He hugs her to him. Brushes his hand down her hair. “Oh, God. I love you so much,” he sighs before he realizes what he’s saying.
Fifteen:
The morning sun fills the small apartment with light and warmth. Nick’s nose skims Keely’s neck, breathing her in. She laughs as goose bumps rise across her arms and legs.
“Good morning,” Nick says, his voice raspy from sleep.
Keely turns her head smiling. “It’s a wonderful morning.” She kisses his cheek. “I am going to take a shower, then I’m making you breakfast.”
Nick’s arms tighten around her. He doesn’t want to stop touching her. He doesn’t want to break this happy little bubble they have hidden themselves in. If she gets up, if she leaves him, he will be left to think about what they have ignored all night.
Tonight.
Tonight everything may go very wrong for them. This, right now, may be his last moments with the girl he loves. Anger boils in his chest. It isn’t fair. He should have more time with her. He should have a lifetime with her. The realization hits him with an uppercut to the brain. He wants forever with Keely. This is the first time he has ever felt this way in his life. So of course it is getting taken away from him.
As if sensing his struggle, Keely touches his face, makes him look at her. She is smiling, but he sees it in her eyes. She feels it too. She knows this could be it. She knows and she is still choosing to do it.
Nick closes his eyes for a long moment. Takes a deep breath. He pulls out of her reach. “We could run away.” He stares at the ceiling as he says the words. Waits for the response he knows is coming.
It isn’t the first time he has suggested this. It is the first time Keely considers it. How easy it would be. Just get into Nick’s car with him and drive. Push it all from her mind. Pretend everything is just fine. Pretend none of the bad exists. Just her. Just Nick. Together. Forever. The thought is so enticing. She is only human after all. Or at least half so. Could she outrun her life?
The answer is of course no. She feels ashamed for even playing with the idea. Yet the images of her sitting on the worn leather seats next to Nick with the windows down, her hair blowing in the wind, play repeatedly in her mind. Always moving forward, never looking back.
No. The guilt alone would bring her down. It would strap itself to her back, weighing on her every minute of every day. She could not live her life wondering, never knowing exactly what became of her parents. Knowing whatever fate they met was because of her. Because she could prevent it but chose the easiest path.
“You know I can’t, Nick. I would if it weren’t for my parents. But I can’t just leave them. Besides, we would never be safe. We could never stop running.”
“I would run until the end of time for you, Keely. I would run till my feet couldn’t carry me any longer and then I would crawl.”
“I need you to be there for me tonight. That’s what I need you to do for me.”
“Except that. I need you to let me do my job and keep you safe. I need you to choose me.”
There’s nothing Keely can say. It’s not about choosing between him and her mom and dad. It’s about choosing between good and evil. It isn’t even a choice really. It just is. There is no appropriate response. Instead of trying, she gets up. Goes quietly to the bathroom to take her shower. Refuses to think about all the things that could happen. The good or the bad. Both make her sad. If she thinks this will end happily, the good guys win, and then they don’t… She wouldn’t be able to stand that. If she considers all the things that could and probably will go wrong, she begins to lose her nerve. So she focuses on the steam of the shower. The hot water spraying down on her. It feels amazing. She stares at the bubbles on her loofah. The way they catch the light, burst with color. Everything seems more vivid. Brighter somehow. It’s like her senses are on steroids. As she rinses her hair she decides it is definitely due to the change she went through. The accolades forced upon her. She looks the same. She thinks the same. She cannot suddenly fly or leap tall buildings. She isn’t stronger or faster. She’s fairly certain she still sucks at math. The only difference is the over sensitivity to her physical senses. At least she thinks so, anyway. She wishes she knew all the answers. That somehow, now she could solve everything. Save her parents, get rid of her seriously scary father, find her missing best and only friend, maybe even banish her brothers as well, all the while making Nick happy. But if she makes Nick happy, then that means turning her back on the people she loves. Who love her back. Who need her to set things right. And if she can turn her back on those in need, then she isn’t really worthy of Nick’s love.
