Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1)

by C. M. Boers

  For just the two of us, the four-bedroom home was larger than we needed, but it gave us a room for an office and a guest room. The guest room was right next to mine. I secretly imagined my dad coming to visit and staying in that room, although I wasn’t positive that’s how it would happen. I didn't know how much my parents would tolerate being under the same roof again, especially overnight, but I'd like to think that's what would happen.

  The kitchen was tastefully designed with black granite counter tops and shiny hardwood flooring throughout. The flooring was my favorite part of the inside, as it gave the house a feeling of elegance. The dining room was attached to the kitchen and brandished a very exquisite chandelier that would hang over our table, once we bought one.

  Our meals the past week were eaten at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. I could care less, but mom hated being anywhere but at a proper table.

  The living room had a built-in entertainment center with room for a big screen TV that my mom said we would eventually get, but for now it held the 37-inch TV we brought with us.

  Eli slowly followed me into the house, clearly checking it out as he went.

  “Would you like something to drink?” I asked as I set my backpack down on the kitchen counter.

  “Sure, a soda would be great.” He sat down at the bar. “This house is pretty awesome.”

  “Thanks, I like it a lot. I don't have any homework. Do you?”

  “Nope.” He grinned.

  “Yeah, you want to watch a movie or something then?”

  “Sure.”

  Eli picked an older comedy about two brothers who were interested in the same girl and didn't know it. It was actually one of my favorites, but I didn't tell Eli that.

  When the movie was half over I realized that it was time for me to start dinner. I stood and stretched. I hadn't noticed how stiff I was getting.

  “Is something wrong?” Eli looked up at me, his face questioning and a little worried.

  “No, I just have to start dinner. Tonight is my night to cook. I should be done in a few minutes.”

  “Actually, I probably should be going. My mom will be home soon and she'll be worried if I'm not there.”

  He stood up and I walked him to the door. He lingered outside on the porch, looking as though he were debating something.

  I intentionally didn’t make eye contact. “Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow. Thanks for the ride home. It was nice hanging out.”

  “Sure anytime. Um... Abby...” He hesitated. “Have you thought about what I told you today?”

  I wasn't ready for that question. I couldn’t look him in the eye, because I couldn’t be truthful with him. I didn't want to hurt Eli. I couldn’t answer until I knew just how to tell him.

  “No, I haven't made a decision yet,” I lied.

  “Alright, I'll see you tomorrow.”

  I watched him walk down the driveway and drive away in his gorgeous car. I felt horrible lying to him, but I couldn't face his reaction yet. I contemplated what I would say tomorrow as I walked into the kitchen to make dinner.

  I planned to make one of my favorite dinners, baked chicken with creamy mashed potatoes and gravy, and crisp green beans sautéed in olive oil with almonds. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. I started making dinner and timed everything to be done right when mom got home.

  I took my backpack to my bedroom, and sat by the window to watch another amazing sunset. It was nothing like the night before. One of the things that set Arizona apart from anywhere I had been before was that the sunset was never the same; the colors that painted the sky were different each night. Tonight the entire horizon was alight with yellowish orange right around the sun with the brightest ball of light in the center. Even though it was completely different than the one I watched yesterday, it was just as magnificent. I loved having a front row seat in my bedroom.

  I sat long enough to think about what I would say to Eli about my decision. Since the time I began making dinner, I had gone through what seemed like hundreds of scenarios.

  I vaulted the stairs two at a time when I heard the timer for the potatoes. They were perfectly soft on inspection and ready for mashing. I was just finishing mashing the potatoes when my mom walked in the door.

  “Mmm, Abby—dinner smells delicious!”

  “Hi Mom!” I called back. “Thanks! It will be ready in about 10 minutes.”

  When dinner was ready, we dished up our plates buffet-style and sat down to eat at the bar. The chicken was better than it smelled, the mashed potatoes were the perfect comfort food after a confusing day, and the green beans were flawlessly crisp and full of flavor.

  “So honey, how was your first day at school?”

  “It was alright. I met a few new friends. One of them came over after school and we watched a movie. Well, part of a movie.” I corrected myself. “I had to start dinner in the middle, but he had to leave anyway.”

  “He?” She looked a little surprised.

  “Yep, he seems really nice. He is only a friend though, so don't get any ideas!”

  She laughed. “You know me all too well.”

  “Yep, Mom, always playing matchmaker,” I answered sarcastically as she giggled.

  I finished my dinner quickly and helped clear our breakfast bar table. Since I cooked dinner it was Mom's job to do the dishes. I was glad to relinquish that chore to her whenever I could! Dishes were one of my least favorite jobs. I would rather do any other household chore over doing one sink full of dishes.

