Lost Energy (3 page)

The river hasn't raged in weeks. Even
the squid are behaving for the most part. Wilma only had to kill one this time.

Tarek told me once that his mood
controlled the environment. He'd spent the better part of his time trying to rein
in his emotions to make the place better. Wilma said our midnight talks helped.

It's cold as hell in the castle, regardless
how high I build the fire.
Pause.
But I finished the place in the woods, close to the bank. I'll sleep here tonight;
Wilma can sleep on the floor.

I imagined the cabin by the bank,
imagined us there together, surrounded by the vibrant colors.

I'm going to let you sleep now.
Wilma's banging on the door. She's not finished harassing me, I suppose. Be
safe… I love you.

Tears dripped on the pillow as I
hugged it closer to my heart.

"Love you, too."

DAD

B
right sun welcomed me to the
morning. I curled deeper into the memory foam, my arms still wrapped around my
Tarek shirt-pillow. The thing could probably use a washing, except that'd take
away the memory of his scent. Stupid reasoning, but it kept me going.

I closed my eyes. Drifting back
into dream world was too appealing to pass up. Fifteen more minutes and I'd
face the day, starting with getting my butt kicked in the ring.

And
two hours later, I
rolled out of bed and tugged on shorts and a T-shirt before heading to the
bathroom.

When I stumbled out to the living
room, my gym bag stuffed and ready, I found Farren sitting on the couch reading
the paper with a mixing bowl full of Fruit Loops. I bought that stuff because
of Tarek. Another stupid thing, but the smell reminded me of how his mouth
tasted after we ate a box together on the very couch Farren had his butt
parked.

Mom was nowhere in sight, already
showered and at Jake's, as per her usual morning routine. She and my boss acted
like teenagers. Sweet, but it didn't stop me from making gagging noises every
time I caught them making out on the couch.

I went to sit with Farren, pointing
at his breakfast. "Sure you're not ten?"

He answered by taking a huge bite,
milk dribbling down his chin, and continued reading the paper. The way he kept
up on current events drove me nuts. He'd have the news on at the gym, in the
car, and never failed to read the
New York Times
, the
Pocono Record
,
and the
Post
as often as possible.

I went to grab a banana off the
kitchen counter and sat back down. "You ever get tired of all the chaos?"

"Are you kidding? What I don't
get is how you can ignore it." He took another sloppy bite of cereal.

"Pretty simple, really."

"Not for me," he said
around a mouthful. "All the passion in this dimension… It's perfect."

"Don't know why you keep
saying that. Exemplar sounds like it has perfect down to a science."

He folded the paper, giving me the
same annoyed frown as usual when we ventured into this conversation. "Without
a little chaos, life's not worth living." Brown eyes lighting, he smiled
as he tweaked my nose. "You all are so…impulsive, unpredictable."

Impulsive. Nice way to put it. "Yeah,
well, nothing like getting addicted to stupidity, big guy."

"Hey, I'm not addicted."
He slurped the milk left in his bowl and swiped a hand across his mouth. "Trust
me. Old Lena would've appreciated it." He scraped another spoonful to get every
piece of cereal before putting his dish in the sink.

Old Lena. His nickname for my past
lives. I didn't mind. The only time I ever hated hearing about my past self was
when Tarek mentioned her. Jealousy slithered into my gut every time. Nothing
like hating…ah…yourself, I guess? She had so much time with him. I had moments.

Farren clicked off the television
and shot a thumb at the door. "I have to stop by my place and grab some
stuff before kicking your ass."

Oh, the way he said it, as if
beating me was inevitable.

It was, but he didn't have to say
it all the time.

∞
∞ ∞

The gym routine went…well…routine. I
almost got his knee after about fifteen minutes, but made it too obvious.

A smile appeared on Farren's stupid
face. "Ah, so Tarek's been giving you a few pointers, huh?" He danced
around the ring.

Grunting, I lunged again, trying to
make contact with his even, white teeth. He dodged and tapped me on the right
cheek hard enough to have my head flinging to the side. "Keep your arms
up; watch my face. Don't let your eyes follow your swing." He jabbed again,
but when I listened to him, his advice actually worked, his gloved fist swiping
air. "Good, keep it up."

