20
Andthenightmareskeptcoming.Everynightforthenexteightdays,to beexact.Whileeverythingelseseemedtobelookinguparoundme,I couldn'tgettheimageofherfacescrapedoffthebackofmymind.
IwantedtotalktoCooperaboutit,butweneverseemedtobealone enoughforthattohappen.Heavoidedprivateconversationevenwhenthe boyswereupstairs;withsuperhumanhearing,theywouldbeprivyto whatwassaidanyway.Andifitwasn'ttheboysgettingintheway,itwas Sean;IstillhadnointentionofbringinganythingupwithhimuntilIhad someanswersfromGavin.Ididn'twanttoplaythecardthatGavinhadso graciouslyplacedinmyhand.Somethingaboutthatseemedtoo easy―likehewascountingonmetodothat.Ihadnointentionofbeinga pawninhisgame.
Bydaynine,I'dstoppedfightingitandjustwentwiththeflow, thoughexhaustedandmentallyfatigued.Ihadn'trealizedjusthowoutof itIreallywasuntilIslammedmyshoulderintothekitchendoorwaylate thatafternoonwhilecarryingpopcorntothelivingroomfortheguys.It fleweverywhere,creatingaruckuswhenthestainlessbowlcrashedtothe hardwood.Thefourofthemsnappedtheirattentiontome instantaneously,lookingfordanger.Theonlydangertobefoundwas me―adangertomyself.
“Whatthehellwasthat,Ruby?”Cooperaskedwithalookof confusion.“Wedidn'tjustthrowthatwalluptoday.”
“I'msotired,”Iwhined,tryingtopickupthemess.Beckettmoved tojoinmeuntilonelookfromCoopersathimbackdownquick.Cooper mayhavebeenwarminguptotheboysenoughtonotwanttokillthemon adailybasis,andheevenletthemcomedownandjoinusintheliving roomfromtimetotime,buttheywerestillontightleashes,andthose leasheshadnogivewhereverIwasconcerned.
Instead,Coopercametojoinmewhiletheotherslookedon, bewilderedexpressionsonallfourfaces.
“Rubes,thiscan'tbegood.You'rewalkingintowalls,forChrist's sake.You'relikeazombiemostdays.Mindtellingmewhat'sgoingon?”
“I'vetriedto,”Isnappedundermybreath,“butIcan'tfindan appropriatetime.”
Helookedoverhisshoulderattheothersthennoddedatmein acknowledgment.
“MaybeSeancansendoveracouplemoreboystobabysitoneday soyouandIcangetoutofhereandtalk?”heofferedupasasolution.
“Weneedtodoitsoonerratherthanlater,Coop.IfeellikeI'm fallingapart.”
“Tellingyouthatyoulooklikeittooisn'tlikelytohelp,isit?”he askedwithatinysmirk.
IchuckedwhateverpopcornI'dpickedoffthefloorathishead.
“No.It'snot,thankyouverymuch.IsitweirdthatIdon'tlove hearingthatIlooklikeshit?”Imocked,gettinguptoleavehimwiththe mess.“IthinkIneedtojustrestforabit.De-stressorsomethinglike that.”
“Yougodothatthen.I'mtakingtheseguysoutinabittofollowup onahouseforrentoutoftown.Nearthewoods.Awayfrompeople.I thinkit'sgoingtoworkoutbeautifully.”
“Havefun,”Iyelled,givingawaveinthegeneraldirectionofthe livingroom.
“Iwill,”herepliedplayfully.Alittle tooplayfully.“I'mtakingyour car.Ineedtoseethattheseidiotscandriveontherightsideoftheroad withoutkillinganyone.”
“Getsomuchasascratchonherandyoudie.”
“Mhmm.”
Thedoorclosingbehindhimsignaledjusthownotfrightenedhe wasbymythreat.WhatwasIgoingtodo,chastisehimtodeath?Ihad nothingandheknewit.Hislackofresponsecalledmybluff.Eventhough hehadtheupperhandwiththecar,hewasstillgettingtheshortendof thestick.Hehadtobabysitonceagain,andIwashappytobemissingout onthat.
