chapter 3
Lizzie
“Please tell me that a meteor came to your house and blew it up, you had no clothes, you had no car to drive last night, and your cell phone was crushed?” Millie said, bursting through my door Saturday morning. Well, she got the cell phone part right.
I opened one eye slightly. She was looking straight at me. Damn, she sees me. I sat up. “Please, tell me you have a great explanation for telling Trevor I was on my period!” I demanded.
Millie tugged her black hair into a ponytail and tisked as she walked toward me. “Yeah, my best friend gets asked out by her crush and then doesn’t show up for her date! That’s my excuse, oh, I needed a good one! You better have a good one too.” She was pacing back and forth, pointing her finger at me. “Come on, out with it. What was the big reason why you couldn’t show up last night?” I opened my mouth to talk but she cut me off. “He was miserable last night. He had this poor puppy dog face the entire night. Not to mention, that little slut, Rachel trying to get back with him! You weren’t there! Oh! You weren’t there.”
The door swung open and my heart skipped a beat. Please don’t let it be Darrton. “Listen here, Millie!” Sam shouted. “Please shut the heck up, I’m trying to sleep. If ya don’t mind, hon.” Sam glanced over at her. “And please, change those hideous shoes that so do not go with that shirt!”
“Get out!” I screamed.
“These shoes so do match!”
“Says who? I’ll tell ya, no one. Someone call the fashion police. Millie is on it again!”
“Take that back. These were in Seventeen last month!”
“Sam, get out!” I yelled, this time getting up and pushing her out.
She went the entire way making cop siren sounds saying fashion police, fashion police!
“I hate your sister,” Millie said calmly.
“Yeah? Try living with her,” I said as I sighed against the door.
Millie pointed her finger. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this one! Where were you? What happened?”
A flash of panic rushed over me. I tried to think of anything I could to distract Millie. “Trevor climbed in my window last night,” I blurted out.
Millie stopped and popped her gum. Her black ponytail swung with her head as she whirled around. “Get the freaking-a out of here!” she squealed and plopped down on my unmade bed. “Oh God!” She grabbed her chest and flung herself back on my bed. “Did you kiss?” She gasped. “No! You two did it! You lost your V-card, didn’t you!?!”
I rolled my eyes. “No! We didn’t kiss or do it.”
Millie stopped and shot up. “Why the hell not?”
“Because, he just came by to talk to me. See if I needed anything for my period.”
Millie laughed and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. I snorted and that only made it worse. “Okay, I’m sorry. I got put on the spot I had to make something up quick. I’m only one girl. It’s hard to entertain two guys!”
I smiled at Millie. I couldn’t ask for a better friend in the world. My stomach growled and we looked at one another. “The Picnic Basket.”
Millie waited for me while I tugged on an old T-shirt and jeans. The sky was overcast, and it looked as if it might rain. I pulled on a grey hoodie and some Converse. “You ready to go?”
“Hells, yeah, I’m so ready for some of Momma’s fudge!”
I laughed and we went downstairs to where the drama queen was eating her cereal. “Are we quiet now?” Sam asked over her spoon.
“Are we not a bitc—hi, Mrs. Laurence,” Millie smiled and darted her eyes at Sam while Mom yawned.
“Good morning, my darlings. You two headed out?”
“Yep, going to The Picnic Basket for some fudge. You want us to pick you up some, Mom? It’s the only place that is open this early that is decent and not fast food. Besides, we want some fudge.”
“I want cookies and cream!” Sam shouted. “And don’t smash it. I have needs and something sweet is on the list for today.”
I heard Millie grit her teeth. She narrowed her eyes and spit through her lips, “Of course, Samantha.”
Sam smiled. The way Sam and Millie fought, you would think they were sisters.
“Umm, fudge sounds nice,” Mom said. “How about some mocha swirl for me, and pick up some dark chocolate raspberry swirl for your father?” She pushed around in her purse and was saying something to Millie when I glanced out the window.
I stopped. Damn it. I can’t just leave him here. I clicked my tongue and taped my foot.
“Oh hey, Mom, I think I’m going to need a new cell,” I said.
She glanced up, an eyebrow rose. “Why is that? We just got you that Android thingy.”
“It’s an awesome phone, Mom, but I accidently smashed it the other day at school. I don’t know what happened it just fell out of my pocket and shattered on the concrete outside.”
She snorted. “When we bought you that phone, the sales person said it was indestructible. Lies, all lies.”