With a steady hand she turns the shower off. The air shifts in the small bathroom and she smells Nick beneath the fruity scent of her shampoo. Feels his presence though he hasn’t spoken. “Sometimes the right decision isn’t always the easiest one,” she says as she pulls the towel from the shower curtain rod, wraps it around herself and secures it.
“Sometimes what’s right isn’t so easy to see,” he responds. His voice is quiet, sad. Keely pulls the curtain to the side. Nick is leaning against the wall staring at the ceiling.
“I agree.”
“I don’t want to lose you. I also know you have to do this. I would do it if roles were reversed.” He looks at her, meeting her gaze. “I wasn’t thinking for a minute there, but I’m good now. I will be there by your side, doing everything in my power to help you.”
“Like a true Guardian,” she says with a smile.
“Like a guy that truly loves you. As your Guardian, I think I’m making a huge mistake by standing by and allowing you to take such a tremendous risk. I realized, however, that if I fail in my Guardianship duties, it isn’t the Guardian in me that will suffer your loss.” Nick moves so he is facing her. Touches his chest with the palm of his hand. “It will be me. Just me. Who I am before Guardian. Who I am when I’m with you.”
Keely steps out of the bathtub and into his arms. “Thank you, Nick.”
He kisses the top of her wet head. “I should probably warn you though, my Guardian instincts will most likely be taking over tonight when it all starts hitting the fan.”
“That’s perfectly fine with me. Just get us out of there. All of us.”
***
“I don’t like going without him.”
Nick places his hands on Keely’s upper arms. “I am more than willing to stay home.”
“You know what I mean.” She buries her head in his chest. “I didn’t get to tell him…I didn’t say goodbye.”
“You’ll tell him whatever you want to later.”
Keely appreciates Nick’s words. She knows he only says them for her benefit. Knows Nick believes Bryon is a traitor. Is fairly certain he believes nobody is making it back to tell anyone anything later. Yet he pretends for her.
“It’s time guys,” Lila announces.
“You can still change your mind,” Nick whispers as he takes both of her hands into his.
With a sigh, Keely squeezes his fingers gently. “Let’s go.” As they head to the car, she is so nervous, so incredibly petrified she can’t even remember the walk. She slides in and Nick closes the door. She’s left alone only for the amount of time it takes him to walk around to the driver’s side, but it feels terribly long and lonely.
They drive in silence. Keely wishes she had done more with the day. Instead of making plans and revising plans, she should have been listening to Nick talk about his life. She should have been kissing his lips and holding him. This thought scares her back into the present. She has right now. She needs to take full advantage. Her fingers slip in between his and she pulls them to her mouth. Memorizes the way his skin feels as she kisses each finger. Pain flashes in Nick’s eyes as he glances at her.
“It will be all right,” he says almost convincingly.
“You have done a really good job of not lying to me thus far. Don’t start now.”
He chuckles. “O.k. I have no idea what the night holds. I??
?m scared shitless, but I don’t want you to be. Is that better?”
Keely smiles. “Yes, actually it is.” Her eyes move to the side mirror to verify that the bright green Gremlin is still behind them. For some reason, it makes her think of a giant box of lime Jell-O.
“Dusty really has one ugly car.”
Nick spits out a laugh. “That was random.”
“Sorry. Nervous.”
Nick gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. He knows how she feels. He’s nervous too. More than that actually. He has never been so terrified. He has never lacked confidence. He was top of his class. He was trained by the best at school and home. He is following in the footsteps of great men that happen to be his ancestors. Nick has always trusted in himself to succeed, but he can’t find that confidence now. His happiness, her life, depends on him tonight.
