Sunblind (8 page)

“I'm not being used because I've chosen what side I want to be on!” Nadine rails at her brother. “Now you've got to do the same thing!”

For the first time Napoleon raises his voice, and it's as unexpected as thunder on a beautiful summer day.

“I
have
made a choice!”

Breathing deeply, Nadine takes a step closer to her brother. “And whose side are you on?”

Not backing down at all, Nap moves into his sister. It's like he's suddenly found courage because he doesn't think he has an audience.

“Mine.”

I can tell that it's the wrong answer even if Napoleon can't.

Without saying another word, he turns and starts to walk away, letting his fingers graze against the trunk of the tree. He peels off a piece of bark and flicks it into the air. If he looks up to watch it fly he'll look right into my eyes, so I melt even closer into the body of The Weeping Lady, wishing that I could somehow burrow inside of the tree to completely disappear so Napoleon won't see me. But before he's taken a handful of steps I can tell that he's about to be distracted.

Instead of answering verbally, Nadine chooses to respond physically, although I'm not sure if she has any control over her reaction.

Slowly the silver mist emerges from her body like an extra set of twisted limbs, but instead of shrouding her, instead of insulating her from the rest of the world like it has before, this time it serves as a way for her to connect.

The pieces of the mist begin to grow and lengthen and conjoin until they resemble a silver snake floating above Nadine's head, then into the sky, and then toward Napoleon. Slithering in the air, determined and focused and relentless, the silver streak moves with one apparent goal in sight: to capture her brother. I look at Nadine's face, and she looks just as determined; her eyes are unblinking and filled with hatred. She may not be controlling this thing that's been released from her body, but she knows exactly where it's headed and exactly what its intentions are, and she isn't doing anything to stop it. This is why I was afraid; this is why Jess told me I can only trust one of the twins. Nadine wants to make her brother pay for what he said.

Blithely walking through the open field, his hands in his jeans pockets, Nap looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. I think I might even hear him whistling, but my own heart is pounding so fiercely I can't be sure. I don't even notice the sound of my own gasp until a split second after it's released into the air.

Like the connected twins they are, Nadine and Napoleon both look up at the tree at the same time. They heard me, and it's only a matter of time before they see me. I cling to the tree even tighter and hold my breath as if that lame action is going to make any difference. I wasn't in control of my body or my emotions or my voice, and I've let myself be exposed! If Nadine is going to let some otherworldly silver mist attack her brother, what the hell is she going to let it do to me?

Why isn't anything happening? Why isn't the mist encircling the tree, wiggling its way up, in, and through the cavalcade of twisted branches to find the source of the sound? Why isn't it wrapping itself around my body and flinging me to the ground? The answer comes from a source that is both expected and unexpected at the same time: The Weeping Lady.

Looking beyond my own fear I see that I'm entirely covered by leaves. It's as if the tree has grown more robust and fertile in seconds. Above me, underneath me, on all sides are thick leaves that have left me completely hidden from any spectators, even those who suspect there's something very close by worth seeing.

Thankfully, I'm now in more control of my reactions, because when I turn to the left I see that The Weeping Lady has opened her eyes. Two wooden eyes that look as if they were carved and not created are staring right at me. Bending her head slightly she leans close to my ear, and I hear her speak.

“Be quiet and listen.”

Her voice is like a rustle of the wind, and I'm not sure if she's truly spoken out loud or if her voice has somehow penetrated me, flown through me telepathically like Jess's. I don't waste time trying to figure it out; instead I obey her command.

Ever so slowly a few of the leaves separate, by less than an inch, but enough to give me a view of what's happening below me. It's not what I had expected to see.

My gasp must have interrupted their fight, because Nadine's silver mist isn't moving; it's hovering in the air like a metallic airborne puddle. It's only when I see what Napoleon's doing that I understand what's going on.

Nap's hand is raised in the air, and the same mist is seeping out of his palm, moving toward Nadine's silver source, making it retreat back toward its home base. I don't know if this is the first time Nap's ever done such a thing or if he's just more powerful since he's a guy, but Nadine isn't doing anything to fight back; she's standing rigid, and her skin has a deathly pallor. Even without my enhanced vision I can tell that she's terribly frightened.

