by Melissa Haag
Beatriz came back, interrupting our conversation.
“Hurry it up, slacker.” She grinned. “Brad’s taking us shopping.”
I groaned and started to slice the tomatoes. Slowly. It didn’t matter. When it came to shopping, Beatriz had plenty of patience.
Thirty minutes later, we sat in the car headed to the mall.
Brad and Beatriz kept up a teasing conversation about the party the day before. Tommy had defiled Beatriz’s room again, and she was refusing to speak to him.
“Did he clean it up?” I asked from the backseat.
“There wasn’t anything to clean up,” Brad said with a laugh. “Tommy just fell asleep in Beatriz’s bed, the only place in the house where he knew no one would bother him. He wasn’t feeling well.”
“What’s wrong with your room?” she said.
Brad shrugged.
“Where did you end up sleeping?” I asked Beatriz as Brad pulled into the parking lot.
“In my bed. I managed to shove Tommy to the floor, but he was too medicated to move any farther. I’m just glad he didn’t snore.”
I caught something in her tone that gave me pause. Perhaps I needed to take a peek at Tommy.
When we arrived at the mall, she led the charge to her favorite store. Brad sat outside the dressing room with me so Beatriz could get his opinions, too.
“So, is Tommy a good friend?” I asked while we waited for her to emerge.
“He is now. We went to high school together but didn’t really hang out in the same circles. I really got to know him this year, though. We both picked the same university without knowing it, and we ended up in the same dorm, across the hall from each other.”
Beatriz opened her dressing room door, stepped out, and spun for us to admire her outfit. When she ducked back into the room, I turned back to Brad.
“Is Tommy seeing anyone?”
Brad’s eyebrows rose an inch. He cleared his throat uncomfortably then shook his head. I took pity on us both and stopped talking. But my mind continued to dwell on those I was leaving behind.
Mom had Stephen. Aunt Grace didn’t want anyone; her car made her happy. Gran had Aunt Danielle and the widower down the road. I just needed to solve Beatriz.
The more I thought of Tommy and Beatriz together, the more merit the idea had. A boyfriend would do more than keep her company. He would distract her. I could foresee her crazy determination intensifying as my birthday approached. It would only be a matter of time before she outright suggested that I start to look for a replacement for Morik. I knew that was her intent behind me “looking” for her.
I sat beside Brad for twenty minutes and struggled to contain my agitation. Shopping hadn’t been my idea of fun before Morik died. I swallowed audibly.
“Ready for a break?” Brad asked.
“Yes,” I whispered desperately.
“Bea, we’re heading to the food court to get a drink. Coming?”
Her reply came back muffled. “No, I’ll catch up. Just a few more to try on.”
The twenty-minute wait while sitting on a hard plastic chair hadn’t been kind. Stiffly, I followed Brad out of the store. I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to ease some of the tension.
“I didn’t think a girl existed who didn’t love shopping,” Brad laughed, watching my expression.
“Shopping’s okay if you can go in, get what you need, and get back out. The waiting gets a little boring.”
Brad grinned and nodded. He bought me lemonade, and we sat at one of the tables and people watched, which suited me fine.
All the waiting had dredged up memories of dress shopping, and I remembered the last time I’d stood in a dressing room with a pin poking my side. A pain tightened my chest. I missed Morik so much.
Brad reached over and laced his fingers through mine. The unexpected gesture took me by surprise, and I pulled back.
“Sorry,” he said. “You looked like you needed a friend.”
Quickly scrubbing my hands over my face, I wiped away the visual traces of my misery.
“Thanks. I’m okay.”
We both knew that was a lie, but he didn’t push it.
Beatriz didn’t have her brother’s tact, though. She cornered me the next morning by my locker.
“Let’s skip first hour and go to the library.”
“I just got caught up with homework,” I protested weakly.
She shrugged. I sighed and tossed my books back into the locker.
The librarian didn’t look up when we walked in. It was the one place they didn’t take attendance.
Beatriz led me to the overstuffed chairs near the back.
“So,” she whispered. “I’ve been patient, but now I need to know.” She looked at me expectantly.
“Know what?”
“What happened. Your mom said you didn’t say much before you went catatonic.”
I glowered at her, feeling a true pinch of anger toward my friend. “Maybe that’s because it hurts too much to talk about it.”
She leaned forward. “There may be something you overlooked that can help us figure out—”
“If he’s coming back,” I finished for her. “The answer is no. When he first started driving me around on the motorcycle, he told me he could be hurt just like us.”
She kept looking at me expectantly, and I exhaled heavily.
“That morning, I’d just come out of the bathroom, ready for work. I thought I heard him outside on the front walk. But it wasn’t him; it was Brian, a kid from my old school.” I swallowed hard against the pain eating my middle. “He had a gun in his hand and asked me if ‘he’ was there. He pointed the gun at me. His hand shook so much. He looked like hell. Like he hadn’t slept since—”
I looked at Beatriz in astonishment.
“Ahgred.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You lost me,” Beatriz said, confused.
“Ahgred is like Morik but not. He’s bad. He’d been using people to watch me. Possessing them. Remember Ashley?”
