Catch Me When I Fall

by Vicki Leigh

  “And I’m technically your superior. If I’m giving Daniel a pass, so are you.”

  Bartholomew stared right at me then. As Keeper, he was the only Protector with authority over Giovanni. And he was saving my afterlife.

  Giovanni flung his hands into the air. “Fine! Do whatever you want, Bartholomew. In fact, why don’t you run the whole goddamn place?”

  My eyes widened. Giovanni had a temper problem, but I didn’t think he’d speak to the Keeper that way. My eyes widened even further when Bartholomew just rolled his eyes and stepped around the desk. “I feel there is more brewing than we’re aware of yet, Daniel. The Angels are talking, though their words are not always open for me to hear. We cannot afford to lose you yet. Get close to Kayla and follow up with me on what you learn.”

  “Wait. You want me to break the code?”

  “You’ve already broken the code. I’m trying to make something good come of it. Kayla’s been receiving an abnormally large number of Nightmares in one night. I need you to figure out why they’re so interested in her. Can you do this for me?”

  Part of me felt like this was blackmail, but at the same time, Bartholomew was right. Nightmares didn’t usually come out in such high numbers. And he was giving me a chance not only to get close to Kayla but to also figure out how to best protect her. This was an offer I couldn’t refuse. “Yes, sir.”

  Bartholomew smiled. “Good. Then keep me updated.” He smacked me on my shoulder—ouch—and leaned in to whisper as he walked around me. “Besides, I can’t help but enjoy a good love story.”

  At 8:50 p.m., I evaporated to Kayla’s room. Unable to remember the last time I really slept, I prayed it would be an easy night. I was going to be terrible in a fight.

  Kayla’s nurse flipped off the lights and left Kayla to crawl under her blankets. All four of us—me, Seth, Samantha and Tabbi—were very quiet as we waited for Kayla to fall asleep. After what happened in Giovanni’s office, Samantha had wasted no time ripping into me about my “big mistake.” Which led to Seth arguing with her about how they all would’ve done the same thing in my shoes. I’d tried to fall asleep on the sofa, but their yelling was incessant. Eventually, I’d given up and resorted to chugging a few energy drinks.

  Kayla sat up in bed and looked around the room. “Daniel?”

  Seth, Samantha and Tabbi all snapped their heads at me. Did they really not know what I was going to do?

  Kayla startled when I went corporeal. “So, you actually do watch me sleep. Creep,” she said.

  A chill ran down my spine. “Yes—no—well, not exactly. I protect you while you sleep. I don’t just stand there and stare.”

  Tabbi laughed from behind me. “Calm down, Daniel. She’s just giving you a hard time.”

  I glared at Tabbi, who continued to wear a giddy smile.

  “What are you looking at?” Kayla asked, unable to see the others.

  “My team. They’re… here.”

  “Oh.” She gripped her comforter as her eyes flicked around the room.

  I wanted to ease her nervousness, but I wasn’t sure how. So, I did the only thing I could think of and prayed she wouldn’t freak out. “Guys, you can stop hiding.”

  Tabbi and Seth went corporeal in seconds. Kayla gripped her comforter tighter. When I stared at Samantha, she rolled her eyes then obliged.

  “Okay. This is not creepy at all,” Kayla said.

  “We’re not that creepy,” Tabbi replied. “We don’t drink blood or eat people or anything.”

  Kayla’s eyes grew baseball-sized.

  “Really, Tabbi?” I said.

  She shrugged as Seth chuckled. I shook my head.

  “Trust me. They’re just protecting you, that’s all,” I told Kayla, my hands outstretched in front of me.

  Kayla’s face paled, and she pointed at something behind me. “You mean from things like that?”

  Spinning around and pulling my daggers into my hands, I swore as a Nightmare slithered through the wall behind Seth, reaching out to grab him. Seth turned and sliced through the Nightmare’s neck. Behind me, Kayla screamed when black blood poured down the Nightmare’s chest, and the beast fell back into the wall with a loud screech.

  I glanced behind me. Kayla was pressed against her headboard, her knees up to her chin. Her hands trembled. Then it dawned on me—“You can see them?”

