Timeless (Book One: Caylin's Story; A Watcher Duology; Young Adult Paranormal Romance)

by S. J. West

“How come I get the feeling all of that was more for your benefit than anyone else’s?” Hunter whispers to me.

  I give Hunter a sideways glance but don’t answer. I feel sure if Hunter noticed Uncle Malcolm’s true intentions, others did too.

  For the rest of the class period, I keep my gaze averted from my uncle’s and just bide my time until the end of class.

  As soon as the period is over, I pick up my books and try to walk out of the classroom as quickly as possible. But just as I’m about to cross the threshold and enter the safety of the hallway, I hear Uncle Malcolm speak.

  “Caylin, could I have a word with you please?”

  I turn to face my uncle and see him sitting in his chair behind his desk turned in my direction with a serious look on his face.

  Slowly, like someone walking to a guillotine, I approach him.

  “Yes?” I ask.

  “Would you mind helping me in my sex ed class tomorrow?”

  I’m immediately suspicious.

  “Why?”

  “I could use another set of hands in there for what I have planned. I would really appreciate it if you would help me out.”

  “Help you with what exactly?”

  “Oh, just handing some things out, nothing much. If you help me, I’ll let you have my class period off to do what you want tomorrow afternoon.”

  I hesitate but being able to skip Uncle Malcolm’s lecture for one day is too good to pass up.

  “Ok, I’ll help you.”

  Uncle Malcolm smiles. “Thank you. You may leave now, and I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

  “You’re coming?”

  “Of course I’m coming,” he says as if my question shouldn’t have even been asked. “I wouldn’t miss this dinner for anything in the world. It should be quite a show.”

  I don’t like the way Uncle Malcolm says this. He looks a little too excited. His eyes are practically gleaming with anticipation. Anticipation of what exactly? I’m not sure, but I have a feeling it’s nothing good.

  As I walk out of the classroom I hear him start to chuckle behind me. I turn my head to look back at him, but he stops laughing before I can catch him in the act.

  Suspicious behavior?

  Absolutely.

  After school, I phase Leah and myself to JoJo’s new design studio in New York for our fittings. When we get there, Jess is fawning all over Faison as JoJo walks around the bride to be like a four-star general inspecting her troops. She seems to be eyeing the dress from every possible angle to make sure its fit is perfect.

  Finally, JoJo comes to stand in front of Faison and declares, “You look like an angel, Mon Cher. I could not have done a more perfect job if I do say so myself.”

  “Oh… my…god…” Leah says as we come to stand with the other three women. “You look awesome!”

  Faison looks over her shoulder and smiles at us as we come into her field of vision.

  “Do you think so?” Faison asks, looking uncharacteristically uncertain of herself.

  “Absolutely!” I tell her. “You’re one of the most beautiful brides I’ve ever seen. Jess being the first most beautiful bride, of course.”

  Jess blushes. “Flattery will get you everywhere, kiddo.”

  “It’s the truth,” I tell her because it is.

  Jess looked like a princess straight out of the pages of a fairytale at her wedding to Mason. Her dress was so big I remember wondering how she was able to walk in it without tripping over the skirt. It was only later that I learned she used one of my grandfather’s gifts, flight, to float down the aisle on her father’s arm.

  “Well, Faison is going to knock Zack’s socks off,” Jess declares, smiling proudly at her sister.

  Faison smiles. “I can’t believe I’m getting married.”

  And for some reason she instantly bursts into tears.

  I only know a little bit about Faison’s past. I was told by Leah that Faison’s first fiancé, her first love and childhood sweetheart, was killed in an automobile accident a few years back. About a year later, Faison was still having trouble coping with his death, and Jess talked Zack into counseling her sister. A month after that, Zack had to quit being her counselor because he told Jess he was falling in love with Faison, and it wasn’t ethically right to continue to be her doctor.

  He asked Faison out on their very first date the next day and eventually won her heart.

  Jess walks over to Faison and takes her into her arms.

  “Fai, why are you crying?” Jess asks while rubbing her sister’s back in a soothing circular pattern.

