Shadows

by Amber Lacie

  He sighs and kisses the top of my head. "I love you, butthead."

  "I know. I love you too."

  "If this gets to be too much, I want you to call me." Yawning, I rest my head on his shoulder. "I know you’re tired, but before you doze off, I wanted to give you some news." My stomach drops. The last time someone gave me news, it ended horrifically. A tear falls from my eye as I sit up to look at him. "Hey, hey no tears. This is good news, kid. I promise. Rycore is opening a Chicago office, and since I'm already here, they've asked me to help start it. I get to help the new branch get on its feet. I'll be around for at least the next six months possibly longer. That's good, yeah?"

  I can't contain my excitement. I've missed him so much. Texting is not the same as having your big brother around to harass every day. "Really? Oh my, God. That's so exciting!" A couple more tears fall from my eyes and I wipe them away with my injured hand. "Damn it!" I really need to stop using it, but it's just a natural reaction.

  "Seriously, if you don't stop hurting your hand, I'm going to tape it to your body. Theron told me you rolled over on it and knocked it on the door. Try not to do anything else to it while I’m here. Get some sleep, kid. I'll be here when you wake up." I lie back on my pillows and Robert fixes my covers for me. He stops at the door and turns to look at me. "Hey, butthead, your boyfriend has some fancy digs." I roll my eyes at him as he walks away laughing.

  * * * *

  “Beautiful, can you wake up for me?" I want to open my eyes, but they feel so heavy. "Come on, Eve, I need you to wake up for me." Managing to get one eye open, I squint from the light. I open my other eye and it takes a minute for them to adjust.

  My mouth is so dry. My lips are sticking to my teeth, and my tongue feels like I've been licking sand. Thunder booms and lightning flashes outside my window. I can hear the pitter patter of the rain just starting to fall. I love the sound of thunderstorms. For some reason, I find them relaxing. “It’s raining?”

  “Yeah, it just started, but it’s really coming down out there.”

  I attempt to clear my throat, but my voice is still croaks. “What time is it?”

  "It's just a little after seven. You've slept most of the day. I made you some soup. Let's prop you up and I'll get you a tray." I sit up and stretch making sure not to move my arm. Fixing my pillows, I lean back against the headboard. I look at my hand and the swelling has really gone down. Theron places a tray over my lap with my soup on it. I try my best to eat it without making a huge mess, but I'm right handed so I end up spilling more than I get in my mouth. "Maybe a sandwich would have been better, sorry I didn't think about it."

  "No, it's fine. It's really good and my mouth is really dry." I take another sip of the broth. The hot liquid feels amazing pouring down my throat. "I feel out of it. My head is so foggy."

  "That would most likely be the pain meds. The doctor said as needed, so I'll wait until you ask before I give you more. Kayla called. I'm not sure how she found out, but I have a guess." Theron nods his head towards the hallway. I'm sure Robert told her. I'm not worried about it. She would have found out Monday at work. I didn't even think about work, typing with one hand is going to suck.

  "So, I was just thinking about work."

  "Do you want to stay home? I can call in for you now if you want." He really doesn't want me to work, but I have to. I'm not going to be a leech. He picks up my phone from the nightstand, but I stop him.

  "No, that's not what I meant. It's going to suck typing with one hand. It's going to take me twice as long. I can log in tomorrow and bring up Monday's accounts. Would you help me log them? If I could finish at least half of the entries I should be able to finish the rest at the office."

  "I wonder if this new company knows what a dedicated employee they have. Not only is she willing to work on a Sunday, but with a broken hand as well."

  "Technically, it's just two fingers."

  "Technically, it's just two fingers on your right hand, so broken hand counts. I'll help you though, babe, I don’t mind. Speaking of company, Gram's business partners can't find that company. I'm not sure I feel safe with you working there. How does a company not exist? There's no data or records for it. It must belong to a larger conglomerate, but why would they hide it?

  "Maybe so nosy people like you can't find them."

  "Oh, so now I'm nosy. Here I thought I was your handsome follower. I've been downgraded." Laughing, I crinkle up my napkin tossing it at his head. "You've got pretty good aim for someone who doesn’t use their left arm."