  “What are they?” Kayla’s voice shook.

  Before I had the chance to answer, five more crawled through the walls. Shit.

  “Oh my god, oh my god,” Kayla repeated.

  “Tabbi, get on the bed. Kayla, close your eyes.”

  I ran at the Nightmare nearest me and dodged as it slashed at me with long, black claws. It swung so hard that when I moved, the monster fell forward, unable to stop its momentum. The Nightmare squealed when I elbowed the back of its head. Using its stunned reaction to my advantage, I dug my blades into the beast’s back, severing its spinal column. With an earsplitting scream, the Nightmare fell. It was silent by the time it hit the floor.

  Samantha and Seth had each taken one down and now stood back-to-back, fighting the other two remaining nightmares. I threw a dagger into the skull of the Nightmare closest to me, then Seth and Samantha double-teamed the other and took it down in seconds. The three of us stood there, chests rising and falling, staring at each other.

  Those Nightmares had not made a single move for Kayla. They’d come for us.

  A Nightmare attacking a Protector unprovoked never happened. Usually, they were attracted to humans like moths to a street lamp, only fighting us when we got in the way. Tabbi sat on the bed, rubbing Kayla’s back. Kayla’s face was in her hands.

  “She looked,” Tabbi explained, frowning.

  Grabbing my handkerchief out of my back pocket, I wiped my blades then stuck them back in their sheathes. Seth and Samantha evaporated from the room with the Nightmares in their arms. Burning the bodies in here was out of the question. Kayla was already freaked out enough.

  “Tabbi, could you run and grab some bleach? We’re going to need to clean the floor,” I asked.

  Tabbi nodded and disappeared. I sat on the bed next to Kayla and touched her arm. “Kayla—”

  She jerked away and glared at me. “Don’t touch me.” Tears streaked her cheeks.

  Frowning, I moved my hand away. “Are you all right?”

  “No, I’m not all right! I just watched you three kill… whatever those things were.”

  “How can you see them?”

  “I don’t know! I don’t even know what they are! What were those things?”

  I paused, unsure if I wanted to tell her the truth. But I had no choice. “Nightmares.”

  “You mean those are the things that touch people—touch me—to give me bad dreams?”

  There was no point in sugarcoating anything. She was much too smart for that. “Yes.”

  “Oh my god.” She ran her hands through her hair. “What’s happening to me?” Two more tears rolled down her cheek.

  “Look at me.” I touched her arm again. This time she didn’t shrug me off. She looked into my eyes. “I’ve been fighting those things for two hundred years. As long as I’m here, you’ll be safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She wiped the tears from her cheeks and flicked her eyes over my face. I kept my gaze locked with hers, trying to show I was being sincere. She nodded, and I let out a sigh of relief. Then to my surprise, she leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. When I slipped my arm around her back, pulling her closer, she didn’t object.

  My heart raced. I liked the feeling of her in my arms, of her leaning on me for support. Now, knowing how it felt to hold her, keeping her out of my head would truly be impossible.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Leaning my head against the wall, I closed my eyes. Soon her breathing slowed, and I knew she had fallen asleep. I let myself do the same.

  he sun had just peeked over the clouds when someone nudged me awake.
I opened my eyes to find Tabbi standing next to the bed, a huge smile on her ivory face. She spoke in a hushed voice so as to not wake up Kayla. “Wakey, wakey.”

  “What time is it?” I whispered while glancing down at Kayla, still asleep on my shoulder. My arm was numb.

  “Six forty-five. I figured you’d want to get out of here before the nurses came in to check on her. And then, you can change out of those nasty clothes before your lunch date.”

  I glowered at her through sleepy eyes.

  “What? I only want to make sure your date goes well, Mr. Graham.”

  I pointed at her. “Don’t call me that.”

  She laughed. “Why? It’s funny.”

  “No, I only let Kayla get away with it because I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Did you see the whole thing?”

  Tabbi shrugged. “Pretty much. She was thinking about it as she fell asleep. I think she’s pretty excited for today.”

  “Do me a favor?”

  “What?”

