My Soul to Take
Page 30
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He gets all kinds of freaky abilities, then he dies. Its tragic. I dont want to be tragic, Nash. I want to be alive. And suddenly the tears were back. I couldnt help it. Id had more than enough of death in the past few days, without adding my own to the list.
Okay, youre going to have to trust me on this, Kaylee. The footsteps were back, and then a door closed, cutting off the bluster of wind on his end of the call. Then his voice got softer. Your premonitions dont come from brain cancer. Whatever your aunt and uncle were talking about, thats not it.
How do you know? I blinked the moisture from my eyes, irritated with how emotional I was becoming. Wasnt that another symptom of brain cancer?
Nash sighed, but he sounded more worried than exasperated. I have to tell you something. Ill pick you up in ten minutes.
8
SEVEN MINUTES LATER, I sat on the living-room couch, my keys in my pocket, my phone in my lap, my fingernails rasping anxiously across the satin upholstery. I was angled to face both the televisionmuted, but tuned to the local evening newsand the front window, hoping no one would realize I was expecting company. No one, meaning my aunt and uncle. Sophie was still out cold, and I was starting to wonder how many of those pills her mother had given her.
Aunt Val was in the kitchen, banging pots, pans, and cabinet doors as she made spaghetti, her favorite comfort food. Normally she wouldnt indulge in so many carbs in a single meal, but she was obviously having a rough day. A very rough day, if the scent of garlic bread was any indication.
Hey, Kay-Bear, how you holdin up?
I glanced up to find my uncle leaning against the plaster column separating the dining room from the living room. He hadnt called me that in nearly a decade, and the fact that he was using my old nickname probably meant he thought I wasfragile.
Im not crazy. I met his clear green eyes, daring him to argue.
He smiled, and the resulting smile lines somehow made him look even younger than usual. I never said you were.
I huffed and shot a glare toward the kitchen, where Aunt Val was stirring noodles in a huge aluminum pot. She thinks I am. I knew better than that now, of course, but wasnt about to let on that Id heard their argument.
Uncle Brendon shook his head and crossed the eggshell carpet toward me, arms folded over the faded tee hed changed into after work. Shes just worried about you. We both are. He sank into the floral-print armchair opposite me. He always sat there, rather than on the solid white chair or sofa, hoping that if he spilled something, Aunt Val would never notice the stain on such a busy pattern.
Why arent you worried about Sophie?
We are. Hepaused, then seemed to consider his answer. But Sophiesresilient. Shell be fine once shes had a chance to grieve.
And I wont?
My uncle raised one brow at me. Val said you barely knew Meredith Cole. And just like that, hed sidestepped the real questionthat of my future well-being.
And we both knew it.
Before I could answerand I was in no hurryan engine purred outside, and I glanced through the sheers to see an unfamiliar blue convertible pull into the driveway beside my car, glittering in the late-afternoon sun. Behind the wheel was a very familiar face, crowned by an equally familiar head of thick brown hair.
I stood, stuffing my phone into my empty pocket.
Whos that? Uncle Brendon twisted to look out the window.
A friend. I gotta go.
He stood, but I was already halfway across the room. Vals making dinner! he called after me.
Im not hungry. Actually, I was starving, but I had to get out of the house. I couldnt possibly suck down spaghetti like it was a regular Monday night. Not knowing that my entire family had been lying to me for who knows how long.
Kaylee, get back here! Uncle Brendon roared, following me through the front door onto the porch. Id rarely heard him raise his voice, and had never heard him yell like that.
I took off at a trot, slid into the passenger seat, then slammed the door and locked it.
Is that your uncle? Nash asked, right hand hovering over the gearshift. Maybe I should meet
Go! I shouted, louder than Id meant to. Ill introduce you later. Assuming I lived that long.
Nash slammed the car into Reverse and swerved backward out of the driveway, twisting in his seat to peer out the rear windshield. As we pulled away from the house, I took one last look at my uncle, who stared after us from the middle of the driveway, thick arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, Aunt Val stood on the porch holding a dishrag, her perfect mouth hanging open in surprise.
When we turned the corner, I let myself melt into the car seat, only then noticing how posh it was. Please tell me you didnt pick me up in a stolen car.
Nash laughed and glanced away from the road to smile at me, and my pulse sped up when our gazes met, in spite of the circumstances. Its Carters. Ive got it till midnight.
Why would Scott Carter let you take his car?
He shrugged. Hes a friend.
