Parahuman (Parahuman Series) Page 9

  “I don’t know, Laney, he’s wanted to beat Rick for quite a while.” Jarrod commented nonchalantly from behind Laney. Devan was the only one who could see his face and know that the words weren’t meant casually. Jarrod had that snide look on his face once again.

  Laney swung around abruptly and Jarrod was quick to wipe his face clean of dislike. He was actually pretty quick with the transformation to disinterest.

  “You know my dad would never treat him differently just because he didn’t do that competition.” She said vehemently.

  Jarrod held his hands up in a manner of surrender. “I’m sure your dad won’t hold it against Devan. I was just commenting on the fact that your dad would really have liked to beat Rick this year.” Jarrod rephrased, smiling innocently.

  This guy was diabolical!

  “I wish I could help him out.” Devan spoke up. He had wanted to talk to her and here she was talking to Jarrod. At least she was quarreling with him.

  Laney spun back to Devan with a look of contrition. “Really, don’t worry about it; my dad understands that people have different ideologies.”

  Jarrod’s face swiftly transformed back to nasty when Laney turned her back to him. His adeptness at switching expressions was phenomenal.

  “Everything packed up?” Nick asked, walking up to the back of the van and throwing in his chair. “If so, let’s go.”

  Everyone piled back into the van, taking their previous seats. Jarrod didn’t bother initiating a conversation with Devan this time; he focused his attention solely on Laney.

  “Laney, are you going over to Duane’s tonight?” Jarrod’s back was to Devan, making sure of his exclusion.

  “Yes.” Laney twisted in her seat to look at Jarrod and in doing so she also faced Devan. Leaning back in his seat Devan observed them with an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. Why the tightness was there was unknown to him.

  “Do you need a ride over?” Jarrod asked.

  “Thanks, but no. I’m going to head over with Hali.” Laney’s gaze shifted to Devan and then refocused back onto Jarrod.

  Devan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. A quick look at the display revealed a message from Brett…no one else had his number. ‘Gone to library’. Devan contemplated those words with a frown. It was highly improbable that Silverton library had any reading material that would be of interest to Brett, so why would he visit the library?

  Nick parked the van in front of the main building when they returned; they’d been just over two hours. He shut off the engine and turned.

  “Laney, take Devan inside and have him fill out the essential paper work. Jarrod and I need to finish getting ready for our hike this afternoon.”

  Devan could feel Jarrod’s gaze burning a hole in his back as he walked into the building behind Laney. Turning his back on someone behaving so aggressively toward him was contrary to Devan’s nature and made all his hairs stand on end. The prospect of incessant hostility from Jarrod made Devan wonder why he was going forth with the employment, but as this quandary was crossing Devan’s mind his gaze tracked the figure walking ahead of him, and the realization came to him that she was the reason he was resolute in his decision.

  It was a puzzle why she had such a hold on his interest, and puzzles were of a keen interest to Devan. Unfortunately, when your I.Q. was off the charts puzzles didn’t remain a mystery for long so he was certain he’d figure it out.

  Stepping through the front door Devan halted at the counter as Laney walked around. Seeing that he had stopped she waved him forward.

  “Come on around, you’re going to be working here so you need to know the layout of the building. Not that there’s much of a layout. There’s the front entry, a small closet, an even smaller bathroom, and the office.”

  Devan walked around and followed her to the back office. He stayed in the doorway as she bent and shuffled through a cabinet against the wall. The office space was small but utilized efficiently with only one desk containing a computer and a filing cabinet. The walls had a multitude of photographs displaying Nick, Laney and another woman, presumably Laney’s mother, in a variety of outdoor activities. They appeared to be a very happy family, if the smiles were any indication.

  “You have a lot of family pictures.” Devan commented conversationally. He had never been to anyone’s home to see a collection of family photographs, and it was fascinating to see the time-line of Laney’s life here on the wall. They ranged from her young childhood to very recent.

