Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) (30 page)

“Now remember sweetie, my dad hates talking during the games so don’t be offended if he’s short with you. He takes his football a little too seriously,” she warned him.

“It’s fine baby,” he replied. “I’m cool with that. Don’t worry about me.”

At that moment, Mark came bustling into the living room and collapsed into his worn down leather recliner. He glanced around at each of us before resting his eyes on Liam.

“So, you must be Liam?” he asked shortly.

“Yes sir,” Liam responded politely. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

He extended his hand out and Mark cautiously shook it.

“Well, I hope you like football because that’s what is on this TV for the next few hours.”

“It’s my favorite sport,” Liam smiled back.

At that moment, the game got underway and the conversation ended in a flash. Neither Mark nor Liam appeared disturbed by the immediate end to their first conversation. I’d grown accustomed to Mark’s odd behavior during football games, and even came to appreciate it, especially with Liam around.  I wasn’t sure if it was fear, or just trying to be polite, but Liam’s manners during the game were something I’d never seen.

He and Annie sat almost a foot apart from each other, which caused Annie to pout for the entire game. His eyes never left the T.V. set, even when Mark cursed loudly every time the Seahawks did something wrong. During the commercials, he didn’t bother Mark, which I took to be either his way of showing respect or not having anything to say. Either way, every hour that passed, I felt more satisfied. Annie’s scowl and Liam’s silence made for a rather enjoyable afternoon.

The game lingered on for hours until the carnage finally stopped. Mark’s face was a deep shade of red as Marie’s sweet voice finally called everyone into the dining room for dinner.

“Those bunch of overpaid hacks,” he started.  “How can they justify getting paid millions of dollars to play like that? I could do better and I’d play for way less than that!”

“Chill out Pop, Dallas was just better,” Annie shot back, clearly frustrated at Liam’s lack of attention during the game.

“Hmpf,” was all that he could muster back. Once he was seated, his eyes glanced around the table at me, then Annie, then Liam, before they finally rested on Marie. She gave a quick jerk of her head towards Liam and widened her eyes slightly.

“So, Liam?” Mark boomed, clearing his throat. “Have you enjoyed yourself so far? My girls have a tendency to be pretty demanding.”

He then leaned forward and started sharpening his cutting knife in front of us all while the beautifully prepared turkey sat in front of him.

“Not too demanding, no sir,” Liam laughed. “These lovely ladies have been gracious hosts. I’ve had a wonderful time. Zoe, are you alright?”

My jaw had dropped in shock at Liam’s pleasantness. Being in the Johnsons home seemed to change his entire personality.  Everyone turned to look at me and I quickly pulled myself back together.

“Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m fine,” I stuttered, caught off guard by his gaze. Annie sat there and stared a hole right through me.

“So, the game didn’t go very well then?” Marie asked abruptly.

“Horrible, absolutely horrible,” Mark said, shaking his head while he continued to carve away at the bird.

“Yeah, we could have gone out there and put on a better performance ourselves,” Liam laughed. “Here Marie, would you like some potatoes?”

Annie’s face had lit up in happiness with each new polite word that poured out of Liam’s mouth.

“Pop, did you know Liam played quarterback in high school?” Annie said, mystified.

“Really?” Mark asked with piqued curiosity.

I had forgotten all about Liam’s love of football. There was a connection that I’d missed and an uncomfortable feeling brewed in my gut. Mark was going to see it and Liam would be as good as gold in his book.

“Yeah, it was nothing big. Won a few games, a state title or two, played mostly for fun,” he said.

I had to shake my head a few times in fear that I was in another nightmare. Months ago, he had raved about being the star quarterback in high school and being responsible for the state titles. Now, he was being modest and shying away from the spotlight. I knew in my head that I hated and didn’t trust him, but the new side of him caught me completely by surprise.

“Marie, the food is absolutely delicious,” Liam said, taking the turkey plate from Annie who looked utterly transfixed.

