the stairs and plugged in a romantic comedy. Ang and Toby settled on the sofa with less than a hair’s space between them, and pretty soon he had his arm around her. I passed out bottles of water and sat on the other end of the sofa, next to the recliner where Mason was slouched with his elbow propped on the arm of the chair, blocking his face. I was surprised he stayed. He could have walked home.

  After about twenty minutes, I couldn’t take it any longer. I stood and touched Mason’s shoulder. He looked up, and I motioned for him to follow me to my room. “Please?” I whispered.

  He followed me—thank God, or I probably would have fallen completely apart. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but I knew I needed to say something. I couldn’t let him leave hating me. I left the overhead lights off in my room and switched on the little nightlight in the outlet near the door. I thought I might have more courage in the dark.

  || 28 ||

  MASON FLIPPED UP HIS collar, pulled off his tie and dropped it onto the purple chair. He’d left his jacket in the TV room. He sat down next to me on my bed, which I took as a good sign.

  “Mason, I—I need to ask you about something.” I gulped nervously and took a deep breath. “After Solstice Fest, what were you doing with Sophie? Ang saw you with her.”

  I paused and waited for his reaction, but his eyebrows just lowered a little. He certainly didn’t look like he felt guilty about it.

  “She saw you outside, making out with Sophie,” I tried again.

  An amused smile spread over his face, and he snorted a laugh. Then he full-out guffawed.

  I frowned. “Stop laughing! You kissed me and asked me to be your girlfriend, and, like, a day later, sucked face with Sophie! How could you do that to me, Mason?”

  He pressed his lips into a line, but kept erupting with little snorts of laughter.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “That’s just the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. You thought I made out with Sophie Marcelle? Seriously, Corinne, do you know me at all?”

  “Ang has a picture of the two of you, you jerk!” I clenched my hands in my lap so he wouldn’t see them shaking.

  The smile faded from his face.

  “That’s impossible because it didn’t happen,” he said, his voice quiet but earnest. “Did you actually see my face?”

  “Well … no,” I admitted. “Your back was to Ang. It was definitely you, though. Green coat, black hat.” Like I’d ever forget. The image was burned into my brain.

  Mason leaned his head back and rolled his eyes skyward.

  “Oh God. My coat. I gave it to Sam before I left.”

  “You … what?”

  “It was almost too small for me, and Sam’s puppy practically destroyed his coat. So I gave him mine.”

  I couldn’t speak. Relief, embarrassment, and other feelings I couldn’t name flooded through me. My eyes filled with tears, and I turned away from Mason to dab at them with a corner of my pillowcase.

  “Why are you crying?” Mason asked.

  “I just … this whole time, I thought….” I sniffled a little.

  He dragged me to him, and lay on his back with my head tucked under his chin. I felt the tension leave my shoulders and my body melted against his. “You should have known better. Sophie?”

  “What! There was a picture! What was I supposed to think?”

  “I just can’t believe you let all this time go by. Ignored all my emails.” His words formed little puffs into my hair.

  “Yeah, that was dumb,” I said. We lay there in silence, his fingers trailing up and down my bare arm, sending pleasant shivers through me.

  I was fighting to stay awake, but my head was heavy with the after-effects of the booze and the events of the night. And Mason’s chest was so warm against my face.

  I dozed off after a few minutes, and some time later, I heard Ang and Toby go upstairs and out the front door. I hoped he’d kissed her at some point during the evening. She’d only been waiting, like, ten years for this night. I snuggled farther into the crook of Mason’s arm and fell back asleep.

  I woke up in the early morning, cotton-mouthed and stiff, and still wearing my blue dress. Mason was sprawled on the bed, one side of his hair smashed to his head and his shirt untucked and twisted around him. I found my sweats and a t-shirt in the dark and tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth and change. Muffled footsteps and sounds of doors opening and closing overhead told me my dad was probably getting ready to leave for the café.

  After I hung my dress over the shower curtain rod and slipped into the sweats and t-shirt, I leaned over the sink and grimaced at my reflection. My bun had migrated around my head in the night. Makeup was smudged like bruises under my eyes, and pasty skin peeked through the foundation on my cheeks in vertical streaks where my tears had blazed a trail. I washed my face, and then I pulled out all the pins in my hair and brushed it back into a ponytail.

  What a night. Would things be okay between us now? I really didn’t know where we stood. Well … we’d figure it out. We had to.

  I squirted toothpaste out and tried to scrub away the sour taste in my mouth. Just as I was uncapping the toothpaste for another round of brushing, there was a tap at the bathroom door. I squeaked in surprise.

  “Corinne?” My dad’s voice on the other side of the door sounded alarmed. Oh God, had he gone to my room already? At least Mason was fully dressed and on top of the covers.

  I opened the door. My dad had his phone to his ear, and the look of shock on his face made my heart jump in panic. Did something happen to Bradley? Mom?

  “What is it?” I whispered, my eyes wide. He held up one finger, indicating I needed to be quiet.

  “This is just incredible,” he said into the phone. His eyes welled a little as he listened. What the hell was going on?

  “Yes, she’s right here,” he said, and held out the phone. “It’s your Aunt Dorothy. She wants to talk to you.”

  I stared at him stupidly for a second with my mouth gaping. The tiniest spark of hope began to bloom in my chest. I pressed the phone to my ear.

  “Aunt Dorothy?” My voice sounded small and tentative.

  “Corinne, my dear! I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to hear your voice. I do apologize for taking so long. I was in quite a state, and it took several days for the rectification fluid to work its magic, so to speak.” She sounded clear and energetic. Tears filled my eyes, and I couldn’t seem to force words past the lump in my throat. “Is your father still there with you?” she asked, her voice low and conspiratorial.

  “Yes,” I croaked, and cleared my throat. “Yes, he’s right here. Is it really you, Aunt Dorothy?”

  “Of course it’s me, dear. It worked! You did it. Althoug
h I must say, it took quite a lot of persistence on Doris’s part. She practically had to box you in the head to get you to understand! But that’s no matter. We’ll work on it.”

  I sat down on the edge of the tub. My thoughts reeled dizzily, and for a moment, I felt like I was still drunk. My dad motioned for me to come upstairs. I nodded but lingered behind.

  “I just can’t believe it’s you!” I exclaimed finally. “How do you feel? What happened to you? It wasn’t really a stroke, was it?”

  Aunt Dorothy laughed ruefully. “No, it most definitely was not a stroke. I’ll tell you more when we can speak in person. But it’s nothing for you to worry about now. I’m fine, and I’m coming home. The sooner the better! This place is just one step away from the morgue.”

  “So—so you know about the pyxis?” I asked in a low whisper. “The bottles? And the … the dreams?”

  “Yes, my dear.” Her voice turned serious. “We have much work to do, Corinne. I’ve seen the dreams, too, and we must prepare. You, Mason, Angeline, and I must meet at once.”

  I walked up to the kitchen where I found my parents speaking to each other in urgent, low voices. “Can we bring you home today?”

  “I certainly hope so!”

  “Okay, I’m giving the phone back to Dad, now. I’m so, so happy that you’re okay, and I can’t wait for you to come home.” Tears welled in my eyes again.

  I handed the phone to Dad.

  Mom gave me a shocked half-smile. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Can we go get her? Today? Now?” I took the tissue my mom offered and blew my nose.

  “Dad and I were just talking about that. He needs to get over to the café, but I thought the three of us—you, me, and Bradley—could take the van and my car and drive to Danton. We should be able to get everything in one trip.”