Entice (8 page)

It reminded me so much of my conversation with Rhiannon back when I thought Wesley was my dad. Boy, had I been wrong. If I would have listened to Rhiannon it would have saved me a lot of heartache. In fact, not listening to her had almost cost me my life. I loved Haley too much to back down now.

“I saw you and Ian together at lunch today. He turned to me and his face changed. He looked exactly like Wesley.”

Haley’s mouth gaped open in shock. “The demon?”

I nodded. “I know this is hard to hear but I think Wesley is back and he’s after you now.”

“Oh my gosh, Ian was right. You are insane. I mean, when you first came back from California with that far-fetched story of a demon stalking you, I just thought it was your over-active imagination at work. I honestly didn’t believe you, but I didn’t think you were crazy. Now I’m not so sure.”

“I’m not crazy and I didn’t make anything up! It really happened.”

“Right.” Haley rolled her eyes. “I really wish you would stop lying to me. Maybe you need counseling.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “I don’t need counseling. I just need my best friend to stop being so mean to me and to listen to what I’m saying.” I stepped forward. “I need you, Hales.”

“Look, I still love you, Kenzie. I just don’t know you anymore. You lie to me, you judge me, you make up things about my boyfriend. Get some help and then we’ll talk.”

“Please, Haley, you have to believe me about Ian. If you don’t listen to me about anything else, listen to me about this.”

Haley sighed. “He said you would do this.”

“Who?”

“Ian. He said you would make up stuff about him, and try to make me break up with him. I told him he was wrong; that you weren’t that desperate to break us up. I really thought you’d come around.” She hung her head. “I was hoping that’s why you came here today. Clearly, I was wrong.” She reached out her arm to close the door.

I held up my hand. “Haley, wait.”

Haley shook her head. “I can’t do this anymore, Kenzie. I’m sorry.”

The door slammed in my face and I burst into tears. With my head in my hands, I stood there a moment attempting to collect myself. Footsteps sounded behind me, so I wiped the sloppy tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand. I had no desire to make a fool of myself anymore than I already had. Sniffing, I spun around and ran to my car, keeping my head down. As I approached my car, I felt someone staring at me. I looked around but no one was outside. A car engine roared from across the street. I peered up, and locked eyes with the man in the driver’s seat. My stomach lurched with recognition. Quickly averting his gaze, the man pulled away from the curb and sped down the street.

Confused, I stood on the sidewalk staring after him. What was Drake doing there?

“Mom, why are you sending your boyfriend to spy on me?” I asked the minute I got home from Haley’s.

Mom sat cross-legged in the middle of the family room, her eyes closed and her hands resting on her knees. I had no idea what she was doing but I had bigger issues to worry about at the moment. She opened her eyes, and looked at me bewildered. “What are you talking about? I never sent Drake to spy on you.”

“Then what was he doing across the street from Haley’s.”

She shrugged. “Maybe he lives there.”

I dropped my backpack on the floor, and sat on the edge of the couch. “You don’t know where he lives?”

“Nope.” She shook her head like it was no big deal.

I furrowed my brows. “He’s been to your house but you’ve never been to his. Doesn’t that make you suspicious?”

“Not at all. I’m a lot more trusting than you are, Mackenzie.”

“Mom, have you never watched the news? This guy probably has a family or something.” My mouth dropped. “Oh my gosh, you’re the mistress.”

“I am not.” Mom stood up, and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. “You’re being ridiculous.” She swayed back and forth.

“What the heck are you doing?”

“Yoga. Drake says it will help me relax.”

Drake says.
It seemed to be her favorite phrase lately. I was so sick of every person I loved being influenced by a guy.

“But that’s good news that you were at Haley’s.” Mom folded her body in half, and touched her toes with her hands. Her hair almost brushed against the carpet. “Did you two make up?”

“No.” I felt sick when I remembered how awful our conversation had gone.

“What happened?” She stood, her face bright red from all the blood rushing to it.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Nonsense.” She sat on the couch. “Sit down and tell me all about it. You’ll feel better if you get it out.”

