For Blood & Glory Page 12

  “That is just—strange,” said Binx, absentmindedly rubbing the stubble of his beard. “I swear I’ve never seen so many of them in one spot. I don’t like the way their beady eyes are lookin’ at us either.”

  Blythe sucked her teeth. “You spook to easy.”

  Lauren cut in, folding her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. I’m with Binx. When have you ever seen that many birds?”

  There were a lot.

  “Could be those glyphs,” she continued. “Seriously, you should know what they mean before you put them on your head. What if they’re like a curse or something?”

  Blythe scratched her head. “Thanks. You’ve got me second-guessing my hair now.” She kicked a rock to the side.

  “Enough with the hair,” said Binx. His exasperated tone drew laughter, which was good as far as Blythe was concerned. “I’m not a freakin’ female. Let’s move on.” He turned to Blythe. “So how was last night? That club was nice wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it was cool,” she answered. “I gotta start taking it easy though. I’m starting to see things that don’t make sense.”

  “Serious?” Binx asked.

  “Yeah, and I’m getting these headaches that are unreal.”

  “What are you smoking?” Binx started laughing.

  “No, it’s the glyphs. Told you,” Lauren teased.

  Binx ignored the comment. “Did your pops say anything about you comin’ in so late last night?”

  “Nah, what could he say? If he were home, he was out of it—he probably has no idea.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, maybe we’ll have to run it back Saturday night,” Lauren said.

  Blythe shifted her weight. “What’s up for Saturday?”

  “Halloween party at SCU. You down?” Binx asked the group.

  Blythe snickered. “You know I don’t get down with school dances. Lauren, you going?”

  “I’m always down for a good party.”

  Blythe pursed her lips. “I’ll think about it.”

  More birds joined the foray. Binx eyed them wearily and changed the subject. “Did you guys study for that test today?” he asked.

  “What test?” A question Blythe found herself asking all too often.

  “You know we have a test in algebra today. How could you forget? This is the one test where we can use our notes.” Binx gave her the “duh” look.

  “Ah, I forgot all about it. I’ve gotta pass that class too, so I can get up outta here,” said Blythe, repositioning her backpack on her shoulder.

  Lauren fingered the ends of her hair. “Well since it’s open book, you might want to go back and grab ‘em.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. You guys go on ahead I’m gonna run back to the house. See ya later.”

  “Aiight.” They nodded to one another.

  The bell sounded after they parted ways. A few stray kids trickled in, but most of the front lawn was barren. The narcs patrolling out front were the only exception. When the coast was clear, Blythe slipped behind a couple of trashcans on the side of the schoolyard, shut her eyes, and concentrated. Her hands illuminated as if backlit. A few minutes later, she had a heavier backpack in hand. Why run to class? She was already late. With her bag lazily slung over her right shoulder, she walked back into Langley High.

  Speak Of The Devil

  A car honked its horn outside of Sefira’s home. Sefira pulled the drapes aside and peeped out to make sure it was for her. “Okay mom, that’s me, I’m out!” Sefira yelled toward the other side of the house.

  “Okay. Who did you say you were going with, again?” a concerned voice shouted back.

  “Her name is Sky. She’s cool, don’t worry.”

  “Well, let me come outside and get a good look at her.” Celeste suddenly emerged from the back of the house in jeans, a t-shirt, flip-flops and a smile. They both walked out the front door, down the steps, and approached a small white Honda Civic parked on the street. Through tinted windows Sefira saw a girl’s silhouette dancing to the rhythmic beat of strong bass and screeching vocals. The girl was so engrossed in the music that she didn’t notice them until Sefira tapped on the passenger-side window. The music came to a halt and the door popped open. Two almond-shaped brown eyes peered through the open door.

  “Hey, sorry about that,” Sky said.

  “No problem. Sky, this is my mother, Celeste…Sky.”

