The Siders Box Set

by Leah Clifford

  “We’re not. We’re laying low. Gabe and Az are trying to figure out what the Fallen know. Who killed James.”

  “Jarrod said they were headed to the Bronx.”

  Eden nodded. “Kristen’s there. Maybe she got a lead.”

  Libby took another bite of the apple, wiping her chin. “Do you think something’s really going on?”

  Eden pulled out a chair and sat. “What do you mean?”

  Jarrod and Adam had helped Libby spread what Touch built each day, keeping her stable. And now, she was the only one keeping Eden sane. She seemed to know exactly when Eden was about to snap, suddenly showing up to steal Adam away in a whirlwind of questions needing to be answered. More than once, Eden had mouthed thank you, and gotten a wink in return, so she knew Libby was doing it on purpose.

  “Well,” Libby started. “Obviously, something happened with James. And I’m not saying there’s not dangerous things about…” She hesitated. “But they’re keeping you locked up in here. I mean, something could just as easily go after Jarrod or Adam, right? They’re both out and we’re stuck here. It just seems a little…”

  “Sexist.” Eden shot her a smile, rolling her eyes. “Shit, don’t give away my lazy Sunday so easily.”

  Libby snorted. “I mean, if the guys want to run point, fine, but this whole ‘fragile females’ thing is turning out to be really boring.” Libby dropped into the chair beside her. “Girls’ night out, tonight? You and me?”

  Eden bit into her muffin, chewing slowly. Finally, she sighed. “Jarrod would have a fit. And Az…Adam—”

  “Now, don’t judge until you’ve heard me out,” Libby said, putting up a finger. “I’ve kinda been chatting with Adam the last few days about the whole Az situation. I told him I was on his side, and that usually a girl just needs a good second opinion,” she gushed, and pointed at herself. “Adam will win over Jarrod if he thinks it’ll bring you around.”

  “Libby,” Eden interrupted. The more she thought about it, the more ludicrous the idea of traipsing around the city out of boredom seemed. “It’s not going to happen.”

  “Meanwhile, in another movie…” Libby cut her off. “Az seems to know the rules of the game and is trying to get on the BFF’s good side. So that’s taken care of.”

  Eden gave her an incredulous look. Since when were they best friends? Also, Libby had overlooked a key element. “But you forgot…”

  “Gabe. Who I happened to overhear telling Az that he had something to do tonight.” Libby positively beamed.

  “I don’t know,” Eden said. A night out, though. No Siders or dosing or drama. Just a normal night out. She couldn’t deny the temptation. “I mean, where would we go?”

  “We?” Libby’s grin was contagious. “So you’re in?”

  Chapter 39

  Az stood near the door, leaning against it, uncertainty flickering over his features. Eden shot him a look that dared him to stop them. A small part of her hoped he would. He licked his lips. “You’re sure you have your cell phone?” he asked for the third time.

  Eden pulled it out of her pocket, again, and flipped the screen around to him.

  “See? Fully charged. We’ll be fine. Just a movie, maybe something to eat after if we feel up to it.” She smiled, hoping it was passable. Butterflies wreaked havoc on her stomach. Sure, she could protect herself, but it still set her at ease to know backup was close if she needed it. Knowing she wouldn’t have Jarrod and Adam around already had her nervous.

  Libby came out of the bathroom, grabbing her clutch off the couch. She squealed, hooking Eden’s arm in hers. Eden smiled back; the girl’s enthusiasm was almost too much.

  Eden glanced back at Az. He tapped his hand against the door frame before dropping it, a mirror of her anxiety. She let out a nervous laugh. “Would you relax?”

  “Gabe, though,” Az mumbled. “He wants someone with you at all times.”

  “And I’m a grown ass woman who—” Eden started but Libby raised a hand.

  “Am I not someone?” Libby said as she patted his cheek playfully. “Don’t worry, Babe. I’ve got your back.” Eden caught the wink Libby gave him.

  Clever, Eden thought. Libby had probably said the same thing to Adam that she’d played up to Az. It wasn’t like the guys were likely to get together and compare notes.

