by Bette Maybee
Julie’s face flamed in embarrassment. She hadn’t noticed what she looked like in the dress when she looked in the mirror at home. All she cared about was that damned scar. Did Charsey notice it, or was she just upset about how Julie looked in her dress? Maybe her idea of going with white backfired. She was hoping that was it. Stroking Charsey’s ego was something she could accomplish without a problem.
“I took your advice and went with white. But your blue dress is fantastic. You look perfect.”
Charsey raised her chin. A smug grin etched her lips. Julie’s words of praise had the desired effect.
“Thanks. I should. It cost enough.”
Julie glanced at Eli. He was staring at Kas, his eyes dark with anger. Julie could see the muscle flex in Eli’s jaw. She was afraid he was going to blow. Hoping to diffuse the situation, she grabbed his elbow, catching both sleeve and arm, and held on as the colors began to fly.
“Eli, why don’t we dance?”
Eli turned his attention to Julie, and did a double take at the presence of her hand on his arm. Julie wobbled slightly as her knees turned gooey. She hoped Eli recognized the predicament she’d put herself in. With her knees now totally useless and in danger of collapsing, Julie leaned her full weight onto Eli. He grabbed her around the waist in an attempt to hold her upright.
“Sure.” He smiled slightly as he glanced up at the scowl Kas now had on his face. “I’d love to.”
The floor seemed to slide under Julie’s feet as Eli walked her to the middle of the dance floor. Julie willed her feet to move in some semblance of a normal gait, but they refused to cooperate. Eli stopped and laced her arms up around his neck.
“Hold on, Jules. And breathe. Deeply and slowly.” Julie looked into Eli’s eyes and lost herself in the colors flashing in them, but she did as he said. She breathed ... slowly ... and deeply, taking in his scent. The euphoria she felt the night he kissed her returned, but this time it eased the exquisite shock of the electricity that ran through her body, reducing it to a manageable, sublime tingle. Instead of leaving her in a semi-comatose state as it had done earlier, it seemed to heighten her senses. Voices of those nearby became clearer. Lights twinkling on the ceiling rafters came into pristine, sharpened focus. The beat of the music in the background pulsed up her legs and ran through her head. She was acutely aware of her surroundings, yet had no control over what was happening to her.
Eli seemed to sense the change and smiled. He pulled her close as they began to sway to the music. She could feel his heart as it pounded against hers, and she melted into him. It felt so right being in his arms...
“Mind if I cut in?” Julie’s eyes shot open. Remy Penemue was looming just to her right.
Eli tightened his grip on Julie’s waist. The last thing she wanted to do was dance with Kas’s twin, but she also didn’t want to make a scene. Julie reached back and squeezed Eli’s hand.
“Umm ... sure, that would be great.”
Eli took a reluctant step back as Remy took his place. His jaw twitched.
“I’ll get us something to drink.” Eli disappeared into the crowd, and Julie momentarily lost track of him. A few seconds later she saw him standing by a column, his eyes trained on her.
“I heard I almost had a date with you.”
“Wh-what?” Julie looked up at Remy. He smirked as she felt her face flush. “No ... Charsey suggested it, but I already had a date with Eli. If I hadn’t...” She couldn’t make herself say the rest. She knew it would be a lie and he’d be able to see right through it.
“Yeah. Too bad. You look pretty hot tonight. Sorta ... virginal all dressed in white.” He pulled her close. Too close. Julie shuddered. It was obvious he was liking this way too much. She decided to take a different approach.
“If you want to dance with me, Remy, then you better back off.” She pushed against his chest, and he released her, just enough that she didn’t have to endure having his body pressed up against hers.
He laughed. “Dang, girl, you really are hot, and mouthy. I like that. I can’t wait to see what you’re wearing for our little swim later.”
Crap. Julie shook her head. “Sorry, Remy, but I only have permission to have Eli, Charsey and Kas over.”
“Ah, come on, Jules. One more won’t hurt.” Remy tried to pull her close again. She shoved him away.