  “I just never thought I would be able to move on after…after John Austin died. Do you think he will forgive me?”

  “That is the silliest question I’ve ever heard,” Jess admonishes Faison gently. “John Austin would be the first one to dance at your wedding if he were here. He loved you, Fai. He would only want to see you happy. And Zack makes you happy, right?”

  Faison lifts her head from Jess’ shoulder and looks at her sister.

  “Of course he makes me happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

  “Then stop crying you doof,” Jess teases with a smile.

  Faison slowly smiles back. She pulls away from Jess and lets JoJo show her where the train of the dress detaches in the back. Jess walks over to Leah and me and gives us each a hug.

  “So?” She says to me. “Are you as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof about tonight?”

  “Does it show that much?” I ask, feeling the queasiness in my stomach return at the mention of The Dinner.

  Jess grins. “Just a touch.”

  Jess starts to take off her bracelet. Since I’ve known Jess, she’s always worn it. The bracelet is made with a strand of red silk, a rolled piece of black leather, and a thick silver chain with a silver angel charm dangling from the middle.

  “I want you to wear this,” she tells me. “Hold out one of your wrists.”

  I hold out my right hand and Jess fastens it around my wrist.

  “Why do you want me to wear it?” I ask.

  “JoJo and Chandler enchanted it for me a few years back. If anyone around you means you harm, it’ll grow warm against your skin. And if you ask it nicely, it will tell you how someone is feeling while you touch them.”

  “Really?” I ask as Aiden’s face instantly pops into my head.

  Jess smiles. “Yes. But, remember that you should only use that power when you absolutely have to. Always treat other people’s feelings like you would want them to treat yours. Understand?”

  I nod. “Yes, I understand. I won’t misuse it.”

  “I know you won’t,” Jess says to me with a wink. “Or I wouldn’t have given it to you. Now, let’s go put on our pink froo froo dresses.”

  “They are not froo froo,” Faison says, slightly offended. “You will all look lovely in them.”

  “Yeah, if I wanted to look like a pink powder puff,” Jess mumbles under her breath.

  But, I have to agree with Jess. We do look a bit like powder puffs.

  Faison’s wedding has an antebellum theme, and the bridesmaid dresses are a modern take on the old-fashioned multi-tiered dresses from that time period. I wouldn’t say they are ugly because JoJo is incapable of designing an ugly dress. But, they do resemble powder puffs with all the layers of organza on the long skirt. At least the top was kept simple with natural pleating and spaghetti straps.

  As I look at myself in the mirror in my dress, I immediately panic.

  “Will Aiden be at the wedding?” I ask.

  “I guess that depends on how this evening goes,” Jess answers, coming to stand beside me in a dress similar to my own. It’s a slightly darker pink since she is the Matron of Honor.

  I suddenly feel a quandary set in. I want Aiden at Faison’s wedding, but I don’t particularly want him to see me in this dress.

  “I’m bringing an extra set of clothes to change into for the reception,” Jess whispers to me. “I suggest you do the same.�
�

  “I heard that!”

  Jess plasters a smile on her face before she turns around to face Faison.

  “Heard what?” Jess asks, all innocence.

  Faison crosses her arms in front of her. “I don’t care what you wear to the reception as long as you promise to take as many pictures as I want after the ceremony.”

  “That’s a deal, Fai,” Jess says, relief in her voice.

  “Does that go for us too?” Leah asks, fluffing up the ruffles of her skirt in dismay.

  Faison rolls her eyes. “Yes,” she groans, “it goes for the two of you too.”

  I silently sigh in relief.

  “JoJo, do you have my Valentine’s Day dance dress finished?” Leah asks.

  “Oui,” JoJo says waving at one of her assistants in the studio who promptly brings over a white hanging bag with JoJo’s signature A in hot pink print on the front.

  “Do I need to try it on?” Leah asks.

  “No, cher. It will fit. I used the same measurements as the bridesmaid dress for that one.”

