See Me (13 page)

Playing ball with the Clour was nothing like playing with the Chaun. It was a debacle. A hilarious debacle. It felt good to shed my proper exterior and play hard.

At one point in the game Cassidy screamed, “The next pair of grabby hands that touches my boobs or butt is getting a beatdown!” The guys were hands-on in every way. They would tackle one another, giving wedgies or yanking down each others’ pants. Anything to distract and get the ball. Some of them would even use their magic to shrink small when they were about to be tackled, and then pop back into full form after the aforementioned tackler fell on his face. This was a no rules arena, and we were all panting with merriment, wrestling and cheering when the ball sailed through a goal.

I liked watching McKale handle the ball. He had great control, which was a major turn on for me.

It was the most I’d seen McKale smile. He’d been careful not to be touchy the first part of the game, but as time went on and everyone started getting carried away, he became bolder. During the team choosing, McKale and I were put on opposing teams. I was disappointed at first. I’d wanted us to work together, but it turns out that competition could be a good thing.

When one of the twins jumped on Dashy’s back, I took the opportunity to steal the ball away. I only had it for three seconds before I felt an arm around my waist. In a blink I was yanked down and squashed under a long body. McKale and I were both breathing hard and smiling as he looked down at me. And then two little guys, Jax and Tyke, who’d been barreling forward at top speed, tripped over us and we all grunted. McKale stood and held out a hand. He pulled me up, but before we had a chance to wipe off the dirt, the ball was flying our direction, arching through the sky.

McKale and I jumped for it at the same time, but I grabbed his shoulders to lift myself higher and did a perfect header, sending the ball soaring off my forehead into the goal. The other team groaned while mine cheered. As I came down I brought my arms around McKale for an excited hug. We held each other, caught up in the moment, chests heaving with our rapid breaths, until one of the carrot cousins smacked my butt and said, “He ain’t on yer team!”

And then someone pantsed McKale.

His eyes widened and I covered my eyes with a scream of laughter. When I looked again McKale had his pants back up and was wrestling Blackie, who laughed so hard he could hardly defend himself from the nipple twister McKale gave him through his shirt. Blackie hollered and McKale fell to his back to catch his breath.

All around us the guys were tiring as the sun dipped low behind the forest. Cass came to my side.

“We should probably head back,” I said with reluctance.

Cass stuck out her lower lip. Rock came up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist. He leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Will ye return?” asked Blackie, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Sure,” I said.

“Look how dirty you are.” Cassidy pointed at me.

“You’re one to talk!” I countered. We were both filthy with leaves and grass in our hair.

“Aye, Cassie-lassie, ya need a good cleanin’!” said Rock. And with that he moved swiftly around Cass and threw her over his shoulder. “To the water wit’ ye!”

“Uh-oh,” I said, watching Rock run off while Cassidy screamed in glee. The rest of the Clour gave chase, pushing one another as they went.

McKale and I stood there as their voices trailed off.

“Are they always this wild?” I asked.

“Nay. They’re usually much worse.”

Ha. Together we ambled through the trees toward the waterfall. I felt comfortable at his side. It’d been awesome to see him let loose and have fun.

We got in the water and I waded out to my knees, bending to splash mud off my arms and legs. The others were further down the stream, hollering. McKale went farther into the water and dove, fully clothed. He wiped his face when he came up, and moved toward me. We shared shy smiles. My heart rate jacked up as he got closer, but at the last second he seemed to get nervous, veering toward the shore instead. He sat on the mossy bank, arms draped over his raised knees. I pushed aside my disappointment. What was I expecting? Him to ravish me?

The very thought made my cheeks warm. I walked out of the cool water to the shore and sat beside him. He was cute with his hair darkened from wetness and his clothes clinging to him. I tried not to stare, but when I stole a peek he was looking at my legs. He cleared his throat and stared down between his knees when he noticed me watching.

Dusk was darkening the sky, and shadows fell around us. We were thoughtful for a moment until inspiration hit and my nerves kicked on.

“So,” I started. “Where I’m from we have this thing called ‘dating.’” My voice quavered a little. “It’s when two people are, um, interested in each other, so they spend time together one-on-one, getting to know one another. Would you… like to do that? Go on a date with me, tomorrow night, maybe?”

I felt nervous as he listened, still with that steady expression. He gave none of his thoughts away.

“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal,” I rambled. “We could just, like, go on a walk together after dinner. Supper. Whatever it’s called. Or we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Oh, man. I needed to shut up. I stared down at my brutalized shins and bare feet.

“Ye talk so fast,” he said.

My face heated and I felt stupid. “Sorry.”

“No, I don’t mind it. I like how ye talk.”

My face heated further and I was glad it was getting dark out. “Okay.”

“What’s the word ya used? Dating?”

I nodded, biting my lip.

“I think ‘tis a fine idea,” he said.

I couldn’t help but smile at his answer, and the way he said “tink” instead of “think.”

“In that case,” I said. “I have something I want to give you on our date. A present.”

His eyes lit up, but there was something underlying, sort of a fearful edge to his excitement.

“It’s nothing big. My mom told me that your clan values gifts,” I explained. “So I sort of brought something.”

Or a lot of things, but he didn’t need to know that yet.

“Aye. Gifts are…” He scratched his cheek, searching for the right words. “We don’t give or receive gifts lightly. To give a gift, no matter how small, tis like giving a piece of yerself. Accepting a gift means you’re taking a part of them. ‘Tis an honor.”

“Oh.” Based on that heavy explanation, I decided to take it easy. I would choose one gift for tomorrow night and hope he would accept it. Bringing the whole bin of gifts would probably freak him out. Like I was handing over the pink slip to my soul or something.

