“All right. I live on Meteor Lake. 968 Pluto. You might have to wait a few minutes; I still gotta hop in the shower.”
“No problem.” He may end up walking, but as soon as Natalie said Meteor Lake, Jack was convinced he’d done the right thing. The subdivision of huge homes was still under construction when his family moved into town. Though technically not far from where he lived, the upscale neighborhood was in another world.
His brother Jase, who was watching television in the living room, informed Jack that their dad was outside. Jack slipped into some shoes and grabbed a zip-up hoodie on his way out to the barn-like garage behind the house. The night’s chill had yet to be chased away by the sun and he burrowed his hands into the pockets of the sweatshirt. He found his dad leaning into the pick-up truck’s engine compartment. “Did you figure out what’s up with the truck?”
Jack’s dad glanced sideways at him and shook his head. “It’s missing, as I’m sure you noticed last night. I replaced the spark plugs, which seemed to help. I’ll check the timing next. Hand me that big flathead screwdriver, would you?”
Jack plucked a screwdriver from the toolbox and handed it to his dad. “I have a meeting today with a sect elder in Harbor Springs.”
His dad straightened up. “You should’ve mentioned that sooner. I might’ve been able to drive Mom to work.”
“Oh.” The comment surprised Jack. He hadn’t realized his parents put his venture at such a high priority level. “I didn’t know that was an option. But I have a ride. A friend from school—she was best friends with the girl who disappeared. I was just hoping for a ride to her house.”
His dad eyeballed the project in front of him. “Uh… it’ll be a while.”
“Yeah, looks like it.” He gave his dad a small smile. “I can always walk or bike. It’s just over on Meteor Lake.”
His dad raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
Jack checked the time on his phone as he headed back inside. If he ended up walking, he’d have to leave soon. First though, he’d try Wes.
“Hey, can you use the van?” he asked as soon as his friend answered. “I need a ride.”
“Where?”
“To Natalie’s. She’s just over in the Meteor Lake sub.” Before his friend could start in with some dumb innuendos, Jack explained. “She’s driving me out to Harbor Springs to see an elder there. I couldn’t have her pick me up, you know?”
After a brief pause Wes said, “Yeah, I hear ya. Hold on.”
Jack heard Wes yelling in the background. Then muffled voices. “When?”
“Soon.”
Another few seconds of indistinct murmurs. “That’ll work. I’ll be there in fifteen, twenty minutes.”
“Thanks.”
Cool. He had enough time to grab a quick breakfast.
Jack plopped down on the couch next to Jase to eat his peanut butter toast and was still there when Wes rolled up the dirt drive. He bounced up and opened the door, giving Wes the “one minute” gesture. “Stupid Clone Wars,” he mumbled under his breath as he bounded up the stairs. All of his notebooks were allocated to specific classes so he grabbed the one he used least: Biology. Then he snatched his sunglasses off the dresser on his way out the door.
Wes had his head back and his eyes closed when Jack slid into the passenger seat. “Oh man,” his friend groaned, opening his eyes and reaching for the travel coffee mug in the cup holder. He took a long drink. “You’re lucky I gotta work today, or I’d still be in bed.”
“Late night?”
“Yeah.” Wes backed from the drive and started down the dirt road. “I hung out with Fletch for a while but then I went home and decided to get online for LOTRO. Man, I was on a roll. I leveled up twice and then ended up ganked by a band of five yahoos. Five against one! Who does that?”
Jack didn’t game too often, but he knew what Wes was talking about. “That sucks. Did you tell them off?”
“Sure.” Wes chuckled sarcastically. “As if it did any good.” He turned on Red Apple Road.
“How long do you work?”
“Eleven to five. Six magical hours of layering meats and cheeses.”
Jack laughed. “Actually, a sub sounds good right now.”
Wes wrinkled his nose. “Speaking of subs, it’s this one, right?”
Jack’s stomach clenched at the sight of the brick pillars which marked the entrance to Meteor Lake Subdivision. He swallowed hard. “Yep. This is it.”
