They snapped open again as a fist pounded on the door.
“What?” My breath came out fast and I opened the shower curtain.
“Hurry up. I’ve gotta pee.” Oh, the joys of having a one-bathroom house. I groaned and quickly shampooed and conditioned my hair, then cranked the water off and wrapped a towel around my body. I dried off quickly, ran a brush through my hair and yanked my old jeans and the dirty band shirt on, and unlocked the door.
Shae burst in, then shooed me out. “Took you long enough. I don’t even wanna know what you were doing in here.”
She rolled her eyes and I turned away quickly before my reddening face could give me away. I huffed and headed into my room, intent on finishing what I’d started, when I saw the little red light on my cell blinking. I slid the phone open to see a new text. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the number. Arii.
What are you up to?
Not much. Bored. You wanna hang? I quickly texted back, before the nerves doing jumping jacks inside my heart made me reconsider.
Sure, what time and where at?
I was thinking maybe we could go to DQ. Just you and me. My heart hammered in my throat.
Did you just ask me on a date, Kia? ;) I could almost see her teasing grin.
It depends. Do you wanna go out with me?
There was a pause for a few minutes, in which I worried that my text didn’t go through; it would be my luck—I was brave for once in my life and she never got the text. Then hers came through. I’d love to. Meet you at DQ in fifteen.
***
“Hey,” Arii chirped, tapping me on the shoulder as I waited in line for lunch a few days later. I turned and shot her a sheepish smile. “I talked to your sister earlier. Wanna go to a place called Hotspot after school? Shae thinks it can be some sort of double date. You and me, Shae and Tate.”
Hotspot wasn’t typically my sort of place. The little café was typically crowded with teens and hosted live bands in the evenings, mostly indie bands that I didn’t care for, but Shae loved the place.
I didn’t really want to go. But what else was there to do? Greyson had his first official meet-up with that Sam guy, so it was just the two of us. My heart flip-flopped. Our last date had gone pretty good, eating pumpkin ice cream in the booth at the local Dairy Queen.
“Sure, why not?” I tried to sound casual.
“Awesome.”
Grey caught up with us a little later and we took our trays to the normal table. Arii and I shared a secret smile as Greyson told us his plans for the night—typically calm, cool Greyson Meyer was jittery, his cheeks flushed pink and his hazel eyes bright with nerves and excitement.
“I seriously…man. I think he’s the one,” he said between bites of Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. Arii stole his phone and spent lunch time oohing and ahhing over the texts between Grey and Sam.
I gave Greyson a pat on the shoulder as the bell rang. “You’ll be fine.” He bunched his shoulders in a nervous habit.
“And have fun!” Arii gave him a quick hug.
“Thanks guys,” Greyson said, scooping up his tray and his cell phone. “I’ll text you when I get home, Kia.” Then he headed down the hall.
Arii grinned. “Think he’s gonna get lucky tonight?”
“He has more respect for himself than that.” I shook my head. “But I wouldn’t doubt Sam gives him a good night kiss. Grey’s gonna be over the moon. I’ll meet you at the front doors after school?”
“Yep. I’ll bring Shae and her boy-toy,” she said and pranced off.
Hotspot was packed, even for a Friday night. Cars overflowed the small parking lot, and a few were even parked in the alley behind the bank next door. Shae shouldered through the door and we were immediately bombarded by the sound of a rock group on the makeshift stage, tuning their guitars as they warmed up. The drummer pounded out a quick beat, grinning broadly as his front man shot him a look that clearly said ‘show off’.
I ordered an Oreo cappuccino, holding the steaming Styrofoam cup in my hands as we found a booth and sat down. Shae leaned into Tate, their hands entwined on top of the Formica countertop.
Arii scooted closer to me as the band warmed up with a punkish-sounding intro. I felt the warmth of her outer thigh pressed against my own leg, felt her nudge my foot with the toe of her sneaker and a small smile slid across my face, along with a burst of heat. I didn’t mind our growing closeness in the solitude of my place, or even at lunch time, but in public? I looked at her and she grinned.
“Good coffee,” she said, sipping at her foam-topped cup. I couldn’t even taste mine.