  I went into the living room to watch some TV. There wasn't anything interesting on to watch, but I didn't care; I wasn't really watching it anyway. I kept zoning out, thinking about the next day at school. More and more I hoped that Pete hadn’t done anything serious. It still seemed so far-fetched to even think about—murder? Actually, I felt ridiculous even thinking it. I wondered if Pete and I would become more than friends at some point. My mom would love that! She was unusually in love with love, always looking for the happy ending. Ironic, considering she was divorced. If I ever showed even a slight interest in someone, she always got so excited. Not that there had been many. I didn't want her to know about Pete until I was sure that he was safe. Hopefully, that would happen sooner rather than later; not only for my sake, but for Eli's too. I knew he would be worried about me and wondered if he would even talk to me again after he knew my choice. He seemed like a great friend, and I didn’t want to lose him over that.

  I trudged upstairs to shower before bed. I was tense to say the least, as the knots in my shoulders felt as if they were starting to restrict my movements. The shower helped to ease some of the tension.

  Afterwards, I figured I would write an email to Kelly, my best friend in California. In all the chaos, I’d almost forgotten that I had promised to write her one after my first day of school.

  Kelly was just like me in almost every way, including looks. It was why we were best friends in the first place. Her brown hair and blue eyes matched mine perfectly. We spent most of our time together at the beach or shopping, but it was our sleepovers that I would miss the most. I promised her that I would write her every chance I got and that we wouldn’t grow apart, but deep down we both knew that we probably would anyway. It made leaving that much harder for me.

  I pulled out my laptop and began typing.

  Kelly,

  We made it. Man is it hot! Everything is going okay. I hope that your first day went well. How are all of our friends doing? I miss you all and I can't wait till you can visit me. I had the weirdest day. I don't want to go into too much detail because I am really not sure about a lot of it. Some of it may be rumors. But on the upside I met a few new friends. The funny thing is two of them are boys, very unlike me. Although, after tomorrow it may only be one boy. I will have to tell you more about that later. Well I should be getting to bed now. Hope all is going well with you.

  Abby

  I climbed into my snuggly bed and thought of my dad. I should have called him to ch
eck in. I knew he would be wondering about how my first day went, but I was just too tired.

  I sunk into the sheets and got cozy in my down comforter. I fell asleep more quickly than usual, and was relieved the next morning when I awoke and couldn’t remember a single dream.

  I hopped out of bed with more perkiness than usual. I dressed as fast as I could, giving myself ample time to call my dad before I went down to breakfast.

  “Hello?” He answered on the second ring. His voice was husky, slightly more husky than usual, as if I had woken him.

  “Hi dad,” I said.

  “Hey Abbs!” He nicknamed me Abbs when I was younger and had called me that ever since. He was the only person I let call me that. “I'm so glad you called.”

  “How’s everything going?”

  “Good, I've been busy working. The store has been pretty busy.”

  My dad owned his own hunting supply store, and since hunting season was coming up in a few weeks everyone was getting ready to go. I imagined him amid a sea of targets, tents, and propane tanks. It was familiar and I liked it. I always thought when I was old enough I would work in my dad’s store. As it turned out, that wasn’t my destiny.

  “That's good.”

  “How was your first day of school?” he asked.

  I knew my dad genuinely cared about what was going on in my life. I could always count on him.

  “It was alright, I guess. It’s almost time to leave for school. I probably should be getting downstairs to breakfast though. I just wanted to call and say hi, but I will call you again soon.”

  “Okay, I'm glad you did. I miss you,” he added.

  “I miss you, too.”

  “I love you, Abbs. Have a good day.”

  “I love you too, dad. Bye,”

  I hung up before I heard him say goodbye. I skipped down the stairs. My mood lifted after talking to my dad.

  There was a note on the refrigerator in my mom’s neat handwriting.

  Abby,

  I had to go to work early this morning. Breakfast is waiting in the microwave. Sorry, you will have to walk to school today. Have a good day!

  Love,

  Mom

  It was not unusual for my mom to have to leave suddenly in the morning. She worked as an editor’s assistant at a publishing company. She would have to go in early for a number of reasons—if someone called in sick, if the boss needed an earlier coffee fix, or if she had a bigger workload due to book deals.

  Pancakes with strawberries on top and sausage were waiting in the microwave. It was delicious and still warm. I didn't mind eating alone; it was actually nice being able to enjoy breakfast without having to carry a conversation.

  We didn’t live far from my school, but since I’d never walked before I was unsure how long it would take. I walked as quickly as I could, but I didn’t get far before I heard a car horn honk behind me. I turned around and was surprised to see Eli rolling down his passenger window.

  “Want a ride?” he asked.

  I was relieved that I wouldn't have to walk to school after all. I had already been late once to my first class, and I certainly didn't want to make it a reoccurring thing.

  “Hey, why are you driving down my street anyways?” I questioned as I climbed into his car.

  “Well, good morning to you too.”

  “Sorry, I am just a little surprised that's all.”

  “I usually cut through this neighborhood on my way to school. It's quicker. You’re just a bonus today.” He smiled.

  The compliment caught me off guard, but it made me smile anyway. I knew he didn’t mean anything more than he was happy to hang out, but I couldn’t help it when my ego lifted ever so slightly.

  “Well, thanks for the ride.”

  “No problem.”

