by Amber Garza
Her face crumbles and the light behind her eyes fades. For a second I think she’s going to cry.
“Ariel, what’s going on?”
She smoothes out her facial features and shakes her head. “Nothing. It’s just frustrating. I used to be able to go places and have freedom. Now I’m stuck inside like a prisoner.”
I nod, understanding. “I’m sorry.”
She waves away my sympathy. “I’ll get us some waters.”
She walks to the kitchen and returns a second later with two bottled waters. After she hands me one, I unscrew the cap and take a sip. Ariel sits on the couch and sets her water down on the coffee table. I glance over at her and my gaze catches the tattoo of a blonde woman that is engraved on her bicep. I recognize it as a picture of her mom.
“I couldn’t help but notice that your brother has a tattoo of your dad on his arm but you don’t,” I blurt out.
Ariel seems shocked by the sudden question. She shifts uncomfortably, but then shrugs her shoulders. “We can’t control what appears on our skin.”
“That’s true.” She does have a point, but I can tell there is more to the story. If only she trusted me enough to share.
“While we’re on the subject, I’ve been dying to hear the story behind this little picture.” She wears a teasing smile while she points to my upper arm. “Call me crazy, but you definitely don’t look like the kind of guy to have a puppy tattoo.”
“Like you said, it’s out of our control.” I wink. “That’s actually from our first rescue. The lady down the street lost her dog and she was completely crazy about it. She had flyers all over town. Delaney had a vision about where the dog was, and I went with her to use my strength to haul the dog back. I guess Zerach was just teaching us about our gifts then so we could practice before being put in dangerous situations.”
“I know what you mean. My first healing was of our family dog. He cut his foot, and while I was checking it out I miraculously healed it.”
I laugh. “Yeah, Delaney’s first vision was of her cat almost getting run over.”
Ariel bites her lip and gives me a pensive look. “Do you have any memories without Delaney in them?”
The comment stings a little, but it also makes me curious. Why does Ariel care if my memories are of Delaney or not? I don’t dare let my mind wonder if she’s jealous. “It’s just that we’ve grown up together. Our moms became friends when they were pregnant and then bonded over the fact that they were both having children with the same calling.”
Ariel nods. “That makes sense.”
“But I do have many memories of my own. Like this one.” I set my water down on the coffee table and then point to the image on my wrist of a luscious green tree. “This represents the hikes I take with my dad. A lot of Saturday mornings we go hiking together. My dad loves nature. It’s like a spiritual experience for him. I like it because it’s time alone with him. We talk about all kinds of stuff.”
“I get it. That’s just like mine right here.” On the inner part of her lower arm is the image of paper with writing on it. “My mom and I both love to read. Ever since I was little we would read a book together and then talk about what we liked and didn’t like about it. We would talk about what characters we most related to and what descriptions we loved. It’s like being in our own book club, just the two of us.”
I love the way Ariel’s face looks in this moment. So bright and alive with her eyes shining and cheeks flushed. I want to keep her talking. I want to know more about her. “Books, huh? What kind?”
“Oh, any kind of fiction. But I especially love fairytales.” She looks me in the eye. “Stories can make you believe in things you never thought possible. They can make you look at things in a new light or open your eyes to a new way of thinking. I hope to write my own book one day.”
I reach out and grab her hand. “You will. I’m sure of it.”
She smiles. “I hope so. First I just have to get through all this drama.”
“Hey, maybe you’ll write a book about it.”
She groans. “I doubt that. Once this is over I don’t think I’ll ever want to think about it again.”
I sit up and lean in close to her. “You won’t want to remember any of it?”
She swallows hard and I see her neck swell with the effort. “Well, some of it hasn’t been so bad.”
“Really?” I grin.
“Yeah, Mrs. Scott’s food is pretty good,” she teases.
“Is that all?” I cock an eyebrow.
“Well, there might be a few other things. I do enjoy not having to babysit Asa since Mom is pretty much around twenty-four/seven.”
