Dark and Twisted (11 page)

The doorbell rings
repeatedly
. I set the rag down that I am using to try to clean up this mess.

“Are you avoiding me? I tried calling you like a million times. Okay, so it was only like five times, but I started freaking out when you didn’t answer. What’s going on?” Liv pushes past me in a whirlwind, of leggings and cashmere. “I’m beginning to think that … Oh.” She stops, staring up at the monstrosity on the wall.

“Yeah, oh.” I stand next to Liv, and the painting seems to loom over us.

“When did she do it?” she asks in a low voice, still staring at the wall.

I want to cover it up, and hide Essie’s madness, but this is Liv. “Sometime between last night and this morning.” I suddenly feel tired.

“Hand me a rag. This is not going to clean itself.” Liv pushes up her sweater sleeves and heads to the kitchen with me trailing behind. “Is that coffee?” she asks as she searches under the sink for cleaning products.

“Cream, no sugar?” I ask. Fighting back tears, I pour her a cup. We might not have been on the best of terms the last few days, but I know I can always count on her.

“Babe, you know me so well. Now put on some music! This somber mood makes me feel like I just walked into a funeral home or something. Trust me, what’s on the wall is nothing compared to what the twins can do if they get ahold of some cherry-red lip gloss.” She says as she passes me with a soapy bucket of water and bumps me with her hip.

Liv’s energy quickly rubs off on me as we scrub the wall together to the tune of an old Spice Girls song. We sing at the top of our lungs, bumping into each other as we go. Finally, Liv tosses her rag back into the bucket and looks up at the wall with a frown.

“I don’t think we’re going to get it off without repainting the whole damn wall,” she says.

The wall is stained pink, the markings still visible to anyone who might happen to come over. Luckily, that only consists of Liv, and she has already seen it.

“What do you think it means?” she asks, running a prune finger over the marking.

I turn down the iPod and stare at it. “With Essie, it could mean anything. Most likely something to do with aliens, or maybe a mark she saw on the Internet.”

“It’s like a doomsday sign or something,” Liv whispers.

“Come on, let’s get out of here, go do something fun for a change,” I say, tossing my rag into the bucket. I don’t want to be in the same room with the daunting symbol.

“Well, I need a dress for homecoming. Shopping is fun,” Liv sings and spins toward me on her tiptoes.

“I said something fun.”

“That is fun! Come on, pretty please with a cherry on top,” she begs.

“Fine, but only if you promise to buy me a double cheeseburger from Top Burger’s.” I know there is no way she’ll agree to that.

“If you choose to poison yourself, that is your business, but I cannot contribute to your death or the death of poor, innocent animals.”

“Have fun shopping for a dress by yourself,” I say.

She stomps her foot. “Fine. The things I do in the name of fashion.”

###

We sit in the center of the food court, so we have a view of the entire mall from our table. I order the double bacon cheeseburger, much to Liv’s disgust, while she orders the only safe thing on the menu: a portabella sandwich.

“I think Jamie is cheating on me,” Liv blurts out as she dips her sweet potato fry in ketchup.

“Not this again!” I groan. “Liv, he is obsessed with you. I really don’t think he would ever cheat on you,” I reassure her.

“He has been spending a lot of time with Juliet. They’re working on a history project together,” she explains, drinking the remainder of her water.

“So?” I shrug, not seeing the big deal.

“You know how Juliet is. She has to try to one up me on everything.” She groans. “I trust Jamie, but I don’t trust her royal skankiness. She is pure evil in pink lip gloss with a body to kill for. Eden, are you listening to me?”

I’m only half listening to her because, out of the corner of my eye, I see Jaxson. Seeing him at the mall is strange enough, but it’s who he is here with that makes my stomach turn. Pure evil with blonde hair and pink lip gloss—Juliet.

Her arm is draped over him as they walk. I swallow down the lump forming in my throat. Are they a couple? No, they can’t be. Jaxson just told me last night he didn’t want friends, but that doesn’t mean he does not want a girlfriend.

They stop at a sunglass kiosk, Juliet picks up a pair of glasses and tries them on. He must have said something witty because she tosses back her head and laughs. Her long, hair falls in a perfect golden waterfall down her back. I tug self-consciously at my own thin, mousy brown hair. Juliet is wearing skin tight dark washed jeans and an equally tight sweater. How can she even breathe in that?

