Текст книги "Body and Soul"

Автор книги: Стэйси Кейд

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

“Hey! Are you really this stupid?” A female voice demanded from somewhere nearby.

For a second, from my position on the ground, with my face buried in the grass and dirt and blood, I thought it was Alona speaking to me. And while I agreed that getting whaled on wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done, it wasn’t like I could stop it. I’d gotten in a few good swings, but not enough. Not nearly enough. Again, that’s what happened when you were outnumbered sixteen to one.

“Hey!” she said again, and the pummeling paused momentarily.

“He’s gate-crashing,” Ben said, out of breath. Sorry that beating the crap out of me winded you so badly, dude.I wanted to crawl away, but everything ached too much to move. Breathing hurt. I settled for turning my head so I could at least see what was coming next. My new world-view showed me Misty Evans standing above me, a red cup clenched in her hand, and her boyfriend, Chris Zebrowski, at her side. Misty was my defender? That didn’t make any sense. But she had stopped Ben, temporarily at least, which struck me (no pun intended) as a good thing regardless.

“He came after that other freak, that Lily girl.” Ben’s voice held a chilling amount of contempt, like he’d never once thought of Lily with affection.

“Apparently, you didn’t think she was all that freaky a few minutes ago,” Misty snapped, and a few people tittered.

Oh. Oh, no, Erin, what did you do?If she’d been all over Ben, that, at least, would have explained Alona’s deviation from the plan and her no-holds-barred attack on Erin.

“What do you want, Evans?” Ben swiped the back of his hand at the blood dripping from his nose. Yeah, I’d done that. I might have felt pride, if I had been capable of feeling more than anything but hurt and kind of broken.

“How about starting college without a criminal record?” she demanded. “Do you remember what happened the last time that chick got into trouble at one of your parties? Cops everywhere.”

A murmur spread through the crowd, as though this was the first time they’d considered the possibility of law-enforcement intervention. Dumbasses. Just because Ben was invincible on school grounds didn’t mean the same concept applied here.

“And beating himup is going to help how?” Misty continued, in that same pushy tone I recognized from Alona. “You’re just making it worse for yourself. All he has to do is tell the police he came in to get her and you attacked him.”

The crowd murmur grew louder, and Ben, ever the experienced host, looked around and saw his party on the brink of breaking up in a panic. He shook his head and spat on the ground next to me in disgust. “Whatever.” He kicked at my leg, but since he lacked most of his previous force, it was more for show than anything else. “Get her and get out.”

He turned and walked away. “We’re not going to let them spoil our party!” he shouted to his audience. “Time to tap a fresh one!”

A celebratory cry went up from those standing around me, and the crowd began to dissipate, without anyone giving me a second glance, let alone checking to see if I was okay. The show was over, and I had all the significance of a discarded prop.

Above me, Misty gave Chris a gentle shove to follow Ben, but instead of going along with him, as I expected, she paused for a quick second and scanned me from head to toe, like she was checking for broken bones poking out.

“Thanks,” I managed to mumble. Misty had saved my ass. I could maybe see now why Alona had stuck by her, even after Misty did what she had done with Chris.

For a long moment she didn’t respond, and then she nodded at me. It was barely noticeable—in case anyone was watching, obviously—but it was there. Then she strolled away, beer cup in hand and shrieking a high-pitched greeting to one of her fellow cheerleaders across the yard.

In Misty’s mind, we were even now. Fair enough.

I rolled to my side and the pain made me catch my breath, but I pushed myself up to my knees and then slowly to my feet. Taking stock, I could feel countless bruises and scrapes, and from the sharp pain on my left side every time I inhaled and exhaled, I was betting on cracked ribs. I could, however, still breathe, so probably not a punctured lung or anything.

Goody. Yay me.

I raised my gaze to the tree line in the distance, attempting to steel myself for the walk to find Alona and Erin, wherever they’d disappeared to (and with Alona’s situation I could only pray that wasn’t literally the case) and froze when I got a good look at the woods.

The light—bright, warm, and glorious—reached above the treetops in a gleaming column. It had come for someone. Erin…or Alona?

Or both?

