Pretend With Me (Midnight Society #1) (20 page)

“Sure,” he smirked at me and I blushed deeper as he
stood up, stretching. I sucked in a small breath watching as
his muscles rippled under his t-shirt. I had to remind
myself to breathe or I was going to suffocate. “How you
doing there?” he then asked, standing in front of me.
“You did that on purpose,” I accused him. Eric knew
what he was doing to me and he loved it.
“Did no such thing,” he grinned.
“Eric,” I breathed out, slowly getting off the bed,
standing inches away from him. His burning blue eyes
studied me, never leaving my face. “Thank you for
explaining everything to me.” I took a step, closing the
distance between us and wrapped my arms around his
waist as I looked up to him from under my lashes, biting
my lower lip.
One look was all it took for him to tilt my chin up to
his face and crush his lips to mine. My eyes closed
automatically, and I felt my hand release him, snaking a
way to his neck. There they intertwined around each other,
pulling him closer to me, deepening the kiss.
Suddenly, air whipped around me and I was back on
the bed with Eric on top of me and between my legs. My
brain cells were slowly beginning to steam now. Eric then
forfeited my lips and a low, deep growl of annoyance
escaped my throat as I wrapped my legs around his waist
dragging him closer to me. I felt his breath running along
my skin leaving a hot, burning trail along my neck as he
kissed his way down. Everywhere he touched burned, like
a gentle fire slowly kissing my skin. Desire coursed
through me, heating my blood to its boiling point. My
thoughts were in disarray, like calm chaos. It wouldn't take
much to forget about everything, yet I flipped us so that I
was on top. I then pulled back and reluctantly got off him
and started for the door.
“You did that on purpose...” he muttered, swallowing
loudly.
“Yes” I smiled, without looking back at him. “Yes I
did.”

I ran my hand down my body, feeling the material of
the school uniform, warm and smooth under my fingers
for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. The girl
staring back at me through the body length mirror didn’t
look like me. Our features were exactly alike, yet there was
still an underlying difference. The way she stood and even
stared back at me was graceful, almost like an animation
on a TV screen. It was hard to think she was me. I could
hardly recognize myself.

My school uniform consisted of a short skirt stretching
down my legs, ending inches from my knees and a snug
fitting yet comfortable shirt that went to my waist with
three-quarter sleeves. It fit me perfectly, like it was made
specifically for my body, which in the back of my mind I
knew was true; nothing store bought ever looked this
good. The uniform was a soft cream color with black
swirls twisting and criss-crossing each other to make a
pattern that seemed complicated yet simple. The material
felt soft and smooth against my sk in. It also felt foreign,
but I knew that was only because I was still getting used to
feeling things like I was - with everything bare and open to
me.

All my senses were strange and weird. I felt things,
materials and fabrics like I never felt it before. The breeze
on my skin was almost electrifying. I could hear things
from miles away. I was seeing the world in a completely
different light and still wasn’t used to it.

I looked back to the mirror, studying myself intently. I
had flat ironed my hair so it w as dead straight and flowing
from my head like a black curtain, stopping between my
shoulder blades. I had applied a little make up, some
eyeliner and mascara to draw attention away from the dark
circles forming around my eyes. Overall I looked pretty
good but there was something I couldn't quite figure out
that looked absolutely beautiful and otherworldly about
me. It was unnerving, at the very least.

All of these I knew were results of the change I'd
undergone a few nights ago, however these changes
weren't the reason I couldn't look away from the mirror.
The real reason I had been staring at my new face for what
seemed like forever were the eyes staring back at me.

They weren't boring brown anymore. Instead they were
burning blue bright orbs that were as hot as the heated
centre of blazing flames yet ice cold at the same time. It
didn't matter that they were contacts, soon this was who I
would be I thought, thinking back to when Eric had given
the contacts to me.

Last night I'd gotten all the stuff I'd need for school. It
came packed in a cardboard box with the name ‘Jenifer C.
Wilson: School’ written on the sides in neat capital letters.
I had frowned at the name; I wasn’t married to Eric yet.

Eric had ripped opened the box and pulled out a clear
plastic bag with my uniform hanging from a rack. My
frown had only deepened as he’d held it out to me. I’d
gone to a pay school in Trinidad - never in my life had I
ever had to wear a school uniform.

“I know,” Eric said, confusing me. “Indirectly I've paid
for it.” It took me a moment to realize that he'd been in
my head and was answering my thoughts. “Sorry, Jen,
uniforms are required,” he smiled looking up from the box
to face me. His smile died when he saw the death glare I
was shooting at him. “Oh...” he then muttered,
straightening as he realized what he’d done.

