Evie's Knight (6 page)

While staring at the red traffic light glowing before him, his mind shifted–moved like rusty gears to a dark place in his head–the ominous dream he’d had about Evie loomed there. A cold chill crept up his neck, rippled over his body, and caused him to shudder.

The light changed and he sped onto the open road, recalling the poem Grandpa used to recite. Like a rhythmic echo the words played in his mind, carried out by the sound of his grandfather’s voice, deep and foreboding. The final lines stood out above the others: 
Robbed by murder–is the one you love most. A victim of–the Raven-haired Ghost.

He shook his head in frustration. It’d taken years to assure himself those words were nothing more than a wild tale. And now, after one miserable dream, the gripping fear was sneaking back into his life.

He wouldn’t let it. He was too interested in Evie to let some silly family legend distract him. He wanted to know more about her. Everything there was to know. It was odd; the waitress had mentioned her father, but not her mom. And when asked about her family, Evie hadn’t brought up an ugly custody battle or tragic loss. She’d offered only the simple statement that her mother wasn’t in her life. Of course, Calvin hadn’t revealed a whole lot about himself either.

Still, he hoped to discover more about Evie. He was glad he’d asked her to partner with him–was looking forward to learning about her past. The question was, how much more of his own past was he willing to share?

***

“I told you he had a thing for you,” Kelly said, opening the passenger door to Evie’s car. She propped a piece of toast between her teeth and pulled on a jacket before climbing in.

Evie glanced in the rearview while backing up. “You told me he had a thing for me?”

“Yes. All guys have a thing for you.”

Evie’s eyes widened. “Is that a joke?”

“No. Every guy wants the cute little goody-goody girl in school.” The phrase rolled off Kelly’s lips like it was common knowledge.

“Are you kidding?
No
guy wants the goody-goody in school.” She took a brief second to consider that truth of it, and then shrugged. “Not that I care.”

Kelly shook her head. “Look at Tyler–and all his friends for that matter–they knew you’d probably never date anyone like them and they still chased you for years. It’s like the ultimate hard to get.”

The mere mention of her stupid ex-boyfriend caused her gut to twist. “Yeah, all it took was for Tyler to find out he wouldn’t get what he wanted and they
all
lost interest.”

Kelly shrugged and took another bite of her toast. The morning traffic zoomed by as they waited at the light.

“How were your classes yesterday?” Evie asked, easing off the brake as the light turned green.

“Awesome. I swear, if I could do all my classes online, I would. I’d sit there in my sweats and my bed-head and eat Doritos all week long.”

Evie nodded. Her online days used to be her favorite, too, but now she dreaded them. Those were the days she didn’t see Calvin.

“Tawny wants to know if we’re coming to that party at the mansion this weekend,” Kelly said.

Evie sighed. “Ugh, you’re really wanting to go to that thing? Seriously, Kelly, I’m hating the idea.”

“Why? Cuz Tyler might be there?”

“No. It’s just that whole crowd.”

Kelly turned her entire body in the seat and spoke with emphasis on every word, “Evie Mae Wylder. We’ve been busting our butts to keep up with the college crap for an entire month. Time to experience some of the good life.”

The mere mention of ‘the good life’ caused an image of Calvin to seep into her brain. For Evie, the possibilities of what might bloom between Calvin and her were thrilling. The idea of discovering who he was–the chance he might just be as fantastic on the inside as he was on the out–was exciting. And for her, that was definitely part of the good life.

“Who in here knows,” Professor Milton drew out the word as he eyed the classroom, “what they’ll be sharing for next week’s project?”

Evie eyed the raised hands in the room, a nervous wave washing over her. While she liked the idea of working with Calvin, she hated thinking about the assignment itself. She turned to see her handsome partner–who had stolen jock boy’s seat again–and smiled when she noticed his hand wasn’t raised either.

He leaned forward and whispered into her hair. “You’re such a slacker.”

She gave him a playful glare. “So are you.”

“Not really.” His lowered voice sounded even more alluring than she’d remembered. “I know what I’m doing. I just didn’t want to flaunt it.”

