Shadow Keeper (2 page)

“Can’t you ask Mom?”

“No. She thinks it’s better I don’t recall.” When my mind drew a blank, I dropped my hand to my belly. “Maybe it is better that I don’t.”

“Are you afraid to remember?”

Sure I was, but I wasn’t going to admit it to my little brother. “It happened a long time ago. What’s the use of remembering something bad from the past?”

“Aren’t you afraid of anything?”

“Yeah.” I had some real fears that affected my life now. “I’m afraid I won’t get a football scholarship so I can go to college.”

“More school?” He made a huffing noise. “Is that all?”

“Just one other thing.” My gaze drifted to the closed curtains. “I’m afraid of things that slither around in the middle of the night.”

Chapter Two

Sunlight seeped around the edges of the curtains. I crawled from the bed and stumbled down the hallway to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I jerked on a pair of jeans and a clean red tee. The eerie shadow I’d witnessed during the night had piqued my curiosity and I wanted to find out what had made that noise. As I headed down the hallway to the kitchen, the smell of warm maple syrup wafted through the air, delaying my investigation. I gobbled down a stack of buckwheat pancakes before hurrying outside.

The storm that passed during the night didn’t dump much rain. Even with October less than a week away, the heavy stuff wouldn’t come for a couple more months, but I hoped the damp ground would leave a print of anything lurking around. I walked across the backyard to where I’d seen the dark form weaving through the base of the oak trees and squatted down for a closer look. Dried grass speckled the area. I scanned the bare dirt near the roots and around the tree trunks. Nothing. Not a single paw mark or human boot print marred the earth.

Perhaps a swaying branch had caused the shadow, but that didn’t explain the long, pitiful screech that echoed through the darkness. I rubbed my fingers over my forehead. Maybe I’d imagined the whole thing. Between school, homework, and football practice, I wasn’t getting enough sleep.

On the way back to the house, I spotted a white pickup tearing down the gravel road. That was my ride to school. I dashed into the house and grabbed my backpack. Carson lived farther up the Capay Valley. His father had given him the old F150 when he bought a new one last year. The Ford was fifteen years old, but still in good condition. And the best part was I didn’t have to ride the bus with a bunch of screaming kids all the way to Esparto High.

****

The hard slap on the brakes jolted the pickup and woke me from a sound sleep. “What the—” My head jerked up, and my body tensed, preparing for impact with another vehicle. A second later, I realized Carson had slammed on the brakes in the school parking lot, and we were at a dead stop.

“X–man, you should have seen the look on your face.” He sucked in deep gulps of air as he laughed, making sounds like a braying donkey. “You looked like you thought you were about to die.”

“I’m glad you think it’s funny.”

“Did I scare you, man?”

“Yes, you jackass.” I grabbed my backpack from the floorboard and climbed from the pickup. “You scared the crap out of me.”

Carson hopped out of the cab and adjusted the Raiders cap over his mess of red hair. “Serves you right for sleeping the whole ride down the valley.”

“Sorry, but the storm scared Stevie, and his crying kept me awake half the night.” Thoughts of that eerie shadow I’d witnessed had also kept me awake, but I wasn’t going to mention it to Carson.

“You should sleep in class like I do.”

“Wish I could, but graduating with a D average won’t get me into college.”

“Hey, I got my grades up to a C minus so I wouldn’t get kicked off the team. And I already told you, my dad will give you a job after we graduate.”

“Baling hay for the summer pays good money, but I don’t want to be stuck in the valley for the rest of my life. I need a job that’ll get me out of here. The only way to do that is with a college diploma.”

“Well, I don’t want to leave. I’m happy here.”

“Watch it.” I grabbed his tee shirt and yanked him back when he stepped into the street without looking. The driver laid on his horn and Carson flipped him off. I shook my head. Carson was my best friend, but sometimes he seemed oblivious to the world around him. His D average wasn’t due solely to sleeping in class.

