Into the Fire (6 page)

Crap. I was hoping he didn’t know that. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I had it when I was ten, and no, it wasn’t from kissing.” He laughs, and I force myself to laugh along with him.

I’m stuck. If I don’t leave now, Nick will get suspicious. “Okay, but let me check on Jeremy before I go. Like I said, he’s been talking crazy and his memory seems to have been affected.”

“Weird. When I had mono, I just felt tired all the time. I had a slight fever, nothing too bad, and definitely no memory loss.”

“He’s a really bad case. That’s why the doctor prescribed the steroid.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to mess with memory loss.”

I nod and hold up my finger. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” I shut the door and rush back to the kitchen. Jeremy is doing his dishes. “Wow, that’s a first.”

He looks at me and sighs. “I wasn’t supposed to clean up, was I?”

“Believe me, I’m not complaining. This is a change I definitely like.”

“So I don’t ever help out with this kind of stuff?”

“Not for as long as I’ve known you. You were pretty perfect as far as little brothers go, but even you had your flaws.” I hate talking in the past tense, like that part of him is dead. But the truth is that Jeremy
is
dead.

He dries off his hands and steps away from the sink like there’s a bomb in it instead of a dirty dish. “No more cleaning up. Got it.”

“Jer, listen.” I wait for him to look at me. “Nick is coming in. I made up some story about heading out to pick up your prescription and he insisted you were too sick to be by yourself, so he’s coming to watch you until I get back.”

His face turns white. “What am I supposed to do? You said he taught me to play the guitar, but what if he wants me to play it? I don’t remember how.” I place my hands on his shoulders, and his eyes fall on them. I pull away, but he grabs my arms, holding me in place. “It’s fine. Really.”

He’s not pushing me away. It’s progress. I should be happy, but it’s still just baby steps. “I told him you’re really exhausted. He won’t ask you to play.” He still looks terrified. “Okay, quick lesson. Nick is friends with both of us, but he’s in my grade. He’s lived here for the past two years. You two like discovering new bands. In fact, he was coming over today because you found this new underground band on YouTube and you were going to show him some of their stuff. Any chance you bookmarked those YouTube pages?”

“No clue.”

“That’s okay. You think you can handle this?”

“Handle what?” Nick steps into the kitchen. I must look horrified because he says, “Sorry, I thought maybe something was wrong. You were taking a long time, so I let myself in.”

Great. Now I have to worry about how much he overheard.

Cara

“It’s fine. Sorry to keep you standing out there.” I look at Jeremy and pray he’ll be okay on his own with Nick. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. No overdoing it. You should really just go lie down. Nick can watch TV or something.”

Jeremy nods. “Right. I’m going to lie down. Nick…” He takes in Nick from head to toe, not acting normal at all. “It’s nice to see you again.” His words come out slowly, carefully.

“Feel better,” Nick says, as Jeremy heads to his room. Nick turns to me. “Wow, that was weird. He sounded like he’d rehearsed that.”

Nick isn’t an idiot. If Jeremy doesn’t stay in his room, he’s going to blow everything, no matter how hard he tries to act normal. “I’ll be back soon.”

“We’ll be fine. Take your time. You said you could use a break.”

He’s got that right, but it’s not an option. I grab my car keys and leave. The sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can get back and make Nick go home. I get in the car, not having a clue where to go. Maybe I could drive to the drugstore and back home again. Yeah, that way if anyone sees me, they can confirm my story.

I pull into the parking lot and park right by the door. I should go inside, let people see me. Of course, I don’t really have a prescription to pick up, so that’s a major glitch in my plan. I head straight for the candy aisle. If I get some candy and put it in a small bag, it will rattle like medicine. I’ll even pay at the pharmacy counter. Just as I have the plan set, it hits me that I’m going through such lengths to pull off this elaborate lie, and the sad part is that it’s going to be so much worse when
I’m
the one going through the rebirth.

“Whatcha doing?” Rachel’s singsong voice makes me jump and drop the package of Tic Tacs in my hand. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. I’m just in a hurry. I have to pick up Jeremy’s prescription and get back home.”

She picks up the Tic Tacs and shakes them. “I take it these are for later? A little kissy action with Logan, maybe?”

“What? No! I just met him.”

