She shrugged. “Probably,” she answered with a smile. “Forget about it. C’mon, let’s go eat.”
We headed down the hall to the cafeteria, and Taylor’s face turned solemn again.
“Hey, I’m really sorry about your parents,” I said. “But I bet they’ll sort it out. Parents argue—that’s what they do.”
She blew out a sigh. “Hope so…but this seems different. Mom’s been acting strange lately, which for her is saying something, and I overheard Dad call her psychotic,” Taylor’s face flushed red. “I’ve never seen him so mad.”
“People say a lot of things when they’re angry. Try not to worry about it. I know that’s easier said than done, but I bet he’ll come back,” I said, toying with my amethyst necklace nervously, hoping for Taylor’s sake I was right.
She smiled half-heartedly.
We entered the cafeteria and Jack waved from a table by the window across the room. Chase sat next to him, talking to the few others around the table, but he followed Jack’s gaze toward us and smiled. I couldn’t help but think how beautiful he was. He was actually everything I’d ever wanted. Good looking, sweet, down to earth, and well, normal.
Still, my stomach did a tumble when my eyes wandered to Roman sitting at another table utilizing the full power of his cocoa cream eyes on me.
“Hey, Tay, give me a minute, will ya?”
“That must be the dark haired guy you mentioned before?” she asked, jerking her head in Roman’s direction. “Careful. Lover-boy looks dangerous.” She chuckled as she started to walk away, digging in her lunch bag and throwing me an orange. “Hot though, I’ll give him that,” she said with a wink.
I shook my head. “Whatever,” I answered as I caught the orange mid-air. “Roman’s okay,” I said, even as my stomach twisted from her words.
Roman crooked a finger at me, a smile curving his perfect mouth, as I made my way across the noisy room to his table. “Any luck?” Roman asked, as I sidled up alongside him.
“Hello to you, too,” I countered with a smirk.
Roman put his hand under the table, sliding it down my thigh, and squeezed my knee. “How’s my butterfly today?” He gave me a fiery look. It felt like an electric current rocked through me. I’ll take that over hello any day.
“I’m okay, but no luck finding the dagger if that’s what you mean…But…” I paused, tipping my fingers down my cleavage.
Roman’s eyes wandered to my chest. “Easy tiger.”
I laughed. “You wish.” I pulled out the baby photo I’d found and handed it to him. “Do you know who that is?” I asked, pointing to the raven-haired woman holding me in the photo.
Roman blinked his eyes and squinted at the photograph. He seemed to pale for a moment before handing it back. He lifted a shoulder. “A friend of your mom’s maybe?” he suggested.
I turned the photo over, pointing to the words written on the back. “Yeah, probably, but the question is…who’s my mom?” I raised a brow at him. “Look, it’s written like the dark-haired woman is my mom, and that…well, my mom is actually her friend. You sure you haven’t seen her before?” I pressed.
“That’s definitely strange, but I think you need to concentrate on finding the dagger right now.” He rubbed his hand against my back. “We’ve got enough to worry about.”
“But—”
He reached into my lunch bag on the table in front of me, and pulled out my sandwich, gesturing for me to eat. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure everything out once you’re through the quickening. We’ll have all the time in the world, Jewel. Right now we need to focus on finding the dagger.”
I peeked around making sure nobody heard him call me by my real name, then with a sigh, I un-wrapped my sandwich from the paper and took a bite.
I liked the way he used the word ‘we,’ as though we were in it together for the long haul. All the time in the world, I replayed his words, wishing it could be true. But the way things were panning out, I wasn’t so sure about that.
As if sensing my unease, he gave me a sideways teasing grin, winking at me through the long wisps of hair that partially covered one of his smoldering eyes. “Tu sei bella,” he whispered to me in Italian. From my travels around the world, I knew that to mean, “You’re beautiful.” A spark ignited inside my body, spreading warmth throughout, and I closed my eyes a moment, willing every contour of his face, and luscious lips, to be implanted in my mind forever…just in case.
