Drawing Bloodlines (3 page)

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of car doors closing outside his bedroom window. Carefully, Roy mane
uvered past Nathan’s bed and peeked through the curtains to the window. “Oh, good, Lafonda’s back from Jim’s,” he said. “And it looks like she’s bought our guests.”

Slowly, Nathan shook his head before focusing his atte
ntion on Roy again. “Umm, Jim — as in Jim Darding?” he asked. “Is that officially on again?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a stifled chuc
kle. “Don’t ask me son.”

“Wait,” said Nathan, abruptly, “who
else is staying at the house?”

Roy folded his arms across his chest again and chuckled. “I guess the rest of the gang from this summer,” he said. “Lafonda invi
ted several friends from camp for the concert tonight — you know, for Samantha Darding’s birthday?”

Nathan’s eyes grew wide before
turning to look at Leah again.

“It’s okay, Roy,” she said. “Nathan may have forgotten about tonight, but I didn’t.” She smiled at
Nathan. “You are going, right?”

“Nathan,” said Roy, sounding serious again. “You know son; you were invited — so no excuses this time. You really should learn how to mingle with people and have some fun. Besides, summer break will be over in a few weeks and then you’ll be back
at school; on the IUCF campus.”

“Mingle?” asked Nathan, wit
h a doubtful grin on his face.

Roy rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean,” he
groaned.

Nathan took a deep breath and sat in silence again.
Fall classes already
? He thought.
It feels like only yesterday spring semester just ended
. Slowly, Nathan shook his head.
It’s only been a short period of time, but so much has happened
.

He paused while massaging his right hand and then turned to look at Leah. She smiled at him and then Nathan grinned.
Regardless of everything
, he concluded to himself,
my powers and all this craziness with the Fallen Ones … I’m just glad Leah, Lafonda, Jonas and the others are okay.

Nathan stared at the Illinois University Cahokia Falls, IUCF, T-shirt draped over the back of his desk chair. “Sop
homore year,” he mumbled. “Even though I just survived Lucas. And Lauren with her supernatural cronies — I don’t think I’m ready!”

“Ready for what?” asked Leah, appearing inte
rested, but slightly confused.

“I don’t care what you’re ready for,” added Roy, “you are going to the concert tonight.” Nathan frowned and Roy sighed heavily. “Look, Nathan, you’re not going to sit here at home by yourself while ev
eryone else is at the concert.”

“But I won’t be here by myself,” grinned Nathan, “I’m sure you’l
l be here and so will LaDonda.”

“Ugh,” moaned Roy, “I tried. Leah, he’s in your hands now.” Defeated, he headed t
oward the door. “If you need me, I’ll be over at the main house helping Lafonda get the gang settled in.” Roy turned around one last time and pointed sternly with his finger before walking out the door. “And stay out of those caves!”

“Yeah, yeah, grandpa,” mumbled Nathan, jumping up to clo
se the bedroom door after him.

“So,” said Leah, springing to her feet. “Are you not going to the concert tonight, for S
amantha’s birthday?”

Nathan grew quiet again. After his latest dream of Grimm Cemetery, starring the Fallen Ones, the last thing he wanted to do was spend time with Samantha’s brother Jim and his friends. “Well,” he said, slowly. “I know that Sam invited me, but I d
idn’t actually say I would go.”

Leah raised an eyebrow while staring at him and then frowned. “Nathan!” she whined. “But everyone is going, babe, and its Sama
ntha’s birthday.”

Nathan
sat quietly as he contemplated whether or not to go. He thought about that night at camp when Sam had asked him. It was during the last bonfire, before everything he had feared had stormed in like the evening’s lightning storm.

A cold shiver passed through him and the tiny hairs on his arms stood on end as he r
emembered the ghastly things done to his friends. “I’ll go,” he said, hastily and sounding almost out of breath. “But I thought Sam was actually having a birthday party — not going to some concert.”

“Well,” smirked Leah. “She is 17 and a woman is entitled to cha
nge her mind.”

