touch

Mostly, I layered the tee’s and wore a hoodie when it got too cold. I didn’t wear makeup. I didn’t have enough time in the morning. Nor did I put on any type of jewelry. Even the cheap stuff felt like a waste of money. After taking inventory, I felt decidedly inferior.

Leading the way to table, I set down my tray and sat stiffly. “They have money. I don’t.” The cafeteria filled quickly.

It quietly watched me take a bite. “You’re upset. Why?”

“You just told me I dress like a…” I was at a loss for the word and then thought of one Gran used. “A schlup.”

It canted its head for a moment. Beatriz’s brown eyes remained focused on my face as if it gleaned information from me that way. “Is that a word?”

“It is in my house,” I mumbled looking down and taking another bite. It took me a moment to taste what I’d forked in. Alfredo. Glancing at my tray, I grabbed a bread stick and dipped it in the sauce. Could anything really be wrong on Alfredo day?

“I think you misunderstood me. I like how you dress. I wasn’t hinting at anything with my words.”

I glanced up, but couldn’t read anything in Beatriz’s expression. “Fine. Let’s just forget it.” Was I really getting moody with an unknown creature sitting inside another person’s body? My questions. I needed to focus. “What is your name and what does it mean to choose you?”

A choking noise to my right distracted me. The boy who’d been behind us in line sat a few seats away. Although he sat partially turned away from us, he’d obvious been listening. I narrowed my gaze thinking about what we’d said and then rolled my eyes. Yep, by tomorrow, I’d be a confirmed lesbian. That’d put a damper on meeting new boys.

“Morik. It means time with me. As I said, I’ve been alone too long…”

I held up my hand when the boy made another sniggering noise and pointedly darted my eyes toward our eavesdropper. It followed my gaze. In an instant, it left Beatriz and entered the boy. I felt horrible and didn’t know what to do. Would he hurt him? What could I say to prevent it? Call him back maybe?

The boy picked up his tray and stood.

“Tess, I don’t feel good,” Beatriz said quietly across from me.

Forcing my gaze away from the boy, I noted Beatriz’s pale completion. I’d completely forgotten about her. She looked more scared than sick though.

“I don’t remember how I got here.” Her voice warbled with barely suppressed tears.

“Oh, honey, we walked together.” My pitying look wasn’t fake. I hated lying, but the truth was worse.

Before I could say more, it returned. Beatriz’s expression of confusion and fear faded into the calm mask of someone possessed by that thing. Morik.

I looked around and spotted the boy sitting further away looking puzzled.

“You need to stop doing this,” I whispered focusing on it again. It looked away from me to the boy it’d placed across the cafeteria who now looked back at us in confusion. “All the people you keep popping into are going to think they’re crazy.

“I am willing to spend time with you in my true form, but think you are not ready.”

The image of its glowing green eyes crossed my mind. Morik was right. I wasn’t ready and didn’t think I ever would be. Obviously, now that it found me, it wanted to be around me until I made my choice. For now, it would be in other people’s bodies… I shivered thinking of later. Is that why Belinda chose a boy? To get rid of it? No wonder she said to hide. My mind paused. How did it find me in the first place? Was it really because it was dusk? I opened my mouth to ask, but it interrupted me.

“We will talk more later.” Then, Morik was gone.

Frustrated, I sighed before realizing Beatriz was back and in need of comfort. “You’re not going crazy… I can see that’s what you’re thinking, so stop. You probably had a lot on your mind when we walked here. It’s not like we were talking. I’ve walked myself to the kitchen hundreds of times and then wondered how I got there.”

She seemed a little better and started eating her untouched lunch. I dug into my own. These quick conversations with Morik weren’t answering my questions, but did hint at one thing. He didn’t want to harm me. I needed more time with him get the information I wanted in full detail. Maybe that was his plan. Tease me with information so I’d willing spend time with him.

Barely suppressing a sigh, I also realized, if I wanted to spend the time with him to get my answer, I needed a host for him. Beatriz was out. So was talking during school. After school then. With who? I looked around. The boy who’d been watching us still sat where Morik had left him. Not him either. Too many weird things, related back to me, happening to one person would fuel the gossip fire. That boy already had enough fire. I needed someone outside of school.

For the rest of the day, I concentrated on my problem but found no solution. Everyone I knew, I liked so far. I didn’t want him messing with their heads. That meant facing him, the real him, if I wanted more of an explanation without jeopardizing someone else’s mental stability.





Chapter 5