“Well, you know how Paul knows about me?” I started.
“Yeah,” he said. His pace hadn’t slowed. You’d think we were on some sort of time schedule.
“Luke,” I barely got out before he finished my sentence before me.
“You’re wondering if Luke knows about me. Then of course the next question would be does he know what you are because he’s my best friend?”
“Exactly,” I said exhaling as if I’d finally reached the finish line. Luke had used the words I know about that dinner with Flynn and David. I had been so preoccupied with kissing him, that morning it wasn’t important to clarify. So much had happened that when things calmed and were good, I hadn’t thought much about it since the balm was working.
He stopped again. He looked at me like he was going to answer my question. Cracking the silence between us, I heard a snap of a branch. I’d didn’t move my eyes on still on him waiting for the answer. I knew something was just ahead. Slowly my eyes shifted in the direction of the sound. There stood a menacing group of teens. Scanning them I saw a flicker of something unnatural flash in a few of their eyes.
Chapter Seventeen
winsome (adj.) charming, pleasing
coquet (v.) flirting
At a standoff, we stood sizing each other up. There were six of them and two of us, so clearly we were out numbered. Tense microseconds zoomed by and I wasn’t sure what Flynn would do.
When finally he took a step forward, I nearly reached out to stop him. At the same time an attractive caramel skinned boy with swirling hazel green eyes also moved forward in our direction. They met in the space between our groups. I was transfixed not knowing what might happen.
They clasped hands before leaning into that strange man hug with one hand each pressed between them. They gave each other a quick firm pat on the back before quickly parting lest anyone think they somehow lost any manhood points in the act.
“Chris,” Flynn said with a voice that was warm in acknowledgement of a friend. I exhaled the breath I’d been holding.
“Flynn,” the boy named Chris said in reply. “It never amazes me to see you with a beautiful girl.” I blushed not expecting the compliment.
“This,” Flynn began taking a step back towards me, “is my sister, Mercy.”
I gave a polite smile and tiny head nod. Chris raked me over with his eyes. I shifted in my stance uncomfortable with the scrutiny.
“Don’t get any ideas. She’s my best friend’s girl,” Flynn said looking back at me with faint amusement and a wink.
I looked away from Flynn and at a tiny redhead who stepped forward and clasped Chris’s arm with the possessiveness of someone more than a friend. I was overly confused by her move. Why had he looked at me that way if his girlfriend was standing right there? What was even more striking was the girl wore a tank with shorts. Heck it was November and frosty out, but she didn’t seem bothered.
When Chris began to introduce the group, I looked at the bunch that stood behind him. As my eyes moved about the group, I noticed they stood in an odd pyramid formation. It just seemed strange they all hadn’t come together. They stayed in that odd formation the whole time.
Chris began by pointing to the possessive redhead hanging on his arm. Compared to my best friend Maggie, this redhead was a bit rough around the edges. She was kind of cute, but she didn’t have that softness to her that Maggie had. “This is Melody,” he said. Melody nodded to me not taking her arms off of Chris.
Turning a bit to his left without taking his eyes off of mine he said, “This is Mike and Tamera.” Mike was a fair tall lanky boy with hair that shined in the night like a raven. Mike had his arms around a girl just about as tall as I was. She was pretty with the same hazel eyes I assumed her brother Chris had.
Chris turned slightly to his right he said, “And this is Steve and Jo.” Steve’s pale hair was almost silver in the moonlight shrouded by the surrounding trees. His freckled face bore no signs of friendliness. I couldn’t help but notice in weird way he resembled the redhead. The girl next to him had dark hair with crimson dipped ends. She above the rest looked ominous. It didn’t help she bared her teeth at me. I immediately thought vampire. But did vampires exist? Something for me to think about later.
Jo hadn’t moved any other muscle. She looked like the kind of girl who carried knives in her pockets. At this point it wasn’t surprising her face mirrored the face of Mike. Three sets of siblings conveniently dating each other if the body language had any truth to it. I had to wonder what strange things happened in Lakeview.
