* * *
The next couple of hours went by quickly due to us finding stuff from my childhood and laughing about it, like my Indian costume I wore for my second grade Thanksgiving play.
“That’s so cute.” Nathan held it up. “I bet you can still fit into it.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny,” I said when he started laughing. I kneeled next to him and dug through the box. It was full of old coloring books and childhood projects.
He looked at me when I pulled a picture out and laughed.
“What did you find?”
It was a picture of that same Thanksgiving play with all the kids lined up on the stage. Carrie and I were one of the kids in the front row, and she was dressed like an Indian too. Tree was the Indian chief, tall and proud in the back, above everybody. Brayden was standing in front of Tree, a proud Indian himself.
I handed him the picture. “Guess which one is me, Carrie, and Tree,” I said, still laughing.
“Here you are.” He pointed, spotting me right away. “And is this Carrie?” He tapped his finger on her face.
“Yeah, she used to have long hair like me and hated it. In eighth grade she wacked it off to her shoulders and had been wearing it like that ever since.”
He turned his attention back to the picture and laughed.
“The chief is definitely Tree.”
“That’s right. You can’t really miss him since he’s the tallest and sometimes carries that goofy look on his face when he’s being silly. Oh, and here’s Brayden.” I pointed to the cute dark-haired kid with the green eyes.
“That’s Brayden, huh?” His forehead creased.
“Yeah. He’s cute, but not as cute as you.” I pinched his leg and winked at him.
He pursed his lips and stared at the picture for a long moment, deep in thought. The expression on his face appeared distant, almost sad.
“What are you thinking?”
He peeked at me. “I know this is absurd, but I’m envious of your relationship with Brayden.” He looked almost apologetic, which didn’t make sense to me.
I blinked. “Why?”
“Because the two of you have a history together.”
“That’s true, but all four of us have a history together. My mom used to babysit them and that’s how we became our own little family.”
He put the picture back in the box. “I think the relationship you have with Tree and Carrie is marvelous. Not many people in this world have friends like them or like you. I just wish I could have been part of that and have those memories to share with you.”
I rose and moved behind him, locking my arms around his shoulders. “I understand, but you and I are already creating some pretty amazing memories.”
My stomach growled, rescuing Nathan from this awkward moment.
He chuckled. “I think it’s time for supper.”
We went downstairs and made chicken fajitas–he cut up the vegetables and chicken, and I cooked them. Afterwards, we went back to the attic for an hour. We didn’t find anything helpful, but there was still plenty of stuff to go through, so our hope didn’t falter.
We spent the rest of the evening cleaning ourselves up and watching a show about prophecies on the History Channel. I had my head in Nathan’s lap. His fingers drifted to the side of my face, lightly rubbing it. I closed my eyes, and my thoughts scattered, breaking free from their daily routine. Images of my life kept flashing, until they settled on Nathan and me.
I was now falling into a gorgeous dream of us being on a white sandy beach. All my worries and what would happen tomorrow when I saw Matt didn’t exist here. And the last thing I remembered was Nathan’s feathery touch on the apple of my cheeks, and his distant voice saying something about my premonitions.
Chapter Fifteen
Mystery
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 38
