Brush of Shade (8 page)

Shade had
implied I had no fight left in me. I did. Some days, my quota got used up
during those sleepy first moments when I woke up and still thought my world was
right side up. I yanked open the gazebo door. It didn’t matter that the place
was dusty, dirty, and possibly structurally unsound. I might be able to feel my
father here at least. That would be worth confronting nightmare-inducing
tapping. On trembling legs, I circled the inside of the abandoned structure,
hurrying past the spot next to the bushes. The sound drummed louder in my
skull, amplified by wood and traumatic memories. I dug through my pockets for
my
earbuds
and iPod, coming up empty. I’d left them
on a box. A sob welled up and spilled out into the nonjudgmental room. My
crutch slipped from my hand as I slid down the wall.

Strong arms
caught me, cradling me on the way down to the floor. “What’s wrong? You’re
shaking. Are you cold?” Shade asked as he propped my crutch against the wall.

That he’d
materialized, at the precise moment when I felt the most alone since arriving
in Spring Valley, didn’t surprise me. Despite the other night, I gave myself
permission to open the door a crack, knowing somehow that he wouldn’t abuse
that trust. “I’ve lived in more homes than I can count, so the manor should
just be another shell waiting to come alive. But nothing of mine fits, not my
mother’s beautiful collections, nor my aunt who should be off pursuing her art.
This is my father’s home, but I can’t find him in it. I want to go back east to
my old school. I don’t fit here.” I stumbled over my words barely coherent,
trying hard not to break down.

“Go get her a
jacket. And tell that old bear he’d better apologize,” Shade ordered.

I swung my head
towards the door. I’d thought we were alone. Shadow was lounging against the
frame with his hands in his pockets, staring at me through hooded eyes that I
couldn’t read. Great, like his grandfather, he didn’t like me either. My
shoulders slumped.

“I’ll get the
drama queen her jacket, but he’s your problem,” Shadow answered.

Shade pivoted
towards his brother. “You’re being rude and unnecessarily unreasonable.”

“Sorry, if I’ve
got a mind of my own.” Shadow’s frown deepened. “I’m not encouraged.”

“You will show
proper respect. You will abide by the rulings of your family and your clan. You
will act accordingly at all times. Is that clear?”

“Golden boy
thinks he’s got it all figured out. One day, big brother, you’ll see I was
right.”

“You?
That’s priceless,” Shade scoffed. “For the moment,
Olivia needs to be warm, dry, and treated with some compassion.”

 “That’s
not going to make her what she isn’t, resilient.”

“She will be,”
Shade defended. “If you’d just—”

“I’d like a
Porsche, but crossing my fingers and wishing hard won’t make that true either.”
Shadow rocked off the door and blew out a breath of air. “Crap, I was right
upstairs. It’s you that needs to examine your motives.”

“And I told you
to flush your filthy mind. Apologize to Olivia.”

“Did I strike a
nerve, saintly brother?”

Shade shot to
his feet, knocking over my crutch, sending it clunking across the floor. I
scooted forward and snagged it with my foot. When I turned back, Shade had a
fistful of the back of Shadow’s shirt, dragging him from the door. Clouds of
dust rose off the floor distorting movements and stinging my eyes, making it
hard to keep track of the bodies wrestling in the flat light. One of the twins
skidded across the floor; his back sweeping up years’ worth of grime.

 “This is
ridiculous, you’re grown men,” I shouted, scrambling ungracefully to my feet.
Fists flew. Air whistled past my right ear. Belatedly, it struck me that I’d
stupidly rushed into the middle of a fistfight. Shadow folded his arms across
his chest and slid to the side, still within range of his brother, but far
enough from me to keep me from getting hurt. Shade moved as well, placing his
body as a barrier between us. I eyed them carefully, wondering what to do if
they started up again. By the nasty look Shadow was giving me, I knew this was
far from over.

Shadow swatted
at his pant, his hands coming away coated in dirt. “That was a cheap shot.
These were new. You’re wasting your life. You know that don’t you? She’s
superficial and an emotional mess. The valley won’t even be a fond memory the
moment she is at college.”

Shade reached
out a hand. “Shad, give her time to adjust. You owe it to . . . him.”

Hard eyes
flicked once in my direction. “Wise up. It doesn’t have to be like this,”
Shadow replied, speaking quieter almost pleading. “I’m petitioning the council.
Join me.”

Shade staggered
back, his mouth slack. “Don’t. We’re a team. You’re making a mistake.”

“At least I get
to make one. When everything is spiraling around the drain, remember it was
your decisions that dissolved this team.” He shoved past Shade, slamming the
door against the railing. The gazebo shook, knocking clumps of dirt and dust
off the rafters.

