Elemental Reality (7 page)

“Him? You mean Cayden?”

“Yes,” he growled.

I tugged his hands off my face and stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest. “You know him?” My voice was accusatory.

His eyebrows scrunched together, a frown splayed on his face. “Not personally. I know
of
him and what he’s capable of doing.”

I inched back further and narrowed my eyes. “How?”

“It’s . . . complicated.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me you
let
me leave with someone who is capable of making another person feel, basically, like a black hole? Void of everything except their
secluded
thoughts?” I roared.

“I didn’t
let
you do anything.” His voice softened to lessen the blow of his words. “If I had been able to move from my spot, I would have been there in a heartbeat, taking you away from him. But that same darkness blocked me from helping you. I would have done anything to come after you, Kitten. Anything.” He looked anguished.

“Why would it block you from me?”

“Because we’re—” His words were cut short when his sister interrupted.

“Is everything okay in here?” she said from the archway of the kitchen.

“Everything’s fine, Mum.”

My eyes grew wide. “This is your
mom
?” I whispered.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Callie, meet my mum, Lucy. Mum, meet Callie Pierce, our neighbor.”

She extended her hand to me. “It’s so nice to meet—” She paused and examined my face and eyes. Her outstretched hand slowly came up to her mouth, and she let out a breathy gasp. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “You look just like your—” She turned to Oli then back to me. “Like an old friend from back home when she was younger. I didn’t realize the resemblance when you first came in.” Unshed tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to spill over if she blinked.

“Are you okay?” I asked wearily. “Should I go?”

“I’m fine sweetie,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to go. It’s just that seeing you standing here made me realize how much I miss her.”

“I-I’m sorry. I should go.” I started to back away. “I have to talk to my dad anyway. I left in such a rush he’s probably worried.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Oli said, worried.

I gave him a small smile and looked back at his mom. “It was really nice meeting you, Mrs. Drayke.”

“It’s just Lucy, dear, and it was really nice meeting you too.”

Oli led me to the front door. There was definitely something they weren’t telling me, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. We stood in the doorway, and I waited for him to say something, anything. But he didn’t.

“What––or who––is Cayden?” I finally asked in a hushed whisper.

“Kitten.” He sighed. “Cayden’s different. He’s not good company. He . . . he’s . . .” He groaned. “Stay away from him. Please promise me you will.” He sounded anguished, as if he was afraid I wouldn’t heed his warning.

“I’m not going to go around him willing,” I said. The added “duh” was implied.

Oli hugged me, but it was different somehow. As if he was desperate to keep me safe. He let me go reluctantly. I already knew Cayden was bad company after whatever stunt he pulled tonight. I needed to get to the bottom of whatever he did to me.

10

Situations

At home, Dad sat at the kitchen island. He jumped from his stool and approached me, worry in his eyes. He cupped my cheeks in his hands and studied my face as if searching for answers to questions unknown.

“What happened?” His voice was laced with panic, and the lines on his forehead crashed together like waves upon the shore.

“I’m fine, Dad. There’s nothing to worry about.” I hated lying to him. “It was just a misunderstanding.”

He narrowed his eyes, trying to see through my façade but unable to. I gently tugged his hands from my face and held them. “I do want to talk to you about something though.” I gestured for him to sit.

Dad let out a shaky breath as we sat. “You’re not going to talk to me about what I think you’re going to talk to me about, are you?” he asked.

My eyebrows furrowed. What did he think I wanted to talk to him about? “That, uh, depends.”

“Sex,” he said matter-of-factly.

My eyes grew wide in horror, and I raised my hands to stop him from saying anymore. “Oh God no. I’m an adult, and the sex-talk ship sailed long ago. Didn’t we cover this earlier?” I made a circle with my hands. “Nothing that big will be exiting this body any time soon, remember? Besides, I know how all that works thanks to an entire semester in high school filled with torturous lectures in Sex Ed class.”

He shifted uneasily. “I didn’t mean how, I meant—” He sighed. “I didn’t know if you were going to ask for . . . advice.”

“It’s a little bit early for that, don’t you think?”

“Oh, good,” he breathed in relief, and his shoulders relaxed.

“But I don’t know if this subject will be any easier,” I hedged.

A confused silence met my words.

“I want to know about Mom. What it was like when you two first met. I know you two were young, but how did it happen?”

He tensed up a bit, as if he didn’t know what to say, and then relaxed. “We met in—” his eyes shifted as if they hid something “—gym class,” he said cautiously. “It was a couple weeks into the school year, and she showed up one day. Your mom’s best friend was dating mine. I remember the first time we spoke to each other.” His voice sounded distance, stuck in the past. “We just clicked. After that we were inseparable.” He chuckled. “Your mother was so feisty and full of life.”

“But how did you know she was the one?” I leaned in, anxious to hear his answer.

