Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1) (22 page)

“We’re
late you know,” he said.

“Sorry
I just woke up when I heard the doorbell, I’ll be right down!” I sprinted back
up the stairs.

He
was in the kitchen snacking on my breakfast when I came back down, and I
grabbed a couple pieces of the bacon before we headed out the door. We knew we
would be headed to sweep when we arrived, but Eli didn’t seem to care at all. I
on the other hand was worried about missing our test in first hour.

Eli
passed me a note while we sat in sweep. I wasn’t sure how he managed to write
it without anyone seeing, but when I looked up the teacher wasn’t paying
attention.

                               
I don’t have to go away!
Help is coming.
    
Hopefully we can
outsmart Pete before he even

           
tries anything.

                
                  
-Eli

         
That
was great news. I was so relieved. I couldn’t understand why it mattered so much
suddenly what he did. I felt victorious even though it was premature.

               
The rest of the day was
mind-numbingly boring. The only part out of the ordinary was the new student,
Ren, who Eli invited to sit with us at lunch. He and Eli seemed to be fast friends
already. I felt a twinge of jealousy. Was Eli upset that his best friend was a
girl; this girl? Maybe Ren would become his best friend too. Then I would have
to share him. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of having to share him with
anyone.

Ren
was light-skinned and his hair was so blonde it was white. He was probably six
feet tall and 200 pounds to match. As much as I wanted to dislike him, I
couldn’t. He had a great outgoing personality, and was fun and interesting to
boot. He brought something new to our lunch table dynamic.

Eli
made plans with Ren after school, so I decided to call Bailey once I got home.
I asked if she could come over, but unfortunately she couldn’t.

           
I did my homework and went downstairs
to decide what to make for dinner. I found a note that my mom wouldn’t be home
till later than normal that night so I was on my own. I decided to make myself
some macaroni and cheese since I was already hungry, and I ate in front of the
TV.

           
It had been a long time since I had
eaten macaroni and cheese at home and it tasted really good. It was one of my
favorite comfort foods that I used to eat a lot when I was little, and it made
me feel good now. I ran upstairs when I was finished eating, grabbed my laptop,
and brought it back downstairs. I checked my email first.

               
No new emails. I was thoroughly
surprised. What was going on with Kelly? She didn't normally take so long
respond.

As
busy as I had been, combined with the fact that I had almost been inseparable
with Eli, I hadn’t had a chance to be lonely. That was exactly what I was
feeling now. I sat in silence watching TV with my knees pulled up to my chin. I
never used to get lonely in California. It made me feel homesick.

           
My phone rang startling me.

           
I picked up without looking to see
who it was. “Hello?”

           
“Are you okay?”

               
I knew in an instant it was Eli.
“What? I’m fine, why?”

               
“Your mood shifted, it feels…” he
paused, measuring up the words in his mind. “Sad.”

               
This mood thing was really
wreaking havoc on my private thoughts. I couldn’t really have any emotions
without it being cast out to Eli, like a beacon in a lighthouse summoning him
to the shoreline.

               
“I’m fine. I was just feeling a
little… lonely, that’s all,” I said.

           
“Oh, isn’t your mom there?” he
asked.

               
It was 6:30 in the evening and
she normally would have been home by now, so it was only a natural for him to
ask.

               
“No, she’s going to be late
tonight. It’s not a big deal though. Like I said, I’m fine.”

               
“You should have called me! I’ll
be there in five minutes,” he said.

               
“No, Eli. I don’t want you to
change your plans just for me.” I struggled to get the last few words out
clearly. I tried to hold back the inevitable waterworks. Nobody had ever cared
so much about me. In that moment, I couldn’t take it. It meant so much to me
that he was there for me in so many ways I was beginning to lose track. 

               
“Don’t cry,” he said softly.

               
“I’m not,” I sniffled. “I’m
fine!” The tears were gliding slowly down my face. I couldn’t stop them as hard
as I tried.

               
There was a knock at the door. I
hesitated, embarrassed to answer the door looking like I did. I opened it
slowly and in an instant he had his arms around me, strong and safe. The tears
flowed freely now.

           
“Can I help?” he asked. “Please, I
hate seeing you like this. I can’t bear it.”

               
I knew exactly what he meant.
“Yes,” I whispered.

               
I was engulfed in a light breeze
and my sad emotions faded. Happiness and contentment washed over me like the
cool waves of the ocean, filling my soul with love.

               
He stood there holding me until I
pulled away. I couldn’t look him in the eye so I just stared at the floor as I
walked into the living room.

               
“I’m sorry,” I said. I felt so
silly. Even though he was helping me feel better, I felt guilty and ashamed. I
should have been able to control my feelings as well as Eli could, but I’d
obviously failed at that. I knew everything was taking more of a toll on me
than I had originally thought, otherwise being alone tonight would never have
bothered me so badly. I had no idea how to make everything better. It was
uncharted territory.

