“You never said what you told your dad,” he said quietly, “about you coming here.”
“I didn’t.”
Noah’s weight shifted beneath me. “I know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“I mean, I didn’t tell him.”
Noah sat straight up, breaking the peaceful haze that had fallen over us. “What do you mean you didn’t tell him?”
I shrugged. “What’s the difference if I lie or say nothing at all?”
“What’s the difference?” Alarm lit up his expression. “Is that a joke? It’s the difference between him looking for you and him not. I can’t believe you didn’t tell him!”
“Fine, I’ll text him something.” I reached on the floor for my bag and pulled out my phone.
I had some missed texts from Heather. I’d been an even worse friend lately, if that was possible. When was the last time we’d been bowling? I couldn’t ask her to cover for me now. Pursing my lips, I texted my dad the truth for once.
DAD, I’M WITH NOAH.
My phone rang, my dad on the caller I.D., but I didn’t answer. A text came through after that.
GET YOUR ASS HOME.
WILL BE HOME IN THE MORNING. DON’T WORRY, I’M NOT HAVING SEX OR DOING DRUGS, AND I KNOW WHERE STDs AND BABIES COME FROM.
I turned off my phone before another response came through.
Noah shook his head, eyes wide. “You’re crazy.”
“I’ve met crazier,” I said, giving him a wink.
Finally, his body language relaxed again.
“Get over here, brat.” He pulled me close, and my lips found his as I threw a leg over his hips to straddle him. His hands gripped the soft flesh of my thighs. I was wearing a skirt. We couldn’t do this here. Not with Hazel in the next room. I pulled away.
Noah frowned. “You okay?”
I nodded, but perhaps it wasn’t convincing.
“What’s wrong?”
I thought back to the pictures he’d given me on Valentine’s Day. His drawings of me were too kind.
“You’re going to drive me to an early grave, Emily. Please, just say whatever you’re thinking.”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking. I guess – I guess I wonder what it’s like for you. You know, with me.”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t speak girl language, sorry. You have to give me more than that.”
“It’s embarrassing to talk about,” I mumbled.
He shifted his weight onto his elbows, propping himself up. “Don’t be embarrassed. God, I should be like the easiest person for you to talk to by now.”
And he was. But I had never been the sharing type. Not about anything real. Tonight would be my first time. I mean, my first time really opening up with someone.
“Okay, well, I wonder if you feel about me how I feel about you.”
“I can’t answer that if you don’t tell me how you’re feeling.”
I stared at my hands. I hadn’t said it yet, and already my face was burning. My cheeks were probably so red he could see my flush in the dark. The pulsing lump in my throat threatened to block any sound from coming out.
“I mean, like, I think about you when you aren’t around. Do you think about me?”
Noah’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, duh, Emily. Of course I do. It’s mostly all I think about.”
My heart sped in my chest. “So you miss me? Like when we aren’t able to talk. Because of Sarah or my dad or whatever.”
Noah wore a wide-eyed, tender expression. “God, Emily. I miss you even when I’m with you.”
I slapped his arm playfully. “Don’t tease.”
“I’m not,” he said, then grinned. “Not yet, anyway. Not while you’re like this.”
I twisted my lips together. “Like what?”
“All worried.”
“Then tell me how can you miss someone while you’re with them?”
Now it was Noah’s turn to go quiet. Was he being the shy one now, or was it that hard to explain?
There was a loud rattling noise from Hazel’s room. We both froze. I stared down the hallway until I was sure she wasn’t coming out then returned my attention to Noah.
“All this,” he said, waving his hand around. “It stops us from being together. Without worry. Without fear. Without wondering if we’ll ever be free to be with each other without Sarah getting in the way. If she wasn’t in the picture, what would things be like between us by now? I see what it could be like, and I miss it. Miss it like someone misses the last train out of the station.”
“I see,” I said, nodding.
He lowered his head, looking suddenly bashful. “Your turn. Do you miss me?”
“Do I have to answer that?”
He smirked, tilting his head to one side. “I already know. But I want you to say it.”
“If I kiss you, will it shut you up?” I asked playfully.
He pulled my body back into his and mumbled, “Probably.”
His fingertips touched my lips, and I kissed them. He brushed them over my cheek, capturing my chin in his hand and pulling my mouth to his, parting my lips with his tongue. For the first time, I let myself crash into him. My mouth slipped to his, but my heart slipped, too. His hands glided over my body, but he touched more than my skin.
He pressed against me, between my thighs, and my breathing got heavier. I wasn’t scared this time. We simply were. In that moment, we were everything Sarah and my dad and society didn’t want us to be. It didn’t matter. Because it was my body and my heart, and I wanted to give them both to Noah.
Just not on Hazel’s couch.
I leaned away and took a deep breath. I didn’t need to say anything. Noah pulled me beside him, and I rested my head on his chest again. We laid there in the dark silence, and it was okay. Because there was a future for us. We hadn’t figured out how, but we would.
