Glimmer (4 page)

When I was a kid Dad would take me to the shop and show me how to work on cars. The smell of car grease permeates my childhood memories. I hate that smell.  I hate the way Dad’s fingers are all black and calloused. I hate how we barely make ends meet, always scraping by. Even though I swore I’d never be a mechanic like my dad, fate has a way of catching up to me. No matter how hard I try, I can never outrun it.

When Mom left the Town of
Edenly
two years ago, I was more than happy to go with her. I planned to start my life over, make new friends and get my grades up. Leaving my dad was just an added bonus. I even had hopes of becoming a police officer. Then everyone would look up to me, respect me. My six months away from this boring town was the best time of my life. I met new friends, did well in my classes, and as time went by the scars and bruises left from my childhood began to fade. I felt like a new person. It was like being purged of the darkness that had blanketed my existence for so long.

But fate lurked behind every corner, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The opportunity presented itself in a simple invitation to a party on Friday night. The fact that it came from Lauren, one of the hottest girls at school, made it impossible to turn down. I went to the party fully intending not to drink, and certainly not to do drugs. Night after night of watching my dad drink himself into a stupor had cured me of ever wanting to partake of alcohol.

The problem is that I always lack self-control, and the mistake I made that night cost me everything.

That cruel twist of fate is the reason I’m here now with calloused fingers, smelling of car grease. I rest my back against the wall and sigh just as two guys walk toward me. My heart quickens at the sight of them. They’re about my age, but they wear black pants, long sleeved shirts and black bandanas tied around their heads. It’s odd attire for such a warm day. Actually, dressing like that would be weird any time in
Edenly
.  It’s always pretty warm here. Even in the winter it doesn’t get very cold. Just another reason this place annoys me. I mean, what kind of town doesn’t have changing seasons?

“Hey, you guys
gonna
hog this table all night, or what?” One of them asks. I notice he has a scar running across the length of his cheek. I wonder how he got it.

“Uh…no…we’re done.” Jake backs away from the table.

I furrow my brow, confused by his actions. Jake doesn’t normally let people push him around, especially not here. He pretty much has the run of this place.

“Hey,” I whisper. “Who are these guys?”

“Stay away from them, Sam.” Jake gives me a stern look while putting up his cue stick. “They give me the creeps, and my dad thinks they’re bad news.”

“Worse than you and I?” I raise my eyebrows, teasing him about the bad boy rep we have at
Edenly
High. The guys look pretty buff under all their clothes, and they release a certain vibe that excites me. I wish I could radiate confidence like that. It’s obvious that they don’t fear anything or anyone.

Jake just chuckles at that. “Yeah, I think these guys do worse things than skip class and knock over mailboxes.”

“Hey, we’ve done more than that.” I feign indignation.

“Not much.” Jake glances over warily at the two guys as they begin setting up the table for their own game. When they peer up at us, Jake turns away, but I keep my gaze even. Something about them intrigues me.

“Are you guys new around here?” I step toward them. Jake’s face blanches.

The guy with the scar on his face nods.

“I’m Sam, and this is Jake.” When I point to my friend he gives me a pained look like I’ve betrayed him somehow.
What is his problem?

“I’m Craven, and this is
Brone
.”

I notice that
Brone
doesn’t have scars on his face, and his frame is less imposing than Craven’s is, but there is a darkness in his eyes that causes me to shiver. Both of them have the blackest eyes I’ve ever seen. It’s like looking into a pool of oil. I know I should probably be scared like Jake, but oddly enough I’m not. Besides, I suspect that I know what they’re hiding under their bandanas. I can only think of one reason why people would want to cover their foreheads in the Town of
Edenly
, and the thought causes my pulse to race.

“Where did you move from?” I ask. Jake throws me a warning look.

Craven’s eyes flash. “None of your business.”

“Hey, I’m just being friendly here.” I throw up my hands. “You guys are the ones who crashed our game.”

“We’ll crash more than just that.”
Brone
steps forward, his eyes even darker than before, if that’s possible. They are like charcoal slits drawn on his face.

Jake grabs my elbow. “We should just go.”

“No, I’m not letting these two jerks push us around. This is our hangout.”

Brone
jolts forward like he’s going to rush me, but Craven puts out his arm. He snorts. “You’ve got some guts, you know that?”

I puff out my chest, holding my head high. If this guy thinks I’m going to cower like a little kid he’s got another thing coming.

“Jake, Sam.” Joe stands at the edge of the pool table, his arms over his chest. He eyes the two kids for a moment, and then his gaze slides back over to us. “C’mon, I need your help with something.”

Relief washes over Jake’s face. I know that Joe just came over to protect his son. Jake’s dad actually cares about him, unlike my dad who would never come to my rescue. As we follow Joe, I glance back. Craven and
Brone
watch us with a look of amusement, and I sting with embarrassment. I’m more convinced than ever of what they are, and the last thing I want them to think is that I’m weak and need saving.

“That was close,” Jake says once we’re outside. The air is slightly cool, but warmth still lingers.

“Ah, those guys weren’t that scary. We could’ve taken them.”

“No. I have a funny feeling about them. Something isn’t right.” He kicks the asphalt with the toe of his shoe.

It’s dark outside and the sky is devoid of stars. It seems like a sign.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Jake looks surprised by this admission, and I guess I don’t blame him. I pretty much never admit I’m wrong, especially not to Jake.

“I told Dad I’d go home, so I better take off.” Jake pulls his keys out of his pocket. They jangle in his palm.

