Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1)

by Karen Tjebben

  Alex rushed to me. “Are you okay?” His green eyes, usually so full of life, were now full of concern. Creases of worry lined his forehead. “I’m sorry this happened. I barely heard you.” He cradled my trembling face in his hands.

  “What just happened?” I was confused and amazed by what I’d just seen.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why is he doing this?” I stammered.

  “He’s a bully. He picks on people that are weaker than he is. He’s really just a coward.” Alex looked into my eyes. “Did he hurt you anywhere?”

  “We knocked heads. I think he got me with his teeth.” I grimaced as I rubbed my head. “I hope he doesn’t give me anything. Ugh! Who knows what he’s got.”

  “Hmm, let me see.” Alex’s fingers rubbed lightly along my scalp and tickled me as he separated my hair to inspect my head. “It doesn’t look too bad. You don’t need stitches, but you are scratched up. Your face will probably bruise.” He ran one finger along my chin and under my mouth. “He grabbed you pretty hard.”

  “Yeah.” A tear trickled down my cheek. Alex wiped it away. Why was this happening?

  “Why were you out here alone?”

  “I had to give Mrs. Sears this memory stick.” I sighed and held out empty hands. “I must have dropped it.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll find it.”

  Alex and I walked back down the stairs. Blood splattered the stairs and a tiny puddle was on the landing where my attacker and I had fought. I wrapped my arms around my chest — frozen — as I stared at the red evidence of violence.

  “I found it.” Alex held up the memory stick.

  “I guess we have to tell the office.” I stared at the bloody spots.

  Alex exhaled, and his eyes narrowed for a second. “Yeah, you’re right. That’s what we should do.”

  We reported the attack to Principal Connor. The school was instantly put on lockdown. The police came and searched the campus, but my attacker had already disappeared. My parents were notified, and we gave our statements to the police.

  I still didn’t tell anyone about the attack after the football game. I couldn’t justify not mentioning it earlier. If I had, maybe the fire could’ve been avoided. Maybe this lockdown could’ve been avoided. The guilt just kept piling up on me.

  The car ride home was miserable. Dad was too angry to speak. Mom went through a pack of purse tissues, and I faced the fact that I was the target from the very beginning. I couldn’t deny it anymore. None of this was a coincidence.

  “Katie, I am so glad you are safe.” Mom handed me the ice pack for my shin. She sat down on the sofa beside me and pulled me close.

  “It all happened so fast.” I rested my head against her shoulder. How could I tell them I was being targeted by someone? How could I even explain that to myself?

  “Kate, you did the right thing — fighting him off. That was very brave. You never go with those… crazies.” Dad paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. Anger radiated off of him. “Whatever pain they inflict on you in public,” he stopped and pointed at me, “is a lot less than what they’ll do to you in private.” Dad put his hands on his hips, huffed, and then continued pacing.

  “I know.” I fought back the tears. I’d heard this speech before. I just never thought it would actually happen.

  The following day at school was a nightmare. It was the fire scenario magnified. In every class people questioned me about the attack. I did my best to avoid their questions, to give out as little information as possible. Hopefully, as my bruises faded, so would their curiosity about the event.

  The police tested the man’s DNA sample to cross-check it with unsolved crimes. Unfortunately, when the test came back, they realized the sample was corrupted. Once again, the police were at a dead end.

  The days ticked by, and I waited for the next attack.

  Indomitable

  “Is Alex tutoring you this afternoon?” Nick asked as he pulled into my driveway.

  “Nope,” I beamed and opened the car door. “After lunch I told him that we were going to run. He’s coming over after dinner to help me study.” I looked across the car hood at Nick. A mischievous smile slowly spread across his handsome face.

  “Really. That was brilliant of you, Kate. It’s very fortuitous that I have my running clothes in the back.” Nick came around to my side of the car.

  I laughed. “Fortuitous. Wow, sometimes you crack me up.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. I always felt safe when I was with Nick.

