My Soul to Keep

CHAPTER 10



“I hope you brought your walking shoes.”

“What?” I looked down at Jessie walking next to me on our way out of American History.

“Don’t tell me you forgot? Here I thought for the past few days, I won’t need to remind Connor about our date…”

“Date…How could I forget about that?” I smiled, remembering I had the honor of walking Jessie home. She lived on the outskirts of town, but in Cedar Hills that wasn’t saying a whole lot. I just prayed to whoever would listen her dad wouldn’t be home when we got there. I doubted it, but it would be nice. I'd be surprised if he wasn’t sitting in his Escalade with binoculars the whole walk back to her house.

“Good boy, you get a cookie.” She giggled at her own joke.

We left the noisy hallways of the school and walked down the front concrete steps without any mishaps. The stone stairs always worry me. If I let Jessie fall, I would kill myself. The wind had picked up even more over the last few days and I tried not to grin like an idiot when Jessie walked a little closer than usual to stay warm.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“Stephanie is coming over tomorrow night and sleeping over, but I’m not doing anything Sunday…”

“That’s cool. I planned on immersing myself in some serious laziness this weekend. At least after the bajillion things I have to do around the house to earn my paltry allowance.”

“So, do you want some company on Sunday?”

“Who?” I realized she meant her as soon as my question left my mouth. I also realized she was asking me if I wanted to spend time with her when she said she wasn't doing anything on Sunday. I hadn't heard the invitation in her voice. I really could be an idiot sometimes.

“Well I figured I could ask my dad if he wanted to hang out with you,” she said and tried to slap me in the back of the head. She missed horribly. “Me, Connor. Do you want to do something Sunday with me?” She spelled the last word slowly so I could understand her.

“Another date?”

“Maybe. Let’s see how this one goes first,” she said but even I could hear the teasing in her voice.

“I’d like that.” I smiled, meaning it completely.

We walked and didn’t talk for the first few blocks or so. When we got to the third corner, a pink Bug slowly passed by. I saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the window, but couldn’t make out Clarisse’s face through the tinted glass. Her windows weren’t tinted when she drove me to school this morning. Crap, I forgot to tell her I didn’t need a ride home today. I’ll hear about that later.

I ignored the Bug and the hand sporting a middle finger as it rounded the corner and sped away.

“Friend of yours?”

“Who?”

“The person in the car that just passed, they slowed down and then sped off.”

“That was Claire. She gives me a ride to and from school. I think she’s mad I forgot to tell her I didn’t need a ride home today.”

“Claire? As in Claire Awl, the senior girl everyone seems to be afraid of?”

“Yes, that would be the Claire I know.”

“I haven’t met her, but I’ve heard from the other girls in the school to try to avoid it. How come she gives you a ride?”

“We’re friends of sorts, I guess. She teases me, I tease back. Under that crusty exterior, she’s actually an okay human being.”

“You’re not…” I could hear the question in her voice and my laughter put her at ease.

“Not even remotely. Ha! I wish.” As soon as I said it I could detect a definite foot flavor lingering in my mouth. Jessie stiffened and stopped walking. “Jessie, I…”

“You wish?” I could hear the trombone going waa waa waa waaaaaa in the background. I really needed to clean my brain to mouth filter.

“Not with Claire!” I pleaded and saw her eyebrows meet just over the tiny rim of her sunglasses.

“What do you mean?”

“I just meant I wish she would stop being so mean to me all the time,” I said and watched her become more confused, but relax a little at the same time.

“Why do you hang around with her? If she treats you like crap, I don’t get it.”

I sighed and thought very carefully of what I could and couldn’t say. I couldn’t tell her the truth. Well gee, Jessie, see I’m sort of a soul stealing demon…yeah, probably not a good idea, Connor. “Her mom and my mom are best friends,” came pouring out of my mouth for some unknown reason.

“Ah, gotcha. I had the same situation with my older step-sister.”