I sneezed and
pointed to the door. “You can’t leave things like this.”

“He’s made his
choice.”

I couldn’t
understand the hard edge in Shade’s voice. I’d give anything to be able to
speak with my brother who’d died that horrible summer before I started seventh
grade. “Why must you be stubborn? He’s your twin. Go after him. Clear whatever
this is up.”

A muscle in
Shade’s jaw began to pulse.

“It doesn’t
matter who is at fault. You hit him.”

Shade’s hands
hung in tight, shaking fist at his sides.

“Catch him
before he gets your grandfather into the car. Go!” I persisted.

“Stop it,” he
shouted, spinning about, so I couldn’t see his face. The doorjamb creaked
beneath the shaking weight of his taut body.

“Shade?”
I said uncertainly.

“Have some
sense, girl. Stop speaking to me,” he said savagely.

I cringed and my
lips began to quiver. Emotions that were quick to erupt from the littlest
things dragged me a step closer to cutting that fine strand that held me together.
I may be a pathetic mess, but I had a measure of pride. I swept past him,
swinging on my crutch with as much poise as I could manage, biting the inside
of my mouth to keep from moaning when my left leg twisted on the bottom step.
Head held high, I kept going, refusing even at the gate to turn back to see if
he’d watched my awkward march up the slope. I fled up the back stairs to my
room and flopped down on my unmade bed. I refused to come out until I heard his
truck leave.

By the light of
the fire and with a cup of warm cider in my hand, the four by six inch map
hadn’t looked all that difficult to follow. I swung the beam of the flashlight
down the next opening.
More corn.
Big
surprise.
I squinted at the squiggly lines that were supposed to be the
eagle’s tail feathers and stalked several feet down the path.
Another dead end.
I was going in circles. Halloween night
lost in a haunted corn maze, loads of fun. Where had Trent wandered off to?
He’d been right behind me.

Shrieks followed
by nervous laughter were carried on the wind that smelled of smoke from the
bonfires. I should just plow through the corn and join that group. But no, that
would ruin the trails for others and probably give me a rash like
JoAnna
had gotten when we went to a maze last year. From
somewhere just up ahead, dried stalks cracked. “Trent, is that you?” I pulled
my collar up. For another hot cider, I’d forgive him for getting us lost. “Try
to aim for my voice. I told you we should’ve circled around the left side of
the bridge. Oops sorry, you’re not . . . Hey, you didn’t happen to see a guy in
a letterman’s jacket around here?” I
asked,
hurrying
towards the figure dressed in a black trench coat that flapped in the breeze,
thinking maybe he knew where I was on this useless map. A deep, rumbling growl
rose out of the corn. Oh crap! I held my breath and eased back from the decoy,
crunching brittle leaves beneath my boots. Fingers snatched the ends of my
scarf. I tugged free, spinning around in the process, coming face to face with
a refrigerator sized zombie lunging out of the shadows, arms outstretched,
fingers grasping.

I leapt back a
foot, my heart jumping up to my throat. My quivering flashlight illuminated a
misshapen face covered in jagged scars that oozed blood. I lowered the light.
The skull and crossbones on his T-shirt glowed in the dark.
“Very
scary.
Awesome make-up job,” I stuttered.
He, it,
whatever lumbered closer.
I thrust the map in front of his face. “Could
you show me where I am? Better yet, just tell me how to get to the exit. I’m
getting cold.”

A bloodied hand
brushed my face, leaving a trail of something sticky across my cheek. I
shrieked and jumped back, almost losing my footing. “Yuck!” The zombie knocked
my map out of my hand and then ground it into the dirt with his heel. “Hey!”

I hugged the
edge of the trail, trying to scoot by. He blocked my path, kicking my heart
rate into overdrive. One of his arms, that looked like it had been dipped in
blood, swung to encircle my waist. I dodged the arm and angled across the
trail, holding my crutch out to keep him back. He lunged after me, forcing me
down a side passage. Fueled by my real life nightmares, I took off as fast as
my legs could go. Trent could find me in the parking lot. I was so out of here.

Even with my
crutch, I should’ve been going fast enough to outdistance a lumbering zombie.
“Hey, that’s cheating. Stay in character. Zombies are supposed to be slow,” I
shouted breathlessly. The trail made a tight curve. I staggered forward a few
more feet before I realized the crackling of dried stalks only came from
beneath my feet. This place needed a safe word for guest when they were done
having years taken off their lives. I cast the beam of my flashlight over my
shoulder one last time as I leaned heavily on my crutch, trying to suck in air,
trying to ignore the dark mass of all that corn boxing me in. My flashlight
dimmed. I wet my lips and breathed with a rock in my chest. I took three steps
backward on shaky legs, unlocking my knees. The beam of light brightened,
illuminating bent stalks that resembled faces. My hand shook almost dropping my
light. Don’t have an episode. Find Trent and laugh this off. A familiar growl
snapped my head around. I gulped. Unbelievable, I’d finally stumbled onto one
of the looping trails for the tail feather, and it had circled me right back
around to my personal zombie.

