I was beginning to have a nasty suspicion. What if he wasn’t pretending? What if Ryuu really just didn’t want to be seen with me anymore? I did my best to shake it off. There was no way that was true. But I’d been pretty awful to him when he had told me he liked me. Maybe he was mad.
I ate lunch alone, sat through the rest of my afternoon classes, then schlepped on home… alone. When I got home I gave my dad a “hey,” and went to my room and flopped across my bed. He poked his head into the room and gave me a worried look. “What’s wrong sweetheart? Are you feeling okay?”
I took a deep breath and sat up, forcing myself to grab my book bag and pull out a random textbook. I was sick of school and studying. Sick curses and lousy, good for nothing baseball bats. Sick of my miserable existence. I smiled at Dad. “No, I’m fine. Just tired is all.”
“Oh. That’s good then.” But he still looked a little worried. He had been doing extremely well for quite a while now- he was sober, and he was almost done with his new novel. I didn’t want to make him fall off track because he was worried about me. We made quite the pair, I thought dejectedly.
“Really,” I said grinning. “I’m fine.”
He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “I haven’t seen Ryuu lately…” He let the unvoiced question hang in the air.
I shrugged and concentrated on my book. “Oh, yeah. He’s pretty busy at school. He’s getting pretty popular.”
I got out a highlighter and pretended to be absorbed in my work. “I’m sure I’ll see him this weekend.”
Dad left, looking a little less concerned. I flopped backward and put my arm over my face the minute he left. Maybe I should call Andrea. Being alone all the time was making me crazy. But I didn’t pick up the phone. Instead, I stared at my little clock radio from under my arm, wondering if Ryuu was home yet.
I had spiraled into a funk and I didn’t know what to do with myself. My mind kept trying to imagine Ryuu and Vanessa together. I wished, bitterly, that I could just forget all about my so-called friend. I still dreamed of the dragon, and it just served to remind me that I was missing a little part of myself.
I don’t know how long I had been lying there, contemplating the meaning of life, when I heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. Why couldn’t my dad just leave me alone? I sprung to attention, sitting up and scrambling to catch my textbook as it threatened to slip off my lap. I was staring down at the book, trying to look absorbed when he got to my room.
There was silence for a minute and I looked up innocently. Ryuu was leaning against the doorjamb, watching me with an odd expression. “Hey.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Hey. I’m studying. Go away before someone sees you.”
He pushed away from the door and came to sit next to me on the bed. I stared at the book furiously. Ryuu braced an arm on the bed behind me and leaned over to look at the textbook. “It’s upside down, you know.” He reached out and turned the book around.
Jeez. I met his eyes and saw nothing but twinkling laughter there. I’d forgotten, in the last couple of weeks, just how strange it was to look into his eyes. I wondered if Vanessa thought so. My fingers clenched around the hard cover of my textbook, and I wanted to slap him.
“Did you want something? Aren’t your new friends going to be looking for you?”
He sat back and studied my face for a minute. Then he burst out laughing, flopping backward, and covering his face with his arm just as I had a minute before. “Oh God, Kit.”
I glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
He calmed down a bit and tilted his head back, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. Was he going to take a nap? “You have no idea how exhausted I am,” he said slowly. “I always sleep better when I’m with you.”
He took a deep breath. “I just want to get this whole thing over with so I can go back to being myself, but Vanessa won’t let that damned necklace out of her sight!”
I was shocked to hear him swear. I eased up on the glare. I hadn’t thought about that. That maybe he wasn’t exactly enjoying himself. “So, is it working at all? Do you think you can get the necklace away from her?”
He pushed himself up to sit cross-legged with his back against the wall. “Yes. Or, at least I think so.” He picked at a loose thread on my comforter. “I asked Vanessa to go to the hockey game with me. You know, the fundraiser thing?”
I capped my marker and shoved all of my school stuff off the bed. I was sick of it all. “What does that have to do with anything?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and his ears turned pink. “Well…I was thinking if I can get her alone… you know, behind the bleachers…then I could get the necklace and we could destroy it.”