  “Next time Kayla starts reminiscing, find another human brain to focus on. I don’t want to worry every time I’m near her that you’re going to hear—and see—everything.”

  Tabbi laughed. “Why? What do you think I’m going to see? Kayla and Daniel sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S—”

  “Stop that.”

  Tabbi evaporated, her giggling echoing after her. I reached over and tucked some of Kayla’s hair behind her ear. She jerked awake and jumped off me.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said. Needles pricked my arm as the blood tried to flow again. I bent my elbow with a wince.

  Kayla rubbed her face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

  “Don’t apologize. I passed out shortly after you did. Though I’m pretty sure the blood isn’t going to return to my arm.”

  She blushed. “Sorry. My cheek’s numb too. You could smack me in the face if you want. Maybe that’ll wake it up. Your arm, too.”

  I smirked. “People usually only ask me to smack their face when they’re drunk. Were you and Tabbi partying without me?”

  “Not that I can remember, so if we were, I must’ve blacked out and forgotten everything.”

  “Well, next time, remember to invite me. A drunk Tabbi is always a sight to see.”

  “She drinks? She’s like, ten.”

  With a chuckle, I stood up. “Twelve, actually. But for as long as she’s been around, there comes a point when biological age doesn’t matter anymore.”

  Kayla’s smile softened as the silence between us grew. Then she bit her lip. “Will I see you for lunch?”

  “Of course.”

  “Cool. Oh, and thanks for, you know, fighting those things last night.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  Nodding my goodbye, I disappeared with a smile.

  Kayla wasn’t alone when I came to visit. SpongeBob was the nurse on duty again and when she opened the door, another woman sat on Kayla’s bed—her mother. Kayla stood against the window, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes swollen red.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Meredith,” SpongeBob said. “I didn’t know you were still here. I’ll have Kayla’s friend wait for her in the waiting room.”

  “No need. I was just on my way out.” She stood up from the bed, grabbed her doctor’s coat and hugged her daughter. Kayla didn’t hug her back. “Think about it, okay Kayla-Bear?”

  Kayla didn’t respond. Dr. Bartlett—Meredith—glanced at me as she passed me on her way into the hall. I nodded a “hello,” then she left without a word.

  “Kayla, are you okay to accept your visitor?” SpongeBob asked.

  She nodded.

  “All right. Grab me if you two head down for lunch.” SpongeBob left the door halfway open behind her on the way out. Silently, I thanked her for the privacy.

  “I can go,” I said.

  Kayla shook her head, then her face dropped into her hands. Her shaking shoulders were enough to lasso my heart. I crossed the room in a few strides to embrace her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and cried into my chest as I rested my cheek on the top of her head. I stroked the ends of her hair.

  “My mom wants me to come home. She thinks I can get the treatment I need there. But, she doesn’t get it. That’s not really why I’m here. I can’t be in that house.”

  My jaw tightened as I recalled her attack. I couldn’t blame Kayla for not wanting to go home.

  For about two minutes, we stood without speaking. Then I felt her pull away and dropped my arms.

  She wiped her cheeks with her hands. “Sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “Crying. You came for lunch, not to stand here while I drench your shirt with snot and tears.”

  “I don’t mind. Although, I could do without the snot. That’s pretty gross.”

  She chuckled once. “Just give me a second.” Kayla walked into her attached bath and closed the door. I heard her blow her nose a few times before she turned on the tap. A minute later, the water turned off and the bathroom door opened. “Okay, let’s go.”

  We took a few steps toward the door, then I stopped. “Wait. Would anyone notice if you took off for a few hours?”

  Kayla looked at me, her eyes scrunched. “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Did you want to go somewhere else for lunch?”

  She bit her lip and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Was she afraid of me? I guess I should’ve expected that.

  I continued. “I just thought you might like to get out of this place for a while. There’s no pressure. If you’d rather eat here, we can.”

  She glanced at the half-open door then turned back to me. “How are you going to sneak me out?”

  “The same way I go from my place to here every day. Think of it like teleportation.”

  Her foot tapped, but she quickly made her decision. “Okay, but they’ll need to think I’ve decided not to go to lunch, or they’ll come to check.”

