Charade (Heven & Hell)

by Cambria Hebert

  “Crap!” I swore and bent to pick up the broken shards.

  “Be careful,” Sam cautioned, bending down to help. But it was too late and a piece of glass stuck my finger and blood welled to the surface. Sam swore and grabbed the dish towel and wrapped it around my finger.

  “Let me get this,” he said.

  I looked back up at the cabinet and it looked exactly as it should. My head was pounding and I knew it was the headache that was making my eyes play tricks on me.

  “Let me see,” Sam said, holding out his hand.

  I removed the dish towel, tossing it in the sink and looked down. “It’s just a scratch.”

  Sam took my hand in his and studied the cut. A muscle in his jaw ticked once. Twice. Then he looked up. “All right?”

  “Yes. Sorry about the bowl.”

  “It’s nothing.” He shrugged and clasped my hand in his, being careful of the new injury. Logan was standing in the open doorway, watching us. I had the sudden urge to tattle on him like a school girl. But I didn’t. I held my breath. I swear I thought he smiled before turning and racing down the stairs toward the truck.

  He was so positive that Sam would chose him if forced to pick. I never intended to allow things to go that far. Someone who really loved Sam wouldn’t ask him to choose. So what did that say about Logan?

  Chapter Eight

  Heven

  Summer air rushed through the windows and pushed against my skin, forcing the uneasiness I felt about Logan toward the back of my mind. It was the warm breeze coupled with the blue cloudless sky that made me want an afternoon of summer fun filled with hot dogs, fruit salad and football in the grass. I wanted to enjoy this rare, work-free afternoon with Sam. Who cared if the only reason we got it was because I almost drowned this morning? I didn’t and we were here. What was wrong with wanting a little summer bliss?

  I was feeling pretty relaxed by the time we arrived back at Gran’s, energized by the idea of such a wonderful afternoon. Even Logan seemed a little more laid back. With Sam’s hand wrapped around mine and his solid thigh pressed alongside my own, the day’s drama was almost out of my mind.

  Unfortunately, my positive mood was short-lived.

  When the house came into view so did the cars parked beside it. The steering wheel jerked in Sam’s hands and he glanced over at me before driving on.

  What the hell is he doing here? he said.

  What on Earth is she doing here? I said.

  This day keeps on getting better.

  Logan seemed oblivious to our drop in mood. As soon as Sam parked, Logan made a beeline for Gran and the food in the kitchen. I watched him disappear and thought about how nice disappearing might be.

  The door banged and I looked up. Cole was standing on the porch, staring at me through the windshield. My stomach tightened and guilt assailed me, guilt for avoiding him, for promising an explanation, then refusing to give one and even guilt for not feeling something when he kissed me.

  But there was guilt worse than that.

  Most of all I felt guilty because I had missed Cole. I knew that he was angry with me. How could he not be? I knew that there was going to be an intense conversation and probably more anger, but it was just really good to see him. But by missing Cole, I felt as though I was betraying Sam. I pushed those thoughts away, fearful he might pick up on them.

  More people came out onto the porch, my mother and her new boyfriend. The ache that had been slowly lessening in my head intensified. Sam opened his door and, at the same time, reached for my fingers and gave them a squeeze.

  Sam was my strength. Some days it felt like he was the only reason I could put one foot in front of the other. I reminded myself that those feelings were wonderful but I couldn’t allow myself to lean on him so heavily. I was stronger than that. Even without Sam, I could get through this. But it sure was nice to have him around. Sam lifted me out of the truck, blocking out all the eyes on me and I let myself use the moment to compose myself. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I held my chin up and faced everyone.

  “What a surprise!” I said, injecting enthusiasm into my voice. “I didn’t expect to see you all here.”

  My mother was the first to come forward. “I was missing you and Henry suggested we come and visit. When we got here, Gran was cooking up a storm and invited us to stay.” To my intense surprise, she came down the steps and hugged me. It took me a minute to comprehend what was happening, but then I hugged her back. It felt good. It was a hug from the old days, from Before. Before I was attacked and disfigured. Before I met Sam and my entire life changed. Before my mother accused me of being marked by evil.