***
Taylor drove leisurely back to her house after school, as though it was the last place on earth she wanted to go. I thought about inviting her to my house instead, but quickly nixed that idea. Really, I shouldn’t have been going to Taylor’s in the first place since I had more important things to do like look for the dagger. But Taylor needed a friend, and I promised myself I wouldn’t stay long.
She pulled in front of a gated house, opened her window, and keyed numbers onto a keypad. The gates parted, revealing a winding, paved path that led to a gray-stoned, large house.
“You live here?” I asked, my mouth gaping, as Taylor drove in and the gates closed behind us.
“Maybe not for long,” Taylor muttered. “If my parents end up divorcing, it’ll be up for sale in no time.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Taylor shrugged, “I’d give it up in a heartbeat just to have my parents back to their normal selves again.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. It didn’t matter how much—or how little—you had, if you weren’t happy, nothing else mattered. Of all people, I totally got that concept. “Wanna listen to some Taylor Swift?” I asked, remembering how she liked the girl’s music, and trying to break her out of her funk.
Taylor put the car in park. “I thought we’d go for a swim since it’s so hot out.”
I started to pull the car door open, but then stopped and twisted around facing Taylor. “That’d be great, but I don’t have a suit with me.”
“That’s okay, you can borrow one of mine from when I was like twelve,” she teased. “You’re so fat…” she said, looking at me with a straight face before bursting out laughing as my jaw dropped. “That’s fat with a ph at the front,” she said, and we both laughed this time. “Seriously though, what are you, like a size 0?”
“Oh pl-ease…more like a size four.” I chuckled. “All the stress from moving so much kinda makes you lose your appetite.”
“Well, there you go—there’s the upside of my parents divorcing and moving—I get to go from a size ten to a four!” We both hopped out of the car, and she looked over the hood at me. “There’s always an upside, right?”
“Right,” I answered. I rapped my knuckles against the hood of the car. “But you look perfect just the way you are. You’re gorgeous. Apparently Jack thinks so, too.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “And hey, you’ve actually got a booty,” I said as I walked up beside her and then bumped my hip against hers. “Not that I’m checking you out or anything.”
“That’s true,” she said with a laugh. “I kinda like my curves.” Taylor opened the front door, ushering me inside. A blast of cold air hit me and I gasped, but not only from the cold. The place was like a museum. A large antique table spread out before me in the foyer, holding a plaster bust of a child. Fancy candelabra adorned several walls. An army of chandeliers swooped down from high up on the cathedral ceiling like a sea of sparkling diamonds bursting from heaven. And draped on the far wall was a tapestry of a woman in a chariot, drawn by enormous golden winged birds.
“That’s from the seventeenth century,” Taylor told me, nodding at the tapestry. “Mom collects antique art. Some of it’s beautiful and some is just plain creepy and weird, if you ask me. Ignore the weird stuff.” She flicked her hand through the air. “And sorry about the AC. Mom likes it cool. Menopause she says.”
I gingerly side-stepped the table and followed Taylor to the staircase. After about ten steps loomed a wide landing holding more artifacts. My eyes drifted up a tall golden Egyptian
sarcophagus. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Say hello to King Tut,” Taylor said, with a laugh, quickly patting it. “Come on, my room’s this way.”
I widened my eyes. “There’s not really a mummy in there is there?”
“Mom likes to joke that there is, but I’m not about to check or anything. Did I mention my mom’s a little eccentric? She’s cool though.” Taylor took to the stairs two at a time as I sped up to keep pace with her.
“Ya might wanna give me a walkie-talkie or something,” I joked.
Taylor waved me forward, ran into her room, and opened the window. Warm air rushed in, and I dashed across her room and stood beside it. A white four-poster king size bed, with matching dresser and vanity filled the space. Her duvet cover was aqua with swirls of ivory that reminded me of soft sand and a tropical ocean. On her nightstand was a framed photo of who I assumed were her parents cuddling up to her, and another of Jack.
“Nice digs. I like it a lot better than out there,” I admitted.
