Jenny Pox (The Paranormals, Book 1) (25 page)

“Ashleigh…” Seth sighed. “I don’t know, Jenny.  I forgot.”

“
Maybe I can help you remember,” Jenny whispered.  She stroked her fingertips along his face, and looked him right in the eyes, their lips at kissing range. “Look at me, Seth.”

“
Jenny?” He touched her hand. A smile broke across his face, the first emotion he’d shown tonight.  His fingers traced up along her arm, then he lay his hand on her side. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

“
Are you awake now?”  Jenny asked. “Or still under her spell?”

“
I don’t know.” Seth looked nervously at the French doors.  “Is she gone?”

“
She’ll have her hands full for a minute.” And her nose, Jenny thought.  And maybe more, if the college guys got their way.

“
It’s addictive,” Seth whispered. “She fills you up with it, and the world is perfect.  Then it fades and you want more.  I wish I could stop.”

“
You can stop, Seth,” Jenny said. “I can help you.”

“
What do I do?” Seth whispered.

“
I don’t know,” Jenny said. “You tell her we’re together now.  You’re not going to be with her anymore.”

“
Oh.” Seth gave the French doors a frightened look, as if Jenny had advised him to jump in a cage with a hungry tiger, and pour a little steak sauce on himself, too. “Now?  Tonight?”

“
You’re killing me, Seth.” Jenny stood up and held out her hand. “Okay, then let’s take a break from this party.  You can walk me outside and show me all your trees and crap.”

“
That sounds good.” Seth took her hand.  They walked in through the French doors.  As they approached the stairs, Ashleigh and Cassie emerged from the hall, clinging to Davis.  His cousin Kevin trailed behind like a clumsy puppy who desperately wants to be part of the pack.

When Ashleigh saw Seth, she stiffened and put on a self-righteous face.  Then her eyes shifted to Jenny.  Coke-fueled self-righteousness ignited into coke-fueled outrage.

“Oh, my God!” Ashleigh said. “Seth?  Not Jenny Mittens again.  Come on!”

Davis, seeing Ashleigh’s boyfriend with another girl, apparently decided he was at a swingers’ party.  He dropped his hand down Ashleigh’s lower back, spreading his fingers along the tight curve of her ass in the black cocktail dress.  Ashleigh ignored him.

“We’re going for a walk,” Seth said.

“
You are not!  Why is she even here?” Ashleigh moved toward Seth, holding out one hand toward him.  Seth and Jenny both stared at Ashleigh’s hand, and Jenny felt very suspicious.  Davis reached after her, and when she was out of range, he turned the other way and embraced Cassie instead.  Cassie rolled her eyes, slipped away from him, and went to stand at Ashleigh’s side.

“
Don’t touch him,” Jenny said.  She moved herself in front of Seth, blocking Ashleigh’s access to him. 

“
Get out of my way, Jenny Mittens,” Ashleigh said. “I can touch my own boyfriend.”

“
Try it.” Jenny raised her own bare hand. “I’ll scratch your face open, Ashleigh.  Remember how that turned out last time?”

Jenny couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Ashleigh scared, but at that moment, Ashleigh looked terrified and confused.  Ashleigh’s jaw rubbed from side to side, working the muscles in her face.

“
Let’s kick her ass right now,” Cassie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet, full of new energy.  Her jaw was making the same weird, grinding movements. “I am so ready for a fight or something exciting to happen.”

“
No,” Ashleigh warned Cassie. “Don’t touch her.  Don’t let her touch you.”

“
Why not?” Jenny asked. “Cassie, bring it on.  I can take you.”

“
No!” Ashleigh threw an arm across Cassie’s stomach to block her. “Listen to me, Cassie.”

“
What’s your problem?” Cassie asked Ashleigh. “It’s only Jenny Mittens.”

“
Why don’t you tell her?” Jenny asked Ashleigh.

“
Why don’t you?” Ashleigh countered.

“
Is there something dangerous in my touch, Ashleigh?” Jenny asked. “Or is there something dangerous in yours?  Something that makes people love you, even though nobody should?”

Ashleigh froze.  She was looking a little pale.