There was a twinkle in his eyes. “I knew it when I first laid eyes on her, but I was almost too nervous to ask her out. Everything about her ignited something inside me: her laugh, her touch, her smile. I knew she was meant to be mine. She was my soul mate, and fate, that little minx, brought us together. I felt complete when I was with her.”

It was nice to see his mushy side again. When Mom was still around he was always a big ball of mush with her; they both were. “I miss her, Dad. How do you do it? How do you stay so strong?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug that said everything and nothing at all. “I have to stay strong for you girls. It’s not easy.” He eyed me wearily. “Please don’t be afraid to ask me about anything. If something happened to you tonight you’d tell me, right?”

“Yeah. But nothing happened. You don’t have to worry about that. Hey, do you think everyone has a soul mate?”

“Of course, but some people are just too impatient to wait for them to come along.”

“Do you think everyone feels the same way when they meet their soul mate? Like, do you think they feel what you felt?”

“Some, yes. Others, no. It depends on how open one is to the idea of having a soul mate.” He looked at the watch on his wrist then back at me. “It’s late. I had a long day at work, and I’m tired. We can continue this conversation tomorrow if you want?”

“I’d like that.” I enjoyed hearing about my parents when they were younger. Before everything went sour and got complicated.

“Me too. It actually feels good to talk about that part of my life.” A genuine smile spread across his face. He kissed my forehead. “Don’t stay up too late, honey. I need you to come by the office tomorrow by lunch time—preferably—to set up the meeting that we’re having in two weeks.”

“I’ll be there. Night, Dad.”

“Goodnight, honey.”

I watched him walk off as I contemplated everything he told me. I idly wondered if Oli could be my soul mate. There would be no complaints in that department. But did I feel whole with him around? We did form an immediate friendship, and when he touched me something
definitely
ignited inside me. Then again it could be my hormones flaring up. I decided to let fate work her magic.

I turned off the lights as I headed out of the kitchen. I kicked my shoes off in the ever-growing pile in the closest and trudged up the stairs, my legs heavy from the brisk so-not-in-shape-for run to Oli’s. After changing, I fell onto my mattress. I snuggled under my comforter and tried to sleep, but my mind was bogged down by thoughts of Oli, Cayden, and everything Dad told me. No matter how hard I tried to think of other things to help me sleep, those three things kept coming back.

After about an hour and a half consumed by tossing and turning while counting sheep, the mere idea of soundless sleep being miles away, I got out of bed and peeked into the hall. Snores from Dad’s room echoed through the quiet space. I wished that was me; instead I was wide-awake. I headed downstairs to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. All I wanted was my thoughts to dull so sleep would quit eluding me. My eyes landed on the medicine cabinet, and I considered taking an antihistamine. The cool, refreshing feel of the water sliding down my throat quenched a thirst I was unaware I had. Deciding a drug-induced sleep wasn’t the answer, I rinsed out my glass and placed it in the basin.

Sighing, I started ascending the stairs when the ghost of a knock came from the front door. I paused with my foot on the first stair, waiting. Maybe I was hearing things. When there wasn’t a second knock, besides the pounding pulse in my ears, I took another step.
Tap, tap
. I heard it again. I crept over to the door and peeked through the peephole. It was Cayden.

He had found me. This is just fantastic, I grumbled internally.

Ignoring him would be a waste, so I decided now was my chance to get things straight and find out what his deal was. I grabbed my weapon of choice—an umbrella—from the stand. I cautiously unbolted the door and wrapped my hand on the handle. After silently counting to three, I flung the door open. My body tensed, ready to spring into action, as I raised the umbrella over my head.

Cayden smirked, eyes bright with self-importance. The cocky bastard. His expression slipped for a second when he saw the umbrella in striking position. I smiled, knowing I had caught him off guard.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper-yelled, still poised to beat him senseless if necessary.

My thoughts immediately went to Oli and how he had told me to stay away from Cayden. Hard to do when Cayden was showing up on my doorstep. Anger flashed across his face at my boldness. He leaned through the doorway, clutched my face painfully in his hands, and brought his lips to mine with such force I thought I would fall backward. The feeling of his lips moving against mine stunned me, and the umbrella tumbled from my grip. My lips weren’t meant for him; they were for Oli. Only for Oli—my soul mate. Stunned at my insane thoughts, Dad’s words reverberated through my skull. Cayden held me closer, and my stomach rolled. Disgust swelled within me, and my palms slammed against his shoulders with force. He stumbled back and smiled condescendingly.

“I’m not impressed,” I spat, wiping at my lips to remove Cayden slobber. The stench of his breath was rancid, and my skin crawled with revulsion.

His breath was rough as he leered at me. “Liar.”

“I’d rather give up a lung than swap spit with you,” I taunted, trying to regain my breath. “And you desperately need a breath mint.”