Hazel’s idea of “somehow” wasn’t quite what we expected.
“A sacrifice?” Noah repeated over his plate of eggs and a glass of orange juice.
“You need to break the tie,” Hazel explained while I poked my food with a fork. “This is why her family has never actually killed anyone in yours. Breaking the tie would set things in balance, and then she wouldn’t have control.”
“But they didn’t have control for years,” Noah argued. “My parents were completely unaffected. My dad’s health issues didn’t even begin until Sarah started all this.”
Hazel reached across the breakfast table and covered his hand with hers. The purple streak clipped into her hair seemed too glamorous for the discussion, but staring at it gave me something to think about besides what she was suggesting.
“The magic was lost, yes,” Hazel agreed. “For centuries, from what I gathered. But the tie was still there. That’s why your family couldn’t move away. The magic knows what the beholder does not.”
Great. We’d resorted to riddles. I gulped down a glass of water, wishing I could drown in it. “So do all the Caldwells have the mark on their chest like Noah does?” I asked. “Because he had that before Sarah discovered the connection.”
Hazel chewed on her lower lip, her wine-red lipstick smudging her teeth. “The same mark? No, probably not. But they must have something.”
Noah raked his fingers through his hair. “My parents never mentioned anything.”
Hazel shrugged. “They aren’t the most open bunch, if I remember correctly, and most parents don’t detail every freckle and birthmark to their kids.”
“But they knew that mark upset me!” Noah’s voice held a growl of anger. “They could have told me I wasn’t alone.”
Hazel rubbed her hand down Noah’s arm. The tension in his neck and shoulders had reached his jawline.
“Forget it,” he mumbled, rising to his feet. “That’s so like them.”
&
nbsp; It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Noah and his parents didn’t have a good relationship, but perhaps I’d been wrong to assume Sarah was to blame for that.
I leaned close to Hazel. “So how does the mark work? It didn’t always hurt Noah, but he always felt it?”
Hazel bit at a hangnail. “I explained as best I could to Noah when he first came to me. All people in his position are born with a mark, and if there is anyone else alive who can control them, they will feel it. Most don’t know what it means, and if they’re lucky, they never have to find out.”
“What about me? With the drawing? Nothing was working, and then suddenly, one sketch revealed everything?”
Hazel smirked. “First of all, just because you didn’t tap into anything before, doesn’t mean it wasn’t working. Results can take time to see. As for the etching you found, I felt the energy on it, and it was extremely charged. I don’t think I’ve ever touched something so dark before. I’m not surprised by what came from your trance drawings after that.”
Noah, who had been pacing while Hazel and I spoke, finally sat beside me, his foot continuing to bounce. “We know why Sarah cursed my family, but we still don’t know how she knew to do it – or how she brought the other It Girls into play.” He pulled at his hair. “Or why Emily’s family links it all together.”
“She probably figured it out the same way Emily has, minus using her ability to gather the visions through drawings,” our Witch Doctor said. “But even if she hadn’t, your family would still be connected to hers. Think of this as an opportunity: You wouldn’t know the bond needed to be broken if Sarah hadn’t started using voodoo.”
“But if she hadn’t figured it out,” I countered, “then the bond wouldn’t need to be broken. Sacrificing someone in Noah’s family is simply not an option!”
Hazel gave me a cutting glare then raised both hands. “You came here. You might not like the answer, but that’s what it is. A member of Noah’s family would need to die a similar cruel death at the hands of someone in Sarah’s family for balance to be restored and the curse to be lifted. Unless that happens, Noah is spellbound for life.”
20
DAD’S SECRET
In some countries, some crimes are punishable by burying people up to their necks and throwing stones at them until they die. Being grounded isn’t near as bad. I had to remind myself of that.
On Monday, Sarah graced the school with her presence again. Which meant Noah avoided me but not by choice. With things shaky with Dad, I didn’t even try meeting Noah after school.
More unsettling, however, was Sarah’s sudden nice streak. At least in the sense she wasn’t causing Noah pain, trying to kill me, or otherwise screwing with my life. Even the principal had backed off.
Sarah leaving us alone was exactly what Noah and I wanted, but it couldn’t be that easy. Sarah wasn’t going to stop. More than that, the It Girls’ necklaces were glowing so brightly these days the light radiating from the gemstones reflected on their faces. Apparently no one else noticed.
Night after night, I woke to images of Noah or myself I’d drawn in my sleep. Danger loomed close, and Sarah remained suspect number one. She must have been reserving her energy for something big, but what? I couldn’t figure it out any more than I could figure out a way to break Noah’s family curse.
I was flunking most subjects at school and had proven myself a complete failure as a daughter and friend, but I’d become a guru on all things voodoo. Hazel was right. Saving Noah would involve playing Sarah’s game – tricking someone in her family into killing someone in his. A sacrifice neither of us were willing to make.
Friday night, my dad insisted Heather come over for dinner.
“I thought I was grounded?”