Beatriz’s eyes rounded. “Possessed?”
“Yes, and because of that, I made a deal with Morik, trading my freedom to keep Ahgred from using people to watch me or speak to me. The people Ahgred used remembered everything. He’d been using Brian. When I saw Brian last, before the shooting, he’d been crying, curled in a ball in the woods. Morik told me that he’d gotten Brian help. But, I think Ahgred tried using Brian again after that. That’s why Brian showed up at the door. How else would he know where Morik lived?”
“Does that help us?” Beatriz asked, still clearly confused.
“Yes and no. It doesn’t give us an answer, but it gives me a place to start asking questions.”
“Whoa, wait. You want to talk to Ahgred? Didn’t you just say he was bad?”
The librarian shushed us. Beatriz picked up a book and pretended to read.
I chewed on my lip and considered her very valid point. I’d spoken to Ahgred when safely inside Morik’s house and had been fine. However, I hadn’t fared as well when he’d used Ashley, and I wore his mark because of it.
The deal I’d made with Morik cut off the possibility of daytime contact. That meant nighttime contact only. Without Morik around, if Ahgred found me, he would try to finish burning his mark into my skin.
I shivered, and we sat there in silence, each lost in thought until the bell rang.
After school, Beatriz gave me a ride home.
“Maybe you could make a deal with Ahgred to get information,” she said, pulling into my driveway.
“No. That’s how he marked me the first time. Whatever he could tell me isn’t worth the price. Like you said, either Morik’s alive, or he isn’t. Knowing won’t change anything.”
She sighed and said what I knew she’d been working up to for a week now.
“You would know if you should start looking for someone else.”
“No, Beatriz. I won’t kill someone so I can live. And I won’t pass on Belinda’s st
upidity to another generation. It ends with me.”
She nodded but didn’t look like she took me seriously.
I got out of the car and waved as she left. Down the road, a figure abruptly turned and walked away. I recognized the back of Brian’s head and felt a shiver of fear. He moved stiffly, a slight twitch to his walk.
Belinda’s deal wasn’t the only threat to my existence.
The next day, Beatriz made school slightly uncomfortable for me. Boys continued to stop over during lunch and ask me on dates. The whole time, she sat across from me, and with a beaming smile, she countered every excuse I gave.
During a pause between boys, I growled at Beatriz. “What are you offering them? Money?”
She waved away my scowl with a laugh. “No way. I said you’re easy.”
“Beatriz!” I hissed.
“Oh, calm down. I needed to give them a fast motivation.” She dragged a fry through a mound of ketchup and plopped it in her mouth. “You’re the only one who’s accepted your fate. I haven’t. I’ll risk our friendship until the end just for a chance to have you around long enough to apologize.”
Unwilling to yell at her, I rubbed my head at her brusque attitude.
“Let’s make a deal,” I said, not wanting this to continue. “You talk Tommy into coming home this weekend to be your date, and I’ll agree to go on a double-date with you two.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Tommy?”
“Yep, and you can pick my date.”
“Deal,” she said the word with the tone of a dare.
After that, Beatriz stopped prodding me to say yes to any date requests. She also stayed close-mouthed about the identity of my date and our destination. On the off-chance she might forget about it, I didn’t bring it up either.
I should have known better.
Friday, after school, Brad and Tommy waited for us outside. The image of Morik leaning against his motorcycle as he waited haunted me for a moment. I wrapped my arms around myself as I followed Beatriz to Brad’s car.
Brad held open the front door for me, his presence not unexpected. I didn’t imagine he liked the idea of his sister going anywhere with Tommy without him. Tommy, looking very uncomfortable, held the back door for Beatriz.
“So, what are we doing, Bea?” Brad asked once we all sat in the car.
She grinned at him. “Roller skating.”
Both guys groaned. I couldn’t ever remember roller skating and didn’t think the date would end well for me.
Ten minutes later, Brad parked outside a nearly deserted roller rink. I wanted to ask Beatriz who we were meeting, but Brad hung back to hold the door open for us. Rather than bring it up in front of him, I followed Beatriz into the building.
Inside, multi colored lights flashed in time with the music. Beatriz led the way to a long counter that guarded several racks of skates. The man leaning against the counter asked what kind of skates we wanted, and Beatriz asked for her size in a speed skate.
I looked at the rink. A worker sped around the loop. I definitely didn’t plan on any speed, so I asked for regular skates when it was my turn.
Beatriz laughed, but Brad elbowed her. With a smirk, she picked up her skates and moved away. Tommy grabbed his skates and sat beside her to lace up.
Brad and I took our skates and went to a separate area, away from Beatriz and Tommy.
“Have you done this before?” Brad asked.
I shook my head and stuffed my foot into a skate. Another new experience. The prospect didn’t thrill me as much as it probably should have.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Beatriz used to beg me to bring her here all the time. With enough time and practice, you’ll catch on.”
I nodded and tried standing. Brad, already laced, stood with me to offer his support. I pin-wheeled my arms numerous times as we made our way to the glossy wood floor. Beatriz hovered in front of Tommy, encouraging his movements while she effortlessly glided backward.
