Unveil (12 page)

For the next hour I stared at the phone willing it to ring. When it finally did, I answered without even checking the caller ID.

“Hey Kenzie.”

My heart sunk. “Oh…hi, Grandma.”

“Expecting someone else?” She sounded dejected.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I thought you might be Isaac.”

“Isaac? I didn’t realize you two were still talking.”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Oh. Well…then…I’m sure…well, you know. He’ll call. Probably.”

“Grandma? Do you know something.”

“Um…no.”

“You are a terrible liar. Tell me what you know.” I held the phone so tightly my hand started to hurt, so I loosened my grip a little.

“Nothing really. But the other day I saw him with another girl so I assumed you two were over and he was moving on.”

It felt like my heart had shattered into a million different pieces. I imagined I was like Humpty Dumpty; so broke there was no way to put me back together again. The hurt I felt at that moment was a million times worse than when I had to watch Tanner and Scarlet together. Pain burned through me. I was paralyzed, unable to move or speak.

“Kenzie? Are you there, honey?”

“Yeah.” My voice came out small and quiet.

“I’m sorry, Kenzie. Maybe she’s just a friend or something. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, Grandma.”

It was mine.

He didn’t call back until late that night. By then I was already seething with anger and smarting from the sting of betrayal.

We only made small talk for a couple of minutes before I blurted out, “So, I hear you have a girlfriend.”

“What?” He chuckled.

“It’s not funny.” My cheeks warmed.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that you sounded so jealous. It was cute.”

“I’m glad you find this so amusing. It will be something you and your girlfriend can laugh about later.”

“Kenzie, I have no idea where you got your information from but I do not have a girlfriend.”

“You don’t?” Relief washed over me. “Well, then who is the girl Grandma saw at your house?” I wondered if it was Brooke, the girl who I met when staying in California for the summer. She definitely had a big crush on Isaac. The thought of her hanging out with him made my stomach knot.

“Oh, the other day I had a friend over to play basketball. His girlfriend tagged along.”

I was skeptical. “She didn’t mention a friend.”

“Maybe she didn’t see him.”

I supposed it made sense by the way Grandma’s house was positioned. Why would he lie to me, anyway? It’s not like we were together. He could see whoever he wanted. Besides, it would probably be the best way to get back at me after what happened with Tanner. Then again, it did seem pretty far-fetched. I mean, come on, Isaac was so good looking I was sure he had girls lining up to date him.

“So, you expect me to believe that you haven’t been seeing any girls at all since we broke up?”

“Yes, because it’s the truth. I can’t date anyone right now, Kenzie. It wouldn’t be fair because I’m still in love with you.”

I thought of Tanner saying almost the same thing about why he didn’t get back together with Scarlet.

“So, what did you need to talk to me about?” Isaac asked.

“Huh?” I was still reeling from his statement.

“When you called you said you had something you needed to talk to me about.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t remember what I had originally called about. Once the thought of Isaac having a girlfriend entered my mind, all other thoughts vanished.

“Kenzie?”

“Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Then it hit me and I remembered the reason for my initial call. “I just called because I wanted to invite you to my birthday party.”

“Your birthday party?”

“Uh-huh. Mom’s throwing me one this year and it’s kind of a big deal since she’s never done that before. And I’m turning eighteen and that’s, like, an even bigger deal. I know it’s not ideal since you live so far away and everything but it would be so great if you could make it.” I knew I was rambling, but I couldn’t help it. My hands were cold and clammy.

“I don’t know, Kenz.” His voice sounded sad.

My heart dropped.

“Is Tanner going?”

“Well, I was planning to invite him but I don’t have to if you don’t want me to.”

“No, you should invite him.”

“Will you come if he doesn’t?”

“Kenz, please don’t put me in this situation. Don’t make me choose for you.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. It’s just that I want you both there.”

“That seems to be the ongoing issue.”

On Monday morning when I left for school I saw Mrs. Phillips taking another walk. Only this time she was alone.

“Good morning,” she trilled as she walked at a snail’s pace past my house.

