He wrote again:
CAN YOU MAKE IT HOME OR SHOULD I COME GET YOU? I CAN BE THERE IN 15 MINUTES.
Hiding here in this corner until Rayne came to my rescue was tempting, but I couldn’t ditch Heather. That wouldn’t be fair to her. I should at least meet back with her first; then I could tell her I was sick and ask her to drive me home.
I wrote back:
No, I can make it home. I’ll meet you there.
I shuffled through the rows of bookshelves, lowering my head to conceal my puffy eyes. I sent a text message to Heather explaining I was sick and asking her to meet me by the parking garage.
The sun lowered in the sky while Heather drove toward my house. I apologized multiple times for cutting the trip short and made sure she knew I appreciated her help in picking out my clothes for the dance. I didn’t want to take my unruly emotions out on her anymore. It wasn’t her fault I was completely mental.
“You look like you’re gonna pass out or something,” she said as we pulled into my neighborhood. “Should we call your mom?”
“No!” I blurted.
The last thing I wanted was to involve my mother. My unexpected outcry took both of us by surprise. She looked at me wide-eyed.
My gaze sunk back to my feet, the energy gone again. “I’ll be fine. It’s probably just something I ate.”
Concern riddled her face. “Are you sure? You’re almost turning green.”
I tried to straighten in my chair. “I’ll just lie down for a bit, it’s not a big deal.” I tried to convince myself too. Up until this point I was sure my aching was purely emotional, but now an uncomfortable pressure tossed in my stomach and my entire body felt weak.
As we neared my house I peered out the window at the empty curb. It took a moment to register, but as I pulled my bags from the back seat of Heather’s car it suddenly sunk in. Wasn’t my car parked at that same curb earlier today?
“I’ll see you at school,” I said, distracted.
Heather waved and drove away. I wandered down the mild slope of the driveway towards the street. The hollow feeling—that I was becoming all too familiar with—was spreading through my head.
I stood motionless at the edge of the street staring at the empty curb where my car should’ve been. I thought I should do something, react in some way, but I couldn’t move. My shopping bags slipped through my limp fingers to the street. I didn’t have the energy to retrieve them. Fresh tears sprouted in my eyes and the only movement I made was to blink.
Then a soft touch on my shoulder broke the hopeless trance. I turned around slowly not capable or willing to react any faster.
Was it just me or did his crystal eyes glow more vibrant than ever before?
Rayne! I thought, delirious. But the words didn’t pass through my feeble lips. His face faded like a dream. Tiny sparkles of red and silver danced in front of me around his head. My limbs lost their strength and crumpled beneath me.
For a moment I couldn’t remember where I was, but Rayne’s face was enough to calm my disorientation. One of his hands cupped the back of my head as I glanced upwards from my place on the ground. The smoothness of his skin was almost enchanting; it was practically perfect, more beautiful than I’d ever seen it before.
It was too hard to resist. I reached my shaky hand to touch his cheek.
“What happened?” I asked.
“You…passed out…” His tone was upset and almost confused. “I treated you with Healing Water so you should be fine, at least for now, but I…”
He stopped, deep in contemplation, staring intently in my eyes. He didn’t seem to be looking at me exactly; it was more like he was examining my actual eyes, searching through them for something.
For the first time, his usual confidence was replaced with something else. I tried to judge what it was by the look on his face. It was insecure and almost…vulnerable.
My strength renewed and I sat up on the sidewalk. The dark cloud of emotion felt like it had faded. What had lifted it? Was it pure coincidence like I’d tried to convince myself in the past? I didn’t think I could believe that anymore.
Maybe it was simply Rayne’s presence that removed the pain. I knew he didn’t love me, but that didn’t change the comfort I felt at his return. Or was it the power of the Healing Water? Did it also heal emotional wounds?
Rayne sat next to me on the curb, surrounded by dark autumn sky. The light from his eyes glowed wildly, more than ever before, like brilliant green flames. I had trouble keeping my eyes off him. I turned to look every few seconds, convincing myself he was really here. Again I had the same feelings of connection with him. The world was right again, melting my troubles away.
He appeared distracted for several moments. I sat quietly until he finally spoke.
“Give me your arm,” he said.
His abruptness caught me off guard. I looked at him oddly and lifted my arm closest to him.
“Sorry, I meant the left,” he said, holding his hand out towards mine from across his chest.
I switched arms, still not sure what his interest was in it.
He moved towards me and held my forearm in his hands. He pulled at my sleeve inching it slightly up my arm. I felt myself grinning again as his fingers brushed my skin in the moonlight. I wanted so badly to keep my cool around him, to do as he cautioned and not get my hopes up, but it was useless. I was his—whether he wanted me or not.
When he unbuckled my watch strap it occurred to me what he was interested in—my birthmark. Maybe I was finally getting the chance to ask what he knew about it.
His eyes were fixed on my wrist. “That’s so strange,” he wondered aloud.
“What is?” I asked.
He didn’t really answer me, just continued to wonder to himself out loud.
His eyes squinted. “How is that possible?”
