“Hey Em!”
My heart skipped three beats at that voice. “Jack! H-Hey.” I called out as he emerged
from the basketball courts.
“What are you doing here?” we both said at the same time, and then laughed. His laugh was as warm as milk and honey. I just wanted to be wrapped up in it forever.
“Ladies first,” he grinned, leading me into the court. The gym was ten times bigger than the one back home. There were black polished bleachers on both sides, and the walls were covered in bright posters for the basketball team. There were a few guys dribbling a ball who gave us a wave before continuing their practice. “Hey, are you…you know, alright?”
I blinked. Besides the confrontation with Leon, I felt…well, bummed, but I wasn’t really going to tell Jack that. “Yeah, of course I am.”
He gave a sigh of relief. “That’s cool. I keep thinking about what happened to you last week and I was, well, worried.” He scratched the back of his neck, shifting the chain a bit that hung around his neck.
I blushed head to toe; like I had swallowed the most amazing hot chocolate in the world, but there was still a smidgen of disappointment that I hoped didn’t show on my face. Of course he was going to ask if I was okay. What else would he ask? “Hey Em, I just realized that you are the most amazing girl in the world. My life would never be complete without you! Let’s get married!” I inwardly giggled, daydreaming about my Jack in a handsome black tux; me in a stunning white dress; imaging a disheveled Mallory clutching to Jack’s pant leg, her mascara running down her cheeks like some creepy clown out of a horror movie.
I shifted my weight, tilting my head a little and a few wet strands slapped at my face. I wiped them away, hoping I was acting as cute and flirty as I thought. “Thank you, you know, for keeping me company when I was in the nurse’s office.”
He laughed, “It’s no problem.”
I also got yet another shocker of the day as Jack told me they finally got the guy who did it. As it turns out, it really was some random student who broke into the girl’s bathroom, which made me feel both relieved…and pissed. The cover story was that the boy was just trying to sneak a few peeks at the cheerleaders unchanging, but the campus whispered something different: that it was his assigned initiation task to steal—of all people’s—Mallory’s underwear to prove he had pulled it off. That was the flash of white I had seen before the jerk performed his daredevil act flying through the windows. (Ew. So gross.)
Boys. Really. But at least the perverted idiot had a week of suspension.
“You play basketball?” I asked as he led me up to the top row of the bleachers.
He chuckled and shook his head, “I wish I was that good, but no. I’m just running laps around the room. It’s the only room large enough to stretch out.”
“Oh, for your cross country meet coming up,” I said, “Yeah, the weather outside is horrible!”
“Tell me about it!” he groaned, “I had everything planned out perfectly and the storm had to keep going on all through the night. But forget about me, what are you doing on in this weather?”
“I was in the library,” I lied, “I thought I’d take a walk around—the rain does that, you know, it clears my mind—and it started hailing so I headed in here.”
“I get what you mean,” he said seriously, “I like to run through the rain, too. It really does cleanse the spirit. But the rain was a little too cold and heavy today.” He leaned back against the wall and dropped his arm around my shoulder. The warmth and the gesture were just too much; I felt like swallowed a bucket of pop rocks and my insides were exploding and bouncing up and down without stop. I couldn’t help but notice how his white tee seemed to cling to his skin; I saw the bumps underneath it—that must have been the chain necklace he always wears.
Maybe it’s his personal lucky charm, just like my bracelet.
“Em, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you,” he said, turning towards me. His coal black eyes reflected the lights and made him shine like a prince.
“Y-Yes?” I said, feeling my heart flutter like a butterfly.
He laced one of his hands in my own, tangling our fingers together. His hand was so firm and calloused, but soft and warm and the same time. It was a little sweaty too, but I could deal with that.
“Em, I just wanted to say…it’s so cool how you put all of your effort into your studying. That’s really admirable, you know?”
I just stared. My heart started to shrivel like a raisin. Was it a southern thing to act flirty with someone when you gave them a compliment?