“Enough already,
I just want to go home. Find someone else to scare.” I stepped forward,
determined to show no fear.

Hands gripped my
upper arms and lifted me off the ground, even with a mangled face. I screamed
and squirmed. From several rows over, a group of teens laughed. “What’s wrong
with you? This isn’t fun. Put me down,” I
yelled,
my
voice much higher than normal.

I landed on my
knees so hard that it felt like white-hot pokers were tunneling through my
nerves, paralyzing my body. “You jerk!” I cried, the words coming out before my
brain engaged.

I inched slowly
away from the bully, one hand pulling my left leg along. I needed to hide, to
curl up into a ball, to wait him and the pain out. Light stabbed my eyes. A
bloody hand grabbed the ends of my scarf, using them to drag me onto my watery
feet. I reacted, swinging my crutch wildly, whacking the zombie on his shin. He
grunted and ripped it out of my hand.

Coarse stalks of
corn slapped my face, stinging my cheeks. I thrashed my legs and tugged at
meaty fingers. We plowed through the corn wall and into the clearing bordering
the exterior of the maze. I screamed again. He laughed, shifted his grip, and
then squeezed my middle tight, cutting off my next scream.

The stench of
body sweat, latex, and chewing tobacco made me want to gag. Lips pressed
against my ear. In a chilling tone made all the more sinister by the desolate
stretch of plowed field, the zombie ordered, “Walk!” He gave me a hard shove
into the inky blackness. My feet obeyed.

I didn’t flinch
from my order. Not even when low-hanging clouds rolled in, blanketing the moon,
engulfing the field in darkness. Chills prickled up my back, and I had trouble
swallowing. My feet kept moving, stumbling on the uneven ground. I fell, got
up, and kept going.

“Olivia, stop!”

A velvety drawl
coated the night, smothering the voice. Nightmares faded. The background din of
the maze sorted my world. I drew a shuddering breath and resisted the urge to
scream. Hot hands turned me gently, steadying me when my knee momentarily
caught. I blinked from the sudden glare of three flashlights. “I—” My mouth
snapped closed. The lights from the parking lot looked so far away. 

“What are you
doing way out here?” Shade demanded.

“Corn . . . too high and close.
All the
screaming.
So dark.”
I rambled and started to
shake. “Where is he?”

“Who?”

“The zombie with the skull and crossbones T-shirt.”
I peered
into the darkness, wishing someone would shine a light across the field, so I’d
know for certain he was gone. “He carried me out of the maze. Then he shoved me
and ordered me to start walking. The way he said it, I was afraid to stop.”
More like I couldn’t.
Hysteria.
An episode, oh, God!
The men exchanged tight-lipped looks. I gulped in a deep breath of cold night
air and shivered harder. Of course there was no one out there. Role
accomplished, zombie guy had headed back into the maze fully expecting me to
follow. No doubt he was already perfecting his acting on the next silly girl.
Meanwhile, Trent was wandering around looking for me. My stupid issues had
ruined a nice, normal date. Plus, I looked like a fool in front of Shade no
less.

“Where’s your
crutch?”

“I hit the
zombie in the shin with it when he shook me. So he threw it into the maze.”
Alright, I had to admit, that was carrying his persona rather far. After all, I
was a paying customer.

“Her chin is
bleeding,” the man I didn’t know on Shade’s left said.

He pressed a
cloth into my hand. I sucked in a sharp breath. Shade flipped my aching hand
over. Three flashlights honed in on the assorted cuts I’d gotten trying to
protect my face.

“He’s mine,”
Shade said in a voice that would chill the fires of hell.

I gaped up at
him and stammered, “What about Trent? He’s missing.”

“I’m on it,” the
stranger said, pivoting on his heels.

“Fine, I’ll take
her to the truck and clean her up,” a resigned voice said.

Shadow
.
This night kept getting worse.

“You’re
trembling. You’re not going to cry, are you?” Shadow asked after we’d walked in
silence for a few minutes with only the bobbing of his flashlight to remind me
of his sullen presence.

“My back hurts
and my knee keeps catching,” I answered, hearing the strain in my voice. I
blinked hard determined not to break down in front of him. An armed eased about
my shoulder, supporting me against his toasty, warm side. “Sorry about messing
up your night. I can get back to the parking lot by myself.” I offered.

