touch (26 page)

Standing on the porch, I scanned the darkness.  I saw
nothing, but
did
hear something.  Racking sobs coming from the woods. 
Girls who go alone into the woods on a dark creepy night usually die.  But they
didn’t have Morik.  I quickly stepped back inside to grab my shoes and jacket. 
No one paid attention to me.

I stepped off the porch and walked toward the trees,
listening to the snow crunch beneath my feet and the distant crying.

I found him sitting in the snow by the base of a large oak. 
His knees drawn to his chest, he looked up at me as I approached.  Enough
moonlight filtered through the barren branches to glitter on his tear-streaked
cheeks.  Here sat the cocky senior on the road to becoming an alcoholic who
tried bullying me into a date.  Instead of feeling distain, I felt pity. 
Without him, I would have never met Morik in time.

When he saw me, his tears started falling in earnest. 
“Clavin was right.  Oh,” he moaned slightly before continuing as if in pain,
“They put him in a hospital because he was talking about demons.”

He sobbed, and I took a step toward him ready to comfort
him.  I wasn’t sure what to say, but he looked so hopeless.

He saw me move and started squealing, “Don’t come near me! 
They’re here for you!  If he has you, he’ll leave me alone.”

Stopping my advance, I squatted down to his level.  He
watched me closely.

I spoke in a soothing tone hoping he wouldn’t start freaking
out again.  “Who’s here for me?”

Was he talking about Morik?  I couldn’t believe Morik had
shown himself to Brian.  It didn’t make sense.

Brian didn’t answer.  Instead, his gaze shifted to a place
just behind me.  Then he ducked his head and started talking to himself.  “This
isn’t real.  This is just a dream.  It’ll be over soon and I’ll wake up.”

Before I could turn, a shiver of fear coursed through me as
a voice rasped, “I am.”

I turned as I stood - one fluid motion.  There stood the
black apparition I’d first seen on the road chasing me from the woods.  A part
of me knew it wasn’t Morik, but I still asked, “Morik?”

It threw its head back and laughed revealing a mouth
illuminated by its burning tongue.  Its laughter stopped as quickly as it
started.

With those glowing green eyes fixed on me, it glided forward
on hazy double columns of shifting smoke as it spoke.  “No.  Ahgred.”

The name sounded familiar.  Then I recalled why.  The second
deal Belinda had made.  “What do you want?”

“You, of course.  Morik was clever to find a way into this
world.  I deserve the same chance.”

“Hardly,” Morik said from beside me in a deriding tone. 
Brian’s muttering increased in volume and intensity.

I kept my gaze locked on Ahgred remembering the close race
down the driveway.  What would have happened if he’d caught me then?

Ahgred turned toward Morik saying nothing for a moment.  His
flaming tongue snaked out of his mouth in agitation.  “You can’t save both of
them,” Ahgred stated confusing me.  When had this turned into a question of
saving either of us?  Brian whimpered behind me hearing that he wasn’t as safe
as he’d thought.

Morik continued to speak calmly as if Ahgred’s threat was of
no importance.  “I don’t need to.  I’ll save her.  If you want any chance… ever…
you’ll leave the boy.  She doesn’t like them being damaged.”

Ahgred whipped his head back and forth angrily.

Morik, using his ability, disappeared and reappeared right
behind me wrapping his arms around my torso.  Ahgred had no time to react
before we were gone.

One minute we stood in the snow under the skeletal oak, the
next we stood in my living room.  I barely had time to recognize the room as
Morik shouted for my family to chant me to sleep.  Gran and Aunt Grace sat on
the couch staring at us with round eyes the movie they’d been watching
forgotten.

He disappeared as abruptly as we’d appeared.

Before I could protest, Aunt Danielle flew from her chair
starting the chant, her voice howling through the house.  There was no time for
me to say anything, to beg them to stop.  My eyes immediately grew heavy as
Gran and Aunt Grace quickly joined in.

I had enough time to think two things:  What the hell just
happened and would Morik be able to save Brain?  Then, all thought stopped.

*    *    *    *

Like turning on a switch, I woke immediately, sitting up in
bed panicked.  Eyes wide, my gaze flew around the room trying to find the
source of my emotion.  Warm hands gently tugged me back down to the chest I’d
been resting on.  Morik.  My hammering heart started to slow as I willingly lay
back down.  I’d never before woken so disoriented from a chanted sleep.

