Eric. She had only recently begun using his first name. When I first met her, she called him Welborn like everyone else, but she eased into it better than I had. I knew it was because she used to call him Eric before, when they were kids.
“Why did you two stop being friends?” I asked.
Crystal’s back pressed into her chair. “After Hannah died, he started getting in fights, and I didn’t like it.” She made a squeaking noise in-between her sentences. “It reminded me of my dad.”
A fog crossed her gaze, but everything was clear to me. She hardly spoke of her father. All I knew of the man was how early he had left her life. I didn’t know why he divorced her mom or stayed out of her life, but I imagined the reason wasn’t good.
“He wasn’t the nicest man,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to look into the coffee shop. “But he’s still my dad, you know?”
I did understand. I didn’t have a single memory of my birth parents, but they remained in my heart as much as my adoptive parents. Even after everything I learned, I loved them both.
“Do you talk at all?” I managed, wondering what it was like to actually have the opportunity to speak to someone who gave you life.
“No.” Her single word was harsh. “It’s weird, I know, but I don’t want to,” she stumbled over her words. “Not anymore.”
I didn’t have a chance to ask her why or question why she was telling me tonight because the door chimed behind me. I knew the boys had returned before they even announced their presence, and I wasn’t about to continue our conversation in front of them. It was something Crystal and I shared. She was my only friend who knew I was born and adopted out of Hayworth, and a part of me knew I was the only friend she talked about her dad with.
Zac laid a drink in front of her as he sat between us. “One macchiato for the lady.”
“And one black coffee,” Robb used Zac’s sentence to create his own as he sat on the opposite side of me. The boys were in-between us, and the round table had never seemed so large.
I grabbed the hot mug to stop my fingers from shaking, and I took a sip even though I knew it would burn. I wanted my insides to be warmed up.
“It’s kind of hot—” Robb started.
“It’s fine,” I promised after I consumed the sizzling liquid.
Robb chuckled. “You’re tougher than I am.”
“She’s a tough chick,” Crystal said, but it didn’t sound friendly. It sounded like a threat, but she quickly covered her tone with a large grin. “I’ve seen this girl run a hundred miles an hour before.” But she hadn’t. “You should’ve joined track.”
My face burned. “When have you seen me running?”
“You go jogging all the time.” Crystal waved my question away. “It’s a small town. I’ve driven by you before.”
“I have, too,” Zac mentioned as he raised his cup up. “You are a fast one.”
The memory was one I could never forget. While I was having nightmares, I ran after one. It was the only way I felt like I had any control, and Zac was the one to pull up in Robb’s car. Even though Robb had explained it, I didn’t believe their excuse, but our conversation only deepened my confusion. I couldn’t figure out which memories my friends had and which ones they didn’t.
“Maybe we can go running sometime,” Robb said. “I go jogging on Saturday mornings.”
“I didn’t know,” I mumbled into my cup as I avoided his offer. I didn’t want to spend more time with him. I wanted to spend time with Zac, and I needed to find a way to get him alone if I were going to test him.
“I used to play basketball in middle school,” Robb continued, “and Zac and I were on a soccer team as kids.”
“Don’t remind me,” Zac muttered.
“What?” Crystal beamed. “I didn’t know that.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Zac said.
“Our parents were close, so they wanted us to be,” Robb continued anyway. “It was a soccer league outside of school since we went to separate schools. What were we? Five?”
“Six.”
“He could barely kick the ball.” Robb laughed as he leaned over the table to hit Zac’s arm. “You’re better now.”
“I don’t play now.” Zac formed a smile when he looked at Crystal. “It was a long time ago.”
A long history hung between everyone at the table but me, and I wished I had taken notes over everything I had learned from them. If what Jonathon had told me was true, Zac’s mother had died when he was a kid. In fact, it would’ve happened around the same time Eric’s mom died, but the two boys couldn’t have reacted more differently. Zac didn’t seem bothered by it at all. It fit Darthon’s personality perfectly.
I gulped down the rest of my coffee. “I’m going to get another one.” I stood up before Robb could offer. “Want to get Crystal another one?” I asked Zac.
He stared up at me, but didn’t move. “She isn’t finished.”
“Yes, I am.” Crystal slammed her cup down like she had downed a beer.
Zac glanced from her to me, and I waited for him to ask what was going on, but he didn’t have a chance.
“It’s okay,” Robb said and slid his chair away from the table. “I’ll grab you one.”
A silent curse took over my heart.
“Thanks, man,” Zac dismissed his friend, and I knew what had happened. Robb was giving his friend the chance to be alone with his girlfriend. I had lost my chance for now.
I walked into the coffee shop without waiting for Robb, but he caught up with me. “Let me get yours, too,” he said before ordering the same drinks.
“Thanks,” I muttered, even though I wanted to say the opposite. It wasn’t Robb’s fault. He didn’t know.
I went to the pick-up counter to wait and kept my eyes on Crystal and Zac through the window. The murky glass made it hard to see him, but I could make out Crystal’s white hair. If he attacked her, I would know.
Robb appeared next to me after he paid. “I hope I didn’t ruin something.”