Would Alona be gone before I even got a chance to say good-bye? A real good-bye? One last kiss and the chance to tell her that she’d made my life better even as she’d made me crazy? That we were better together than I would ever be by myself, but that because of her, I would be okay? Not great, but okay, and I owed that all to her?

No. I neededto see her one last time.

My eyes hot and stinging, I pressed my hand against my ribs in an attempt to keep them from being jostled, and took off in a limping run.

I’d barely crossed into the woods and passed a few drunken couples who hadn’t bothered to retreat to Ben’s house for one-on-one time when Ed came charging out and nearly slammed into me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, astonished to see him out here. I hadn’t seen him leave the car after me, but he must have.

He was crying, his glasses clutched in his hand. “She’s gone.”

My heart plunged toward my stomach. “Alona?”

He frowned at me, his forehead crinkling. “Who?”

Before I could answer, he shook his head. “No, Erin. She…the light…it was so bright, and she just…went into it.” He sounded awed and sad all at the same time.

Normally, I would have stayed with him, tried to talk him through it. The first time you see the light, especially if it’s not coming for you, it’s a bit of a mind-blowing experience. But I couldn’t this time, not now.

I shoved past him and kept going.

“Hey, are you okay?” he called after me. “You don’t look so good.”

I ignored him and focused on the column of light in the near distance. It grew brighter the deeper I went into the woods. But I couldn’t tell if that was because I was getting closer or if the trees were blocking out the competing light from Ben’s house.

And then it was gone. Like someone overhead had flipped off a gigantic switch.

I stumbled to a stop, blinded by the sudden darkness.

“No, no, no.” I could hear the broken words in my croaking voice, but they sounded like they were coming from someone else.

When my sight returned, I started forward in the direction of where I thought the light had been, but everything looked the same in the dark. Trees. Everywhere.

“Ally!” I shouted. It was the only name I could safely use for her with so many people nearby, and one I’d come to associate with her, anyway.

No response, and though I’d half expected that, it didn’t prevent me from feeling that socked-in-the-stomach sensation, with which I was all too recently familiar.

I kept going, searching blindly for something, anything, when the moonlight caught a pale shape on the ground about ten feet ahead of me.

Oh, no.

I raced forward, ignoring my ribs, my brain shouting at me to hurry, even though some part of me knew it was already too late. Whatever had happened had happened. And there was nothing I could do to change it.

I slipped in the dead leaves and half slid, half fell into place next to her.

Gathering her up in my arms, I caught the overwhelming scent of beer, but also the fainter scent of the sweet-smelling shampoo she used, both as Ally and Alona. Lily’s body was still breathing, I could tell, but there were no signs of life other than that. Alona was gone, and it was over.

So…that was it. Tears spilled down my cheeks, warm, wet, and stinging my various cuts and scrapes, but I didn’t care.

I lifted her up, holding her closer, her face pressed against my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should have been here. I didn’t mean for you to be alone.…”

“You know, I went to a lot of trouble to stick around,” she said quietly, her voice muffled against me.

I jumped a little at the sound, and then started to laugh and cry at the same time, feeling ridiculous but unable to stop. “You’re here.”

“It would be nice if you didn’t suffocate me right away,” she continued, sounding exhausted.

I tipped her head away from my shoulder, so I could see her face. “Are you okay?”

“Tired. Really tired, but okay. Nothing a gallon of mouthwash and a full decontamination shower won’t fix.”

She lifted her head slowly, like it was an effort, and it probably was. I kept my hand behind her neck to help support it.

She touched my cheek gently, and I winced. “What happened to you?” she asked.

“Ben was feeling artistic. Wanted to rearrange my face.” I searched her eyes, looking for signs that she was as okay as she claimed to be. Lipstick was still smeared across her mouth, and I used the side of my thumb to rub it away. She’d hate it as soon as she saw it was messed up.

She smiled. “Funny guy. But there’s good news.”

“What’s that?”

“You look good in bloodred, too, I guess.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, you’re a riot.”

“I try,” she said with a modest shrug.

Then it was all too much, and her eyes went bright and shiny with tears, and she looked away. “I thought…” she began in a trembling voice.

