Guardians (Seers Trilogy) (6 page)

He construed things so personally sometimes. Regardless, I felt bad for letting my frustration out. “No, of course I trust you. That’s not what I meant at all.”

He forced a somewhat pale smile and squeezed my hand. “I know.”

I sighed deeply. “Forget it. Forget I said anything.”

“No. If you need a break . . .” He shrugged. “I should be grateful you invited me along.”

I smiled thinly up at him, searching his face carefully. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “What is it you’d like to do?”

“I didn’t think that far ahead. But as long as I’m with you, and there’s no Toni involved . . . I’ll be happy with whatever.”

He smiled fully. “Very well. I’ll pick you up tonight at six, if that works.”

“You’re taking me on a date?”

“You sound surprised. Isn’t that what a boyfriend is supposed to do?”

My lingering smile was still wide by the time we’d gotten our food and taken seats at our usual table. Patrick reached over to help Jason open his water bottle, simultaneously offering a warm hello to Landen. All of the kids at this table were happy—no denying that. But Landen’s aura seemed brighter than most. More content than most. He hardly ever spoke, and on the rare occasions he did, words were scarce. Emotions were always strong with him, and they flared brightly in his aura. When Patrick asked him once what he loved most, the answer had been simple: “Mom.”

Today, Landen merely nodded at Patrick’s greeting.

Trent started asking me if I was having spaghetti, which pulled my attention from watching Landen eat his spinach salad.

“Nope, just a sandwich,” I told him.

Trent’s smile was still wide. “Spaghetti?”

“What are you having?” I asked, deciding a different approach might better further the conversation.

“Spaghetti,” he informed me happily.

“He is not!” David called out accusingly. “He’s having pizza!”

“No, spaghetti,” Trent insisted calmly.

“No, it’s pizza!” David whined.

I gave him a firm look. “David, it’s okay.”

“Patrick . . .”

Patrick looked up from helping Jason. “David, Kate’s right. Don’t worry about Trent.”

“Fine. I’ll never worry about him ever again.
Ever
.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, and luckily I had the distraction of turning to see Olivia taking her seat next to me. She mumbled a quiet greeting, and then she started eating her large chocolate chip cookie.

I began unwrapping my sandwich but paused and looked up when I heard Lee’s happy voice. “Much more of this, and I’m going to go insane, that’s what.”

Rodney, who was walking beside her, chuckled. “I don’t know that anyone could tell the difference, actually.”

She was holding her lunch tray, but she managed to thrust an elbow into his side. He groaned and favored his side with a bent arm, his tray tipping precariously. “
Ow
, Lee. That’s what I get, after helping you with the music? Nice, really nice.”

She grinned at him with her green lips, and her green hair seemed to shimmer under the lights when she sat across from me. “You secretly like me,” she told him.

He took his seat on her side and snorted once. “Yeah. It’s so top secretly secret that even
I’m
unsure.” He then leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her surprised lips. He pulled back almost immediately, pulling a face. “Ew, that stuff stinks.”

Her lips twitched. “You match me now.”

He snatched up his napkin and hurried to wipe the green residue off his mouth. While he did that, Lee turned to look at me. “Well,
I
,for one, am glad it’s Friday. Does anyone have any great plans?”

Mark glanced up from his food to nod. “Yeah, I am. My mom’s taking me to buy a new game tomorrow.”

“That’s not fair,” David complained. “You get a new game every week.”

“Sometimes two,” Mark confided, scratching absently at a sore near his ear. “I only tell you about my favorite ones.”

I swallowed a bite of my sandwich and cleared my throat before speaking. “So, Lee, what are
you
doing this weekend? You seem a little more obsessed than usual.”

“So says you to the one in total green,” Rodney muttered.

Lee elbowed him again before answering me. “Nothing major. Mom and I are probably going to be cleaning the house all day. She gets like this around the holidays, not that I understand why. As far as I know, we’re not doing anything special for Thanksgiving.”

“You’re always welcome to join us,” I told her quickly, a little surprised she wasn’t already planning on it. The Pearsons had been celebrating Thanksgiving with the Bennetts for years now.

