Marked

by T. L. McDonald

  “No,” I lie. I don’t want to tell him about the photo being moved. “I thought you were going to wait downstairs for the cops?”

  “I was, but then I started getting creeped out being down there by myself so I came back up here.”

  I laugh. “Big bad Adam got scared.”

  “I did not say I was scared.” He punches me lightly on the shoulder. “I said I got creeped out. There’s a difference.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Adam’s phone rings. Pulling it out of his pocket he looks at the caller ID. “I need to take this.” He pauses at my doorway looking back; he nods his head toward the window. “You might want to close that it’s supposed to rain.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I cross my room to close the window knowing full well that it was closed when I left earlier today. The wood scraping over wood sound that I heard earlier must have been my window opening. Whoever was in here must have gone out this way.

  I start to push it down when something catches my eye. I step out through my window onto the roof of the porch. At the edge is a tall tree with long overhanging branches that I used to use to sneak in and out of the house with when Mom and Dad were still alive. Now that they’re gone I haven’t had the need to use it since Adam pretty much lets me come and go as I please.

  Inching closer, the object that caught my eye sways in the wind as it hangs from one of the branches. Taking it down I study the black braided leather bracelet. It must have gotten caught and ripped off when whoever was in my room fled. Turning it over, I notice a small piece of metal with a symbol carved into the surface at its center. It’s different than the symbol on my wrist, yet I can’t help but feel like they’re connected somehow.

  Red and blue lights cascade through the branches of the tree as a Lake Haven Police patrol car pulls up in front of my house. I shove the bracelet into my pocket as I climb back into my room making sure to close and lock the window behind me. I make it to the bottom of the stairs just as Adam opens the door to reveal Officer Jensen.

  Officer Jensen looks first at Adam then settles his dark blue eyes on me. The heaviness of his gaze is unnerving and after a few more seconds of our weird stare off he looks away to address Adam. “Are you Adam Harper?” Adam nods. “Dispatch reported that you called about a possible break in at this address.”

  “Yeah.” Staring at Officer Jensen with his eyebrows gathered together, Adam moves to the side allowing him entrance. “I think we’ve met before.” He tilts his head to the side then snaps his fingers. “Now I remember. You were with the detective at the hospital when he was questioning my sister Hanna about the incident at The Iron Knife.”

  “Right,” Officer Jensen says nodding his head as if he doesn’t already know who we are. He knows exactly who we are, who I am. He gazes at me while taking out a notepad and pen. “How are you doing Hanna? Have you remembered anything else about that night?”

  “No.”

  His eyes lower to my wrist. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe me. Just like I’m pretty sure he knows what this symbol on my wrist is. I move my hands behind my back as nonchalantly as possible. I don’t know if I can trust him yet. His gaze returns to mine, but he doesn’t press further. Instead he turns back to my brother.

  “Did you see who broke in?” Officer Jensen asks Adam.

  “No. I wasn’t here when it happened, but Hanna was,” Adam says looking over at me.

  On the spot I inform Officer Jensen about what happened. There’s not much to tell given that the only thing I really saw was the light from a flashlight. He jots down notes anyway encouraging me to remember as much as I can.

  “And you’re sure you didn’t see the perpetrator?” Officer Jensen asks again. His dark blue eyes peer at me with such intensity, I feel like I’m under a microscope.

  “No.”

  His shoulders subtly relax. A small sigh escapes past his lips like he’s relieved. Why would he be relieved?

  I study him closely without being overly obvious. Is he relieved?

  “And nothing was taken or out of place?” Officer Jensen asks startling me.

  “Nope. Not a thing,” Adam answers. His hands are deep in his pockets fidgeting with loose change.

  “What about you Hanna. Are you sure nothing is missing or out of place?” Officer Jensen studies me in much the same way I’m studying him—with suspicion. I think he’s hiding something and I think he thinks I’m hiding something.

  And he’d be right.

