“They are not my flames to give!” I boomed. The fire erupted all around me, and to my satisfaction, he looked afraid for the first time.
“Just think about it then,” he said, licking his lips. “I can give you a few days to make up your mind.” He backed away, then turned on his heel and disappeared into black nothingness.
There was a flash, and the room disappeared. When I was able to focus on my surroundings once more, I found I was standing alone on the curb outside Adam’s house. I was confused and disoriented. Then the heavens burst open, and rain pelted down. Steam rose from my body as the rain cooled my hot flesh. I groaned as I pulled my hoodie up and over my head.
There was really nowhere else to go. I didn’t have my phone, so I couldn’t call my mother, and it was too far to walk home. My only option was to trudge up to Adam’s door and create an excuse for why I was standing out there in the rain without my car and with no phone.
Chapter 10
Gunk
Adam answered the door in his pajama bottoms, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked at me in disbelief. I gave him a weak smile.
“Dawn, it’s three in the morning. What are you doing here?” he asked me sleepily.
“It’s a long story,” I replied through chattering teeth. The rain had cooled the heat and was now starting to freeze my bones.
“Well, get in here before you catch your death.” He held the door open for me and then closed it behind me.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said, staring at him.
I had never seen him without his shirt on. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on the boy, and his chest was smooth and free of any blemish.
“No, it’s fine. Does your mom know where you are?” he asked, running his hand through his brown hair.
“No. May I use your phone?”
“Yeah, come with me. You can use my cell. It’s in my room.”
He led me upstairs and into his bedroom. I took a seat on his bed, and he handed me his phone. As I started dialing my mother’s cell number, he collapsed next to me and laid his head on my damp lap.
“You smell like rain,” he observed, getting comfortable.
The phone rang only once before I heard my mother’s frantic voice at the other end.
“Adam!” she exclaimed. “Have you seen my daughter?”
I groaned. “Mom, it’s me. Dawn.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She sounded relieved. “How did you wind up there?”
I looked down at Adam. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly. I had never suspected how adorable he was when he slept. Then again, all the times I had been present he had been vibrantly awake.
“Mr. No Name dropped me off outside in the rain about ten minutes ago,” I told her sourly while fighting the urge to stroke Adam’s hair.
“Who’s Mr. No Name? Where did he take you?”
“To Count Dracula’s castle,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Honey, I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Tell your mom I’ll bring you home in the morning,” Adam murmured. He wasn’t asleep yet. “There’s no need for her to drive all the way out here in this weather.” He yawned.
“Did you hear that, Mom?” I asked, looking down at Adam.
His eyes were still closed, but I was wondering how much of the conversation he had just heard. Not that we had divulged too much information or anything, but it would have been a rather strange bit of dialogue to overhear.
“Yeah...” she said slowly. I had a feeling she was thinking the same thing. “Alright, you get some rest, and I will see you in the morning.”
“I will, Mom. Love you.”
I hung up. Adam sat up and looked at me with sleepy eyes.
“Shorts are in the top drawer, t-shirts in the second drawer. Get out of those wet clothes.” He smiled. “I’ll take the left side of the bed, and you can take the right. My dad is out of town for the week, so he won’t freak out.”
I got up and crossed the room, found a pair of shorts and a shirt, and walked to the bathroom, where I peeled off my wet clothes and threw on the nice dry ones. They smelled of Adam. That alone was quite comforting. I padded back to his room, leaving my wet clothes in the tub to dry out overnight. He was already on his side of the bed under his fluffy comforter. I walked around to the right side and sat down before throwing my legs up and relishing the warmth.
“I’m not going to pry into what happened tonight,” he muttered as he rolled over and looked at me, his brown eyes glinting. “I have a feeling it is something that I don’t need to know. I’m just glad to know that you are okay.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, giving him a warm smile.
“You’re really pretty when you take all that black shit off your eyes,” he said as he stifled a yawn.
I laughed softly and rolled onto my side to face the wall. I felt him move and his arm came around my waist, pulling me close.
“You’re quite the charmer when you are half-asleep,” I said, touching his arm.
“Get some sleep, Weathers. We have to be up early to get you to your house so you can get ready for school.”
“I could just wear some of your clothes,” I said, enjoying the feeling of him close to me.
“I will make sure to lay out my Jesus Loves Me t-shirt for you in the morning.” He yawned again, right in my ear.
“Good night, Adam.”
“Good night, Dawn.”
I slept better than I had in a long time. It was almost as nice as those first nights with Wesley. I felt warm and cared for like nothing could hurt me. Not a single nightmare penetrated my thoughts that night. I just reveled in the fact that I was in the arms of someone I cared about.
****
“Dawn!” Adam’s voice penetrated my mind, drawing me out of my sleep.
“I’m up! I’m up!” I said, rolling over and looking up at him. He was holding a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.
