The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) (5 page)

“I think so. I was just coming to tell you that you looked the same size. When Kiera got to the other side of the field she looked as tall as you did. Could I have already been dizzy? Imagining things?” Still lightheaded, I tried to hold my head as I asked.

They both snickered. “No, you weren’t imagining it. When someone gets close to magnetic south, they appear taller than the person who is closer to magnetic north. I’m not sure if you noticed, but all three of us were leaning toward magnetic north,” Hope explained.

“I didn’t notice. So why is it making me so dizzy? You two seem okay.”

“Everyone’s different. Many Native Americans won’t come into a vortex because the animals won’t. It’s sort of, off-limits for them. Maybe you’re just sensitive to magnetism. You wouldn’t be the first.”

“Yeah,” I groaned, still dizzy. Hope looked like she knew more, but she didn’t share.

“Let’s not wait around here to find out what the problem is. I’m not sure I can get you back if you pass out again.” Hope hoisted me up, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and her arm around my waist. “Let’s just worry about getting you back.”

Both sisters helped me to their house. Luckily for us, their mom and aunt arrived just in time to help get me inside. They placed me on the plush couch, and got me some water.

Hope’s mother turned to me and held out her hand. “I’m Tellah.”

“I’m Aislinn.” I shook her hand.

Tellah had frizzy, strawberry-red hair and a wide face. Her eyes reminded me of amethysts. Maybe Hope had been telling the truth about her eye color. Tellah was heavyset, but seemed to be very comfortable with her body. I wished I could be that confident, rather than picking apart every little flaw I had.

Another woman came into the room with a cold rag in her hand. She had a slender build and black silky hair down past her waist. Her eyes glowed emerald. She was breathtaking.

“I guess you don’t need this anymore.” She looked at me and shrugged.

“Oh! Thank you, but I think I’m fine now, just a tad embarrassed. I’m Aislinn.” I held out my hand to her, but she passed it altogether and pulled me off the couch and in for a hug. Normally, that would have made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to a lot of physical affection, but her gentleness calmed me.

“Hi, Aislinn. I’m Samara. Can I get you anything?” In contrast to Tellah’s powerful voice, Samara sounded like a butterfly’s fluttering wings.

“No, thank you.” I shook my head. “In fact, I’m totally drained. Maybe heading home would be best.”

“Why don’t we watch a movie? I don’t think you should drive yet.” Hope looked at me, her brow creased with worry.

“That’s probably a good idea.” I surrendered. “But then I need to go home. This week will be crazy busy preparing for the art show.”

“Deal.”

When the movie ended, Hope walked me to my car, twisting her hands anxiously.

“Aislinn, I have to tell you something. I wanted to say this earlier, but I wasn’t sure how to approach it.” She hesitated for a moment. “There’s a shop in town called Halle Beads. Don’t go in there, please.”

“Why? I love that store.”

“Just please, don’t go in there. A Celtic shop is opening soon, and maybe you’ll find something interesting in there. But please, not the bead store. In fact, don’t even go into the nearby shops.”

“Okay, Hope.” I couldn’t hold in my skepticism. “Whatever.”

“I’m serious, Aislinn.”

“I’ve been in there several times and I’ve never had an issue. Are they practicing black magic or something?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“Then what? If I’m going to avoid a store I’ve been in so many times before, including all the surrounding stores, then I’d like to know why.”

“I don’t have an answer for you. Just the warning.”

“Fine, Hope. I’ll think about it.”

I couldn’t help but snicker as I got into my car. Hope sounded downright paranoid. She played with her fingers nervously as she watched me drive away, probably hoping I would listen to her request, a request that she refused to back with any real information. If she’d warned me to be careful, I could buy that, but stay away from the area completely?
That
I wasn’t sure I could do.

A SLAP OF REALITY

H
ope had left me with a sour stomach when it came to Cooper, but I was glad she had found someone. She and Austin were perfect for each other—both, in my opinion, a bit quirky and fabulous at the same time. It seemed like things were going well between them, and I couldn’t have been happier. My happiness, however, did not earn me any rest that night. As soon as my head hit the pillow, the dreams began. This time, my dark-haired friend appeared miserable, in pain.