  The bracelet in my pocket suddenly feels like it weighs a ton, but there’s no way I’m going to tell him about it until I figure out what his role is in all of this. I put on my best innocent face. “Nope. Not a thing. Just like Adam said.” His eyes linger making me feel like I’ve just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I’m a horrible liar and something tells me he’s very aware of that fact, still, I keep my mouth shut.

  “Mind if I take a look around?” Officer Jensen asks finally breaking eye contact. Thank God, because if he had kept staring at me like that I probably would have caved and told him everything whether I wanted to or not.

  Adam leads him around the house while I wait in the foyer. Once the inspection is over Adam walks Officer Jensen to the door.

  “It’s not likely that the perpetrator will come back, but being that it’s just the two of you living here, it might not be a bad idea to get a home security system.”

  “Thanks Officer. I’ll look into that.” Adam holds out his hand and as Officer Jensen takes it his sleeve pulls up a fraction. My heart ceases to beat, my lungs shrivel up; the ground under my feet no longer exists because around his wrist is a black braided leather bracelet brandishing the same symbol as the one in my pocket.

  CHAPTER SIX

  If I was panicking before, it’s nothing compared to what I’m feeling now. I grab the cordless phone off the stand and race to my room leaving my brother to stare after me like I’m a nut case.

  I slam the door behind me with my foot as I dial Jared’s cell. He picks up on the first ring.

  “Are you okay? What were the cops doing at your house? I was going to come over, but then I wasn’t sure if I should, and then I thought maybe I should anyway, and then…”

  “Jared.” I cut him off. I’m trying my best to keep the panic out of my voice and failing miserably. “Can you come over?”

  “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

  I throw the phone on the bed and begin to pace back and forth attempting to wrap my head around everything that just happened. I need someone to talk to and I’m really hoping that Jared won’t think I’m a lunatic when I tell him what’s going on.

  Exactly two minutes later Jared comes barreling through my door. He looks me over making sure that I’m physically fine before scooping me up in a bear hug. My feet dangle in the air, my arms pinned at my sides. A moment later he sits me down giving me the once over one more time.

  “Seriously I’m okay.” I’m not sure if I’m reassuring him or me.

  He sits down on the bed patting the spot next to him. “I know something’s up, so start talking.”

  So I do. Starting with that first night at The Iron Knife. I tell him about Blondie, including his eyes and the very realistic dreams I’ve been having about him. I tell him about Sam and the symbol on my wrist and what happens when I touch it. I tell him about the rapid healing, the increase in strength—which he experienced first hand, and the ninja reflexes. Lastly, I tell him about the bracelet I found in the tree after someone broke in and how it matches perfectly to Officer Jensen’s. I pull it out of my pocket tossing it to him with a flick of my wrist.

  I’m out of breath by the time I finish my unbelievable tale, my whole body trembling. Jared sits perfectly still absorbing my spew of informational overload. After a few minutes he moves to examine the bracelet. He studies every angle then hands it back to me. I look at it one last time before dropping it into the top drawer of my nightstand.

  Jared reaches over taking my hand in his.
He flips it over exposing the symbol. “What do you think would happen if I touched it?”

  I study his face looking for any sign that he’s mocking me. “So you believe me then?”

  “I’ll admit, most of the things you said were pretty far out there, but anything is possible right? The symbol on your wrist is proof of that.” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his green eyes warm and comforting. “Besides, I’ve known you for most of my life, so if you believe it, then I believe it.”

  I look down at the curving lines of the symbol. It’s both beautiful and scary all at once. “I don’t know what will happen if you touch it.”

  His finger hovers above my wrist, his eyes meet mine waiting for permission. I swallow even though my mouth is bone dry and nod for him to go ahead.

  I hold my breath. Everything but Jared and I fade out of focus. His finger touches my skin with the softness of a feather. I wait for the blue light to radiate out but nothing happens. The symbol remains pale blue.

  “Maybe it only works if I touch it.” I say.

