Finding Obscurity (3 page)

Chapter
Four

The
sunlight was casting a glare across my face, and no matter which way I turned,
it was just too bright for me to sleep in past ten. It was Saturday morning,
and even though I was full of trepidation, I was meeting with Sam and company
at noon.

Grabbing
my robe, I went into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker. I had gotten in
the habit of drinking coffee in the morning when I lived in Seattle for a few
months. It was too cold and rainy for my liking, so I moved back to Indiana so
I could experience all four seasons again. I made damn sure I was hours away
from that sleepy town I was raised in, though. After the coffee was started, I
made my way to the shower. The hot water sluiced down my body, waking me
slowly. I promised myself a bath in the next few days, as I was due some
relaxation. Shutting the water off, I wrapped myself into a towel and slapped
on some makeup and deodorant, then headed to look for something to wear. My
closet was full of clothes in tidy order. Jeans in one section, tank tops,
sweaters, and so forth. Shoes were lined in the lower rack in order from
flip-flops to boots. Since March in Indiana can be chilly, I decided to throw
on a pair of jeans tucked into boots, with a blue T-shirt which read: “I’m
fluent in sarcasm” across the front. I covered it with a black zip-up fleece. I
inspected my thin, five-foot-nine frame in the mirror and did a quick turn.
Deciding I looked decent enough, I tossed my phone into my purse. I walked to
the kitchen and grabbed a to-go cup of coffee, fed Jinx, and headed out the
door.

I was a
little nervous walking into Café Epoch. It had been way too long since I had
been social enough to converse with several people at once. The fact that they
were complete strangers, aside from Sam, made it even worse. Being alone by
keeping to myself most of the time wasn’t that bad, really. I could deal, but I
wasn’t that good with being lonely all the time if I was honest. Sam had tried
to help me get into the club, and even though I got caught, I was still
grateful. I did have some guilt at the thought that he may get fired. He had
somehow sneaked his way into my heart as a friend. It made me anxious.

Café Epoch
was in a small brick building about a block away from the stadium, and seemed
to be a local hotspot lately. The walls were painted dark khaki with small oak
tables, and served more than just coffee, with its choice of famous burgers and
sandwiches. I had been in here one time before to try the burgers after reading
a review on Facebook. They did not disappoint.

Sam sat at
the table with a petite red-haired woman and a handsome guy with blonde hair.
My feet stumbled a bit when I saw – none other than – Stacy. When Sam saw me he
grinned, jumping up from the table and giving me a bear hug. He pulled out a
chair to seat me in between himself and the man.

“Guys,
this is Lily.” He began introducing me first to the man who had stunning gray
eyes and then the two women. “This is Blake Moore, Paige Smith, and Stacy
Chaplin.”

I smiled
and nodded at each name introduced to me. I was almost at a loss for words, and
being so close to Stacy had me all itching to touch her to see if she was for
real. Now that I could see her up close, she was pretty in the girl-next-door
kind of way. Blonde hair in a ponytail, a petite curled up nose, and her dark
blue eyes hidden behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. She looked so different
from last night.

“Lily, you
from Indy?” Blake asked, smiling. He was a good-looking guy with dirty blonde
hair, eyes the color of steel, and a bright smile with dimples peeking out from
the corner of his mouth. I tried not to stare at him.

“Um, no.”
I was interrupted and placed my order with the waitress before continuing. “I
grew up in Indiana, though, a few hours from here.”

“Where?”
This came from the redhead, Paige. She was a tiny woman with freckles speckled
across her nose.

“A small,
no-name town with about five stop lights.” I shrugged because I wasn’t prepared
for the twenty questions.

Stacy
chuckled. “Well, it can’t be worse than where I grew up. There was one gas
station and that was it. We had to drive thirty minutes to even watch a movie
at the theatre. It was too boring for me, and I left for college and never went
back. Small towns make me nervous, honestly.”

 
“I agree. Nothing like rumors and church
hypocrites.”

“Damn
straight.” Stacy rolled her eyes with a smile.

I am sure
if she had any sort of abilities, and if her town was anything like where I
grew up, she would have been treated like an outcast. It was something I was
more than familiar with.

“So what’s
everyone up to tonight?” Sam asked, and looked at me out of the corner of his
eye.

“Don’t you
and Stacy have to work tonight?” I asked.

“Yeah, but
we both don’t have to be there until ten. The club opens way earlier than that.
I figured we could go and dance a bit before I have to work my shift,” he
answered and looked at me with a secret smile.