I was surprised that she was walking without any help. Wasn’t she afraid she would fall again?

“Where is the lady who was with you Saturday?” I made my way to the end of the driveway.

She stopped and turned to face me. Cool air whipped around us. Even though it was practically spring the weather was chilly at that moment.

“What lady?”

I cringed, my insides swirling. It was like I was in the twilight zone. People kept asking me that.

“The lady who was with you on Saturday.”

She stared at me with a blank expression.

Exasperated, I added, “The one who caught you when you fell.”

She shook her head. “Oh, honey. There was no woman with me. The only person helping me with my walk was God.” When she smiled at me, her wrinkly face scrunched up. “I think it was an angel who caught me.”

That’s when it hit me. I don’t know why I hadn’t put it together sooner. Of course. That’s why I was seeing people that were invisible to others. It was just like how I could see Wesley when no one else could, and how I saw the angel who helped Haley the night she almost drank herself to death. It’s also how I could see my own angel from time to time.

For some reason, I was seeing spiritual beings. Glancing over at the Kelley’s house, I shivered, convinced the little boy was a demon.

Pulling my jacket tighter around my body, I scurried towards my car. As a violent breeze blew over me, ice filled my veins. The sky was dark as clouds rolled in overhead. The ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen re-surfaced, and fear pumped through my veins. As I drove away from my house, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw eyes peeking at me from behind the bushes in the Kelley’s front yard.

“Are you guys going to Kenzie’s party?” Haley asked Rick and Janna at lunch.

My earlier revelation was still fresh in my mind and I had a hard time focusing on the conversation at hand. So badly I wanted to share what I’d discovered with someone, but I didn’t think anyone would understand. Tanner might, but I wasn’t quite ready to tell him. The only person I wanted to talk to about it was Isaac.

“We can’t.” Janna shook her head, causing her long dark ponytail to swish behind her. “My sister is having her engagement party that night.”

I always forgot Janna was the baby of four siblings. Being an only child, I thought about how weird it would be if I had an older sister getting married. I couldn’t even fathom it.

“Yeah, and I have to go with her.” Rick didn’t look too pleased.

“You don’t
have
to go. You
get
to go.” She punched him in the shoulder good-naturedly. “There’s a difference.”

Rick nodded, taking a huge bite of his sandwich. Janna rolled her eyes. I giggled.

“So, is it just Tanner and I?” Haley asked.

Tanner slid in beside me, a lunch tray in his hand. “ What’s just you and I?”

“We’re the only ones going to Kenzie’s party.”

Tanner winked at me. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Blushing, I lowered my gaze and took a bite of my apple. It crunched between my teeth and tart juices ran over my tongue.

“So, does that mean Isaac isn’t coming?” Tanner raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, that’s right. I totally forgot about Isaac.” Haley pulled a chip out of her plastic baggie.

Janna turned away from Rick and faced me, her eyes bright. She leaned forward waiting for my answer. It seemed that I was her favorite daytime drama.

“I don’t think so.” I tried not to sound as disappointed as I felt. However, I don’t think Tanner bought it because a shadow fell over his face and he dug into his lunch without a word.

Just as I unwrapped my sandwich and brought it to my lips, I caught a glimpse of Scarlet’s gothic girl watching me from across the room. Her scowl deepened. When I noticed a few gothic boys at the table, realization struck me. The gothic kids must be demons, too. For the first time I noticed the darkness shrouding them. Why was I able to see them? What was the purpose? I had a strange feeling that I would find out soon enough. Averting my gaze, a chill ran through me.

Mom was out shopping for my party. I couldn’t believe my birthday was tomorrow. Time had flown by. I was practically a grown-up now. I thought about calling Isaac and begging him to come to my celebration, but then I stopped myself. I didn’t want to appear desperate. I’d already invited him and he declined. What more could I do?

To distract myself, I clicked on the television and found a mindless sitcom. I leaned my head back against the couch cushions and stretched my legs out over the coffee table. It had been unseasonably warm that day, so I wore shorts. As I glanced down at my bare skin, I realized I would need to shave tonight. I planned to wear a sundress to my party.