“So? I talked to him, by the way. After you left the school. He kind of seems like a player, but he assured me he isn’t up to anything with you.”

“Rach, I really have to go.” I grab the Tic Tacs and rush down the aisle. I want to focus on the plan, but all I can think is that Logan has no interest in me. Why else would he tell Rachel he wasn’t up to anything with me?

The pharmacy line wraps down the next aisle. Rachel’s walking this way, probably to wait it out with me because she’s a good friend. I rush to the front of the line and put the Tic Tacs on the counter. “I’m sorry. Really sick brother at home.” I throw a five down and tell Maury to keep the change. He shrugs. “I need a bag.” He gives me a look, because who needs a bag for Tic Tacs? “Please.” The second he hands me a bag, I shove the Tic Tacs inside and run out of the store, waving to Rachel on the way.

I speed home. At one point I nearly lose control of the car around a sharp turn, sending my front end up onto the curb. I get back on the road and am breathing so hard smoke is coming from my mouth. If I don’t relax, I’m going to get myself killed, and not as in “burn and be reborn from the ashes.” As in “mangled body that Mom will never be able to explain fixing in a matter of minutes.” Sirens blare behind me, and flashing lights fill my rearview mirror.
No! This can’t happen now.

I can’t see the cop through the windshield. Damn police cars with their tinted windows. I pull over, already digging for my license and registration. If it isn’t Garret—Officer Monroe—there’s no way I’m getting out of this ticket and the wait to write it up. I tap my foot. “Come on. Get out of the car already!”

The police officer gets out and walks toward me. Not Garret. Crap! It’s his partner, though. Maybe I can convince him to call Garret. No, screw that. I pull out my phone and dial Garret. Mom makes me keep all of the Phoenixes’ numbers programmed in my cell in case of an emergency—which is code for “in case I meet a Hunter.” I watch the cop get closer with every ring. “Come on!”

“Officer Monroe.”

“Garret, it’s Cara. Your partner just pulled me over, and I have to get home to Jeremy. He went through the rebirth, and Nick is with him.”

The police officer taps on my window and motions for me to lower it.

“Hi, officer. You’re Garr—I mean, Officer Monroe’s partner, right? He’s on the phone for you.” I hold up my finger and whisper into the phone, “Get me out of this, please!” I smile as I pass the phone to the cop, who’s gaping at me. I’m willing to bet this is the first time he’s ever pulled someone over and taken a phone call on that person’s cell.

“Hello?” Recognition washes over his face as Garret talks to him. I can’t hear what Garret’s saying, but the cop puts on a face. “You can’t keep bailing out your friends, Garret.” He pauses. “Yeah, yeah. This is the last time.”

Oh, thank God! He hands the phone back to me. “Officer Monroe explained you have an emergency situation at home, so I’m going to let you off with a warning. But I’m following you home to make sure you observe the speed limit the rest of the way.”

Fine by me. I’m just relieved to get back on the road. “Thank you so much for understanding.”

He walks away without any kind of “you’re welcome.” Since he’s supposed to be escorting me home, I wait until he’s in his car before I pull back onto the road. I watch the speed limit the rest of the way, cursing the whole time. I hope Jeremy’s staying in his room.

My cell chimes in my pocket. I’m not about to see who it is with a police officer tailing me. It’s probably Mom checking up on Jeremy or Rachel wanting to know why the hell I ran out of the drugstore like that. Both can wait.

I pull into the driveway and grab the bag from the drugstore. Garret’s partner pauses at the end of the driveway, and I give a small wave. I owe Garret big for saving me today. Being the only fledgling Phoenix in town certainly makes me feel like the most pathetic excuse for a half-bird girl on the planet. He pulls away, thankfully without honking or doing anything else that would get Nick’s attention. I don’t need him asking any more questions. I have to get in, thank him for staying, and politely make him leave.

I fumble with my keys, not remembering if I even locked up on my way out. My nerves are shot. One lie has led to so many others, and I’m struggling to keep up. I’m not cut out for this. To think Mom has done this before. Hell, Mr. Baker’s gone through it four times. I can’t say I’m looking forward to having to revert back to seventeen every time I’m reborn and start all over. What kind of life can you have when you constantly lose the people you care about? Or worse, you won’t let yourself get close to people because you know you’ll lose them. I rush inside and straight to the kitchen.

