After class, he walked her to her car.
“Have a good weekend,” she said.
“Thanks. You too.” He had that mysterious look again, but she decided not to ask, and he didn’t say anything else.
Jade drove to work, thankful that it was Friday. When she entered the store, Mr. Thompson greeted her as usual. After he left, she fell into her usual routine. She had only a few customers that afternoon, and was able to spend several hours writing. Her shift dragged on longer than normal, and a couple of times she caught herself watching the clock.
A few minutes before five, she had already closed down the register. She was about to go lock the front door when she heard the tinkle of bells. She groaned at the prospect of being kept at work late, but her animosity dissolved a moment later when her friend surprised her.
“Cam? What’s up? I thought you had to work tonight.”
“Ben said he didn’t mind holding down the fort for me tonight, so I could take off. I’ll make up for it tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s cool, but what are you doing here? I’m closing up. Did you want to buy something?”
“No. I came for you. I’m kidnapping you for the evening.”
“What?”
“I’m taking you to dinner. You deserve a break. I’ll force you to have a good time, if I have to.”
Jade felt her heart leap, and at first she couldn’t tell if it was her or Cam. It’s him, she decided, fluttering on the inside. She was utterly swept away in delight… his delight, she reminded herself. She was still on the fence about where she wanted their relationship to go. But right then he was gorgeous and she was being pulled to him. He was simply enchanting, charming her, and she was powerless to resist him. Pushing aside her conflicting thoughts, she told herself that tonight she would have a good time and consider the ramifications later.
Jade locked up and they left the bookstore. A taxi was waiting at the curb. He glanced at the car and then back at her. “Sorry ’bout that. It’s a drawback to my… uh… glitch.”
“I could’ve driven.”
“Make the lady drive? Never!” He opened the door for her and winked. “But look at the bright side. Having a chauffeur means you get my full attention tonight.”
In contrast to the slow day, the evening went by in a blur. Cam took her to an expensive restaurant and acted the perfect gentleman. He opened doors for her and picked up the check at the end of the meal. There was no question about it this time: this was a date. Despite that indisputable fact, the night wasn’t uncomfortable. Cam was his enthusiastic, amusing, charming self, as much as ever. Jade felt as at ease as she always did around him, completely lost in her enjoyment of his emotions.
Tonight he was the same Cam, but there were subtle differences in his mood. While before it had been a general type of happiness, now there was the added dimension of undeniable attraction between them. Or from him, ricocheting through her? Whatever, she wasn’t going to think about it right then.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked as they left the restaurant.
“Sure.”
Cam pulled out his phone. “I’ll have the taxi come pick us up at the park a few blocks down.”
Darkness was falling quickly around them as they stepped outside. They strolled down the street, their conversation reaching a comfortable lull. Jade was thinking how happy Cam was, and she by proxy, when his fingers found her hers and intertwined. She thought about pulling her hand away or objecting, but the words never came. She was lost in her thoughts and in the mood that had settled around her. She imagined the hurt that he—and she too—would feel if she pulled away abruptly. She couldn’t do it to him. It was a perfect moment.
They approached a bench on the edge of the park and Cam sat down, gently pulling her to sit by him. Jade was aware of his nearness and every movement he made as he gently traced the lines of her hand, her fingers, her wrist. His touch gave her goose bumps and she closed her eyes, trying to focus her mind, to think clearly.
All she heard was her heart thumping, the feelings of desire slowly pulling them together like magnets. When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by his steady gaze, penetrating every boundary she had. She could read every thought, the intention in his eyes. An intense longing swelled, threatening to engulf her. In that moment she knew he wanted to kiss her, that he would kiss her, unless she did something immediately. But even as he leaned in, she couldn’t think of what to do.
Her cell phone rang. The two of them jumped in unison, and Jade fumbled for her purse, breaking eye contact. At the interruption, Cam’s passion waned. The spell had been broken.
She saw Sydney’s number on her phone’s caller ID. Of course, she thought. Probably calling to ask for the scoop on my status with Cam. Little does she know… Jade pushed the button that silenced the ringing, in no hurry to answer the call.
The taxi pulled up to the curb. “There’s the cab.” Jade jumped to her feet a bit too quickly. She hoped Cam hadn’t noticed the relief in her voice. “I’d better get back. I have a lot to get done tomorrow—you know, cleaning, grocery shopping, homework…” Her voice trailed off once she realized it sounded like a list of excuses. Fortunately he seemed to take the hint.
“Okay,” he said. Jade felt only a tiny flicker of disappointment before his normal disposition took over again. Hopefully he hadn’t taken her response to the distraction personally.
They rode to the bookstore where her car was still parked. Once the cab stopped, she exited quickly so it couldn’t turn into a slow good-bye.
“Thanks for tonight, Cam.” She smiled warmly at him. “I had a really great time.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night.”
“Good-bye,” she said, and got into her car to head home.
Jade didn’t sleep well that night, tossing and turning, thinking about her date with Cam. The next morning she ate breakfast unenthusiastically and tossed the bowl on top of all the other dirty dishes. She didn’t feel like cleaning.
