"Me neither. You almost didn't introduce yourself to me." Clara ran her fingers through his still-rumpled hair, messing it up further.
"And you almost didn't either, if I remember correctly. That was the only time I ever saw you stumbling over your words."
She stood taller. "It doesn't happen often. But what can I say? You have that effect on me."
He gave her an inquisitive look. "I've never understood that."
Clara ran her fingertip along his eyebrows. "That's because you don't give yourself enough credit. Your parents expect so much of you. You only see where you don't measure up. On the other hand, I know exactly how incredible you are."
A funny look came over his face. Clara looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything.
Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. "What are you thinking?"
"Maybe I will show you what's in the box."
Clara's eyes widened and she was left speechless. What if it was an engagement ring?
William stepped back, reaching for his pocket.
She was not ready for this—it couldn't be happening. Not in the middle of the airport. She pulled her phone out of her purse. "Oh, would you look at the time? The Fergusons should be here. In fact, I bet they're waiting for me right now. Call me when you get settled in?"
William looked confused, and even a little hurt, but his phone rang. He sighed, looking disappointed. "I can't put them off much longer, either." He pushed ignore and put the phone away.
She took his hand and walked toward the luggage claim, glad to have successfully distracted him from the jewelry box. "Are you going to tell them that I joined you overseas?"
"You know it's easier if I don't. They don't want me having any distractions. If they knew, they would find a way to keep us apart. I don't want that." He interlocked his fingers with hers. "But I'll do everything I can to spend every spare moment with you."
"Will I get to spend some time with them? I've barely met your family."
His phone rang again, and he pressed ignore again. "I'll work on them. You know they—"
The phone rang again. Rolling his eyes, he answered it. "I'm on my way. Yes, I know…See you soon." He ended the call, shaking his head. "I haven't missed that at all. Fun times ahead."
"Good. Then you'll miss me all the more and be more eager to plan dates."
"I certainly will. I'll call you as soon as I can."
She looked behind him. "What's that?"
He looked confused. "Where?"
She grabbed his phone, clicked over to the camera, and aimed it at them. "Say cheese."
William laughed, and she snapped a couple pictures.
"Those are so cute." She sent them to her phone. "Now we'll have those to look at when we miss each other."
"Because the other two hundred won't do?"
She kissed his perfect, chiseled nose. "I don't know about you, but I can't have too many of you."
His phone went off again. Clara looked at it, still holding it. "You have a text."
He took the phone. "I should have known. They sent their driver. At least once I'm home, I'll have my own car to drive around. You going to get to the Ferguson's okay? I'd offer you a ride, but the driver would tell my parents." He shrugged, wrinkling his dark eyebrows.
"Got it covered. Like I told you."
William didn't look convinced. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm a wimp the way I let my parents dictate everything."
Clara squeezed one of his muscular arms. "Not even close. You're just a good son—something the world needs more of these days. You're as strong as they come."
He blushed, smiling at her. He was too easy to embarrass, and she loved it.
Her phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and saw a text from Natalie Ferguson, saying where they were waiting to pick her up. Clara held up the text, frowning. "Looks like I have to get going."
William nodded. "Did they ever find out what happened to their daughter?"
"Alexis. There are only rumors, really." Clara knew the truth, but she wasn't ready to tell William yet. It was part of her secret, and that part wasn't hers to tell. It was true that rumors were floating around, so she was just going to stick with that.
"That whole situation is just weird."
Clara stopped herself from frowning. He had no idea just how right he was.
He put his hands on Clara's face and pressed his lips against hers, prolonging the kiss. "I'm going to miss you." William brushed his lips against hers and held her gaze. It was the perfect parting airport kiss. Then he walked away, watching her until he was out of sight.
As wonderful as he was, she let out a sigh of relief. What was she going to do if he tried to propose? She would have to tell him everything—and she would have to do that before he brought out a ring. If indeed that was his plan. He needed to know her full story before he committed to a life with her. It wouldn't be fair to him.
Even if it meant she would lose him, she needed to find the right time and place to tell him.
She looked at Natalie's text again to see where the Fergusons were, and then found her one piece of luggage and ran to the other end of the airport as quickly as possible.
When she reached the Fergusons, Clara gave them each a hug.
"It's so good to see you again, Clara," Mrs. Ferguson said. "I'm glad you could stay with us this summer." Even though she was smiling, Clara could see the pain in her eyes.
Jack gave her a hug too. She could see the same ache in his face too. Their oldest daughter, Alexis, had been missing for a year, and they didn't have any ideas where she was.
Natalie didn't hold the same look. She and Clara both knew Alexis was alive and well, but as far as Clara knew, neither of them had any desire to speak with her.
Janet looked at Clara. "Are you hungry? We can go to that French restaurant that we used to go to."
"That sounds great, Mrs. Ferguson. Thank you."
"How many times have we told you to call us Jack and Janet?"
Clara shrugged. "I know. I was raised to be respectful of my elders."
