Chapter 18
Like the wood was made of sawdust, it disintegrated beneath my feet. I fell straight through the floor.
Everything happened in slow motion. I squeezed my eyes shut. A high pitched scream escaped my lips as a picture of me with a broken back, flashed through my mind. Body cast…wheel chair…Aiden spoon feeding me...
Air burst from my lungs when I hit something firm but, surprisingly, soft. I clutched the flashlight in hand and opened my eyes as Aiden crashed down next to me.
Before I could regain my stolen breath, Aiden rolled over top of me. He didn’t smoother me, he supported his own weight, hovering like a shield. A cracking, creaking sound, met my ears. Debris piled around us—on top of us—as the ceiling crumbled and clattered to the floor.
Gasping, I sucked in dust then coughed hoarsely. A musty, damp smell flooded my nose. My throat burned and scratched like I’d inhaled a screw or…sheetrock. I dropped the flashlight and lifted my hands to pull my shirt over my face, but they got distracted when my fingers brushed along Aiden’s solid abs, then pecks.
Nice…
Once the crashing stopped and the cabin finished its attempt to kill us, I could feel Aiden’s glare bore into me. “Don’t you ever listen?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Every once in a while.”
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed. Do you think I’d tell you to stay if I didn’t have a reason?”
“I think you’ve had one too many dogs, personally.”
“Start being responsible.”
What made him think I wasn’t trying? It’s not like I knew the floor would cave in. These things just happened to me—victim of wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time syndrome.
Silence filled the cabin and I realized neither of us had moved. He still hovered over me and I couldn’t bring myself to let go of his shirt, though my fingers ached. I cursed my ridiculous, teenage-girl stomach flutters and strained my eyes in the darkness, trying to see Aiden. Please don’t let him feel how much I like this. Maybe he was enjoying the warmth our bodies created, too. I might be irresponsible, but something made me think it gave him a break from his endless perfection.
Aiden grunted and pulled his body off mine.
Crashing sounds echoed through the room as more pieces of ceiling hit the floor. I covered my head, pulled my knees to my chest and let out a horrible girlish squeal.
“It’s okay.” Aiden coughed, his voice close—like he was standing right in front of me. “It was the wood sliding off my back.”
“Oh, uh, I-I know.” I jolted to the sitting position feeling a bit sheepish and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Idiot! Had I been alone, I would’ve slapped my forehead. Reaching out, I moved my hands over the chunks of wood next to me. “Where’s my flashlight?”
“Broken. How’re you— hurt anywhere?”
I flinched when his fingers unexpectedly tilted my chin.
“Did I startle you?” There was a sort of humor to his question—something I’d never heard before.
I scowled. “Not all of us can see in the dark, Batman.”
“Batman can’t see in the dark.”
“I’m. Fine.” I pushed his hand away, still irritated.
Aiden didn’t argue, so I guessed he believed me. The sound of boots tromping across the floor made me reach forward to see if he was still there. He wasn’t.
Out of frustration and the need for something to do, I started shoving piles of sheetrock off the surface I sat on. A bed. I laughed coldly.
“What?” Wood snapped and knocked together in the same direction Aiden’s voice came from.
“Well, I’m beginning to think fate keeps me alive for the sole reason of hurling its next life threatening situation at me.”
I didn’t hear his response. Instead, my attention got swallowed by the flicker of light sparking across the room. It built into a small flame then continued to grow bigger until a rock fireplace appeared and Aiden crouched in front of it. Within minutes, a full-fledged fire developed.
Fire…
The hole in my chest ached. The void in my stomach churned. I squeezed my eyes closed but felt the heat against my skin. Smelled the smoke. Heard the roar. Saw his face.
“Open your eyes.” Like Aiden knew the horrors running through my mind, he grabbed my shoulders and twisted me away from the fire. Kneeling in front of me, he assessed me. “Still with me?”
My heart pounded. Beads of sweat formed on my brow. I nodded and peered around the room, trying to divert my thoughts. A big dresser, walk-in closet and two nightstands took up most of the space around me. I’d fallen right into the master suite.
