The next day, I arrived at school a few minutes early. I wanted to catch up with Kami, especially since I’d been neglecting her since meeting Mikel. I found her sitting on the leather couch at her usual spot in the foyer of the Math and Science building, an opened book in her lap.
“Hey stranger,” I said, my fingers fiddling with the strap of my bag.
“Hi.” Kami closed the book and looked up at me.
“Finals. Are you ready?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
“I am. Are you?” Kami asked.
“Sure.” I nodded. I felt ready, but I guess the truth would come out once the tests were completed and graded.
“Hey, you want to hang out this weekend?” Kami asked.
“That would be great,” I said. I’d seen Mikel two days in a row, and I didn’t expect him to show up for another day or two.
“Ok, cool,” she said.
“Yeah, should be fun,” I said.
“I saw you talking to that guy. Is he new in town or something?” Kami asked not hiding her curiosity and getting straight to the point.
“Yeah, I met him at the diner a few weeks ago. He’s from Shadowmist.” I tried my best to explain what little I knew about Mikel, making sure to leave out the dreams and strange behaviors as I sat down on the couch and put my bag down at my feet.
Kami was quite for a moment, her blue eyes studying me as if thinking about what I had said. “I don’t think I trust him. He seems suspicious.” She offered her two cents with genuine concern. “Analey, he is bad news,” Kami spoke with certainty as if she knew Mikel.
I didn’t agree with her accusations, but I didn’t argue with her either. I knew Kami was only trying to be a good friend, but nothing could dissuade me from how I felt about Mikel. He was as intriguing as he was daunting. Instinct told me to fear him, but something about Mikel had enthralled me to him.
“Thanks, Kami. I appreciate you looking out for me.” I plastered a smile on my face, averting my gaze down the corridor to the building’s glass doors.
“I just want you to be careful. I worry about you, Analey. You trust so easily,” Kami said. Her brow rose then drew back down. I could tell she was concerned.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I promise to be careful,” I said.
“Alright.” She didn’t sound convinced and I was sure she would bring it up again if I kept talking to Mikel. Kami stood and swung her bag over her shoulder as she simultaneously swept her blonde hair over the other one. “I have to get to class now, but I will call you later and we can make plans for the weekend.” Kami waved as she turned and walked away, spiral curls bouncing against her back.
I sat on the couch a moment longer thinking about what Kami had said. Was there really any merit to her suspicions? I couldn’t say with certainty that her concern was unfounded. I had just met Mikel and I didn’t know much about him. He didn’t talk about his family or himself. I committed myself to finding out more about him and if there was anything to worry about. I picked up my bag off the floor and walked out the doors to my first class in the building adjacent to the Math building. I reached the classroom just seconds before Mrs. Avis had started lecture. Merlyn Avis was a petite woman, just over five feet tall and maybe a few pounds over 100. She had short reddish-brown hair and almond shape light brown eyes. She nodded at me as I walked into the room and took my seat towards the back of the class. English Literature was one of my stronger subjects which was fortunate since I’d been sort of distracted lately. I dazed in and out of conscious listening for the next hour until Mrs. Avis gave us our assignment and dismissed us. I left that class and went to my second class and then after that my third and final class for the day. I stopped at the computer lab to research the Aragon family before heading home. My internet search didn’t produce much information on them. I learned that a family from England with the same last name had settled in Shadowmist sometime in the late 1800’s. I couldn’t be sure if it was Mikel’s family or another by the same surname.
I walked out of the building and saw a shiny blue BMW in the parking lot. I smiled and waved at Kian. I assumed he was there for Kami, but then he walked up the sidewalk towards me.
“Hi, Analey,” he said, a wide grin on his face. He took the bag from my shoulder and flung it over his, then he put his other arm around my shoulders and led me to his car.
“Kian, how are you?” I asked.
“Not bad. I was going to call, but I thought I would come see you instead. How have you been?” He was dressed down in blue jeans and a navy sweater. The October sun shined brightly but the air was chilly. Trees of all shapes and sizes grew around the college campus. Their branches still held on to a copious amount of caramel, burnt orange, and scarlet covered leaves. The Autumn wind tousled my hair as I walked to Kian’s car.
“I’ve been great,” I said leaning against the driver’s side door. I was telling him about the upcoming end of the semester and about Aunt Stella when I saw Mikel standing, waiting for me at the entrance of the building I’d come out of just moments ago. I wanted to rush to him, my heart racing at the sight of him. He stood facing us, arms crossed over his chest. He was watching us, glaring at Kian and I realized his hand was resting on my waist. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw Mikel’s face. I tried to look away, but his discontentment was reaching where I stood with Kian. It was loud, making it impossible for me to ignore. Kian reached up to my face and gently stroke my cheek bringing my attention back to him. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Mikel was still looking. It was a typical macho move that men used to stake their claim, but I didn’t belong to either of them. I was afraid to look back at Mikel based on the satisfied look on Kian’s face. I wanted to get away from him and run to Mikel, but Kian stood firmly in front of me.