After another hour dodging fists
and getting hit in the face, I spit out my mouthpiece. "Enough." I
gave Jake the go-ahead on my way out of the ring. "Your turn."

I didn't hang out for their normal
banter, my mind already on the afternoon's run. But Farren's voice followed me
to the locker room. "You're running with me today, kid."

I opened the door. "Whatever.
Then you'd better finish him off quick, 'cause I'm ready to go."

Jake's wounded voice chased me to
the showers. "Not nice, young lady."

∞
∞ ∞

By the time we ran into the woods,
gray clouds rolled in and thunder clapped the sky. The run continued, though. A
few streaks of lightning and a little downpour wouldn't deter me from what I
loved to do most. So what if Ginger tagged along? In my ring, he had to fight
to keep up with me. Felt pretty good watching him struggle when I let loose in
the high school's backfield.

The rain didn't stop the
congregation at the burn pit either. A few blue tarps hanging on tree limbs and
they had shelter–and for an almost naked couple, an illusion of privacy.
Everyone could see them, including us as we jogged by. No one bothered to
pretend to look away. All the perverted peepers needed was some popcorn.

By the time we broke through the
woods, the rain was a warm sheet pounding on top of our heads. The warmth felt
good, and by Farren's smile, he seemed to enjoy it, too.

Bypassing the mailbox, we went
straight for my old trailer. When we got to the front door, I had to yell over
the storm. "Wait out here. You'll spook him if you come in."

Farren wiped the water from his
face and nodded. "But make it quick, will you? As much as I like the rain,
wet shorts aren't fun to run in." He scrunched up his cheeks and puckered
his lips. "Chafing sucks."

"Whatever. Fine. Ten minutes."
I pushed through the door.

Dad sat in his usual spot, but fear
crept in his watery eyes. The rain slapped the roof, and with the sun hiding,
the place had a dark, ominous feel. Guess I would have been a little freaked
out, too.

"It's fine, just the rain,"
I said when his scared eyes followed me into the kitchen. "It'll be over
soon."

He didn't answer, rarely did when I
actually had to talk to him.
How the hell did this guy scare the shit out of
me?

I left puddles from my drenched
sneakers on the thin carpet as I went to take the load from the dryer, throwing
it into his room. His terrified gaze followed me into the bedroom and across
the small path through the living room to the kitchen.

"Trust me, you're fine. It's.
Just. Rain."

When he refused to answer with
anything but fear, I ignored him to make coffee before pulling out the stuff for
a sandwich.

He wrapped his thin blanket tighter
around his frail shoulders, his fingers shaking, along with his lips. "Is
the floor gonna eat me again?"

I dropped the butter knife, mustard
going all over the faded linoleum. That was the first I'd heard him speak in a
while. More, this was the first time he'd ever brought up his trip to Arcus. After
a deep breath, I picked up the knife, set it in the sink, and poured him some
coffee. I went to squat in front of his chair, handing him the cup. "No
one's gonna ever take you from this place again."

Dad wasn't convinced. "Can't
sleep, can't eat when you're not here…a-and there's been people walking around
the trailer at night, lookin' through the windows." He pulled the cup to
his chest, leaving the contents untouched. "They don't think I see 'em,
but I do."

My skin prickled. "Are you
sure? Maybe it's the neighborhood asshats messing with you."

His muddy eyes rounded, the whites
shining. "It ain't though. I hear that wind, you know? And see the sky
open up out the front window. Why they wanna get me, girl?"

Oh, shit.
"Listen, how 'bout I come over
tonight, check it out? Would you like that?"

He nodded so vigorously, coffee
sloshed over the rim of his cup. "Yeah, I'd like that, like it a lot.
Could you maybe ask them to go away? I won't tell no one, I swear."

Wilma's threat still had an effect,
I see
. "Sure,
Dad. I'll tell them." I left to grab his sandwich, putting the paper plate
on his lap. "Eat your lunch."

It took a while to calm him down
and make him eat. My ten minutes were long over by the time I went outside to meet
irritated Ginger.