Nick is sitting at the center island eating an apple. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, help yourself.” I look around. “Is Jeremy sleeping?”

“Yeah. Haven’t seen him since you left.” He motions for me to sit down. “I’m glad you took a little extra time. You look frazzled.”

“I’m fine.” I put the bag and my car keys on the counter and sit. If I shoo Nick out the door immediately, it will look suspicious.

“You think you’ll be in school tomorrow?”

I haven’t even thought about it. “Maybe.” Maybe we can ask Linette to come stay with Jeremy. She can help teach him about the people in town.

Nick reaches across the island and pats my hand before I can pull it away. “Well, I hope you’re there. I know you love Jeremy, but you’re going to run yourself into the ground if you don’t take time for you.”

“Want some tea?” I stand up, hoping it’s not obvious that I’m avoiding his touch. After burning Logan, I have to be even more careful than usual.

“No. I think I’m going to head out. You should get some rest while Jeremy’s asleep.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Nick stands up and tosses his apple core in the trash. “Oh, hey, I’ll take this down to Jeremy for you. He’ll probably need it when he wakes up.” He grabs the pharmacy bag and starts for the basement door.

“No!” I rush for him, grabbing the bag. It tears, and the Tic Tacs fall to the floor.

Nick bends down and picks them up. “Tic Tacs?”

“What?” I pretend to be just as surprised as he is as I run my hand through my hair. “I cut in line, and Maury must have given me someone else’s bag.”

“Want me to run back there for you and get the right one?” Oh thank God he believes me.

“No. You walked here, and besides, Jeremy’s asleep right now. He won’t need them for a while. I’ll call Mom and have her pick them up on her way home.”

“Okay.” He hands me the Tic Tacs, and I make sure no part of me touches him. “Get some rest. You’re really on edge, and it’s worrying me.”

“I will.” I walk him to the door, and I’m about to say goodbye when he turns around. So close. I almost got him out of the house. “Hey, why did you have to go to the drugstore to pick up Jeremy’s prescription anyway? The hospital has a pharmacy.”

Crap. “I guess Mom didn’t want Jeremy to have to wait until her shift was over.”

“Right, well I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Hopefully.”

I nod and close the door behind him. I lean my head on it, wondering how I managed to get through that.

“I thought he’d never leave,” Jeremy said. “I’ve been listening from the basement for about twenty minutes.”

I turn to him. “He’s a good guy. He cares about both of us.”

“I think he likes you.”

Nick? “No, we’re just friends.”

Jeremy shrugs. “What do I know?” The words hang in the air, letting us both feel the full meaning behind them. We have a lot of work to do.

“Come on. Let’s go through that memory book again.”

***

By nighttime, I’m exhausted. Jeremy wanted to work on relearning things all afternoon and evening. He’s determined to get his life back. I’m proud of him, but it’s frustrating at the same time. You can’t cram sixteen years worth of memories into one day. I take a hot shower and crawl into bed.

Mom steps into my doorway. “Can I come in?”

I sit up, even though the pillow is calling my name. “Sure.”

“Sorry I got so angry with you today. This is tough on all of us.” She sits down and pats my hand. “But we have to get Jeremy back to being himself before your rebirth.”

One month. It feels so long, yet so incredibly short. “I was thinking maybe Linette could come help Jeremy so I can finish out the school year. I don’t want to tell people I have mono, too, because we might need that excuse soon enough.”

Mom nods. “Already taken care of. I called her on my way home. She got a job cleaning and cooking for the new family in town, the Schmidts, but she can swing by a few times during the day and check on Jeremy.”

I still haven’t told her I met Logan because I’m not sure if I should. She’d be really upset if she found out someone that we don’t know a thing about cornered me.

“Linette’s not a housekeeper. Why would she want to clean up after strangers?” She’s going to be doing Logan’s laundry. She’ll see the duck boxers. I shut my eyes, forcing the image out of my head. This imprint is ridiculous.

“Someone has to find out about them. You know how dangerous it is for all of us when new people move into town.”

I know where she’s going with this. “I get it. We don’t need to have the Hunter talk again.”

“Well, she said the boy is your age, so just be careful if you see him at school. Keep your distance until we know more about him.”