Seconds Before Sunrise (The Timely Death Trilogy), page 19
Crystal’s stereo vibrated the car as she zoomed past the last corner of Hayworth. I tensed when a red light flickered past a fence by the road.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Crystal turned her stereo down. “What’s what?” she asked, peering out the same window.
I blinked, and it was gone. I shook my head, wondering if my lack of sleep was affecting my vision again. “Never mind,” I dismissed my question, looking over my shoulder once more to see the red light again. It wasn’t there.
“We could get him a gift,” Crystal suggested, and I had to replay our conversation to realize she was still talking about Eric.
“Christmas is weeks away.”
“His birthday isn’t,” she said. “It’s in a few days, isn’t it?”
“I forget you guys used to be friends,” I mumbled, but Crystal ignored me.
“We’ll go shopping,” she continued, winking. “And then you’ll give it to him, and he’ll realize how he feels about you.”
My stomach twisted. “That’s kind of superficial.”
“Do you have a better plan?”
I didn’t, and I couldn’t deny it.
“Okay,” I sighed, forcing my hopes down. I didn’t want to get excited if I were only going to be let down again. “But I don’t know what to get him.” I didn’t even know what he liked.
“That’s what shopping is for,” Crystal said, turning her car toward town. “It’ll be fun.”
Eric
When I transported, it was snowing. The yard in front of Jessica’s house was silent, and her house was as dark as my midnight timing. She was probably sleeping, completely unaware that my birthday was two days away. She didn’t even know my best friend was guarding her house.
“Shoman,” Pierce’s grumble appeared before he did. A black hole stretched across the grass, and he stepped out of it. “You could’ve at least been a little more discrete with your arrival.”
His nonchalant attitude confused me.
He chuckled. “Camille already told me the plan.”
Of course she did. “So, you’ll help me?”
He cracked his neck. “I’ll help you until the end,” he said, speaking like there would be one. “I’ve been scouting the area since the list.”
My eyes darted around the front yard. He was right. Darthon could be waiting. “Any sign of him?”
“None,” he said. “Just don’t put your guard down.”
“But Camille isn’t here,” I punned, and his cocky demeanor shifted.
“It’s my job to make jokes at times like this,” he said, and we laughed as if we weren’t rebelling against the Dark. When our laughter died, I stared at her bedroom window.
“Are you actually going to do this?” he whispered, and the snow shook the nearest tree as if it knew how I was feeling.
“How long do I have?” I asked.
“Five minutes,” Pierce said, laying out his hands. The world rippled with green waves of light, expanding and contorting around the house. “Starting now.”
And I was gone, transporting into her bedroom before my thoughts could hold me back. The cold air slammed against my chest, cooler than outside, and I gasped as I solidified. I wasn’t prepared for it.
“It’s you.”
I wasn’t prepared for that either.
Her startled voice echoed against my eardrums, and I pressed my back against the wall. My eyes locked onto her, sitting up in her bed, fully awake − like she was expecting me.
“You—you’re—”
“Real,” I finished, unsure of what else to say.
She was barely moving, and the expression on her face wasn’t comforting.
“Please, don’t scream,” I said. “But you’re not dreaming − not this time.”
Her fingers curled around her blankets. “I won’t scream,” she said, but her voice shook.
I crossed the room before she could say anything else. I sat on her bed, grabbed her hand, and her fingers shook beneath my touch. “These dreams you’re having—”
“They aren’t dreams.” Her tone suggested she had always known.
It was too late to turn back. “We took your memory away, okay? But you’re in trouble, and there’s a man after you, and—”
“That explains a few things,” she said it before she kissed me, and it was unlike any kiss we had ever shared. It was desperate. She wanted it, even without knowing me, and I wanted her more than anything. I had to push her away.
“We can’t,” I breathed.
Her forehead pressed against mine. “I know.”
“Jessica, I came here to tell you what we took from you.”
She blinked.
“The Dark—”
“Why’d you take my memory?” she asked.
I stared at her, unsure if I had the time to explain. “It was your plan,” I admitted, remembering the moment she proposed the idea in front of everyone, willingly giving me up for the safety of others. “Do you remember anything?” I asked it, even though I already knew the answer.
“I don’t remember anything,” she said. “Should I?”
Camille’s theory was wrong. Even I couldn’t break the seal on her. I grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. “I have to take you to the shelter.” I didn’t care how much trouble we would get in.
She let me go and stepped back. She wasn’t coming.
I turned around, gaping at her. “You need your powers,” I said. “And they’re the only ones who can return them.”
She was glaring. “Then, why wouldn’t you do that in the first place?” She wasn’t even scared to learn she had powers. It was completely unlike the first time I met her. “You’re in trouble because of this.” Her guess reminded me of the intuition she always had about the Dark’s matters.
“We’ll be in more trouble if this Darthon guy knows who we are,” I argued, but a glaze slid over her eyes.
“I know it’s you, Eric.”
Her words stole my breath.
“And I bet they do, too,” she said.
I let her go. “I have to go,” I said, turning away, but she grabbed my hand.