“But that’s your secret, isn’t it, Ashleigh?” Jenny said. “Everyone thinks they like you because you’re just
so
lovable and
so
perfect.  But you enchant them.  It’s your big secret, isn’t it?  You touch and they love you.  Maybe, after all these years of doing it, you even believe all these people really do like you.”

Jenny stepped towards Ashleigh, raising her bare hand towards Ashleigh’s face.  Ashleigh screamed and ducked behind Cassie, using her best friend as a shield.

“That’s why you hate me so much, Ashleigh Goodling,” Jenny said. “Because I’m the one person you can’t control.  You do remember.  You know you’ll get Jenny pox.”

“
Shut up, Jenny Mittens!” Ashleigh lunged forward on the balls of her feet, then stopped herself and swayed back. “You’re such a bitch.  A crazy, crazy bitch.  Doesn’t she sound crazy?” she asked Cassie.

“
Totally,” Cassie agreed automatically, but her face looked dubious.  Maybe it didn’t sound completely, entirely crazy to her.

“
All three of us have it, Ashleigh,” Jenny said. “Different kinds of it.  Now we all know it.  And you know what I can do to you.” Jenny batted her open hand at Ashleigh’s face, and Ashleigh recoiled.

Jenny took Seth’s hand and they started down the stairs.  Ashleigh stood and watched them with her fists clenched at her hips.  Cassie gave Ashleigh a confused look, and so did Davis and Kevin.

“Man,” Davis said. “What have y’all been smoking?”

“
And do you have any left?   Ow!” Kevin added.

Jenny and Seth continued down the stairs with their hands together.  Jenny’s touch actually seemed to help him, like giving a strong cup of coffee to a sleepy drunk.  His eyes became clearer, and he walked straighter as they reached the bottom of the stairs.  It was the first time her touch had ever helped anyone. 

Jenny led him through the central hall, which widened into the front receiving hall, with her eyes on the open front doors and the driveway and the night beyond.  They only needed to get through that doorway, and they’d be free.

They passed the monumental granite chimney under the stern glares of Seth’s grandfathers.  Jenny accepted a wine glass from a passing waitress, drank it down, replaced it on the tray. 

A loud commotion sounded from the ballroom.  Ashleigh and Cassie charged into the front hall, followed by the Barretts, the Goodlings, and curious onlookers trailing after them to see why their hosts were running.

“
There they are!” Cassie shouted.  She and Ashleigh both pointed at Jenny.

“
Stay put, you two,” Mrs. Barrett ordered. “Liza May, I am disappointed in you.  Where are your parents?”

“
Her name isn’t Liza May, ma’am,” Ashleigh said. “Her name is Jenny Mittens. Morton.” 

Jenny couldn’t remember another time when Ashleigh had said her last name correctly.

“Is this true?” Mrs. Barrett asked.

“
Yes, ma’am,” Jenny said.

“
She wasn’t invited,” Ashleigh said. “She’s a country grifter.”

“
No, I invited her,” Seth said. “I told her she could come over anytime.  Right, Jenny?”

“
She wasn’t on the invite list,” Ashleigh said. “You can check.”

“
I don’t think I know any Mortons,” Mrs. Barrett said.  She turned to her husband. “Honey, do we know any Mortons?”

Mr. Barrett looked at Jenny very carefully with his bleary, drunken eyes.  Jenny knew the look well—he was trying to solve a problem that would have been very easy, had he been sober.  He took a long drink.  He sighed a little. Then he said, “Mr. Morton.  Business associate of mine.  I probably invited them.  Sorry, honey.”

“We’re going for a walk now,” Seth said, still pretty doped. “I like Jenny.”

“
I don’t think so, Jonathan Seth Barrett,” Mrs. Barrett said.  She opened her hand.  From her fingers, she dangled the plastic baggie of cocaine that had once belonged to Davis Jordan, sophomore in the pharmaceutical school at the College of Charleston.  The amount was much diminished, no more than a thimbleful.

“
Ashleigh tells me you brought this into my home,” Mrs. Barrett said. “And gave it to Seth and the other kids.”