“I can’t believe you’re going out with Segetich,” Wes said as he slowed and flicked on his turn signal.
“Natalie. And I told you, we’re not going out.”
Wes shot Jack a sideways glance. “Seriously man, you realize this hero thing could get you some major action, right?”
“Is that all you ever think about?”
“Yeah.” His friend looked genuinely surprised. “Don’t you?”
“No. Not always. Frequently, but not always,” he added with a smile. “Besides, I want Shera.”
“So. You might end up with her. Why not have some fun until then?”
Jack shook his head. Wes couldn’t understand. He’d never had feelings like Jack had for Shera. His phone chimed, saving him from answering Wes’s question.
It was a text from Natalie: “Just FYI we’re working on a school project together—going to the library.”
He texted back: “Good plan thanks.” Good thing he’d grabbed a notebook. He wished he had more than that, but it would have to do.
“So have you talked to Kelly? Are you guys going out?”
“Yeah.” Wes’s mouth curved into a nervous grin. “We’re going to the movies tonight.” He was finally able to turn and cruised slowly into the neighborhood, gaping at the houses. “I get why you didn’t want her to pick you up. Where to?”
“We’re looking for Pluto.”
“No directions? You didn’t look it up?”
“Dude. No internet at my house, remember? I didn’t know the sub was this big.”
Wes opened the console and tossed something into Jack’s lap. “Here. Type in the address.”
Jack picked up the device and saw it was a GPS. It didn’t take him long to figure out how to enter the address. He laughed. “It wants you to turn around.”
The GPS brought them quickly to a looming red brick house. Four white pillars extended two stories, creating a large porch which ran the length of the house.
Wes whistled through his teeth. Four houses the size of Jack’s could have fit inside Natalie’s house. “It looks like a freakin’ plantation house.”
Jack sucked in a huge breath in an attempt to quell the nerves rising in his chest. “Just let me out here. Don’t pull in the driveway.”
Wes eased up to the curb.
“Thanks.” Jack swung the door open. “Good luck on your date tonight.”
“Luck? Who needs luck when you have all of this?” Wes swept his open hand from head to lap, indicating himself.
Jack laughed, shaking his head as he got out of the minivan. The comic relief was welcome right now. He ambled up the walk, giving his friend time to pull away. Given the length of the brick path, he could’ve used his regular pace and still wouldn’t have reached the porch before Wes was out of sight.
The sun had inched high enough to give the surroundings vibrant definition. The lush, green lawn tempted passersby to take off their shoes and sink their feet into the soft carpet of grass. Fallen red leaves peppered the recently raked sea of green and colorful mums lined the shrubs in front of the house.
Jack had never felt so out of place. He wasn’t even inside the house and already he felt underdressed.
The feeling was worse when Natalie’s father opened the door. Though Mr. Segetich was about Jack’s height, his expensive suit and stature elevated his presence in an intimidating way. He met Jack’s eyes with a no-nonsense regard. “Robert Segetich,” he introduced himself and extended a hand.
“Jack Ironwood. Nice to meet you, sir.”
Jack shook the man’s hand, hoping his palms weren’t sweaty.
Natalie’s father motioned him into a room just inside the door. “Go ahead and sit down. I’ll let Nat know you’re here.”
Jack set his notebook on the coffee table as he lowered himself to the leather couch. He leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs, and concentrated on breathing normally. At least he wasn’t taking her out on a date. This wasn’t a big deal, he coached himself. School project. Going to the library.
Except that’s not what they were doing at all.
Natalie’s dad came back and sat down on the other end of the couch. He picked up Jack’s notebook. “What’s the project you’re working on?”
Jack swallowed around a lump in his throat. Was this a test? Did Natalie already tell him something?
Mr. Segetich looked at him expectantly.
“We… haven’t entirely decided.”
“I thought we were doing the Renaissance.” Natalie came around the corner and Jack breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.
“Yeah… uh… I guess we did talk about that.”
