The Reaping (The Reapers Book 1) (5 page)

A loud knock made me jump with fear.

Angelica bounced when I opened the door, fists up like a boxer. “I just got out of box aerobics class.” She smiled, her hair jutting out from the sides of her head in two thick, blond ponytails. “I left my keys here.”

I grinned. “Sounds like fun.”

She dropped her fighter stance and walked in. “I’m just going to shower and then I’m taking you out to dinner and dancing.”

“I don’t really feel like it tonight, Ang.”

“Don’t care,” she said, dropping into a chair at the kitchen table. “I’m in need of a night out in a bad, bad way.”

I sat down across from her. “What’s wrong? It’s only been a few days since we went out, so I know it can’t be withdrawal.”

“No, no. I’m totally crushing on this dude, and he finally asked me out, but I had to tell him no.”

“What? Why?”

She wrinkled her nose. “He’s one of Isabella’s castoffs.”

I smiled, then laughed, unable to stop myself. “If you let that stop you, you’re going to be single a long time. According to her, she’s slept with every good-looking guy in town.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s still skanky.”

I had never had girlfriends before so I didn’t know all of the rules and nuances like Angelica did. “In that case, I can’t possibly refuse taking you out tonight, but wouldn’t it be better to stay in and avoid running into him?”

“No, I need to find someone to help me forget about him. I don’t believe all of Isabella’s stories. There are definitely a few guys left she hasn’t slept with.”

“So how do you know that this guy…”

“I saw them out together a few times last fall and there’s no way Isabella just hung out with him.” She sighed. “I just can’t get past it, you know. It’s not even like I’m that close to Isabella, but I’ve known her for five years and, well, ewww…you know?”

“Yeah, that sucks. Okay, get that shower, and let’s get out of here.”

Angelica slumped and shook her head. “The thing is, I just like him so much, you know. You remember the night when we were up until four AM and I got that super craving for doughnuts? We drove around for an hour until we found a 24-hour grocery store with doughnuts. You remember?”

I nodded.

“That’s what it’s like. Except it’s four AM all the time, and he’s the doughnuts. Does that make any sense?”

I nodded again because it did make sense, but no person had ever made me feel that way.

Angelica shook her head. “Of course you understand. I’m sure you’ve felt that way about plenty of guys. Screw it, there’s no point discussing it. It can’t happen, so I have no choice but to move on.”

“Sure…”

She smiled. “I don’t think you’ve ever met him. His name’s Paul and he’s tall. I always seem to go for the tall guys, and he’s totally cute. But that’s not important. The big thing is that we have this amazing connection on a spiritual level. He really believes that two people can be drawn together by cosmic forces. I haven’t told him this, but I think he was a lover of mine in a past life…”

I only half-listened. It made me uncomfortable when Angelica started talking this way. It wasn’t the ideas that bothered me as much as that the attitude, the crystals, the séances, and all the cosmic voodoo didn’t seem to fit her. Like she was trying to be someone she wasn’t. As though she believed depth and value could only be reached on a cosmic, spiritual level, and as a result, she missed out on what was truly wonderful about herself.

I had wanted to be friends with Angelica the first time I saw her. She had just looked so happy and easy. Like nothing bad could ever touch her. She smiled at me when we met and hugged me as though we were old buddies. She made friends with just about everyone she met and, though she tried to make me more social, she didn’t get upset with me when I insisted I’d rather stay in and read. Most important to me was that she never so much as hinted that she thought I was anything other than perfectly normal, smart, and wonderful. I rarely shared my stories with her, and I never shared my problems, but when I spoke, she listened and accepted my advice or my story with interest and respect.

We had known each other only a few days when she told me about her interest in the occult. She had never seen a ghost or experienced any sort of magic, but she believed in both ardently. She felt certain if she could find a way to be less dependent on the material aspects of her everyday life, she would open herself up to the other world. I listened to her ideas and only occasionally tried to steer her back to a ghost-and-magic-free reality. I was sure if I told her about my ability, our friendship would change and, though I trusted her, I couldn’t help thinking that once she knew, everyone in Briarton would, too.

