Shadowed (The Shadow and Moon Series)

by Michelle Areaux

  Chapter 6

  The school had called my parents, and both my mom and dad met me at the house when I arrived from school.

  Pulling me into a huge hug, I cried out from the pain in my back.

  “What happened?” my dad asked. He looked concerned, and I knew it was a big deal to him because he had left work to check on me. My dad never leaves work.

  I relayed the story to them, and they both went through several emotions: shock, anger, and relief as they saw I was fine.

  “I will have to thank Cohen for saving you,” my mom said, as she dabbed at her glistening eyes.

  “Yes, I will need to shake his hand,” my dad offered.

  “Sure,” I say, shrugging it off. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Everyone is just being dramatic. I wasn’t watching I guess when I crossed the street.”

  “Still, we are glad that he helped you,” my mom continued.

  After our conversation, I went up to my room and undressed. I had a large black bruise forming on my lower back from where I landed on the curb. It hurt, but I knew deep down it could have been a lot worse.

  Someone had called the police, but no one saw the license plate number or who the driver was. With no leads, I knew there was nothing to be done. Probably just a careless driver on their phone.

  A chime from my phone brought me out of my own thoughts, and I ran into my room from the bathroom.

  Amy: Hey girl. Glad you are alive.

  I laughed at her text.

  Me: Yeah, me too.

  Amy: Want to come over and hang out. We can talk about your near-death experience.

  Me: Sure. Be there in ten minutes.

  I quickly redressed and then informed my parents I was going to Amy’s. At first, my mom was reluctant to let me go, but I promised her I was fine.

  I needed to go hang out with my friend and forget about the disaster of this afternoon.

  ****

  That evening on my way home from Amy’s house, a small red sports car kept weaving in and out of traffic. We had decided to drive over to the Sweet Shop since our first attempt didn’t work out so well. We drove separately so I could go home afterward. At first, I thought it must be a tourist lost from Seattle, but as it continued to follow me through town and up into the winding hills of our neighborhood, I realized this car was following me.

  I had never seen the flashy car before; and each time I checked the rear-view mirror, a weight filled in my stomach. I was growing nervous; and as I slowed at a stop sign, I took the chance to pick up my cell phone. I was going to call my parents or dial 911; but as I took another glance in the mirror, I spotted a familiar pair of eyes.

  It was Cohen.

  I continued driving and put my phone down. My nerves calmed a bit as I made my way to my house.

  Pulling in my driveway, I watched the red car whip into the driveway across the street.

  I jumped out of my SUV and grabbed my backpack. Cohen opened his car door and stopped as he watched me close my door and lock up the vehicle.

  He offered another slight wave, and I realized that I needed to just push my own nerves aside and talk to the guy. I walked inside my house, shaking my head because I doubted that he would be interested in me, but the least I could do was try and be nice to him. I made it up in my mind, that tomorrow, I would thank him again for saving me. But, he beat me to it.

  Our doorbell rang and we all jumped. I wasn’t expecting Amy, so I had no clue who it could be.

  I walked to the door and when I opened it, I was shocked to see Cohen on the other side.

  “Hi,” I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He made me nervous. I hated that he made me nervous.

  Hearing his voice, both of my parents came rushing in to meddle and to meet the hero who saved my life.

  “Oh, you must be Cohen,” my mom rang out a little too loudly.

  “Thank you for saving my daughter,” my dad stated, extending his hand to shake Cohen’s.

  They shook hands and I could see Cohen looked nervous.

  “I just wanted to come by and check on you. To see if you were ok,” Cohen said, his voice shaking.

  “Of course, she is fine, thanks to you,” my mom butted in again. She was beaming as she looked at Cohen.

  Rolling my eyes, I hoped my face wasn’t too red from embarrassment.

  “It was no problem.”

  “We can talk outside,” I said, pushing Cohen out of the door and slamming the door in my parents' face. Knowing them, they would be spying on us through the living room windows.

  We stood on the porch, face-to-face.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi,” he replied.

  “Nice car,” I added, pointing to his shiny red toy.

  “Thanks.”

  “I do want to say thank you again. I know you didn’t have to help me today, but I appreciate it anyway.”

  “Yes, I did have to help. That car was speeding and possibly coming after me,” he said, before closing his mouth abruptly.

  It was awkward, to say the least. What did he mean, coming after him?

  “Why would a car be driving that fast toward you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

  Cohen offered a nervous laugh as he ran his hands through his dark hair. “I don’t know. Maybe I am just paranoid,” he laughed it off, but I felt like he wasn’t really joking.

  We stood in front of one another for a minute and I began to doubt my decision to come over here. I was never a very social person so to try and pick up a conversation with a new guy was absurd.

  As we stood there, Cohen scratched his arm. As the long, gray sleeve of his shirt moved up with the movement, I spotted a tattoo spiraling around his arm. It was gold and intricate in design. I had never seen anything like it before.