“That’s it?”
“That, and there’s one more thing,” he said, blushing a little as he leaned in until our lips nearly brushed together. He gave a slight chuckle, and I could feel it reverberate through my spine.
“I—well, it’s kind of hard to say it outright—”
“Then…just say it,” I teased, my voice a whisper.
He ran a hand through his blonde locks, cheeks redder than before, “What I’m trying to say is, Em, you’re really…cool. Not to mention pretty…and smart.”
I blushed.
“And…?” I asked, daring myself to lean in just another centimeter so our lips could touch.
“I like you, Em. A lot. Will you be my…girlfriend?”
This is happening this is happening this is really, really happening!! Have I died and gone to heaven? Are those wedding bells I hear ringing in the far off distance? (A girl can dream, right?) If this was heaven—being surrounded by gorgeous Jack Alexander—then I wasn’t complaining!
I felt like I was floating, but a seed of dread sprouted in my mind, and my mouth moved before my brain could tell it to stop. “What about Mallory?”
Oh great Emery! Way to run a perfectly good moment like that! God, you are such a stupid idiot!
Jack’s face hardened a bit, but he kept his onyx hued eyes right on mine. “Em, Mallory is just a friend. Our families knew each other and we grew up almost like brother and sister. It’s true we did date a long time ago, but what’s in the past is in the past. I like you, Em. I really do, ever since I saved your butt in the forest.”
I punched his arm, “All you did was carry me to the nurse’s office. That doesn’t count as a life saving experience.”
“Hey, hey! Who knows how long you would have been out there and what kind of animals would have come up and started to nibble on your face? There wouldn’t have been anything left except your bones!”
“Ew, Jack!” I laughed, taking another swing at him, but he caught my hand with ease and pressed my knuckles against his lips. I felt like my skin was on fire. My heart certainly felt hot and racing a like a motor engine.
It wasn’t just from being happy—my heart really did start to hurt. There was a strange, burning sensation in my chest, pulsating with every second. No, no, no! I had to get out of there before I collapsed in front of my now…boyfriend! How unfair would it be to die right now when I just got the guy of my dreams to say he liked me?
“Um, I have to go!” I said, grabbing my bag with sweaty hands, “I just remembered I need to study for a test I’m having first thing tomorrow morning and I completely forgot about it!”
He looked hurt, and I wanted to just sit down and wrap myself around him, but this horrible aching burn in my chest was increasing by the minute. I had to get away from Jack and calm myself down or it would be too late. I leaned down and pecked him on the cheek, as an apology (and isn’t that how the girls in the movies do it? I really wouldn’t know. Jack is the first boy to really like-like me!) “I’m really, really sorry! Really! Can we…um, meet up for lunch tomorrow? Is that okay?”
He smiled, “Of course it’s okay. It’s a date then. Want me to walk you to your dorm?”
“That’s okay, the weather looks better anyway.” I mustered as we descended the steps. And it was true, the hail had stopped but the rain continued like it was on a mission to disrupt this perfect Sunday atmosphere. “I’ll…
see you tomorrow then…Jack.”
He grabbed my hand before I bolted through the doors and kissed me again. It was soft as silk. A million fireworks exploded in my head and my knees started to shake. This… was…amazing! Jack held my face between his hands, and I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay and kiss until I couldn’t kiss anymore.
But the raw burning in my chest had other plans.
I wished it was just heartburn.
Or love sickness.
With a heavy heart and sigh, I pulled away, bidding him goodbye before running into the cold icy rain. Not even the fat drops of the cold rain could chill my heated cheeks.
CHAPTER 18
It felt like so many things had happened in the months that followed my encounter with Dove and Leon, but November came with something I never thought would come: Peace.
After my insanely stupid and infuriating-slash-guilt-ridden meeting with Leon, he had—surprisingly—kept true to his word and stayed away from us. I caught glimpses of him sometimes painting the doorframes of the old buildings or trimming the bare branches off the trees along side Mr. Jones, but he never approached. Although the few times I saw him, I always felt his eyes burn into me, like he was trying to plead with his eyes, begging me to turn around and forgive him with the snap of my fingers.