I just blinked at him. His questionable choice of companions aside, Emma was my best friend, and I would never let her take my car. And I didnt drive a brand-new Mustang convertible.
Okay, youre going to have to trust me on this, Kaylee. The footsteps were back, and then a door closed, cutting off the bluster of wind on his end of the call. Then his voice got softer. Your premonitions dont come from brain cancer. Whatever your aunt and uncle were talking about, thats not it.
How do you know? I blinked the moisture from my eyes, irritated with how emotional I was becoming. Wasnt that another symptom of brain cancer?
Nash sighed, but he sounded more worried than exasperated. I have to tell you something. Ill pick you up in ten minutes.
8
SEVEN MINUTES LATER, I sat on the living-room couch, my keys in my pocket, my phone in my lap, my fingernails rasping anxiously across the satin upholstery. I was angled to face both the televisionmuted, but tuned to the local evening newsand the front window, hoping no one would realize I was expecting company. No one, meaning my aunt and uncle. Sophie was still out cold, and I was starting to wonder how many of those pills her mother had given her.
Aunt Val was in the kitchen, banging pots, pans, and cabinet doors as she made spaghetti, her favorite comfort food. Normally she wouldnt indulge in so many carbs in a single meal, but she was obviously having a rough day. A very rough day, if the scent of garlic bread was any indication.
Hey, Kay-Bear, how you holdin up?
I glanced up to find my uncle leaning against the plaster column separating the dining room from the living room. He hadnt called me that in nearly a decade, and the fact that he was using my old nickname probably meant he thought I wasfragile.
Im not crazy. I met his clear green eyes, daring him to argue.
He smiled, and the resulting smile lines somehow made him look even younger than usual. I never said you were.
I huffed and shot a glare toward the kitchen, where Aunt Val was stirring noodles in a huge aluminum pot. She thinks I am. I knew better than that now, of course, but wasnt about to let on that Id heard their argument.
Uncle Brendon shook his head and crossed the eggshell carpet toward me, arms folded over the faded tee hed changed into after work. Shes just worried about you. We both are. He sank into the floral-print armchair opposite me. He always sat there, rather than on the solid white chair or sofa, hoping that if he spilled something, Aunt Val would never notice the stain on such a busy pattern.
Why arent you worried about Sophie?
We are. Hepaused, then seemed to consider his answer. But Sophiesresilient. Shell be fine once shes had a chance to grieve.
And I wont?
My uncle raised one brow at me. Val said you barely knew Meredith Cole. And just like that, hed sidestepped the real questionthat of my future well-being.
And we both knew it.
Before I could answerand I was in no hurryan engine purred outside, and I glanced through the sheers to see an unfamiliar blue convertible pull into the driveway beside my car, glittering in the late-afternoon sun. Behind the wheel was a very familiar face, crowned by an equally familiar head of thick brown hair.
I stood, stuffing my phone into my empty pocket.
Whos that? Uncle Brendon twisted to look out the window.
A friend. I gotta go.
He stood, but I was already halfway across the room. Vals making dinner! he called after me.
Im not hungry. Actually, I was starving, but I had to get out of the house. I couldnt possibly suck down spaghetti like it was a regular Monday night. Not knowing that my entire family had been lying to me for who knows how long.
Kaylee, get back here! Uncle Brendon roared, following me through the front door onto the porch. Id rarely heard him raise his voice, and had never heard him yell like that.
I took off at a trot, slid into the passenger seat, then slammed the door and locked it.
Is that your uncle? Nash asked, right hand hovering over the gearshift. Maybe I should meet
Go! I shouted, louder than Id meant to. Ill introduce you later. Assuming I lived that long.
Nash slammed the car into Reverse and swerved backward out of the driveway, twisting in his seat to peer out the rear windshield. As we pulled away from the house, I took one last look at my uncle, who stared after us from the middle of the driveway, thick arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, Aunt Val stood on the porch holding a dishrag, her perfect mouth hanging open in surprise.
When we turned the corner, I let myself melt into the car seat, only then noticing how posh it was. Please tell me you didnt pick me up in a stolen car.
Nash laughed and glanced away from the road to smile at me, and my pulse sped up when our gazes met, in spite of the circumstances. Its Carters. Ive got it till midnight.
Why would Scott Carter let you take his car?
He shrugged. Hes a friend.
I just blinked at him. His questionable choice of companions aside, Emma was my best friend, and I would never let her take my car. And I didnt drive a brand-new Mustang convertible.
