Chameleon (Supernaturals) (7 page)

Russ watched me back up and said, “You can’t leave everyone like this. You need to undo the spell.”

I looked around the room. In the madness of the moment I’d actually forgotten that time was standing still. “B—but,” I stammered. “I don’t know how to undo a spell.”

“How did you cast it?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want to see Conor fall.”

Russ thought for a minute. “Try visualizing what you want and then just will it to happen.”

“Will it?”

“Like making a wish.” He pointed to Conor and with a bitter smirk added, “You might want to grab hold of your boyfriend first, if you don’t want him taking a swim.”

At the mention of Conor something occurred to me. “You did this. That feeling I got before, it was magic. You used magic to make him fall. And you messed with his chair too.”

Russ looked annoyed for a second then shrugged. “You caught me,” he admitted.

I couldn’t believe that on top of everything going on right now I had to deal with this too. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “Are you
five
?” I screamed. This problem at least, was one I knew how to react to. “All night I’ve been barely holding onto my sanity, trying my very hardest to accept the impossible because I didn’t want to let you down, and as thanks you’ve been using your stupid tricks to sabotage my date? You jerk!”

I turned around to face Conor before Russ could yell at me back, or worse, try to apologize. I wanted to be mad right now. Mad was a safe emotion. It was normal.

I took a deep breath and then grabbed a strong hold on Conor’s hand. I closed my eyes and pictured everything moving again. I wished for it.

When time started back up it was as if nothing happened at all except now I was holding Conor’s hand and he was able to regain his balance without falling in the fishpond.

Conor kept shaking his head as he untied his shoelaces. “I don’t understand how this could have happened, but thank you for saving me. I swear I’m not usually this clumsy.”

“I’m sure you’re not.”

I glared up at Russ. He glared right back, but stood there waiting for me to come with him. I ignored him as I helped my date to his feet. “Conor, I’ve had a wonderful time tonight, but I think I’m still not feeling very well. Would you mind taking me home?”

“Sure.”

Conor looked absolutely dejected. No doubt he thought I was ditching him because he was some kind of spaz. I felt awful for him, but there was nothing I could say that would explain what really happened. Nothing he’d believe anyway.

“I can take her home if you want to stay with your friends,” Russ offered.

Conor looked up wondering where Russ had come from. He didn’t look happy to see Russ, but he didn’t look surprised either. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. She was nice enough to go out with me. The least I can do is take her home.”

Ugh, he was so depressed it was heartbreaking, but I was already too full up on emotions to really feel all that bad. I didn’t have any strength left in me to try and make him feel better. All I could manage was a simple, “Thanks.”

Russ stepped in front of me before I could walk away. “Dani, wait. We still need to talk.”

I glared one more time at Russ, then placed my hand in the arm Conor was offering me and left without another word.

My mom held out the phone
to me, but I refused to take it.

“It’s for you.”

“I know it’s for me. Why do you think I didn’t answer it?”

“It’s not Russ this time.”

That made me crack. There was only one other person who might be calling me right now other than Russ. I took the phone from my mom and tried to sound happy as I answered. “Hello? Conor?”

“This is Alex, Dani. I know you’re angry with Russ right now, but he told me what happened and I really must speak to you.”

I hung up on him.

“Dani, this is ridiculous.” My mom sighed. “You need to talk to him.”

True, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready.

The phone started ringing again and before my mom could answer it, I disconnected the entire thing from the wall.

The calls from Russ started about ten minutes after I got home from the dance Friday night and I’d turned off my cell phone after the third message. The calls to the house phone started Saturday morning and kept up all day. Now it was Sunday afternoon and Russ had recruited his father to help him do his dirty work.

“Can’t you just get over it? Russ is obviously sorry, honey.”

All I’d said to my parents when I got home from the dance was that Russ had been a jerk to my date. That was explanation enough for them. They asked if there was anything they could do to make me feel better, but when I said no they let it drop.

It’s not that they didn’t care about me—they love me like crazy—but they’re kind of clueless as parents. I can’t hold it against them, though, because I’ve never made them have to act like parents.

Anytime I’d ever had a problem I’d always gone to Russ’s dad for advice. I’m not sure why, but it always felt more natural to me, and he was always very eager to help. He’s just that kind of guy. He loves me as much as he loves Russ, and I love him as much as I love my parents. He even used to joke with me that I’d been born into the wrong family. Especially because Russ and I tend to fight like brother and sister.

It was hard for me to hang up on Alex, but I couldn’t talk to him—at least not yet. So my parents were stuck on parent duty this time and they simply hadn’t had enough practice dealing with the really hard stuff.

“He should be sorry,” I said to my mom. “He was a jerk. He ruined my first date. He
humiliated
Conor for no reason.”

My dad came into the kitchen then, patting down all his pockets with a distressed look. “Right,” he said with a snort. “No reason at all. Have either of you seen my glasses?”

“I didn’t do anything to him.”

“Come on, Dani. Are you blind?”

“You’re asking me if
I’m
blind?” I took the glasses off the top of his head and frowned at him as I stuck them on his face.

