by Stacey Jay
But they hadn’t. Yet. The SA council and the Enforcers were actually being very cool. They’d even apologized for judging me unfairly after Elder Thomas spilled the beans about the WB virus thing a few days ago.
So mostly, it was good news all around. Or as good as could be expected.
The not-so-good news, however, was that no one could find Aaron. Or Jess. Or whoever he/she was at that moment when I reached into Aaron’s body and pulled out that heart. By the time our reinforcements arrived, Aaron had vanished and none of us could remember seeing him move. In all the craziness of the zombies swarming back under the ground, he’d disappeared.
And so had another corpse, one I was considerably more attached to.
Cliff was also missing by the time the big beige SA cars and ambulances arrived, and I hadn’t felt the slightest tug on my energy since. It made me worry, though I was certain, deep down, that I’d know if he’d gone back to his grave.
I mean, we had shared a body and reached into a person and pulled out a heart together. We were undeniably connected, a fact Kitty had confirmed with some much-needed sharing about former prophets who had come to the aid of powerful Settlers in times of earthly crisis. She said it was a sign that I was working for the right side that someone like Cliff had found me, and that our instinct about taking Aaron’s heart had been dead-on. The habeo are transit spell might have some consequences down the line as far as mutating our power was concerned, but there had been no other way to stop the zombies Aaron/Jess had summoned.
Kitty had recommended we just chill and wait and see what happened with my mojo before freaking out, however. Having had more than enough freaking, I agreed, especially when a second test of my blood revealed all was still quiet on the getting-messed-up-by-black-magic front.
Which made me feel better . . . but not that much better.
I’d lost more than two pints of blood and a few chunks of skin last night—I’d lost a piece of myself I could never get back. I was a darker person and the world a darker place, and I knew I would never see either the same way again.
“It’s probably good you’re not dancing tonight. Our whole family could use a little R and R,” Dad said, snapping me back to the present just as the buzzer sounded, signaling the beginning of halftime.
“Yeah, I’m not too broken up about it.” The cheerleaders were claiming the first halftime of the basketball season and participation in whatever “super-special” opening game event the boosters had planned.
The fund-raiser had ended up a draw, so we would now be sharing halftime with our cheerleader enemies, alternating every other game. Of course, only Monica and I knew just how vile the cheerleaders really were, but that didn’t stop Alana and a few other pom squadders from booing as Dana strode to mid-court with a microphone in her hand.
I, however, didn’t utter a sound. Monica and I had been warned not to attract cheerleader attention for the next few days. Erasing memories as traumatic as what Enforcement had removed from the cheerleader’s brains was tricky business. Seeing too much of the people involved in those memories too soon after the procedure could cause Dana and Lee and the others to start remembering things no Settler wanted them to remember. We’d come scary close to having our world exposed and our power destroyed, and no one wanted to risk another Class Three containment crisis.
Monica and I wouldn’t have been allowed to go to the game at all, in fact, if Kitty hadn’t argued that our absence was as likely to incite curiosity as our attendance. So we were here, but lurking in the upper bleachers, both of us sacked out next to our parents. Monica still wasn’t talking to me after last night, but I could tell she wasn’t going to hold a grudge for too long. She had at least texted to make sure I was recovering . . . unlike Ethan.
God, Ethan. Where was he? I had been sure he would be here tonight, but so far there had been no sign of him.
Dana cleared her throat as the last of the boos faded. “I’d like to dedicate this special performance to Aaron Peterson, who’s been missing since the rabid-dog attack last night. Aaron, we miss you and hope to see you soon.”
Um, no they didn’t, not looking the way he did when I last saw him, but at least it seemed that the Enforcer mind wipe was holding strong. Dana even had a little tremble in her voice as she introduced the head of the booster club and then ran to join the rest of the squad behind a giant breakthrough poster on the other side of the court.
“Thank you, Dana,” Mr. Cotter said. “The Carol High boosters are so glad to see all of you here to celebrate our new gym. It was my pleasure to cut the opening-game ribbon earlier tonight, and now it is my privilege to make the following special announcement. In honor of our new gym, and a new era of CHS athletics, we’d like to introduce the new Carol High mascot—the Carol Cavemen!”
Then, I kid you not, that horrible “Walk the Dinosaur” song from the 1980s boomed out of our new state-of-the-art sound system, and all twelve cheerleaders burst through the breakthrough sign dressed in . . . caveman costumes. We’re talking cheetah halter tops, big mallets, and furry pelt diapers. Yes. Diapers. Made of fur.
Their ponytails were as blond and perky as always and their makeup tastefully applied, but nothing could make up for the fact that they were dancing around to one of the worst songs of all time in diapers. (Have I mentioned the diapers? The fur diapers?)
It took the laughter a few minutes to really get started—probably because we were all fighting off symptoms of clinical shock after learning that our fabulous, fierce Cougars had been replaced by Cavemen—but once it did, it was loud enough to drown out the music completely. One by one, the cheerleaders lost the beat and their place in the routine and started bumping into each other, turning their pitiable performance into a true travesty.
“This is painful to watch,” I mumbled to Dad.
