His thoughts were again interrupted by another lost text message from an unknown number. He was sure that someone from the Order was trying to reach him. He wondered why, but had no more time for anything as his Father walked into the room.
Mr. Tafini greeted the guys. His dad looked more tired than usual, Raven thought. He knew that his father feared the eventual failure of the Order to protect the solar system and its inhabitants. His father was on the Board of Trustees of the Order and had an inside track on the activities of Dark Hearts. Because of this concern, he was trying to raise the army of gargoyles. The poor bastards had been turned to stone by some warlock over a century ago. Many of their stone carcasses decorated the house, the grounds, and the basement was loaded wall-to-wall with the granite figures.
Raven knew that the townspeople thought his father a little strange, but most were afraid to say anything. If they knew of all the statues that were inside his home and decorating the yard and basement, they’d really think he was psycho. They’d been careful to smuggle the sculptures in during the wee hours of the morning when most of town was peacefully sleeping. His father had paid those helping generously and bought their silence.
He was thankful that his father and he both carried a gene that made them able to camouflage what they were. They were amongst a select few of their race that had been able to return to their gargoyle form at will, which had protected them from the magic that had befallen the others. He and his father flew occasionally, but only on the darkest of nights when the moon hid behind the clouds.
Raven’s favorite time to fly was right before a thunderstorm when the wind was still just a warning breeze and lightening danced in the distance. It was exhilarating. There was no feeling quite like flapping his powerful wings and gliding against the wind. He was always careful, because exposure of their kind to the humans was not an option. He often wondered what humans would say if they knew there were all kinds of creatures in the universe. A few of them even inhabited homes in sleepy, little St. Paris. Mass panic and chaos would likely dominate the entire planet with the imminent destruction of the world, as he knew it.
His mind wondered, not for the first time, what it would feel like to fly with Emma in his arms. Would she relish the feel of the wind in her hair and against her face or would she cower in fright at his fierce looking form?
His thoughts were interrupted by laughter in the other room where his father was talking to his friends. He wondered if Vince had to explain the frozen tundra that had become a section of their couch.
He walked into the room sincerely hoping they’d remain friends when Emma was in their protective custody, as she soon would be.
Chapter Ten
At exactly 7:00 p.m., Alex arrived at my house. Unfortunately, I’d been delayed on the telephone. I didn’t get to the door before Mom did.
“Hello. You must be Alex. I’m sure Emma will be right down. She’s expecting you. Would you like to come inside?” As I was coming down the stairs, I heard Mom making small talk with Alex. I was mortified when I overheard her say, “The girls were right, you are a very handsome young man. I hope you’ll like living in St. Paris. It’s a nice community and a polite, handsome fellow like you should have no trouble making friends.”
What the fudge, I’d never said he was a very handsome young man, even though it was obviously true. Yuck. Tori probably told Mom that on her way out today. I was mortified. I didn’t want Alex to think that I’d been talking about him with my mother. I was already pinked cheeked and uncomfortable when I reached the bottom step.
Alex stood in our living room and looked over at me with that classic smug look of his. I wanted to pop him already. How was I going to get out of this? Quickly, I said as I walked into the room, “Hello, Alex. I see you’ve met my mother.” To Mom, I said, “This is the new guy in school that Tori says is so handsome.” There, I clarified that.
However, the smugness didn’t leave his fire eyes. The nerve of him, he didn’t believe me. His over-inflated ego believed I’d been talking about how handsome he was. Well, maybe I did mention him to Mom in passing. It was going to be a long night if I had to spend much of it in his annoying, egotistical company.
“I guess we’d better go. We’re stopping off at Jim’s Pizza Chalet to pick up some pizzas for tonight. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Stephens. I’ll take good care of Emma and make sure she gets home on time. I won’t leave until she’s inside the house and the door is locked. We’ll be at Vince’s tonight if you need Emma for any reason. His parents will be there as usual, according to Vince.”
Holy crap, was Alex sucking up to my mother or what? He was sure being mister manners. I had no idea why, but I planned to find out. Why does he care what my mom thinks, anyway? It wasn’t like we were going to be dating.
“Thank you.” Mom looked pointedly at me and raised her eyebrow when she said, “I can tell your parents raised you right, Alex. I’m glad you’re escorting Emma. I’ll hold you to your word that she’ll be safe tonight and home on time.”
Really, I was going across our sleepy little hamlet to visit an established neighborhood. Nothing exciting ever happened in St. Paris. Thankfully, the crime rate was zilch, which gave me a little more freedom.
I gave Mom a quick hug as I said, “We need to get going if we’re going to pick up pizza and the other girls.” I decided if I had to listen to anymore of Alex’s suck-up remarks, I wouldn’t be able to eat any pizza. I’d be sick to my stomach. He even poured on the charm as we were leaving, I thought disgustedly. Then I remembered that I’d promised to start fresh with him. Maybe he was just trying to be polite. I wouldn’t let him ruin a fun evening. If he was going to be around us a lot, I might as well learn to get along with him.
