Mark of the Seer (12 page)

Brenton's voice jumped ten octaves as he jumped up from his seat, puffing his chest out and placing his balled-up fist on his hips. He had surprised me so much that I had fallen from my seat, completely dumbfounded.

“Brenton, what the heck?”

Trying to stifle a laugh with his hand he said, “Sorry, Clare. I was just goofin' around.” He pulled me up with his hands. “Isn't that what Miss Kora does? Act all erratic and offbeat? Spontaneous?”

“That was supposed to be your impression of Kora?” I asked quizzically, sneering. “Because if it was that was the suckiest impersonation I've ever seen in my life!”

“What?” he remarked with mock displeasure. “I can't even believe you just said that! I was a dead-on Kora.”

I shook my head, a sly grin invading my face. “Nah-uh. You couldn't impersonate Kora even if you were trying your hardest and givin' it all ya got.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a fact?”

I shook my head once more. “Not. A. Chance.”

He got right in my face. “Well, we'll just see about that.”

Taking a step back, he cleared his throat, beginning his transformation into Kora. His voice, again, went up ten octaves as he said, “OK, everybody, I'm bowling now, so be sure you're watching me!” Turning around, he bent to pick up his bowling ball, shaking his hips seductively and as girlishly as he possibly could.

Laughter started spilling out of me like a raging volcano.

“Oh my stars!” he continued in a high-pitched voice. “This is the biggest
blue
ball I've ever had my hands on. Or,” he smiles lasciviously at me, “is it?”

My mouth dropped to the floor.

“Oh man, you're such a pig!” I told him, squealing with laughter.

“OK, everybody! Watch as I try to knock those long, hard pins down with my big, blue ball!” He bent over, sticking his butt way out, shaking it from side-to-side.

Tears poured down my cheeks as my laughter became uncontrollable. Seeing my boyfriend act like a female was too hard for me to handle. As the ball fell into the gutter I doubled over with laughter, literally feeling my sides split.

“Brenton, y-you t-totally s-s-suck!” I stuttered through my cackles.

“So,” he said using his normal voice, strutting confidently toward me, “was that a good impression or what?” He sat down next to me, flipping his hair out of his face, his brown eyes shining like muddy pools.

Wiping tears from my eyes I told him, “You did pretty good, except you lacked some of Kora's girlish charms.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like cussin' the ball out for falling into the gutter.”

“Ah,” he lamented, frowning. “How could I have forgotten her usual strings of obscenities and gestures she shares with everyone when she doesn't get her way.”

“When who doesn't get what way?”

We glanced up and saw Kevin and Kora walking from the bar, a beer in Kora's hand, and a coke in Kevin's.

“No one you know.” Brenton slung a wink in my direction. I winked back.

“So, hey, Brenton, ya thirsty?” Kora inquired, taking a seat next to me. “Because if you are Kevin will go with ya.” She looked at Kevin, then at Brenton.

“Yeah,” Kevin said, catching the very subtle hint in her voice.

Seeing the look on her face I immediately realized that something was up, and that she needed to talk about something privately.
Alone
. With
me
.

Brenton looked confused, then, comprehension fogged over his expression. “Yeah, OK. I guess I could use a coke or something. Ya want something, Clare?”

“Beer, please,” I answered sweetly.

“You got it!” He gestured to Kevin. “Come on, Kev. Your girlfriend thinks I need a babysitter or something.”

Kevin laughed and followed Brenton.

When they were out of earshot I glared directly into Kora's eyes. “OK, I know something's up. Spill it.”

Her laid-back smile changed into a straight line, her face serious. “Nick's here—and you are not gonna believe who his date is.”

Hearing Nick's name caused me to shudder, remembering the night he'd threatened me if I didn't get him back with Kora. Remarkably after that talk he'd kept his distance from Kora and me both, going out with a couple of different girls a week.

“OK, I'll bite—who's his date?”

She leaned closer to me, whispering, “Daria.”

My mouth fell open as waves of astonishment rolled into me. “No way!”

“Yes way,” she responded, taking a gulp of her beer. “Look over toward the bathrooms.”

Sure enough there was Nick by the bathrooms, his arm hanging casually over Daria's shoulders. As usual Daria's crew was there, also with a couple of flunkies hanging on them.

“
What a scuz!” I commented nastily. “Out of all the girls in this town, he picks your number one enemy to date. How pathetic is that?”

Kora cracked a lopsided grin. “Yeah. You'd think I'd be jealous, but I'm completely cool about the whole thing.”

“Are you really?”

“Of course,” she replied, still posting her lopsided grin. “Besides, I'm the lucky one—I'm with Mr. Right.” She giggled, finishing off her beer.

Glancing back at Nick and Daria, something invaded my eyes that literally almost stopped my heart. I rubbed my eyes with my fists, thinking they were blurry from all the smoke hovering in the air. But no. What I was seeing was really there.

Just above Nick's head was a rolling black cloud—at least, that's the best way I could describe it. It shimmered as it swirled, a mixture of black and gray. A warm sensation began in the palms of my hands, only this time it was different. This time the heat would intensify, then stop, then intensify, like a beating pulse. I took a peek at my hands and for the briefest of seconds it appeared that they were aglow with a bright red light, pulsating with the heat. After a few seconds the discomfort in my hands ceased.

Okay, that was different.

Looking back toward the bathrooms I was stunned to see Nick, Daria, and crew gone.

“Hey, ya beer's almost here,” Kora slurred, kicking my leg.

I felt my forehead crease, an ache beginning in my temples. Brenton and Kevin were walking back from the bar.

“Good. I think I need it.”

* * * *

“So, that was pretty fun,” I remarked to Brenton as we walked up my porch steps. The ride from the bowling alley had been a quiet one. We listened to music and I had rested my head on his shoulder, just enjoying being close to him.