A French fry hits me in the face. “Hello. Earth to Eden. What are you looking at?” Liv asks.

I wipe the grease off my cheek and point to where Jaxson and Juliet stand. “Look.”

“Oh, my god!” Liv gives me a look of pity.

Even though I haven’t spoken it aloud, she knows I liked him.

“Eden, if he is going to sink as low as Juliet, then it is better you find out now. Who else knows what else is wrong with him? Eden?”

I stand up. “I have to know what he’s doing with her. Let’s follow them.”

“You can’t be serious?”

Liv looks offended as if I just asked her to commit a crime, which this might be borderline stalking. “Come on! Please, Liv. I would do it for you,” I beg. Jaxson’s back disappears, and I can no longer see them. “Please.”

“Fine, but you owe me.”

We follow them, darting behind a large potted plant. Apparently, they’re on some sort of date. For the life of me, I can’t imagine why. Jaxson is not Juliet’s type. She usually goes for the rich and popular, not the isolated and emo kid that is far from being on anyone’s radar. We are too far from them to hear what they are talking about, but apparently, Mr. Doom and Gloom is full of laughs today, since Juliet cannot stop giggling and flicking her hair. I imagine cutting off all of her pretty blonde locks so she cannot flick it anymore.

We lose them in a busy department store. “Let’s split up and see if we can find them,” Liv suggests. “We will meet back here in front of the watches in fifteen.”

I agree, and we go separate ways. I scan the store, looking for any sign of them, unable to believe that they are together. I shouldn’t care, but I do.

I spot Juliet by the dresses, holding up the light blue dress I had tried on earlier. Ugh. Of course, on her, it will look amazing. The dress also matches Jaxson’s eyes perfectly. Are they planning to go together? I never took him for a guy that would go to a school dance. Then again, I know nothing about him, except what I imagined.

“Why are you following me?”

I yelp and fling myself backwards, knocking over a rack of dresses. Jaxson stands over me with his arms crossed. I scoop up a handful of dresses as I try to gather as much composure as I can, but my heart is racing wildly and my mind is blank.

“I–I–I.”

“You were just spying on my friend and me. Have you met her yet? Let me introduce you,” he says. Juliet is by the fitting rooms now with an armful of dresses.

“No, please don’t.” I grab his arm to stop him and electricity sparks at the touch.

He glances down at my hand that rests on the cool leather. Did he feel that too? I quickly pull it back, trying to explain myself.

“I know Juliet, don’t call her over. We’re not on the best of terms.”

“Only if you tell me why you were following me.”

Just then, Juliet turns to wave at Jaxson. I drop to the ground and cower behind some sequined dresses. In this position, I come to Jaxson’s knee. He waves back and then kneels down to my level.

“I wasn’t following you,” I hiss

“That’s a lie. You’ve been following us since the glasses kiosk.”

My mouth opens and shuts like a fish out of water. “I–I want to know why you’re with Juliet.”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

With Juliet safely in the fitting room, I stand back up. “It seems like there are a lot of strange things happening lately when it comes to you, and I am concerned for her safety.” Another lie.

“Tsk tsk,” he says, shaking his head at me as if I’m nothing more than an annoying child. “I thought we went over this, Ace. I don’t like you like that.” His laugh is harsh and cold. “You also thought I was your attacker. Now you’re following me? These delusions are really starting to get out of hand.” His words are like a slap across the face, and his eyes dance with glee. “These games that we are playing are starting to get tiresome, don’t you think?”

“I’m not playing any games,” I snap, getting angrier by the second.

“But aren’t we?”

When he speaks in riddles, it makes my head spin.

“Oh, my gosh, there you are! You found it! The perfect homecoming dress.” Liv reaches across me, plucking the first dress off the rack.

Both Jaxson and I turn toward her, and my head stops spinning. Jaxson narrows his eyes, his face pinched in irritation. I know he doesn’t buy the bit that I was trying to find a dress for Liv, but he doesn’t say anything. He just slinks away, back to the fitting room with an aggravated look on his face.

“Oops, did I interrupt something?” Liv calls in his direction.

He doesn’t flinch, just stares at us with his unnerving gaze.

“Let’s get out of here,” Liv puts the dress back on the rack. “That was really intense. He looked like he wanted to either make-out with you or like eat your soul or something freaky,” she whispers as we hurry away.

“More like make me question my sanity,” I admit.