Uh oh, I
knew what he was doing. “Um… I don’t know if we would get in, and I don’t feel
like waiting in line all night. Besides, it may not be a good idea.”

“Why not?”
Stacy gave me a weird look. “I think it would be fun, even if Sam and I
couldn’t drink. The rest of you guys would be able to drink and have a good
time at least. Besides, if you come with us, I bet we could hook you up with
free drinks.”

Sam
laughed. “Lily here had quite an experience last night at Revive. She got to
meet the owner and he ended the night by chasing her out of the club.”

“That was
you?” Stacy gasped.

All eyes
turned to me and I squirmed. “What can I say? I like to cause trouble everywhere
I go.”

I excused
myself to use the restroom, and on the way I pretended to stumble, grabbing
Stacy’s arm to catch myself. The shot of electricity that ran up my hand made
my eyes go wide. Holy shit! When she looked down at my hand with a confused
expression, I whispered an apology. When I reached the bathroom, I leaned over
the sink and stared in the mirror. Stacy had some power to her. It wasn’t like
I could come out and say that I knew it. Somehow, I would have to eventually
get her alone. If she could feel emotions, then she had to know I was surprised
by what I had felt when I touched her. But then again, she may know people like
me by feeling it, too.

Taking a
few calming breaths, I headed back out to the table. Our food would be there by
now, and it would be rude to stay the rest of the time in the bathroom trying
to figure out how to handle things, or worse, escaping out the window. I would
have to approach Stacy, but had no clue how to begin. The group turned my way
when I took my seat again.

“Sam
filled us in on what happened last night. I have never met Ashton, and I’ve
worked there as a dancer since the place opened! People tell me he’s drop-dead
gorgeous. Is it true?” Stacy said as soon as I sat down.

The food
was distributed and I stuffed a French fry in my mouth, deciding how to answer
that question while I chewed.

I noticed
Blake watching me curiously. “Yeah, but he’s one of those guys who’s rich and
knows it. Somebody like that is never satisfied, and tends to get bored with
women.”

“I don’t
know. He treats his employees well and pays higher than any club in the
Midwest. The man you’re describing sounds like one of those crooked car
salesmen. I’m sad I missed seeing him last night chasing after you. I miss so
much being up in the air dancing,” Stacy sighed.

“So, we
going, or what?” Sam asked and gave me a pointed look, daring me to say no.

They all
chimed in excitedly that they were going – except for me. I shrugged. Peer
pressure is a bitch. “I may be on the blacklist and not able to get in after
last night. I guess it’s worth a shot, but you guys go on in if I can’t.”

Sam shook
his head at me. “I bet you’ll be on the VIP list, Lily. We may all get in
faster than we thought without going through the employee entrance. If all else
fails, then we go in the back and I sneak you guys in.”

“Why would
she be on the VIP list?” Paige looked at me with confusion. Her red hair was
down in curls with blonde highlights. She had muddy brown eyes, with pale skin,
and an upturned nose. She was cute, but looked so much like a bitch that it
ruined anything that would be considered pretty.

“Because
Ashton Ryder doesn’t chase after people. Lily got him out of his VIP cave, and
that says something. I think he liked her,” Sam answered for me and I rolled my
eyes at him.

Blake
studied me for a moment with an expression I couldn’t name. “You may just be
our golden ticket to get in whenever we want.” He reached over and squeezed my
hand in a friendly gesture.

The shock
that reverberated through my body at his touch about knocked me out of the
chair. I jerked my hand away and grabbed the edge of the table with both hands
to steady myself. I looked back up to his gray eyes as we stared at each other
for what seemed like ages, before I finally looked away. He knew. He knew, and
in one touch, I knew he was potent. Stacy didn’t seem to really give me any
indication she had a clue what I was. Of course he had to be something special
if he felt like lightning when our skin met. Watching him with what probably
was fear plastered across my face, Blake reached out to touch my hand again,
but I pulled it away from his reach. He played if off by shrugging and taking a
bite of his burger.

Everyone
else started talking about the plans for tonight, and I pushed my plate away, no
longer hungry. I had two people at this table who may be able to answer my
questions about why I had these freaky skills. Blake knew I was different and
he was more powerful than anyone I had ever came in contact with. That was
troublesome.
 
I prided myself on being
secretive and only letting people know what I could do when it was on my terms.
Of course, I’d never found anybody like me who was still alive until now, so
“my terms” was never an issue. Now I had inadvertently advertised myself to the
good-looking man sitting beside me. The problem was I wasn’t sure if Blake was
somebody dangerous, nor did I know where he had come from. Did he know about
Stacy?

