Touch of Fire (Into the Darkness Book 1)

by Jasmine B. Waters

  “Um, okay,” I said nervously. “I’ll have to call my mom and ask if I can stay, though.”

  Steven pressed the kitchen phone into my hand. “I hope she says it’s okay,” he added fervently. “I really want you to stay, Elizabeth.”

  I blinked.

  “We’re having yumasetta, Amish casserole!” Mrs. D’Amico chirped. “Very healthy, Elizabeth, I’m sure your mother would approve.”

  As discreetly as I could, I reached behind my back and pinched my arm as hard as possible.

  “Ouch!” I yelped.

  “Elizabeth!” Steven looked at me with ghastly concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “Um, nothing,” I lied. Glancing down at my arm, I saw a faint purple bruise beginning to form. “I just hit my arm earlier.” Steven gave me an alarmed look and I forced a smile. “It’s really nothing,” I added quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

  Steven and his mother stayed in the kitchen as I went into the hall to call home. Staring at the photos on the wall, a chill came over me.

  There were no photos of Andrea.

  Nothing – not even family portraits that I could have sworn I’d seen before featuring her round face. My stomach twisted and churned and my fingers were cold and numb as I dialed. When my mom answered, she sounded far away.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom,” I said patiently. “I’m at Steven’s, he wants to know if I can stay for dinner.” Please don’t say yes, I added in my head. Please, don’t.

  “Oh, sure! You know, this works perfectly – Aidan has a little friend he wanted to invite over, but we wouldn’t have had enough.”

  I suppressed a groan. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be home right after,” I said.

  “Oh, no rush! You can stay as late as you want!”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said through gritted teeth. “See you later.”

  When I hung up, I whirled around and gasped. Steven was standing right there, staring at me with hunger in his eyes.

  “She said yes,” he said quickly. “She must have, right?”

  “She did,” I said. “But she wants me home pretty early, sorry I can’t stay late.”

  “I’ll drive you home,” Steven said quickly. “Don’t even worry about it.”

  Dinner was chilling. I pushed the mixture of ground beef, American cheese, and noodles around on my plate. I had less than zero appetite – I couldn’t stop glancing over at the wall, searching each photo for Andrea’s chubby face.

  “So, Elizabeth,” Mrs. D’Amico said. She smiled. “Steven tells me you’re thinking of going to college at the U of Vermont, like he’s planning. Is that true?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said. A disastrous feeling came over me and I gripped the table hard so I wouldn’t faint. “I haven’t really thought about it yet. I mean, that’s two years off for me.”

  “That’s not what Steven said,” Mrs. D’Amico replied. She smiled again and I shrank against the back of my chair.

  “We can talk about it later,” I said, glancing at Steven. “I just don’t really see the point of deciding, at least not right now.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I winced as Steven tightened his grip around his fork and stabbed at his dinner.

  “Excuse me,” I said, pushing my chair back and standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Leaving my napkin on my plate, I scurried to the downstairs bathroom and sat down on the toilet, still fully clothed. Burying my face in my hands, I could hardly keep from hyperventilating.

  Why did you do this, I thought angrily, picturing Monica’s smug smile in my mind. Why would you deliberately make things so difficult for me?

  I stayed in the bathroom for so long that my thighs went numb, pressed against each other on the porcelain seat. I could hear footsteps pacing back and forth in the hall outside.

  “Elizabeth?”

  I groaned. “I’ll be right out,” I called loudly. “Just give me a second!”

  Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet and flushed the toilet for effect, washing my hands until my fingers were numb from the cold water.

  “Elizabeth?”

  “I said I’m coming!”

  When I left the bathroom, Steven was standing there, looking worried.

  I forced a smile. “We should probably get back to the table,” I said. “I don’t want to make your mom worry.”

  Steven shrugged. Behind him, my eyes caught sight of a family photo – again, there was no sign of Andrea. A chill ran down my spine.

