“Yeah, I heard.” I walked into the apartment. “Some of it, anyway.”
“Look, I really gotta go. I won’t be gone for long. I have a business meeting and then I have to complete some paperwork. I should be back by noon if not before.”
“That’s okay. Take your time. I’m taking Renee shopping and we’ll probably be gone for a little while. Depending on when we get done, I’ll take her to lunch and have her back here soon after.”
“That sounds great. A little fresh air will do her good.” Evan sauntered over to the kitchen, picked up his briefcase, and hurried back toward me. “She already ate breakfast. Her rescue inhaler is on the counter. And remember, if you need anything, just call.”
“I will.” I watched him pocket his cell phone and keys. “Where is Renee?” I was surprised she hadn’t come running and screaming toward me like she normally did.
“She’s fussing over what to wear. You might want to help her out. When it comes to girls and their outfits, I’m afraid I don’t have the slightest clue as to what goes with what.”
I laughed. Renee was only four but she sure had issues when it came to her wardrobe. Like most girls, she enjoyed dressing up for the occasion. Even if the occasion was a simple walk in the park or a brief shopping spree.
“I’ll get right on it.” I started for Renee’s bedroom. “Have a nice day,” I shouted over my right shoulder.
“You too,” Evan shouted back moments before he marched out the door.
Smiling, I hurried to Renee’s bedroom. My smile quickly broadened when an image of the little gal fussing over clothes came to mind. I shook my head in amusement.
I approached the door and noted it was slightly ajar. Reaching out with my right hand, I was about to knock and ask whether she needed my help or not when the sound of Renee’s amused giggle forced my hand back. I inched closer to the door and listened to the tiny redhead address someone in the room. Someone I couldn’t see.
“Do you like my dress?” she asked.
I waited to hear a response, thinking that maybe Mina was in the bedroom with her, but I heard none.
“I think I’ll wear this one.” She paused briefly before adding, “Demi will like it, too.”
I glanced inside the bedroom through the slit in the doorway and spotted her standing in front of the full length mirror, gazing at her image, and completely alone.
It appeared she was talking to someone, but the room was empty save for her.
“I’ll be back later,” she said, her eyes never leaving the reflection staring back at her. “We can talk some more then, okay?”
I have to confess it definitely gave me the creeps watching her speak to herself. It wasn’t like I’d never seen children talking to themselves. It was just the way she spoke, as if she could see someone I couldn’t, that really unnerved me.
Without giving much thought to it, I pushed the door opened and stepped inside Renee’s bedroom. Renee spun around to look at me and smiled.
“Hi, Demi.” Her face lit up at the sight of me.
“Who are you talking to?” I asked
“My friend,” she responded. “I told you about him, remember?”
I nodded. She had spoken about him, but I had no idea if her imaginary friend was real or not. So far I couldn’t detect any evil. My supernatural senses had been unable to pick up any unusual presences or essences, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. I hadn’t been able to pick up on Rhyzel’s demonic essence, either, and that turned out to be a huge shocker.
“Is he here now?”
She turned to stare at her reflection in the mirror. “No. Not anymore.”
I made my way towards the mirror and once again, gently touched the glassy surface in hopes of detecting anything that would point to the mystery behind Renee’s sudden imaginary friend but my inspection was met with emptiness.
Nothing felt amiss. There was no hint of the supernatural anywhere.
“Renee?” I looked at the little girl, paying close attention to her reaction, “Why haven’t you mentioned your…imaginary friend before?” The only imaginary friend I knew of, which wasn’t much of an imaginary friend considering it was her favorite stuffed bear, was Mr. Snuggles. This new imaginary friend however, seemed to come out of nowhere. Coincidently, Rhyzel had appeared much the same way.
She wrinkled her nose as if she’d caught a whiff of some unpleasant odor. “Azuel?”
“That’s an interesting name? Why’d you name him that?”
Renee laughed. “I didn’t name him that, silly. That’s his name.”
“Still, you kept him a secret,” I continued. “I thought we didn’t have any secrets.”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t keep him a secret. You just never asked me about him before.” She shrugged. “I was going to tell you, anyway.”
“Is he nice?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “Yeah, he’s funny, too.”
It was very hard to determine if Azuel was even real. The girl did speak to her stuffed animal as if he was a real person too, so I wasn’t sure what to make of her newfound friend.
“Well, uh, I think we should head out. Are you ready to go?”
She dipped her head up and down enthusiastically. “I’m ready.” She gestured down at her cotton sundress with the pink magnolias. “Do you like it?”
I reached out and tugged on one of her red curls. “I love it.”
Renee giggled. “Me too.”
“It suits you.” She resembled a porcelain doll from head to toes. “I’m going to Mina’s room and ask if she wants to come along, so…why don’t you get your rescue inhaler and put it inside your Barbie backpack so we won’t forget it. I’ll be right back.”
The smile on Renee’s face died instantly. “I don’t think she’ll want to go with us.” Even though she didn’t say it aloud, I knew Renee was secretly hoping Mina would stay behind. Mina…tended to ruin things for Renee whenever she tagged along, but as her best friend, I tended to include her in my plans so she wouldn’t feel left out. Or get into any trouble.
