Shades of Amber (2 page)

I tensed, knowing the
inquisition was about to begin. My skin was dull, my eyes were
bloodshot, and my usual perkiness was nowhere to be
found.

“
What’s wrong, Jade? You
never dress like this.” Amelia gestured to my sweats and ponytail.
“You must feel awful.” She leaned over the table, trying to read
what happened through my facial expression. I would have laughed if
I weren’t on the verge of being scared to death.

I squeezed my hands
together. “I feel like someone’s been watching me.”

“
Who could it
be?”

My gaze bounced off the
white walls searching faces, looking for signs. “I think it’s
him.”

She scrutinized every guy
in the vicinity. “Who? Come on Jade, I’m not a mind
reader.”

“
I don’t
know what to do.” I lowered my voice. “I can’t just go to the cops
and say I
feel
like I’m being watched by a boyfriend who disappeared two
years ago, can I?”

Amelia exhaled. “Do you
really think it could be Troy?”

“
Shh! Don’t say his name!
You might summon him or something.” I glanced over my shoulder. “We
saw his obituary, he can’t be alive,” I whispered.

“
What do you mean? Wait!
You’re just trying to trick me aren’t you?” She cackled. “I knew
Faith and Mariah would try to get me back for throwing peanut
butter and jelly filled balloons, but I had no idea they’d enlist
you to help!”

“
Amelia! I’m dead
serious.” I stuck my pinky in the air. “I swear.”

Her expression sobered.
“You really
pinky
swear that this is true?”

“
I never believed that
ghosts, vampires or even aliens actually existed, but when you hear
what I have to say, you won’t believe me.”

“
Oh
God!” Her jaw dropped before she could smack her hand over her
mouth. “Vampires and aliens really
do
exist?”

I stared at her. “No. I’m
talking about ghosts!”

“
Okay, so what the heck
are you babbling about? Vampires are a much juicier thought than
ghosts.”

“
I rubbed my hand over my
forehead. “I’m not trying to make the story juicier! It’s my life,
Amelia!”

She shrugged. “Okay, so
what has turned you into such a drama queen?”

I inhaled and leaned
toward her. “I think he’s back.” My words came out in a whisper as
I twisted the butterfly ring around my finger.

“
Who’s back? What are you
talking about?”

I held my breath until she
poked me, and then I told her about the library and the phone
calls.

“
Oh, Jade.” She shook her
head. “How long has this been going on?”

“
A couple
weeks.”

She grimaced. “You’ve been
living with that for weeks? Why didn’t you say
anything?”

My gaze went to the clock
over her shoulder. “I didn’t want you to get involved. I can handle
ignoring the calls, but now I feel like I’m being watched,” I
whispered, finally looking into her wide eyes.

A book fell and we gasped,
eyes trained on it until a girl picked it up. I stared at her long
red hair and cheerful face, wishing I felt happy. I mean, it’s not
every day that the person you love comes back from the dead. If I
wasn’t so terrified, I might consider it worth
celebrating.

Amelia tugged the neck of
her shirt. “How long have you felt like that? Do you feel like
you’re being watched right now?”

“
Yeah, I do. After I ran
away from him, he disappeared even though the librarian and I were
right outside the exit.” I exhaled and rested my head on the table.
“The worst part is that I’ve been wanting him to come back for
years, but now I’m afraid of what it means.”

“
I’m sure things aren’t as
bad as you think,” Amelia patted my hand. We sat for a moment
longer, and then got up. The sight of Faith made me get my emotions
in check. I wasn’t ready to tell her that my “dream” was a
nightmarish reality.

“
We need to have a girl’s
night out, and I won’t take no for an answer,” Faith said, swinging
her long ponytail over her shoulder.

I just needed to go home
until I could figure things out.

“
Sorry, Faith, I’m not
feeling well.” I could tell Amelia didn’t want me to go home alone,
but I whispered that I’d be fine as we hugged our
goodbyes.

When I got back to my
place, I walked into my bedroom and plopped onto my soft yellow
comforter.

What was wrong with
me?

Before I knew it, I was
dreaming about his home near the beach. The spring air was crisp
and cool as Troy pushed me in the swing under the big tree in the
backyard.

Next, I dreamt of our
first kiss. His warm hands trailed up my neck, pulling me close as
we stood outside the school. The moment seemed perfect, but we
hadn’t known each other very long. I was seconds from getting lost
in his kiss when the phone rang and I jerked awake.

Sadness washed over me,
but then I came to my senses. I groped the nightstand, grateful
that I was “saved by the bell” until I looked at the
screen.

Unknown number.

After a very deep breath,
I turned on the lamp, and hit the green button.

“
Hello?”

There was breathing on the
line.

My blood boiled, but I
refused to say another word.

“
Hello, cher.” A chuckle
reverberated through the phone, straight into my soul. “I love the
way your heart pounds when you’re afraid. It’s like a melody that
fills me with warmth.”

“
What do you
want?”

“
Just you,
Jade.”

I knew that voice—deep and
sensual with hints of Creole in his speech.

My hand trembled as I
clutched the phone to my ear, wanting, but not wanting it to be
him.

“
Jade?” he whispered, and
I felt it from the bottom of my socks to my curly brown
roots.

Slick with sweat, the
phone slipped from my hand. I leaned over the bed and groaned as it
skidded toward the window. I debated leaving it.