“You are kidding me, right?” she gasps.

“No.” I quickly steal a glance back in Jaxson’s direction.

Juliet is spinning in front him in the tulle dress, but he is not looking at her. He is looking right at me, and his eyes are glowing a bright blue.

“You’re doing it again.” Liv shuts the truck off and frowns at me.

“What am I doing?” I drop the piece of hair I was twirling and sit up straighter.

“Since we left, you’ve been going to some far off land that no one else is invited too.” She makes her voice sound light, but she is not teasing.

I know she has been worried about me, but how do I tell her about Jaxson? I tried to explain it away, but there are only two logical answers I can come up with. One, that Jaxson was in some sort of nuclear accident that gave him glowing eyes and such a charismatic personality and the government covered up. Two, I’m going crazy. I’m hoping for the first, but still doubt that I might not be that different from Essie plagues me. I don’t want to be sick like her.
Schizophrenia is hereditary after all
. No, I can’t be like her, but how else do I explain why I’m seeing boys with glowing eyes.

“You’re thinking about what happened again, aren’t you?” Liv bites at her bottom lip nervously.

“A little.” Since she doesn’t believe me anyway, it’s best to not tell her what I saw.

“I know it’s hard for you that there are no leads on the attack.”

She flips her long, red hair over one shoulder, reminding me of Juliet. If Jaxson didn’t have something to do with the attack, maybe he might just know who did. It can’t just be coincident that both he and my attacker have glowing eyes. There has to be a logical explanation to all of this—the glowing eyes, the attack, the stones Essie gave me. I can’t help believing it’s all connected somehow.

“Eden?” Liv’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “What’s wrong? Please tell me you are not thinking about him.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t stop thinking about that night. No matter how many times I try to forget, the attack comes back to me. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face in shadows and …” I squeeze my eyes shut, but glowing eyes are all I can see.

“Eden, they are going to catch him.”

“I know,” I sigh. “I’ll be fine once the person who did it is caught.” I open my eyes and give her a small smile.

“Are you sure that is all you are thinking about?” she asks.

“Yes,” I snap.

Liv hesitates for a moment. “Do you still talk to Dr. Brinks?”

Dr. Brinks is the school psychiatrist who I started seeing after Mom and Dad’s accident. I ended up listening about his failing marriage instead of talking about my parent’s death, which was just fine with me. I didn’t want to continue to reliving it. I wish every day that they were still here, but I don’t have time to sink into a deep depression like I want to because I have to focus on keeping Essie sane.

“No,” I say cautiously, afraid of where this conversation is going. “We sort of stopped seeing each other after his divorce was finalized.”

“Maybe you should talk to him again …. You know, about seeing things.”

“Liv,” I gasp.

“I’m just suggesting you speak to him. With your family history, it might help.” She tiptoes around me.

I hate when we do this—me trying to protect her feelings and her mothering me.

“Will you stop saying that? Schizophrenia is not contagious.” I cross my arms and stare out the truck window at the toys littering her front porch. A trike sits upside down across the walkway and stuffed animals are scattered throughout the lawn. A rusty metal swing set stands amidst it all.

Liv likes to get her way and will argue until she does. Hence, her being captain of the debate team, so she continues on her mission. “I know that, but—”

“But nothing. It was just the shadows. I saw or a trick of the light.” Note to self, never tell Liv anything again. I will do like every other teenager when I’m emotionally distraught. I will start an anonymous blog and pour all of my feelings out for the world to read.

“Don’t be mad at me. I’m just worried,” she pleads.

I can see in her face that she didn’t mean to hurt me. “Well don’t be. I’m fine.” I wave off her concern but still feel the sting of her betrayal.

“When I was talking to Jamie about—”

My head snaps in her direction. “Wait, you were talking to Jamie about this! Liv, that breaks every BFF code out there. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s number one in the best friend handbook: don’t talk to your boyfriend about the mental state of your best friend.”

“Please, now you’re just overly dramatic.” She waves me off with her long hand.

“Look who’s talking,” I spit.

We sit there, silently glaring at each other and waiting for the other to give up, but this time, it’s not going to be me. Silence fills the cab like a bad perm, each of us not ready to admit their mistake.

“Hey, are you two going to make-out or something?” Blaise calls from the porch. “Come on, I need the truck. Mom said you better give it to me,” he whines.

“Let’s just drop it,” I say, calling for a truce.