After each of us got some turkey, we all dove into the meal and it turned out to be much more pleasant than I had expected. Even though I couldn’t understand it, Liam’s new attitude and personality had really pulled me in. The decent, normal person that I had seen briefly on Halloween was back. It hadn’t taken long for me to know exactly who he was when we first met but for some reason, being in the Johnsons’ home brought out a lovable side I’d never seen before.

His warm smile brought butterflies to my stomach every time he looked at me. My mind kept warning me that it was all a ploy, but my heart kept beating quicker with each passing minute. Our eyes met every few minutes during dinner, and when they did, I could feel the lump in the back of my throat grow larger. He smiled a genuine, happy to be here smile and I couldn’t help but smile back, making sure before each time that Annie’s gaze was somewhere else.

“Liam,” Marie said, breaking the silence that had filled the dining room. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”

“It’s not much of a story really,” Liam started. He proceeded to tell the Johnsons’ all about his life in Sisters and the move he made with Damien’s family during middle school. Most of it was the same exact material I had heard during the Halloween party, but this time, it sounded like a completely different history. The way he told it made me actually feel sorry for him and what he’d gone through. It was one of the strangest feelings I’d ever experienced.

“And what do your parents do for a living?” Mark added.

Annie and Marie both dropped their forks and stared at him furiously, seemingly angry about his lack of respect for Liam’s troubled past. I glanced anxiously at Liam, wondering if his polite charade was about to end.

“They abandoned me once Damien’s family took me with them to Vegas,” Liam said, surprisingly calm.

The old Liam probably would have turned the table over and stormed out, but the new Liam seemed to welcome the chance to explain his life story to new people. Humility suited him surprisingly well and made him that much more attractive.

“Shame,” Mark said, shaking his head.  “How did you make it through all of that?”

“It was hard at first, but fortunately Damien’s family had already taken me in and made sure I had somewhere to live. But, since I’ve been in school, I have been fortunate enough to meet great and generous people like you and your family,” Liam said. “The best we can do with life is to take what we’re given and move on, right?”

“That’s a nice attitude to have Liam,” Marie chimed in.

“Isn’t he great?” Annie squealed, grabbing Liam by the arm and pulling him close.

“Yes, he’s a very mature young man,” Mark said convincingly. “It sounds like you and Zoe actually have a lot in common!”

Liam’s eyes met mine in that moment. Instead of the normal intense gaze, he looked at me softly, even comfortingly. I could see Annie’s livid face off to the side, but for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes away from Liam. At that moment, I couldn’t think of a single bad thing about him. He was the perfect man, everything I could possibly want.

“Wow, that was the best thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever had,” Liam added, breaking the link between the two of us. “Can I help with the dishes?”

“Oh, nonsense!” Marie said, standing up. “You are a guest in our home. Feel free to go into the living room and relax.”

“Can I go with him?” Annie asked hopefully.

“Actually, I’ll help you clear the table if that’s okay Marie? I really don’t mind at all,” I said, in a hopeful attempt at playing peacemaker.

Marie looked back and forth between me and Annie. After a moment, she sighed.

“Fine, fine,” Marie said. “Liam and Annie, off with you! Mark, you will help Zoe and me.”

We all stood up at the same time. Annie began intensely tugging at Liam’s arm to get him up the stairs, while the rest of us started picking up the dishes.

“Thank you Marie, dinner was outstanding,” Liam said faintly while being pulled around the corner to the stairs. I felt a twinge of jealousy as he and Annie disappeared. I couldn’t remember being more confused with someone in my life. My head kept sending out warning signals while my heart continued to do cart-wheels.

“What a wonderful boy, don’t you think?” Marie asked to Mark.

“Indeed, he’s very well put together,” Mark nodded in agreement, grabbing the turkey plate out of her hands.  “You see him more than we do Zoe, what do you think?”

They both turned to me with expectant looks on their faces, which caused me to drop a handful of spoons.

“What? Oh, yeah, he definitely has his moments,” I said, trying to sound normal.

