“Nooo!” Beatriz called playfully from the door. “Tell hottie to come back. He’s way cuter than anything we’ll see inside.”
Turning, I smiled at Beatriz. She’d changed the color of her peekaboos and now sported a fluorescent orange.
“You’re only saying that because you’re related to one of them.”
“Maybe.” She grinned back at me.
The heat escaping the house warmed my cheeks before I even stepped inside. When I reached back to close the door and keep the warmth in, she stopped me.
“Don’t bother. People will be coming and going all night.” The sound of another car on the drive proved the truth of her statement.
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”
I quickly kicked off my shoes to add to the pile of discarded shoes already on the floor of the entryway and followed her. Bursts of laughter erupted from somewhere deeper within the house and grew louder when we entered the kitchen. She pointed out the well-laden snack counter then took me down to the finished basement, the source of the noise.
In the space to the right of the stairs, a guy made drinks from behind a fully stocked bar. The resemblance between him and Beatriz was unmistakable.
When he saw his sister, he motioned to her through the crowd. Between the conversation and the music, I couldn’t hear all they said, but I did hear Beatriz shout my name and the name “Brad” by way of introduction. He motioned to a basket loaded with sets of keys behind the bar.
Beatriz shook her head at Brad then leaned in close so I could hear her.
“He wanted to know if you drove. If you had and wanted to drink, you would have had to hand over your keys to Brad.”
“That’s very responsible of him.”
“Yeah, there’s just less potential trouble that way. Do you want something to drink?”
“A soda would be good.”
While she went to get one from her brother, I moved away from the bar to explore the rest of the basement. With the bar, pool table, and air hockey table to the right of the stairs, most of the crowd congregated there. To the left of the stairs, I found a quieter sitting area with a huge screen. A comedy played without sound. Turning to go back, I spotted a bathroom tucked under the stairs.
Beatriz, carrying my soda, found me looking around.
“You have the perfect setup down here,” I said.
“Yeah, but don’t use this bathroom. By the end of the night, it will be too gross. Best bet is the one all the way upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you my room while this party winds up.”
Her second-floor room had its own immaculately clean bathroom, which she said I could use. We sat on her bed and talked for close to an hour. Every now and again, we’d hear another car pull up, followed by a shout or two from the entryway. Each noise was a reminder that I needed to rejoin the party and use my gift. Yet, I lingered because I enjoyed Beatriz’s company and felt as if I’d found a friend. That was very much a novelty in my life since any free time I had always went to finding the “right” guy. Briefly, I wondered what would happen to our friendship when my deal with Morik expired.
“Ready to head down?” she asked. “It will be way more crowded, but they’re all nice. Especially to us because we’re younger, and Brad will kick them out if they’re not.”
I didn’t want to return to the party. The volume had increased, and it now sounded a little on the wild side. However, since Morik wasn’t there and I couldn’t focus my attention on finding him someone, I had to focus on finding someone for myself. And that meant I had to go where all the men were. Even though I would have preferred not to touch a bunch of drunken people, I nodded. I owed it to my family to make an effort.
In the packed basement, I enjoyed a certain freedom as I used my gift without anyone even noticing, thanks to Brad’s generosity at the bar. Several visions later, I grew restless.
Since Beatriz had pulled one of her brother’s friends to the air hockey table, I approached the bar on my own for a new drink. Brad spotted me, smiled, and handed me a cup with pink liquid. When I asked what it was, all I got from his explanation was the word punch. The rest of what he said blended with the noise of the room.
The fruity punch set my head spinning by the time I drank half of it. I should have known better. Warm and needing a drink of plain water, I wove through the crowd and made my way upstairs to the kitchen. People lingered by the snack table as they munched and talked.
I went to the sink and dumped the rest of my drink. As I ran the tap and waited for the water to turn cold, I looked out the kitchen window. Stars lined the sky. I’d never get tired of looking at them.
Away from the house, I caught a brief flicker of a green glow. Leaning toward the window, I scanned the dark. Had those been Morik’s eyes? Was he out there waiting for me?
“Didn’t like it?”
