Pretend With Me (Midnight Society #1)

by Jemma Grey

  “You said it started when you were eighteen?” I didn't mean to make it a question, but somehow it came out as one. “Why eighteen?” It seemed that turning eighteen in Eric's family meant a lot more than just having the power to vote. I had to marry him before I was eighteen, and he got his mind ability thing at that age too. I couldn't help wonder if there was a link between the two. But what was the connection, if there was any at all?

  “Eighteen is the age you're finished growing in my family. When you're mature and strong enough to handle your... gift it comes. Usually that happens at eighteen... but I've known of two cases where it happened at a younger age.”

  “What about the rest of your family?” He nodded hesitantly. “My mother can see into a person's past, and my sister can feel what other's feel–”

  “A sister?” I blurted out surprised. “You have a sister?” His only response was a light smile as he noded. “How come you've never told me about her?”

  “You've never asked,” he said simply. My eyes narrowed at this. What else had I not asked about? Did he have a twin brother with a second head?

  “And your dad? What can he do?”

  “His is the only active power in the family. He can send a sort of electrical charge through someone. It turns his opponent's strength against them, the stronger they are, the stronger the charge is.” I thought about that for a second, and came up with nothing. I didn't have a response for him.

  I knew Eric and his family was different, but I couldn't wrap my head around just how different they were. I was starting to think that they were aliens or some mad scientist's victims. I guess it would explain why they were all so beautiful and flawless. And the gracefulness that Eric carried himself with.

  Great, I was going either insane or engaged to an alien that planned to use me to breed his evil alien spawns. I shook the thought away at once; Eric was not evil, maybe an alien, but definitely not evil.

  “So,” I said distracting myself. “Tell me about your sister. What's her name, her age? What's she like?”

  “Her name is Christy Wilson and she's four.”

  “Four?” I exclaimed. “But you said that..?”

  “She's one of those exceptions. She can feel what others can and it's hard for her to control so she can be random and all over the place.”

  “How does that work?”

  “Well...” he mused, “it takes her over completely... she doesn't just feel the strongest emotion in the room that she's in... Christy also sees it... She says it's like seeing someone's skin glow different colors when they're feeling different emotions. Her entire world shifts depending on what others are feeling... what she sees... feels... even tastes in the air... but she's only four so with time she'll learn to control it.”

  I smiled at this even though it was sad. Imagine always being on an emotional high. He talked about her with so much love though that I could tell he would do anything for her. His love for her was unconditional; that much was clear.

  I scooted closer to him, cupping his face with both my hands. God he was beautiful in every way, even his strange family and mind tricks. How could one person be this much? “Eric Wilson,” I whispered, my eyes searching his face. “What are you?”

  He didn't answer right away. Instead his burning blue eyes locked onto mine, holding me still as the seconds ticked away. It was almost a full minute when he finally whispered, “The same as you... just a bit different...” Eric then raised his hand to my face and gently ran a finger down my cheek.

  I wanted so much to kiss him. The air around us had suddenly become charged with whatever magic that existed between us. My heart was pounding and my throat had gone dry.

  Eric must have felt it too because a second later he leaned in towards me, brushing his lips against mine, gently at first. I was kissing him back instantly. The reaction wasn't something I could help. Then the next thing I knew was that we were both on the sofa, completely absorbed and wrapped around each other. Eric was the first to pull away, but he didn't go far. His lips remained inches from my mine; one of his hands still wrapped around me as the other touched my face lightly. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. I could still taste him on my lips and I didn't want this to end.

  “I promised I wasn't going to force you into anything,” he whispered, while playing with a strand of my hair that had fallen from the messy ponytail it was in. His liquid blue eyes never left mine.

  “I know,” I muttered and buried my face in his chest, suddenly aware of just how tired I was. I closed my eyes and soon in the comfort of his arms, I slowly began to drift off.

