Entice (2 page)

I texted back.

Awful. Yours?

The reply came quickly.

Same. I’ll call you right after school.

I couldn’t wait to hear his voice.

Looking forward to it.

When I shoved the phone back in my pocket, I looked up to see Haley and Ian making out. I glanced away, totally sickened. Couldn’t they see I was trying to eat? From across the room, Tanner’s gaze caught my attention. He was openly staring at me. Our eyes locked and he smiled. Something about the way he looked at me made me uncomfortable. Unnerved, I quickly turned away.

“So, you’re not Ian’s biggest fan, huh?” Isaac laughed through the phone after I’d filled him in on my day. It was late afternoon and the sun beamed in through the family room windows. The hum of the air conditioner played in the background.

“Not even a little bit.” I stretched my legs out on the couch and wiggled my bare toes.

“Have you told Haley how you feel about him?”

“Yeah, right. So she can get all mad at me. I don’t think so.”

“Well, if you’re just telling her because you’re concerned for her, I’m sure she’d understand.”

I smiled at Isaac’s naiveté.

“I’m not
worried
about her, exactly. I mean, the guy seems harmless, just not good enough for her. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this relationship will be over soon. I know Haley. She’s too smart to keep going out with a loser like him for too long.”

“Hold on a sec.” Muffled voices sounded on Isaac’s side of the line. “Oh, Kenzie, my parents say hi.”

My heart ached as I thought of the Giovanni family all home together. Sophia was probably making an amazing spaghetti dinner and Tony was probably telling jokes and being silly. I looked around the quiet room. Mom was still at work and after that she was going on a date.

With a knot in my throat, I said, “Tell them I say hi, too.”

He spoke away from the phone and then came back on the line. “We all miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” My heart squeezed. Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. I couldn’t wait to go with Mom to Grandma’s for the holiday. “Hey, have you seen Grandma lately?”

“Just this afternoon. She was gardening when I got home from school.”

I smiled, thinking of Grandma hunched over her precious roses with a pair of shears in her hand. It was her favorite place to be. Isaac was so lucky to live next door to her.

“She misses you, you know,” Isaac said.

“I know. She calls, like, every day.”

“That’s because she loves you. Just like I do.”

My face warmed.

“Hey, I gotta take off. I have basketball practice.”

“Oh, I see. So now that I’m gone you had to find new friends to play ball with.”

“Yeah. They don’t compare to you though.”

I chuckled. “Why? Cause they can actually make a shot?”

“You’re not that bad.” He paused. “You’re not that good, either.”

“What?” I feigned offense. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you go. When are try-outs, anyway?” His school district was on a completely different schedule from ours. In fact, Isaac had started school a few weeks earlier. He had been jealous of me then, however, things would be reversed when he graduated in May and I still had several weeks left.

“Next week. I’m kinda nervous.” I thought of the first time I saw Isaac. It was my first day at Grandma’s. I had spied him standing in his driveway playing basketball.

“I’m sure you’ll make the team.”

“Thanks. I hope so. There’s a lot of talented guys trying out.”

“But I bet none of them are as hot as you.”

Isaac laughed. “I don’t think Coach Dave cares about that.”

“Good, because if he did I’d have to fight him for you.” I giggled. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Have fun tonight.”

After hanging up, I looked around the empty room and wished I were a million miles away. Before I could throw a royal pity party, the front door burst open and Mom flew in. The scent of bleach and hairspray radiated from her.

“What happened? Mr. Wonderful already dumped you?”

She scowled, causing wrinkles to form around her painted red lips. “As a matter of fact, he’s picking me up here. And I expect you to be respectful to him, Kenzie. I really like him.”

“Yeah, today.” I rolled my eyes. How many times had my mom told me how much she liked a guy one day, only to lament about what a loser he was the next?

She waved a dismissive hand at me. “Whatever. I don’t have time for this. I have to get ready.”

Anger coursed through me. “Oh yes, we wouldn’t want you to waste precious time on your only child. You have much more important things to do.”

“Oh, Kenzie, stop being so dramatic. You’re going to spend the entire evening texting that boyfriend of yours, anyway.” She spun around and stalked down the hallway. After entering her bedroom, I heard the click of the door as she closed it.