Part of me wants to jump down and help the one twin that I instinctively know I can trust, but it's as if The Weeping Lady can read my mind, and I feel pieces of twine wrap themselves around my wrists and my ankles. I'm not going anywhere. And just as well, because when I hear Nap scream, I know I'm being kept safe.

“DO NOT PUSH ME!”

His voice is like the cry of someone who's been bullied his entire life and has finally decided to stand up for himself. But the way Nadine's body shudders, the way she clutches at the air for support, tells me that this isn't the first time Napoleon has reacted this way, despite the quiet, meek demeanor he's put forth ever since he came to town.

These two are very complicated creatures who have their own very special powers. I should feel relief that I'm not the only mutant in town, but the only thing I feel is scared. Yes, I've figured out that Nadine is the twin I can trust, but I've also found out that Nadine's mother is right—Napoleon seems to be totally unmanageable.

And that also means he's totally dangerous.

Chapter 7

I need my boyfriend.

I know that very recently I went out of my way to avoid him, but it's a girl's prerogative to change her mind. Even if that girl's only part girl. That's why I've decided to pay Caleb an unexpected visit.

Luckily Louis was called into the station to handle some for-chief-of-police-eyes-only business, so I was able to leave the house after dinner without having to sneak out and defy the town-wide curfew for anyone under twenty-one. Caleb only lives a few blocks from Arla's house, which I guess is now my house, but based on previous experience Louis would have either refused to let me go outside or demanded that he drive me there and pick me up when I was ready to go home.

As it turns out had Louis been my chaperone he wouldn't have had to wait very long at all for the return trip, because it appears that my boyfriend isn't up for any visitors.

“Hey, Domgirl,” he says, coming out onto the front porch and nervously closing the door behind him. “It's, uh, not really a good time.”

Excuse me? I know it isn't proper dating etiquette to show up unannounced, but it's not like we just started our relationship. We've been going out with each other for over a year. And Caleb knows everything about me. I obviously don't know all there is to know about him.

“It's my parents,” he confesses.

“What's wrong?” I ask. “Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, of course,” he says, then quickly adds. “Well, no, not really. They're kind of in the middle of a big fight.”

I know I should feel bad about this. I know I should say something sweet and consoling and girlfriendesque, but all I can think of is how lucky Caleb is to have both his parents around so they can fight. How I wish my father was alive and my mother conscious so they could have a rip-roaring, knockdown, drag-out fight. I never witnessed the two of them fighting, but that's because my mother slipped into her coma before my sixth birthday. I'm sure the two of them had plenty of arguments, both big and small, while they were dating and in the early days of their marriage, the biggest fight probably being when my mother found out that I was cursed and it was entirely my father's fault. But I think I can speak for both of them when I say that they would give anything to be able to have one more fight, even if it meant that their kids would have a front-row seat.

The screaming, the name-calling, even the cursing would be better than silence. Loud, angry voices filling up the entire house, spilling underneath my closed bedroom door to remind me that my parents are human and that they love each other enough to fight passionately. I'd love to hear their voices now. Which reminds me: Why can't I hear Caleb's parents?

Shouldn't people who are in the middle of a fight be yelling at each other? Or at least doing that too-loud-whisper thing that is even louder than a normal speaking voice? Besides, shouldn't a girl who has super hearing be able to hear them even with the front door closed?

“Caleb, are you sure they're fighting?” I ask. “I can't hear a thing.”

Scrunching up his face, Caleb looks at me like I'm deaf, which he knows is so not the truth, and opens the door just a crack to peek in.

“Must be taking a break. They've been going at it for the past hour,” he says, turning back to me. “Something about my mother's latest shopping spree. You know how she gets.”

I do. His mother loves her shoes. And her clothes. And then her jewelry. After that I think comes her family, and I really do believe she loves them in that order. For the entire time we've been dating, I don't think I've ever seen her in the same outfit twice, even though Mr. Bettany lost his bigwig job as head of the Weeping Water Animal Protection Center when it shut down and was forced to take a pay cut when he started working as one of three assistants over at the center in Lincoln. Mrs. Bettany only works part-time at a law firm. Not really enough income to maintain such an ever-changing wardrobe, but every woman has her priorities. I may not officially be a woman, but I also have my priorities, and right now my number one priority is to have some private time with my boyfriend. My boyfriend, however, has other ideas.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” Caleb says rather dismissively.