  Catching my gaze, Cohen quickly pulled his sleeve back down. The anger that had once shown in his eyes when I had first seen him, quickly appeared.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but I was interrupted as the front door to Cohen’s house opened up. His sister stepped outside in a short sleeve shirt and to my utter surprise, even from a distance, I could see that she had the exact same gold tattoo on her arm. The bright lights from their porch seemed to illuminate her tattoo, almost like it glittered and sparkled.

  My mouth dropped open in astonishment seeing their matching tattoos.

  Noticing this, Cohen turned and snapped at his sister. “Cara, get back inside. Henley is here,” he shouted.

  Seeing me, Cara gave me an awkward smile before spinning and rushing back inside the house.

  Hearing Cohen shout at his sister because I was over at his house, made lava fill my veins. Heat filled my body as the anger and resentment washed over me. How dare he dismiss his sister because he was embarrassed to be seen with me. That was the only logical explanation for his rude behavior, right?

  “I guess I should go back inside,” I stated, stomping my foot and beginning to walk quickly back to my door.

  I had just stepped, turned around, and placed my hand on the doorknob, when I felt a warm hand grab me around my wrist.

  “Wait, please don’t go,” Cohen said from behind me.

  I spun around and gave him an evil stare. “How dare you ask me not to go! Ever since you came here, you have looked at me like I am scum. Sure, I shouldn’t have been spying on you your first night and I am sorry for that. But now, I have tried to be nice to you. But just now,” I said, pointing to his house. “You totally made me feel like trash.” I was breathing heavy now. “I mean, one minute you save my life and then the next you appear embarrassed to be seen here with me.”

  Cohen’s eyes were still golden yellow, but the darkness inside was fading a little. He still held onto my wrist and I looked down, watching how his hand fit around my small arm.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, slowly letting go of my arm.

  “What did you expect? Look, I get it. You d
on’t like me. I won’t bother you anymore,” I said, tears starting to fill my eyes.

  I was completely mortified by my behavior and just wanted to curl up in my bed and pray for the day to be over.

  “I like you just fine,” Cohen said. “That is actually the reason why I am trying to keep my distance from you, Henley,” he said, his voice going deep and his eyes cast down.

  He was talking like he was eighty-years-old and delusional. What was with this guy anyway?

  “Well, thanks, but I need to go. I mean, I totally get it. I will leave you alone.” I tried to turn and head back to my front door, but Cohen ran around to stop me. He blocked my path and I was now starting to grow agitated with his erratic behavior.

  “I am not good at talking to other...people,” Cohen began. From the sincerity in his voice, I stopped fighting him and let him explain. Sighing, he continued. “My family and I have always been very private. We aren’t used to people wanting to know us. My family is...difficult. I haven’t had many friends and when I first met you… I couldn’t stop the feeling of wanting to get to know you,” he admitted. “Today, when I thought that car was going to hit you, I knew I had to react. Not because it was the right thing to do, but because I couldn’t imagine a world where you weren’t in it.”

  His admission stunned me. “I am sorry if I intruded on your privacy,” I said. I now felt terrible for how he and I had been acting toward one another.

  Looking at me closely, Cohen smiled again. Man, he really was great looking. “I would like to spend more time with you, but I just don’t know how,” he sighed. Running his hands through his hair, I realized this conversation was making him nervous.

  Maybe I shouldn’t force him into anything. I need to back off and try to be patient with him. There was nothing wrong with being kind to someone. Besides, I had spent my entire life wondering why my own classmates never bothered to befriend me. And now, here I was, basically doing the same thing to him.

  “How about we start out slow. We can meet up tomorrow after school. I can show you around town,” I offered.

  I could just hear Amy now. She would love that I was taking the lead and offering to show Cohen around.

  “That would be nice,” Cohen said.

  “Great, I’ll meet you here tomorrow. Same time,” I said. “Do you have a phone? I can give you my number.”

  Cohen rubbed his jaw and I noticed dark stubble on his sharp chin.

  “I don’t have a phone yet, but I will get one soon,” he said.

  “You don’t have a phone?” I asked, unsure of how to respond to that. I had seen kindergarten kids with phones.

  “No, I never needed one before,” he added. “Look, I need to get home, but I will be here tomorrow,” he finished, before running back across the street.

  When I stepped back inside of my house, both of my parents met me with over- the-top smiles. “Wow,” my mom breathed, placing her hand on her heart. “That boy is dreamy.”

  “Eww, mom. Don’t say things like that,” I gagged.

  “He seems like a nice young man,” my dad offered. “Maybe a little strange, but that’s ok,” he nodded.

  I wished that they would stop looking at me like that.

  “We are just friends,” I offered, trying to get them to back off. “To be honest, I am not sure if you could even call what we are friends. We just know one another.”

  Shaking her head, no, my mom walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Henley, I watched the two of you out there on the porch. The way he looked at you--well, that wasn’t just a friend. He clearly likes you. He looked at you like you were the sun. Like his world depended on you,” she gushed.

  “Mom, you have read way too many romance novels,” I tried to laugh.

  My dad walked away; this was clearly a conversation out of his element. I heard him turn on the television in the den.

  “Whatever you say, Henley. But, I know young love when I see it,” she finished, before heading into the den with my dad.