The drive to Pandora is too short. After pulling into a spot and putting the car in park, Nick turns to Keely. One last look, just in case. She is so beautiful. Her hair is its natural color, fully blond, thick and a mess of waves. Her pale face is free of make-up, just her own beauty showing. She licks her lips nervously. They are nice lips. Closing his eyes, he kisses them one last time, just in case. Runs his fingers across the smooth skin of her cheeks and down to her neck. He feels tears forming under his closed eyelids. Blinks them away. It’s his job to protect her. He needs to be strong now. He hugs her to his chest tightly. Probably too tightly by the way her breath rushes out of her. He loosens his grip, but doesn’t let go. “No matter what happens, you stay with me.” She nods her head against his shoulder. “Keely, I mean it. It’s really important that you stay by my side. Hold on to my shirt or belt loop, but do not leave my side. Not even for a second. I need to see you at all times.” He pulls away from her and grips her shoulders. He stares at her intently. “Do you understand?”
“I got it.”
He opens the door then shuts it. Turns back to Keely. “I love you.”
“Nick, I… I love you too.” There’s desperation to her voice that makes his stomach tighten. He wishes he could enjoy this moment. This is not the way it’s supposed to go. Confessions of love should be followed up with smiles and kisses. Not preparation for battle. He clenches his jaw and clears his throat.
“You have your dagger?” She nods, touching her back pocket. “The mace?”
Again, Keely nods. “Are you sure mace works on Demons?”
“This mace does. You’ve heard of pepper spray, right?”
“Yes.”
“This is more like salt spray. But just added to mace. So it works on anybody.”
Keely smoothes her fingers over the bottle in her pocket. “Cool.”
Dustin moves impatiently outside the car. Lila touches his arm. She knows her brother needs a minute. In response, Dustin bends and brushes his lips across hers softly. “I love you,” he breaths in her ear.
“Mmm, I love you too, Baby. So much.”
He wraps his arms around her waist. “When this is over, let’s just do it.”
“Do what?” Lila gazes up at him. Adjusts his thick black frames as they slip down his nose.
“Get married.”
She smiles. “Married, huh. Are you proposing?”
“Not officially. After, when this job is done, I am going to go buy you the biggest ring I can afford—which won’t be very big at all, but I will buy it with love. Then I will get down on one knee and that’s when I will propose.”
“I might say yes.”
“God willing.”
Lila pulls on Dustin’s neck. He leans in and kisses her again.
Nick clears his throat as he shuts the car door. “You guys ready?”
“Not really,” Dustin says. He takes Lila’s hand. Nick takes Keely’s and they head to the door of the ominous looking building towering in front of them.
It’s old. A large mass of brick that was once, a very long time ago, an archives building for Hunt, Ohio. Underneath the building, however, lays a profusion of tunnels. Most have railways running throughout that are no longer in use. Others have steam pipes. Some intertwine with the sewage tunnels. And some are empty, just leads to other, once more important tunnels.
This is Pandora.
The first floor is where the bands play, where the bathrooms are housed, and where the security keeps watch. Below is another story. Anything and everything goes down in the tunnels. Hook ups. Drug deals. Underage drinking. It’s often home to runaways. It’s a labyrinth where anything goes. As long as you stay on the upper floors and don’t stray down below, it is a fairly safe place for under twenty-ones to watch live bands.
They all know it isn’t safe tonight.
The door pulses with sound. Bass beating loudly. Dustin pulls it open. A young woman stands behind a large podium. Her golden hair is spiked out around her head. “Ten bucks,” she yells over the music. Her teeth hit against the double hoops in her lip. Nick hands her a fifty and motions to all of them. She hands him back a ten dollar bill and stamps his hand with a fluorescent green star. She seems tired or maybe just bored while she stamps the others as they move past her.
The room is large and open, yet Keely instantly feels claustrophobic with so many bodies smashed together. The place is packed. She reaches for Nick. Hooks her finger around the empty belt loop of his jeans. “Now what?”
Nick looks over her head at Dustin and nods. Lila goes with Dustin, moving along the wall. Their eyes searching. Nick guides Keely in the opposite direction doing the same thing.
