The 13th: Destiny Awaits (12 page)

Mandy and Tyler followed. Together they went to the parking lot, where Kate threw her bag into the back seat of Ethan's car, then slid into the passenger seat.

“So we have been going out?” Kate secured the seat belt.

“Apparently.” The engine hummed to life and Ethan drove out of the parking lot and onto the road.

“And what were we doing on these dates?” Kate glanced at his profile.

“I don't know about you, but I was hunting.”

“Soul Eaters?”

“What else?”

Kate crossed her arms. “And you were going to tell me when?”

Ethan turned on the radio.

“I see. You weren't going to tell me,” Kate said. “That's weird, I thought I was the boss and you were my sidekick.” It shouldn't have disturbed her that he had been out there destroying Eaters behind her back, especially since she never intended to fully undertake the role of Reaper, but it did bother her. Had she changed her mind about this, too?

“How can you be the boss when you haven't mastered all the basics yet?”

When had she changed her mind? She rubbed her temples, then her eyes focused on Ethan. “And what are the basics?”

“Offence, defence, rituals, and spells.”

“Does that include those pieces of paper you put on the walls of my house?” They had faded away, but the transparent forms of the symbols written on them fluttered against the walls, preventing ghosts from forcing their way inside. If she couldn't show her mother the true forms of ghosts, maybe she could block them from ever coming into her line of vision.

“Yes, those, too,” he said.

“Can you teach me about those?”

“There are instructions in the handbook.”

“They are? Under which title?”

“If you can't see it, you are not ready for them yet.”

“Not ready? To learn a few spells?”

“If the handbook doesn't show it...”

“That book is silly. And so frustrating.” Having to know all those terms just so it would show a small portion of its contents.

“That handbook is made that way because its contents have been abused by outsiders too many times.” He parked the car behind Julie’s, the main gathering place for teens. On Friday and Saturday nights it hosted local bands.

That made sense. “Can you give me the names of those spells?” If she had the names, the book should show them to her.

He turned to her, his hand on the steering wheel. “I would say ‘why not?’ but since you are so eager...” His mouth stretched in a naughty smile.

“What?”

“Well...” His smirk grew. “I think I should use this.”

Kate didn't like the expression on his face. It was much too deviant for her liking.

He wrapped his arm around the seat's back and leaned forward. “Yes, I think I will use it.” He nodded. “To get you to be more affectionate to me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You better not be thinking --”

“But I am.” He grinned at her. “If you want me to tell you the names of those spells, you'll have to act much more lovey-dovey.”

“Don't joke.” She had already spent too much time with him as it was, and with the way her heart started to speed up every time he touched her -- What if she really started to like him?

“And not just on our dates, in school, too.”

“No.”

“You won’t learn the spells’ names otherwise.”

“You are a moron.”

“No lovey-dovey, no spells.”

She grimaced as she spat out, “Fine.”

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose, holding it while she took a deep breath. She scowled at Ethan. She could feel the beginnings of a headache and it was all his fault.

“Don't look at me like that.” Ethan set his elbow on the table, his fingers playing with the teaspoon, twirling the brown liquid in his cup. “You’re ruining our little show.”

Kate's jaw tensed. Yes, the little show that they were putting on for Sandra, who sat two tables away, glaring at them. The show that would probably get Sandra on her case even more. Oh, the joy.

“Smile.”

“I am smiling,” she hissed.

He moved his chair closer to her and put a hand on the back of her chair. “You call this a smile? When you look like you swallowed a bucket of lemons? This is a smile.” His mouth stretched in a curve that shone down on her, that made her breath hitch.

She swallowed and averted her gaze.

His hand slid onto her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Making us look like a couple.”

“What's going to be next, making out?”

“Well, if you’re up to it.”

“Don't joke with me.” She shook him off, but she did that with a pleasant smile on her face. They had made a deal: for every spell name he gave her she had to go on four dates with him. This was their fifth one, the third one with just the two of them, and there were still eight more spells.

His hand glided down her arm and he wrapped his hand around hers. “Where should we go next?”

She stared at their laced hands, scowling at the current that spread up from her fingers. If he would only stop being so touchy-feely with her. But since being affectionate was part of their deal, she couldn't demand that he stop.

“At least make some effort.” His finger rubbed her forehead as if that would smooth out her scowl. “Or I might change my mind about our deal.”

She would have glared at him, but instead she gave him a sweet smile. “You do that and I’ll put a stop to our little training sessions.”

