Naomi Grim (6 page)

Paige put something on my eyelid.
"You have beautiful skin. You don't need foundation or concealer."

I didn't know what either of
those things were, but I muttered a thanks.

Roxy began to pull at my
eyebrows with tweezers.

"Oww!" I whined.

"I know it hurts, but
well-shaped eyebrows will totally bring out your eyes. Beauty is pain."
She continued to pluck unmercifully.

I held my tongue as she
powdered my face and painted my lips. Finally they were finished and Roxy let
me look in the mirror.

I looked . . . better. The
more I looked at myself, the prettier I felt.

"Like it?" Paige
asked.

I nodded.

"Great," Paige
said, grabbing a handful of my hair. "Now let's start on this hair."

I'd had enough for one day.
"No, I really have to get home now," I said, grabbing my backpack off
the ground.

For some reason, Ashley
stood. "I'll give you a ride home."

"No, thanks."

"How are you going to
get home?" Roxy asked.

"I'll walk. I don't
live far." That wasn't entirely true. I really wasn't sure how to get home
from Roxy's.

Ashley eyed me suspiciously.
"Why? Why would you walk when we’re offering you a ride?" Now all the
girls were eyeing me.

"I could use the
exercise, that's all."

Ashley looked at the other
girls. "See? See what I mean?" Then she got way too close to my face.
"I think you don't want us to know where you live. I can't get anything
out of your brother."

Roxy frowned. "Are you
in the Witness Protection Program or something?"

I shook my head. Great. I
couldn't be the one to blow our cover. Keira and Bram were already expecting me
to screw things up.

"Fine, you can give me
a ride."

It was okay. As long as they
didn't come in, everything would be fine.

A dark-haired woman was
putting groceries away in the kitchen when we came downstairs.

"Hey, Mom," Roxy
said.

"Hi, girls."

Roxy looked nothing like her
mother. "Mom, this is Naomi. She just moved here."

Her mother looked up.
"Hi, Naomi. Nice to meet you."

"Thanks.
Likewise."

She grabbed a carton of
eggs. "Listen, once your parents settle in, I'd like to meet them."

"Uh . . . sure," I
answered.

"Mom thinks she's some
socialite who has to introduce everyone to everyone," Roxy said, pulling
me toward the door.

Her mother laughed.
"Later, girls."

We piled into Roxy's car. I
sat in the back with Ashley, who stared me down the entire way home. I tried my
best to remember the directions. Once we passed Kennedy High, I knew exactly
how to get home.

"You live a little out
of the way, Casper. There's no way you were going to walk home," Roxy
remarked.

I wished they would just
drop the subject. "I didn't want you going out of your way. I know how
expensive gas is." That was something I had learned in my studies.

Finally, we pulled into the
yard. I think I opened my door before Roxy had come to a complete stop. I
didn't want to give anyone the chance to ask to come inside.

"Is Bram home?"
Ashley asked.

 I cringed. "No."

"How do you know? His
car's here."

 I wasn't good at lying on
the spot. "He's not here," I said firmly. "Thanks for the ride.
See you guys tomorrow."

I climbed out and closed the
door before they could say anything else. I breathed a sigh of relief when I
heard Roxy's car pulling out of the driveway.

Inside, Keira, Bram, Dorian,
and Josh sat around the table having dinner. I stood at the door, waiting to be
bombarded with questions about where I'd been, but no one said anything.

I walked over to the table.
They were having a healthy dinner for once. Salmon, steamed broccoli, and baked
potatoes. Keira must have cooked.

"Hey, Naomi," she
said, buttering her baked potato. "Grab a plate. Sit."

I left my backpack on the
kitchen island and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. I sat in the empty chair.

"You look nice,"
Josh said, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Thanks."

I helped myself to a piece
of salmon, a small serving of broccoli, and the last baked potato. I watched
everyone else looking down at their plates, eating silently. I sat back in my
seat. "Will somebody please say something? Don't you want to know where
I've been?"

No one said anything for a
moment and then Bram finally spoke. "There's no point, Nay. Talking to you
is like talking to a brick wall sometimes. I'm tired. Just keep doing what
you're doing, and I'll let Dunningham deal with you. Maybe then you'll
learn."

I looked at the others as
they continued to eat. I finally dug my fork into my baked potato. Everything
smelled delicious, but nothing tasted right.

The next day, I decided that
I hated school. The newness had worn off. I hated the smell. I hated the
crowded hallways. I especially hated the meaningless classes. My American
History teacher had handed back a paper I had spent two hours working on, with
a thick red C- written on the top. I folded the paper and stuffed it in my
backpack. I didn't need to worry about grades, but I was still insulted. That essay
had been the first homework assignment I completed. The only reason I'd done it
was because Ms. G. had threatened to call my parents if I didn't start doing my
work.

I went to my locker to grab
my book for Algebra, another subject at which I sucked. Somehow Keira had a
knack for it. Maybe if things weren't awkward between us, she'd let me copy her
work.