               
He brushed the side of my face
with his hand. “You don't have any reason to be sorry.”

               
His touch sent shivers throughout
my body, spiraling down from his fingertips. I pulled away quickly and walked
across the room, wrapping my arms around myself as I looked out the window.

               
“Want anything to drink?” I
asked, quickly hoping to cover the fact that I couldn’t handle his touch. It
overwhelmed me with feelings I couldn’t face. Feelings I didn’t quite
understand just yet.

               
“No thanks,” he said quietly.

               
I knew he must already know how
uneasy I was feeling. It was starting to sink in that he was in tune with every
emotion I ever felt. It felt like I had every one of my private thoughts
written across my forehead like a
jumbotron
at a
basketball game, scrolling through them all rapidly, one by one.

               
In a flash I was in the kitchen
gripping the counter, hunched over it taking deep breaths. It was getting
harder and harder to keep my distance from Eli. He was such an amazing presence
in my life. It was like quicksand, and I was stuck. I took a minute to collect
myself before I returned to the living room empty-handed.

               
“I thought you were hanging out
with Ren tonight,” I said.

               
“I did. He already went home for
the night.”

               
“You guys seem to have really hit
it off,” I stated almost sarcastically.

“Abby,
I thought you realized,” he paused searching my eyes for recognition. “He’s not
just a student. He’s our back up. He and I go way back. His dad is friends with
mine so we grew up together, but he’s actually quite a bit older than us.”

That
sure explained why he was so chummy with him. I felt kind of stupid being
jealous, after all, he was there to help us and he was an old friend. Ren came
into Eli’s life far sooner than I. I decided then and there that I would make
more of an effort to be extra friendly with Ren.

“Oh,”
was all I could say. I couldn’t admit how I had originally felt about him, but
maybe Eli already knew. I felt so stupid. I wasn’t exactly sure how much of my
emotions he felt. It was so alien to think that way. Truthfully, I did really
like Ren. He seemed like a good person and probably an awesome asset to have on
our team. “How old is he?” I asked.

“Do
you really want to know?” he asked carefully.
             
“Of course I do, think I can’t handle it? I think I have proved worthy,” I
boasted with a big cheesy grin.

He
laughed. “Yes, yes you have. He is… 65.”

Sixty-five?
Man, he wasn’t kidding about not
seeming to age. Ren looked younger than I did, but he was a whole 49 years
older than me, and he definitely acted the same as the other kids at school.

“Really?”
I asked.

“Yep.”

“How
is it that he seems so young, I don’t mean his looks but his personality?” I
asked.

“Well,
I guess even though we gain knowledge from the years we’re on Earth, we still
act the age we look. Sure does make it easier for the Protectors that are
really old to blend in. Imagine trying to fit into a younger generation when
you are like 150!” he exclaimed.

I
hadn’t really thought of it like that. Whoever had come up with the lifestyles
for the Protectors really had thought of everything; everything except the hurt
of leaving loved ones behind. It was a concept I didn’t let myself think about
often. It made me sad to think that someday Eli would have to leave me. It hurt
even more to think that not only would he someday have to leave, but then he
would go on to share a similar relationship with someone else. How could he?
But I knew the answer to that too—he wouldn’t have a choice.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The
next day I paid a lot more attention to Ren. I made every effort to make him as
close a friend to me as Bailey and Eli. The only problem was Bailey was absent.
I wondered if she was sick and decided to call her at lunch to see if she was
okay.

As
it turned out Ren was in my first hour, as well as my fourth. I was glad to
know he would be in two of my classes. Up until then, I had yet to make new
friends in my fourth hour and now it seemed I wouldn’t have to.

When
I was leaving my third hour, Bailey’s boyfriend Ryan approached me.

“Hey
Abby,” he said awkwardly.
                       

He
had been to my house and sat with us every day at lunch, but I realized at that
moment we hadn’t spoken much. It had always just been the niceties, then going
about our business. I felt bad that I hadn’t taken more of an interest in
getting to know him, not just because he was a friend, but because he was
Bailey’s boyfriend. 

“Hey
Ryan, what’s up?” I responded cheerfully.

“Have
you talked to Bailey today?” he asked.

“No,
I haven’t. Why?” I asked with concern.

“She
didn’t answer her phone last night. She didn’t call me back, and now she’s not
at school today. I’m just worried about her,” he finished.

“I’m
sure she’s okay, but I’ll give her a call at lunch to check in.”

He
walked with me the rest of the way to lunch.

I
mentioned to Eli in his ear what Ryan had told me as we walked in, and I
watched him look at Ryan and then to Ren. I wandered out of the lunchroom where
it would be quieter to call Bailey.

