Bound

by Jennifer Dean

  “Liam,” she said his name with compassion. “You have to be careful. It’s not like you to be careless. I don’t even understand why you were there. You know just as well as I do that they must be left to deal with their own. It’s not the work we do.”

  “You’re telling me he would have let those moronic males anywhere near her if I hadn’t intervened?”

  I could hear the rise of defensiveness in his voice. Who was he? I didn’t want to start inserting assumptions, but didn’t that scenario sound a lot like mine?

  “Liam, it’s hardest on him. Don’t you see that?”

  “You don’t think this is hard on me? You don’t think that I’ve tried to ignore what it does to me?”

  “You know I’m on your side, but even if his reasons are wrong, you know he is still right about what is best. And I can’t control his need to protect her if you keep on.”

  “Well, you could,” Liam said.

  It was like he was challenging her with a slight humorous edge.

  “I won’t,” she corrected, or made clear.

  “I know,” Liam said. Though there was much understanding in his tone, confusion still lingered in his voice.

  “Just be careful, Liam,” she said.

  I waited for more words, but only silence followed, silence that let me practically hear my own heartbeat. My chest rose in uneven breaths as my eyes traveled around in random paths in front of me. Suddenly I wasn’t able to help my need to move forward. My feet were following my orders while my mind screamed stop and go back.

  I wasn’t sure what I thought I would see, but when I turned the corner I found nothing and no one. I was alone just as much as I had ever been. I sighed, scrunching my lips in disappointment as I turned and walked back down the wall. “Well, you know what they say about eavesdroppers,” I said lowly to myself.

  “What do they say?”

  It almost felt like when you scream into an echo in hopes of an answer. Well, the echo answered back. My body shifted with my turn to see Liam looking down on me with those penetrating green eyes. He was only a foot or so in front of me.

  “You know, that is starting to freak me out, the appearing out of nowhere thing,” I said.

  He tilted his head, letting a grin crack through his studied gaze. His eyes carried the notion that he hadn’t done that in days. I was tempted to reach up with my hand just to soothe him. I knew that wasn’t good.

  “Maybe you should be,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You sound like my brother,” I said.

  “He isn’t too fond of me,” Liam said. It was not an opinion but an observation.

  “No,” I said. “And he’d probably hate I was talking to you right now.”

  He nodded. “My sister isn’t too pleased with me talking to you either.”

  “At least we have that in common,” I said.

  His mouth lifted but his eyes stayed reserved. I thought about the girl he had been talking to. Was it Grace? How could I not have recognized her polite, sophisticated, mannered voice? Maybe because I had only heard it once.

  “Was that who you were arguing with?” I asked.

  “Oh that…” He paused lifting his gaze behind him. “That was Abbey,” he said.

  All right, maybe it wasn’t his sister.

  “Who is Abbey?” I said. He narrowed his eyes back on me in false protest to my eavesdropping. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

  His lips twitched.

  “You’re going to miss lunch if you stay out here,” he said.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Truth be told, I was starving, but I wasn’t going to give in to that fact. Well, at least not until the growl of my stomach gave me away. Liam didn’t miss a beat with the moment as his eyes gazed down to the sound and back up with a resisted grin. He had called my bluff.

  But even with dire hunger on my mind, I found I didn’t want to leave. It’s only two more periods, I told myself. As I was convincing my inner thoughts that it wouldn’t be long till school was out, I realized that Liam and I had gravitated closer to one another.

  “That was me you were talking about, wasn’t it?” I asked.

  There in a second of glow from his eyes, I found something that was conflicted. He wanted to tell me, but he knew he couldn’t, just as the female—Abbey— had warned him. I didn’t know what caused me to do it, but I watched as my hand reached out for his. I expected him to move it with repulsion, but he remained relaxed, almost comforted as I subtly cupped it around mine.

  But then, without warning Liam recoiled from my hand, swiftly moving his arms to secure them around my body, pulling me inward like a tornado, in a strong turn around the corner. When I shook my head of dizziness to look up to him with an outburst, I found his finger to his lips.

  I obeyed with a frozen pause until I could hear the sound of adults on the other side of the brick wall. Teachers exiting the closest building door. I waited in silence until their voices had grown faint across the lot. Soon they were nonexistent. But even with the threat of my dentition gone, Liam had yet to let go. Of course I found that I hadn’t exactly asked him to yet either. We just continued to stand bound together with a growing temptation. Uh-oh, I thought.

  My eyes shifted down to see my hand was resting on his chest with security, a chest that felt rippled with strong muscle. Being so close to him led me to notice the familiar controlled strength around me. I followed my instinct as I slowly moved my hand upward and let my palm cup the right side of his face. My eyes quickly followed. I don’t know what I expected to feel underneath my own but what I got was a rush of warmth, the same warmth that I could also feel radiating through my body. Like before, the chill air began to dissipate with his heat. At least up until now, when his arms finally loosened from around me.

  How funny it was at how the release of his hold brought disappointment. I brought my own hand back down as I turned my neck and began to shift my body out of the invisible bubble that continued to surround us. That was when I felt a surge of warmth swipe across my cheek. It was almost involuntary the way my eyes closed. It was almost too easy to just stand here with him.

