I peered at it for a second and then my eyes widened in disbelief. It was my bracelet, the bracelet Patrick had given me on the night we were captured. I picked it up with trembling fingers not believing what I was seeing. Where could it have come from?
His name entered my mind before I could even stop my thinking but I tossed the idea aside. There was no way he could have had my bracelet. I had lost it when I had escaped from Hyvar. Maybe he had found it, but how would he know it was mine?
I was unsure but fumbled with the tiny clasp anyway. My heart thudded heavily as I realized, I now had the one gift Patrick had made specifically for me. A smile spread across my face and I heard Emly gurgle at my feet.
“Lissie? Is Emly up there with you? Justin said he got her out of her crib, again,” Jillian called up the stairs.
“Yeah,” I yelled back still looking at the smooth pearls. “We’ll be right down.”
I picked up the laughing baby and headed out my door, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the shimmery stones, sanded so perfectly. For a moment, I felt closer to Patrick than I had since that horrible day in the Hyvar dungeon.
Throughout breakfast, Jillian and I talked of trivial matters. My heart felt lighter than it had in weeks and I knew it was because of the bracelet that was sliding against my wrist under my sweatshirt.
The chatter was endless in the kitchen, Jillian was pressing me to attend prom. I told her I didn’t want to, but she was persistent. In reality, I think she just wanted to go shopping with me and get our nails done.
When the phone rang Jillian rose to go and get it, I was surprised when she held it out to me. I took it curiously.
“Hello?”
“Hey! It’s Laura!” She screeched and I moved the receiver away from my ear.
“Oh, hi.” I said, unsure of why she was calling me.
“You heard we don’t have to work today right?’
“No, why?”
Laura went on to explain how her mom wasn’t feeling well and half the burners were having problems. I listened to her as she told me about how the maintenance was going to take a few days, which meant no work. She sounded excited, but she had school to keep her busy. I, on the other hand, would have to sit around at home all day.
“Anyway,” she chattered after finally taking a breath. “We were wondering if you wanted to go shopping with us later today.
“Sure,” I agreed, I couldn’t think of a reason to not go. “I’m free all day. When do you want to leave?”
“Oh, once school’s done. We’ll come by and pick you up.”
“You’re at school?” I said, surprised, because her mom had threatened to take her phone away if she didn’t get better grades.
“Yeah,” and the way Laura said it made me feel stupid. “I’m in the bathroom. Jessie and I made plans in homeroom and I wanted to get you before you got too busy.”
“All righty,” I said, she didn’t realize I never had plans anymore. “I guess I’ll see you later today then.”
“Great! Bye.” The phone went silent and I sat for a second wondering what I had just gotten myself into, but pushed the idea aside. It would be nice to have something different to do other than waiting tables.
Four o’clock rolled around slowly. I had showered and dressed by three but received a text from Lauren, they were going to drop something off at her boyfriend’s house before they came here. It didn’t bother me; I just sat on the couch and watched the afternoon children’s TV show with Justin and Kaleb.
I kept checking my phone for the time but it crept by at a dawdling pace. I had even got up and put my boots, winter coat, and scarf on. I tapped my finger in an annoyed manner until I heard the doorbell ring.
“Got it,” I called to save Jillian the trouble of coming downstairs. “Bye Jillian!” there was a muffled response and I headed to the door quickly. “Watch the boys,” I said at the last minute to Caitlin and Sara, who had just returned from school. I opened the side door to reveal Laura on the steps, her tiny frame engulfed in a fuzzy coat with a matching knit hat over her long brown hair.
We walked through the frigid air to the car and I hopped in the middle row with Chelsea and Hannah while Laura jumped into the front seat. I was surprised to see Laura’s boyfriend Joey was the one driving the large SUV. The other girls greeted me, and I noted Jessie was in the back with her gloomy boyfriend Ryan.
Joey put the car into drive and sped down my driveway at an alarming rate. I had a feeling that this was going to be one of those car rides you couldn’t wait to be done with.
“What have you been up to all day?” Hannah asked curiously.
I laughed to myself. “Nothing really. Without work and school, there really isn’t much to do.”
“Must be nice,” Chelsea said in an envious tone that made me wish Hannah was sitting in the middle instead of her.
Laura took over the conversation from there and I figured out we weren’t just going shopping; we were going prom dress shopping. Internally I groaned. I was hoping to get some new clothes after just cashing my check yesterday, but prom dresses would afford me little time to do that. Maybe I would leave them to the dresses while I looked around on my own.
Joey drove the usual forty minutes it took to get to the mall, in less than thirty. When he swung into a spot at fifty miles an hour and slammed on the brakes to cut the engine, I hopped out as fast as I could before he could start driving again. My stomach felt queasy.
Chelsea and Laura bickered about which store we should go into, so Hannah led the way into the mall. I walked beside her, knowing she was the only person here I really felt comfortable talking too.
We ended up in a popular store I had been into numerous times before. Laura located the formal dress section and after that we surrounded ourselves with dresses. I didn’t pick any out for myself; instead I helped the other girls choose theirs. When they realized I wasn’t picking anything out, they got upset I wasn’t going to go to prom.
