I flipped through to the next one. Same day but pulled back away from Asher, this time focused more on the boy who sat next to Asher.
His hands were pressed together in front of his mouth like he was praying. He stared at the camera, his bright crystal blue eyes uncanny in a way that made me think he was an alv. He had a faux hawk haircut; the color was black at the roots with green tips. One earlobe was decked up in multiple piercings while the other had none.
“That’s your cousin, Ozzy.” Asher said. “He was the only friend who ever came and visited me. Probably only because Emma’s parents wouldn’t let him visit her.”
It was a little surreal finding out what my cousin looked like now through Asher’s photographs. He gave off rebel vibes.
“You two aren’t friends anymore?” I moved to the next. The light shone brighter, indicating a different day. Asher was still unconscious with a different set of tubes going to his nose and into his mouth, but Ozzy was once again there. This time, he stood and stared at Asher with a hard expression on his face as he ran a hand through his hair.
“No.” Asher’s brows furrowed, and he grabbed the phone from me.
I looked up at him, waiting for an explanation.
“I can’t talk about it. Okay?”
“It’s okay,” I said. In the energy around us, I could sense his pain at whatever the betrayal had been.
Asher took a deep breath as he brought up the photo collection, scrolled through a series, and finally displayed a photo of himself in a wheelchair, fake smiling, with William next to him, grinning. William was the one taking the selfie of the two of them together.
“Here’s my favorite photo from all of it,” Asher said.
I received the phone back from him. “I like this one,” I said, smiling at him. “You’re alive.”
Asher grinned. “I’m not just alive, Tara.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’m a better person now. Plus, if the crash hadn’t happened, I never would have found you.”
My cheeks warmed. “I think Daniel has a no kissing in the car rule,” I whispered, and Asher retreated a few inches. Unlike Asher’s mom, Daniel had worded all of his as suggestions, but after everything I’d learned today and following what happened to Daniel, no way did I want to dishonor his suggestions.
“Yeah.” His eyes narrowed. “About that one.” He chuckled, then put the key in the ignition and started the car. “I’m sure he has it for a reason.”
“It’s called a backseat,” I said, then indicated the scene in front of us. “And an absolute private beach view.”
He chuckled. “Let’s get you home before our parents wonder.”
Cell reception was poor by the beach. As we drove back, a series of messages appeared one right after the other on Asher’s phone.
“You really need your own,” Asher said as I read through them.
“Daniel has one for me.”
“Then why don’t you use it?”
“Because half my class last year used social media, texting, and voicemail as a weapon against me.”
He took my left hand protectively, forcing me to hold the smartphone with one.
I finished reading the messages. “So apparently Jerrick’s brother Cam is already combing through my home for evidence. Oops and Nathaniel are staying the night at Jack’s. And your mom has given permission for me to sleep in your guest bedroom, and my mom has already taken over my things.”
I chewed on my lip. That meant Asher could potentially see me before I got ready in the morning. Morning glory vulnerability.
“Really? That’s uncharacteristic of my mom to allow that.”
“You aren’t allowed in my bedroom. That’s the text from her. B-T-W.”
“If Mom caught me doing that, she’d ship me off to Becca’s or worse down to Kentucky with my brother Kendall.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t like either of those. But what’s so bad about your brother Kendall?”
“They live out in the middle of nowhere. Their only connection to the outside world is a landline and an hour drive to civilization. No internet. No cellphone reception.”
My eyes widened. “Yeah, that would be horrible.”
“Something’s been troubling me since last Friday. Who was it that hacked your account? You said it wasn’t Sam.” Asher drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. “Is it the same person who let the demons inside your house? Does Jerrick have any younger siblings in high school?”
“Not in high school.” I pictured Patrick, thinking of all his pranks. “He has a younger brother in eighth grade. Plays basketball, actually. Pat hasn’t come into his alv ability yet. At least, he hadn’t in the spring. He’s a bit of a prankster, though, and never cared for Samantha, so I wondered last spring if it was him. Guess I could get Cam to harass him now.” An uneasy feeling twisted my gut. “I don’t think it would be him. He always admired Daniel too much.”
“Are there any other alvs at school?”
I frowned. “I think so...I can’t think of who it would be right now.” There was someone else. Why couldn’t I think of who it was?
When we arrived at Asher’s house, I finally met Asher’s dad. He was tall like Asher but heavier. Seeing his jet black hair, hazel eyes, and slightly darker skin tone, I finally realized why Asher’s classmates thought maybe Asher wasn’t his son. About the only feature they shared was their height.
Mr. Scoville beamed upon meeting me. “So glad Judy hasn’t scared you off,” he whispered. “Asher’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.”
My heart burned at that announcement.
“Maybe you could convince him to try out for basketball, hmm?”
I grinned.
“Dad, what are you saying to her?” Asher was sneaking a bite of cookie dough.
Mr. Scoville winked at me. “It’s our secret.” He laughed.
I finally found out about their jobs. Mr. Scoville was a local truck driver, while Mrs. Scoville was a psychologist, working with disabled adults.