Natalie poked her dad. "I think she just called you old."
He poked her back. "Obviously we didn't raise you to be respectful enough."
"Hey!"
They made small talk as they made their way to the car, and then to the restaurant in Delphic Cove. They sat in the same section that Alexis and Clara had sat the evening they had met William. Alexis had been grounded, but they sneaked out that night, and it ended up being the best decision of Clara's life. She sighed, thinking about the first time she laid her eyes upon his.
"Are you tired from the flight?" Mr. Ferguson asked.
She brought her attention back to the present. "Yeah, I suppose I am. How have you guys been?"
He smiled, looking proud. "Natalie just graduated."
"And Braydon proposed," Natalie squealed. She held out her hand and Clara gasped at the size of the rock weighing down her hand. Natalie giggled. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"
"I'll say." Clara nodded. "Congratulations." She looked at Natalie's parents to gauge their reactions. They seemed happy enough. She turned back to Natalie. "Are you going to college?"
"I'm not sure. If I do, it would only be for volleyball. I was offered some scholarships, but I haven't decided. Volleyball is fun, but I want to plan the wedding."
Janet nodded. "She's probably going to follow in my footsteps and never have to work a day in her life."
Natalie grinned. "Braydon has been training with his uncle. You know he owns the town's big steel factory, right? Well, one day soon, Braydon will be running things. He already made enough to pay off the ring before he even gave it to me."
"It sounds like you're set." Clara smiled.
Back at the house, Clara settled into Alexis' room, which had been prepared for her. She had been hoping to have their guest room again, as that was the room she'd had when staying there as a foreign exchange student a couple of years earlier.
The room looked exactly as it had when Alexis disappeared. Clara could never forget that day—the day her father had died and her mother disappeared. She sighed, not wanting to think about any of it.
Now, Alexis was out of Clara's life and neither of them would ever see their parents again.
There was a knock on the door. Grateful for the distraction from her thoughts, Clara called, "Come in."
Natalie came in and closed the door behind her. "Have you heard from Alexis?"
Clara shook her head. "I haven't tried contacting her either."
Looking at Clara sadly, Natalie sat on the bed. "She's contacted me a few times, but I haven't responded. Not after what happened. I just can't. I know she didn't want me involved that night, but I got dragged in, and I'm never going to be the same after almost getting killed."
"Who can blame you?" Clara sat next to her. "She's the reason I changed my number."
Natalie tilted her head. "Really?"
"Yeah. I don't want anything to do with her. I don't know if I'll ever speak to her again."
"Her birth parents died that night too, didn't they?" Natalie asked.
Clara nodded. "Her parents, Cliff's parents, and my father were all killed. I'll probably never see my mother again either."
"She says she and Cliff had a baby. Can you believe they had a kid? She's only nineteen—and she was supposed to be the responsible one. They've just gone on with life as if nothing even happened. "
"She has all she needs. She'll be just fine without us, and we'll be just as good without her. Does everyone in town still think she ran off with Mr. Foley?"
"No. He was back to teaching math the first day of school. He had some family members that vouched for him, saying he had spent the summer with them. At least everything has gotten back to normal. It's like all the crazy left with my sister."
"Pretty much. I don't want to think about that night anymore. Are there any parties going on tonight? I'd love to get out do something."
Smiling, Natalie nodded. "I like the way you think. Well, it's a Thursday. I'll text some friends and see if anything's going on."
Chapter 3
WILLIAM UNPACKED HIS luggage as slow as he could, already tired of his parents. He looked at the alarm clock by his bed. He had only been home for a few minutes, and they had already managed to get under his skin.
Being away, and especially with Clara, had been everything he hoped it would be. Sure, his parents still called and emailed him, pushing him to focus on his grades, but at least they had been far enough away that he could ignore them. Now that he was back not only on the same continent, but in the same house, it was as though he had never left.
His dad had already informed him of their schedule for the next week, which was mostly filled with time spent following him around the office. His dad was a lawyer, just like his father before him, and his grandfather before him, and his great-grandfather, and beyond. The men in his family had all been lawyers for as long as they had records. And they had records—plenty of them.
As a kid, William had been forced to look through them with his dad countless times. He had been made to memorize their names and other various details as though the family albums were a history book. It hadn't been too hard to memorize, because half of his forefathers had also been named William, although most of them used one of the many nicknames available. For whatever reason, it was a family name, passed down, along with the expectation to become a lawyer.
His dad walked in. "What's taking you so long, son?"
William groaned in silence. "I'm tired, Dad. I just flew in from England. Don't you remember the long flight and the time difference?"
"That's true. I hope you're up for dinner because I had Sally prepare your favorite." His dad slapped his back.
His stomach growled at the thought of eating. He had missed their cook's meals. There was a good reason they paid so much for her to stay with them all those years.
"You can unpack later. Let's talk about what you've learned over the school year."
