Forgotten (12 page)

Rubbing my eyes, I told Elsie that I
was going to scavenge the freezer for some premade cookie dough. If
she was interested in a snack, she could join me in the living
room. Max greeted me like always when I opened the front door.
Elsie stayed on the front steps. I refused to force her into our
house.

Waiting for the oven to
preheat, I listened to the voice message HomFree left. They
detected no disturbances in our backyard last night, but they’d be
sending someone out to make sure our security system was operating
correctly. Propping my elbows against the counter tops, I massaged
my forehead and tried to figure out the mess my life had recently
twisted into when I heard a hushed clamor coming from the living
room. The breeze seeping through a cracked window rattled the mini
blinds. A white silhouette was running from the open
window
.

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

Sand shifted under my back, as the
world threatened to spin out of control. I rolled onto my side, dry
heaving. The fleeting sunset warmed my clammy skin. I felt like I
was being torn apart and put back together but incorrectly. I took
a deep breath in. The warm air burned my lungs. I screamed out in
agony.

Only when I hoped someone
would save me, did I realize
he
was already there, comforting me. Jace held me as
if he was afraid to let go. His body was like a hardened boulder;
it emphasized a notation that he could protect me against anything;
he could be my rock – solid ground. Gradually, I became whole
again. My screams turned into sobs. His charismatic voice soothed
me; it touched my soul in ways that shouldn’t have been possible.
His hazy outline was the definition of picturesque – in a blurred,
vague way.

“
You found me in my dreams
again,” I said, reaching up to stroke his hair.

The shape of his hair became more
defined as I ran my fingers through it. It flowed freely over his
ears. The cut was styled, but no product clung to the locks. He
leaned his face into my hand. I opened my eyes, taking in the
surroundings. Jace’s white silhouette was framed by dark, ridges –
cliffs. This time, I hadn’t gotten ill from his bright presence,
even though his figure had brightened from the last time I dreamed
of him. The sound of waves crashing into the shoreline, made me
believe I’d been dreaming of the tropical island I’d heard on the
television.

My fingers trailed along his cheek
bone and the hard line of his jaw. He might have been clean-shaven
earlier, but not now. I hesitated to slide my hand up under his
eye. Bree mentioned him having a scar under his left eye. If my
dreams were authentic, I’d feel a thin line interrupt his skin. He
turned his head away before I could confirm.

“
I want to know what you
look like,” I said.

“
Why does it matter what I
look like?” he asked. His silhouette flashed a fraction brighter.
It made his figure clearer in my mind. The hazy outline sharpened
but not enough to make out many distinctions in his
appearance.

“
I’m just trying to get an
idea of how to picture you my mind’s eye,” I confessed.

Gathering me in his arms, he lifted me
from the sand. They bulged, but he hadn’t been fazed by lifting me.
I held on by wrapping my arms around his neck. When they rubbed
against his bare collar bone, I realized I still wore my pajamas;
he was, once again, shirtless.

Dreams could be so
rewarding.

“
How do you picture this?”
Jace asked and spun around before lowering me into the cool ocean’s
shore.

In contrast to the luminous water, the
sand was as dark as night. The sun set on the ocean’s horizon. I
pretended to see the shimmering reds, yellows, and blues glowing
over the waves. Polished gray and black rocks rubbed against my
feet as each wave hit my knees. Jace moved to my side, taking in
the view with me.

“
My world is sketched in
shades of gray,” I said, not bothering to hide my frustration and
disappointment.

He said nothing, calculating my
response. My skin tingled as his white silhouette flickered
brighter, only to dim immediately. I reached for him. His hand was
clenched tight. The longer I traced my fingers over his skin, the
more relaxed he became. I waited for him to conquer whatever
thought stole him away from me.

My lack of sight was a personal battle
only I could fight. It wasn’t anything anyone could restore. I
shouldn’t have known better – I shouldn’t have known what I missed,
since I’d been blind since I was an infant. However, my visions
teased me with the possibility of color and depth. Long ago, I’d
fallen in love with facial expressions and subtle gestures.
Nevertheless, I’d only see them in my mind, never in
real-life.

“
Shall we add a little
color then?” he asked as he took my hand and led me deeper into the
ocean.

The water darkened the further we
walked out. Only when the cold waves splashed over my stomach, did
we stop. He tightened his grip around my waist, keeping me steady
against the force of the ocean’s waves. When I didn’t move away,
his hands ventured further until they slid along the backside of my
legs. Effortlessly, he pulled me up against him, holding me just
above the surface. Waves slapped noisily against the shore, but I
swore his heart beat louder. He leaned close, but before his lips
caressed mine, he pulled away. It made my mouth water for a taste
of his kiss.

Tease.

“
The brown in your eyes
reminds me of the sand along this shoreline. The brilliant blues in
them mimic the ocean itself – sea blue with a touch of hazel.
Gazing into your eyes is like stealing a glimpse of heaven,” Jace
whispered as his lips brushed mine ever so slightly. “I find myself
reminiscing of a time long lost when I look at you now, so full of
youth and fight.”

In the cool water, my leg suddenly
warmed. A tiny flame danced just below the surface, just like it
had in my vision. Jace raised his hand. The dark flame flickered. I
didn’t see the color; I didn’t have to. In my heart, I knew it was
blue. Just like I didn’t have to know what Jace looked like, I knew
he understood the way I felt about him. Unable to stand the
distance between us, I closed the gap between us. He kissed me like
he was drowning in my fervor. I felt his enthusiasm I craved the
taste of it on my lips.

***

I woke in my bathtub the next morning.
Why I filled the tub with water and slipped into it fully dressed,
was beyond my wildest dreams…not my wildest dreams, but at least it
made sense why I dreamed of Jace bringing me to the sea in my
sleep.