  The car was quiet for a long time. I hoped he wouldn’t bring up the issue with Pete. I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to say; I just didn’t know if I would have the guts to actually say it. Nothing ever came out the way I planned in stressful situations. I tried hard to think of something to talk about that would divert the attention away from that topic, but came up empty. The silence seemed to drag on, and my hands fidgeted in my lap. I hated when I couldn't think of anything to say.

  We pulled into the crowded school parking lot, and Eli parked his car in the middle of the lot He turned the car off and sat there staring straight ahead. It was like he was trying to get the courage to ask something. I knew exactly what he was thinking, and it was the precise subject I wanted to avoid.

  “Well, off to another day of torture,” I said quickly to fill the silence.

  I started to get out, wishing he would follow. He did.

  “Yep,” he said solemnly.

  “Thanks again for the ride, I really appreciate it. Plus, I got to ride in the most awesome car!” I threw the last part in as a distraction.

  That did it; he had a grin from ear-to-ear. I smiled back, knowing that I had at least avoided that conversation for the time being. I did feel a little guilty about toying with his emotions for my own personal gain, but I wasn’t going to fret about it. The conversation would come in due time.

  We walked into school together, but went our separate ways to class. I felt excited to see Pete, despite everything that was said between Eli and I. When I walked into the classroom, I saw he wasn't there yet and I was disappointed—more disappointed than I cared to admit.

  He walked in the door right as the bell rang, so he wasn’t technically late. That was good, because otherwise he would have gone to “Sweep,” which was basically detention during class. On the first day you were given an exception, but today was different. If you were late from the second day of school on, you’d have to go to Sweep. You aren't allowed to do anything there, not even homework, which was a pointless waste of time in my opinion.

  In his dark blue jeans and a green shirt that made his eyes stand out brilliantly, he looked just as good as he had the day before.

  “Hey Pete!” I said from behind him, trying to be as quiet as possible.

  “Hey,” he whispered over his shoulder.

  I wanted to talk to him more, but class was well underway. I would just have to wait. The time ticked by slowly, and I was eagerly counting the minutes—30, 29, 28… I sat there tapping my foot as I anxiously anticipated the bell.

  A white flash fell over Pete's shoulder. A note. My stomach did a flop as my jittery fingers fumbled clumsily to open it. Pete had very neat, precise handwriting.

  Abby,

  So, are we on for lunch?

  Pete

  I quickly became keenly aware that I never let Bailey in on the fact that Pete would be joining us. Hopefully Bailey wouldn’t mind, or so I hoped. I wrote him back almost immediately.

  Pete,

  Yep, Bailey's in too.

  Abby

  Without caring who was watching, I slipped it over his shoulder, slightly brushing him with my hand. My stomach leapt at the brief contact. I felt a little more careless when Pete was around. Maybe it was his sense of ease or his seemingly careless personality.

  He read my note, looked over his shoulder, and flashed his beautiful white smile. I could have melted. What was wrong with me?

  I saw him fold the note and put it away. I was dejected that he wasn't going to write me another, but I should have been paying attention to Mr. Robbins anyway. It would be very easy for me to fall behind in math, so I needed every ounce of focus to keep my mind on track.

  Pete walked me to my next class, and it was something I could get used to. I walked slowly, trying to get as much time with him as I could.

  “So. How was your lunch with Eli yesterday?” he asked.

  I sensed a little sarcasm in his voice, maybe even a hint of jealousy. Could he be jealous? I felt sudden butterflies in my stomach just thinking about the possibility.

  “It was good. We mainly talked about school stuff.” I tried to make it sound like nothing.

  “Well, that's good.” />
  I assumed he meant that it was good we only talked about school stuff. Or maybe I was just turning it into what I wanted it to be. It was a good thing he didn’t ask me to elaborate on what ‘school stuff’ meant, because I didn’t have an answer for him. I really needed to get better at my lying or this web would swallow me whole.

  “Sorry I had to cancel. What did you end up doing?”

  “I found a few friends, a big group actually. It was nice seeing a lot of the people I haven't seen in a while. We all got to catch up.”

  “That's good.” I was relieved that he had fun. “I guess it was a good thing I had to cancel then.” I looked at him and giggled.

  “Ha ha ha. At least I get to have lunch with you today—unless you decide to cancel again that is,” he joked, shooting me a sideways glance.

  “No, no, no, there won't be any canceling today.”

  “Good.” He nudged me with his shoulder playfully.

  We were standing in front of my class now. Absentmindedly, I grabbed the straps of my backpack as we stood there. I fidgeted, twisting and untwisting the straps.

  “See you at the same place we met yesterday?” he asked.

  “Yep.” I smiled.

  I turned to leave and that’s when I saw Eli staring at us—except this time, I was the only one getting the glare. I could almost feel his eyes searing into me, and the disgusted look on his face made me feel sick. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. I just wished he would still speak to me so I could explain.

  I didn’t notice Pete say goodbye, but I was sure he had.

  Eli walked into class without saying a word. I had to jog to catch up

  “Can I talk to you for a minute in the hall, please? I know you’re mad, but I want to explain.”

  “Why should I?”

  “We're friends. At least let me explain.”