Second Sight (18 page)

Not sure I want to talk to anybody, I start
to back away, but that’s when the world tilts, and I fall, my
vision swirling once again unpredictably around me. I can’t seem to
make it stop.

“
Lizzie?” She steps closer,
but I pretend I can’t hear her, hoping she’ll give me a few moments
to collect myself so I can slip away. That’s not going to happen, I
realize, as I hear her talking into a cell phone. My head is
swimming, so the words blur together. And the longer I lie there,
the more I feel like I want to sleep, which is probably not a good
idea. Then again, there is no Lev in blackness. I don’t have to
think about all the stuff I can’t change and how none of it makes
any sense. So I let my eyes close.

It seems like only moments later I feel hands
touching my face and a guy calling my name. At first, I start to
panic, thinking Lev has found me, but Lev is dead. Still, something
feels wrong with that; my head hurts and my thoughts are
scattered.

“
Lizzie, can you hear me?”
He sounds concerned, and I know that voice. I just can’t place
it.

“
Go away. My head
hurts.”

“
Yeah, well, that’s why you
need to wake up. You’ve probably got a concussion and shouldn’t be
sleeping.”

I’ve just about written that voice off as
part of my imagination and drifted back to sleep when hands begin
jostling me, which only adds to the misery in my temples.

“
Lizzie, wake up. Come on.”
The voice is too loud to ignore, and despite the pain, I force my
eyelids open and blink until my vision comes back into focus. The
voice belongs to Kane, and judging by the frown on his face, he’s
plenty worried.

“
Damn. Good to see those
eyes. Let’s get you up off the ground and away from all the creepy
crawlies, okay?”

If the world weren’t spinning like some crazy
amusement-park Tilt-a-Whirl, I’d tell him I could stand on my own,
but I can’t. Not yet. And the last thing I need is to fall and hit
my head again. Kane’s not really taking any chances as he sweeps me
into his arms and slowly carries me from the trees. He’s blurry,
and I close my eyes, sickened by how out of focus everything
seems.

“
You need to stay awake,”
he reminds me, his gaze fixed straight ahead, minding where he
walks.

Instead of answering, I try not to think
about the swaying motion of his stride that only seems to add to
the uneasiness of my stomach.

“
Lizzie?” Kane asks,
pausing to look down at me. “Not sleeping, are you?”

“
No, sir,” I whisper. “Not
sleeping.”

“
Good. Do you want me to
call your family before we go to the hospital? It’s a long
drive.”

“
No! You can’t!” That about
shakes me out of his arms, and I struggle, hoping maybe he’ll put
me down. I’m not sure what I’m expecting after that, but I can’t go
to the hospital. And he can’t call Jimmie or Griffin,
either.

“
Lizzie, you’ve got to calm
down.” His grip around my body tightens, and I know he’s not going
to release me, no matter how hard I fight.
“You’ve got a lump on your head, and we really need to take
you to a doctor and get you checked out.”

“
You don’t understand. I
can’t. I just had a fight with my guardian, and right now I don’t
want to see him. I’ll be okay. Honest.” I try to squirm out of his
arms, but his hands are cinched tightly, and I’m figuring it would
take a small miracle for me to break free. “Please,” I whisper,
feeling myself tearing up.

“
You’re right. I don’t
understand.” His fingers gently ease up, not that he’s releasing me
or anything, but I can tell he’s unsure what to do. “But you must
have hit your head pretty hard, and that’s dangerous.” He keeps
scrutinizing me, looking for signs my head is going to fall off or
something.

“
Look. Things are really
rough at home. I’m not kidding, and if I go to the hospital,
they’ll call Jimmie. I can’t face him.” I know my eyes are begging
him, and I hate feeling that way, but I don’t have a choice. I
can’t do this.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly puts me on my
feet. “Let’s check for bleeding first, and then we’ll see how you
walk.” He pulls a flashlight out of his pocket and nods to me.
“Where did you hit your head?”

My fingers probe my scalp until they skim
over a sensitive raised area. “Ouch. Here.” For the first time, I
realize Sarah stands wordlessly beside him. It seems that without
Jayzee, she really is quiet.

