by Amber Garza
“Okay.” Delaney follows.
We walk side-by-side down the trail. There is a slight breeze in the air that lifts Delaney’s hair gently from her shoulders, emitting her apple scent. There’s something about that smell. It haunts my dreams. I smell it even when she’s not around. Although I have to admit that it beats the scent of car grease.
Once I reach the tree I plop down on the bench, and Delaney slides in next to me. The old wooden bench creaks and shifts under our weight. I bite my lip trying to think of something to say. Kids laughing and squealing fills the air, and the rustle of leaves circle around us.
“Weather’s nice today,” I muse and then wince inwardly. When did I turn into my dad? I can’t think of anything more riveting to chat about than the weather?
“Yeah, it’s nice.” Delaney crosses one leg over the other and stares through the branches of the tree out to the playground. “I used to come here all the time as a kid. My mom used to push Micah and me on the swings for hours.”
Hearing Superman’s name causes my stomach to knot. I really can’t stand that guy. But I force my tone to be light and conversational. “You two have been friends a long time, huh?”
“Since we were babies.”
“That’s crazy.” I try to imagine having someone in my life that long. None of my friends have lasted more than a year or two before I get tired of them or they get tired of me.
“I know. It is. When I was younger I thought everyone had a friend like Micah, but then I started noticing how many people drifted from friend to friend. I started to realize that most people don’t stick with one best friend and that what I have with Micah is actually pretty unique. It got even worse when we started high school and everyone got into their cliques.”
Her statement irritates me. How dare she call the rest of us cliquish? “Hey, you and Micah are the most cliquish people at our school. You two don’t hang out with anyone else.”
The harsh words are out before I can stop them. Delaney’s head snaps up like I’ve slapped her. She stares at me a moment, anger in her eyes. Then she lowers her gaze to stare at her hands is if they are the most fascinating things in the world. If only I had more self-control. I’ve probably completely ruined any headway I’ve made with her.
In an effort to do damage control, I say, “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She shakes her head, still staring at her hands. “No, you’re right. I suppose Micah and I are pretty exclusive.” She peers up at me, her hair falling like a curtain over her face. Her expression softens. “I don’t want it to be that way, though. It’s just how it’s always been.”
I reach out and brush the hair from her face, and her green eyes shine brighter than the leaves around us. “It doesn’t have to be like that forever though.”
She smiles, leaning into my hand.
Her expression causes my heart to stutter, and I quickly draw my hand back.
“Do you mean that?” her voice is barely above a whisper.
“What?”
“It’s just that a minute ago you seemed angry with me.” She narrows her eyes, searching my face. It makes me nervous. How much can she read into me? “You know, it’s easy to point fingers, Sam, but you’ve never been friendly to me. I know because you’re one of the few people I’ve tried to befriend over the years.”
I swallow hard. It’s the truth. Even though Delaney has always ignored everyone else, for some reason she has made an effort with me. My heart beats faster. I feel like this whole plan is spiraling out of control. Like any minute she’s going to put the brakes on this whole thing. I was so stupid to think I could pull this off. There’s no way I can undo years of treating her bad by being nice to her a couple of times. I don’t know what I was thinking.
“So, I guess I’m just trying to process this sudden change in your attitude,” she says.
I wonder if I have the energy to keep doing this. A part of me just wants to get up and walk away right now and cut my losses. Only I know I can’t do that. The Sarafites are giving me an opportunity here. An opportunity to prove myself and be a part of something, maybe even get the hell out of this crazy town. No, I have to keep this up. I smile and say for the umpteenth time, “I’ve already explained all this to you.”
“I know. And I believe you. It’s just that this is all kind of crazy. I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around it. Everything about this is new to me.”
“It’s new to me too.” I hesitantly reach for her. My hand hovers over her fingers like a butterfly, but then I allow it to enclose hers. I’m expecting her to pull away, but she doesn’t. A thought strikes me. “Hey, what if we start over?”