A late dinner was quickly followed by bedtime. Lying on fresh sheets in a strange bed with a cozy blanket over me, I stared up at the ceiling, filled with a silly, princess girl’s hope that Asher would someday be my happily ever after.
31. A Sense of Foreboding
With a sense of foreboding the next morning, I got into Asher’s car. He’d been there for five minutes already, having escaped outside after breakfast to read scriptures away from his mother’s interruptions. After a bow of cold cereal, I’d retreated to the bathroom to put on makeup.
“Something bad is going to happen today,” I declared.
“Good morning to you, too, Miss Gloom and Doom.”
“Seriously. I feel like something awful is about to happen.”
“I can’t imagine a worse day than yesterday.”
“Yeah, it was wretched.”
The word wretched hung in the air between us. The oddness of my using it was striking, and we both laughed.
Before parking, Asher drove to the school's main entrance and got my door for me.
“I’ll meet you at your locker in about ten minutes.” Asher pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Sounds good.”
When I reached my locker, a strange, sickening odor wafted through the air, but no immediate culprit was apparent. I struggled with my locker combo with an uneasy feeling building in my gut that the stench came from something inside it.
Jack arrived.
“Bless you for watching my brother and sister last night,” I said.
He grinned. “No big deal. We had fun. What’s that smell?”
“I don’t know. I think it might be something in my locker.”
He frowned.
I stepped to the side as he made himself comfortable unlocking it. “You’re late today,” I said.
Jack paused to look at me. “I was dropping my saxophone off at the band room and ran into Ferdinand. We’re stand partners, and he was mad at me over something stupid.”
“Does that mean you sit by Ferdinand?” I asked.
“Yeah. I probably should apologize, but I think that would make him madder.”
“Who would you make madder?” Though I felt like I should, I couldn’t remember who he was talking about.
He gave me an odd look. “Ferdinand?”
Asher arrived, sooner than I thought he would. “Were you talking about Ferdinand?”
Nodding, Jack worked through my combination.
“Tara, I noticed he’s in almost all of your classes when I picked up your work,” Asher said. “Thought it was unusual.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Ferdinand.”
“No, he’s not,” I said, confused. I’d never noticed Ferdinand in any of my classes.
“I’m pretty sure it was Ferdinand. He sat in the back corner in most of them, like in math and lit.”
“You must be mistaking him for someone else.”
Asher frowned, then shook his head. “What’s that smell?”
Jack opened my locker, and the stench grew even stronger. With a yelp, he slammed it shut.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Bent slightly over, Jack pointed at my locker. “That’s not right.” Anger surged over his expression. “That’s going way too far!” He swung to punch my locker, but Asher caught his wrist.
My chest tightened. Had Samantha broken into my locker?
Supporting himself with a hand on the wall, Jack’s face paled, and he threw up all over the floor.
I jumped back to escape the splatter. “Jack!” I rubbed his back, careful not to step in the mess. Jack trembled under my hand. I moved him from the mess and pressured him to sit.
“What was in there?” I asked.
Jack opened his mouth, then shook his head.
“I’ll look,” Asher said.
I whispered my combination to him. He struggled three times before finally getting it. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who struggled with my combination.
When the lock clicked, he pushed me against the wall to prevent me from looking inside. “Let me look first.” After opening the door, a disgusted look came over Asher’s face.
The strong odor made my stomach knot. No wonder Jack vomited.
“Ugh.” Asher covered his nose. “Someone stole the honor’s bio cat and hung it in your locker.”
“What?” I tried to peer inside, but Asher slammed the door.
“Trust me, sweetheart, that would haunt your nightmares.”
“So it was already dead?” Jack asked. “Someone didn’t kill it to put in her locker?” Jack rubbed his face. “I think it’s going to haunt my nightmares.”
“Sam’s in honor bio,” Asher said. “I...know she’s kind of psycho, but this seems too far.”
Yeah, it did. She wouldn’t risk her status in bio.
“So not right,” Jack said.
The alv who’d let the flock imps into my home—was it someone at this school that I didn’t know about? But why would they hate me so much?
I missed the start of my first class dealing with the ensuing investigation, including yet another interview with Mr. Dunkin.
“Does anyone else know your locker combination?” he asked.
“Jack. But he wouldn’t have placed it there.”
“Tara, this feud between you and Samantha has to stop.”
“I didn’t say anything about Sam,” I said.
Mr. Dunkin glowered.
“May I be excused? I don’t want to miss any more classes.”
“Yes, you may. I know your stepfather is in the hospital. You’re welcome to take a pass for the day if you need it.”
“I’m fine.” I stood. “Thank you.”
Jack had waited outside Mr. Dunkin’s office. He and Asher had talked to him before me.
I pouted, purposefully being dramatic. “Where’s my chivalrous boyfriend?”
Jack sprung to his feet. “He had a quiz in AP bio he couldn’t miss.”
“Wait—the same one Sam’s in? How did I not know this?”