I stood at the top of the stairs, wanting to reach out to him, but I couldn’t. My dark-haired friend knelt in front of the window across the room, staring up at the stars hopelessly.

His gaze wandered to a picture on the desk next to him, and he began to sob. He picked up the photo, clutched it to his chest, and doubled over with a cry of anguish. I wanted so badly to hold him, to tell him that he would be okay. But I couldn’t get any closer, no matter how much I tried.

I could see the images in his head, the beautiful blonde with the petite frame, a kiss, a ring, and a coffin. Nothing more. He pounded on his chest, trying to kill the ache in his heart. I could do nothing but watch his agony.

When I woke, my pulse raced and my head spun, making me feel only half-awake. Reluctantly, I got up and readied myself for a long day of work.

Since my photography instructor knew I was in charge of the art show, he didn’t expect me in class all week. Though I’d have more time for my task, photography was also my only time with Cooper. He always went home for lunch, and I didn’t look forward to going most of the week without seeing him, despite Hope’s opinions on our relationship.

I tried to shrug off my worries. There was far too much to do in preparation for the show. By the time I reached pottery, true to his word, Mr. Wellner had most of the students’ works ready for display, just waiting for my placement.

To my surprise, there were also wood items, writings, and song lyrics sitting on the counter. I’d figured it would take longer to get the other students’ work. A lot of people had hurried right along for me, and I felt thankful for their fast response.

Mr. Wellner already had the lights on and the kiln half loaded, but he had left the room. I set my stuff down and got to work right away.

All the large wood projects were already in the hallway, spaced roughly ten feet apart. At least I wouldn’t have to move anything heavy.

I surveyed the wood projects as I tried to determine which ones should stand alone, and which ones should hold other student’s artwork. After looking over them carefully, I realized just how much detail many of them had. Some featured walnut inlay. Some had a purple tint, like that of a plum. The scent of oak, pine, and cedar added a natural feeling to the art hall.

I headed back to the pottery room to gather some pieces. Right off the bat, a long purple vase squiggling back and forth caught my eye. That would be perfect for the shelf that had the purple inlay.

Also on the way, I spotted a blue rose made from broken glass. That would go nicely into the vase. Maybe this whole matching process wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

About fifteen minutes into my matching, Mr. Wellner finally returned.

“Hello, Aislinn, I see you’ve already started.” The corners of his lips rose, a sure sign he was pleased.

“Yes,” I acknowledged. “This is pretty fun.”

“You already have some stuff in the hall. Are you going to put the artists’ name and brief description of the piece with each item? Or do you want to put just the title of the piece, and list the artist and additional information in the pamphlet?”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. Putting the information with the piece would get distracting. There was too much paperwork and not enough room to display it.

“I think maybe the title and artist’s name with the piece, then in the pamphlet, the other information. That seems to be the best choice,” I replied.

“Agreed. Maybe for today, you can start placing the items. Then the last couple of days, you can get any extra information into a pamphlet. Just make sure to keep track of whose items are whose. Otherwise, you’ll run into trouble!” His chuckle under his statement led me to believe he’d done that himself at some point. I’d have to pay attention.

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll watch that.” My teasing expression was all the response he needed to set him into laughter. He seemed to know I’d figured out his folly.

“You do that!” Mr. Wellner, red-faced, left the room again.

I continued to work through class time and into lunch hour. Many of the students had come to help place their pieces where
they
thought they fit with others’ works. It amused me to see where some of the students’ frames of mind were. I found that many of them wanted to place something next to a boyfriend’s piece, or their friends’.

There seemed to be a lot of that behavior, but I decided to allow it. After all, weren’t matters of the heart art in themselves? Many times our emotions are what inspire our work. If one person had been the inspiration, why not display something next to the inspiration’s piece? I hadn’t really intended to work things in that direction, but I could be flexible.