“There isn’t anything else?” I prod.
She shakes her head. “Nope. Not that I can think of.”
“Is that so?” I grab her around the waist and tickle her.
She squeals and a stream of laughter spills from her mouth. She falls over until she’s lying on her back on the couch. I lean over her and continue tickling. Her face is so beautiful and radiant as she laughs.
“Stop…tickling…me!” She says between giggles.
“Only if you take it back.”
“Take…what…back?” she pants, while struggling to get away.
“That those are the only things you’ll remember.”
She cackles. “What else am I supposed to remember?”
“Me.” I wink and release her.
She takes a deep breath and pushes the hair out of her eyes. I’m still leaning over her, and before I can make a move she grabs my arm. “It’s you that I’ll remember the most.” I am paralyzed by her words. I search her eyes and see that she’s genuine. Lowering my face, I move in close. With the hand that holds my arm, she pulls me down until our lips meet.
Chapter 19
Delaney
I LEAN AGAINST a tree in the park, Sam’s body pressed against mine. He strokes my cheek and bends his face close. The sky is dark around us and the air is still. Stars twinkle like millions of white lights above our heads. When Sam’s mouth covers mine, I hear a low growl coming from behind us. I yelp and flinch, startled. The growl is too close. The bushes near us rustle. I grab Sam’s hand, yanking him in the direction of the parking lot. We have to get out of here.
Only Sam stays rooted in place, as if his legs are glued to the ground. “Sam, c’mon. We need to go.”
“No, it’s fine,” Sam says. He smiles, but something is off.
Apprehension grows inside of me. “Sam?”
“Delaney.” He holds his arms out to me. “You can trust me. C’mere.”
I take a deep breath. His expression is manic, wild. Instead of moving toward him, I take a step back.
Anger flashes in his eyes. “What are you afraid of?”
A black creature leaps from behind a bush. It looks just like the one that attacked Micah. I scream. It lunges toward Sam, but doesn’t go after him. Instead, it lands on the ground inches from him. The creature stretches out beside Sam the way a pet cat would do. It arches its back and splays its stubby legs.
“He’s harmless. He’s my friend.” Sam juts out an arm and pets the creature.
My mouth drops in shock. “What are you doing?”
“He won’t hurt you,” Sam coos. When he turns to me again I see the flames glowing on his forehead. They shine in the night sky like a beacon of light.
I shake my head. No, this can’t be happening.
The creature turns its face toward me and bares its fangs. My heart beats erratically in my chest. I walk backwards, but I’m not fast enough. The creature chases me, howling at the top of its lungs. I turn around to run faster, but it jumps onto my back and I fall to the ground. My lip hits the grass and I eat dirt. Blood leaks from my mouth. I feel the creature’s claws as they pierce my flesh.
I scream and sit up. Clutching my stomach, I blink, taking in my surroundings. I am in my bed, the covers bunched at my feet, the sheets wrapped around my lower leg as if I’d spun in circles. Morning l
ight streams in the window. Sweat covers my forehead and I’m still struggling to catch my breath. I glance at my alarm clock. It is only minutes from going off. Reaching over, I disable it. I’m not sure my overactive heart can take it going off at this point.
“Are you okay?” Ariel pops up from the air mattress. Her hair sticks up all over her head and she furrows her brows in concern. “You were screaming.”
I blow out a ragged breath. “It was just a nightmare.” After uncoiling my calf from the sheets, I hop out of bed. My legs are unsteady as I make my way to the bathroom. Once inside, I close the door and splash cold water on my face. I can still see the bizarre look on Sam’s face, and still feel the talons of the creature as it sliced me. Leaning over the sink, I grip the counter with both hands. My hair falls over my shoulders and brushes against the tile.
It was just a dream. Nothing more. It didn’t mean anything. I say over and over in my head like a mantra. But cold dread still descends in my stomach. Even though I know it was only a nightmare, it feels more like a premonition.