ButIwasn'thappyforlong.
Notfiveminutesaftertheydisappeareddownthestreet,myphone startedtoring.WhenIansweredit,IimmediatelywishedIhadn't.It wasn'taconversationIwasreadytohavejustyet.
“Ruby,”Gavindrawled.“Ihaven'theardfromyousinceourlast meeting.Iassumethatmeansyouhavenotyetshownthedark-eyedone thephoto.”
“Hello,Gavin,”Ilamentedinreturn.“Youassumecorrectly,though youprobablyknewthatforafactgivenyourpenchantforfollowingme aroundandknowingeveryintimatedetailofmylife.”
“Fairenough,”hereplied,denyingnothing.“ButI'mnotcalling aboutthatspecifically.IthinkyouandIneedtomeet.”
Icouldn'thelpbutrollmyeyes.
“Becausethosetendtogooh-sowell...”
“Yoursarcasmisbothnotedandunappreciated,younglady.Iwas tryingtobecivilandrequestaget-together,butI'msureIcouldjust ambushyouinstead,ifthat'smoretoyourliking.”
“It'snot.Thanks.”
“JustasIthought.”Hiscondescendingtoneseepedthroughthe receiver,irritatingmetonoend.Ididn'tlikethathepresumedtoknow mesowell―evenifhedid.“I'mgoingtobeoutoftownforaboutaweek orso.We'llhavetoschedulesomethingforwhenIreturn.”
“TakingGingeronvacation?”Iquipped,smilingatmyselfformy efforts.
“Asifonewouldpossiblyhavetimeforthatwhiletryingtokeep youfrombeingamenacetoyourself,”hesneered,soundingeverybitas put-uponashebelievedhimselftobe.“Ihavesomebusinesstoattendto.
Gingerwillbeintownduringmyabsence.Ireturnedthehouseboattoits usualdockafewdaysago,incaseyoumightneedtofindrefugethere.”
“AndwhywouldIneedthat?”Iaskednervously.
“Becauseyourlifeisaboilingpotthatincessantlythreatensto bubbleover.Evenyoucan'tdenythatyouneedtoescapeitonoccasion.”
Hewasright.Icouldn't.
“Sowhat'sthispressingbusinessyouhavetoattendto?”Iaskedin anattempttochangethesubject.
“Ineedtogathersomeinformation...”
“Onwhat?Whatcouldpossiblypullyouawayfromtormentingme foranentireweek?”
Hewasquietforamoment,thoughIcouldhearhimbreathinghard ontheotherend.Iwasgettingunderhisskin,andIrelishedthethought ofbeingabletogeteventheslightestbitevenwithhimonthatfront.
Thenheblindsidedme.
“Somethingwickedthiswaycomes,Ruby.Anditcomesforyou.”
Hisvoicewasasdarkandforebodingashismessage.Achillshotdown myspineinresponse.“Iamgoingtoseehowthisevilcanbeavoided.”
“What?”Iwhispered,barelyabletoforcethewordsout.“What evil?What'scoming?”
“Allingoodtime,mydear,”hereplied,soundingtheteensiestbit pleasedwithhimself.“Itisnotuponyouyet.IwillcallyouwhenIreturn andwewillpickatimetomeet.Untilthen...”Hehungupthephone, leavingmeutterlyshell-shocked.
Althoughhehadmadeapointtosaythattheevilwasnotyetupon me,Ifoundpreciouslittlecomfortinthat.Gavinwascalculating, manipulative,andterriblysmart.Hewouldnothavelefthiswifealonein adangerzone,soIknewthatIwasinlessdangerthanmyimagination wasleadingmetobelieve.Butstill,he'ddroppedonehellofabombon mebeforebuggeringofftogoplaysupernaturalspy.Ididn'tappreciate thejolttomynervoussystem.