“Yeah right.” Her gaze lingered on his handsome features. The rich tone of his olive skin, the dark shadow lining the squared shape of his jaw.

Professor Milton gained her attention once again. “I’d like you to commit to a theme by Monday. You’ll bring the finished piece for your partner to analyze next Friday in class. Have a great weekend.”

Evie pulled her bag over one slumped shoulder
.
She’d been racking her brain for days now–digging for some momentous event that wouldn’t hurt to share. She wanted something safe and simple. Uncomplicated.

“You worried about the project?” Calvin asked as he stood. Concern showed in his rich brown eyes.

She almost said no, but something stopped her. It was that familiar energy–the charged vibe that flowed between them–seeming to assure her of peace and safety.

She nodded. “Sort of. I have no idea what to do. Milton wants us to choose some huge thing in our lives, but I don’t really have anything that major. Nothing I want to share anyway.” She’d mumbled the last part.

“I know what you mean.” Calvin slid his hand along her back, escorting her out of the class as the students filtered through the aisles. The action wasn’t forward, but it was definitely friendly. And when the tips of his fingers curved slightly along the side of her waist, it felt straight-out flirtatious. “At least this time you don’t have to share it with the entire class. Just me.”

Just him. She liked the sound of that, yet she wasn’t sure it was any better than having the whole class critique it. At least then it was anonymous.

“One thing I do know, from experience, is the closer you can get to the emotion–whatever it is–the better you’ll do on your piece. It’s just how creativity works.” He shrugged dismissively. “It doesn’t have to be big to anyone but you. As long as you can feel it strongly enough, it’s bound to come through in your art, touch other people.”

She considered his words as they shuffled through the crowded hall. Her attention shifted from the pleasant warmth of his hand on her back, to the outer fringe of where her mind dreaded to go. There
was
something big in her life–so major, it had left scars on her heart that would never fade–but she couldn’t imagine sharing it.

“You really have yours picked out?” she asked, walking into the bright, open air.

Calvin released the door he’d been holding for her. “Would it make you feel better if I said no?”

“Of course it would.”

“Okay. I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

She led him to the side of the entrance and turned to look him in the eye. “You’re lying.”

“I know.”

“You probably have the whole thing done already.”

He chuckled. “No. I’m not that far. I just have an idea in my head, that’s all.” He eyed the crowd. “You expecting your friend today or are you going to need another ride?”

“No, I drove today. But Kelly should be around here somewhere. We carpool.”

He lifted his chin. “So what do you do on weekends, Evie?”

Her brain scrambled. What
did
she do on the weekends? “Besides homework? Just hang out with Kelly. Sometimes we’ll head out to one of the dance clubs in town, or check out a local party.”

His dark eyes narrowed. “Have you heard about the party tomorrow night–the one on Twenty-third Street? I told Parker I’d go with him. I’m his designated driver for the night.”

“You’re not twenty-one yet?”

“I am, actually. I just don’t like getting wasted.”

Evie hadn’t heard a guy say that before; it was nice. 

“Hey, you two,” Kelly approached her with an accusing grin, holding her hand out for Calvin. “I’m Kelly, the friend who had to bail on Evie the other day.”

He shook her hand. “I guess I should thank you for that,” he said. “I’m Calvin.”

Kelly tucked her black, bobbed hair behind one ear, catching her lip ring between her teeth.

“Hey, where’s that party you were talking about this morning?” Evie asked her.

“You mean the one you were groaning about?”

Evie rolled her eyes. “Yeah. That one.”

“It’s at the mansion.”

“Where at?” Evie asked.

Kelly pulled out her phone, scanned through a few texts. “On Twenty-third.”

Calvin looked at Evie. “I don’t really want to go either. But if you’re going, it’ll make keeping my word a whole lot easier.” 

“She’ll be there,” Kelly blurted.

As Calvin stepped toward the lot, he looked to Evie for confirmation.

She nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Chapter Seven

Evie stepped through the back door, wiping the sweat from her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She pried off her tennies and made for the kitchen, eyeing the clock on the microwave. The green numbers blared six thirty-five; she was pushing it for time. Though she had yet to commit to an art project, her remaining studies and homework had taken up most of the day, pushing her morning run into the late afternoon. 

