Have No Mercy (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When I woke, I feared it was all
a dream. But no, I was still in my old room. Although, I turned around to find
it empty of Luke's scent. He wasn't there. I got to my feet prepared to tear
down the stairs when my phone vibrated in my pocket with an incoming text.

I tugged it out to see a text was
from Maggie. She was on her way over. With a couple more swipes, I also found a
text from Luke.

L: I'll see you later. Didn't
want to get caught by your mom.

His message had come just after
3pm. That was the time she got off work when she worked the morning shift. I
opened my room door and nearly barreled in Mom.

"Oh, you're up," she
said. "If you're hungry, dinner’s on the counter."

"Dinner?" Because Mom
didn't cook, I did unless we ate out.

She waved a hand dismissively.
"Just soup and salad. Don't frown; I can warm up a can of soup."

"I'm not hungry. Plus,
Luke's taking me to dinner." The words just came out even though a second
before I didn't think I knew that.

She sighed like I was fulfilling
a dream to see her daughter on this day. "I picked up your dress from
alterations."

"Mom," I said hating
putting her out because when we lived here, money was tight.

She waved a hand again.
"It's okay. I've done a lot of saving. You deserve this. And you couldn't
go to the ball with that handsome boy and look out of place." She meant
Luke and his money. I knew it didn't bother her he had it. She didn't want me
to feel like I was lacking. And I loved her for it. But why had she called it a
ball and not prom?

I also became aware that if we
lived here, that meant she and David weren't together. That made me sad. David
was good for her. She'd been lonely a long time although she'd never admit it.
She'd work extra hours claiming we needed cash, when I knew she also did so she
wouldn’t be alone, especially whenever I spent the night at Maggie's.

So much I'd forgotten about all
of her sacrifices for me and I felt ashamed. Did it matter that she’d kept
secrets from me? Deep down, I knew she thought she was doing the best for me.
Before she turned away, I kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mom."

She smiled and when it reached
her eyes fine tiny lines formed in their corner. There was something about that
I should remember.

"Be right back," she
called out, leaving me at my door.

I headed back in my room to shed
my clothes. I had my robe to head to the bathroom. Maggie would be there soon,
and I needed shower and wash my hair before she got there.

Mom knocked before stepping in.
"Here it is." She held up a white garment bag with the logo of a
fancy department store embossed in the corner. Immediately, I wanted her to
return it. One night couldn't be worth what she'd paid for that dress. I knew
that it cost way too much money. 

I started to protest.
"Mercy, I've worked a few extra shifts and I got a bonus." She
sounded surprised about that last bit. "I wasn't expecting it and it made
it easy to buy the dress you loved. It's been altered so it's not like we can
take it back anyway."

She gave me a farewell grin and
left me holding the bag as they say. It wasn't a bad thing; just that guilt
continued to weight me down. I hung it on the hook behind the door before I
made my way down the hall to my bathroom.

 Maggie arrived while I was blowing
my hair dry. She came in the bathroom with her backpack of tricks. I'd known
her almost my entire life. We were like sisters. There wasn't weirdness about
the towel that covered me. She simply forced me to sit in the desk chair she
brought from my room and got to work.

As she plugged in the flat iron,
I casually said, "So you and Flynn..." I let my sentence dangle like
the noose I didn't want it to be.

She paused and flicked her glance
my way before she straightened again and leaned against the counter's edge.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I nodded. "It's just this is a
little more than weird. You were there freshman year when you and I met Luke
and Flynn at a party, and it's been the four of us ever since."

There were a million questions in
my head, because we didn't meet Flynn and Luke at a party our freshman year in
my other life. However, the way Maggie stared at me with searching eyes, I knew
I couldn't ask her anymore about that.

"It's just that Flynn's a
little... you know. Do you trust him?"

Maggie had a fiery temper, and
there was no expectation today. I saw it flare in her eyes. "What are you
saying? Do you know something?"

"No," I said quickly.
"Just a guy like him, I can't imagine he'd wait." I guessed that in
the past two years Maggie and Flynn hadn't gotten it on. But I could be wrong.

"He's never put pressure on
me. You know that. In fact, it was my idea that tonight would be the night. And
as far as him hooking up with another girl, I'd be shocked. If it had happened,
I'm sure I would have heard about it as much as girls are in his face and would
love nothing more but to break us up. But maybe Luke's told you
something."

Her gaze burned into mine, and I
quickly fixed the mess I started. "No, Luke's said nothing. I just wanted
to make sure you're sure."

