Enigma (13 page)

“Brett, how are you?” I asked anxiously.

“I’m doing really well, Kate.”

“I miss you,” I said.

“I’m missing you too, but you were right. I needed this.”

“I’m so happy to hear that.”

“Enough about me. What’s been going on with you?”

“Oh, nothing. You know how boring my life is.”

Brett laughed. “Have you managed to keep away from the kooks?” I laughed. “How’s that car of yours?”

“The car is fine and I’ve met some nice people in college, but no kooks.”

“Good. Are you okay? You sound kind of different.”

“I’m just tired.”

“Look, I have to go. But I’m hoping to be home soon. I can’t believe I’m looking forward to coming home.”

“The house is quiet without you around. And I hate to say it, but with Heather gone, I’m kind of lonely.”

“That’s why you need to make friends. Get yourself someone to keep you company, if you know what I mean,” Brett laughed.

“That’s enough out of you. When are you going to call again?”

“Next week. Take care of yourself, Kate.”

“Just worry about yourself; I’m fine.”

I hung up and ran up to my room. I sat at my dresser and stared at my reflection. I looked the same, but I wasn’t acting the same.
Was the curse really controlling my feelings for Jack? Had the curse changed me?

I
t was the longest week of my life. I was lonely without Jack, but it was Friday and our week apart was now over. Sitting in my bedroom, I thought about how different Jack was from anyone I had ever met. I contemplated what my life would be like with him, and what could happen in the future if the curse was to prevail. Although Jack wasn’t human, there was nothing dangerous or sinister about him. He was a hero, not a villain. He’d been honest with me, trusting me with his secret life. I still couldn’t imagine how I could ever break Jack’s heart; I
was
in love with him.

As I found myself pining for Jack again, there was a knock at my door, and a letter slid underneath it. I walked over and picked it up. I smiled, immediately recognizing the handwriting.

Kate,

This has been the longest week of my life. I’m hoping that you’ve missed me half as much as I’ve missed you. If you still want to be with me, please meet me tonight at 7pm. If we’re really in sync with one another you’ll know where.

Jack

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be with him; I was nothing but a hollow shell without him, and ending our relationship had never been an option for me. Tonight would only confirm that, and then we could let the rest of the world know how we felt about each other. There would be no more hiding from anyone; we would be free to announce our love for each other to the world.

As I glanced over at my clock, I realized that I only had an hour before I had to meet Jack. A warm feeling spread thorough my body and I felt nervous and excited about seeing him again. I wanted tonight to be special—a night we would always remember.

I began rummaging through my wardrobe and found the perfect blue, figure-hugging, knee-length dress with spaghetti straps. As I slipped on my black, gold-trimmed bikini, I looked at myself in the mirror. Feeling confident, I put on the dress and ruffled my hair until each wavy strand fell perfectly into place.

I tiptoed downstairs, but the more I tried to be quiet, the more noise I made. I could hear my mother cackling in the dining room, and hoped to make it past her without having to explain where I was going, but I had no such luck.

“Wait, Kate! Where are you going?” my mother asked suspiciously.

“I’m meeting a friend. Sorry, I’m running late,” I called over my shoulder.

“Hold on! Come in and say hello to Helen. You know, Helen who moved to Dubai two years ago. You haven’t seen her in ages. She wants to see you.”

Reluctantly, I walked into the dining room. I remembered Helen clearly. Her perfume was pungent and I couldn’t stand her, or her spoiled daughters. She stood up and walked over to me, snarling.

“Oh, Kate darling. Haven’t you grown! You’ve certainly blossomed, more so than I thought,” she said while staring at my cleavage, which made me feel uncomfortable. “But with my girls looking so similar, it’s so bizarre how different you are from your sister. Like chalk and cheese. Heather is so glamorous and you are . . . so lovely and plain.” Helen took a sip of her wine, and as her hand wavered, I wondered how many glasses she’d had.

My mother filled both of their glasses and I gritted my teeth, trying to refrain from engaging in conversation with them.

“Oh, Helen, I wish Heather was here. She would have loved to see you, but she is so busy in Paris,” my mother said delightfully.

I had been polite and now I wanted to leave. “Mom, I have to go. I’m running late.”

Helen was still snarling at me. “It is always best to keep a man waiting, Kate. Never be too desperate—just desperate enough.” She cackled and my mother burst out laughing.

“Oh, Helen! Kate isn’t off to meet a boy!”

“Then why is she wearing that dress?”

“I’m going to a party; see you later.” I flashed an innocent, plain-girl smile and walked away. Tobias opened the door for me and I fled the house of horrors.

CHAPTER 13

T
he breeze was calm, and as I walked along the beach admiring how my dress flattered my curves, I fluttered with excitement. I couldn’t wait to feel Jack’s strong arms wrapped around me again.

There was no sign of him, so I sat at the bottom of the cliffs behind the rocks and waited, when I was suddenly whisked up in the air.

Opening my eyes, I saw that we were racing over the ocean at a speed I hadn’t known was possible. I loved the adrenaline rush it gave me and I threw my head back, allowing the breeze to dance with my hair. I felt exhilarated and completely free. Nothing could top this feeling.

Jack had disappeared. But somehow, I was still being carried over the ocean.

As I slowed, the tide guided me onto the shore and I stood alone. Only the trim of my dress was wet, but when Jack appeared from behind me, he was soaked.

“Jack, what happened? Where did you go?” I asked.

He smiled and as he walked back into the ocean, he slowly vanished. Then, I witnessed a huge wave roll out of nowhere. It was Jack. Jack was . . . well, Jack was the wave. He was entwined in the wild ocean and I could barely move.