  The only pictures taken of Devan had been at the facility documenting his growth progress. These weren’t anything like those. For one thing everyone was smiling in these.

  She looked up from her paper shuffling to contemplate the pictures. Her gaze fixated on one family portrait in particular with a pained expression. Laney looked younger in this picture by about two years; she was standing next to her father and probable mother at the summit of some cliff with the Colorado landscape as a backdrop. They were all smiling and waving at the camera, so Devan wasn’t sure why Laney appeared upset. Weren’t smiling pictures supposed to be a sign of happy memories?

  “Did I say something wrong?” Devan asked.

  Laney’s head jerked in his direction and he noticed her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “No, sorry, just thinking.” The roughness of her voice was contrary to her denial though. Reaching back into the filing cabinet she pulled out several sheets of paper. “These are the papers you need to fill out; there are government tax forms and some of our own that need to be completed. Your uncle will have to sign them also since you’re underage.”

  Devan walked forward to retrieve the papers in the same instance she stood and turned to walk toward him. With the office being as small as it was it didn’t take but two steps for the both them to reach each other, and as her head was still down she was unaware of the imminent collision.

  Devan threw his hands up to her shoulders to stop the full impact and then jerked them away just as quickly, but not before he noticed her skin was warm through her shirt, and her structure, though sturdy, was at the same time soft and delicate. He also received a concentrated whiff of her natural fragrance under the other smells of her shampoo and soaps. It was fresh like the outdoors and heady. Devan couldn’t help but breath it in deeply.

  Laney looked up at him startled. “Ohhh,” she gasped. Her eyes still looked wet, like she was close to crying. Devan was in the process of apologizing, but her watery eyes sent him in another direction.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked. A constriction was developing in his chest. Devan rubbed at wondering if he was going through some growth pains again.

  It was as if his question unleashed something in her because two tears spilled from her eyes down her cheeks. It was quite alarming, and Devan wasn’t sure what to do. The constriction in his chest got worse.

  “Why did you have to ask me if I was okay?” Laney cried indignantly, turning away.

  Feeling very much out of his depth Devan looked at her in alarm. Although, Devan wasn’t proficient in human relationships he knew it was standard to ask after the feelings of another if they appeared upset.

  “I would have been fine if you would have just let it go.” She huffed, snatching a tissue off the desk to rub her eyes.

  For the first time ever Devan was flabbergasted, he stood there with his hands out not knowing what to do.

  Laney looked up into his dumbfounded expression, tears in her eyes, and smiled. Confusion swamped his brain. Not the first time it had happened around other people. Their emotional outbursts were difficult to understand.

  “Oh man, I’m sorry; I must seem totally mental.” She sniffed. “I didn’t mean to blow up at you, I just didn’t want to cry, and when you asked me if I was okay it sort of pushed me over.”

  “Asking you if you were alright made you cry?” Devan contemplated this. Sometimes human interactions were impossible to comprehend.

  His obvious bewilderment seemed to divert Laney fro
m her unhappiness. Her eyes were still glistening, but at least her tears had halted, and her pained expression was replaced with a mild amusement.

  “Haven’t you ever been on the verge of tears, and then someone comes along and asks if you’re okay and that’s the one thing that sets it off?”

  Devan frowned. “I never cry.”

  A brow raised in disbelief. “Never!” Laney scoffed.

  “Never.”

  Maybe it was the gravity of Devan’s demeanor that convinced her he wasn’t just spouting platitudes.

  “Everyone needs to cry sometimes.” She declared, looking sad that he never cried.

  “You just became more upset because you cried, why does anyone need to cry if it’s further upsetting?” Devan was trying to rationalize her assertion. The last time he’d cried had been when he was five, living at the facility. He had hurt himself in one of his first physical training exercises, and when no one had offered any comfort he’d learned crying was of no use, a waste of energy. So the next time Devan had converted that emotion into his training to make himself do better.

