Finding Sky (13 page)

He grinned. ‘It’s a challenge when you’re wearing a bone suit. Do you realize you’re shining in the moonlight? I’ve never had a date do that before.’

‘And just who have you dated, Mr Benedict? Tina says your family don’t go out with girls from Wrickenridge.’

‘That’s true. You’re the exception. I dated a few—from Aspen mostly.’ He squeezed my waist. ‘How about you?’

I blushed, wishing I hadn’t started this conversation. ‘My friends back home did set me up with a boy once. It was a disaster. He was so in love with himself, it wasn’t true.’

‘So he wanted you for arm candy?’

‘What?’

‘For image.’

‘I suppose. Only went out twice before I got fed up. So you see my experience is pretty limited.’

‘Can’t say I’m sorry to hear that. Did you enjoy the party?’

‘The games were silly but fun.’

‘I hoped you’d mention them. I was particularly intrigued by what happened to that jelly.’ He started nuzzling my neck. ‘Hmm. Yep, you definitely didn’t get it all off.’

‘Zed!’ My protest was only half-hearted—I was enjoying his attentions far too much.

‘Ssh! I’m busy here.’

When ‘clean up’ as he called it was over, we turned into my road. As we did so, two boys dressed as axe murderers ran out of the mist, yelling at the tops of their voices. Their hands were bloody and they had fake knives through their heads. One carried a blade in his hands.

‘Here’s some more to massacre! Kill the wolf! Kill the skeleton!’ he screamed. ‘Charge!’ He ran straight for me; his bag of candy burst, scattering sweets all over the sidewalk. He didn’t slow, his blood lust very convincing. The knife came plunging towards me even as I tried to duck out of the way. I screamed, half afraid of him.

Zed went crazy. He grabbed the boy’s wrist and twisted so the knife clattered to the ground. He then jumped on top of him, pinning him down, wrenching his arms behind his back.

‘Stop it, Zed!’ I shouted, tugging my mask off. ‘He didn’t mean any harm—it’s a fake.’

The other boy leapt on Zed and fists began to fly, the three of them rolling around in a mix of pretend blood and squashed sweets. I couldn’t get anywhere near to pull the boys off Zed. My screams and the swearing from the fighters brought the neighbours running.

Mrs Hoffman bustled out of her door. ‘Police! I’ll call the police!’ She disappeared back inside.

‘No, don’t! Stop it, Zed—stop it!’

Worse, my parents came out, recognizing my voice above the rest.

‘Sky, what the hell’s happening?’ Simon shouted, sprinting towards me.

‘Stop them, Simon, stop them!’

Simon weighed in and caught the smallest of the three by the back of his jeans. The little guy came up swinging just as a cop car turned into our lane. There was a short burst of siren, then revolving lights illuminated the scene. Two other neighbours reached the scuffle before the policeman could get out of his vehicle; they separated Zed from the remaining axeman.

The cop took one look at the mayhem and sighed. ‘Who’s gonna tell me what this is all about?’ He took out his notebook. ‘I know you, Zed Benedict, and these are the Gordano twins, yes? And this little … er … lady skeleton?’

‘Her name’s Sky, Sky Bright, my daughter,’ Simon said stiffly. ‘She wasn’t fighting.’

‘You’re the English family, right?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I know these boys—they’re good boys,’ he said, looking at the twins. ‘Never had no trouble from them. Who started this?’

The policeman’s gaze turned to Zed and me. He thought he knew who was to blame.

‘He attacked Sky.’ Zed wiped blood from a split lip.

‘Well, duh! I was just playing, man: it’s Hal-oh-een, remember? Zed went ballistic, Officer Hussein.’ The axeman hugged his ribs.

‘Let’s take this down to the station, boys. I’ll get the duty doctor to take a look at you and phone your parents.’

‘Aw, officer!’ groaned the twins.

‘In the car.’

Zed shot me a desperate look. Our secret date was about to get exposed big time.