“Well, um, okay,” I reply rather stupidly.

Before I can ask Caleb if he'd like to meet up before school tomorrow morning for a quick chat or maybe a make-out session, he closes the door right in my face. Okay, it's not like he slammed it or anything to make some dramatic statement, but he walked back into his house and quickly closed the door without saying good night or giving me a kiss.

Walking down the front steps, I try not to dwell on how much I already miss his sweet smile. I try not to read too much into the situation and make the situation all about me.
Not everything is about you, Dominy!
His parents are fighting. He's upset that they might get a divorce, and then he'll have to live with his mother in a trailer park in Omaha and sleep on a pull-out couch because his mother will want to use his bedroom as a closet for all her clothes, shoes, and accessories. He's worried that this fight could lead to his family's financial ruin, his not being able to go to college, that this could be the beginning of the end of his future, and all I'm thinking about is how I didn't get kissed good night.

No kiss, but I think I just got stung.

“What the hell?!”

I feel a sharp pain in my arm and slap myself. Lifting up the sleeve on my T-shirt I expect to see a bug bite, a mound of red flesh filled with some insect venom, but underneath the light on their front porch I see nothing, just my skin. I could've sworn I just got stung by a bee. When I look up I could swear that I see Nadine looking down at me.

Involuntarily I shake my head, which distorts my vision, and by the time I look up again and have a clear view of Caleb's window, all I see are his navy blue curtains. No Nadine, no shadowy figure, no nothing.

It's been almost a week since I heard the twins argue, but obviously I'm still thinking about them, so when I thought I got stung by a bee, I immediately got a mental picture of Nadine, because to me Nadine will always be a bee. That's got to be it. There's no way that Caleb would be in his bedroom with Nadine at this time of night. No way at all.

I don't even make it to the curb before turning back around, my eyes peering up and zeroing in on Caleb's window. Still nothing. I don't even see him through the curtains. Not that I have x-ray vision. I mean I can see farther than most normal people, but I'm not Superman's long-lost relative; I can't see through objects. I also don't see things that aren't there.

Whenever I've thought I was hallucinating, like with my brother in the bathroom, it turns out I was having a premonition. This time shouldn't be any different. Maybe it wasn't Nadine up in his bedroom, but I definitely saw a girl looking at me, which means Caleb was lying to me. Which means I'm not going to get any sleep tonight until I confront my boyfriend and find out the truth.

My finger is about to press the buzzer on the front door when I stop myself and channel my inner Charlie's Angel. Instead, I twist the doorknob and am not terribly surprised to find that the door is unlocked. Aha! Caleb was in such a rush to get rid of me and get back to the slut in his bedroom that he didn't even remember to lock his front door.

Now I don't feel so bad for trying to trick him or catch him in the act. If he's that stupid to leave the door unlocked so I could waltz right into his house unnoticed, he deserves to be caught. When Mr. Bettany enters the living room wearing his pajamas and holding two empty plates, I'm the one who feels trapped.

“Dominy,” he says, surprised, but smiling. “I didn't know you were coming over.”

Thinking quickly I lie. “I forgot my algebra book, and I have homework.”

“Do you want me to call Caleb for you?” he asks.

“That's all right. I sent him a text; he's expecting me,” I lie once more.

Did Mr. Bettany just give me a weird look? Does he not believe me? Or does he not believe that his son would let me come over when he's shacking up with another girl in his bedroom? Or is he just embarrassed that I caught him in his pajamas?

“We were just having some dessert,” he says, lifting the plates into the air. “Mrs. Bettany's apple pie. It's so delicious you don't even need the à la mode part.”

How can a couple fight with their mouths full of pie?

“You guys were having dessert?” I repeat, knowing that I sound like a moron.

“Perfect way to end the day,” he replies, “Homemade dessert while watching an old Meg Ryan movie. Reminds Mrs. Bettany of when we were dating.”