  “I’m glad that I entertain you.” One hand wrapped around my back while his other hand cradled my face. “Your bruises are gone.” He pulled my lips to his.

  I broke off the kiss. “It’s been a while.”

  “Shall we get ready for our run?”

  “Yeah, I bet I can beat you around the lake,” I goaded him. I knew he’d win.

  “Are you challenging me?” He looked at me suspiciously. “What are you up to?”

  “Hmm, I just want to know if you’re all that.” I playfully grinned.

  Nick laughed. “What are we playing for? What will I get when I’m victorious?” He grabbed his duffle bag from the back of the car.

  “You’re pretty confident. What do you want?” I bit my lower lip, excited by the proposition of a competition, even one I knew I’d lose.

  “Ah, I get to choose?” His fingers slowly traced down his chin. “Since you’re giving me a free choice, I need to make this count.” He stepped closer to me. “How about your undying love?”

  “Ha! You already have that.”

  “Okay. I’ll make it easier. Will you go with me to the Museum of Art’s Valentine’s Day Ball?”

  “Ooh, that’s swanky. Hmm, now I don’t know if I’ll even try to win.”

  “Winning is irrelevant to me. I just want to dance with you on Valentine’s Day.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan. I propose that the winner drives to the ball.”

  “Okay,” he smirked, “so we’re racing to see who’s in the driver’s seat in this relationship?”

  I gave him a look that let him know he was playing with trouble. “We already know who’s in the driver’s seat in this relationship.” I turned and walked towards the house.

  “You’re right about that,” he replied. I looked back and saw a devilish grin flirting back.

  We changed into our running clothes and then stepped into the daylight together. It was cold, but the sun was bright. White puffy clouds dotted the Carolina blue sky. A light breeze changed their shapes ever so slightly, transitioning the clouds from one beautiful form to another.

  “Are you ready?” Nick asked as he stretched his legs.

  “Yeah, let me finish stretching.” I knew there was no way I was going to win, but I wanted to make this as fun as possible.

  “Hey, look over there!” I pointed behind him. “What’s that?” While his face was turned I raced along the path. The grass muffled my steps.

  “Kate, that’s cheating!” Nick yelled from behind me.

  Once he was chasing me, I left the grass and ran on the sidewalk. My footsteps echoed as I ran towards the lake. Nick laughed. I could tell he was having fun. I began the circuit around the lake. My legs and arms alternated in movement as I struggled to stay ahead.

  “I can almost touch you now,” he called out from behind.

  I glanced over my shoulder. A smile lit his brilliant face. He ran with ease while I huffed and puffed to maintain a minimal lead. I wanted to give up and throw myself into his arms, but I wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction.

  “We both want the same thing. You can stop, and we can kiss. That would be more fun than running,” he said.

  “No!”

  “I love that perseverance. You are indomitable.”

  Indomitable? Who talks like that?

  “You know, I love you,” he said, coming up beside me. “We should run like this more often.”

  “Grrr!” I growled and tried to bre
ak ahead. I stared straight ahead and ignored him. Now he was just mocking me.

  He sprinted ahead of me, turned around and ran backwards so we could talk face to face while running. “If you really want to drive that badly, I’ll let you.” He smiled as he kept ahead of me.

  “This isn’t about driving,” I panted, envying his ability to run without effort. Then, out of the blue, he ran at me, grabbed me around the waist, and swung me over his shoulder.

  “Ah!” I screamed. His shoulder dug into my stomach. I clutched at his shirt. “What are you doing?” I shrieked and craned my head in an attempt to see him. “Put me down!”

  He stopped running and chuckled lightly. “If I put you down, you have to promise not to be mad.”

  “If you put me down?” I screeched. “Don’t you mean when you put me down?”

  He placed me on the ground and looked at me with his joyful blue eyes. “Come on. Let’s just enjoy the run. We can even stop to kiss at our half-way point.”

  I glared at him, placed my hands on my hips, and thrust one foot out in front of the other. “Is that what this is about? Kissing?”