  That was the first time since Daren died that I didn't wake up either crying, screaming, or both. It was the first time I slept and wasn't haunted by the bloody nightmares. I actually slept and when I woke up hours later my first thoughts weren't how much it hurt to breathe or how easy it would be to shoot myself in the head…

  5

  “Jen, wake up,” Eric shook me. “What,” I moaned, annoyed and yanking the cover over my head.

  “We're in Hawaii and since we got here all you've been doing is sleeping. Come on, get up, let's go out.”

  “You go out,” I muttered. “Who knows maybe you'll find a nice girl to settle down with.”

  “I have found her, and for the past five days all she's been doing is sleeping.” This caught my attention, and I forced my eyes open under the cover. Had it been almost a week already? I barely remember Eric waking me up more than twice with a glass of orange juice and my medication, insisting I take it. Of course I threw them up after he'd left, hence the reason why I was always so tired, but I couldn't believe that five days had gone by already.

  “If our honeymoon is anything like this, I'll literally have to shoot myself, Jen.”

  “Good,” I muttered and a second later the covers vanished from over me, and were a pile on the floor at his foot.

  “Eric,” I moaned, feeling naked and cold.

  “Yes, darling?” he smiled suddenly on top of me.

  “Sitting on me is going to make me get up?” I asked raising my eyebrows. His only response was a nod. Somehow he had captured my hands and now his hands formed cuffs around mine at my belly.

  “I'm very stubborn,” I smiled, closing my eyes.

  “And comfortable too,” he chuckled. He waited a minute and when I didn't give any response, he raised both of our hands over my head. I felt him lay a soft, gentle kiss on my forehead. “Jen...” he whispered kissing a path to my ear. “Get up.”

  It continued like this for a few minutes before I realized he wasn't going to give up. I sighed annoyed as I opened my eyes, staring daggers at him. “Eric,” I sighed again aloud. He pulled away from my face and looked at me, studying my expression. “If I get up, will you get off?”

  “I promise,” he smiled, knowing he'd won.

  “Fine, get off me,” I snapped as he rolled over me and sat up on the bed at my side waiting. I sat up looking at him with death in my eyes.

  “Get dressed, we're going out.”

  “Can we stay in?” I pleaded

  “No,” he shook his head. “I'm tired of being stuck here and besides I want you to meet someone. Something nice, not that you don't always look nice. Even now, in one of my old t-shirt and uncombed hair...” he trailed off staring at me, then shook his head and left the room.

  About an hour after, I was in a red, knee length dress. I gave myself a final check, and once satisfied walked out of the room, my shoes dangling in my hand. I didn't really like them. They were red and high and consisted of so many straps I could hang myself with it if I wanted to. I was more of a Converse and jeans kind of girl, not stilettos and dresses.

  I walked up to Eric, stopping behind him. “I'm ready,” I declared and he turned around. “I just have to put on these things,” I said not looking at him as I walked over to the sofa and sat down. The shoes were surprisingly easy to put on, and like everything else, they fit perfectly. I stood up then, and turned t
o face him.

  My heart was beating loudly in my chest. I was sure he could hear it. My palms were sweaty and my stomach was in tight knots. I was nervous, but I didn't know why. And the fact that he was staring at me as if I were food wasn't helping ease the tension. “Why are you staring at me?” I asked, feeling naked and self-conscious.

  Since I had emerged from the bedroom he had not taken his eyes of me. It was like he was seeing me for the first time, like he was staring into the soul of an angel. “You look like a girl,” he grinned.

  “Well that's what I am apparently,” I snapped, frowning at him.

  “I know, but now you actually look it. I'm so used to you wearing my clothes, and though you wear them better than I do, I don't mind seeing you like this.”

  My eyes narrowed at him. “Well of course you don’t. I'm showing cleavage and legs and more skin than I'm used to. I'm in a frickin’ heels, with makeup on. Of course you think I'm hot now,” I snapped at him, my annoyance growing.

  “What just happened?” Eric asked confused, and I rolled my eyes at him as I walked out of the house, leaving him standing there completely lost.

