“Are you hungry?” His dark eyes gazed into mine. Somehow, he was different, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“Not really,” I told him. “I’m just tired.”
“Close your eyes,” he whispered.
The last thing I remembered before closing my eyes was watching him pull up my jeans and place the ice on my ankle. There was no scratch in the area that had caused me so much pain. Not even a bruise. Could it be possible that Ethan had healed me when he’d touched me? No, of course not. Things like that just didn’t happen. Did they?
I drifted into darkness. Not a scary darkness, but surprisingly, a calm and soothing darkness. A darkness where I wasn’t afraid of love. Somehow, the darkness comforted me here. It wrapped around me, twisting and turning like a vine, not only shielding me, but also warming and protecting me from everything that had gone wrong in my life. I felt safe here.
It was through the darkness that I heard a tapping, or maybe it was a soft knocking sound. I wasn’t sure. My head was lifted up, then placed back down on something softer. I heard whispers. They were low and furious.
“What are you doing?” a voice said. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into? And how much trouble you could cause us?” The voice was female. And she was clearly upset.
“We’ll be fine.” Ethan’s voice was calm. “He won’t find me. I’ve been very careful.”
“Even if he doesn’t find you, Marcus will. He’s been looking for you. I mean, you’re not staying here, right?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” he whispered back.
“Haven’t decided? Ethan, the girl is a mortal!” she whispered angrily. “She’s not one of us. And not only is she dangerous to be around because he’s in this world, but what could you possibly see in her? A mortal.”
“Remember, Kiera, you used to be a mortal, too.”
“That’s beside the point,” she snapped back.
There was silence. I had to be dreaming. That was the only way I could make sense of what I was hearing.
“What is it that you see in her?” Her voice appeared to be curious now. “What makes you want to risk everything, including your entire existence, to be with her?”
“I don’t know…” He hesitated. “There’s something about her. It’s like I’m being drawn to her, and every time I make the decision to go home, I get pulled back. I don’t think I can stay away from her.”
“You need to figure out how.” Her voice turned angry again. “If Marcus finds you, you’ll have no choice but to be separated from her. So you’d better end this now.”
Even though opening my eyes was difficult, I had no choice. I wanted to know who this girl was and what they were discussing. I slid off the sofa and walked over to the entryway to the kitchen. I peered groggily around the wall and saw Ethan standing in front of the door, talking to a girl who stood outside.
“Marcus won’t find me. I don’t know if I—”
“Ethan,” I called out before he had a chance to finish. His head whipped around at the sound of my voice. His eyes were wide. Frightened.
“Who are you speaking with?” I asked.
Ethan stood there, unmoving, his breath drawn in.
The girl pushed herself through the door until she was standing next to him. Her rose-colored lips lifted into a friendly smile. I had never been envious about the way anyone looked before, but she was my first exception.
She resembled the porcelain dolls I’d had as a child, and was about Ethan’s age. Her eyes, as dark as night, were lined by long, thick lashes that any girl would die for. And her cheeks, an airbrushed pale pink, perfectly enhanced her ivory complexion. She flipped her dark ringlets over her shoulder as I continued to stare.
“Introduction, please.” The girl elbowed him in the gut, snapping him back to life.
“Allie,” Ethan gulped. “This is my sister, Kiera.” It was hard to absorb that the cool and collected Ethan I had grown to know now appeared very nervous.
“Wow,” I said. Watching her made me want to run my fingers through my hair, which was more than likely a frizzy, brown mess. “I didn’t know Ethan had a sister.” I shrugged. “But I guess we really haven’t known each other that long for me to ask.” Not that he would tell me the truth, anyway. “How old are you?” I asked, and then added, “Because you look as though you’re the same age as Ethan. You’re not twins or anything, are you?”
Ethan turned and looked at her through narrowed eyes.
