The Girl and The Raven (9 page)

“Nah, they bribed me with their famous fried pickles.” A smile pulls at the corners of his mouth. He plucks one of the fried pickles from the tray and tosses it into his mouth.

“Yeah, they’re pretty irresistible.” I smile back at him. I try to imagine what Ella would do right now. Should I flick my hair? Lick my lips? The problem is…I would screw it up and wind up looking foolish.

Marcus leans into me. “We need to talk later.” His voice is low as his eyes sweep the room. “Certain measures have been put into place.”

“What kind of—”

Katie returns, followed by her mom. Ms. Stevens’ tight black-and-white animal print top bares most of her cleavage. She shimmies toward me in tight white jeans and high heels. I hope she doesn’t notice my double take.

“Happy Birthday, Lucy,” Ms. Stevens says through overglossed red lips as she hands me a small wrapped gift. She leans in to give me a hug. Her cloying perfume is overwhelming. I try not to make a face.

“Thank you, Ms. Stevens.” I set the gift on the counter next to me, then hug her back. Over her shoulder, Katie scowls, her arms wrapped around her stomach.

“Good to see you, Marcus.” Ms. Stevens flashes him a flirty smile. “Is your brother joining us tonight?”

“He’s at work. He may come by later, though.” Marcus’ tone is polite. I’m impressed that he never once checks out her boobs.

“Well, I hope so.” She winks before joining my uncles on the other side of the room, accepting a glass of wine.

“Sorry about that,” Katie mutters, her face beet red. “Apparently she and Jerry had a huge fight, so tonight she wants to flirt with Aiden.”

“Don’t worry about it.” It’s a relief to know that I’m not the only one with embarrassing parental situations. “It’s funny, though, you really look
nothing
like her.”

I want to talk to Marcus about the mysterious security measures, but not in front of Katie. I recall Jude Morgan’s comment that Aiden works for him and I want to ask him about that, but don’t want to have to explain Jude to Katie, either. Besides, if Ms. Stevens hears us talking about Aiden, she might come back. “So…you go to St. Pat’s?”

Marcus raises an eyebrow slightly and nods. I guess subtlety isn’t my strong suit. “Yeah, I’ll be a junior. What about you?”

Our eyes lock and it takes a moment to find my voice. “Um…I’ll be a sophomore. I don’t know where I’m going yet.”

“We’re hoping she’ll be going to St. Aquinas Academy with me,” Katie says as she grabs a plate and fills it with fried pickles, dip, soft pretzel bites, chips and salsa.

I nod. “It would be nice to start the school year knowing at least one person.”

Katie talks to Marcus about some people they both know and what they’re up to. I nibble on a pretzel bite, relieved to have a break from the pressure of small talk. I try not to be obvious as I stare at him, studying the slightly messy style of his hair and how he looks at the floor whenever he smiles. He’s got dimples. And a small scar above his lip. I wonder how he got it.

His voice is gentle but commanding—Katie hangs on his every word. Do I look like that when he’s talking to me?

I love his frown. I love the way he looks at the ceiling when he can’t find the right word. I really love how he took Ella’s hand off his arm when she flirted with him at the mall.

I see why all the girls at Katie’s middle school were crazy about him. When his intense brown eyes fix on me, I can’t think straight. It’s as if he’s trying to see inside of me, to peek at all my secrets. I look away quickly, not wanting him to know that beneath the cute clothes, I grew up in a trailer park shopping with food stamps.

“Where do you go every morning?” I blurt out. He and Katie pause their conversation and turn to me. My cheeks grow hot.
I can’t believe I said that out loud.

“I’ve been helping out at St. Pat’s Church, a remodeling project with Father Bill.” He tries to suppress a smile. “I’m surprised you noticed. You’re gone a lot.”