“I’ve missed you Analey,” Kian said.
I stole a glance at Mikel. It was never easy staring at his perfection and now his angered features were hard and uncomfortable to take in. I feared he was about to confront Kian, but Kian glared at Mikel, a silent warning for him to stay back. I pressed my lips together and interlaced my fingers, twisting my hands back and forth. I felt uneasy being at the center of this stare down between the two of them. I took a step to maneuver my body away from Kian, but he put his hands on either side of me, caging me against the car. He leaned his body close and I could smell the sophisticated scent of his expensive cologne. In the next moment he pressed his lips to mine and kissed me. I let out a shock gasp, which Kian misunderstood, and kissed me intensely. I tried to push him off me, but he was stronger, and my attempts had no effect on him. When he finally pulled away, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I looked back hoping Mikel hadn’t seen anything, but he was still there, his features twisted but not just with anger. I was sure I heard a low growl escape his lips. He seemed ready to attack, but he gave us one last hard glare then turned to leave.
“I’m so sorry, Analey. I don’t know what came over me,” Kian said.
I didn’t want to fight with him. “Kian we can’t. You can’t do that. We’re just friends,” I said angerly. I tried controlling my emotions. I didn’t want to fight with him. I pushed away from him and his car. I wanted to find Mikel and explain.
“Wait,” Kian called after me. “I just wanted to warn you.”
“Warn me?” I asked cynically, turning to face him. I couldn’t imagine why he thought he had any right to warn me about anything.
“Just be careful with that one.” Kian cautioned me as he motioned with a tilt of his head to where Mikel had been standing.
I didn’t understand. First Kami and now Kian, telling me to watch out for Mikel. I agreed he was mysterious, but dangerous? I sensed he had the potential to be, but there was more to him than that. I could feel it.
“I’ll be fine. He isn’t going to hurt me,” I said callously. I was being defensive about someone I’d just met, but they didn’t know him like I did.
“You can’t trust him. I know his type,” Kian
said. “You’re my best friend and it would kill me if anything happened to you.”
Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I rolled my eyes. “What could possibly happen to me, Kian?” I snapped, not attempting to hide my discontent.
“I’m warning you, Analey Rose,” Kian said using my full name and irritating me more.
“And I already told you. I will be fine.” I stomped away before Kian had the chance to say more. I drove around town, passing by the diner, up and down every street but found no sign of Mikel. I had no reason to be, but I was angry with Mikel and I was angry with myself. Real relationships with real people were complicated. I didn’t like complicated. My life had been miserable and lonely, but never complicated. I’d always known what to expect and how to handle it. Having people in my life that I cared about was difficult. I hated feeling this way, hopeless and frustrated, but it had to be worth it. Mikel was complex to say the least, but to me he was worth it, so I kept driving. I drove down Maple then took a slight left onto Mill Road, from there merged onto Catherine Way and continued for several miles. I was leaving Shadowmist behind before I even realized it. I had meant to drive home after searching for Mikel and not finding him, but somehow, I’d managed to drive miles in the opposite direction instead. I slowed down to a dirt road that curved to the left and then gradually straightened out and curved to the right. The Lorehill Pines appeared after the second curve. I pulled into the gravel shoulder of the road and looked to the grassy opening at the edge of the entrance to the woods. I could make out the silhouettes of two people walking towards The Lorehill Pines. My heart quickened as I watched the couple walking through the open space. The hair on my neck spiked up and I had the strongest urge to follow them. Without giving it much thought, I got out of my car and began trailing them. The woman was tall and slender, but I couldn’t see much of anything else. The man was large with broad shoulders and a thick neck. I should have been afraid of these two strangers, but I kept going. Suddenly the man and the woman turned to face me.
I breathed in a quick breath as I stared into the gleaming eyes of the two monsters. My skin rose with goosebumps as a cold chill ran through my body. Instead of running away, I charged at them. They were not afraid and stood their ground, waiting for me. Before I could reach them, a dark blur swept in and the two strangers disappeared. I stopped abruptly, searching the empty field, blinking several times. I couldn’t explain what had just happened.
I ran to my car and pulled out onto the road, my hands shaking as I tried to keep the steering wheel steady. I kept my attention on the road as I played back the scene, trying to make sense of what I’d seen or not seen.
As I rounded the first curve, something dark flashed in front of the car. I slammed on the breaks hard enough to thrust my body forward in the seat. With my heart in my throat and gasping for air, I looked around frantically. The sun was well behind the mountains and the sky was a deep blue color. Whatever had swooped down in front of me had vanished. I stepped out of the car and looked towards the forest. I rubbed my hands over my arms as I searched through the dense trees. Cold shivers pricked at my skin; something was watching me from behind the trees.
twenty
Idrove back into town, still trembling from the encounter with the shadowy figure that had nearly collided with my car. Pulling into the drive, I noticed Aunt Stella wasn’t home yet, but Mikel was sitting on the porch swing, his elbows on his knees and his fingers interlaced together in front of him.