"Listen," a voice
said from behind me. "Whatever I did to make you feel like I was
pressuring you into anything, I'm sorry."

I turned to face Hunter.
"What?"

"I was being a complete
gentleman—or at least I thought I was. Whatever I did to make you think I
wanted something else, I'm sorry."

I sighed. Those girls
couldn't hold water.

I tried not to look into his
hazel eyes, but I couldn't help it. No one in Nowhere had eyes that color.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Hunter."

"Then will you come to
my game tonight?"

"Game?"

"Yeah, the basketball
game. We play our rivals Coral High tonight."

I'd never been to a high
school sporting event. I kind of wanted to know what they were like. We didn't
have things like that in Nowhere. We didn't have fun, period. I knew I was
supposed to say no, but Hunter's smile and dimples wouldn't let me. "Okay.
Sure."

He winked at me. "Nice,
it starts at seven." He left just as Keira approached.

"Want to go to the
basketball game tonight?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes.
"Why on earth would I want to do that?"
     "Because I want to go."

She shrugged. "You
better ask Bram if it's okay."

"I don't need Bram's
permission. If I want to go, I'll go."

"Whatever, Nay. Come
on, the bell's about to ring."

Bram actually thought it
would be a good idea for me to go to the game, but only if we all went. I
didn't think kids who were planning on blowing up the school would be at a
basketball game—I think the other Grims genuinely wanted to see what one was
like.

The gym was packed. We found
seats on the very, very top of the bleachers. I'd tried to dress as un-Grimlike
as possible. I had on blue jeans, a loose pink tank top, with a tighter black tank
top underneath.

The gym was rowdy and noisy
with a lot going on. The game was in full force on the court; kids yelled and
screamed, cheerleaders were shouting chants from the sidelines, and the school
mascot did silly dances on the side. I was trying to understand the game, which
wasn't too complicated, but watching Hunter proved to be a huge distraction.

Hunter was killing it,
scoring point after point. Even though he was red and sweaty, he was gorgeous.
I kept looking at the other Grims, making sure they weren't watching me watch
Hunter.

The game was close, with
Kennedy High two points ahead. Something happened and the game stopped. The
referee handed Hunter the ball while the other players stood around. The gym
fell silent. Hunter bounced the ball twice and then aimed at the basket. He
shot the ball and it sailed through the hoop. Cheers erupted throughout the
gym.

At halftime, the players
left the court. I couldn't help but notice Ashley run up to Hunter, wrapping
her arms around his neck. He gave her a polite pat on her back, but he wasn't
smiling. A bulge of resentment rose inside of me. I tried to push it away, but
it wouldn't leave. That must have been how Keira felt every time a girl flirted
with Bram.

"Can we leave
now?" Dorian whined.

"The game's not
over," Bram answered. "I'll be right back," he said before
disappearing into the crowd.

A whistle blew and the dance
team assembled on the court. A pop song blared from the speakers and they broke
out into a dance routine. The girls looked like they were having the time of
their lives and I wondered what that felt like. I watched Roxy and Paige. They
looked so happy. They were pretty and popular, living the teenage dream. It
must have been an amazing feeling and I wondered how long it would last.

Keira nudged me with her
knee. She was looking off to the right, and I followed her gaze. I felt a pain
in my chest. The glow. It was spreading. Two basketball players who sat on the
bench drinking Gatorade had the ethereal light around them. A girl coming back
from the concession stand with a bag of chips had the glow. I spotted four
different people on our side of the gym glowing, and another six on the other
side. Keira pointed to the dance team as they finished. A girl with long, brown
hair started to glow. Then a blonde girl, and then Roxy.

It took me a moment to
realize that I wasn't breathing. I knew what Keira was thinking, "Naomi, I
warned you about getting attached." But it was too late. I liked Roxy the
most out of all the girls. She was the first person to befriend me and had
taken me under her wing.

Bram returned with a soda.
"It'll be soon."

I looked at the others. No
one else seemed to be bothered. But why should they be? This was part of the
job. Apparently, I was the only one who took human deaths to heart.

The rest of the game went by
in a blur. Our team—well, I guess I shouldn’t really say "our
team"—Kennedy High dominated the second half of the game and won 86 to 62.

We stood to leave as the
celebratory student body noisily filed out of the gym. I wanted to speak to
Hunter so he would know I came. The basketball players were surrounded by kids
giving them high fives and congratulations. While the other Grims went to the
car, I pushed my way through the crowd.

Hunter wiped his face with a
towel. "Snowflake! You made it."

"Yeah, you played great
tonight."

"Thanks," he said.
Then he said something else, but my thoughts were lost in his dimples.
"Hey, will you wait for me while I grab my stuff from the locker room? It
won't take long."

"Why?"

"I'll give you a ride
home." Hunter disappeared with the other players before I could tell him
no.

I went outside to find the
others. They were already sitting in the vehicle waiting for me. I walked to
the driver's side. Bram rolled down the window.

"Um, I'm going to get a
ride home with some friends."