"That wasn't ten minutes."
Farren wrung out the bottom of his saturated muscle shirt.

I tilted my head to meet his eyes. "Stop
crying. We got bigger things to worry about."

He gave up on the shirt and pulled
it off, giving the old bitties sitting on their porch next door a peep show.
Their whistles and suggestive offers went unnoticed. "Like?"

"Looks like my Exemplian
stalkers are camping here at night."

"You sure?"

"The old man says he sees
people looking in the windows, even heard the wind and saw the sky open."
I shrugged. "We should at least check it out."

Farren's eyes shined. "Well,
why don't we come crash the party?"

Crazy Ginger
. I ran up the hill. "Sounds
like fun."

CONFRONTATIONS

T
he storm calmed from a frenzied
temper tantrum to a whimper, and the sun beat down on our backs during the run home.
No surprise, when we reached my steps, Belva sat on the porch scrolling through
her phone. Her headphones blared so loud I heard the beat of her hip-hop from
three feet away.

I stood in front of her and waited
until she noticed.

Finally, she pulled her earbuds out
with a smile. "You're kinda wet." Her gaze drifted around me to
shirtless Farren. "And you're kinda hot all wet."

Didn't that create a raging blush
on poor Ginger's face?

Shaking my head, I step around her,
unlocking the door. "You got a key, pal. You should use it some time."

"And miss the free show? Don't
think so." She whistled as she stood.

I happened to turn my head to
investigate when Farren stalked up the three porch steps, a feral look gleaming
in his dark eyes, despite the blush. He slowed his momentum, never taking his
eyes off my shocked friend, who no longer smiled, but worked hard to pull in
air, clutching her phone to her chest.

Ha! Not feeling so in control now, are
you?

He stopped when their bodies
touched, strong bare chest against heaving tank top. A long finger trailed down
her cheek. "You're playing dangerous, little girl." He bent to
whisper loud enough in her ear that I heard every word. "Don't start the game
if you're not ready to follow the rules."

His smug face–one eyebrow raised as
if saying
she asked for it
–met my surprised one as he circled me and
headed up the stairs. I turned to Belva with mouth wide open and an
oh, my God
on my lips.

Her trembling hand followed the path
of his finger, but as quick as any professional player, her poker face slammed
into place. "Well, then let the games begin."

∞
∞ ∞

Saturday was as busy as Friday,
with people lined up down the sidewalk to buy tickets, ignoring the dark sky threatening
a repeat of the afternoon storm. As soon as we made it inside, Jake rushed us
all into our places. He signaled for Belva to go in the kitchen with Farren, but
she shook her head. "Can you switch with me tonight, Jake?"

My boss opened his mouth, probably
to say no, but then Farren joined in. "I like that idea, man. Need to talk
to you, anyway."

Jake's face tensed. "Ah, yeah,
sure." He pointed to Belva and me. "You two hit the registers."

Belva grabbed my hand, leading me
up front. Once we punched in our codes, I nudged her shoulder. "What was
that all about?"

She shrugged, smiling. "I need
to give him space, make him miss me."

I swiped a credit card and handed
tickets to a couple teenagers. "Make him crazy, you mean."

Belva turned on the charm for some
interested college kids, taking their money and rejecting their cell numbers. "Hopefully."

After a good forty-five minutes,
and about three cell number refusals later, the herd thinned out enough for us
to talk a little more. I cleared my throat, trying to find a good reason to
give for leaving before the late showing when Belva gave me an annoyed glare.

"Jesus, Lena, spit it out."
Subtlety and patience were not virtues my gorgeous friend had.

"I…um… Farren and I are gonna
be heading out soon. Some…yeah…some kids have been messing with Dad the past
few nights." Close enough to the truth for me not to feel too guilty.

She raised a perfectly waxed brow. "So?
Maybe they'll give him a heart attack. He deserves it."

"He's broken now, nothing like
before. Harmless." A trip to another dimension where a sadistic jerk ruled
over squid did that to a person, but I kept that little ditty to myself. "Can't
let any predators swoop in on vulnerable prey. It wouldn't be right."