“I refuse to let you ruin my excitement so all I'm going
to say is get out of my head, Eric,” I sneered through
clenched teeth.

Without saying anything I took the cream and black
uniform from him and went to the closet to hang it up.
“Well everything seems to be here - books, folder, laptop
and,” he paused digging into the box only to pull out
another, smaller one. “A phone,” he finished tossing the
box to me. Awkwardly I fought the natural instinct to bat
the box away - like I usually did when objects came flying
towards me - and caught it. It didn't take long to figure out
the phone was the latest that Samsung technology had to
offer.

I looked up to Eric startled and shocked, not knowing
what to say. I couldn't form any response at all. I had
thought that Eric was trying to keep me secluded - hide me
away from my family and everyone I knew. I mean why
else wasn't I allowed to bring my own clothes and things
with me - things that reminded me of home? Instead
everything I had now had been brought with the Wilson's
money or given by them. I was thankful for everything but
I wasn't this person. I was usually independent.

“It was never my intention to take things away from
you Jen... but sometimes a clean break is better,” he said
studying me intently. Before I could reply he blurted out,
“I wasn't in your head, I swear. It was written across your
face...”

I didn't respond to him. Instead I bent down reaching
into the box, pulling out six boxes of contact lens wrapped
together with rubber bands. “Contacts?”

“Um... yeah,” he sighed, running a hand through his
hair. “You'll need to wear them at school... until your eyes
change completely. They're the exact shade of blue so
when your eye color does change no one at school will ask
questions.”

I nodded dropping the boxes back where I got them.
“And one last thing,” he muttered reaching into one of his
back pockets, “money,” he finished, pulling out a credit
card, holding it out to me.