“That’s because us girls have been keeping her busy.” Katie laughs awkwardly. “Actually, it’s all because of Ella and Caroline. They’re always on the hunt for the next hot guy hangout. Not that we’re…not that Lucy’s looking…”

Marcus averts his gaze, his mouth pressed in a grim line. I resist the urge to kick Katie and open my mouth to explain, to tell him I’m not spending my time chasing guys. But before I can say a word, the doorbell rings. The pizzas have arrived. Marcus excuses himself to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

“Katie!” I hiss. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry.” She grabs my arm, her big blue eyes frantic. “I don’t know why I said that. I swear! I…I got nervous and couldn’t shut up!”

I worry that Marcus is mad at me, which stinks since it isn’t my fault. Besides, isn’t there some kind of rule that people aren’t allowed to be mad at the birthday girl? He doesn’t leave, fortunately, but he makes a point of staying far away from me for the rest of the night.

Once the pizzas are devoured, Sheldon pushes me into a chair and brings the cake in with sixteen candles blazing. It’s decorated with big purple and pink flowers all made out of whipped cream frosting. The message reads:
Happy Birthday Lucy and Welcome Home!

“Happy Birthday Lucy!” Momma tickles me and I laugh. Gram lights all six candles on my homemade cake, a smile on her face. Yellow cake with vanilla frosting. Strawberries in the middle. Sheldon takes photos as Bernard leads them in the birthday song. I squeeze my eyes shut and wish that Momma and I could stay with Gram forever. Then I blow out the candles.

I’m embarrassed by the tear that slides down my cheek. I wipe it away as Sheldon arranges everyone around me for a photo. After several shots, he passes the camera to Katie, who’s whispering to her mom.

As Katie fusses with the camera, Ms. Stevens walks by and hip bumps me onto Marcus’ lap. The room falls silent, with the exception of my loud gasp. I’m sure my cheeks are as red as Ms. Stevens’ lipstick as everyone stares at us. Marcus and I look at each other at the exact moment that Katie snaps a photo. Maybe later I’ll be happy to have the photo, but at the moment I grit my teeth and slide off of Marcus’ lap. I shoot a dirty look at Katie before disappearing into the kitchen to get a glass of water and hide from my guests.

By ten o’clock Katie and her mom head for the door.

“So much for your brother coming by, huh,” Ms. Stevens says to Marcus, her voice too loud, as she teeters past him.

I grudgingly return Katie’s hug.

She presses her lips close to my ear. “I know you’re mad at me, but you should know…
he
wasn’t upset at all.”

“You’re a trouble maker,” I accuse. Is it true? Did Marcus
like
having me on his lap?

I return to the kitchen and find Marcus cleaning off countertops while my uncles load the dishwasher.

“Why don’t you two go watch TV. We’ll finish this up,” Bernard offers, drying his hands on a dishtowel.

Marcus raises an eyebrow. “Do you want to go up on the roof?” He glances at my uncles. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Bernard responds before Sheldon has a chance to. 

I follow Marcus upstairs to his apartment. It looks pretty much the same as last time, except that the guitar is missing. Once on the balcony, Marcus grabs the rungs on the ladder and climbs upward. I’m right behind him. He takes hold of my hand and helps me over the ledge. A tingly sensation races up my arm as his thumb strokes mine. Marcus releases my hand and rests his elbows on the railing, studying the quiet street below.

“I’m sorry about earlier…Katie and the photo.” My cheeks flush. Could he tell how much I liked the feeling of his hands on my waist as he caught me? Oh God. What if he thinks I planned it?

“Don’t worry about it.” He glances over his shoulder at me and my mouth goes dry as our gaze meets. My stomach sinks to my toes and my heart is hammering in my chest. Does he have any idea the effect he has on me? He returns his attention to the street. I try to relax. This isn’t a big deal, right? So why are my nerves snap crackling like it’s the fourth of July?

Tension settles at the base of my neck and spreads to my shoulders as silence stretches between us. I roll my shoulders slightly.

Marcus scoots over, making room for me. I lean on the railing next to him. A cool breeze kicks up, bringing the scent of rhododendrons from Gram’s garden. My favorite, after the lilacs. The air is filled with the rustling chatter of leaves. 