The voice startled me into yelping and jumping a little. With a hand over my wildly beating heart, I turned toward an amused Brad.
“The drink,” he said, nodding toward the pink remains in the sink. “Didn’t like it?”
“It was fine. I just have to work tomorrow morning.”
“So do half the people here.” He chuckled and leaned against the counter like he was settling in for a conversation.
“Who’s behind the bar if you’re up here?”
“Beatriz. She serves very good watered-down drinks. Keeps the party from getting out of hand.” He reached back, grabbed a few chips to munch, and held out his hand to share. “I noticed you wandering around the room down there. You had a sort of lost look in your eyes. Not having fun?”
Crap. He’d been watching me? I’d bombarded myself with as many visions as I could in a short time just in case Beatriz called for my attention again. While envisioning the future, I probably did look a little lost. It was hard to process one future after another like that.
A few guys had been decent enough, but when I came to and actually looked at whom I touched, I felt nothing. I wanted a spark or my heart to skip a beat. Some kind of indication of an actual attraction on my part. Mean, I know, since they would die because of me, but I couldn’t imagine making babies without some kind of affection. Instead, each time, there’d been nothing.
“No, not fun in the sense that they’re having fun.” I waved at a drunk pair who laughed uproariously over spilled beer. “But fun in my own way. Educational for sure.” For example, I now had a “top ten reasons not to drink” list. But, I kept that to myself.
“Beatriz said you just moved here. You don’t talk to anyone except her, you don’t date, and you don’t even hang out after school. But you do have a job. What do you do?”
His keen observation of me while I’d been swimming in visions downstairs and his secondhand knowledge of my life unnerved me.
“I just help out at the Coffee Shop on the weekends.”
From the basement, angry shouting erupted. Brad moved fast, dashing down the stairs. A clipped blast of an air horn sounded, then an eerie quiet descended. I stayed where I was, safe by the sink, and wondered what had happened.
“Tessa! Get the doors there,” Brad yelled from below.
Looking around, I spotted the dining room’s French doors as the noise picked up again. Warm from the drink, I didn’t mind yanking them open. Behind me, I heard thumping on the steps and muffled curses.
Five guys carried another up the steps then maneuvered him outside. It wasn’t an easy feat since he fought their hold and swore against the sock stuffed in his mouth the entire time.
Brad pulled out the gag as the rest of the group set him down. The guy came up swinging. Two guys caught his arms, and Brad started fast-talking.
Brad told him that he could calm down outside and drink some water or Brad would call him a ride. Angry but defeated, the guy slumped onto a snow-covered chair. I cringed, but he didn’t seem to notice the cold.
Everyone except Brad and the guy in the chair came back in. I closed the doors behind them.
Beatriz sprinted up the stairs just then.
“Liquor is locked up,” she showed me a little golden key, “and water is being served.” She looked out the window at her brother. “Can you go to the closet by the front door and grab Brad a jacket while I get Tommy some water?”
Figuring Tommy was the drunk in the chair, I nodded. The front door no longer stood open, which explained why it felt warmer inside. I stepped over the randomly placed shoes and nudged the closet door open enough to pull out a worn canvas jacket.
Beatriz took both the jacket and the water outside. I watched through the window as Brad smiled his thanks. He took the water from her and offered it to Tommy. Tommy didn’t appreciate the effort and started swearing again. With a dark look at Tommy, Brad sent Beatriz back in.
“He’s going to be in for it in the morning,” she said as she closed the doors.
“Which one?” I asked as I looked over the snacks. They’d been thoroughly picked through. Broken chip remains littered the bottoms of several bowls.
“Tommy. Brad’s using his phone to record him.” She snickered to herself and then caught my confused look. “He was swearing at me. Brad is way overprotective. But, he’ll wait until Tommy’s feeling better to talk to him about it. I’m betting I get breakfast out of this.”
I checked the clock above the sink.
“I think I’m going to head out.” Beatriz started to protest, but I cut her off with a hug good-bye. “I have to work in the morning. Thank you for inviting me. It’s been fun.”
“But we didn’t get to challenge the drunks to air hockey…”
I laughed and shook my head.