HeseemedunimpressedbythetextIsenthimtellinghimso.
Hisresponsewaspoetic,yetnotespeciallyhelpful: ThedangerI speakofwillnotbefallyoubeforemyreturn.Findpeaceinthatfornow.
“ Moreriddles,”Iquietlysighed,staringdownatthescreen.
Withoutmuchchoice,Itriedtodoasheorderedandfindcomfortin thefactthatdeathwouldn'tbeonmydoorstepforatleastaweek.
Somuchformyde-stressingplan.
*
“Coming!”IyelledatCooper,whowasbangingontheapartment door.“Whyyoucan'tjustuseyourfriggin'keyisbeyondme.”
Iunlatchedthedeadboltandswungthedoorwideopentoseeallthe boys,sansCooper.
“Sorry,”Jannersaidsoftly,lookingatouchsheepish
about thumpingonthedoor.“Iwasn'tsureyouheardtheknockthefirsttime.
Canwecomein?”
“Uh,yeah...sure,”Ihesitated.“Where'sCoop?Ithoughthewaswith youguys.”
“Hewas,”Beckettsaidwithashrug.“Heisn'tnow.”
“Maybeyoushouldcheckyourphone,”Aliaddedhelpfully.
“Perhapshe'sleftyouamessage?”
Ilookedatthemwithtrepidation.Theyfeltnormalandatease,butI didn'tlikethatCooperwasmissing. Thatdidn'tsitwellatall.
Withasmileandmybestattempttoappearnormal,Iswallowedmy growingdiscomfortandexcusedmyselftogetmyphoneoutofmyroom.
Nosenseinlettingonthatafull-blownpanicwasthreateningtoovertake me.IfsomethinghadhappenedtoCooper,itwouldhavebeenentirelymy fault.Ibroughtthosethreeintoourlives.
Iclosedthedoorlightlybehindmeandsnatchedmycellupoffthe nightstand,mypalmssweatingmakingthetaskharderthanitshouldhave been.Sureenough,therewasatextfromCooper: Fuckingcops.Fender bender.Behomeinafew.DoNOTlettheminuntilthen.IMEANIT!
Iwasbeyondelatedtoseehismessage.Itwasclassic overprotectiveCooper.Knowingthathewasn'tdead,myfirstthought wasthatI'dalreadyfuckeduphisorders.Hewasn'tgoingtobethrilled aboutthatuponhisreturn,butIsawnopointinkickingthemout.Iwas goingtobeinshitanyway.
Mysecondthoughtwasthathis'fenderbender'hadtakenplacein mycar.TwoTTsandtwocaraccidents―aperfectscore.
Isighedandtossedthephonedownbeforeproceedingtotheliving room.Thethreestillstood,notmakingthemselvescomfortable.They lookedstiffandawkward.
“Ruby,”Alistairstarted.“IseverythingokaywithCooper?”
“Yes.He'sfine.”
“Brilliant,”herepliedwithaboyishsmile.“Doyouthinkthereis anychanceyou'dbewillingtoletuswatchalittlefootballonthetelly?
Atleastuntilhereturns?”
“Sure.Whateveryouwant,”Iagreed,headingbacktomyroomto retrievemyphone.IthoughtitbesttohaveitnearmejustincaseCooper wasgoingtoannouncehisarrival.Itwouldgivemetimetoclearoutthe troops.
HesmiledatmeasheploppedonthecouchwithJannernotfar behind.Beckett,ontheotherhand,madehiswaytothekitchen,opening thefridgeforapeek.Hisfrownspokevolumes.
“You'vegotnothinginhere.Howinthebloodyhellareyou supposedtokeepyourstrengthupwithpicklesandketchup?”
Ichuckledtomyself.Theydidn'tknowaboutmymagicaldrawerof takeoutmenus.Ihadn'thadtouseitforquiteawhilebecauseofCooper's culinaryprowess,butinlightofallthechangestoourliving arrangements,hehadn'tbeentothestore.Ineverbotheredgoing.