“Yeah, right.
You’ll fall flat on your face. Shade will
blame me. Face it; I’m your designated sitter.
Lucky me.”

“Hopefully Trent
will show up and relieve you of your assignment,” I replied, my tone as cold as
the breeze slapping my cheeks, reminding me of my scarf out there in the maze,
probably hanging off the decoy. Darkness pressed. I needed to hear a voice.
Even Shadow’s would calm my mind, despite his unfounded hostility. In a nervous
voice I said, “Shade got pretty angry over a Halloween scare that went too
far.”

“Where is your
flashlight?”

I patted my
pockets. “I must have dropped it when I was struggling.”

“What if you’d
gotten hurt when you fell? Nobody would’ve seen you in the dark field. It’s
going to get down to twenty degrees tonight with a chance of flurries. I think
the situation warranted a serious response. At the very least, an employee
endangered a guest’s life.”

From his sharp
tone and Shade’s reaction, I had to wonder, what wasn’t he telling me? My voice
sort of squeaked as I spoke. “I’d feel better if I knew what happened to
Trent.”

“He probably got
turned around in the maze. Officer Mason will find him,” Shadow answered, his
tone kinder.

“The man who
went after Trent is a police officer?”

“Yes. But, don’t
jump to conclusions. We have no reason to suspect anything happened to Trent.
Mason’s family owns this place. He came up with this year’s design. He’ll have
Trent out in no time, you’ll see.”

“What were you
guys doing outside of the maze?”

We walked
several feet before he answered. “Folks are always getting lost and shoving
their way out. Since the maze was short staffed tonight, my brother and I
volunteered to help Mason make a circuit to pick up any strays.”

“Good timing,” I
said and was relieved to hear my voice sounded steadier.

“Not good
enough. Your zombie was lucky we were delayed. We don’t tolerate mistreatment
of women in this valley,” he replied in a furious tone, steering us onto the
dirt trail leading to the parking lot.

My mouth fell
open. That’s when I noticed the shaking of the arm circling my body.

He led me to
Shade’s truck where he applied antiseptic cream and a bandage to my palm. When
he was done, we sat in the dark with him leaning forward, scrutinizing everyone
who walked near the truck. Five minutes became ten. I turned on the radio; he
flicked it off.

Silence pressed
on my nerves, magnifying the tension. “Maybe we could wait by one of the
bonfires,” I suggested.

“No.”

I flipped the
visor down then back up. “How long have you been friends with Mason?”

“I need you to
be quiet. Do you think you could do that?” he said, reverting back to his usual
charming self.
“About time.”
He pointed towards Trent
and Officer Mason heading across the lot. I opened the door to get out. Shadow
leaned across me and pulled it closed.

“Stay in the
truck,” he ordered.

“Why?”

His annoyed gaze
swept the parking lot, pausing briefly when a group of guys strolled past the
minivan parked two cars down from us.
“Because you can barely
put weight on your leg.”

“Olivia,” Trent
shouted, jogging over to the truck. He opened my door and gave me a quick kiss.
“Don’t scare me like that.”

“I thought you
were right behind me. I kept shouting your name. Why didn’t you answer? You
know how hard it was for me to go in there,” I replied.

Officer Mason
squeezed in next to him and nodded to Shadow. “Now don’t be mad. It’s easy to
get all turned around in the maze.
Happens all the time.”

Trent pulled on
the seatbelt, his expression unhappy.

“No big deal,” I
said, giving him a sympathetic smile.

He picked up my
bandaged hand. “I’m sorry that jerk scared you. He—”

“Was over
exuberant in his role,” Officer Mason cut in.

Trent’s eyes
narrowed.

“Glad to see
everyone is in one piece,” Shade announced from across the cab, outside
Shadow’s door. He circled around the truck, nudged a rather subdued Trent to
the side, and placed my crutch across my lap. “A staffer found it and was
taking it to lost and found. I checked with the guys directing parking. They
think your zombie employee went off duty,” he said to Mason, holding his gaze
for a fraction of a second.

 “Every
once in a while we get one that can’t balance that delicate line between
harmless, scary fun and real fear. I’d offer you a free pass, but I don’t think
you’re interested in spending more time in the maze tonight. I’ll see you get a
refund, Trent,” Officer Mason said, attempting to keep his voice light and
easy, but missing the mark.

“Halloween
night, the guy probably wanted to get one really good scare in,” Shadow said,
sounding far from convincing.

I stared at his
stiff profile and replayed our conversation in my head. Shadow was steamed. All
three men were, but didn’t want Trent and me to know.