“Shh.  It’s okay.  You’re safe,” Morik assured me running
his hand gently over my back.

The panic felt so real and it took me a moment to remember
why.  The trees.  The dark.  Ahgred…  “Brian.  Is he okay?”

Morik hesitated for a moment.  “Yes and no.”  I lifted my
head to look at him.  He’d set aside the hat and sunglasses.  His eyes met
mine.  “Ahgred didn’t do anything to him after we left, but he did plenty before
that.  He’d been using him to watch you.  And Brian remembers everything.  He
needed help.  I brought him to the same hospital Clavin’s at.”

Poor Brian.  No wonder he’d freaked out when he saw me.  The
times that I thought I saw him in a crowd, like at the mall, weren’t just my
imagination then.  Ahgred must have been using him for a while.

“And Ahgred?”

“Gone for now.”

I rested my head on his shoulder.  He continued to stroke my
back gradually relaxing me as I thought everything over.  So Ahgred like Morik
was tied to me through the deals made by Belinda and her father.  Ahgred had
found me first, but I’d narrowly escaped him.  Then Morik came into the picture
and for whatever reason, Ahgred had played it cool just watching and waiting. 
Why did he make his move last night though?  If Morik hadn’t whisked me away I
might have more answers.  I didn’t doubt that Morik could protect me.  So why
pop me home like he did?  And why bark out orders and leave again?  He’d left
Ahgred behind after all.

“Why did you have them chant me to sleep?”

“Ahgred is only free at night.  He can’t touch you when
you’re protected by their chant.  Mine isn’t as strong.”

It made our first meeting, the mad race to the house, make
more sense.  I wasn’t out after dark.  Ever.  Except now because of the deal
with Morik… this explained why Ahgred made his move.  He was running out of
time because my deal with Morik was almost up.  Then I wondered how my family
was even able to chant me to sleep.  The deal should have prevented it.  Not
that it really mattered since tonight was the last night of freedom anyway.

“Doesn’t that break our deal?” I wondered idly.

His hand stilled on my back and I lifted my head to look at
him again.  The warm brown that had been swirling in his eyes abruptly receded
making me wish I could have seen his eyes last night.  Glancing down at his
lips, I wondered what he’d do if I kissed him again.

He held himself still as he spoke softly.  “I’m asking you
to release me from our deal.”

The way he said it, so formally, focused my attention back
on what he was saying.  Before I started to worry, I asked for clarification. 
“What does that mean exactly?”

“It means you are longer bound to spend time with me.  It
also means you will have no choice but to sleep if your family chooses to
continue using the chant on you.”

The chanting didn’t bother me.  I’d gone into the deal
knowing my freedom would be short lived.  The whole purpose of the deal had
been to test if I could trust Morik.  And I did.  But to stop spending time
with him?  He was the reason I’d been able to walk away from the vision with
Brad.  I needed time with him.

“What if I don’t want that?”

“Then I will owe you a blood debt.  My life for breaking our
deal.”

“Of course I release you,” I whispered slowly pulling away
from him.  “I’d rather have you alive and miss you than not have you at all.” 
Maybe I’d be able to make a different deal to spend time with him.

He frowned for a moment looking confused before smiling
crookedly at me.  “You don’t
have
to spend time with me, but you can
still choose to.”

The sadness weighing down on me lifted as he spoke.  I
wouldn’t have to give him up, just the stars again… for a while.  I slid my
hand under his shirt to curl my arm around his waist as I laid my head back on
his chest content.

“Perfect,” I said, happy with his answer before asking,
“What does Ahgred want with me anyway?”

“He wants a way to interact with humans.  If you choose me,
we will be connected.  You will be my anchor, tying me to your life and
negating many of the rules nature placed on me.  When you choose me,” his hand
drifted up to the base of my skull, “he won’t try to touch you.”

I didn’t want to be Ahgred’s connection to this world.

“Will Ahgred try to use someone else to watch me?” I asked
suddenly worried for my family and Beatriz.

“No.  He wants to persuade you to choose him.  He won’t do
something that will upset you.”