‘And you, young lady, I think we’ll need your side of this too. Perhaps your parents can bring you down. I seem to have my hands full of psycho killers and werewolves.’

‘I’ll bring her,’ said Simon in clipped tones.

Great. Date number two ends in the police station.

 

Officer Hussein wouldn’t let us talk to each other until he’d had a chance to get our own version of events. I didn’t dare risk telepathy, though the temptation was huge. But there was so much angry emotion rippling off Simon that I doubted any message would be able to penetrate the storm cloud.

‘I’m not going to ask what you were doing with him until we get back home,’ Simon fumed, as he gripped the steering wheel, driving me down to the station.

Now there was something to look forward to.

‘But you are in trouble, Sky. You broke our trust. We asked you to keep away from him for your own safety.’

He was right. Of course, he was right. But it wasn’t as if I’d planned it all. I’d just got carried away by the moment. We thought we’d taken enough precautions to make a simple date in a café a reasonable thing to do.

‘And I did not expect to have to spend my evening ferrying you to the town lockup!’

I hugged my knees, my head buzzing.

‘We’re trying to make a good name for ourselves in Wrickenridge, Sky. Your antics aren’t helping. Mr Rodenheim might send us packing if we reflect badly on his centre.’

I dropped my forehead to my knees. I’d been bad.

Simon looked across at me, alerted by my silence that all was not well.

‘Oh, bloody hell, darling, don’t do that.’ He pulled the car over and caressed the top of my head. ‘I’m just scared for you.’

‘Sorry.’

‘You make me feel like a monster. I’m cross, but it’s more at those idiotic boys than at you. I know you didn’t have anything to do with that. Please.’

I looked up at him. He must have seen the tears in my eyes. ‘I just wanted to be with him.’

‘I know, love.’

‘Is that wrong?’

‘Not in the normal course of things, no.’

‘We just went to the café. We kept our masks on almost all the time when we were on the streets.’

Simon heaved a sigh. ‘Oh, to be sixteen again. Just a coffee and it’s become a police matter.’

‘Zed’s on edge because of what happened in the woods. The axe boy was really convincing—and I screamed—I couldn’t help myself. Zed thought I was in danger.’

‘So, he over-reacted. I can understand that seeing how it’s my fatal flaw. Let’s go and find out what we can do for him then.’

Zed was sitting in the waiting area but the officer on duty ushered me through without letting us talk. I was taken into Officer Hussein’s office as the Gordano twins were leaving in the custody of their mother. I wished I’d had time to change out of my skeleton suit.

‘Not her fault,’ mumbled the bigger twin.

‘Looks like trash to me,’ said Mrs Gordano, her nose in the air.

‘Sky, take a seat.’ Officer Hussein pushed a bottle of water towards me. ‘I think I’ve got the full picture now, but why don’t you tell me your story.’

I briefly ran through the events from leaving the café.

‘What I can’t understand,’ said the officer, scratching his chest wearily—it had been a long night and it was only midnight, ‘is why Zed couldn’t see that it was a joke? He’s a big guy, taking on a boy a head shorter than him. It just don’t click for me.’

‘Zed Benedict was looking out for his girl, officer,’ said Simon, surprising me when he came to Zed’s defence. ‘He may be a head taller than that young man, but Sky is smaller than either of them. He would have seen a boy going for her with a knife. Sometimes you can’t think straight when you are scared for someone.’

‘Was anyone hurt?’ I asked.

Officer Hussein tapped his pad. ‘Not seriously. Ben Gordano has a couple of loose teeth but the dentist should be able to sort those out. It’ll cost though.’

‘Perhaps Zed could split the bill? It seems a suitable punishment,’ Simon suggested.

Officer Hussein rose to his feet.

‘Yeah, I guess that’s right. No one need go away with a record for this.’

He led the way back to the waiting room. Zed’s family had pitched up in the meantime—parents, Xav, Yves, and Victor all were there—and he was having to sit through a lecture on sneaking out and brawling in the streets. He looked frustrated rather than repentant, back to the sullen Wolfman of the first days of our acquaintance.