  “So are we really meeting a friend, or did you just say that to get me out of the house?” I asked after I'd done fuming. Unfortunately it had taken the entire drive, and Eric had just pulled into the parking lot of a small, cozy looking restaurant. It was completely wooden with red lights wrapped around the posts, and hanging from the ceiling. It looked warm and safe.

  My comment made him laugh, and I swore I saw sparks fly around his face. Not taking my meds was having a more serious effect on me than I thought. Apparently, it was making me crazy too. “Of course there's a friend.”

  I nodded, unbuckling the seatbelt and began to open the door. Eric's hand was suddenly on mine, stopping me. I turned to him confused, instantly engulfed in a smoky cloud of his scent. He was leaning to me, his face literally inches from mine.

  I sucked in a breath, already feeling my brain cells clicking off. Electric currents were running along my body. I bit my lower lip, and felt the stinging pain of my nails biting into my palms.

  “Stay,” he whispered and when I nodded too dazed to do anything but agree, he opened his door, rounding the car. Eric then opened my door, offering me his hand. I took it still dazed, climbing out of the car without saying a word.

  “What are you thinking? You're so quiet” he said taking my hand, leading me into the restaurant. I looked up at him deciding whether I should tell the truth or not.

  “Nothing,” I finally said after a long moment of silence.

  When we walked into the restaurant, a server instantly greeted us and then showed us into a room at the back. The room was dim and had five private tables as far away from each other as possible, all separated by wooden partitions.

  A boy that looked around our age was already seated at our table. He stood, smiling when he saw us. “Jen,” Eric said wrapping a hand around my waist possessively. “This is Kai. Kai, Jen.”

  “Nice to finally meet you,” he said in a thick Hawaiian accent. “I've been waiting nineteen years for this,” he laughed, holding out his hand to me. I took it but instead of shaking my hand, Kai led me towards a chair at the table.

  “Really?” I asked when he sat down.

  “Are you kidding? I've had to listen to him bitch about marrying you ever since he could talk,” Kai laughed and at my side I saw Eric shoot him a hateful glare that clearly meant shut-the-fuck-up-Kai.

  “Really?” I asked again, amused. “Like what?”

  “Well... he thought you'd be ugly, mean or a dumb blonde. Obviously you're not blonde or ugly.”

  “I am mean, however,” I admitted.

  “Well he can't have everything, can he?” Kai laughed. “So how are you two really getting along? Is he being good to you?”

  Without answering, I looked to Eric at my side, not sure how I should answer. Eric's only response was a light squeeze of my hand under the table.

  “Well,” I mused turning back to Kai. “It's been rough, but Eric's not so bad,” I answered truthfully. Kai nodded and was about to say something when our server came back giving us our menus, and Eric and I a glass of water each.

  Eric and Kai talked while we waited for our food and then while we ate. Except for the questions about me, they mostly caught up with each other. I only joined the conversation when I was asked a question or occasionally offered a comment. After eating I excused myself and went to the washroom.

  By now I was so tired I wanted to fall to the floor and sleep for a century. My eyes pained as if someone was continuously sticking tiny, dry needles into them and I had a searing headache. I wanted a bed, I didn't care whose.

  When I got back Eric was gone. “Eric got a call,” Kai explained before I could ask. My only response was a halfhearted smiled. “He's a really good guy, you know.”

  “I know,” was all I said.

  “But..?”

  “I'm seventeen; I'm not ready to be a wife to someone. I don't want to be married. I want to have a choice...”

  Kai was silent for a while. “Eric didn't want this either,” he whispered. “All my life, I've been hearing him say he wasn't going to marry someone for his parents... someone he didn't love. He was not going to ruin his life or yours. Eric's always insisted he would marry the girl he loved, and only her... and I believed him...” he paused. “I still believe him,” Kai said. I was shocked by this. Thankfully, I was saved from responding, because just then Eric walked into the room.

  We stayed about a half an hour after, talking and then we parted ways. I had nothing against Kai, but I was thankful when we left. The drive back was silent, but when Eric pulled into the driveway, he turned to me and broke that silence. I wished he hadn't.