“Where I come from people don’t use credit cards in
schools, Eric.”
“It’s not just for school, Jen, it’s for you, whatever you
want...” he trailed off. I still didn’t take the card and after a
while he dropped his hand.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll buy a plane ticket to Mars or
something stupid?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead he slowly walked
up to me, took my hand pressing the card into it. “I don’t
care if you blow the money on random junk or never
spend it at all, Jen... as long as you’re safe and always come
back...”
I’d looked up at him and was lost in his blazing eyes for
a moment. My thoughts had scattered for a brief second
and I’d bit my lips to keep myself from jumping him.
“Aren’t you afraid I won’t?” I had asked honestly.
Knowing Eric, there’d probably be a lot of money on this
card. How was he sure I wouldn’t use it to get out of our
marriage? I wouldn’t have given me this card.
“I trust you, Jen,” he’d said simply.
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair one last time
then turned the lights off and walked out of the bathroom.
When I got to the kitchen, Maria - the chef - was already
there with Christy sitting at the opposite side of the
counter having breakfast. I greeted them and sat down
next to Christy just as a plate with eggs, cheese and bread
appeared on the counter in front of me. I wasn't hungry
but knowing that Maria had taken the time to prepare the
food and not wanting it to go to waste, I forced as much
of it down as I could.
About fifteen minutes later Eric shoved his head
through the kitchen door staring at me. “You’ll be late,
Jen,” he said and I nodded.
“Bye, Christy,” I sighed and stood up, kissing her
lightly on her forehead. “Thanks, Maria,” I waved and then
took off after Eric.
He led me to the front of the house where a black
Porsche was already running, waiting for us. As expected it
was the latest model out. It made me wonder just how
many cars Eric and his family had, and where exactly they
kept it all.
Before I could reach the car, Eric was already in the
driver’s seat and from there he leaned across and opened
the door for me. I got in and as soon as I shut the door he
put the car into gear and we were on our way to school.
Halfway during the drive to school - I couldn’t say that
enough - I got restless; I couldn’t stay in one place. I began
to fiddle with the radio and when I found nothing good on
I turned it off, putting my feet up on the seat as my fingers
started drumming against my knees. Finally when that
wasn’t enough to calm me, I began digging through the
pockets and glove compartment of the car looking for
Eric’s CDs. I was nervous and too excited to stay still. I
could hear my own heart flying in my chest as giant
butterflies sprouted inside my stomach, accompanying the
knots already there.
“Jen, relax,” Eric smiled and I turned to him scowling.
I felt like he had been telling me to relax a lot lately. “Are
you that nervous?”
“Yes,” I said as soon as he finished speaking.
His only response was a small light chuckle as he pulled
into a car park that was already full and began circling
around. Most of the cars looked new and expensive. They
were all the latest models out and built mostly for speed.
Their owners were nowhere to be seen though, which
made me think that I was late.
“This is the school? You’re making me to go St.
Michael?” I blurted out as he found a spot and parked the
car. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the giant building
rising up in front of us. There were no wired fences or
gates or anything to suggest the building was a school.
Instead it was all pretty lawns, stone walkways and fancy,
expensive glass windows that sparkled in the sunlight.
Eric only shrugged carelessly at my side. “Are you
ready?”
“No,” I said at once as a new wave of nervousness
rolled over me, stronger this time. “I can’t go to this
school...” I whispered tearing my eyes from the school,
intimidated by just the building. When I asked to go to
school, I thought that I was going to end up in some
crappy public school with bad cafeteria food and an
average grading system. This was not what I was
expecting.
“What’s wrong with the school?”
He was going to think I was stupid when I explained
this. I already felt like an idiot. “This is,” I began staring
out the window, “a really good school Eric... Everyone
here is probably super smart, like science fair freaks and
nerds. And not to mention it’s expensive...” I looked down
at my fingers, biting my upper lip. “I won’t be able to keep
up.”
“Jen,” Eric frowned at me, his eyebrows knotting up,
“I went to this school... are you calling me a nerd?” Mock
hurt and curiosity colored his voice.
Immediately a smile I couldn't suppress cracked my
lips. “You’re a hot nerd,” I laughed.
“I’ve seen what your grades are like, you’re a nerd too,”
he chuckled and then got out of the car. Before I could
raise my hand to unbuckle the seat belt, Eric was standing
at my side holding the door open for me.
My heart skipped a few beats and I jumped at his
sudden reappearance. I took a moment to steady myself
and then got out of the car slowly. My heart was still
hammering away in my chest as I stood facing Eric. He
hadn’t released the car door yet and slowly he raised his
free hand pressing it to the other side of the car, trapping
me between him and the car.
I swallowed loudly as dry electricity coated the air
around us, feeling myself stepping backwards until I
bumped into the car. In response to this, Eric took a slow
step towards me, closing the space between us. “We...” I
swallowed looking up at his face and my brain cells
instantly fried, all train of thought lost.
I bit my lower lip, waiting for him to make his move
and then finally after slow torturous minutes of having my
blood sizzle in my veins, he whispered, “sorry” stepping
away from me.
I closed my eyes utterly confused. My throat had gone
dry and my stomach was in knots. I didn’t understand
what had happened. Then it finally hit me like an electric
bolt to the heart, Eric was still holding onto his promise. It
was completely up to me to decide our relationship... only
I didn’t know where we stood. I had agreed to try to make
our inevitable marriage work, but that didn’t mean I loved
him. I cared for him, but love? After Daren, I couldn't love
again.
That thought was suddenly broken when someone
standing behind Eric cleared their throat, making us both
turn to face whoever it was. I found myself staring at a
smiling girl with soft earth brown eyes. She had short,
black hair that was cut in a bob, barely touching her neck -
something I could never survive because I hid behind my
hair too much. She was about my size, but taller, and had a
mocha colored skin tone.
“Emily,” Eric said in greeting as he wrapped his arm
around my waist pulling me towards him. “This is Jen.” He
was abruptly serious now, all business like.
“Hi,” the girl, Emily smiled at me as she held out her
hand. I hesitated for a second and then took it, shaking her