I followed Jack into the wide thoroughfare between the office and auditorium, and we headed into a narrower hallway toward our classrooms.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Asher still had classes with her. “I feel lame not knowing what Asher’s first period class is.”
Jack laughed. “I’m not even sure what your first one is, and I’ve hung out by you all year.”
“German.”
“You take German?”
I nodded.
“I feel stupid not knowing that.”
I chuckled. “I don’t really have to study for it, so I never talk about it.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not.” Since first period had started already, we had the hallway to ourselves. “As a changeling, I have a natural ability with the languages of my heritage. Dad’s mixed Swedish and German background mean that German is in my blood, the language somehow already tucked in my memory. It’s my easiest class.”
“I’ve been taking Spanish in one form or another since elementary school, and I still struggle to get a B.”
“Do you study?” I teased.
“Hey, of course!”
“Is that where you’re headed now, or are you stalking me? You know, I can take myself to class.”
Jack lifted an eyebrow. “I am stalking you,” he said with a way too creepy of an expression.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Then he followed me into my classroom.
I gave him an odd look as I quietly took my seat in the front closest to the door. The rest of the class was working on a book assignment as Mrs. Young walked around answering questions.
Jack glanced toward the back of the classroom, then waved at me before leaving.
Mrs. Young never saw him.
In math, Asher sat sideways in his desk.
“I didn’t realize you still had honors classes,” I said.
“Yeah, two. Should’ve dropped out of both of them because I’ve got a borderline D.”
I smiled sweetly. “So do you sit by Samantha in them?”
Asher snorted and reached for my hand. “Only in history, because seating is assigned.” He leaned closer to me, bringing a waft of his woodsy cologne. “There, in the back left corner,” he whispered. “That’s Ferdinand, right?”
“I’m not going to look, but yeah. Why are you wondering?”
Asher’s brows furrowed. “Wait, so you know he’s in this class?”
I shrugged. “Sure?” What was he getting at?
Mrs. Wabash entered from monitoring the halls. She smiled when she saw me. “How’s your arm?”
I glanced at the bandage which I’d redone after my shower. “Doesn’t bother me much.”
“That’s good to hear.” From there, she jumped into her lecture.
During the following passing period, Jack caught up to me as I headed toward advisory. “How’s Stardust?” he asked.
“Good, I think. I didn’t really see her yesterday.”
He nodded.
I’d reached my class. “I’ll see you at lunch?” I entered and took my front row seat.
Like he had for my first class, Jack followed me in. “So, you want to keep her?” He glanced around the half-filled classroom.
“Yeah, of course. Aren’t you going to be late to your class?”
“I have my student aide period next. Mr. Sanchez won’t care.”
Ferdinand entered, tripping on one of his laces that had come untied. He was about to stoop to tie it, but someone behind gave him a shove.
“Out of the way, Furdie.”
Ferdinand cringed.
“Cool it, Brad,” Jack came to Ferdinand’s defense.
Something felt sluggish in my brain, my vision blurring randomly. Something was said that I didn’t pick up on, and then, with a farewell to me, Jack exited the classroom.
I pulled out my history homework, then stared at it fo
r most of the hour before finally doing a half-committed job. I would never like history.
One more class after this, then lunch with Asher. The time went by too slow.
Asher and Jack sat with school lunches at my table when I arrived. Monday’s bullying episode felt like an eternity ago.
“Aren’t you two fast.” I sat down and opened my sack lunch.
“Didn’t want to chance a repeat of Monday,” Asher said. He had two of everything, including the huge sugar cookie.
“Are you going to eat all of that?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
My eyes widened.
“Making up for all the missed meals last year.” Asher smiled.
“Hey, so…” Jack glanced at Asher who nodded, then back at me. “Have you noticed how Ferdinand is in all but one of your morning classes?”
“No, he’s not.”
Asher frowned.
I glanced over at Sam’s table. No one paid attention to us today. That was a relief. Maybe they were finally going to accept the fact that Asher and I were dating.
“Tara?” Asher asked.
“What? Sorry, did you ask me something?”
Both Jack and Asher had concerned expressions on their faces.
“Have…” Asher hesitated. “Have you noticed how Ferdinand is in almost all your classes?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he isn’t in any of them.” I opened the peanut butter and jelly sandwich William had made me that morning. No cookies from Daniel. My heart felt heavy.
Six o’clock tonight to see Daniel loomed too far away. I didn’t know why Mom couldn’t meet earlier to see him, or why I couldn’t go over earlier.
Jack and Asher both stared at me.
“You two are kind of quiet,” I said.
“So Ferdinand is in most of your classes,” Jack said.
“No, he’s not. What’s that look for?”
Jack was looking at me like I was a ghost.
An uneasy feeling stole over me. “Do you want me to check your math? Sorry, I don’t have a cookie to share today.”
“Ferdinand is in most of your classes,” Jack said.
“No, he’s not.”
In frustration, Jack slapped the table. “Tara, I’ve seen him.”
The Changeling's Source (Evedon Legacy Book 1) Page 35
