Seers (20 page)

“You’re right,” I said, and he looked up questioningly. “They’re awesome.”

He smiled a little. “I’m glad you think so.” He stood, pulling up his tray with him. “Come on—we’re going to be late to Biol-ogy.”

We almost were. There weren’t two empty seats together, so for really the first time all day we weren’t actually together. As I was pulling out my notes for the class, I accidentally pulled out

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my Lit notebook. Seeing the cover suddenly reminded me of the sketch I’d been working on last week—the one of Patrick. A quick glance around the room assured me that everyone was safely focused on our teacher, Mrs. Johnson. I couldn’t resist—I opened the notebook, and quickly found the right page.

The unfinished face of Patrick O’Donnell was staring up at me, looking as pensive on paper as he did in life. True, his eyes seemed harder in this than I would have drawn them now, knowing the truth about him as I did. Without actually meaning to, I began to amend my mistakes, and I continued the sketch.

I was completely absorbed in my work, and for the first time I regretted that I hadn’t taken an art class this semester. In the end, I suppose I’d been avoiding my talent since my parents died.

I don’t really know why.

Slowly the face came to life before my eyes. I’d always been good at capturing emotion, and the lines of his jaw seemed perfect. I tried a few different things with his eyes, but I couldn’t get them quite right. I finally decided that it was the best I could do with a sketch, and moved my attention to touching up his hair.

The bell rang, startling me. I set my pencil down and closed the book quickly, like I was hiding something. Which, admittedly, I was. I didn’t want anyone even thinking that I might be drawing a lifelike rendition of Patrick O’Donnell.

I shoved my stuff back into my bag, and looked up just in time to see Patrick walking quickly out of the room, his phone at his ear. Puzzled, I stood, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. I made my way through the students still in the room, but by the time I was in the hall, I couldn’t see Patrick anywhere.

I just stood there for a moment, letting the traffic of rushing students slide around me. Eventually I decided that my standing there was dumb. So I turned and headed for the choir room, growing more and more worried every second.

It was pretty easy to assume that Toni had been the one calling Patrick. But was something wrong? Why else would he have left 150 K • • •

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without giving me a reason? I knew his exit hadn’t been planned, or else he would have mentioned something to me. Or would he have?

Was I wrongly assuming that I was somehow part of the Demon-catching team? I mean, true I was the one who could see them, but did that mean I was going to be involved in everything that went on in that crazy world? Probably not.

Choir seemed to be extra long today. I just kept looking at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. It didn’t. At least, not for a long time.

Five minutes before we’d be released, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I pulled out my phone, sort of ducking behind the girl in front of me.

Where r u? I sent him, pushing the buttons a bit too fiercely.

I sort of expected him to ignore me, but my Guardian angel was quick to reply. Not even a full minute had passed before I was looking at his words. Is something wrong?

I rolled my eyes and answered quickly. No. Where r u?

Two minute wait this time. With Toni. Explain later.

“Of course,” I muttered to myself. The girl next to me shot me a weird look, but once she saw my phone out she understood. I wasn’t talking to myself. Not really.

A minute later the bell rang, and I was one of the first ones out. I walked the short distance to the band room, where Lee told me she’d be staying with another senior named Rodney, who was a bit of a nerd, but in a good, cute kind of way.

“He offered to help me clean a few drawers out, and he’ll take me home after.” She shrugged. “Less work for me in the long run, right?” She leaned closer, and her voice was really low. “I’ll call you once I’m home, though—you have a lot of explaining to do.” Like that gave me something to look forward too.

I walked out to my car alone, but someone was waiting for me once I got there.

Aaron was reclining against the driver’s door, his arms folded tightly across his chest. When he saw me approaching, he leaned

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away, though his arms remained folded.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in the pool?” I asked, hoping that my voice sounded as carefree as I needed it to be.

“Yeah, soon—I wanted to tell you goodbye.” He waited until I’d stepped up to him, and then he leaned down and kissed me. “I missed you at lunch,” he said, drawing back out of the kiss.

