Reality Ruptured, page 9
part #8 of The Gallows Series Series
“Come on,” he muttered.
Why hadn’t he thought to ask about the black colour of the crystal before? It had to mean something. There was no way Jess had a black aura. She was far too sweet and innocent. It wasn’t as if she was a killer like her bat-shit crazy brother.
Finally, the water was hot enough to step into. He got into the tub and pulled the curtain shut. It was messier than the shower cubicle at home in Burrow Meadows, but he’d deal with it for the peace and quiet.
Chapter Eighteen
Harriet moved around the living room, inspecting things with her gaze. Andi leaned back in her seat and tried to refrain from rolling her eyes. Her mother’s visits had been becoming more frequent. Now that it was summer, she was around a few times a week. The closer it got to Jess’ birthday, the more dangerous everything became. Andi hadn’t slept for more than an hour at a time in at least three weeks. She’d barely let Jess out of her sight. It was making her edgy that she wasn’t within reach right now, but given that Jess didn’t have a clue who she was or how much danger she was in, they had to be careful about what they discussed and when.
Right now, Jess was at Ky’s house, with Shaun close by and ready to act the instant it seemed like she was in any kind of trouble. Ky’s father had been given instructions to signal Shaun if anything happened. So far there hadn’t been any sign of the Unseelie Prince or his slave ring.
“You’re looking pale,” Harriet told her as she finally stopped pacing around and took her seat, a frown darkening her face as she focussed her attention on her daughter. “You’re not getting enough sleep.”
“Thanks for that,” Andi muttered. “Can you get to the point please? If there’s been a development, I want to know about it so I can go help Shaun.”
Her mother sighed at the mention of his name. “I thought you said he was capable.”
Andi folded her arms. “He is, but if there’s anything going on that might be important in helping us protect Jess then we need to know about it.”
“There’s nothing new,” she said, picking up the cup of tea Andi had made her when she arrived ten minutes before. She took a sip, grimaced at it and put it back down. “But you’re right. It’s better if you back that boy up at every available opportunity. He’s a liability as far as I’m concerned. You’ve been far too trusting of him.”
Andi took a deep breath and thought about her words before she spoke them this time. What was the point in denying it anymore? She wouldn’t be taken off the job. Not when the threat was so close. Still, she hesitated before she spoke.
“Trust is the foundation of a good relationship,” she said. “Which is why it was never going to work out between me and Will. I wish you understood that. I don’t know what it is about him that blinds you to who he really is, but it’s probably the same thing that makes you so against Shaun.”
She stopped talking to let it sink in. The deepening frown on her mother’s face told her she was wasting her breath. She no longer cared. Being direct was the only thing that was going to get through now. She knew keeping it secret had been on her. Shaun would want everything out in the open. It was about time for the big reveal. “I love Shaun, and I don’t doubt his feelings for me.”
Her mother’s face turned colours. “What are you saying? You can’t be with him. He’s...”
“He’s what?” She stayed calm. There was nothing her mother could say to change her mind. She was just curious as to what was really behind this.
“He’s much too young for you.”
She laughed. “Is that all?”
“Will...”
“I was done talking about Will the last time you brought him up.” She cut in before her mother could begin her usual speech. “I’m starting to think he has you brainwashed.”
“You’re going to regret this.”
Andi shook her head. “No. You are.”
The woman couldn’t possibly understand her meaning, but she wasn’t even listening anymore besides. There was nothing more Andi wanted to tell her. She got to her feet quickly. “I have other things to do.”
Sighing, Andi got up. She walked the woman to her door and pulled on a tight smile. “Don’t bother coming back unless there’s something urgent about Jess.”
Her mother left without another word, though Andi could hear her cursing under her breath as she walked away from the house. Her shoulders relaxed as she moved away from the door. If nothing else, she’d just bought breathing room from her overbearing mother.
Chapter Nineteen
Jess sat on the edge of her best friend’s bed as Ky chattered on about the new dress she’d just gotten, while she hunted through her overflowing wardrobe to find it to show her.
Her gaze drifted to the ajar bedroom door. The floorboards kept creaking out in the hallway. Someone was pacing out there. Butterflies stirred in her stomach as she caught sight of Clay, Ky’s older brother. He had stopped outside the room, and if she listened really carefully, she could hear him muttering to himself. She put her attention back on Ky.
“It’ll be perfect for the party,” Ky said, turning with the dress positioned in front of her.
Jess stared. It was short and seemed to have strategically placed rips across the middle. It contained barely more material than a swimsuit.
Ky’s shiny peach lips spread into a smile. “What do you think?”
Jess cleared her throat. She could still see Clay in the hallway, out the corner of her eye. What was he doing lurking out there? She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I think, I’m not having a party.”
Ky took the bad news with her usual eye-roll of disdain. “Yeah, okay then.”
“I mean it, Ky. There’s no way Andi will...”
“We’re having it here,” Ky informed her, lowering her voice. She frowned suddenly, turned to the door and slammed it in her brother’s face. “Piss off, mouth-breather.”
