by Shelly Crane
Except this one had arms and fingers and they wrapped around my mouth to quiet my scream. And it was laying on top of me to pin me down.
“Shh,” someone whispered in my ear from behind and removed his hand from my lips.
“Cain,” I whispered in relief.
He turned me quickly with a look of horror on his face.
“Lillian? What the hell are you doing here?”
I hugged him around his neck, pulling me to him as close as I could get. He smelled like smoke and was filthy. And I was so happy to see him.
“I had to come find you.”
He pulled back to glare at me.
“What? How? What are-”
“I knew something was wrong. Didn’t I tell you I was cursed? When you were late getting home, I knew. So, here I am.”
“So. You snuck out of the bunker, stole the Jeep and drove the thirty minutes to get here in the dark by yourself and unprotected, on a hunch that I might be in trouble instead of just hanging out somewhere?” he guessed angrily.
“Well, you’re here aren’t-”
I was cut off by another a loud metallic screech.
He rolled off me and grabbed my flashlight, shining it around to see.
“Keys?” he asked briskly.
“Around here somewhere.”
“Never mind.”
We were clear. He grabbed my hand, yanking me up and pulling me fast behind him to the ditch. Once inside, we laid down in the dirt and mud beside each other and he turned the light off.
“I can’t believe you did this,” he growled beside me in the dark.
“What? I knew you were in trouble. I couldn’t just go back to sleep and act like there was nothing wrong.”
“You should have sent someone else.”
“Merrick said he’d go in a little bit if you didn’t turn up, but I didn’t want to wait and I didn’t want to put him in danger either.”
“Oh, but yourself, that’s ok?”
I bristled at his tone and his words.
“What is wrong with you? I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“This isn’t a date, Lillian. No, I’m not happy to see you. You should never have tried to do this-”
“Hey! What is your problem? I came out here to help you!”
“But you’re not helping, are you? I had to run over and save your cute butt once already, remember?”
“If we can just find the keys, we can leave-”
“And die while we’re looking around up there? There are Markers everywhere. I’ve been here for hours Lillian, they aren’t going anywhere. We’ll have to wait until daylight. And now, I’ve got to worry about keeping you alive too, not just me.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I thought I’d burst with anger. I’d spent the last hour going crazy with worry and instead of being grateful that I tried to help him he’s angry. At me? It was the strangest feeling of complete anger and complete relief. He was ok, but he was ticking me off.
I embarrassingly burst into tears.
“Ah, come on now,” he said still sounding way to angry. “None of that.”
I kept crying, quietly of course, he couldn’t hear me but must feel the shaking of my body. Ladylike, it wasn’t like I was snotting all over the place but still it was embarrassing. I covered my face with my hands and turned away from him, though I knew he couldn’t see me. I bumped into something else. Something warm and hard.
A body. I screamed.
A warm hand covered my mouth again and I felt Cain’s body pressed against my back.
“Shh. It’s ok,” Cain whispered again and took his hand away.
“Hey,” a new voice said. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I just didn’t want to interrupt your fighting.”
“This is enforcer Billings. Billings, this is Lillian.”
Cain sounded a little calmer now but I was still trying to tamp down on my own anger. For some reason, when I get really angry, I cry.
It had always been extremely embarrassing on the playground with the mean girls at school. The only fist fight I’d ever been in in middle school, I cried the entire time.
“Is this lip gloss girl?” Billings asked.
“Yeah. This is her,” Cain answered with a sigh.
“Lip gloss girl?” I asked.
“Yeah, your boy Cain here has been telling me all about you.”
“He has?” I asked surprised.
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask who you are?”
“I’m an enforcer. I pulled Cain over and was arresting him when we were attacked.”
He spoke so nonchalantly and Cain didn’t say anything. It was very strange.
“Ok. And why are an enforcer and a rebel being friendly?”
“Have you seen those things?” Billings asked me emphatically. “You don’t come back the same after seeing something like that. Cain told me all about them and the Lighters and- I gotta say I believe it.”
“Well, like I said, we’ve been here for hours. I wouldn’t have told him anything about you, had I’d known you’d show up like this,” Cain muttered.
Anger flared red hot and sticky once again.
“You jerk. You are such a jerk! How dare you yell at me when I’ve been worried sick about you! I come out here-”
He cut me off by grabbing my arms and twisting me to face him. I started again.
“I was so-”
He kissed me. Really kissed me. His hand locked behind my neck and his lips moved against mine so hard and yet so in sync. He kissed me deeply. I didn’t try to stop him as my anger flitted away to nothing, like salt in the wind. It was amazing how much he seemed to just take away all my troubles. I didn’t understand why he was kissing me when I thought he was angry, but I wasn’t going to question it, right now.
I was just happy he was alive to do it.
The kiss went deeper and deeper. Harder then softer. His hand began to wander away from my neck, down my back to my hip. Pulled me closer with it there. Then it traveled to the back of my thigh. That got my breathing so out of control I had to pull back.
