With Cross & Charm

by D.L. Miles

  Chapter 8

  Dad questions me about my college essays again, and I can only roll my eyes. The deadline is getting closer and I still have only blank pages to show the world. I’ve been too distracted with everything else.

  Like how Ithinara wants me to kill the boy I’m crushing on. Who is also a demon hunter…maybe. His aunt is, I know that for sure. But I can’t tell Dad that, or he’ll send me to the hospital again.

  “You haven’t gone to the animal shelter lately,” Dad prods, “why don’t you go today?”

  “I’ve got practice,” I tell him over my cereal. “And I need to—do some other things.” I forgot I hadn’t told him that I quit the volleyball team, and today is the day I ask to get back on. It hasn’t been long since I quit and I hope Coach will stay true to her word.

  “Well try going by,” he suggests, “you look like you could use some kitten love.” He laughs as I crack a smile. Then it hits me that I don’t want to have kitten love, I want Cain’s love. My heartbeat thumps a little too hard at the thought of him and creates a flutter in my chest.

  Pathetic, Ithinara sneers. He will be your downfall.

  “I should get going,” I announce. I give Dad a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye, and hurry out the door. Ithinara’s usual commentary is bothering me more than usual today. I wonder what it’s like to go an hour without someone talking to you.

  I’m helping you, Ithinara says as I walk down the street, you should be grateful.

  I won’t kill Cain, I tell myself more than her.

  I turn the corner and see that Beth and Delilah have yet to arrive. But the rain has already started to fall. I hurry to hide beneath a tree. A streak of lightning flashes in the distance, followed by a low echo of thunder. It’s cold out this morning. I hug myself.

  “Don’t look,” I say. “Just don’t turn around.”

  Being near the graveyard is hard for me, especially when I’m alone. It would be so easy to turn around and look at my mother’s grave, to feel that sentimental pull to visit her. But I can’t; visiting her might kill me. Even being surrounded by the hallowed ground makes me queasy.

  I lick my lips and look up at the sky, beginning to bounce on my heels. Why did I have to leave so early? Rain patters around me, creating dark dots on the concrete. It’s a gloomy day in Hollow’s Point, but I still hold out hope.

  And it’s hope that makes me start to turn around. My feet shuffle to the side, shoulders back as I twist my spine towards the gate of the graveyard. From the corner of my eye I can already see headstones, many of them too old to have any living family to visit.

  A car honks, saving me from the torture.

  I look to the road to see Cain’s jeep there, and my heart skips a beat. The passenger window is dark and I can’t see him through it, but his grin appears as the window rolls down. He’s watching me, his eyes seem almost hungry.

  “Need a lift?” he asks, his tone conveying something else entirely.

  I look back and forth, but Beth’s convertible is nowhere in sight. The rain begins to fall harder, and I find myself dashing into Cain’s jeep. It’s warm and smells like pine needles inside.

  “Thanks,” I say. “Beth is supposed to pick me up…but I don’t know where she is.”

  Cain nods and starts to drive. “Maybe she’s having car trouble.” His grin is still there, and he chuckles to himself over something I don’t understand.

  “Maybe,” I say. I pull my phone out and text Delilah, telling her I’m with Cain, and asking where they are. She doesn’t reply right away, which is unusual for her.

  “So why were you waiting in front of the cemetery?” Cain asks. “Kind of a weird place to wait.”

  I shrug. “We always meet there. My dad refuses to go, but it isn’t as big a deal for me.” I cover my mouth, realizing what I just said. Why did I say that?

  “What do you mean?”

  I feel compelled to talk to Cain, there’s some part of me that just wants to let him know everything about my mother. I manage to hold it in, telling myself that I still don’t know him that well. It’s just the fact that I like him that makes me want to admit everything, and nothing more.

  “My mother’s buried there,” I say, hoping my voice won’t crack. “We don’t visit though.” And it isn’t just because of Ithinara.

  I tug at my hair, waiting for Cain to say something. I’m not very good with small talk, and since it’s with Cain my anxiety is even worse. My mouth opens and closes a few times, before I find the courage to ask, “So how are you enjoying Wayward?”

  He shrugs casually as we pull up to a red light. “It’s school,” he answers. “They’re all kind of the same.”

  I force a small laugh. “Not one for school spirit then?”

  Cain rolls his eyes. “Never understood it. It’s only four years of your life; who cares?”

  I’m starting to feel insulted by his attitude. “I care,” I say. “It’s four years of my life, that’s a lot. It’s a time you’re going to remember for the rest of your very short life on this planet; you should enjoy it.”

  He turns to face me, looking surprised I had said anything at all. “So why’d you quit the volleyball team then?”

  I flinch. “How did you know about that?”

  “Nico told me,” he says. “She thought it was weird that someone the Coach claimed was so passionate would just up and quit.”

  I realize what he’s getting at. Nico’s questioning too much, and through Cain of all people. I’m hurt, but remind myself that this is what Beth warned would happen. Doing things out of character are what draw attention to me.

  “I was getting worried about college,” I admit. “I wanted to focus on that but I really miss playing. I’m actually going to talk to Coach today about rejoining the team.”

  Cain’s lips form a thin line, and the light turns green. “When are you planning on doing that?” he asks.

  “Before class I guess.”

  “Well you’ll have to wait.”

  “Why?” I look at him, the rain falling hard enough that he has to put the windshield wipers on.

  “Because we’re skipping first period.” Cain presses harder on the gas pedal, making his jeep roar. The next light on the street is where we’re supposed to turn to get to Wayward, but Cain keeps driving, ignoring the bright red that warns us to stop.

  “What are you doing?” I cry. I’m bracing myself for impact even though there aren’t any other cars on the road. “Slow down!”

  Cain is laughing but takes his foot off of the gas pedal. We begin to slow, and so does my heart rate. It’s hard to breathe and I feel like I’m about to pass out.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I ask. “That was dangerous!”

  “Oh, come on,” he moans, “it’s just a joke. Driving like that is fun; doesn’t it make your heart race?”

  “No it isn’t,” I argue. “You could have killed us both. And I don’t want to skip class; I want to be in class. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy creative writing, and getting good grades and I like school.”

  Cain pulls over, no longer enjoying his little joke. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

  I unbuckle my seatbelt as he puts the car in park, and I’m prepared to jump from the vehicle. My hand touches the handle, and I’m about to pull when Cain says one word. “Wait.”

  “What?” I question, facing him again.

  His hand slips onto the side of my neck, his fingers sliding into my hair. He pulls me closer until our lips connect and my eyes widen a moment before closing. The kiss is gentle, nothing like I thought it would be. Slowly his lips part from mine, giving me light kisses down to my neck.

  For a moment I worry about his cross tattoo, the image of it burning my mind as I think it would, but I don’t feel any pain. All I can feel are Cain’s lips on my neck, until he pulls away with his usual grin.

  “I’ll take you to school,” h
e says.

  I can’t form words, my head is too fuzzy. I nod. “Why did you do that?”

  Cain doesn’t answer right away as he begins to do a U-turn on the street. Ithinara is silent, but I hear a muffled scream just as I see the truck coming towards us.

  A large dump truck blares its horn as Cain drives into the middle of the road, and for a moment all I can think about is my dad, and if I die he’ll be all alone. I can’t stand the thought.

  My eyes close, shutting out the brief image of the truck as it’s about to crash into us. There’s a loud crunch, the smashing of metal at high speed, and my head whips against the passenger window.

  The world flashes white, and that is all I know.