Her cheeks reddened some, making me
regret my words. My little nickname for her in school was "pretty
predator." She didn't like it all that much.

Straightening her tank top, Belva
tilted her head. "You know what I think?"

"Not a clue." I punched
the lock code on the register when the last in line straggled in and waited for
the "don't rub it in my face" lecture.

Surprised, she instead pulled me in
for a hug. "I think you've got to be the most amazing person on the
planet."

"It's a pretty big planet."
If she knew how big…

"Stop it. You forgave me, and
you take care of that bastard. I think you're in at least the top ten."

Wanting awkward intimate time to go
away, I headed for the counter and my mom. "Maybe the top one hundred. Top
ten's pushing it."

She came up beside me, smoothing her
hair. "Nah, top ten–at least you are in my world. And as far as I'm
concerned, my world is all that counts."

Had to give her props; she was
honest. "Don't I know it."

We sat around the counter, talking
to Mom and ignoring the drooling-Belva leers from a couple cute boys at a
table, when Farren and Jake walked out from the kitchen. Both men seemed
relaxed, which was surprising if the conversation about leaving early was an honest
one. But when Belva spotted Ginger, she switched gears from ignoring the idiots
at the table to sauntering over, pulling up a seat, and giving the cuter of the
two her undivided attention.

Yup, that cured all the calm off
Farren's face. The way his jaw tightened when he glanced in my friend's
direction gave me a distinct feeling he was the one who would have some trouble
with the rules. Belva's eyes stayed on the guy, who leaned in closer. If I knew
her at all, I'd bet my secret cash stash her entire focus was on Farren's
reaction. Her deep smile and sexy lip bite when angry Ginger took a few steps closer
to the table proved my theory.

Here we go.
I turned to Jake. "He tell you
what's going on?"

He pulled Mom close, kissing the
top of her head. "Yeah, he did. Be careful, all right?"

"Wait, what's going on?"
The worry flooding Mom's eyes had me contemplating lying, but I'd decided after
my second Arcus trip, she'd always hear at least an outline of the truth.

Squaring my shoulders–and moving to
block Farren's view of Belva–I answered with complete honesty. "Dad saw
Exemplians outside his place last couple nights. Probably the same Guide I felt
yesterday."

Mom's bottom lip trembled, but she
lifted her chin. "Remember what Farren's been teaching you, and…and
actually, why don't you stay behind him when you find the jerks."

I bent to kiss her cheek. "Thanks
for the advice." I turned to Farren–and the steam coming from his ears. "Let's
go."

He didn't respond, his body tight. When
Belva snatched the guy's phone from his hand and plugged in her number, Farren's
fists clenched. I punched him in the arm. It probably hurt about as bad as a
feather whipping, but it got his attention.

"What?" His tone would've
had a lesser person cringing.

"Let's. Go." When he
still didn't budge, I grabbed his arm, attempting to drag all that muscle out
the door.

A death stare targeted my invading
hand. "Wait a second." He pried my fingers off his forearm and
stalked to the table...and the unfortunate guy who was busy with Belva's phone.

Farren snatched her phone from the
guy's hands, handing it back to her. Then with the lethal calm of a sociopath,
Farren picked up the scared kid's phone from the table and squeezed until it
fell on the thin carpet in pieces.

"She's not interested, clear?"

The guy couldn't nod fast enough, his
once tan face as white as snow.

Farren held out his hand to Belva. "Time
to get up."

I turned to Jake, shocked as hell,
and motioned for him to do something. My boss shook his head, smiling.

Belva ignored Farren's hand as she
stomped to the kitchen. She yelled over her shoulder before pushing the door
open. "You better make up your damn mind, 'cause I'm not gonna wait
forever!"

Pretty sure the entire lobby felt
the heat from those words and the ice from the kitchen door slamming in Farren's
face when he tried to follow her. His huge back heaved a few times as he stood
at the frame, hands on either side, squeezing the wood until it creaked. By the
scrambling in the lobby, I'm sure everyone heard the wood splitting, too.

Damn. Belva didn't understand how
dangerous a Protector game was.