I begged Dove to stay in my dorm when I had come running back from Jack’s confession that day. She looked as if I was insane, but I told her I felt safer with her if she stayed, and mentioned that my heart was starting to hurt a lot more than it usually did. Since it wasn’t a complete lie I thought it would be easy to say it. Not a chance. Every time I had to come up with some lame excuse it felt like there was acid in my throat.
Dove said there was no way she could stay. Because with me gone during the day she could leave whenever she wanted—but that was the problem. She could easily be spotted by the House Mother Mrs. Watterson, students wandering near the dorms, or even Leon, and I certainly didn’t want that. At least, not yet, anyway.
“What about the fourth floor?” I had asked. “It’s completely abandoned. Nobody is allowed access, so none of the girls here would bother you. You’d have much more room to work than at the church, plus it’s warmer. I’ll bring you food and clothes too, and sneak you into the showers when nobody is here.”
After much begging (and a little bit of fake crying—just a little bit!) she agreed, leaving only one last night to gather her things from the church. This was perfect, I reasoned, because whether it was rain or shine, sweltering or freezing, the keg parties had been going on nearly every weekend. Sometimes at night I could hear them laughing and hollering like wild animals, but it was far enough where teachers wouldn’t think to notice—or chose not to. It was only a matter of time before somebody was dared to sneak into the church and get injured, or a hormone-crazed couple desperate for a little private time in some spooky old church.
Since everyone was gone from the dorms most of the day, Dove would have the floor to herself. Plus, if she made too much noise everyone would assume it was just a large animal or even a ghost. I snorted at the thought, but there were rumors about ghosts and spirits for a reason. They didn’t just pop up out of nowhere.
I was, however, very shocked to find that Dove had knocked a hole in the ceiling of my closet when I got back from class one afternoon. “It is easier access,” she had explained, “That way I can come and go as I please, and be able to help you with no obstacles in the way. Plus, I can keep an eye on you.”
“Dove…that is what stalkers and serial killers do. Not alchemists.”
But other than the fact there was a huge hole in my closet, the weeks went by fast. And fun. Whenever I wasn’t in class or studying with Dove, I was with Jack.
All the time.
He walked me to every class, even when he had practice. He’d kiss my hand like a gentleman, and even the teacher’s swooned at his chivalry. He held my hand gently or tugged my shoulders as we walked, and it was official that we were a couple. Mallory, or course, was beyond livid, but she hasn’t said a word to me, although that didn’t stop her from sending nasty glares or sending her minions to do her dirty talking for her. It made me wonder if she was keeping her distance because of my earlier threats about what really happened in the girl’s locker room, or if Jack gave her a serious talking.
I hoped it was the latter.
When I was with Jack, I could forget all of my troubles. I could forget about being an alchemist and being a student and just be myself, although I had to keep my fake heart in check. When things got a little…too heated I had to stop. I couldn’t tell Jack the real reason why, but he always assured me he didn’t mind going slow.
God, he was completely perfect. I even told my dad about him (omitting a lot of personal details, of course), and he seemed happy.
“I’m so proud of you M&M,” he would say, using my baby name that brought tears to my eyes, “I’ve always been proud of you, and you know I trust you with everything.”
I couldn’t wait until the winter holidays to see him again, and maybe I’d ask Jack if he’d want to see him, too. But then the horrible sick feeling would come back, sprouting inside my head.
Would I even be alive then?
Because Dove was constantly working on Guinevere’s journal, she left me alone in my room to practice by myself. It was better than sneaking out a night, especially in the dead of winter, to meet up and train. I did it every night, almost like routine…sort of like how people meditate or do yoga, to see how far I could go. It felt so relaxing and…well, right. Like, if I skipped a night accidentally, my body just itched to try even harder.