Yeah, they didn’t test it on a Horseman of The Apocalypse.
“I’ll get you one but I can’t promise it will be as nice.”
Of course not.
“Hey, I’ll be right back,” I said. “I left a sweater in the tree-house the other day.”
“Why were you in there? Tree houses are for little kids.”
Millie smiled. “Like you, Samantha?”
Samantha darted her eyes to Millie, and her lips firmed into a hard straight line. Mom continued to rummage around in her purse for money as I dashed toward the clubhouse.
It was quiet when I climbed the ladder. There wasn’t a bird singing or a passing car. The air was humid and I could smell the rain. “Darrton.”
He was nowhere to be seen. A shiver of panic crept through my body. Where could he have gone? Oh God, what if someone shot him? A neighbor? A policeman? We would know about it wouldn’t we?
“Lizzie! Did you find your sweater? I got moolah!”
“Uh, no, not here, just a minute.” I staggered down, trying to clear my head while mumbling to myself. I placed my Converse on the last step and my foot slipped. I landed awkwardly on my side. “Shit.”
I heard Millie call, “Are you okay?”
I pulled myself up. I felt a pain in my wrist and, glancing down at it, saw the blood trickling down. “Damn it,” I mumbled. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s just go.”
Millie was not a safe driver. Never had been. We often wondered if the Department of Motor Vehicle’s employee that was in the car with Millie, during her driver’s test, was drunk.
Millie sang along to Trains’ “Hey Soul Sister,” and talked about how hot Brett had been the night before and how much fun they’d had. Unlike me, she had actually gotten to spend time with her date.
“You want to eat ours here?” Millie asked, already half way through her divinity fudge.
I pointed toward the open booth in the corner, catching a glance at the cut on my wrist. It would leave a mark. We had just sat down when the bell on the door rang. We both looked over and a petite woman with short, dark hair walked in. She had dark circles underneath her eyes, and she looked straight ahead, zombie-like.
As she stood at the counter, a man walked up to her.
“How are you, Mrs. Johns?”
Millie looked at me and widened her eyes.
She sniffed. “The best I can be during a time like this.”
He patted her back. “Just know that I am praying for you.”
She nodded. “Thank you. We are still looking for any clues we can to find him. There was no struggle at home so they are ruling out kidnapping.” She was obviously holding back her tears.
The man shook his head, looking horrified. “Good God. I hope you guys find him.”
Millie coughed and I looked back at her. “Poor woman,” I said.
She nodded. “Yeah. I mean he was mean, but I don’t think he deserved to go missing.”
“Me either.”
The mocha swirl was sliding down my throat when I saw a shadow cover the table. I turned and choked on my fudge. “Darrton!”
“Where have you been? You left me to myself and I am starved. I had to go look for nearby woodlands for food. I couldn’t find any close enough. Why haven’t you provided me with any food? I waited for you until I couldn’t stand not having any food any longer.”
Maybe because I’m trying to stay away from you. You freak me out.
Millie blinked. “Hit the road, creep. Who is this, Lizzie? Do you know him?” She glanced down at his bare chest and mouthed “hot.”
Please don’t let us get kicked out of here because of him. Someone shoot me. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you ever heard of ‘no shoes, no shirt, no service’?”
“Do I need to repeat myself once again? Are you hard of hearing? And what is that? No shoes...”
I gritted my teeth. “Outside now!”
Millie grabbed my arm. “Who is that and why the hell don’t I know him? Can you say hottie? He so has that Steven Strait look about him.”
I held the bridge of my nose and glanced over my shoulder. He was standing outside glaring in at me. “Listen, Millie...” I began to whisper and Darrton reached for the door to come back inside. Damn. “Darrton is my older cousin.”
“Cousin, whoa, can I have him?”
“No!” I yelled out, not even meaning for it to slip through my lips. I bit my tongue as soon as I said it.
She grabbed her heart in an overdramatic Millie way. “Ouch, all you had to say was he is taken.”
I huffed. “I’ll be back.”
Darrton met me and gripped my arm. “That’s the second time I’ve had to warn you, child. Do not tell anyone what I am.”
“I don’t even know what you are!” I yanked my arm from his grip. “Some kind of fallen angel or Horsemen or dem—” I stopped myself. “Where are your wings?”
His eyes were boring into my head. “They are retracted. Would you like for me to take them out?”
“No, I would not like that,” I snapped. “Why are you here? You’re hungry? What do you eat?”
He snorted. “What a senseless question. What do you think I eat?”
