Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (11 page)

“Sir, I saw the whole incident,” Shannon volunteered. I shook my head at her. There was no point in getting her involved in the situation.

“You may come, too, Miss McKesson.” The principal motioned for us to follow him.
 

In the end, I was given a warning—for instigating the fight. Not entirely accurate, but at least they didn’t call my parents. Since Shannon gave an eyewitness account, I got off easier than I would have otherwise. Kevin was looking at a three-day suspension for throwing a punch. He glared at me the whole time, but I was focused on the boatload of pain I was experiencing.

After we were dismissed, Shannon dragged me to the nurse’s office, where I was given a cold pack. I pressed the thing on my nose like it was my redemption. Thank God nothing was broken, although I could barely open my eyes with the swelling.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea to watch a movie tonight,” Shannon said when we left the nurse’s office. She touched my face, maybe trying to find everything else underneath the puffiness.

I leaned into her touch, loving her warmth on my skin, but soon I stepped back.
 

“Yeah, I don’t think I want to be seen with a swollen nose around town. It’ll ruin my reputation.” I held her car door open for her.

Shannon tried to smile, without success. “I don’t want you paying attention to bullies like Kevin. He’s not worth the trouble, and he’s never going to accept that I broke up with him.”

I wasn’t sure whether future fights with Kevin could be avoided. He had a well-established habit of threatening me, and he had many friends he could call on if he wanted to hurt me. I would have to be more vigilant to stay clear of him, although I would strike back if he managed to corner me.
 

“I’ll follow you to work, if you don’t mind hanging out with ‘tomato face’. Then we can watch a movie at my place after. I’ll even make grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.” My parents were attending a gala at my dad’s office, so either dinner would be take-out or I’d have to make it.

“Cool.”
 

The tarot shop was busy. I barely saw Madame Elizabeth, except in passing. She gave me a knowing look, which confirmed what Detherina had told me.
 

I kept Shannon company, and we finished our homework together. By the time the shop closed, my empty stomach was growling, but I gathered our backpacks so Shannon could tidy up the magazines in the waiting area.

She laughed. It was obvious she’d heard the embarrassing noise my stomach had made. “You’re just like my dad. His gets loud when he’s hungry.”

Remembering what her mother had said about her father’s death, I responded with a small smile.
 

“He’s coming back this weekend. He’s been delayed at work for a few more days. I’m excited to see him.”
 

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth behind the curtain, watching us. Her face was a mask of grief, and my heart ached for Shannon, too. She had no idea what had happened to her father or what the future held for her.

We convoyed our cars back to my house. On our drive back, I sensed a malevolent vibe that felt threatening. Glancing out my car window, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it was the hours I’d been spending playing video games, or my hyperactive imagination was catching up with me. I trailed Shannon’s car as close as possible, and I realized that, for the first time in my life, I had a purpose. Just as I’d promised, I would do whatever I could to keep Shannon safe.
 

Nightmare and Death

“Brian?” Shannon waved her hand in front of my face.
 

“Huh?” I snapped back to reality and took a quick bite of my grilled cheese sandwich.

“You’ve been very quiet. Come back to earth, huh?” She laughed.
 

I snuck a quick glance at her plate. It was empty, even clear of crumbs. I chuckled and said, “Back to earth.”
 

“So why were you staring at me?”
 

To keep Detherina’s secret, I had to make a conscious effort to hide my concern from her.

“Spaced out.” I waved off the subject with my hand. “I bet my face is all swollen.”
 

“You look terrible.” Shannon reached over and blotted my nose with a tissue. I tried to move away, not wanting her to fuss over me, but it was difficult to say no to her. Her face was almost angelic, and she seemed incapable of doing anything mean. So, like a softie, I allowed her to make my face look better.
 

“Has my nose gotten big?” I focused on the swollen flesh I could see between my eyes.

“I like plums. I don’t mind it.” She giggled.
 

“You’re so nice!” I scowled. Even so, Shannon’s touch sent warm tingles across my skin, waking another part of my body. I flinched and drew away from her. Although the affected areas were tender and quite painful, I didn’t mind the contact, but if she were to stay with us, I had better make sure to keep my hands to myself.
 

I wondered how Detherina and Elizabeth would come up with an acceptable reason to convince my parents to let Shannon stay with us. Whatever they ended up doing was sure to raise eyebrows.

“Brian, do you know what lies ahead?” Shannon asked out of the blue.

Unsure how to answer her question, I stood up, stacked our plates together, and brought them to the sink. She followed me and began rinsing the plates.
 

“Why are you so quiet? Have I said anything to offend you?” she asked, her face a mask of confusion.
 

My eyes were getting watery from the throbbing from my nose, so I took her chin and tilted it up to see her better. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“You can be intense or awkward, but I’ve never seen you like this. You know, like you’re keeping a secret.”
 

We’d been hanging out for just a week, not enough time for her to understand all my moods. She must have been observing me closer than I’d realized. If that was the case, then I needed to try harder to hide my emotions until she reached her Aarmark maturity. Whatever that meant.

“I’m still thinking about the fight with Kevin,” I lied and let go of her chin.

