“But first, I’d like to ask Mr. Kovach a couple of questions.” Mr. Davis paused to see if anyone would object.
I cast a worried glance at Jared. What would happen if Mr. Davis figured out who he really was? What he really was? What would he do? Then again, what could he do? Who on earth would believe him?
For some reason, being optimistic wasn’t helping. My heart raced as I watched Mr. Davis.
Suddenly I felt Grandpa’s hand cover mine. I looked at him and he winked. A reassuring smile lit his bright gray eyes, and I calmed almost instantly.
“Under date of birth on your registration form,” Mr. Davis said, “you wrote ‘not applicable.’ Care to explain?”
My calm evaporated. He knew. Mr. Davis knew. I could tell by his expression, the knowing arch of his brows, the confident line of his pursed lips.
“Actually,” Jared said with a disinterested shrug, “I didn’t think I would be here long enough to have to explain.”
“And why wouldn’t you be?”
I cleared my throat. “Um, Mr. Davis, didn’t I just explain that?”
“You did,” he said, fixated on Jared.
The sheriff walked around the desk and leaned against it, looking at my grandfather. Then, in a strategy that caused panic to attack my insides, he repeated everything I’d just told him. Word for word. Syllable for tainted syllable. I cringed. Cowered. Tried to crawl into myself. My grandparents were right there, listening to every lie that had come out of my blasphemous mouth. Party over. I was going down and the landing would be hard.
Hysteria took hold as I sat stiff-backed in the chair beside my grandfather. I wondered if I would get time in the big house for lying to a sheriff.
“She said he’s staying with you.” The sheriff raised his brows at Grandpa. “Is this true, Bill?”
Without the slightest hesitation—without even a microsecond of pause—he answered, “Of course it is. Do you think my granddaughter would lie to you, Dewayne?”
“Well, no.” He almost stuttered in disbelief.
“He’s going to stay in the apartment behind the store as soon as we get it cleaned out. We’ll both feel better with him close by, right, sweetheart?” He turned to Grandma in question.
She tossed him an exasperated glower. “I still think he should just use the empty room upstairs. That old apartment is drafty.”
“Now, hon. We talked about this. He’s a young man and he needs his privacy.”
“I know. I just worry.”
I sat dumbfounded. If either the principal or the sheriff had bothered looking my way, they would’ve realized just how much baloney they were being fed. Did I say I should become an actor? If anyone should be in Hollywood, it was my grandparents.
After rehinging my jaw, I turned to Jared and mouthed, Did you do that?
He shook his head, curiosity lining his face. I could have kissed my grandparents, showered them with love and affection and thanked them for all their wonderful wonderfulness. But that would draw unwanted attention from the authorities nearby.
And I’d have enough explaining to do when I got home as it was. For the moment, however, I chose not to think about it. I would face that obstacle when the time came.
Instead, I rejoiced in the fact that I had the coolest grandparents on planet Earth.
And I breathed.
NEWS FLASH
“I can’t believe you got away with that.”
I turned my attention to Brooklyn as we sat down at our usual lunch table, a slight dread crawling up the back of my neck. “Wasn’t it cool?” I said, wondering if I would still think that when I got home.
“Grandma and Grandpa are like … like…”
“I know.” I definitely had the picks of the litter. Even though I’d have to do some serious explaining later.
But all things considered, the day was progressing rather well. We ditched the reporter, managed not to get arrested, and I found out that I would have two—count them, two—classes with one Mr. Jared Kovach. A smile crept across my face as I watched him wolf down his lunch. He had done the same at breakfast. Poor guy. Having never eaten in his life, he must have been starving.
“Our guardian angel has a certain myopic enthusiasm when it comes to food,” Brooklyn said in observation.
Jared spoke up between bites. “I had no idea food would taste this good.”
The rest of us stared down at our trays for a good long while, doubt and a bizarre sense of denial pinching our faces.
Glitch snapped out of it first.
