“Rachel Evans,” Kristin finished.
Kristin looked back and forth between Oscar and Rachel, danger in her eyes. Rachel's face turned red as she looked down at the carpet to avoid Kristin's gaze.
“Where did you find the cat?”
Rachel answered. “We found him in the street. We think he was hit by a car. It's a miracle he's even alive.”
“Yeah, a miracle,” Kristin said, looking at Kevin. “Can I talk to you?”
Kevin smiled. So much for being calm with Rachel at the apartment.
He set Oscar in Rachel's lap, and gave her a wink.
Kevin followed Kristin back into her bedroom. She left it open a crack so she could keep an eye on the living room.
“You healed the cat, didn't you?”
“Yeah.”
“In front of her?”
“No. She didn't see. At least I don't think so.”
“You don't think so?”
“I was careful.”
She let out an exasperated sigh and removed the towel from her head, tossing it on the bed.
“You should have talked to me about this. You know we can't keep pets here.”
“Oh, bull. Half this building has pets. I see cats and dogs in windows all the time. Hell, Mister Thompson walks his dog right in front of the rental office.”
Kristin spied on Rachel in the living room. She was still watching television with Oscar on her lap. Kristin always tossed comments at Kevin for wearing a jacket in ninety degree heat, but Rachel almost had him beat. The only skin she had exposed was her forearms because of rolled-up sleeves.
“Why is she dressed like that?”
He shrugged. “I think she's cute.”
“She needs to get the hair out of her face. And some different clothes. You like her?”
“Yeah.”
“Like like?”
“No. We're just friends.”
She grabbed her wet hair in frustration.
“Kev, you've avoided people for years. I've always said you should go out and make some friends. But why does it have to be with the one person who knows what you can do?”
“She doesn't know. She thinks it was all a dream.”
“A dream? Are you kidding me? Okay, whatever. Fine. You convince Rachel that she's a loon. But then you heal a kitten with her nearby?”
He lowered his head. “I couldn't let Oscar die.”
Kristin finally laughed at the name. “Oscar.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “Look, all I'm saying is I don't want to see my little brother on the six o'clock news.”
He nodded. He knew his sister cared about him. He was glad they were close.
“I'll be careful.”
“Okay.” She let out a breath. “Let's go see this kitten.”
Oscar still slept on Rachel's lap. She brushed hair out of her eyes as she slowly ran her hand down Oscar's back.
Kevin smiled. Oscar was a lucky cat.
Kristin hovered over Rachel. “So, this is Oscar.”
Oscar woke up. He stretched as he looked up at Kristin. He stood on his back legs and reached for her, letting out a meow.
Kristin was hooked.
“Awwww,” she said, and scooped him into her arms.
Kevin shook his head. Not only was Oscar lucky, but smart.
He smiled at Rachel as Kristin paraded Oscar around the house, showing him every room.
“Everything okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah. No problem.”
He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. Rachel shivered as he spoke.
“Thank you for coming over,” he said.
“Anytime.”
“Rachel,” Kristin called from the hall. “You want to stay for dinner? The great thing about Hamburger Helper is it'll feed thirty people.”
“I probably shouldn't,” she said. “My dad's still away on business and my mom might need help around the house.”
“You should stay,” Kevin said with a smile. “Oscar will miss you.”
Rachel paused, and Kevin knew she was giving in.
“Okay.”
Chapter 7
Paul parked his truck close to the edge of the hill. Lookout Point was a popular spot for teens to park and make out, among other things. It had been renamed Make Out Point over the years.
That's why he had to find his own spot.
“Isn't this great?” Paul asked.
Donna looked at the scenery. She could see the entire town beneath them. Their town of Walton wasn't the big city, but it was still beautiful at night. They had to drive through the woods near Lookout Point to get to Paul's special spot, and the sounds of nature were all around them. Crickets, wings hitting the night air, leaves rustling in the wind. It was creepy at first. The woods were completely dark, with only the full moon to keep them company. The trail was barely visible, but Paul knew where he was going.
“It's beautiful,” Donna said.
Paul killed the engine, but left the stereo playing. Donna pulled at her skirt, hoping to draw attention to her legs. Paul definitely noticed, but tried to act as coy as possible.
They'd been all over each other the past few days. Before the library, after the library, in Paul's living room, in a darkened corner in school. Their hormones were out of control. Her clothes almost came off in his living room, until his parents called, letting him know they were coming home from dinner early.
She smiled as she twirled a finger in her hair and looked out the window.
Warm-ups were almost over.
“So, are you almost done your paper?” Paul asked.
She nearly laughed, and decided she could play a little longer. She kicked off her sandals and stretched her lean legs.
“I'm about a page away. I was thinking about buying a paper, but my parents would flip if they found out.”
Paul waved his hand. “Eh, Kevin and Rachel got it all figured out. We'll do fine tomorrow.”
