I take his question a little offensively. Dad’s the love guru. When he and Mom met, they knew each other only a day or two before they made things serious, then three months later he’d proposed to her and she accepted. After some time together, they moved into a house, and five years later had me. Eighteen years following, they’re still happily married. “What does time matter?” I ask, gaining a head-on eye from Dad. I flick my gaze back on the fruit. “Time has no relevance in love.”
“And that’s how you feel, Ladybug?”
“Sometimes, Dad, the rules of love are meant to be broken.”
He slides the bowl of fruit away from me, forcing my attention to be only on him. “Do I get to meet him? You’ve never brought a boy to the house.”
“This is the same thing I said, dear.” Mom winks at me.
My gaze shifts between them as I consider a proper meet and greet. “Yes. Maybe tomorrow. He’s busy today since I told him I’d be with you two.”
“And how does that make you feel? You don’t sound too thrilled about it.”
“Why are you asking?” The harshness of my tone takes us all by surprise.
Dad’s eyes lighten. “You’re sensitive about this topic, Ladybug?”
“I miss him, is all,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. I do miss him badly, especially sitting here talking about him. I just want to see him. Maybe for just ten minutes. Then, I can happily go off with Dad.
“See if he’s not busy, maybe tonight or tomorrow, and we’ll go out to dinner for a proper introduction. But for now, go get ready. We’re going to have a day out on the town and take your young mind off your boyfriend.” He looks over his shoulder at Mom. “You too.” She kisses him and heads upstairs.
I scoot off the barstool.
“Wait, Ladybug.”
“What’s up, Dad?”
He pats the stool, inviting me to sit back down. “What you said. . . Those are your true feelings for Nathan?”
I wring my hands, nervously spilling out my feelings to Dad. A conversation we’ve never had, and he’s cool about it. “It’s crazy, Daddy. But it’s real,” I confess.
“And he feels the same for you?”
“Yes.”
His head lowers, and he looks me in my eyes. “You sound sure about that.”
“I am, Dad. Why? What do you think?”
“I can’t tell yet. I’ll know once I meet him. Then we’ll talk more about what I think.”
His opinion wouldn’t change anything, but I’m interested. I want Dad to be accepting of my boyfriend, and Nathan’s also going to be a part of my small family.
vined
Mom, Dad, and I go to breakfast, a family movie, and to lunch on a boat that’s in town for the spring. Dad does a great job keeping my mind off Nathan, except when he talks about going to the fair which I quickly decline. I’m sure my face is plastered around that place after knocking Pepper out and then fleeing the scene. The boat trip is such a relief. We sail out and back, all while eating, laughing, and catching up on what has been going on since Dad left. Dad tells us about his trips, and the job seems to be going well. He demands I give him a rough draft of my speech and swears I’ll be on lockdown if I don’t. He was the valedictorian of his class when he graduated way back when, and my practicing brings up more memories than Mom and I want to relive with him. They don’t bring up moving or talk about things that make me uncomfortable, and I’m grateful for it. I’ve missed Dad to the umpteenth power and this time with him makes my small family feel whole.
We leave the boat and head to the mall. Mom likes to think when she goes to the mall, she’s exercising, when really, Dad and I know she’s scoping for things she wants. Her tactics are successful, as usual. Dad buys Mom and me new clothes, shoes, and other things we beg him for. He lavishes Mom in a tennis bracelet, earrings, and necklace, and she reminds me of a teenage girl getting gifts on her birthday. I laugh at her throwing her arms around his neck and popping her foot back like an actress in an old-time movie. These two can be adorable sometimes. I wonder if their love makes them feel young, even knowing they’re old.
I giggle at the thought.
Hours pass while we walk through the mall, stopping in every other store. We leave to a nice restaurant with sneaker restrictions, which has us stopping by home before meeting our reservation. We toast to Dad’s promotion and though humble, Dad’s proud of his accomplishment, even if he won’t admit it.
I enjoy every second with my parents, especially hanging with Dad after him being gone for so long. But words cannot express how anxious I am to get home and fill my need to see Nathan. It’s so bad I’m fidgeting; flicking my thumbs or twisting my shirt around my fingers.
