Authors: Cindy Mezni
“Don't think that because you disappear a few moments, I’m not going to insist again when you come back, Del!” Hayden warned me in my back. “You’re coming with us and that’s it!”
I gave an overly exasperated look to my best friend before closing the kitchen door, in case Leighton wanted to speak of something related with
Enimae
. I looked at her. She was leaning against the central island and the jovial mask she had displayed so far in the company of others had given way to a tense expression.
“What's the matter?”
“You really should come with us.”
I sighed, a little tired that she and Hayden kept insisting while both knew that I had never had a real moment of intimacy with Garreth since we were together.
“I know you want to be alone with my brother. I understand that, as when you can see him, I’m still around for security issues. But you have all the time in the world to do so in the future. When it comes to your friends, I am not so sure we can say the same.”
At these words, a knot formed in my stomach.
“I’m afraid I don't understand what you’re trying to tell me,” I confided to her.
It was her turn to sigh.
“You are the target of some of my peers. They will stop at nothing to find you, and believe me, they will eventually get to you. Surely soon, unfortunately. Sooner or later you’ll have to flee to save your life and from that time, the people you know, people in general, would no longer have any place in your life. You’ll have to stay away from them because you won't be able to reveal anything to them and to ensure their safety.”
Leighton’s statement was like a stinging slap to me. I already grasped I could never discuss it with anyone but I wasn't yet aware of all the rest. I hadn't realized until then that one day, I would have to get away from Hayden, who had always shared my life as long as I could remember. I hadn't realized I wouldn’t live again in normality. Forget my ideal of a quiet and simple life away from here. I would never have it. Never.
“I’m sorry,” Leighton apologized, coming to me to put her hands on my shoulders, her blue eyes glued to mine. “I didn't want to be so...tactless...but I had to make you conscious of what awaits you.”
I shook my head slowly.
“Don't apologize. You were right to...open my eyes to the situation.”
“Yes, but I lacked tact. I acted too...”
“Inhumanly?” I suggested when she hesitated on the right word.
She winced, a pained light peeking through her eyes. It didn't come out like I wanted.
“I misspoke. I meant you had acted like an
Enimae,
that’s all.”
“I understand, don't worry,” she assured me with a smile that she wanted to be reassuring.
Things went cool between us. We stared at each other, Leighton not knowing what to say and me feeling uncomfortable because of my huge blunder.
“We should go back to the girls. They must be wondering what we’re doing.”
I nodded. Leighton went to the door. I followed. At the very last moment, she turned and gave me an unreadable look.
“You can never know what tomorrow will bring you, Deliah. Perhaps you’re living your last hours in the normal world.”
Her words sounded like an inevitable death sentence. I nodded, feeling that whatever I decide to do, I wouldn't enjoy it. I couldn't be alone with Garreth without thinking of my friends that I might never see again and if I went to this party, I couldn't help but think of my final days of normality.
No doubt, the evening was definitely screwed up...
Leighton and I rejoined the girls who were almost ready. Our morale was at rock bottom due to our discussion and neither of us felt the need to prepare any more.
“So, Del, you've finally decided to come?” Hayden inquired, turning away from the mirror to observe me while closing her mascara.
I exchanged a meaningful look with Leighton.
“Garreth and I will join you in an hour or two.”
“Seriously? Oh, that’s so awesome!” Hayden exclaimed, rushing towards me to take me joyfully in her arms.
She pulled away from me, went to Leighton and hugged her, too. My best friend paid no attention to the lack of enthusiasm that Leighton and I were showing since our return from the kitchen.
“Thank you for having convinced her, Leigh. You rock!”
The latter said nothing and just smiled. For anyone, her smile seemed true. But not for me
.
I noticed there was something wrong. And I was responsible, I felt it.
When the girls had eventually finished getting ready, I spoke.
“Well, I suggest we eat something before the boys arrive.”
“Oh yes, I’m starving!” Elisha said, jumping to her feet, looking really hungry.