Sam
playfully elbowed me from my thoughts. “We’re meeting at Revive in the parking
lot at eight. Early, I know, but that’s when they open and we can beat the
crowds, and you guys can get a few drinks in before it gets busy. You better be
there with bells on.”

I nodded
and gave a polite smile. If I didn’t show, then Sam would just call, and call,
and call until I gave in. I could see it in his eyes. Something told me that
going tonight was a bad idea. First with Blake knowing about me and second was
Ashton possibly knowing I was
there.
I had lied about
who I was, luckily not getting arrested for trespassing. I know I was not the
only person to ever lie about a name to get into a party or club, but I got
caught, and it’s probably smart not to show my face back in said place. Even
though I kept telling myself to politely come up with an excuse later, a part
of me was curious if I really was on the VIP list.

“Good. I
need to get some beauty sleep before we meet up. Lily, I will see you there,”
Sam said, standing up to put on his jacket.

I tossed a
twenty on the table and stood as well. Blake was still watching me with those
gray eyes. “Well…. uh…. see you guys later then.” I had to get out of there. My
nerves were shot and my thoughts scattered everywhere at once.

As I
walked toward the door, Blake cleared his throat, causing me to turn and look
back. With a sly smile, he whispered in my ear while walking past. “
May the forces of evil get lost on the way to your
front
doorstep,
Lily
.
”

Chapter Five

I was currently rummaging through my closet, tossing clothes on my bed,
haphazardly trying to decide what to wear tonight. Placing my hands on my hips,
I surveyed the mess, deciding it looked like a small tornado must have blown
through my room. Hating myself for being so worried about what I was wearing, I
slowly put order back to my room. Sometimes my little fixation with things
being in order bordered on obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Finally I decided on a pair of skinny jeans tucked into my favorite
black knee-high boots, and a blue one-shoulder top with rhinestone embellishes
on the shoulder. I put in chunky silver hoop earrings along with an oversized
silver bracelet and gave myself
a
once-over in the
mirror. My hazel eyes were smoky with catlike eyeliner, and my lips a deep
shade of pink. My straight nose and high cheekbones were perfectly outlined
with blush against my pale skin. One normally never sees themselves as
beautiful when they looked at themselves, but I thought I looked pretty hot
tonight. With slick, straight black hair, all I could do was leave it down or
pull it up. I decided on a high ponytail, because if we were dancing, I would
be tempted to pull it up anyway.

“What do you think, Jinx?” I asked the black cat currently sitting on
the bed.

His tail started to swish in response and I figured that was a good
sign. He never answered me, except for the occasional meow. I’m glad I couldn’t
understand him. Surely it would be all about treats and complaining that the
litter box needed scooped again.

I raised my eyebrow at him, putting one hand on my hip. “Cat got your
tongue?”

Jinx propped his leg up in the air and started to lick his ass in
response to my question.

Making sure he had plenty of food and water, I headed out to my car.
It was abnormally warm today, and if you didn’t like the weather in this crazy
state, all you had to do was wait about an hour and it would change. Indiana
was the one place that you could use your heater in the morning and air
conditioning in the afternoon during the summer months. But I loved it and grew
up with this weather, so it was always nice to have something that felt normal.

Traffic was a bitch tonight, and taking the I-65 exit, I groaned at
the semi in the fast lane. When it finally veered over to the next lane, I hit
the gas knowing I was going to be late. I took the third exit down and followed
the side roads back to the abandoned warehouse area on the edge of town. Why
anyone decided to put a club here was beyond me, but it worked. There was
plenty of parking, unlike downtown, where parking could be a nightmare.

I pulled into a spot and got out of my car, putting my license in my
back pocket and my cash in the front pocket of my jeans. After locking my purse
in my trunk and tucking my keys into my bra, I headed towards the entrance.
There weren’t as many people in line yet, but it was really early. The same
bouncer was standing there from last night, and I noticed he had his little
computer gadget back.

“Lily!” a male voice cried as they wrapped their arms around me.

I wrenched myself away from the hold, swirling around to see Sam with
a grin plastered on his face. I slapped him on the arm. “Jesus, you scared the
shit out of me. Don’t do that again!”

He winked. “Afraid it was somebody else?”

“Sam…” I began, but Blake, Paige, and Stacy walked up and interrupted
the lecture I was about to give.