  "You should keep that in mind. Perhaps the next time I'll use my left hand when I punch someone." I laugh at the thought, but when I look at Theron is not amused.

  His eyes are incredibly dark, and I watch his jaw muscle flex as he clenches his mouth shut. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, he looks directly at me. "No. You shouldn't be punching anyone at all. I can't believe you even did it the first time. I will always protect you. Don't ever put yourself in harm’s way again." I feel like a chastised child. I finish my soup in silence. Taking the tray off my lap, he sets it at the end of the bed. "I love you, I just don't want to see you hurt."

  "I know."

  "Would you like to take a shower? I can wrap your hand so it doesn't get wet."

  "Yes, please. I smell like a hospital."

  Theron has wraps my hand with plastic wrap and tape. It's a makeshift wrap, but it should work okay. Stepping into the shower, I close the glass door behind me. I let the hot water spray down on my back and sides as my thoughts race through my mind. I still can’t believe Theron’s dad could be so hateful. It must be absolutely awful having a parent so cruel. Once the shower fills up with steam, I dip my head back into the water. The water washes over me, taking my thoughts with it.

  Once I have most of the water wringed out of my hair, I slip on a pair of Theron's boxers and one of his undershirts. The arm holes are loose so I'm able to put it on, with minimal usage of my hand. Carefully, I peel the plastic wrap and tape from my arm. I'm about to leave the room, when I spot the sling laying on the nightstand. Slipping it over my head, I ease my arm into it. My feet pad along the hardwood floor as I make my way into the kitchen. I find Theron sitting on the couch watching a movie.

  "Where's Robert?”

  "He stepped outside to make a phone call." Making myself comfortable on the couch, I lay my head in Theron's lap. He fingers comb through my wet locks. "You didn’t dry your hair."

  "Kind of hard with one hand."

  "I bet." His fingers leave my hair and find their way to the back of neck massaging it with slow circles and I close my eyes. I'm so relaxed, I barely register the sound of the front door closing.

  "Ssh." I can hear Theron whisper to my brother, but I don't open my eyes.

  "Is she asleep?"

  "I think so." I can hear Robert walking across the hardwood floors. Theron just sits quietly massaging my neck. I don't plan on moving from this spot. I'm so comfortable. "So, what did the guy at your office have to say? Was he able to find anything out? I'm coming up dry on my end, but I have my suspicions."

  "He was able to find some records, but they are linked with some kind of computer entry data system. It's not much of a trail, but at least it's something. My question for you is whether or not you think he would go this far."

  "He has the means, and his hate for me is immeasurable. He will go to any means to destroy me."

  "You need to tell her. Everything. She needs to know."

  "I will, but not until I find out for sure. She's been through so much in the past two weeks. I don't want to worry her about anything."

  "It's your call, but if she gets hurt in the process, you and I will have more than words."

  Words about what? I have no idea what they are talking about. Theron's words haunt me. I can only assume he is talking about his dad. Maybe tomorrow I will pay Isa a visit and see if I can get some information from her. I hate secrets. I'm irritated, but I'm supposed to be asleep so I keep u
p with charade and take some deep slow breaths. Pretty soon it's not a charade, and I welcome the dream that comes to claim me.

  "Why do we always meet here? Why can't you come to my house? My dad built us a tree house. He says it won't last long, because the sand will take the tree away, but we can go there. I don't have to ask my other friends. It could just be us."

  I stare at the boy with the sunglasses. I wish he would talk to me. He's always so quiet when we play. Kayla thinks he's dumb because he won't even tell us his name. I don't think he's dumb. I think he's broken. My cousin had a dog once that was afraid of people. It was never mean or anything, but it would hide whenever people came around. My cousin saved his dog from some mean people that were hurting it. It took a while for the dog to get used to me. I wonder if it will take a while for the boy in the sunglasses to get used to me too.

  He draws me a picture in the sand. It's my name in a heart. There's another letter at the top, but the waves wash it away before I can see what it is. "Do you like me? Do you like beach? Is that why we meet here?" I can see Kayla chasing Matt down the sand dune. They are laughing and having fun. Looking back at the boy, I notice he is smiling at me. "What?" He's always smiling at me.