Brad wrapped his hand around mine. His firm grip steadied me, and Beatriz’s diabolical plan flashed clearly.
“So, what did Beatriz say to get you here?” I asked as Brad and I inched our way along.
“That you wanted a double-date with me and Tommy. I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of Beatriz and Tommy; but if they’re within sight, it’s not so bad.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
I couldn’t speak. Beatriz would sacrifice her brother like that? My gaze darted to her. She caught my glance and gave me a sad smile.
“I’m dying,” I said flatly, looking at Brad.
He laughed, probably thinking I referred to my pathetic attempts at skating.
“Beatriz isn’t accepting it. I wanted this date because I’m hoping that Tommy will distract her from it. In a good way.”
Brad spun in front of me, stopping us both, his expression serious.
“She’s the first real friend I’ve ever had,” I said. “And I don’t want her to dwell on this. I didn’t think she’d pull you into it.”
“She pulls me into everything,” he said with quiet affection. “What do you have?”
Bad luck, I thought.
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is the time I have left. She’s going to need you and,” I looked toward Tommy who now held her hand, “Tommy, too, I think.”
“When?”
“About two weeks.”
Brad’s eyes widened briefly. Then he turned and helped me around the rink. When we finished the loop, we sat together to watch Beatriz and Tommy skate by several times. Brad kept his hand wrapped around mine, and I didn’t mind. I felt less lonely that way.
They took me home before dark. Beatriz grinned as she walked me to the door. Tommy and Brad stayed in the car.
“I saw,” she said knowingly.
I shook my head, said goodbye, and walked inside. Her laughter echoed through the door as I leaned my head against it.
She’d witnessed me holding Brad’s hand and took it as hope. My throat closed, and a tear spilled over. I would never do that to her or Brad.
“Everything okay?” my mom asked behind me. I heard hope in her voice, too.
“Yes,” I said, keeping the devastation from my voice. “Can we start the chant early?”
I needed the peace of oblivion.
I rushed out the door with Aunt Grace’s keys in my pocket and two boxes in my arms.
Across the street, the sight of Brian brought me up short. This time, he didn’t walk away. He stood there shaking and watching me. Anger pierced me.
“Didn’t you do enough?” I screamed at him.
He visibly jumped and turned away, quickly putting distance between us.
While I could understand his trauma after being used by Ahgred, I couldn’t understand why he’d gone after Morik. Morik had never touched him. Why not go after Ahgred? Perhaps facing Ahgred in the dark proved too risky. Hadn’t I shied away from the same thing? Whatever Brian’s reason, his continued strange behavior worried me. I didn’t like that he watched our house. Could he be waiting for my family?
Dropping the boxes into the backseat of the car, I dashed back into the house to tell everyone about the encounter.
“Ahgred mentioned that,” Aunt Danielle said, surprising us all.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“Brian’s been trying to watch you. Each time he gets too close, Ahgred turns him around.”
“No, I mean why are you talking to Ahgred?” I asked. I wasn’t the only one staring at her as if she’d gone crazy.
“It keeps him quiet so the rest of you can sleep. He can’t hurt me anymore,” she said softly.
“Just be careful,” I said to everyone before leaving.
I didn’t see Brian again throughout the day, and given everything that I’d been going through lately, Mona didn’t mention my distraction.
A few minutes before closing, Brad came in.
Since Mona was already in back, cleaning up, I moved behind the counter to take his or
der. Instead of ordering, he asked if I wanted to walk the few blocks to the theatre and catch a movie.
“Beatriz?” I asked suspiciously.
“No. She’s at home with Tommy, chaperoned by our parents. I thought you might want to get out and enjoy something a little less intense than roller skating.”
I really didn’t want to, but something in his expression told me he had just as much determination as Beatriz. So, I nodded and told him it would take me a few minutes to clean up.
As soon as Mona saw him waiting, she gave me Gran’s money, my share of the tips, and sent us on our way. We walked together, not really talking, which was a good thing. A light rain had obliterated all traces of winter’s snow. The visual reminder of the passing time tightened my throat and stung my eyes.
By the time we reached the theater, I was more composed. We chose a comedy and spent the next two hours sitting side by side.
Smiling with the closing credits, I turned to Brad to see his reaction to the movie. His eyes already watched me. No smile lit his face. Before I could ask why, he leaned in and kissed me. The kiss differed from the one he’d given me on the porch. One, it lasted longer. Two, it lacked any playful flavor. It tasted of good-bye and regret.
He pulled back slowly, sorrow lining his face.
“She wouldn’t talk about it last night other than to say she wasn’t giving up on you,” he said.
“I know she won’t. That’s why it will hurt her the most.”
He nodded and took my hand. Wordlessly, we left the theatre.
Beatriz dropped me off after school on Thursday, and I watched her pull away with relief. Four weeks had passed since the shooting, and tonight marked the first night of my last week. No more chant. No more hiding.
I walked into the house and dropped my books on the floor.
“A lot of homework?” Gran asked. I shrugged and went to sit by Aunt Danielle, who watched me closely.
“Giving up the pretense?” she asked quietly when I sat.