“Why won’t you go? Everyone is going to be there.” Laura always used that phrase as though it would change anyone’s mind.
“There’s no point,” I explained and tried to turn the conversation but Laura called her sister over and told her the problem.
“No point, Lissie, it’s going to be so much fun.” Chelsea actually sounded as though she wanted me to come. There’s a first time for everything.
“Yeah, I’m going too. It would be fun if you came.” Hannah said.
“Really?” I asked her.
“Yeah, Trey asked me to go with him.” Well, that was quick.
“We’ll find someone for you. If that’s what you’re worried about.” Laura’s eyes were wide with innocence. “Joey’s captain of the hockey team so he has plenty of guys who would go with you. Don’t you babe?”
“Sure,” Joey said and shrugged. He flashed me a strange grin and then looked back at Laura.
“See, it’s all settled!” The way Laura got excited reminded me of Nixie. A longing to see her filled me., but unlike Nixie, who I couldn’t disappoint, I could say no to Laura.
“I appreciate it, but I won’t be going. Believe me, Jillian has been trying talk me into it since I got back, and she hasn’t made any progress.”
“Whatever,” Laura said, peeved. I felt as though I had just turned down the ultimate honor of being invited to prom by the ever-popular Laura. How little she knew of what the world really had to offer.
Later, when we had all finished shopping, we headed to the food court for dinner. The girls had their dresses in tow and I had a bag with two new shirts and a pair of new jeans. We pushed some tables together and went separate ways to get our food. Once I had my styrofoam box of teriyaki chicken and fried rice, I made my way to our table.
I grimaced when I saw Joey was the only one sitting at the red, checkered table. The way he had been looking at me all day gave me the creeps and he slapped his gum in his mouth as though everyone wanted to see him chew. His eyes constantly roved around
the room, trying to make eye contact with any girl nearby. My heart went out to Laura; I knew she was just another girl in a long line of many.
His gaze landed on me as I sat down and opened up my box of food. I didn’t appreciate the way his eyes slid over my body. “Aren’t you eating?” I asked, deciding to talk to him rather than suffer his stare.
“Laura’s getting it,” he said offhand. I couldn’t help but think, since he was the guy, it should be the other way around. I nodded and couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“You know the girls were right, you should come to prom. I have a friend who’s been looking for a date and I’m having a huge party at my house afterwards. It’s going to be rockin’.”
“Sounds like it,” I said dully and continued to concentrate on my food.
“But you won’t go,” he observed and leaned forward. “Why’s that?”
I looked up at him; he had gotten terribly bitter when he had asked that question. To him I was strange, something he couldn’t understand. If you only knew half of it, I thought.
I swallowed hard, but couldn’t think of anything to say in response. Instead I just looked back at him, feeling like a coward. I had faced worse than this, why couldn’t I say anything? Luckily, I was saved by Jessie and Ryan when they returned with their food. She engaged me in conversation and I was grateful, although I could still feel Joey’s words hanging in the air.
We finished dinner and headed back to the car with our merchandise. I shuddered at the thought of the drive we had ahead of us. I just wanted to be home, although with Joey’s driving we would get there much faster; whether we would be in one piece or not, was yet to be determined.
To comfort myself, I reached under my jacket and found the smooth stones of my bracelet. I rolled them between my fingers and stared out the window. Somehow, even with the snow falling and the dark trees whipping by, I was able to fall back into memories. I could hear the waves crashing on the shores of the island, taste the salt, and smell the sea spray, but most of all I could see him. He was smiling and walking toward me, his eyes just as happy as they always were when he smiled.
My heart thundered in my chest. It was the first time I had been able to conjure up a real memory of him, I was used to picturing him all sickly and scarred. The memory of the real Patrick was beautiful and though the car jerked back and forth over the road, I was lost in the sight of those warm eyes and that perfect smile.
10. Protection
The days flew by quickly and I was getting restless. It was late March and I had heard nothing from the Lathmorians or Zale. I was going crazy not knowing what was going on in my world, the world I should be living in. Day after day, I thrust myself into work at the restaurant and strived to envelope my mind with the trivial gossip Laura fed me as we cleaned each night. Most mornings, I went for a run around town and even welcomed the idle chatter of Justin and his friends whenever I spotted them on the streets. Even Joey’s constant urging to get me to attend prom with the rest of the group were a welcome distraction.
Everything I did was in an attempt to distract me from what was going on in the ocean. As the days passed, a sense of something beginning to build loomed all around me, but I didn’t know the cause. I could feel it in the atmosphere, and it lurked in my shadow, drifting into the back of my mind where memories of Hyvar continued to crop into existence.
As another shift came to a close at the restaurant, I was stacking menus back under the hostess stand, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Joey making his way over to where I stood.
“So you still haven’t changed your mind?”
“Nope,” I said shortly, hoping he would take the hint.
“Shame, I’ve got a friend who would love to go with you, if you know what I mean?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and my face got red with anger. “If you’re worried about looks, ask Laura, she thinks he’s hot and you know she has good taste.”
“Good for him, give him my congratulations would you?” I rolled my eyes and headed to the kitchen.