She walked to the sofa and dropped onto the cushion, grabbing the TV remote. After only a few minutes of channel surfing, she turned it off again. She didn’t want to watch TV either. She looked around at her messy apartment, at the clothes and books strewn all about. There were about a dozen things she needed to do, but not one that sounded the least bit enticing. She decided to take a shower, hoping that it would refresh and motivate her.
As the hot water ran over her body, she thought about Cam, remembering that she hadn’t written in her journal the previous night.
She decided the only way to get all her thoughts straightened out about last night was to spend some serious time writing. But there was no way she could focus here in this mess. Then a thought struck her. She knew exactly where she wanted to go. After the shower, she threw on a T-shirt and jeans, grabbed her bag, and raced out the door.
~
Jade drove up the winding roads, her mind on that one place of serenity. It was a perfect spot to be alone with her thoughts. She was sure she would be able to find her way to the overlook without getting lost as long as she could find the trail she and Logan had taken on their way back.
Eventually she found the place where Logan’s truck had been parked that day. Today there were no cars in sight. She would have her alone time. She left her car, spotted the trail, and quickly made her way through the tall trees. This was much like the day she and Logan had met, sunny and warm. Back when he’d been sunny and warm as well. Before he’d disappeared from her life. Why couldn’t he be the guy she had to worry about dating… or not dating? As she hiked along, her thoughts kept trying to drift to that day, but she reminded herself that she needed to focus. She was here to think about one person, and that was Cam.
Cam. His name brought a flood of emotions. Happiness at his friendship, amusement at his boyish humor, physical attraction.
She’d never had a guy friend, let alone a boyfriend. The thought made her cringe. She felt so abnormal sometimes,
so out of place in society as a whole. It wasn’t that anyone had ostracized her during her childhood—no one had needed to. Jade had scorned herself enough as it was.
She hated her flaw. Nothing about it was fair. There was no one in the world who could truly understand her. So what if Cam had his own abnormality? She’d trade places with him gladly. Why did she have to be like this—what was the point of it anyway? Was there some reason behind her handicap? Out of all the people in the world, why her?
Her parents had always been strong in their faith, even through all of the trials that life brought them. Watching Jade struggle, they’d always told her that God loved her and had a divine purpose for her life. But she hadn’t discovered that purpose. Instead, it seemed her handicap was always in the way.
As she made her way through the forest, she tried to reach out with her spirit, to connect with the divine being who had created her. Why? she asked the trees around her, which were silent except for the twittering of occupants oblivious to her struggles. Why did you let this happen to me? Can you feel how much pain this causes me?
She knew part of the answer. A Bible verse her parents had taught her came to mind. “Cast your cares on him, for he cares for you.” Though she couldn’t explain it, she knew it was true. And if he cared for her, then surely he would want to help, to remove her burden.
Please God, take this handicap away from me, she prayed. Please. I want to be normal. Still, she was afraid to hope that she could ever be normal.
After making her way through the underbrush, she reached the clearing which looked empty and sad without Logan’s tent. Her foot crunched something papery and she glanced down. She frowned at the empty plastic wrap from a package of some kind of food—it looked like hot dogs. And there—another scrap of red plastic peeked out from the underbrush. Had Logan left a mess last time he was here? It didn’t seem like him. She wondered if someone else had discovered his spot.
She shook her head, trying to shake out her thoughts of him as well, and continued to the overlook.
As she pushed the branches aside and climbed onto the rock, the scene once again amazed her. Fresh air filled her lungs, but a pang in her stomach distracted her. Pushing aside the inner voice that chided her for once again not eating lunch before trekking off into the woods, she dug out a candy bar from her bag and tore into it. Without tasting, she gulped down the first bite and grabbed her journal and pen, determined to channel her muddled emotions onto the blank page.
One thing she knew: Cam was important to her. His friendship made her life dynamic. Jade hadn’t given much thought to how she should approach a relationship, but the answer was becoming clear. When and if she met the right man, she would take things slow, getting to know him fully before trusting him enough to share her secret. But she wasn’t ready to let Cam in to that part of her yet. She didn’t know if he was even the right one. The problem was, if she told him she wasn’t interested, she might lose his friendship.
Jade lay on her stomach on the cool rock, the half-eaten candy bar at her side, head on her arm and pen frozen in hand. She gazed at the page without seeing it.
A loud rustling sound from behind startled her out of her reverie. When she whirled around, the massive form of a bear stood before her, its mouth open in a snarl, showing huge, sharp teeth. She fought panic. The candy bar! Scrambling, she scooped up the leftover chocolate and hurled it in front of the animal, slowly inching backward. Right or wrong, some instinct told her not to turn her back on the bear. But the diversion lasted only a few seconds. The bear devoured what was left in one bite and turned its focus back on her, hungry for more. What had she done?
With legs trembling and eyes wide with fear, she watched it approach. She was trapped on the overlook rock, and there was no way out.
On all fours, the animal lumbered closer. Jade couldn’t move. Then a strange creature darted up on its hind legs behind the bear, claws extended. Racing with adrenaline, her mind tried to process the sight but only took in snippets. Brown fur. Thick mane. White claws. There was one word that came to mind as she gazed, transfixed, on this creature, one that she only associated with fairytales and legends. Bigfoot. Was this beast actually one of those creatures?