I gave her what I hoped was a
sincere face. She nodded and her face relaxed. "Yeah, I get it. It's a
huge step. But I'm ready."

The delight in her eye said it
all. And I wanted to be happy for her, so I pretended I was. We changed topics,
and she filled me in with all the gossip that happened after I left school for
the day. She was finishing her makeup and hair when the doorbell rang.

I glanced in the mirror at
myself. My hair was silky smooth over my bare shoulders and was held back by an
understated rhinestone headband. Clear crystals covered the bodice of my dress
that was held up by my chest, which appeared half its size with enough cleavage
to entice and not make me look like a boy. I smiled then took in the shirt of
the white dress that was layered with tulle that appeared feather-like. It was
very elegant and almost wedding dress like. I frowned.

“It’s so pretty on you,” Maggie
said catching me in the act of giving myself the once over.

“You too,” I said bringing back
the smile easily forgetting my frown. And she was. Her red hair brought out the
silver gown she wore. It had ribbons woven in a crisscross pattern for the top
and a straight shimmery silver bottom with a thigh bearing slit.

Madeline and Morgana popped in,
then out of my head before I heard the front door opening.

"I better get downstairs
before my Mom talks boys to death."

She laughed as I headed out. Mom
was opening the door when I made if halfway down the stairs.

Flynn wore a black tux with a
tee-shirt underneath that had the image of someone wearing a suit imprinted on
it. Flynn could have worn a sky blue suit with wide lapels, and he would have
looked good and had every guy buying one the next day. My mouth went dry at the
sight of him. I swallowed trying to create moisture. 

"You look so dashing,
Flynn."

"You too Ms. M."

Mom ran a hand over her short and
spiky blonde hair and then looked down at her sweat cutoffs and tee shirt.
"You're such a flirt," she said on a half laugh.

"No, it's true. If the girls
in my school looked half as good as you, guys would never skip school."

I'd made no noise yet, his eyes
moved from my mother up to the stairs where I had only two more steps before I
made the landing.

"Well, one exception. Your
daughter is just as stunning as you are. Mercy..." My name was like a
whisper, and I wasn't sure if he meant my name or the word.

Mom glanced between us, and Flynn
caught himself. "I meant two gorgeous exceptions because Maggie is just as
pretty as the two of you."

"I should go and get my
camera," Mom said. She still looked unsure as if she didn't quite believe
Flynn and wondered if there was something going on between us.

"No worries there Ms. M. My
Mom took like a ton of pictures before I left."

Mom. Flynn's mom was alive in
this reality?

"I want to get a few group
pictures."

"As long as we get to take
some picture of you too." He winked, and Mom blushed. My mom blushed? I
watched as she made her way up the stairs looking flustered.

I turned back and rolled my eyes
at him.

"What?" And that gorgeous
smile of his was broad, with a hint of a dimple, which only came out when he
was truly happy.

"You're such a flirt. I'm
not sure why Maggie puts up with you." I walked into the living room and
began to pace. I needed an answer to an important question, and I wasn't sure
how to get the information without appearing to be mad, like Alice and
Wonderland crazy.

"I could ask you the same
thing. You were acting a little psycho earlier today."

I turned because I've reached the
far end of the room, and he was just there. I mean in my face right there. I
had to crane my next back to stare him down or up and not lose my composure.
However, he gave me the out I needed. So I steeled my spine and lifted up on my
toes. And before he knew what was happening, my hands rested on his shoulders,
and my lips were mashed on his.

I willed power to draw his life
force out of him. Nothing. Before I could try again, he stepped back.

"What the hell was
that?"

The disapproval on his face was
clear. And even though I had my answer,
we were human
, I could have made
the gravest of errors. If he told Maggie and Luke, I would lose them all. Had
it been worth it?

Quick on my feet, I had the crazy
I’d been acting as an out. I blurted an explanation, probably or not. "I
had to know if you'd cheat on my friend like the rumors suggest."

"What rumors?”  His eyes
narrowed. “That’s bullshit. I've seen how you've looked at me. Even today, I
saw your reaction when I kissed Maggie at lunch."

"What were you doing looking
at me and not at Maggie?" I threw back in his face.

Chin up, I waited for his retort.
His jaw clenched and unclenched as he pondered his answer. Nothing. We were at
a stalemate.

Finally, he said, "Ever
since that night at the lake house when you got so drunk and asked me to kiss
you, I've noticed you watching me. Maybe you're not the good friend... and
girlfriend you pretend to be."