We all laughed, even Leighton. However, again, I couldn't help noticing that her attitude was feigned. My words had caused something in her and I intended to know more about it as soon as possible.
***
An hour later, after the girls had eaten a baked Alaska, the first dessert Tess had taught me to make, someone rang at the door. I went to open it, the girls at my heels. I found Cassie's boyfriend, Stephen, on the threshold.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Deliah,” he replied, clearly uncomfortable to deal with me, which was not surprising, considering the reputation I had in this town. “Is Cassie...Wow!” he suddenly exclaimed when he saw her, thereby completely forgetting his question.
“I think it's safe to say Handsome is happy to see his girl in that outfit,” Elisha commented in an amused tone. “I also bet that outfit won't stay in place very long.”
Leighton didn't react, watching the scene blankly, which further increased my guilt. Instead, Hayden laughed while I just smiled and Cassie became red in the face, which further amplified her charm. Charm that shone through her delicate features, her small face and rosy cheeks, her flaming red hair and her big blue-gray eyes. Her small size just completed the picture of the cute, delicate and nice girl she represented. That was why it was surprising to see her going out with Stephen, who was her complete opposite.
He seemed a little harsh and hostile at first and he was so tough that Cassie seemed to be a fragile porcelain doll in his arms. Not to mention that he was the male version of my sister Annabelle, collecting encounters with Police Chief Collins--who wasn't to be pitied because, since my sister had cured her aversion to the law, he had virtually nothing to do in the area. Stephen was also known to be a heart-breaker. But apparently in contact with Cassie, he had changed. I watched them; Stephen seemed much less tough when his eyes rested on his girlfriend, so maybe the rumors were true. In any case, the two formed a special couple. I wondered if people perceived Garreth and me in the same way, Garreth never going unnoticed with his physique while I easily melted into the mass.
“Hey! Elisha! Nathan is here!”
Hayden’s voice extricated me from my thoughts.
Cassie and Stephen took the opportunity of the new arrival to leave in a hurry. Elisha might have been right in saying they would find a discrete place rather than go to the party. While the couple got into their car, Hayden ushered Nathan inside. He greeted us all before going to Elisha. He suddenly seemed hypnotized. He stared, his eyes gazing up and down. Elisha offered her best smile before biting her lower lip in a suggestive manner. Seeing his face at that moment, I sincerely thought Nathan was going to faint. Both were not “officially” a couple, that I knew of, but whatever their relationship was, they formed a rather unconventional pair.
Elisha was the kind of girl who would become a cheerleader if she hadn't lived in a town where there was no basketball team or any other sport team. However, she didn't fall into the stereotype of the superficial and silly girl. She was just very popular, an extrovert and a bit frivolous. And contrary to the stereotype conveyed by movies and series, she wasn't a pest. For instance, tonight, she had invited Nathan to accompany her to the party, despite the fact that he was a rather lonely boy who spent more time at the library or on his computer than with his few friends. My eyes amused, I watched as Nathan kissed Elisha on the cheek, which had the effect of leaving her completely stunned and unable to utter a word. Her face was hilarious! She probably had the habit of boys who didn't allow a moment’s respite to her mouth and had extremely wandering hands. The very opposite of Nathan, in fact.
“Hmm...we going?” she asked after finally coming to her senses.
He nodded, his eyes never letting go of her. He seemed to contemplate an apparition, a mirage, as if he thought she was too beautiful to be real. He was really adorable.
“It was really great, guys,” she said to us. “Let's do it again, okay?”
“No problem,” I immediately retorted, smiling.
“Oh and Deliah? Your dessert was divine!”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely, with a nostalgic thought for Tess at that moment, remembering all those times we cooked together.
The couple left the house and, casting a glance out the window, I laughed. Elisha had forced Nathan to turn around before he got into his car, catching him by the neck and kissing him hard like he had probably never experienced before. This girl was a real phenomenon.