I gaped at him. “Behind the bleachers.” Where people went to make out during football games? Gag. It made twisted sense though. Sure, there were bound to be a lot of people there during the game- which was something the school board had come up with to raise money- but back behind the crowd, in the dark, we should be able to get the necklace without anyone seeing. And if it happened to explode the crowd noise would probably drown it out.
Ryuu looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock and die. I laughed out loud. He slipped off the bed and stuffed his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. “Shut up.”
Then he turned and headed toward the door. “I’ll see you right before halftime under the farthest set of bleachers.” He shot a dark glance my way. “Don’t be late. And for the love of the gods don’t forget your bat!” Then he was gone.
I sat on my bed and laughed until I cried. Ryuu was taking Vanessa on a date? And the kid was going take her behind the bleachers. “Really risking life and limb, aren’t you?” But the fizz of laughter was already dying and somehow it wasn’t funny anymore. I just wanted this whole thing to be over so I could have my friend back.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to destroy the thing once we got it.
*****
When I went to bed that night, I had trouble falling asleep. When I finally did drift off, I was plagued with visions of Ryuu and Vanessa- flirting, holding hands…kissing. This shifted to a dream of myself stuck inside a glass box. I pounded on the walls of my prison as I watched Ryuu try to destroy the locket by himself. A choking black cloud arose from the necklace and swallowed him up. I sank to my knees, my tearstained face pressed against the hazy glass, but the dream shifted again.
I was standing in my meadow, surrounded by paper flowers that swayed in the wind. The breeze was hot and dry, and I felt like I was baking as I stood there. The heat rose up through the hard packed ground into the soles of my feet, and beat down on me from the bright purple sky. The dragon was there, and he was laughing, dancing around like a happy dog at the heels of his master, nipping playfully at the flowing white clothes of faceless man.
His long, shiny black hair danced in the wind, as he came to stand right in front of me. I stared up at his silent, shadowed face. “I can’t,” I told him, as if we were in the middle of a conversation we’d been having for years. “I just can’t. I’ve tried and tried, and tried.”
He stared down at me, not speaking, and I felt like the heat would swallow me up, bake me until I crumbled to dust and disappeared. Why was it so hot here?
“What would you know about it?” I demanded. “You’re no help at all.” I threw my hands up, tears making streaks down my cheeks, feeling cool in all this heat. “If you aren’t going to help me, then get out of here!”
The tall man shifted closer. His broad shoulders blocked the meadow from my view, and there was a faint tinkling sound. “It’s time for you to find your power.” His voice was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard, deep and smooth as black silk.
I swallowed, my throat dry in the scorching heat. Couldn’t he feel it? Didn’t he realize we were about to be burned alive? Then he reached out and touched my face. His big, cool hands were soothing on my hot, dry skin as they slipped across my cheeks and cradled my face.
I should have kept
my eyes open. I would have been able to see his face. But I was too absorbed in the feeling of his soft, perfect lips on mine- and of the flames that sprang to life when our lips met, engulfing us but not burning. He stepped back and flames danced around us, casting deep shadows on his face.
“I’m waiting for you.”
I woke up before my alarm went off, and lay staring at the ceiling.
“Wow…”
Finally, I shook myself and got out of bed. My fingers itched to curl around the smooth wood of my baseball bat. Something moved inside me. Time to lay the smack down on some kami.
*****
I shifted uncomfortably on my seat, rubbing my hands together for warmth as I gazed out over the flooded football field. If I turned my head, I could see Ryuu and Vanessa a few rows down. I’d been watching them on and off all night. It was enough to make a person sick. I shifted my piccolo into the pocket of my nasty band uniform and thanked God that I didn’t play something the size of a tuba.
