Masquerade (36 page)

“
I’ll give you a
key.”

I bounced around in his
arms. The words
I love you
sprang onto my tongue. Instead I said, “Can I
help you look?”

“
I don’t know, it’s going
to be pretty boring,” he teased, faking a yawn.

I smacked him in the
stomach. He made an “oomph” sound and then grinned. “Okay, you can
help.”

“
I can’t wait!”

He was still grinning,
which
took all the warning out of his
tone, “It’s going to be a few weeks until I can move.”

I nodded sagely.

“
It probably won’t be that
nice of a place.”

“
Any place with you will be
heaven.” I ducked my head shyly.

He
lifted my chin with his finger; his eyes were soft. “I feel
exactly the same about you.”

“
Have a good day.” I said,
sorry he had to leave.

“
I’ll see you later?” His
voice was deep and low.

I shivered, liking the way he made me
feel. I walked him to his truck, and just before climbing in, he
looked at me with somber eyes. “Would you please stay inside today?
I’ll worry less if you do.”

I nodded. “Be careful.”

“
I will.” He kissed me
softly, briefly. “Go on in the house.”

I went, wondering the whole way how
long until China came for me.

“
What’s going on with you?”
Kimber demanded.

“
What? Nothing.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I know you better
than that. We’ve been friends forever.”

“
Why would you think there
was something wrong?” Like say, my boyfriend is a hellhound, and it
turns out that his hellhound roommate is stalking me and trying to
kill me? Or maybe my Bible-beating mother thinks that the
disfigurement on my face (that said stalker put there) is because I
have been marked by evil and that she thinks I’m about to go
completely postal at first chance?

She studied me. I felt like she was
trying to pick out which lie she should call me on. Then she
shrugged. “You just seem kind of jumpy and a little more
quiet.”

“
Me? Jumpy? Queen of the
panic attack and not wanting to go out in public?” I pressed my
hand to my chest like I was shocked she would say such
things.

“
Shut up.” She laughed. “I
guess you are like that all the time.” But then she looked around
her bedroom as if to make a point.
I
had been the one that wanted to
hang out there instead of going to our fave coffee shop. “I just
thought that stuff was getting better. You know with the wardrobe
changes and prom and Sam. But lately, since prom actually, you seem
to be worse.”

I never really thought Kimber was that
observant of anything that didn’t revolve around her. I scolded
myself immediately for that mean thought. Hadn’t she been the only
one (besides Cole) who came to the hospital and treated me
semi-normal after my attack? Hadn’t she stuck by me through all my
moodiness, my crying, and my panic attacks after I came home all
scarred and disfigured? She deserved more credit than I was giving
her.

Tears sprang to my eyes. Kimber was my
best friend, and she was right. Things had been super hard lately.
But I still couldn’t tell her why. “I’m sorry.”

“
I’m here if you need to
talk,” she prompted, dutifully ignoring my tears.

“
My mom thinks I’m evil,” I
blurted. Then I slapped my lips together.

“
What?” Kimber cried,
dropping her hair brush and rushing over to the side of the
bed.

I nodded, wiping at my eyes. What was
the harm in her knowing this? Other than it being embarrassing, it
wasn’t some big secret. “That’s really why I am staying at my
grandma’s.”

“
You said she needed help
at the farm.”

I nodded. “I was embarrassed, and she
really does need the help, but that’s not why I am
there.”

“
Tell me.”

So I did. I told her about Mom finding
me in the kitchen with Sam, and how he was only there to check on
me because I was sick (she still didn’t know the real reason I’d
missed school). I told her the things Mom said and about the camp
she was forcing me to go to this summer.

When I was finished talking, she
looked at me with wide eyes. “Whoa. Makes me kind of glad my
parents ignore me all the time.”

“
I don’t know what to do,”
I whispered.

“
It’s going to be okay.”
Kimber leaned in and side-hugged me. “Your mom will realize she’s
being crazy and back off.”

“
You think so?” I’d never
considered that before. I was always too busy wondering if she was
right.

“
Absolutely. Your mom is
strict, but she loves you. Maybe you should talk to her; try to
work it out.”

“
Maybe,” I murmured. The
idea had some merit. Maybe I wasn’t giving Mom enough credit. Maybe
if I went to her to talk, like an adult, then she would see I was
still the same girl I’d always been. I looked up at Kimber.
“Thanks.”

She smiled. “Anytime. Next
time, don’t be so slow in
telling me
what’s wrong.”

If she only knew.

At least she was satisfied that she
knew everything. I changed the subject. “How are you and Cole
getting along?”

“
Great! I would totally
suggest a double, but what the heck is up with Cole and
Sam?”

I rolled my eyes. “I have no
idea.”

“
Why can’t they just get
along?”

“
They would if they could
get over the ‘who’s more macho’ thingy.” I said.

“
For real,
girlfriend.”

Downstairs the doorbell rang. I
stiffened, a moment of panic freezing me. Would China find me here?
Was Kimber in danger by being with me?

“
Pizza’s here!” Kimber sang
out and left the room.

I took a moment before following her,
taking a deep breath as my fingers found my bracelet. The metal was
warm, and I thought of Sam. The safety I felt with him was so
strong that when we weren’t together it was like a hole in my
chest. My hand found my cell and my fingers itched to call or text
him, but I resisted. I shouldn’t rely on him for everything – how
exhausting that must be for him. I was his girlfriend, not his
child. I needed to act like it before I pushed him away.