“
What’s the matter, Jade?
Cat got your tongue?”

“
Who is this?” I asked as
I pressed the phone to my ear.

Of course, I knew to whom
the voice belonged, but it was impossible.

He made a clicking sound
with his tongue. “Don’t tell me two years was enough time to wipe
me from your memory. You know who I am.”

Having barely made it to
the bed, I closed my eyes as my knees gave out.

“
You’re
not
real. I’m stuck in a nightmare, but once I wake
up everything will go back to normal.”

“
Don’t lie to yourself,
Jade. I came back here just for you.” His tone turned sweet at the
end, but I couldn’t let myself fall for it.

Pulling my knees to my
chest, I rocked back and forth.

This wasn’t
happening.

“
You can’t run from
me.”

“
You are not
real.”

I could hear the smile in
his voice. “Just wait, Jade. I’ll convince you.”

“
Please, just leave me
alone.”

He chuckled. “It’s too
late.” His voice caressed my nerves like velvet, and then there was
nothing but the dial tone.

¤¤¤¤

Doomed

The melody to which we
dance,

Reminds me of
quicksand.…

Like a rock,

I am weighed down by your
love

Because it hits me like
the strongest drug.

It burns in my heart like
an eternal flame,

Making me wish you’d never
come back again.

This harmony,

This endless
tune

Reminds me that we are
forever doomed.

You are like no
other,

That much is
true,

But you are no longer
mortal enough

For you to be
you.

-Jade

Chapter 3

…
Troy…

For a week, I studied
her.

The new Jade was timid,
reserved, and reminded me of a small bunny, while my girl had been
exuberant, outspoken, and fierce like a tiger.

I traced a circle on the
window, giving it eyes, whiskers, and triangular ears as Jade’s
teacher rambled about the Renaissance. At first glance, my sweet
angel appeared to be taking notes, but I saw the truth. Her mind
was on me and her doodles were a mixture of the words she wanted to
say, as well as the things she wouldn’t.

None of that matters
though. Jade had my love whether she wanted it or not.

I shoved my hands in my
pockets, willing her to see me. My body yearned to possess her in
every way, but she’d convinced herself that I was a ghost at best.
At worst, I was a figment of her imagination. A lesser man might’ve
given up, but I was excited by the prospect of convincing her
otherwise.

¤¤¤¤

Jade

It was hard to give a damn
about a king who lived in the 1600s with my stalker
outside.

If I couldn’t survive the
next hour, no one would stop me from fleeing the room. My forehead
was damp with perspiration, my skin lacked its usual glow, and I
had mastered the kind of expression that made you think I would
upchuck at any moment.

History had always been my
least favorite subject, but seeing that cat on the window didn’t
help my concentration. I stared at my hands, trying to suppress the
jitters.

My life was spiraling out
of my control, and it was all because of a guy, a class, and a
phantom.

September 28,
2007

The Centennial Library was
a magical place with floor to ceiling shelves and far too many
books for my seventeen-year-old brain to absorb. One of the
librarians had given me a card with the shelf number and a few
spoken directions, but I felt like a mouse in a maze.

“
Finally,” I muttered after twenty minutes. I
plucked
The Phantom of the
Opera
from the shelf and read the
back.

“
Say you’ll share with me
one love, one lifetime. Lead me, save me from my solitude,” said a
masculine voice.

Over my shoulder, I found
a guy with light brown skin, wavy black hair, and rich hazel
eyes.

I looked away.

If I had to guess, I’d put
him between eighteen and twenty-four, maybe older since there
wasn’t a wrinkle to be found on his black polo or jeans.

I tried to focus on other
things, but his image was carved into my mind. I flipped through my
book, attempting to collect my thoughts.

Was he flirting with
me?

He cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist when I saw you.”

“
You don’t even know
me.”

He smiled and withdrew a
hand from his pocket. “Allow me to introduce myself.”

I was hesitant, but lifted
my hand because no matter how badly I wanted to get away, I
couldn’t be rude. He hadn’t done anything, yet; however, he looked
like trouble.

If we ever dated, I could
easily choose to spend time with him instead of doing my homework,
and then my mother would kill me because school is the most
important thing.

“
My name is Troy,” he said
as he brought my hand to his lips.

Troy was a nice
name.

After a moment, I shivered
and pulled away. He smiled, but there was more to it than that. My
free hand gripped the book as if it was a lifeline.

I needed to
leave.

“
I have to go,” I blurted,
not caring how it sounded.

He chuckled. “So soon? You
haven’t even told me your name.”

I looked at the exit,
yearning to be away from the weird feelings he stirred. Fight or
flight thoughts roared through me, drowning his words. I shook my
head as I turned to face him.

“
What?”

He came closer, but I
moved away. My back brushed the shelf as he stopped in front of me.
“How can I find you, if I don’t know who I’m looking
for?”

“
Why would you look for
me?”

His gaze bore into mine.
“Perhaps only you can save me from my solitude.”

There was something about
the way he said things—his dialect, that made me wish he’d keep
talking. However, the situation and his words were getting stranger
by the moment, especially if he expected me to believe
them.

“
Wow, that’s funny. I bet
all the girls love that line, don’t they?” His eyes seemed serious,
but he could have perfected that look in the mirror. I stepped to
the left. “That was a good pickup line,” I replied as I gave him my
back.