Fade (4 page)

“You’ll get used to it,” Chelle said. They were the first words I’d heard her speak since she said hello. Her voice was soft and calming, her accent less pronounced than those of her sisters and Mandy. “Beebe is quiet, but I think you’ll like that.” The way she spoke seemed more statement of fact than a question.

“Perhaps,” I murmured, not sure what else to say. I rather suspected I would like living here, but part of me still wanted to hate the town. I didn’t particularly want to share that childish desire, and most definitely not the reasons behind it.

The conversation lulled for a moment.

“Have you met anyone else yet?” Mandy asked.

I probably should have expected the question, but it caught me off guard anyway. A blush crept up my cheeks, heating them.

Dani and Mandy both squealed at the telltale sign while Beth grinned. Chelle just looked at me.

“She met a guy already! Who is he?” Dani asked, bouncing where she sat.

They all turned to me.

“Ah, I don’t know who he is, actually.” My cheeks flamed. “Just some guy I noticed the other day. It’s not a big deal,” I lied, hoping they wouldn’t push for any more. How exactly do you tell a group of strangers you were either going crazy or something downright freaking weird and kind of amazing had happened with one look?

“What did he look like?” Beth asked, refusing to drop the subject. “Maybe we know him.”

“Um, tall, messy blonde hair, green eyes, really—”

“Flipping gorgeous?” Mandy finished for me.

I hadn’t imagined him after all. Thank God. “I’m guessing you know him?”

“Everyone knows him,” Beth said with a dreamy little sigh. “He’s sexy as hell, and gay.”

“Gay?” I blinked.

“Gay,” Mandy confirmed with a serious little nod. “His name is Dace Matthews.”

I’d stake my life on the fact that he wasn’t gay. “What makes you think so?” I asked, rabid with curiosity as to how they’d come to that conclusion. Maybe they knew something I didn’t, but I seriously doubted he was gay. He wouldn’t have said I belonged to him if he had no interest in girls. Right?

“He moved here about four years ago and has never had a girlfriend,” Dani said.

“Never,” Beth repeated.

“Not even a crush,” Mandy agreed.

“Don’t listen to them,” Chelle broke in. “He’s not gay. He’s simply
not interested
.” She shot a quelling look in her sisters’ direction before turning back to me. “He’s a great guy.”

I gaped at her, taken off guard by her forcefulness.

“He and Chelle are old friends,” Beth explained. “They spend a lot of time with the same people.”

“Oh,” I said, not sure I understood what she meant. The hesitant way she spoke made me wonder if he and Chelle had one of those relationships that would be classified as complicated on Facebook.

“We’re just friends,” Chelle said as if she’d plucked the question from my mind. “He’s a teaching assistant here and is good friends with my boyfriend, Gage Carter. You’ll get along with him great.”

“Ah, well, like I said, I don’t even know him,” I mumbled, a little uncomfortable at the confidence of her statement. As if she knew me better than I knew myself.

“You will,” Chelle said.

I think she meant the comment to be comforting, but after what happened Monday, her words came across a little too cryptic for me. Definitely my cue to bail.

I made a pretense of looking at my watch and shaking my head. “I should get going. I’m supposed to meet my dad over at the Inn.”

“Oh.” Mandy’s face fell. “Well, you want a ride?”

“Ah, no.” I climbed to my feet. “I think I’ll walk, get a feel for the place, but thank you.”

“Anytime,” she said with a smile. “We’ll have to get together soon.”

“I’d like that,” I replied, a little surprised to find I meant it. Chelle’s cryptic comment aside, they seemed great. Perhaps because they hadn’t pried for information on my mom, instead keeping the conversation light and easy. I turned to the triplets. “It was nice to meet all of you.”

They chorused their agreement.

“Arionna.”

I turned around to find Chelle staring up at me, her expression blank. “Yeah?”

“If you go that way”—she pointed to the street on the other side of the quad—”you’ll find a trail through the woods near the park. The park is on the other side of the overpass, but it’ll take you right to the Inn.”

“Oh. Um, thank you.” I started off in the direction she’d pointed out.

“You’re welcome,” her soft voice called from behind me. For some reason, I felt like she was talking about something far more consequential than directions.

I shivered and quickened my pace.

Chapter Three

I
followed the path Chelle pointed out, not too sure what to expect, but willing to give the shortcut a shot anyway. Within half an hour, I found myself on the far side of the park, staring down at the trail she’d told me about. I didn’t have any need to walk over to the Inn; I’d only needed an out, but the path looked inviting.

I started walking.

Like the oaks littering the campus, the trees here lifted bare branches toward the sun. Bright rays slipped through the remaining leaves and pierced the ground, sending little bits of dust hovering in the air like fairies. Everything looked soft and gold.

I loved it.

Something about trees in the middle of winter soothed me. Maybe because they never looked dead, but more like they were resting for a while. In a world constantly in a rush, seeing such giant warriors sleeping served as a personal reminder that the world wouldn’t end if I slowed down to take care of myself for a little while. There was no law saying I wasn’t allowed to be vulnerable, or scared. That I couldn’t fall apart or hurt.

I needed the reminder.

About half a mile into the trees, I came across a crumbling brick wall. Trees grew up in the center of the decaying structure, casting a sort of spindly-branched ceiling over the entire scene. One side of the wall had fallen, and a jagged staircase had been created by the random fall of one large brick upon another. Vines grew up over the stairway, obscuring parts of it in thick, green ropes. I had the overwhelming urge to climb up and walk the length of it.