I turned off the engine and rested my head on the steering wheel trying to regain control of myself. I was still in shock with what had happened earlier near the forest and now I had to face Mikel. I didn’t know what I would say to him, but emotions roared wildly within me. There was so much mystery with Mikel, and it was frustrating. I lifted my head and looked towards the house where he was sitting, waiting for me. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Mikel stood up and met me on the sidewalk as I reached the steps. I walked past him and sat down on the swing; Mikel sat down next to me. The swing wasn’t large, so we were forced to sit closer to each other than usual. I bit down on my bottom lip and averted my gaze to the ground. The full moon was now high in the sky shining its light down on the front lawn. I lifted my gaze to Mikel, and he gave me a smile; not a happy smile, but an I’m-sorry-I overreacted-and-now-I-feel-like-a-jerk smile. I simply smiled back. Mikel tried scooting over to make more room between us, but he was already sitting at the edge of the swing. I stood up to give him space, but he put his hand on my wrist and gently pulled me back down. His hand was cold against my warm skin, but I ignored it. I didn’t care why it felt that way because even though it was unusual, it sent chills up and down my spine making the butterflies in my stomach flutter uncontrollably. He let his fingers linger on my hand for a few more seconds before folding his hands in his lap. I made myself look directly into his eyes and held his gaze. My heart began beating rapidly and his brown eyes darkened, and I thought I saw the lines of veins form around them. Mikel closed his eyes and turned his head away from me. I waited for the worst, although I didn’t know what the worst could be, but when he looked at me his eyes were once again soft brown with a hint of light green. He reached up to stroke a strand of my hair and smiled. I stared at him, tempted to give in to my desires and sink into his arms, but I didn’t.
“I can see how uncomfortable you are around me,” I said, my voice taut and tense.
“It’s not what you think,” Mikel said, almost laughing. Nervously he ran his hand through his hair.
“Then tell me what it is,” I said. “Because I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Being near you drives me insane, but not in the way you think. That’s why I’m here and it’s also the reason I overreacted when I saw him do what I have been dreaming of doing since the first time I saw you,” he admitted.
“You wanted to…. I mean you’ve wanted to,” I mumbled. I thought I was the only one who’d had those thoughts. My hand twitched as I almost made a move towards him.
“I’m sorry for the way I reacted. It was not my place to get…...” Mikel hesitated. He rubbed his hands together then placed them on his knees. “Jealous,” he said.
I pressed my hands to my cheeks feeling the rush of heat in them. I didn’t know how to respond to what he had just said. Mikel was jealous of Kian because he had been dreaming of kissing me. It wasn’t what I’d expected him to say, and hearing it come from him left me speechless.
“Say something, Analey,” Mikel said in a low voice.
“So why don’t you?” I whispered.
He looked up to the sky, it was now filled with stars around the full moon. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to restrain myself.” His voice trailed off at the end of his sentence.
I waited for him to clarify what he meant, but he didn’t say anything. I wanted him to reach out and touch me, or even just explain more, but I knew he wouldn’t. For some unknown reason, Mikel stayed safely away from me. There wasn’t one thing about Mikel that made sense, but that didn’t matter. My feelings for him were not contingent on anything but his existence. The details were not important, or at least I’d convinced myself that they weren’t.
Mikel stood to leave, but I wasn’t ready for him to go. I had so many unanswered questions. He took my hand and gently pulled me to my feet. I anxiously stood close to him, anticipating the moment he would once and for all hold me or kiss me. I looked up at him, pleading silently for him to submit to his own longing.
“Don’t go,” I said.
“I’m sorry, but I must. I’ve stayed longer than I should have.” Mikel let go of my hand and bent down to kiss me on the top of my head.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them, he was walking away. I didn’t call out to him and I didn’t try to stop him from leaving. I just stood on the porch; my heart overwhelmed with disappointment.
There was an abundance of questions bouncing around in my head. I’d decided that the next time I was w
ith Mikel, I would risk everything and confront him. It was Monday and I’d had the weekend to myself to go over exactly what I would say to him. We met at our usual place in the garden behind Shadow Manor and I chose my words carefully. I feared he wouldn’t overlook my first parapraxis in his presence. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I made an error and absentmindedly revealed my unconscious thoughts to him.
“Can we take a walk?” I asked Mikel. He looked at me raising an eyebrow but accepted the invitation. We walked down the sidewalk in silence at first, as I mulled over the right words to broach the subject.
“Mikel, I know you are aware of your presence in my dreams as I am, and I need you to explain to me how that’s even possible,” I blurted out, keeping my gaze to the ground as I waited for his response.
“Dreams?” Mikel asked instead of answering the question. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
I knew he was hiding something, but I couldn’t imagine what he was keeping from me. We had reached the front of Shadow Manor as I asked the question again. “Yes, Mikel. Why did I dream about you before I’d ever met you?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t follow,” he said, handing me a bouquet of lies.
Edge of Forever: The Death and Life of Analey Rose (The Immortal Souls Book 1) Page 15