“Eve, when does your party start?” Her dad’s voice sounded from down the hall.

“Not for a while,” she hollered, pulling the lid off the crock-pot. “I have to get in the shower, but you can go ahead and get started on this chili if you want.” She inhaled the rich, delicious aroma as she stirred. “I think we’re going to love this recipe. It’s got a lot more heat than the last one I tried.”

He shuffled into the kitchen, pushing up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “Sure smells great.”

“I know. Here, let me get you a bowl.” Steam danced off the simmering soup as she spooned it into the deep, ceramic bowl. Evie grabbed sour cream and a jar of hot peppers from the fridge, slid them onto the counter. “Okay, I’ll be back up in a bit.” 

She rushed down the stairs and, with her speakers blasting her favorite mix, hopped into the shower, remembering–for the millionth time that day–that she was about to see Calvin Knight! Evie wondered what time he would get there, what he might wear, and if he’d still have that ever-present five o’clock shadow that accented his jaw line so well.

After putting the hairdryer to work, Evie slid into dark jeans, black knee-high boots, and a white, silky blouse. She pulled the straight strands of her hair into a sleek, high pony and put in her silver hoops.

With it being a party and all, Evie decided to play up her eyes the way Kelly did–just not as bold. The eyeliner slid smoothly across her lids, grazing the base of each lash along the way. Standing up to the mirror, she smudged the liner for that smoky look. After grabbing her lip gloss, she paused, trying to listen through the blaring music.

Was that the door?

With the press of a button Evie silenced the pounding beat and turned an ear toward the ceiling. Perhaps she hadn’t heard anything, but she had
felt
something–was feeling it still. A dark, cold energy climbing up the sides of her neck, thick and unwelcome.

Stiffening, she eyed the fixture through her mirror as the bulb began to flicker. In a staggered series of flashes, the bright light crept down to a dismal glow, before skipping into blackness.

Her breaths came louder as she stared blindly ahead, sensing a hidden presence in the room.

Before panic could set in completely, the light flicked back on to a mere spark, and then sunk back into darkness again. The action repeated, accelerating in pace as her heart sped up to match the quickened blinks. Through the spurts of light, Evie eyed the faulty bulb again, willing the stupid thing to just die out.

While holding her next breath, eyes still fixed on the upper corner of her mirror, Evie saw an image forming along the glass. In fierce, massive strokes of oozing black, two dark spheres splattered the surface, followed by bold, jutting cheekbones and wild, flowing hair. The lip gloss slid from her hand as a gasp pulled at her throat.

She reached for the light switch, flicked it off, and let out a shaky breath, staring into the blackness. Though the flashing lights hadn’t made a sound, it felt quieter now that all was calm and still. Evie put a hand to her heart, hoping to ease the frantic, heated thumps pressing against her palm. 

Shaken from the incident, she slid her hand around the doorframe and let the wall guide her down the hallway until she reached the switch. The hall light glowed bright, lighting her way as she crept into the storage area for a new bulb.

While images of the crazed woman blared in the forefront of her mind, she removed the demon bulb, tossed it in the trash, and screwed in the new one. Her hand hovered over the light switch as she released a deep, calming breath.
Okay, light–don’t freak out again.

In one quick motion, Evie flicked the switch on, bracing herself for the creepy light show. Instead, warm brightness spilled over the room, constant and full. She glanced at the mirror once more. No dark, creeping tresses. No deep, glaring eyes. The image of the woman was gone.

The darkness of the cool night draped a hazy cloak over the mansion on Twenty-third Street. Large, leafy trees seemed to shield the house from its distant neighbors, providing a more private atmosphere for the party. “How many people live in that place?” Evie asked, eyeing the massive home.

Kelly pulled down the visor and smoothed her hair. “Tons. It’s been a rental for like, ever. They let students share rooms even.” She replaced the visor. “And get this, Tawny’s roommate’s probably moving out, and I might take her place.”

“What?” Evie looked at Kelly. “Are you serious?”

Kelly smiled. “I totally filled out the paper work already.”