PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  I wrinkle my nose at her, not because I think she’s being a snot, but because I realize I don’t know the answer to that question. Evie shakes her head slowly.

  “Mason said something to me today. He said he’s spent so much time knowing you don’t love him the way he loves you that he thought it would be easy for you to forget one kiss and move on so you could be safe.” She holds up her hands apologetically. “I don’t know what he meant about being safe, but you’re lying to yourself if you think the rest of it isn’t true.”

  “But . . . ” My voice trails off.

  “Maybe things between you two have been inching closer to something more physical, but you’ve never given him reason to think he’d break your heart if he backed off. Sure you guys kissed, and even if it was as amazing as you make it sound, you ran away from him, Olivia.”

  My throat tightens painfully. I look over at Mason feeling like I suddenly can’t breathe. My eyes dart back to Evie.

  “I don’t know what Mason found out, but whatever it was, it convinced him that you’d be better off without him. The way you’ve acted toward him made him believe you’d be able to brush it off and get on with life. With Hayden, apparently,” Evie says, grumbling that last part.

  “I just . . . things just started to change and I . . . he didn’t give me time, I mean . . . ” A million thoughts jumble in my head and only gibberish comes out.

  Sitting back in her chair, Evie reaches out a hand and takes mine in hers. “I know you’re hurt, but you know Mason better than anyone else. Does all but confessing his love for you and then skipping off into the sunset with Robin really sound like something he would do?”

  “But he did,” I argue.

  Evie gives me a stern look.

  “No,” I say, “it doesn’t sound like Mason.”

  Squeezing my hand, Evie says, “Then I think you should talk to Mason and find out what’s really been going on.”

  The anger and pain I have been keeping close company with the last few days begins to fade. Slowly, it is replaced by concern. “Did he give you any hint about why he did this?”

  Evie shakes her head. “All he said was that he was trying to protect you.”

  A terrible thought occurs to me and my fingers strangle Evie’s. “What if he knows something bad is going to happen to him? What if he’s trying to distance himself from me?” Dread sinks into the very deepest parts of my soul. “Evie, what if he dreamed something?”

  “Has he had any nightmares the past few nights? I know you’re the only one that can hear him, and I know you usually end up in his room when they come. Has he mentioned anything?”

  Guilt like I have never known assaults me. I nearly break down right there on the porch. “Yes,” I whisper, “he’s had nightmares the past few nights, but I don’t know what they were about. Oh, Evie, I heard him yelling, but I refused to go to him. I made him suffer because I was so angry with him. How could I be so cruel?”

  Evie grimaces, but pats my arm. “Well, under the circumstances, I think you’d have to be a saint to be willing to get up in the middle of the night and go comfort the guy who stomped on your heart.” She shrugs apologetically.

  Mason would have done it for me if the situation were reversed. I know he would have, but I was too stubborn and vindictive. As I laid awake the past few nights listening to him cry out, part of me was glad he was scared and alone. Don’t get me wrong, I had to nearly tie myself to the bed to stop myself from going to him, but a small part of me felt like he deserved it.

  I close my eyes and focus for just a moment on what a horrible person I have been the last few days. The ache I feel when I think of Mason settles in deep, chastising me for ever taking any enjoyment from his pain. I should have seen that something was wrong, that the Mason I knew would never do something so horrible to a person just because he could. I was too wound up in my own pain to realize something had him so scared he was willing to lie to me and hurt me.

  Taking a deep breath in, I resolve to set things right.

  “Hey, everyone,” Mom says cheerfully as she steps out onto the porch. “Dinner is ready.”

  I watch with a small smile as her eyes find Mason and watch him all the way to the door. The grin on her face is infectious. She’s so happy just to watch him walk! She and Dad clasp hands briefly as he walks by, but Mom slides an arm around Mason’s shoulders and ushers him into the house. I look over at Evie and notice she too can’t seem to stop staring at Mason.

  “I’ll talk to him after dinner,” I say to her.