“I called your mother and told her that I would bring you home after school. I couldn’t get you up, so I had no other option.” He waved the clothes in my face. “They may be a little big, but they will get you through the day.”
“Thanks,” I said, sitting up and taking the outfit from him.
“Now, hurry up. I have breakfast on the table. We have twenty minutes till we have to be out the door.” He left the room, shutting the door behind him.
I got up and dressed as fast as I could. The pants were quite a bit longer than I anticipated so I had to roll them up several times in order not to step on the fabric. It looked a little goofy, but I was in no position to complain. I threw on the t-shirt and sighed with relief — at least something of his fit me. I brushed my hair with my fingers and went downstairs. The smell of pancakes was making my stomach rumble.
“I put your damp clothes in the wash before they started to smell. Your shoes and a pair of dry socks are by the door,” Adam told me as I entered the kitchen.
“Did you do all of this?” I asked, looking down at the table.
“I got up early,” he said, stuffing pancake into his mouth.
“You didn’t have to,” I mumbled, taking a seat next to him.
“I know. I wanted to.” He glanced at me as I started eating. “It was nice having you here last night. Even if you did wind up on my doorstep at three in the morning, soaked to the bone.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” I said, honestly, as our eyes met.
“Looked alone in choir,” he said plain and simple. “Now eat up. I put a new toothbrush in the bathroom for you.”
After we had finished eating, I rushed through brushing my teeth and completing the usual morning routine. When I looked in the mirror, however, I saw I had missed something vital. And now it was too late to do anything about it. After several months of remaining mahogany brown, my eyes had turned a brilliant blue.
“No, no!” I gasped, rubbing them furiously. No matter what I did, the color would not change.
&nbs
p; “Time to go,” Adam called, banging on the door.
“Slight problem,” I said, throwing the door open and staring at him.
“What? Your eyes, you mean? They’ve been that color since you walked through the door last night. Trust you to leave your house without your contacts.”
“Oh, yes. Trust me,” I said quietly.
“Never mind. I doubt anyone will notice anyway,” he said, handing me a jacket.
****
Walking through the doors of the school I felt odd and out of place. I wasn’t sure where the feeling came from. Maybe it was the fact that I felt exposed, vulnerable. I knew I didn’t look like myself without my usual black outfit on. I looked just like a normal girl. I was standing at my locker when a pair of familiar arms locked around my waist.
“Hey.”
A set of lips found their way to my cheek, and I turned around to face Aaron.
“Hey, yourself,” I said, praying he didn’t notice my eyes.
“What’s going on with the wardrobe?” he asked, looking down at what I was wearing.
“I slept at Adam’s last night,” I explained.
He looked startled.
“Don’t worry. It was nothing like that, Aaron!”
He shook his head, and the look of suspicion on his face vanished. “What happened? Did you and your mom have a fight?”
“No, nothing like that. I can’t really explain it, but I wound up in front of his house during that downpour last night. I’m not sure, really, how I got there.” Well, at least I was answering him truthfully. I really didn’t have a clue how I had wound up there. One second I had been in Helen’s car, and the next in the castle. I couldn’t explain even to myself how I had then wound up at Adam’s at three in the morning.
“Odd,” he said, holding me tighter. “I had a dream I was being stalked by vampires.” He laughed like it was ridiculous.
My heart skipped a beat. Was she after Aaron now?
“That sounds terrifying,” I said, trying not to sound like I was concerned.
“It’s just a good thing vampires don’t exist.” He kissed my forehead playfully, then let me go. “See you at lunch?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” I felt relief that he hadn’t noticed anything different about my eyes. Maybe he wasn’t as into me as he put on.
When I got to my first period, I paused by Noreen’s old desk and touched it lightly.
“I hope you are at peace,” I whispered before carrying on to my own desk.
Nobody had taken Wesley’s spot behind me yet, at least not until then. Now I saw his place was occupied by Shawn, the asshole from the previous afternoon.
“We meet again, Dawn,” he sneered.
“So, I see,” I said flatly.
“I take it you’ll pay more attention today. I don’t want to get any more bruises.” His tone was jokey, but I wasn’t sure if he was being nice or just toying with me.
“I’ll do my best,” I mumbled as I took my seat.
“They told me the boy that sat here ran off with some girl,” he wittered on. “Tragic story, teen love.”
“Yeah, tragic.” I felt suddenly flustered.
“Did you know him?”
He was playing with me. He had to be.
“Yeah.” I had to fight the urge to turn on him.
He leaned closer so I could feel his breath on my neck. “Was he your boyfriend?”
I lost it then. I turned on him with fire in my eyes and glared. He seemed pleased with the reaction he got from me. A smile played on his lips, and he leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.
“It’s no secret that he left me for another girl,” I snapped. “Any person in this school will tell you what happened if you’re so interested.” I wanted to burn him, but the fire wouldn’t come. Then the possibility occurred to me that he may be a Neutralizer and fear spread through me. The familiar prickle found its way into my fingertips.
