Angelfire (9 page)

“Just go,” he said. “Don't worry about me.”

“I'm not stranding you out in the middle of Pontiac. Get in.”

“I can obviously take care of myself. I'm not driving with you.”

“Yeah, you are. Don't lie to me and say you're going to walk.”

“Good-bye, Ellie,” he said, turning away from the window.

“Will!” I cried out, opening my door and jumping out.

He was gone.

I spun around, looking for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Will?”

The street was dark, and the wind blew leaves and old papers down the sidewalk—the only movement I could see. “I am so sick of you pulling this Batman shit on me!” Exhausted and angry, I got back in my car and drove home.

I WOKE AT NINE, AND AS SOON AS I CLIMBED OUT OF bed, I felt the effects of my training with Will the night before. My back and shoulders ached, and the anti-inflammatory pills I had taken did pretty much nothing to ease them. After a shower I made myself some coffee to try to wake up. Kate called at ten, confirming she'd be there at eleven to pick me up, but I told her we had to be done by two so I would have time to get to the library. It was already warm enough outside for me to feel comfortable wearing a denim skirt and flip-flops. Despite being sleepy, I felt good. I felt different and I liked it. Taming my wavy hair, I pulled half of it up and pinned it behind my head. Straightening sounded like too much work today. Back in my room, I pulled on a favorite knit top and was ready to go.

There was a knock on my door. “Yep?” I called.

The door opened and my mom came through. I didn't like the look on her face. “Ellie, is there something you want to tell me about?”

Panicked lists streaked through my head. What had I done? Did I get back too late? “Uh, don't think so,” I replied, trying to sound calm as my heart picked up its pace.

“About your car, maybe?”

Lightbulb. “Oh yeah,” I groaned. “Somebody must have hit my car at school and driven off. I couldn't believe it.”

She watched me disapprovingly. “I'm surprised you forgot to mention it. You didn't hit a sign or something, did you? Be honest, Ellie.”

I would have much preferred to have just hit a sign instead of what had actually happened. “I found my car like that yesterday,” I explained. “I swear I didn't hit anything, Mom. It made me so angry and I didn't want it to ruin my day, so I tried not to think about it. I was so busy with homework and then going out for Movie Night, I totally forgot. I'm sorry.”

She frowned. “I guess we'll have to take care of that. I hope the dealership's repair shop will fix it up, since you've only had the thing for
two days
.” She stressed those last two words uncomfortably. “Whoever you've pissed off at school…you should try to make nice before that someone slashes your tires and breaks your windows.”

“Yeah, for sure,” I added. If she ended up having to pay for it, I'd feel really crappy.

“I'll give them a call.” She sighed. “Try parking in the back of the lot, Ellie.”

“Mom, it's almost winter,” I protested. “I don't want to park out in the middle of nowhere and freeze to death walking inside. Not to mention, my car is white. He'll camouflage in the snow and I'll never find him.”

“You're wearing a skirt,” she observed. “It's perfectly warm outside.”

I huffed. “Not for long.”

She frowned again. “Well, I don't know what to tell you. Have fun with Kate today.” She handed me a credit card. “Be reasonable.
One
dress. And get yourself lunch while you're out. You look tired, and I don't want your blood sugar to get too low. You know what a grouch you become when you don't eat.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

She turned but did a double take. “Where did that necklace come from?”

I touched the pendant. “A friend.”

“A boy?”

Yikes. “He's a friend who's a boy.”

Her mouth twitched in amusement and her gaze left the necklace. “First roses, and now a necklace? Are you sure Landon isn't your boyfriend?”

“This wasn't from him, Mom.”

“So you have two boyfriends?”

“No, Mom!” I almost shouted. “Neither of them is my
boyfriend. Trust me. They're just boys who are friends. No connecting of words going on…or connecting of anything else, for that matter.”

She stared at me. “Hmm.” Then she left my room. She was so weird sometimes.

A few minutes later Kate burst into my bedroom, almost obnoxiously cheerful.

“So!” she chirped, flopping onto my bed, blond hair flying. “How did it go?”

“How did what go?” I asked, pulling a bit of the front of my hair out of my eyes and pinning it down with a bobby pin as I stared into the mirror over my dresser.