"Sure." William nodded and followed his dad to his study. His dad pulled out one of the many old albums.
"But before we do that, I want to see what you remember from these."
"You think I could forget? You've had me memorize those since I was three. I could be in a coma for ten years, and still remember every detail when I woke up."
"Good. Now show me." He shoved the album into William's hands.
William sighed. His dad knew nothing about being tired. He went in early every morning and came home late. He was in love with money, and always took on more clients than he should so he could buy more things to show off.
They sat on the couch, and his dad opened the album to the first page. "Who is that?"
"That would be a William. Surprise, surprise."
"I'm going to ignore your remarks because you're jet lagged. You're going to need to pull yourself together. Tomorrow after lunch, you should be rested, and I expect you to behave."
Looking down, William rolled his eyes. "Yes, Father."
His dad leaned back. "So, tell me about this William and his family."
"This one went by Liam. His wife was Anna, and their kids were Raymond, Charles, and Emily. He was the youngest of our family to become a lawyer, but he was persecuted because he often took on clients who were accused of being witches. It was rumored that as a young man, before he met Anna, he had been in love with one of them. Some said he never truly got over her and that was why he—" William froze, staring at the picture.
"Go on."
William's pulse quickened as he stared at the image. He had never noticed it before, but in the family picture, someone was hiding in the background, in between some trees. She appeared to be staring at the family—and she looked just like Clara.
"Son?"
He shook his head, and mindlessly rattled off more facts about the pictures. He couldn't take his eyes off the girl that looked just like his girlfriend. If he didn't know better, he would think that she could have actually been her. Throw on two-hundred-year-old clothing, take off the modern makeup, and it really could have been her.
No one had ever mentioned that girl in the picture before. William wasn't even sure how he was able to see it then. But now that he could see it, he couldn't take his eyes off her. All those years he had looked at the albums, how had he missed it?
Sally came in and announced dinner, and William's dad took the album and put it back on his shelf. William couldn't stop thinking about the picture. He tried to convince himself that he was imagining it, but the image was burned into his mind, and he couldn't deny what was there.
Obviously, it was impossible for the girl to have been Clara. Could it have been one of her past relatives? How strange that her relative would be in the same picture as one of his. Not only that, but the relative of his in the picture—another William—was practically his twin. Had they been alive at the same time, no one would have been able to tell William and Liam apart.
"William."
He looked up from his plate. His mom looked at him expectantly. "Sorry. I didn't hear you."
She smiled. "Don't worry about it, baby. I'm sure you're tired." She turned to her husband. "Will, why don't you let him get to bed early tonight? Poor thing is terribly jet lagged."
"Yeah." Kathryn, his younger sister, set down her fork. "Give him a break, Dad. He just had finals and then a long plane ride."
Will nodded. "You ladies are right." He turned to William. "I don't mean to push you too hard, son. You know I just want you to be the best you can be."
"I know, Dad." William piled more food onto his plate. The food was delicious, and he couldn't get enough.
Sally brought a plate of hot muffins, and Will smiled at her. "Looks like the boy missed your cooking."
She smiled at William. "We've all missed you while you've been away. Even your sister."
Kathryn gave a playful smile. "Maybe a little."
William nodded. "I
missed you guys too." He went back to his food, unable to stop thinking about the picture. He was only vaguely aware of the discussion going on around him. He was glad to have the jet lag excuse, because no one questioned why he was being so quiet. Usually, he was full of lively discussion, never one to be without words.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the picture meant something. Why had no one ever noticed the girl hiding? And why would he notice it then? There had to be a reason for it. Had their ancestors known each other? What if Clara's relative had been his relative's secret love, the one rumored to be a witch?
No. That was too far-fetched. Maybe the jet lag really was getting to him. It was too crazy to be true. The chances of both Clara and William having ancestors who looked just like them alive at the same time was probably minuscule. Much less that they would have been in love.
He was jet lagged, tired, and missing his girlfriend. That's all it was. He just needed some sleep and some of Clara's sweet kisses.
William excused himself from dinner and went to his room. He sat on his bed, looking at the mess he had made unpacking. He didn't even care. Normally, he was as neat as a pin, any mess driving him crazy.
There were so many scenarios running through his mind, most of them completely absurd. Maybe he should become a writer instead of a lawyer. He obviously had a wild enough imagination.
Climbing into bed, he didn't care that he was still dressed. He had to get to the bottom of the picture mystery. But, really, was that possible? It was nearly two hundred years old. How would he be able to find anything out about an anonymous face in a picture that old? The girl could have been anyone, and just because she looked like Clara didn't mean that they had any connection.
The doppelganger effect was supposed to be a scientific fact, and that meant that everyone supposedly had a double somewhere. Maybe that girl from long ago was just proof of that.
William closed his eyes, trying to get his mind off the picture. He would drive himself crazy trying to figure it out while he was so tired. He might never find out the answer. If the girl had wanted to be seen, she wouldn't have been hiding.
Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More Page 171