“Next time.”
“Promise?”
“Sure.” I doubted there’d be a next time soon, though. She walked me to the door and helped me find my shoes. Grudgingly, she retrieved my jacket, too.
“Do you need to call the hottie?” she asked as I bundled up.
It was a good question. I’d assumed he’d give me a ride home, but we never talked about it.
Something in my face gave away my thoughts because Beatriz gave a slow shake of her head. “You need a ride home, don’t you?”
“I forgot to ask him. Can I use your phone to call my mom?” I didn’t relish the idea but knew she’d come get me.
“Are you serious? This is an under-age party. She’ll freak out. I don’t want to get Brad in trouble.” Beatriz started to look panicked.
“Don’t worry. My mom’s not like that at all. She already knows where I am and what I’m doing.”
Beatriz didn’t look convinced.
“You don’t have that guy’s number?”
“Morik,” I said, supplying her with a name. “And no, I don’t have his number. He always seems to show up just when I need him.” At that moment, we caught the distant rumble of a motorcycle.
“You’re not kidding.” She smiled at me triumphantly and pulled open the door.
We both watched the single light turn into her driveway.
“Thanks again. It was fun.” I left her at the door as Morik parked.
He handed me the helmet and didn’t offer to help but watched me closely to make sure I put it on correctly.
As soon as I settled on the seat behind him, he started down the drive. I hid behind him as we sped down the salt-melted roads, but the pins and needles in my legs were inevitable.
He pulled in front of my house, killed the engine, and helped me from the back. Frozen and wanting to hurry inside, I handed him the helmet. But I hesitated when I noticed his eyes through his yellow sunglasses. Streaks of vibrant orange swirled in their mercury depths.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked quietly.
“Looking for?” As I said it, what I’d done became clear, and I wanted to kick myself.
He’d spent a long time tracking me down. When he’d found me, he had waited to show me his true form because he’d been afraid that he would scare me, which he had, a little. Then, after I’d proven I could touch him and see him without fear, which had probably given him hope that I saw him as a choice, I had gone to a party where I could continue to search for an alternate choice.
“I don’t know what I’m looking for,” I admitted honestly. “None of this feels right to me. I know you’re a choice. I’m not discounting you. I’m not discounting anyone.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets in frustration. “I can’t do what the women before me have done. They tell me to just pick someone. I don’t want a stranger. I’m sorry my going to the party hurt you. I didn’t mean it that way. I just don’t want to die and am looking for a way to make everyone happy.”
He studied me for a moment. The orange in his eyes dimmed, but didn’t recede completely.
“Need help getting to sleep?” he finally asked.
“Please,” I said gratefully, not just for his offer but also for his understanding.
We walked together to the door. I let myself in. However, when I looked back, he was gone. The house was quiet, but my mom waited in the living room with Aunt Danielle.
“Everything go all right?” Mom asked quietly as she stood and unwrapped the knit blanket from her shoulders.
“From Beatriz’s point of view, it did. Nothing much happened for me, though, but not from lack of trying,”
“I’m sorry you haven’t connected with anyone yet, Tessa. I do worry about that constantly, but I want you to be happy, too.”
I nodded and hugged her good night before I headed to my room. Behind me, Aunt Danielle’s soft voice broke the silence though I couldn’t hear what she said.
When I flicked on my light, I wasn’t surprised to see Morik at the desk or that the puzzle was complete. I nudged the door closed with my heel and sat on the bed to peel off my socks. Everything was cold. My toes didn’t want to move.
Picking up my pajamas, I went to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. I let the water run hot just so I could warm my hands when I rinsed. The warmth didn’t last long. Wet fingers in a cold house didn’t have a chance. The good news was that I wouldn’t be awake much longer to notice it.
I hurried back to my bedroom, ready to get under the covers. Morik waited beside my bed. As soon as I entered, he started the chant. I barely made it to the bed before I felt the first pull of sleep. He helped me sit then lifted my legs in. The bed and blankets were already warm as if they’d just come out of the dryer. I smiled sleepily.
“Thank you, Morik. I love being warm.” Then, I was out.