“So,” he said, “you only have those three laws? Are they similar to commandments? ’Cause we have, like, ten.”
“Can you still do that transparent thing?” Brooklyn asked Jared, joining in on the inquisition. “Like when Cameron shot you in the chest repeatedly. Which was very rude, if you think about it.”
“I would love to see the transparency thing too.” Glitch waited expectantly for him to become transparent right there in the middle of the cafeteria.
“Wow,” I said to him, pretending to be struck with wonder, “for someone who didn’t believe me yesterday, you’ve sure come a long way.”
“Oh, I believed you. Kind of. So can you?” he asked Jared again.
“I don’t know. Part of me is human now, I think.”
Cameron scoffed aloud.
Though I’d somehow hoped the rivalry between Jared and Cameron had softened, the tension seemed as strong as ever. They continued to shoot each other threatening looks, constantly bounced taunts back and forth. It grew more tiresome with each black scowl that passed between them.
Jared pasted on a humorless grin. “You disagree? That I’m part human now?” he asked.
Cameron leaned in, his voice menacing, as though begging Jared to throw the first punch. “Just gonna join the gang? Become one of us?”
Jared shrugged.
“News flash, Reaper. You’re not human. You never will be. But you are a bitch. I guess that’s something.”
“Stop it, Cameron.” I frowned at them both, unable to believe they were continuing with their ridiculous feud. Hadn’t we gotten past all that?
“How do we know you won’t change your mind?” Cameron asked. “Heck, you could kill her now and be back on the job before nightfall.”
Jared stilled and regarded him a long while before responding. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Really?”
“And this doesn’t have anything to do with Lorelei.”
Brooklyn decided to jump in. “Would you both just give it a rest?”
“If you fight,” Glitch asked, excitement lighting his face, “are you gonna stop time again?”
I rolled my eyes. “Glitch, could you try to be a little helpful and put a stop to this?”
He almost laughed. “And get my ass kicked? Not likely.”
With jaw clenched in frustration, I finally said, “If I have to, boys, I’ll go for the shins again.”
“Boys?” Cameron said.
I looked at him. “You two might want to consider that before starting World War Three in the food court.”
After a moment, they both settled back in their chairs and focused on the trays before them instead of each other. But how long the truce would last, I didn’t know. The shin thing would only get me so far.
Of course, not knowing how long the truce would last was only one of a million things I didn’t know. I didn’t know how long Jared would be with us, if the principal had recognized him, or even if the sheriff believed us.
And what would Jared do now? Would he really stay with us? I thought about my dream. Was that woman real? Was Jared really on a mission? Was he really created from light and darkness? Did he like the cream-colored sweater I was wearing? Would he like my hair better pulled back? Did he like skinny pasty asthmatic chicks or did he prefer girls with boobs?
“Well, hello there, Lorelei, Brooklyn.” Fearless captain of the cheerleaders, aka the creature whose name shall not be spoken
aloud, and Amber Gonzales, her second in command, walked up to us, interrupting in the process a very important moment of reflection. The Southern belles stood behind their brave leader, as disciples tended to do.
Tabitha and Amber—otherwise known as T and A—feigned a syrupy sweetness as they glanced between me and Brooklyn, waiting for a reply.
“Hi, Glitch,” Tabitha said when she realized we weren’t biting. Glitch threw them a bright smile. Ever since he fixed her laptop in three minutes flat, she’d been civil to him. “I just wanted to see how our newest student at Riley High was settling in.”
Yeah, right. Annoyed, I looked past her to Ashlee and Sydnee Southern. Though they had their red and white cheerleading outfits on for the pep rally, they still seemed disheveled, distracted. They practically hid behind Tabitha and Amber, viewing Jared as though he were the Antichrist.
Interesting.
“You’ve met Tabitha,” Glitch said politely to Jared.
“Hello again, Jared Kovach,” Tabitha said. “I wanted to mention that it’s spirit week and you showed up just in time.” She flashed him a smile more plastic than Barbie’s. Either that or my inferiority complex was rearing its ugly head.