“Maybe not, but I’ll go ask, anyway.” I ushered Renee out the door. “Go get your rescue inhaler and wait for me in the living room, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Can I turn on the TV while I wait?”
“Sure.” I smiled at her. “Go ahead.”
She ran out the door and headed directly to the kitchen. I quickly closed the door to her bedroom and marched over to the full length mirror. Something deep in my witchy senses told me the freaking mirror was probably responsible for Renee’s strange behavior. When it came to proving it I was rapidly hitting a brick wall. So far I hadn’t been able to perceive anything unusual, which was frustrating. The only way I could think of possibly finding answers was through a Seeing the Unseen spell, but I didn’t have time to cast it.
It would have to wait until nighttime. I had no choice. Renee could walk in on me at any moment. Or Mina. Honestly, no matter how comfortable I was around them, being seen manipulating the impossible would be a pain in the ass to explain.
Unless it was an emergency, I couldn’t afford to be seen using magic.
Feeling just a tad frustrated, I walked out of the room and across the hallway to Mina’s. Before knocking on the door, I made sure I could see Renee from the end of the hall, which I did. Satisfied that I could see her jumping up and down as she sang along to some Disney Channel song, I tried the knob to Mina’s bedroom door and turned it when I found it to be unlocked.
I walked right in, not bothering to announce myself, since I was the only person in the apartment who ever entered her room, and found Mina sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back leaning against the foot of the bed and the remote control to her TV in her left hand.
“You look like you’re having fun,” I commented as I walked in.
She scowled at me. “Whatever.”
“Do you want to tag along with us?” I motioned out the hall to where Renee w
as.
Mina huffed. “And spend the better part of my morning hanging out with a toddler? No thanks.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “I will have you know that little girl is fun to hang out with,” I teased as I made my way to the bed. “You’re just too much of a grouch to notice.” I sat on the edge of the mattress next to her.
She looked up at me as if I’d just said something totally outrageous. “You can’t be serious.”
“You’ll be moving out soon. You should spend some quality time with her, you know. She is your baby sister.”
“Oh, please.” She turned her attention back to the TV. “Don’t give me that speech again. I’ve heard it enough times. Besides, I think Renee is adopted.”
I stared at the back of her head. “Why would say something like that?”
“Think about it. She has a head of curly red hair and bright blue eyes. Look at Evan and me. We both have straight black hair and green eyes.” She straightened her long legs in front of her and shrugged. “She was probably fathered by someone other than my dad. Mom wasn’t exactly a saint.” She snickered.
“That’s a nice way to talk about your mother.”
Mina turned to look at me. “It’s the truth, though. Just ask Evan.”
“Like that’s a conversation I’d ever start.” The words weren’t meant to sound sarcastic but that’s exactly how they sounded. “Why would you even question her, anyway? Does it even matter if she’s adopted or was fathered by someone other than your dad?”
Mina opened her mouth to respond, but must have thought better of it because she shut it back up.
“Even if that was the case, none of it is her fault.” My voice sounded a little harsher than I had intended. “Wait a second…” A thought had suddenly crossed my mind as Mina’s words registered with me. “Is that why you treat her so poorly?”
“What?” Mina practically shot off the floor and turned to glare at me. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean,” I shot back. “Do you treat her like an outcast because you think she’s not your full-blooded sister?”
Mina shook her head. “No. I just…” The words just stopped flowing and I knew Mina well enough to know she’d run out of stuff to say. She couldn’t explain to me the cause for her dislike of her younger sibling and that made me think her reasons went far deeper than a teenage hormone imbalance or something.
“Honestly, Mina, you do surprise me sometimes.” I popped to my feet. “I thought you were a different person. For some stupid reason I always wanted to believe that your bratty attitude was only due to the unprocessed issues of your parents’ abandonment, but I guess I was wrong.” I stared straight at her as I added, “Maybe you’re just a lousy sister and an ingrate to boot.”
I started toward the door, but Mina’s hand on my forearm stopped me. “It’s not like that. Really. I’m just in a shitty mood because of Evan. Of course I care for Renee. She’s my sister.” It was her way of apologizing and rather than continue dragging out the subject, I opted to let things go. After all, Mina never apologized for anything, and she was sort of apologizing. Only, she was apologizing to the wrong person.
“It’s Renee you should apologize to for your shitty attitude, Mina. Not me. I don’t get why you’re the way you are, but I try to understand. Renee is too young to understand why you treat her the way you do.” I wiggled free of her hold on my arm. “She only knows that her sister doesn’t like her and what’s worse, doesn’t tolerate her presence one bit.”
These last few words really hit a nerve with me. During the duration of our friendship I’d never given much thought to Mina’s dislike of Renee, but my mind was suddenly subjected to a whole level of distrust as I realized there could be some serious issues underlining her low tolerance of the little girl.
Mina stepped back and folded her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll take some time during the week to do something fun with her if that’ll make you happy.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You don’t have to make me happy or Renee, for that matter. You should deal with your issues first. And one more thing…” Even I could tell her tone was less than convincing. “Don’t patronize me. You suck at it.” And with that I stormed out of my best friend’s bedroom without looking back.