“Yeah well, my room’s off limits to Mom’s graveyard of memories,” Taylor said with a thumbs-up.
Hanging on the back of her closet door dangled a long mauve dress.
“Love the dress, girl,” I said, pointing at it.
Taylor began rummaging through her drawers. “Oh, thanks! It’s for prom night. What’s yours look like?”
Crap! I’d forgotten all about the junior prom, but then quickly remembered I wouldn’t be going anyway. I’d be out of Pomona Park as soon as I could find the dagger. I laced my fingers together tightly and squeezed, willing the tension out of me. “I don’t have mine yet,” I shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to get on it.”
“God, True, this is prom we’re talking about. Ya know, dress…date…stay out late…have fun?” She laughed. She threw me a bikini that she dredged from the bottom of her drawer. “You do have a date, right?”
I picked up the bikini, thinking it really did look like it belonged to her when she was twelve. The skimpy, white two-piece was laced with pink and purple sparkly hearts. I scrunched up my nose, and then raised a brow at her, laughing.
Taylor gave a light-hearted shrug. “Sorry, it’s all I got that’ll fit that sexy bod of yours.”
I drew in a deep breath. “The suit’s fine, honestly, thanks.”
“So no date for prom either I take it?” she pressed, changing into her gold-colored suit right in front of me.
I turned my head away. “Nope,” I answered. “Give a girl a break, will ya? I just moved here.” I stood up after I figured she had enough time to change, and gave her a playful shove. “Mind if I go change in the bathroom?”
Taylor finished tying her top, walked to her bedroom door, and gestured down the massive hallway. “Second door on the right.”
The cool hardwood floors chilled my bare feet. I was anxious to change so we could get out of there and back into the Florida sunshine. When I reached the bathroom door, I noticed a statue at the end of the hall. Squinting, I realized it was a gargoyle. I screwed up my face. “A gargoyle?” I muttered under my breath. Eccentric is an understatement.
I slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed into the sweetheart bikini. Eying my reflection in the mirror, I grinned. Despite looking like a brunette Malibu Barbie, I thought it looked pretty good on me.
I began picking my clothes up off the floor, when Taylor sprung in on me. “You ready?”
“Yeah I—”
Taylor rushed over and brushed her fingers along my birthmark. “Hey, what’s that?”
A small squeal passed my lips. Clasping my hand over my shoulder, I jerked away. I’d completely forgotten about my birthmark. What are you thinking? “It’s n-nothing. Just you know, like a skin condition. No—no big deal,” I stammered. “And I can’t get any sun on it.” I spun around and pried my shirt free from my jeans and socks, pulling it on.
“Okay, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
I stayed with my back turned trying to catch my breath. Nobody had ever seen my birthmark besides my family, and I’d been warned what showing it would mean.
Taylor placed her hand gently on my back. “Sorry.”
I shook away the bad thoughts. It was just Taylor, I reminded myself, not someone out to kill me.
I turned and nodded, smiling. “No problem, let’s go.”
Heading back down the stairs, I quickly scooted by the creepy sarcophagus that was a couple of inches taller than me. An itchy feeling wormed its way through my insides warning me that something could be up. The fact that a sarcophagus and a gargoyle were sitting in their house unnerved me, but I reminded myself Taylor had lived in Pomona Park for years, so she couldn’t be following me to kill me. I focused on the fact that Taylor’s mom was only what Taylor had said—eccentric.
Thankful to be outside in the warm sunshine and out of the Antarctic, I headed to a lawn chair next to the kidney shaped pool. A stone waterfall splashed rhythmically at the back of the pool, and large dolphins spouted water on either side of the steps that descended into the pool.
I held my face up to the sun, thankful for its warmth, and then scrunched the tail of my shirt together, looping it up and around my bikini top. Taylor climbed the stone rocks and dove in, then swam to the side of the pool, and hoisted her elbows at the ledge to face me. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly averted her eyes over my shoulder, mouth gaping.
I twisted around to see Jack hopping the fence…followed closely behind by a shirtless, buff Chase.
