Seeing Shadows (Shadows 1)

Our conversation was interrupted when our masseuses arrived and guided us into separate private massage rooms. I surrendered myself to the ministrations of a sturdy European woman with arms like a linebacker. Despite her seeming strength, her fingers were gentle yet firm as she unknotted the tension in my back and arms with her magic hands.

Massages were followed by gentle facial treatments, and we ended with manicures and pedicures. When I was done, I felt like I had been scrubbed clean to a new layer of skin and I admired the glow on my face. Kendra explained that it was never a good idea to get a real facial on the day of a party, because you needed a few days for the redness to disappear. We apparently had just gotten some treatments to soothe any inflammation we may have had. It amazed me that a sixteen-year-old girl knew so much about facials but I guessed that's what happened when you were wealthy and days at the spa were common.

On the drive home, Mrs. Crewe broached the subject of my parents, something that hadn't come up before.

"Are your parents originally from Philadelphia?" she asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I felt Sarah tense beside me. She knew I hated talking about my family.

"My parents both grew up in Maryland. That's where they met. They moved to Philly right before I was born for my father's business."

"What does your father do?"

I was relieved that Simon hadn't seemed to have shared much about my parents. Maybe because he knew that was a sensitive topic for me.

"He's a real estate agent."

"I'm so sorry to hear that your mother passed away. It must have been tough growing up without her."

I saw Kendra elbow her mother from the front seat, obviously embarrassed by her mother's candor. It seemed Kendra did have some boundaries she thought shouldn't be crossed. But I didn't mind Mrs. Crewe's questions. Usually I shut off when people started asking me questions about my mother. It wasn't something I wanted to share with other people. I didn't want their pity or their attempts to comfort me for something that happened long ago. But Simon's mother didn't seem to be pitying me. She asked as if she just wanted to know more about me. Besides Mrs. Crewe being kind, she was Simon's mother. And I was willing to stretch myself for Simon.

"It was. But I really don't remember her much since I was so young when she died." I reached up and subconsciously rubbed t

he iridium charm through my shirt.

Mrs. Crewe nodded. "I lost my mother when I was young too. I was ten, but fortunately my father took it upon himself to be the best mother and father he could be. I also had an older sister and brother who took care of me, so I was lucky."

She looked at me in the rearview mirror again and I just smiled and nodded. There was nothing to say about my father. He had taken it upon himself to become my greatest critic growing up, and I could still hear his admonishing voice full of disappointment in my head. I hadn't been lucky but at least I had a parent who put a roof over my head and kept me fed. There were worse things to have to face than an uncaring parent.

Like shadows trying to kill you. I pushed the thought away. That was for tomorrow. Today was about giving myself a chance to be happy.

When I didn't say anything else, Mrs. Crewe dropped the subject and started talking about the guests at the party tonight. It sounded like a mixture of Kendra's friends and friends of the family, along with some of Mr. Crewe's business associates. Sarah reached over to hold my hand and gave me a sympathetic squeeze. I smiled to let her know I was alright.

Grant and Simon had apparently been waiting for our return because when we stepped inside, they bounded in from a room nearby.

"You look great," Simon said, grabbing my hand and giving me a quick kiss. I smiled, warmed by his expression. He seemed happy to see me, although we had only been apart for a few hours. "How was basketball?" I asked.

Grant walked with a mock limp and a pathetic expression. "Simon shows no mercy. We should have played tennis instead. I'm better at that than he is."

Kendra laughed. "I don't know about that. I seem to remember that the last time you played-"

She was interrupted by her mother guiding her towards the stairs. "Let a man have a little pride," she said with a smile. "Let's go upstairs and look at your clothes and jewelry for the party."

Kendra allowed her mother to propel her upstairs and Mrs. Crewe paused to turn to us. "The party starts at six but dinner won't be served until seven. Feel free to join us at any time but I do request that you're present for the start of dinner." She looked meaningfully at Simon during the last statement.

"Of course, of course," Simon replied, giving her a rueful smile.

Simon turned to me as his sister and mother disappeared up the stairs. "What do you want to do to kill time before the party? We could go to the game room and play some arcade games."

"Are you kidding me?!" Sarah exclaimed before I could reply. "We only have an hour before the party. We need to go get ready!" She grabbed my other hand, pulling me free of Simon's grasp. I allowed her to drag me up the stairs with an apologetic look at Simon.

"Sorry, primping comes first, I guess."

Simon looked bemused but didn't protest. "Okay, but I'm coming to your room at six o'clock, whether you're ready or not."

"We'll be ready," Sarah said as we made it up the stairs. I caught a glimpse of Grant's face before we reached the second floor. He looked perturbed and I realized that Sarah hadn't given him any type of greeting or acknowledged his presence. It was rare that Sarah didn't zone in on Grant when he was around and he seemed bereft by her lack of attention. Even though I loved Grant, I was happy he was feeling the loss. If he didn't want Sarah, he didn't deserve her attention.

Sarah told me she would come to my room after she had taken a shower so we could get ready together. I took my own shower and took time to blow dry my long black hair, something I rarely did. I usually just let my hair air dry, and it was thanks to my mother's asian hair I had inherited that I was able to do so with my hair looking passable. But I wanted my hair to look more than passable tonight. It didn't seem like Simon cared how much effort I put into my appearance, but I wanted him to be proud with me on his arm tonight.

After my hair was dry, I put on a matching strapless black bra and underwear. Most of my undergarments were plain and sensible, made out of cotton, but these were the exception. They were made out satin, frilly and barely there, especially the bottom that was just a scrap of fabric. I didn't think about whether I anticipated Simon seeing these tonight. If I dwelled on those thoughts I would never be ready on time.