I plopped down beside her, the couch almost swallowing me whole. We really needed new furniture. I wasn’t even sure the couch still had springs.

“I just went over there to warn her about her boyfriend. He’s a bad influence and when she’s with him she’s not herself.”

Mom cocked an eyebrow. “You told her to stay away from her boyfriend? Kenzie, have I taught you nothing?” She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, and clucked her tongue. “You never talk bad about your friend’s boyfriend. If the guy is a loser she’ll figure it out on her own, but if you speak out against him you’ll lose a friend.”

“But you don’t understand, Mom. This time it’s serious.” I leaned in close. “I think Ian is evil.”

Mom swatted away my words with her long dagger-like fingernails. The scent of hairspray wafted from her hand. “Oh, Kenzie, you and your evil talk. I swear, sending you to your grandma’s was a big mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“I didn’t send you there so you could become your grandma.”

I bristled. “Grandma’s amazing.”

“Yes, but she’s also always butting into everyone else’s life like she’s the Queen or something. And she uses her religion like a weapon. Now you’re doing the same thing.”

I groaned. There was no use arguing with Mom. She had very strong feelings about religion and she wasn’t at all pleased with my new-found faith. Although, I’d screwed up so much lately, I wasn’t sure I was cut out to be a Christian anyway. I certainly didn’t know how to defend my faith to her. Besides, maybe she was right. Perhaps, I was becoming too judgmental. Hadn’t Haley said the same thing? I wished Isaac was there so I could talk with him. He would know what to do. But oddly enough, he hadn’t answered any of my texts or phone calls that day. I prayed he wasn’t mad at me as well.

It was late at night when Isaac finally called. I almost cried I was so relieved to hear his voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t call earlier. It was a crazy day. After school my mom called to tell me that Dad had been in an accident at work. I rushed to the hospital and I just now got home.”

My stomach dropped. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, it was just a cut but he did need stitches. We were just worried because it was head injury. Turns out, they look worse than they are. You’d think after so many years of being in construction, Dad would have suffered more injuries but he’s pretty careful. So, Mom and I were just a little freaked.”

“I can understand that.” I sat on the edge of my bed, swirling my toe in the carpet making squiggly lines in the threads. “I wish I could’ve been there.”

Isaac let out a ragged breathe. “Me too. I would have given anything to have you in my arms when we sat in the waiting room. All those sick people and stuff. You know, hospitals always remind me of my brother.”

I bit my lip, thinking of the brother he lost to suicide. There were so many things we were missing out on in each other’s lives.

“Oh, Isaac I’m so sorry. I wish you would have at least called so I could have comforted you over the phone.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think of it. I was just so frazzled.”

He didn’t think about me? In his moment of need, I wasn’t the first person who came to mind. For the first time since I’d been back, I wondered if our relationship really would last.

“But I got your messages. What happened today?”

I swallowed hard, my throat burned. So badly, I wanted to tell him everything that happened that day but I couldn’t. He’d already been through so much. I wouldn’t add to that burden. His dad was safe and I would allow him to rest in that.

“Nothing. You know me. Sometimes I over-dramatize things.” I let out a stilted laugh.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“Great.”

I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was relieved. For a moment I thought I might burst into tears. There was no one to talk to.

Even though I was talking on the phone with the only boy I’d ever loved, I felt completely and utterly alone.

That night I dreamt about the sculpture in our living room. It came to life and chased me around the house. Its eyes blazed like fire, its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. When it caught me, it slashed me with its claws and chomped down on my leg, tearing my flesh. Blood spurted out of my body. I awoke in a cold sweat, trembling with fear.

The knocking on the door became more insistent. Where was Mom? I was sure it was Drake. Who else would be here this early on Sunday? I staggered out of my room, my hair sticking up all over my head, my pajamas wrinkled from a restless night’s sleep. In my bare feet, I padded down the hallway. When I passed Mom’s door, I could hear her snoring inside.