“Yeah. I think I’ll go hit the men’s room until it’s over,” Dad said. “You could visit your mom at the snack table, or I think I saw Ethan head outside a second ago.”
“What?!” He’d seen Ethan a second ago and had waited until now to tell me?
“He isn’t a smoker, is he? I don’t want you dating a smo—”
I was on my feet before he could finish his sentence. “He’s not a smoker—he was probably leaving!” I bit my lip as I realized how crazy I must sound. I’d gone from zero to mournful in two point two seconds. If I didn’t watch it, Dad was going to realize something was up. “I’m going to go try to catch him. Be back in a few.”
“Okay, but call my cell if he’s giving you a ride home.”
I acknowledged his order with a wave and made a relatively dignified dash to the front doors and out into the cool night air, even though my heart was racing a thousand miles a minute.
No matter what I’d felt for Cliff, no matter how strong the paranormal connection between us, Ethan was the one for me. He was my home base, my best friend, and the only person who I trusted with my life but who terrified me at the same time.
But the terrified part was okay. Because that was part of what love was about: feeling something so powerful it was scary, but staying and feeling it anyway. That’s what my dad and mom had done. They’d stayed and fought for each other, forgiven each other, and—
“And you’re sure you’re ready?” Kitty asked. She and Ethan were standing by Kitty’s enormous truck, looking decidedly chummy. “You’ll have to leave Arkansas. The closest certification program is in Nashville.”
“My bags are already packed. I’m just waiting for the word,” Ethan said, sending my heart crashing into my stomach where the wreckage burst into flames. He was leaving? To go to Nashville? And his bags were already packed?
“It probably won’t be for a month or two. We’ve got to get your paperwork and background check through the system. But I don’t anticipate any problems,” Kitty said, grinning up at her latest protégé. “You’ve done some great work. Everyone’s really excited to see you join the team.”
“It’s what I’ve wa
nted to do for awhile.” Ethan was practically glowing as he shook Kitty’s tiny hand. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
“No thanks necessary. You earned it.” Kitty hopped up into the driver’s seat. “Come by the training office on Monday and we’ll get everything started.”
Ethan said goodbye and Kitty drove away, and I knew I should scram. But instead I lingered in the shadows near the door, watching as Ethan walked toward his car, sniffling in confusion as he walked right past it and made a beeline to where I was hiding a dozen feet from the gym exit. I obviously needed to work on my super-secret-eavesdropping skills. As he closed the last few feet between us, I debated making a run for the safety of the girls’ room but decided against it. I needed to talk to him, and this might be my last chance.
I had to let him know how sorry I was, and that I’d always care about him no matter what. I had to be strong and rational and not turn this into some sort of Megan blubber-fest.
“So you’re leaving and you weren’t even going to tell me?” I blubbered, opening my mouth and inserting my decidedly weak and irrational foot.
“You’ve done a lot of things lately without telling me. So I guess we’re even, huh?” he asked, in that deep, sexy voice he always had when he was angry or upset. I wondered which it was right now? Probably angry, if the scowl on his perfect, kissable lips was any indication.
I flinched but didn’t look away. This was it. Time to take my medicine. “Yeah. I guess. I’m still sorry, you know. Really, really sorry. This past week has been . . . really hard. I’m not saying that’s a valid excuse, but I . . . ”
His scowl softened for a second. “I know. Kitty told me everything last night. I can’t believe your mom never told you about your real dad.”
“I was keeping secrets from myself too,” I said, refusing to give into the temptation to bask in the warm glow of Ethan’s sympathy. It was time to get real, with him and myself. “Everything that has happened since September had me really mixed up. My powers returning and the zombie attacks and Jess. Even the good stuff, like Enforcer training and us—it was just a lot to handle in a really short amount of time.”
He stepped closer and I felt the invisible wall between us start to crumble. “Then why didn’t you just say something? I could have understood if you needed time or—”
“I didn’t understand it myself until last night.” I looked up into his eyes, willing him to see how much I cared about him. “I was sure I was going to die, and all I could think about was you. That I was stupid to have been so scared.”
Ethan’s hand touched mine, just the barest brush of his fingers, but it was enough to make my entire self ache. “It wasn’t stupid. I know you’ve never been in a serious relationship before.”
“No, it’s not just that. It’s not even sex, so much,” I said, blushing until my cheeks burned. Maybe I wasn’t so jaded and dark after all. I could still get embarrassed saying the s word. “It’s just . . . you mean so much to me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I’ve never loved someone—”
“Then why the thing with the zombie, Megan?” Ethan asked, the hurt clear in his eyes, though he didn’t step away. “If you love me so much, why were you making out with another guy?”
“I don’t know,” I said, fighting tears for the zillionth time in the past few days. “I think it was because I was so confused about us and he was safe.”
“Safe?” He was mad again. “And what am I? A serial killer?”
“I don’t love him,” I said, scrambling to explain myself. “Cliff is a super-nice guy, but he isn’t even alive, so there’s no way he could hurt me the way you could.”
“I’d never hurt you. Don’t you realize that by—”
“Maybe not on purpose, but what if you just fell out of love with me one day?” I asked, ignoring the stares we were getting from people headed back into the game. “Or got tired of me being younger? Or met someone you liked more?”