  Her expression brightens. “Thank goodness.” She turns to me and grins. “I already thought he was pretty darn near perfect when he was invisible. Add in actually being able to see his gorgeous self . . . you better snatch him up before somebody else does.”

  That’s exactly what I intend to do. Smiling, I don’t say that to Evie. Instead, I say, “Come on, let’s get some dinner.”

  We both head back into the house and make our way to the kitchen. Everyone else is already seated and Mom is dishing out chicken cordon bleu. There is a seat next to Mason, and one on the opposite side. Lately, I have taken to sitting as far away from Mason as I can get. Evie doesn’t even ask me where I want to sit. She just heads around the table, leaving the seat next to Mason open.

  When I sit down next to him, he freezes. His chest stops moving, no air going in or out. It takes a few seconds before he looks over at me with a strained expression. It takes a little effort for me to smile at him, but I manage it half-convincingly. He stares at me for a moment before the corner of his mouth twitches up.

  That’s about as much as I can handle at the moment, so I turn to grab a plate from Mom and stick a piece of chicken in my mouth. We’re halfway through dinner—a meal filled with chatter mainly directed at Mason—when the sound of a car nearing the house steals all the life out of the room. With everything that’s happened lately, and the fact that Mom hasn’t been able to get a hold of the DeWalt’s daughter to find out if they’re alright, anyone approaching the house unexpectedly makes us very wary.

  All eyes go to the window above the kitchen sink. Fears of Sentinels coming to kill Mason stiffen my body. The blue four door truck doesn’t look familiar, but I choke on my food when I see Hayden step out on the sidewalk.

  Chapter 32

  Everything Winks Out

  (Olivia)

  “What day is it?” I demand of everyone at the table once the hunk of chicken stuck in my throat gets washed down with water.

  “Friday,” Evie says with a confused expression. “Why?”

  How could I forget? My heart rate skyrockets as I realize Hayden is here to pick me up for our date! My eyes dart over to Mason. His tight expression kills me!

  I watch Hayden start walking up the driveway. My stomach twists painfully.

  Dad looks over at me and says, “Were you expecting Hayden tonight?”

  “Uh, yeah . . . ”

  “For?” Mom prompts.

  “For our date,” I say quietly.

  Everyone freezes. Dad looks rather shocked. Mom scrunches her nose. Evie’s eyes bug. None of their reactions draw my attention as much as Mason’s. I cringe as his head drops. Hayden’s knock sounds on the door, bringing Mason’s eyes up to mine. The agony holding his body tight kills me.

  I turn to Mom and ask, “Can you get the door?”

  Then grab Mason’s hand and yank him up from his chair. “I need to talk to you.”

  Mason doesn’t object as I tow him through the hall to the kitchen. When we’re safely away from the front door, I drop his hand. It’s not that I don’t want to touch him right now. I just can’t think being so close to him. I take a step back and look up at Mason.

  Clearly confused, Mason doesn’t say anything. He just waits.

  “Mason, I’m sorry. I forgot Hayden was coming tonight.”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m the one that screwed up. I have no right to hold you back.”


  “No, Mason, I think I screwed up too. Evie told me you wanted to talk, and I want to hear everything, but I think I need to go with Hayden right now.”

  “Olivia?” Mom calls from the hall, her voice questioning.

  I glance at the hall, but my eyes are pulled back to Mason. “Just a minute,” I yell to Mom.

  Turning back to Mason, I sigh in frustration. “I don’t want to go, but . . . I feel bad being mean to Hayden when he’s been so nice to me, and I’m pretty sure he still thinks I’m being abused, and ditching out at the last minute might make him more suspicious.”

  “What? Why would Hayden think you’re being abused?” he demands.

  “Uh . . . it’s a long story.” I shake my head and grab Mason’s hand. “Just, um, wait for me, okay?”

  “Of course,” Mason says.

  I throw my arms around him quickly. “Thanks, and sorry.”

