“How does Wesley fit into all of this?” Adam chimed in.
“Wesley is a Harbinger,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“What’s a Harbinger?”
“A Harbinger’s like a seer,” Helen answered. “Only they don’t see the future by reading palms, they have visions like Nick, in picture form. When he has a vision, he draws.”
“That explains a lot,” Adam said under his breath.
****
Aaron didn’t show up that day. I waited till long into the evening, listening for the sound of his truck coming up the drive. When I heard nothing, I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. I kept thinking that the vampires had gotten him. I was still awake at midnight when my phone started to buzz on the coffee table.
“Aaron!” I exclaimed the moment I picked up the phone.
“Calm down, babe.” He laughed on the other end.
“Are you okay?” I demanded.
Of course, he was okay! He was talking to me.
“I’m fine. I just forgot to charge my phone. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get out there to see you. My mom won’t let me leave the house.” He groaned.
“Thank goodness. I thought that you were out there in the dark. Horrible thoughts.”
“No, I’m just under house arrest,” he assured me.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I said, calming down.
“I’m headed to bed, Dawn. I suggest you get some sleep too. Sorry for keeping you up so late.”
“That’s okay. I’ll talk to you later, right?” I said, stretching my legs.
“Of course. Love you, beautiful.”
He hung up. At least this time there was no awkward pause while he waited for me to say it.
Chapter 14
Surprise
It was quiet the next few days, but I had a nasty feeling that my entire world might be blown sky high come the weekend. School had been canceled for the week after the body found there was identified as that of the principal, Mr. Walsh. In respect for the passing of our late executive the school board had agreed to cancel all classes until further notice.
Police were all over Midvale. You couldn’t go anywhere without running into one of Missouri’s finest. They were cordial enough, opening doors at the local grocery store and walking young kids across the streets during the day. When night hit Midvale, it became a ghost town. Businesses closed early, and nobody was on the streets past dark.
There was talk of canceling the Junior/Senior Prom, which of course would have been a relief to me. Then I wouldn’t have to parade around in a skin-tight red formal dress with my hair raised six inches in the air. However, after protests from parents and bearing in mind the venue for the prom was in the city, the board decided to keep it on. I’ll admit I was disappointed by this.
When Saturday arrived, Adam and I went into town to pick up supplies. While in the grocery store, I was rounding the corner of the cereal aisle when I found myself coming literally face to face with the ghastly Shawn. He backed off, rubbing his chin where I’d hit him.
“You again? Are you stalking me or something?” he asked scornfully, pushing me out of the way.
I glared at him. “You know, I’m not really sure what’s going on here,” I said.
He gave me a nasty smile. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you have something for me.” He laughed, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
“Yeah, keep dreaming,” I snapped.
“No, I’ve got better things to dream about.” He glanced around the store for a second. “Well, it was lovely to see you again, Dawn. Maybe next time we can have a conversation that doesn’t start with your nose sticking into me.” He laughed and walked off, leaving me to stomp away grumbling.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked when I found him rummaging through the meat section.
“I ran into Shawn again,” I told him, groaning. “How does he keep getting in my way?”
“Meaning you ran into him again?” He was trying not to laugh.
“Yeah, that is exactly what I mean,” I said, checking that Shawn was nowhere near.
“You know, I’ve heard quite a bit about this new guy though I’ve never met him. Is he a senior?”
“Yeah, at least I think he is. He is in most of my senior classes.” I stopped for a moment and realized that he was in fact in almost all my classes. “Consider yourself lucky to have avoided him. He’s an asshole.”
“Again, most of the girls would disagree with you on that.” He grabbed the cart and started pushing it.
“And again, they are mistaken. He’s a prick.” I looked back over my shoulder. I had this distinct feeling I was being watched. My senses were going crazy.
My phone buzzed, and I looked at the screen. It was a text from my father.
Dad: I have a surprise for you.
The text was simple, yet vague. What could he possibly have for me that would actually surprise me?
Me: What?
I waited a second. Adam stopped, waiting for me to catch up.
“Who you talking to? Is Aaron sending you more messages about how you better not be on your own? You can tell him that I’m taking good care of you, not that you need it.”
“No, it’s my Dad. Apparently, he has a surprise for me,” I said as my phone buzzed again.
Dad: Have you met Shawn yet?
He had to be kidding me! My father knew who Shawn was? Again, why didn’t that shock me? The man could read my mind after all.
Me: Yeah. I keep running into him. He is starting to think I have a thing for him.
I had no clue why I felt I needed to share that with my dad, but if this was some ploy to get me to forget about Wesley, it wasn’t going to work.
Dad: I hope you don’t.
Me: Why would I? He’s a complete prick.
I’d just said the
