Catch Me When I Fall

by Vicki Leigh

  She smacked my hand away. “It was like playing peek-a-boo with a two-year-old. Nothing I couldn’t handle. I thought they taught you when we trained never to touch a wraith.”

  “Thanks for reminding me.”

  Tabbi grinned. “So, I guess I’m not needed anymore. I’ll leave you two love birds alone. Keep the snoggin’ to a minimum.”

  When Tabbi winked and disappeared, I shook my head then returned my attention to the girl in my arms.

  Kayla still wore the pink dress Tabbi stole from Samantha’s closet, but her shoes were missing. Between the bare feet, disheveled hair and smeared makeup, she looked like she’d had as rough of a night as I feared.

  “I’m sorry about Paris.”

  She stepped back, far enough to look into my eyes but not so far that I couldn’t keep my arms around her. She put her hands on my chest. “Forget about Paris. You almost died protecting me from, what, a wraith?”

  I shook my head. “It was after me. I just didn’t want to worry about you getting caught in the line of fire. The wraith can only kill what’s already dead, but you saw what it did to my flat. When they’re angry, they knock over everything in their path, living or not.”

  “Why was it after you?”

  Sighing, I dropped my arms from around her and led her to the sofa. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

  Her lips tightened, but she did what I asked. I sat next to her and touched her bare knee. My mind wandered to the feel of her soft skin beneath my palm, and I removed my hand from her knee before my mind got carried away.

  “Remember how I said there were other things out there—things that, as kids, we’re told don’t exist?”

  Kayla nodded. She folded her hands in her lap.

  “Well, one of those ‘things’ controlled that wraith tonight. I don’t know why he wanted me dead, but we do know what he was. A warlock.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You mean like a wizard?”

  I nodded. “But not the wand-twirling kind. Warlocks are powerful, and the dark ones are extremely dangerous. They have a supernatural connection to the spirit world and harness its energy to perform their magic—or in this case, control the wraith.”

  “So, what can we do? How can we keep him from coming after you again?”

  I would’ve laughed if the threat wasn’t realistic. My stomach churned. If he had some vendetta against me, then fine. But I wasn’t going to let Kayla get involved. Ever. “Bartholomew’s looking for answers. But I don’t want you being a part of this. It’s my job to keep you safe. Which means ‘we’ are not—”

  Kayla placed her hands on my chest. “I didn’t say I was going to go snooping around. Besides, I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”

  I sighed. “Your—not—lack of faith is disturbing.”

  “Did you really just try to apply a line from Star Wars to our relationship?”

  “Maybe. But I like that you called this a ‘relationship’. Takes the pressure off me to make it official.” I chuckled when she play-smacked my chest.

  “How about you take me home now, Darth?”

  e had to make a pit stop in Tabbi’s apartment so Kayla could change into her hospital garb. I groaned when I looked at the clock—10:00 a.m.—which meant Kayla had been gone for a whole day. They definitely would’ve noticed her absence.

  “This isn’t good,” I said, running my hand down my face. “I never should’ve taken you from that place.”

  “It’s okay. I can say I took a bus downtown or something,” Kayla said.

  I frowned. She was putting on such a brave face for me, but the lines in her forehead told me she was worried.

  She left me alone in Tabbi’s living room to change back into her outfit. When she returned, I held out a hand to her. “As long as you keep your hand in mine, you’ll stay invisible. When you’re ready for people to see you, I’ll let go.”

  She nodded, and we evaporated to the parking lot outside the asylum. Police cars were parked in front of the building, and I knew without a doubt they were here because of her.

  Great. I turned to Kayla. “Remember, just because you can’t see me, it doesn’t mean I’m not here. I will be with you every step of the way, but you’re going to have to put on one hell of a performance. You sure you’re ready to do this?”

  Kayla was pale, but she nodded. I squeezed her hand before letting go. At first she didn’t move; she just stared at the building. Come on, Kayla. Then as if she could hear me, she took a deep breath and walked out of the shadows and through the front door. As I expected, the nurses sprung into action upon seeing her face. They called for the police and ran to her.