When Natalie’s father didn’t reply, Jack glanced from the corner of his eye. A knot of dread formed in his guts when he saw the man flipping through his notebook. “Then why does this look like science to me?”
Jack’s eyes flicked to Natalie briefly and then he met her father’s suspicious stare. Acting surprised was his first reflex. “Science?”
Mr. Segetich held the open notebook out to him. Although Jack knew what he’d see, he looked anyway. “Aww, man. I grabbed the wrong notebook. My history one is the same color. I should write on the front or something.” His strangled laugh sounded forced.
Natalie spoke up. “It’s okay, Jack. I have my notes.” She held up a binder.
“I’m sure they’re better than my notes anyway.” Jack stood and Natalie’s father handed him his notebook.
He followed Natalie to the front door.
“When will you be home, Nat?”
She glanced at Jack. “Not for a while. We’re hoping to knock most of this out today.”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Yep. Bye, Dad.” Natalie pecked her father’s cheek and Jack opened the door for her.
Once they were safely inside Natalie’s car and the front door to the house was closed, Jack blew out a large breath. “Whew.”
“I know.” Natalie backed down the driveway. “I hate lying. One lie always leads to more lies to back it up.” She shifted into drive and accelerated down the street. “But we didn’t really have a choice, did we?”
“No.”
“Did you get directions?”
“Just take 31 up the coast. It’s just past Petoskey, where I grew up.”
They didn’t say much as Natalie made her way through town to the highway. She turned on the radio and told Jack to flip through the stations. He had no idea what she would listen to so he settled on a station that played a wide variety of older rock music.
After a few minutes on the highway, Jack began to feel awkward. He had over two hours ahead of him in a car with a girl he barely knew. Maybe he should just nod off, taking himself out of the uncomfortable situation. That way Natalie could relax too and listen to whatever she wanted to.
Except he’d already sort of scammed the ride—the least he could do is keep her company. Plus, he should help her watch for road signs. He knew 31 took a few jogs onto other roads.
The radio station launched into a series of commercials. “I brought my iPod.” Natalie rummaged through her purse and pulled out the mp3 player. She handed it to Jack, opened the storage console between them, and produced a cord. “Plug it in here.” She pointed to a small outlet in the corner of her radio.
Jack plugged the cord into the radio and then into the iPod. “Playlist? Or shuffle everything?”
“There’s a playlist called ‘current.’ Let’s start with that.”
Jack pressed play and continued to look through the music. He’d expected pop hits, so her alternative rock selection surprised him. He made a few comments about bands he recognized and soon they were talking about music.
“If you like metal, check out my playlist called ‘jams.’ I mostly play it when I’m ticked off.” A shy smile accompanied Natalie’s confession.
“I get that.” Jack smiled in return. “That’s what I like best about playing metal. It’s a great way to blow off steam.”
She shot a surprised glance his way. “Play? What do you play?”
“Guitar. My parents bought me a small acoustic guitar for Christmas when I was like eight, I think. I taught myself how to play.”
“That’s impressive. Were you banging out hardcore rock back then?” She kept her attention on the road, but Jack noticed the slight furrows at the corner of her eye and he chuckled.
“Not exactly. But by junior high I was playing classic rock. That’s when I finally got my first electric guitar.”
A sign indicating they were seven miles from Traverse City took Jack by surprise and his gaze flicked to the time readout on the radio. An hour had slipped by already. “Oh, watch up here,” he warned Natalie. “We want to take Airport Road so we go around Traverse. If we stay on 31 we’ll end up downtown.”
They rejoined 31 at the bottom of the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The large body of water spread out before them, sparkling in the autumn sunshine. The highway edged the bay for a stretch and Jack noticed Natalie stealing glances in that direction. “Never been to Traverse City?”
“No. Apparently my dad doesn’t have any business here.”
“That’s the only way you go on vacation?”
Natalie let out a humorless laugh. “Otherwise we couldn’t write it off. Where’s the fun in that?”