“Are you going to be okay?”
I couldn’t look back at her. She knew as much as the Light did, and she didn’t even have to be a supernatural being to figure it out. “You’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about me,” she said. “I was asking about you.”
I thought of the war − how Darthon suspected me, how my name was on a list, how Jessica was probably on another list. “If I don’t give up, I should be.” But I already felt like I was surrendering. Jessica wasn’t safe, neither was I, and we couldn’t protect one another. We never could.
“Promise me you won’t give up,” she said, but doom had never felt more inevitable.
“I love you, Jessica,” I said.
From behind me, she wrapped her arms around my back, and I stared at her petite hands in the dark. “Please, don’t say it like it’s a death sentence,” she whispered. “Wait until I come back, and say it again.”
“Okay,” I said, disappearing before I admitted the truth.
I didn’t know if I would have the chance to say it again.
Jessica
I couldn’t breathe, and it didn’t matter how much time passed.
After Eric − whatever he was − left, I stayed awake to prove I hadn’t been dreaming. He was the same man I dreamt about, and a part of me had known that since I kissed him during my drunken stupor. Kissing him again was the only confirmation I needed, but I didn’t know what to do with the information.
The sunrise burned my eyes, but nothing was as painful as the reality my dreams had morphed into. The Dark was real, even if I didn’t know what it was, and Eric wasn’t human. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t either.
I clutched my mug of hot tea, ignoring the heat as it spread over my fingertips. I had powers. What they entailed, I didn’t know, but I used to know. I used to know everything, including what happened at prom, and I couldn’t believe I had given it up to protect people I couldn’t even remember, people who were in trouble.
I laid my head in my hands and gripped my scalp, knowing I had literally lost my mind. I wasn’t any better than anyone else.
“Jessie?”
I sprang up, hitting my knees on the table, and my tea splashed over the rim. I waved my hand in the air and hissed before my mom walked around me.
“Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing a paper towel off of the countertop. She handed it to me as I wiped the hot liquid away, but I couldn’t look at her. Did she even know who − or what – she adopted?
“Mom,” I began as she sat down. “Did I—” I didn’t even know how to word it. Did I have powers as a kid? Was I different? How was I supposed to ask something that would possibly put me in an asylum?
“What’s bothering you, sweetheart?” she asked, folding her hands on the table. She looked like she had gotten less sleep than me.
“Why’d you adopt me?” I blurted out the only phrase I could muster.
She smiled like she had heard the question one hundred times. “Your father and I couldn’t have kids,” she said, reaching over to grab my hand. I knew she could feel my fingers shaking. “It’s been a blessing.”
She sounded like a Hallmark card. “Was it ever difficult?” I asked. “Was I ever different?”
“Different?” she repeated the word like she didn’t know the meaning.
“Did you ever look into my parents’ health records? Things like that,” I tried to justify my question, but she seemed to be slipping further away. If the Dark had taken my memories, I didn’t doubt they did it to her, too.
“Are you having problems?” she asked, her eyebrows squeezing together. “You can tell me anything.”
Yeah, right. Like explaining how a boy from school had appeared in my bedroom as a totally different person would be accepted.
“No,” I sighed, hanging my head as I moved my hand away. “I’m okay.”
“Having nightmares again?”
I tensed as if I hadn’t told her, even though I knew I had. But the meaning had changed − now they were real.
“I had them as a kid, right?” I asked, remembering her talk about it.
“You grew out of them when we moved away. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to move back,” she said, tying her hair up. “There’s something not right with this town.”
“I don’t want to move again,” I said it without contemplating the words, but it was the truth. I was meant to be in Hayworth. Every part of me knew it.
“But—”
“I like it here,” I said, standing up from the table. “I’m sorry if I worried you.” My words sounded forced, but she accepted it. It was as if she had forgotten how to discipline me.
“Don’t worry, Jessie,” she said. “We aren’t planning to leave any time soon.”
I knew my next move. “Can I borrow the car?” I asked. “I told Crystal I’d go Christmas shopping today.”
“Sure,” she said, gesturing to the key ring on the wall. “Take a fifty, too. Get something for yourself.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I tried not to sound guilty.
There was only one person I wanted to see, and it wasn’t Crystal.
I went upstairs, threw on clothes, and grabbed Eric’s birthday present. He wanted me to stay away, but I couldn’t. I had to confront him, and he was the only thing on my mind as I rushed downstairs.
“Bye,” I shouted, knowing my parents were lingering within earshot.
I opened the door and rushed into the cold, stopping short when I reached our front porch.
“I tried calling you,” Crystal said, wrapping her arms around her torso as my eyes darted behind her.
Robb and Zac were in my driveway.
“What are they doing here?” I hissed.
Crystal rolled her dark eyes. “Robb wants to make up,” she said. “I couldn’t stop them, so I came with them.” Her frustration grew into a frown. “Trust me, this isn’t my idea of a good time.”
I tightened my coat as my heart slammed itself against my ribs. If Eric was right, someone was after me, and his name was Darthon. But Eric had looked like a completely different person. I didn’t know if Robb and Zac were who they said they were.