“You wouldn't.”

“I might.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You wouldn't.”

She was about to reply when a shiver shook her frame. It was the same kind as in the arcade, only much more pronounced and stronger. It signalled a group of Eaters.

“Eaters.” He stood up, hooked his arm around hers and pulled her up.

“Yes.”

“Come.” He dragged her out of the coffee shop into the street. Twilight had already fallen and the lights from shop windows drew images on the pavement.

“Where to?” she asked, even though by now she could predict their destination.

“To the movies, where else?”

“Do we really have to?” He would pick out the most boring movie again, since boring meant an empty theatre, and then he would leave her there to look out for his body while he hunted Eaters in spirit form. He could do that on his own like he had before, or do it from home, despite not having a lock on the door. Kate doubted that his mother would mistake him for dead if she found his body without his spirit, as Ethan was afraid would happen. She was also sure that his mother wasn't the drama queen Ethan made her sound like. To Kate she seemed quite the contrary, a person who was always composed and calm and who rarely went into panic mode.

“Do you want to go home?”

“I want to go with you this time.”

“You could, but... well, it's a shame you are so bad at meditation.” He smirked at her.

“That’s because my mentor sucks.” She glared at him.

“How could the mentor be bad when the student tends to fall asleep in the middle of her lessons?” He shook his head at her. “The way you are now, you'll never relax enough to leave your body. Well, we can still try to haul you out.”

She rolled her eyes, too used to his antics to feel insulted. “I'm not going to be left behind again.”

“Why? I thought you liked having the opportunity to admire my beauty freely without me seeing. You probably even hold my hand, right?”

“Yeah, right.” Could he be any more full of himself?

He chuckled. “Don't look at me like that, I'm joking.”

Her gaze flickered upwards. “And I'm serious. I don't want to wait for you while you’re gone, I want to go with you.”

“But why? I thought it didn't matter to you, that you didn't care about Eaters.”

“Is it so hard to take me with you?”

“But why? Why do you want to go?”

She couldn't answer him, because she didn't know herself. But she did know that she was getting more and more annoyed with the way he kept her on the sidelines, and not just with hunting Eaters, but with everything. The Keeper still hadn't been introduced to her. And Ethan was right about the out-of-body experience, she had fallen asleep during their meditations more often than not, but with the way Ethan hammered on the martial art lessons, it was a wonder that they even meditated at all. She had tried it at home, but without any result. “You said that eliminating Soul Eaters is one of the Soul Reaper's responsibilities. The important one.”

He scrutinized her.

“What?”

“And how do you intend to leave your body?”

“Couldn't we just go in our physical form? Like before?” Like that time after their first fake date.

“With them on our heels?” He gestured to Sandra and her friends. “But...”

“What?”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “Maybe dragging you out isn't that bad an idea.”

“Huh?” Kate didn't know where to put her hands. Just hold them by her side? Or put one arm around his waist?

“It can't hurt to try.” He smiled down at her and led her into the movie theatre. After they were seated and the lights went down, he, in red energy, ascended from his body.

Was he going to leave her? “Hey!” Kate hissed. “Where do you think you are going?” Hadn’t he said he was going to try something?

“Close your eyes and relax,” he ordered her as he towered over her and gripped her wrists.

“Like I can with you hovering over me like that?”

“Do you want to go with me or not?” He bent over her.

“Yes.”

“Then stop complaining and start cooperating.”

“I wasn't complaining.”

“Shut up, please, and do what I asked you to do.”

“Fine.” She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She could feel tugs that became jerks, stretching her, but in such a weird way. Her eyes fluttered open, and she could see the top of her head and, when she lifted her gaze, Ethan.

“Does it hurt?” Ethan fixed one leg against the seat's armrest and the other one against her seat's back.

“No.” But it was uncomfortable, as if she was wrapped to her waist in a tight cocoon while its edges pressed down on her.

“Okay, get ready.”

For what
, she wanted to ask, but Ethan pulled on her, hard, and, with what sounded to her like a pop, she flew out of the snug grip of her body and toward the ceiling. She braced herself for an impact that never came, since she floated right through it.

“I can't believe it worked.” Ethan appeared beside her. “Now steady yourself.”

“How?” As she drifted up, out of control, she grabbed at things, but, with her hands going thorough objects, she couldn't get hold of anything.

“Just wonderful.” He caught her ankle and jerked her down. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the darkness. There at the edge you will find a pull.”

She obeyed him and felt a tug, like somebody held her toe, pulling on it.