“Watchandlearn,myBritishfriend,”IsmiledasIdramatically pulledthehandleandunveiledthepilesoffoldedpaper.“Imaybethe solereasonthattakeoutwasinvented.Whatareyouguysupfor?”
“Pizza!”thetwoonthecouchshoutedoutinunisonovertopofthe ruckusonthetelevision.Ipokedmyheadaroundthecornertoseewhat kindtheywanted.
“Idon'tknowhowitworksinEngland,butonthissideofthe Atlantic,youhavetobeaweebitmorespecificaboutwhatyou'dlike on yourpie.”Theydidn'ttaketheireyesoffthescreentoanswer.Witha sigh,Itrudgedinthere,hopingthatifIstoodinfrontofitIwould actuallygetananswer.“So,shouldIjustpicksomething,or―”Icut myselfoffwhenIsawwhattheyweretooengrossedintoanswerme.
“Wait,Ithoughtyousaidyouwerewatching football?Thisis soccer.”
“No,love,it'sfootball.FuckingAmericans,”hemutteredunderhis breath.
“Well,thisfuckingAmericanistryingtofeedyoursuperiorBritish ass,soifyouwouldbesokindastodirectyourattentionthiswayfortwo secondstotellmeexactlywhatitisyou'dlike,itwouldbesuper,or brilliant,ifyouprefer.”
Hegavemeanimpishgrinbeforeherattledoffwhathewanted.
Jannerfollowedsuit.Becketthadthegoodsensetowriteitdownas orderswerebeingbarkedoutovertheroaringtelevision.
“Doweneedanythingelse?”Iasked,grabbingthephonetodial.
“Beers!”thecouch-dwellingduoyelledinperfectsynchronyyet again.IlookedtoBeckett,andhegavemeanimpassiveshrug.
Apparentlyhewasonboardwiththeirplan.
“Well,Ican'texactlyorderthose.Somebody'sgoingtohavetowalk downtothemarketandgetthem.”
Iwasn'tsurewhatthebestplanofactionwouldbe.ShouldIgoget themmyselfandleavethetriounattended,orshouldIsendoneofthem withtheexplicitinstructionsthatdeathwouldraindownuponthemallif therewaseventheslightestdeviationfrommyorders?Theydidstill thinkthatIwasakillingmachine.Iwouldn'thavepissedmeoffifIwere them.
WithBeckettnominatedforthetask,Ishelledoutsomemoneyto himforbrews,surprisedbyhowmuchhesaidwouldbenecessary.
Apparently,theyplannedtogetalittlerowdy.Cooperreallywasn'tgoing tobepleasedwhenhegothome.
“Younever,ever, evercheerforChelsea,Ruby.It'sbloody blasphemy,”Aliscolded.“YoushouldbethankfulthatBeckswasn'there forthatslip-up.He'dhavegonemad.”
“Right.Sorry,”Ireplied,shrinkingintomyseat.“Redguys.I'll cheerfortheredguys.”
“Bloodyrightyouwill,”hemutteredunderhisbreath.
Tenminuteslater,Beckettreturnedwiththeentireimportedbeer selectionfromtheliquorstore.Boxuponboxwasunloadedintothe fridge,makingitserendipitousthattherehadn'tbeenanyfoodinthereto occupythenecessaryspacefortheirbeverages.Beckettpoppedthecaps offoffourbottlesusingsomefancycountertoptrick,thenmadehisway intothelivingroomtodistributethefirstround.Whenhethrustone towardme,Ismiledandaccepted.Ifeltlikeoneoftheboys.
“RubycheeredforChelsea,”Alistairbaitedfromthefarendofthe couchbeforeturningamischievousgrinmyway.
“Turncoat!”Iyelledathim,chuckingapillowathisheadthathe easilyducked.
“Shedidn't...,”Beckettwhispered,turningdisbelievingeyesmy way.