“She said no, Penemue.” Eli wedged himself in between Julie and Remy, just inches from Remy’s face. Julie could feel the electricity pulse out of Eli’s body. Even though Remy had a couple inches and over fifty pounds on him, he appeared to shrink in front of Eli. Remy stared into Eli’s eyes for just a moment, but a moment was apparently enough. He retreated and headed straight over to Kas and Charsey, who were in the middle of a major lip-lock on the dance floor. Remy grabbed Kas by the arm and dragged him off the floor.
“God, Eli,” Julie whispered as she tugged the elbow of his jacket, avoiding contact with his skin, “I hope you didn’t just give yourself away!”
Eli’s eyes had turned the darkest of sapphire—almost black—and that telltale twitch of anger in his jaw was still going strong. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly as he opened them. They were back to their normal, brilliant sapphire. He smiled sheepishly.
“Believe it or not, sometimes I can be pretty intimidating when I’m angry. And no, I don’t think I gave myself away. I don’t fit the M.O. for the Fire-Child. Besides, Remy’s just a blow-hard. He’s walked in the shadow of his brother for too long.” Eli motioned over to Remy and Kas, “Look. He’s tattling to big brother about me right now.”
Julie glanced to the other side of the gym, just in time to see Remy point a finger at Kas and stomp off. Kas grabbed Charsey’s hand and headed in their direction.
“Great. Here he comes now.” Julie stood beside Eli, ready to take on whatever Kas was going to dish out. Kas stopped in front of them.
“Sorry about that. You don’t have to worry about Remy making an appearance. I told him your place was off limits.” Julie crinkled her brow. This new behavior, new attitude Kas was displaying was so unlike anything she had experienced before with him. She glanced up at Eli. Every few seconds, the muscle in his jaw twitched slightly. He obviously had his own reservations about Kas’s sincerity. Either that, or he was still mad about Kas’s earlier comment.
“Umm ... thanks. It’s just that my stepmother was pretty adamant about it just being us. Nothing personal, you know.”
A smile flashed on Kas’s face. “Of course. I’ll make sure Remy knows. That it was nothing personal, I mean.”
****
Julie studied Eli’s profile as he drove to her house. It was perfect. Flawless. She wanted to reach out and trace it with her finger ... but she knew that couldn’t happen. She clasped her hands together. She’d almost given in to her feelings earlier that evening when they were dancing, but then Remy showed up. Sure, she was disgusted with how he came on to her, but the interruption had pulled her out of a situation with Eli that she shouldn’t have let herself get into. She was falling for him. Hard. So, in a way, Remy saved the day....
“Remy!” Julie sat straight up in her seat. “Remy can swim. He wouldn’t have invited himself over if he couldn’t. There’s no way Remy and Kas could be the Nephilim!”
Eli glanced over to Julie as he pulled up in front of her house. “You’re probably right...”
A tap at the window interrupted their conversation. Charsey whipped open Julie’s door. “Come on, Jules.” She grabbed Julie by the hand and hauled her out of the car. “Last one in’s a rotten egg!”
****
The guys were already waiting in the pool by the time Julie and Charsey emerged from the pool house. Each had claimed one side of the pool as their own, leaning up against the side with their arms draped over the edge. Charsey giggled and struck a pose by the side of pool near Kas. Her hot pink, strapless, string-bikini didn’t leave much to the imagination. It would probably leave even less the moment it got wet.
“See anything you like, Kas?”
Kas leered at Charsey, then grunted in approval.
She may have been speaking to Kas, but Julie noticed that Charsey’s eyes were on Eli, like she was waiting for some reaction from him. Eli, instead, had his eyes focused on Julie. Compared to Charsey’s suit, Julie’s crimson halter-top bikini was much more conservative. Julie knew the halter would hide her scar and that was exactly why she bought it.
Her face flushed as she saw a smile tip the corners of Eli’s lips. Was he comparing them? Of course he was. How couldn’t he? Charsey was gorgeous, sexy, and built like a Barbie doll. Years of cheerleading had hardened her body into a perfect ten, and her year-round trips to the tanning salon left her a perfect shade of sun-kissed bronze. Julie’s frame, on the other hand, was soft and pale, her skin taking on an unearthly glow from the moonlight. She felt more like the walking dead standing next to Charsey.