She shrugged a little. “My mom doesn’t want to impose. Things are different this year . . .” She shook her head. “Anyway, that’s my great weekend. Peter may come by to help out, so I’ll save the bathroom for last. More specifically, the toilet. It’s all his, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Are things not going well with him?” Patrick asked. He was always interested in anything the Demon Seer was doing, and Lee knew what the offhand question really meant: Was Peter acting strangely or being contacted by the Demons who had blackmailed him before?

Lee’s voice was steady, though her aura was a bit more uneasy than before. “No, things are peachy—I just hate cleaning the toilet.” She nodded to my Guardian. “What about you? What are you up to this weekend?”

“I’m not sure about much past tonight. Kate and I are going out.”

“Oh yeah?” Lee’s smile was knowing. “That’s really nice of you, Patrick.”

“Is that so unusual? Them going out?” Rodney laughed.

“Trust me—you don’t know these two like I do. Kate’s a party pooper and Patrick’s a penny-pincher.”

“And you’re my best friend
why
?” I asked, wryly scathing.

She grinned. “Because you love my quirkiness.”

“All-out weirdness, maybe.”

She reached across the table to pat my hand. “Just telling it like it is, hon.” She looked to Patrick. “I’m glad. You two will have fun doing something . . . fun.” Rodney shook his head at her, but Patrick and I both heard the word Lee had wanted to say:
normal.

***

As soon as we got home, the twins went to the kitchen to find a snack. I could hear Grandma’s comfortingly rough voice greet them, and I hesitated on the bottom step, playing with the idea of joining them. But it was during moments like this the guilt resurfaced, and so I clutched at my bag and moved up the stairs instead. Once in my room, I tossed my bag to the floor and then stared out my window.

The worst part about these past few weeks was the waiting. The nothing. Ever since I’d been introduced to the world of the Guardians, it had been a constant battle against Demons. Dodging attacks, hunting enemies, trying to stay alive. For over a month now, I had nothing to do. We were purely on the defensive now. Terence—Patrick and Toni’s Guardian supervisor—assured us that he had people taking care of everything else—tracking the Guardian virus, keeping tabs on Far Darrig and Selena Avalos (our two top worries), and basically solving all our problems with the Demon Lord. It’s not that I didn’t trust Terence, but . . . it was hard to entrust your fate to someone else, while you did absolutely nothing.

I wanted to talk to my grandpa. Since I didn’t have him . . .

For a brief second, I wondered why it had taken me so long to think of this option; after all, it made sense. I wanted to know what was going on in the Demon world, and I had one strong connection to the dangerous underground: Clyde, Grandpa’s old friend.

Clyde was a moderately reformed Demon. He owned a pawnshop on the edge of town, a dingy little store. He excelled at hearing rumors from other Demons, which helped him know who to avoid. He didn’t exactly want people to know he’d been friendly with a Guardian Seer, but he’d imparted his information to my grandfather anyway. I hadn’t seen him since the funeral, but if anyone knew what the Demon Lord was up to, it would be Clyde.

A part of me knew that if Clyde had something concrete, he would have called me, even if he wasn’t a really communicative person. He might not know me personally, but he’d owed my grandfather a lot. Still, the sudden urge to do something—anything—was too strong to ignore. Maybe the trip wouldn’t be for anything, but it would help my sanity.

I knew without going downstairs that an invisible Toni was in the kitchen, and Jack was also around, somewhere. To keep the twins from freaking out, he went around invisible a lot. Presumably, they were both downstairs.

I glanced at the clock, still turning the idea around in my head. A visit to Clyde would be fast and safe. My Guardians knew about him, though they didn’t exactly consider him an ally. Though Patrick hadn’t said the words aloud, I knew he didn’t approve of Clyde. He wouldn’t want me to go; he didn’t think the sketchy rumors Clyde heard were worth the risk of associating with him.

I could be there and back easily before Patrick came to pick me up tonight, and then I’d know if our preparations were actually worth the energy. Though I knew going without a bodyguard might be immature and stupid, the idea of just getting in my car and going somewhere without supervision was appealing.

Stupid, stupid,
my mind assured me.