“You’re an odd one,” Shawn said, laughing. “So easy to rile up. Bet you wish you could turn me to ashes right now.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “We’re being watched, by the way.” He pointed toward the front of the class, where our teacher was staring at us.
“Are you two done?” she asked.
A chorus of snickers went around the class.
“Yes, we’re done,” Shawn told her.
“Good. Please keep all non-class related conversations to the hallway.” She shot a glare around the room, and we all fell silent.
****
Adam met me at my locker before choir like he had done every day for the last two months. There was an odd look on his face. I put my books on the shelves and turned to face him.
“You okay?” I asked as his eyes found mine.
“Yeah, just a little shook up, I suppose,” he said, shaking his head.
“Why, what happened?”
“You haven’t heard?”
“No, people have stopped talking to me the last few weeks. You know, after the whole shooting incident.” I sighed. I didn’t think I would miss the attention.
“They found another body.”
“What? How do you know this?” I demanded, grabbing his arm.
“My father called me during lunch. Said that there was another body found in the woods. They don’t know who it is as the face was mauled pretty badly.” He was scanning the hall, studying faces. I realized he was looking for who it could be.
“Do they think it’s a student?” I questioned as I looped my arm through his and started leading him towards class.
“I don’t know. My dad asked if I can stay with a friend until he gets back this weekend.” He seemed really shaken up.
“I can ask my mom. Maybe she’ll be willing to have you stay with us for a few days.”
He perked up a bit.
“Thanks. Do you need my phone?”
Of course, the only thing that might cause an issue was me having to explain to him why Helen was staying with us as well. I guess if I gave them enough notice my mother would think of a good story to tell him.
“Yeah, since mine is safe and secure at home.” I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a blatant hack. “Did your dad say if there was any blood in the body?” I wasn’t sure if I should have asked that question as it seemed to shake him up even more.
“All that he said was that it was similar to Noreen’s body. They just can’t identify who the person is.” He looked down at me as we entered the classroom. “Don’t say anything to anyone. There has to be a reason the news hasn’t been released yet.”
****
“Hey, Mom, it’s me,” I said as soon as she picked up her phone.
We were sitting in Adam’s SUV in the school parking lot. He was still shaken up over the news his father had told him, and he seemed genuinely concerned.
“You on your way home?” my mother asked, babbling. “I can’t take these two! They keep asking me questions that I can’t answer. How am I supposed to know how to raise the dead? I wasn’t in charge of the resurrection!”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I answered quickly as Adam raised an eyebrow at me. “I’ll be home soon. I just have to run by Adam’s. I have a question for you.” I put my hand over the receiver and looked at him. “Can I tell her?”
He nodded yes and looked out the windshield.
“What’s going on?” my mother asked.
“There was another body found.”
I heard a gasp on the other end of the phone.
“Oh, goodness. Who is it?”
“No idea. Adam’s dad is out of town for the week. He wants Adam to stay with friends. Can he stay with us until his father gets home?”
“Of course!” my mother exclaimed. “But what do you want to tell him about Nick and Helen?”
I sighed into the phone. “Mom, maybe it’s time we fill him in on what’s going on.”
“You want to tell him?” She sounded alarmed.
<
br /> “How else is it going to make any sense to him?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“I’ll think about it. You say nothing unless it’s absolutely necessary,” she said sternly.
I caved. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, now get everything you two are going to need and get home before I lose my mind.”
She hung up. I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at Adam. I knew he was waiting for my answer.
“She said to get your stuff. You’re staying with us.”
“Thank you.” He started the car and pulled out from the parking lot.
“It’s no problem. Do you want to call your dad and let him know?” I asked, putting his phone in the cup holder.
“I already told him,” he said softly.
“You already told him?” I laughed.
“Yeah, it was the first place he thought of that he would consider safe. Said your mother was the best person to be with, that she wouldn’t let anything happen to me.” He didn’t say anything else after that, just looked out the windshield until we got to his place.
“Let’s do this quickly,” he said, getting out of the car.
He headed for the front door but then stopped dead. I saw that the color had drained from his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, following his gaze. Then I saw it. His front door had been pried open, and the window was shattered. “Oh, God!” I gasped.
“Stay here,” he ordered, as he continued for the door.
“Adam, don’t!” I grabbed his arm. “Let’s go. We can call the police from my house.” I tried to pull him away, but he insisted on yanking me through the door with him.
The house was a wreck. Everything had been gone through or mindlessly destroyed. Adam took a look around and then started up the stairs. I followed close behind, wishing that I could use my gifts to aid him. He opened his bedroom door and gasped. Everything was ripped apart. Nothing in his room was salvageable.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said.
We went back downstairs and back to his car. “I’ll call the police and my dad when we get to your place.”
“Do you want me to drive?” I asked, putting my hands to his face.
“No, I’m fine. Just want to get out of here.”
Smoke & Ash (Wardens Series Book 2) Page 10