“Yeah, it was fun for you,” he commented dryly. “You beat everyone's score. Where did ya learn to bowl like that?”

I tensed before I responded. “From my dad.”

He stopped right in front of the door, his eyes on his feet. “Oh.”

Anytime I brought up my parents I noticed how my friends would clam up, as if it were a sin to talk about them. Secretly I wished my aunt would give me that pleasure, but naturally, I wasn't that lucky.

“Wanna come in?” I asked, biting my bottom lip.

He smiled, running a hand through his hair. “What about your aunt?”

“Working.”

He gave my hand a squeeze. “Sure.”

We made it up the stairs and to my room when it hit me—I'd forgotten to clean it! Worrying about how good I looked had been the most important thought in my brain, putting the clean-my-room thought way at the bottom of my thinking list.

“How 'bout some music?” I asked, trying not to point out my disastrous room.

“Sure.” His eyes roamed my personal space. “Man, your room is a little bit on the shabby side.”

I shrugged his comment off because, well, it was true. “A.C. fired my maid.” I popped in my Green Day CD, turning the volume low.

“Hey, I can't believe you still have this.” He picked the picture frame from my nightstand, plopping down on my bed.

I scooted next to him. “Yeah. That one's a classic.”

The frame held a photo from back in the day. Brenton and I were five or six years old, on vacation at the beach. Our parents had been close, having cookouts and renting a beach house every summer. The last vacation the Millers and the Sparks had taken together was when I was twelve.

“You still have that bikini?” he asked, his eyes gleaming.

“You still have those Speedos?” I shot back.

“Good one,” he conceded, placing the frame back on the nightstand. “So.”

“So.”

“So it's kinda weird that Kev is so into Kora.”

“Yeah. I never thought that union would happen in a million years.”

He smiled his dimpled smile. “I guess a lot of people thought we'd never get together.”

“I guess we surprised them, huh?”

Scratching his chin his eyes roamed to his lap, letting out a nervous sounding laugh. We became quiet, not knowing what to do or say next. Tension was so thick in the air that not even a knife could slice through it.

Then, without giving it a second thought, I made my move.

Pushing him back against my pillows, placing my knees on the sides of his waist, I pinned him under me. He made a noise somewhere between shock and amusement, since I had successfully taken him by surprise.

“Clarity,” he said, resting his head back against my pillows, “what are ya doing?”

“Well,” I spoke amorously, seductively. “All I know is that we are alone,” I kissed his forehead, “in my house,” I kissed his ear, “on my bed,” kissed his lips, “together.” I nibbled his lower lip, hoping I'd answered his questions.

He groaned and wrapped his arms around me. Searching my face he asked, “Are you sure you're ready for this?” A slight waver inhabited his usual confident voice. I found it extremely cute.

I traced his lips with my finger.

“Yes,” I whispered, looking deeply into his eyes, placing a feather-light kiss on his soft lips.

Brenton smiled, grabbing the back of my head, pulling me to him, kissing me hard. I could feel the desire coming from him through his kisses. After awhile our simple kissing turned into something else, which resulted into hands roaming freely and our shirts being flung onto the floor. My heart was pounding so strenuously that I could actually feel my blood speeding through my veins. A rush of emotions I'd never had spread quickly through me like lightening, causing me to shiver with delight. He made a sound somewhere deep in his throat as my fingers began fumbling with the button of his jeans. Just as I unbuttoned them, Brenton stopped me. Or at least I thought it was Brenton.

“Clarity, don't.”

Leaning away from him I searched his eyes, confused. “What did you say?” I questioned him breathlessly.

He looked at me in confusion. “What? I didn't say anything.” His voice was raspy and his heart was pounding hard in his chest.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Don't be,” he said, pushing me off of him and climbing on top of me, my legs on each side of him. We began kissing again and I forgot everything, completing melting into him. His lips brushed my ear, my cheek, my neck. I reveled in this bliss, savoring it, enjoying my first taste of ecstasy. I didn't want this to end, this closeness, this security. Just me and Brenton and...

A familiar smell hit my nose. Lavender. Sam's smell.

Opening my eyes I almost screamed, my body tensing. There was Sam standing next to my opened window, leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed and his expression was grim.

Sam shook his head at me. “Please don't do this,” he told me, sadness plaguing his voice.

I gasped, causing Brenton to jolt backward. I pulled the sheets up to my chin, trying to control my shivering. My eyes felt so wide I thought they were going to jump from their sockets, and my mouth went slack with unbelief.

My expression must have scared Brenton because he quickly reacted with, “Clarity, what is it? Did I hurt you?” His eyes flooded with deep concern.

I was about to answer when Sam said, “He can't see or hear me.”

As my brain registers what Sam said, Brenton leans back on his knees.

“Are you OK?” Brenton asked, cupping my face with his hands delicately.

“Yeah,” I responded, hoping I sounded truthful. “I'm fine. I, um, thought I saw something by the window.”

Brenton turned his head and stared straight at Sam. I winced, expecting Brenton to go ballistic on a strange guy standing in my bedroom, watching us make-out. But instead of becoming angry, Brenton looked back at me without a word about Sam, shrugging. That just added more onto my growing perplexity.

“I don't see anything, Clarity.”

Sam smiled exultantly. “See. Told you,” he said, crossing his arms, as if proving his point. While he had been talking, Brenton had said something to me at the same time.

“W-what did y-you say?” I stuttered to Brenton.

“I asked if you were OK.” His brows creased with concern, his features twisted with uncertainty. “So, are you? OK?”

Looking at Sam, who was standing there with a smug expression, I blew out a long breath. Then before I could stop them, tears began flooding my cheeks. I covered my face with my hands, shocked to feel how warm they were.