He examined the mark from several angles, pulling his face close to get a better look. The mark still looked dark. It was hard to tell exactly how dark it was with only the yellow street lights in the distance, but it seemed like it might be completely black again.
He looked concerned. I thought maybe I should be too. Was that not normal? My birthmark was always dark before my accident, so to me the black seemed perfectly normal. It didn’t seem like it was to Rayne though, judging by the perplexed look in his eyes.
“What is it?” I asked again. He didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken.
He jumped to his feet, hand extended to help me off the ground.
“Come on,” he said. He pulled me upward and gathered my shopping bags. My chance for more answers vanished behind me.
I continued to cling to his hand after securely on my feet; I didn’t want to ever let go. Despite my sudden improvement in health and mood, I still longed to keep Rayne as near to me as possible.
I hurried next to him. “Where are we going?”
He stopped in the street and gave me a strange look. “To my house,” he said. “We need to talk in private.”
My legs froze. The goofy grin on my face probably gave away my excitement but I didn’t care. He was taking me to his house. I would know where he lived.
I glanced eagerly down the street and back again as we walked. I wasn’t sure what his car looked like, but there weren’t any parked close by I didn’t recognize. This suddenly reminded me of my own car. I didn’t know where mine was.
“Where’s my car?” I wondered aloud. We were across the street now and I pulled his hand backwards as I searched the dark neighborhood.
“It’s okay. I know where it is.”
His strong grip pulled me to his side again. If I wanted to get away from him—which of course I didn’t—it would’ve been impossible to pull myself free from his impressive strength.
“You do?” I asked.
I could’ve sworn he looked embarrassed, sheepish even. “It was supposed to be a surprise,” he said, scratching his head. “Your car’s at the shop. I was having them put new tires on when I…”
he paused as if thinking through his words, “…when we talked while you were at the mall. I was planning to have it back here before you got home but I had to leave it to come get you.”
I was so overcome by his sentiment I lost control. I leapt forward and smothered him with a hug. “You fixed my tire?” I said in surprise.
Awkward heat filled my cheeks and I let go of his neck. I had to find a way to stop throwing myself at him so blatantly all the time.
“Uh, thanks,” I said, embarrassed.
His gorgeous smile—although probably mocking my idiocy—was his only reply.
I looked at the ground, unable to bear the silence. “So…which car is yours? Should we go now?” He probably wanted to change his mind about taking me anywhere.
“What I’m going to say may come as a surprise,” he said with some hesitance. “But you’re probably getting used to that by now, coming from me at least.”
I recognized his hesitant tone, causing me to become both intrigued and wary at the same time.
“You could say that,” I said with a hint of sarcasm. What brick was he going to hit me with this time? Was he going to tell me he didn’t need a car because he could fly? I wouldn’t put it past him at this point.
“Are you feeling up to a little more of the truth tonight?” he asked.
I never knew what to anticipate from him so it was hard to predict my reaction. But I was almost coming to expect unbelievable things from him at this point; magical liquid, top secret missions, super high-tech copies of my diary. What else could he possibly reveal to me now that would top that?
“I think I can handle it,” I said, filling my voice with fake confidence.
He came up behind me and twisted my shoulders, spinning my body away from the street.
“This is my house…”
I stared through the rods of the familiar, black gate, unable to speak. What was he saying? He was my neighbor? He lived in the house directly across from mine?
“But…” was all I could push through my tight throat.
I peered through the fence, past the dreary yard with thick bushes and trees, at the quaint, white door. He lived here? My first instinct was to feel exhilarated at the thought of him so close. Secretly near me all this time.
Then reality sunk in. He lived right across the street from me. I felt strangely betrayed. I remembered all the times I’d wanted to go look for him, longing to find him without a clue where to look. All along he was right in front of me, just steps away, practically within arm’s reach, but he left me wondering in the dark.
A slight gasp escaped my lips. Of course. It made sense. This was how he kept an eye on me so closely. He had to watch his assignment at all times, to ensure he fulfilled his mission.
I examined the tiny camera on the stone pillar by the gate and flashed back to the night before my accident. I came out here. I stood right in this spot and tried to call from the intercom, without even knowing it was him on the other end. It was like his presence had called to me, like I felt him hiding behind the white door.
My voice cracked in earnest. “For how long?”
His answer was quiet in my ear. “A while…”
I turned to face him, eyes fierce and legs trembling, as heat swelled through my core with conflicting emotions. “How long?” I repeated.
He clutched my arm and all at once was pulling me towards the gate. “We shouldn’t talk about this here,” he said urgently.
He punched some numbers discreetly on the intercom and hurried me up the stone path. I barely had time to survey the yard but felt an odd thrill knowing it was his, not some unknown stranger like I’d imagined.
Or someone worse, someone like the scary man I’d once seen outside the gates of this very house. The memory of the man’s black, veiny eyes played back through my mind as we rushed to the door. The man said he was visiting a friend. That friend couldn’t possibly have been Rayne—could it?