Leah stepped in closer to him as she gazed over his shoulder. Nathan glanced down at her arm. Once it was wrapped with a white bandage, but now there was only a deep elongated wound. Abruptly, Nathan cleared his throat. “Now, in no way am I trying to sound like my grandfather,” he said, with obvious trepidation. He pointed toward the purple and bruised scar that stood out against her fair
white skin. “But, how is it?”

“Oh,” she said, breaking her gaze. Carefully, she caressed her arm. “It’s okay. I try to fo
rget about it.” She looked past Nathan’s shoulder again. “I think we all are.”

“
‘All are’ what?” asked Nathan, while following her gaze.

“Trying to — forget about it,” she staggered. “Is th
at a picture of your parents?”

Nathan glanced over toward the two picture frames of his parents and immediately bee-lined toward them, after he n
oticed the bottle of Wool’s ointment still sitting on his desk. “Yeah,” he said, quickly placing the white bottle with big black lettering in his desk drawer. Awkwardly, he scratched his head and then forced a nervous smile. “You haven’t seen them before?”

Leah raised her eyebrows and then smiled wide before walking over to him. She smiled big again as she reached around him to pick up one of the picture frames. “When was this taken?” she asked, holding out the wood
en frame. “They look so happy.”

“That’s from my parent’s wedding day,” he said, slowly drawing close to her. “It’s my favorite picture of them. Roy said mom made it.” He pointed to the f
rame. “She carved it herself.”

Carefully, Leah marveled at the rose-colored picture frame. “It’s beautiful,” she said, tracing her fingers across the raised wood grain. “It’s just as beautiful as the person who made it.”

The solemn look on Nathan’s face suddenly gave way to a smile. “Thanks,” he said. He took a deep breath and then relaxed his shoulders. “It’s really the only thing I have of my mother’s. I usually take it with me if I am going to be away from home for a while.” He shrugged. “It’s like taking a little bit of home with me.”

Slowly, Leah’s breathing became shallow and the woo
den frame in her hand started shuddering. “So…” she uttered, nervously. “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned what happened to them.” Nathan’s face became blank again. “It’s okay,” she said, quickly, her breathing returning to normal. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.” Leah paused. “I guess — I guess — oh, never mind.”

Nathan’s forehead frowned and he looked slightly co
nfused. “No, no, it’s okay,” he said. “Really, what is it?”

Leah cast her gaze downward and for a m
oment, stared at the two people in the picture. “I was just wondering,” she said slowly, and with hesitation. “How come I never hear you talk about your father?”

Abruptly, Nathan slumped down unto his desk. “That’s because I didn’t know him,” he said, his eyes painfully gla
ring over her shoulder. “I didn’t know my mother either, but there were a lot of her things still left around here — in the cottage.” He broke his gaze and then straightened his posture. “My father died in a car accident shortly after they were married.” He took a deep breath. “And my mom died giving birth to me. I’m not even sure if my dad even knew about me — that my mom was pregnant.”

“I’m so sorry,” whispered Leah. She had a sad look on
her face. “I didn’t mean to….”

“Really — it’s okay,” said Nathan, sounding more conf
ident. “Roy has taken good care of me.” He glanced over toward the door. “Granted, I wish he would talk more about my father, but for the most part I never really feel without a parent.” Nathan paused to look around the room. “Don’t get me wrong, I would do anything to have some memory of my parents or to even have them alive, but living here with Roy — and the Devaro’s — just feels....”

“Like you
belong somewhere?” added Leah.

Nathan thought hard and then his eyes lit up. “Yeah,” he said, while nodding his head. He paused. “It just feels like — like a fam
ily.”

“Well,” said Leah, stepping in close to him. “I know that Roy and the Devaro’s are ha
ppy to have you.”

“Oh,” he said with a grin. “And w
hy are you so certain of that?”