As I peeled off my wet clothes, I knew
what I had to do. Jace was invading my life on two fronts. I had to
stay far, far away from him; otherwise, I’d be tempted to make my
dreams a reality. However, ignoring him the following week was
about as impossible as disregarding the urge to pee after downing a
super-sized slurpee, but I had to try.

I soon found out that reality fizzled
into a meaningless memory when the lights were off. I couldn’t keep
him from visiting me in my dreams, but I could keep my distance
during the day. Often there were times I wished reality and fantasy
matched each other more consistently. At least I didn’t want to
gouge my eyes out with a pen after every class we shared. Either he
was getting bored torturing me, or my resistance simply improved –
well, in real life anyway. When sleep washed over me, I’d taken a
liking to indulging in the temptations he offered…

***

Immediately after the final bell
sounded, I made it to the McKesson High parking lot. Knowing I was
a loud beep on Jace’s radar, I’d only have a small window of time
before he’d figured out that I had already left school, before he
had a chance to talk to me.

The parking lot was a glorified death
trap after dismissal. The sidewalks were overrun with impatient
students who acted like I wanted to be blind for the sheer joy of
slowing down their lives. My cell vibrated as I walked along the
outer edge of the lot.

“
I wanted to catch you
before you bolted,” Bree said and then proceeded to snap her gum
several times. “A couple of us are going out to a party after the
game tonight, you in?”

“
Sure, I have an errand to
run and then a bag to punch first,” I said, happy for normal
activity and a life where I could pretend I didn’t have visions
that brought me to my knees, a life free of foster care and
cold-case problems, and one where people weren’t watching me from
the windows. The added bonus was that game time meant Ryker would
be on the field, and I’d have a couple blissful hours alone with my
best friend. “I’ll call back as soon as I’m done and let you know
if Martha okays it.”

“
Tell Mrs. T hi for me,”
Bree said, and then started giggling like a star-struck grade
schooler. “Someone wants to talk to you.”

His voice came over the phone. “Hello
dearest,” Jace said, his voice was thick, longing for whatever it
was that I refused to give him.

In the background, Ryker commented
that he couldn’t believe Jace hadn’t given up after striking out
every day since we’d met. I wanted to hang up, but unknown forces
kept the phone glued to my ear. His deep breath came over the
cell’s speaker, making me shiver. He waited long enough to speak
that by the time he actually spoke, I longed for every
word.

“
Remember what I told you?
The ones who fight the hardest are worth the chase,” Jace said,
deliberately pronouncing each word slowly enough that I wanted to
finish every word by licking them directly off his lips.

The phone went silent while I clutched
to it, like it was a lifeline. How did the eight-second phone call
go from me wanting to hang up on Jace, to him ending the call,
leaving me white knuckled, wanting more? I stood, unable to move
until the sound of a persistent car horn jarred me back into real
life.

Taking the first side street I could
away from the hectic traffic, I continued my way to the local
library. My mind wandered, trying to figure out an effective way to
deal with Jace. He clearly wasn’t getting the bigger picture that I
wanted nothing to do with him. Yet, he was still gaining ground and
finding ways to be with me.

The smell of aged paper and worn
covers greeted me after I crossed the library’s threshold. The
first time John took me to check out their blind peeps selection
was ages ago. Yet, every time I pushed through the heavy wooden
door, the laws of the metaphysical world shifted like I’d wandered
into an unguarded room of heaven. Hector was a saver of old books
and refused to throw any away – no matter how worn or
beaten.

Hector instantly took to me, offering
to read any book if he couldn’t find in an audio or Braille
version. His passions soon became mine. It wasn’t long before I
acted like his shadow, following him to KnockOuts. He changed my
life, showing me how easy life could be if I simply let it. It
wasn’t as hard to let go of all my hurt knowing he was there
watching over me like a big brother – which was exactly why I
needed him now.

Even though Hector spent most of his
time dabbling in how-to books he was handy. He might be able to
figure out how to install some kind of locking mechanism on the
doors and windows without John knowing. The service charge for
HomFree filtered into John’s email, leaving him anything but
pleased. I knew I should have told John about the two people I’d
seen or that I suspected someone had been inside the house, but I
highly suspected Jace was behind it and he was a problem I was
going to deal with myself.

Originally a bank, the two-story
library only had few windows to let in natural light. However, I
could maneuver around without problems from all the time I’d spent
between the shelves. I folded Stella and slipped it into my
backpack. I listened. Only my footsteps echoed through the old
building. Architecture from the early 1900’s tended to creep me
out, making me feel like I was being watched by ghosts or another
supernatural force that was just as farfetched.

“
Hector, quit playing
around. I need your help.”

“
Who’s Hector?”

I jumped; I hadn’t heard anyone moving
in the building and hadn’t expected a stranger to be wandering
around. My sight was acting up and now my hearing was no longer
reliable. I should have been able to hear him walking
around.

Turning toward the direction of the
voice, I peered around the oldest shelf in the building. The
mammoth dark shadow, who had a nervous twitch, flipped through a
book. From the rate at which he was tossing the light gray pages
across, he couldn’t have been reading. I (the beep) must have shown
up on his friend’s radar, too. Perhaps Jace’s intentions of calling
me must have been to slow me down enough for his surveillance buddy
to find me or to activate some navigation device in my cell. Again
I was probably just paranoid, but it was all the more essential for
me to meet up with Hector. Maybe there was a book on disarming a
phone bug, just in case Jace had bugged my cell.

“
Who are you?” I said,
walking a little closer to gauge the actual size of him when I
smelled it. His fragrance smelled like a familiar spice that I
could taste on the tip of my tongue.