“Wow. If that’s your dad’s idea of a good time, remind me not to go to any parties at your house.”
“If you do, bring your tax return.” Natalie giggled.
The highway meandered inland, allowing only the occasional glimpse of water until eventually cherry farms dominated the landscape.
“So you said you want to be an elder in your sect,” Natalie began. “Is that considered a job?”
“It can be. My adviser is full-time, so to speak. He’s paid by the sect council.”
“Is that what you want to happen?”
“Yeah, well, sorta.”
“Sorta?”
“It’s more like that’s what I’ve always expected to happen ever since I was deemed a candidate for an apprenticeship.”
“Mmm. What about before that? What did you want to be when you grew up?”
“You mean besides a rock star?” Jack laughed. “An archeologist—or actually, a paleontologist.”
“Let me guess.” Natalie grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “You loved dinosaurs.”
“You got it. Actually, I still do.” Jack shifted in his seat so he was leaning against the door. “What about you?”
“What do I want to do? Or what did I want to be when I was little?”
“Both.”
Natalie pulled the corners of her mouth into mock-seriousness. “First, of course, I wanted to be a princess.” She giggled. “Then I got more realistic and decided I wanted to be a movie star.”
Jack chuckled. “Is there a pattern there?”
“Ya think?”
“So what now? First woman president?”
She groaned. “Oh, sure, maybe in my dad’s dreams. But I don’t have such lofty goals anymore. I’d really like to be a teacher.”
“Really? What subject?”
“A little bit of everything. I’d like to teach elementary. Maybe kindergarten.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, wow. My dad thinks I’m nuts. ‘Teachers don’t make any money, Nat,’ he always tells me.”
“It’s true. Most teachers aren’t rich.”
“I know. But you know what? I’d prefer to be happy. What good is a big house or all the latest gadgets if I’
m miserable?”
“True.”
She was such a surprise. He had a feeling when Natalie wanted to be a princess, she was probably already treated like one. She couldn’t have wanted for much. Yet here she was, determined to carve her own way in the world. Though spoiled materially, the taint hadn’t seeped into her person. She might look the part of rich daddy’s little girl, but she didn’t act like it.
“If you become the head shifter will you be happy?”
“I think so.” Jack thought about all the things Brody did. “I know I wouldn’t like the politics, but I do like the traditions and the ceremonies. Actually, I’m interested in all kinds of beliefs and customs. Have you ever noticed the similarities in different religions or mythologies? It’s fascinating.” He suddenly felt sort of shy and embarrassed. What made him spew all that out?
But Natalie didn’t seem to think twice about it. “Well I guess you’ve got your college major right there—anthropology. Kind of a spin-off of the archeology/paleontology thing.”
“Yeah. I suppose it is.”
“And a good choice to back up your shifter training too.”
“Uh-huh.” Jack hadn’t given college much thought. “Obviously you’ve done a lot of thinking about your future.”
Natalie sighed. “I have to.” Her tone was bitter. “My dad certainly has. If I left it up to him I’d be a corporate lawyer and defend his company from lawsuits.”
“Okay, that would suck.”
“No doubt. But the way I see it, my future belongs to me. I should be able to determine my own fate.” She shot Jack a quick glance. “No offense. I mean, you’re lucky. You want the future that’s been laid out for you.”
Jack nodded, but couldn’t help wondering. Did he really want to be a sect shifter for the rest of his life? He’d accepted it for so long; he’d never considered other possibilities.
Wait a second. What was he thinking? Of course that’s what he wanted. It was the only way he’d have any chance of having Shera.
Gracefully tall and lean with doe eyes, delicate features and long, jet black hair, Shera had never gone unnoticed by any boy—including Jack. But he’d always accepted that their places in the sect were on different levels. They were oil and water, they couldn’t mix. Then, at a party in seventh grade, when Shera was dared to kiss any boy there, she’d chosen Jack. Suddenly he was imagining the unimaginable. Sure he wasn’t born on her level, but maybe he could rise to it.
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