She raises her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
I stand up and thrust my hand out to her. “Hi, I’m Sam.”
She giggles and shakes my hand. “I’m Delaney.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She still wears an amused smile.
“You are incredibly hot. Wanna go out sometime?”
“Wow, that’s quite the pick-up line.”
I feign indignation. “What? It’s better than a lot of the other ones I’ve heard. At least I didn’t ask if you wanted to see my big guns.” I flex my arms.
She bursts out laughing. “Yeah, it’s a good thing you didn’t.”
“Hey, they’re not that bad.” I force myself to laugh like I think it’s funny but I’m kind of perturbed. I mean, I know my muscles aren’t anything compared to Superman’s but she didn’t have to balk at them.
I sit back down. “So, you’re good with this? Starting over from scratch? Leaving the past behind us?”
She nods. “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Good, because I really like you.”
She bites her lip, and for a minute I think she won’t answer. Then very quietly she says, “I like you too.”
On Sunday I text Delaney in the morning and convince her to sneak off with me again. I drive her out to the lake and park in the spot where my dad used to take me fishing as a child. It’s a secluded section of the beach, hidden by trees and large leafy bushes. Before we walk down to the water, I pull a grocery bag out from behind the front seat of my truck. Holding the bag in one hand, I guide Delaney down to the sandy beach.
A funny look crosses over Delaney’s features. “I’m not exactly dressed for the lake.” She glances down at her short dress and strappy high-heeled sandals.
“It’s fine. I brought a blanket.” I reach my hand into the grocery bag and lift it out. After spreading it in the sand, I sit down. “C’mon.” I pat the spot next to me.
Delaney drops down next to me. She kicks off her sandals and crosses her slender legs, one over the other. I avert my gaze to keep from staring openly at them.
“I brought some snacks.” I flash a bag of chips in Delaney’s direction and watch her face light up.
“My favorite.” She takes the bag in her hand and rips it open. While I watch her take a bite into the salty snack, a genuine smile breaks out on my face. The girls I usually hang out with stick to salads and veggies and it’s so annoying. It’s nice to be with a girl who eats what she wants. Remembering that this isn’t a real date, I shake my head and turn away. I need to stay focused here.
I lean back on my elbows and stare out at the lake, which is as smooth as glass.
“So,” she asks. “Do you want to be a mechanic like your dad when you grow up?”
A flicker of anger sparks inside of me. “No. I actually want to be in law enforcement. Crazy, huh?”
Delaney shakes her head. “No. I think you’d make a great police officer.”
I study her face to see if she’s mocking me, but she appears serious. “I don’t know. It’s probably never gonna happen anyway.”
“Why not?”
My failed attempt to escape from Dad and the whole debacle with Lauren comes to mind. “I think I’m just destined to follow in my dad’s footsteps.”
I’m so lo
st in my own thoughts I almost flinch when I feel Delaney’s fingers close over mine. “You can choose whatever path you want for your life.”
I shrug. “I guess. We’ll see.”
“But I bet it’s nice to work with your dad every day. Are you guys close?”
The question almost causes me to laugh out loud. “I wouldn’t say that. What about you? Are you close to your parents?”
“Sort of, I guess. I mean, they totally smother me and that’s annoying. But other than that, they’re okay.”
I need to keep her talking about her family so I ask, “Are your parents from around here?”
Delaney nods. “Yeah. What about your parents?”
“My mom grew up in Edenly, but not my dad.”
“Where is your mom now?”
“She took off.” Emotion wells up inside of me and I swallow it down. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
Wordlessly, Delaney nods. The look of pity on her face makes me feel embarrassed. How did we get into a conversation about my family? I’m supposed to be learning about her. I never have this problem when I’m with other girls. They’re more than happy to talk about themselves for hours upon hours, especially Bree. That girl can really gab about herself. Delaney is always surprising me. She’s not at all what I expected.