The
cell phone number was already on my speed dial so I pressed her unique number
and hit call. It rang for a long time before it finally went to her voicemail.
Her perky voice telling me to leave a message at the tone filled my ear and it
was over as quickly as it had begun.

Feeling
defeated, I went back into the cafeteria and the look on my face spoke volumes.
She still hadn’t answered.

“I’ll
go over to her house afterschool to check on her. I’m sure she’s fine,” I
encouraged.

We
were all worried about her. She didn’t usually disappear like this. For the
first time that day, I genuinely hoped she was sick. Fearful things raced
through my mind like car accidents and hospitals.

Our
lunch hour wasn’t the same. It was quieter without the happy, overly energetic
Bailey. She wasn’t talking animatedly about the different types of clothes,
shoes, and jewelry that she was working with. It was clear now that she was the
glue that kept our unique group together. She was the one that kept our
conversation not only carefree and happy, but she kept it pouring out of
everyone.

After
school Eli, Ren and I drove to Bailey’s house first. Nobody answered. It was
strange, but then again maybe she was sleeping.

When
I got back in the car Eli and Ren stopped talking and were staring at me with
looks that told me they didn’t want to tell me something, and if they didn’t
want to tell me then it must mean bad news.

“What?”
I asked.

Eli
held up my phone. The screen displayed a text message. It was from Pete.
Pete?

Looking
for Bailey? Won’t find her there…

My
heart sank. I should have listened to that nagging feeling that something just
wasn’t right.

“He
has her, doesn’t he?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“I’d
say so,” Eli answered sadly.

“Why?”
I asked.

“To
get to us, to get to you,” Eli answered again.

“Why
don’t you take me home and you guys can talk. I’ll come to Abby’s house after I
grab a few things,” Ren said.

After
dropping Ren off we got to my house in 10 minutes flat.

After
going inside to wait for Ren I couldn’t contain my frustration anymore.
“Shouldn’t we be hurrying? He has Bailey. Who knows what he’s going to do! Or
what he’s already done!” I blurted out. I knew that I wasn’t frustrated with
Eli, but for some reason that was exactly how it sounded.

Eli
did the opposite of what I would have expected once again, grabbing my hands to
guide me over to the couch. His touch sent shivers through my body starting at
his fingertips. It touched me in places that could not be seen. Color flushed
my face.

“Abby,
Pete wants to get to you. He knows Bailey is your best friend and you would do
whatever you could to get her back. She needs you to keep calm. There is only
one way to get her back that Ren and I could think of, it’s the one thing we
know Pete wants. We’re going to have to use you as bait. Do you know what that
means?” he asked.

“I
have to go by myself, right?” I said in monotone.

“Yes,”
he responded. “Can you call him?”

I
picked up my phone without answering and pressed Pete’s name. He picked up on
the third ring.

“Well,
if it isn’t Eli’s girlfriend. Does your boyfriend know you are calling me?” he
asked snidely.

Eli’s
ear was pressed to the back of the phone so he could hear everything. He shook
his head signaling me to say no.

“No,”
I said quickly.

“Good,
at least you have some brains in that pretty little head,” he said in a
condescending tone. “So I assume you are calling about Bailey?”

He
was enjoying his little tirade of torture. I vowed to not let him see how he
was affecting me, the way I knew it would be screaming loud and clear to Eli by
now. It unnerved me that he had the upper hand.

“Yeah,”
I said nonchalantly. “Where is she?”

“With
me and my friends of course,” he laughed.

This
was all a game to him and it made me sick. I could hear others talking in
hushed voices in the background. I wondered briefly how many ‘friends’ he had
helping him.

“What
do you want, Pete?” I said plainly.

“Why
you of course,” he chimed.

“Me
for Bailey?” I asked.

“Yep,
it’s that simple,” he answered. “
But
, you need to come alone. I don’t
want to see Eli’s face poking around where it doesn’t belong!”

I
forgot that Eli was listening for the moment and I suddenly was wondering what
he thought of all this. I hoped that he approved of how I was handling it.

“Fine,
when? Where?”

“
Papago
Park, it seems to be a favorite place of your beau,
so let’s say meet there in one hour.”

“I’ll
be there,” I said. I had never been more sure of anything.

I
hung up as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I didn’t want to listen to
Pete’s ramblings any more than I had to. Man, what had I seen in him? Now he
just disgusted me. The thought that I ever kissed that frog made my stomach
churn. It was embarrassing that everyone knew of our short romance that I
regretted whole-heartedly. I guess that’s why they say young high school kids
are flippant about dating.

“What’s
the plan?” I asked turning to Eli.

“You
meet him,” he said simply.

“That’s
not what I meant.”

There
was a knock at the door.

“I
know. I was waiting for Ren,” he said as he went to answer the door.