  I take my wrist back, holding my thumb above the symbol. I can already feel the heat rising from it and as my thumb gets closer it begins to pulse glowing with an iridescent blue. I look to Jared to see if he’s seeing what I’m seeing.

  His mouth hangs open, eyes wide. He’s definitely seeing what I’m seeing.

  I lower my thumb the rest of the way making contact. Electricity surges from the symbol throughout my body as swirls of blue light dance dizzyingly around me. I close my eyes giving in.

  When I open my eyes I’m no longer in my room. I’m in a hallway standing in front of a large oak door. The gold handle is cold beneath my trembling hand. Quickly, I glance down the hall making sure I’m alone; my heart beats loudly in my ears as I turn the handle and enter the room.

  Turning on the flashlight with a flick of my thumb, my reflection emerges in the mirror hanging on the wall. Except it isn’t my reflection. It’s Sam’s.

  I bring my fingers up to my face/Sam’s face, and as I stare into the eyes of a dead man, my own thoughts dissolve and I become someone else.

  Turning from my reflection, I go through each drawer of the desk shuffling through stacks of papers never finding what I’m looking for. Giving up on the desk, I move to the filing cabinets lined up along the wall on the right side of the room. I go through most of them too, again finding nothing, until I pull the handle on the last drawer.

  Locked.

  This has to be it. Now all I need is the key.

  I go back over to the desk hoping to find the key and in my excitement knock over a picture of my mother and I. Picking it up I study her face. I was just a child in this, maybe three or four. It was one of the last pictures we took together before she got sick. Sitting it back down I start looking through the penholder and under the desk mat.

  Nothing.

  I close my eyes trying to think of where my father would have hidden it. I return to the photo of my mother and I. What if…

  I turn the frame over removing the back. Taped underneath is a small silver key.

  Yes.

  I take the key over to the filing cabinet sliding it into the lock. It turns with ease. I pull the drawer out, my heart beating in anticipation.

  “Ouch. Did you just pinch me?” Giving Jared a dirty look I rub the upper portion of my arm. “And why does your hair look like that?” I say noticing how his hair is sticking up oddly on one side of his head.

  He furrows his eyebrows tilting his head slightly to the right looking at me like I’m clueless. “Hanna, you’ve been catatonic for like the last fifteen minutes.” He runs his hand through his hair pulling on the ends before letting go.

  So that’s why his hair looks like that.

  “I have been trying everything I could think of to snap you out of it.” He sits back down beside me, pokes my arm. “Sorry I pinched you so hard, but at least it worked.”

  “Fifteen minutes? Really? I just sat there? I didn’t say or do anything?”

  “No. It’s like you were in a coma or something. What happened?”

  “I think I was having some kind of vision or something. I was in an office searching for something and I had just found the key to unlock the cabinet when you pinched me, so I didn’t get to see what was inside.”

  “Weird.”

  “That’s not even the weirdest part.” I shift turning my body to face him, my knee brushes against his leg.

  “When I was there…in the office. I wasn’t me. I was Sam.”

  “What do you mean you were Sam? Sam’s the guy that died at The Iron Knife, right?”

  “Yeah.” My mind flashes back to images of that night; Sam crumpled on the ground bleeding out, Blondie stalking me with black eyes, Sam dying as he marked me. I shake the thoughts away.

  “When I say I was Sam, I mean I literally was Sam. My reflection was his reflection, my feelings were his feelings, my thoughts were his thoughts, and I saw what he saw. I was him.” I throw my hands up in the air. Even this is a bit much for me to take in let alone Jared. “I must sound crazy.”

  He lifts up my chin with the tip of his finger. “Sometimes the craziest things are what’s real.”

  “Will you stay here tonight?” I blurt. My face burns red as I try to explain myself. “It’s just that after the break in and the out of body experience, I don’t want to be alone. Plus I’m afraid that Blondie will haunt my dreams again, but maybe if you’re here he won’t. I can pretend that all this crazy stuff doesn’t exist and it can just be me and you like it used to be when we were kids.”