Grabbing a soda out of the grocery bag, I pop the top and take a swig. Sun beats down on my back, and the liquid feels good as it lubricates my throat. I take in a large gulp and a little soda splashes out of the can. When I turn to Delaney, she giggles and leans forward.
“You have a little bit of soda right there.” She wipes the side of my mouth with her finger. Her skin feels good against mine and her sweet scent washes over me. Before I can stop myself, I grab her by the arm and draw her to me. She tumbles forward, landing mere inches from my face. My heart beats erratically in my chest and my palms clam up. I know that right now I’m not pretending, and it scares me. Moving forward, I bring my lips close to hers. She doesn’t move away and there is something so vulnerable about the way she looks at me. It’s all too much and I can’t fight it anymore. I press my lips to hers and savor the soft feel of them. Bringing my arm up, I massage the back of her head, and my fingers tangle in her hair. Something bursts inside of me like a firecracker exploding. I’ve never felt this way before.
A gasp sounds at the back of Delaney’s throat and she violently pulls away. I smart from the sting of being rejected. She sits back on her heels, her eyes widening and her body going rigid. Her hair is mussed and lip-gloss trails up her cheek. She has a vacant, faraway look that worries me. Her body is completely still as if she’s frozen. It reminds me of how she looked the afternoon that girl was almost abducted.
“Delaney?”
She doesn’t respond.
What is going on?
Just when I’m about to totally freak out, she blinks, and her eyes focus as if she is coming out of a fog.
“Delaney? Are you okay?”
She jumps up. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“What?”
“Sam!” Her voice is sharp, desperate. “Please, I need you to take me to the park to get my car right now.”
I stand and try to grab her hand. “Why? What’s wrong?”
She pulls away. “Nothing. I can’t explain. I just have to leave.”
Now I’m really irritated. What is this chick’s problem? “Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry I kissed you. I-I-don’t know what came over me.”
“No, Sam, it’s not that.” She smiles and places a hand on my arm. “That was perfect.” Her eyes plead with me. “I just have to go. I’ll explain later. Can you please take me to my car?”
I nod, all the while wondering what she’s hiding.
Chapter 15
Micah
I’M SURPRISED WHEN Ariel seeks me out. Ever since she’s been staying at Delaney’s she’s done everything she can to avoid me. But here she stands on my front porch with a desperate look on her face that tugs at my heart. She wears a tight t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Her short hair has grown longer and now falls in gentle curls just below her ears. She stares at me with those large eyes, and I melt beneath her gaze.
“Will you please help me?” Her lyrical voice is small and unsure.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” I run a hand over my head. “Why don’t we wait until our parents are back and ask what they think?”
A look of sheer panic crosses her face. “No! They’ll never let me.”
“Of course they won’t. It’s dangerous. There’s a reason we fled from your house, Ariel. It’s not safe to go back right now.”
“Safe.” She grunts. “Delaney’s right. That is a terrible word.”
I smile at that. “So she’s already tried to recruit you to the dark side, huh?” Glancing over to her driveway, I notice that Delaney’s car is gone. “Speaking of which, where is Delaney?”
Ariel shrugs. “Who knows? She’s been taking off a lot lately.”
I furrow my brow, a funny feeling nagging at the pit of my stomach. Delaney doesn’t normally run off without telling me where she’s going.
“Look, I need to get some things at my house. Are you going to take me or not?”
“What could you possibly need that’s so important?”
She looks away, but I swear I see traces of tears in her eyes. “Some things of my dad’s. They’re important to me, and I want them.”
I know that her dad is dead and it pains me to see her so vulnerable and sad. I reach out and touch her arm. She flinches for a moment, but then I feel her relax. “Can’t it wait?”
She shakes her head. “No. I’m afraid it already is too late. What if those men finally do break into our house and take all our stuff? Then I won’t have anything to remember him by. ”
“I don’t think they’re after your stuff, Ariel. According to Delaney’s vision, they were after you.”