  "You're beautiful. Your parents should have named you that." My cheeks turn red and I turn my face away from him. It's the first time I remember him saying a complete sentence.

  "That's not my name, though."

  "I know, but it's what I call you.” I look back at his face, wishing I could see his eyes.

  "Does the sun bother you? You never take them off."

  "Not really, I just like them. My mom says they hide my secrets." He reaches across towards me and rests his hand softly on my cheek. His skin is so hot.

  "I don't like secrets. They hurt people." He turns away from me, dropping his hand, and looks back out at the lake. It's a clear day. I can see Chicago way off in the distance. It looks like a bunch of gray and black rectangles on the horizon. It looks so small from here. We sit there quietly for a while. I hear someone yelling. I turn to see an older lady with long dark black hair waving at us.

  "I guess I have to go. If I tell you a secret will you come back and meet me this afternoon. I should be able to sneak back out. I hid my skateboard earlier so they can't find it."

  "I'll meet you."

  He takes my hand in his. "I have to go away for a while. My mom is really sick. My dad doesn't like me coming here. If he finds me here again, he'll send me away. I think he's going to anyways. Can you meet me here so I can see your smile one last time? I'll show you some tricks on my skateboard." He bites his bottom lip. I feel the urge to kiss him, but I've never kissed a boy before. I lean over and place a kiss on his cheek. I kiss my brother and Matt on the cheek all the time, but they don't count. The boy with the sunglasses smiles at me. He has perfect white teeth. He looks over at the lady with dark hair, she's waving for him to come with her as she walks closer. He kisses my cheek and it feels hot like a sunburn. I watch him walk up the beach. The lady with the dark hair stands straight and looks right at me. She's incredibly beautiful and has piercing green eyes, I can see them from where I sit.

  Eyes! I know those eyes. I sit straight up in the dark. I can hear Theron breathing beside me. Letting my eyes adjust to the darkness, I look on the night stand for my phone. I stand up and slide the screen making sure to keep the light out of Theron's face. It's almost three in the morning. My heart is racing inside my chest. My hands are shaking. That wasn't a dream. Those are not dreams. I remember all of them. Kayla, Matt, and I would spend our summers on the beach. We could walk from my house. I remember there being other kids. We seemed to have new friends every summer. I don't know why I pushed the memory of the boy with the sunglasses out of my head, but I did. I can't confront him about it, not when I know he's already hiding something else. It's way too early to talk to Isa about this, but I need to talk to someone. I know those were her eyes I saw. My fingers quickly tap away on my phone, shooting Kayla a text in hopes I'm not losing mind.

  You up???

  I am now. What's going on?

  Remember the beach? Remember how we lived there during the summers?

  Yes?

  Do you remember a boy with sunglasses?

  Um, it was summer. We all had sunglasses. Wait, why are talking about this now?

  I think Theron is the boy.

  Right. So I'm going to go back to sleep. Call me in the am when you’re not out of your mind on pain meds. I'm out.

  Well, that wasn't helpful. My only option is try to try and get some sleep. I take a pain pill and wash it down with a glass of water he left for me beside the bed. Lying back down, I pull the covers up over me. Theron rolls towards me and wraps his arm around my waist. This is the first time I am not comforted by his touch. I'm worried about other secrets he's keeping from me. I also wonder if he knew who I was all along. I didn't remember him, maybe he didn't remember me.

  Chapter 13

  Waking up I reach for Theron, but he's not there. I sit up and check my phone. It's a little after ten in the morning. I carefully stretch my injured hand, it hurts, but surprisingly it feels a lot better than it did earlier. I run my fingers through my hair. It's wavy from me sleeping on it while it was wet. I want to change my clothes, but all of my clothes are in the spare bedroom where Robert is sleeping. Deciding not to bother him, I pass his room and head for the kitchen. After my dream last night, I am in desperate need of coffee. I make myself a cup of coffee and sit down at the dining table. I've never noticed how beautiful the view is through these windows. I'm scrolling through the notifications on my phone when it rings. Jumping, I bump the table spilling my coffee just a little. I swipe the screen and put it on speaker.