I maneuvered around the monstrosity in our family room and Mom’s piles of celebrity magazines, to get to the front door. When I finally reached it, I flung it open. The minute I saw who it was, I wished I had stayed in bed.

How awful did I look? I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet. I clamped my mouth shut, and ran my tongue over my teeth, while patting down my unruly hair with my hand, but the curls sprung back out. It was no use. Besides, it was too late. Tanner had already seen me. The damage was done.

“Hey.” He smiled, despite how disgusted he must have been by my appearance. “You weren’t at church so I decided to come check on you.”

Attempting to talk without opening my mouth and frightening him with my morning breath, I said, “Yeah, I just overslept.” The truth was I was so ashamed of myself for reverting back to my old ways that I didn’t feel worthy of stepping foot back in the church. I couldn’t tell that to Tanner though. He would never understand.

“That’s okay. How about we go for coffee and I can fill you in on the message. It was a great service.”

I shook my head, glancing down at my disheveled appearance.

Tanner chuckled. “I can wait while you change.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want you to have to wait for me.”

“Hey, the first time I asked you to go to coffee you offered me a rain check. Well, I’ve come to collect and I won’t take no for an answer.” He winked.

I sighed. “All right. Come on in. But I’m warning you that you’re entering this loony bin at your own risk.” I spread my arms wide and let him step into our messy family room. His eyes widened when he took in the giant sculpture. As I closed the door behind him, he said, “Wow. That thing is terrifying. How can you stand it?”

I glanced back at the sculpture. It was pretty evil looking. I thought back to the nightmare I had about it. Honestly, I hadn’t really looked at it much after that. I was too scared the dream would come true.

“It is pretty creepy. My mom’s boyfriend got it for her. He says it’s chic.” I shrugged. “He’s a little eccentric.”

“I’ll say. Have you done any research on it?”

I shook my head.

“You might want to. It looks like some type of evil spirit. Maybe it’s an idol or some type of god or something. It could be dangerous to have it in your house.”

Shivering, I wrapped my arms around my body. What if he was right? Not that it would matter, because Mom would never let me get rid of it. But maybe this sculpture was the reason the nightmares and bad thoughts had returned. It was possible.

“Have a seat. I’ll be out in a minute.” I cleared a spot on the couch for him since Mom’s magazines and clothes took up much of it. My cheeks warmed with embarrassment at the clutter, but Tanner seemed nonchalant about it.

I raced back to my room to quickly change into a pair of jeans and a shirt. Afterward, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I caught sight of my reflection, I almost screamed. I couldn’t believe Tanner had seen me looking like this. Splashing water on my face, I washed off the remnants of sleep. Then, I picked up my hair brush and ran it through the tangles in my hair. It still looked terrible, so I pulled it back into a ponytail. Looking in the mirror, I decided it wasn’t great, but it was the best I could do at the moment. I had no desire to leave Tanner alone in my house any longer. Also, I knew if I took too long Mom would wake up, and Mom in the morning was even scarier than me.

We went to Thatcher’s Coffee. After ordering drinks, we sat at a table in the corner. It was crowded with people and the chatter bounced off the walls. The scent of strong aromatic beans filled the air.

I sipped my white mocha, enjoying the sweetness on my tongue and the warmth as it slid down my throat. Settling into my chair, I glanced out the window at the dreary October day. It looked like it might even rain with the gray fluffy clouds blanketing the sky.

Tanner took a gulp of his coffee and then set it down on the table. “So, you want to tell me the real reason you weren’t at church today?”

I looked at him, surprised. “I told you the reason. What? You don’t believe me?”

Tanner smiled. “I can tell when you’re not being entirely truthful. You do this shifty thing with your eyes.”

I felt totally exposed. How had he learned to read me in such a short period of time? In some ways it creeped me out, but in another way it made me feel happy.

Fiddling with the rim of the mug, I said, “I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this Christian thing. I keep screwing up.”

“We all screw up. That’s the point. We need His grace.”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s not like I mess up every once in awhile. I do it, like, all the time. It’s like I haven’t even changed at all.”