Jared’s mouth spread into a patient mask of benevolence.
“And,” Amber said, practically drooling as she ogled him, “it’s tradition for new arrivals to help with the pep rally.”
“And this is Amber Gonzales,” Glitch continued.
Clearly impressed, Amber’s lashes fluttered like a lovesick butterfly’s wings. Not that I could blame her, but as my grandmother would say, my feathers were ruffled.
Brooklyn quirked her lips in doubt. “Tradition?”
“It’s a new tradition,” Amber shot back.
“Clearly the deeper meaning of the word has escaped you.”
I tsked Brooklyn. “Now, now,” I said. “Let’s not argue semantics. What exactly is he supposed to do?”
“You just show up, Jared Kovach. We’ll do the rest.”
I couldn’t believe the open invitation oozing out of Tabitha’s mouth. I forced myself to calm despite the annoyance sizzling inside me. I was jealous. It was pathetic. Tabitha and Amber were so much more in his league, and I was neon green with envy because of it.
A clunk sounded beside me as Ashlee dropped her phone. It landed under my chair. When she reached for it, her long sleeve rode up her arm and I saw one of the most bizarre things I’d ever seen … well, that day anyway. Her arm had been mutilated. In alarm, I grabbed for her wrist and pushed the sleeve past her elbow before she jerked it out of my grasp. I got a flash of fear when I touched her, but that was about it. Some prophet.
Without a word, she shot daggers at me and walked away with her twin in tow.
“What was that about?” Brooklyn asked under her breath. But I didn’t want to say anything in front of team spirit.
“The gym at two,” Tabitha said to Jared, finalizing her dastardly plan. “It’ll be fun.”
As they strolled away to wherever it was sugar-frosted flakes strolled to, Glitch just had to comment on Tabitha’s name, as usual. “Tabitha Sind,” he said with a smile of admiration. “You gotta respect a girl whose name is not only a complete sentence, but an intriguing one at that.”
A plan formed as I watched Amber, Ashlee, and Sydnee follow Tabitha to their table. Their mother had basically abandoned them for an investment broker, but that was months ago. They had changed recently, become withdrawn and despondent. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were being abused in some way. If so, we needed more info, more proof to go on besides the fact that they had a few hairs out of place. Ashlee had resorted to cutting herself, and I wanted to know why. If they were being mistreated, I could go to Grandma and Grandpa with hard evidence, hopefully enough to get them moved to a safe location. But I needed to know for certain who or what was causing their distress.
“Okay, guys,” I said to Brooklyn and Glitch. “It’s time to initiate surveillance. We need to find out what’s going on with Ash and Syd. Who’s up for tonight?”
“It’s Friday night!” Glitch said in protest. “And I’m grounded.”
“When are you not grounded? It’s not as though that’s ever stopped you.”
“But we haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in days,” he said, grasping for excuses.
“Oh yeah, like you were planning to go to bed early. I’m telling you, something is happening.”
“Exactly. A football game. I have to be there.”
“No,” I said, “with the Southern twins. Did you see Ashlee’s arm? Something is so wrong with them.”
“Trust me,” Cameron cut in, “there ain’t a thing wrong with those two, unless you count the unusual and exquisite length of their legs.”
Brooklyn turned a tight-lipped smile on him. “Thanks so much for that penis-driven observation.”
“Anytime, moon pie,” he said with a smirk. “Jealous?”
Glitch laughed humorlessly, his tone mocking.
She rolled her eyes. “As if.”
Cameron leveled an amused smile on Glitch before refocusing on his fork. “Course, there is a ghost haunting them,” he added as if in afterthought.
“A what?” I lunged closer to him. “What did you say?”
“A ghost,” he said with a shrug, “ever since they moved into that new house.”
“Are you serious? A real live ghost?”