She smirked at him, then looked back at me. “No, definitely not twins. I’m a year younger than Ethan. Our parents think I’m smarter and more intelligent, so they ship me off to a private school every morning.” She cut her eyes at Ethan, stuck out her tongue, and then smiled playfully.
“Yeah, right,” he said, and laughed. The tension seemed to dissipate.
Kiera smiled. “I hate to cut this short, but I really have to get going.” She stepped out the door and then popped her head back in. “I wouldn’t be too long, Ethan. You know how Dad is with his patience.” Then she disappeared.
Ethan and I stood there, looking into each other’s eyes. Like always, I was caught up in the heat. His expression shifted from deliberation to a deep, underlying sadness. The deliberative part confused me because I didn’t understand, but the sadness I did. I had seen the same look in my mother’s eyes. But his look…his was more intense.
He wasn’t concentrating solely on the sadness and hurt from saying goodbye for the night. No. He was concentrating on something his sister had said while I’d been sleeping. Something about risking everything to be with me. All I knew was that meant he couldn’t be with me. I didn’t know why, and it wasn’t my business to ask. That’s just the way it was.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked softly.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” My eyes stung. I knew I had to let him go. For one, I didn’t want him to get in trouble for being around me. And two, it would hurt less if I let him go now instead of tomorrow.
“I ordered a pizza while you were sleeping. I thought you might be hungry when you woke up.”
I couldn’t figure out why he just wouldn’t leave. Didn’t he know how much worse he was making this for me? “You should go.” My throat tightened at the word “go,” and the lights in the kitchen flickered a few times. “Your dad is waiting for you.” I was holding back everything as hard as I could. But I didn’t know how long it would last. I had to get rid of him.
He ignored the lights. “You’ll be okay, then?”
Just go! Get out of here, please! My throat completely shut and a numbing emptiness began to consume my insides.
“Yes. My mom will be home soon,” I managed to say, even though I could no longer feel my lips.
Now, please, just go before I break down in front of you. Please…
“So, maybe I’ll see you Monday.” It wasn’t a question. It was more like a decision he had to make.
“Maybe,” I answered him. My body shook uncontrollably.
Ethan glanced at me once more. Then he was gone.
Chapter 6
By the next morning my ankle was fine. But without my mom’s financial support, I couldn’t afford to go to the doctor to find out what had happened in the woods. Why I’d lost my vision and felt all that pressure. I was sure I hadn’t experienced a heart attack or some crazy weird bug bite, because I would probably be dead right now, so I blamed my body’s reaction on stress and maybe dehydration.
On Monday morning, when I arrived at school, Marie was waiting for me. Her eyes were wide, and she stared at me without saying a word. I thought it was weird that Erica wasn’t with her, then I was worried something had happened to Erica.
“What’s wrong?” I rushed over and grabbed her shoulders. “Is Erica okay?”
“It’s not Erica…it’s you!” Her voice was tense and she kept shaking her head, her blond hair swaying side to side like she was rehearsing for a shampoo commercial.
“Me?” I took a step back
and looked at her. “What about me?” I had a million thoughts rolling around in my head at once. The school had found out about my mom. They had contacted social services. Or even worse, they had found my mom, dead in a ditch.
Marie leaned against the car next to mine, the orange fake tan draining from her rounded face as she struggled with her words. “I came in early today to make up a science test. I stopped by my locker to grab my books for my morning classes. That’s when I heard them. Becca, Cassie, and Aaron—”
“Wait…Aaron? Since when does Aaron talk to Becca and Cassie?” Juniors hardly ever talked to seniors, especially to someone like Becca. But I knew all three of them had something in common. Me. My body suddenly tensed up.
“I don’t know…but that’s not the point. I didn’t catch the entire conversation, but what I heard wasn’t good.” She stared at me, the fear flowing from her hazel eyes. “Apparently, something happened at the ghost shop between you, Becca, and Cassie. And then at the theater between you, Ethan, and Aaron. What happened?” she questioned me.