I glanced at the big clock on the other side of the rink and then back at Ryuu. Vanessa was wearing a cute pink crochet hat and he was teasing her about it, tugging on it when she wasn’t paying attention, making her giggle. I supposed that was an improvement. They’d been holding hands since they got here, and the sight had caused an unpleasant clenching sensation in my stomach.
The clock ticked over and I decided it was time to go. It wouldn’t be long and it would be halftime. I stood and hopped bleachers, making my way through the ranks of the band. I turned to head for the bathrooms the minute my feet touched the ground.
“Kit!” I froze, hunching my shoulders at the sound of the band director’s voice.
“Yeah?” I tried not to sound guilty.
The portly, bearded man had made his way over to me, his blue eyes suspicious. “Where are you going? It’s almost halftime.”
I gave him a pained look. “I’m sorry Mr. Roth. But I don’t feel good. I think I’m gonna puke- too many nachos.” I gripped my stomach and made a face like I was about to spew.
He didn’t look happy, but he clearly didn’t want me puking right there where we all had to sit for the rest of the game. “Okay, okay, go on,” he bustled me away from the band and I dashed toward the bathroom.
Once I was inside, I pulled off the stupid uniform and rolled it up. I had stowed my bat and a duffle bag in the last stall before the game, and I was pleased to see that it was still there. I stuffed my uniform in the bag and took out a windbreaker to wear over my t-shirt and yoga pants. I was pretty sure this evening was going to involve some running, and I didn’t want to be held up by the stiff, dorky uniform. I would never have participated in marching band, if it wasn’t a requirement for being in concert band.
I straightened and picked up my bat. I glanced into the smudged, chipped metal “mirror” over the sink and gave myself a determined look. Then I rolled my eyes and dashed out the door. I was sure Mr. Roth would be waiting for me outside, but I somehow managed to avoid him. I was going to be in loads of hot water for skipping out on my solo but hey, destroying evil is more important than playing the piccolo.
I hurried along through the crowds of people meandering along the track and standing in lines for concessions. I looped around behind the bleachers and the crowds got smaller. It was dark back here and you couldn’t see the game at all- but then, no one back here really cared about the game. I passed a couple of groups of kids, coughing when I jogged through a cloud of cigarette smoke.
I finally made it to the farthest spot from the makeshift rink. This set of bleachers wasn’t as full as the others, but it was still pretty noisy. Luckily, no one had holed up in the dark spot underneath. I crouched down behind the little building they used for concessions during track meets. It wasn’t in use right now. The bigger concession stands that were usually reserved for football had been taken over for the event, since they were closer to the main parking lot.
I got there a little early, and my feet were going numb from being crouched for so long before I finally heard the crunching sound of footsteps on gravel. I was relieved, until I remembered that meant I’d have to witness Ryuu putting the moves on goldilocks. Ralf.
They stopped a few feet away. I could just see them from where I was. Ryuu had made sure to stand in a thin strip of dim light that slanted in between the bleacher seats. I watched wide-eyed as he reached out a hand and brushed his fingers through that shiny blond hair. I clenched my teeth.
She leaned in toward him and he slipped both hands through her hair to cradle her head. He tilted his face down to meet hers. Geez, it looked like he’d had a lot of practice at this stuff. I wondered how many times he’d made out with her. I clenched my eyes shut reflexively, not wanting to see any more. There was a pause, then a little gasp, and then Ryuu shouted urgently. “Kit!”
My eyes flew open. Ryuu had his long arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides. Vanessa’s was pissed. “What the hell are you doing?”
“On the ground!” Ryuu tilted his head and I saw something shiny near his foot. I jumped up and scrambled for the necklace.
Vanessa’s green eyes widened as she realized what I was after. She struggled against Ryuu, almost breaking free. When that didn’t work, she kicked him in the shins. He flinched, but didn’t budge.
I crouched and grabbed the necklace, along with a hand full of gravel, then spun and ran as fast as I could. There was a feminine grunt from behind me, and I glanced back over my shoulder to see Vanessa sitting on the ground, her mouth hanging open. Ryuu dashed after me and I ran as fast as I could.