  “Well, yeah.” He chuckled and placed his hands on my hips. “I just thought it would be nice to spend a little time together. We’ve been surrounded by either Alex, Zoe, or your family so much we haven’t had much time together. Now we’re racing, and our time is going too quickly.”

  I couldn’t help but smile in return. What he said was true. We were constantly surrounded by other people. We both wanted to go to the ball, and the race was supposed to be fun. Kissing is fun, too. So why not stop the race and move on to kissing?

  “A penny for your thoughts?” He smiled and melted my heart.

  I begrudgingly replied, “I guess kissing you isn’t such a bad idea.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  I rolled my eyes. “If you weren’t so good at it, you’d be a lot easier to resist.”

  “I’ve been told I’m an over-achiever,” he said and leaned in to kiss me.

  Advantage

  “Come in.” I opened the front door to welcome Alex in for our tutoring session. “Thanks for moving our session to this evening.”

  “Sure, no problem,” he smiled. “I hope you had fun running.”

  “Yeah, it was fun.” I blushed, thinking about the run that turned into a kissing session.

  “Tomorrow’s your AP biology test. I thought we should study your terms and review the concepts.”

  “Perfect.” I led the way into the family room. “We can sit in here. It’s more comfortable.” I picked up the decorative pillow and sat on the recliner. Alex sat in the middle of the leather sofa across from me. We began reviewing terms and concepts from the beginning of the chapter. Thankfully, I knew the answers to everything he threw at me.

  “Kate, you’re doing great. You should breeze through tomorrow’s test,” Alex said. “Here’s an easy one. What’s the definition of mutation?”

  “Are you even taking this seriously?” I joked as I played with the fringe on the decorative pillow. “A change in genetic material that alters an organism.”

  “Right.” He paused, his eyebrows drawn together and his lips shut tight in a straight line across his face. He stared at me. I frequently noticed this mystifying stare during our tutoring sessions. “Have you considered all the different types of mutations there are?” he said, his face relaxing. “Countless mutations that are so common we overlook them — hair, skin and eye color, handedness, baldness, fertility, cancer, heart disease, the list goes on and on. These mutations are so widespread that we’ve accepted them as part of being human.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true, but not all mutations are bad, like hair or eye color. Some mutations are actually good. They help people fight disease. I mean, we’re always learning new things.” I shrugged, not quite sure where this conversation was going.

  “Exactly!” Alex leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “New discoveries are made every day. Janssen, Galileo, Leeuwenhoek, and Hooke made advancements in lenses for the microscope. Scientists add to each other’s work. They hypothesize and test, then refine their hypothesis as they gather more information. For most of the human existence there was no concept of germs, cells, or atoms. People didn’t have this information because they couldn’t see it. Have you ever imagined that there was a world surrounding us that you couldn’t see because you don’t have the ability to see it?” His variegated eyes stared into mine, awaiting my response, anticipating an epiphany.

  “Yes?” I choked out. Images of the monster that attacked me and the shadow with mass that held me to the sled popped into my mind. “I guess there’s still a lot we don’t know. Einstein came up with all kinds of bizarre theories.” Alex continued to stare at me; I continued to search for the correct answer. “I guess… some people think it’s possible to have alternate universes.”

  He sat back against the sofa and smiled. “You’re right,” he slowly nodded, “there is a lot we still don’t know. Each day we gain knowledge and a little more is revealed to us. Perhaps it’s all in the timing.”

  This time I stared into his eyes. “Alex, don’t you think it’s weird that when the police ran my attacker’s DNA they didn’t get any useful information from it?”

  “Didn’t they say the DNA was corrupted?”

  “Yes. But what if it wasn’t corrupted?” I leaned forward in in the recliner and hugged the decorative pillow close to my body. “What if it was… different? What if they couldn’t recognize it?”

  “Different how? Like a mutant?”

  I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. “Forget it.” I smiled and tilted my head to one side. “Are you ready to give me another question?”