I glanced over. “Why would you say that?”
He fiddled with his shirt. “You seemed like you wanted to talk to Zac.”
I shrugged. “Valentine’s Day is next week.” The lie slipped out easily. “I was going to see if he needed help picking out a present.”
Robb leaned against the counter, inches away from me, and caught my stare. His brown eyes were as warm as the coffee we drank. “You’re a really good friend, Jess.”
I tried to shift away without him noticing. “Thanks,” I managed, even though it wasn’t the truth.
I was putting Crystal in danger by allowing her to be around them, but she was dating Zac, and there was nothing I could do about it. Asking Zac out alone wasn’t a possibility, not without a potential fight breaking out. In the end, if he were Darthon, the Dark would kill him. We would have to kill Crystal’s boyfriend, and when she mourned, I would have to comfort her. How I would face her was beyond me. I would lose her, too, and I knew that was why Jonathon had brought it up in the car. He didn’t want to say it out loud because he knew I would realize it.
Everything was getting more complicated by the second.
“Are you okay, Jess?”
“What?”
Robb leaned closer, and his finger skimmed my cheek. “Your face is all red.”
I pulled away and stumbled into a trashcan. It fell over, and half of the coffee shop stood up. Everyone’s eyes were on me.
“Sorry,” I muttered and bent down to pick it up.
“Relax.” Robb touched my shoulder as he knelt down. I straightened up to get away, but he didn’t look at me as he cleaned up my mess.
I had to shove my hands in my pockets to keep them from shaking. I had lost my concentration.
“Robb.” The barista called his name as she placed two cups of coffee on the counter. He grabbed the drinks and apologized for the mess. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Happens all the time.”
He shifted t
oward the exit. “Let’s go outside.”
“I’m going to use the restroom,” I dismissed myself so I didn’t have to follow him. Before he could question me again, I said, “I’ll be out in a minute.”
I concentrated on my walking so I didn’t run. Every step felt lighter than the first one, and every part of me wanted to run just like I had so many times before. If I lost control now, everyone would be in danger, and I wouldn’t even have the chance to learn anything.
When I got into the bathroom, I locked the door behind me. “Jonathon.” Our connection buzzed, and I had to take two breaths before I felt it solidify. “Jonathon.”
“You okay?” His voice was already high.
“Fine,” I promised. “Are you close?”
“I’m in the alleyway.”
That explained why the car was out of sight. He had parked out of view.
“Give me ten more minutes,” I said.
“I don’t know if you have the time.”
My heart pounded. “What do you mean?”
“Zac and Crystal just walked past me.”
I grabbed the doorknob and ran out of the bathroom. Zac was taking Crystal away, and I couldn’t let that happen. I practically broke down the exit door to get outside, and the cold air slammed into me like it wanted to push me back.
Jonathon wasn’t wrong. Crystal and Zac were walking down the street, and Robb was sitting at our table by himself.
“Where are they going?” I asked and started to walk toward them.
Robb stood up and grabbed my arm. “They just wanted to talk,” he said, dropping his hand. “I think they wanted more time alone.”
I stared at their backs as their bodies melted into silhouettes against the street lamps. “Are they fighting?”
“Not at all.” Robb pulled out my chair. “They’re fine.”
I looked at him before glancing at Crystal. If I followed her, it would look suspicious. “Keep your eyes on them,” I spoke to Jonathon, and he confirmed my order.
She would be safe for now. I would have to wait until they returned.
I plopped down in my seat, and a sigh escaped me. I covered my mouth as if I could take it back, but I knew it was too late. Robb had heard me. I glanced at him. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay.” A smile spread across his lips. “I know you don’t like me like that.”
My throat tightened so I couldn’t speak.
He didn’t talk either. He simply pulled out his cigarettes, packed them against the palm of his hand, and pulled one out. He put it up to his lips before he asked if I minded.
“I don’t care,” I said, even though a part of me did. The smoke bothered me, but the expression that had crossed his face bothered me more.
Fine lines had appeared beneath his eyes, but his gaze deepened as he lit it. The orange end lit up as he dragged in, and his shoulders relaxed as he breathed out. “I know you only agreed to this to get back at Eric.”
“It’s not like that—”
“I did it to get back at Linda,” he said it so simply, like he wasn’t afraid of exposing his darker side, like he wanted me to see all sides of him. He took another drag before he spoke again, “But I don’t mind that we both agreed to it.” He squinted through the cloud of smoke. “It means we have something in common.”
I wanted to argue with him, to tell him I had other reasons, but I couldn’t explain I was after Darthon. Robb thought I was crazy enough after I told him about my nightmares. I knew him well enough not to confide in him. Plus, the subject matter wasn’t exactly acceptable.
“I guess,” I finally agreed as I leaned over and picked up my second coffee.
“They’re good for one another, aren’t they?” Robb’s voice sounded far away.
I wasn’t sure if he was talking about Crystal and Zac or Eric and Linda until I studied him. His gaze was locked on Crystal and Zac. When I glanced over my shoulder, they were near the end of the street. They would have to come back soon.
“I guess.”