Jack emerged from the ocean. “I’ve done it now, haven’t I? I’ve tipped you over the edge with all this craziness.” He waved his hand across the front of my face to try and snap me out of my dumfounded trance.

“I don’t know what to say. That was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, Jack. How do you do that, change into liquid?”

“I don’t really know. I’ve been able to merge with the water ever since I can remember. I can choose whether to merge or not so that I’m the one in control. Do you think I’m a freak now?” he asked.

I laughed. Freak was such a weird word.

“I find you fascinating, Jack,” I said while looking around us. “Where are we?”

We were in a secluded cove. There were huge white-and-blue candles staked into the sand; a large blue-and-white checkered blanket and a picnic basket were between them.

Jack held his arms out and spun around slowly. “We’re miles away from anything and anyone that could disturb us. I’ve been coming here since we moved to Long Beach. For me, this is a place where I can be myself without worrying that someone will see me.”

It was the most magnificent, picturesque place I had even been.

“I love it!” I said enthusiastically, while absorbing the beauty that surrounded me.

Jack walked toward me and slid his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. “I’ve missed you, Kate. More than I could have ever imagined. I hadn’t realized that you could fall in love with someone even more when they haven’t even been around.”

I was happy that he’d missed me so much, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“I missed you too, and now the world will know that I’m in love with you,” I declared.

We melted into each other and kissed like it might be our last chance.

“I love you, Kate. I always will. The way I feel about you overpowers my body and soul. This feeling will never leave me,” Jack said while gazing into my eyes.

We held hands and began walking around the sandy cove. Jack swept me up into his arms and I giggled. I adored the way he firmly but tenderly took hold of me.

“This is our place where we can be together, alone. Nobody will ever find us here,” Jack said, before gently laying me down on the blanket and straddling me while kissing my neck.

We lay together on the blanket for a long time, talking about our childhoods. I told him that Flo raised me, and about Heather. I also told him about Brett’s rehabilitation. Jack wasn’t judgmental and considering that I was a bottle-it-up-and-hope-it-goes-away type of girl, I felt unusually comfortable confiding in him.

In return, Jack revealed that he and Sebastian were adopted a few days after they were born. His biological mother had died giving birth to them, and his biological father was too devastated to take care of them by himself. That was all the information Jack had about his biological parents, and I could tell that he longed to know more.

He told me that he had contemplated searching for his biological father, but without a name, it would be almost impossible to find him. And since Lindsey and Jonathan were against it, Jack decided not to pursue the search.

Jack looked up at the sky. “If I could ask my biological parents one question, I’d want to know if they, you know, had the same powers that I have; they must’ve come from somewhere.”

“There must be some way of getting more information about them.”

Jack smiled at me. “There isn’t any information anywhere, Kate,” he said despondently.

I looked into his eyes and wondered what thoughts were running through his mind.

“I just want to know who I am,” he said.

“Regardless of who your parents are, you’re just you. I know my biological parents and I don’t resemble either of them, thank goodness,” I said, and he laughed.

I wondered where Jack’s supernatural powers had come from. They must’ve been genetic; what other explanation could there possibly be? Jack retrieved a box of matches and re-lit the candles. When he sat down next to me, I took his hand and kissed his cheek.

“Don’t your adoptive parents know how you got these powers? Surely, they must have wanted to find out for themselves?”

“No. All they know is that we were different than other kids. That’s why my mom chose to home-school us. We didn’t have any other family or friends; it was always just the four of us.”

With Jack shielded from society for so long, I realized how recent his new life was.

“Jack, weren’t you lonely?”

“No, never. I had Sebastian; he was my best friend and we were inseparable. And as we grew up, we developed our powers together and had a lot of fun. We learned to control our gifts and disguise them when needed.” He smiled. “After a while, Dad had to explain to us that nobody else was able to do the things we could. We were confused and shocked, and it took time and a lot of reasoning for us to accept that we’d always be different.”

Jack lay on the blanket. He looked a little distant after our intense conversation, so I decided to give him a massage. I ran my thumbs from the base of his spine and slid them gently, but firmly, up to the top of his shoulders. I repeated this several times, and then massaged his neck.

Jack placed his arms behind him and gently rubbed my thighs. I removed my dress, tossing it in the sand, and ran my fingers through his hair. Being so close to him made me happy, and I didn’t want this moment to end.

“Kate, you’re too much for me to resist,” he said, closing his eyes.

“I don’t want you to resist me.”

Jack removed his hands from my thighs and gave into his desire. His soft lips pressed against my bare shoulder and each kiss teased my entire body. He laid my aching body underneath him and with the sound of the rippling waves playing their own beautiful song, we gazed into each other’s eyes. I knew what I wanted and had been waiting for the perfect guy for too long.

It was time.

Jack pulled me up to my knees and knelt in front of me. He untied my bikini and kissed my naked body while I ran my hands down his shorts. Jack laid me comfortably beneath him, but before we could take things further, he held his chest and yelled out in pain. He rolled off of me and his knees curled up into his chest. His face contorted with the intensity of the pain. I had no idea what was happening; Jack had told me that he didn’t feel physical pain, and when I leaned over to hold his arm, he yelled even louder.

Jack managed to crawl over to a rock. On his way, he knocked over a candle and the flame brushed against his skin, but he didn’t flinch.
What was going on?
I thought. The flame didn’t bother him, but my touch was too painful. He made it to the rock and pulled himself up; I was hopeful that the pain was subsiding.