  Laney’s lips twisted in a half grin as she huffed. “You just can’t help it sometimes. Like now, I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, it’s good to cry sometimes, it relieves the pressure inside when you feel overwhelmed…and sad.” Laney’s voiced choked up slightly at the end.

  Devan shifted uneasily. “What are you overwhelmed by?” He had to ask, when he probably should have let it go.

  She considered him for a moment before answering. “I guess being in a small town I’m used to everyone knowing and you’re bound to find out anyway. Everyone knows everything about everyone here.”

  Not if you don’t become involved Devan repeated to himself.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He stated, trying to stay true to his mantra.

  “No, like I said you’ll find out anyway, better that you hear it from me than other people gossiping about it.” Unaccountable relief filled him that she was still willing to share. She took a deep breath. “My mom died eight months ago from cancer, and at times I get a little emotional, especially when I look at pictures of her.”

  “Maybe you should take the pictures down until you can handle it.” Devan mused.

  “Never,” Laney exclaimed with a dismayed expression, “it would be like cutting her out altogether.” She looked toward one of her mother’s photographs. “I love looking at her pictures; it’s just painful at the same time.” Laney finished this last part softly. Devan didn’t say anything for fear of intruding or saying the wrong thing...something he was good at. After a several seconds she turned back around wiping at her eyes self-consciously.

  “Thank you for not saying ‘sorry’. I am so tired of hearing that.” She smiled the sweetest smile Devan had ever seen, and he had to swallow the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. Where were all these lumps, and aches, and cramps coming from? Was his body going through some kind of metamorphosis?

  Devan gave Laney a shrug in way of acknowledging her gratitude. It had really never occurred to Devan to offer an apologetic remark. People said ‘sorry’ when they could empathize or sympathize about another person’s pain and losing a parent and wasn’t something Devan could relate to.

  Laney looked down and fidgeted with the papers in her hands before abruptly thrusting them out toward him. “Here, fill these out and bring them back tomorrow after school. Don’t forget to have your uncle sign them.”

  Reaching forward Devan took the papers from her hands. Her nearness was…unsettling. “Thank you. I will see you tomorrow then.” Tomorrow, for some reason, seemed a long way away.

  As Devan turned to leave Laney reached out and touched his arm, and that painful constriction in his abdomen happened again. Devan tensed automatically, not just from the constriction but because of the unaccustomed touch. Laney must have felt or sensed his tension because the hand retracted immediately. Realization hit Devan; his discomfort wasn’t from his body changing, it was Laney causing it.

  She turned away hastily, but Devan was able to see she was disconcerted by his behavior. Her hand trembled faintly and she was holding herself stiffly. “I’m sure you heard Jarrod talking in the van about some shindig happening tonight.” She was talking as she walked around the other side of the desk. When she turned her expression was serene and smiling. “Every Sunday a few of us get together to do something, because there’s really nothing to do in a small town unless you want to go two tracking or mud bogging. Tonight it’s movie, cards, or darts; whichever floats your boat. I wanted to ask…or I was wondering if you wanted to go?” Pink began to suffuse her cheeks. “It would be a good way to get to know some of the other kids before tomorrow.”

  Getting to know others wasn’t something high on Devan’s ‘to do’ list and an automatic ‘no’ was his normal response to these offers. His lips formed the word, but no sound came from his throat. His eyes were snared by brilliant green and something was preventing him from voicing the word this time.

  Unaccountably, he didn’t want to say ‘no’. “Uhh…I would like to go…” Devan scratched his head and stumbled over the words, in a state of shock that he was actually agreeing to go.

  Laney’s face looked expectant. “You want to go…you can’t go?” She queried with a half smile, looking slightly confused by his half statement.

  Devan struggled again, attempting to make himself clearer. “Yes, I would like to go, but I wouldn’t know how to get there.” Or what to do once he got there…or how to act...what was he thinking?!

  “If you want to meet here at 6:15 tonight, you can follow me and my friend Hali over to Duane’s, he’s the one hosting the party.” Laney offered tentatively.