  “I’ll stay as long as you need me to.” He kisses the top of my head before sprawling out on the bed. He tucks his arm under his head, which causes his t-shirt to ride up exposing just a hint of the skin underneath.

  I don’t know why I blush at seeing that sliver of skin. It’s not like I haven’t ever seen him without a shirt before and it’s not like he hasn’t ever spent the night in my room. We used to have sleepovers all the time. Of course, we were eight then and now we’re seventeen. But that doesn’t have to make it awkward, right? He’s my best friend. Like my brother even.

  Okay that last bit might be pushing it.

  Clearing my throat I tear my eyes away from his waist. With an amused look he gazes up at me under long lashes with eyes of deep, deep green. His lips move hinting at a smile that isn’t quite strong enough to show his dimple, but somehow still alluring just the same.

  He’s definitely not like my brother.

  He pats his chest indicating that I should lie down. “You’re exhausted. Why don’t you lay down here with me and get some sleep. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

  I curl up beside him resting my head on his chest. He wraps his free arm around me drawling me closer. Not knowing what to do with my arm, I rest it against his lower stomach. My pinkie finger grazes over the exposed skin of his abdomen. A soft sigh escapes from his lips. My heart trips over itself and for a moment I think his might have tripped too. But I’m too tired to try and figure it all out. Through sheer force of will I steady my breathing while I listen to his heart beat in tandem with mine as I fall asleep.

  ***

  Sunlight filters through the curtains chasing away the shadows from the night before. I roll over to the sound of paper crinkling under my face. I sit up opening the note.

  Hey there sleepy head. Left for school. Didn’t want to wake you. Call me if you need anything.

  Jared

  I smile as I sit the note on the nightstand before plopping back down on the bed. My stomach flutters with butterflies and I find myself thinking of Jared as something more than just my best friend. And if I’m being honest, I think on some level, I’ve been entertaining the idea of that since he took ahold of my hand at The Iron Knife. I trace my finger over the scar on the palm of my hand remembering how Jared kissed it. It was such a small innocent thing yet it was powerful enough to make me blush, powerful enough to make me th
ink of more, powerful enough to make me want more.

  I tuck my hand under my back. Should I really be entertaining the idea of liking my best friend though? So many things could go wrong if I go down that path. For one, Kat would have a field day. Two, the timing is all wrong. Three, he’s my best friend. What if these feelings ruin that? What if he doesn’t feel the same? Or what if he does and it turns out that I really don’t. What if what I think I’m feeling is only being intensified because he’s the only other person I’ve opened up to about what’s happening in my life right now? What if my life goes back to normal and I go back to seeing him as just my best friend and nothing more? I could lose him.

  I have to stop this before I fall too deep and can’t climb back out.

  I sit up with a groan attempting to kill the butterflies in my stomach. It’s been settled, I will not, and cannot, like Jared for more than anything other than my best friend.

  It’s for his own good.

  ***

  After my shower, I pull on a pair of my most comfortable jeans. They’re a bit beat up and have a large hole in the right knee, but that’s what I love about them. I disappear into my closet and come out with a purple and gray striped long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of purple Converse, my preferred shoe of choice. Once I’m fully dressed I head downstairs not bothering to dry my hair.

  The house is empty and silent as I venture into the kitchen. I drop a strawberry pop tart into the toaster then pour myself a glass of chocolate milk. I glance at the clock. 12pm. Adam has classes until late tonight and all of my friends are in school for the next few hours so that just leaves me to hang out with—me.

  I grab my breakfast from the toaster nearly burning my fingers as I take a seat at the table. Pulling up my sleeves, the mark on my wrist stares up at me with its intriguing pale blue intersecting lines. The edges take on just a hint of a glow mesmerizing me in an instant. A burning desire ignites in my chest filling my veins with warmth that spreads outward with every beat of my heart.