Kate chucked a pillow at my butt, knocking me into my dresser and making me rattle a couple of perfume bottles. “You know what I mean! How was your date with Will?”

“It
wasn't
a date,” I said, scowling at her through the mirror, steadying the vase of Landon's roses. “I promise you.”

“Then enlighten me. What exactly was it?”

“He's been helping me with…homework. Econ has been kicking my ass.” And so had
Will
, I thought.

Kate laughed aloud. “He's your tutor? Oh, Ellie, that is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard.”

“Well, it's the truth,” I lied. I hated lying to my best friend, but it wasn't like I could tell her what was really going on. “I don't
like
him or anything, trust me. He's kind of a jerk, actually. He's not as nice as I thought.”

“I wish I had a hot tutor.”

“Don't be so smart then.”

“Whatever,” Kate said, sitting up. “You're a big, fat liar. Let's go shopping.”

We drove in Kate's BMW to the mall and pulled up to the Saks Fifth Avenue entrance. Kate gave her keys to a really cute valet guy and tucked her ticket into her purse before we went inside. Glamorous counters gleaming gold and ivory lined the main floor with just hints of frosty hues announcing the fall and winter arrivals. Kate stopped to ogle a table topped with shoes by Chanel and slowed us down again to fondle a particular bag in the Valentino collection as I dragged her up the escalator to the dress boutique.

I decided on a cute, strapless, cream Badgley Mischka cocktail dress. The bodice fit comfortably and the poufy chiffon layers of the skirt fell to just above my knees. I knew I had the perfect matching black Marc Jacobs satin shoes to complement it. I wasn't surprised when Kate chose a rather adventurous black mesh-front Dolce&Gabbana bustier sheath dress. If anyone could pull it off, Kate could. She had legs that went on for miles, and if all she wore was a handful of raggedy old washcloths pieced together with duct tape, she'd still look ready for the red carpet.

I paid with the card my mom gave me, and then we walked around for another hour before we went to eat lunch at P. F. Chang's. Kate knew a manager there who helped us skip the two-hour wait and seated us immediately.

As I ate my Szechuan chicken and listened to Kate run her mouth about spotting Josie Newport leaving the Louis Vuitton boutique with a new bag, I found myself thinking about Will. I wondered if he was in the Grim at that moment. I felt comforted, safe, knowing that if something decided to attack, he'd be there in an instant. Even though I'd righteously kicked his ass the night before, I still didn't want to fight on my own. To be honest, it probably would have felt very weird if he had decided to accompany us where we could see him. I imagined him wandering around the mall, following us on our shopping trip with our bags in his hands, helping us choose dresses, and I couldn't help letting out a little laugh.

“I know, right?” Kate asked with a nod, mistaking my laugh as a reaction to something she'd said about Josie.

I looked around me, hoping to maybe spot him and disprove his claim that I could never see him unless he let me, but I failed. The restaurant was too crowded, too noisy, and too dark. Disappointed, I turned my attention back to my meal and Kate's colorful conversation.

“So when are you seeing Will again?” Kate asked, as if reading my mind.

“He's coming to my party tonight,” I said.

Her face lit up. “He is? Is he bringing any of his friends? He's got to be in college. Where does he go? University of Michigan? Oakland University?”

I nodded. “Uh, yeah. U of M. I don't think he'll bring any of his friends, though.”

“Oh, come on! No hot college boys coming? Why do you get to hog the only one?”

I prodded my rice. “Guess I'm just lucky.” For a brief moment I imagined myself dancing with Will, and the next moment I felt like spitting up my chicken.

On our way out of the mall, Kate stopped by Valentino and bought the bag she had had her eye on earlier. Surprise, surprise.

 

When we got home from shopping, I told my parents that I would be at the library for a few hours. That wasn't a lie, but I wouldn't be there to study for Monday's math test, as they'd assume. I'd be reading up on something else. I didn't know why there would be books that had anything on reapers, or whatever the Enshi was, at an ordinary library, but I suspected Will would know better than me.

When I arrived at the library, I parked, and immediately I saw Will sitting on the front steps. He wore his usual serious expression.

“I can't believe you're making me study on my birthday,” I grumbled. “You aren't my real tutor, you know.”

“Today isn't your birthday.”

“My birthday
party
is today and that's as good as it actually being my birthday.”