The car’s headlights shine on Glen waiting on the porch as we pull in the driveway.
“Isn’t that your friend, Ladybug?” Dad asks.
“Yes. I wonder what she’s doing here. Let me out before you pull into the garage.” I jump out when the locks click. Her worried eyes make my stomach twist in knots. “What’s going on?” I ask before I make it to her.
“Oh my God, Tracey! Where have you been?” She grabs me into a hug as if I’ve been missing for days.
“Out with my parents.” I grab her arms, holding her back. “What’s wrong? You okay?”
“Scott has been missing all day. He isn’t answering his phone, and he didn’t come by today. I saw him last night, but that was it.” Glen rants, talking a million miles a minute.
“Okay, Glen, slow down.”
“Can you call Nathan and see if Scott’s okay? I haven’t seen him all day, and I’m worrying. It’s killing me, Tracey! Why are you just standing there? Call Nathan now!”
I blink. Oh my gosh, Glen. Can you say blowing a gasket? I scroll through my phone, searching for Nathan’s number. Sliding through the N’s, I realize I don’t have it. “Mmm.”
“Hello, Glen,” Dad says, stepping up on the porch.
Glen throws her hands on her curvy hips. “Oh my gosh, Mr. Warren! I haven’t seen you in forever. How have you been?”
“Thank you for asking. I’ve been well. What brings you by?”
“I need Tracey to call Nathan to find Scott.” Well, doesn’t she come right out and tell it?
Dad crosses his arms. “How does Nathan know Scott?”
“Or,” Glen emphasizes. “How do you know Nathan?” she asks, scrutinizing him with her narrowing eyes.
Dad hitches a brow. “I don’t know him, yet. However, I know of him. Why does Tracey need him to find Scott for you?”
These two will go on forever. I take their falter to reach out to Nathan. I think his name, remembering he mentioned I could reach him from anywhere. He doesn’t answer. Maybe it’s not working. Nathan! I shout in my mind.
Yes, Tracey?
His voice relieves a tension sticking in my neck. Hi.
Hey.
Um, sorry to bother you. Glen is at my house looking for Scott and needs me to call you, but I don’t have your number. She wants to know if you know where Scott is. Gah, it’s so weird to uphold a conversation in my head.
Yeah, Scott’s with me. And you’re never a bother. Scott will call Glen when he’s on his way back to her house later tonight. How was your day?
It was nice. I enjoyed the time with my parents.
I could tell. You felt happy, and it made me feel good. I’ll be there later. Glad you enjoyed yourself. I’ll give you my number when I get there. But for now, just pick up your phone and pretend we’re talking. We’re in the middle of something. See you in a few hours. Wait up for me.
Always.
Fingers snap in front of my face.
I shake away my kooky smile, turning my attention to Glen.
“Tracey, can you call him?” Glen asks, frustration flaring her nostrils. Scott needs to get this together. Or heck, just answer her calls!
I put my phone to my ear, pretending to call Nathan. This is so lame. I talk to myself as if Nathan were on the other end. Preten
ding the call has ended, I relay, “They’re together, but they’re busy. Scott said he’ll call you when he’s on his way to your house later.”
She exhales a disturbed breath. “Okay, thank you. What were you about to do?”
“Sit back with my dad and catch up. He’s been gone a while.” Dad’s looking at Glen as if she’s off her rocker. I hold back my giggle, saying, “I’ll see you later. Maybe we can all do something Saturday.”
“That’s a good idea. Call me if their plans change. Or, the next time you talk to Nathan, have him tell Scott to call me,” she orders as she walks to her sister’s car.
“Okay, Glen. Bye.”
Dad pushes the front door open. “Your mother still doesn’t lock this door?”
“No, never have and never will,” Mom states, peeking out from the kitchen.
Laughing, he asks, “What happens if someone tried to come in here on us?”
“They won’t, but if they do, they’ll have to answer to the man upstairs. Is everything okay with Glen?”
“Yeah.” I follow Dad to the family room.