  “Hi.” Sky tucked her hair behind her ear and extended her hand. She looked a little embarrassed. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice meeting you too.” Celeste shook her hand. “You girls are headed to the mall, right? You getting a Halloween costume too?”

  “Yes,” Sky answered.

  “Alright girls have fun and be safe.”

  “Okay. See you soon,” said Sefira as she got in the car and shut the door.

  Sefira couldn’t believe how many people were out shopping at the mall on a weekday. It was absolutely packed. Orange and black Halloween décor hung from ceilings, cotton spider webs stretched across doorways and draped over mannequins adorned in the latest fashions; booths and storefront windows were filled with toothless pumpkins, friendly ghosts, and candied witches—all in an attempt to entice the masses. Their marketing efforts proved successful; all kinds of people were out, young and old—some shopping, some browsing, others going to the movies. The girls practically bumped shoulders walking down the aisles.

  “I like going to the mall, but not when it’s like this,” Sky said, articulating Sefira’s thoughts.

  “I know. Everybody and their dog’s out today. Guess they’re all trying to get that last-minute costume.”

  “I hope there are some left,” said Sky.

  The Halloween store was completely blacked out and filled with wall-to-wall action. Mothers were trying to hang on to the shirttails of their children as they ran up and down aisles, dads were reluctantly pushing carts loaded with costumes and counting down the minutes until they were out of there, and there were lines everywhere. Lines to try on costumes, lines to purchase them and lines to return. Just walking in there with all the people, costumes, decorations and music triggered Sefira’s anxiety. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Sky concurred.

  As Michael Jackson’s Thriller thudded through distant speakers the girls thumbed through the racks. Many of the costumes had already been tried on and returned because they were no longer in any specific order.

  Sky’s nose wrinkled. “Why can’t people put stuff back where they found it? This is a nightmare.”

  Sefira pulled out a long white dress and a black and white striped wig. “This is cute, maybe I’ll go as the Bride of Frankenstein.”

  “That is cute. Ooh look at this one!” The rack squeaked as Sky pulled out a costume. “Maybe I’ll go as a pseudo sexy version of Supergirl,” she said.

  “That’s adorable, you should try it on.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Sky put it back.

  Sefira stopped searching, put her hands on her hips, and leaned back to get a good stretch in. “You know, I went out for track and met a few people on the team. Most of them seem pretty cool with the exception of this girl Giselle.”

  “Oh yeah, Giselle’s trouble.” Sky didn’t bother to look up, she was too busy hunting down a costume. “She’s pretty but stuck-up. I’ve known her since the 5th grade and she’s always been a brat. Has she or her groupies given you a hard time?”

  Sefira shifted her weight and set her elbow on a rack. “I haven’t met her groupies yet, but she practically pushed me while we were running together. I don’t know what her problem is.”

  “She has an aversion to anything new or hot.” Sky pulled a costume out and gave it a second look. Then stopped to look at Sefira. “And you’re both.” This was certainly news to Sefira’s ears.

  “Whatever her problem is, I don’t have time for it.”

  “Then don’t let her become one. Ignore her and move on.” Sky waved a hand as if she’d already
moved on. “So, do you have a boyfriend or anything?”

  “No.” Sefira looked down, unable to stifle a smile from curling around her lips. “No boyfriend.”

  “Oooh, what’s the smile for? Is there somebody you’re interested in?” Sky’s eyes narrowed.

  “Nah.”

  “C’mon.” She pretended to beg. “I absolutely adore secrets and I’m good at keeping them, trust me.”

  “Well, there is a guy that I think is…nice, I guess. I honestly don’t know him that well.” Sefira returned to the racks.

  “Who?”

  Why did I even go into this? She swallowed. “His name is Kaetano.” As much as she wanted to appear nonchalant, she couldn’t help but glance at Sky to check her reaction.

  “Kaetano.” She said it as if she’d heard it 50 million times. “I should’ve known. He’s a pretty popular guy these days. He’s fairly new. Like you. And he’s got this whole, I don’t know, mysterious vibe going on. Have you talked to him? Does he know?”