Chapter Fourteen
After Jack explained that he and Chase had decided to play hooky from soccer practice, he jumped in the pool with Taylor. Chase sat next to me on a patio chair.
“I hope you don’t mind we just crashed the whole girl party thing,” Chase said, leaning back on his elbows. “Jack was worried about Taylor with everything going on in her life, and well, when I heard you were coming here too, I was hoping you might be happy to see me?” he asked, and then smiled hesitantly.
His tanned, golden skin glistened under the hot sun, and my eyes drifted away from his, down to his sick six-pack. At that moment I didn’t know if there was a girl on Earth that wouldn’t be happy to see him. Forcing my eyes back up to his denim blues, I smiled back.
“Sure, I’m happy to see you.”
Jack and Taylor were deep in conversation at the side of the pool, and Chase gestured with his head, asking if I wanted to go for a swim. I was getting hot, and Chase being half naked around me wasn’t helping, so I agreed.
Chase grabbed my wrist and pulled me up. “What about the shirt? What are you hiding under there, Maple Leaf?”
My cheeks warmed, and I tugged away with a laugh.
Diving under the water, I swam to the deep end until I could hear the gushing of the man-made waterfall. I kept swimming until I went all the way back beneath it. In that moment, I felt so free that I wished I could stay under forever. Although I sank only a couple feet below the surface, I imagined I was worlds away from all my worries. When I came up for air, I grabbed onto the rock-face at the edge of the waterfall. It was beautiful watching the bits of twirling blue mixed with white cascading down beside me.
Chase’s head popped up a few feet away. “You okay?” he asked, swimming up beside me.
I searched his face for some clue as to what he could mean and got none. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why would you ask that?” I bit the side of my lip, wondering if I should be even talking to Chase. I mean, I didn’t really know him, and I couldn’t trust anybody. Especially now.
Chase twisted around until his back pressed against the side of the pool. He spread his arms wide and held on with both hands. “Because of what Olivia did.”
Again I blushed. “How’d you know about that?”
Chase sighed. “I think pretty much the whole school knows about that, True.” He looked away and then back at me again. “I feel bad about it, too, like it’s my fault.”
“Your fault?”
“Wel
l, it’s just that she zoned in on you because I like you. Olivia doesn’t know when to quit, you know? Anyway, I’m sorry, and I think I managed to clean the mess she left on your locker.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You cleaned my locker?”
Chase inched closer to me and brushed my wet hair away from my shoulder. “Yeah, and I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time at school. I wish I could make things better for you. I’d like to try, if you’d let me.”
I smiled at him and his eyes softened.
Lifting his hand to my cheek, he rubbed the back of his fingers across it gently. Leaning in, he whispered into my ear, “I like you, True…”
His familiar scent enveloped me, taking my breath away. I opened my mouth to gasp and he placed his lips on mine, softly at first, and then hungrily, until my head spun, a burning fire growing inside me.
Roman’s face entered my mind, and I reeled with the memory of his kiss.
I pressed my hand against Chase’s chest to stop him, to push him away, but he tightened his chest muscles, dropping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer as he deepened his kiss. I let go of the rocks and pushed my hands down against his arms until he released me. Sinking below the water, I shook my head, allowing its coolness to clear my thoughts before coming back up.
After a few moments, I resurfaced and swam the couple strokes back to him. “I’m so sorry. It’s not that you’re not awesome, and cool, and everything,” I fought for the right words to try not to hurt him. Of all people, I didn’t want to hurt Chase. A part of me didn’t understand—why can’t I just kiss him back—be with him? He was amazing, sexy, and even better, he was into me. Me. The freak.
Chase sighed. “What is it then?”
I treaded water in front of him, my gut wrenching with guilt. “My life’s confusing right now, Chase, and I’m probably moving soon, and well…I kinda like someone else.”
Chase grimaced and closed his eyes a moment, groaning. “It’s that new guy, isn’t it? The one I’ve seen you with a few times?”
Spectral Page 10