  “Look, Elizabeth, I really want to talk about schools,” Steven said urgently. He stepped closer and took both of my hands in his own. “I know you think it’s too early to start deciding, but you’re wrong.” His eyes burned bright with intensity.

  “Well, I’m only fifteen,” I said softly. “Steven, I’m not due to graduate for another two years – and that’s even if I somehow manage to pass this one!”

  Steven glared. “I just think it’s important that we’re close together,” he said. “Don’t you?”

  I sighed. “I know you do, Steven,” was all I could say. “I know you do.”

  Chapter Two

  Elizabeth

  I knew that I should’ve been grateful for the chance to go back to school – after months of being cooped up inside my parents’ house or the coven, just getting to be outside by myself was exciting. But everything had changed – now that I was Steven’s girlfriend, school was a completely different experience.

  I could hardly go anywhere without a group of girls staring at me and whispering in hushed tones under their collective breaths. It was insanity – I’d never even been noticed before.

  And now, I was suddenly popular.

  “God,” Monica sniffed as we walked down the hall. “You’re turning a lot of heads.”

  I bit my lip and flushed. “No thanks to you,” I muttered.

  “You should be enjoying this,” Monica said. She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “I thought this was, you know, the goal.”

  “We’re so past the goal that I don’t even know where we’re going,” I replied, pushing past her and into class just as the bell shrieked above my head.

  Monica followed behind me, holding herself stiff and upright.

  “Hey, Hartsell!”

  I looked up and narrowed my eyes. A group of jocks – Steven’s friends – were sitting in the back of the room, motioning for me to come over.

  “What is it?” My legs were unsteady as I walked closer. Despite the fact that everyone seemed to genuinely like me, I couldn’t get past the idea that they were making fun of me. I’d spent most of my life being what Monica not-so-affectionately referred to as a “try-hard.”

  Now, the idea that I was genuinely liked on my own…well, that was unfathomable.

  “Party tonight,” one of them – Greg, maybe? – said, grinning. “You and Steve are coming, right?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said, feeling more lame and awkward than ever. “He hasn’t mentioned it to me.”

  The guy grinned. “Well, too bad, you’re coming,” he said. “We want D’Amico there.”

  “Okay.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “So I’m gonna go sit down, okay?”

  “Stay here,” the guy said. He shrugged and lifted his mass off the small desk, rearranging his legs. When he was standing, I saw he was more than a foot taller than I. I flushed – I still wasn’t used to being in such close contact with guys since they’d gotten so tall and burly. It seemed like yesterday that I’d been the tallest person in my class.

  Just as I was about to say something about Monica, the second bell rang and the teacher strode into the room. Flashing Monica a guilty grin, I sank down into a chair at the back of the class. It felt almost like I was breaking some kind of rule – I’d never sat in the back before.

  Sorry, I thought when Monica glared at me. I shrugged. You did this, I added silently. So don’t be too mad
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  But when class was over and the bell rang again, Monica leapt out of her seat and ran. She was out of the room before I even made it to the front of the class.

  Greg (or whatever his name was) punched me on the shoulder.

  “Yo, your friend – she pissed?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said.

  “She can come, too,” Greg said. “I mean, she’s had parties before.” He wrinkled his nose. “Just make sure she’s cool.”

  I rolled my eyes, knowing full well that Monica wouldn’t be interested at all.

  “Sure,” I muttered. “I’ll ask her.”

  ---

  After school, I did my homework as quickly as I could, then wolfed down some dinner and took a long shower. By the time I got back to my room, my mom was standing there, looking out the window with her hands on her hips.

  “I’m going to a party tonight,” I said. “I hope that’s okay.”

  Mom nodded. “I’m glad to see you doing things again,” she said. She gave me a sly smile. “Is Steven going to be at this party?”

  I flushed. Whenever Steven and I were apart, it was almost easy to forget how crazy he’d gone.

  “Yeah,” I said after a pause. “He’s picking me up.”

  “Well, just be home before two,” Mom said. “How’s school going?”