Eli
and Ren started forming the plan only asking for my input occasionally, though
I’m not sure how much it really mattered in the scheme of things. It was hard
to keep up so I didn’t even try, but when they had finalized every detail they
explained everything to me.

Ren
was going to drive me to meet Pete. Eli would follow and meet us there
incognito. He would find a place to watch at a safe distance so not to be
discovered. Pete didn’t know Ren so he wouldn’t suspect if he came with me as
my driver to pick up Bailey. The fact that Bailey wouldn’t know Ren was so
close to Eli worked in our favor, as she wouldn’t give us away. We would trade
positions and Ren would leave with Bailey and I would go with Pete. At that point,
Eli would follow Pete in his car to see where he took me. By that time we were
hoping to have Bailey home and Ren on his way to us for back up. From there on
out it would have to play out as it came. There was no planning for how Pete
would react, but we at least hoped to have the element of surprise over him.
The plan was to infiltrate the whole team rather than just Pete to hopefully
avoid future problems. That would give us an idea how many and who we were up
against.

It
was the first time I was scared for myself. What would Pete do once I was alone
with him? Plans rarely work as they are supposed to. I knew that better than
most. There were always a few bumps along the way. I hoped that this would be
one time things went smoothly. My nerves were getting the best of me, and I was
worrying about all the ways things could go wrong.

“Don’t
be scared. I’ll be right there with you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He was holding my left hand rubbing the top with his thumb. “I don’t like
making you do this anymore than you do and even if I disagree with it, Ren and
I agree that this is the only way to get Bailey back safely.”

Even
though it is crazy having someone always in tune with exactly how you felt all
the time, it was comforting too. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone even when
I really was. I held onto that going into this. I would always have Eli there
with me. I squeezed his hand.

I
took a deep breath. “Ready?”

“If
you are, we are,” Eli said looking at Ren.

I
had never seen
Ren’s
car before, but it was as
amazing as Eli’s. He said it was a 1969 Pontiac Le Mans. It was bright blue
with a white pin stripe down the side. It was a hard top convertible, which
made me like it even more. The interior was done in cream with accents of
black. Everything was fully restored to a new glory that it probably never had
to begin with.

Ren
was such a gentleman. He walked around the car and opened my door for me. One
thing was certain; just because he acted my age didn’t mean he lost his
gentlemanly ways of an older man. It was a good thing in my book. I only wished
there were more gentlemen out there that were my age.

We
had a 20-minute drive to
Papago
Park. We hoped to get
there before Pete so that we could decide on the meeting point. Of course we
wanted somewhere in the open for Eli to watch.

I
kept my hands folded in my lap to prevent myself from fumbling around with
them. It was a nervous habit I was trying to break.

“So
how long have you known Eli?” Ren asked when we got on the freeway.

“We
met on the first day of school.”

“Of
this year?” he asked, seeming surprised.

“Yep,”
I answered.

“Wow,
I don’t think I have ever seen a bond as strong as yours so quickly!” he said.

“What
do you mean?”

“You
and Eli, the closeness you share, it’s special. I guess that makes sense
though,” he said vaguely.

“It
makes sense? How so?”

His
cryptic words were really confusing me. Why would it make sense that our bond
was special or even any different from the next? Really? Had I just thought
that? Comparing our bond with others really struck a chord with me. What were
the others like? Were they going though what we were? Were these situations
always so complicated? I had to imagine that they weren’t. It seemed anything
to do with me had a way of making itself more complicated.

“He
hasn’t told you?”

I
shrugged, not sure exactly what he was referring to.

“Oh,
well I shouldn’t say anything, I’m sorry, it’s just not my place. I shouldn’t
have said anything.”

Was
Eli keeping something from me? Or was I just missing something? He told me
himself he wouldn’t keep things from me unless he had to. So I must not have
understood something that was crucial. It was just like me to misunderstand
things here and there.

“How
long have you known Eli?” I asked.

“I’ve
known him since he was born, his dad and I go way back.”

“Wow,
you must know a lot about Eli,” I said.

“You
could say that. I’ve sort of been a mentor to him through his Protector
journey, at least before you came along. There was a lot he needed to learn
before you were here. After his dad left, I was here for a while. His dad would
be so proud if he saw him now.”

It
wasn’t my place to be proud of him for what Ren was referring to, but I was
certainly proud to have him in my life.

“He
is pretty awesome,” I said.

“From
what I hear so are you,” he said, a tinge of jealousy in his tone.

I
blushed. Maybe I was imagining the jealousy. I couldn’t imagine what he had to
be jealous of. He hardly knew me. Before I could say anything else we were
pulling left into the parking lot. I could see Eli making a right turn behind
us instead. I didn’t see Pete’s car yet in the parking lot, so it appeared that
we had beat him. We parked closest to the picnic area and sat in the car while
we waited. Ren said it was better that way, because if Pete decided to try
anything underhanded we could make a quick getaway.