Intrinsical (37 page)

I shook off my previously morbid thoughts and turned to him with a wan smile. He rocked back and forth on his feet as he chewed on one of his nails, contemplating me. We just stared at each other, there not being words profound enough to encompass what we had just done. It had changed us. I felt different, like I had gained something, but been robbed of something as well. In Brent’s eyes, there was a deeper maturity, a travel-worn wisdom and depth that flecked the brown of his eyes. It made him more rugged, more beautiful but at the same time it gave me a pang of sorrow to see.

“
I guess we should get back to our bodies,” he offered.

“
Yeah,” I agreed shuffling from foot to foot.

Cherie still stood on the edge of campus, frozen in time, her face showing the traces of fear she had been bravely trying to hide. Steve sat beside Brent’s vacant body. I dove back into my body, the familiar icy chill snapping over me as time started moving forward at a snail’s pace. Cherie and Steve began moving, each blink and action slow, like a stop-motion movie. Our times were still out of sync as I crossed the campus divide and grabbed Brent’s body under his armpits. Drag marks cut across the rocky path as I brought him across the barrier line. Brent reconnected with a luxurious sigh, like sinking into a warm bath.

“
We did it,” I whispered to Cherie.

Steve sat upright, looking around in confusion before leaping at Brent and catching him in a chokehold in case I had failed.

Cherie jumped to see me no longer by her side but in front of her dusting myself off. “How? Oh . . . is it over?” Cherie asked. “Just like that? Did it work?” She sent a suspicious look to Brent who was yelling at Steve to let him go.

“
Yeah, it’s really Brent now.” I answered, fingering my throat where my necklace should have been. The real necklace had snapped with its spirit-twin.

Steve released Brent with an apologetic grin and swatted him on the back with a manly grunt.

“
Ugh.” Brent smacked his lips. “What did you give me to drink?”

“
A vile concoction of whiskey laced with black licorice and Brazilian herbs,” Cherie said. “Yara’s grandma said alcohol was the best way to dissolve and mask the flavor of the herbs.” Then Cherie launched into the details of our plan, from her fight with Steve to the clandestine meetings with my sister.

“
I knew I couldn’t trust you to not do anything stupid,” Brent said half-heartedly. “I think he stretched out my body, it feels different,” he complained lifting his arms and stretching his legs. “It wasn’t meant to house thirty souls.”

Cherie then threw her arms around my neck, hurling questions at me. She finally noticed my monosyllabic responses and got the message I wasn’t ready to talk. She rather conspicuously tugged Steve away, leaving Brent and me alone.

A heavy silence hung in the air but I didn’t feel the need to speak. I picked up the scattered pieces of my necklace, carefully rubbing them across my palm, wiping the dirt from them, and stuffing them in my pocket. Brent grasped the vial in his quivering hands, his head bent.

“
You saved my life again,” he said, his voice cracking. “I’ll never be out of your debt now.”

“
It wasn’t me. We did it,” I corrected.

“
I’m beyond grateful, Yara, but you weren’t supposed to take that sort of risk for me. I didn’t want you to.” He stood in front of me, his eyes still overly red from crying. He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear then let his hand rest on my cheek, his thumb fanning softly across my face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “What would I have done if you were killed permanently this time? Why would you do that?”

“
You already know why,” I said, looking away and stepping back. I remembered too clearly how he had reacted to my declaration of love and how he had shied away from our potential kiss in my room. I was a smart enough and had enough pride not to want to repeat those experiences. I shrugged. “It was the right thing to do.”

The scarlet clouds on the horizon reminded me of blood. I pivoted away from them, shivering and taking a few steps into the groves. Brent caught my wrist and I curved toward him.

His rich brown eyes were dark, solid, no trace of jade; it was fully him. He looked like he wanted to say something but his jaw tensed and instead he let his hand travel from my elbow to my hand, the strong pulse from his fingers like a balm to my injured soul. I raised our entwined hands and placed them over the steady thumping of his heart a twin of the rhythm in my own chest. I pressed my head to his chest letting the steady pace of his heart and his citrusy, musky scent envelop me, lull me into a place of security. A place safe enough that I didn’t have to pretend I was okay. I failed to sniff back the tears that began to leak from me.

I should have been happy. I should have been relieved. I should have felt like celebrating, but I didn’t feel any of those things. I felt weak, fragile and helpless because all I could do was cry.

Brent put his arm around me whispering, “I know.” I wasn’t sure if he was agreeing with the fact that we had conquered Thomas, if he knew the real reason I had risked so much to save him, or if he understood why I was crying. I decided it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was holding me.

Chapter 18

A few days later, Cherie and I were in our room doing a complex pre-homecoming dance grooming ritual. All it really involved was snacking and getting ready with greater care than normal. Beauty supplies were strewn across our floor and cluttering our desks.

“
So what did he do with the vial? Bury it?” Cherie asked.

“
No, he bought a small padded safe for his room. He’s afraid to let it out of his sight.”

“
Well, I don’t blame him.” Cherie shuddered. “So Brent was pretending to be hypnotized by the mist?” She asked before taking another big bite of her green apple.

“
He said when I reminded him of my dream, he came up with a plan. That’s why he didn’t give them the necklace, but broke it, spilling the beads. He trusted me to know how to use them.” I removed the cotton from between my toes. I held out my foot, wiggling my toes as I examined the pale pink color.

“
Why did I miss all the fun?” She complained, twisting the stem of the apple before it snapped off.

“
You had the important job of guarding our bodies.”