“Maybe I’ll just have him stop by your house. He could give you a taste of what’s to come.” He spoke loud enough for me to hear and laughed again, but I ignored him.
I went into the kitchen with a huff and saw my cousins busy rinsing the dishes. For once I thanked my lucky stars, I could leave early.
“All right, I’m out of here.” I said to no one in particular and put on my coat and scarf. Farewells were tossed over my cousins’ shoulders and I left the kitchen through the back door.
It was dark outside, and the dim glow from the lamp painted the snow with a yellow tinge. I looked up and saw the stars in the clear night sky; there would be no more snow, at least for tonight. I trudged forward, my boots crunching in the fluffy powder that lay all over the ground. I was just underneath the shadows of the trees when I reached under my layers to pull out my dagger. The bottom part of my stomach tickled when the air reached it and then I heard the sound of feet following me.
I whipped around hoping to see Zale. I had been thinking about him ever since he had left. He was a mystery to me, and for some reason I wanted to speak to him again. I told myself it was just the want for Hyven information, but I knew it was more than that. It was because, just for a moment, I wanted to see his eyes, even if they didn’t hold the same warmth, they were still his.
The person who followed me stepped into the light; it was Joey. What was this guy’s problem?
“What?” I said coldly.
“Why do you have your hand up your shirt?” He gave me that annoying look as if I was from a foreign planet.
I pulled my hand out quickly, “None of your business.” All my patience with him was gone.
“Oh, you’re going to get snappy, with me is that it?” he mocked.
“What do you want Joey?”
“I want you to go to prom,” he took a few steps closer to me. “You would have fun and my friend would enjoy you.” He slid his eyes down my body again and I resisted the urge to punch him in the face. I hated the way he talked about me, like a piece of meat.
“As wonderful as that sounds I think I’ve already given you an answer.” I smiled rudely and turned around to walk toward my house. I heard him follow and I began to walk faster.
“Would you hold up a minute?” He said as he walked easily behind me. “Lissie,” he grabbed my wrist and jerked me toward him. I put my arms out and pushed away from his chest.
“What is your problem?” I asked, annoyed. “Get away from me.” I turned to walk back up to my house when he grabbed my wrist again.
My eyes were furious when they met his, while he looked amused. “You touch me one more time—”
“And what? You’ll have your oh so big twin brothers come beat me up? They don’t scare me.” He was so sure of himself.
“No I was going to say I would take care of you myself.” He looked incredulous. “You don’t know me, and I know how to protect myself.” There was an anger inside of me that was burning through my veins. A smile curled on his lips as though enjoying my frustration. “You think you’re more powerful than me? Well, I have seen more of the world than you ever will. You think you’re so tough, but I know people who could cut you down in mere seconds. You were wondering what I was reaching for under my shirt, now you know.” I whipped the dagger out from under my layers and pointed it at him.
Joey’s eyes widened and I had the pleasure of seeing fear creep across his face for a second. “You’re a freak.” He said along with some other unflattering names.
I didn’t answer, but turned around to walk toward my house glad to hear his feet move in the other direction. Carefully, I slipped my hand under my shirt and put the dagger back in place. I was quite pleased with myself and replayed his expression in my head. I hoped he wouldn’t tell anyone, but who cared? I was a freak and everyone already knew that. My cousins wouldn’t be too surprised.
“You handled that well.”
I gave a small sque
al of fright and jumped backward from the voice. Tripping on my feet, I fell over into the snow and looked up in time to see Zale come out of the dark shadows behind a large tree. His golden hair seemed brighter in the dark night and he was dressed in all black, a bulky jacket covering his shoulders and broad chest.
“Why do you keep doing that? You’re going to kill me one of these days.” I pulled myself up and brushed the snow off my clothes. He seemed entertained by my outburst, but didn’t say anything. “Well?” I prodded.
“Maybe you need to get your hearing checked. I was walking under the cover of the trees the whole time.” He was mocking me too; apparently I was an easy target tonight.
“What are you doing here?” I asked suddenly realizing he might just be here to take me to Hyvar. I knew his loyalties to Morven, and his master’s wish was his command. My hand inched closer to the hem of my jacket in case I needed the dagger.
“Trying to keep you safe. Although it looks like you’ve got things under control.” One side of his mouth curved upward for half a second and then he was the warrior again.
“Keeping me safe from what, exactly?” I asked nervously, and thought of the soldiers he sent away last time.
“Let’s get you home,” he turned and walked up the hill to my house.
I stood still, stunned at his abrupt appearance and answer. All month I had been waiting for him to show up again, if only to see him one more time, but now that he was here I was left stunned and uncertain of what to do. Without saying another word, I followed him up the hill.
He walked with his hands out of his pockets. His gait was strong and powerful; I took two steps to his one and was huffing as we reached the top of the hill. We stepped onto the driveway and passed by one of the twin’s trucks on our way to the door. I smiled to myself knowing they were both inside and I would be able to eat dinner with them. I always got off earlier on Thursday nights and it gave me enough time to eat a late dinner with Derek, Sean, Jillian, and Dad. Zale stopped still in the shadows and spoke, his voice low in the night air.
Ripples (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 2) Page 10