  I frowned. “I can’t believe you’re letting me go this easily,” I said. “I mean, I’m not complaining.” I swallowed hard, still clutching the towel around my damp body. “But it just seems kind of strange.”

  My mom laughed nervously. “I know,” she said. “I feel it, too, honey. But…” She trailed off, biting her lip. “You’re growing up. And this past year has been really hard on you, I know it has.”

  I nodded. “Yeah,” was all I could manage in response. “You’re right.”

  “Is Monica going?”

  Crap, I thought. I completely forgot. I must have looked guilty because Mom let out another nervous little laugh.

  “What, she doesn’t like Steven?”

  “It’s not exactly that,” I said. I swallowed. “I should call her. Maybe she’d want to come.”

  My mom nodded. “That would be nice.” She gave a little shrug as she walked to the door. “I’ll let you get dressed. Sorry if I was hovering, honey.”

  Mom left, closing the door behind her. As soon as I heard her moving down the stairs, I threw off my towel and grabbed a fresh pair of underwear from my drawer. Then I got dressed in my favorite black jeans and an off-the-shoulder top. I’d barely finished running a brush through my still-damp hair when I heard Steven’s knock on the door.

  “Honey!” Mom yelled. “Steven’s here!”

  Despite my anxiety, I couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit of excitement. The last party I’d gone to had been that disastrous affair that Monica had thrown, right before all of the trouble started. Something told me that tonight wouldn’t be anything like that.

  Honestly, I didn’t know if that was good or bad.

  Steven grinned when he saw me.

  “You look awesome,” Steven said. “Ready?”

  I nodded. As we walked out to the car, things felt surprisingly…normal between us. Steven opened the door for me and I scooted inside, tucking my legs over the books on the floorboards.

  “So, your mom is okay with this?” I asked, running my hand over the door handle. “She didn’t like, flip out that you wanted to go to a party? With me?”

  “My mom is fine,” Steven said. He twisted the key in the ignition and slowly backed down the driveway, putting his hand on my shoulder as he looked through the back window. “How are you?”

  I shrugged. “It felt weird to go back to school,” I said slowly. “I think Monica is mad.”

  “She’s probably jealous,” Steven said nonchalantly. His comment bothered me more than it should have.

  “Maybe,” I said, not wanting to get into a fight. “So…this is at Greg’s house?”

  Steven laughed. “His name is Gary,” he said. “But yeah – his parents went on vacation as soon as the curfew was lifted.”

  “Wow,” I said. “Must be nice.”

  “He has an awesome place,” Steven said. He looked at me and I saw the wild lust flash in his eyes. “And I’m happy to be with you,” he added in a husky voice that made me uncomfortable.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Um, thanks for picking me up. My mom says I have to be home before two. Is that okay?”

  “Sure,” Steven said. He pulled onto the two-line highway and sped up, flying over the black pavement.

  I shifted uncomfortably, tugging the seat belt away from my neck as he drove. We lapsed into silence, but it didn’t feel natural. Maybe it’s because things are still so new that we’re getting used to each other, I thought, gnawing at my lip. Maybe it’ll be easier with other people around.

  But the party wasn’t anything like Monica’s had been. Greg -- er, Gary – had a huge house, or rather, his parents did. It wasn’t like the Boers’ home, either – it looked like every room had been decorated by some famous designer from Boston.

  Inside, it was nearly impossible to hear anything. Steven held my hand and stuck close to my side as we wove through the crowd. In the living room, someone had put on loud music and the whole room seemed to be shaking. The floor was filled with kids jumping up and down and dancing, spilling beer from red plastic cups.

  “Want a drink?” Steven practically had to yell in my ear.

  “Yeah!” I yelled back. “I’ll stay here!”

  Steven said something I couldn’t understand, but he smiled before he turned and pushed his way into the kitchen. I recognized all of the popular kids from school, feeling a twinge of guilt that I hadn’t invited Monica. She wouldn’t have had fun, I thought, trying to justify the decision to myself. This isn’t her scene at all.