Did Caleb's father just blush in front of me?! If this wasn't absolute proof that Caleb was lying to me about his parents having a fight, I would be sort of grossed out by the TMI factor. But I'm too mad to be grossed out. All I want is to get upstairs and rip my boyfriend's blond hair out of his head. Strand by strand!

“That's so sweet,” I say instead. “But I have to get my book so I can get home and do my homework.”

“You didn't walk over here alone, did you?” he asks, shifting gears from romantic husband to concerned father figure.

“No, I borrowed Louis's car.”

What's one more lie? I've said so many lately, I'm starting to lose count. When I push open Caleb's bedroom door, however, I realize this is the first time he's ever lied to me. When I see Nadine sitting next to him on his bed, I realize that I picked the wrong twin to trust. When I feel the tears start to well up in my eyes, I realize this was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. Have I not learned that the truth is usually painful, and that's why it needs to remain hidden?

“I'm sorry,” I hear myself mutter.

And I am. I wish I were back home watching TV with Arla or trying to mend my torn relationship with Barnaby, letting him know that despite everything that's happened to us and despite everything that he suspects, I will always be his older sister and I will always look out for him. I want him to know that the only thing you can count on in this world is family. Because you definitely can't count on boyfriends!

“I'm sorry,” I repeat. “I didn't realize you were busy.”

Turning quickly I start to leave the room, a huge collection of emotions exploding inside of me. Anger, hurt, disappointment, sadness, all these things are ricocheting inside my head and my heart, making me wish I was still the ignorant girlfriend. My life has been so crazy lately, the one true constant has been Caleb. I always thought that his feelings for me were stronger than mine were for him, but maybe I was wrong? What I feel for him may not be undying love, but I love being his girlfriend and more than that I love knowing that he wants to be my boyfriend. I guess all of that's over now.

“Dominy, wait!” Caleb cries.

I feel his hand on my arm, and it isn't me who reacts; it's the wolf. Roughly, I shake his hand off of me, and I swear I hear myself growl. Now that I'm free I don't want to move, and I just stand there with my back to him and Nadine, standing in the doorway afraid to make a move, when out of nowhere I hear my mother's voice, soft, but powerful inside my head.

Thankfully I understand exactly what she means this time. My life may not be perfect, no one's is, but I've been blessed with a few things that my mother handed down to me: self-respect and inner strength. Those words get tossed around a lot, and people often ignore them or take them for granted, but they shouldn't, because when a situation like this arises you need to be ready to grab hold of them. Like I am right now.

Turning around to face my boyfriend and his new girlfriend, I smile, which has the desired effect, because I can tell from both their expressions they weren't expecting this. They were expecting a face filled with tears or contorted into a wolfen rage, but I'm better than that. And I'm better than both of them.

“That's all right, Caleb. If you'd rather go out with Nadine, that's fine with me; I wouldn't want to stand in your way,” I say quite calmly. “I just wish you would've given me a heads-up.”

Just as I'm about to unfasten the faux-diamond necklace he gave me last Christmas, Caleb and Nadine both start shouting at the same time.

“We are not on a date!”

Isn't that sweet? They're so in sync that they're lying simultaneously.

“Then why are you both sitting on your bed, Caleb?” I ask. “And why did you lie to me to get me out of your house?”

“Because I'm tutoring Nadine in math,” Caleb explains. “And she didn't want anyone to know.”

“But I never meant for you not to tell Dominy!” Nadine adds. “I mean Dom's your girlfriend; you shouldn't be keeping secrets from her.”

“No, you shouldn't, Caleb,” I say, unable to resist.

“Dom, I'm really sorry,” Nadine says, grabbing my hand. “I assumed Caleb told you and you were keeping it a secret so no one would find out I'm not as smart as I pretend to be.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I reply, “Caleb didn't tell me nuthin'.”

Nadine and I both look at Caleb at the same time expecting an answer. Since the odds are unevenly matched, two against one, Caleb's mouth opens, but he doesn't say anything for a few seconds. Then he starts to ramble.

“I didn't think you wanted me to say anything, Nadine! You said not to tell anyone, so I didn't. And, Domgirl, you can't possibly think I would cheat on you . . . especially with Nadine!”

Now it's my and Nadine's turn to be in sync, and we cry out at the same time, shocked by his rudeness. “Caleb! That's a terrible thing to say!”