Crossroads (33 page)

“
Sorry, Claudia. Davin
gets on my nerves sometimes. He’s acting more like a human these
days.”

“
Are these two like this
all the time?” I asked Caleb.

“
Only when we’re down
here. There must be something in the air. I’m almost positive they
were brother and sister in human life,” Caleb replied
back.

Vivian let out a short laugh. “You’re
funny,” she said lightly to Caleb.

Davin released a heavy sigh. I don’t
think he was paying attention to our conversation. He was admiring
the car too intensely. “Sure you don’t want me to drive it, Caleb?”
Davin asked with a pleading look.

“
Don’t get your hopes up,
Davin. Hop in the front, Vivian. Let’s get going,” Caleb said as he
settled himself into the driver’s seat.

Something about the car seemed to have
given Caleb a sense of power. I’d never heard him speak in such a
commanding voice before. Davin and I sat in the back, and I watched
Caleb punch in the address of the hotel on the navigator. Realizing
that I was actually sitting inside an ultra expensive luxury car, I
observed every detail. The one most obvious was the black leather
seat I was sitting on. I thought it would feel soft and plush, but
it was actually really hard and tight.

Boom! Boom! Boom! went the music and I
was startled by the sudden loudness.

I could feel the vibrations from the
speakers underneath the seat. Davin rested his head back while
tapping his fingers to the music. Caleb, with his window down,
tapped his hand on the door, and Vivian nodded her head to the
beat. It was amusing to watch the alkins enjoying themselves, as if
they were ordinary teenagers.

“
Here we are,” Caleb said,
turning the ignition off. Suddenly I felt nervous. How was I to
explain who they were?

“
Don’t get out yet!” I
yelled quickly. Stunned by my outburst, they froze and looked at
me. “Well, my friends will wonder who you are. Sorry, I didn’t mean
to scare you,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. We were all on edge.
I didn’t blame them for being shaken up by my sudden
outburst.

“
What would you like for
us to say?” Vivian asked.

“
Well, I thought I could
say that you are my cousins from San Francisco.”

“
Okay,” Caleb said like it
was no big deal.

“
Could we keep our names?
Who knows? I may mess that up,” Davin said with a
chuckle.

“
Sure, that would make it
easier for me too. Let’s go,” I said.

We walked excitedly to the front
entrance of the hotel. There was a huge sign: “Ryan’s Birthday
Party, Grand View Room, thirtieth floor.” I suddenly felt a knot in
the pit of my stomach, knowing we would be up so high, but I knew I
would be fine since we were indoors.

“
Thirtieth floor; it looks
like the elevator is to the right,” Vivian said, pointing to the
direction.

We all followed behind her. The
crystals from the chandelier caught my eyes first as they burst
with unbelievable brilliance that sent sparkles throughout the
room. The front lobby was decorated with beautiful arrangements of
flowers placed in tall vases everywhere I looked. Not only did they
make the room colorful, they certainly brightened up the dimly-lit
lobby. As I continued to walk, I noticed the intricate designs of
the marble floor that glistened from the candles nearby. Dark brown
leather sofas and couches were arranged on antique rugs.

Suddenly I stopped in front of a huge,
striking painting of an angel. She was painted standing with her
golden wings expanded. Her long, dark hair accentuated her
chocolate brown eyes. Her face stood out from the rest of the
painting, and I couldn’t peel my eyes off of her. On the corner of
the painting read, “Katherine.”

“
Who is she?” I
asked.

“
No idea, but she is
unbelievably breathtaking,” Davin replied, mesmerized by the
painting.

“
That’s strange,” Caleb
said. “That name sounds familiar. I believe Katherine was one of
the Twelve Angels. I don’t know if that is her for sure, but I do
remember the name.”

“
Well, let’s go. We need
to be back by midnight, as Davin promised your mom,” Vivian said,
her brow furrowed.

“
Claudia told me her
curfew was midnight. I was only trying to be a gentleman,” Davin
explained.