  “Uh, JoJo,” I say. “Could I bother you for two outfits?”

  JoJo smiles and snaps her fingers. A second assistant brings me a bag similar to Leah’s.

  “When I heard Aiden might be in your life early,” JoJo says, “I thought you might need a dress for the dance as well. But, what is the second outfit you need, mon ami?”

  “Something to wear to the dinner tonight?”

  “I have just what you need! Come, come,” she says waving me towards her.

  JoJo takes me to a rack of clothing and pulls out the perfect outfit.

  “What do you think?” She asks me, holding it out in front of her.

  I smile, filled with excitement because I know Aiden will finally see me as a woman in the dress JoJo is holding.

  “I think it’s perfect.” I tell her, unable to suppress a smile. “Absolutely perfect.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  When I drop Leah off at her house, Mama Lynn, the woman who adopted Jess, Faison, and Leah, insists that I come in for a minute to look at the wedding favors she just bought.

  “Aren’t they just the cutest lil’ things ever?” She says, handing me a pair of crystal swans facing one another kissing beak to beak which forms a heart with their bowed necks. An opaque heart joins their bodies together at the base of their necks.

  “They’re really cute, Ms. Lynn,” I say, handing it back to her.

  She pushes my hand away. “You keep it, sweetie.”

  “Thanks,” I tell her.

  “Lynn,” I hear Leah’s dad, Remy, say as he comes out of the kitchen looking a little haggard. “How many of these things do I have to make?”

  “Just a couple hundred more,” Mama Lynn says as if it’s no big deal.

  “I think making souls was easier than trying to fold all these sheets of paper into swans,” Remy grumbles, holding up a white origami swan with the tips of his fingers.

  Leah giggles and goes up to her dad, rewarding all his effort with a kiss on the cheek.

  “But if you were in Heaven making souls, you wouldn’t be here with me,” she reminds him.

  Remy smiles at his daughter. “That’s true. Being able to stay here with you was worth giving up all my powers.”

  Remy was once a Guardian of the Guf. He was an angel responsible for making new souls. He made Leah’s soul, which earned him the distinction of being called her dad.

  When Jess and the other vessels sealed the Tear, all of the Guardians who made the human souls of all the vessels transferred their powers to their progeny in order to give them enough strength to bring back Jess’ soul back to her body when she died. None of the one-time guardians seemed to mind giving up their angelic status because as humans they were able to live on Earth with their children and lead regular human lives.

  Remy built a house on the same street as Mama Lynn, which allowed Leah the opportunity to split her time between them.

  Jess’ father, Peter Riley, and his wife live close by in the house Jess grew up in before her father and mother disappeared when she was seven and the Tear first appeared in the sky. Jess’ dad married another Guardian named Simone. She was Chandler’s Guardian. They had a son around the same time Jess had her daughter and second child, Brynlee.

  “Thank you for the gift, Ms. Lynn, but I really need to be getting back home.”

  Mama Lynn smiles at me. “So I hear a certain gentleman will be allowed to call on you this evening.”

  I can’t help but smile back. “Yes, ma’am. A certain gentleman is coming over for dinner. I just hope he survives it.”

  Mama Lynn laughs. “Sweetie, if anyone can handle pressure, it’s Aiden. I swear that man must love you more than life itself to put up with your uncle badgering him all the time.”

  “Uncle Malcolm is just over protective.”

  “Well, it’s always good to have a man like your uncle watching after your best interest. And don’t you worry your pretty little head about tonight. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Lynn.”

  Leah comes over to me and gives me a hug.

  “Call me afterwards,” she tells me. “I want to know everything.”

  I nod as she pulls away. “I will. But, right now I need to go.”

  “Just remember to breathe,” Leah advises.

  I nod again and phase directly to my room.

  I glance at the clock on my nightstand and see that it’s already five o’clock. I know Jess and Mason are supposed to bring Aiden over at six. I quickly strip my clothing off on the way to my bathroom for a quick shower leaving a trail of scattered garments in my wake.