Once my usual lunch hour had approached, my friends came to see my progress. Surprisingly, Cooper was with them, food in hand.

“Hey, you,” Mel said as she approached. “How are things going?”

“Smoothly,” I admitted. “I think after tomorrow, I’ll have most of the pieces placed. The only thing left will be printing up some pamphlets.”

“That’s great.” Cooper approached me with his arms extended, but he sounded sad, distant.

“I see you’re joining me today. This is a nice surprise.”

His smile made me feel a bit more secure about the situation. “I wanted to bring you something to eat.” Cooper handed me an apple and some yogurt. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, since we never eat lunch together.”

“This is great, thank you.” I met his eyes with appreciation.

His cheeks rose subtly as he wrapped his arm around me.

“So, Aislinn.” Evan jumped onto a large end table in the hall. My stomach lurched as he did so. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming at him. “What do you think of my addition to the show?”

Relief washed over me as I realized the table belonged to Evan. “Oh, thank goodness! I was just about to scream at you for jumping on someone’s work.”

“Well, thanks, I guess.” He looked at me with a curled brow. “Do you likes?”

“I likes.”

Evan’s toothy grin told me he felt proud of his work, a fact that made me exceedingly happy. Even with his bad habits, Evan had always been a sweetheart.

I sat on the floor to the side of the hall. “Sit.” I patted the ground next to me. “You guys should eat something.”

“Sorry.” Hope drew up her shoulders. “We already ate. We assumed you’d gone home until Cooper found us, and reminded us you were working in here today.”

“Oh.” I took a bite of apple, surprised it had been Cooper’s idea. “That’s okay. You can still sit and visit.”

“I actually have another class, but I’ll see you tonight,” Mel said.

“And I have to work,” Evan added.

“Well…” I exhaled. “I’m disappointed, but I’ll live. See you two tonight.”

“How about you guys?” I looked up at Kyle, Cooper, and Hope.

Kyle eyed Cooper. “Maybe I’ll head home. See you tonight.” He spoke flatly. He’d always been protective of me, and I assumed his shortness was to let Cooper know of his displeasure.

Kyle was by far the kindest of my friends. If he’d been into women, I’d have surely snagged him. He always had love to give, and compassion at hand. Though he showed his distaste for Cooper, he still didn’t badmouth him. I had great respect for Kyle.

“Okay, see you at home.” A tiny smile cracked my face, letting him know I wasn’t angry for his irritation at Cooper.

“I’m going to head out too. Plans with Austin,” Hope announced. “I’ll chat at you later.”

“Sheesh.” I frowned. “And here I was so happy to have company.”

“I’ll stay.” Cooper squeezed my arm affectionately.

I turned to him in surprise. Where had this sudden niceness come from?

“Talk to you later, Hope.” I spoke to her, but I didn’t take my eyes off of Cooper.

He had a sweet expression as he met my gaze. All the fantasies I had about him for the last couple of years, all the memories of our dating these last few months, they all came flooding back. I wanted to believe he really might be my knight in shining armor, but something still nagged at me.
He wasn’t the one
. I tried to shrug it off, focusing on the fact that he was next to me, trying to be supportive. Cooper didn’t really speak. He just watched, and occasionally grimaced, sucking out some of my pleasure like a high-powered vacuum.

“So how are things really going?” He sounded distant.

“Fine.” My mouth creased in confusion.

“You placed all these items here? Where they hang?”

“Yes,” I responded slowly. “Why?”

“You have many of Jaden’s drawings and paintings close to my photographs. Was that intentional?” Cooper rubbed his knees nervously.

I made a quick survey of the hall. “I don’t know what you mean. What items of hers have I put close to yours?”

“See that photo of the dog swimming next to the man sunbathing?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s my photo,” he admitted. “The abstract painting of the man taking a picture next to it, that’s me. Jaden painted that a couple of years ago.” His tone dropped to a low hum as he spoke.