“You did?” I tried not to jump up and down because I'd pulled it off.

“Yeah, my dad divorcing her mom and us moving away was a big sigh of relief. I had to live with her, ride to school with her, spend time with her, and I hated her. She hated me, too, probably worse. Don’t worry, Connor. I get it.”

I smiled and reached out and touched her hand. She smiled and let me take it and we resumed walking. We finally reached the last of the houses and continued down a roughly paved street. Trees lined both sides of the road and streetlights flickered to life as we walked.

“Have we passed all the houses yet?”

“Yeah,” I said and nodded needlessly.

“My house is the next one on the right, or at least that’s what my dad tells me.”

“The old Wilkins' Mansion?” Realization dawned on me. Everyone in town talked about the spooky old Wilkins' Mansion. I knew somebody had just moved in. Word spread through town like wildfire. Jessie had told me she moved into their old family home. I'd just never put the two together.

“Yeah, why?”

“The old couple that used to live there, they were supposed to have been murdered. That was years ago.”

“Yes, they were. Ten years before I was born. At least it didn’t happen inside the house. I don’t think I could handle that.”

"I don't think I could either. How did they die?”

“Nobody knows. My mom was away at college and the mailman found her parents on the front lawn with stab wounds in their chests.”

“I’m sorry,” I started but Jessie shook her head.

“Did you stab them? No, so don’t be sorry. It’s okay anyway, I never met them. I felt horrible for my mom, but it’s more like history. Know what I mean?”

"Kind of like your blindness thing?"

"Exactly," she said and nodded. Maybe I wasn't all that dumb. Sometimes.

"Where's your mom?" I knew about her step-mother, but this was the first time she'd brought her actual mother up.

"She died, right before I lost my sight. She was a doctor and flipped her car one night after work."

I could hear the sadness in her voice and I caught myself starting to apologize. Instead I tightened my grip on her hand just a little bit more.

"You learn quickly," she said and smiled.

“Yes, I do.” I steered us onto the winding, lamp lit driveway leading up to the palatial home. The driveway was made entirely out of paver stones. Somebody must have paid a fortune on maintenance because not one weed grew in between them. Before we even made it to the stairs, the front door opened and Mr. James stepped out onto the raised porch and waited for us. “I don’t think your dad likes me very much.”

“Don’t feel honored. My dad doesn’t like anybody very much. Let me guess, he’s standing on the front porch waiting for us?”

“Uh huh.”

“Figures, I was going to give you a kiss for walking me home,” she said and sighed. “I guess it will have to wait until Sunday. Call me this weekend and give me your address.”

“I don’t have your phone number…”

I nearly fainted when she leaned in close and whispered it into my ear. When she finished, she kissed me in the same spot. “Think you can remember that?”

“I don’t think I could forget that if I tried.”

“Then my plan worked,” she said and giggled. “Thanks for walking me home. I had a great time.”

I shifted my focus on the house. The porch extended the entire width of the palatial home. Mr. James decorated for fall, but not for Halloween, which was only a week away. The school was having a dance, but I hadn’t planned on going. With the kiss Jessie had just given me I might be changing my mind.

“Hello, Mr. James.”

“Conrad. Thank you for walking Jessica home.”

“It’s Connor, Daddy. You know that.”

“Sorry, Connor. Dinners ready, Jess. Go get cleaned up.

“It was my pleasure, sir. I’ll see you Sunday, Jessica,” I said and turned to leave.

“It’s getting dark. Do you need a ride home?” I stopped and looked at Mr. James. I didn’t want to see through his illusion, so I let my eyes relax as I looked him in the eye. He looked like he wanted to turn me into a Halloween decoration.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll be fine,” I said before making my way down the circular driveway. Before I hit the street, I shot one last glance at Jessie’s house. I expected everyone to be inside, but Mr. James still stood on the porch watching me leave. The man made morticians seem warm and fuzzy. I fought the urge to run around the corner to get out of his sight.