  Libby and Eden pounded down the stairs without looking back. Eden heard Az’s footsteps on the landing above them, pausing at the railing, but he didn’t follow.

  Eden hesitated at the security door. She glanced back over her shoulder, up the stairwell. Even though she couldn’t see him, a rush of guilt hit her. No, she thought. It’ll be fine. I deserve this. She took a deep breath. The door opened, and the stairs were empty. Eden ignored the disappointment tempering her relief. Libby twisted her hips, flaring out the bottom of her skirt.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Eden wrapped her arms around herself, glad she’d gone with long sleeves. Even though the material was thin, it still offered her a little protection.

  “Confession?” she said, turning to Eden. “I was absolutely terrified of you that first night. You were so in control. Why are you suddenly letting them tell you what to do?”

  Eden slowed her footsteps. “I’m not,” she said.

  “Well, I mean,” Libby started, backpedaling. “I thought… The whole princess in a tower thing.”

  Eden stared her down for a second before she thought to soften her look. “Jarrod and Adam and me. We take care of each other.” That much was true. Without them at her back she felt exposed, at a disadvantage. Her voice grew frustrated, the tension creeping back into her shoulders. “It feels weird, being out by myself.”

  “By yourself, huh?” Libby whistled low. “Ouch.”

  “No! That’s not—”

  “You know what?” Libby stopped to case either side of the street before leading the way out of the alley. “I’m sorry I brought it up. Let’s just forget about all that for now and have fun. Sound like a plan?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Eden forced a grin. “Sounds like a great plan.”

  “Freedom!” Libby sighed as they headed to the curb, waving down a cab. Eden laughed as they slipped into the back seat. “Ready for your surprise?” she asked before turning to the driver. “Aerie, please.” The driver nodded absently, starting the meter.

  “Aerie?” Eden asked, surprised. “I thought we were going to the movies?”

  “Nope!” Her face glowed as she undid the snap on the clutch, pulling out two tickets and handing them to Eden. “Have you heard of Dawn’s Supernova? There was a video up on FreePlay, and it’s already gotten like a million hits in five days. Totally went viral. They’ve gotta be good, right?”

  Eden’s mouth dropped open. “Libby, I can’t go there.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The first night, when Az brought me home, and Gabe got all messed up. We were coming from Aerie.”

  “Okay,” Libby said slowly, her voice full of disappointment. She glanced down at the tickets. “Well, what did the guy look like?”

  Eden hesitated. “I didn’t see him.”

  She still remembered the fear on Gabe’s face when they’d been chased out. Alone, she wouldn’t know who to run from.

  Libby scoffed. “So let me get this straight. You have an invisible enemy who you’ve never yourself seen, and you can’t go out because the boys don’t think it’s safe?”

  “It’s just…” Eden licked her lips, the memory of the music sending a shiver of anticipation through her. “Maybe just…maybe just for a few songs.”

  “Are you sure? We don’t have to go there. This is supposed to be fun. If you’re going to be uncomfortable, we can do something else.”

  “Like what? Go home?” Eden shook her head. “No. We’re out. You’ve already got the tickets.”

  “We’ll just stay for a few songs.”

  Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up to the curb. The crowd spilled over the sidewalk. As
Eden opened the door, she was rushed by half a dozen people.

  “You got tickets? How many?”

  “I’ll buy them off you!”

  “Whatever he’ll pay, I’ll double it.”

  She shook her head, making a rush for the door. The show had started half an hour ago, but the crowd gathered outside showed no signs of weakening.

  “This is insane!” Libby yelled, gripping Eden’s waistband so she didn’t lose her in the crowd.

  The same bouncer was at the door. Eden looked down the street, unsure why she hid her face as she held out her arm for the wristband. As the door swung open, she forced herself to concentrate on the throbbing strobe lights. She wandered past a few teenagers clustered around the door, stopped dead in their tracks. Libby caught her hand as the last of the keyboard notes faded, pulling her along behind her through the crowd, toward the stage. They didn’t make it, only midway across the floor when the drums, too, went silent. Eden glanced around. The place was packed. They’d be anonymous enough.