Sometimes it’s funny to me that Jake and I are even friends.  We’re so opposite. Maybe that’s why I like him. We met a couple of years ago at school, and at first he bugged me. He was always following me around like a puppy dog. But once I got to know him, I realized that he was a pretty cool guy.

After watching Jake drive down the street, I turn back toward the pool hall. I have to find out the truth about those guys. As if on command, they burst through the door. I hold my ground as they stalk out to the parking lot.

“You still here?” Craven laughs. “Thought you had to help the owner scrub toilets or something?”

Anger bubbles inside of me. “Why are you wearing those bandanas? Trying to hide something?” The words are out before I can stop them.

Craven glances over at
Brone
, and the look they share gives me pause. I’m always too impulsive. When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?

Craven rushes me, grabbing me by the collar.
Brone
gets behind me and loops his arm around my neck, pulling me until my back is flush with his chest. My heart hammers in my ears.

“Let go of me.” I writhe in his grip and find that he’s a lot stronger than I am.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come with us now.”
Brone
hauls me toward a black car with tinted windows.

“You’re
Sarafites
, aren’t you?”

Brone
stops walking, but still holds me tight. “You got a death-wish?”

I shake my head.

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Craven hisses, “because there’s no way we can just let you walk away now.”

Panic seizes me. “No. Wait. Please, hear me out. You don’t have to hurt me and I’ll tell you why.”

“This ought to be good.” Craven sneers. “Go ahead. Entertain us.”

Brone
drags me to the corner of the parking lot until all three of us are hidden behind a dumpster. He keeps his arm around my neck, while Craven stands in front of me wearing a sick smile.

“I want to become one of you,” I say. From the time I was little I had been fascinated with the idea of the
Sarafites
. I’d never actually met one, but I’d dreamt of it for years. The followers of
Zerach
are all wet blankets, but the stories I’ve heard about the followers of
Saraf
make them sound like strong fighters. My whole life I’ve been told what a loser I am by my dad, but I know I have something to offer. If I can just get the
Sarafites
to see that, maybe I can become one of them and get the hell out of this sorry town.

“It doesn’t work like that. You can’t just become one of us. You have to earn your way in.” Craven glares.

Hope blooms in my chest. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

“You have to have something we want.” Craven’s eyes darken. “And unfortunately for you, you don’t.”

“You’re wrong.” I hold up my arms, exposing the smooth, bare flesh, devoid of markings. “Look, I’m not a follower of
Zerach
. I can help you.”

Craven shrugs. “So you’re not a follower or
Zerach
? That’s not unique. Now, if you had superpowers or something we could talk.”

Delaney Scott pops into my head. “What if I know of someone with superpowers? Would that help?”

“Do you?” Craven cocks an eyebrow.

My spirits lift. I’ve hooked him. “Yeah, there’s a girl I go to school with. Known her since we were kids. I’ve seen her do things, things out of the ordinary. I’ve always suspected she had magical powers.”

“Interesting.” Craven strokes his chin. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. If you can find out some information about this girl that would be useful to us, maybe I’ll see about you joining us.”

“Really?” It seems too good to be true.

Craven gets really close to my face. “But we’ll be watching, and if you even think about telling someone about us, you’ll regret it. Understand?”

Brone
tightens his hold as if to drive home the point.

Biting my lower lip, I nod.

“Then we have a deal.” Craven snaps his fingers and
Brone
releases me. “We’ll be in touch.”

It’s early morning and the sky is crisp and clear outside the window. I gulp down a cup of cold, sludgy coffee and get up from the rickety kitchen table, determined not to be late for school today.  No need to piss off Dad again.

“You’re running late, Sam.”

Speak of the devil.
My shoulders tense as Dad shuffles into the kitchen, already dressed for work in his typical jeans and flannel shirt. His graying hair is slicked back and hardened with gel.

After dropping my mug into the sink that is already piled high with dirty dishes, I shake my head and push past him.

“Guess who’s bringing her car into the shop today?”

I’m clueless. Dad normally doesn’t get excited about our customers. It’s not like he has many friends in town. And the truth is that I don’t really care. I keep walking down the narrow hallway, determined not to strike up a conversation. 

“Delaney Scott. Can you believe it? She’s never brought her car into me before.”

Running a hand over my coarse hair, I suppress a groan of frustration. I hate hearing the pride in Dad’s voice, the way he says Delaney’s name as if he knows her. He only met her once.

“I always knew that girl was special. Ever since the day she ran in front of my truck to save her cat.  Of course I thought she was crazy at first. Damn near got herself killed. She was such a cute girl with those long red curls. When she told me about her cat I knew that girl had spunk.”

I reach for the backpack that leans against the wall in my bedroom, my stomach tightening. Jealousy snakes around my heart and squeezes hard.  After my dad met Delaney, I used to want to be a hero just like her. Hearing my dad talk about her in a way he never did about me was brutal. So she saved her cat? I could do that. So, I started trying to find ways to impress my dad with my bravery. Only I’d end up breaking something and getting in trouble.

That’s when I first had inklings of wanting to be a cop, so I could be someone my dad would be proud of.  I could be a hero like Delaney. Then again, Delaney isn’t a cop. She’s just a chick. I wonder how she does it.

When we were in fifth grade I saw Delaney acting really weird during our last recess, almost like she was in a trance or something. Then right after school she stopped a girl from being abducted. Everyone thought it was a big coincidence. Only I saw her face. Something wasn’t right. It was like she knew ahead of time what was going to happen. At the time I thought that maybe she
was
a superhero, but now I know that superheroes aren’t real. Everyone over the age of ten knows that.