An icy chill ran over my body as the familiar rage descended. I fingered the cross around my neck and took a deep breath. How did she have the power to always upset me like this? I reached for my phone, wanting to call Isaac but then I remembered he was playing basketball. I sent off a text to Haley.

Her response came quick.

Out with Ian. Call u later.

Alone. Again. It was always like this. My gaze landed on the Bible that lay open on the end table, and I felt ashamed at my earlier outburst. Isaac made this whole Christian thing look so easy. I was always screwing it up. Just as I reached out my hand to open the Bible, a shadow fell across my shoulder and was cast on the ground in front of me. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. A shiver ran down my spine. I whipped around but no one was there.

I sighed. When would I stop being so jumpy? Wesley had no hold on me anymore. I had to keep remembering that. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

“Mom! Your new boy toy is here!” I hollered down the hallway as I got off the couch.

Her bedroom door swung open. “Kenzie, don’t call him that.”

I chuckled at her red face. She was still in her robe and her head was covered in hot rollers. Clearly, Mr. Wonderful was early.

“Just welcome him in. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Should I offer him a cold beverage while I’m at it? I think we have some milk that’s gone bad.”

Mom groaned and slammed the door shut. The walls rattled with the force. I felt bad for Mr. Wonderful already. He knocked again and I hurried to open it. When I saw who stood there, my heart stopped. I gaped at him, unable to formulate words.

He flashed a bemused smile. “Hello Kenzie. Aren’t you going to let me in?”

My feet stayed rooted in place as if glued to the floor.

“Cat got your tongue?” He chuckled.

“H-how do you know my name?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Your mom talks about you all the time.”

Behind me, footsteps sounded. “Kenzie, for goodness sake, let the man in.”

Puzzled, I moved out of his way and he stepped inside. I was still shocked that this handsome, clean-shaven man was here to pick up my mom. When I first opened the door, I was sure that he was here by mistake. His suit pants rustled as he walked. His shiny dress shoes blinded me. In his hands he gripped a large bouquet of blood red roses. He handed them to Mom who swooned as she took them in her arms.

“I’m Drake, by the way.” He held his hand out to me. I reached out and shook his hand. It was warm and soft. I noticed his fingernails were nicely manicured. As I dropped my arm, I glanced outside at the Mercedes parked against the curb. Who was this guy, and what was he doing with my mom? He was a far cry from the losers she normally brought home.

Mom practically drooled while staring at him. Not that I blamed her. The guy was incredibly good looking. Again, I could hardly believe he was standing in our living room. I looked around suddenly self conscious about our small, dirty house. Cringing, I took in our eclectic mix of thrift store furniture covered in an inch of dust. Drake looked totally out of his element.

“Shall we go?” He proffered his arm to my mom. Smiling like the Cheshire cat, she looped her arm in his. I was appalled by her skintight red dress and leopard print heels, which so didn’t match Drake’s black suit and tie.

“Here Kenzie, be a doll and put these in some water.” She thrust the flowers at me.

Be a doll?
When did my mom start talking like a bad 1950’s actress?

“It was nice to meet you, Kenzie.” Drake said. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of other opportunities to get to know one another.”

I smiled at him and then turned to Mom. “How late will you be, Mom?”

She batted her eyelashes, thick with clumpy mascara, at Drake. He raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled. “Just don’t wait up, honey,” she replied.

“Okay.” I shook my head. “You two have a good time.”

Mom practically skipped down the walkway in her stiletto heels. A breeze rustled, but her curly bleached blonde hair didn’t even move because of all the hairspray in it. I marveled at what an odd pair they made. Where did she even meet this guy?

After slamming the door shut and locking the deadbolt, I ambled into the kitchen to put the roses in water. A thorn pricked my finger and dark blood bubbled out of my skin. I turned on the faucet and ran cold water over the tiny cut, watching color swirl into the drain. When the bleeding stopped, I rooted around the cabinets for a vase. Of course, we didn’t have one.