  The music changed and I stumbled as a huge wave of kids pushed past me, storming into the room and cheering. I rolled my eyes – a Journey song was blasting from the huge sound system. We weren’t even alive when this stupid song came out, I thought, pushing my way past a circle of girls dancing, holding hands and shaking their butts. I almost laughed as I thought about what Monica would say, she’d probably call them sheep or lemmings or something.

  “Here!” Steven shouted, so loudly that I jumped. He pushed a red cup into my hand. “I know you hate beer, so I got you some of the punch!”

  I held the cup to my nose and sniffed cautiously. “Oh my god,” I mumbled. “What is this? Paint thinner?”

  Steven laughed. “I love your sense of humor!” He shouted. “Come on, let’s dance! I love this song.”

  Of course you do, I thought as I tilted the cup back and drank. Whatever was inside – some kind of sticky pink liquid that burned my tongue and throat. I sputtered and coughed, choking the last few sips down like it was some of Ligeia’s poison.

  Steven gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s rough,” he said loudly. “Want another?”

  I stepped shakily to the side. “Sure!” I yelled.

  Anything was better than dancing to Journey.

  Four cups of that pink toxic waste later and I was feeling strange. My skin felt hot and oily and I kept reaching up to wipe my forehead on my sleeve. Outside it was freezing cold, but inside Gary’s house, it was so hot that I could barely stay awake.

  Steven and I danced, hopping and jumping around, to most of the music. Whenever a slow song came on, Steven would try to pull me close but I’d invariably shy away. It wasn’t just that I didn’t feel like having his dick pressed into my butt, everyone was staring at us. Even the girls who swung by in the arms of other guys from school couldn’t keep from giving my dirty looks.

  “Everyone hates me,” I said loudly in Steven’s ear. He winced and pulled away. “Can I have another drink?”

  “Sure.” Steven took my hand and led me out of the living room. Thankfully, it was much cooler in the rest
of the house. The kitchen was messy – a huge table was covered with mostly-empty tubs of hummus and ranch dressing, while dehydrated carrot slices grew less appealing by the second. I paused and grabbed a handful of sour cream chips, shoving them into my mouth and chewing noisily.

  “God, I’m starving,” I said, handing Steven my cup and scooping more chips onto a plastic plate. “Can you get me a drink?”

  Steven beamed. “So you’re having fun?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said. “I am.” It wasn’t exactly a lie – although the way my chest felt hot and watery probably wasn’t a good sign. I’d never been drunk before, only tipsy, at Monica’s party. But this was different. I felt like a new Elizabeth, a confident Elizabeth who didn’t let anything bother her.

  A rush of people streamed by and I almost fell to the side as one of them bumped into my hip. I grabbed the back of a chair, only barely managing to stay upright.

  Steven rushed to my side, handing me a drink. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, much more enthusiastically than necessary. “Yeah!” Tilting my head back, I poured the cup down my throat. I was so used to it by now that the stuff didn’t even burn – it was actually starting to taste kind of good. Wiping my brow again, I burst out laughing.

  “What’s funny?” Steven crinkled his brow.

  “Nothing!” Suddenly, I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I couldn’t explain it, but somehow, the events of the past few months no longer mattered. All that mattered was that wild, confident feeling in my chest, like nothing could ever hurt me again.

  “Come dance,” Steven said. He tugged me towards the living room and I groaned, dragging my feet.

  “It’s too hot in there,” I whined. “Wanna go outside?”

  “Seriously?” Steven laughed. “Elizabeth, it’s freezing out there. The last thing I need is you getting sick.”

  “Come on,” I whined. “Just for a minute.”

  As I tugged Steven down the hall, the wild and happy feeling started to fade. My stomach started to hurt and I swallowed, wiping my hands on my thighs.

  “Hold on a sec,” I said, pulling free of Steven’s grip. “I need to stay here a moment.”