Sunday. The day of supposed rest, my mother decides to do a cleansing ritual with the help of every cleaning instrument known to humankind. She scrubs, washes, scours, and polishes everything in sight, with the hope, I presume, of getting rid of every DNA sample my dad could have possibly left behind.
When I hear a knock at the door just after lunch, I am relieved and I call from my room, where I am hiding, "I'll get it."
I jump off my bed and rush to the front door. I pull the door open hastily.
" Oh," I say when I see Jayden standing on my doorstep.
He looks at me uncomfortably when he obviously sees the displeased look on my face. He asks, "Can I come in?"
I am reluctant to invite him in, so I step outside and make sure the latch is up before I pull the door shut behind me. I remember the way he was glaring at me the night before in the rear-view mirror, so I am not in the mood for him.
Expectantly I ask, looking around him, "Is Kieran here?"
" No. I came here on my own." His eyes pull together tightly, as he looks at me and I cannot hide my disappointment. He turns away from me. "I'll be off then."
Feeling embarrassed at my blatant rudeness, I lean toward him and grab onto his arm. "Why did you come here? What do you want anyway?" I feel him stiffen under my touch.
He turns around slowly and takes a step closer to me. He stands too closely, and he looks down at me pensively. I feel my heart palpitate in my chest. He has a profound power over me. His eyes are hypnotic and he keeps my eyes captive with his. The corners of his mouth lift into a sardonic smile as if he can hear my heart racing in my chest.
" Kieran told me about his almost death yesterday and I am worried about you. Did you see any dark shadows before you saw the car speeding toward you?"
I gasp. How could he know? I step away from him.
He steps closer to me, leaning nearer. He scans my eyes, looking pensively from one to the other. He asks worriedly, "Have you always seen shadows or dark mist?"
" No, never before. But, how do you know?" I ask bewildered.
He ignores my question. "When did you start seeing them?"
" Friday. Why? What is it to do with you anyway?"
He replies quietly, "Everything."
I frown briefly. "My mom says it is stress."
" Stress, because your dad left?"