  “Kayla! We’ve been searching everywhere for you. Your mother is terrified. Where have you been?” The nurse in the Hello Kitty scrubs grabbed her arm and led her toward the lift.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I left after lunch yesterday. Just needed some new scenery. I took a bus downtown and saw a friend, but then we lost track of time. So, I stayed with her overnight. She dropped me off on her way to work.”

  Brilliant.

  The nurse thumbed the button for the lift and took her upstairs. “You strictly disobeyed our rules and left the premises without an escort.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  There was one officer talking with the nurses at the station on Kayla’s floor. Another stood outside her door, conversing with someone inside her room. The policeman at the nurse’s station spotted Kayla and spoke into his radio. His voice echoed from the radio attached to the other officer’s shoulder.

  From inside Kayla’s room, her mother peeked her head out. Seeing her daughter, she sprinted down the hall and enveloped her in a hug. “Oh, thank god. I thought something terrible had happened to you.”

  “I’m all right, Mom.” Kayla’s voice was flat, emotionless. She told her mother the same reason she’d left.

  Meredith nodded. “You shouldn’t have been in this place anyway. I was just packing your things. We’ll leave here soon.”

  Kayla froze. “Leave? Why are we leaving?”

  “I only agreed to this because you were so adamant about it. But now that you’re clearly not as stricken with terror or whatever, I’m taking you home.” She left Kayla standing in the hall without waiting for a rebuttal.

  Kayla marched in after her. “No. I won’t go back there.”

  “I’ve had about enough. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the house. Now, put on these clothes while I finish packing.” She threw Kayla’s books into a duffel bag.

  Kayla’s bottom lip trembled and her eyes watered, but she held in the tears. She snatched the change of clothes off the bed and stormed into the bathroom to dress, much to my chagrin. I pushed the mental image of her nakedness out of my head.

  Dr. Malcolm entered the room as Kayla exited the loo. “Kayla, I will need you and your mother to sign the discharge papers before I can allow you to leave. I would like to continue to see you, if that’s okay.”

  Kayla nodded, and she and her mother signed the forms. After Dr. Malcolm shook hands with them and left, Kayla followed her mother to the car. I sat in the back next to the duffel bag.

  “Did you want to get food?” Meredith asked while she drove.

  “I’m not hungry,” Kayla replied.

  “You’ve gotten so skinny. You should eat something.”

  Kayla didn’t respond.

  Meredith tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. “I took the night off. Did you maybe want to order pizza and watch a movie or something?”

  “Not really.”

  I gripped the handle on the car door. All this tension was suffocating.

  We drove for fifteen more minutes before pulling through a large gate and up a long drive to a three-story, brick house. I knew they had money, given both Kayla’s parents had been surgeons, but I was shocked by just how much. Their driveway curved in a semi-circle in front of the house, and on their front lawn was an oversized, stone fountain. We drove past the
front door to a small drive along the left side of the house and into a three-car garage.

  I followed Kayla and her mother inside. The same staircase Kayla had walked down in one of her dreams sat straight across from the door, then the foyer split off in three directions—left to a gold dining room with a table that sat twenty; straight ahead to the kitchen that sent a chill down my spine remembering Kayla’s nightmare; and right, past the stairs, into a sitting area with a television and a black, grand piano in the front window.

  Kayla frowned. “I’m going to go lie down.”

  “All right, Kayla-Bear. Let me know if you change your mind about the pizza, okay?”

  Kayla ran up the stairs, two at a time. I followed her down a long hallway to a bedroom at the far end. The details of the room were clearer now that I wasn’t seeing the place through Kayla’s eyes. The walls were a light blue, and opposite her bed sat a large easel with an unfinished painting on it. A bookcase was positioned in the back corner, filled from top to bottom, and on a desk—the desk—were picture frames, figurines and stuffed animals. Lots of memories were stored in this room. Not all of them good.

