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“
My phone…it’s a good song… great sound…perfect voice.”

Kara looked down at my fingers still moving along with what I could remember of the song. She relaxed in her seat. “Let’s talk about that song… looks like it’s helping you.”

“
Kara, please, let’s not talk about music – I’m freaked out enough that mom wants me to play for her.”

“
That’s understandable,” Kara said, smiling slightly. “I told you she’d come around one day – I guess she was just waiting for the right moment.”

“
Come around? Right moment? Does this look like a right moment?! I can’t play – no clue on how to – she should have come up with this ridiculous request ten years ago, when I had nothing else to deal with.”

Kara moved her head from side to side as she drove. I could tell she wanted to give me some kind of lecture – shake me out of whatever fog I was in, but something was holding her back. I almost wanted her to – I hated feeling like this – it’s one thing to be afraid, but to be that way and have no idea why is a whole other ball game – one I didn’t want to play.

Kara didn’t say anything for almost an hour, then she stretched in her seat. “I should have let you drive,” she complained.

I looked at her like she was crazy. I had taken Drivers Ed and passed with flying colors, and I’ve had my license for almost a year now, but I live in the city; driving was something I never did...it just took too long.

“
What? You don’t think I’m driving you around all summer, do you?” she said, winking at me.

I sat up in my seat, not believing what I was hearing, “You’re going to let me drive your car – really?”

“
I didn’t say that,” she said, laughing.

I crossed my arms and slid back into my seat, realizing she was just trying to get me to talk to her.

She just smiled slightly and turned up the radio. As we came closer to Salem, shadows from the trees alongside the road started to move – and almost reach for the car. I would flinch, and Kara would glance in my direction, then change lanes and move us to the brighter side of the road.

An hour later, mom called and told Kara to go to the restaurant first; she was starving. I was hungry, too, but I wanted to change before we went out. I hated wearing this black dress. I looked down at my hoodie covering it and decided I didn’t look as uptight as I thought I did. I lowered my hood and adjusted my pony tail, then pulled it across my shoulder before I raised my hood again.

“
Are you really going to keep that hood on?” Kara asked as we pulled in the parking lot.

“
Don’t worry, Kara; I have lots of these. I’ll let you borrow one if you want,” I teased.

“
Maybe so, but I’m the one who packed your bags.”

“
What? Tell me you packed them?!” I said, not sure if she was teasing or not.

“
Calm down; hoodies, tank tops, and jeans all packed,” she said, reaching to pat me on the knee.

My mother parked next to us. She was on the phone and waved for us to go on without her. I was sure it was some business call. She honestly worked every day, all day. That infuriated me – I felt like she was wasting her life away on something that wouldn’t even matter one day.

As we walked in, I purposely avoided the shadows that were stretched across the sidewalk. Kara wasn’t surprised by my awkward path; she even avoided them to make me seem more sane. I heard the whispers laugh, “Come, Charlie – come.”

“
Never,” I said under my breath. Apparently, I said it loud enough for Kara to hear. She sighed and held the door open for me. I heard the music and murmur of conversation and focused on that sound, ignoring the whispers.

It was almost one in the afternoon, but the restaurant wasn’t crowded at all. Kara walked over to the hostess and whispered something quietly to her; she nodded, then turned and went toward the kitchen.

“
Kara ,you better not be planning some kind of song or something – I’m serious, don’t do that to me.”

She shook her head. “I’m not - quiet lunch…no surprises,” she said under her breath, obviously concerned about me. She pulled out her phone and began to text.

I let out a jagged breath, anxious to know what she was up to. I glanced at the dining room, taking in the personality of Salem; I really had forgotten how it felt to live a suburban life…I missed it here.

I felt like someone was watching me, and my eyes found them. In front of the window at one of the tables, a boy around my age was sitting with an older man. I locked gazes with this boy and literally felt my heart stop – the simple ability to breath was too much to ask my body to do.

He looked so perfect from this distance. His hair was dark and wavy, not long, but long enough to make him not look uptight. His complexion was flawless, which made his dark features even more attractive. Normally, I’d glance away, but I couldn’t. I felt pulled by to him something that I couldn’t explain – I had to tell myself to stand still - to not walk over to him in some kind of insane trance. I felt completely out of control. Emotions that were too random to name made my eyes glass over. He smiled slightly, and I remembered to breathe. I couldn’t understand how such a simple gesture could make him look even more perfect.

I looked down and told myself to blink, and when I felt the moisture in my eyes, I turned away from him to wipe them dry. My awkward composure had captured Kara’s attention, and she was now studying my every move.

“
Charlie…are you OK?” she asked quietly, stepping closer to me and glancing over her shoulder at the dining room.

“
I...I want to go home. Can you just order something?” I asked as I balanced myself on the hostess stand. I couldn’t comprehend what my body was doing to me.

“
You’re home…let’s just eat – you’re fine.”

I dared to look at the boy again. He was still gazing at me. I swear, I could see anger in his placid expression…but it wasn’t a mean anger…it was painful anger. My chest started to rise and fall heavily, and heat flushed in my cheeks. I wanted to talk to him…but I didn’t know what to say – I didn’t think I could come up with any words that would make any sense.

The hostess returned and nodded at Kara, then grabbed our menus. She began to lead me and Kara in the direction of the boy’s table. I found it easier to breathe with each step – I swear, I could feel every part of my body tingle with an energy that was beyond comprehension. My heart was still racing, but I could handle the rhythm.

I could still hear the whispers behind the hum of the dining room…but they seemed to be struggling to make themselves known…they would grow loud, then instantly go silent over and over again. I didn’t really care how loud or quiet they were – my body was numb, and the only thing in this world at that moment was me and this stranger that I could not take my eyes off of.