  The room stopped gradually. The flailing arms around her settled, falling calmly as every head turned toward the single spotlight streaming down center stage.

  Without the chaotic movement, Eden tugged Libby’s arm, easily winding forward. No one else took advantage of the stillness.

  At an earsplitting wail, her eyes flicked up to the stage. It was him, the same singer. He screamed, dragging his hand over the strings of the guitar slung across his chest. Before she could wince his fingers raced across the frets.

  No one should be able to play that fast, she thought. Some kind of classical riff spilled through the amp, but she couldn’t place it. He shredded up and down the neck of the instrument, the motion enough to make her lightheaded.

  “Do you know what that is?” Eden asked.

  Libby shook her head, rapt. “I’ve never heard anything played like that.”

  Eden’s gaze swung back to the stage as the notes surged and died, the fingers holding the final chord in a diminished fifth. His head hung, loose curls spiraling down to his collar bones. His shoulders rose and fell with heaved breaths.

  No one clapped. The last time she’d watched him play, cheers and screams had drowned out the last notes of every song. This time the audience seemed too dumbstruck to believe it had ended.

  She was close enough to see a smile twitch the corners of his lips before he touched the strings again. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t even been looking at the audience. The smile. It was like a secret they shared, and Eden’s cheeks stretched with the wide grin plastered across them.

  When he reached for the microphone, a sigh broke from her lips. She needed to hear that voice again. Eden strained closer, leaning against the sweaty back of the girl standing in front of her. She felt Libby fill the space behind her.

  “This is for…” He stopped and raised his head, adjusting the guitar. The light hit his face. Eden got her first clear view of him, cheekbones highlighted as he squinted, shading his eyes with one of his hands. He started from the left side of the crowd, sweeping his brooding dark gaze over them. As he reached the end of his arc a flash of disappointment crossed his expression and then just as quickly disappeared. “Anyway, she’s supposed to be here so…”

  He slipped his hand across his shoulder, tugging the strap and saddled up to the mic as he sung the first line. “These lies that permeate my life, I saw you standing there." He strummed a delicate melody, humming softly, shifting the song into a lullaby. "Words fall like pebbles to the floor, my mouth is filling up with stone. I fell the longest drop of all. Oh God, don’t you take her away.”

  "Jesus, it’s like Az could have written that.” Eden spun around to Libby, unsure of what to do, but sure she had to do something. She compromised by pushing her sleeves up. A second later, she pulled them down again. “Am I crazy?”

  “Actually, it reminds me of my ex and me.” Libby gazed up at the stage. “Maybe it’s like a horoscope? Everyone thinks it’s just for them, because they want it to be. That’s gotta be it, right?”

  “Right,” Eden agreed absently. Libby gave her a strange look.

  “He’s a songwriter,” she said. “It’s his job to make people connect with him.”

  Eden took in his face again, studying the perfect cheekbones, the full lips. Knew the features. Even the curls seemed familiar. “Does he look like Az?” she asked. “Just a little?”

  Libby considered it for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t see it.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, checking the time. “We’ve got about an hour and a half before we should be back. A little more if we’re going to dinner,” she said, throwing her fingers up in air quotes at the last word. It hadn’t occurred to Eden that they were going to lie about where they’d been. Then again, maybe it would be better. Save her the damn lecture. I don’t need their permission anyway, Eden told herself.

  “I need water,” Libby mouthed, making a drinking motion.

  “I’ll be here,” Eden said, turning back to the music, but Libby grabbed her hand, pulling her along. She tried to jerk away, but Libby only squeezed tighter.

  “I’ll never be able to find you again,” she yelled, leaning in to Eden’s ear as the band struck up, launching into a fast song at top volume.

  Libby dragged her, shoving through the rows of people packed in behind them before they were able to dodge around them.

