Ravens (18 page)

“Kendra.” She didn’t know why she forced
a smile.

“That’s a lovely smile, Kendra; hope to
see more of it. I would like to get to know you. You seem a little tortured,
and I hate when anyone’s in pain.”

“I’ve heard that before,” she muttered.

His smile faded. “The world isn’t fair,
is it? You have unique, and, might I add, cool powers, but you've been ousted
from society. I’m accepted, but wish I had your gifts. If you’d like, after
school, maybe we can get some coffee? I teach at the Ferguson Middle School
back toward town. School gets out at three.”

“I might meet you there.”

“Great. Well, Kendra, it was nice having
met you.”

“Likewise.”

Randal smiled and walked away with hands
still clutching his backpack.

When Randal disappeared from her sight,
Kendra groaned and leaned back against the tree trunk, hitting her head against
it. What a messed up world. Reunited with an amnesiac sister and foul childhood
friend, then meeting this world’s version of Randal, nice but human. 

If Julie lived alone, Kendra could live
with her and tell her stories from the other world. Maybe Julie could move out
of Liam’s place and move in with Kendra, or Kendra could live alone in the
apartment complex until she figured things out.

A voice startled her. She jerked her
head toward the thicket of trees. Liam emerged and strolled around a wide oak
tree. He crossed his arms and leaned against the trunk. “That Randal guy can’t
keep from sniffing around you in any world, can he?”

Kendra fumed. “I told you to leave me
alone.”

“You know I can’t do that, darling,
especially in this world.”

“Yeah, the world you trapped me in. I’m
here
because
of you.”

Liam dropped his head and exhaled. “I’m
sorry for manipulating you, but I was desperate and it was all I could do. Can
you tell me you wouldn’t have tried the same if you’d been in my shoes? I’d go
mad if I lost Julie.”

“I know the feeling,” she grumbled.

“To be honest, as much as I worried
about her, I was pretty excited to get in contact with you. I honed in on
hidden powers.”

“Glad I could be of service in more than
one way,” she retorted.

“I grew protective of you, Kendra. Don’t
you know I care about you?”

Kendra rolled her eyes.

“I thought I could have the best of both
worlds: Your help in finding Julie and you being here with me. I created some
wild emotional love affair through my own illusions with you and I became
obsessed. I was always in your head, whether I wanted to be there or not. I was
being selfish; I’ll admit that much. I really wanted you here in person, and it
wasn’t fair to you or your family. But...at least one good thing came out of
this, right?”

“Julie. I don’t regret that part.”

“I involved you in this, so I can’t just
leave you alone. I couldn’t even leave you alone when you were safe in the
other world. I have to watch out for you because I care about you and always
have. And that’s a torturous thing, because I know you hate me and want nothing
to do with me, and here I am, running after you like a dog on a short leash.
You can push me away all you want, but I’m not giving up. I’m as responsible
for you as much as I am for Jules.”

Liam slid down the trunk and sat on the
ground with legs stretched out, and crossed his ankles. He laced his fingers
behind his head as if leisurely enjoying a fine day.

“Do you really want me to go away?”

“If I say yes, will you go away?”

“Not likely. You’re stuck with me.”

“Fabulous.” Kendra crossed her arms and
looked away.

It seemed an infinite amount of time
lapsed while the two sat motionless in a world that slowly moved around them.

The sun passed overhead, and the shadows
moved with it. The heat might’ve been bearable in the shade, but a minute too
long in the sunshine would bake them into crispy Raven treats. Kendra
entertained the thought of going out for a drink, perhaps an iced coffee on
such a warm day. Maybe she would meet up with Randal after all. He could be her
lifeline until she figured this out.

“Are you just going to sit there and
stare at me all day?” Kendra snapped.

“I like looking at you.”

“Well, any minute now, I’ve got to get
on my way for my date.”

“With that Randal guy? How many parallel
Randals do I have to keep away from you?”

“Does that bother you?”

Liam stiffened, then relaxed. “If he
buys you dinner, can you bring some back for me?”

“If he takes me to dinner, I might not
go back to you.”

Liam stiffened again, jealousy
flickering across his expression. “I don’t want you going out with him. No
Randal guy is laying his hands on you.”

“I’ll let him do whatever I want him to
do to me. Randal never lied to me, never hurt me. You’re not in my head
anymore.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t hear you in my head telling me
not to go out with Randal. In fact...” She stood. “I just hear your voice
outside of my head. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet Randal later, but I think
you swayed my vote.”

“Are you stinking kidding me?” He jumped
to his feet.

“I have no money, I’m hungry, and I’d
rather talk to him than sit here arguing with your stupid face.”

He smirked. “As I recall, darling, my
face wasn’t so stupid when you were kissing it.”

Knock it off butterflies or I will end
you!
She chastised herself. The mental threat didn’t work. The swarm ignored her and
kept frolicking in chaotic spasms.

“Bye, Liam.” Kendra stomped away.

He didn’t follow right away. He stood
and clenched his fists in bitter control of his searing powers. He pressed his
lips into a thin line, and a growl rumbled something belligerent in his throat.

Kendra left the park, and wandered
through the streets as Liam’s scent faded behind her. She caught up to a woman
who moved painstakingly slow. Kendra groaned. So many things in this world
annoyed her, most of all that impish Neanderthal, Liam. Even now, when she went
to meet a nice guy for an innocent drink, her thoughts rolled back to Liam.