  I nodded and waited for her to walk down the hall and notify the nurses. A minute later, she returned.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Give me your hands.” She slowly lowered her hands into mine. My palms tingled at her touch. Her skin was so soft. “Okay, you’re going to feel very disoriented. But, hold my hands and close your eyes. I’ll tell you when to open them.”

  Kayla followed my instruction and squeezed my hands tight. I pictured my living room, blinked, and when I opened my eyes, we stood directly in front of the sofa where Seth sat.

  “Holy shit!” Seth yelled, throwing the TV remote. “That was not cool, dude.”

  Stifling a laugh, I caught Kayla as she fell forward. “Open your eyes,” I told her. Quickly, her eyes focused, and she looked around. Until I was sure she wouldn’t fall—and because I didn’t want to let go—I held onto her hands.

  “Sorry. Not the most graceful,” she said with a blush.

  “You didn’t tell me you were bringin’ Kayla over,” Seth said.

  “We aren’t staying long. Just wanted to swing by so she could pick up some clothes.”

  Kayla tilted her head. “Why? Where are we going?”

  “Well, that’s up to you. Where would you like to go?”

  “Um… I can pick anywhere?”

  “Sure. New York, Barcelona, Paris—”

  Her eyes almost popped out of her head. “You can take me all the way to Paris?”

  “Of course I can.”

  She smirked. “I forgot you were invincible. Do you always try to flatter girls with promises of French cuisine and the Eiffel Tower?”

  Seth burst out laughing. “Oh man, I like her.”

  Ignoring him, I replied to Kayla, whose sense of humor continued to surprise me, “Only the stunners.”

  Her cheeks blushed. “Well, okay. I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.”

  “Then let’s steal something from Samantha’s closet.”

  “Dude, she’s gonna kill you,” Seth said. He was rig
ht, but I still led Kayla out of my flat and knocked on Tabbi’s door. When she answered, she stared at us with huge eyes.

  “Hey, Tabbi,” I said. “Is Samantha here?”

  “Uh, no. Why?”

  “Would you mind doing me a favor?”

  fter changing into dark jeans, a blue dress shirt, and a black jacket—and dealing with Seth’s endless pleading to come along—I returned to Tabbi’s apartment. It hadn’t taken much to convince her to steal clothes from Samantha’s closet. Tabbi always did enjoy giving someone a good makeover.

  Whispers drifted from Tabbi’s bedroom, so I sat on the sofa. Five minutes later, they emerged, and Tabbi’s face beamed, like she’d received an Oscar. She turned around and held her hands out.

  “Ta da!” Tabbi shouted.

  When Kayla walked into the living room, I stood. She wore a pink, sleeveless dress that came down to her knees, with a wide, black belt wrapped around her waist, and on her feet, she wore shiny, black heels. Her dark hair curled over one shoulder, and Tabbi had even found makeup for Kayla to wear. She took my breath away.

  The look on my face must’ve been hilarious because Tabbi burst out laughing.

  “Well, I’d say my work here is done. You two have fun!”

  I crossed the living room to where Kayla stood, her cheeks slowly matching the color of her dress. I held out my hands. “You look beautiful.”

  She looked away, fighting a smirk, and placed her hands in mine.

  With a smile, I spoke. “Hang on tight.”

  We evaporated to Paris in the alley next to where I was taking her for dinner. Kayla fell into me when we landed. Luckily, she didn’t weigh much. I caught her and helped her stand. “Did you forget to close your eyes?” I asked.

  “Maybe.” She stepped back and ran her hands down her dress. Her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red, and she mumbled, “Told you I wasn’t graceful.”

  I chuckled and held out my arm for her to take. She slipped her arm through mine. “Come on. We’re not far from the restaurant.”

  Given the time zone change, it was 9:30 p.m. in Paris when we arrived at the Clair de Lune, a small steakhouse near the Seine. I led her inside the dimly lit restaurant. Soft music played from a piano in the back corner near the bar, and all across the room, people sat at round tables with white tablecloths, conversing and eating by candlelight. We were seated at a table near the window that overlooked the river, and I waited for Kayla to look outside.