“I know.” I held her tighter, ignoring the pain in my ribs and various bumps and bruises. None of that seemed important at the moment.

“The light,” I said. “Did you…”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I could have gone. It was giving me the choice. Like last time.”

That was news to me, and, dim as it was here in the woods, there must have been enough light for her to read that in my expression.

“Yeah, I didn’t know, either,” she said, looking down. “Didn’t remember. Not until it was here and I was on the edges of it.”

“You didn’t stay for me.” I hesitated. “Did you?” As flattering as that would be, I didn’t want it on my conscience.

She laughed, actually snorted. “Please. Who do you think I am?” She sat up straighter, seeming to grow stronger the longer we sat here. “I stayed because I could,” she said simply. “Because I could have been done, but I don’t think I am. Not yet.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly, but right now, I didn’t care. She was here.

“But,” she said, carefully avoiding my gaze, “your continued presence may have been a perk that I considered.”

I tucked her hair behind her shoulder, where it wouldn’t stay because of her new haircut. “I think, uh, I might be in love with you,” I said, my voice sounding gruff and awkward even to my own ears. Strange after everything we’d been through together that this would be so difficult to say, but it was. I couldn’t even look at her, focused instead on that errant strand of hair. “Is that going to be a problem?” I asked stiffly when she didn’t respond.

She laughed. “Probably. Probably lots of problems. But”—she put her hands on my shoulders when I tried to pull away—“we’ll figure them out. I’m not going anywhere.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tightly.

It would take more time and patience for her to get to the point where she was comfortable enough to saythat she loved me, but I knew in that moment that she did.

I leaned back to look at her, seeing only her, this girl who was Ally but also Alona, and who bore a resemblance to a friend I’d once had but was someone new. Someone I could live without, but didn’t want to.

I eased closer, drawn in by the desire to cement this moment in reality, in touch and taste.

She pulled away slightly, her hand covering her mouth like she had garlic breath. “Do you have any idea who Erin was kissing?”

“Yeah, so we’ll brush our teeth really, really thoroughly afterward,” I said, bumping her nose with mine gently. I wasn’t going to let anyonespoil this moment.

She lowered her hand slightly. “And burn our toothbrushes?” she persisted.

“I’ll buy you a case of new ones,” I promised, my lips moving against her cheek.

She nodded and lowered her hand the rest of the way.

I brushed my mouth against hers. She shivered, and her hands swept up to touch my hair and urge me closer. They were chaste kisses, in deference to the night we’d both had, but electric in their potential. I could feel the future in them. A future I never thought I’d have, and one I wanted more than anything.

Will was waiting for me in the pickup/drop-off area in front of school when I walked out at the end of my first day. At the sight of him, I stopped dead, blinking in the super-bright afternoon sun, not sure if I was seeing what I wanted or what was actually there.

It had been two weeks since I’d last seen him. When Will brought me home to the very worried, very angry Turners, I’d explained that he’d tracked me down at a party and driven me home. They were doubtful, but I insisted, and they eventually thanked him, albeit reluctantly.

Then they’d taken turns hugging me until I couldn’t breathe…and grounded me for a freaking month. No visitors, no phone, and no INTERNET.

Fun.

It had almost been enough to make me look forward to going back to school. Actually, no. It hadn’t.

Will had kept his distance for the last couple of weeks—trying to respect the Turners’ wishes, he’d said, on the few whispered phone calls I’d managed to make.

Okay, yeah, fine, I got it, but I missed him—more than I was willing to admit. And it was enough to make me start worrying. We’d already been through more than two people should go through in multiplelifetimes, which was not surprising, considering the circumstances. What if, after time to think away from the heat of the moment, he’d reconsidered?

I wasn’t sure I could blame him. It wouldn’t change my choice to stay as Ally—it couldn’t, really, anyway—but it would hurt. A lot.

So I’d been obsessing on what I would say, how I would play it—particularly with the other item I had on my agenda—when I saw him again, not expecting it to be for another couple of weeks. Which was why I wondered, upon seeing him waiting for me outside school, if he were a figment of my imagination.