  His green eyes captivated at me. “Sure.” He picked up the book and searched for another question.

  I watched him as he skimmed the book. Alex was exquisitely handsome, just like Nick. However, there was a softness to him that didn’t match his masculine physique. He intrigued me. What thoughts passed through his glorious head?

  The next morning, Nick and I walked through the crowded school halls to my AP biology class. “Don’t worry about the test.” He turned towards me. “You’re ready.”

  “I know. You should have seen me last night. I was a biology ninja master.” I moved my hands in karate formations and landed a blow to his rock hard abs.

  “I can imagine you were a sight to behold. I’ll be thinking about you, sending you all my knowledge.” Nick rubbed my arms.

  “Don’t,” I warned. “If you send me your thoughts I might get distracted. Who knows what I’ll start thinking about. I need to stay focused.”

  “Fine, I’ll stay out of your head.

  “I better go. I don’t want to be late.” I walked into class and headed towards Zoe.

  “Are you ready?” Zoe asked as I sat beside her.

  “Yeah, I think so.” I tucked my hair behind my ear to keep it from falling into my eyes. “If Alex did his job well, this test should be easy.

  She laughed. “I guess we’ll see how good Alex is at his job.”

  The bell rang, and Mr. Dobbs passed out the tests. I glanced over it and recognized everything. Apparently, Alex is good at his job.

  After school, Nick drove me home. “What time do you want me to come over tonight?” he asked.

  “Ugh!” I bopped my forehead with my palm. “I forgot to tell you. Mom wants to have a mother/daughter thing tonight.”

  “Really? That’s sweet.”

  “Dad’s on a business trip. Reese is going to Rylee’s, so Mom asked me for some girl time. We’re even gonna watch a chick flick. You’re not disappointed are you?” I wrinkled up my face and smiled.

  “No, it sounds perfect.”

  I leaned over and kissed him. “I knew you’d understand.”

  “I am the perfect boyfriend.”

  “Sometimes I think you’re a little too perfect.”

  “Is that even possible?”
r />   “Hmm.” I raised an eyebrow at him and then got out of the car. I headed into the house for my evening with Mom as he pulled away.

  The mall was crowded. Mom and I looked for potential dresses for the Valentine’s Day Ball. Tomorrow, Zoe and I will return and decide which dresses to buy. Tonight was all about perusing.

  Dinner was great. We ate at an Italian restaurant with large leather booths and traditional red and white checkered tablecloths. Antique photographs displayed on the walls reminded patrons of the transitions throughout time. Mom and I laughed and talked about everything. She didn’t get too nosy concerning my relationship with Nick, but she danced along the perimeter.

  After we got home, I was just getting the movie cued up on the family room television when the phone rang.

  “Hello.” Mom answered the phone. “Hi, Michelle… Oh no,” she replied, clicking her tongue.

  I only heard one part of the conversation, but it was obvious something was wrong. I shifted around on the sofa so I could see Mom as she talked on the phone in the kitchen.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there. Where are you?” Mom’s pencil scratched across the paper as she wrote something down. “I’ll take you home. Everything’s going to be fine.” Mom pressed the end button and placed the phone on the island.

  “Mrs. Delbarian was in a car accident.” Mom grabbed her purse and dug around inside.

  “Is she okay? Was Lauren with her?”

  “Thankfully she’s fine. It sounds like it was a fender bender. Lauren is with Matt at the basketball game. Mr. Delbarian is out of town.” Mom pulled out her car keys. “I’m going to drive over there and take her home.”

  “Okay.” I stood up from the sofa and walked over to Mom.

  She slung her heavy designer purse over her shoulders. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. Arm the system, and enjoy the movie without me.”

  “No, I’ll wait for you.” We hugged, and I closed the garage door behind her. I armed the system, turned on the radio, and decided to do my homework. Armed with my math book, paper, and pencil I sat down at the kitchen table and began conquering precalculus problems. After a few moments, the doorbell rang.