Relieved that everyone would be safe, I idly drew circles on
Morik’s skin as my mind wandered.  We enjoyed a few moments of relaxed silence
before Gran knocked on my door.

She didn’t open it, but said from the hallway, “Since you
two are up, you can shovel your mom out while I make breakfast.”

My eyes rounded in shock.  How did she know Morik was in
here?  Oh-my-god…  Mom.  She kept kicking him out of the house.  How was she
going to act when she finds out he slept in my room?  I thought of suggesting
we pop to his house, but discarded the idea.  We’d need to face her
eventually.  Besides, she seemed to be the only person with a problem with him.

“Okay,” I called back scrambling out of bed. “Be right
there.”  Morik grunted when I accidentally elbowed his diaphragm.

“Sorry,” I whispered as I bent to grab the insulated pants
from my bag on the floor.  Morik must have brought back my things from
Beatriz’s place.  I tugged them on over my pajamas then paused.  Pajamas.  I
looked at Morik who watched me.  I couldn’t remember anything after Aunt
Danielle started speaking the words.  I decided not to ask.

Pulling a hoodie over my top, I arched a brow at Morik. 
“You going to lie around all day?”

He grinned at me and disappeared.  Shaking my head I left
the room taking a quick detour to the bathroom before heading to the kitchen
expecting to see him there.  Gran stood at the stove starting another big
breakfast.

“I thought we were out of bacon.”  The heavenly smell filled
the room.

“Me too.  You weren’t the only thing that appeared
unexpectedly last night,” she said reminding me of our abrupt appearance. 
Though I’d gotten used to him popping in and out, their startled expressions
last night made more sense now.

She moved to the refrigerator and opened the door.  Even
after shopping, the shelves never looked as crowded as they did now.  I even
spotted soda.  We never spent money on soda.  Milk or water from the tap.

Outside, I heard the scrape of metal against the sidewalk. 
“I better get out there before he finishes the whole thing.”

Gran closed the refrigerator and winked at me.  “I’m letting
your mom sleep in.  She had a rough night after talking to Morik about what
happened.  We’re all very glad he was with you.”

So mom knew Morik ‘saved’ me.  The day seemed a little
brighter even though snow continued to fall outside.

After bundling up, I quietly let myself outside.  Morik, as
I suspected, already had the path to the stoop clear as well as most of the
driveway.

Scooping up a handful of heavy snow, I lobbed a ball at him
hitting him square on the back.  I’d been aiming for the ground in front of him
to startle him.

He turned, eyeing me through his yellowed lenses, looking
surprised.  Without taking his eyes from me, he leaned to the side and grabbed
a handful of snow.  He took his time shaping it.

Laughing, I held up my hands to ward off the impending
missile.  He launched it at me with frightening accuracy.  As I tried to move
to the side, he disappeared only to reappear right in front of me, taking
another shot in the back for me.

His gesture wasn’t missed on me.  His eyes met mine and my
smile faded as he lowered his head.  My heart leapt in anticipation.  Just
before his lips met mine, I remembered why I should avoid a second kiss.  Too
late to pull back, I closed my eyes and braced myself.  And nothing happened. 
Well, not
nothing
.

His lips brushed lightly against mine, smooth and warm.  He
gently touched my face, his fingertips tracing my jawline.  No pain.  He tilted
his head pressing closer, distracting me from my concern.  Blood rushed to my
head as new feelings swamped me.  I set my hands on his chest to steady myself. 
He moved his lips to my cheek, kissing me there before pulling back.

It took a moment for me to open my eyes.  When I did, I saw
his satisfied grin.  I fought to regain my breath.

“I’ll get the other shovel,” I mumbled, but didn’t move.

His grin widened and he dipped his head again.  How was I
supposed to think or breathe if he kept doing that?  Not that I minded.

A knock on the window near us startled us both apart.  I
looked over and saw Gran holding up a piece of bacon, which she then proceeded
to eat with a smile.

“I think that’s our warning.  If we want food, we better get
shoveling.”

We worked side by side to clear the snow.  When we thought
we were done, we turned and saw what he’d shoveled first already had an inch of
snow on it.  I put my shovel away as he quickly scraped that part again.

We walked in shaking off snow.  Mom and Aunt Grace still
weren’t up.