She wiped her hands on the dish towel. “Then I guess I better head home. You look like you’re tired.”
 

I thought I detected a tinge of sadness in her voice, and I spluttered, “Please don’t go. We can watch a movie.”

“Are you sure?” She looked relieved.

Maybe she didn’t want to be alone. I, for one, didn’t want her to be. “Positive. What about something scary?” I asked with a grin.
 

Shannon eagerly rubbed her palms together. “Oooh, I love scary movies.”

An hour or so into
Insidious 2
, I felt like a big gob of stupid. My plan had exploded in my face. Rather than jumping in terror and seeking my protective arms, she was sitting up, her back straight, enjoying all the blood and gore.

I sat next to her, hoping to find an excuse to hold her hand. Concentrating on the movie was impossible.
 
Good thing I’d already seen it.
 

Shannon glanced at me. “You’ve been squirming like a worm. Is something on your mind?”
 

“No, nothing,” I lied again.
 

She returned her attention to the movie. After a few minutes, she took my hand and held it. If a man could die from happiness, I was skirting the possibility.

I pressed my palm against hers, and like a balm, the sensation erased the ache in my face. We stayed shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the sofa with our hands entwined. It was after midnight by the time the movie ended. My parents still hadn’t come back from their party.
 

Shannon stood up and gathered her things. “I should be going.”

I hated the feeling of not touching her anymore, so I thought of a way to stay with her a bit longer. “Why don’t you leave your car here and I’ll take you home? Call me in the morning, and I’ll drive you wherever you have to go.”
 

Wow, all of a sudden, I felt like Sir Galahad, ready for a quest for the Holy Grail. I stifled a grin and hoped she didn’t catch it.
 

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you have curfew?”
 

“I’m turning eighteen soon, so I don’t have a curfew anymore,” I proudly announced. Slinging her backpack on my shoulder, I bowed.
 
“After you, milady.”

Shannon smiled and hooked her arm around mine, and we walked out the door to my car. The early fall air filled my nostrils. The darkness might have been playing tricks with my mind, but I thought I saw two pairs of yellow eyes not far away, watching us. For some insane reason, I felt no fear.

If Shannon saw them, too, she made no mention of it. I hurried to open the car door for her. Once she was safely inside, I walked around to the driver’s side.
 
I made sure the doors were locked before I turned on the ignition. “Tell me where to go,” I said while I backed my car out of the driveway.

From the rearview mirror, I saw two figures emerge from the bushes. They loped to the middle of the street, but I couldn’t make out any details except their glowing eyes. What kind of creatures were we dealing with?
 

While Shannon gave directions to her house, I casually took her hand and linked our fingers together and continued to glance back to see if we were being followed. Other than the few cars still out, nothing appeared behind us. Driving in silence was comfortable. It felt good to touch Shannon and know I didn’t have to worry about carrying on a conversation.
 

My shoulder twitched once, and she laughed. Her attitude made me feel at ease, without the need to apologize for my tics.

“Are you okay?” She squeezed my hand.

“I feel like Superman.” I wasn’t kidding this time, and her answering smile was a relief to see.

Her house was not too far from ours. She lived in an affluent and historic neighborhood called Hancock Park. Under normal circumstances, it would take me less than fifteen minutes to make the trip, but with creatures looming around, I took my time. If her mother was not taking any chances, neither would I.

I parked in her driveway. Their house was a quaint Tudor-style mansion, humongous compared to mine.

I looked at the big, sprawling house before me and whistled. “I didn’t know you lived in a mansion.”
 

She grimaced. “The place is too big for four people.”

Before I got out of the car, I said, “Wait here.” I ran around to her side to open the door for her.

“You’d better not spoil me. I might get used to it.”
 

“I’ll be forever at your service.” I gave a mock bow, bending low at the waist.
 

“Plum nose, jumping beans, and all?” she said while rummaging inside her backpack for her keys. However, when we reached the top step, the door was opened by a man garbed in a tunic similar to Madame Elizabeth’s. He smiled at me.

“Good evening, Miss Shannon,” he said in an impeccable English accent. He reminded me of Batman’s butler, Alfred. Shannon squeezed my hand, doubtless guessing what I was thinking. I stifled my smile and gave the man a respectful nod.

“Brian, this is Gilbert,” Shannon said by way of introduction.
 

Gilbert inclined his head and gave me a knowing look. “How do you do?”
 

So this was the butler Detherina had mentioned.
 
It wasn’t hard to tell. The alertness in his eyes gave away his identity, at least to me. This was an instance when I wished I’d paid more attention to Alfred and Bruce Wayne’s exchange in the movie. A witty response would’ve come in handy. I had no idea how to respond to such a formal query, so I just gave him my most dazzling smile. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Sir Brian.” Gilbert gestured us in, then took one step outside, surveying the surrounding area. His action made sense, a form of caution.
 

I followed Shannon past the foyer. It was impressive, to say the least. Elaborate carved wood furnishings were scattered everywhere, and expensive artwork adorned the walls. Whoever her father had been, he’d had an eye for the magnificent and expensive. One particular painting reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, and I studied it for a minute.