So that night had happened. Had
Maggie been there? Sebastian? Again, I was stuck. I could ask him for details,
but how without continuing on the crazy train everyone thought I was on? Then
again, it might back up my behavior if Flynn decided to out me.

"I was drunk off my ass.
What was your excuse? I heard the words you mumbled under your breath about
wanting to kiss me back." It wasn't the exact truth, but in my reality I
had the vague sense that he'd explained what he’d been thinking that long ago
day. I was banking on that in this reality; he had, in fact, felt the same.

He checked over his shoulder
before he whispered, "This can't happen between us."

I wanted to tell him he stole my
line. Instead, I said, "I don't want you. I was just testing you." I
brushed past him, and he took a hold of my arm. I glanced back, and there was
need in his eyes. Had I stirred up the devil in him? But then a knock came,
saving us from the awkward moment. Flynn dropped my arm, and Maggie came
rushing down the stairs. I opened the door, and Luke glanced up. Golden curls
framed his handsome face, and I wanted to kiss him. But I remembered.

"Give me a minute," I
said at the same time Flynn said, "I think I need to brush my teeth before
we go."

When I turned in his direction,
Maggie was wrapped around him kola style.

"Sure, I think I have a
spare toothbrush upstairs."

I headed up, and Flynn didn't
have the same reluctance about coming upstairs as Luke had earlier. I was
bending down to reach the lowest drawer to pull out a new toothbrush when Flynn
came in and closed the door behind him.

My house wasn't fancy. Thus, my
bathroom wasn't that large. Maggie and I fit in there fine. But Flynn was a
great deal bigger, at least in height and presence.

"Let me out," I gritted
under my breath and held out the toothbrush.

"We're going to get this out
of our system because this can't happen again." He stalked forward, and I
retreated until the wall stopped my progress.

He bent down and took my lips
like he owned them. I wish I could say that I wasn't affected, but I was. His
hand on my neck and the other on my naked back where the dress created a deep v
expanse of skin undid me.

I reasoned that I had to breathe,
and that's why the kiss changed. I lost myself for a second before common sense
kicked in. I pushed him back sending him halfway across the room. We glared at
each other chest heaving like we'd won a race. I was the first to look away.
That had been my fault. I reached for my toothbrush and began the exercise of
cleansing my mouth of his taste and my own self-loathing.

With double sinks, he did the
same. I finished before him and took a healthy dose of mouthwash and swished it
around before spitting out my disgust. I heaved open the door to find my mother
in the hall. She looked at me then over my shoulder. Her eyes narrowed.

"You should get downstairs.
Luke and Maggie are waiting for you."

She turned, and I followed but
stopped too quickly get something from my room. My gloss was gone, and I didn't
want to explain. I also didn't want to walk downstairs with Flynn. I needed to
get my act together. As I closed my door, our eyes locked for a second before
he continued down the stairs. He began to speak to our friends, his strides
long enough to take two steps at a time. His voice sounded calm, and I knew
he'd made a joke when the others laughed.

I sat at my desk where Maggie had
thoughtfully replaced the chair while I was downstairs making out with her
boyfriend. Flynn was right. What was wrong with me?

After I got myself together and
posed for pictures ignoring the heck out of Flynn, Luke and I got into a white
hummer limo along with Maggie and Flynn. It was Luke's senior year and his last
prom. He wanted to go all out.

While Flynn dazzled everyone with
his wit, I sat back puzzling over my newfound knowledge. My best guess at this
point was at the very least Flynn and I were human. The only question was
whether or not Luke was. Kissing him had not led to any answers. I was human.
During a round Robin of ruckus laughter, I cut in with a question.

"Do any of you guys believe
in the supernatural?"

The laughter quickly died, and I
was met with curious faces.

"I'm pretty sure she bumped
her head. Either that or she's had a lobotomy."

Normally, I would've been pissed
by Flynn comment. But I could tell by the nervous laughter, that Luke and
Maggie weren't entirely sure that he was kidding or wrong.

"Come on guys, it's not that
crazy of an idea is it?" I asked.

My eyes went immediately to Luke.
He was the one I was most curious about. He, on the other hand, traded glances
with Flynn and Maggie.

My best friend still had faith in
me even when I didn't have faith in myself. She stood up for me. "I don't
know anything's possible I guess."

Flynn rolled his eyes." I
can't believe you're saying that babe."

Babe? Did he really just call her
that?