Jess flushed as Ky turned back to her, her short platinum hair bouncing at the sudden movement.
“Why does he have to be such a creep?”
Jess shrugged, knowing the question was rhetorical and wishing she didn’t have such a crush on him. There was no way it was going to stay a secret for long. She’d bumped into him randomly at school twice in the last week. The amount of stuttering he’d done trying to converse with her was too odd to ignore. He’d never been weird around her before. He’d always been friendly. His smile warm. So easy to talk to. The last time, it was like he’d been trying to ask her something.
“Anyway,” Ky said, “We’re all set for next Saturday. Clay bought us booze. So I suppose he’s good for something, even if he is a right weirdo sometimes.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to...”
“You worry too much.”
Jess kept quiet. Once Ky had her mind made up, there really was no use trying to change it.
The knock made her jump. Ky rolled her eyes and yanked it open only after she put her dress back. “What do you want? We’re busy in here.”
“I need to talk to Jess.”
“She doesn’t need to talk to you, so go back to your room.”
“It’ll only take a second.”
“She’s my friend, not yours. Go away.”
She closed the door. Jess let it slide, used to having Ky talk for her. Clay moved away down the hall. She heard a door close. She bit at her bottom lip. Even if he did want to ask her out, she couldn’t say yes. Ky would kill her if she started seeing him.
“So, anyway, I think I might make a move on Van at the party.” Ky snapped her attention back quickly.
“Um, what?” Confusion filled her. Ky could be fickle, but she’d made her feeling about their male best friend clear multiple times. He was not boyfriend material.
“Well, you know I have a checklist, but Mr Tall, Dark, Handsome, Rich and Wild hasn’t shown up yet, and I’m getting kind of bored waiting.”
That made sense, Jess supposed. “Does Van even fancy you?”
Ky frowned at her. “Some friend you are. Of course he does. I always catch him looking down my top, don’t you?”
Jess nodded slowly. Ky wore her school shirts with the top four buttons undone and a wonder-bra underneath. All the guys checked her cleavage out.
“I guess I just hadn’t thought about it.”
“What even. We need to find you a dress for Saturday.” She started leafing through her wardrobe.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” Jess slipped out of the room, leaving Ky muttering under her breath as she tried to find something boring enough for her unadventurous friend to wear.
She walked down the hall and stopped outside Clay’s bedroom door. She’d have to knock. Would Ky hear if she did? She groaned inwardly, wondering what she should do. A creak from inside the room preceded the door opening. Clay smiled at her, that same warm smile she was used to. He opened the door wider.
“Jess. I wanted to give you something.”
She blinked. “You did?”
He nodded and motioned to her to come into his room.
Nerves gripped her as she stepped inside. He didn’t close the door completely, but still. This was alone together. Something that always seemed to set her heart racing. Right now she was convinced it was getting ready to leap from her chest.
“It’s your birthday soon,” he said, his voice shaking ever so slightly as he moved over to the little chest of drawers next to his bed.
She couldn’t bring herself to speak, even to agree with him. Was he actually going to ask her out? She might just die on the spot if he did. If she said yes, Ky would definitely kill her. If she said no, she knew she’d regret the decision even if it was the path of least resistance. Why had she come into his room? There was no way this could end in anything other than pain.
He brought her something, a small gift that looked prettily wrapped.
“I can’t...” she started.
“Just open it,” he told her. “It’s okay. If you don’t like it, I won’t be offended. I just thought it was beautiful. Like you.” His gaze dropped on the last words.
She pulled at the bow and the green fabric fell away. She opened the box and gasped in a breath. An ornate crystal ring was inside. It was gorgeous, and it had to be worth a fortune.
“This doesn’t have to mean anything,” he stumbled over himself to get the words out, “I just really wanted you to have it.”
She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved as she took in his explanation. She supposed it was relief that slowed her racing heart and calmed her thoughts. He wasn’t going to ask her out. She took the ring out of the box and turned it over in her hand.
“I can’t accept this,” she said, looking into his eyes. It felt heavy. It had to be expensive. If they’d been dating the gift might have made sense, might have been romantic. As things were, it felt off, awkward.
“Please?” He pulled on a sad smile and took a deep breath before he spoke again. “I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while, but I know I can’t. Ky would murder me, for a start. And you could do better. You could date whoever you wanted in school, out of school, wherever.” He sighed. “I want you to have it anyway. I thought of you when I bought it. There’s no one else I’d ever want to give it to.”
Jess stared at him. She wanted to tell him he was crazy, that she didn’t care what Ky thought about it. But the words wouldn’t form. Her thoughts were too tangled. He was the sweetest guy she knew, so patient and caring. Not a streak of selfishness in him. He thought she could do better?
He took the box and pressed the ring into her hand, closing her fingers around it. “Please, take it. It’s the only thing I’ll ever ask from you.”