Yes, she was sure Eli was comparing the two of them. She could feel the tears welling up at the thought of it. Why was this upsetting her so? She had no intention of having a romantic relationship with Eli, or anyone else, for that matter. She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face, and ran. As she jumped in the air, she folded her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
“Cannonball!”
Water enveloped her body as she dropped straight to the bottom of the deep end. She quickly kicked out, pushed off the bottom of the pool and broke the surface. Charsey was standing by the edge of the pool, her arms extended outward with water dripping off her face. Julie had made a direct hit. Kas and Eli bellowed with laughter.
“You-you-you BITCH!” Charsey stammered as she wiped the water from her eyes. The sneer on her face turned to a wicked smile. “You asked for it, blondie!” Then she jumped.
The air exploded with water as Charsey landed, drenching the guys and sending an instant tsunami over Julie, who was still treading water less than a foot from the epicenter of Charsey’s entrance. Blinded by the onslaught, Julie turned and paddled towards the side where she could hear Eli’s laughter. But, she wasn’t fast enough. A hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her below the surface. She turned and opened her eyes. Light streaming from the sides and bottom of the pool illuminated the victorious grin on Charsey’s face. Her strawberry-blonde hair fanned out around her head, creating a perfect halo of Medusa-like tendrils as she held her under. Running out of air, Julie began to panic and tugged her wrist out of Charsey’s hand. At that moment, she felt an arm circle her waist and pull her towards the surface. Eli! Even in the water, she could feel the electric shock from his palm welding into the skin of her stomach. Julie sputtered and rubbed her eyes as Eli pulled her into shallow water. She looked across the pool. Kas hadn’t moved from his spot. He just stood there, waist deep in water, with a curious smile on his face. A few seconds later, Charsey surfaced in front of him.
“That wasn’t very nice, Charsey.” He raised an eyebrow. “I think you owe Julie an apology.” Charsey gave him a quick kiss, then turned and dove into the water again. She emerged right in front of Julie, barely making a ripple as her head broke the surface.
“Sorry, Julie. I was just teasing.” She smiled and blinked.
Julie grabbed Eli’s hand as she leaned towards Charsey. Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared, not believing what she saw. One of Charsey’s eyes had turned from its normal brilliant blue to green. Eli’s hand tightened on hers. He saw it too. Contacts. Charsey wore blue contacts.
“Ummm ... Charsey,” Julie stammered, “I think you lost a contact.”
Charsey’s hand shot to her face as Kas waded over to them. “Oh, crap.” She laughed.
“What’s going on?”
Charsey whirled around to face Kas. “Ah, nothing. I just lost a contact.” She took her hand off her eye. “See?”
Julie watched as Kas’s brow crinkled. A smile fleeted across his face. “Wow! You have green eyes.” He laughed as he shook his head. “You better be careful, I heard there are giants out there killing kids with red hair and green eyes.” He looked at Julie and winked. “At least according to Thumper and Tiny there are.”
“That’s nothing to joke about, Kas.” Julie surprised herself with her response. She couldn’t believe she was standing up to him.
Kas looked at her and smiled. “I was just kidding, Jules. I mean, yeah, it’s too bad those kids died, but it had nothing to do with a legend. Their hair and eye color was just a coincidence. Everybody knows that.”
Eli released the death grip he had on Julie’s hand. “Of course it’s just a story. But the fact is that until the police find who killed them, anybody with red hair and green eyes in the area needs to be careful.”
Charsey took a step towards Kas and poked him in the chest. “I don’t care about any of that. All I know is that you better not tell a single soul that I don’t really have blue eyes. I’ve kept this a well-hidden secret since I moved here two years ago, and if it comes out my baby blues are fake, it might tarnish my spotless reputation.” She turned and winked at Julie with her newly revealed green iris.
Kas pulled her towards him. “And, will you make it worth my while? I mean, I could be saving your life by keeping my mouth shut. Maybe I need something to keep my mouth busy.”
Charsey cocked her head to the side and planted her hands on her hips. Julie had a sick feeling she knew what was coming next.