  “I’ve only had brief conversations with him. Nothing deep. I didn’t know he was new, though.” Despite her best efforts, she felt her face scrunch. “Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”

  “Well, like I said,” Sky leaned against the edge of a clothes rack, “he’s a little bit of a mystery. He hangs out, but at the same time kind of keeps to himself. I’ll tell you what I do know, though. Giselle is totally into him. She’s got her meat hooks into him every chance she gets.”

  Sefira put her costume back on the rack, feeling disappointed in spite of herself. “Do you know if they’ve dated?” She’d returned to sounding as unaffected as possible. She had a feeling Sky wasn’t buying it though.

  “I don’t know.” Sky tossed her hair back. “Probably. It’s not like she gets rebuffed, know what I mean?”

  “Great.” Sefira sighed, rolling her eyes. “That might explain a few things.”

  “Yeah, maybe so.” Sky paused to look at her, then looked past her, squinting. “Speak of the devil, isn’t that Kae over there by Nike?” Sefira turned around, eyes searching through the masses of people walking about the mall, until she finally settled upon what looked like the back of Kaetano’s head. He was with a couple of other guys eating ice cream and laughing around a table. As if on cue, Sefira saw a couple of girls approach them. One of them walked up to Kaetano and gave him a hug, pulling him to the side to talk privately.

  Sky stood watching with her. “Well, well. This may be the answer to your question. Who is that anyway? Is that Giselle?”

  Sefira squinted a bit, trying to focus on Kaetano’s friend, when she felt a strange sensation—almost like a current traveling from the top of her head to the nape of her neck. Soon thereafter, her peripheral vision became fuzzy. Oh no, please don’t let this be a panic attack. She tried to remain calm. Within the embarrassment universe, a mental breakdown inside of a Halloween store would probably outrank having one at school in the middle of track practice. C’mon Fira, just breathe. And then the impossible happened. Her vision cleared and both Kaetano and Giselle were up close and personal, as if they were standing right in front of her.

  Kaetano casually leaned his back against the second story railing with a cup of ice cream in hand. His brows were furrowed as if he was unsure of what Giselle was about to say. Giselle looked confident as ever. She was wearing a blush-colored slip of a dress that complimented the hues in her eye shadow and lipstick. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun and Sefira swore she caught a whiff of perfume as Giselle leaned in close to Kaetano. What the…. To Sefira’s absolute dismay, they were now engaged in a conversation that was audible.

  “Why haven’t you called me?” Giselle turned Kaetano’s chin toward her face and let her fingers linger.

  “Call you? Oh, you mean after we hung out?” Kaetano gently removed her hand.

  “Last I heard, they called that a ‘date.’ So, yeah.” Giselle playfully put a hand on her hip. “Didn’t you have a good time?” She rubbed his arm. “I did. I mean, it could have been better.” A sly smile followed.

  “Yeah. It was nice.”

  “So why don’t we do it again?” She leaned in closer, draping her arms around his neck. “The winter formal is coming up, and I don’t have a date yet. If you plan to ask you’d better hurry before you miss the boat.”

  “Listen, um, Giselle.” Kaetano looked as if he were fishing for words as he removed her arms from around his neck. He held her hands instead. “I had a great time, I really did. I appreciate you showing me around town too. I’m just not really looking for anything right now."

  Giselle’s eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?” She straightened up. “I get asked out daily, and I’m practically giving you an open invitation.” Her brows furrowed and lips pursed. “Are you saying you’re not interested?”

  “It’s not you—my head’s just not there.” He sighed, the muscles in his arms rippled as he folded them across his chest. “I don’t know how to explain it except, I just think we work better as friends.”

  Shifting her weight, she nodded in disbelief. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that girl from track, does it?”

  “What girl from track?”

  “You know darn well who I’m talking about. I’m not blind.”