I stared at the wall for a full minute, trying to convince myself that I’d be a lot safer if I didn’t try. It looked as if a strong enough wind would topple it entirely. My attempt at rationality failed though, and I half skipped the few yards to the wall before scrambling up the time-rendered staircase and onto the narrow ledge the worn brick provided.

I gave the ledge a few pushes with my foot. The brick didn’t wobble.

Certain the top of the wall would hold my weight, I started across, my arms outstretched like wings to keep me balanced. I hadn’t enjoyed enough lighthearted fun in my life in recent weeks, and it felt good to do something so childish.

I halted halfway across and turned until I faced the center of the crumbling structure. I had no idea what sort of building the remaining wall had belonged to originally, but the ruins were picturesque.

I tilted my head back, closed my eyes and breathed.

The wall wasn’t high, six feet at most, but I imagined the air was cleaner, less polluted and a whole lot sweeter from my perch on top. For an instant, I felt free again, unburdened by everything that had been dragging me down. And then I felt foolish for thinking it. How free could I be, standing on a wall in the woods with a town on three sides and more woods on the other?

The wind rustled through the trees, and I froze.

Someone stood behind me.

I don’t know what made me so certain, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if I turned back toward the trail, I’d see
him
standing there watching me.

Dace.

A shiver rolled up my spine.

I opened my eyes and turned.

I’d been correct on Monday; he did have a small scar above his right eyebrow, and he was completely gorgeous. Maybe even more so than I’d thought. He had the body of an athlete, lean but solid. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, and the gray fabric of his thermal shirt stretched tight over the muscles beneath.

He didn’t look happy to see me. To say he looked angry would have been a little bit of a big understatement. He looked furious standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

“What the hell are you doing up there?” he demanded, stalking toward me.

His voice sounded like soft, dark velvet. Not at all the growl I’d heard the other day, but not quite smooth either. Everyone else I’d talked to since arriving had a rich Southern accent. He didn’t. The way he spoke was completely unique.

“Don’t you know the entire wall is ready to crumble?”

I opened my mouth to answer him, but he didn’t give me the chance to speak.

“Are you
trying
to break your neck?” He stopped right below me and glared up, his jaw clenched and his fingers hooked into the back pockets of his dark-wash jeans.

“Jesus,” he swore, glaring at me like I was an idiot.

My mouth fell open.

This
, I thought,
is who I’ve been obsessing over
?
This guy is supposed to make me feel better?

My eyes stung. I’d been so wrong. I’d wanted him to make me feel better, to make me forget for a little while how much I missed my mom, not to make me feel like a stupid, little girl.

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business, is it?” I snapped, returning his glare. I wanted to cry. Not because he was a total jerk, but because I’d only imagined our weird connection. That hurt for reasons I couldn’t even begin to understand.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he glared with his beautiful, angry eyes narrowed. Neither of us said a word, but neither of us backed down either. Nothing strange happened like it had on Monday, and tears welled behind my eyes.

I was so stupid!

He exhaled sharply and bowed his head. When he lifted it again, the angry lights had gone out of his eyes. They still weren’t quite gentle, but they weren’t shooting off sparks either.

Satisfied he’d finished yelling at me, I returned to the little stairway of brick, then climbed back to the ground, breathing deeply to keep the tears from spilling over.

He didn’t say a word the entire time. He merely stood there looking at me.

Unbelievable.

I pushed past him and reclaimed the trail, keeping my head down so I didn’t have to look at him. I’d had about enough of crying. I didn’t want to fall apart over this, too.

I made it a whole two steps when he attempted to halt me.

“Wait,” he called.

I didn’t stop, nor did I turn around. I kept walking as if I didn’t hear him or didn’t care. Let him decide which was true.

He didn’t speak for a minute, and then he sighed.

His feet crunched on the leaves behind me.

Great. Just great.

He caught up quickly and fell into step with me.

I ignored him.

He didn’t go away though. He kept walking alongside me as if he didn’t mind in the least that I didn’t want his company. A little part of me thrilled at that. I don’t know why, because he was an ass. But I couldn’t help feeling like I mattered to him in some way, and part of me liked the feeling. A little too much.

I stopped walking and turned to face him, my hands on my hips and a scowl on my face. “Will you go away?”

“No.”

I waited for something else, something more, but he didn’t speak again. That single word was all he had for me. “What do you mean,
no
?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

My glare didn’t seem to faze him in the least.

He shrugged and continued looking at me. “No.”

Ugh!

I shook my head and resumed walking.

He did, too.

Having him so close drove me insane. Heat roiled from him, and I didn’t want to feel it. Yet he wouldn’t go away and wouldn’t speak either. I wanted to kick him.

“Are you always this way?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

“What way?”

Infuriating
, I wanted to say. “Impossible,” I said instead.

“Maybe.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I haven’t paid much attention, so I wouldn’t know.”

“You haven’t—” I stopped walking and looked at him, amazed. And then I laughed. I couldn’t help it. His answer was outrageous. I either had to laugh or strangle him, and laughing seemed the safest option.

“Impossible,” I muttered, no longer angry. “What do you want?”

“Ah, nothing.” He fell into step beside me again, his lips twitching.

The boy truly was far too beautiful.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I acted back there, I suppose.” He stumbled over the words, sounding unsure if he meant them.

“Why did you?”

“Why did I what?” He frowned.

“Act that way.” I didn’t care anymore, but I wanted to keep him talking. I liked his voice. The way he spoke wasn’t gentle, but his voice calmed me like Chelle’s had been before she’d gone all cryptic on me.

“You took me by surprise. I’m not used to seeing beautiful girls standing on crumbling walls as if they own the world. It’s not something you see every day, you know.”