  “Jen, I have something to tell you.”

  I swallowed at once. I knew by the tone of his voice I wouldn't like this one bit. Reluctantly I turned to him, waiting for him continue. “At dinner it was my parents on the phone. They can't postpone the wedding. It’s already set, I'm sorry.”

  I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “How much time do I have...?”

  “Just over two months. Almost two thousand invitations has already been sent out. I know you wanted more time, I'm sorry...” he trailed off stealing glances at me.

  It took me a long while to answer. Everything had already been done for my wedding... and I had nothing to do with it. I hadn't picked out the dress I was going to wear, what cake I wanted... nothing. I hadn’t even gotten to choose what type of wedding I wanted.

  Since I was little, I’d always wanted a really traditional Hindu wedding – the full works. A traditional Hindu wedding could last for hours, and I wanted it all, from the henna tattoos, being rubbed down with saffron, right down to walking around the Holy fire. I was never going to get any of these things though.

  It was only now dawning on me just how trapped I was. I had known it all the time, but now I fully understood what was going on around me. My life had been decided for me and I had nothing to do with making those decisions. Those decisions were taken by people who didn't understand me, and complete strangers.

  Here, Eric had been making me feel free, but I wasn't. My feelings for him had made me doubt my decision but I had been right all along in not taking those tiny life saving pills. It was the only decision I had left - the only decision I could make - and the choice was clear. I couldn't live like this. I couldn't stay in a gilded cage, because to me that was all it was - a pretty cage. Eventually, it would chip away at me until there was nothing left inside me.

  I'd gotten a taste of this already. Daren dying already killed a part of me, and Eric was going to kill whatever little was left. There were things a lot worse than death. Dying inside was one of them. Your body lived when truly you didn't. Instead, all that you were left with was pieces of the person you once were.

  “I am too...” I finally whispered, turning away from him.

  “There's more,” he
paused. When I didn't respond he continued. “We leave here in two days.” I didn't say anything; instead I continued to stare blankly out the window. Eric took my hand and reluctantly I turned to him. “I tried,” he said, almost pleading.

  “I know you did, thank you,” I whispered back. He really did try, and so did I.

  * * *

  The next two days were anything but noisy. Eric and I barely talked. He spent most of his time on the phone, making arrangements for our trip, while I occupied myself with packing. I wasn't complaining though, this made keeping my distance so much easier.

  I had stretched out packing for as long as I could. Now all the clothes that had once been stacked neatly in the wardrobe and closet, were stuffed into three large suitcases. Using all the strength I had in me, I pulled the last of my suitcases out of the house. Even though this one was the smallest of the three, it weighed a ton. I had no idea how Eric managed with the other two at the same time.

  As soon as he saw me, he leaned off the trunk of the car and came up to me. He then took the suitcase from me and hauled it to the side of the car as if it weighed nothing. Without pausing, he picked it up and somehow stuffed it into the back seat.

  “Are you ready? Do you have everything?” he asked. I nodded and climbed into the car. I wasn't worried about the drive to the airport, that was only ten minutes. The flight, however, I was terrified of. It had nothing to do with the airplane or being in the sky, and everything to do with sitting in a confined space with Eric and awkward silence as my only friend. I hadn't bothered to ask where we were going, but I knew it had to be far away, and I couldn't handle more than an hour alone with him.

  As it turned out, my body was too weak to stay awake. Fifteen minutes into the trip I fell asleep. I had been off my medication for almost two weeks now, and the toll it was having on my body was horrible and painful. Every part of me ached. I was always sleepy and exhausted, and doing simple everyday tasks like brushing my teeth or showering made me even more tired. I couldn't stand for too long or stayed awake for more than an hour at a time, and as of yesterday the fainting had started. It happened as soon as I had gotten off the bed and was on my feet. Dizziness overtook me and then the next thing I knew I was waking up on the floor. I'd gone through a lot of trouble to hide this from Eric. He never saw me tired or weak or sick. Around him I was always perfectly fine.