Officer Hussein clapped his hands to gain their attention. ‘All right, all right, people, let’s move this along. I want a word with Zed, then you can all go.’ He took Zed into the back room, leaving me with the Benedicts.

Victor came forward. ‘Mom, Dad, this is Mr Bright, Sky’s father.’

Our parents exchanged stiff nods. I don’t think Saul thought I was sweet any more. It looked more as if I left a sour taste in their mouths. Only Xav and Yves gave me a friendly smile.

‘Like the suit,’ whispered Xav. ‘You and your dad thinking of starting a new fashion?’

Yves scratched his chin. ‘Fascinating. Do you know, every bone is anatomically correct? Whoever made this has the mind of a medic.’

It only then struck me that Simon hadn’t changed either. He’d thrown on a coat but there was unmistakable evidence peeking out that he too was wearing luminescent bones.

I groaned. ‘Kill me now and bury me.’

‘I thought the idea of the skeleton was that someone had already done that,’ teased Xav.

‘Word’s going to get around, you know.’ Yves’s eyes twinkled behind his glasses.

‘Well, isn’t that a comforting thought.’

Xav rubbed his hands. ‘Yeah, everyone’s going to be talking about how Zed got cuffed and stuffed.’

‘He wasn’t cuffed.’

‘But he was stuffed in the back of the police car. Besides the handcuffs make for a better story. You’re both going to be quite infamous. I think Zed’ll like the new edge to his rep.’ He tweaked the unravelling end of my French plait. ‘Don’t worry, Sky, I’ll still talk to you.’

‘Thanks. You’re a hero.’

Our parting from the Benedicts reminded me of an exchange of hostile prisoners in one of those old war films. Zed and I were kept apart then frogmarched to our separate vehicles. He was looking ashen.

I feel like I’ve been suckerpunched.
He risked the thought even though we might be heard.
I can’t leave without saying
sorry. Again.

What happened?

I lost it, flipped out—all thanks to my freaking gift. I’d seen
what was going to happen, you see, months back. Saw you being
attacked with a knife. I hadn’t realized it was a fake.

But that’s good isn’t it? The threat wasn’t real.

Yeah, but you’ve just swapped my imagined threat for the real
one of assassins. Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful
world of the Benedict family. I’d better stop talking. Dad’s giving
me these weird looks.

Zed?

Yeah?

Take care.

You too. Love you.

He cut off.

‘Sky, are you all right?’ Simon asked, turning the key in the ignition. ‘You’re looking a bit pale.’

Zed had said he loved me. Was it just a throw-away comment or did he mean it?

‘I’m fine. Just need to get some sleep.’

Simon yawned. ‘We’ll have to report to the boss first.’

Zed loved me—maybe. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to believe him. The last thing I wanted was to fall in love because, deep down, I remembered that love hurt.

Our grand plan to pretend we weren’t a couple had been blown apart by our visit to the police station. The gossip was too hot for me to put the fire out with indifference or denial. Zed must’ve realized for he came to find me after my first class, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was towing me into an empty room.

‘Are you OK?’ He gave me a hug.

‘Fine.’

‘I’ve been hearing about this drop-dead gorgeous skeleton from everyone. Seems she had to report to a police station with some idiot who took on a couple of sophomores.’

‘What did your parents say?’

He gave a hollow laugh. ‘You really want to know? I’m going to have to work off my debt for Ben’s teeth with extra chores and go round to apologize. I’ve had to swear not to sneak out with you again. They make me feel about nine years old. You?’

‘It was OK. Simon blames you.’

‘Great.’

I wanted to ask Zed if he meant what he said about loving me but was too scared to ask.

He hugged me. ‘Yeah, I did.’

‘Stop nicking stuff out of my head.’

He ignored my protest. ‘I think I knew it from the moment you stood up to me in the parking lot, but, last night, when I saw you in the station dressed as a skeleton, defending me to the police, I knew for sure.’ He gazed down at me, framing my face in his hands. ‘I understand you still have issues with what I’ve been telling you, but it’s more than just a random pairing, Sky: I really feel so much for you, it’s scaring me to death. You are just … just everything—your smile, the way you think, the way you get embarrassed when I tease you, your stubborn streak.’