“Is it true? What Katie said about you and your friends?” Marcus asks, his gaze fixed on the scene below.

I shrug. “Pretty much. When the six of us go out together, Ella and Caroline basically decide where we’re going, which usually involves them scouting for guys. Whenever I try to speak up and suggest we do something different…something the rest of us want to do...Ella rips me a new one. I love Katie—Cloe and Suzy, too—but Ella’s evil. She’s always on me for something. Caroline isn’t as bad, but I’m sick of her, too.”

He whips around to face me, his tone fierce. “So stop hanging out with them!”

“Easy for you to say!” I push off the railing, feeling attacked. “I’m new here. I don’t have many friends.”

“It doesn’t sound like Ella’s your friend,” he shoots back.

He doesn’t understand. I have decent friends for the first time in my life. What if it’s a package deal? I don’t want to rock the boat and risk losing them all. Besides, why does he care who I hang out with?

The breeze turns blustery and my hair whips my face. 

“So, what’s the deal with you and your brother?” It’s his turn to answer some questions. “And where are your parents?”

My questions are swept away by a gust of wind.

“We should go inside.” Marcus leaves the railing, a grimace on his face as he scans the street. “A storm is coming.”

“Just a few more minutes,” I tell him, trying to ignore the goose bumps breaking out all over my body. Being with him is my ultimate birthday wish come true. I don’t want it to end, even if he’s sort of being a jerk.  

“Sure.” His posture is rigid. I can’t tell if he’s tense about the oncoming storm or because of my friends.

I rest my lower back against the railing, folding my arms over my chest. Marcus mimics my stance, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. We stand side by side, our shoulders touching. I simultaneously shudder from the cold and melt from the warm pressure of his arm against mine. 

“Aiden?” I remind him.

“What about him?” He avoids my gaze.

“You probably know lots about me, since you’re friendly with Persephone. So, why all the secrecy?”

“Maybe some skeletons need to be left in their closets.”

I push away from the railing, my eyes narrowing. “Again, I’m going to assume you know a lot about me, so don’t you
dare
tell me about skeletons and closets.”

Marcus continues to stare at the houses below. The wind picks up, starts to howl. I ignore the cold as anger simmers inside of me. I’m tempted to punch him in the shoulder to get his attention.

“Aiden isn’t my brother.” 

I’m sure I heard him wrong. “What?” 

I study his profile. He’s clenching and unclenching his jaw.

“Lucy…this is going to sound crazy. I know Persephone and Aiden don’t feel you’re ready…” His voice is rough as he pulls his hands from his pockets and crosses them over his chest.

“Ready for what?” His grim expression unnerves me. “Why does everyone think you and Aiden are brothers?” 

“Because that’s what we tell them,” he says. He takes a few steps away and then spins around to face me. “Lucy, there’s so much I want to tell you, but…I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s all part of the plan. To protect you.”  

“Oh, here we go—” I snort.

“It’s like Persephone told you. You’re in danger here.” His eyes plead with me as he takes a step toward me.

I rub my arms absently against the chill as I think back to my meeting with Persephone. Did she say I was in danger? “The security measures you mentioned earlier…what are they? Or is that top secret, too?”

“An alarm system.” 

“That’s it?” It’s silly, but I was kind of hoping Marcus was going to continue to watch over me.

He grins. “Trust me. This isn’t
any
alarm system. This one is special. Persephone and Henry cast a spell on all the windows and doors of the three-flat. If he tries to enter—”

“
He
? Who is
he
?” I ask harshly. No one gets it. I need to know so I can take care of myself.

“If he tries to enter, he’ll be subjected to a noise that’ll drive him insane. You and your uncles will hear it too, but not the same way.”

“Tell me who it is!” For a moment, I forget the cold as my temper flares. “What about my uncles? Are they in danger, too?”

Marcus shakes his head, his expression thoughtful. “We don’t think so. No.”

“That’s reassuring!” I wait several seconds, but he doesn’t say anything else. “Can you at least tell me why he’s after me?”