The silence lasted between Hayden, Leighton and me until Spencer arrived. He was dressed casually but classy at the same time. Dressed all in black, his golden blond hair stood out even more. I had to admit: he was handsome like that. Hayden literally threw herself into his arms. Seeing this, I couldn't help but to tell myself that they were really made for each other. I hoped that together, they would soon overcome their problems.
“Text me when you arrive at the party, okay?” Hayden told me.
“I will,” I assured her.
When they said their goodbyes, I thought that everything could have been perfect if I hadn't seen anything in Spencer's attitude. His gaze on me was envious and a little bit sad. He still hadn't digested that I gave to Garreth what I had always refused him.
Dammit, his crush on me should have been destroyed, now that I was with another. So why was he looking at me like that? A horrible thought was forming in my mind and I didn't like it at all, because it meant that, besides being deceived, my best friend was going to suffer sooner or later.
No, stop your delirium. Spencer isn't that type of guy.
I refused to think he was with Hayden to try to make me jealous and remained with her through spite, because I hadn't reacted.
I wanted to talk to Leighton about it, so that she could reassure me and tell me I was imagining things but when I turned towards her, I immediately forgot it. She was staring at something outside and looked tormented.
“You okay?” I asked.
As she didn't answer me, I insisted.
“Leighton?
“Yes?” she finally reacted, absently, without looking at me.
I hesitated, not knowing how to approach the subject. Being responsible for her condition, I had to repair the damage I had inadvertently caused.
“It's what I said in the kitchen, isn't it?”
“What?” she replied, a confused expression on her face.
“Our discussion in the kitchen,” I explained. “I said something that offended you.”
Leighton threw her hair back with one hand while exhaling a sigh.
“It’s not because of what you said that I’m like this. It's rather what I told you.”
I raised an eyebrow, lost.
“When I saw your reaction when I took you aside to make you understand that you could lose your friends soon, that tomorrow perhaps you’d be taken away from your life because of my people, I finally understood the reaction of Garreth.”
“What reaction?”
“The one he had early regarding you. He always wanted--and still wants--to protect you at all costs and save you from the harsh reality of our world. That’s why he was so...volatile. On one hand, he wanted you to know the truth so you would know who he was and that you accept him as such and on the other hand, he cared about you and didn't want you to suffer more than you already suffered because of Tess’s death. As he didn't know which way to really act, he ranged between giving you the desire to know him and the necessity to make you stay as far from him as possible. It really made me crazy, by the way. But I understand now. Until we joined Mensen High School, I followed you from afar, you were just a mission. Then, I finally got to talk to you and I knew we were meant to be friends. And here I am, months later, announcing out of the blue to someone I consider like a sister that her life will most likely spin out of control very soon. When I saw your expression, I knew what Garreth had felt--and still feels--the fear that you end up rejecting me, just like my brother, because of our congeners who are after you or Travis or simply because at one time, it would all be too complicated for you.”
Feeling the emotion win over, I approached her and took her hands in mine.
“Whatever happens, I won't flee. I won't condemn you for something other people, congeners or not, do. After all, mankind has had and still has a lot of monsters running the streets, yet I never wanted and will never want to lock myself in a bunker to avoid any human contact.”
“Yes but the last I heard, no human has tried to kill you. You can't the same for my people.”
We could be two to play this little game and stick to our guns.
“Maybe, but with my legendary bad luck, who knows? It wouldn't surprise me if a serial killer starts chasing me.”
She gave me a look that could only be translated as, “Is that really supposed to be funny?” She finally sighed, looking a little sad.
“I wish you’d never been caught up in this, because you don't deserve to suffer or to be away from the people you love. But selfishly, I can't feel totally sorry for you, because without that, we would never have met. Without it, the human world would have remained unknown to me and I wouldn't have become different. Better. As Garreth did. You have no idea how much good you’ve done in our lives.”
I couldn't see what I had brought to these people except trouble, like the explosion of their family by revealing the true nature of Travis.