“Kelsey, Kelsey. Have I really bored you to a catatonic state?”

I jerked my attention back to the present moment. “No, I…You didn’t bore me. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Well, then let’s get out of here and get it off your mind.” She bounced out of her seat and headed back toward the bathroom. “I’ll see you in twenty minutes, and I expect you to look hot!”

Ten minutes later, Angelica was dressed in a black sweater, a black mini-skirt, and thigh-high boots. Anyone else would have looked like pure sex, but her blonde hair and cute face made her look like a 10-year-old playing dress-up. “Why aren’t you dressed, Kels? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind.”

“I’m sorry, Ang.” I put down my book and rubbed my eyes. “I got lost in this book. I’ll go get dressed right now.”

She smiled. “I will never understand how it is possible to get so caught up in a book that you forget everything else, but I’m kind of glad you aren’t dressed. Now I can pick out your clothes.”

I groaned. “Okay fine, but I get veto power.”

I tried on ten outfits before Angelica approved a midriff-baring halter top and jeans. I wasn’t exactly dressing for the season, but I did like the way the outfit made me feel, and look. Like a completely different person. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. My waist was trimmer than it had been in years—my busy work schedule and active lifestyle left me little time for over-eating—and my shoulders and arms looked thin and toned. My face was maybe a little too lean, with my cheekbones standing out in sharp relief and my almond-shaped green eyes looking a little too large. I had recently cut my mouse-brown, stick-straight hair to shoulder-length, and it shone in the lamplight. I could be anyone, I realized with a mixture of fear and excitement. If I could just relax and stop worrying about people discovering my secret, I could be the fun, popular person I had always wanted to be friends with. I didn’t have to tell people the truth about my dad and his disappearance. I could be anyone.

“You want a drink before we go?” Angelica asked as she handed me a ring with a round red stone almost as long as my pinky finger.

I slid the ring onto my index finger and shook my head. “Not tonight, thanks.” I was too worried what I might reveal about myself to be comfortable getting truly drunk and, with the way I was feeling that night, I knew I’d be tempted to chase away my thoughts with booze. “I want to stick to my pact.”

She rolled her eyes. “You were serious about that? You really think having no alcohol for a month or three before your birthday is going to make your twenty-first more special?”

“Maybe. Besides, I feel bad enough going out dancing when Landon is dead, I don’t need to add alcohol to that mix.”

“I’m not going to let that stop me,” she said as she shimmied her way out of the apartment. “Landon wouldn’t have stayed sober on our account.”

I smiled and followed, happy for the moment to be young and alive. Though I felt bad about going out when Landon had just died, I’d never liked the guy and she was right that if our situations were reversed, Landon wouldn’t give either of us a thought.

My determination faded as soon as we stepped outside. The night was cold and I felt under-dressed and out-of-place. I wore a warm, puffy coat over my skimpy clothes, but I felt as though hidden eyes could see through to the flesh below. The shadows seemed alive with shapes and movement and my breath caught in my throat. Any moment I expected Landon or Reid to appear and harass me for partying on the night after a man had been killed. Angelica was smiling and practically skipping, and I tried to feel as excited and happy as she appeared.

Club Dred was a small, dark basement with a bar, a dance floor, and no room for tables or chairs. With only ten stools at the counter, most patrons had little choice but to dance, or at least stand on the dance floor and sway to the music. We arrived early, but the place was already packed. Even though ski season wasn’t in full swing yet, there were enough people around to fill Dred. It did help that it was one of only three bars actually open that night. The bass pumped a solid techno beat and smoke hung thick in the air. Angelica grinned and shook her hips as we walked in. We dropped our coats at the coat check and Angelica grabbed my hand and led me to the bar, where we pushed our way through the crowd to get a position in the sight range of the bartender.

The small woman behind the bar, who looked younger than me, leaned toward us, ear cocked.

“A shot of Jägermeister and a local brew,” Angelica shouted.

“Jäger? I don’t know how you drink that stuff.” I groaned, but she didn’t hear me over the music. I scanned the people on the barstools and saw a ghost sitting on the lap of a blonde in a dress with spaghetti straps. The ghost lifted a cupped hand to his mouth as though he were taking a drink. Guess some habits didn’t end with death.