“We should go. The party should be starting soon,” Chris said. I met his eyes a final time before we headed off. I tried to understand whatever secrets they held. But he turned before I found anymore truths.
Flynn headed off ahead with Chris with the others including myself walking behind them. Melody fell into step with me and I wasn’t quite comfortable with her presence. I think she saw me as some kind of threat even though Flynn clearly mentioned my boyfriend.
“Your brother is hot,” she said. Again I was confused about the relationships that existed between them. I was sure I hadn’t misinterpreted the possessive way she’d held onto Chris earlier.
“You too,” I groaned. I hope I didn’t come off as a bitch. Apparently though, she didn’t care for my tone. In retrospect, I could see how it was possible to take my comment as a bit sarcastic. She gave me a look I couldn’t read. Moving away quickly with her short legs, she caught up with Flynn and Chris leaving me by myself.
Alone now, I was somewhat grateful. I couldn’t shake the fact that this group didn’t look like a normal group of teens. They moved through the woods like predators. No one else ventured to talk to me and really that was fine. I could only hope whoever else was at the party would be friendlier, otherwise it was going to be a long night.
It wasn’t long before we stepped out the thick cover of trees into an area cleared for what I could see was the abandoned camp sight. The vicinity was filled with rusting and decaying picnic tables. One decent sized faded gray building took up much of the open space. It stood sadly, with peeling paint, a bit off centered to the right of the camp area. The windows didn’t betray whatever was going on inside. The glass was frosted or tinted so no one could see inside. If not for the music that penetrated the rotting walls, I wouldn’t have ever know the place was currently occupied.
The pack of teens filed in through matching obscurely painted glass doors. Flynn held back. When I reached him, he pulled me back a few feet from the door.
“There’s something you should know before we go inside,” he said. His eyes search mine and I was suddenly spooked.
“What?” I questioned. I wished he would quickly get to it before I freaked out. The battered camp grounds were spooky enough without Flynn trying to scare me.
“Chris and his friend are shifters,” he said.
I looked into his face, frowning, not sure I heard him right. “Shifters?” I asked.
“You may be more familiar with the term werewolves, but that doesn’t really explain them. But I tell you about it later,” he said. His voice was stern but quiet as if he were afraid to be overhead. He looked up at the doors as if he expected them to open. He took my arm and tugged me to the door.
I pulled my arm from his grasp. “Wait.”
His body language tensed, “We can’t talk now.”
I wanted to say you can’t really spring this on somebody and not expect questions. But he moved and opened the door. The night filled with sounds from the raging bass guitar on a familiar melody.
I followed behind him knowing I wouldn’t get the answers I sought. Engulfed in a room filled with people bouncing up with fist in the air to the epic song that filled the space, I stood as the door closed behind me.
Flynn moved into the sea of people immediately and I lost him. He was tall but so were several other guys and girls jumping around. I hadn’t expected to see so many people hanging out. I looked about the roo
m. It must have served as an all purpose room when the camp was open. There was even a bar with a kitchen area. Surely back then, this would have been where food was dispensed. Much of the room had been left open and empty to serve whatever purpose was necessary. That seemed to be just right for this impromptu party. A modern entertainment system filled a corner of the room where the music crooned from. I opted to walk over to the empty bar area and sat where a few old fashion metal bar stools stood empty. I didn’t know anyone else and Flynn had abandoned me.
The music was inviting, but I didn’t feel the nerve to go and dance by myself. So here I was people watching. That be could be very entertaining on its own. A small girl with pink hair jumped in the middle of the group. Every time she landed I couldn’t see a hint of her. She must have had a lot of bounce. Then there was the couple in the throngs of new love. It was easy to spot. They gazed at each other as if each touch was new. The crowd as a whole moved with the music with what appeared an unbridled fusion. Waves of crisp crystalline tunes cascaded out of the impossibly tiny speakers.