She nodded slowly, wishing she could find the right words to express what she feeling. In the end she left the room, putting the ring in her pocket. The truth was, she wasn’t ready. As much as she liked him, she just wasn’t ready for everything that being in a relationship would involve. All the fallout that theirs would entail would only be an added headache. She walked back to Ky’s room, her heart sinking. She realised what was happening and wished she could talk to her best friend. It was the first time her heart was going to break, and she didn’t even get the chance to enjoy the ups and downs before it happened.
“What’s up with your face?” Ky squinted at her.
She faked a yawn. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Aye right,” Ky said with a snort. She threw a dress on the bed. “What about this one?”
Jess picked it up. There was no way she’d wear something so tight. It did seem reserved for Ky’s tastes, but still, she shook her head and put it down.
“I do have my own clothes...” she started.
“Your own clothes are boring.” Ky threw another dress on the bed.
Jess sighed inwardly. She stifled another fake yawn. The thought of spending another hour in the room, after she’d just had the strange encounter with Clay that had simultaneously proven she was right that he did like her, and killed any notion of something ever happening between them was going to play on her mind all night and Ky really did not like it when she wasn’t totally focussed on whatever she was banging on about.
“Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m really tired.”
***
Shaun watched Jess leave her friend’s house. He shifted in his hiding spot, waiting for them to get into the car to start moving. So far being guardian to a fairy princess had been pretty mundane. He managed to slip into the garden and into Andi’s house through the back door just before Jess got back. He watched Andi greet her at the door, wave to her escort and lock them inside.
“You’re back early,” Andi told her, stepping back. “What’s up? Did Ky have one of her tantrums?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Nah. She was just being her usual weirdo self. She was talking about asking out Van.”
She snorted as she headed for the stairs, her gaze barely grazing Shaun. She nodded slightly to him, which seemed to be a part of her reluctant acceptance of his continued presence.
Andi glanced back at Shaun before she followed Jess up the stairs. He didn’t have anything to tell her so he shrugged. There had been no sign of any danger while she’d been at her friend’s house. He was beginning to wonder if Ravenstow was too well protected to allow a threat to surface in town.
He shook his head as he went into the kitchen and helped himself to leftovers from the fridge. If there was one thing for certain in this house, there were always leftovers. Which was just as well considering he’d been falling into his old habits since he got his own place. The burger joint knew his face well by now, and the pizza delivery guys were getting a little bit over familiar, to the point where he’d been asked how he got the scars over his eye. He never thought he’d miss his pain-in-the-ass sister so much.
***
The instinct that let her know when something was wrong with Jess was a strange one, but Andi trusted it implicitly. There was a reason she’d come home early, and she doubted it was anything to do with how Ky had been acting. The girl was a nightmare, as far as Andi was concerned, but Jess seemed to know how to deal with her.
“I’m kind of tired,” Jess told her when she got to her bedroom door.
Andi bit her lower lip. She knew something was wrong. It seemed like Jess didn’t want to talk about it. Usually she’d prod a little and leave her if she seemed to need it. Things were different now. There was a very real threat lurking. Whatever was going on, she needed to know about it.
“You know Van isn’t interested in Ky, right?”
Jess blinked at her. “What?”
Andi hesitated, but the cat was halfway out of the bag already. “It’s obvious he likes you.”
She flushed. “No. Don’t say that.”
She sounded horrified. Had Andi gotten it wrong? She’d been sure the two of them liked each other, but what did she know?
“If it’s not that, what’s wrong? I know something’s up.”
Jess sighed, moving into her room. Andi followed and closed the door.
“I’m just... Ky’s trying to throw me a party at her house next week, when her parents are out.”
Andi raised her eyebrows. “Oh, is she now?”
Jess sat down on the edge of her bed and nodded. “You know what she’s like. She wouldn’t be talked out of it.”
“I’ll sort it out.” Andi wished she could promise Jess a party, but it would add too much to the threat. She promised herself when this was all over she’d do whatever she could to give Jess a normal life.
“You’re not going to speak to her dad are you?” Jess groaned.
“He won’t ground her, I promise.”
“She’s going to know I told you.”
Andi shook her head. “She won’t. I’m calling her dad to let him know she’s invited over next weekend for your birthday, and he’s going to make sure she knows he’s home then too.”
The thoughtful look on her face deepened, before she looked up again. “I want to invite Van, and Clay.”
Andi frowned. “Clay?”
“Ky’s brother.”
Andi nodded, remembering the tall, quiet, red-haired boy. She’d barely ever seen him. It was easy to forget Ky wasn’t an only child. She behaved like such a spoiled brat. Andi had a lot of respect for her parents, but the girl did not take after them at all. Her father was prone to joking that he didn’t know where she’d come from.
It was clearly still bothering Jess that her friend wanted to ask out Van. It had to be the reason she wanted someone else there. She wanted to tell Jess she had nothing to worry about, but she seemed to have embarrassed her enough already.
“Want to watch a movie?”
Jess shook her head. “I’m tired.”
“I’ll bring you a hot chocolate.”