The warm throbbing in my chest when I felt my alchemy come to life was reverberating, but dangerous. If I kept going, I never knew if my heart would just stop. But if I quit too soon, I wouldn’t know for sure how far I could go.
I made it to almost five and a half seconds before I passed out. After that, Dove forbade me from training unless she was around. After all, we had the best clue now. There was no need for me to train, really. Once Dove finished translating the papers of Guinevere’s journal, we would find the Elixir with no problem, and cure me for good.
◊◊◊◊◊
Soon it was Thanksgiving break. All of the students, save for the ones like me who just didn’t have the money to travel back home for such a short week, gradually left the grounds. Dozens of colorful and polka dotted suitcases and bags littered the sidewalks as girls huddled together in their thick sweaters and hats, waiting for their parents (or chauffeurs) to come whisk them away to their warm, cozy homes.
Even Jack was gone, but he promised to call and email every day. I asked him to eat lots of turkey for me and he laughed, promising he would eat the entire thing before his little brothers could. It hurt to see him go, and my lips still tingled from his kisses long after he had gone.
I was starting to feel homesick, too. Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday to spend with my dad. We’d all gather in Uncle Bob’s tiny apartment and share a cooked turkey my dad bought from a family friend. He and I always tugged at the wishbone, seeing who’s half would be the biggest. It was our tradition since mom left. Dad always said that whoever broke the biggest piece would have the best luck the rest of the year. I always won, but I think Dad held back a lot of times.
I knew there would be a small dinner going on at the cafeteria. I wonder if I could ask any of the cooks if there were any wishbones. Maybe I could introduce Dove to our family tradition.
On a cold, crisp Wednesday morning I took a walk, admiring the knotted branches of the trees and the empty lawns. The sun was high, and gave little warmth, but it was still serene and perfect. I walked around the entire grounds, purposely avoiding the clock tower, and wondered how many students and teachers were still here, after all. After an hour I headed back to the empty dorm. Nobody else lived there except me, Nurse Alexandra (who was filling in for Mrs. Watterson) and three younger freshman girls who stayed on the bottom levels. Acc
ording to the Headmistress, since there weren’t many students now, she made the remaining boys shift into one dorm and all the girls into Moore Hall to save energy. In fact, besides the Headmistress and a few of the kitchen staff, the only other teachers on campus were Nurse Alexandra and Mr. Hogan, who kept watch over the boys, but I never caught sight of the Headmistress at all, except the one time I saw her storming angrily from the Administrative Building to the far dorms on the other side of campus—the teacher’s apartments. She seemed like a royal Ice Queen in the wintry South—and I made sure to stay out of her way.
I walked through the doors of Moore Hall and shrugged off my jacket. It was warm and toasty. The TV blared from the common room and the smell of popcorn and hot chocolate clouded through the air. I saw the girls huddling on the couch, not at all paying attention to their food or the television. Instead, their eyes were glued to the ceiling.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
The middle one, a small girl with pretty black hair that was held back with a purple headband, pointed upward. “We keep hearing footsteps!” she whispered.
“Maybe its Nurse Alexandra,” I said, but I had a good idea who it was.
They all shook their heads, and I had to fight to keep from grinning, “It isn’t!” the blonde with a pale face splattered with cute freckles next to her piped up, “Miss A is in her room napping.”
“You girls didn’t snoop through anyone’s room, did you?” I teased. I knew they wouldn’t. They looked like nice girls, unlike Mallory’s gang. Besides, Nurse Alexandra had forbid them from going up stairs and snooping through stuff. They didn’t seem like the type who would do that, but you’d never know.
“No!” they all said at the same time, but the girl in the middle finally confessed, fidgeting with her red rimmed glasses, “We were just exploring the hallways, and then when we got to the third floor we heard footsteps coming from the fourth floor—and somebody mumbling in a weird language!”
The Fake Heart (Time Alchemist Series) Page 13