“It'strue,”Jannerconcurred.“Shallwevoteherofftheisland?”
Beckettslowlyshookhisheadinnegation.
“We'llhavetoteachheralessonlater.”Theclosestthingtoasmile thatI'deverseenonBeckettflashedacrosshisface.“Afewmorebeers firstthough,eh?”
Atthatsecond,agoalwasscoredona'breakaway'ofsomesort,and theyallshottotheirfeetcheering,thenchuggedtheirbeersinacontest toseewhocouldslamtheirbottledownfirst.Jannerwonthatroundand quicklyrantograbfreshonesbeforethegamekickedoffagain.Whenhe returned,he'dbroughtanopenoneformetoo.
Muchtomydismay,itwasonlyminutesbeforethered team―ManchesterUnited―scoredagainaftersomemanbouncedthe balloffofhisheadintothegoal. Ithoughttheyweresupposedtouse theirfeet?
Again,theyallshotupanddownedtheirdrinks,onlythistimethey insistedthatIjoinintherace.I'dnevertriedtoguzzleabeerbefore,and itwasn'tanespeciallysuccessfuleffort,butwithminorspilling,Ichoked itdown,draggingmymouthacrossmysleevetocleanmyfaceafterward.
IwasmetwithawallofstaresasIslammedmybottledown.Apparently Ineededtoworkonmychuggingskills.
“You'llgetthehang
ofit,”Alistaircalled,headingtothekitchenfor yetanotherround.Ashedid,thedoorbellrang,signalingthearrivalof thepizza.Isighedinrelief;Iwasgoingtoneeditifweweregoingto keepupdrinkingatthatpace.
“Hurry,Ruby.They'rebackonthepitch!”
“What?”Iasked,fumblingwiththepileofboxesstacked precariouslyinmyarms.“Whatdoesthatevenmean?”
“Hemeansthey'reonthefieldandreadytogo,”Jannercalledfrom thesofa.
“Whydoyouguyshavetocallthingssuchweirdnames?”I lamentedasIlaidoutthefoodontheisland.
“Somuchtolearn...,”Beckettpatronized,shakinghishead disapprovingly.Hisdrysenseofhumorwasoddlyrefreshing.Thewhole scenariowas.
Bythetimethesecondhalfbegan,Iwasfivebeersinandfeelingit.
Jannerhadgraciouslyofferedtoexplainthebasicsofthegametome,so IjoinedhimonthecouchwiththeotherssoIcouldhearoverthegeneral volumeoftheshenanigans.Thefourofuswerecozilycrammedonthe sofa,drinking,eating,swearing,andshoutinglikecrazypeople.
' Hooligans,' Becketthadcalleduswithalookofpride.
Theytaughtmechantsandevenrandomlittledancesthattheydid aftereveryfavorablecallorgoal,andIsoakedthemuplikeasponge, enjoyingeverysecondofourtomfoolery.ItwasthemostfunI'dhad sinceIreturned.
I'dforgottenallaboutCooperinhisabsence,butweallsnappedto attentionwhenhestormedthroughthedoor,hislookmurderous.In fairness,wewerequiteasighttobehold.Ourteamhadscoredinthefinal minuteandweweredutifullycelebrating,meproppeduponAlistair's shoulders,beerinhandastheboysalljumpedupanddownchanting betweenswigsofbeer.ThemerrimentquicklydiedasCooper'sanger permeatedtheair.
“Whatthe fuckdoyouthinkyou'redoing?”hegrowled,standingin thedoorway.
ItriedtoscrambledownoffofAlistair,butonlymanagedtofall backontothecouchinaheap,spillingmybeerallovermyself.TheUK
triowassuddenlysilent,whichwasastunningcontrasttomoments earlier.Beckettreachedformetohelpmeup,andCoopergrowled. Truly growled.Ilookeduptoseemygolden-eyedalphadesperatelycloseto Changing.Explanationswereneededandfast.