  “Okay.” Devan couldn’t believe he was going to do this. He should just retract right now.

  Laney grabbed a piece a paper off the desk. After writing down a phone number she offered it to him. “This is my number; if something comes up and you can’t make it just call me.”

  Perfect, here was his way out. When Devan arrived back at the house he would give her a call telling her that something had came up and he wouldn’t be able to make it.

  Reaching out for the slip of paper their fingers connected and a tingle ran up Devan’s arm. Laney’s green eyes locked with his, a startled look upon her face. It was as if she felt it too.

  “So, I guess I’ll see you back here in a few hours then.” She gave him huge smile…a dazzling smile. The sight of it caused his chest cavity to constrict disturbingly.

  “Okay, until tonight then.” Devan was speaking fast and backing up toward the door, feeling an urgent need to get away and think. It was becoming a difficult thing to do when he was near her. She extracted a variety of conflicting emotions from him, because even as he was backing up he felt an almost urgent need to stay there with her. Spinning around he forced himself to leave the building…and her.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “So, what’s the rating on the newbie?”

  “Oooohh, that’s hard to say.” Laney puckered her lips in thought. “I don’t think Devan can be held to the standard rating system. He’s quite…unique.”

  A growl of irritation came from the seat next her. Hali, Laney’s best friend, had been digging for information on Devan ever since Laney had climbed into Hali’s truck…with poor results. Anything Laney could have said about Devan wouldn’t have done him justice. He was definitely a ‘have to be seen to be appreciated’ sort of guy.

  “What does that mean…‘unique’? Does he have a third ear growing on his forehead or an extra finger or…ohh, ohh; I know he’s got a tail doesn’t he?” Hali wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Come on, you’ve given me barely any info and it’s so not like you. Now come on and spill, is it a cute birthmark? I know, it’s shaped like Mickey Mouse, or Harry’s lightning bolt.” Hali’s eyes gleamed with unmistakable mirth and curiosity.

  Laney leaned back in the passenger
seat of Hali’s Chevy S-10, her neck cranked sideways to view the road. “No extra ear, finger, or tail, but he does have an eye sensitivity problem, so he has to wear sunglasses all the time to keep any kind of light off his eyes. Don’t make a big deal about it because I think he’s self-conscious about it. Hopefully, now that the sun has set he won’t be wearing them.”

  “He’s sensitive about his eye sensitivity.” Hali snorted with a grin.

  Laney rolled her eyes at Hali’s humor. She could make a joke out of anything.

  “Yes, so be nice.”

  “I am always nice.” Hali announced dramatically, resting her hand on her chest in mock offense.

  Laney grinned. “You’re always sarcastic, with some semblance of nice.”

  Hali adopted a false contemplative air. “Oh yeah, you’re right. So this eye sensitivity is the only thing you’re going to tell me about him.”

  “He’s going to be here any minute and then you can see him for yourself.”

  Hali narrowed her eyes. Laney smiled innocently. A slow smirk spread over Hali’s face. “What?” Laney exclaimed with exaggerated naïveté.

  “You are in-ter-es-ted, aren’t you?”

  Laney maintained her innocent smile. “He’s just a new student and coworker. I barely know him.”

  Hali’s eyes narrowed even further. “Ohh, you’re interested all right.”

  “He’s interesting, that’s all.” Laney corrected.

  Now it was Hali’s turn to roll her eyes. “Don’t give me that wide eyed innocent girl act; you’re talking to your other half here. We shared the same crib, binky, high chair, training bed, bunk bed, futon, hammock…”

  “Okay, okay,” Laney threw her hand over Hali’s mouth. The girl would go on forever if allowed. “But sharing only goes so far.” The comment came out unconsciously, surprising Laney. It’s not like she had a claim on him, or wanted one, especially with the way he kept running away from her. Twice now. She had kind of expected a call from Devan telling her that he had changed his mind about going tonight, but he hadn’t called to cancel, and now she was on pins and needles waiting for him to show up.