But what was the alternative? The need to see Clyde was surprisingly strong. To have the illusion of doing something productive was an irresistible pull. I couldn’t take Toni—I’d seen enough of him for one day. Besides, he’d try to talk me out of it. I didn’t want Claire to find out about Clyde—she’d be at the warehouse, anyway, with Maddy and Patrick, who would then find out. Jack would probably be game for such a sudden excursion, but I couldn’t invite him without inviting Toni; the annoying Guardian would tattle on me before we were out the door, if he wasn’t included. That left only one bodyguard option: Jason, the Seer, and he had enough on his plate with classes and homework.

It would be so easy to go alone. If Patrick heard about this—whether Jason came with me or not—he’d be angry I hadn’t discussed it with him first. Was the visit to Clyde worth my boyfriend’s potential anger?

I answered that mental question with action. I snatched up my purse, patting my pockets to be sure I still had my keys and phone, then I slipped out of my room.

I was just stepping up to the front door when I heard Toni’s voice behind me. “What’cha doin’?”

I spun around, noting in the turn he was alone in the entryway, and that I was most likely the only person able to see and hear him. I kept my voice low. “Toni. I’m just heading over to Lee’s.”

“Why?” he asked, his brown face straight.

I sighed. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. Lee wants to talk about Rodney.”

Toni pulled a quick face, clearly showing what he thought of that. “The band geek?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“She wanted to hear my take on his aura this afternoon.”

One eyebrow rose. “That can’t be done over the phone?”

“You know Lee. She’d rather we do this in person.”

“And you were going to ditch your Guardians for this? On my watch? Patty would kill me and you know it.” His countenance suddenly lifted. “I’ll come with you!”

“You’re on twin duty.”

He shrugged. “Jack will fill in.”

“Toni, do you really want to be there when Lee’s trying to talk boys?”

“Heck yes I do. Maybe she’ll talk about me?”

“Don’t hold your breath. You’ll be there visible or not at all.”

He looked stricken. “Kate, what in the name of all that is good and holy is the point of being able to go invisible if you can’t spy on old girlfriends?”

“Lee was never your girlfriend.”

“Uh, check your definitions, smarty. She’s a girl, since last I looked, and we were most assuredly friends.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be at Lee’s. Call if you need anything. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

“You better go straight there and come straight back here, missy.”

I pulled the door open. “You got it. Let my Grandma know where I’ve gone, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. ’Cuz I love being a message board.”

I gave him a wry smile, then stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind me. I was backing out of my driveway in the same minute. I didn’t let myself dwell on what Patrick would say if he knew where I was going.

Clyde’s Pawn was located in a rather unsavory part of town, and the building itself was pretty rundown looking. As I drove up, I was more than a little surprised to see another car parked out front. I’d never seen actual customers, so hopefully this meant Clyde would be in a good mood. I parked in front of the building, next to a black SUV. I made sure all my doors were locked, and then I walked up to the glass door. A man pushed it open from the inside, and I saw from his aura that he was really excited about something. I presumed it was the purchase he’d just made, which was wrapped up in a cardboard box in his arms. The woman behind him seemed a bit less impressed, but she was the one who warned him not to back over me.

“Sorry.” He grinned, and I brushed off the near miss dismissively with one hand. The woman stepped through the door and slipped past me. The man kept his back pressed against the door, keeping it open for me. I nodded my thanks and entered the musty, dimly lit room.

The carpet was probably from the seventies, worn-looking and orange. The shelves were tightly packed, and stuff was everywhere. A narrow path weaved to the counter, which could barely be seen from here. The TVs lining one wall flashed with movement but made no sound. Clyde pretty much had a bit of everything: books, clocks, DVDs, stereos, computers, game consoles, bikes, musical instruments, little useless figurines; he even had a traffic light propped up in one corner.

The door thumped closed behind me, making the brass bell bang against the glass to signal my entrance. I stepped around the shelves, trying not to touch more than was absolutely necessary on my way to the back of the shop. The smell of tobacco was heavy in the air, permeating everything.

Clyde must have already slipped into the back room after helping his customers, because I couldn’t see anyone behind the glass counter. There were guns for sale on the back wall, and in the glass case counter there were scattered valuables and some jewelry. I spared it all a quick glance, then looked toward the beaded curtain set against the back wall. “Clyde? Hello?”