“Hey,” a voice said sharply from behind me. The sound made me jerk from the nearness. “Beautiful girl,” he finished when I looked into the face of impossible beauty. He was gorgeous, rivaling that of Flynn.
“Hi,” I said back to the stranger that held my gaze. I began to wonder if everyone in Maryland was amazingly attractive. I only had to look up to see that there were a few cute boys in the room out of the dozens but only two that were stunning. Instantly I mistrusted the boy before me. I don’t bat for the other team but I did notice there were several prettier girls than myself in the room.
Boys have a tendency to focus on the shinning new item in the room. That had to be me. I was the only lonely outcast. Everyone else here knew each other. I could feel it. I didn’t consider myself a raving beauty. I was cute at best but never beautiful. So this guy, who made my gut tight looking at him, had to have an ulterior motive.
“You look like you want to dance,” he said.
I hadn’t thought I swayed with the beat but maybe I had. He couldn’t have read my mind or could he? Geez, was I going to mistrust everyone I met from now on. Flynn’s confession about the shape shifters among us, made me wonder what other supernatural being lurked in the room.
With his hand extended, he moved in front of me. I couldn’t believe what I did next after alluding to a possible ulterior motive. I took his hand without answering. No harm in dancing to this great song, I tried to tell myself. It would have been rude for me to say no, right? And I really do like to dance.
He pulled me to the fringes of the mass of people. A couple of times I was delighted into laughter as he twirled me even dipped me like we were on the show ‘Dancing with Stars’. Breathless and slightly sweaty from a long string of songs, I still didn’t want to stop. But my dance partner shuffled me outside into the cool night air.
“Want a drink,” he asked. Leaning against the cool peeling wall of the building I nodded. Before I could clarify that water would work, the door closed behind him. I pulled my shirt from my body a few times bring the frosty air against my damp skin. I smiled having not expected to have such a good time tonight. I enjoyed dancing almost as much as cooking. Who knew such a good looking guy would enjoy dancing to? He didn’t just stand there slightly moving to the beat, we actually done a few dance moves. Again it reminded me of the television show in a way. We didn’t fox trot but we moved in tandem with each other.
The night sky was a wonderland with thousands of twinkling stars. They winked down on me, lighting up the complete darkness that encased me. I had no time to think about what I was doing when the handsome boy with windswept chestnut hair and powerfully bluer than impossible blue eyes was back with two bottles in hand. The crooning voice of Jared Leto announced his presence as the doors opened briefly. Apparently, whoever owned the music system was a big fan of Leto. It wasn’t the first song from played by the Thirty Seconds to Mars band.
I took the bottle from his hand never looking from his strange eyes. Something in them was fascinating. Although they twinkled much like the stars above, behind the smile his eyes were empty. It should have freaked me out. But I found I couldn’t look away from them.
With the bottle upturned, I took a long pull on it. It was too late when I swallowed deep and nearly choked on what was the unmistakable taste of beer. He took my hand as my eye burned from the bitter taste. With not much grace, I silently cough then took in a deep breath. He pulled me forward and didn’t seem to notice I nearly choked. I wasn’t even sure I should care what he thought. I had a boyfriend.
He sat and nudged me to sit near him at the table. In a million years, I would have never guessed what he did next. Underneath his coat he pulled a desk of cards that leaped in his hand as he shuffled. Was he some sort of magician?
“What’s your name?” he asked. His voice now had an accent that was maybe Scottish or Irish, I wasn’t sure.
Vaguely I thought, I had great time dancing with a guy I didn’t even know. “Mercy,” I said still staring in his eyes. I was mystified by them.
“Do you have a middle name?” he asked not taking his gaze from mine.
It was a strange question but I felt willing to play along. I lifted the bottle and took another drag without thought. I could have cursed myself, but it was done.
Maggie knew my middle name, but it was the kind of thing I didn’t think about often. No one called me by that name, not even my mother.
“Why?” I asked. I was planning on telling him, but wondered if he would answer.