  I know I don’t have much time, so I don’t linger underneath the warm cascade of water in my shower for too long, even though I want to just to calm my shattered nerves. As soon as I do the bare necessities, I hop out and towel off quickly. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and immediately lift my hand to the necklace sparkling around my neck.

  Since my fifteenth birthday, I haven’t taken the half heart crystal necklace off. It was my first gift from Aiden and a constant physical reminder of him. But, tonight we would get to spend the evening so close to one another we were bound to get the opportunity to touch again, even though it would be in the presence of my family.

  I take my time applying my makeup and blowing my hair out straight before curling it at the ends. I want to look as perfect as possible. My appearance was really the only part of the evening I had complete control over. I wasn’t about to welcome Aiden into my home or my life, for that matter, without making an effort to look decent. I knew I could probably greet him at the door in a t-shirt, pigtails and house slippers and still have him love me, but that wasn’t how I always pictured this night. No, tonight needed to be as perfect as I could make it because I knew it would be a night we would always remember.

  I check my appearance in the full-length mirror in my room. The dress JoJo picked out for me is short. The edge of the skirt only hits me at mid-thigh, but it shows off my legs in a way that seems to make them appear longer than they actually are. The top is simple with wide straps across the shoulders. I love the deep purple of the knit material and the delicate embroidery across the top and skirt hem. I only wear a pair of black flats because high heels would make it look a little too dressy for a simple family meal.

  It is exactly 5:55p.m. when I walk downstairs. I know Mason, Jess, and Aiden won’t show up at our house until exactly 6:00p.m. because that’s how Watchers are hardwired. They have an unusual need to be exactly on time to the second.

  As I make my way down the stairs, I soon learn dinner is indeed going to be an all-out family affair.

  Aunt Tara, Uncle Malik, and Uncle Malcolm are present, helping my mother and father set the table. None of the kids are in sight so I assume they must be at Abby and Sebastian’s, our permanent babysitters.

  My mother is the one who notices me first. As she looks up from the ta
ble after placing the last of the goblets in her hands down beside the plates, her eyes meet mine and a proud smile lights up her face.

  “You look lovely,” she tells me, making me feel like the most beautiful person in the world in that moment.

  Everyone else turns their head and smiles, except for Uncle Malcolm. He raises a dubious eyebrow in my direction instead.

  “Did that dress not come with a sweater or a jacket or something?” He asks in exasperation.

  I shake my head as I come to stand at the foot of the stairs. “No, this is it. It’s one of JoJo’s designs.”

  “Malcolm, just hush your mouth and don’t you dare try to ruin tonight for my baby. She doesn’t need a sweater,” Aunt Tara says as she walks over to me and gives me a hug. “You’re gonna knock Aiden’s socks off,” she whispers before pulling back, her face beaming with happiness for me.

  “Thanks,” I tell her, not just for the compliment but also for attempting to switch off Uncle Malcolm’s over-protective mode.

  I look over Aunt Tara’s shoulder and see my dad staring at me as if he’s seeing me as a woman for the first time.

  “Are you sure you don’t need a sweater?” He asks me, though his eyes keep darting down to the short hem of the skirt. I get the feeling he would rather I went upstairs and put on a pair of tights than show so much leg.

  “No, dad,” I tell him. “I’m fine.”

  Reluctantly, he nods and doesn’t say anything else.

  There’s a knock on the door, and I glance at the clock on the wall in the kitchen.

  “They’re a minute early,” I say, confused by the fact that they would show up even that early. To a normal person, it wouldn’t seem odd but for Watchers to show up even a second ahead of schedule is uncharacteristic.

  When my mother walks by me towards the front door, she winks at me.

  “Guess he couldn’t wait a minute longer,” she says with a smile.

  Aunt Tara walks back to the kitchen where Uncle Malik is and my father comes to stand beside me just as my mom opens the front door to greet our guest.

  I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until my dad whispers out of the side of his mouth, “Breathe, Caylin.”

  I part my lips to take in a deep breath just as the door swings open far enough for me to see Aiden standing beside Jess on our front porch.