We stumbled through a dim entryway past a coat rack and a pair of men’s shoes on the floor. Rayne dropped my arm and hastily flipped on lights around a large room at the center of the house. The house was fully furnished but the furniture didn’t fit with Rayne. It was old fashioned and looked more like something my grandma would’ve liked.
I glanced around the room, taking it in. More questions hung at the edge of my tongue but Rayne walked away before I could speak.
“I just need to check something in my room. Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he said.
I watched after him. It seemed like he was heading for the front door, but opened another door just to the side of it. When we came in I assumed it was a coat closet. It seemed like a strange location for a bedroom, but it didn’t matter where it was. It was Rayne’s bedroom. I wanted to follow after him, just for a glimpse, like maybe there would be some clues hidden there that would unlock his mysteries to me.
Despite my interest, I refrained. If he wanted me in there, he would have invited me. Instead I examined the large, main room more thoroughly. There was a smaller room attached between this one and the entry, sort of like a den or sitting room; only it didn’t contain any seats. When I saw the room’s out-of-place contents, I was immediately intrigued.
The wooden floor and stone fireplace were completely surrounded by surf boards. They were everywhere, all different sizes and colors. Some hung sideways in decorative racks and others were propped upright against the wall from the floor. The entire room was covered in them. I forgot all my questions for a moment, entranced by the little piece of Rayne’s puzzle I’d found.
Rayne’s voice called from the hallway. “Sadie?”
“In here,” I replied.
I looked closely at one of the longest boards leaning in the far corner of the room. It looked old and used with small cracks in the finish. There were several boards around the room that seemed just as worn. I found this discovery very appealing. I didn’t know it was possible to find Rayne more attractive than I already did, but apparently it was.
Rayne’s footsteps grew louder behind me.
“You didn’t tell me that you surf,” I said, turning in admiration.
He walked up beside me and smirked. “You didn’t ask.”
I looked at him in disbelief and shoved his arm. “Very funny.”
There was that fun-loving side of him again, that he seemed to suppress so often. I liked that part of him; it helped me feel at ease.
Although, right now I didn’t want to feel at ease, I wanted to be mad. Mad at him for living in this house and not telling me, for disappearing, for making me need him without even trying, for being so wonderful and so infuriating at the same time, but I just couldn’t. It was like I was under a spell.
Instead I felt closer to him. Finally I knew something about him, and I knew where he lived now too. I felt oddly relieved. I watched him as he ran a hand along the cracks in the tall board. He looked at it like an old friend he hadn’t seen in a while.
“I catch some waves when I can,” he said.
“I guess you’ve been kind of busy lately, right?”
He smiled, “You could say that.”
Now that I had him alone in the house, the questions stacked in the back of my mind resurfaced. I couldn’t suppress the sullen look on my face.
“I saw a man outside your house the other day, before my accident. He drove a really nice car and had these crazy, black eyes…”
Something wild stirred in Rayne’s eyes. “You saw him?”
“Yeah, I, uh…I talked to him actually.”
“He talked to you?” Rayne’s fury mixed with concern. “He didn’t hurt you did he?”
I pictured the sunken, sinister eyes, sending a chill through my body.
“Not really,” I said hiding my fear. “Mostly he just acted creepy. I guess he did kind of grab me though, my arm, to look at my wrist.” I held up my wrist reflexively as I mentioned it.
All the muscles in Rayne’s body tensed at once. “That explains a lot,�
� he muttered under his breath.
He looked at me gravely. “If you ever see that man again, I want you to run. Get away from him as fast as you can. Do you understand?”
My mouth gaped open. “Yeah, I understand, but…why? Who is he?”
Rayne’s jaw tightened. “He’s a criminal and a dangerous man. He’s someone I don’t want anywhere near you.”
“A criminal?” I asked in alarm. “What kind of criminal?”
“The kind that thinks of people as playthings for his target practice; the kind that doesn’t hesitate to slit a man’s throat to get what he wants.”
My voice faltered as I tried to push out the words. “What was someone like that doing at your house?”
Rayne looked frustrated. “I didn’t know he was here. I found out about it later. I was with an old buddy of mine at the time; someone I thought I could trust.”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have let myself get distracted.”
Concern leaked from my voice. “Do you think…he’ll come back?”
“You don’t need to worry,” Rayne said. “He’s just playing petty games, trying to blackmail some of the people I work for and forcing me to be the middleman. I’ve already told him; they’re not going to give him what he wants.”
“So that’s where you were then?” I said. “That was the message you were supposed to deliver? But I thought you said it wasn’t dangerous, and you said it had something to do with me…”
He opened his mouth to speak then stopped, his glare shifting away. “Look, I can’t really discuss this with you. All you need to know is that I have everything under control.”
I stared at him, shocked by his coarse tone. “Uh, okay,” I said awkwardly.
I rubbed my arm and looked at the floor. He seemed so angry; I didn’t like it.
I took one more gaping look at the strain on his face and changed the subject. “So, wasn’t there something you wanted to tell me earlier? You said we needed to wait to talk in the house…”
Deep Blue Secret Page 17