“Hmmm ... I think you may be right.” Charsey grabbed Kas’s hand and led him to the steps in the shallow end. She turned to Julie and Eli. “Mind if I show Kas your pool house, Jules? We need to ... talk. Privately.”
Julie looked at Eli. She could taste the bile rolling up her throat. “I don’t think Renatta would be too happy about that.”
“Your step-mom?” Kas laughed as he and Charsey stepped out of the pool. “Hell, according to my cousin, that’s her favorite place to ... talk.”
Julie’s faced flamed with embarrassment as she realized the pool boy had to be Kas’s cousin. She should have known! They were built exactly alike. The constant tingle from Eli’s hand suddenly turned into a full-fledged shock, as if she just grabbed onto a frayed electrical cord. She could feel the muscles spasm in her arm as Eli suddenly pushed her away. He pulled himself out of the side of the pool as Julie stood holding her throbbing left arm to her side.
“I think you just better leave.” Eli confronted Kas as Charsey ran for the pool house.
Kas glanced over to Julie and back to Eli, who stood before him. From Julie’s point of view, the moonlight seemed to be reflecting off Eli. It looked almost as if he was glowing.
“Now,” Eli said with finality.
Charsey suddenly appeared wrapped in a towel, carrying her dress, shoes, and purse.
“I’m ready. Let’s go, Kas.” She grabbed his arm as she walked by. “We can go to my house.” A second tug on his arm got Kas moving.
“Your house. Yeah. That’ll do.”
Charsey looked back at Julie and gave a small wave. “Bye, Julie. Thanks.”
Julie stood with her arm dangling limp and useless at her side. The pain was so intense she was on the verge of throwing up. Now she knew what it was like to be electrocuted. She swallowed and raised her good right hand up.
“Bye. See you Monday.”
As Charsey and Kas disappeared around the side of the house, Julie let out a muffled growl and grabbed her injured arm.
“Crap, Sullivan, what did you do to me? My arm feels like it’s gonna fall off!”
Eli looked down at Julie and his eyes widened. “Oh God, Julie! I am so sorry!” He lowered himself into the pool and began walking towards her. She backed away from him into deeper water.
“Just keep away! You’ve done enough damage.” She backed up one step as he moved closer, but it was one step too many for Julie. Her head suddenly disappeared under the water as her foot slid down the slope of the deep end. She tried to use her one good arm to pull herself back to the surfa
ce, but it was useless. As she continued to slide into the deep end, she opened her eyes. Eli hovered in front of her. He smiled as he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her to the surface. She coughed and flung her one good arm around his neck, then locked her legs around his hips, closed her eyes, and waited for the impending shock. It didn’t come. Instead, the soft, delicious tingle she felt while they were dancing had returned. She could feel it coursing through her whole body as he walked her around in the warm water. She sighed and let her body relax into him.
“Does your arm still hurt?” Eli asked softly.
Julie wiggled the fingers of her left hand. “My hand’s better, but my upper arm is killing me.”
Eli cleared his throat. “I can help, if you’ll let me.”
Julie looked up into Eli’s face. His eyes were flashing with flames of color, mesmerizing her. “Sh-sure.”
Eli lifted her aching arm and lowered his head. To her amazement, he began kissing her, slowly and methodically, spiraling from the elbow to her shoulder. Her heart began to race. Every now and then, she felt his tongue trace the line of her arm, and each time it touched, a delicious warmth shot through, relaxing the spasming muscle but making her heart race even more. By the time he reached her shoulder, the pain was gone. But, she didn’t want him to stop. He raised his head and brushed his lips across her ear.
“I have to kiss you, Julie.”
She laced the fingers of her freshly healed arm in his hair and pulled him towards her. “No. I have to kiss you.” And she did.
She may have been the one to initiate it, but Eli soon took over the controls, and the colors began to fly behind Julie’s closed eyelids. As he moved his lips to her neck, she opened her eyes to the moon. This time she didn’t pass out. She watched as the colors she thought were only present behind her closed lids danced in the night sky, flying and swirling among the stars. Eli kissed his way back up her neck and found her lips once again. This time, when he pulled away, Julie was completely conscious. She nestled into his neck, exhausted, but utterly satisfied by the experience. As she closed her eyes, two words came to her mind.