Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(68)
Author: Cambria Hebert

An echo of the Dream Walkers last words echoed through my head. When everyone around you is dead… I shivered and Sam pressed even closer to me.

Is everything okay?

I have to talk to Kimber. As much as I wanted to protect her, I needed answers because I had a terrible feeling that something was wrong and only getting worse.

He nodded. I leaned around him to look at Cole. “Cole, I need to tell Kimber.”

Cole stared back at me for a long, quiet moment. I prayed he would agree because, even if he didn’t, I was going to tell her anyway. Telling Kimber that Cole was my brother would take away her excuse to be angry at me for stealing her boyfriend; she wouldn’t have an excuse to ‘hate’ me anymore. Maybe then I could get her to talk to me.

“Yeah.” Cole sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “She needs to know.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, reaching out to squeeze his hand. He didn’t respond, but returned the pressure with his fingers.

The bus pulled up in front of the hotel and I wanted to weep. It seemed silly to be happy to see a place that wasn’t really safe. I mean, hadn’t a demon already attacked us at a hotel? Yet it was kind of serving as my temporary home, and at least inside my room, I could relax a little and not have to worry so much about watching everyone around me.

At the bank of elevators, Sam hesitated, his fingers clasped tightly around mine. I knew from our Mindbond that he did not want to let me go upstairs alone. He was my guardian, my protector, and he wanted to be with me, but rules were rules and Mrs. Britt was standing by the elevator doors, watching everyone like a hawk. I sighed and leaned forward, pressing my lips to his, not caring that the teacher was watching. Sam’s lips were gentle as was his caress to my cheek, which was a complete juxtaposition to the urgent intensity that he carried within.

I’ll be fine. I promise. I tried to soothe him.

It’s only an hour until dinner, he said, the words like a mantra.

I tapped his forehead, reminding him like he always did with me that we are connected even when we are apart.

I’ll rip this place apart if I get one bad feeling.

I’ll see you in an hour. I tried to reassure him before turning toward the elevators, ignoring Mrs. Britt’s glare. I’m sure I’d be reminded about the no-touching policy later. Whatever. Sam was still watching as I climbed on the elevator and the doors began to close.

During the short ride to my floor, I prayed that my talk with Kimber went well because, if it didn’t and I couldn’t control my emotions, Sam might not be able to keep the tight lid closed on the already tenuous grip he had over himself.

I stepped off the elevator and into the empty hallway. I was behind everyone because I lingered in the lobby with Sam. I took a deep breath and relished the single moment when I was blissfully alone. It was one of the few times since arriving here in Rome that I had one second to myself. I walked slowly, trying to draw out the time, if only for a second. When I rounded the corner, my heart sank because there was someone in the hall and I was no longer alone. The person hurried in the opposite direction towards the stairwell and didn’t even give me a glance.

It was Ms. Merriweather. When she reached the door, she paused to look left, then right… to make sure she was alone? Hadn’t she heard me come around the corner? I slowed my steps even further, trying not to make a sound as I watched her. She always seemed off somehow. Just before she stepped into the stairwell, something happened that shook me to my core: her usual blue and green aura blinked out and the space around her was replaced with a cloud of black.

I had never, not once, seen black in a person’s aura before.

I blinked, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, but when I looked back, the black cloud was still there, hanging over her like an angry thundercloud… I blinked once more and the blue and green aura was back, surrounding her like it had never been gone. As if the black had never been there at all.

The shower was running when I let myself into the room and I heard the beat of music from behind the bathroom door as I passed. As anxious as I was to speak with Kimber, I was glad that I had a moment to think. What could it mean about Ms. Merriweather’s aura? Had I really seen that burst of black or was I just imagining things? Black was not a color I associated with an aura and I didn’t know what it could mean. Aura’s always surrounded people with certainty, clarity and truth. Was Tabitha Merriweather somehow able to mask her aura? Or change it? Influencing an aura wasn’t something I’d ever even considered before. To me an aura was true; they didn’t lie. It unsettled me to think what I believed to be a constant truth was somehow being manipulated.

I went over to my suitcase and ruffled around for something clean to wear to dinner and settled on a cotton sundress and sandals. Laying my choices out on the bed, I reluctantly removed my bag and placed it beside my suitcase. Kimber took a long time in the shower and I began to worry that we wouldn’t have time to talk. Finally, the shower turned off and moments later, she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She walked right past me without even glancing in my direction.

“Hey,” I chirped, trying to sound friendly.

She ignored me and turned her back, reaching into her suitcase and pulling out some clothes.

“I was hoping we could talk.”

“I don’t want to talk.” Her voice was low and muffled as she pulled a dress over her head.

“Great minds think alike,” I said, motioning toward the dress I had chosen as well.

She turned toward me, glancing in my direction briefly. “We are nothing alike.”

Her cheeks were splotchy, her eyes were red and her voice was thick from crying. I gasped. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She turned away again.

It didn’t look like nothing. Kimber hardly ever cried, so whatever made her cry had to be bad. “Did something happen back home?”

“I said I’m fine!”

“You don’t look fine.”

She huffed and went back into the bathroom, shutting the door in my face. I was about to yell through the wood, but the hairdryer came on and blocked my words. With a sigh I picked up my brush and went to the mirror on the wall and began brushing. It looked like I wasn’t going to be allowed in the bathroom anytime soon, so I did my best to clean myself up out here.

Is everything okay? Sam asked.

Yeah. Kimber doesn’t want to talk.

I’m sorry, sweetheart.

For some reason tears sprang to my eyes. I sat the brush aside and blinked them back as I checked my reflection one last time before changing into my sundress. The deep purple material was soft and cool against my skin. It was slightly long and it brushed at my toes when I moved. Instead of being annoying, it was comforting. The dress was strapless so I couldn’t really hide the necklace with the key on it beneath my shirt. I shrugged and allowed it to fall forward down over my chest. It was pretty and no one would know it was anything other than an accessory. I decided to grab a light sweater out of my suitcase in case I got cold and bent down to search for the one I wanted. When I stood, Kimber was there behind me, mere inches away.