He stood. “Let's go inside. I want you to meet someone.
He's been a friend of mine—of both of ours—for a very long time.”

That got my interest. “Who is this guy?”

“You'll see,” Will said. “I think he might have an idea of where we should start looking to find out what this Enshi is.”

I followed him inside and spoke quietly. “Why do you think that? What information about reapers could we possibly find at a library? It doesn't seem a likely place.”

“You need to trust me more.”

He led me past the front desk and waved at a plump woman in glasses who sat there shuffling through a stack of papers. “Hey, Louise.”

The woman nodded and smiled at us as I followed Will through a set of doors on her right and down a flight of stairs to another set of doors. We entered a long hallway whose scuffed white walls were lined with wooden doors. I heard nothing except for the hum of the air-conditioning system and our footsteps echoing off the linoleum floor.

Will finally stopped at a door indistinguishable from the others, opened it, and stepped aside so that I could walk through. The room within was dull and smelled thickly of musty, old books. All four walls were lined with large, leather-bound volumes, and double-sided bookcases stood tall on either side of an aisle that led to the back of the room. A young man was sitting at a desk against the wall, reading a book that I was sure was thicker than my upper body. A girl who looked about Will's age sat in a chair across from him.
She turned her head to look at us, her long, black-brown hair swinging. She was a beautiful Asian girl, and she smiled sweetly as we approached.

The young man—he looked maybe the same age as Will—was unnaturally pale, as if he didn't get out much, and he watched us as we approached his desk. He looked kind of nerdy, but the adorable kind, with a silly, lopsided grin. His maple brown hair was untidy, but I got the impression that he was one of those guys who didn't really care how presentable he appeared.

“Hey, Nathaniel,” Will said. He nodded to the girl. “Lauren.”

Nathaniel looked only at me, smiling the type of smile that reminded me of Mr. Meyer, even though he looked barely any older than Will. I smiled back, instantly liking him. His eyes were vivid and coppery, like iridescent pennies. With every movement of his gaze, they glinted.

“Hello again.” Nathaniel smiled brightly. “It's been a while.”

“I'm sorry, but have we met?” I asked, unable to recall his face.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “We've known each other for many ages. Will told me that your memory is having a little trouble coming back to you, but that's all right. You will remember in time.”

“I hope so,” I said honestly.

“You're as lovely as ever,” he offered.

“Thank you,” I said.

The Asian girl stood and held a hand out for me to shake it. “You must be Ellie.”

I smiled. “That's me.”

“Lauren Tsukino,” she said. “Nice to meet you. I'll get out of your hair now. Nathaniel, you'll look into that for me, won't you?”

He nodded. “Of course, my dear. You'll be hearing from me shortly.”

Lauren squeezed by us and disappeared out the door.

Nathaniel turned back to me. “Lauren is a very powerful psychic,” he explained. “She sensed something arriving in the area recently that gave her quite a shock. It would be nice if she could see the future—then we'd have this one in the bag. Alas, she is only clairvoyant, but she knows a nasty reaper when she feels it!” He beamed as if he had just told an incredible joke, but I failed to find it amusing. I could see the punch line—I wasn't stupid—but it just wasn't
funny
.

“I didn't know psychics were real until Will told me about them,” I remarked, looking around at Nathaniel's collection of books.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “If they don't go bad, they are invaluable allies to us. Lauren's been most helpful since I met her. Your teacher, too. Frank Meyer.”

My jaw dropped. “
Mr. Meyer?
You're joking.”

“He was recently killed on a hunt,” Nathaniel explained, “as you know, of course. He was good for a human, but his age slowed him down. The reaper got the better of him.”

“You're telling me that my economics teacher was a reaper-hunting psychic? That's kind of too badass for a high school teacher.”

“Frank was one of the best,” Will said.

“Nuh-uh.” My head spun. “I had no idea he was that cool.”

Will gave a small laugh. “He was wild in his teens. Worse in his twenties.”

“You knew him then?”

His laughter died. “So did you.”

I stared at him. “I knew him in a past life?”

He shot Nathaniel a quick glance. “Yes, in Chicago. Around forty-five years ago. He was a good friend to us. I spoke to him recently, and he told me he recognized you on your first day of high school as a freshman. He never forgot you. He told me it was quite an experience seeing you again.”