“Okay, well, where should we go?” I asked.

He thought about it. “There’s a place I go to be alone.” Again he spoke to me in the bashful tone that reminded me he wasn’t accustomed to sharing anything about himself. It made me feel all mushy in a special way. I tried to concentrate on his directions. “If ye follow the edge of the east forest ye’ll come to a hill with a single tree—” He scratched his chin. “I suppose ‘tis better if we walk there together so’s ye don’t get lost.”

“We could meet at the edge of the forest,” I suggested.

“Aye. That’ll do. After supper when night falls and most everyone’s off to bunk. The moon should be light enough.”

“Sounds perfect. It’s a date.”

“A date,” he repeated. He emphasized the “t” sound and I giggled, which made him smile and shift self-consciously. I touched his hand on the ground beside me and his finger lifted to catch my pinky. He held it for a moment and gave me a warm look. My knees felt shaky when we both stood and began walking downstream toward the others.

Cassidy was on Rock’s back as he swam. The others were throwing each other around and playing rough. I had no idea where they got their energy. When one of the little guys came up out of the water he had dripping cloth in his hand, which he threw ashore. The others laughed and followed suit.

“Is that…?” I began.

McKale nodded. “The britches are comin’ off.”

That was my cue to leave. “All right, Cass. Let’s go. It’s getting dark.”
And the Clour are getting naked.

She gave the whine like a little kid, trudging out of the water toward us.

“Bye everyone,” I said, waving. “It was nice to meet you guys.”

A pair of wet pants splatted at my feet and they all roared with amusement.

“Can we get a hug?” Blackie shouted, starting to stand.

I held a palm out to block the sight of him and keep him at bay. “Maybe next time. Y’all just stay where you are. We’ll see you later.” I smiled and waved good-bye as the boys blew kisses and other nonsense.

“Til the morrow, Cassie-lassie,” Rock said from the water. He threw his soaked pants at Cass, but she dodged them with a squeal and waved sweetly.

“Til then!” She spun and took my hand, whispering under her breath, “Oh my gosh, the Clour are so cute. We need to, like, bring all our friends here!”

I grinned at the thought, and we followed McKale into the darkened path of trees, happy.

THERE WAS NOTHING QUITE
like sitting in a little tub with a single, thin stream of water to use for a shower. It took about a million years to wash my hair.

“Are you coming to dinner?” Cassidy called through the cloth drape.

“I don’t think so,” I hollered. “I’m going on a date with McKale tonight and I have to get ready. Will you tell Mom and Dad for me?”

“Ooh-la-la, a date. Wowee. Are you going to eat anything? Besides McKale’s luscious little Leprechaun lips?”

I laughed through a nervous shiver. “I don’t think I’ll have time to eat.” Plus, I was sort of running on adrenaline.

“All right. Well, I want every detail when you get in tonight. And don’t use up all the water.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I pushed the little valve to shut off the stream and squeezed out my hair. Then I maneuvered myself to the edge of the tub so I could shave using the water that was already in there. Man, that was some nasty looking water. How’d I get so dirty? It was mostly my feet. I was once again thankful not to be the person in charge of waste management.

It felt good to be clean and to dry off with a towel from my suitcase. There wasn’t much I could do to my hair other than brush it and scrunch it with some light gel. I didn’t bother with make-up, except a swipe of color high across my cheekbones and some sparkly lip-gloss. I put on my khaki skirt and a purple tank top with pink lace around the edges. I felt like being feminine tonight.

After slipping on my flip-flops I opened the door to peek out. The sun began to set in soft colors, and people were already filtering away from the eating area. Closing the door, I pulled out McKale’s bin from the corner of the room and opened it, taking out the black and white soccer ball.

A little one-on-one match with him sounded fun. I smiled, pacing the room with the ball on my hip. This was boring. I couldn’t wait any longer. I wanted to get there first anyway.

I walked a large arc around the clearing so nobody would see me, passing through the field of grass the Clour had come through. It was also the home of the Fae portal, which gave me the creeps, even though it was invisible. Jogging the rest of the way, I made quick time to the east edge of the forest without anyone noticing me. I walked into the woods, sitting against a tree far enough so I could see out, but nobody would see me in the darkness.

My legs stung like they were on fire. First from the marks that Cassidy had given me during the game, and second from the slap of sharp blades of grass as I’d run though the field. I blew on the front of my calves, feeling tingly. The tingle increased, moving to my chest, and I became still. Someone was using magic. I scanned the field and all around me, but didn’t see anything. Maybe one of the Clourichaun were playing around in the near vicinity, changing size or something. I shook off the chill.

Ten or fifteen minutes passed before I saw a tall figure stride into the grasses. I sucked in my bottom lip and sat up straight to watch him. He hadn’t noticed me in the trees. When he got to the middle of the field, another low-grade fizzle of magic touched me. McKale stopped and I knew he’d felt it, too.

The next few seconds was like something from a horror flick—one made personally for me. A stronger burn blew across my skin. Ten feet away from McKale a tiny shimmer of black cracked the air and Khalistah, AKA Freaky Fae Girl, climbed out like a mystical flower blooming from the air. My entire body stilled with fear. McKale peered over his shoulder, back toward the village, looking for me or any witnesses, I realized. But when she glided toward him, platinum hair dragging the grass behind her, gown flowing like a storybook cover, his concern seemed to drift away and he was lost to everything but her.

She was breathtaking, yes, and I loathed her to the core of my being. The FFG linked her frail arm through the crook of his strong one, causing him to seize up and breathe heavier. She smiled and motioned toward the forest. The two of them walked into the trees, not fifteen feet away from me. I was too horrified to move. They spoke openly, and I could hear them from where I sat.