He clicked off the television. “You’re grounded from Noah. Not from your friends.”
“Noah is my friend.”
My dad scowled. “Heather is your friend.”
“You hate him, don’t you?”
After a heavy sigh, he mumbled, “Not as much as I thought.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He waved me off. I crossed the living room and stood in front of his recliner. “Dad?”
“I believe he cares about you. But –”
“But what?” I stuck my hands on my hips.
Dad sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But, he’s still a boy. And boys think with –”
My eyes went wide. “Dad! Ew! Stop!”
He chuckled. “It’s true.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore.” I turned on my heel. “Seriously, you can’t say things like that to your daughter.”
“Trust me, Emily. I’ve researched these things. In fact, last night I saw an article on twenty-five reasons not to date. I left a copy on your bed.”
I groaned. “Another list?”
Dad clicked his tongue. “He’s no good for you, Emily. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh.”
As I started up the stairs, he called after me. “So is Heather coming for dinner?”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, dad. Order a pizza or something.”
Dinner with Heather was awkward. To be honest, I was kind of surprised she agreed to come. Now I had to apologize and make things right, which meant facing the fact I’d been a total crap friend lately. It didn’t help that by the time we went up to my room after dinner, Heather had the evening pegged.
“Your dad made you invite me, didn’t he?”
I forced a meek smile. “Not exactly. More that he suggested it.”
Heather bobbed her head, slouching on the edge of my bed. “I can leave. I’ll tell your dad my mom called.”
I covered my mouth as an oregano burp took me by surprise. “No way! I’m glad you’re here.”
Heather blinked back tears. “Are you?”
I deserved that. The last time I’d seen her was at the dance, which had been a royal disaster. She probably felt like I’d picked some jerk over her. But I still preferred my only friend thinking less of me than my only friend getting hurt at the hands of Sarah.
I sat next to her on my bed. “I’m the most rotten, awful friend ever. I don’t even know why you put up with me.”
“Because I don’t have anyone else,” she whispered.
Hearing this, I felt even worse. Apparently I was last-resort friendship material. And even then, I was the crappier friend of the pair.
“I’m not going to make excuses.” I had to shut my mouth and think because everything else I wanted to say next sure as hell sounded like one. “I’ve been meaning to call. I miss our Friday nights together.”
“Me, too,” Heather said. “And for the record, you aren’t the worst friend ever. You’re the only friend who’s ever paid attention to the things I like.”
When I didn’t respond, she nudged me with her elbow. “The lipstick? And something tells me you don’t actually love to go bowling.”
“I don’t mind it,” I lied.
“You think I’m upset about Noah,” she said, her tone dropping. “And I am. But geesh, it’s not like I’m asking you to pick between us. Friends don’t have to agree on everything.”
This was more than that. Wasn’t it? He dumped spaghetti on her head. For all she knew, he did it of his own free will. Nothing I could say would fix that.
“Well then,” I said, shifting topics, “it’s settled. Friday is officially Heatherly Night.”
Heather’s eyebrows knit together.
“Heather-Emily. You know, Heatherly. Putting both names together. Like they do on T.V.?”
She grinned. “What about Noah?”
“Nomily?” I scrunched up my face. “Sounds kinda weird.”
She shook her head, her smile reaching her eyes. “No, I mean, what about spending time with him on Fridays? Isn’t t
hat your guys’ date night?”
I couldn’t let the subject of Noah take over the conversation again. I waved my hand. “According to my dad, Noah is just a giant, walking penis.”
We collapsed into giggles, everything forgiven. At least, I hoped. If I kept my word – which I was getting better at these days – my friendship with Heather would survive.
We spent the night doing the usual: manis, pedis, sharing a little school gossip. It was honestly lame compared to the real gossip I could have shared, but I couldn’t risk it. I was willing to risk my life for Noah, but not my best friend’s.
After Dad left for work Saturday, Noah showed up in my room again. I didn’t even care he was stealing clichés from movies. All I cared was having him there so I could kiss him. It wasn’t until after we came up for air that I asked how he’d managed to sneak away from Sarah’s watchful eye.
“You’d be surprised what I can manage when I’m dying to see you.” We were lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“You mean you aren’t always dying to see me?” I teased.
His head fell to the side so we were face to face again. “Coming here wasn’t my best move. She already knows where you live.”
“I don’t even care anymore. I’m not afraid of her.”
“You should be,” he whispered.
I pressed my lips together, the smile melting off my face. “We’ll figure it out.”
He sighed. “You keep saying that.”
“You used to believe it,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, before we knew how to stop her. Now we know, and we can’t pretend anymore that there’s something acceptable we can do about it.”
I shook my head. “Good thing I believe enough for the both of us, because you are straight up depressing.”
“Kiss me already.” He cradled my face as he rolled on top of me. So I did. I let him rub my chin raw against his scruffy jaw, using our affection as an escape. It was the only time I felt good anymore – his body pressed against mine, his breathing heavy enough to cover the sounds of my small sighs.
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