His eyes narrowed. Hah. Not so cocky now, were we?

“Why are you here?” I snapped.

“I came to see you, babe,” he rasped darkly. Seductively. His attempts at charming me failed brilliantly. “What you did to me earlier wasn’t appreciated. So I came to get an apology.”

“An apology?” I scoffed. “Not a chance in a million years,” I said in the iciest voice imaginable. “I want an apology from you”—I poked his chest—“for taking me away from Oli and using your crazy voodoo on me.”

Horror splayed across his features for a split-second before his arrogant face popped back into place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t give me that load. You know
exactly
what I’m talking about. We’re done here. Leave. Now.” I stabbed my finger over his shoulder.

He looked at the ground for a moment as if he didn’t want me to see the emotions there. When he glanced back up, the smirk was firmly in place. He came at me again, a look of frenzied hunger in his eyes, but I stopped him short when my palm connected with his cheek. The loud crack of skin against skin echoed in the still night air.

“Cayden, meet my left hand.”

He stumbled back, stunned. The reddened outline of my hand appeared on his cheek, and his eyes full of seething hatred burned a hole in my head.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get out of here.” My voice was surprisingly steady considering the fear coursing through my veins.

He raised his hand to feel his cheek and winced at the pain. “You just made a huge mistake.” Rage made his voice hiss, and an unnatural snarl erupted from his chest. He came at me again—his hands going for my neck. His hands tightened as they enclosed in on my throat. I clawed at his fingers and tried to push him away, my body begging for breath. The barest hint of sweat coated his forehead and upper lip.

An aggravated groan escaped my throat. “Why won’t you listen?” I choked out. “I said: Go. Away.”

The words were a croak, but they were clear enough. Black spots invaded my vision, and I gave him one last push with my remaining strength. There was a crackling, and then Cayden was no longer on me. He flew backward with extraordinary speed, arching off the front porch and into the air. He toppled to the ground twenty feet from the porch. Eyes wide, I stared at my glowing hands. My heart drummed frantically, and my breath came out in choking gasps. The white light of my hands melted away as I stood frozen. Cayden groaned, and my hysterical moment of numbness vanished. I slammed the door shut and double locked it, not even checking to see if he was okay. Not like I cared.

My pulse was like a living thing inside me as I ran upstairs. I was too afraid to wake Dad, so I dove for my phone and impulsively called Oli. Not Ady or Emery but Oli. Tears ran down my cheeks as I waited for him to answer. On the fourth ring he picked up, his voice groggy with sleep.

“Hello?” he said.

“Oli?” I sniffled, unable to hide the tears. “I need you here.”

There was rustling on the other end, and the bed squeaked. “Kitten?” He was confused, then his voice turned to panic. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I-I don’t— Just come over. Cayden was here and–and something happened. Please, I’m really scared.”

“That bastard,” he growled. “Kitten, I’ll be right over. Don’t open the door for anyone but me. I’ll call when I’m outside.”

“Okay.” The call ended.

On the stairs, I crumpled to the floor and leaned against the wall. Pulling my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on top. My body shook, the memory of my glowing hands reverberating through my soul. All I wanted to do was purge myself of the infliction that was Cayden and figure out what was going on with me.

The glow had to be a light reflecting off something. I was in shock from Cayden showing up and just imagined it, just like I must have imagined the crackling sound. That had to be it. But then how did Cayden end up collapsed on the ground twenty feet away? My phone vibrated in my hands. I jumped, almost toppling down the stairs.

“Hello?” I whispered so as not to wake Dad. Though he was a sound sleeper and would most likely sleep through an entire marching band parading through his room.

“It’s Oli,” an Australian accent said into my ear. “I’m on your porch.”

“I’ll be right there.” I raced down the stairs, unlocked the door, and pulled it open. Oli’s emerald eyes were wide with worry, and he raced into the house. He gripped the door and pushed it shut. In the dim light of the entryway, his wild bedhead stuck out, putting mine to shame. He wore a pair of black sweatpants, white sneakers barely tied, a red hoodie halfway zipped that exposed his bare chest. The sight almost made me forget why I had called him, but the tremor that coursed through my body wouldn’t let me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I didn’t know who else to call.” Ady and Emery would have come over, but my gut was telling me Oli would be the only one who could help. The only one who could truly understand the strange things that had been happening to me.

“
Shh
, Kitten.” His arms wrapped around me and trembled with tension. “Jeez, you’re shaking. Let’s go sit down.” Or maybe I was shaking.

With his arm wrapped around my shoulder, he led me to the couch. I sat down and immediately went into the fetal position. My arms encircled my knees and pulled them to my chest. My body wouldn’t stop shaking. Oli sat next to me, his expression worried. He pulled me into his arms, and I laid my head in the crook of his neck. My legs casually fell against his thigh as I crossed my arms over my stomach. I must have been in shock.