Chapter Fifty Seven
I suppose I should feel guilty for the little gypsy misdirection Willow and I are playing on Ember, but I figure it’s harmless enough. We’ve played practical jokes together all our lives. My little girl doesn’t seem to realize that if she would just come right out and ask me, I would tell her the truth.
So, I’m letting her have her Ember-intrigues with Krista about mine and Willow’s ‘relationship’. Her plotting and scheming has freed up a significant portion of my evenings from my former anxieties. Seems she doesn’t get into quite so much trouble if her attention is fully focused on discovering my secret affairs.
I should have thought of this a long time ago – could’ve saved myself a few future gray hairs…
But, this particular Ember distraction plan never would have worked before right now. It requires a girl from my past and about the only person who did know me back then was Willow. So I would just have to enjoy it for as long as it lasted now and accept those future gray hairs as a badge of honor – I had survived my little girl, somehow.
I strained to hear what Krista and Ember were whispering about in her bedroom. Greg had just left a few minutes ago and they were currently lying across Ember’s bed engrossed in creating a new strategy. They were intent on somehow discovering our secret affair or whatever they thought Willow and I had together. I could only hear an occasional word or two though. I shook my head in wonder and smiled in amusement. I was lying in my bed, fully clothed staring at my cell phone in my hand.
Willow sent me another text message. We had been communicating like this the entire time she’s been back in my life because we didn’t want Ember to know about our chats. We would keep the mystery going for as long as we could. Her text surprisingly revealed that she definitely knew I had been following them around at the mall that day. I have no idea why I was so stunned by her revelation though. I have never been able to hide from her after my first initial ‘hide-n-scare-Willow’ prank.
She’s a great actress…I need to keep that in mind…
I sent her a message back and she didn’t readily reply. I waited a few minutes and then, sent her another text in case the first one didn’t go through for some reason. She still didn’t reply. Texting is so cryptic and it’s difficult to interpret. It turns out that the tone of someone’s voice is required to understand certain things.
My cell phone didn’t indicate that I had missed a text even after I smacked it a couple of times to ensure that it was working. So I tiptoed to my doorway and listened carefully. I heard Ember talking faintly in her bedroom. Then, I broke down and called Willow because I couldn’t take her silence.
This must be a ‘girl thing’ with me…Creator help a fellow out…I’m in trouble…
“Hello, may I help you?” Willow answered the phone, coolly.
“I’ll apologize if it’ll make you feel better…” I offered without saying hello myself.
Might as well tuck my tail now because it’s a total inevitability…
She made me wait a small eternity in virtual silence. I could hear her breathing on the other end of the phone, but I had to keep some of my male pride intact. So I bit down hard on my lower lip to keep myself quiet and waited patiently.
“I’m just giving you grief for heaven sakes, Tray! I knew you’d never let her outta your sight for a second. You never have in her lifetime. Creator forbid she ever wanna go on date at any point in her existence. I pity the guy that’s gonna brave you on that little venture…” Willow sounded dramatic and giggled.
“She’s already promised to remain boy-less until after she’s graduated from high school. I intend on persuading her to make it a good round age of oh, say twenty-nine or so before she even considers thinking about it…”
“You realize this plan of yours…” Willow started to respond to my comment, but I thought I heard footsteps.
“Hold on a sec…” I whispered urgently.
The knock on my bedroom door was so soft that I almost didn’t hear it. I walked across the carpeted floor and peered into the hall. Krista was standing outside my door. She instantly motioned for me to be quiet. My heart pounded rapidly in my chest as the panic started to consume me.
“Looks like rain and you’ve seen it plenty…later…” I stated to Willow and hung up the phone.
This was our code for little ears listening. I would call her back as soon as I could – as long as I’m still breathing after Krista speaks to me…
“I have to talk to you tonight after she goes to sleep – it’s super, mega important…” was all Krista whispered and then tip-toed fast back to Ember’s bedroom right before she got busted.
I called Willow back immediately in an all-out state of panic…
“That was fast,” she declared.
“Yeah, I’m flipping out here and that doesn’t take much time around this house unfortunately. Krista wants to talk to me after Ember goes to sleep about something mega important. She didn’t gimme anymore details before she ran back to Ember’s room. No way can this be good at all,” I declared and blew a breath up across my forehead.
“Maybe it’s part of their new ‘Tray-Willow-relationship-revealing’ strategy. Krista flips you out for a few hours and then, Ember magically channels you into confessing while you’re having a mental breakdown…” Willow explained the loony turn of events with a snicker that eventually turned into a full-blown session of laughter.
I had to wait until she stopped to say anything else because she couldn’t hear me over her hysterics.
“I know ha-ha very magically funny…seriously Willow I’m freaked out beyond all freak outs here. Krista’s never spoken to me alone. And, things have been goin’ way too smoothly. That’s gotta mean everything’s about to explode again – I just know it!” I exclaimed.