  I couldn’t help but notice that, while we embraced, I was enveloped by her aura. She loved me and she was happy. She didn’t seem the least bit upset by Sam’s presence. Maybe she really was trying to accept him as a part of my life. A little bit of the tension in me eased.

  From up on the porch Henry said, “Great to see you, Heven. Sam. Thanks for having me at your barbeque.”

  “Oh! That reminds me! We were just coming out to get out the grill and light it for Sylvia.” my mother exclaimed, looking up at Henry.

  Henry came down the steps and held out his arm to my mother. “Lead the way, my lady.”

  My mother giggled like a school girl and a funny feeling slid down my spine. I pushed it away. I wanted her to be happy. My dad would want her to be happy. I smiled, hoping it looked genuine and watched them go off toward where Gran kept the grill.

  That left me, Sam and Cole.

  “What are you doing here?” Sam demanded in low tones.

  I pinched his side and pulled away from him to go up the stairs toward Cole. “Hey, Cole, it’s really good to see you.” At least with Cole I didn’t have to fake my emotions like with my mother.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” he growled.

  I stopped short, teetering on the top step. “I’m sorry.”

  Sam came up behind me, gently pushing me up on to the porch away from the stairs. “What are you doing here?” he repeated.

  “Be nice,” I snapped.

  He ignored me.

  “Sylvia invited me.” Cole directed his answer at me.

  “Gran invited you?” I echoed. Why would she do that? Her reaction to him the other night was a little odd.

  He shrugged. “I thought maybe you asked her to.”

  My heart constricted. I hadn’t. I kind of wished I had.

  “Why would she do that?” Sam bristled beside me.

  I sighed and prayed that this meeting didn’t come to blows. From across the yard, Henry called, “Seems we need a lighter to get this grill going. Sam, could you bring one out here and give me a hand?”

  I caught a flare of gold in his eyes and I reached out and laid a hand on his arm. You okay?

  I don’t want to leave you alone with him.

  I should to talk to him.

  He still seemed torn about what to do.

  “Sam?” Henry called.

  A muscle in his jaw ticked, but he called, “Be right there!” Then I was being hauled against his hard chest and his lips were rough against mine. It wasn’t the way he usually kissed me, with passion and love pouring from his every pore. This was a kiss that stamped me as his; it was the kind of kiss that told Cole what his place was.

  It made me uncomfortable, even sparked some anger within me, but I allowed it. If I pulled away or protested, how would Sam perceive it? How would Cole? Then Sam pulled away and went inside for a lighter, seconds later, brushing past Cole and down the steps to help my mother and Henry.

  Then it was just me and Cole.

  His deep blue eyes studied me. “You look tired. Pale.” His aura was flaring the magenta tones, a mix of purple and pink that was so unusual to see. Beneath the magenta was his usual blue and green, but there was also a bit of a dirty-brown color. He was worried about me.

  “So do you.” His clothes were rumpled and he had circles beneath his usually bright blue eyes. At h
is side his hand flexed like he was trying to hold himself back from saying more.

  “What’s going on, Hev?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “You said you would.”

  I shook my head. “I know. It’s just…”

  “He doesn’t want me to know.” His voice was flat.

  “He has reasons, Cole. Good reasons. And…”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “And?”

  “It’s better you stay out of it. You could get hurt.”

  “You’re worried about me?” His voice dropped.

  “Well, yeah. We’re friends.” I felt the need to point that out.

  “About the other night,” he said taking a step closer, closing the distance between us. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  “You needed a friend. I’m your friend.” I pointed it out one more time.

  He frowned. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

  “Look,” I said, realizing this conversation wasn’t going that well. I glanced over my shoulder at Sam who was helping Henry light the grill. “I told Sam about… what happened…” I looked at him, praying he knew I meant the kiss.

  He nodded. “So he wants to deck me, right?”

  “There will be no decking,” I said firmly. “I asked him to try and be nice and I’m asking you the same.”