“Do you like Zac?”
My neck snapped as I turned to Robb. “What?”
He shrugged. “You seem,” he paused, “focused.”
“I don’t like him,” I practically snarled, but the dramatic tone took the opposite effect I wanted to get across.
Robb tilted his head. “He liked you for the longest time,” he said. “I always thought you two would end up together, especially after prom.” He took another drag, but he blew his smoke away from the table. “I think he thought that, too.”
“Then, why’d he date Crystal?”
“Zac likes her, too.”
“You can’t like two people at the same time,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because,” I paused because I didn’t have an argument. I had never liked two people at the same time. I had only liked Eric, but I wasn’t everyone. I didn’t have the right to discount other people’s feelings. Still, the concept was beyond me. “I guess I just don’t feel that way,” I finally managed.
“You still like Eric?”
My face heated up, but it cooled the second Robb’s chair scraped across the ground. He had moved closer. His cigarette smoke burned my nostrils.
“I don’t like the smoking,” I choked.
He leaned over and put his cigarette out on the table. “I know.”
The end sizzled out in a light stream of gray. I watched it until it disappeared. Every part of it reminded me of transporting as a shade, and every piece of me wanted to transport back to the shelter, to the place Eric told me not to leave. I was failing—again—and figuring out if Zac was Darthon seemed to be getting further out of my reach.
“What’s this?” Robb’s fingers grazed my neck.
I shivered and pulled back. “What?”
Robb didn’t try to touch me again. He stayed in his chair and pointed to my collarbone. “You’re wearing a necklace.”
My hand landed on my chest where the ring laid against my sternum. “It’s just jewelry—”
His eyebrows lowered, settling right above his eyes. They were golden in the dim light. “You’re still wearing it, aren’t you?”
My grip tightened. “So, what?”
“So?” He placed his elbows on the table. “You guys aren’t together anymore. He treated you like crap, Jess.”
“You don’t know him,” I snapped, but my voice came out as a whisper.
“I know how he treated you,” he emphasized. “From the beginning, that guy pushed you away.” He scooted his chair closer, and every part of me was paralyzed. “How hard does he have to shove you before you realize you’ve already fallen down?”
Eric’s ring. It burned my palm through my shirt, and my hand dropped to my lap. I stared at my hand as it shook, but it only shook more when I saw my skin. It was red. I hadn’t imagined it. The ring had physically burned me.
“Trust me for a minute?” Robb spoke, but his voice sounded like it was underwater. I barely felt him as his fingers skimmed the necklace, but his cold touch was strangely soothing. It curled through my veins as he dragged his hand to the nape of my neck. When he unclipped the jewelry, he pulled the necklace up, and the ring burned my skin as he pulled it up.
I breathed when he finally took it away, and the cold comfort dug against my gut. The feeling was one I felt before. It reminded me of the red rain, the chilling river where I had been reborn. My powers sizzled somewhere deep inside of me.
“See? It’s not that hard,” he spoke.
His voice broke the sickening sensation.
“Don’t you feel better?”
I did, but I wouldn’t admit it. The Light’s power felt stronger, closer, and it tempted every part of me to succumb to it. Even then, a second heartbeat had left me. Eric’s. It was gone. As Robb dropped the jewelry on the table, it pinged with the last beats I had felt. The blue jewelry was no longer glowing. It looked like something I had never seen before, and I knew it was the jewelry that
had held me together all along. The Light would not take me over.
I reached for it, but Robb put his hand over it. “You don’t need him.”
“Give it back.” This time, my voice was loud.
Robb didn’t budge. “You’ll get used to it—”
I ignored his words, wrapped my hands around his wrist, and yanked his hand away. The force was strong enough to rock the table, and my ring dropped through a hole. I dove to the ground and snatched it up before it stayed away for too long. I didn’t even care about the necklace. I shoved the ring back onto my finger. The metal burned, but the burn sizzled into my veins, and my insides heated up. I was warm again. I could breathe again.
“Jess?”
I spun around, nearly hitting my head on the table, and Crystal stepped back when we met eyes. She looked from Robb to me, but she stayed focused on me as she walked over to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I muttered and stood up. Zac was by her side. “I can’t do this.” The words left me.
Crystal’s arm threaded with mine in an instant. “Want me to take you home?”
I nodded back. “Right now.” I didn’t even look at Robb as I started to walk. Crystal had to call over her shoulder to let them know we were leaving, and her words were the best ones I had heard all night.
The worst ones came from Robb, but so did the worst realization. The jewelry was more than jewelry. It didn’t just connect Eric to me. It connected the Dark to my powers, and if I took it off, I didn’t know what would happen, but I did know one thing.
Eric was alive because of his mother’s jewelry.
38
Eric
“It’s good to see you,” Mindy said for the umpteenth time as she heated up the oven. I had only been home for fifteen minutes, and she was already baking lemon cakes. Even though I told her not to, she didn’t listen. A part of me was glad she hadn’t.
“It’s good to be home,” I breathed and leaned my chair on the back legs.
“Noah will be happy to see you,” she said, even though we both knew the truth.
Death Before Daylight Page 22