Leah smiled and then wrapped her arms around his waist, paying careful attention not to drop the wooden picture frame in her hand. “Why wouldn’t they?” she grinned. “You are such a sweet and caring person — not to mention very brave.” She reached out to stroke his face. “It’s not every day that a guy goes out of
his way to save a girl’s life.”

Nathan smiled as he brushed a loose strand of wavy brown hair from her face. “Yeah,” he said, with a laugh. “And it’s not every day that a guy has to go up against a fal
len angel.”

Leah laughed and then stood on the tip of her toes as N
athan carefully cradled her face in his hands. “I mean, what is there not to like?” she said, teasingly, before Nathan could kiss her. She playfully turned her face away from his. “But now that I think about it, there is that annoying stubbornness — but I guess a person can get used to that.”

“Oh, is that so?” asked Nathan, before pulling her in cl
ose to kiss her.

Suddenly, the door to Nathan’s bedroom swung forcibly open, hitting the wall behind it, hard. “No, that’
s not fair!” someone screamed.

Startled, Nathan pulled away from Leah. “Talk about kisses interruptus!” he groaned. Nathan spun around and then immediately frowned. “Jonas!” he yelled. He paused after seeing the two pairs of brown eyes staring back at him. “And Bobby.”

Jonas looked up at the call of his name and displayed a huge smile. “Nathan!” he said, energetically. He looked at him bright-eyed as Bobby continued to try to get the basketball away from him. “Oh — and hi, Leah.”

Leah watched Bobby struggle to reach the basketball while Jonas held it high in the air. “Hey, Jona
s,” she laughed. “How are you?”

“Jonas!” blurted Nathan. “W–
what are you doing here? And in my room!”

Jonas continued to avoid his brother while simultaneou
sly bouncing the basketball around the room. “Angela brought me,” he said, taking a moment to look at Nathan through his shaggy dark hair. “Well — us.”

“Come on, Jonas!” whined Bobby, through clinched teeth. He was nearly out of breath. “You sa
id that I could have it next!”

Nathan
grimaced as Bobby stood on top of his bed and attempted to grab the basketball from Jonas. “Look!” shouted Nathan. “Will you just give him the freaking basketball already? He’s messing up my sheets and my bed!”

“It’s okay, Nathan,” said Leah with a laugh. She carefully placed the wooden picture frame ba
ck on the desk. “I’ll fix it.”

Without warning, Bobby sprung off the bed; launching for the basketball with his hands stretched out into the air. “Give it to me!” he yelled, before slamming into the tall wooden dresser. “Ouch!”

“Ugh!” moaned Nathan, as the items on top of the dresser toppled over. “You guys get out of my room. You’re making a mess of everything!”

Jonas looked over at him again and a look of sorrow washed over his face. “But I wanted to talk to you!” shouted Jonas. His eyes began to quiver in their sockets. “We h
aven’t really spoken since camp.”

Nathan froze. “Oh,” he said, sounding disarmed and slightly surprised. Nathan diver
ted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he hadn’t been the best at returning Jonas’s phone calls or text messages. “W–what did you want to talk about?”

Jonas paused, securing the basketball u
nderneath his arm. Slowly, Bobby staggered to his feet, nursing a bruised elbow.

Jonas took a deep breath and sigh
ed. “Umm — just some stuff….” 

“Like?” asked Nathan, slowly. He stared at him inquis
itively. “Jonas?” Suddenly, Nathan’s eyes grew wide. “This isn’t about your powers is it? You know they can find you if you use your powers. Bobby?”

Bobby quickly looked up at the sound of his name and frowned. “If I was using my lame powers I
wouldn’t be here,” he smirked.

Nathan looked at him confused and Bobby sighed. “This isn’t exactly Wizards and Warriors,” he explained, grudgin
gly. “It’s not like I can actually use my power to travel into the space in-between realms to protect myself.”

Jonas raised his eyebrows and they almost disappeared beneath his shaggy curls. “No, no,” he stumbled. “It’s not about that.” Slowly, he glanced over at Leah and then loudly cleared his throat. “Umm — it’s pe
rsonal.”