  He regarded me with a look of serious concern and did not agree to my request. “Are you in trouble, Heven?”

  I shook my head. “Please, Cole, just stay out of it.”

  “I’m not sure I can do that.” His aura flared, magenta shooting out around his head in flames. I was momentarily distracted by the explosion of brilliant color.

  He put a hand on my elbow. “Are you okay?” he asked, leaning down in my face.

  “Of course.”

  Sam appeared, slipping his arm around my waist and knocking away Cole’s hand. Okay?

  Yeah. His aura is just so… overwhelming.

  Sam steered me toward the back door and inside, where Gran was piling condiments on the table. “There you are!” Gran said. “Would you boys be a dear and take those platters outside to the grill?”

  Sam dutifully picked up the first platter heaped with hamburger patties and some chicken and went out the door. Cole picked up the other platter filled with hot dogs and buns. Gran came over and patted his cheek before he disappeared from view.

  “I didn’t know you were inviting Cole,” I said casually.

  “I thought you two were friends.” Her aura was flashing with colors that were not her usual. What was going on?

  “We are.”

  “Good. I hope that he will be spending a lot of time here.”

  My head was aching with renewed force as I struggled to make sense of how she was acting. I found the pain reliever, shook a few out into my hand and dug around in the fridge for a bottle of water. My hand was about to close over a bottle when the fridge and its contents fell away. I was left staring at a black stone wall. My fingers brushed over the rough cold stone and my hand snapped back in shock. I blinked several times, trying to clear my eyes and trying to see in the sudden darkness. I heard a sound behind me and I spun, barely seeing the trickling water dripping down the stone to splash at my feet. I was surrounded by stone with barely any light to see. I looked up. There was a circle of light beckoning me from far above.

  I was in a well.

  How was this possible?

  One minute, I was standing in Gran’s kitchen, and the next, I’m trapped in a well. Panic began to build, tightening my chest and making my breathing shallow. I reached out, turning in a circle, my hand scraping over the rough sides, and finally, getting caught on a sharp edge.

  “Ow!” I pulled my hand back and saw the puncture, blood trailing down my wrist. I cradled the hand against my chest as another sound at my feet caught my ears. I looked down. Even in the dim lighting I knew what I was looking at.

  I screamed.

  The snake slithering across my shoe reared up and bared its surprisingly long fangs.

  I screamed again.

  Hands grabbed my shoulders and I struggled.

  Heven, it’s me. Calm down.

  Sam?

  Yes.

  A sob caught in my throat as I collapsed against him. The well melted away and I was once again in Gran’s kitchen encased in Sam’s arms.

  The door swung open and Cole charged in. “I heard a scream.”

  Gran was following behind him, both staring.

  I forced a laugh. “I’m sorry. I saw a spider.”

  Gran chuckled, moving around Cole to place spoons in the baked beans and potato salad. “You never have liked spiders. Close the fridge door, honey.”

  Sam pushed the fridge door shut as I peaked over his shoulder to stare at Cole. He was frowning. When he saw me looking, he scowled. Clearly, he didn’t believe my story. I shut my eyes tight, willing away the images. Seconds ticked by and I forced myself out of the comfort of Sam’s arms.

  He bent down and picked up the pills that I dropped and handed them to me. Then he reached into fridge and pulled out a water bottle. I couldn’t help but peer into the fridge with fear.

  What happened?

  I looked down at my hand where I had cut it against the stone. There was nothing there. It was like it never happened.

  Just then, Henry poked his head in the back door while Logan entered from the living room, carrying a brightly colored vinyl tablecloth.

  “You found it!” Gran exclaimed, taking the cover out of his hands. “I wasn’t sure it would be where I told you.”

  Logan beamed under her happiness. “It was right where you said.”

  “I don’t want to alarm anyone,” Henry said. “But we need some ice out here.”

  “Is someone hurt?” Gran asked, turning away from Logan.

  Henry nodded. “Madeline stumbled into the grill and burned her hand.”