“Ah, this is a much better hiding spot.” I smile at Sam as we sit on the steps of the stairwell at school. My voice echoes through the spacious area. Metal bars surround us, and stairs spiral above and below us. The air is stale and cold and it smells coppery, almost like the scent of blood.
“I told you I’d find one.”
“Let’s just hope we don’t get caught by one of the teachers.”
“Nah.” Sam dismisses my words with a wave of his hand. “They hardly ever use it. Besides, it’s lunchtime. They’re all in the break room.”
“Aren’t your friends going to wonder here you are?” I pull a bottle of water out of my backpack.
“They won’t even notice I’m gone.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh, I think Bree will notice.”
Sam leans forward, a teasing gleam in his eyes. “Sounds like somebody’s jealous.”
I slink back from his words. “Well, it’s just she’s always hanging all over you. It is a little pathetic.”
Sam brushes his fingers across my middle and it tickles. “It’s no different than the way you and Micah are.”
I narrow my eyes at him. No way is he getting out of this that easy. “It’s entirely different from Micah and I. Bree is clearly into you, Sam. She acts like you two are dating or something.” I bite my lip, unable to ask what I really want to — if they are dating. He and I are just sneaking around, so he might be seeing her on the side. I’d never know it.
“It doesn’t matter what Bree thinks.” Sam scoots closer to me, sliding his arm around my waist. “She’s not the girl I’m interested in.”
My heart races, and I fight to keep my breath even. He turns to me. I lift my chin and he tilts his face toward mine. Our lips meet and I reach up to grab his neck. His mouth feels so good. Kissing him is nothing like kissing Micah. The times when Micah and I kissed it was comfortable and relaxing, like eating ice cream or watching my favorite movie. Kissing Sam is like riding a roller coaster or jumping off a cliff into freezing cold water. It’s explosive and wild and leaves me breathless. But it always leaves me wanting more.
When we part, I take in a breath and then raise one eyebrow. “Where were you yesterday? I missed you.”
“I stayed home sick.”
I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him back to me. “You should have called me. I would’ve come over to take care of you.”
“You can take care of me now.” He winks and pulls me close. I giggle, but he silences it by placing his mouth over mine. A door opens above us and I stiffen. Sam pulls my face into his chest and presses a finger to his lips. I grab on to his black t-shirt and ball it into my fist, clinging to him. My head is pressed into him and I am comforted by his familiar scent. His breath is hot against my neck. Footsteps bang on the stairs and Sam’s hold tightens around me. I can feel his heartbeat pounding under my cheek. When the footsteps stop and another door opens and closes, I exhale and slump against him.
He slackens his hold.
“That was close,” I speak into his chest just as the bell rings.
“Same time tomorrow?” He grins.
I look down at my untouched lunch, my stomach growling, and think about how I never used to miss a meal. “Sure.”
I can’t believe it’s already Friday. The week has flown by. My heart sinks when I think about Micah returning to school on Monday. I’ll miss spending my lunches with Sam. I imagine it will be excruciating to sit at different tables in the cafeteria and ignore each other. I marvel about how much I’ve grown to like him in such a short period of time.
“Watcha thinking about?” Sam tips my chin toward him. “You look so serious.”
“I was just thinking about how awkward it will be when Micah comes back.”
“He’s starting to feel better, huh?”
I nod.
“But he’s not here today, right?” Sam grins.
“No.”
“Then don’t worry about it. Just enjoy right now.” His voice echoes through the stairwell.
I pop open my bag of chips and pull one out. When I bite into it, I notice Sam staring at me. “What?”
“You’re so cute. I’ve never met a girl who eats like you, and yet you stay so thin.”
“Good metabolism, I guess.” I shrug while swallowing the chip down. I can’t tell him that my afternoons are spent training because I’m an Ekloge Warrior. That would completely freak him out. After eating another chip, I turn to Sam who is sipping a can of soda. “So, what are your hobbies?”
“I don’t have any.”