“Um…nothing that I know of.” I attempted to play it off. She would never understand. And the last thing I needed was for her to try to explain it to someone else.
“If you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine. It’s your business.” Fury replaced her fear. “But according to them, either you or Ethan—I don’t know which one—is a witch.”
I laughed nervously. “That’s the most insane thing I have ever heard.”
“I’m just telling you what they said.” She threw her hands in the air. “And they’re planning something big. I wanted to let you know so you can watch your back. You and I both know what Becca is capable of.”
Oh, no. My stomach bottomed out and my legs shook. I didn’t need this right now. Not with everything else.
“Please, don’t tell Erica,” I begged, knowing that if she found out it would only make matters worse.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell her. But you need to fix things with Aaron. Not only is he one of Ben’s friends, but if he doesn’t show up at the table, Erica will definitely know something’s up.”
She was right. I had to push my hatred for him and for what he’d done away, and I had to do it fast before Erica found out. It would be easier to make everything disappear, pretend it never happened, than to have to explain any of this to her.
“Come on.” Marie pushed herself away from the car. “We’re going to be late.” Her voice contained a tinge of bitterness as she stepped away from me and stalked toward the school.
I drew in a deep breath, swung my bag over my shoulder, and followed her in.
Aaron wouldn’t even look at me in gym, which was good. Maybe I didn’t have to worry about him saying anything to Erica and Ben. I figured I would wait until lunch and see how he reacted at the table before deciding whether I needed to talk to him or not.
At lunch, I walked into the cafeteria with Marie, who was still disgruntled with me. My stomach somersaulted nervously at the thought of seeing Ethan. When we reached the table, I noticed Aaron had switched seats. He was now sitting on the other side of Ben. I sat down in my usual spot at the table, alone.
All through lunch, I scanned the people who walked in and out of the cafeteria, looking for any sign of Ethan. He never showed. I kept reassuring myself that it was okay. That it was better this way. But I still felt empty inside. I didn’t understand how I could feel so intensely about a guy I had tried to ignore in the first place. It didn’t make any sense. I knew I was being pathetic, selfish even, but I wanted him here. I wanted him to choose me over his family.
When I got home that evening, I called Jeremy.
“Allie, maybe he was sick,” he told me. “I think you’re getting all worked up over nothing. You said you were asleep when they were talking, so maybe you got a dream mixed up with what they were actually saying.”
“I don’t know,” I said, unzipping my bag and withdrawing the pack of cookies I’d confiscated from the school vending machine. “You didn’t see the look he gave me Saturday night. It was like he was undecided about something.” I tore a small hole in a corner of the package and slid out one of the cookies.
“I’m sure you were imagining it. And besides, he has to come back to school sometime.”
“Maybe, unless his dad transferred him to a private school,” I said as I plopped back on the sofa. I propped up my feet on the pillow and nibbled on the chocolate coating.
“Allie. Stop.” He was frustrated. “What about your mom?” He’d changed the subject. “Have you heard anything from her?”
I placed the package on the table, suddenly not hungry anymore. “Nothing,” I whispered, wishing my stupid life could somehow get better.
“I’m sure she’ll turn up soon,” he said, trying to reassure me.
It didn’t work. I knew my mother wasn’t coming back.
“Thanks. Well, I gotta go.” I reached over for the remote and flipped on the TV. “I’ve got some homework to do,” I lied. I didn’t want my bad luck to start rubbing off on Jeremy. He had his own problems. The last thing he needed was to worry about mine, too.
The rest of my week remained the same. I made sure Erica was with me when we switched classes. Marie was still upset, and Aaron still refused to look at me. But the worst part of everything was that Ethan never returned to school.
By Friday, I had given up on ever seeing him again. At lunchtime, I sat at our established table, zoning everyone out, and once again buried my face in a book—my now-established position. This time the book was some fantasy novel about dragons. I wasn’t into dragons, but any world was better than the one I was in now.