Clicking, my tongue, I tried to calm myself. “I don’t know? Clouds?”
He laughed. It was the first time he had laughed and I was taken aback by it. The musical harmony of it sounded almost...angelic. “No, child, I eat anything you eat. Maybe some fish, bread, broth.”
I let out a long breath. “Okay, we have to talk. First, I will make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when we get home, because that is the extent of my cooking. Secondly, you have to wear clothes. You can’t walk around half naked, okay?”
Darrton snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. “I do not have any clothes. I had to steal these trousers just to have them. I came nude.”
A blush traveled across my check, and I dodged my brain away from picturing him naked. Darrton’s eyebrows shot up. “Does that make you uncomfortable, child?”
I ignored him. “We will go get you some clothes, okay? I have a credit card my mom lets Samantha and I use, but for now I need you to go home. And try to take lonesome streets, you know, without people.”
“I don’t need to walk. I fly. Why would I walk? Hah!”
I slapped my head. “Silly me. Of , you flew.”
Darrton stiffened and suddenly grabbed my wrist. “What happened?”
I snatched my wrist away. “I fell from the clubhouse looking for you.”
His eyes seemed to lighten and he gripped my forearm. “Be still.”
“What are you...” I trailed off and watched in amazement. The slit on my wrist was slowly healing until it was gone. “How did you do that?”
He cocked his head to the side. “It’s one power I command.”
“Right,” I said slowly, glancing at my wrist.
“Mommy, Mommy! That man’s not wearing a shirt!” I heard from behind me.
The woman made a sound of disgust and covered the eyes of her little girl, who was pointing at Darrton. “Sir, you should have more respect for people than to walk around half naked, in a public place.”
Darrton took a threatening step forward, and I pulled him back. “Sorry, lady. He didn’t take all of his medication today,” I said making a slow circle around my temple. I turned back to Darrton. “We need to go get you dressed.”
I pushed against his chest and tried to get him to leave when I heard, “Lizzie.” I stood in an uncomfortably, frozen-shitless position for what seemed like an hour. Maybe if I stand still he will think that I am only an illusion. I shut my eyes as tight as they would go. “Lizzie.” I felt Trevor’s hand on my back, “Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s her. Speak to him, child.”
“Who the hell are you? Is everything all right, Lizzie?”
Shit it didn’t work. I turned around. Trevor had a wide-eyed look on his face. “Yes, everything is fine.”
“You’re white as a ghost? Are you sure?”
I nodded. It was a small nod—hell, I wasn’t even sure if my head made enough movement for him to see. Numbness crept up my body. “Everything is fine, I promise,” I repeated.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Trevor glanced over to Darrton who was looking at us in an intimidating way.
“This is Darrton,” I mumbled. “He is my cousin.”
Trevor’s stance relaxed. “What’s up, bro?” Trevor offered him a fist pump but he dropped it when Darrton didn’t return it. Not like the man understood what that meant anyway.
“That is a very loaded question, son. There are many things that are up.”
Trevor cocked his head to the side, and his mouth opened a bit in confusion. Gheesh.
Darrton opened his mouth to speak, then he closed it and sniffed the air. “Rain,” he said.
“Yea, it’s supposed to rain,” Trevor said, moving closer to me. “You want my jacket?”
A small smile rose on Trevor’s lips and I couldn’t help but let the giggle, that was bubbling up my throat, out. “No, it’s okay.”
“Here take it,” Trevor said. He slid off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
When I looked back, Darrton was staring and almost snarling at Trevor. “You’re the boy that trespassed into Lizzie’s chamber last night? I can smell it.” Darrton’s eyes traveled down Trevor.
Trevor froze. “No,” he said slowly.
“Do not lie to me, boy!” Darrton turned to me. “You won’t be needing this young lad’s jacket. I have stopped the rain.”
Trevor leaned in and let out a low whistle. Indicating what he thought about Darrton: that he was nuts. That made two of us.
“Darrton, I’ll meet you at home. Do you remember where home is?”
“Of course. You act as if I’m a lost child. I know my way.”
“Well, taketh your behind that way then,” I gritted through my teeth.
Darrton ran his fingers through his long hair and sighed. “When will you be home? I am hungry.”
“I will be home soon!” I said a little too loudly.
Darrton opened his mouth to say something but then stopped and gripped his hand. Before he fell to his knees I noticed the ring on his finger give off a slight glow. “I must go.”
“Are you all right, dude?” Trevor asked.
Darrton had already darted behind the building.