“I can’t just drop it. First, you’re seeing things, and then accusing innocent people of attacking you, and now this dangerous crush on Jaxson, who is obviously a complete psycho.”

“I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Yes, you do. I see how you look at him like he’s a double mocha latte.”

My mouth drops open. “I do not look at him like that.”

“You do, too. You should be looking at his hot, not creepy brother.”

“You mean Cardelian?” I choke on a laugh. “What does he have to do with this?”

“If you don’t get out of the truck now, Liv, I swear to god I’m turning the hose on you guys,” Blaise calls.

I watch as he walks over to the tangled mess of hoses and starts to pull them apart. We both turn away from Blaise and continue our fight.

“Jamie heard that he has a thing for you.”

“A thing? Like as in the flu?”

“Whatever! You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Whatever you say.” I roll my eyes at her and push the truck door open. Blaise has the hose in one hand and holds up his baggy pants up with the other as he runs toward us screaming like a banshee.

“Hey, what does that mean?” Liv calls after me.

I don’t answer. I race up the stairs as a stream of water flies over my head and make a dive for the safety of her house before I’m caught in the war between Liv and Blaise. I look out the window at where water, curses, and fists are thrown.

A few moments later, Liv walks in, triumphant but soaking wet, and tosses her keys on the counter. “That little asshole! I swear we’re not related. It’s like he is from another planet. Planet A-Hole.”

I roll my eyes at her and decide that I’m going to be the mature one in our fight and give her the silent treatment.

“Real mature! Fine, don’t speak to me.” Liv pulls her wet sweater off and tosses it at me.

“Hey, you were the one that started it. Then, to add insult to injury, you suggest that Cardelian could possibly be interested in me.” I throw the shirt back at her unable to give her the silent treatment any more.

“I’m not lying.” She actually sounds hurt. “He really was asking Jamie about you today,” she says and sticks out her bottom lip.

“He was?” I can’t help it, my curiosity piques, even though I know Liv is blowing this thing way out of proportion. He wouldn’t be the first new kid that was curious about the freak. His brother sure was. The thought of Jaxson sends my stomach tumbling. I don’t like that just the thought of him can affect me.

“The usual things that a guy asks when he likes a girl. Do you have a boyfriend? What color bra do you wear?”

She smiles, and I throw an apple at her from the bowl of fruit, hitting her in the shoulder.

“Hey, that hurt.” She rubs at the spot.

“Really, what did he ask, Liv?”

She grabs two cans of soda out of the fridge and hands me one. “I’m not sure. Jamie didn’t really say, but I know he did ask the boyfriend question,” she sings, opening her can and taking a sip out of it.

“And Jamie, what did he say about me?” I tug at the curl behind my ear.

Liv scrunches her face, examining her nail polish.

“Nothing. He doesn’t know anything about you. Do you think I should go red? After all, it’s fall.” She tilts her head to the side, looking at her fingernails.

“Liv!” I say, exasperated. “Why would he want to know anything about me?” I wonder aloud.

“Hmmm, I wonder. He’s a guy, you’re a girl, and you sit next to him in English. Could it be that he really is interested in you?” she says sarcastically, giving up on her nail polish.

“I doubt it,” I say to myself.

“I bet you he wants to ask you to homecoming.”

Now I know she is blowing this way out of proportion. “There is no way in this world he wants to ask me to homecoming.”

“How come? I bet you he does. Homecoming is two weeks away, and he doesn’t have a date yet.”

“Liv, come back down to Earth. He’s one of the most popular guys at school, and I’m the biggest freak. It just doesn’t make sense.”

I catch my reflection in the mirror above the kitchen table. My mousy brown hair hangs to my shoulders in limp curls, and my bangs are at a weird length—too short to pull back, too long to stay out of my eyes. Liv comes and stands next to me, wrapping her arms around me. Compared to her, I look like a twelve-year-old kid. She is tall, perfect, and looks like a model.

“You are not a freak. That is just a stupid nickname Buck made up for you.”

“Yeah, well it stuck.” I sigh, looking away from the mirror.

“When Cardelian asks you to homecoming, you won’t feel that way anymore,” she says with a sly smile on her face.

“We already went over this! He’s not going to ask me.”

“Well, I know one way that we can find out if he likes you.” Liv’s smile turns wicked.

“No way! Whatever you have planned you can forget about it.”