She reached over and put a hand on his knee.
“How much time do we have before we have to be at the library?”
He smiled. “They'll be fine without us.”
He leaned across the seat and kissed her. It was soft at first, but it wasn't long before she had her skirt pulled up to her hips, straddling him in the driver's seat. She pulled her shirt off and threw it aside. Paul silently cursed the sun being gone, wanting to see all of her. His sense of touch would have to do.
She pushed against the roof of the truck, to grind into him more. A tiny smile spread across her face when she felt how aroused he was. He struggled out of his own shirt as he let out a groan and leaned forward to feel her.
She pushed him back by the shoulders and ran her hands down his chest. She looked through the rear window at the bed of the truck.
“How much room do you have back there?” she asked.
“Plenty.”
They both nearly jumped from their seats. Paul was mesmerized as Donna bounced seductively along the side of the truck. She pulled her skirt off, revealing only a black thong and matching bra. He thought his pants would split at the front.
Paul laid out a sheet across the truck bed before Donna could climb up. She arched an eyebrow at him, putting her hands on her sexy hips.
“How many times have you done this?”
“This is my first time,” Paul admitted. “But I'm like a boy scout. I always plan ahead.”
He wasn't lying. He felt for the condom in his back pocket, making sure it was still there.
Donna slowly crawled onto the sheet, giving him a good look at her rear. She lay on her side and patted the space next to her.
“I'm lonely,” she said, pouting her lips. “Keep me company?”
Paul didn't need to be told twice.
They kissed and embraced, aware of only each other.
Donna finally unbuckled the front of his jeans. He closed his eyes, wishing he could stretch the moment out forever.
Then she stopped.
“What's wrong?�
� he asked, barely able to breathe. “I got a condom.”
She sat up, his hand still on her hip. He let a finger drift underneath the string of her thong.
“Do you hear that?”
Paul listened intently. “I don't hear anything.”
“I know. That's what I mean. I heard animals a minute ago. Frogs, crickets, birds. Where did they go?”
He laughed. “They're being nice. They know we're busy.”
He sat up and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed the side of her neck while letting his hands roam down her breasts and stomach. She shivered and closed her eyes, giving in to the moment.
When she opened them, two red eyes stared at her from the trees.
She screamed.
Paul jumped and held her tight, looking around frantically.
“What? What's wrong?”
“There's something in the woods!”
He sighed and put his head on her shoulder. He let a hand settle on her breast, hoping to keep the mood going.
“Tell me you're joking.”
She removed his hand and scooted forward. Her eyes darted around nervously.
“I'm not joking. Get me out of here.”
Paul sighed. The only thing he could think about was the hard penis in his pants, and how it wouldn't be getting any attention.
“Okay, okay. Let's go.”
They climbed out the back of the truck. She quickly gathered her clothes before climbing in the passenger's seat.
Paul just stood there near the driver's side window, not moving. She waited for him to join her.
“Paul? Come on, let's go. I want to go.”
Her mouth opened in a horrified scream as blood ran down his chest.
He collapsed, his body slumping against the truck and trailing blood along the window.
“Paul!”
She jumped behind the wheel and looked out. Paul lay on his stomach with his head turned to the side. His eyes were wide open, staring straight ahead. A pool of blood formed under him, flowing under the truck.
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
She locked both doors and reached for the ignition. The keys were missing. She almost unlocked the door to search Paul's pants, but her hand froze.
The two red eyes stared from the woods again, only for a moment, before they vanished.
She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. Her body was shutting down. She couldn't run even if she wanted to. Tears ran down her face as she whimpered and cried.
Everything happened so fast.
The truck shook violently, followed by the windshield shattering. She barely had time to scream.
The last thing she was aware of before she died was the large beast snarling and growling as it reached through the broken windshield. The full moon lit up the night sky behind its head.
*****
Kevin sat at the library with his feet up on the chair next to him. He leaned back and took a drink of soda. Rachel sat across from him, reviewing her own paper.
He allowed himself a smile, finally able to relax. Every paper was done and sent out through email. He even managed to get a few extra done, for when Hawkins no doubt would spring the assignment on the new classes next semester. All he had to do was check his post office box for money.
“They're later than I thought they'd be.”
Rachel looked up from her paper and smiled. “Have you seen the way those two have been looking at each other? They're probably at a hotel room right now. I called them both twice. They're not answering.”
He sighed. “I guess we got things under control, right? We'll stand in front of class, talk about the characters we wrote about, and how they would or would not get along.”
“I guess. But I wanted to go over it. They knew we were supposed to meet tonight. Assholes.”
She looked back down to her paper, and Kevin took the chance to steal an eyeful. He liked to believe he wasn't the average teenager. He didn't let his hormones lead the way.
But Rachel was hard not to look at.