  I could see that he must have been taking in the same sensation with his own touch, because when my eyes peaked up, I could see his lids opening slightly behind mine.

  “I should walk you back inside before you have to suffer two more periods without any nourishment.”

  I gulped.

  “I think I’ve had enough to suffice.”

  He grinned.

  “That makes two of us.”

  9. Puzzle Pieces

  “Why were you late for lunch today?” Sean asked.

  I had been looking out the window on the drive home when he spoke the first word between us. I had been thinking about the same thing. Lunch. How Liam had walked me back to the outer door of the cafeteria. The way we lingered for a moment at the sight of the other. “Thanks,” I had said before he turned back down the hallway. I didn’t even remember to ask why he wasn’t coming in with me. Of course, mostly now I thought about the moment before that, the moment that held us so close together. I couldn’t help but think of the physical warmth of his touch as if it were still on my skin.

  But I had to come out of my reverie to remember that I had been asked a question.

  “Oh, I was talking with Mr. Ocampo about the upcoming speech we have to give. I hate speaking when it’s in English, let alone another language.”

  I hadn’t exactly been looking at Sean when I spoke. Only now did I peek at him through the corner of my eyes, hesitantly. His eyes were narrowed at me as if he didn’t buy what I was saying. It wasn’t that I was a bad liar, just that he was that observant. But at least he couldn’t read my mind to know exactly what had made me late. He wouldn’t like it at all, just as much as he wouldn’t like to know just how weird Liam Alexander really was.

  From the moment I walked in my door I was ready to
walk out. I needed a release that reading just wouldn’t fill. I had to admit that was the one thing I did miss about being involved in sports, the workouts, the ability to challenge yourself so hard that any and all thoughts were cleared.

  So I went into my room to find my black three-quarter cotton spandex. They weren’t skintight but also not too baggy that I would need to hold them up constantly as I ran. After putting on one of my purple Nike long-sleeved shirts, I grabbed my iPod and headphones. I made sure to leave a note for my mom when she got home before I headed out the front door. I figured it was better to be safe since I never knew how long I’d run until after I was finished.

  Unfortunately, once I began to run I realized just how long it had been. I had to slow my pace down to a jog at first, but as long as I was moving I didn’t mind. I just needed to run until I could get whatever had happened between Liam and me out of my mind altogether.

  Like I had thought, I didn’t realize how long I had been running until I had circled the neighborhood back to my house. I felt my heavy breath as I slowed to a walk across the yard. I checked my iPod clock to notice that I had been blowing off some release for an hour. The cold air, which had been bitter at first, had now numbed my skin.

  Once I was inside, I could feel a rush of new warm air filter around the bits of my flesh that were exposed around my face. I could smell the ingredients that my mom was preparing in the kitchen. My dad must have still been at work because the television was off. Hearing the front door shut, my mother walked around the kitchen corner and into the living room, where I could see her in my Grandma Adam’s green apron. She was grinning, her auburn hair pulled back in small ponytail.

  “Hey, Em. You got a package from Barnes and Noble. I put it on your bed,” she said.

  I turned as to not let her see the narrowed confusion in my eyes. “Oh, thanks.”

  I hadn’t expected the package so soon. Didn’t I use the standard three to five day shipping? Regardless, I didn’t waste time before walking down the hall and into my room. There, indeed, was a brown rectangular box lying on top of my covers. I reached over to my desk with one step, grabbing the blue pair of scissors with my hand.

  Once I had cut the tape and opened the box, I froze a moment to simply stare. Shaking my head, I finally reached in to grab the familiar books, Myths and Legends and Old World Creatures.

  With Liam’s presence the first time around, I had been too intimidated to read anymore. But now the opportunity of solitude brought a victorious smile to my lips. This time he couldn’t pop up suddenly from somewhere to distract me.

  I could still feel my grin as I stacked the books on my desk and threw the box in the corner. I headed into my bathroom, ready to shower before I would settle under the covers to read.

  I may have taken longer than I intended but the warm water on my skin was hard to resist. Once I put on some sweats and a T-shirt, I shut my door. I wasn’t sure, but the moment felt private, like the whole thought of figuring out this mystery was a secret. Why else would Liam be unable to tell me point blank?

  But my eyes narrowed in confusion when I saw the empty area on my desk where I laid the books. I was positive that I placed them down next to the previously used scissors. However, when I turned my neck in search, I found them placed on my bed. I walked over cautiously to see both side by side with a yellow highlighter set in between them. I couldn’t help the need to look around the room, expecting to find someone.

  But without anything, I picked up Myths and Legends, flipping all the way through it. It was there I could see the subtle yellow highlights throughout as if I had bought a used book from a college bookstore. But these highlights seemed to be specific. When I picked up Old World Creatures, it was the same. So with the idea that had been started, I went over to my desk, grabbing a used spiral notebook and pen. I cracked open Myths and Legends, stopping on the first page with a highlight. It was a phrase I remembered reading about vampires, supersonic speed and immense strength. I wrote it down before continuing on to the next page with a highlight.