I didn’t want Vivian and Davin arguing
over what time we should be home. “That’s all right. I don’t want
to be home too late, and plus I don’t know if we should be here
without Michael.” I was having doubts about our decision, but it
was too late. We were here and might as well make the best of
it.

As the elevator opened, I noticed that
it was very elegant. Mirrors completely surrounded us, making the
space look much bigger than it was. The elevator buttons and
trimmings on the walls had gold borders. As we headed straight up,
I felt my stomach drop to the floor. The ride seemed endless as I
watched the numbers rise. The numbers lit up one by one as we
passed each floor. The thirtieth floor couldn’t come fast enough
for me.

“
Here’s our floor,” Caleb
sounded so excited.

The mere sound of the music lifted our
spirits as we anxiously walked through the Grand View Room. What a
view! The back wall was completely covered in glass from floor to
ceiling. You could see all the vibrant lights reflecting from
buildings, streets, and moving objects below. I felt like I was
inside a rainbow, admiring the beauty from afar. What was even more
amazing was the height of the ceiling. I had to tilt my head way
back to get the full view.

“
Wow! Look at this place,”
Vivian said.

Before I had a chance to look for my
friends, Kristina and Maggie rushed up to give me a hug. Then they
eyed Caleb, Davin, and Vivian.

“
These are my cousins.” I
lied. They couldn’t stop staring. “Heelllooo,” I said, waving my
hand in front of their eyes.

“
Oh…hi,” Kristina finally
spoke, her eyes still glued to their faces. Then she gave me a
questioning look as to who they were and what they were doing
here.

As I led the way across the dance
floor, which was in the middle of the room, I turned to Kristina
and whispered, “I thought they could just blend in. Let’s hurry. I
didn’t ask Ryan.”

“
You never told me you had
cousins,” Kristina whispered.

“
You never asked,” I
whispered back.

“
You never told me you
were bringing them,” Kristina whispered again.

“
I didn’t have a chance.
They showed up unexpectedly,” I said.

“
Oh,” she said
quickly.

Feeling bad for coming empty-handed, I
asked, “How big is Ryan’s gift?”

“
I got him a gift card.
Don’t worry, I already signed your name on the card. I didn’t think
you would mind.”

“
Are you kidding? I
appreciate it. I’ll pay you back.”

“
Don’t worry. I know where
you live,” she teased.

As I laughed, Maggie spoke, “Right
here. Here’s our table.”

We found our seats and sat for a
while, just enjoying the music and the ambiance, when a waitress
walked by. “Would you like anything to drink?” she asked, smiling
and batting her eyelashes at Davin.

“
No, thanks,” Davin
replied. “Perhaps the ladies,” he said, waiting for us to
respond.

“
We already have our
drinks, thank you,” Maggie replied.

“
Some water, please,” I
said. Suddenly, my throat felt dry.

When I saw Ryan, he was surrounded by
his basketball team friends, along with a bunch of girls. I decided
to stay hidden as long as I could.

“
So, which school do you
go to?” Kristina asked my so-called cousins.

I nearly flipped. I hadn’t anticipated
my friends would ask questions. Davin, Caleb, and Vivian looked at
me with uncertainty. I interjected quickly, “They go to a private
school called The Guardian.” As soon as I spoke, I could’ve kicked
myself. Couldn’t I have thought of a better name?

“
Oh,” Kristina
said.

“
Where is that school
located?” Maggie asked.

Shoot! Why does Maggie have to be so
nosey tonight? “Not too far from downtown. On a street called
Crossroads,” I replied quickly, not thinking about what I was
saying. Knowing they would ask more questions, I had to think fast,
or I would be caught in a tunnel of lies. As I was thinking of what
to do or say, I saw Davin swaying to the music. “Ask Kristina to
dance,” I whispered in his ear.

He smiled, nodded, and turned his face
toward her. “Kristina, would you like to dance?”

Kristina looked surprised. “Are you
asking me?”

“
Your name is Kristina,
right?”

Still stunned, she replied,
“Yeah…sorry…sure.” She stood up, smiling.