Kendra kept her eyes downcast and
watched the woman’s purse sway at her hips. Light reflected off something
black. A pair of sunglasses swung on to the side pocket.

Should I
? Kendra
pondered. She needed to conceal her eyes so she could walk around without
drawing attention to herself and she didn’t have money to buy her own, but
stealing was wrong. If she stole to protect herself, was it still wrong? She
had to take it if she wanted to remain safe and alive. If she had to kill, she
could steal.

This world didn’t make her a better
person. No wonder Liam turned out the way he did.

Kendra followed the woman for another
block before hurrying into her. She hooked her finger under the glasses and
lifted. They fell out.

“Sorry,” Kendra apologized without
meeting the woman’s stare.

The woman glanced at Kendra and clutched
her bag. She picked up her pace and moved along. Kendra bent down, pretending
to tie her shoes. She stood and walked back the way she came, kneeling to pick
up the glasses on the ground. It wasn’t technically stealing if they fell on
the ground in public.

Kendra cleaned the specs with her shirt
and slipped on the shades. They were a nice fit. It would’ve been a shame to
let them go to waste, and it felt nice to hold her chin high again.

She jogged across the street when
traffic slowed, and strolled onto school grounds. Several lingering children
waited for rides while others opted to walk home. She never thought she’d miss
being a part of a simple crowd and blending in.

Chapter Seventeen

Kendra wandered through the halls,
smiling at the children and the few teachers who lingered. She could find
normality if she hid her Raven features. No one suspected a thing, no one
screamed, no one chased her out, and no one called security. Never in a million
years did she expect to have the label “Dangerous Person”.

Only a few doors remained opened, but
she found Randal’s small classroom. Could he have a more boring job?

Randal bent over his desk, filing papers
into a binder, which he stuffed into his backpack. His broad desk sat at the
head of the class, against the far wall in front of the windows where he
observed his students. Math notes covered the walls, and three neat rows of
five desks each filled the center of the room.

Two chalkboards acted as walls. Kendra
remembered the dreaded call from the teacher to the front of the class to work
out math problems, probably the most horrid part of school. How could this guy
be an accomplice to major school anxiety?

Randal zipped up his backpack. He
reached into his back pocket, retrieved his cell phone, and flipped it open. He
sucked in a breath, slumped his shoulders, and shook his head.

“Expecting a call?” Kendra asked.

Randal smiled when he noticed Kendra
leaning against his doorframe with a hand perched on her hip.

Randal licked his lips. “So you decided
to take me up on my offer?”

“Sort of. It’s pretty hot out. Instead
of coffee, how about something a little cooler?”

“What do you have in mind?” He tossed
the backpack over his shoulder.

She shrugged. “I’m new to town,
remember? What do you suggest?”

“There’s a nice little burger place not
far from here that’s known for their drinks.”

“Sounds refreshing.” She straightened up
as he approached her.

“Shall we?” He extended his hand out of
the room, and she sauntered ahead of him.

Kendra felt his gaze glued to her
backside. She smiled to herself. If this Randal was anything like the other
world Randal, he would do anything to help her.

Randal followed her out, closing the
door to his room. He led her out of the building and across the street. Some of
his children waved goodbye to him as he smiled and waved back, speaking to each
of his students by name. This impressed Kendra. He was a young teacher, someone
with gentleness, observation, and patience. He seemed more and more like a man
who tolerated Ravens.

They took a quick stroll to the burger
joint down the way and sat at a small table outside to order dinner. Randal
watched with a sort of awe plastered across his face as Kendra devoured a
half-pound burger with all the fixings, onion rings, and a basket of endless
steak fries. She downed the icy pomegranate-lime slush drink and went after the
remainder of fries.

“What?” She looked up at him, suddenly
aware of her eating habits as she wiped sauce off her chin.

“Nice to meet a girl who can eat.” He
smiled and took a bite of his burger.  

He swallowed and went on. “So many of my
students, who are still pretty young, get sucked into not eating anything or
eating so little because of the media saying a woman should be the size of a
boy. It’s ridiculous. You should come to my class and eat in front of them.”

Kendra laughed.

Randal smiled. “It’s not too sunny out
here, why don’t you take your shades off?” he urged.

“You know why,” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

The words echoed from earlier moments in
her odyssey. Everyone wanted to protect her, or so they claimed, but no one
could keep to their word.

“I can take care of myself, and I eat
like this because I have to. I’m pretty active, and I need to reload my energy.
Actually, I’m preparing for my black belt test.”

“Martial arts like my other-world self?
Did you train with him?”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask a personal question?”

“You can ask it, but I might not answer
it.”

“Fair enough. Were you and my other
world self friends?”

“Yes.”

“Were you and my other world self
dating?”

“Sorta.”

He smiled. “I might not like violence,
but at least my other world self had good sense.”

Liam’s scent emerged faint but somewhat
near. It tickled in her pores.

Kendra casually scanned the patio of
eaters behind the dark rims. She skimmed over Randal and to the left out toward
the street. Another bistro across the way had four sidewalk tables. The young
man at one of the tables caught her attention. He pretended to read a
newspaper. When he noticed her, he glanced up to give her a wink and flash that
irrefutably impish grin.

Kendra groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Randal asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Randal picked up the conversation, which
lasted for another half hour. He acted like a gentleman, but then again, Kendra
couldn’t read his thoughts. Liam, however,
could
read thoughts, and from
the other side of the street, he crinkled the newspaper in his fists.