The Locket

His lips pursed, my quip response not sitting well with him. “Don’t behave like a child, Claire,” he added, making me laugh at the irony.

“Uh, really? That’s the pot calling the kettle black, Reese. Wouldn’t you agree?” I smirked, calling him out.

“You’re impossible,” Reese yelled. “Why do you need to go back?” he asked argumentatively.

I turned my head mumbling under my breath. “Logan.”

He crossed the room remarkably fast to confront me. “Excuse me, what was that? I could have sworn I heard you say, Logan.”

“I did say Logan. He’s in some sort of trouble and needs my help,” I said, taking a small step backwards.

“He doesn’t need anything from you Claire,” he spit out, stressing the word need.

“Reese, he’s at Layken’s. He’s been drinking and he scared her a little. Right now, he’s passed out but she has friends over and asked me to come, so I’m going.” I walked towards the door, prepared to leave without him.

Looking back at him, I saw his brow was creased with worry. “Brooke?”

“I’m not sure. Layken didn’t say,” I replied.

“Okay then, let’s go.” His quick reply made me smile as it appeared he might actually have a thing for Brooke. Well, that made things easier than I thought they would be.

Leaving Reese so he could collect his things, I wrote Maggie a note, slipping it under her door, letting her know what happened, and to call Brent if she needed anything.

The drive was quiet. I was anxious. I started to wonder if Logan was really at Layken’s or if we were headed into a trap set up by Kace. Maybe Layken had been adhered to. Given our friendship, that shouldn’t be possible. Although, Logan said the Adherent could manipulate a human rather easily. Layken had a huge crush on Brent so an Adherent could have used that against her. I guess it didn’t really matter. If an Adherent anchored to Layken, then I needed to be there for her, regardless.

We arrived at Layken’s just before 7:00am. She answered the door in her pajamas and motioned with one finger over her lips for us to be quiet.

“He’s still sleeping,” she whispered.

Her house was beautiful and modern. It didn’t fit the traditional country style New England décor but then again neither did Layken. There were large abstract paintings throughout the spacious entryway. I noticed Brent eyeing them with appreciation.

We went into the family room, far from Logan, so we could talk. The walls were painted neutral and the furniture was mostly polished metal and glass. The room was dimly lit by a single crystal lamp resting on an end table. The white sofas were streamlined, and I was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to be sat on.

Layken grabbed my arm. “Claire, what is going on?” she asked, pulling me to the sofa and sitting down. I continued to stand, worrying I would make a mess of the stark white fabric.

“Logan is having a tough time at home and I’ve been helping him through it,” I said hurriedly, hoping she wouldn’t press me for more.

Layken squinted when she looked up at me from the couch. She crossed the room and flipped on an overhead light, brightening the room.

“Oh my God, Claire, what happened to your face?”

I reached up to cover the bruises, thinking of a quick lie. “I fell. Really, it’s nothing.”

“That is not ‘nothing’, and neither is what’s going on with Logan,” she said, lowering her voice mid-sentence when she realized she was screaming. “He showed up here talking about how much he needed you – that he had to find you. I told him there was no way I was helping him. He fell to his knees and begged, Claire. He begged! He said he was in love with you and would never hurt you.” Layken paused, glancing at each of us before continuing. “One more time, Claire, What in the hell is going on?” Layken asked forcefully.

I sighed. “He’s not in love with me. He’s just attached because I’ve been helping him with some things. Like I said, he’s going through some stuff, that’s all.”

“He told me someone named Kace just came to see him. He said the guy was going to kill you. That sounds serious, Claire. Who is this person?”

I couldn’t very well tell Layken what was really going on. Could I? She would think I was crazy.

How would that go over? You see Layken, the truth is, Brent, Reese, and I are all gifted children that are half human and half ghost. There is a man named Kace who is a full ghost and wants to kill me because I am the chosen one that is going to bring him and his merry group of henchman down. They are ghosts, too, and haunt humans for the fun of it. Logan was adhered to by Kace to hurt me. Logan ditched his Adherent and kidnapped me because he had no self-worth, but I saved him. Oh yeah, and we all have these abilities. Brent can jump anywhere, read my thoughts, and heal me after an injury. Reese can turn into anyone he chooses and never sleeps. And I can shake your house down like the big bad wolf or seal you up in a bubble. That pretty much sums it up, Layken. Yeah, the truth was definitely not an option.

“I have no idea what he was talking about.” I looked into her eyes and begged her to believe me. “He was really drunk, right? He was just talking crazy,” I suggested, noticing that she didn’t believe me.

“He was downright desperate, Claire.” Layken insisted, still trying to pry the truth out of me.

Brent interjected. His voice was hypnotic. Layken locked in on his stare, incapable of pulling away, completely entranced.