Then Davin whispered to me, “Stay
right here, and don’t move.” He turned to his friends. “Don’t leave
her sight.”

Although I’d rather be sitting than
dancing, I saw the look on Vivian and Caleb’s faces. They looked
like they wanted to join in the fun too. Hesitantly, I said, “Let’s
all dance together.”

Davin took Kristina’s hand. We walked
to the dance floor and danced together in a circle. I spotted Ryan
again and gave him a birthday hug. I was hoping to distract him
from noticing my guests, but he was slightly buzzed and was unable
to tell who was who. I wondered how he got an alcoholic drink. As I
looked around, I saw that everybody was enjoying themselves. I
could feel the vibrations from the bass of the music. I had
forgotten who I was as we danced late into the night. It was so
nice to see Caleb, Davin, and Vivian having such a great time along
with my friends. What a perfect view. What a perfect place. What a
perfect night. Although it would have been more perfect with
Michael here.

Suddenly the loudness of the music
dimmed as the DJ announced that it would be a couples’ song. As we
all headed toward our table, Kristina’s eyes were locked to
something or someone behind me.

“
Kristina?” I
questioned.

She didn’t respond. Before I even had
the chance to see who she was looking at, I saw Davin and Caleb
take a few steps back. Suddenly, my heart stopped completely, out
of fear, until I heard his voice.

“
May I have this dance?”
he asked gently.

I froze. “Michael,” I whispered his
name, while my back was still to him.

I was afraid to turn around to look
him in the eyes. As I slowly turned, I was awestruck to see him
looking so debonair, dressed in black slacks and a royal blue dress
shirt. I had simply died and gone to Heaven. Still stunned to see
him, I couldn’t move or speak. Michael led me to the dance floor,
guided my arms around his shoulders, and placed his arms around my
waist as we swayed to the music. I placed my head on his chest,
listening to the lyrics. “Are you really here tonight or are you
just a dream? Out of nowhere you appeared and captured my heart. I
surrender all my love to you. Give me forever. That’s all I
ask.”

“
This is surprising. You
haven’t asked me one question. Lost your words tonight?”

“
I’m sorry,” I said
apologetically, waiting for him to lecture me.

“
I should be extremely mad
at you, but you look so beautiful that it is me who is lost for
words.”

He pulled me back and our eyes met. He
gave me that killer smile as he spun me around. He made my heart
flutter every time he smiled. He pulled me gently closer to him,
and our eyes locked again. We couldn’t keep our eyes off each
other.

“
Your eyes are twinkling,”
he said.

“
They twinkle because they
love what they see,” I said, flirting and relieved at the thought
that he wasn’t mad.

He smiled again. “Promise me,” he
said, in a serious tone, as we still swayed to the
music.

“
It all depends on what
you’re asking me to promise,” I answered.

“
Promise me that next time
you’ll do as I ask. I’m only concerned about your
safety.”

I knew I was guilty, and he had every
right to be mad at me. “Sorry, next time I’ll do better. Please
don’t be mad at your friends, and especially at Davin. I’m the one
who wanted to come, and they followed me to keep me safe as you
instructed.”

“
For tonight,” he
said.

“
How did you know I was
here?” I asked apprehensively.

“
Vivian told me before she
left to join you.”

“
That’s why you are
dressed up. You knew I was going to a dance?”

“
Yes,” he
confessed.

As I was thinking that I was worried
about nothing, we were suddenly bumped by someone.

“
Excuseese ve,” he
slurred.

It was Ryan.

“
Wee seeee…you got new
voyfriend,” he slurred again, almost falling down. Effortlessly
Michael held him up.

Ryan almost fell again as he shoved
Michael, but Michael didn’t even budge. Ryan tilted his head upward
to meet Michael’s eye’s. Ryan’s eyes were filled with anger, and
then curiosity. “You suuupeman or…sommiving?” he asked, giving a
dirty look. Ryan didn’t wait for a response from Michael, and
instead, turned to me. “Do I vet a bir-birday kiss?” He closed his
eyes and puckered up.