“Good.” Reluctantly, he handed me a paper and stood.
“What’s this?”
He turned away, his hesitance made my mouth dry. “Delmari.”
I scowled and looked at the letter. “Of all the sick jokes—”
Delmari Aiken, the name practically blared. I swallowed back the pain stinging my throat. “W-Where’d you get this?”
“From the desk upstairs.”
“M-Maybe it’s just a...”
He reached back and handed me what appeared to be a utility bill. Again, Delmari’s name was printed in bold black letters.
“Coincidence?”
Now I really couldn’t breathe. Or talk.
“Have you been here before?” He motioned around the room. “Do you recognize anything?”
I stared blankly, shaking my head.
He stood and took a few steps toward the wall. A dusty old crib sat in a corner along with a rocking chair. He ran his finger over it. “Maybe you lived here as a baby.”
“No.” My voice sounded barely audible. “We’ve only lived in one house. The one that burned.”
Aiden grabbed a picture off the dresser. He wiped the glass with the bottom of his shirt and looked beyond the little gold frame. “Is this the girl from…” He turned the picture so I could see it.
My eyes widened, and I crossed the room, yanking it away from him. “Yeah, th-that’s her.”
“You’ve never seen her before?”
“No. He must’ve been her Kember before he was transferred to me.”
“Something like that.” Aiden fell quiet, leaving the crackling fire as the only sound. He held another one, his expression weary, his body stiff.
Stepping forward, I peered down at the photo. The frame I held clattered to the floor.
Delmari.
He smiled. The smile I loved—the face I yearned to see. I lost all feeling in my legs and sank to the floor. My breath caught in my throat. A sharp pain squeezed my chest. How could I have left him? Why hadn’t I tried harder to help him? I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to get rid of all the heart-wrenching guilt.
“What does your mom look like?” Aiden crouched across from me and angled the picture so I could see it. For the first time, I noticed the girl in the picture with Delmari—with him. He held her and she was snuggled against him holding a baby.
I swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes from the photo. “I, uh… I don’t remember. I’ve never actually seen her, to tell you the truth.” Realization dawned on me, and I immediately shook my head. “I know what you’re thinking and no, Delmari didn’t know my mom.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. I asked him a billion times. He didn’t know her. This had to have been another chick.”
He tapped the glass. “Another girl with his baby?”
My jaw dropped. What an accusation. “Remember how freaky life-sucker killed her? That girl’s a Drea. Not a Kember. Therefore, her baby, not his.”
“They’re both really young here. I’ll bet he was assigned to her right after he graduated. What if he—what if they…” He stared at me, mouth open, but it took a moment before the words formed. “He’s holding her. He wouldn’t be doing that for any other reason.”
“They didn’t do anything. This’s Delmari we’re talking about. Staunch rul
e-following Delmari. Besides, you know as well as I do, Dreas and Kembers can’t—don’t—get together, let alone have a baby.”
“How do you know? Kembers and Dreas don’t overstep that boundary, but what if they did? He was this girl’s Kember. I’m sure of it and I’m almost positive this is his baby.”
I narrowed my eyes and leaned back against the log bed frame. “He would’ve told me if he had a daughter.”
“Unless this baby was you.”
I laughed nervously, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. “I’d know if this was me. Delmari wasn’t my father. He—he would’ve told me.”
“Delmari was assigned to you when you were a baby. He treated and raised you exactly like he would his own daughter—”
“Maybe because this baby died, and he filled that hole by taking me and treating me the same way he did her.”
“Or maybe you were his baby.” He raked his hand through his hair. “You have similar features. You act just like him. Plus, why else would you be seeing this girl if she wasn’t your mother?”
I exhaled. She wasn’t my mom and I wasn’t his baby. How many times was I going to have to explain myself? “I have no idea, but you’re wrong.”
Aiden shook his head, looking haughty and frustrated. Flipping the frame over, he slid the picture out and read the back. He lifted his eyes to mine.
I jerked it away from him and read the back as well. Delmari, Aileen and Taylee. April 1, 1993.