Death Screams (4 page)

"
Listen Hart. I am sure your girlfriend is hot," I felt my hands clench into fists. His eyes flicked down, catching the subtle tightening. "But I'm not interested. I was poking at you, proving a point."

"
Yeah, what?" I thought him bringing in Jade like that had been low.

"
That you need to move that one hundred and ninety pounds with purpose. Don't shuffle around like some old broad. Get your ass in gear. I'm not going to advance you until I see some moves at that level. Period. You got me?"

I got him.

"
You can't get your first
dan
until you're sixteen. But if I don't see you bring a pair to the mat, it's not happening."

Huh, I was gonna have to bring it.

A soft honk sounded and I looked outside the glass doors.

I saw Jade was there in the driver's seat of Andrea's beat up pickup truck and could taste my birthday on my tongue.

Autonomy.

It was a great feeling. Soon, I'd be picking
her
up.

"
That the girlfriend?"

I turned, giving him steady eyes. He stared back. "Yeah," I answered shortly.

He gave me a speculative look. "Remember this: she's your weakness. You have her around and you'll never keep your focus." Then he smiled like sun coming from behind clouds.

"
And God help the poor sucker that lays hands on her," he said, only half-joking.

Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

I bowed to Sensei Anderson, our gazes locked, taking the measure of each other. Then turning, I slipped on my flip flops and flung open the door, feeling the last of the late afternoon warmth on my face. The sweat on my body chilled with the temperature change. The first kiss of true autumn was in the air.

I covered my brow with my hands to see Jade better and a hoop of silver twinkled in the light that hit her face, her green eyes sitting like jewels in the face that I loved.

Her face.

Three cars stood outside Kent Refuse now. Mia's, Bry's (I know, can we say-unbelievable?) and Alex's. The J's were sixteen, Jade too. It was just Tiff and I that were the holdouts. Even Sophie had turned sixteen last week.

I watched Alex get out of his car. It was hilarious, really. He'd been a scrawny nothing with the Body ability and it had been a shocker, built like he was. But now that ability had grown fangs and here he was before us, larger-than-life. The pain of his growth spurt was on him now as he moved with rigidity. The doctors said it was normal for a teen with this ability but even though all us guys would love to be his size, there was no way we'd want to go through the growing pains that were kickin' his ass to pieces.

He stomped over to our group and Jonesy gave him a clap on the back. Alex flinched. "Hey Jones, can you lighten up on the greetings?"

John narrowed his eyes on Jonesy. "He's hyper-sensitive right now. I explained that pretty thoroughly on like... a hundred different occasions, right?

He had, actually.

"
Okay, so, I can't give you a love tap without you going all girl on me?" Jonesy quizzed.

"
Hey, ya clown, speak for yourself," Tiff muttered, kicking a stone with her shoe, her tie dye hoodie a screaming nightmare to the eye.

Bry sorta hid a smile and Mia looked between Jonesy and Tiff with keen interest. After all, half the fun of the group was Jonesy trying not offend and doing it anyway.

"
Speaking of clowns..." I began and both Tiff and Jade gave me quick looks. "I forgot to mention that there's a boatload of gnomes at one of the houses we landscaped this summer." My eyebrows lifted and Tiff repressed a shudder.

Jade wrapped her arms around herself. "Where?" she asked unwillingly as I sucked her in against me.

"
I've got a guess," Sophie said, walking up with Buddy.

The whole group fell silent. The biggest damn question in the universe was WHY would Sophie bring a proven spawn of the enemy to the hideaway?

Jonesy's face fell into angry lines and before he could rant Buddy chimed in, "Carson's dad has a whole herd of gnomes in his yard." He looked expectantly at everyone and Tiff snapped a bomb-worthy bubble that made Jade jump a foot.

Jonesy turned accusing eyes to Sophie. "Listen Soph, this is for the group. Our group. You've obviously moved on so why don't you go away. Don't go away mad, just go away," he said rudely, folding his arms across his chest.

Sophie's face crumpled and he caught the expression, regret etched where anger had been. He'd let his ego mouth overload his canary ass again, as Gramps would have said. John dumped his forehead into his hands. Alex and Bry looked around anywhere but at the two of them and Buddy moved toward Jonesy, Sophie on the verge of tears.

"
Stop slingin' mud, Jones," Buddy said, his fists clenching.

Jonesy was like a locomotive without a handbrake, he skidded to a reluctant stop in front of Buddy, their toes touching, their chests a millimeter apart.

Replay, I thought, despairing.

Alex walked over there and separated the two of them with a finger on each chest. Just that touch threw them four feet back.

Jonesy rubbed his chest and Buddy gave Alex a considering look.

I watched his wheels turn sluggishly and decide against taking Alex on. Good thinking.

Alex used a finger to shove his glasses up on his nose and looked down at Buddy from his considerable six-four and said, "We're not all warm and fuzzy about a Carson associate so no offense," he shrugged his massive shoulders, the muscles cording and flexing.

Us guys watched him move with fascination.

Buddy glared and Sophie huffed. Alex turned to Jonesy. "You could do better with treating a female nicer. Get over yourself and maybe Buddy can go away and Sophie can stay." Alex lifted an eyebrow at his equitable solution skills.

Jones dropped his hand from his chest and gave Sophie a glare, unrepentant.

Jade stepped forward. "Listen... Jonesy, Sophie, let's call a truce. This is the place we've been hanging out at for almost two years. You guys can move past your," she paused here significantly, "
stuff
, to get along with the group, right?"

Sophie and Jonesy looked at each other and finally Sophie gave a stiff nod and her Rock-with-Lips boyfriend sighed in frustration. He whispered something in her ear and she responded, arms moving a mile a minute.