He immediately started talking through his ragged breaths, still close enough fan my face with his breathing.
“Don’t you understand why I was so angry? Any idea? Here I thought some random person had pulled up on the scene and when I finally see your face, it’s you! The one person in the world I want to keep away from this mess the most. You. Scared. Me.” He exhaled loudly and ran his fingers down my cheek. “You don’t risk yourself. Not for me, not anyone. I see now why Merrick acts so crazy like he does over Sherry. It really sucks worrying about you. When I saw you, a million ways you could get hurt or worst flashed before my eyes.” He shook his head and I felt the movement. “Gah, Lillian. Nothing can happen to you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble, I just knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let you die because of me,” I said through a new round of tears.
He exhaled again. His hand rested on my cheek.
“Please don’t cry anymore.” His thumbs moved under my eyes to swipe tears away. “I’m sorry I yelled, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have, but I’ve never been that scared in all my life.”
“Not even with-” I bit my lip but it was too late.
“No. Not even with Sherry in the caves,” he answered softly. “This is not your fault. This isn’t the curse, it’s the enemy. I don’t want to hear any more curse talk. Right now, let’s just rest while we think about what to do.”
“Well, Merrick knows I knew you were missing. He’ll come soon if you or I don’t show up.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I’m glad you’re ok,” I whispered. “I was so scared I was going to get to you when it was too late.”
“Can’t hurt me. I’m a-okay, lovely,” he said and chuckled.
Once again I marveled at his way of being witty in all situations and completely in awe of his mood swing.
Then I didn’t at marvel at anything but lips.
His. They brushed my cheek, then my jaw, searching. When he finds what he was looking for, he fastens his lips to mine again. This time, I’m happy instead of just relieved and I pull myself up to hover over him, straddling him in the muddy dirt and twigs. He kisses me fiercely, his hands roaming, once again, to nowhere that isn’t decent. I lose all reason and sense of time and propriety. I kiss him like my life depends on it and he has the answer to survival. He seems equally eager and his grip gets tighter and tighter on my hips. I hear a noise, a groan or whimper, them realize, it came from me. Then I hear another noise.
“Um. I’m still here. I let you have your little reunion kiss but I’m not laying silently through anything else,” Billings said quickly.
Screeching brakes to a halt. Crap, I’d forgotten he was even here. I pull back, glad for the dark to hide the fire engine red blush over me. But Cain laughs into my hair.
“Sorry. Got carried away. If you could see this girl, you’d understand.”
“Cain!” I whisper to him in the dark but I know Billings can hear me and I can’t help but smirk a little.
Cain laughs again as does Billings. He kisses my lips gently once more then pulls me back down in the dirt, pulling me into his warm dirty side and wrapping his arms around me.
“Not too uncomfortable? This ok?”
“Better than ok, for the circumstances. I’m sorry, Cain. I know I have no business acting like I’m some kinda hero. I just ran to get here, I didn’t think about much after that.”
“It’s ok.” He squeezed me. “I told you. I overreacted but that isn’t a license to risk yourself. I still think you shouldn’t have come at all, let alone by yourself, but we’ll get out of this. Don’t wrinkle that pretty little nose with worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“It’s not just me I’m worried about.”
“Ahh.” Billings said sarcastically. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“Eat it, Billings,” Cain said and I could tell from his tone he was playing and they both chuckled.
It appeared Cain had made a new friend. A very important friend. An enforcer. Now if we could just get out of here alive.
I fell asleep. I woke up, wanting to curse but didn’t believe in it. But then again, how could I blame myself when I was curled up next to Cain?
It was still dark and everything was quiet. I assumed Cain was still asleep. I was beginning to wonder what time it was as I laid there. How much longer could this night last. It seemed like the longest night of my life.
I whispered to see if Cain was awake?
“Cain? You awake, sweetie?”
“No, but I am, baby,” a voice said low in my ear, and it wasn’t Billings, he was on Cain’s other side.
Before I had a chance to move or think he snatched me up from Cain’s grasp and dragged me by my arm up the incline of the ditch to the road.
I could hear Cain yelling for me, cursing about not finding the flashlight. The fire of the vehicles had finally burned out and it was all pitch black. All I could see was nothing. All I could hear was Cain’s yelling. All I could feel was the stranger’s breath on my face as he pulled me closer.
I saw the light in my peripheral, Cain must have found the flashlight and I hear Billings calling to him as they make their way up to the road to meet us. The man holds me in front of him, like a shield. To my astonishment, he starts to glow, illuminating. Between him and Cain’s flashlight, I could make out my surroundings.
Cain runs up and stops short at the sight of us. The man is behind me, I can’t see what Cain sees but I have no doubt it’s a Lighter by the sheer fear in his eyes. Billings stops next to Cain but straightens up and tries in vain to wipe at his uniform.
“Enforcer?” the Lighter says. “What are you doing holed up here with rebels?”