Angelica paid for her drinks and turned with a wide smile. She toasted my fist and downed her shot, then grabbed her beer and pushed me gently onto the dance floor. I let her guide me through the gyrating crowd to the middle of the space, and then I stopped and turned to face her. For a moment, I ignored my own urge to move to the beat and watched her. She raised her arms above her head and tossed her blonde hair as she swayed to the music. She might have been dancing alone in her bedroom for all the attention or concern she paid to the people around her. I envied her free spirit and lack of inhibition. She opened her eyes and her mouth wide in laughter that I couldn’t hear over the music, and I smiled at her and began to dance.

Somewhere around midnight, we headed out to the back patio for a break. We were laughing, as we stepped outside, about the proposition made to us by a very, very drunk man. He had garbled his words so badly I thought he’d been asking if we knew where he could get a cigarette. According to Angelica, his offer had involved a cigarette after a threesome and I begged her not to share any more. I was happier with my version of events.

Two guys sat on the brick wall that enclosed the patio, their faces in the shadows, and I felt suddenly self-conscious about my skimpy outfit.

“Kelsey?” a voice asked as Caleb leaped off the wall and walked into the light. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Angelica as he got closer, but I ignored it.

“Hey, Caleb. This is my friend, Angelica.”

“Hi, Angelica.” Caleb held out his hand to her, but he kept his eyes on me. I looked at Angelica to try to get him to shift his attention to her, but I could still feel his gaze on the side of my face. “That guy hiding in the shadows back there is my brother, Jed. He’s not feeling so hot right now.” The sound of retching reached us, and Caleb’s smile broadened. “Can’t hold his liquor.”

“Screw you, pretty boy. I’ve been drinking twice as long as you have.”

“And to tell the truth, I stopped drinking two hours ago,” Caleb whispered to me.

“Shouldn’t you be helping him? Holding his hair back or something?” I asked.

Caleb laughed at that. “You hear that, Jed? The lady thinks you might need some help puking your guts out. Whaddya say?”

There was moment of silence. “If she’s the one helping, I’ll take it.”

“No, sorry,” I said. “I’ve already been barfed on twice in this lifetime. My quota’s full.”

“Too bad,” Jed said from the wall.

“I’m willing to help if you’re as good looking as your brother,” Angelica said.

Jed hopped off the wall and into the light, looking more like a guy who’d just woken from a refreshing sleep than one who’d been vomiting. Jed wasn’t a bad looking guy, just hard to notice when he stood next to Caleb. “I’m out of luck on that point. But do you think I’m good-looking enough to buy you a drink?”

“Sure are,” Angelica said.

“How about you, Kelsey?” he asked with a smile for me.

“No, thanks,” I said.

“After you.” Jed nodded at me and led Angelica inside with a sweep of his arm.

I had no desire to return to the smoky, hot club until I’d gotten a full ten minutes of fresh air. I sat at one of the patio tables, and Caleb sat across from me.

“Funny how we keep running into each other.”

His intense gaze was beginning to make me wish I hadn’t checked my coat. I shrugged. “Small town. It happens a lot around here. It’s happened more with me and Jed.”

Caleb smiled. “Yeah, he told me how you two met at the airport. He can be a little too quick to tease. I hope he didn’t upset you.”

I felt my eyes widen. “No. Why? Does he think I was upset?”

Caleb gave me a lazy smile and shrugged. “He can be a bit obtuse. He thought it was hilarious, but when he told the story, I thought you might have been upset.”

“Not at all. He seems like a really good guy.”

Caleb smiled, his gaze on the door to the club. “A good guy. He is that.”

“Are you as close to the rest of your family as you are to Jed?”

He shook his head. “If I was, I wouldn’t be living out here.”

I whistled under my breath. “I know plenty of people who live far away from their family and are very close to them.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“No,” I said. “But I’m sure they exist.”

“If they do, I’m not one of them. My family’s great, I guess. They just don’t ever see
me
, you know? Pretty much everything I’ve ever done has been a disappointment to them.”

“I find that hard to believe.”