I hate it when someone says ‘Hey, I’ve got some super serious news, but it’ll have to wait for a few hours’. Do they think that you’ll just shrug your shoulders, go about your business and not stress out completely?? I knew I would be a total raving mental case by the time she finally gets to tell me because Ember is usually a night-owl and it’s Krista that normally goes to sleep first. I could feel a psychotic fracture headed my way. I can’t possibly take hours of not knowing what she needs to talk to me about…
“You have to help me, Willow – I mean it! I’m gonna freakin’ lose it if I have to wait all night to find out what Krista has to talk to me about. I know she’ll fall asleep before Ember. Then, Ember will decide she doesn’t wanna sleep at all tonight because that’s precisely my luck. It’s not like I can just walk into her bedroom, with her being wide awake and tell her I’m gonna wake up her best friend because I wanna chat her up for a few minutes, privately!!! Oh my…” I frantically stated.
I would’ve continued venting my panic for another few minutes, but suddenly I was so overwhelmed by everything I couldn’t seem to speak coherently. Noise was still coming from my mouth, although it didn’t sound human. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say anymore, so I guess it shouldn’t matter, but still…
Can terror turn a guy into a vegetable???
“Shhh, calm down…I’ll help you…” she said in a soft, soothing voice that kind of grated on my frazzled nerves.
“How??” I demanded more sharply than I intended and then I heard the phone click in my ear.
Great job Tray…now she really is mad at you…
The home phone rang and Ember answered it. My heart was threatening to pound out of my chest.
“It’s for me…” she announced loudly.
Krista peeked around the corner and motioned for me to come into Ember’s bedroom so we could talk. I stood frozen in indecision because I couldn’t possibly explain what I was doing in my little girl’s bedroom while she’s noticeably absent. Krista was already dressed in her flannel pajamas too and that would make it appear much worse if we happened to get busted. Not to mention the fact
that I wouldn’t feel comfortable being alone in a bedroom with a young girl I’m not related to.
“Gotta go out to the car and look for something for Willow. I’ll be right back…” Ember shouted down the hallway before she walked outside.
I swear Willow, I’m going to lean you back and kiss you like you’ve never been kissed before…
I motioned for Krista to meet me in the hall – the very well lit and open to the public hallway.
“That was some kind of lucky, huh?” Krista stated quietly like she was relieved that we were finally alone.
“Spill it Krista, what’s wrong?” I whispered urgently.
“Wow, stress at your age can be a killer! You need to chill from time to time. Why are you always so panicked, anyway?” she asked and put her hand on her hip, dramatically.
I managed to somehow retrieve my anger – that was currently somewhere near my voice box. I channeled an obliteration to make her respond without the usual teenaged-female-diva attitude. Time was ticking…
“Ember’s 16th birthday is coming up and my grandmother wants to throw her a big surprise party at the community center by the lake. I’ll take care of inviting everyone and my grandmother will take care of the food, drinks, music and building. All you have to do is make sure your sister gets there. Oh and not breathe a word about it to her of course,” Krista said excitedly with no sarcastic undercurrent.
I sighed in relief because it wasn’t anything epically tragic like I had originally thought. But then, her words flooded through my brain. I immediately sucked my breath right back inside my lungs – overwhelming fear tends to do that to me! Everyone equals how many live bodies???
“Who’s coming to this party?” I asked quickly.
I channeled to her again because my questions needed answers. I would need to have enough time to process the madness.
Then, I’ll need the rest of my natural existence to have my complete and total nervous breakdown…
“All our friends – my grandmother said that 75 would have to be the limit or else we’d have to move to another location. I know how much Ember loves the lake though…” she announced.
Yep and the lake loves Ember right back! It’ll be happy to provide you with a demonstration of its adoration too!
“Music, dancing, how many doors and windows to the outside…” I rapidly stated.
I didn’t know if I had enough time to speak the full questions. So I used my obliteration skill to help her ‘fill-in-the-blanks’.
“Music – dancing – we’re gonna hire a D.J. with digital equipment. Everyone will get to download a song or two. It’s gonna be my gift to her. I’ll make an “Ember’s 16th birthday file” on her iPod so she can listen to the music over and over. That way she’ll always have them to remember the night by.
“There are six sets of French doors that all lead outside. The building is round with floor to ceiling windows between the doors so everyone can easily see the lake. I don’t know how many windows exactly because I’ve never counted them. There’s no reason to do that – it’s February, so I assume the windows will stay closed. The doors will be too, unless people are coming and going,” Krista informed me.
“We’ll talk about it more tomorrow,” I told her and felt every muscle in my neck tense up completely.
Between using my gift at such a crazy velocity and knowing I couldn’t protect Ember in a crowd of 75+ kids all housed inside a giant, human size fish bowl – I was a stroke just waiting to happen. I watched Krista’s face as it twisted into a pout. She was prepared to pester me for an immediate answer.
Fate would be on my side for a change because Ember came back inside before she had time to say anything else. Krista rushed back into the bedroom and I just stood in the hallway, transfixed and thoroughly stunned from outright panic.
This was the ultimate catch-22. I wanted Ember to have this memory – a 16th birthday party – this party. I also had this ridiculous, but pressing need to live long enough to ensure she would make it through high school with me still breathing…
What on earth am I going to do???
Ember told Willow she found the missing item. She said “You’re welcome” before she hung up. She was mindlessly rubbing her cold hands together, but she noticed me anyway.
“Oh my sweet heavens Tray, are you alright? You look sick?” Ember asked me worriedly.
Sick doesn’t even begin to describe it…
Ember Rising Light (Book One) Page 61