“She was just checking in on Nathan’s cousin Scott, honey. They are dating. She’s fine.” Dad says, sitting on the couch in front of the TV.
“Well, that’s nice for you and Glen,” Mom says from the kitchen.
“I don’t know if I would say it’s nice. I mean, yes, Glen is my bestie. But sometimes the two of them together can get overbearing when Nathan and I are just trying to spend time together.”
Dad gives me a soft smile. “I see what you mean by that. When Glen was talking to you, you somewhat zoned out back there. What happened?” What he’s really asking is, do we need to take you to the doctor, just like Mom.
I run a set of excuses through my mind, knowing ‘I have an inner monologue with Nathan,’ won’t do. “Um, I’m fine. Sometimes I do it to joke with Glen. She’s always bothering me with Scott stories or Scott problems. So I give her an ‘I’m not here’ expression like this.” I cross my eyes and make a crooked smile. “And she leaves me alone.”
He titters. “Guess that didn’t work today.”
I join his laugh. “Guess not.”
“The next time you talk to Nathan, let him know I would like to meet him tomorrow. I head back out on Monday, and I promised your mother I would take her out this weekend.”
“Okay, Dad. No problem. He’d be honored to meet you.”
Dad flicks on the TV and nudges my shoulder with his.
I grin, doing it back. “Missed you.”
“Back at you, Ladybug.”
Watching him scroll through the guide, I realize I can’t stop twiddling my thumbs or rubbing my arms. So, I lay my head back on the pillow of the couch and doze to ward off my anxiousness.
Minutes later, I awake, light as a feather. The room is dark, and the house is silent. Dad’s left me in the family room and that’s unlike him. He’d usually carry me to my room or at least wake me up. Maybe he fell asleep upstairs with Mom.
I rub my hands together to suppress the sweltering discomfort in the palm of my right hand. Flicking the light switch, I gasp at the sight of it reddening, smoldering as it blackens from my fingertips and travels through my palm. Thin, black, leaf sprouting vines travel from my now tainted palm, up my arm. They grow, curving up the muscle of my forearm to my shoulder. Stopping at my shoulder, the vines sprout thorns that dig into my skin. I stroke my normal hand over it, trying to scrape them off and lessen the sting. The fiery displeasure advances up my neck, scorching my ear. I stare at myself in the mirror mounted on the wall. Nothing shows on my neck, but my ear reddens with shapes of vines surfing around it until they, too, blacken.
The sting encircles my skull, penetrating my forehead. Touching it, my right hand’s hot as fire. I jerk it away, leaving my forehead red with a burned handprint branded on my skin. I rub over it with my left hand, studying the new, unwanted addition to my face.
A gleam in my eyes draws my attention to them. I stare in the mirror, watching my irises turn black, and the darkness spread out to the white of my eyes.
What the hell?
I widen my eyes as they blacken entirely. “What the hell is going on?”
Drawing closer to the mirror, emptiness sinks into my chest, frightened by the girl replacing my reflection.
“Tracey,” echoes low and hollow, “I will come for you, even if I have to start from the inside and work my way out.” The voice grows louder and more articulate, saying, “I will destroy you and my son! Tracey, do you hear me?” Nathan’s dad appears in the mirror before me, replacing my reflection. “Do you hear me, Tracey? Tracey, do you hear me?” he shouts, lurching forward.
I jump away from the mirror, falling back on the couch.
“Tracey!”
I jolt up, panting, unable to catch my breath. Blinded by the ceiling light, I squeeze my eyes shut, trembling.
“Tracey, look at me.” The voice sounds like Dad’s, but I’m not sure. I scoot away from him. “Tracey, can you hear me?” His panic increases my own. “Tracey!” he yells, shaking my shoulders.
Fear steals my words, and I gulp, cringing to stop my trembling limbs. The violent threat, the smoldering blaze, the intensity of it all… It’s too real, too aggressive! I scramble away from the clutching hands.
“Excuse me, sir, can I see her? Maybe I can help.”
Nathan?
“If you think you can help, come over.”
Warm hands push over my neck, filling me with a relieving calm and taking away my terror. I exhale and seize a breath. “Tracey,” Nathan soothes. “Focus. It’s okay.”