  Eden felt shoulders bumping into hers and closed her eyes, trusting Libby to guide her away from where he screamed out lyrics. Without him to distract her, she slowly became aware of the bare skin around her. Her fingers itched.

  She glanced back, but his eyes had rolled up into his head as his body crashed against the mic stand, thrashing as the drums pounded. He wasn’t even really singing words anymore; it sounded like he was speaking in tongues. The connection she’d felt to him was lost in the noise, but the crowd was the opposite. They’d come to life again. Mad seizures of dance erupted in her wake. Something slammed against the top of her hand, strong fingers gripping her wrist as she curled her fingers into a fist. She spun to face a bouncer, a dark block cupped in his hand.

  “What the hell is that?” she demanded, yanking her hand away. A cold spot of liquid dried on her skin.

  He pointed toward the stage. “You’re his type. Head backstage after the set if you want to meet him,” he said before winding his way through the crowd.

  Libby turned to her, face radiant. Eden didn’t return the smile.

  Chapter 40

  Eden didn’t have a chance to buy a bottle of water before the song ended. Libby hadn’t released her hand, even when they’d been standing still at the bar. Black lights ran throughout the club, the stamp the bouncer had placed on her hand alternating between bright white and invisible. They crept closer to the door separating the club from the backstage area. Every few seconds, Libby glanced back, eyes shining with excitement. Eden couldn’t help the nervous stirring in her stomach.

  “Can you believe it?” Libby screamed, grabbing Eden’s arm. “Are you excited?”

  “He’s just a singer,” Eden said, more to herself than Libby. “Don’t fangirl him too hard.” At least there would be fewer people backstage. Eden checked her phone, part of her hoping one of the guys had texted. That she and Libby were needed, would have to go home. But there were no notifications.

  The bouncer guarding the door ignored them, watching the stage. The jukebox drivel pumping through the speakers did nothing for her. She wondered if she’d ever be able to listen to other music again. The crowd milled listlessly as if counting the minutes until the band returned.

  The bouncer held a finger to his earpiece and nodded almost imperceptibly to whatever instructions had been given. He stood suddenly, swinging his bulk to the left and pushed the door from its frame, but only an inch. Red light streamed from behind, sending sharp lines through the last remnants of smoke from the show.

  “Hold your hand up,” he said. He studied their marks in th
e cool light from the recessed blue bulb. Under the black light, the stamp glowed, a thick circle with three curves emanating from it. Satisfied, he moved aside to grant them access. Eden looked back once at the empty stage she could see through the speakers and passed over the threshold. The door closed solidly behind her.

  Red bulbs flickered, driving them down the narrow hall. Eden tried trailing her fingers on the black painted plywood as they walked, but splinters scraped into them. Without the distraction, the nervous energy built in her.

  “I don’t know about this.” The sudden lack of people was oddly unsettling. Libby’s footsteps echoed through the tight space.

  “Do you want to go back?”

  “No,” Eden answered as she tried to stay close, somewhere between walking and running. “But could you at least slow down?” A trickle of fear puddled in her stomach, but she managed to fight it off until they rounded the corner into a room.

  The light from a wide circle of dozens of candles fought to cancel out the purple hazy glow from black lights. The walls were decorated in fading Day-Glo paint, neon mushrooms, and ripped posters advertising shows from months ago. The musicians she’d seen on the stage occupied black bean bag chairs randomly thrown about the room.

  One of the backup singers tilted each of the candles near her, the assorted colors of wax splattering in front of her like a Jackson Pollock painting. She ran her fingers through it, smearing little peaks and valleys into the mess. Definitely in her own little world, Eden thought, wondering what the girl was on. The room looked like a circus on an acid trip.

  Eden’s eyes stopped short at the head of the circle. The singer. His head snapped up.

  “Our guests! I wondered if you’d make it back here!” he said smiling, as he rose to his feet. His tone was one part surprise, one part pride, like they’d conquered some kind of labyrinth instead of a straight hallway. Beside her, she saw Libby shudder. “It’s a pleasure.” He kept his eyes on Eden. “Now, she’s Libby, but I didn’t catch…”