“I bet everyone calls for Mercy, I want to be unique,” he said with that beautiful lilt of his.
Normally my blood boils at the jokes said at my name’s expense, but it didn’t this time. Was it the beer? My brain however let me know it was way too soon for me to be affected by alcohol or was it? I answered, “McKayla.”
Reality was, if anyone had bothered to ask that question before, I would have told them because frankly I liked the name a lot more than Mercy.
“Kayla,” he said. My name rang off his tongue in a cadence like a song. It was almost mystical as it hung in the air. Maybe I was getting drunk.
I could have protested his using my middle name, but I didn’t think I’d see him after today. Least not after this week once we returned home. So I let it go.
“Yours,” I asked returning the bottle to my lips.
“They call me Rat,” he said, with a smile that showed he was proud of the nickname.
“And,” I said raising my eyebrow. I really should have been worried at this point. Who is happy about being called a name labeled for dirty scavengers that hunt in the darkness?
He looked at me curiously then, “And what?”
“What’s your real name? I want to be unique?” I coquetted back using his phrase back on him. Crap, I was flirting. What was wrong with me?
He laughed. “Ok, I guess that’s fair Kayla. My name is Sebastian.”
I wanted to shorten it like he did mine but Bastian was too close to bastard. My brain was feeling a bit warm in the cold air. I took another drink. I was getting used to the taste. I should have recognized what was happening to me.
Fanning out the deck he’d been shuffling he said lyrically, “Pick a card.”
Willing to play, I moved my hands over the cards until selecting one near the end. I wanted to be different than most who would have selected a card from the middle. “Remember your card then place it back in the deck,” he said.
It was hard to forget the King of Hearts so I slipped it back in the deck easily. This time I chose my placement to the middle when others might have slapped it close to the top. I looked into his eyes again wondering what the heck I was doing here. Something about this boy was winsome, but I had a boyfriend. He hadn’t actually made a move so maybe I should just enjoy the moment. I might be stupid to assume he had ulterior motives by bringing up the fact I had a boyfriend.
He shuffled the cards and
I found myself watching his hand as he made the cards appear to dance in his hands. I was captivated with his magic. Aimlessly he chose a card and showed it to me. “Is this your card?” he said.
Astounded peered at the King of Hearts and nodded. “How’d you do that?” I asked.
Winking at me he said, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” And I did. I wanted to know more about the boy that sat before me with all his magic. I absently worried at my lower lip. His accent was intoxicating but the way he said it reminded me of flirting. “Tell me, the guy you came in with, is he your boyfriend?”
Taking off guard by his card trick I looked back up at him not sure what to say. I saw something swing in his eyes or maybe I was starting to spin. “No, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my brother,” I said with a misplaced giggle. What the hell was I doing? But I couldn’t seem to stop myself and giggled again.
He smirked. “He’s not your brother,” he said ardently, gazing at me with that I know your lying look. How dare he read me so easily, I thought?
“Yes, he is,” I said empathically and giggled again. I felt the lie burn in my throat worse than the beer had. My cheeks felt flushed too.
He put the deck of cards down on the table and grabbed his drink. Holding it he said, “Fist of all you don’t look alike. Second, I saw the way he looked at you when we danced. No brother would look at his sister that way unless he was demented.”
I took a long swallow of the beer, forgetting again what I was drinking. This boy was making me nervous and not in a bad way. I felt stupid lying to him. Should I just say he was my step brother? At this point I should have mentioned that indeed I did have a boyfriend? But I didn’t. Instead I started giggling again. Where had that come from? It had to be the effects of the alcohol. I shouldn’t be drinking. Some part of my brain swore to myself I wouldn’t do it again. “He’s my brother and why do you care?” I said stubbornly daring him to refute my claims.
“You’re right? Why should I care if you don’t claim him?” he said. Claim him, I thought. What was that suppose to mean.
Beg for Mercy - kindle edition v3 Page 15