Mark and Marie glanced at one another with confused looks, which was my cue to get back to clearing the table.

After another fifteen minutes, the dining room table was finally cleared. It wasn’t until my last trip out to wipe everything down that the evening took a dramatic turn for the worse. Annie’s weeping suddenly filled the entire house and the sound of heavy boots came scurrying down the staircase.

“Liam, wait! Talk to me! Please tell me what’s wrong!” Annie cried invisibly from somewhere behind the wall.

It took a minute for reality to sink in. The night had been much more pleasant than anticipated, and Liam’s class made me forget that I was supposed to keep an eye on him. I quickly walked around the chairs and headed directly to the foyer, looking over to the closed kitchen door, wondering if Mark and Marie could hear anything. A feeling of déjà vu overtook me with each step.

Annie hadn’t even gotten to the top of the staircase when Liam streaked right past me towards the door. It was then that I knew exactly what was happening. I’d seen it before. Annie finally appeared at the top of the stairs and came bustling down faster than I’d ever seen. Her heartbreaking cries ignited a new fire inside me. I knew it was too good to be true. Liam had only put on a show for the Johnsons, and as soon as he got Annie alone, the old Liam reared his ugly head once more. Disgusted at the thought, I jumped towards the door.

“Wait! You son of a bitch!” I spat, grabbing his shoulder from behind.

The same electric feeling pulsated through my body once again when we touched. Shaking it off, I pulled his shoulder and turned him around.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

I gasped the moment he turned. Instead of his pure olive colored skin, his face was ghostly, pale. I’d never seen him look so sickly before. His eyes were wide in horror and a blank expression was plastered on his face. He didn’t appear to even know what was going on. He took a deep breath and his tortured eyes gazed briefly into mine. For a moment, his mouth began to open but instead of speaking, he twisted the door knob and bolted out the door.

Nighttime had fallen upon Seattle and the lights on the Johnsons porch had yet to be turned on. The front of the house was fully dark, with the only lights coming from the street lamps that led out of the neighborhood. I could barely see the steps that led me down towards the fence of their yard.

When my feet landed at the bottom step, I froze on the spot. Liam was gone. The lights on the street were lit, but there was absolutely no trace of him.

“What’s going on Zoe?” Mark demanded from somewhere behind me.

“Are you alright?” Marie added. “Where is Liam?”

“I’m fine,” I responded briskly, not surrendering my search.

“He’s gone,” Annie said suddenly, making the three of us jump in surprise. Nobody heard her emerge from the house, but she was sitting on the swinging bench and staring into the darkness.

“Why? What happened? Where’d he go?” Mark said, sounding even angrier than before.

“Home,” she sighed, as tears started to flow down her cheeks.

“Oh honey,” Marie said as she sat down next to Annie and put a consoling arm around her shoulders.

Annie leaned her head into Marie’s shoulder and wept. Mark started pacing back and forth on the porch, staring into the darkness in a vain attempt to find any trace of Liam. But, I knew he was gone. He always seemed to appear and disappear at will, especially in the darkness. That was all the proof I needed to know that Liam really was a demon. The mugging incident, Simi’s warning and his ability to disappear at will was enough for me to finally accept it. My dream had come true once more.

Annie’s soft weeping and Marie’s consoling words were painful reminders of my failure. It was my job to watch out for Annie, but Liam’s deception had caught me off guard. If it wasn’t for my moment of weakness, none of it would have happened. I pulled myself together and dragged my feet back to the porch, where I slumped down right next to Annie.

“I’m so sorry hon,” I said, patting her knee.

I knew he was gone and they were over, but it didn’t make me happy. I’d been waiting weeks to get my best friend back, but I felt no satisfaction. Suddenly, Annie’s head shifted from Marie’s shoulder onto mine and she let out an even bigger cry. As though it flipped a switch inside, tears started to flow down my cheeks too. The weeks that led up to Thanksgiving had been an absolute drain on our relationship, but the tears we shed that night washed away all traces of a battered relationship.