  “Goodness!” Gran grabbed a huge ice pack out of the freezer and raced outside calling behind her, “Heven, get the burn cream!”

  Logan followed Gran outside, still carrying the tablecloth. I hadn’t realized he had been in the house before.

  I ran forward toward the cabinet with our medical supplies. “I want to know what is going on.” Cole demanded as I dug through the cabinet.

  “Cole, please,” I begged. “Not now.”

  He stared at me for a long moment then nodded tightly and stalked out of the room.

  What’s going on?

  “Cream must be in the bathroom,” I said and rushed out of the kitchen. Sam kept pace along with me easily. Once I had the cream, he grabbed my hand to stop me from rushing by.

  Stop for a second. What happened back there?

  I thought I saw something. It’s like my mind is playing tricks on me.

  Your headache still hasn’t gone away. He touched my forehead. It wasn’t a question. He could probably feel my headache. I nodded in response anyway and prayed the pain reliever would start working.

  Still have a sore throat?

  I forgot about my sore throat with all the other drama going on around us. “Not really.” I made a move to walk past him. “I really need to go see about Mom.”

  “Of course.” He towed me along with him outside where everyone was gathered around my mother who was at the picnic table with an ice pack on her arm.

  “Mom, what happened?”

  “Oh, honey, I’m fine. Clumsy me stumbled and my arm caught the grill.” She lifted the ice pack and showed me an angry red welt already raised on her arm.

  I gasped. “That looks horrible! We should go get it checked out.”

  “It looks worse than it is,” Mom said, shaking her head. “With the ice, it hardly hurts at all.”

  “Did you get the cream?” Gran asked me. I looked at her for some back-up about taking Mom to the doctor. Her aura was smooth and unruffled. It was like she wasn’t worried at all.

  “It’s right here.” I held out the tube.<
br />
  “Here. I’ll put some on you,” Gran said, uncapping it to smooth a thick layer of the stuff over the burn. Mom didn’t even wince.

  I did. I looked at Henry who was watching the scene with mild interest. He saw my stare and looked fully at me. “What do you think, Henry? Think Mom should get looked at?” It was almost a challenge.

  He smiled. “I think if your mother says she’s all right, then she probably is.”

  Mom beamed up at Henry, her aura not even displaying the slightest bit of pain. “I’m just fine. Let’s not ruin the afternoon with this. Shall we eat?”

  I seemed to be outnumbered. I looked at Sam and he shrugged.

  “At least let me wrap the burn,” I tried, not ready to give up.

  “That would be wonderful. But let me keep this ice on it while we eat; then you can wrap it.”

  I stopped arguing. She really didn’t seem to be in any pain. Her aura was clear and auras didn’t lie. So I let it go.

  Everyone took a spot around the table, but I was slower to sit down. My stomach still revolted at the thought of food, but I couldn’t avoid at least sitting with everyone. To my utter dismay, the only empty spot at the table was right next to Cole. Rather than allow Sam to slide in next to him, I hurried over and Sam sat down on my other side, frowning. Inside I winced, thinking that it probably didn’t look too good when I hurried to sit next to Cole.

  Gran said a short blessing and everyone dug in. I couldn’t help but notice the apprising looks she was giving Cole and I. Was Gran trying to set me up with Cole? No. She couldn’t be. She loved Sam, and I knew it. I saw it in her aura. Yet, there was love in her aura too every time she looked at Cole. I prepared myself for a long dinner, but it ended up not being as uncomfortable as I thought.

  Henry was a captivating storyteller. He possessed a magnetism that drew you in when he spoke, and all throughout dinner, he told us stories about the places he had traveled to and the people that he had met. I found myself unable to relax, but at least the pressure in my skull was easing. Because of Henry’s talent for speaking, no one seemed to notice that all I did was push the food from one side of my plate to the other. Finally, I gave up even making it look like I was eating and looked up, brushing away a fly that was swarming around the table. My mother was clearly happy, staring at Henry with a sort of awe in her eyes. I just couldn’t believe that her arm didn’t bother her at all.