So, I took out a glass covered in fingerprints, filled it with water and shoved the thorny stems into it. It was then that I noticed a card sticking out of the top. It read, “Beautiful Josie, I’m looking forward to a spectacular evening. Love, Drake.”
What a gentleman.

I gave it one night. By morning this nice man would be running for the hills. I took the card out of the cramped flowers and tossed it onto the grimy linoleum counter.

It was ten o’clock and Mom still wasn’t home. My eyelids were heavy as I lie on the couch watching TV. Nothing good was on but the noise provided some company.

A rustling sound, like feet on the carpet, caught my attention. My ears perked. I glanced around the room. Another sound came from outside. I looked out the window. The sky was inky black with a smattering of twinkling stars and the front yard was empty. I scoured the silent street, bright streetlights shining on the asphalt. Not a person in sight. My shoulders relaxed.

“Hello Kenzie.”

I screamed and jumped up.
Wesley.
The demon, that had spent all summer tormenting me, was back. How did he get in here? I thought I was safe from him now.

“Kenzie.” His voice was a low hiss.

Shivering, I spun around in circles trying to locate where his voice was coming from. I squeezed my cross necklace so tightly it cut into my palm. Cold swept over me. Dread blanketed me.
Not again. Not again.

What form would he take this time? Would it be the man, the snake, the shadow man or the dragon? I swallowed hard, my throat hurting with the effort.

“You naïve child, did you really think I was out of your life forever? I’ll always find my way back to you.” His voice boomed around me like when I watched a movie in surround sound, but I still couldn’t see him.

Body trembling, I looked over at the Bible on the end table. I took a deep breath. I knew how to fight him. I had done it before. It would work every time, wouldn’t it? Thinking back to that awful night on the bridge when I’d almost jumped into the icy water of the lake, I remembered how Isaac swept in and rescued me. I wished he was here now. But even if he wasn’t, I had the same power within me. I should be able to defeat him again.

Just as I opened my mouth, ready to shout out my battle cry, the lights went out. The room was pitch-black. I blinked. Something slimy tickled my cheek.

I screamed and was shoved forward. My head smacked against the carpet as I fell to the ground. Opening my eyes, I rubbed the spot where I’d fallen. My mouth was wet, my head felt foggy. With blurred vision, I caught sight of the clock which read 11:30. Reaching up, I rubbed my cheek where the couch pillow had branded me. I blinked, realizing that I must have been asleep. So, it was only a nightmare. I heaved a sigh of relief.

After standing up, I clicked off the TV and stumbled down the hallway. Peeking into Mom’s room, I saw it was empty. Her bed was made, her clothes from earlier were strewn all over the floor. Wow. Her date really was going long. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I climbed into bed.

Right when I was about to close my eyes, I noticed something on my nightstand that made my stomach drop. I reached forward and picked up the card. Tracing the words Drake had penned with my fingers, I wondered how it had gotten here. Clearly, I remembered taking the card out of the flowers and leaving it on the kitchen counter. Springing out of bed, my gaze swept the rest of my room to see if anything else was out of place. But everything was just as I had left it. Could I have been wrong? Could I have carried the note back here?

No, I was sure I hadn’t. But then again, what other explanation was there? Like someone would break into my house and move a love note from one room to another. How silly would that be?

I was just being paranoid, that was all. Memories of Wesley were lingering, messing with my mind. I needed to remember who I was. I needed to call on my strength. That’s why Isaac had given me the necklace. To remind me that I was a child of God and that I didn’t need to be afraid.

Breathing deeply, I checked to make sure my window was tightly locked and then I slipped back into bed. With a prayer on my lips, I drifted to sleep.

“Long night?” Haley asked after I yawned for the millionth time at lunch. Ian rested his chin on her shoulder. It was like he was magnetically attached or something.

“I know it was for us.” He winked, licking his lips.

My stomach lurched. I really hoped she wasn’t having sex with the guy. Next time I got her alone I was totally going to ask her. “No, I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Still having nightmares?”

I nodded. After returning home, I told Haley all about my summer. Since Haley didn’t really believe in God or spirits or anything she didn’t buy my story, but at least she didn’t tease me about it the way Mom did.