“We don’t know for sure what they’re after. We only know what Delaney saw, not the motivation behind it. Maybe it was a robbery that went wrong.”
I know that what she’s saying isn’t right. It would be too big of a coincidence for her to be attacked one night and robbed another if the two weren’t related. However, I try to imagine what it would feel like if my dad were gone. Just the thought of it rips my heart open. If I only had a few mementos of him, I know I would move heaven and earth to keep them. Even though I know it’s stupid, I agree to take her.
The minute we pull up to the house I have the feeling that I’ve made a terrible mistake. Swallowing hard, I exit the vehicle, keeping on high alert. From the outside I can tell that the house has been broken into. Clearly the intruders from Delaney’s vision waited for the police to leave and then took their opening. There are cracks in the windows and the door stands wide open. A sharp intake of breath catches my attention. I turn to see Ariel freeze. Her mouth gapes open. I place a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. “We don’t have to do this.”
She stands up straighter. “Yes, we do. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay right next to you,” I promise.
She glances over at me. Giving me a small smile, she nods. It’s a tiny victory but I’ll take it. Together we walk up the steps to the front porch. When we get to the front door, Ariel moves away from me to peer inside the mailbox that’s bolted to the wall near the door. It seems odd that she’d be checking her mail, but I don’t dwell on it. People deal with these kinds of situations differently. With a dejected look on her face, she turns away from the mailbox and together we step into the house. Ariel stiffens. The house is completely ransacked. Tables and chairs are overturned, papers are strewn across the floor, and even the paintings are crudely torn from the walls. I’m puzzled. From the looks of things it would appear that the attackers weren’t just looking for Ariel. Maybe Ariel was right and this was a robbery. Whatever happened, the intruders were clearly looking for something.
I reach into my pocket, my f
ingers brushing over my cell phone, and think that I should probably call the police. Before I can do anything, Ariel steps past me. “I’ll just grab a couple of things and then we can leave.” She takes long, quick strides, and before I know it she’s in the hallway. Keeping my promise to stay with her, I scramble to catch up.
Ariel slips into her bedroom, but before I can follow her my body is slammed backward. My head hits the wall and I’m momentarily stunned. Ariel’s scream brings me back into focus. A black creature rushes me. This time I’m ready for him and I take a swing. My fist connects with his furry body and I hear bone and cartilage crack under my knuckles.
“Micah!” Ariel yells.
I turn toward her voice and am struck from behind. Pain shoots through my head and the room spins. I force myself to stay upright. Bringing my arm back, I hit the creature as hard as I can and then take off in search of Ariel. When I find her she is in the corner of her bedroom in the grips of a huge man, dressed all in black. His face is hidden behind a black facemask, but I’m positive that underneath it he bears the symbol of fire. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a Sarafite.
Fear sinks into the pit of my stomach and I wonder if we’ll get out of this alive. I rush the man holding Ariel and tackle him to the ground. He falls but maintains his grip on Ariel. Her head hits the ground with a sickening thud. Using all my strength, I pry his hands off of Ariel and throw him across the room. Not bothering to see where he lands, I turn to Ariel and say, “Get out of here! Now!”
Instead of running away, her eyes widen and she lets out a blood-curdling scream. I spin around to see a black creature that looks like a cat but is the size of a bear crawling into the room. That must have been what attacked me. I was moving too fast to get a good look before.
The creature hisses and pounces in my direction. I sidestep and the creature lands inches from me. Ariel cowers in the corner, trembling. The man I just threw across the room stirs. The catlike creature bounds toward me again, and I use all my might to shove him backwards. The thing is pure muscle, and all I’ve done is momentarily stun him. Claws spring out from the creature’s feet. The man grunts and pulls himself to a standing position. Fear licks up my spine. I’m not sure I can take both of them. The creature lifts its arm and claws at me. I back up, but not before one of the talons slices up my arm. Blood leaks from the wound. With one massive leap, the creature is on top of me, pinning me down.