Chapter Ten
Frenemies
Mina and I had argued occasionally, because let’s face it, as good as friends as we were, we did have a difference of opinions every now and again, but her recent behavior had really stirred up something not very pleasant within me. I wanted to believe my sensitivity when it came to Renee had a lot to do with the danger she was in and my job as a Keeper to protect her, but deep down I knew that wasn’t the only explanation.
Yes, I had a job to uphold. But I was dealing with someone who was more than just a charge. Renee was like the little sister I never had, and knowing she could face evil at any moment put me on edge a bit. So what if my wariness wouldn’t allow me to take a few seconds to take a step back and try, once more, to sympathize with my best friend?
The way she was acting lately raised red flags for me and knowing that whoever wanted to hurt Renee was someone considered to be close to her, how was I supposed to continue looking at Mina without suspecting she might be behind my worst fears?
As Renee and I browsed through our favorite arts and crafts store a few miles down the road from our apartment building, our hectic morning finally wound down enough for me to get worked up all over again. As we had hit the outlet mall after we left the apartment, I had kept us busy enough, cruising from one store to the next, to allow my frustration to dim somewhat.
Since I was in need of a few things for my upcoming move to college just weeks away, I had bought myself two outfits and two pairs of shoes, along with some school supplies for Renee, which were a gift from me. Afterwards, we had walked from the outlet mall to the arts and crafts store to find a sketch pad and drawing pencils for Renee. It was the one thing I had promised her and I wanted to make sure she had it so she could continue furthering her talent.
We had walked quite a distance but after having taken into consideration the excellent weather and Renee’s seemingly good health—meaning her asthma was under control—we had decided to take it slow and just enjoy the beautiful day ahead of us.
The walk itself had revitalized my mood. However, as we arrived at the store and I observed Renee fussing over which sketch pad to take—the 200 or 500 page one—I was reminded that I had a job to do, and no matter how well my day went, I had to keep my guard up in case of an emergency.
While I knew that demons normally didn’t attack during the day or in crowded places, I also had to remind myself desperation made for bold creatures. I’d learned that the hard way more than once. Being aware of all this dampened my spirits somewhat and my recent argument with Mina didn’t help. I was now officially as confused as I’d ever been.
My life had taken a direct 180 degree turn in a matter of twenty-four hours and as much as I wanted to change things—put them back to normal—I couldn’t. Once a Keeper receives her first charge, life is never the same again.
“Demi? Demi?” The sound of Renee’s voice brought me out of my stupor.
“Yeah?” I focused my attention on her as she raised her arms and tried to balance one sketch pad in each hand.
“Which one can I take?” she asked politely. I knew she wanted the sketch pad with more pages, but was afraid to ask since I was the one buying it for her.
“Well, let’s see here.” I took the heavier pad and pretended to look it over for about a second. “I kind of like this one better. It’s bigger,” I said as I winked at her.
She beamed up at me. “I do, too.” With that, she spun around and placed the smaller sketch pad where she had found it.
“Let’s look for some pencils.” I held on to the pad and took her hand in my free one. “I think they’re over in the next aisle.”
“You’re going to buy me drawing
pencils?” she asked in astonishment.
“Yep, I sure am.” The pencils would probably cost me a pretty penny but I really didn’t mind. I wasted more money on less. Besides, I knew it was one gift Renee would truly value and appreciate. More so than any other child her age would. “Come on. I think they’re over here.”
I walked out of one aisle and headed over to the next with Renee in tow.
Once we located the pencils, I began to inspect the best brand to buy for Renee and was pretty engrossed in the task at hand when something within told me to look up. Just above every aisle were rectangular shaped mirror positioned in such a way that the customers could see behind them. Since we happened to be in the last aisle, the glass pointed directly to the emergency exit and the entrance to the bathrooms at the back of the store. That’s where I saw the hooded figure standing, looking straight at me.
I was so startled by the appearance of the stranger I spun around in one quick move and focused my gaze to his location. As I turned however, I found the entrance to the bathrooms empty. I was momentarily unsettled, especially because I knew there was no way for anyone to possibly duck out of the way or hide in such a short amount of time.
For about a second or so I thought I might’ve imagined seeing the tall figure with glowing red eyes standing a few feet away looking at me, but when my ring began to vibrate and go from cold to hot, I knew the vision wasn’t a product of my imagination.
Acting on instinct, I immediately grabbed Renee’s hand and pulled her along as I directed my strides toward the cash register at the front of the store.
“Wait! Demi! I dropped my pencils.” Renee pulled her hand free and hurried back to pick up the packet of drawing pencils she had been inspecting moments before which had fallen to the floor as I abruptly towed her behind me.
“Renee…don’t let go of my hand.” I spun on my heels as she slipped free and rapidly followed her as she walked away in the opposite direction. “Come back.”
Renee scooped up the packet of pencils just as I reached her. “Don’t walk away from me again, Renee.” The words definitely sounded a little harsher than I had intended, but because I knew the danger she could be facing, I couldn’t stop to apologize just then.
Keeper of the Innocents Page 12