“You’re kidding,” I mused. “That doesn’t even look like one of hers. I’m not even looking at who the artist is. I’m just placing items where they seem to fit. It’s just a coincidence.”

Cooper leaned to one side, resting his arm on his knee. “And that one?” He pointed to a picture of the side of a woman’s back. “Didn’t you look to see who took that photo?”

Where was he going with this? “No. It’s labeled on the back.” I responded more quietly now, realizing the woman was nude. “I haven’t been looking because I didn’t want any of the artists’ names to conflict with where my instincts told me they went. Why?” My stomach turned, making eating not such a good idea.

Cooper’s silence was all I needed to draw my own conclusion. “That’s her?”

He nodded with a tight jaw.

“Why would you put that photo in the show? Why would either of you put your older pieces in? Shouldn’t you be submitting more current work?”

“I didn’t submit those works, Aislinn. There are more of them as well. In almost every case, you’ve either selected a photo of her, or put our works side by side.” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “So this wasn’t intentional?”

“No!” My defensive attitude made him jump a little. “Of course I didn’t do that! I don’t even want to think about the fact that you kissed, or dated! Why would I do that?”

“I was hoping you had the answer to that,” he sighed. “Are you sure you aren’t trying to get revenge for us kissing? For not telling you we dated?”

“Wait.” The meaning behind his question sank in. “Cooper, if you didn’t submit these photos, who did?”

“You really need to ask?” His contempt made my chest feel heavy, and I wished I hadn’t.

“Jaden? Why would she do that?” I wanted to believe that all of this had been an accident, but had it? She obviously knew what she was doing. The photos and paintings were getting to him.

“You’ll be angry if I tell you why,” he admitted while he bit off a piece of his nail.

“Angry with who? You or her?” My nerves were eating a hole in me. Here I figured displaying the art this way would be fun and diverse. Yet, all I managed to do was place the two people I wanted to keep apart, side by side. That was why Jaden had done it. She wanted me to see how perfect they’d been together. Jaden wanted to hurt me. I sat back against the wall, stunned by my realization.

“I guess I don’t need to explain.” He turned solemn.

“No,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Don’t let her get to you. She’s a bitch.”

“Right,” was all I could squeeze from my frozen lips.

“Aislinn.” He leaned toward my ear. “You have nothing to worry about. Jaden wounded me more than you could possibly imagine. I have no intentions of going back to her.”

Just hearing this made me feel a tiny bit better. But there were still things bothering me. One, I didn’t know what had happened between them, why they never said anything about their dating.

Two, was Jaden doing all of this to hurt me? By showing me how much they had in common? Did she want to make me feel betrayed like she felt betrayed?

Or could there be a third reason for her behavior? One that troubled me more than the other two combined. Had Jaden started out just wanting revenge, but in kissing Cooper, actually decided that she wanted him back? Were these reminders of how much they had in common not for me,
but for him
?

The images, paintings, and drawings she had selected all seemed to tie in together. They were different sides to the same story, and they were very intimate. It seemed to me that she wanted Cooper to remember some specific times. Maybe times they shared something special. My gut told me I had reason to be worried, despite what Cooper said.

“Cooper?” I hesitated. “I hadn’t planned on asking you this, but I need to know what happened between you two? How serious were you, and why didn’t you want me to know that you dated?”

Cooper squeezed his pop can into oblivion. “I don’t want anyone to hear me.” He looked around the hall under his heavy eyelids.

“So talk quietly.”

“Jaden and I have known one another since childhood. Our parents have been friends for many years. We dated for a while, a long while, until she freaked out on me. To make a long story short, we were about to have sex for the first time when she suddenly jumped up and started hitting me. She acted like I’d tried to rape her. It doesn’t make any sense. She dumped me after that. We’ve barely spoken since.”

“Did you love her?” I asked solemnly.

“Yes,” he admitted under his breath. “But not anymore. I never did anything to hurt her and didn’t deserve what she did to me. She even betrayed you. She told me about you having a crush on me for years and how you can dream about the future. Jaden can’t be trusted. That’s all I know.”