“Ohmygod, I love this song,” Shae squealed softly. The singer began to belt out a song, whose lyrics I didn’t completely catch, something about hot and cold and being in love with an angel. Shae pranced to her feet and drug a laughing Tate into the aisle between booths. They began to dance, wiggling their hips to the music.
I rolled my eyes. “Kids these days.”
“What, you wanna dance too, Kia?”
“Hell no.”
“I think you do.” She wore a beautifully wicked grin that made my heart sink low and beat in rapid succession at the same freaking time. She slid out of the booth and grabbed me by the shirt-sleeve, looping her arm in mine. I kicked on the brakes, glancing nervously at the small area of dancing teens, none of them graceful and a few of them rather…well, raunchy. I wasn’t quite sure what kind of dancing Arii’d expect me to do. I just knew that I had two left feet.
“Arii,” I said, reaching for her. She grinned and pulled me against her, her arms looped around my neck and her hair tumbling down upon her shoulders like rays of sunshine warming her pale skin. I felt my face heat up, but awkwardly placed my hands on her hips—I didn’t know where they went, not really. She seemed pleased by this though and we began a strange, rocking dance together, slow compared to Shae and Tate.
Shae shot me a look that said ‘I told you so,’ and wrapped both hands around Tate. He encircled her in his arms and I felt the need to be a big brother—at least until Shae twined her fingers in his blond hair and kissed him, roughly, demanding, heatedly, on the lips.
I quickly looked back to Arii, my gaze tracing down her face, across her own smile. Her lower lip was full and natural, not slicked with the lip gloss Shae often used. I wondered for a brief moment what her lips would taste like—if they tasted like she smelled, then damn.
“They’re having a good time,” Arii laughed in a husky tone as her gaze locked into mine. The music’s beat thrummed in my ears, etching into my mind. I didn’t know who the heck this band was, but I would never forget this song.
“You wanna ditch your sister and go for a walk?” Her head tipped to the side. I wanted to reach out and tuck her blonde bangs behind her ear. I nodded, feeling a little dazed as she led me towards the door. The bells chimed as we headed out into the crisp October night air. I shivered lightly under my light weight jacket.
Then Arii slipped her warm hand into mine, her fingers gently cupping against my own. I looked to her quickly, uncertainly. “It’s okay, Kia,” she murmured. “You can be happy, you know. It’s okay.”
“Are you happy?”
“Duh. Why else would I be holding your hand?” She squeezed it for emphasis and we lapsed into silence, walking side-by-side down the narrow sidewalk. It felt strange, but right, my fingers twined in hers. She made a point: Why couldn’t I be happy? I liked her…a lot. Beyond Suzie Reese in third grade, Arii was my first true crush. I just never figured I’d get lucky enough to be with someone so gorgeous.
As we wound through a neighborhood a block away from my place, I cleared my throat. “So… What’s it like? Changing into a wolf?”
“Are you considering it?” Her eyes went round, eager.
I slowly shook my head. “Not exactly. I’m just…curious.”
“It’s beautifully strange,” she admitted, bumping her shoulder against mine. “I don’t know how to explain it, really? You don’t
think—you don’t have a chance to. When you’re ready, your body just reacts. It’s not really painful, at least I don’t think so. But it is strange. You have a few minutes when you’re first in a wolf’s body, that your mind is elsewhere. Wild. Feral. And you have to rein the beast in. But it’s not hard. Just…strange.” She laughed lightly.
“But being a wolf, it’s wonderful. You have strength and grace and you feel worthy of being something so brilliant. There’s something about running through the forest in the dead of night, under a full moon, that’s just plain awesome.”
I tried to imagine turning into a wolf, a sleek beast with large ears and deep golden eyes. I shivered a little. “What color do you think I’d be? If I changed?”
She stopped mid-stride, pulling on my arm so I’d stop too. Then she gently brushed her fingers against my hair, the nearly black strands that fell into my eyes. I felt my heart ratchet in my throat as her fingertips skimmed my cheek, her eyes soulful.