Cherie guffawed at me and ended with a snort. “Lot of good I was, being frozen in time and all.” She tossed her apple core and the broken stem into her trashcan. “So even though Brent’s alive, you’re still going to the dance tonight with Dallin, huh?”

I plugged in my curling iron and laid it on my desk on top of a ratty blue hand towel. “Yeah, and Brent’s going with Sara. Thomas had asked her.”

“
Oh.” Cherie cleaned her hands with a wipe and threw it in the trash. She patted her hands dry on her jeans and then took her blonde hair and piled it on top of her head, twisting so she could observe herself from every angle. Grabbing one of the bobby pins on her desk, she stuck it into the curls then grabbed some more, putting a them in her mouth.

“
Why didn’t you both dump your dates and go together?” Cherie asked around the bobby pins pressed between her lips.

“
Dallin doesn’t deserve that.” I guided the curling iron down a section of my hair. “Besides, Brent didn’t ask me to the dance. He seemed overjoyed that he gets to go with Sara.” I tried to swallow down the bitterness in my voice but it got caught in my throat by a lump of rejection. “I mean, sure, I risked my life to save him, you know. No big deal. So glad I saved him so he could date other girls.”

“
Let’s not forget that you agreed to go with Dallin after Brent had protected you from the mist all those times.” Cherie coaxed a curl into place with her finger then made it stay with another pin. “And he was also willing to give up getting his own life back and freeing his brother to keep you from harm.”

“
That was different . . .” I said defensively.

“
Maybe not to him,” Cherie pointed out with a shrug.

My now-beating heart sunk like an anchor to my knees as I considered her words.

****

Dallin and I had danced four songs in a row when my feet protested and I begged him to sit a few out. He guided me toward the bleachers in the gym. Silver and black material was draped from the top of the room, forming a false ceiling, and then cascaded down, paneling the walls. White lights twinkled from the potted trees, large silver clocks adorned the walls and small clocks made up the centerpieces of the black-linened tables.

“
Want something to drink?”

My gaze slide to the refreshment table, which seemed miles away on a path lined with hot coals. “That would require me to move,” I whined.

Dallin gave me a dangerous grin. “I’m more than willing to get it, but it will require payment.”

“
Fine, I’ll answer all of your Calculus questions for you on Monday.”

“
Just as I had hoped,” he said, his voice tinged with disappointment at my non-flirty answer. I liked Dallin, enough not to lead him on until I knew the ‘Brent door’ had been slammed shut and deadbolted. “I’ll be back.”

Dallin retreated down the stairs while my eyes found Brent and Sara dancing in the crowd. Judging by the mutual smiles, they appeared to be having a great time. I forced myself to look away, concentrating on the pale pink patterns on the delicate fabric of my dress, my fingers tracing the lines and twirls there. The song ended and a new one started. I continued to study my dress, pretending it was fascinating.

“
Did your date dump you?” Brent asked.

My vertebrae cracked because my head popped up so fast. He towered above me, looking mouth-watering in his black suit.

“
No, he went to get me something to drink.”

“
Oh, I was afraid I was going to have to be a gentleman and offer you a pity dance.” Brent eased himself down beside me.

“
Nope, you don’t have to be a gentleman,” I said lightly, wiping my suddenly sweaty palms on my dress.

Brent leaned in close, his minty breath tickling my cheek. “Good to know I don’t have to be a gentleman with you.”

“
Ha, ha,” I said sarcastically, but not moving away from him, and pretending my pulse hadn’t sped off like a NASCAR driver. “Where’s your date?”

“
She’s . . . in the bathroom, I think.” Brent swiveled his head toward the dance. “Having fun with Dallin?” Brent asked dryly.

“
Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth. “How’s Sara?”

“
Great.” Brent studied his nails and I could almost see the longing to chew on them flicker in his eyes. “So, I was wondering if you still wanted to get training to control your projecting.”

“
Well, I only did it that once without meaning to . . . well, and the time Thomas spiked my drink.”

“
I keep forgetting what a natural you are. You really don’t need my help.” Brent slumped, resting his elbows on the bench behind him.

“
You have lots of other things you could teach me.” I said quickly. “Training would be good.”

“
Yeah, it will be like old times,” Brent said, nodding his head, something akin to a smile playing on his lips.

“
Hey, Brent,” Dallin said uneasily, noting how close we were sitting. I quickly put some space between us, and Brent shook his head in obvious amusement. My cheeks burned as I took the water Dallin offered me.

Brent gave me an ironic look, his eyebrows arching slightly. “I’m surprised you still accept drinks from guys.”

I discreetly stepped on his toe. “It’s a matter of knowing who to trust.”

“
I was just about to ask your date to dance,” Brent explained to Dallin, standing up and extending his hand toward me with a million watt smile. I nervously gulped, my eyes shifting between Brent and Dallin.

“
No, thanks. I’m feeling dehydrated,” I answered, lifting my cup of water to my mouth. “Maybe later.”

A crease formed between Brent’s brows that gave me more satisfaction than it should have. I had a feeling he wasn’t used to being turned down.

“
Later,” he agreed, flashing a smile toward Dallin. With that he walked away, asking the first girl he passed to dance. Without meaning to, I found myself staring after him. Dallin sat beside me and followed my gaze to Brent.

“
What was that?”

“
Nothing, really.”

“
If you say so,” Dallin said, not sounding quite sure he believed me. After sipping our mutual drinks we made our way back to the crowd, dancing every song.

* ***

“
That was fun,” Dallin said as we approached the double doors of my dorm. He’d hardly said anything since we’d left the bleachers. I think our encounter with Brent had dampened his spirits.