hand. “I’m your close guard.”
Immediately, I turned to Eric, confused. I had guards
now? “You have three,” he told me, his voice firm as he
answered my unspoken question. “She’s your close guard,
the other two are around but you won’t see them or know
who they are.”
“But-” I started and before I could finish, Eric cut me
off.
“This is not negotiable, Jen,” he said, his tone hard and
set, almost ending the conversation. “I won’t be here with
you and I can’t leave you unprotected.”
“If you’re worried about standing out, there’s no need,”
Emily put in and I turned back to her. “I’ve been in deep
cover here since you’ve mentioned wanting to finish
school. To the other students you’ll just be a new girl I’ve
made friends with. I’m not in all of your classes and we
won’t be inseparable so it won’t seem odd - that’s another
reason why you have far guards, they’ll protect you when
I’m not around you. Do you have any questions?” she
asked and I shook my head slowly, still in shock that I had
guards now. “Okay, then I’ll see you later, Jen,” she smiled
and then turned, walking away.
Instantly I turned back to Eric. “Why didn’t you tell me
about this before?”
“You were so excited about going to school… I didn’t
want to ruin that,” he explained and I nodded, still a bit
pissed. Eric then took my hand, and without saying
anything else he got my folder from the car, locked it and
then led me to the main building.
The walk to the office w as short. It was the first
building directly opposite the car park. All we had to do
was climb up exactly five steps that took us out of the car
park and onto a stone path that ran through the middle of
a well-maintained lawn.
The office was as I expected: big. Chairs lined the wall
at the side and there was a long wooden counter stretching
across the back of the room. Plants, and pictures of
students receiving awards were scattered across the room.
There was also a giant glass showcase displaying trophies,
awards and medals.
Eric led me directly to the counter where a young
woman in her early twenties was drinking coffee. Her head
was barely visible through the high counter. As soon as she
saw us, she stood up smiling.
“Good morning,” she said, her smile brightening. Now
that she was standing I could see her features clearer than
before. She had curly, black hair that reached just above
her shoulders and bright piercing deep brown eyes.
“Hi,” I said, before Eric could answer. “I’m a new
student.”
She thought for a while, her face deep in concentration,
then she brightened up, suddenly more cheerful than I
thought humanly possible. “Oh yes, now I remember...
err... Jenifer Wilson, right?” My face turned into a deep
frown and I turned, glaring at Eric. His only response was
a shrug.
“My name isn’t Wilson, it’s Carson.” I snapped
annoyed beyond comprehension. “Jenifer Carson,” I
growled and she took a step back.
“Sorry...” she muttered at once not understanding why
I was upset about something that seemed minor. From the
corner of my eyes I saw a smile lit Eric’s face and I
stomped on his foot instinctively. When he yelled out,
muttering something that sounded like abuse to me, her
eyebrows rose and a puzzled frown plastered her face.
“Have a seat, Jenifer, the principal wants to speak to you,”
she said after a while. I nodded and went to the line of
chairs.
“You can go if you want,” I said dismissively to Eric as
he took a seat beside me.
“You don’t want me to stay?” he frowned, clearly
picking up the fact that I really didn’t want him here. I was
used to doing things on my own and I felt babied with him
here. I didn’t say anything instead I shook my head slightly.
“Okay then, I’ll see you later.” My only response was
another slight nod as he got up and walked out o f the
office.
The principal, Mr. Talcott was a round, big man in his
late fifties who was slightly balding. I didn’t like him either
- he asked too many questions on subjects I would rather
not talk about. He brought up my attendance record in
Trinidad, my latest school and why I was always either late,
missing or in trouble. What he liked though, was that I was
a straight A+ student besides my bad records. He also
asked questions that I thought he had no business asking,
like why I moved from Trinidad after living there most of
my life, and about my family there. When he was finished
grilling me he called the secretary, who was supposed to
show me to my first class.
Somewhere along the line, my excitement for school
had turned into something unhappy and depressing.
Instead of the butterflies in my stomach, there was now a
deep gnawing feeling like my insides were being twisted.
Being here only made me miss home, my friends, and my
aunt. I missed Daren. Being here brought up memories I
had chosen to bury and I found myself remembering,
Kristen and my old school.
Kris had been my best friend for a long while. It was
strange, because when I had just started school Kris and I
couldn’t stand each other. We couldn’t be in the same
room without having some sort of argument over
something unimportant and stupid. Then one day, like the
flip of a light switch, we became best friends. I can’t
remember what caused the change, I just know that at one
point Kris and I had been enemies, and then she became
the sister I never had.
Through her, I'd met the rest of my family which was
Brandon - her boyfriend, Daren, and Danny. My thoughts
soon went to the last day that I had seen Daren, and
Danny had pulled me out of the room. Then suddenly I
was remembering the rainy day at the cemetery.
It was days after the funeral, and I didn’t want to be in
school. I hadn’t been back since, hadn’t answered any of
their calls, messages, and when they had come looking for
me, I'd run from the house as though it was on fire. I was
too afraid to face them, especially Kris. I didn’t think that I
could. Instead of going to wherever I was supposed to be,
I had always found myself parked outside the old
cemetery, wanting to say goodbye, but never knowing
how. I could never find the right words. Looking out at all
the tombstones rising from the earth seemed to somehow
suck them all away.
Without thinking, I opened the door and stepped
outside the car into the pouring, ice cold rain. Within
seconds, I was soaked but I didn’t mind. I took a breath
and again it was more of a chore than anything else. That
was how it felt all the time, like I was constantly holding
my breath.
Suddenly light flashed across me for a brief second, and
tires screeched to a halt inches from me. I didn’t have to
look to know who it was - I already knew from the perfect
hum of the engine. Lightening brightened the cemetery for
a short second, making it seem like the tombstones were
crawling towards me. I didn’t make a move to get into the
car, instead I stood literally frozen, staring at the cemetery.
“Jen!” I heard Danny growl and at once my head
snapped to him. He was staring at me through the
passenger’s side window. Thunder cackled above my head
and lightening laughed along. “Get in the car, Jen or I’m
calling her! Now!”