I sort of wanted to hear this—but also didn’t: how mixed up is that? ‘You’ve noticed I’m stubborn?’

‘Can’t miss it. To me, you’re the theme that harmonizes perfectly with mine.’ He trapped my gaze with his. ‘I’m in love with you.’

‘You are?’

His eyes deepened to a darker shade. ‘Sky, I’ve not felt like this before and it’s terrifying.’

‘Well, wow. Um … perhaps you should try to get over it. I’m not good at this relationship stuff.’

‘Sure you are. You just need time to adjust.’ He put his arms around me so I could rest my head against him and listen to his heart beating strong and steady.

I was so confused. Savants—soulfinders—all that did not hide that this was really about being committed to him. I’d spent many years defending myself by not exposing too much of my heart to other people; could I trust him enough to risk loving him back? What if I fell in love with him and got hurt? What if something happened to him?

‘What’s going on now? Has Victor had any luck finding the people after you or who betrayed you?’ I asked.

Zed leant against a desk, positioning me so my back rested on his chest, his hands looped round me, chin on the top of my head.

‘He thinks it’s most likely it goes back to Daniel Kelly.’

I turned to look up at his face. ‘Hey, I’ve heard of him. Doesn’t he build skyscrapers?’

‘That’s only a tiny part of what he does. He’s currently building a city-within-a-city in Las Vegas. It’s a massive complex of hotels, casinos, and apartments. But he does it with dirty money—not that anyone dare say as they’d be crushed by a ton of lawsuits. He’s got various relations heading different parts of his empire. Some are complete crooks—no better than the mafia. We caught a couple of them in Denver after a hit—we think on his orders, not that we could prove it; they went down for murder one a month ago—it was big news at the time.’

‘I remember them talking at school about it.’

‘Vick is trying to find out if they’ve got a savant on their payroll but it’s tough. They’re hardly going to talk to a Benedict and his sources are coming up dry. Kelly’s got it in for us now. Will and Uriel are at college in Denver so they’re watching each other’s back. The rest of us are confined to barracks.’

I linked my fingers with his.

‘What’s Will’s gift?’

‘He’s most like Dad, can sense trouble. He’s great at telekinesis too.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Moving stuff.’

‘Like lemons.’

‘Yeah.’ He smirked. ‘I’m way better than Xav at it.’

The bell rang in the hallway. ‘I’m missing maths.’

‘That’s too bad. I’ve missed being with you.’

‘I’ll get detention.’

‘Then I’ll get it too. Great idea.’

‘Won’t you risk getting thrown out—Tina said you were in trouble again.’

‘No, they won’t dare. I’ll send you along to the principal’s office in your skele-suit. Man, I love that outfit.’

When no class came in, we realized we had another hour to ourselves.

‘So are you going to tell me the rest of it, about your family?’

He sat on the windowsill and helped me up beside him. ‘Yeah, I suppose it’s past time. We all can do different stuff like telepathy, but we each have a main gift. You know about Dad sensing danger. Mom sees the future and can read thoughts off people: she’s the most like me, I guess. Together they can maintain a guard around the house—it’s part of their combined power as soulfinders. Trace can read objects. If he touches something, he can see the person or the event that brought it there.’

‘Very handy for a cop.’

‘We think so. It’s either that or be an archaeologist. Uriel, I think I mentioned, sees the past. Victor can manipulate people’s thinking …’

‘What!’

‘Yeah, he channels emotion and thoughts. Not so good when you find yourself agreeing to do the dishes when it’s his turn. Xav’s a healer. And Yves can handle energy, make things explode, catch fire and so on.’

‘Bloody hell! Yves looks so … well, so friendly and studious.’

‘It was scary when he was a toddler, Mom says, but he’s got it under control.’

‘How can your family do these things?’