Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(27)
Author: Cambria Hebert

But we had tonight.

All I had to do was figure out a way to make it special.

Another couple pulled up and walked to the rental shack. I rented them a boat and gave them a run-down of safety and how-tos. They were nice people, and I was in a good mood because I was looking forward to tonight, so I took the time to explain a few tips and tricks when out in the water.

I helped the man at the shoreline and held the boat as they climbed in. Once they were settled the man looked up at me. “Do you have someone special, son?”

His words sent a pang of longing through me. No one has called me son for a long time.

“Yes.”

“I thought you might,” he said, grinning like we shared a secret.

He could only imagine my secrets.

“I own a big lake house across the lake. We are having a big party tonight, and I am setting off fireworks. If you follow the little road there,” he said, pointing to the dirt road that went past the boat rental parking lot. “You’ll find a nice clearing on the water. Perfect view for watching fireworks.”

“Thanks.” I grinned, thrilled with the idea. It was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. “I might take you up on that.”

The man smiled, and I gave the boat a push out into the water.

Excitement coursed through my body, making my limbs shake in anticipation. My skin felt tight over my muscles, and I sighed. Sometimes living in this body was a burden. It felt as though I walked around pumped full of adrenaline at all times, and when anything happened that actually excited me – good or not – my body responded by trying to change. I guess it was its way of trying to expel some of that excess energy, but it wasn’t always practical and sometimes I felt like a caged animal. Most times I could control it, but lately, I had to work harder. Knowing that Heven was in danger, knowing I was the only one to keep her safe…I could never let down my guard and because of that I was in a constant state of battle. I got tired of battling with myself.

But it wasn’t all bad. I had awesome reflexes and my hearing was unparalleled to anyone else. My eyes could pick up even the smallest detail and could take in an entire room in mere seconds. Running was always a rush because I was fast and breaking a sweat always made me feel better. More in control. I think that’s why I liked my job at Planet Fitness so much. Working out was an outlet for all that excess energy.

Then there was the really cool stuff. I smiled up at the sky, thinking of all the awesome stuff I could do. I was waterproof. I could never drown, and I could swim like an Olympic medalist. I was fireproof too. I could stand in the middle of a raging fire, and I would hardly break a sweat.

Yes, sometimes living in my body had its benefits. I wondered if Heven would see it that way too?

When my shift finally ended, I took the truck back down the dirt road that the man from earlier told me about. I wanted to make sure that there really was a clearing and that there were houses across the lake. I wasn’t about to look like an idiot in front of Heven, taking her out into the dark and then have nothing happen.

The clearing was there, and it appeared that I wasn’t the only one who had ever been there. I smiled and turned my truck in the opposite direction. On the short drive back into town I passed a few fruit stands and another stand that wasn’t there earlier when I drove to work. On impulse I pulled the truck over and got out, walking over to see what the woman was selling.

It was a small table, with a white cloth covering the top. Jewelry and trinkets were lined up in rows and there were some earrings on some kind of stand. My eye caught on a locket, heart shaped, off to the side. I reached out my fingers to pick it up when a voice beside me froze my hand.

“You don’t want that.”

I turned and lifted an eyebrow. “No?” What kind of sales lady was this? Was she trying to talk me out of buying something?

“No.” She shook her head. She had very dark hair and her face was shaded by a hat.

“Why not?”

She flipped the price tag up and I felt my mouth drop open. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I said. There was no way that little necklace was worth that much money.

“Nope.” The woman said.

I turned my attention to another necklace, this one not a locket.

The woman made a noise under her breath and shook her head.

She was the worst sales person I ever met. I turned to walk away but she spoke. “I have something that isn’t on the table that I think you might like.”

I turned back, I felt compelled to see what it was she was going to try and sell me.

She reached into a bag beneath the table and pulled out a small bundle and unwrapped it. She held out her palm to show me. It was a charm bracelet. All the charms were keys of varying shapes and sizes. I liked it immediately. There was something about it that seemed to say it belonged to Heven.

I lifted it out of her palm, and the keys made a small noise when they hit together, almost like a chime. I jangled it again on purpose. It had a bit of music to it.

“How much?” I asked.

She rattled off a number, and I felt my eyes narrow. “Why isn’t it more?” I could actually afford this – unlike everything else on the table.

“The clasp is broken; you’ll need to fix it.”

“Okay.” I fished a few bills out of my pocket and handed them over.

The woman seemed very pleased with her sale and tucked the money into her pocket. As I was walking away her voice followed. “Be sure to fix that clasp. It would be awful if you lost it.”

The back of my neck prickled, and I couldn’t help but feel like there was more to her words. After a few more steps I stopped and turned to go back.

She was gone

I knocked on the front door and stepped back to wait. I couldn’t stop my swift smile when I heard her soft gasp and footsteps rushing down the stairs. I liked being anticipated. I liked that someone – that Heven – couldn’t wait to see me. When she came closer to the door her footsteps slowed and then paused. I pictured her looking into the mirror I remembered being by the door. A tight knot of guilt formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down.

I hated the part I played in what happened to her.

When she found out she was going to hate me too.

The knob turned and the door gave way. Her scent, light and pure, floated around me. Then her face filled the doorway and everything else fell away. She was certainly the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her hair, the color of a full moon, hung over her shoulders and around her face. It looked different tonight than usually though; it was softer and the light seemed to bounce right off it. But the biggest difference was that she was staring straight at me. Her chin wasn’t tilted down, and her hair wasn’t curtaining her face. There were large waves of hair framing her face, not hiding it.