Bram shook his head.
"Whatever." He rolled the window back up. I walked away as they
pulled off and I waited next to Hunter's pick-up.

Roxy and Paige pulled up
beside me in Roxy's car. "Hey, Cas. You have fun?" I felt a shot of
guilt. I was looking at a girl who was about to die and she had no idea.

"Yeah."

"What are you waiting
for?" Paige asked as if she didn't already know.

"Hunter's giving me a
ride home."

Paige found that hilarious.
"Have fun, Cas. I hear basketball players like to relieve stress after a
big game. You might hit a homerun tonight."

Roxy shoved her playfully
and they pulled off.

The parking lot was almost
empty when Hunter finally came out. "Sorry I took so long. Coach wanted to
talk to us and he wouldn't shut up."

"It's okay," I
said as he opened the door for me to climb inside.

He started the ignition.
"Hungry?"

"I could eat."

We rode quietly for a
minute. I enjoyed the smell of his coconut car freshener. Hunter pulled into a
drive-thru and we both ordered fries and vanilla shakes. He drove us to a park
and we stopped and ate.

The soft rock song we had
been listening to changed to something else. It was a song by Lil' somebody
that I didn't understand. All I knew was that they called women terrible names
accompanied by "shake that" and "suck this". I turned it
off. "How about we just talk?"

"Okay," Hunter
answered. "Why are you so weird?"

"What?"

"You're weird,
Snowflake. There's something about you that I can't put my finger on."

I shrugged. "I don't
know what you mean." I didn't want to lie to him, but I couldn’t very well
tell him that I wasn't human and I had come to collect the lives of his
schoolmates.

"It’s not a bad thing
necessarily. Weird can be good in your case."

I took a sip of my milkshake
and placed it back in the cup holder. "Why do you like me, Hunter?"
It was an honest question. Hunter was gorgeous and popular. Much like Bram, he
could have anyone he wanted.

"Why wouldn't I like
you?"

"I don't know. I'm this
strange new girl. I'm not like you or the other kids. I'm just . . . I don't
know."

Hunter touched my chin
gently and turned my face toward him. "You're not
just
anything.
You're special. I don't know how to explain it. I like your swag. You're
different and I like that. And it doesn't hurt that you're easy on the
eyes."

My cheeks felt warm and I
wanted to look away from Hunter, but I didn't. I liked his smell. Even after a
basketball game, he smelled good. I wanted to lean closer to him, but I didn't.
Hunter moved his face toward mine, but I pulled away. I didn't want to, but I
had to. I didn't want to know what would happen as far as this assignment was
concerned if I broke the rules. I couldn't risk having any more years deducted
from my life.

"Hunter, I'm sorry. I
can't."

Hunter pulled away. He
looked disappointed, but only for a moment. "Okay. It's okay."

I sat back against the seat,
taking deep breaths. Bram was right. I needed to keep my head in the game. I
needed to be thinking about all the Fated I'd seen that night, not making out
with a cute boy. I should have gone home with the others. "It's kind of
late. I have to get home."

Hunter gave me a tight
smile. "Sure."

I wanted to tell him that it
wasn't him. He wasn't the reason I had to hold back; it was me. We rode the
rest of the way in silence. No music, no talking—nothing.

We pulled into the driveway.
"I'll walk you to the door," Hunter offered.

"No!" I hadn't
meant to shout. "I mean, that's okay."

"Why are you so jumpy?
Snowflake, whatever it is, you can tell me."

No, I couldn't. "Good
night, Hunter."

"Good night."

I walked toward the dark
house. No lights were on, so I assumed everyone had gone to sleep. By the time
I'd made it to the door, Hunter was still parked in the driveway. I put my keys
in the lock and then I finally heard him backing out. Before closing the door,
I turned around for one last look. It felt like my heart had stopped
temporarily. I froze in the doorway, as Hunter pulled out of our driveway.

He was glowing.

* *
*

"So, I think we all saw
a good amount of the Fated last night," Bram commented the next morning at
breakfast. We all sat around the dining room table munching on cereal. I hadn't
slept at all thinking about all the kids I'd seen glowing—Hunter and Roxy in
particular. "That pretty boy of yours, he's one of them."

"How do you know?"
I demanded. Hunter hadn't begun to glow until after he pulled out of the
driveway. "You were spying on me!"

"I was not. I just
happened to be looking out of the window at the same time he was leaving,"
Bram lied. "Anyway, he's going to die."

"Yeah, I know," I
mumbled.

"I told you not to get
involved with them. Just watch from the outside. Now you're going to be all
depressed and it's totally your fault."

I shoved a spoonful of
Cheerios in my mouth to keep from telling him to shut the hell up.

"Anyway," Keira
said, "we know time is running out since we're seeing more and more of
them, but we're not sure who's doing it. I've been hanging out with these kids
since we've been here and I haven't heard a thing. I really don't think they
have it in them."

Bram shrugged. "I
haven't come across anyone suspicious either. Still, stay alert. Be aware of
your surroundings. This can happen any day now."