But he didn’t shimmer into nothingness or morph into someone else. It was definitely Will. He was leaning against the Dodge, his hands in his pockets, watching everyone warily, as though expecting someone to proclaim there’d been a mistake and try to drag him back into the building.

I started toward him, and when he saw me, his tension seemed to ease, and he straightened up with a smile that made my heart—yes, mine, because it wasfor all intents and purposes now, even if I hadn’t been born with it, and making further distinctions at this point seemed ridiculous—give an extra-hard thump.

I had to check the urge to run at him. First, because running? Still not my thing with a bum leg, though that was getting better with time and physical therapy. Second, because, hello, it was better to play it cool, even now…just in case.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, approaching at what I hoped was a reasonable pace but was probably still too fast, and trying not to grin too hard. So much for playing it cool.

He said he loved me. This is the guy who knows me and LOVES me.The words ran in a constant giddy refrain in my head. I tried to ignore them.

He shrugged, looking a little smug. “Got permission from the Turners to pick you up today. Told you playing by the rules would work.” He stepped to one side and opened the door for me.

I scowled at him as I climbed in. “ I’mthe one who taught youthat.”

He laughed. “Yeah, well, you’re still grounded for now, so I have to have you home in half an hour.” He slammed the door and walked around to get in on the driver’s side.

“What about Tyler?” I asked with a frown when Will slid in behind the wheel. I didn’t want to abandon him at school with no word as to where I’d gone or what he should do. Not now that he and I had reached a tenuous truce with each other over the last couple of weeks. I think he still wasn’t sure what to do with me, how to match who I was now with the sister he’d known before. But he was trying; we both were. And he’d found my knowledge of the inner workings of high school fascinating and at least somewhat valuable. He’d asked me to help him pick out something to wear today. Thank God.

“Mrs. Turner said she’d let him know to catch the bus without you,” Will said.

Tyler probably wouldn’t be happy about that, but right at this moment, I didn’t care. Half an hour alone with Will after two weeks of virtually no contact was worth it. Plus, I only lived eight minutes from school. Six, if he drove quickly. Whatever would we do with remaining twenty-four minutes? I could think of something.

My heart started pounding harder in anticipation.

But Will made no move toward me. Just started the car up, like he was going to drive me home. Really?

“So, how’d it go today?” he asked.

I slumped in my seat. “It’s my second first day of senior year. How do you think it went?” Thank God they’d allowed me to test out of the remainder of “my” junior year. Everyone was amazed at how well I’d done on the exams. Frankly, so was I, considering I’d learned most of the material a year and a half ago or more. But I’d been beyond motivated. Two more years of high school? Unacceptable.One was going to be bad enough.

“Any problems with ghosts?”

How funny that heshould be asking methat. Though he’d apparently been managing well enough without me over the last couple of weeks. As I’d always sort of suspected, once he’d let the spirits know in no uncertain terms that he was in charge, instead of the other way around, things had gotten better for him.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I said. I could see spirits now, more than ever. My “vision” had come in fully after I’d returned to Lily’s body the second time. The light had passed over us before vanishing, and it was like some final connection had been made. I was now just as much a ghost-talker as Will.

“Good.” He signaled to join the line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot.

Seriously? He was actually going to take me home now?

“You’re awfully quiet over there. I feel as though I might get to complete a sentence.”

I glared at him. “Oh, shut it.”

“That’s better,” he said cheerfully.

Since there clearly wasn’t going to be any kissing at the moment—and why the hell not?—I thought I might as well freak him out all at once. Get it over with.

I thought of the folder full of paperwork I’d been carrying around in my bag for the last week or so, mentally flipping through the potential opening arguments I’d created. During my grounding, I’d had a lot of time to think about things. Future stuff. Will was going to Richmond Community College for his Gen Eds, and he would have his own apartment next semester. I couldn’t help but shiver at the idea of a place that would be ours. Well, his, but more ours than his mom’s or Sam’s—now that Will’s mom would be moving in there—or my home with the Turners.

We needed a plan. At least, I did—that was how I worked best. It was up to him, I guess, if he wanted to be a part of it.