“What if I got hit by a bus, or you got killed during one of these freakish Undead outbreaks you seem to attract like it’s going out of style?” he asked, squeezing my hand in his. “Don’t you think that scares me? Thinking about all the people who are going to want a piece of you if they find out what you are? Something bad could always happen, but if you’re too afraid of the bad, you can’t ever enjoy the good.”
“I know!” God, Ethan totally got it. Of course he did. He was way smarter than I was when it came to stuff like this. “I finally figured that out. It just took me a while. I’m sorry. But I . . .” Okay, here it was, this was the BIG moment. I might have thought Ethan and I had been here before, but we hadn’t, not like this.
“But you what?”
“But I love you. I really love you.” My heart raced and I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up, but I didn’t let myself stop or look away from Ethan’s eyes. “If you can’t forgive me, I understand, but I really wish you would because I . . . I think things would be a lot better.”
“You think?” The hand not holding mine snuck up to play at the back of my neck, making me shiver for reasons that had nothing to do with the cold night air.
“I know.” I leaned closer, wanting to be in Ethan’s arms more than I have ever wanted anything. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, to kiss him and kiss him and let those kisses take us wherever they would. I didn’t want to hold back anymore, didn’t want to worry about anything, just wanted to be as close to him as I could get. I was finally ready. Completely ready. Too bad it had taken another near-death experience to make me realize that truth.
He stared down at me and I could tell that he was thinking the same thing. But in the end, when he leaned down, his lips landed on my forehead, not my lips. “I love you, and it’s okay.”
“You forgive me?”
“I do.”
“You do?” I asked.
“I do, but I don’t think we should jump right back into anything. You’re right—you’ve been through a lot, and it’s not over yet. You and your parents have a lot to deal with, the Enforcers are going to be isolating you for special training, and I heard Kitty talking about full-time bodyguards for at least a few months, until they see who knows about you having witch blood. So . . . I think we should take our time.”
I sighed, a part of me wanting to burst into full-blown sobs at the idea of “taking time,” but another part of me a little relieved. I wanted to be with Ethan more than anything, but I was also really, really tired. No matter how much I wanted my life back on track right now, it was going to take some adjustment to get used to the new lay of the land.
“So what do you think? Friends for now?” he asked, still playing with my hair in a way that wasn’t really strictly friendly—not that I was going to complain.
“Friends who hug.” I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him tight.
“I can do hugs.” He wrapped his arms around me in a mostly platonic way, but I felt his lips brush the top of my head and heard the telltale sniff as he inhaled the scent of my shampoo. He’d told me a dozen times how just smelling that shampoo made him want to drag me into a dark corner and never let me go. “And maybe a kiss or two. If you’ll put your Frisbee hat back on.”
“It’s called a beret, which sounds a lot cooler than ‘Frisbee hat.’”
“Right, whatever,” he said, dropping another kiss on my forehead.
I smiled, and a sense of calm settled in my usually angst-ridden guts. Ethan and I were going to be fine. We’d take our time, but in the end, when I was ready and he was ready, we’d be us again. I was sure of it.
“So, you want to go get some ice cream? I heard you’re supposed to be pounding back the calories to help you heal,” he asked, pulling away from our hug.
“I thought all details relating to my condition were supposed to be top secret?”
“Yeah, they are, but Kitty gave Monica and me the scoop. I guess she figured we’d earned insider information for being the only two people smart enough to know y
ou were innocent from the start.” He grinned, pleased with himself. “And I’m really craving a hot fudge sundae.”
“How can you crave ice cream when it’s this cold?” I asked, holding on to the hand he placed in mine and following him to his car.
“Not just ice cream, a hot fudge sundae. The fudge is hot, countering the coldness of the ice cream and making it the perfect all-weather snack food.”
“Oh, I see.” I laughed and dug around in my coat pocket for my cell to call my parents, letting Ethan open the door for me. “I guess I can’t argue with—Oh, Ethan, what did you do?”
“What?” he asked, acting like he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“This.” I grabbed the elegantly wrapped black box with the silver ribbon from the passenger’s seat, marveling at the fact that Ethan had gone to the trouble to spell out my name on the gift tag with glitter. “It’s not anywhere close to my birthday.”
“Megan, I didn’t—”
But I was already tearing into the paper, revealing the carved wooden box inside. Impatiently, I fumbled with the ornate latch. I’m not one of those take-your-time-and-savor-it kind of unwrappers. I want to know what’s inside, and I want to know now.
Of course, that might change. After this particular gift, I didn’t know if I’d ever look at wrapping paper the same way again.
“Ohmygod!” I dropped the box as fast as I’d picked it up, which was my second mistake, because dropping it made the severed hand inside come rolling out.
“What the heck?” Ethan crouched down to get a better look at the thing, wisely not touching it. He was in Protocol mode now. He wouldn’t touch evidence and risk losing fingerprints or any magical remnants that might be stuck to the skin. “There’s a note.”
Ethan pulled a tissue from his pocket and used it to carefully pry open the edge of the crisply folded paper that had been resting beneath the hand.