“C’mon.” I jab him in the side. “Everyone has hobbies.”
“Not me. I don’t have time for one. When I’m not at school, I’m working. Every once in awhile I hang out with Jake at his dad’s pool hall.” He winks. “Unless I’m sneaking off with you.”
“What would you do if you didn’t have to work?”
Sam ponders this for a moment, his forehead crinkling. “Maybe play an instrument. Be in a band or something. That would be cool.”
I set my bag of chips down on the stair next to my legs and turn to face Sam. He is leaning over, his elbows on his knees. His lunch bag is on the stairs near the toe of his black boot. “You don’t think your dad would give you some time off work to pursue that?”
Sam shakes his head. “Are you kidding me? The old man doesn’t care what I want. He expects me to do what he wants me to do all the time. I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
His face looks so sad. My heart tugs. I know exactly how he feels. It’s so odd how alike we are; how similar our lives are. Reaching my arm out, I put a hand on his shoulder. Since I first said yes to Sam, I’ve had the sinking feeling that I’m making the wrong choice, like I’m walking right into a trap. But in this moment, I know that I’m doing the right thing. Sam needs me and I need him.
For once in our lives, we will be the ones to choose.
Chapter 20
Micah
MOM CLANGS AROUND in the kitchen, cooking up some kind of soup or something, while Ariel and I sit on the couch in the family room. A game show plays on the television, since it’s the only thing on. A woman jumps up and down after guessing the right number, and the host reveals the car that she just won.
“Wow, I was way off.” Ariel blows the bangs off her forehead. “Good thing I’ve never had the desire to be on a game show. I suck at these.”
“Yeah, me too. Delaney, on the other hand, is a game show queen. She knows trivia like nobody’s business.”
Ariel laughs. “I have the feeling that with her competitive streak, she’s probably good at most things she does.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So you’ve noticed, huh?”
“Hard not to.” Ariel stretches her legs out.
“Hey, thanks for hanging out with me all week.”
“Nothing else to do.” Ariel shrugs. “If I wasn’t here, I would’ve just been over at the Scotts’ doing schoo
l work and hanging with Mom and Asa.”
Mom starts humming while she cooks. The sound drifts from the kitchen and swirls around us.
I chuckle. “She may not be able to carry a tune, but that doesn’t stop her.”
“I heard that,” she hollers.
“Sorry, Mom.” I muffle a laugh into the palm of my hand and Ariel lowers her head to hide her smile.
“Seriously, that woman scares me,” she whispers.
“Ah, she’s not that bad. Her bark is worse than her bite.” I speak quietly so Mom can’t hear.
“If you say so.” Ariel winks at me.
I think about what Ariel said before about being stuck at the Scotts’. “It must be hard for you to have to stay hidden, huh?”
She bites her bottom lip and plays with the frayed edges of her t-shirt. “It’s not ideal. But at least I get to spend time with you.” Her eyes catch mine and my heart leaps.
“So, I’ve made things bearable, have I?”
“I’d say you’ve made them more than just bearable.”
I swallow hard, remembering our kiss the other day. It was foreign and exciting. Even thinking of it now causes my head to swirl. I want to kiss her again, but there’s no way I’m trying anything now with Mom in the other room. If she walks in on us she’ll totally flip out.
“You know, I’d like to still see you when this is all over.” I brush my fingers over hers, careful to keep my eyes out for Mom.
She sighs. “If this is ever over.”
“It will be.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.” Her eyes darken and she presses her lips together to keep them from trembling.
“Hey.” I squeeze her fingers. They are ice-cold. “You okay?”
She nods. “I’m just scared.”
“You don’t need to be,” I reassure her. “We’re protected.”
“I’m not worried about me.” She clamps her mouth shut swiftly as if she’s said something she shouldn’t.
My insides twist and I wonder what just happened. I think about how mysterious she’s always acted. Even when I think she’s opening up to me there is something there, just below the surface. There’s something inside of her that I just can’t reach.