He couldn't see much under the baggy clothes she always wore, but that only fueled his imagination more. The other girls at school loved showing off what they had. Rachel was the opposite, wanting to hide everything. There was something about her quiet demeanor that appealed to him.
Melissa Johnson and her clan were pretty, and they knew it. Unfortunately, that changed their behavior over the years. They had no sense of humbleness, being told they were attractive all their lives.
Rachel tried her best to avoid attention. Kevin wasn't sure why, but he liked that.
They waited nearly another hour. Rachel made a few more phone calls. She couldn't get through to either of them.
“This isn't good,” she said.
“We'll be fine,” Kevin said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Nothing much bothers you, does it?”
He straightened his jacket. “Nah, not really.”
She put her paper away. “Do you want to go do something?”
“Why don't we go over your house?” he said. “You've seen my house. It's only fair I see yours.”
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Kevin laughed. “I guess that's a no.”
“It's just...no one ever asks to come over.”
“I'm asking now.”
“Maybe another time. My parents...”
“Ah. Embarrassed about them or something?”
“No, not that. But I would need to do some things before I had anyone over.”
“Well, okay, I guess.”
“How about we go get something to eat? There's a great hot dog place right across the street.”
Kevin smiled. “A hot dog it is.”
They gathered their books. Rachel playfully punched Kevin in the shoulder as they made their way to the door.
“My mom would like you.”
“One day I'll get to meet her.”
“Yeah, you will.”
Chapter 8
Rachel paced in the back of literature class. All the other groups were together, talking about their assignment and going over any last minute changes. Mister Hawkins was unusually late, but that didn't make her feel better.
Kevin, Paul, and Donna weren't in class.
She was all alone.
She didn't know what she was supposed to do.
Mister Hawkins was a nice teacher, but he was strict on his assignments. He felt he was preparing his students for the real world, and the real world didn't just stop when inconveniences popped up. Business meetings still went on, conference calls still happened. He wouldn't care if it was only Rachel in front of class.
She couldn't handle that.
Hawkins finally walked into class. He looked like he'd had a rough night. His hair was messed up, large circles under his eyes.
“Sorry I'm late, guys,” he announced. “You didn't think you were getting out of the project, did you?”
The class groaned in protest.
The bell rang, and Rachel was still all alone.
She nearly ran to his desk.
“Mister Hawkins,” she said. “It's just me. My group isn't here.”
He looked at the empty desks. “I'm sorry, Rachel. But you know how it works. Did you call them? Did you plan for the worst case?”
“I wrote my paper, and we met at the library. But they're not here.”
“I see that. Just try your best. I'll have to knock off some points for you not being prepared.”
Her eyes went wide and her cheeks turned red. “Not being prepared?”
He smirked as he looked over her shoulder. “Kevin. You're only a minute late this time. I'm impressed. You've got your partner all worked up.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She walked up to Kevin and almost hugged him in front of everyone.
“Hawkins said he's gonna knock points off for Paul and Donna not being here.”
“What? They're not here? Points knocked
off? Are you kidding?”
“No.”
He frowned, and didn't bother slipping off his backpack.
“I don't need this.”
Her jaw dropped as he turned and left class, not even looking back.
He left her.
Rachel tried to calm down as class started. Out of the goodness of his heart, Hawkins told Rachel she could go last. Her nerves were frayed as she watched the other groups present. Some chose Shakespeare characters all from one play, and acted out scenes. Others simply read their papers, and did fake question and answer sessions, pretending they were the characters.
Hawkins finally looked at her.
“Rachel, it's your turn.”
There was a voice from somewhere in the class.
“Her own group couldn't even stand her.”
The class giggled and laughed.
“Quiet down, everyone,” Hawkins said.
Her knees were shaking as she nervously pushed hair out of her face. She was nearly to her feet when the classroom door opened behind her.
Kevin leaned into the room.
“Mister Hawkins,” he said. “Could I have five minutes with my partner out in the hall?”
The entire class turned to look at him.
“Well, I don't know, Kevin. You were here, late, as usual. Then you left. Now you're back again. Are you really part of this class?”
“Give me a break, Mister Hawkins. Five minutes. Come on, you're not a Nazi.”
The class chuckled.
“Two minutes, Kevin.”
He motioned for Rachel, who was more than happy to escape class. They both stepped out into the quiet hallway. Only a few late students walked the halls and grabbed things from their lockers.
Kevin dropped his books on the floor and started organizing papers.
“I thought you hung me out to dry,” she said.
He grinned. “You don't know much about friendship, do you?”
“No, I don't.”
He laughed, obviously not realizing she was serious. He looked up at her, seeing the stress on her face. He stood up and grabbed her shoulder.
The touch took her by surprise. She looked up and down the halls to see if anyone was watching. She simply wasn't used to anyone touching her.
“Hey,” he said. “I would not leave you to hang in there. I've always got your back.”
A Witch to Live Page 6