Before she had time to fully grasp what she was seeing, another sensation hit her like a ton of bricks. Feelings. She was engulfed in emotions, strange and conflicting. Whatever this creature was, it produced emotions with an intensity stronger than any human she’d met. There were so many and they all came so fast that she could barely focus enough to decipher them. Anger, hate, fury, terror. Jade clung to that final one because it must be her own. She’d never been able to experience her own emotions when other feelings were coming at her. Was it something to do with the strange beast?
She was more afraid than she’d ever been. The two strongest emotions—fear and rage—warred inside her, escalating until she thought she might explode.
The climax of her inner turmoil came when she heard the beast cry out. A roar that sounded like, “GOOOO!” came from the deep, guttural voice in a tone so feral and fearsome that Jade didn’t hesitate.
Startled or distracted, the bear turned to face the beast, taking its eyes off her for an instant. In that brief moment, Jade scrambled to her feet and fled through the woods. She crossed the path of the strange, hairy creature and for a brief moment their gazes locked. The sense of awareness in its golden eyes unnerved her.
Jade ran, only turning twice to glance back. The first time, she saw the bear turn and lunge at the beast, swiping with its paws, knocking it to the ground. The second time she looked, the beast was back on its feet, springing to attack with claws extended.
When Jade returned to her car, she jumped inside, slammed the door, and locked it behind her. She panted for a moment, gasping huge breaths. Gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, she put her head down, convulsing with terror. Once the sobs had slowed, she started the car. She tried to steady her shaky hands enough to drive. She needed to calm down.
As Jade drove back down the mountain, a horrible realization struck her. Her journal! She’d left it in the woods! She had to fight back the tears again as a wave of discouragement washed over her. Everything she’d written was gone.
Logan ran through the woods, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Trees and bushes slapped his face and chest as he ran, but he was barely aware of them. How far had he hiked? Five miles? Twenty-five? It was all the same. Some unimportant numerical distance that had only served to pass the time from sunrise to sunset.
He hated that she’d seen him. No one had ever seen him like that. Had she recognized him? The thought that she might connect the dots—his camping habits and his abrupt disappearance combined with that significant location: where they had first met—was too much to face.
He’d successfully hidden his secret for many years. He was pretty sure his last set of foster parents hadn’t known, beyond thinking him OCD in certain areas. He was always so guarded, so careful. Of all the people he could have been discovered by, Jade was the last person he wanted to know the truth. After all, she’d been the reason he’d left.
That evening when he had taken her to the photo lab, Logan had made a mistake. His control had slipped. He couldn’t quite figure out what had made him give in despite his own determination to be careful. Normally he was able to cut things off swiftly before it ever reached that point. He hadn’t anticipated the power that she would wield over him. Her simple pleading had been enough to drive him mad, and he hadn’t been prepared to feel that way, accustomed to the safe distance that he kept between himself and those of the opposite gender. Were all women like that?
He didn’t need a woman. Not her or anyone else. He was independent and happy… well, satisfied… on his own. Being in a relationship wasn’t worth the sacrifice of revealing his innermost secret. Besides, all relationships failed. He’d watched it happen time and again during his childhood. Of his many foster parents, no two of them were able to maintain a
successful marriage. He figured with odds like that against a normal person, someone without the hindrance of a freakish flaw, he had little chance of beating the odds, and no desire to play them.
Logan had only intended on a routine camping trip, but the distance hadn’t taken his mind off her. Something about her had intrigued him, as if she were in some way different than all the other pretty coeds on campus. He knew enough to see that she was special in many ways: intelligent, introspective, quiet. But there was something else.
After a few days of seclusion, the weight of loneliness had begun to wear on him, though usually he reveled in isolation. This time, he hadn’t wanted to be alone. But there was no one he could confide in. He’d swiftly broken all ties with his last guardians as soon as he’d become an adult. None of the places he’d lived as a child had ever really felt like home.
He longed to return to campus, but each time he pictured himself going back, he imagined seeing Jade. She would draw him somehow, the way she had before. He wasn’t strong enough to avoid her.
Loneliness had led to depression, and depression to his unkempt state. Since determining not to go back, he’d lost all motivation. He had no desire for taking pictures, reading, or his other hobbies. He moped, sometimes sitting and staring out at the woods, and other times hiking through the brush aimlessly, not even following a path.
After a while—a few weeks? More? Less? Time had been so meaningless to him in that state that he couldn’t recall exactly what day it was—he’d lost the shirt and shoes. The pants he’d abandoned soon thereafter, when modesty was no longer an issue due to the massive amounts of fur-like hair covering his entire body—not that there was anyone to see him out here, anyway.
Worse than the fear that Jade might have discovered his identity, he wrestled with a second and even greater agony. The terror on her face when she saw him was torture. He looked down at his arms and legs in disgust. They were covered with a coat of hair that was thick enough to disguise even the outline of his limbs. Hideous. Repulsive. Frightening. None of these words could accurately describe his current state.
Empath: The Flawed Series Book One Page 7