I winced. “Sorry about that. Lee wanted to sit with the special needs kids for a change.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Patrick was there too, wasn’t he?” My eyes narrowed, and I saw his mouth tighten in response.

His aura—rapidly turning a dark shade of purple—proved his next words to be a lie. “I’m not worried or anything, I just want to know what’s going on with you two. You guys always seem to have a lot to talk about.”

“What do you mean? I’m just trying to be friendly.”

“Sure, I understand. It’s just that . . . I’d really appreciate it if you’d sit with me at lunch, okay? It doesn’t look good for my girl-friend to spend more time with some random guy than with me.”

“Aaron, you’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not,” he argued, though the flaring purple around him was clear. “I’m only trying to make sure everything’s still okay between us.”

“Of course it is,” I assured him, my fingers nearly strangling the strap of my bag. “Just because we’re together doesn’t mean we can’t have other friends, right?”

“I wasn’t saying you couldn’t. I only meant that I think it’s weird when you talk more to Patrick than you do to me.” He sighed deeply, and if I couldn’t see the purple still surrounding him, I would have thought he was letting the fight go. “Look, if you’re really worried about him being friendless, maybe Jaxon and I can start being better guys, all right? But you don’t have to be his only friend.”

“Well, I didn’t see anyone else lining up for the job.”

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“By sitting with the special needs kids at lunch? Is that a bad thing to you?”

“Of course not! Look, can you just let this go? I don’t want us to fight over something as stupid as this.” I pushed past him, drawing out my keys.

“Ah, Kate, come on . . .”

I opened the door and climbed in. Only after I was reaching for the door did I look up at him. “I don’t want to have this fight either. So I’m going to go now, and try and forget that you said that. Good luck at practice. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I pulled the door closed, and refused to look at him again as I started the car, and backed slowly out of the parking space.

I didn’t look out at him as I shifted into gear, or as I drove away. I would never know if he stood there watching me go, or if he turned and left the instant my door fell closed.

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Eighteen

Jenna and Josie climbed into the backseat, neither of them commenting on Lee’s absence. Josie just busied herself with hooking up my iPod, and Jenna grumbled loudly about a boy who kept looking at her all through lunch.

“I mean, that’s not creepy or anything,” she groaned sarcastically. “The worst part is that I heard from Marci who heard from Sara who heard Brenna tell Danny that Nick likes me! Ugh! Nick Palmer. I mean, could I have a more disgusting guy like me?”

“Hey, isn’t he the one who beat you at the spelling bee last year?” Josie asked.

“Barely,” Jenna drawled. “It’s only because I got the word hygiene,” she said it like it was a disgusting word. “I mean, what sort of person expects a ten year old to know that one?”

“Nick Palmer did,” Josie pointed out.

“He had the nerve to embarrass me in front of the entire school, and now he actually dares to like me?” I glanced in the rear-view mirror at my sister. “You know, I thought I had problems, but you’re right—you’re in trouble.” She sighed loudly. “Yeah, thanks.” What I wouldn’t give to be eleven again.

s

I got home and decided to work on some homework I’d been avoiding. It was the sort of distraction I needed, and it kept me

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busy for a good hour and a half. Just as I was putting things away and wondering what I should do next, Lee called.

She didn’t waste a second.

“Okay, I saw that look between you and Patrick. What’s going on? I thought you were still scared of him and his aura? Are you taking the whole undercover ops thing a little too far? What about Aaron?”

“Calm down, it’s not like that at all. We just sort of—well, I guess we’re kind of friends now.”

“What happened? Last I heard, you didn’t trust him. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I don’t know. We just started talking—at your party. He’s a good guy.”

“What about his aura?”

“Well, it hasn’t changed, but . . . I think he’s pretty normal.” It was a complete lie, but I knew Lee wouldn’t catch it.

“Well, you certainly had a moment during lunch. I mean, what was that? You were totally flirting with him!”

“I was not. I didn’t do anything!”

“Yes you were. And so I repeat—what about Aaron?”