We sprinted toward the far corner of the parking lot, where there were fewer cars. Breathless, Ryuu pointed at a cement parking slab.
“Uh,” he panted. “I take it you’ve figured out how to do this.”
I skidded to a halt at his side and dropped the necklace onto it. I pulled the leather case off my shoulders and popped the snaps. Ryuu hastily held onto the ends while I jerked the bat free, as if we had carefully choreographed the move. There was a shriek from behind us and I almost dropped the bat.
“My necklace!” Boy, she was mad.
“Watch me,” I said with breathless satisfaction. The band started playing, and the crowd was clapping along.
I turned and raised the bat over my head, bringing it down on the locket as hard as I could. Vanessa howled. There was a hallow sort of thud, and the thing exploded. It seemed impossible for such a little thing to go out with such a bang. I put my arm over my eyes to block out the light and the little pings of metal that went bounding off the cars a few yards away. Luckily, the noise from the field drowned out the ruckus we were making. I heard it though, and it sounded like it had screamed.
When I lowered my arm, Vanessa was kneeling on the ground bawling. A younger girl that looked vaguely like her had come from somewhere, and I vaguely recognized her as Vanessa’s little sister. She didn’t seem very surprised at what she’d just seen, she just looked down at her older sister and patted her back while she sobbed. However, I wasn’t paying attention to them just then. My eyes were following a streak of something that soon disappeared into the dark copse of trees off in the distance.
I didn’t realize that I was still gripping the bat until Ryuu gently pried my fingers off and stuffed it back into the sheath. He slung the leather case across his shoulders and looked me up and down. “You okay?”
I nodded, a wide grin splitting my face. “We did it!”
He looked at Vanessa, who was still having complete hysterics, and sighed. “Yep. We sure did.”
Chapter 18
The seats in the principal’s office weren’t designed for comfort. I wondered if that was part of the punishment. No one would do anything wrong if it meant having to sit in these chairs for more than five minutes. I wiggled my butt, trying to get comfortable. Ryuu looked at me and shook his head and I stopped squirming. His butt must be made of granite.
Finally, Mr. Marshall came back in, Vanessa and her little
sister in tow. “Now,” he said, settling himself behind his big, paper-strewn desk. “Kit, did you take Vanessa’s necklace and smash it?”
Vanessa glared at me. “He stole it,” she said, pointing a finger at Ryuu. “Then she smashed it with a baseball bat!”
She turned to her sister. “Tell him, Katie.”
The girl looked guilty, like she really didn’t want to rat on us. “I’m not sure,” she mumbled.
I cleared my throat, feeling bad for her. I mean after all, she had to put up with a big sister like Vanessa. “That’s what happened,” I said flatly.
Mr. Marshall closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Okay. Vanessa and Katie, you girls can go. I’ll make sure they’re punished.”
Vanessa glared at us and stormed out. I heard her mutter, “crazy!”
I clenched my fists. Maybe I was crazy, I thought. Wouldn’t it just be easier to be crazy? It was trying to seem normal that was such a pain in the butt.
Mr. Marshall stared at me. “Kit. Why in the world would you do something like this?”
I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together. “I don’t know,” I said, putting a little quaver into my voice. I picked at the hem of my shirt and my eyes started watering with hardly any effort at all. “I just wanted that necklace so bad. And I knew she’d just tell on me and get it back, so I thought… well if I can’t have it, neither can she.”
He stared at me. A tear trailed down my cheek. “I’m sorry Mr. Marshall,” I whispered. “I don’t know what possessed me. It’s just been so hard since…” I pressed a hand against the back of my mouth. Ryuu’s foot nudged mine, warning me not to overdo it.
Mr. Marshall unearthed a box of tissues and shoved them toward me. “Okay,” he said, flustered. “Don’t cry. I know you’ve been through a lot.”
He turned his disapproving gaze on Ryuu. “But you’re the one who took the necklace?”
Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) Page 17