“
I did not!” Jenny said. “Ashleigh and Cassie were doing it in the bathroom with some random guys—”

“
We happen to know Ashleigh very well,” Mrs. Barrett said. “And I don’t believe she would lie about this.”

“
Why would we bring it to Mrs. Barrett if it was ours?” Cassie asked. “Duh.”

Mrs. Barrett raised her eyebrows, as if to say that Cassie had just made a very astute point.

“Ashleigh’s a manipulative liar,” Jenny said. “She makes Dick Cheney look like Mr. Rogers.”

“
That is an ugly thing to say about Dick Cheney!” Dr. Goodling snapped. “And my daughter, as well.”

“
I didn’t know anybody had coke,” Seth said in his doped-out voice.  “Who has coke?”

“
It’s a little late to pretend, Seth,” Ashleigh said. “Heaven knows you’re obviously all druggied up.” Ashleigh darted in and seized Seth’s other hand, the one Jenny wasn’t holding.  Jenny was already too stunned at the drug accusation to react.  She didn’t register the importance of Ashleigh’s sudden grab, or the need to stop Ashleigh, until it was too late.

Seth’s eyes drooped, his pupils dilated, and he gave Ashleigh a big, relieved smile.  Ashleigh pumped the energy hard to take control of him, and an enormous wave of it washed through Seth and into Jenny.  Jenny felt a sudden, painful, physical urge to strip off her clothes and jump in bed with both Ashleigh and Seth, but especially Ashleigh.  Jenny’s heart bloomed, and she really could feel it open up like a delicate, many-petaled flower in the middle of her chest.  She didn’t know how she could ever have disliked Ashleigh at all. The girl was magnificent.  She was angelic.  Jenny longed to be close to her, and felt sad that her touch would only hurt Ashleigh.

“Let go of her,” Ashleigh said.  Seth released Jenny’s hand.  The bright, glowing adoration of Ashleigh faded quickly inside of Jenny, but left her with a happy, drugged afterglow.  After all, Ashleigh was still nearby.  Maybe Ashleigh would do it again.

“
Come on, Seth,” Ashleigh said. “Let your mom sweep up the trash.”  Ashleigh steered him up the front staircase.  She kept her shoulder under his arm as if he were drunk, which he wasn’t, and she were supporting him, which she wasn’t.

“
Where were you and my son going?” Mrs. Barrett asked.

“
Nowhere,” Jenny said. “Just for a walk.”

“
She told Ashleigh she planned to drug him up more and have weird drug sex with him.” Cassie spat the words out, fast as machine-gun fire.  Her eyes were very bright, her jaw grinding hard now. “She wanted to have weird drug sex with everyone.”

“
I didn’t say that,” Jenny told them.  She was still buzzing with Ashleigh-euphoria.  Too bad Ashleigh was out of the room.

“
Are you calling Ashleigh a liar?” Mrs. Barrett said.

“
Oh, no,” Jenny said. “Ashleigh wouldn’t lie.  Not without a good reason.”

Cassie seemed confused by this.

“Then you admit it,” Mrs. Barrett said.

“
Okay,” Jenny said.  She was a little dazed.  What was she admitting to?  The whole room had a warm, weird glow to it.  Seth’s dead ancestors leered down on her like funny zombie puppets.

“
I think it’s best you leave,” Mrs. Barrett said.  She put the cocaine in her own purse. “And we’ll be holding on to this, in case we need to contact the police.”

“
Okay,” Jenny said.  More than twenty people were looking at her now, some of them amused by the minor scandal.

A college guy emerged from the ballroom, carrying a glass of beer in one hand and a whiskey sour with the other.  He saw Jenny, raised his chin upward in a greeting, and winked at her.  It was the boy who’d given up his chair to Jenny on the veranda.

“One whiskey sour for the pretty lady,” the guy said.  He sauntered towards Jenny, but none of the crowd moved to let him through.  Twenty heads turned to stare at him with disapproval.

He stood there, perplexed, for a long minute.

“Oh-kay…” he finally said.  He headed for the stairs, keeping both drinks.  The faces all turned back to Jenny.

“
You’ll want to go that way.” Mrs. Barrett pointed at the door.