Blake gave me a devious smirk when he reached Sam and me. He was
dressed in dark jeans with a button-down cobalt shirt that made his gray eyes
pop. Tonight his light-colored hair was gelled nicely with little spikes in the
front. The guy was good-looking and I couldn’t help but notice his six-pack abs
with the little V as his shirt rose as he stretched. I glanced back up to
Blake’s face to see him winking at me with a sly grin.

Embarrassed, I looked quickly looked back at Sam and said, “So,
what’s the plan?”

He looked at the bouncer before looking back at me. “Well, Stacy and
I can get in no problem. Friends or not, you still have to get past the big guy
there. I will leave the rest of you guys to get in with Lily’s creativeness.”

Sam chuckled and grabbed Stacy’s arm, walking up to the bouncer and
showing him their employee badges before walking inside. That little weasel
knew exactly what he was doing.

“Are we doing this or not?” Paige asked before looking at me with an
eyebrow raised. She had a hand on her hip.

She didn’t like me. It didn’t hurt my feelings, but it irked me that
she didn’t even give me a chance. Someone who hates you usually does so for one
of three reasons:
 
They want to be you.
They hate themselves. Or they see you as a threat. I wasn’t sure which one was
her reasoning, but that was her own fault for feeling that way. With a
sarcastic smile and obnoxious flip of my ponytail, I turned around and headed
toward the bouncer. I was sure to walk in the most sexy manner I knew possible
just to drive her crazy. When we reached the bouncer, he didn’t even look up at
us, but pointed to the end of the short line.
Was he serious?

“Lily Canton,” I said with a hand on my hip.

“Not on the list. Back of the line,” he answered after tapping on his
little gadget.

I was perturbed, to be honest. There were only three people waiting
to get in and he had the nerve to have us wait in line. Maybe I had gotten my
hopes up with Ashton, and I should have known better. I don’t know why it
really bothered me. I had convinced myself that I didn’t like him, but then
again, I had also promised myself I would never get close to anyone for fear of
getting hurt. But Sam had gotten closer to me than I wanted.

A sudden thought hit me, and I said, “Try Liliana Canton.”

The guy rolled his eyes as he started using the little pen
thingamabob to type in my name. I was on edge. I had been curious all day if I
would be on the VIP list. With a surprise, he grunted and lifted the red velvet
rope to allow me inside after checking my ID.

They must have tightened their security after my incident and my
heart jumped a little. I was in. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I pointed
to Blake and Paige with a wave of my hand. “They are with me.”

He nodded and gave a fake smile. “Have a good evening, Ms. Canton.”

The music was blaring and the bass vibrated through my lungs with a
Pitbull
song as we made our way into Revive. Sam was
waiting at the bar he usually was stationed at, drinking a bottle of Coke. The
bartender tonight was a woman dressed in the normal Revive outfit that the
dancers wear. Sam leaned over and whispered in her ear. To my disappointment,
she then began making drinks without the expert bartending skills Sam had. I
was handed the same drink from last night, and I took a sip through my straw
and surveyed the club. There were a few people on the dance floor, but nobody
in the ceiling or cages yet. I was glancing up at the fabric hanging in twos, when
Stacy walked up.

“It’s called aerial silk dancing, or silk acrobatics, whichever you
prefer,” Stacy said from beside me, looking up as well.

I glanced at her before looking back up. “Where did you learn that?”

She shrugged. “I was in gymnastics in school, and when I traveled to
France on vacation, I saw somebody do that. I fell in love, and when I got back
in the States, I decided to take lessons. It’s fun if you’re not scared of
heights. Want to try it sometime? You wouldn’t believe the muscles you didn’t
know you had after about a day or two of practice.”

I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to try, and although it would give
me the alone time with her, I was a petrified of heights.

Stacy interrupted my thoughts with a laugh. “If you’re scared of
heights, I can teach you a mean pole dance routine.”

She must have sensed my fear and I laughed at the thought. “Maybe. I
was taught dance from a young age and up until graduation, but I’m not sure if
pole dancing would be my thing, either. Dance lessons lost the appeal after I
graduated. Do you really not have any sort of harness?”

“Not after you know what you’re doing. It isn’t that hard, really.
Just watch me later and you can decide.”

 
I nodded, thinking there was
no way in hell, and turned to the bar for another drink. Blake leaned up beside
me and paid for my drink, as well as his beer.

“
Wanna
dance with me later?” he asked,
still looking at the bartender.