We bid Mother another goodbye as we left. I gave her a hug. Alexander’s showy ride was parked at the curb. Yeah, I really preferred to call him his formal name. I liked it. It sounded like the name of a powerful, ancient warrior. If only I knew how true that thought was to become in my life.
I actually liked his car. It would be cool to ride in his awesome car, but I didn’t want to appear too anxious or give him any more reason to tease me.
Alexander opened my door and waited until I got in then closed it. I wasn’t used to that kind of treatment. He got some points for that particular politeness. I was surprised Alexander was being that nice. We made small talk as I directed him to the nearest pizza place, which was our usual hangout, Jim’s Pizza.
“How do you like St. Paris after your first week at school?”
“I think I’m going to like living here just fine, Emma. I’ve already made some friends. I have a lovely girl riding beside me in my car. What more could I ask for?” As he pulled to a stop sign, Alexander answered me and turned to flash me one of those dimpled smiles of his. There was no doubt the guy could make a girl’s knees go weak. It was a good thing I was sitting. Even stranger, he seemed to believe I was a lovely girl.
I ignored his comment, but appreciated that he appeared to have been sincere for a change. I was actually enjoying myself. He was really good company, as we discussed a variety of topics from music to some things happening at school.
We pulled up to the pizza place about ten minutes later. We hadn’t ordered in advance. Alex ordered several pizzas and it was going to be about an hour. After finding out that I like just plain old cheese pizza, he made sure to include a couple of those on our order, too. He said that was also his favorite. Most guys I knew liked deluxe or mammoth meat pizzas. I found the fact that he liked just cheese interesting. I’d see if he actually ate the cheese pizza or if he was just trying to impress me.
“We’ve got an hour wait for our pizzas. Would you call the girls and let them know we’ll be there about eight-thirty?”
“Sure, I’ll call them right now.”
He watched me as I talked to the girls, telling them it would be awhile before we’d be picking them up. Tori, of course, instantly seized the opportunity to tease me
about Alex. I ignored her and told her I’d see her later.
When I got off the phone, Alex asked if I’d like to take a drive while we were waiting. I should’ve ordered the pizzas ahead of time. I knew it was always busy on the weekends, my bad. I figured taking a drive would probably be easier than having to look into those amber eyes and that handsome face. Small talk wasn’t one of my better skills, but tonight I was rather enjoying our friendly banter as he drove.
“Sure, a drive would be nice. Did you want to go anywhere in particular?”
“I thought we’d just drive over to Kiser Lake.”
“Have you been over there yet?”
“Not yet, but I’ve been meaning to drive over and check it out. I heard it’s kind of pretty at night.”
“It’s probably a lot smaller lake than you’re used to seeing in California, but it is pretty in a quiet kind of way.”
“I like things that are pretty in a non-assuming way.” He glanced my way when he said that. “I really don’t mind if it’s smaller. It’s true that California has an abundance of beautiful beaches and parks, but they’re usually crowded. Unfortunately, you even have to pay just to walk on the beach at many of them. I find I’m enjoying this small community and I believe I will like the quiet little lake instead of the crowded ocean. It’ll be a nice change.”
“I’d be pleased to tell you the shortest way to get there, but it might be crowded, too. After all, it’s a weekend and there’s not a lot to do here,” I said, as I rattled off directions to the lake. “Don’t you miss California?” I asked as we took a quiet back road. “All the photographs I’ve seen of the state are lovely. There’s so many diversified landscapes and beaches that we don’t have here. You have the mountains, lakes, sandy beaches, national parks, desert areas, sand dunes, besides the ocean. We have a few lakes, some rolling hills, and a couple state parks in the area, a few woods and that’s about it.”
As soon as he got the car parked in one of the small pull-offs, he reached over to tuck a wayward curl behind my ear as he answered my question. “I miss some things, but California didn’t have friends like you, Emma. I think I’m going to like it here just fine.”
Did he expect me to believe that rubbish, I wondered? It was all I could do not to laugh at his obvious attempt at false flattery. Did that kind of crap work on girls in California? Yeah, it probably did, coming from him.
As if he read my thoughts, he turned in his seat so he could face me as much as possible in the confines of the car. “I’m sorry if that offended you, Emma. I meant it. I know we don’t know each other well, but I hope you’ll let me remedy that situation and let us become true friends and maybe someday more. You really seem like a nice girl. You’re someone that I’d like to get to know better. Okay? Many of the girls I knew before were fake and competitive. A lot like Brittany, more interested in how they looked and what their boyfriend could do for their status at school.”
Okay, so what do I say to that, I wondered? I knew I owed him a chance after all the mean things I’d said about him. Therefore, I mustered up a small smile and said, “I think I’d like to get to know you too, Alex. I mean, it would be interesting to hear more about your life in California. Most of us haven’t been too many places besides Springfield or Dayton for a day of shopping, checking out the game places or malls. I’m sure your life has been much more interesting than most of ours.”
“Do we have time for a quick walk down to the lake?” I looked at my watch and confirmed that we had about thirty-five minutes until the food was ready.
“Sounds like fun. Maybe we could walk along the beach. The lights reflecting on the lake look pretty cool from the beach. There’s only a few camping sites, but this time of year they’re always full and a bit busy to walk through on the weekend.”