  Kayla closed the door behind her, dropped the duffel bag and stared at her desk. Then, in a few short strides, she crossed her bedroom, grabbed the pictures off her desk and threw them across the room with a scream. Glass flew everywhere.

  I snapped out of my invisible state and ran to her, grabbing her shoulders. “Kayla, calm down.”

  She pounded my chest as sobs took over. “She promised she got rid of it. She promised! But it’s still here. She always wanted to pretend nothing happened.”

  I’d understood her mother couldn’t easily move them from this house. But not remodeling the room—or at least removing the desk—not giving Kayla a chance to move on… I wanted to go downstairs and smack Meredith into next year.

  When no sound of footsteps came from the hall, I gathered Kayla into my arms. “I can get rid of the desk for you. Won’t take more than a minute.” Her sobs quieted, but she continued to grip me tight. I kissed the top of her head and held her, wanting to make sure she knew she was safe.

  After a few minutes, she leaned back to look at me. Her hazel eyes were so gold, so beautiful; if I stared too long I would get lost in them. Cupping her face with my good hand, I stroked her cheek with my thumb, contemplating kissing her. Hell, I wanted to kiss her, but I didn’t want to come on too strong. I didn’t want to frighten her.

  Then, as if she had read my mind, Kayla wrapped her arms around my neck and planted her lips on mine. She tugged on the ends of my hair, kissing me again with ferocity, and her touch woke me up, like a burst of adrenaline running through my body.

  Placing my injured arm on her lower back, I pulled her hips against mine and slid my good hand up the bottom of her shirt to stroke her side. The feeling of her soft skin sent waves of excitement through my body, and my breath caught, imagining what she would look like without her blouse. Then I felt the scar, a thin, two-inch line of raised skin right above her hip bone, and the fire in me died.

  Against every urge, I gently pushed her back and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s slow down, okay?”

  Her eyes brimmed with tears. “But I thought… am I not…”

  “No, no.” I kept my injured arm on her lower back and held tight. It didn’t matter how much it hurt; I wasn’t going to let her out of my arms right now. “You are absolutely good enough. God, you’re so beautiful it pains me to stop. But do you really want to do this right now, right here?”

  My words registered. She shook her head and fell against me as a tear broke free. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to make me forget. I don’t know why—”

  “It’s all right. I understand.” I kissed the side of her head and stroked her back. After a minute or so, I eased away and brushed the hair off her face. “Why don’t you take your mum up on that offer to watch a movie? I can get rid of the desk while you’re downstairs.”

  “I don’t want to have anything to do with her. When they took me to the hospital, she stood up for him, asked me what I’d done to lead him on…” She wiped her tears with her fingertips.

  Again, I fought the urge to go downstairs and smack the woman. “But she’s your mum, and someday you might wish you’d spent more time with her. I certainly wish I’d spent more time with mine.”

  Kayla’s eyes locked with mine. She stared at me for a minute, then she sighed. “Fine. It’s better than being in this room anyway.” She slipped from my arms and grabbed pajamas out of a dresser. Looking away before she removed her trousers—that was the last thing I needed to see right now—I took the few remaining things off her desk and evaporated, taking the piece of shit with me.

  y the time I finished cleaning Kayla’s bedroom of all the broken glass, she sat downstairs on her sofa, chowing on pizza and watching The Princess Bride. I figured Kayla would cover for me if her mother noticed a couple missing slices, so I ate them in another room to avoid Meredith freaking out at a random guy appearing and disappearing in her kitchen. My hands would go through the pizza unless I went corporeal first to grab them.

  With a full stomach, I returned to the living room in time to see the swordfight between Inigo and the six-fingered man. Meredith laughed at all the right places, but Kayla just stared. She curled up against an arm of the sofa, her elbow propped on the armrest and her cheek in her palm. I wanted to go to her, to let her curl up against me, but that would mean revealing myself to Meredith, and that was the last thing Kayla needed right now. Resolved, I stood, invisible, near a white, high-backed chair that faced the emerald green sofa.

  Before I even had a chance to get into the movie, Samantha, Seth and Tabbi appeared. I swore in surprise.