My dad blinked and then smiled at me. “Different kind of blind.”

I gaped at my father. “How can you be on his side?”

My dad shrugged and then headed for the coffee machine. “I can’t blame him. If someone ever tried to steal your mother away from me I’d do a lot more than spill punch on the guy.”

“That’s different. You and mom are married. You love each other.”

“And Russ loves you.”

“Like a sister,” I muttered even though I wasn’t so sure that was true anymore.

“Well I think it was rude,” my mom said to my dad. “Russ can’t expect her not to date other boys if he’s not going to ask her to be his girlfriend. Even if he was jealous, he shouldn’t have been pestering her and being mean to her date.”

“Thank you!” I gave my father an exasperated look. “You’re my dad. Aren’t you supposed to be overprotective or something? Where’s the shotgun and the shovel?”

Dad laughed at that and then reached for his ringing cell phone. “This is John. Oh, hey, Alex.” Dad listened for a minute and then chuckled. “Yeah, Rusty sure did a number on my baby girl this time didn’t he? Yeah, yeah. Teenagers. You know how it is. Be grateful you have a boy.”

Dad listened to Alex for a moment and I watched as he sobered up from his formerly playful mood. “No, she’s not. We’re not sure what’s wrong. It doesn’t seem like the flu, but she passed out again this morning. Rachel’s going to take her to the doctor tomorrow as soon as they open. I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s probably just mono or something like that.”

“Dad!” I yelled, horrified. “I do not have mono!”

“I’ll try Alex, but I’ve got to be honest, I haven’t seen her this upset in a long time. She may need a few more days to cool off.”

Dad listened, sighed, and then held out his phone to me. “Danielle, talk to the boy before we all go crazy.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s it!” I screamed. “I’m going for a walk.”

. . . . .

“Figures you’d find me here,” I said when I felt more than heard Russ’s approach.

“If you were trying to hide from me, you shouldn’t have come here.”

I looked out across the lake and sighed. Russ and I had a lot of memories here. Of course, we had a lot of memories pretty much everywhere in this tiny town.

“The water has always calmed you down.”

“Yeah, well it’s not working this time,” I grumbled.

I picked up a rock and threw it as far out into the water as I could.

Russ was still standing a good distance behind me. I knew this because I could feel him, the way I’d been able to feel him for days now. I wanted him to close the distance and take away the restlessness, but I hated that I felt that way.

“Dani, what you’re feeling right now is normal.”

I startled at Alex’s voice. I hadn’t realized Russ brought his dad with him. I was a little relieved not to have to be alone with Russ, but I was still incredibly freaked out by this whole magic thing. I hate to admit it, but I was kind of scared of his dad. I didn’t think I wanted to hear the answers he had for me.

“Anger is usually normal when someone’s been such a jerk,” I grumbled and chucked another rock at the water.

Russ groaned. “I’m sorry, okay? I was just angry.”

“About
what
? What did
you
have to be angry about?”

“
Are you kidding me?
You’re so stupid, Dani!”

“That’s enough, you two,” Alex interrupted. “We have more important things to discuss here. Dani, the sickness you’re feeling is only going to get worse if you don’t let us help you.”

I finally turned around and looked at them. Seeing them standing next to one another was always a little distracting. Alexander Devereaux was a very handsome man. Same light brown hair and crystal blue eyes as Russ. In fact, he was pretty much the older version of his son except that he had a distinguished and humble way about him.

Russ, of course, handsome as he may be, couldn’t pull off distinguished or humble if his life depended on it. Especially not humble. Though, he did look pretty miserable at the moment, much to my satisfaction.

Now that Alex was standing right in front of me it was impossible not to want his help. I finally broke down and asked, “Do you really know what’s wrong with me?”

“You’ve been feeling weak, right? Anxious maybe? Your father said you’ve been passing out?”

I nodded. “It feels like restlessness. I feel empty inside. Like something’s missing—something I can’t live without.”

“And that emptiness disappears when you’re with Russ, doesn’t it?”

I looked away from them, blushing. Did he have to mention my pathetic addiction to his son? “It dulls it,” I whispered. “But it doesn’t make it stop completely.”

“I imagine after being separated from him for nearly a day and a half, you must be in a great deal of physical pain right now.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening. I buried my face in my hands and waited for Russ to make some sarcastic or cocky remark, but to my surprise he stayed silent.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Dani. It’s called the cravings,” Alex explained. “It’s completely natural.”

Right. Just like everything’s going to be okay?

“Natural?” I asked. I was so frustrated I felt like ripping my hair out, but I couldn’t scream at Alex. Russ, sure, but not his dad. “There is nothing
natural
about what is happening to me.”

“Come here and I’ll show you.”

Alex held out his hands and I didn’t hesitate to step into them. When his arms came around me I was met with a feeling so intense I almost passed out again. It was everything I’d felt when I was with Russ the last few days, only so much stronger. The pull I felt toward Alex was so strong I don’t think I could have let him go even if I’d wanted to.

“What you’re feeling right now is supernatural energy. You’re resisting it, but your body needs it. Take a deep breath and just let it in.”