“Do you see him?” Keely has to shout and can barely hear her own voice. Somehow Nick hears her. Shakes his head.
“Keep your eyes open.” His hand grasps her finger on his jeans. “Hold tight.”
She does, hooking another finger into the loop and her other hand grips his shirt. Guys and girls dance below the small stage. They move frantically to the beat of the music. Some wave glow sticks and in some parts of the room, it is the only light. The bulbs of the overhead lamps are all blue and some are burnt out. It’s eerie the way everyone illuminates a bluish glow. They all look so pale. Most are as young as or younger than Keely.
She and Nick make their way around the room to where they began. Meet up with Dustin and Lila.
“Did you see anything?” Nick and Dustin stand very close to one another as they yell back and forth. Keely releases her fingers from Nick. They throb. He reaches back instantly and takes her hand.
Keely looks around the room again. She knows he’s here. Probably just waiting for the perfect moment. She checks the time on her cell phone. It is just now eight o’clock. The phone vibrates in her hand causing her to jump. Nick pulls her closer.
“What is it?”
“A text.” She positions her phone so he can see. “It’s just Dana. She’s here. I forgot I originally agreed to come here with her. One of her friend’s boyfriend is in the band.”
Nick nods. He remembers. A second later, Dana is beside him.
“Hey, you made it. This band is pretty good, right?”
Keely nods. Now that she allows herself to actually pay attention, she realizes they are good. Nick seems annoyed with Dana’s presence as she moves closer to him. “Where’s Bryon?”
Nick tells her he doesn’t know. She moves closer as if she can’t hear him and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
There is a moment when everything moves so fast, Keely can’t keep up. The music is too loud suddenly. The room is too dark. People push into each other, pushing into Keely. She loses Nick’s hand as she is thrown to the floor. Everyone is screaming, but the music goes on. Plays louder. Her ears hurt. The guitar screeches louder. Someone trips over her. Another someone steps on her leg. She tries to scream in pain, but she isn’t sure if anything comes out.
It’s all too fast. Where is Nick? Dustin? Lila? Dana?
Hands pull at her. At first she fights against them. Hitting, kicking. “Keely!” Dana blocks a hit. “Get up,” she yells.
Keely takes he
r hand and they are smashing their way through screaming kids. Keely finds an opening and tugs Dana through behind her. People are pushing her again. She doesn’t resist this time. Moves with it. She is in a hall. Everyone is going right. Dana pulls her left.
“Come on, we can get out this way.”
Keely hesitates. Looks at the crowd of panicked people. Dana pulls her hand. They move left and run.
“What happened in there? What caused all that panic?” Keely asks breathlessly. They come to another hallway and Dana pauses. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t remember which way.” Dana’s eyes are huge, frightened. “I think it’s this way, but I’m not sure.” She takes a step to the right. Behind her a shadow moves along the wall. Keely grabs Dana’s hand and they run left.
“Go, faster.” Keely looks back, a man, a very large and very dead looking man moves down the hall behind them. He is bloated and gray. His eyes are lifeless, pale and creamy. He’s in dirty jean overalls like her gramps used to wear when he worked in the garden. He’s balding like her gramps too, but he isn’t her gramps. There is a cruel expression on his face, one her grandfather never wore. His feet do not touch the ground, do not move, yet he is just a pace behind them.
At the next hall they do not hesitate. They turn right and at the end of this hall is a door. Keely pushes Dana forward. “Go, go.”
Dana slams into the door sending it flying open. She turns back to Keely, sees the man following them and freezes. Screams rip from her throat. Keely pulls her through the door and they’re running again. They have to make it to the front of the building now where the parking lot is. They should have stayed with the crowd. Safety in numbers.
As they run, Keely pulls the mace from her pocket. Flips the cap back. Readies her fingers.
“There’s my car,” Dana pants as they round the corner. She is already searching her pocket for her keys. Keely risks a look behind her now. The man is too close. They aren’t going to make it into the car.