  "I want you to know, you have just made me spill my coffee. Death would normally be the sentence for that, but because I have found myself injured. You, Kayla, are in luck."

  "Forgive me, let's take a moment of silence for the spilled coffee."

  I wipe up the coffee and sit back down at the table. Robert walks in and starts going on and on about the walking trails by the house. I have no idea what he is babbling about.

  Kayla's voice shouts out into the room, "Robert, shut up! We are having a moment of silence." The look of surprise on his face is hilarious! He had to have jumped at least two feet in the air. I'm hysterically laughing. Kayla yells over the phone, "Jesus, Eve, calm down. It couldn't have been that funny." I can hear her laughing.

  Robert is looking around trying to find the voice. "What the hell? Where is that coming from?" I hold up my phone and point to the screen. "You have her on speakerphone? Jesus, Eve. Warn a man. You two scared the crap out of me, I thought it was some kind of fancy high tech maid or some shit."

  His reasoning doesn’t help matters.

  Kayla’s disembodied voice fills the room. "Robert were you really that scared?" I'm absolutely loving her right now. She completely caught him off guard. My sides are aching from laughing so hard.

  "Screw you, Kayla. It wasn't like that." Robert looks over to the front door at Theron as he carries in some grocery bags. "Help me out, man. They are ganging up on me over speakerphone."

  "What you can't handle two girls using an iPhone?" Theron looks at me, rolling his eyes, as I'm wiping tears out of mine.

  "Ha! Even the God, Theron, thinks you've lost your shit being scared of a girl, over the phone!" Kayla is intentionally egging him on. She has always liked to push his buttons.

  "Go to hell, Kayla. I wasn’t scared." Robert is pissed. His entire face is red. He hates being the butt of a joke. He's pacing across the kitchen with his hands clenched into fists at his side. How can he not see it's at least a little bit amusing?

  "Robert, you jumped into the air like a scared cat!" I'm trying my best to calm down. Taking deep breaths, I turn to look at gorgeous view out the window.

  "Hey, Robert, Meow!"

  I absolutely lose it when Kayla meows over the phone. I attempt to push myself back fr
om the table, but instead I end up falling backwards out of the chair, landing with a thud on the floor. Robert and Theron both rush to me and I'm holding my side. I can't stop laughing.

  "Kayla, this is Theron. She's going to have to call you back. She's currently lost her mind and has fallen out of her chair."

  "What? Are you serious?"

  "Sadly, I am. I'll have her call you." Theron holds up my phone over my face. "Say goodbye, Eve."

  Laughing, I shout, "Goodbye, Eve," into the phone. Theron takes away my phone, laughing, and shaking his head at me. Robert tries to help me up with my good hand, but ends up falling down next to me.

  "Damn it, Eve, grow up! You're going to hurt your hand." Robert is so pissed and then it happens. I snort, not once, but twice. My face instantly reddens from embarrassment.

  "Oh my, God. Eve, did you just snort? I didn't know you still did that when you laugh." Robert pushes himself up from the floor and helps me stand with the assistance of Theron.

  "That makes twice I've heard her laugh like that. Oddly both time were from her falling off a chair and lying on my floor." Theron just shrugs his shoulder as Robert gives him a confused look.

  Standing next to the table, I hold onto it with my good hand looking out the window. I take a few deep breaths and turn to face the guys. A small snicker escapes, so I turn around to look back out the window. Strong arms wrap around my waist. I turn my head to see Theron standing behind me. "I'm sorry."

  "Why?"

  "Because I lost my mind there for a second."

  "You did, but I'm more worried about your hand." Spinning me around, he gently takes off the sling. "How does it feel this morning?"

  "A little sore, but not too bad. I took a pain pill in the middle of night, but I haven't had one since."

  "Why didn't you wake me?"

  "I didn’t need to. You were sleeping peacefully and the pills were on the nightstand by the water you left me. How did you know I would need another one?"

  "I didn't. I just put it there in case you rolled over on your hand again." My irritation at him keeping secrets slowly chips away. He can be incredibly sweet. He slips the sling back over my head content with his inspection of my hand.