Alex wasted no time getting out of the car. He quickly walked around to my side and opened the door for me before I even had the seat belt all the way off. The guy was quick. He didn’t try to hold my hand or anything. We walked in companionable silence towards the deserted beach.
The campfires aglow in the park filled the air with a delightful outdoorsy smell as we walked along the small sandy beach. It was quiet, even though the campground was located just across the road from it. Most of the campers seemed to be cooking and getting ready for dinner or just sitting around their campfires. The beach was deserted.
“I like this place. It’s peaceful, even with all the campers behind us,” Alex said, as we stood watching the light dance across the gentle lapping waves of the lake. It was a peaceful night, as the last rays of the sun disappeared below the horizon.
“There’re no motor boats allowed on this lake,” I told him.
“That explains some of the stillness, but I think part of it is just the size of the place. It isn’t overrun by tourists either, which I like.”
“You’re right about that. People that live nearby rent most of the campsites. I’ve heard that the park fills up pretty quickly with just locals.”
“Maybe we can come back here again some time. I’d really like to explore some of the hiking trails with you, Emma.”
“There’s a shelter house up on the hill that has a huge stone fireplace in it that’s pretty nice, too. The view of the lake is really pretty from up there.”
He looked down at me as we stood there at the edge of the lake. It was a romantic moment and his fire eyes ignited as he looked at me a moment too long before he spoke, which came out a bit breathy. “Good, we have a date then, Emma. I guess we should be getting back. Our pizzas are probably ready.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d agreed to a date, but I guessed it wouldn’t hurt to show Alex around a bit.
We walked back to the car, side by side. When his hand accidently touched mine or his thigh would brush against me as we moved over to let a car pass, it started a tingling sensation in my stomach that reached clear to my secret places.
The last of our pizzas was just coming out of the oven as we walked into the restaurant. Alex carried the eight large pizzas and I followed him with the four orders of breadsticks and the large salad. I knew Tori had ordered the large salad. I also realized that I’d be the one eating most of it when she got a whiff of the pizza. Willpower is only so strong. The smell of pizza alone is enough to have the staunchest dieter salivating and reaching for a slice. I was sure that Tori would be first in line for a piece of the cheesy ambrosia.
We had a small problem, so I dialed Tori’s number and handed the telephone to Alex so he could explain the situation to her. There was no way I was going to tell her that we’d gotten so much food there was no room for her in the car. She was going to be pissed. However, that was not the impression I got when Alex handed me back my cell phone. He was smiling.
“You were worried for nothing. Tori isn’t mad. Of course, I had to promise to save her half of one of the pepperoni pizzas and three breadsticks. I thought she asked for a salad.”
“She did, but she must have been upwind when we carried the pizzas to the car.” We both chuckled as I finished, “The power of a fragrant pizza is impossible to ignore.”
“You think so. Maybe we could bottle it and make a fortune," Alex smirked as we made our way towards Vince’s house. “Maybe you’re right, we do have a bunch of pizzas.” His arm slid towards the pizza box on my lap and he quickly slid a small slice out. He immediately took a large bite out of it. “I think you’re absolutely correct, this is a force to be reckoned with and it’s really good, too.”
We arrived at Vincent’s house right before Tori and Anne drove up. Funny, I’d started thinking of Vince as Vincent sometimes. I think it was because he looked so much bigger now. He, too, reminded me of a warrior the way he was so big and muscular now.
I knew Tori was mad, but she was hiding it well. When she looked at me, I just shrugged my shoulders. I hadn’t ordered all that food. She was carrying a big plate of homemade cookies, which I’m sure she baked for Alex.
We managed to get insi
de with all the food intact, with no help from Tori or Anne. Tori was too busy trying to get Alex to take a bite of the cookie she held to his mouth as he tried to dodge her and get up the front porch steps.
Vince’s home was just an average middle class home on the outside. A typical three-bedroom brick ranch home, but all that changed when you walked inside. The first thing you saw when you came in was the large living room, which was decorated with an almost Zen like approach. It was relaxing to walk inside the house, from the plush deep green carpet that gently cradled your feet to the soft in-ceiling recessed lighting. The walls were a pale green, with one entire wall adorned with a forest mural that was so lifelike that you could almost smell the earthy pine of the woods.
The kitchen/dining room combination was decorated in cool green colors, too. The appliances were all an olive-green color to match the lace tieback curtains that hung at the windows. At the opposite end of the room, away from the appliances and counters, housed a massive wooden table with ten chairs. The base of the table reminded me of a tree trunk and the chairs had wooden vines carved up the sides of them. The two rooms were both luxurious creations, but my favorite room in the house was their basement, if you could even call it a room. It was an enormous area, which ran the length of the entire house.
As you walked down the stairs, you went into a chamber that reminded one of winter. The walls were pristine white and the far wall contained a huge mural of snowy tundra. The icy ambience had a 3-D raised effect that looked so real that you wanted to touch the wall to see if it was cold. I had and it wasn’t, but it sure looked like it could’ve been.
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