“I’d say black. With rust undertones. You’d be a damn gorgeous wolf, Kia,” she murmured, then started walking again. Dusk began to descend around us, casting a hazy glow onto the sidewalks, and onto Arii’s beautiful face. Her hair looked like liquid gold.
We walked down the sidewalk lined by piles of damp autumn leaves waiting for leaf pickup. Arii wandered closer to them, kicking a foot through a pile and we watched as they scattered. Then she let me go, grabbing a handful. She lifted them to her nose and smelled them. “Autumn is gorgeous. C’mere and smell this, Kia. You can’t tell me you don’t have a good nose.”
I blinked. “I know what leaves smell like.”
“Get your butt over here.” She stamped a foot. I sighed and did as she commanded and she held the leaves to my nose, in both hands like a peace offering. I cupped the backs of her hands in mine and sniffed deeply. The rich, autumn scent of dead leaves filled my nose, spicy and old. The leaves were in hues of reds and golds, darkened from lying on the ground. The veins were delicate, sprawling through each leaf like a road map.
“They are pretty,” I said, just as Arii stuffed the damp leaves down the front of my shirt. I gave a yelp and she burst into laughter, darting back away from me, fleet as I reached for her. “Damn you,” I growled, though I couldn’t stop a grin. I grabbed her around the waist and we pitched forwards, landing hard with an ‘oomph’ in the pile of leaves. They softened our fall.
Arii gazed up at me, leaf chunks in her long, blonde hair. Her eyes were half-lidded, amused, and a small smile stole across her face. “You’re cute when you’re caught by surprise.”
I straddled her, knees scuffing the pavement though my sore calf gave a small throb. I grabbed a pile of leaves and stuffed them in her face and she giggled, then my fingers went to work tickling her ribs. She squealed and squirmed underneath me, laughing all the while. She lifted herself up, using her elbows to support her, and our faces were inches apart.
She could’ve easily tipped her face towards mine. Our lips could’ve touched; a gentle, chaste kiss. I wanted it—I hadn’t wanted anything more before in my life. My breath hitched in my throat as she met my eyes, liquid sapphire, and then…nothing. She turned her head, eyes darkening just a little, and gave me a shove. “It’s getting dark.” As if that solved anything.
I resisted the urge to groan, picking myself up off the pavement and offering a hand. I hauled her up and then reached out to pick leaf bits out of her hair. She straightened her blouse, then took my hand in hers and we started towards my place. No words, nothing. I felt a coil of disappointment in my gut, at least until we reached my house.
Then it turned to dread.
Two police cars sat outside my house, red-and-blues flashing, yellow caution tape sealing off the front door. The garage door was up—Mom’s beat up Ford was in the driveway. I checked my cell and saw I had a couple missed calls, but it wasn’t even six. She shouldn’t have been home yet. Letting go of Arii’s hand, I weaved around and found myself face to face with a tall, skinny white cop with downcast eyes.
“What happened?”
“Not issued to say,” he said.
“I live here. This is my house. I’m Kia Thomas,” I explained. “What happened? Is my mother okay?” Shae was still at Hotspot. Making out with Tate in a corner, most likely. But Mom.
“She’s alright, son,” he said. “One of your neighbors said they saw a guy snooping around in your yard; the man broke through a bedroom window. He’s not in the house.”
“Burglar?”
“We don’t know. We don’t think he took anything.”
“Kia!” Mom’s disgruntled voice made me look up. She hurried across the driveway and I met her halfway, colliding into her arms. “Oh my God, I thought you were home. When they called me, I panicked. I kept calling your cell and you didn’t pick up and I thought…oh God.” She cradled me to my chest. I patted her back, unsure of how to comfort her. “I was worried sick.”
“I’m okay,” I said, prying myself out of her arms. I glanced around, finding Arii looking nervous at the edge of the driveway. I ushered her over. We quickly explained where we’d been. Arii slid away from us after a little while, ducking under police tape once the cops had left one by one. I hugged Mom again, then took off after her. “Arii? You alright?”
“Yeah.” She sounded distant, looking at the broken window, sealed off with plastic and tape. My heart sunk into my gut—my window. My bedroom. Whoever it was had been searching for me.