Was it a good idea? He knew I was different, but so was he. Of
course, he hadn’t spilled my secret yet, and I was positive that he knew about
Stacy, but wasn’t sure if she knew about him. Did he have an ulterior motive? I
wasn’t sure he did, but I didn’t know him well enough to know who he was. I
glanced in the mirror behind the bar and saw Paige glaring at me from a few
feet over. I turned around to look right back at her.

“I might take you up on that offer,” I said, flirting just to drive
Paige crazy. I then leaned in close to Blake’s ear, “Don’t get your hopes up.”
I gave myself a mental high-five when Paige stormed off. Maybe she had
something for Blake?

“I hope you do. I think the
sparks
between us would be
amazing,” Blake said as he caught my arm. The electric pulses shooting
throughout my body caused me to gasp.

I glanced up and saw his wicked grin. I didn’t want to yank my arm
away because those electric throbbing sensations around my body felt oddly
wonderful, but I did so anyway. My body was a traitor. “Stop that.”

He chuckled and handed me my drink, making sure his fingers touched
mine before walking toward the restrooms. Sam and Stacy were still making
conversation with the bartender, and people were starting to make their way
inside, filling up the space. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to glance
at the time. They would be heading to work soon, and I would be left alone with
handsome Blake and Paige the bitch.
Awesome
.

An hour later the club was hopping, and with a slight buzz, I made my
way onto the crowded dance floor to dance with total strangers. I glanced up to
see Stacy spin around the silk, looking like she was going to fall before
stopping with an elegant move, hanging only by her legs.

I had made my way closer to the DJ booth and was dancing with some
tall dark-skinned guy who was trying to get a little too close. Backing away a
bit from him, I noticed the DJ for the first time. He was muscular, like a
bodybuilder, with bright blue hair in a
mohawk
.
He had a red “wife-beater” tank top on and was dancing to the song as he moved
those little knobs. He glanced up at me, staring me right in the eyes, giving
me the willies.
Weird
.
 
The tall guy who was a little too close
earlier started basically humping my behind, so I turned around and politely
put my arms on his chest, pushing him a little farther away. He didn’t get the
hint and tried to pull me up against his chest. I shoved at him that time, but
it wasn’t me that stopped his advances. The sparks reverberated through my body
as Blake put his hand on my lower back.

Smiling, he led me about ten feet away and pulled me up against him
to dance. He was an okay dancer, but nothing like Sam. Then again, Sam was gay
and I was pretty sure it was a requirement to dance like nobody’s business.
Blake’s hands rubbed up and down my back as he pulled me closer, causing me to
shiver. Shaking my head, I pulled away from him a little bit, but I still let
him touch my hips. I knew he didn’t feel as potent to my senses that way. He
tried to spin me around in a circle, but stumbled into me, laughing. I smiled
at him, still keeping my distance. Okay, I admit I was having fun, but I still
wondered in the back on my mind if Ashton knew I was here. It really shouldn’t
matter, honestly, but I couldn’t help it. Blake was a little dangerous since he
knew I had abilities, but I was kidding myself if I thought Ashton wasn’t
suspicious.

Blake leaned forward, speaking in my ear. “I’m glad you let me dance
with you. Ever since I found out you knew what I was, it was hard enough not to
follow you home or get Sam to give me your phone number.”

I frowned. “You would have followed me?”

“I didn’t want to be a stalker, but I was curious what you knew about
everything.” He shrugged.

“I don’t know anything about this stuff, and I don’t like to
advertise anything either.”

“Pity. That explains why I never knew you existed. If I would have
known how pretty you were, I would have been here a long time ago.”

I had nothing to say to that, so we danced close together for a
while, his hands running up and down my back causing me to shiver. Would I have
met him years ago if I had said something to anyone? I wasn’t sure, and
somehow, if I had known Blake years ago, I might not be in this situation now,
but might have better control of this crazy shit known as abilities.

“What can you do?”

He put his hand barely in mine, and I saw a blue vapor between our
palms which felt like I was holding an ice cube. “What was that?” I asked,
confused.

He grinned and leaned in again, pulling me closer. “Ladies first.”

“I am not really sure how to explain everything,” I said back in his
ear and shrugged. “I can short out electricity, sometimes find things, and can
get premonitions about the future, either by dreams or by blanking out while
awake. I have somehow been able to control it to an extent, but I’m not that
great at it, really. Sometimes, it just happens.”

“Remarkable.”

I noticed we were very close to each other dancing while we spoke in
each other’s ears, trying to make conversation over the pounding music. We were
almost embracing like lovers. “I could try and show you sometime. You know, to
try and control it?”