He always joked he was a throwback to an ancient Viking warrior. Mostly brawn and little brain, but he had the perfect build—big and muscular—to play guard or tackle on the football team. He had about twenty pounds on me and was great at keeping linebackers off when I ran with the ball.

“There’s Paul.” Carson motioned with a flick of his hand to the south entrance of the school. “But I don’t see Sherry.”

“Maybe they broke up.” I glanced around to see if I could spot her. “Paul told me they’ve been fighting a lot.”

“Hey, Paul,” Carson said when we reached him. “Where’s the
wife
? Did she dump you?”

My eyes rolled to the top of my head at his blunt remark.

“She didn’t dump me.” Paul smacked him on the arm with his fist. “She just hit the snooze button too many times and now she’s running late.”

Carson punched back. Paul winced, but would never admit it hurt. Tall, slim, and cool under pressure, he made a great quarterback. He could spiral the football sixty yards down the field and make it land right in my hands, but he wasn’t a physical match for Carson’s solid build.

Paul’s gaze darted to me as he rubbed at his arm. His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. “Alexander, how was your date the other night?”

I glanced away from his scrutinizing stare. He would bring up Saturday night. Now, I’d have to listen to the two of them give me crap for the next ten minutes before the bell rang. “It was all right.”

“Dang,” Carson said. “I forgot all about your date with Regina. So, what’d you think?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“X–man.” Carson shoved at my shoulder. “You went out with the skankiest girl in school. You’ve got to give us details.”

“No, I don’t.”

“What happened?” Paul asked. “Wouldn’t she put out?”

From the smirk on his face, Paul must’ve already heard the details, but Carson looked like he didn’t have a clue.

“Regina always puts out.” Carson’s mouth twisted into a knowing grin. “Even on a first date.”

“Especially on a first date.” Paul’s mouth showed the same grin. “So, how was it?”

“You already know nothing happened.”

“What?” Carson’s eyes opened wide. “You’ve got to be kidding. She turned you down?”

I shook my head. “I turned her down.”

“Yeah, right.” He let out a chuckle. “Like you’d turn down your first chance to get laid.”

“You’re wrong. We went to a movie, and then I took her home.” I didn’t think his eyes could get any wider, but they did.

“Why?” he asked.

I shrugged while thinking how to explain it without sounding like a big wuss. I felt sorry for Regina. She wanted everyone to like her, but the way she chose to become popular only made the kids laugh at her behind her back. “All she talked about was the other guys she’d been out with.”

“So?” Carson looked dumbfounded.

“So, I didn’t want to be the guy she talks about on her next date with someone else. And I didn’t want to take advantage of her.”

“Take advantage?” Paul’s dark eyebrows lifted. “She’s broadcast it all over school that she’s going to sleep with every senior on the football team. That’s her choice.”

“Maybe, but I didn’t want to be the next guy on her list to end up with a stupid nickname.” I gave Paul a deliberate stare. “Did you know she calls you
Minute Man
?”

Paul shrugged as if unconcerned with his poor sexual rating. “I wasn’t trying to please her, only myself.”

“Yeah, but Regina can’t keep her mouth shut,” I reminded him. “What are you going to do when the gossip gets back to Sherry?”

His face scrunched into a grimace. “She’s already heard about my nickname, but I told her it was because Regina thinks I’m patriotic since I’m always wearing tee shirts with flags on them.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe Sherry would fall for a lame excuse like that. She’s not stupid.”

“I know she’s not.” He glanced down. “But I’m tired of her always being suspicious of everything I do.”

“Don’t you think she has good reason? Besides, there are only about forty kids in our senior class. Everybody talks to everyone else. She’s bound to find out the truth.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Paul said, but from the expression on his face, it did. “I’m probably going to breakup with her anyway. Sherry wants to stay a virgin until she gets married. I need a girlfriend who will give me more.”

Carson snickered. “You mean like Regina?”

