Walking in the Shadows (6 page)

“Wasn’t there a lot of news coverage? Why did I never see anything about you?”

“I was never on the news. I didn’t want to be, and well, they didn’t know who did it or why, so they were afraid that I was on the hit list—that’s why it was so easy for me to change my identity. The police suggested it; they thought it would be the best way to keep my safe.” I explained, taking a deep breath

“They still haven’t found the murderer have they
?”
h
e asked
,
and
I shook my head as
he reached out
,
placi
ng
h
is hand on mine
.
“I
’m
sorry. I understand
now
why you wouldn’t
want to
tell me.”

At that moment I felt as though the world was crashing down on me and
I was overcome with emotion.
Tad forgot he was Mr. Knightley as he
rushed around the table
and wrapped
his strong arm
s around me.

“I’ve
lost everyon
e I love
,
and
now you
!
I’
ve been scared for so long that the thing that killed them would come after
me and
you made that go away. I’
m
selfish
I know it, for not telling you
!
”

“
There’
s no reason to be sorry,
” h
e
whispered
,
pulling
me closer
to him as if I would disappear
.
“If thi
ngs were different
...”

“But they aren’t Mr. Knightley,
”
I sai
d
,
trying to control my emotions as they went from sadness to anger to logic.

“
Vera
,
that
’s cruel,
”
h
e replied
with
his eyes searching
my face.

“
This is how our lives will be now
,
and
it’s
best we
accept
i
t.”

There was anger
building in his eyes and he
slammed his fists on the table
.
I gritted my teeth in frustration as people looked over at us with raised eyebrows.

“Calm down, Tad.”

He shook his head at me.
“
You want me to just accept
this
like
you have
accepted
your
parents’
death? Run aw
ay from it? Act as if it never
happen
ed
? Be cold and emotionless?”
h
e
shot
and the words stung
me
.
I looked out the window
with
my jaw clenched
,
knowing that if I said something now I would regret it
.

Tad’s
head went in his hands
,
and he pulled at his
hair
.
“
I’
m sorry. I didn’t
mean it.”

“No, you’
re right
;
that’s who I
am
. I
t
should make it e
asier for you to stop liking me,
”
I
snapped,
unable to c
ontrol the fire raging inside my
heart.

“Liking you?
Liking
you?”

“Don’t say it
,
Mr. Knightl
ey
!
”
I responded
,
the fire inside consuming me for a new reason.

His
hands were in fists again
—something I was beginning to see he did to control his temper.
When
he spoke his voice was cold
.

“I should bring you home.”

I scoffed; I didn’t know where home was.

“So you’
re turning eighteen? Are you throwing
a big party to celebrate?”
Jaz
inquired as we sat waiting for class to start
. Tad
wasn’t in
the classroom
,
and I figured he was
getting his morning coffee. Hearing the words ‘party’ made everyone turn to look at me.

“Yes
,
I
’
m turning eighteen
,
but no
,
I’m
not throwing a party,
” I replied.

Lily
raised an eyebrow
.
“You’
re turning eighteen and your parents aren’t throwing you a party?”

Tad walked
in the room just as the
question was posed
and his eyes became worried in an instant.

“I don’t like parties. I’m
going out to buy a car,
”
I answered
,
looking away from him.

“Sweet
!
Y
our par
ents are buying you a car?” Brad
asked,
his eyes wide,
“What type?”

“I’
m buying a car with my
own
money,
”
I said
,
trying to keep my voice level
;
having
e
veryone’s eyes on me was unnerving.

“Where does someone our age get their own money to buy
a car?” Lily
asked
,
her arrogant face contorted with disgust
.

“Some people have jobs.”

Tad coughed
and everyone turned to face him
.
“I bought my own car at eighteen as well. You should be proud of yourself
,
Vera
.”

“Thank you
,
Mr. Knightley,
”
I replied,
a blush lighting my face.

His face soured as I called him
Mr. Knightley
and he turned t
o the whiteboard to avoid the other students
seeing it.
I was glad to hear he was proud of me
,
but my stomach was unsettled by
Lily’s
eyes still on me as I stared at his back.

When the bell rang Tad
clapped his hands
.
“See you all tomorrow.
”  Then,
“
Vera
,
may I have a word?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked
as I walked up to his desk.

“So
,” h
e
began
as he leaned
back in his chair
with
his arms crossed, “
a
re you going to buy the car alone?”

“Yes? W
ho else would I go with?”

“Women are easily taken at car dealerships.”

“So now I’
m a woman?”
I repeated
,
smirking.

He looked at his
open
classroom door before looking up at me and re
plying in a hushed tone
.
“You’
ve always been
a
woman to me
.
”

“I already know wha
t I want and what I want to pay,
”
I managed to say
as I tried to keep my brain on the teacher-student relationship path we had chosen

“Yes?”

“VW TDI.
”

“That’
s a bit pricey even if it’s used
,
right?”
h
e commented
,
leaning forward. I felt our bodies naturally lean
ing
towards one another.

“Dead parents left a lot of money
for my eighteenth b-day
,
”
I replied
,
my eyes moving away from him as
the words came out flat and sad.

“You don’t
have to
be so cold about it with me. I’
m n
ot going to attack you or accuse
you of anything. There’
s no
reason to act like that with me,
”
h
e said
,
and I had to stop myself from rushing into his arms.

“I know Ta—Mr. Knightley. I just do it naturally
,
”
I s
ighed
,
and b
efore h
e could respond I put a hand up
.
“I know
it’s
immature.”

“I wasn’t
going to say that. Where’
s the first place you plan to go with the new ride?”

“To s
ee my
parents’
grave. I haven’t been
since the day they were buried and it’s been almost two years
,
so I feel I should,
”
I answered
,
feeling sick at the thought.

“Is that something you really want to do alone?”

“Again
,
who else would I go with?”
I asked
,
and h
e wrote on the piece of paper in front of me and turned it so I could read
it.
Someone who ca
res about you? Someone like me?

“I thought this was over…us?”
I whispered with my heart racing as I looked over my shoulder into the hallway.

“There
are just some things I don’t
think you should be alone for,” h
e
answered
,
and he fell into his habit of clenching his jaw with stress.
“How far is it?”

“
Around one hundred miles
.
”

He raised his eyebrows
.
“Do you plan on coming back th
e same day?”

I nodded my head
.

“So you’
ll stay for fifteen minutes and drive the t
wo plus
hours back?”

“I can’
t stay there. I’
m scared
just
to go there for fifteen minutes,
”
I replied
,
lifting my shoulders and letting them fall in disappointment.

“Maybe it’s best you don’t
go at all then? If it is not s
afe, the
n your parents wouldn’t wa
nt you to go anyways?” Tad suggested as he tilted his head.

“Then am I a bad daughter?”
I choked as I, for the first time in months, let tears fall.

He closed his eyes before scribbling on the paper.

If only I could hold you
now and
make you feel safe again
.

He took a deep breath as he looked at my face before he stood
and
went to the window.
I folded the paper
that he had written on
and put
it in my pocket
.
“Is there something else you could do for them?”
h
e asked
.

The second bell rang warning that there w
ere
two minutes left to get to class
and the
students for his next class began to come in.

“I’
m not sure
,
Mr. Knigh
tley,
” I responded
,
wiping my face before anyone could see the tear stains.