A creaking noise caught my attention. My heart sped up. Knowing my dad was still on the loose made me jumpy. Mom hadn’t left me alone at night in awhile, but tonight it just couldn’t be avoided. She worked until evening and she had to get the food before tomorrow.

A shadow swept past the window. I held my breath. Sweat broke out on my forehead. Standing, I moved stealthily to the window and peeked out. A sound behind me caused me to spin around, my pulse racing. The room was empty. After looking outside one more time and finding no one, I exhaled. It could have been the house settling. I was just being paranoid. Even so, a funny feeling descended into the pit of my stomach like a premonition.

The door burst open, almost giving me a heart attack. Mom rushed inside. In her arms she held two large bags of groceries.

“Guess who I ran into at the store?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Who?”

“Hello, Kenzie.” A man stepped inside.

Shock filled me.

“Drake?”

“The one and only.” He wore a black suit and dress shoes. His hair was slicked back and his dark eyes bore into mine. He was just as good-looking as I remembered, only I knew what evil lie underneath and that sickened me. After licking his lips, a large smile spread across his face.

Mom swooned beside him. Her cheeks were flush.

“Where have you been, Drake?” I placed a hand on my hip and cocked my head to the side. This time I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Mom gave me an irritated look before carrying the bag of groceries into the kitchen.

“I had business out of town, but I haven’t been far off. I was just waiting for the right moment to come back.” He winked.

Re-entering the room, Mom was beaming. “I invited Drake to your party tomorrow.”

“You did what?” I asked.

“Yes.” Drake grinned. “I hear you’re turning eighteen. I bet you’re excited, thinking you’ll finally have freedom.”

The way he said the word freedom made my skin crawl.

“Why don’t you come in and have a seat? Make yourself comfortable.” Mom pulled on Drake’s arm. He followed her and together they sat down on the couch.

“I didn’t know you two lived next door to the Kelleys,” he said.

This caught my attention. I lowered down onto the loveseat.

“How do you know them?” My heart pounded.

“Pauline is a client of mine. What a shame that she can’t have children. Pauline wants a baby so bad she’d practically sell her soul for one.” He shot me a pointed look.

I shivered.

“I know. It’s so sad.” Mom looked at Drake like he was the most empathetic man in the world. It made me sick.

“Well, not as sad as that poor Scarlet. I think she goes to school with Kenzie.”

Mom gave Drake a skeptical look. “Surely she’s not having work done.”

Drake chuckled, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. “No, she’s been seeing a friend of mine for help.”

“Is he a counselor?” Mom asked.

“Something like that.” He threw me a wink.

I actually felt bad for Scarlet. What had she gotten herself into?

“So.” Drake rubbed his palms together. “I’m excited about your party tomorrow night. I have a feeling it’s going to be full of surprises.”

My stomach twisted. “What kind of surprises?”

Mom swatted away my question. “Oh, he doesn’t know anything. I’m not sharing any of my surprises. You’ll just have to wait.”

Drake smiled. “Aren’t you looking forward to it, Kenzie?”

I knew what he was trying to do and I wasn’t going to let him rattle me. Instead, I decided it was time to get rid of him and I knew just how to do it. “Yeah, I am. Lots of my friends are coming.”

“Oh, really? Like who?” Drake raised a brow.

“Well, first off, Jesus will be there.”

Drake shuddered and his eyes widened. Mom threw me a questioning glance.

“What’s wrong, Drake? Do you have a problem with me inviting Jesus?”

His whole body went into convulsions this time and his eyes rolled back in his head. A look of sheer panic crossed Mom’s face. Drake stumbled off the couch and regained composure.

“I better go.” He sounded out of breath.

“Oh.” Mom seemed perplexed. “Okay.”

After he left, she turned to me. “What was that about?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Why did you have to say all that stuff about Jesus?”

“Because He’s coming to my party.”

She shook her head. “What an odd thing to say. Sometimes I just don’t get you, Kenzie.”