Nodding, he slips the back end of the
flashlight into his mouth, parts my hair, and looks at the area. A
moment later, he pats my hair back into place.

“
Well?”

“
No blood.” He shakes his
head like he’s already regretting something. “All right, start
walking.”

I’m so eager to get his approval, saving me
from seeing Jimmie I start walking so quickly I almost trip over a
tree root winding out from the ground. Kane must be expecting this
because quicker than I can brace myself, his fingers grip my arm
and steady my balance.

“
Not so good on the walking
part, though,” he mutters, shaking his head.

“
I did that sort of thing
before I hit my head, so you can’t hold that against me,” I lament,
knowing just how clumsy I really am.

At the edge of the woods, I stop, suddenly
wondering whether Lev is still going to be out there. My whole body
tenses, and that insane hurt rips through me again, almost sending
me running back the other way. Pretty much the only thing keeping
me in place is Kane’s hand, still wrapped around my arm. It seems
the boy knows me far too well.

“
Something the matter? Does
your head hurt?”

His voice is rising from the calm toward a
sense of near panic.

The cemetery is empty, thank God. “No,” I
say. “I’m fine.”

We continue walking, and part of me should be
flattered that Kane is still holding my arm, worrying over me, but
I’m not. There’s so much hollowness inside, and I can’t shake it.
Still, I can’t take his fingers against my skin. It makes me feel
vulnerable; people touching me does that. It’s like I can bury my
emotions only so far, and if someone strokes my arm, that’s it. I
fall apart.

“
You don’t have to keep
holding onto me. I’m not going to fall.” Just ahead, I see two
vehicles, mine and Kane’s, in the otherwise empty lot.

“
Sure about that?” Kane
asks but releases his hold anyway.

“
You didn’t drive?” I ask
Sarah, puzzled.

“
Nope.” She shakes her
head. “I don’t have a car.”

Together we trudge carefully around the
stones, heading for the lot. In the moonlight, Sarah’s hair looks
like Lev’s, reminding me of everything I’m trying so hard to
suppress. Even though Kane isn’t holding onto me, that doesn’t mean
he isn’t hovering, and that hovering goes on until we get to my
Jeep and I unlock the door.

“
So now what happens,
Lizzie? You don’t want to see Jimmie, so I’m doubting you’re going
home. You can’t exactly stay in a cemetery, and Sarah’s aunt gets
drunk more often than not. So where are you headed?”

Truthfully, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
I fish my phone out of my pocket and realize it’s 10:30. There’re
no missed calls, so the anger must be holding on Jimmie’s side,
too. Suddenly I’m thinking the cemetery is looking better and
better all the time.

“
I don’t know,” I finally
manage, folding my arms across my chest; the night breeze, which
should be warmer, feels a little cold right now. “I’d thought about
staying here.”

“
Like hell,” he mutters.
“You could have head trauma, and the last thing you’re doing is
staying out here.”

I open my door. “It’s not like I have a whole
lot of options, Kane. I can’t go home.” I slip behind the
wheel.

“
You can stay at my house.
My dad’s gone for the week.”

I shake my head. “Thanks but no thanks,” I
say, well aware of how much trouble that could lead to.

“
This is a hands-off zone,
Lizzie.” He shakes his head. “I know I’m teenage and male, but I
can control myself. I just want to make sure you wake up in the
morning. That’s it.”

My head is throbbing nicely now, and I just
want to get somewhere I can settle in, at least for a little while.
I’ve had enough of trees and stuff.

“
Lizzie? What do you
say?”

I finally nod, knowing I don’t have many
choices. “Sure.”

“
Good.” He plucks the keys
from my hand and gently tugs me out of the Jeep. He gives my keys
to Sarah.

“
What’re you
doing?”

“
Not letting you drive.” I
start to argue, but he holds up his hands. “Look, maybe you are
fine. But just in case you’re not, you don’t really need to be
behind the wheel, okay? Sarah will follow us to my place. She only
lives down the street anyway”

Nodding, I reluctantly agree. The way my head
is hurting probably means I shouldn’t drive, so I wait for him to
open the passenger door. As Sarah gets into the Jeep, I ask, “You
do know how to drive a standard, right?”