"You can't deny there's been
some strange stuff happening lately."

I wanted to climb over to Maggie
and given the biggest hug ever. Based on my behavior tonight, I didn't deserve
her friendship. But she always had my back.

"The only strange thing is
her," Flynn said and pointed an accusatory finger at me.

Luke placed a hand over my
shoulder. "Don't talk about my girl like that. She's had a rough day.
Leave her alone."

I leaned into his embrace. I
looked up from my perch on his chest and quietly said,"You didn't say
whether you believe."

He was slow in answering. When he
did, I was still left with questions. "I'm with Maggie. I think anything's
possible."

"Yeah right, of course he
does. He'd be like a guardian angel."

Maggie faced Flynn and said,
"I can totally see that."

Luke glanced uneasily at me. I
wasn't sure what to make of it. Then Flynn took over with stupid comments and
remarks about how he couldn’t wait for the dance part of the night to be over.
I ignored him because I couldn’t image him and Maggie together. Yet, they were.
And there was nothing I could do about it.

The dance turned out to be
everything I hope to be. There was a magical and beautiful setting with the
Luke to dance the night away. There weren't any life or death moments. There
weren't any confrontations. Nina did give me dirty looks, but she also didn't
plan my death. Paul didn't speak to me. I wasn't sure what our relationship was
in this reality. I didn't press the issue. He wasn't with Amber though. He also
was with a beautiful girl with light brown skin, dark shoulder length hair, and
a pretty smile he couldn't keep his eyes off of. I was happy for him.

Brent was with Amanda of all
people. An odd couple for sure, but they seemed happy together. Doug was there
in a circle of his friends and had an arm around the girl with fluorescent pink
hair. She had to be a senior, but I didn’t recognize her. And all in all,
everyone seemed to be having a good time.

As the night wore down, and the
crowd thinned out, I thought we would be leaving. When the DJ announced the
final song, I was all but ready to leave. But Luke pulled me close.

"Wait," he whispered.
"This song is for you."

A pulsing beat began that seemed
to time with the beat of my heart as it raced in anticipation.

"Follow my lead."

Dancing had always been one of my
favorite things to do. And although I didn't have a father or many boyfriends,
instinctually I knew what to do. And we began to dance like ballroom dancers
from the long-lived reality TV series Dancing with Stars. Never losing contact
with one another, he twirled me in and out of his embrace as a singer with the
hauntingly beautiful face of an old-time movie star sang about unconditional
love. With lines like
Come just as you are to me. Don't need apologies. And
I'll take your bad days with your good
. And I was sold on him and
everything he had to offer.

At that moment, it was as though
we were the only ones who existed. He ended our dance as if it were
choreographed. I was bent back to gaze up into his beach blue eyes before he
kissed me. In fact, we got a grand applause from all who were left to witness
our moment. Even teachers stood causing my cheeks to flush full on red.

What did surprise me was that
Maggie and Flynn still there. Their plan had been that they would take the limo
back to get Flynn's car before they went on their own great adventure. Then the
limo would come back and pick Luke and I up at the end of the night. Our grand
planned included stashed bags with the change of clothing, so we could attend
the school sponsored after party.

The mood in the car was tense.
Maggie was putting on a brave face, but I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t
ask not with Flynn there because he looked equally tense. And selfishly, I
didn't want to ruin my perfect night with Luke. I mimed a telephone call to
Maggie with my one finger to my ear and another to my mouth, when we pulled in
front of my house. She nodded looking on the verge of tears. I quickly
scrambled towards the door, but Maggie waved me off shaking her head almost
violently letting me know she wasn't ready to spill. I hesitantly allowed Flynn
to close the door as the driver took us to our next destination.

The rest of the night was fun,
but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty. Both Luke and I worried about our
friends. Something was definitely up. I texted Maggie, but the only response I
got is that she would talk to me later.

By the time the night was over,
Luke escorted me to my door like the gentleman he was. When I invited him in,
he only shook his head no gave me an earth shattering kiss to remember him by.
I floated to my room on cloud nine. Visions of replayed moments danced in my
head.

Go karts, mini golf, and casino
tables were set up as deterrents to drinking or other debauchery. And for us,
it worked. I had an amazing night. And it also helped that no one was trying to
kill me.

Before I close my eyes after
laying my head on my pillow, I sent Luke a text with three words encased by
colorful hearts and glowing happy faces. Then I fell asleep.

It felt like moments later when I
was being shaken awake by panicked hands.