  As I pull away, it’s hard to make my eyes leave him. It feels good to let go of my anger at him, but there’s still something he’s hiding from me. Anxiety prickles around me as I finally exit the kitchen. What made Mason lie to me in the first place? I approach the hallway afraid to find out.

  The smile that spreads across Hayden’s lips makes me stumble. Mom looks over at me curiously, not sure what’s going on.

  “There you are,” she says with one eyebrow raised. Her head tilts to one side as if she’s waiting for an explanation.

  “Thanks for keeping Hayden company, Mom. Sorry I took so long.” That last part is directed toward both of them.

  Hayden is the first to answer. “It’s no problem, but we better get going if we’re going to make it to the movie on time.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  “What time will you be back?” Dad asks as he comes up behind Mom. I see Evie leaning against the kitchen doorframe, her face pinched as she stares at me.

  Hayden puts his arm around my shoulder casually. “I’ll have her back before ten, if that’s okay.”

  Mom glances up at Dad, the corner of her mouth twitching a bit. “We’re supposed to be over at the Harpers by 9, but that should be okay, don’t you think?”

  “Uh, yes, that should be fine.”

  Hayden seems to catch onto the fact that something is a little off. “If you’re worried about Evie being here alone, she can always come with us,” he offers.

  “Oh no,” Mom says quickly, “Evie can come with us. The Harpers have a daughter her age. You two have fun.”

  Her smile seems a little tight, but it’s convincing enough for Hayden. He smiles. “Well, you guys enjoy your evening. I promise I’ll look after Olivia.”

  With that, he takes my hand and leads me out the front door before I can say anything. He’s opening the passenger door for me before I shake myself and wake up. I don’t know what else to do but climb up into the truck and buckle myself in. Half a dozen thoughts run through my mind as I watch him walk around to the driver’s side.

  Hayden has been the one bright spot in my life the last few days. He is a decent, sweet guy. And I have to admit that he is very handsome. My interest in Hayden was more survival instinct than actual romance, but I know it’s real for him.

  As he climbs in with a smile, I’m not sure if I’ve used him the last few days, or just leaned on him. To be honest, I have so little experience with relationships or even friends that I have no idea what I’m doing. Hayden is a great guy, and I don’t want to hurt him, but I know I would never choose him over Mason. Whatever Mason is lying about . . .

  Nothing could be bad enough that it would break us apart. I can’t let Hayden think there is a future between us when I know there isn’t. I may be nearly clueless about relationship etiquette, but I know that one at least. I have to tell him.

  “Hayden,” I start.

  He looks over at me with a smile so sweet and kind that I can’t go on. My chest hurts as I look at him. He waits expectantly. My willpower caves to his warmth. I’ll tell him after the movie.

  Forcing a smile, I say, “Thanks for picking me up.”

  Hayden grins. “No problem.” His hand squeezes mine, but doesn’t linger. “I’m glad you came. I was almost sure you were going to back out.”

  If he only knew.

  “It’s, uh, nice to get out of the house,” I say.

  “Yeah,” Hayden says, “it sounded like you’re parents are still pretty worried about you and Evie being on your own. I’m sure the mugging really rattled them.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Sure, let’s go with that. It’s better than him thinking my parents are abusive and controlling. By the sideways look he gives me, I get the impression that concerns about them hurting me are still swimming around in his head.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when we pull into the parking lot of the theater a moment later. It feels like I am suffocating in the truck. I jump out and breathe in a steadying breath. The tips of my fingers twitch as I walk slowly to the back of the truck to meet Hayden. He, on the other hand, is grinning.

  Quickly, I fold my arms across my chest. I don’t want to hurt his feelings and pull away if he tries to hold my hand. Better to take away the option. Or so I think. His arm settles easily around my shoulders. He keeps it casual, like he might sling an arm around a buddy. I’m not that easily fooled, though. I’m pretty sure that if I give him any signs that I could handle more, he’d pull me against him like I have seen so many other couples do. Like Mason has done with me, but I was too blind to realize what it meant.