  I raced up to my room, hoping for some privacy and time to reflect on what in the world had just happened today.

  Every time I talked with Cohen, I felt more baffled about who he was. But, there was also a large part of me that was so intrigued that I felt it deep in my soul... a need to get to know him.

  I made my way back inside my house and called Amy. She definitely wouldn’t believe this.

  Chapter 7

  I woke up the next morning with a strange smile on my face. Sure, it was a Friday, and I loved my weekends. Today I had another reason to smile.

  And I didn’t understand it one bit.

  After spending half the night chatting with Amy, she had somehow convinced me to become excited about spending time with Cohen after school today. Something feels different now; I feel it, but I can’t explain it.

  Up much earlier before I usually am, I decided to go for a run. Sometimes when I needed to clear my head or just think, I would lace up my sneakers and go for a long run.

  So, that’s what I did.

  I slid on a pair of black Nike shorts and a blue tank top and snuck out of the house before my parents were awake.

  The air was crisp and cool, but once I started running, my body began to naturally warm up.

  I enjoyed this time of the morning and wished that I could roll myself out of bed every day this early. The world was quiet in the early hours of the morning. Most people were still nestled in their beds or just starting their days. As my feet hit the pavement, I felt like I was crushing all of my insecurities, worries, and fears about getting close to Cohen.

  Wow, had I just admitted that to myself? I guess it was true. Guys never really paid attention to me and just because Cohen was being nice, didn’t necessarily mean he was into me. Even though Amy fought a good case, I knew I shouldn’t put too much into hanging out with him today.

  My thoughts were all over the place and instead of finding myself calmed and relaxed, I was now more confused than ever.

  I ran through the winding streets of the neighborhood and down to the shore. I stopped on the rocky beach and listened as the waves crashed against the shore. It was peaceful out here and I could just be alone with my thoughts. Which, at the moment, wasn’t the best of ideas.

  As the sun began to make its appearance in the sky, I began to jog back to my house.

  As I turned the corner to my street, I slowed my pace as I spotted Cohen standing outside in his backyard. He was staring up at the sky, as though he were looking for something. Then, he began talking to himself. Ok, maybe Cohen was right; I should stay away from him. From the looks of it now, it seems like he has some major issues going on.

  I continued on, moving slower and came upon a pile of freshly fallen leaves. They crunched loudly under my feet and instantly gave me away.

  Hearing the noise, Cohen swiftly turned around and spotted me. He looked nervous and timid. Then, to my astonishment, another guy poked his head from behind the house. Cohen wasn’t talking to himself! He was talking to a young guy who looked to be around our age. His brown locks were wavy and had a cute, disheveled look. His eyes were dark, almost black and when he spotted me, a slight smile crept over his pink, thin lips. There was something alluring about him, but I couldn’t place it. I guess, it was sort of like the magnetizing appeal that Cohen had. Something about his eyes and smile made you feel locked in, like you couldn’t pull away even if you wanted to.

  At first, I was relieved to know that Cohen wasn’t talking to himself, but then another emotion struck me. Cohen had said that he didn’t have any friends, but this guy wasn’t his brother. In fact, I don’t think I had ever seen him before. And trust me, in a small town like ours, I would have noticed someone new.

  Fearing I had interrupted a private moment, I offered a slight wave as I continued jogging to my house. I heard Cohen call my name, but I refused to look back or stop. I sprinted back to my house in record speed.

>   Once inside, I slammed the door closed and leaned my back against it. Catching my breath, I tried to think about what had just happened. Why was I such a flake whenever Cohen saw me? And why was he always doing something weird that made him look guilty? And more importantly, who was that mystery guy he was talking to?

  Shaking my head, I pushed myself off the door and headed to the kitchen. I could hear my mom and dad talking and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

  “Henley, did you go for a walk?” my mom asked, as I walked into the kitchen.

  The sun was now high in the sky and the warm rays were leaking into the kitchen.

  Grabbing a blueberry muffin off the counter, I took a bite and closed my eyes to enjoy the rich, warm taste.

  “Yes, I was up early and needed the run,” I admitted.

  “Henley, I am taking your mom on a date tomorrow night. We are heading into Seattle for the weekend,” my dad informed me.

  He was looking through the newspaper and drinking his coffee.

  “That sounds nice,” I said. And I was being honest. My parents worked really hard and never got to spend enough time together. I was lucky that I had two parents who worked hard and still found time for one another.

  “It’s our anniversary,” my mom chimed in. She was glowing with excitement and I smiled.

  “We can call your grandparents to come down if you want,” my dad offered.

  Shaking my head, no, I stopped him. “No, there’s no need. I can get Amy to stay the night or I can go over there,” I said.

  With that decided, I made my way up to my room and showered before dressing in a pair of denim skinny jeans and a long, black sweater. I wore my hair down and braided over my shoulder.

  Once I was ready, I grabbed my car keys and backpack, then headed out to school.

  ****

  School seemed to drag on. That morning in homeroom, Bethany was sitting in her normal seat in the back of the room, in the throne she had claimed as her own. I gritted my teeth as I listened to her and her friends talk about Cohen.