“Sir. I was arresting this man when we were attacked. By these...things, sir. We escaped and I have been anxiously awaiting backup.”
Explanation To Come Later
Chapter 32 - Merrick
Morning, I think. I remember clearly Lillian coming into our room last night. She never came to get me so Cain must’ve come home. Little jerk. Worrying Lillian.
Knew he was just hanging out with someone. This is his last chance to after all. But Lillian was seriously scared. Hmm. I’ll go check on her just to make sure he made it in safely.
After, of course...
“Morning, beautiful,” I whisper in her ear.
I could tell the second she woke up. I know everything about her, even the way her breathing changes even though she hasn’t moved a muscle. The way her fingers go from lax to tense without moving.
“Morning. I think... It’s still early isn’t it? What are you doing up?” she asked through a yawn and snuggled back up against me like she already had the answer and the answer was that it was too early.
“I’ve got to go take care of something real quick. Just rest.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, honey. Just go back to sleep.”
I knew she’d know I wasn’t completely telling the truth so I kissed her, which always seems to take her mind off everything. It worked.
“Hurry back,” she said against my lips making me so want to stay.
“Anything for you,” I joke as I get up and she giggles sleepily, rolls over to my side of the pallet, folding herself further into the covers and throwing one leg out.
I pulled on some jeans and realized Sherry was wearing my shirt again. Hmm, one more reason to stay. Luckily, I still had a couple in the corner pile of clean ones. I snagged one without looking at it and headed out the door quietly.
The halls are empty so it must still be early. Commons room clock says 5:45 a.m. Yeah, too early. I walk barefoot through the commons room to Cain’s room. His bedroll is empty but messed up. However, that tells me nothing because I don’t see Cain as a guy who’s into making the bed.
I peek down to Lillian, at least I thought it was. It was Miguel’s and he was sprawled out in a broad manner, arms and legs spread wide, filling almost every corner and inch of the small room and his mouth was open.
I went one door down and saw another empty bed and new right then, I was about to be upset.
I peeked in a few other rooms to be sure and found exactly what I expected. I went to the stairs and saw keys missing. The Jeep.
I shut my eyes for a second and try to calm myself. I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. I know that if I had been out there by myself and was late, Sherry would have done the same thing. I know this. But I also know how furious I would have been with her and how furious I am with Lillian.
These dang women. Always trying to get themselves killed for someone. If they aren’t playing martyr, they’re playing hero. AH!
I run to Jeff’s room. Always Jeff. I tap on the door and wait, knowing it’s locked. I hear nothing so I call him in my mind.
Jeff... JEFF!
What?
Lillian and Cain are missing. Get your butt up and let’s get going.
What?
You heard me. Explanation later.
Jeez... I’m coming.
Now the hard part. Simon.
I know he’s gonna freak royally because he’s Cain’s Keeper and will be equally hurt that Lillian came to me instead of him for this problem. But, as far as I know, Lillian has never even spoken to Simon and she knows me.
Simon.
Yeah?
I crack open his door and look at him. He’s awake and watching with a steely look of anticipation and readiness.
“Cain’s missing. So is Lillian. Come on, let’s go.”
“Again?” He sighed, remembering the last time I told him his charge was missing. When him and Sherry were in the cave. “That boy... I’m coming, I’m coming.”
He got up hurriedly and I turned so as not to see him in his boxers, but it was a little too late.
Simon was one of
the oldest Keepers, well his body was the oldest. Mostly, we try for the younger ones if we can get them so we don’t have to worry about health issues and elderly limitations but, he didn’t really have a choice on this one. None of us did, as evidence to why I’m in Sherry’s ex-boyfriends body.
We blurred down the hall and found Jeff waiting by the stairs looking at the same key hook I’d seen.
“They took the Jeep?” Jeff asked so I showed them both in their minds what Lillian had said to me and my assumption of what happened.
“Oh. Well, ok. Let’s go,” Jeff said and Simon just sighed again.
“Hold it. I gotta tell Sherry where I’m going.”
“Alright. I guess I should tell Marissa. You probably saved me a chewing out just now.”
“Marissa? Chew you out?”
“Hey. That woman is passionate. About everything. Even violence. She could probably take me if I was caught off guard.”
“That I’d like to see.”
“Brothers. Please,” Simon said exasperatingly. “We must go.”
“You’re right. Sorry,” I said and blurred to Sherry’s room.
I bent down and pushed the hair from her face.
“Sherry. Honey, wake up, listen.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m leaving. Cain was late getting home last night and Lillian left to go look for him.”
“What?” she said almost head bumping me when she sat up.
“No freaking out.” I grabbed her chin with my fingers. “We’re going to go look for them. We’ll find them, don’t worry.”
“I suppose you won’t let me come,” she phrased it as a statement because she knew my answer.
“Absolutely not.”
She bit her lip and sighed.
“Ok,” she conceded surprisingly easy. “Hurry, go. And make sure you come back.” She grabbed my arm tight. “Please be careful.”