“You don’t think…” My mind drifted to Sikta’s angry eyes, the way she’d taken a chunk of my leg with her in the alley last week. The memory of her hatred spiked through my system and I shuddered.
“I don’t know,” she said, reaching for my hand. I gave hers a squeeze. “I feel like I’ve brought so much trouble upon you, Kia… I’m so sorry. I’d understand if you want me to leave.”
“What? No. No, you didn’t do this,” I assured her, pulling her into a hug. She was warm in my arms. Secure. I smiled, then let her go, headed for the front door.
“Don’t take that on. You’re here, that’s all that matters.” Then I felt sappy. I led her inside and locked the front door behind me. I found Mom at the kitchen table, hunched over the yellow pages.
She caught my gaze and shot me a look. “I’m calling around. Someone will install an alarm system tonight—now—or we are all packing up and sleeping in a motel for the night. Call your sister, tell her to come home.” She grabbed the cordless phone off the wall jack and started punching in numbers. I couldn’t remember when I’d seen her so riled up, but this was Mama Bear, protecting her cubs.
So I called Shae. She assured me Tate would walk her home. Then Arii and I sat awkwardly on the couch, staring at the blank screen of the TV.
“You wanna play a game? Get your mind off it?” I asked, feeling lame. At least until she smiled. Then I rocketed off the couch and handed her a controller, turning on the system. We ended up playing Mario Kart until Shae came home, then the three of us played around on the Wii. Mom paced the floors as the alarm guys installed a system on our house. Arii just felt…off. Distant. A million miles away.
Leaving the girls to play by themselves, I stashed my controller and headed down the hall, towards my room, a ball of nerves coiling in my stomach like a cobra, waiting to strike. I opened my door, standing there, assessing the lack of damage. Nothing had been touched. My computer wasn’t stolen (not that it would’ve been a good steal, but still) and none of my knick-knacks had been moved. The layer of dust on my bookshelf was untouched.
I held my breath as I slid open the door to my closet, but the only thing staring back at me was my hangers and clothes. I shook my head and turned when a shadow played across my floor.
I spun around quickly to face my attacker, only to hear a nervous laugh come out of Arii’s mouth. She pushed blonde locks behind her ears. “Hey. I’m gonna take off. Just wanted to say bye. And I’m sorry. Again.”
I reached for her, pulling her into a gentle hug. She
stiffened at first, but then relaxed against my chest. “No need to be sorry,” I said, bopping her on the nose with my fingertip as I pulled away. “Just get home. And see me tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She smiled. “Be careful.” I followed her out of the house, watching as she ducked under the police tape and wandered down the sidewalk.
I found Shae and Mom at the table; Shae was crunching on a bowl of Rice Krispies and Mom was crunching numbers. They both looked up as I leaned against the doorjamb.
“Long day,” Mom muttered with a sigh. “Either of you up for pizza and a movie?”
“Only if it’s a horror movie. But pizza is yum!” Shae finished her milk at the bottom of the bowl and stashed it in the sink. Even though she’d just eaten, I knew she’d devour two or three slices of pizza. Teenagers were bottomless pits.
“I was thinking more along the lines of something not scary.” Mom slanted her a look. “I need something to relieve my stress.”
“You could always buy one of those stress balls that you squeeze?” Shae offered, trying to be helpful.
“Or a worry stone?” I laughed. “I don’t care what we watch, as long as you order mushrooms and sausage on the pizza.”
“Mushrooms are ew!”
“Pick them off.”
“Shut up, guys,” Mom said with a grumble. “I’ll order half with mushrooms. Happy? Kia, go into the other room and see if there’s anything good on Pay-Per-View. I don’t want either of you walking to the Video Mart tonight.” She spoke as if there were crooks and goblins waiting for us just around the corner. I smiled, but turned so she wouldn’t see it.
“Okay, Mom.”
We ended up eating an entire large pizza—pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese (and mushrooms on half)—between the three of us, sprawled across the couch and loveseat as the TV blared some sappy chick-flick. Not that I’d admit it to anyone but Greyson, I was a sucker for a good love story, in hopes that someday I’d find my happily ever after.
Wolfsong Page 5