  Hayden doesn’t seem to feel the awkwardness I do as we walk up to the ticket window. I shiver when his arm falls away to pay for our tickets. Thinking quick, I step away from him and pretend to look at the “Coming Soon” posters lining the wall. When he turns away from the counter with tickets in hand, I pull the door open and wave him through.

  All the way through the concession line and to our seats, I manage to keep a small buffer between us. The previews are already rolling by the time we sit down, and I hope that rules out conversation. Just like the rest of this night, luck is just not in my favor.

  “Are things any better at home?” he asks quietly.

  “What?” I try to sound casual, but the anxiety in my voice is hard to miss.

  “Since we ran into each other at the basketball park, I mean. I know you didn’t want to talk about it, but I . . . I’ve been worried about you, Olivia.” He looks over at me seriously. If I was a normal girl, I’m sure the look would melt me to the core. “Things seemed really tense at your house when I picked you up.”

  My mouth opens, but what am I supposed to tell him? My invisible friend, who has been living with us for twelve years, is being hunted by a group of wackos who may have killed our neighbors and want to kill Mason as well? I want to bang my head against something. When did everything get so screwed up?

  Hayden’s brow furrows at my lack of reassurance. He looks away for a moment, then surprises me by reaching up and pushing down the high collar of the shirt I’m wearing. Blood drains from my body, turning my fingers icy.

  “I noticed these yesterday,” he says. The pain in his eyes tears at me. “They aren’t from the mugging. I know because I memorized every bruise that creep gave you. These . . . Olivia, it looks like someone had their hands around your neck.”

  I push his hand away from my throat. I tried to cover them up. When did he see them? Panic whirls through my mind as I try to come up with some kind of believable excuse for the strangulation marks on my neck. Nothing comes to mind and my stomach plummets to my shoes.

  The movie starts. I stare straight ahead. Can this night get any worse? Now if I tell Hayden that I can’t see him anymore, he’ll think it’s because of this. He’ll become even more suspicious, and even though he hasn’t moved on his suspicions yet doesn’t mean he won’t. He’s a good guy, an honest guy. The type of guy who would tell someone what he thinks is happening to me in order to protect me.

  I can’t let him tell anyone that my parents are abusing me. Not on
ly is it not true, it would draw attention, it would mean letting people into our house to investigate. How would we know if they were real social workers or Sentinels in disguise? The Caretakers have people working in law enforcement. Social services would be a perfect place to hide a bunch of Sentinels.

  My head falls back against the seat as all my energy abandons me. Everything is such a huge mess right now and I have no idea how to fix things! My gut tells me it’s only going to get worse, too. Mason is still hiding secrets. More than the threat of Hayden making false claims against my parents, I am terrified of what he is going to tell me.

  Hayden stays silent through the entire movie. What feels like forever later, the credits begin to roll. I have no idea what we just watched. I just want to get out of here. I jump up from my seat and power past Hayden. The doors loom in front of me like an escape hatch, but as soon as I push through them, Hayden grabs my arm and yanks me to a stop.

  “Olivia, what is going on?” he demands.

  I shake my head, scared and frustrated.

  When I try to pull away from him, he grabs my other arm and pins me against the wall. He isn’t rough, just firm. There is no anger in his eyes. The depths of his concern for me would be bliss if the situation were as simple as he thought it was. Part of me wants to blurt everything out, the real truth, and dump my problems on him, but I know I could never do that.

  “Olivia,” Hayden says more softly, “please tell me what’s going on. It’s been killing me not to say anything, not confronting you about this. I want to respect the fact that you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m scared that someone is hurting you and I can’t stand by and let it keep happening. Please just tell me the truth. Are your parents hurting you?”

  I slump against the wall. “No, Hayden, my parents are not abusing me. This has nothing to do with them.”

  His face wrinkles. I can tell he wants to believe me, but he just can’t bring himself to do it. “Someone gave you those bruises. I want to know who.”

  “The same guy who gave me these bruises,” I say, pointing at the lingering yellow-brown stain on my cheek.”