  I knew from this that the highlights were more than notes, they were specific messages from someone, someone who couldn’t tell me directly but wasn’t afraid to lead me. Liam, I thought. He was here? I found enthusiasm as I flipped through each page like a detective, eagerly investigating for any sign of a clue. With each new word or phrase, I wrote.

  When I had completed my thorough search of Old World Creatures, I threw it aside. Silently I began to read off the list of criteria I had created, or that Liam had led me to find.

  1. Supersonic speed and immense strength—very fast and very strong.

  2. Enhanced senses.

  3. Those who choose evil will become their own kind of universe.

  4. Mind of the human guiding the body to a new paranormal power.

  5. Different degrees of physic powers.

  6. Paranormal profession fighting the forces of evil.

  7. Protect the free will

  8. Appear human but have enhanced physical abilities.

  9. Battle evil around the Earth.

  10. Highest force of good in the physical universe.

  11. Require no sleep to survive.

  12. Nearly indestructible— except for the Heart.

  13. Can consume their former human food sustenance.

  14. Walking among the human race for many millennia.

  15. Some acquire drinking of blood.

  16. Immortal—live forever…

  I had just gotten the chance to glance over it once when I heard my mom call for dinner. It was one of those moments when dinner felt like a real inconvenience. I began to get up when I felt an odd protectiveness toward the list. I ripped out the page and folded it to fit in the pocket of the jacket I had just put on.

  As I ate, the words floated around in my mind. Liam ate like me. He didn’t need blood.

  “Emma?” my mom said.

  I blinked out of my now realized daze before I looked up to see her waiting eyes. Oops, I thought. Instead of hurrying to eat, I had slowed down to a zombie pace with distraction.

  “Sorry, I’ve got a big project coming up and I’m just a little distracted.”

  “Good to see you focused on school,” my dad said.

  If it was any other distraction he would be sure to voice his opinion. To be honest, I hadn’t even realized he was at the table until now. But now that I was aware of myself, I went with the original plan of trying to hurry. I scarfed down my chicken fettuccini—completely aware the creamy Alfredo sauce was canceling any burned off calories from my earlier run.

  I threw the milk down my throat in a few swallowed gulps before I stood with my plate. My mom naturally followed.

  “Don’t worry about it, Em. I’ll get it.”

  Guilt rushed through me. I just didn’t feel right dumping plates on my mother like that.

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind putting it away.”

  She waved her hand and grinned compassionately.

  “No, babe, you go ahead and get back to your project. I’m taking my own plate anyway.”

  I grinned gratefully. “Thanks,” I said.

  I had already pulled the list back out when I turned down the hallway. I sighed, slightly frustrated. I had all the pieces of the puzzle, they were just out of order. But something on my mind that I had thought oddly repetitive now jumped into another clue. Immortal.

  The word had been highlighted several times but I had only written it down once with actual recognition. It wasn’t as if I had dismissed the term that put a dryness in my throat. It was just that I assumed it simply stood for something quite opposite of me, that Liam was built to live for eternity, forever.

  But now I could see that I was wrong, at least on how I thought the term applied to only one meaning. He had been trying to hint to me with the overly repetitive highlights. It wasn’t that Liam held the gift—or maybe a curse—of immortality. No, that wasn’t it at all. It was that Liam was an immortal, a supernatu
ral being never heard or written about in history because of its secretiveness. It was why the clues were a mess of mixed mythologies.

  Though I felt an unknown worry, I couldn’t help the built-up thrill. Even the goose bumps on my skin could feel the rush of excitement. This was the piece I had been looking for and the piece that began to form the picture. It was the very reason I questioned the oddity of Liam, the very lead to finally discovering the hows and whys of who he was. Yes, now I knew.

  Liam was an immortal.

  10. Headfirst

  I had woken up earlier than I planned on today, but then again I could hardly sleep the last two nights. In fact, I could hardly focus the past two days either. And like a planned timing, Liam was absent from school on both days this week—a very convenient absence that left him to miss any question that surfaced upon the new information that began forming from his highlights. It was beyond frustrating. And what made things worse was not being able to talk to Sean about it. I just couldn’t take the risk of a lecture, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself was the reason.

  By Sunday I had given my mother an excuse for my hermit behavior—I was working on the same imaginary project. The same one I had mentioned at dinner a couple nights ago. I politely asked to not be bothered. After all, it was a project that needed my attention; it just wasn’t for school, as I had led my parents to believe. The reason for privacy came because I knew I would be too involved to worry about secrecy if she barged in without warning.

  I thought it would help to make the material bigger, so I found some poster board from under my bed. I’d have to remember to buy more if I really needed some for school, but I could worry about that later; right now I had to think about an immortal being named Liam Alexander. It was like dealing with a magic eye that you didn’t see yet. I knew there was something behind the layer of mini pictures, I just couldn’t find it. Yes, he was an immortal but it was so much different from if he were something as widely known as a vampire. Those creatures have much material, even including books and movies, to collect from. Immortals, on the other hand, were a mystery. I knew very well that I had only gotten this far because I was led, not by pure chance or even my own intelligence, but led for a reason I still wasn’t sure about.