I peel my eyes open, seeing my peace. I throw my arms around his neck, moving faster than I ever have.
He returns my hug with just as much might. “It’s okay. Okay?”
I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in, settling every ounce of anxiety shaking my body.
“Ladybug, what happened?” Dad soothingly rubs my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I can’t let Nathan go. If I do, everything will come back; the heat, the panic, his father’s terrorizing voice―his face. I don’t want to go through that again.
“It’s okay, Tracey.” Nathan rubs my back. “You’re okay.”
“I-I am,” I answer Dad, preferring not to talk. I just want to hold and be held.
When you’re ready, baby, no rush. Although . . . your dad is looking at us a little weird.
I chuckle, sitting back. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Ladybug. Is everything okay?”
I don’t know. I take a minute to breathe and work through my thoughts. “Yes, I just had a bad dream.” I hope that’s all it was.
Nathan wraps my right arm inside his as Dad sits on my left. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
Before I can answer him, Dad says, “You scared me! You were panting and cringing in your sleep like you were in a god-awful pain. You turned a shade redder than an apple,” he says, worried.
“I’m fine, Dad. I’m sorry I scared you. Have you ever had a dream that seemed too real? That’s something like the way it felt. It scared me.”
“Does this happen often? Is it,” he stalls, giving me the look, “happening again?”
I dart my eyes to my right, gritting my teeth. “No,” I grumble, hoping he never mentions that again. “It doesn’t. It’s not.” I try to move my right hand to push my hair back that’s sticking to my forehead, but Nathan won’t let me break it free. I use my left, asking, “Is everything okay?”
Calm as night, Nathan answers, “Yes, just worried about you is all.”
“That makes two of us,” Dad mutters, eyeing me.
“Really, Dad, I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you.”
He nods. “Okay, Ladybug.” He looks past me. “I take it you’re Nathan?”
“That’s right, sir. Sorry I barged in the way I did.”
Dad stands, straightening in a way that tells Nathan to do the same.
Nathan smiles. Don’t
move from this position. I’ll explain later. He stands, extending a hand to Dad. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Warren.”
Dad meets it, and they shake. “I take it Tracey has told you about me?”
“Yes, sir she has.”
“That makes two of us. I’ve heard a share about you as well.” Dad folds his arms in front of his chest. “You’re dating my daughter?”
Nathan gives a boyish smile. “Yes, sir. I am.”
“You treat her well, I see.”
“I do, sir. And I will continue to.”
Dad steps back and looks Nathan over. He gives him a single nod and says, “Fantastic.” With Dad’s next blink, a familiar expression of concern wipes over his deep brown eyes. He kneels before me and lowers his voice. “Are you sure you’re okay, Ladybug? Phisher’s a phone call away. We’ll have you in and out of his office in the morning just to check on everything.”
“I am, Dad. I promise. Please don’t make any unnecessary calls or start over thinking this.”
He pats my knee before rising, “Okay. If you’re sure. I’m heading upstairs with your mother, and we’re turning in for the night. Nathan, I trust I can leave you two down here alone and you will be gone by eleven?”
“Yes, sir. You have my word.”
Nathan sits beside me. My gaze follows Dad as he’s leaving the living room. He gives me another confirming nod. I return it and turn away to Nathan saying, “Why don’t you turn on a movie?”
“Why are you acting so weird?” I ask, pressing the clicker and letting the TV land on the channel it pleases.
“Wait.”
“For what?”
Nathan looks at me head on, a demand in his stoic expression that makes me sit back and try to relax. “Just wait,” he instructs me with a promise in his eye that he’ll tell soon.
My toe taps the floor as the next hour drags by and Nathan’s yet to reveal whatever’s keeping him silent. The credits roll for the movie, and I look for him to come out with it already.
“Don’t panic.” Nathan grabs my hand and turns it over, palm up.
I jump away from my inner hand, pitch black, like in the dream. The thorn vines have traveled to my inner elbow, like a well-designed tattoo. My heart races, and I pant as fear brings tears to my eyes.
Plight: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 1) Page 26