“What about him?”

“He’s sort of your boyfriend, remember?”

“Yeah, I do. Being friends with Patrick doesn’t change that.” Her voice held laughter. “I think Patrick has more than friendship on his mind.”

“No way. I mean, he knows I’m taken.”

“Well, that wasn’t a ‘we’re just friends’ look. It practically seethed with meaning.”

I pressed my fingertips against my desk. I wanted to believe her words, but I knew I had to deny them. “There wasn’t any of that. Honestly. Aaron and I are perfectly happy together, end of story.”

“You can lie to yourself, but you can’t fool me. I know what I saw. But, you know, if you’re sure that you don’t reciprocate any

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feelings . . .”

“Not even close,” I assured her.

“Good. Then why don’t we do a whole double date thing this Friday? You and Aaron, me and Patrick.”

“What about Toni?” I asked quickly, knowing he was my only possible weapon.

“What about him? He’s a college guy. I’m not really holding my breath on a relationship, so I might as well snatch up the most gorgeous available guy at school. Unless, of course, you’d rather I kept my distance . . .?”

I wanted to grind my teeth together, but I knew she’d hear that and guess my thoughts—and that’s exactly the sort of thing I was trying to avoid. “Not at all.”

“Then it’s a date. Be sure to tell Aaron as soon as possible.” I had a call coming in on the other line, and a quick glance showed me it was Patrick. “Hey Lee, I gotta run—Grandma’s calling me.”

“‘Kay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I hung up with a quick goodbye, and then I pressed send.

“Hello?”

“Hey Kate, it’s me—Patrick.”

“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound uninterested.

He got right to the point. I guess immortal people don’t enjoy beating around the bush as much as regular human beings.

“I’m sorry I left like that. But Terence was at the warehouse, and well . . . I needed to speak with him. I hope it didn’t alarm you, though.”

“Nope. Not at all. Why would it?” He spoke slowly, and it was easy to imagine him pacing in front of his dilapidated couch. “Well, you’ve had a lot of new things to process, and security is important when you’re surrounded by things you don’t understand. I just wanted to apologize because I promised I’d be around, and then suddenly I wasn’t.”

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“Of course. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.” I sighed a bit too deeply, and then shook my head—though of course he wouldn’t see that. “No, you haven’t offended me.”

“Are you mocking my speech?” He asked, that small smile evident in his words.

I laughed once despite myself. “For a two-hundred and something year old, you actually do pretty good.”

“Um, thank you. I think.”

I hesitated. “What’s that like, anyway? I mean, really? Do you like . . . know everything?”

He chuckled. “Not even close. I believe it’s impossible for one person to know everything—no matter how long they live.” He paused, gathering his thoughts, then slowly continued. “When you die, you keep your maturity level forever.”

“That explains Toni, I guess,” I joked, trying to digest what he’d just told me.

“Yes, it does.”

“How old is he?”

“I believe he was born in 1812.”

I shook my head, hardly believing it. “That’s so weird.”

“What’s weirder is to think that we’re some of the younger ones.”

“So, even though you’ve lived for so long, you still act eighteen?”

“As opposed to being a boring old sage? Yes.”

“So it’s kind of like the whole Peter Pan thing. Live forever, but never grow up.”

He chuckled. “Yes, in many ways. Of course we still have experiences, but they don’t age us. If that makes any sense at all.”

“No, it sort of does.” His light laugh was contagious—I couldn’t keep the smile from my own face.

“Kate!” Josie screamed up the stairs. “Grandma says come down for dinner right now!”

“What was that?” Patrick asked, deeply curious.

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“Just Josie—my sister. I guess it’s time for dinner.”

“She has . . . quite a voice.”

“Yes, she does.”

“Kate,” as soon as he’d started, he stopped.

“Yes?” I prompted.

There was a short, deliberating silence. And when he finally spoke, I knew that they weren’t the words he’d originally wanted to say. “I’ll just talk to you tomorrow.” I bit my lower lip, but decided not to press him. “All right.