He wasn’t staring into my eyes anymore. At first, I thought his was looking over my body, but then I realized he was looking at the space around me. I felt like he was trying to see something that I couldn’t even see right now.

The man with him must have said something to him because I saw his eyes move back to him, then he reached for his phone, which was lying on the table. I watched as he picked it up and began to text. The man with him looked over his shoulder in our direction, then causally back to the boy he was with.

The booth where we were seated was two away from them, and it looked out at the row of tables by the windows. On purpose, I scooted to the center so I could steal a glance or two from this boy. I had to figure him out – why he was causing such an absurd reaction in me.

Trying to make it not look obvious, I looked him over again. I could tell his eyes weren’t as black as mine; from here, they looked almost hunter green. Around his neck, he wore a leather cord, and a guitar pick was the only thing hanging from it. I knew then that he either loved music or played; either way, that was a plus in my book. He was wearing a black hoodie that was zipped almost all the way up, so I couldn’t see if he was wearing any kind of T-shirt that would tell me what bands he listened to. The Celtic cross that was on the left chest of the jacket and his overall image gave the impression that, at the very least, our taste in music was compatible.

Kara ordered our drinks, and when the waitress stepped away I stole another glance; this time, I found his eyes waiting on me. I slowly reached for my hood and let it fall behind me. I pulled my ponytail loose and leaned forward on the table. I wasn’t posing, not at all; I’m too shy for that. It was just that for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I needed the security blanket of my hood. I wanted to see out, and I wasn’t sacred of letting someone else see in. The boy smiled slightly again. I could still see the painful anger I saw before, but I could also see a confidence in his expression. I smiled back. My simple response made the anger I could see vanish in his expression. The man with him looked over his shoulder and nodded once at me before turning back to the boy.

“
If mom doesn’t hurry up, I’m just going to order for her,” Kara complained as she checked her phone.

She leaned out of the booth to look out the window at my mom’s car, which was right behind the table where they were sitting. I blushed, thinking she’d given them the impression that we were talking about them. Thankfully, they were talking to the hostess, so they didn’t notice.

“
That call could last forever; you might as well order it to go,” I said, not meaning to sound so sarcastic.

My mom had a tendency to lose herself on business calls; when she said, “Just give me a second,” it always turned into an hour.

The boy and man got up from their table. As they passed us, the older man nodded once again in my direction. Now that I could see him clearly, I was almost certain he was the boy’s dad. He was just an older version of him. The man carried himself in the manner that I imagined my father would if he were still alive, like a free spirit that didn’t care what others thought but somehow made people fall in love at a distance. If I had to guess, I’d say that he either inspired or had a passion for music, too. I don’t know how I did it, but I could spot a musician from a mile away. They don’t even have to dress a certain way; it’s just the energy I feel coming from them. I know that sounds stupid – I know you can’t really feel something like that, but I knew I always felt something around them.

As the boy came closer, my heart started to race. The whispers I had managed to ignore began to grow louder – they were calling my name, but also the name of another…one I couldn’t clearly make out…it almost sounded like ‘Raven’. I blocked them out by remembering the song I loved so much and began to move my fingers against the table.

As he came closer, the boy glanced down at my hands. I swear, I saw his eyes sparkle. As he passed my booth, he reached his hand out and let his fingers dance across the edge as he locked eyes with mine. I wanted to smile – to make some kind of sane acknowledgment, but I couldn’t make my body work – I was paralyzed by his direct attention.

Kara was staring at me; she didn’t even seem to notice the boy dancing his fingers across our table.

“
OK, Charlie?” she asked quietly.

“
I’m not hungry. Can we just go?” I said, trying to catch my breath and look sane.

Frustration seemed to cloud her eyes as she looked down at her menu again.

I looked out the window to watch the boy leave. I gripped my hands on edge of the table. I swear, my body wanted to chase after him – how insane is that?

Once he and who I thought was his dad were outside, they walked down the sidewalk in front of our cars. The boy stepped off the curb and unlocked a dark gray Hummer. I could tell it was still very new; all the chrome shined in the afternoon light. The man made his way to the passenger door, which was by my mother’s driver side. He looked through the windshield at her and waved. A beaming smile spread across her face. She ended her call abruptly and stepped out of her car. The man held his arms out, and she reached up and embraced him. My eyes widened as I surveyed the scene. The boy was looking across the Hummer at my mom and the man embracing each other.

“
Um...Kara...mom is hugging a man and smiling...like, really smiling,” I said in an astonished tone.

Kara just stared at me. “Evan,” she said, almost shortly.

I looked quickly at her, wondering what I had done to make her so angry.

“
Who?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“
Evan Michaels...do you remember him?” she asked in a placid tone.

I shook my head no and looked at her like she was crazy.

I watched her face flush with fear. “Um,” she mumbled in a shaky voice.“Well….his wife introduced your dad to mom…our families are extremely close.”

“
He knew my dad? Cause I’ve never seen them before,” I said, raising my eyebrows and feeling heat burning my ears. How could I forget the reaction that that boy seemed to jar my body into?

“
What – or who - do you remember about Salem?” she asked quietly.

“
Come, Charlie ,” the whispers taunted.

“
You, Madison – the house – a few other random people I never really cared for in the first place,” I said, boldly ignoring the shadows that seemed to be growing impatient.

“
Madison…that almost makes sense,” Kara said under her breath.

“
Tell me about them, “ I said, glancing out at the boy and catching him looking through the window at me. I watched as his eyes moved to Kara and he shook his head ‘No’ once. I quickly looked back at her. She slowly looked down and let out a deep breath. My eyes moved quickly back and forth between her and the boy.