“I don’t want to make up,” I shouted to the boys as I stomped past Crystal. I only wanted to leave, but Robb’s Suburban was behind my car. I couldn’t leave until they did.
“I told you it was impossible,” Robb mumbled, but Zac didn’t give up.
“It’ll only take a minute.”
I dug my boots into the freshly fallen snow. “It should take a lot longer than a minute to make up for what Robb did,” I argued.
“So, let’s take a couple of hours,” Zac suggested. “All of us can get lunch and talk.” He was smirking. “Unless you’re too tired, of course. You look like you didn’t sleep last night.”
I had seen myself in the mirror. My lack of sleep wasn’t obvious, but I bet my shaking hands were. Zac’s eyes were all over them.
“Who’s the present for?” he questioned.
I tightened my grip, hoping my fingers would lock in place, and turned to Robb. “I’d appreciate if you got your car out of my driveway,” I said.
Robb’s eyes widened when I met his gaze. He hadn’t been expecting it.
“I’d do anything to make it up to you, Jess,” he spoke as if he hadn’t heard what I said. “Anything.”
“See?” Zac’s voice had deepened. “He cares about you.”
“And Linda?” I asked, hoping to gain an advantage. “I would think she’d want to be a part of this conversation.” I doubted she even knew what Robb did.
“Come on, Jess,” Zac coaxed. “Let’s focus on the problem here. Robb was drunk and—” His black eyes dipped to my neck, but I knew my bruises were gone. “Robb hit you.” His tone made my injuries feel as if they’d returned.
“He choked me,” I corrected in a shaky voice.
The darkness in Zac’s eyes was suddenly more frightening than what Robb had done. I moved away only for him to reposition himself.
I glared at him. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
He leaned in. “But haven’t you been through worse?”
I froze as Crystal rushed to my side. She grabbed my arm like she was my bodyguard. “She doesn’t want to,” she said, but her voice was quieter than usual.
Zac skimmed his hand across her arm. “Friendships shouldn’t end so easily, don’t you think?”
It wasn’t easy, but Crystal didn’t argue, and I couldn’t speak. Zac knew something, and he had threatened me with it.
“You were both drunk,” Zac continued, controlling the debate. “Neither of you knew what you were doing.”
Robb sulked over from his Suburban, his hands in his pockets. “I know it isn’t forgivable,” he said. “But I can try to make it up to you.”
“And everyone can use more friends,” Zac added. “No one likes to be alone.”
His words lingered like his continuous threat. It hadn’t even occurred to me that going out alone was dangerous because I was too focused on Eric.
“I’m not alone,” I said, gesturing to Crystal, and she straightened up.
“But she wants you two to be friends again,” Zac spoke for her, meeting her eyes. “Or is that not what you told me last night?”
I whipped around to face her, and the flush of her cheeks gave away her guilt.
“I thought you were on my side,” I said.
“I am,” she squeaked, signaling what I was already thinking. She was a completely different person when Zac was around.
“She just wants her friends to get along,” Zac said. “Is that so bad?”
He made it sound simple, like Robb and I had argued over what party to go to, but it wasn’t. And my life wasn’t either. Petty drama couldn’t even be compared to what had happened the night before.
“Think of everything Robb’s helped you through, Jess,” Zac said. “Like your nightmares.” He brought up my biggest problem like he could read my mind. “Those stopped, didn’t they?”
When I looked at him, he was grinning. Next to me, Crystal looked like she would faint over his smile. Robb folded his arms. I only wanted to get away, but I didn’t want to be alone, and I wasn’t sure how to trust Crystal. I had a decision to make, and I had to make it quickly.
I turned to Robb. “I can try to forgive you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?” His tone was as heightened as when we met. “You mean that, Jess?”
I forced a nod. “But I can’t hang out. I need to go somewhere,” I said, grabbing Crystal. “And you’re coming with me.”
“What?” She couldn’t comprehend why I wanted her around. She didn’t know that I needed her as protection.
“I’m running errands that need your expertise,” I said, eyeing her until she agreed. My anger was second to my situation with Eric, so I turned to the boys. “We’ll get lunch tomorrow.”
“I’m busy tomorrow,” Robb spoke before Zac for the first time. “Both of us are.”
“Then, next week,” I dismissed, moving toward my car. “We’ll get together then.”
“Okay,” Robb agreed, bouncing up with newfound energy. “Thank you, Jess.”
“Sure thing,” I responded, and Robb ran back to his car, ready to move it.
Zac, however, didn’t move. “Mind if I talk to Jess for a minute, Crystal?” he asked her without moving his eyes away from me.
She blinked, and Zac grabbed her arm, pulling her close. He laid a kiss on her lips, and I sucked in a breath. “I’ll call you later,” he said, and she left like he controlled her.
When she was out of earshot, I folded my arms. “Your relationship sure took off.”
He dragged his thumb over his lip. “Jealous?”
Heat spread over my face. “You better be good to her,” I warned, but he didn’t budge.