Chapter
Nineteen

Heven

“
I was hoping we could
talk,” I said, using the most respectful tone I knew.

“
Sure honey, come on
in.”

We both sat on the sofa. It was the
same sofa we’d been sitting on for years. “I wanted to apologize
for just leaving that day. We didn’t really have a chance to talk
things over.”

“
You mean the fact that you
are marked by evil?”

She said it so casually, like she just
accepted it.

“
I don’t really feel like I
am marked by evil, Mom. I feel like the same girl I’ve always
been.”

“
That’s the evil inside
you, influencing you, making you think that you are on the right
path.”

“
I am not on an evil path,”
I said, trying to hold on to my patience.

“
You need to come back to
church.”

“
I will. That’s a great
idea.”

“
Break up with that sinner
boyfriend of yours.”

“
I won’t do that, Mom.” How
could she ask that of me?

“
I know what he is, Heven.
He’s part of the evil in your life.”

“
No, Mom. Sam is a good
person.”

“
Don’t worry, Heven. I
found someone to help get the evil out of you.”

“
You have?” A knot formed
in the pit of my stomach.

Mom got up and went to the front door.
She opened it and in walked China. She had long, flowing black
hair, and her red nails looked like claws. She smiled a feral
smile. “I’m here to help you.” She laughed.

I jumped up from the couch and
screamed. “She’s the evil one! Don’t trust her!”

“
Turn away from the evil,
Heven.”

China advanced on me, her movements
like that of a big cat.

“
Sam,” I
whimpered.

China laughed. She laughed so hard
that I could see the back of her throat. In a low, flat voice she
said, “He’s dead. I killed him. You’ll never see him
again.”

“
No!” I screamed, panic
filling my chest. “Sam!”

China leaped on me and I fought. I
fought so hard…

“
Heven! Wake up,
sweetheart. Wake up!” Sam shook me, whispering fiercely.

“
Sam?” I blinked. Fear made
me tremble.

“
I’m here,
honey.”

A broken sob escaped me, and I fell
into him. “You’re safe,” I murmured. “You’re safe.”

He tensed and swiftly pulled away.
“No!” I cried. He disappeared out the window. Tears streaked my
face. He was gone.

The bedroom door swung open and
Grandma was backlit by the hall light. “Heven? Are you all
right?”

I cleared my throat. “I’m fine, Gran.
I’m sorry I woke you. I was having a bad dream.”

“
Want me to sit with you
awhile?”

“
No. Thanks. I hardly
remember what it was about.”

“
Well if you’re sure…” she
came farther into the room to peck a kiss on my forehead. “Sleep
well.”

“
I love you,” I told
her.

“
As I love you.” She closed
the door softly behind her.

I looked at the window. I waited and
waited. More tears gathered in my eyes only to spill over. Where
was he? I buried my face in the sheets and cried softly, trying not
to disturb my grandmother again.

Gentle hands pried the sheets from my
fingers and smoothed them on the bed. “I’m so sorry I had to leave
like that,” Sam said, his voice pained.

I nodded.

“
She went downstairs for a
drink before she went back to bed. I had to wait. I’m so
sorry.”

“
It’s okay.” My voice was
husky, like I hadn’t used it in years.

“
You had a nightmare.” He
slid beneath the sheets and gathered me against him, pulling the
blankets around us. “You’re shaking.”

“
China said she killed
you.” My voice wobbled. “She said I would never see you
again.”

“
I’m here,” he murmured,
brushing his strong hands through my tangled hair.

“
I tried to be
strong.”

“
You are
strong.”

“
I need you,” I admitted. I
couldn’t help it.

“
You’ve got me.”

“
For how long?” I
whimpered.

“
As long as breath fills my
lungs, I will never leave you.”

I pressed myself so close to him I
thought he might complain.

“
She’s coming for me.” I
felt it in my bones.

“
Not tonight, baby. Sleep.
I’ll watch over you.”

I slept.

I woke groggy and tired. I rolled
over, reaching for Sam. He wasn’t there. I sat up, forcing my eyes
open. “Sam?”

The room was empty. I flopped back
down on the pillows as last night’s dream filled my head. China was
back, and I was in danger, but I wasn’t worried about me, I was
worried about Sam. What if he’d gone out this morning to find her?
What if he was hurt? I groaned and swung my legs over the mattress.
A piece of paper was propped up against the clock.

Don’t worry-I’ll be back
soon.

I love you.

It made me feel a little better. I
tried my best to push away the cobwebs and went to take a hot
shower. The water felt good, and I stayed until the water turned
cold. I took my time in the bathroom, blowing my hair until it was
smooth and shiny. It had grown long this past year, falling to just
beyond the middle of my back. Knowing I couldn’t stall the day any
longer, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink and white striped
T-shirt. I gave Sam’s note one last glance before heading
downstairs for breakfast.

I was crunching on some cereal when
Grandma came in from outside. “Aren’t you going to be late for
school?”

“
Nope, teacher
workday.”

“
That’s nice.” She went to
the sink to wash her hands. “Now that spring has arrived, there’s
going to be a lot more to do around here.”

“
I’ll help out. Just make
me a list of what needs to be done.”

She turned from the sink, smiling.
“You already do too much.”

“
Taking care of the horses
and the barn isn’t that much,” I argued. “I was wondering if maybe
you could teach me about the orchard? Maybe I could take care of
it?”

“
You’re interested in the
orchard?” She seemed surprised.