  “My feelings have nothing to do with anyone else. Look, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you. It really wasn’t my intent—”

  “Save the speech. You’ll be sorry anyway.” She smirked. “Ladies.” Giselle gestured to the other girls signaling that she was ready to leave. They took their cues and left with her.

  “Sefira?” Sky was staring at her. Her concentration now broken, Sefira could no longer hear or see what was going on. “Are you okay?”

  What just happened? “Uh yeah. I’m sorry, I—I guess I was just surprised to see the two of them together,” she said.

  “You scared me for a minute. You looked like you totally checked out.” She laughed. “Well anyway, maybe they’re still together, after all.” Sky shrugged, fingering the top of a hanger.

  “I don’t think so,” Sefira replied almost too quickly. Sky had a quizzical look on her face. “I mean, the way she walked off.” Sefira tossed her hair nervously. “It didn’t exactly look all warm and fuzzy.”

  “Maybe.” Sky pursed her lips, looking thoughtful.

  “I um—think I found my costume.” Sefira pulled out a Little Red Riding outfit. “And I figure, this one would be perfect for you.” She snatched another outfit off the rack.

  “Yeah? What is it?” asked Sky.

  “Daphne—from Scooby Doo.” At this point, Sefira wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

  “Oh, well that is cute? I could get some boots and maybe one of those scarves. I like it.”

  “Great. So how about we grab this stuff and take off.”

  “Mom, I’m home,” Sefira called out as she stepped inside the house with her shopping bag and keys.

  “Do you have company?” Celeste’s voice carried from what sounded like her bedroom.

  “No, it’s just me,” she yelled.

  Sefira walked toward the back of the house, through the dining room which was situated alongside the kitchen and opened the door to a short hallway. A gale of laughter echoed off the walls as she entered. Seconds later she stood in her mother’s doorway. The strong scent of freshly painted nails wafted past Sefira’s nose making it wrinkle. She poked her head past the wide wooden door to find her mother sitting atop her mahogany bed wearing white sweats and a pink over-sized t-shirt. Her back arched as she carefully pulled tissue out from between her toes, taking care not to smear her soft blue polish. It took a second for her to notice that Sefira was in her presence, but when she did her thin lips formed a smile. Two large brown eyes peered behind a mint-colored facial mask smeared all over her face.

  “Hey, you’re back. How did it go?”

  “Great. I um—found a costume.” Sefira lifted her shopping bag.

  “Awesome
. Can I see?”

  Sefira smiled. “No, no. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Celeste rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

  Sefira exhaled softly. “Are you busy?” she asked.

  “No, not at all. Come on in. Hop up here.” After clearing nail polish, tissues, a remote and a magazine from the bed, she patted the empty spot.

  Sefira didn’t hesitate. Bags crinkled and keys jingled as she dropped them on the white shag rug beside the bed. Soon thereafter, she sat on the garnet duvet cover, folded her arms across her chest and rubbed the goose prickles on her forearms.

  “I guess it is chilly in here,” said Celeste, readjusting the green and pink curlers falling out of her silk scarf. “Would you mind closing the sliding door?”

  “No problem.” The bed jiggled as Sefira walked over to the far side of the room, past the adjoining bathroom and the wrought iron vanity with its matching stool. After, pulling the crimson curtains and white sheer panels aside she closed the sliding glass door, locked it and returned to the bed.

  “Is there something you want to talk about?” Celeste asked.

  Sefira contemplated telling her what happened at the mall but no matter how many different ways she replayed the conversation in her mind, in the end she sounded crazy. “I just thought I’d stop by—say hello. Where is everybody?” she asked.

  “Carli is finishing up a school project at Michelle’s and Randall went to the store.”

  “What are you watching?” Sefira nodded towards the television.

  The laughter had come from the television affixed to the tan wall above the mahogany dresser. It was set to what appeared to be an old black and white romantic movie. A handsome man dressed in a perfectly pressed tuxedo was gazing into the eyes of a beautiful woman adorned in a long flowing gown.

  The handsome man nodded and said: