01 Untouchable - Untouchable

by Lindsay Delagair

  “Kimmy,” Bev called from her bedroom, “Would you bring him back here, please?”

  Kimmy started toward him and he turned and began his short-legged, waddle-run back toward his parent’s bedroom. “MA MA!” he yelled, excited that Kimmy was chasing him.

  “Come on in,” I said, pulling him into the living room.

  I heard Kimmy down the hallway very excitedly announce, “Leese’s boyfriend is here!”

  I wanted to cover my face and hide. I’d told her he was just a friend from school, but I guess that equated to a boyfriend in her book. I didn’t have to look at his face; I could feel the smile on it without a visual.

  “So where’s your room?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  “Right there.” I pointed to the double-doors leading from the living room. Bev and Matt had a three bedroom home, but when we moved in with them, Bev decided that a teenager really needed a little privacy. Kimmy got the third bedroom and they turned their den into my room. I told them they didn’t have to do that, but they insisted that it was no problem especially since Matt wasn’t with his engineering firm anymore, he didn’t need it as an office. And, I had to admit that I was used to having my own room, but the thing I missed the most from home was having my own bathroom. Bev and Matt had a private bath off the master suite, but Kimmy and I had to share the other. That had taken some getting used to.

  I was a little mortified when he headed into my room. It wasn’t that it was a mess, except the fact that the den didn’t have a closet so I did have a few things hanging on an open rack, my clothes were picked up and my bed was made, but I didn’t expect him to just stroll right in there. What would Matt and Bev think if they came out and we were in there? I stood at the doors and tried to coax him back out, but he ignored me as he looked over some sketch books that I had open.

  “Very nice,” he mouthed silently as he picked up a cherry-blossom water color that I had been working on. He pointed to me and then back to the painting. I nodded, still nervous that he was walking around my room. He came to a stop beside my bed and his hand was reaching for something. My heart all but stopped when I realized it was a picture of my family—my real family. I wanted to go in there and snatch it from his grasp and tell him to get out of my room, but I think he realized that my feet wouldn’t carry me into that private space while he occupied it. I heard Matt and Bev coming down the hall so I motioned for him to get out of there and then I headed for the couch. He emerged a moment later, seating himself beside me just in time as they came around the corner.

  I couldn’t help but see the surprise on Matt’s face when he got a look at Evan. I stood quickly, “Matt this is Evan Lewis. Evan this is my Uncle Matt McKinnis.”

  Matt was a slender 5’10” so he looked kind of shrimpy as he shook Evan’s hand. “Hi, Evan. I thought Leese said you were a junior, but you’ve got to be a senior, right?”

  “No, Sir. I’m a junior, I just take after my dad, size wise.”

  “Wow, you could have fooled me. I don’t think you’d have any trouble passing yourself off as someone in their twenties.”

  “This is my aunt Beverly,” I continued.

  “Hi Evan, it’s really nice to meet you.”

  “Thanks, it’s nice to meet you both. So which one of you is actually related to Leese? I can’t pick out the family resemblance.”

  “Oh—me,” Bev answered before Matt could speak. “I’m Nadia’s sister.”

  “Nadia?” Evan questioned.

  “My mom,” I answered and then moved on to the final introduction, “And this is Matt Junior,” I said sweeping him off the floor and growling into his exposed neck. He burst into tiny peals of laughter as I nuzzled against his baby-scented skin. I put him back down on the floor as it was clear that he wasn’t familiar enough with Evan to permit him to come too close.

  “So are we ready?” Matt asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

  I watched Evan’s eyebrows raise and I realized that he hadn’t understood that this was a family event, not an opportunity to go out on our own. He shot a quick glance my direction. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take—do you want to ride with me?”

  “I do!” Kimmy quickly volunteered.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Kimmy, there are only two seats in my car,” he said apologetically.

  “That’s okay,” she answered, “Leese can ride with Matt and Bev.”

  “No,” Bev laughed, “I think Leese should ride with her—her friend.”

  “Aah! No fair,” Kimmy whined. I was hoping she wasn’t getting ready to pitch one of her fits. She was normally well tempered, but every once in a while she could be an average six year old.

  Evan shrugged, “I don’t mi…”

  I quickly shook my head no, to stop him from saying what would encourage her begging. My biggest worry wasn’t that I wouldn’t get to ride with him, but that she might get her way and then he would be free to ask her plenty of questions about our lives—our real lives that is.

  “Please,” Kimmy emphasized, batting her eyes.

  “That’s okay, we’ll ride in my car,” I said, ending the awkward moment.

  Evans mouth opened to rebut, but Matt quickly replied, “Great, I’m glad that’s settled. Now, let’s go before we’re late.”

  As we filed out the door, I whispered in Kimmy’s ear to remind her that people didn’t know why we were living in Pensacola and, for Mom’s sake, we had to keep it that way. She nodded solemnly.

  It was a short ride to church, barely enough time for him to ask many questions. I walked Kimmy to her class as Matt and Bev took Matt junior to nursery and then we met in the fellowship hall where the band was warming up. We normally had about forty to fifty people in our music worship, and that included the two youth pastors and the younger adults like Matt and Bev, but tonight it seemed extra crowded as everyone said their hellos. Then the lights dimmed and the band fired up. Everyone started clapping and yelling as the music got louder. I looked over and noticed that Evan was smiling, but I could tell he was still uncomfortable as people started to show their enthusiasm. Pastor Shawn got on stage and opened us in prayer and then introduced the first singer. Mike Hendry, a senior from PHS started off the night with some Matthew West hits. He was finishing up his last song as I squeezed Evan’s arm and smiled, “My turn.”

  “You’re going to sing?” He knew Jewels said that I sang Christian rock, but I don’t think he expected to hear me. “Cool,” he said turning loose of my arm and walking closer to the stage.

  I could feel the glow coming over my face. Singing was one of my favorite things. I wasn’t vain, but I was glad that it was something that I could do really well. I just felt so free when I sang. It was like the world and all its problems completely vanished and all that remained was the ability to make people happy.

  “Hey, everybody! How about a little Natalie Grant tonight?”

  The shouts and cheers began as I turned to the band. “Let’s start with I Will Not Be Moved.”

  That got a big smile; they really enjoyed a challenge.

  The spotlight came on and the first steady hum came from the keyboardist as I gripped the mic in one hand and the mic stand in the other. Then the electric guitars and the drums kicked into high gear as the music pulsed through my veins. And that is when the music seemed to take over and the performance began. I had it nailed down as well as if I were Natalie Grant herself. I could see the sea of heads bobbing up and down as they jumped and danced to the beat. “…I will make mistakes, I will face heartaches” I sang. “But I will not be moved…” All the while Evan’s stare was intent and he seemed oblivious to the throng moving to the beat and surrounding him. As the music died, the cheers and shouts rose, I watched him put his fingers between his lips and let out a loud whistle and then began to clap.

  “One more. One more,” was the chant coming from the group.

  “All right, one more.” I turned to the band, “Perfect People, can you guys do that one?” They all nodded and I turned once
again to face my audience. I lowered my gaze to the floor as the slow and steady beat began. This song didn’t start like the more rocking melody I’d just sung, but it quickly became one of my favorites because of the silky strands of the music and the desperate and soulful sounds of the words as they flowed. “Never let ‘em see you when you’re breaking, never let ‘em see you when you fall…Tell the world you’ve got it all together, never let them see what’s underneath…”

  He seemed mesmerized.

  I usually look around at the faces in the crowd, but I couldn’t take my eyes from his as I continued to pour out my soul into the song. “There is no such thing as a perfect life. Come as you are, broken and scarred, lift up your heart; be amazed and be changed by your perfect God.” The look on his face was telling me that this song was hitting him where he lived, but I actually chose it because I felt it helped to tell my own story. Yet, as I sang, I knew the words were digging deep into his flesh, “He knows where you are and where you’ve been and you never have to go there again.” The look on his face was heart shattering, but it only gave me more fuel to pour onto the fire in my performance. The song ended and I hopped off the stage.

  “Great job,” Bev was yelling at me over the din. I smiled and grabbed his arm as we moved away from the stage.

  “So how’d you like it?” I asked as the next person began to sing. “Was it better than your Led Zeppelin?” The back of the room would be the only place where I knew we would be able to hear each other, but he didn’t say anything. I looked at him and suddenly knew why. His eyes had this unusual quality to them, and I understood at that moment just how much impact the song had made. I didn’t push the conversation; I just went to the table where the drinks were sitting out and poured us each a coke.

  We listened to another two songs when he finally turned to me and said, “Jewels was right.”

  “About what?” I took a sip of my drink.

  “You should try out for American Idol, or something. You’ve got a lot of talent.”

  The evening seemed to end too quickly and I knew I wasn’t ready to say good-night. He asked me if I’d sit with him in his car for a little while before he left. Bev and Matt were okay with it, although Matt distinctly mentioned not leaving. It was funny to hear him take that fatherly tone with me, but I whole-heartedly agreed that I wasn’t going any further than the driveway.

  He opened the passenger door and I slid down in the kid-soft leather seat. I was amazed that I liked the interior even better than my Porsche, but I was sure I could blow him away in a race. “This is gorgeous,” I told him as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat. “What’s under the hood?”

  “An engine,” he smirked.

  “Very funny…”

  “Annalisa,” he spoke my full name causing me to go silent. “Who are these people?”

  I hadn’t expected that question. “Wha—I don’t understand what you…”

  “Yes, you do. You told me you were a liar this morning, and I’m starting to feel like your whole life here in Pensacola is just some kind of fake front. And don’t tell me they’re your aunt and uncle.”

  “They—they are,” I began to stammer.

  “Really? Then how come Beverly said she’s your mother’s sister?”

  “She is,” I said feeling completely vulnerable to his prying words. I suddenly didn’t sound confident at all. “She’s my aunt.”

  “What’s your name? You’re real name. Don’t say McKinnis because that’s Matt’s last name. Unless your mother married Matt’s brother, there is no way you guys have the same last name.”

  It suddenly dawned on me the flaw in the name. Matt would have had to have said he was my uncle on my father’s side for it to have worked. Unfortunately, Beverly had been too anxious to answer his question and had volunteered herself as my aunt. I thought about trying to say that Matt’s brother was my dad, but I knew there was no way it would fly at this point.

  The tears welled up, distorting my vision. Tonight had been a mistake. My hand reached for the door handle.

  “Don’t go, Leese—please, I’m sorry,” he said, grabbing my arm. “I just want to know who this girl is that I’m…” He left the sentence unfinished. Just the hint that he was falling for me stung worse than the tears.

  “I can’t tell you very much, my parents would kill me.”

  “Tell me what you can,” came the simple reply.

  “My family isn’t from Alabama, but I’m guessing you’ve figured that out, too.” I didn’t look at him, I just kept talking. “They aren’t having marital problems, my mom—my mom,” I began to sob, “is slipping off the deep end.” I didn’t have a tissue so I was using the sleeve of my hoodie to dry my tears. “My grandpa committed suicide two years ago, but she thinks someone killed him.” I looked into his face with a pleading stare, “She thinks someone is going to try to kill me and Kimmy, so she sent us here to keep us safe.”

  His arms wrapped around me as I began to shiver. It wasn’t that cold tonight but it suddenly felt like it was twenty degrees as I cried my eyes out. “I can’t tell anyone, I mean it would be like what was the purpose of coming here if everyone knows who I am?”

  “Who are you?” he repeated in a whisper against my hair.

  “I can’t tell you, but my real first name is Annalisa.”

  “Why would someone want to hurt you?” he coaxed gently.

  “My—my family has money. A lot of money,” I finished with a hard swallow. “I guess someone might be trying to get to it through us. Evan, all this has got to remain quiet. You can’t tell anyone, please.”

  “There is no way I’d say anything about it,” he said tucking a loose lock of hair behind my ear. “I just want to be someone you can trust, someone you can be alone with and feel safe.”

  I couldn’t tell him that I wanted that more than anything, but I wasn’t there yet. I still didn’t know much about him and sitting in the driveway was as alone with him as I could possibly venture.

  “I’ve got to get inside.” I wiped my eyes and hoped I hadn’t just smeared mascara all over my face.

  He flipped down the passenger’s sun visor and opened the vanity mirror on the back. “You might want to fix that first,” he said with a grin.

  I looked up and sure enough I had two black streaks under my eyes. “Ugh! I don’t know why I put on makeup tonight. If I’m going to keep bawling like this, I’ve got to get waterproof mascara,” I said, carefully wiping away the traces that I’d been crying.

  “You look beautiful without it so don’t put it on for my benefit.” He turned my face toward him.

  When he leaned forward, I knew he was going to try to kiss me. His face was so close, but I simply couldn’t.

  “Evan, I’m not ready for this.” I couldn’t keep the quiver from my voice.

  He studied me for a moment and finally said, “un baiser sur la joue?”

  I smiled weakly, my resolve crumpled up in a pile on the floor, “Oui, a kiss on the cheek would be fine.”

  His cheek pressed to mine for a moment and then his lips brushed softly against the same place he had kissed earlier that day. “Good-night, Annalisa.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Thursday morning I woke early and felt excited that I would see Evan’s face in a little while. What I felt had been a disastrous ending last night now seemed much more appropriate. I came to the realization that I liked it better to have fewer secrets between Evan and me. I made it to the parking lot almost twenty minutes early. Sitting there with my doors unlocked and my concerns forgotten from what seemed like eons ago, I sang full blast to my music. I definitely had cranked the volume a little high so when the tap came on my passenger’s window, I expected to see Officer Martin; instead, it was Ryan Faultz.

  He opened the door and moved my books before I could refuse his non-existent invitation to sit in my car. “Wow, great music. Was that you singing?”

  I turned the volume down to where it was barely audible and crosse
d my arms, glaring at my intruder. “Do you always just barge in on people?”

  He leaned his head back against the head rest. “You are an awesome singer. What was the name of that song you sang last night? Something about I will not be moved? Is that a personal motto?” And then he crossed his arms, copying me.

  My mouth was open but nothing was coming out.

  “Yeah, Nate and Natasha asked me if I’d like to come. They said you’d be there, but I never expected to hear you sing. And, by the way, that guy who isn’t your boyfriend was looking at you last night like you are his girlfriend.”

  “You were at my church?” I questioned, still amazed that I hadn’t seen him there—he wasn’t the kind of guy who should be able to blend into the scenery.

  “Yeah, and we drove right past your house, too. You looked kind of cozy sitting with him in his car.”

  I wanted to call him a stalker, but the words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth. I usually used that line in teasing, but I was getting the strange feeling that it might not be a joke with this guy.

  “Ah, come on, Annalisa. Lighten up. I just wanted to know if you really had a boyfriend or not. You could have just told me.”

  “Evan is just ah—a really good friend,” I finally managed to get out. “He just started here on Monday. I don’t know him any better than I know you, but,” I added with anger clear in my voice, “at least he has more manners!”

  I heard the purr of the Nissan’s engine as Evan pulled up on the driver’s side of my car. He looked at me and Ryan sitting together, and I could see the anger fill his face.

  “You’d better get out,” I warned.

  Ryan gave a half grin, “He doesn’t scare me, but he does look dangerous. You be careful now,” he said as he opened the passenger’s door. “Good manners don’t automatically mean good intentions.” Then he turned as Evan was approaching my door and said something quietly that I couldn’t quite make out, but a shiver ran through me as I thought it sounded like something about locking my hood. How could he have known anything about that?