"
Fine," Buddy seethed. "As long as I know it's 'cuz the girls are the priority. Not him," he pointed at Jonesy.

"
Don't worry, baby. He totally isn't," Sophie said with a look and a smirk.

Baby?

Even I could see that was for Jonesy's benefit.

Jade sighed against me. They were too stubborn for their own good by far.

Buddy leaned down and kissed Sophie on the lips and all us guys saw Jonesy tense.

Brother.

Buddy gave a mock salute at the group that looked like its focus was all for Jonesy.

He sauntered off, pulsing open his car and roaring off.

Sophie turned around and faced the group. We all stared at her and she shrugged nervously. "What?"

"
That was a cluster," Tiff said, wading into the conversational fray as usual.

Bry shrugged. "People need to go out with who they want. We can't pick who we're attracted to."

Tiff turned on him like a barracuda. "Oh, and that worked out so well for you last year with Barbie," she voiced with dripping scorn.

Bry flinched and Mia gave a small smile. I hadn't thought about Christi in a long time. I wonder what the skank was up to?

So did Jonesy. "Yeah, what's gorgeous bitch up to now?" He looked around the group with interest. His focus was shifting to something more neutral. The whole group notched down. It was definitely a safer topic than Jonesy and Sophie's issues.

Mia shrugged and said, "We're in the same grade and I see her around but..." she looked down at her shoulder, deliberating. Her expression took on a made-up-her-mind look. "I hear she still likes Bry."

All our faces swung to Bry and John said, "No way Weller."

"
Yeah man, what Terran said," Jonesy said and Bry narrowed his eyes on him.

"
I don't listen to you about chicks, Jones," Bry said.

"
That's gives me butt-hurt ya know," Jonesy said with a small grin.

"
Whatever," Tiff said with a swift eye roll.

"
Okay," I said, holding up my hands. They looked at me, Alex swiveling his neck to get the kinks out. I knew he was in pain from growing. His muscles and size were outstripping his energy and stamina. As if on cue he said, "Did you remember the food, Caleb?"

I nodded. "As I was saying, let's get in the hideaway and not stand out here for the world to notice..."

John was already thumbing in the number combo of the great lock at the gate and pushing it open.

The rest of us trooped after him with Jonesy and I carrying a great bundle of food.

Once inside the hideaway, we laid out the banquet and sat around on the milk crates, talking about everything when Sophie (Jonesy keeping a safe distance while covertly staring at her every other second) began talking about her AP class.

She shrugged, her zebra top undulating with the movement and Jonesy kept pace, yes indeedy. "It's like I said, the drug will be tested on us Astral Projection peeps then it will go from there."

John palmed his chin thoughtfully. "Has that been FDA-approved?" He directed the question at Sophie but it was Alex that answered, "Yes. All the right-wingers are freaking out about the 'sleep potential' for paranormals."

Jonesy got a puzzled look and Alex gave an indulgent chuckle, hitching up his glasses, which didn't belong on that face anymore. Alex was an ugly duckling that had become a swan. It was just like the fairy tale.

"
Jones, remember when we were talking about that drug they were going to shoot us up with to safeguard the mundanes when we slept?" He quickly looked at John and clarified, "Nulls excluded."

John rolled his eyes. "Right, thanks. I was really unclear on that point."

Alex smiled. "Anyway... it would stop the numbnuts of the world..."

"
Like Carson," Tiff interjected helpfully. Alex nodded, laughing.

"
From torching people in their sleep...or..." he shrugged his shoulders to his ears, momentarily looking like the Alex that I remembered from a year ago. Then he lowered them and the image was lost like smoke.

"
What about corpse-boy here?" Jonesy asked, jerking a thumb toward me.

"
Hey!" Tiff yelled.

Jonesy leveled a stare at her. "Cool it, Tiff."

Bry glowered. "Knock it off Jones or I'm gonna beat some manners into ya."

"
Try it, Weller."

Bry stood.

What was this shit? Testosterone Central?

Jonesy stood as well, his emotional net still poised to snap. "I can't tell your sib to put a lid on it without you tearing another hole outta my ass?"

Bry thought about it. "No. I can do it but you can't."

Tiff said, "I forgive you, Jonesy." She gave a look to Bry. "Chill Bro, I'll live. I'm just easily offended by Jonesy. He's always peeing in all the corners and I don't wanna clean up his mess."

Wow, did Tiff have a way with words.

Jade had a stunned look and Sophie began again in the middle of the tangled conversation. "Anyway, there's a reason why they're beginning with us."

She had a Tone, Mom would've spotted it a mile away. But her tone was different, edgy. I looked at Sophie, really looked at her. Beneath the careful artifice of her make-up lay circles under her eyes.

I watched as Jonesy recognized it too and struggled to appear indifferent.

Jade walked over to Sophie and knelt down in front of her, she was careful not to touch bare skin. She rubbed a jean-clad knee. "What's going on, Soph?"

Sophie had been looking down at Jade but lifted her face to the group and all of us sucked in a breath at the standing tears in her turquoise eyes.

"
The police are after a rapist," she whispered into the room and every guy tensed, our collective breath trapped in our lungs, the girls' eyes like saucers.

Jade recovered first, "That's terrible but, how does this affect you and what does it have to do with the drug?" she asked, trying to make sense of the pattern.

Sophie looked at everyone and said something unexpected, "I'm really glad you guys came here today. I'm glad that you have my back," her eyes avoided Jonesy's and he stood, striding over to her.

"
I don't hate you, Soph," he said, more serious than I'd ever seen him.