“Ghosts aren’t alive,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Wow. I didn’t know ghosts existed. ’Course, until yesterday, I didn’t know for absolutely certain angels existed either. Or pretty much any supernatural being. I had faith and I knew in my heart, but seeing an angel in person was a different matter entirely. And I darned sure didn’t know I was a prophet.
Brooklyn was unconvinced. “You’re lying. That house can’t be haunted. They just built it.”
“Right,” Jared said, jumping into the conversation, “but where did they build it?”
Cameron met his eyes and shook his head as though they were suddenly the best of friends and the rest of us were drooling idiots. “No one ever thinks about the land.”
Jared shrugged his brows and nodded in agreement.
“So, land can have ghosts?” Brooklyn asked.
“Anything on earth can have ghosts. Land can be just as haunted as a house,” Cameron said as he made a tepee with his utensils. “Even more so.” He gestured toward the Southern twins with a nod of his head. When Glitch looked over at them, Cameron swiped his fork for stability. “They think it’s their dead grandmother,” he added.
“Is it?” I asked.
“No,” Jared said, watching Cameron as he labored away. “It doesn’t work that way.”
An aggravated sigh pushed past my lips. “Someday, Jared Kovach, you’ll have to explain exactly how it does work. But for now, we need to do something.” I leaned in and spoke directly to him. “We have to help them.”
He frowned in doubt, and I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me or at the apple crisp dessert he was coveting. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Did you ever think that maybe that’s why you’re here? Maybe you’re here to help people, to use your powers to champion the cause of those who are … well, championless.”
“Lorelei,” he said patiently, pushing his tray away, “I’m here because I broke the law. I’m just as carbon based as you are.”
“You will never be as carbon based as I am. You’re like Cameron, remember? Strong. Powerful. Nigh indestructible.”
“Nigh?”
I sat back and crossed my arms. There had to be a reason for his presence on earth. Maybe that woman in my dream was real. Maybe she was trying to tell me something. This was too big, too miraculous to just be an accident. “Aren’t you even curious?”
“Not especially,” he said. Then he gestured toward Cameron’s stainless-steel tepee with a nod, an evil grimace spreading across his face just as it collapsed rather loudly due to an inhe
rent structural failure—utensils tended to slip on slippery surfaces.
Cameron cast him a frustrated frown, as though Jared had something to do with the downfall of his masterpiece, then began to rebuild it.
“Hey, man,” Glitch said in sudden annoyance, “did you jack my fork?”
Then it hit me. “Fear the darkness.”
“What?” Brooke asked.
I turned to her in wonder. “I just realized what Ashlee wrote on her arm. It said ‘fear the darkness.’”
“She wrote on her arm?”
“Not exactly,” I replied, blown away by the fact that Ashlee would mutilate herself. “It was carved into it. She cut into her own arm.”
With a grimace, Brooklyn said, “That’s disgusting. Crave attention much?”
“I don’t think she did it for attention, Brooke. I think she’s scared. Terrified. Do you know what it means?” I asked Jared and Cameron.
Cameron hunched his body, ducking his furrowed face in concentration, carefully linking prongs together, and said slowly, “It means Brooklyn thinks self-mutilation is disgusting.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not that. Fear the darkness. What does it mean?”
He tipped a shoulder toward Jared. “Why don’t you ask lover boy over there.”
Jared cut him a razor-sharp warning.
“It seems Mr. Kovach has something of a reputation,” Cameron continued.
“What kind of a reputation?” I asked.
“I don’t have a reputation,” Jared said, his voice even, threatening.
Cameron’s face brightened with silent laughter. “Come on, Reaper. You can tell them.”
Jared leaned forward. “Why don’t you and I go discuss this outside.”
“Shins,” I warned. “And I am wearing steel-toed boots this time. Don’t even mess with me.”
But neither backed down. Crap. I knew the shin thing wouldn’t last.
Cameron held his grin steady as he spoke. “See, messengers have to follow all kinds of orders, answer all kinds of prayers, all manner of requests. Including those that involve other supernatural beings.”
“Like ghosts?” Brooklyn asked.
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