Paul’s head snapped up, and he glared at him. “No, you dumbass. A nice girl like Sherry, but one who wants to do more than just hold hands.”

“Good luck with that,” Carson said. “When word gets out that you were screwing around on Sherry, no nice girl is going to want you.”

“Here she comes now,” Paul said in a hushed voice. “Everybody shut up about Regina.”

We all clammed up and waited for Sherry. When she reached Paul, he put his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. She turned her face and his kiss brushed across her short, brown hair. He released her without saying a word.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” Carson said. “You don’t need any extra sleep. You’re pretty enough already.”

“Thanks.” Her lips curved into a smile. “You just made my day.”

The conversation lulled, so I jumped in. “Hey, Sherry. Why’d you oversleep? Did you stay up all weekend studying for a big test?”

“No, Brendon.” Her smile slipped. “I had things on my mind.”

“You can’t call him
Brendon
, remember?” Paul made a weird sound, like a forced laugh. “He’s
Smoochy Lips
now.”

“What?” I looked at Paul, not certain I’d heard him right.

“From the look on your face,” Sherry said, “I’m guessing Paul hasn’t told you.”

“Told me what?”

“Let me tell him.” Paul stepped to the center of the group. “Regina gave you the nickname of Smoochy L—”

“Please,” Sherry uttered between gritted teeth. “I do not want to hear her name, especially from you.”

His shoulders slumped, and he glanced away.

Carson didn’t seem to catch the tension between Paul and Sherry. “Smoochy Lips?” He burst into his donkey laugh. “No wonder you took her straight home,” he said between gulps of laughter. “No telling what name Regina would’ve come up with if you weren’t any good in the sack.”

“Shut up, Carson.” Paul took a step closer. “Nobody wants to hear about Regina or her stupid nicknames.”

Carson continued to laugh. “I know you don’t want to hear it—Minute Man.”

Paul shuffled his feet around on the sidewalk, and his hands tightened into fists.

“Stop it.” Sherry grabbed his wrist. “You’ll both get kicked out of school.”

Unsure if Paul intended to throw a punch, I stepped between them. I dug my elbows into each chest and shoved them apart. “Let’s forget about it. Who cares about any stupid nicknames?”

“She calls you
Hairless
,” Paul shouted around me to Carson.

“So?” Carson puffed out his chest, and his arms came up like he was going for a tackle. “That’s because I had to shave all my body hair to show my muscles for the junior body building championship at the county fair.”

“That was two months ago, but you still shave your body.” Paul’s tone changed to disgust. “That’s just weird.”

“Oh, yeah?” Carson said. “Well, I can always let my hair grow back, but you’re going to have to—” The ringing school bell drowned out the rest of his words.

“Let’s get to class.” I grabbed at Carson’s shoulder and pushed him toward the entrance, but he shrugged off my grip and turned back.

“Wow.” His tongue almost fell out of his mouth. “Get a load of that machine.”

We all glanced at the vehicle pulling up to the curb about thirty feet from where we stood.

“That’s a Hummer H3,” Carson said.

“It looks brand new.” Paul put his hand to his forehead to shade his eyes. “And check out that burnt orange color. That is so tight.”

“That’s called Solar Flare,” Carson corrected. “The car is last year’s Luxury model, but it looks cherry.”

I nodded in agreement. If the school gave grades for the knowledge of automobiles, Carson would get an A.

“Do any of you know who the driver is?” Sherry asked.

The glare of the sun on the tinted windows made it impossible to see inside. I glanced at the others, but they all shook their head.

“I don’t know who it belongs to,” Carson said, “but that is one sweet ride.”

The passenger door swung open. From my angle, all I made out was the sandal clad foot of a female stepping onto the curb. A well toned, bare calf appeared at the bottom edge of the door. As she stepped away from the car, my eyes scanned up the denim skirt that began at her knees and skimmed up her slim thighs and nicely shaped bottom. “Sweet is right,” I agreed.