“Hey,” Erica said to me. “How’s your essay on Fort Delaware coming along?” I’d totally forgotten about the essay assigned to the entire junior class. I guess that’s what happens when your English teacher spends his time behind his desk playing video games. No reminders.
“I haven’t started it yet,” I answered without looking up.
“It’s due next week, Allie. What are you waiting for?”
I sighed and glanced up, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at me, and said, “Because I don’t know anything about Fort Delaware or the Civil War except that some soldiers wore gray and some wore blue.” And I really didn’t feel like researching the war because I had more important things to think about than some stupid essay.
“Do you want to take a ride over to Fort Delaware this weekend? I’m going. So’s Ben.” Erica glanced at Ben, and then shifted her eyes over to Marie. “Marie’s got some family reunion to attend, so she can’t go, but,”—she looked at me—“I could take you.”
“Sure.” It wasn’t like I had anything else to do.
Erica directed her attention to Aaron. “You in?”
“No, I’m out,” Aaron mumbled. “I’ve got stuff to do.”
“And what kind of stuff do you have to do tomorrow?” Erica asked.
Aaron shrugged. “Just stuff.” He turned away and narrowed his eyes at me before he centered on the chicken nuggets on his tray.
Nobody else noticed this except for Marie, who didn’t hesitate to shoot me her I-told-you-so look. I rolled my eyes and dropped my gaze back down into my book, which appeared to be the best place.
“Has anyone seen Ethan lately?” Marie asked.
The “no’s” circulated around the table. I kept my eyes on the book and shook my head, trying to blend in with everyone else even though I knew his absence was my fault. The tight, twisted knot in my stomach wasn’t going to let me forget it.
“He hasn’t been in class all week,” Marie continued.
“I don’t know, Marie. Maybe he’s sick,” I said. I couldn’t help that my voice sounded strained. So Ethan wouldn’t be at Fort Delaware. Aaron wouldn’t be there either, so at least the outing would be fun. Going to the Fort with Ben and Erica would give me a chance to get away from my life, even if it was for only a day. And it would give me a chance to th
ink of something else for a change.
Something else other than Ethan.
Chapter 7
On Saturday, Erica picked me up early, then headed for Fort Delaware. She drove fast around the twists and turns on the back roads, through the marshy watershed. I sat in the backseat of her car, staring out the window, watching the breathtaking scenery zip by in a blur. Erica and Ben babbled away about her dad’s beach house. Ben didn’t seem to mind that her speedometer fluctuated between sixty-five and seventy as he scanned the radio. I guess I was the only one worried about whether or not we would make it to the Fort with all our limbs attached.
After several freakishly sharp turns and a lot of brake squeals, Erica drove around the little loop on Clinton Street. She parked the car across from a white gazebo, then she and Ben got out while I fumbled with the release button on my seat belt. It was jammed.
“Come on, Allie, I want to catch the first boat out,” she said. “Otherwise we’ll have to wait around here for an hour before it comes back.” Patience wasn’t her specialty.
“I’m coming.” The seat belt retracted and I pushed open my door. But my feet didn’t hit the ground. Instead, on the way out, my sneaker caught the edge of the carpeting and I fell out of the car. I landed on my hands and knees.
“Allie! Are you okay?” Erica shrieked.
“Yeah,” I chuckled uneasily. The sting of embarrassment felt worse than the road rash. It didn’t help that Ben was cracking up beside her.
“Shut up!” she whispered angrily. Her elbow struck him in the chest, and Ben coughed to catch his breath.
I completely lost it. I laughed so hard I almost ended up on the blacktop again.
Before either of us could recover, Erica swiftly turned around and marched through the grass toward a tiny brick building. Ben and I looked at each other and laughed harder. I had to admit, I was having fun. Something I hadn’t had in a very long time.
Other Side Of Forever (Other Side Of Forever Series Book 1) Page 6