  “Nice to see you, too. We have to talk,” Samantha said.

  The three of them walked into the kitchen, invisible to Kayla and her mother, and I followed.

  “Seth overheard Bartholomew and Giovanni talking about your trip to Paris,” Samantha continued. “They believe there’s something darker going on than we’re aware of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, for starters, Bartholomew doesn’t think you were the ultimate target in Paris—Kayla was,” Seth replied.

  My stomach dropped to my knees. “Did he say why he thinks it was her?”

  Seth shook his head. “No, man. Sorry. But he seemed pretty certain.”

  I stared at the gray, marble countertop, unable to think straight. Bartholomew had been around for a long time. He’d seen a lot of things, met a lot of people. He had allies in the “otherworld” who provided him with information on the happenings in the supernatural realm. If he believed Kayla was in danger, one of his allies must’ve talked. I had no choice but to believe him. He never relayed information to Giovanni unless he was absolutely certain of its authenticity.

  Tabbi patted my hand. “We’ll help you look out for her. Don’t worry.”

  I nodded and stood up straight. “Her movie will be over soon. Do me a favor and keep a watch outside until she falls asleep.”

  Seth, Samantha and Tabbi all nodded in agreement and went their separate ways through the walls of the house. With a sigh, I returned to the living room as the old man in the movie said goodnight to his grandson and the credits rolled.

  Meredith turned to her daughter. “Well, that was fun. Did you want any more pizza?”

  Kayla shook her head and sat up straight in her seat. “I’m good, thanks.”

  Meredith stood and grabbed their plates. “Kayla, you’re home now. You don’t have to be so polite. I’m not your nurse.” She entered the kitchen to clean up the food.

  I stood in the living room, watching Kayla. She moved from the sofa to the grand piano and ran her fingertips along the keys. She eyed the music that sat in a wicker basket next to it. Part of me hoped she would sit down and play, but I knew she wouldn’t.

  Thirty seconds later, Meredith walked back in, purse in hand and her doctor’s coat tosse
d over her arm. “I’m sorry, honey, but one of my patients woke up unable to move half of his face. I’m going to need to run to the hospital for a couple of hours. Are you going to be okay here alone?”

  Kayla nodded “yes” to her mother.

  “Are you sure? Because if you’re not, I can see if Doctor—”

  “I’m fine, Mom.” Kayla’s voice was cold.

  With a frown, her mother stepped toward the door. “Call me if you need anything.” As soon as her car peeled out of the driveway, I revealed myself. Kayla walked into my arms.

  “I hate it here,” she said.

  “I know.” I changed the subject right away. “I saw you eyeballing the piano music. Do you play?”

  She shrugged and stepped back, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Not since my dad died. He was the pianist in the family.”

  “Well, what if I played with you? Do you know the harmony for ‘Heart and Soul?’”

  The corners of her eyes rose in a smile. “You seriously want me to duet with you playing that song?”

  “Hey, now what’s wrong with that song? It’s a classic.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, if you also call ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ a classic.”

  Grabbing her hand, I dragged her to the piano bench with a smile. “Sit.”

  She rolled her eyes and sat.

  I joined her on the other side of the bench and elbowed her. “Now play.”

  She sighed and placed her right hand on the keys. Then she pressed them, providing the familiar melody. I joined her in the duet, jazzing up the baseline at the right spots. She laughed and changed the melody to throw me off.

  “Hey, now that’s not fair,” I said.

  “Keep up!” She smiled.

  We continued to play, trying to outsmart each other until Samantha appeared, the sound of her voice startling me. “Daniel, you need to see this.”

  Kayla stopped playing, my jumpiness shocking her too. “There’s someone else here, isn’t there?”

  I nodded. “I’ll be right back.” I followed Samantha out the front door. The sky was dark, so dark I couldn’t see the moon. That alone struck me as odd. But then, something stirred out of the corner of my eye. Squinting, I stared off into the distance, waiting for the slightest movement. When I caught it, the blood drained from my face.