“Focus on it,” Ethan said.

She did and the next second she found herself hauled backward. “Hey. What's going on?”

“See you later.” Ethan waved and shot up.

“You... You... Dolt!” Kate cried as she flew back down through the ceiling and slammed back into her body.

She opened her eyes and in the semi-darkness glowered at his unmoving body. She would get him for this. She slapped his arm.

He slid sideways.

Oops.
She gripped his arm and drew him closer.

He fell on her, his head bumped against her shoulder.

“Great,” Kate groaned. “You’re being a pest even when you’re not here.” She shook her head, a smile playing on her lips as she absently combed through blond strands with her fingers, then froze. What was she doing?

She carefully returned him to his previous position, where he leaned on the back of the chair. With his eyes closed, he looked like he was napping. He looked so peaceful and angelic while sleeping, and she liked to watch him in the flickering light coming from the movie screen -- there was nothing interesting on the screen before her anyway -- but contrary to his little joke, she would never have dared to hold his hand.

He returned just seconds before the credits rolled. She watched him dive into his body before she stood up and left the hall, then waited for him on the street. When he joined her, she gave him a piece of her mind, more for appearance’s sake since her anger had already subsided.

“You can't even fly straight and you think you can hunt?” Unaffected by her short rant, he looped his arm with hers.

“Then why go through the trouble of pulling me out?”

“Because that was easier than arguing with you.” He guided her along the street.

“Arguing? When was I arguing with you?”

“And I thought you would be a natural at it like you were with the scythe, but I guess you can't excel at everything.”

Kate heard footsteps behind them and she peered over Ethan's shoulder. They were still there, Sandra and her minions. “They’re back.”

“They must have been in the movies with us or waited for us outside.”

“This is getting annoying,” Kate said. When Sandra had aimed for Tyler she only took care to find herself in places Tyler frequented, she never trailed behind him as openly as she was after Ethan. Did she really believe that stalking would help her get Ethan?

“I agree.” He pulled her into one of the poorly-lit alleys.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Give them a performance.” He leaned over her, resting his forearm above her head. “I hope you don't mind.”

“Of course I mind.” She pressed her back against the cold wall, her gaze fixed on the dip of his throat visible over the collar of his shirt while her heart thundered in her chest.

“I have a suspicion it was you who told her who I was.” The fingers of his free hand cupped her neck. “And I think it's time you pay the price.”

The warmth of his touch seeped into her skin and her heart accelerated. What was wrong with her? It was just Ethan, beautiful Ethan, the jerk who wouldn’t leave her alone no matter what, the idiot who managed to make weird things happen to her with just a touch. When had that happened?

“Kate?”

It was just a fake kiss, right? Just a simple touch of mouths, which should help establish the charade that they were dating. And it didn't mean anything, right? She lifted her head. “You ditched me, why should I help you?”

“Because we have a deal.” A smile curved his mouth before his face became a blur.

Like a brush of butterfly wings, his lips pressed against hers, a small, gentle caress tasting of coffee, a touch that zigzagged through her veins like a comet leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

His fingers dug into her hair and he tilted her head as he deepened the kiss. He seduced her, tempted her, teased her until her brain melted and her legs become jelly.

She had to grab the lapels of his black jacket for support, just hanging onto him while he ravaged her mouth.

It was too much, too intense. She pushed him away.

He made a sound of disagreement.

She blinked up at him, her eyes unfocused, her breath coming in and out of her lungs in short, shallow puffs. She could see him through a daze, his eyes wide as he stared down at her.

“Hey...” His forehead touched hers and his hand covered hers.

She murmured something, still trying to regain her breath.

“Kate.” His voice was soft, a barely heard whisper.

She swallowed. “Hmmm.”

“The fake dates.... What if we...” He cleared his throat. “What if we make them real?”

“Real?” she breathed out.

He wove a strand of her hair that had escaped from her braid around his finger. “Yes, real.”

“Why?”

“Why?” A half chuckle escaped him. “Because...” His gaze darted away, then returned back to her. “Don't we fit well together? Don't you feel good in my company? I know that I do in yours.”

“Ah.” Her brows furrowed. Why did she feel so disappointed?

“Well...I do like you.”

Yeah, right. Her. The crazy scary girl. The girl so unlovable that even her mother called her a monster -- but her mother didn't mean it. She couldn't. “You like me?” She glanced up at him and, in the semi-darkness, noticed the light flush that dusted his cheeks.