“So…I’ve been thinking about the business possibilities of our gift,” I said carefully. “If you look at the ratio of people who need—”

“You want us to make money off people?” He pulled out of the line abruptly and drove to the edge of the parking lot, not far from the burner row, where he’d once parked.

“No, I want us to helppeople. And charge accordingly,” I snapped. I had this speech all worked out, if he’d just let me finish it. I took a deep breath. “Look, doctors don’t work for free, right? And they’re saving lives. We’re helping people complete theirs.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “No tricks, no funny business. If we can’t reach the spirit they want, then we don’t take them on. Period.” I wasn’t in this to cheat people. But I wanted a way to help them without trying to have a regular job, where, most of the time, I’d have to ignore the spirits I was supposed to be assisting. “We’ll keep doing some pro bono stuff, helping spirits without living relatives or friends to pay us, because that’s just what we do. But if you look at the profit Ed was making without being able to see other ghosts, you’ll see it’s possible, especially with two of us.” I dug into my bag for the folder and handed it to Will. I’d created a spreadsheet using the data I’d gotten from Ed. He’d made contact once he found his parents. He was living with them in Springfield.

“I see Ed found you, too,” Will said dryly. We’d given Ed a ride to the bus station that night after the party and shared some of our story with him. Well, we had had to tell him something when he saw me and knew I wasn’t his sister. We’d made quite the impression, I guess, and he wanted to stay in touch.

“For the first year or so I’d have to work for you,” I said.

Will raised his eyebrows.

“In name only,” I added swiftly, giving him a sour look. “As, like, an intern or something, until I’m eighteen…again.” So annoying! “After that, we’d have to restructure, probably as an LLP.” I paused. “Think of it sort of like a private detective agency, only with ghosts instead of guns and without a license. For now.”

He didn’t say anything, and I rushed to fill the silence. “We’re not going to be able to have the normal lives everybody else does, but so what? Why not use it to our advantage? You can major in whatever you want. I’m going with business, I think. Maybe marketing. I’m good at getting people to do what I want.” Except for Will, maybe.

Will looked up from the business projections and the logo ideas I’d affixed to the outside of the folder. “You’ve put a lot of time into this.”

“Hello, success doesn’t just happen, remember?” I folded my arms across my chest, struggling against the urge to pretend I didn’t care what he thought.

“So, you want to work together,” he said slowly, like I’d suggested we vacation on the dark side of Mars.

I stiffened. “It’s not necessary. I can do this on my own.” I snatched the folder from him.

“No.” He grabbed the folder back. “You’re not understanding what I’m—”

“Well, maybe if you’d try to be clearer about it,” I said.

He exhaled loudly in frustration, and I braced myself for the next round, already prepping the points I would bring up in response to his arguments. Besides, this hadto work. What else were we supposed to do? Go around pretending the last three months hadn’t happened? That made no sense, and the idea of it made my chest ache. I wasn’t who I’d been back then, literally, and I couldn’t go back. Nor did I want to.

I was distracted, thinking about all of this, so I didn’t notice him leaning over until he took my chin in his hand to turn my face toward him. “It’s a good plan,” he said, stroking my cheek. “You just have to give me more than ten seconds to think about it. So impatient…” Then he kissed me, slow and deep, until I felt like I might float away…or melt. Oh, hello.

I reached out and wrapped my hands in his T-shirt to anchor myself, but the feel of his warm skin only made things worse…and so much better.

“Okay?” he murmured after a long moment.

Yes, yes, definitely okay.I nodded but couldn’t stop myself from asking the question that had been nagging at me. “Why not before now?”

He shifted in his seat, pulling back slightly and dropping his gaze.

“I wasn’t sure,” he said cautiously. “I know you still have to go to school here, and if you want to fit in…”

I leaned over and pushed him back in his seat, enjoying the surprise on his face and the heat in his gaze. “Forget them,” I whispered, before pressing my mouth against his and doing my very best to make him feel as dizzy and out of control as he’d made me feel.

After a second, he reached out to clutch at my waist, and one of us—no, both of us were trembling. It was, quite simply, one of the best moments of my life—before or after.

“Making out in burner row. I’m a bad influence on you,” he said breathlessly when I let him up for air.

“Terrible,” I agreed with a smile. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.