“
Yeah.” She starts the
engine as Kane walks to the driver’s side and gets in. A moment
later, he slips his hand behind my seat and turns to back up. A
moment later, we pull away from the cemetery.

“
Why are you doing this?” I
ask, leaning back against the headrest.

“
Lizzie, not all guys are
jerks. I don’t know what’s going on at home, and it’s really not my
place to get in the middle of it, but I don’t think you’re planning
to go home tonight. That said, I’m just giving you a place to stay
to get your thoughts together.” He pauses for a moment. “And don’t
go to sleep over there, or I will take you to the
hospital.”

“
Okay.” That snaps my eyes
open, and despite my fatigue and headache, I watch the landscape
blur into houses as we turn into Kane’s housing
addition.

I immediately notice Kane comes from more
money than I first realized as I see the stately two-story white
structure ahead that reminds me of some of the mansions I’ve seen
in New Orleans. Granted, it’s not as big, but the place pretty much
screams money. The driveway and walk are lined with small lights,
and a golden light fixture on the porch illuminates the regal front
door.

“
This is quite a house,” I
finally manage as we pull into the driveway.

“
Yeah, well, there’s only
so much you can say about walls and furniture.” He opens his door,
and I get out as well, suddenly nervous about getting out of the
SUV. Unsure about actually heading up the walkway, I sort of hang
back, my hand touching the door I just close more for reassurance
than balance.

Sarah pulls in behind, gets out, and hands me
the keys. “You might need these.” She starts down the driveway.

“
You gonna be okay?” Kane
calls after while sorting through his keys to find the one for the
door.

“
I’ll be fine. See you
tomorrow.”

He starts up the walkway but turns and comes
for me. “You all right? Do we need to go to the hospital, after
all?”

Once I see him reaching for me, I pull away
from the vehicle. “It’s just been a long night. I’ll be fine.”

“
Then let’s get you
inside.” He nods toward the porch and together we head toward the
house. The throbbing is a little more persistent, and I rub my
temples, trying to ease the ache.

Sensing what is about to come, I beat him to
the punch. “I’m all right. Promise. This isn’t anything that a
couple of Tylenol won’t take care of.”

“
Fair enough,” he responds
and opens the front door. A second later, he flips on the light and
gestures for me to follow him inside. I comply, awe-struck by the
ornate entryway. Marble floors. A beautiful chandelier.
Wow.

“
It’s just a house,
Lizzie,” he mutters and keeps going, forcing me to follow him to a
staircase, adorned by a rich mahogany handrail. Various pictures of
Kane and his family line the wall, giving me something to look at
as we head up. Strangely, there are no photos of his mother I can
see.

At the top of the stairs, I see a long
hallway, and Kane leads me midway down before stopping in front of
a closed door he quickly opens, reaching for the light switch. Once
the bulbs flicker to life, I see a large bedroom with a canopy bed
surrounded by mosquito netting. It’s a beautiful room, something
not quite expected for two guys baching it out together.

“
This is the extra bedroom.
There’s an adjoining bathroom for you, stocked with whatever you
might need.” He nods down the hall. “My room is the next one, so I
won’t be far. I’ll bring you some sweats you can borrow for
tonight.”

And then he turns away, leaving me to this
room where I feel strange and vulnerable. Don’t get me wrong—the
room is gorgeous, and I’ve been waiting for some place quiet—but
this all feels so…alien. Everything is so topsy-turvey, and no
matter what I do, I can’t seem to process things, not with this
aching head. Panic rises inside, and I walk to the bed and sit,
unable to believe any of this is happening. If anyone had asked if
I believed it were possible Jimmie would shift this way, I would
have told him never. Jimmie might have been out of touch and way
overprotective, but he was always there in my life, doing the best
he could—until now. Griffin was supposed to be my best friend. And
Lev? Nothing lasts forever, right?