chuckled as he read my expression. “Let’s go,” he said.
“What about your bike?”
“I’ll go back for it, but right now we’re closer to your house.”
While we walked I tried to get our minds off the exhibition I unwillingly gave back at the park. “What do you think about horror novels, like the kind we saw on display at the bookstore?”
“That wasn’t horror,” he corrected. “It was romance.” He looked over and awaited my reply.
I averted my eyes from his and reached into my pocket for a stick of gum. “Well, I don’t want to talk about romance. I want to talk about horror. What do you think about it?”
I offered him some gum but he shook his head. “I think some legends are rooted in fact, not necessarily this one. I think the notion of the undead is popular because so many would love to avoid death.”
I nodded. “Or they would like to be young forever.”
Haven cleared this throat. “Do you think love can be found in something so sinister and unnatural?”
“Love?” I asked. “I don’t know. What’s really sinister?”
“You tell me,” he prodded.
“If monsters existed,” I ventured. “They wouldn’t be unnatural would they? And if they weren’t unnatural, how could they be sinister? Evil is a choice.”
We slowed our pace when we saw the blue trim of Anne’s house emerge in the distance.
“Depends on how these monsters came about,” Haven argued. “Were they born that way or were they cursed? Not everyone can help what they are.”
I lifted my eyebrows and considered that. “I don’t think that being cursed or being born into sin means you have to live that verdict, do you?”
We rounded the corner and stopped in front of Anne’s house. I said nothing more and we stood still as if we were trying to delay the inevitable separation. I needed to go inside and clean up but I also wanted to keep talking, and I could choose only one. I started towards the stairs before turning around. “Thank you. I enjoyed today.”
“This is just the beginning,” he stated matter-of-fact.
“Is that so?”
“I know so,” he answered.
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” I half-smiled and felt flustered so I started to unlock the door when I saw the neighbor’s calico cat approach. She went up to Haven and rubbed up against him. Haven squatted and began to pet the cat. Astonished I put my hands on my hips. “That cat is always so mean. She doesn’t like me. In fact, she always runs off.”
Haven chuckled and looked up at me. “She likes me.”
“Figures,” I stated, shaking my head.
He stood up and watched as I entered the house. I waved at him and he lifted his arm slightly to wave back. I turned for a brief moment to greet Pandora who was sniffing me and whining. When I turned back to look at Haven, he was already gone.
Chapter 12
It was fall break and I was sitting on the porch waiting for Amber. Her mom had given her some money to get some pumpkins and Amber wanted to carve them. While Tavia and I started out as fast friends, I felt a deeper friendship cultivating with Amber. Amber liked meaningful conversations and I found that quality lacking in a lot of other girls, myself included. It’s hard to open up and be vulnerable to another and Amber had that therapeutic quality about her that drew others in. I knew I could trust her and I hoped she felt the same way about me.
Anne was already gone. She had taken my advice and was going to deliver some cupcakes to Jericho and Reece. She didn’t want to approach Jericho under pretense but I suggested she might want to ask if Reece was available for some work around the house and that asking him might make it easier for her to reach out. I didn’t know if she would follow through with it but I was surprised when I heard her on the phone talking with Jericho. She didn’t sound the least bit nervous to me but when she got off the phone she was almost shaking. “I don’t know how people manage to do
“What about your bike?”
“I’ll go back for it, but right now we’re closer to your house.”
While we walked I tried to get our minds off the exhibition I unwillingly gave back at the park. “What do you think about horror novels, like the kind we saw on display at the bookstore?”
“That wasn’t horror,” he corrected. “It was romance.” He looked over and awaited my reply.
I averted my eyes from his and reached into my pocket for a stick of gum. “Well, I don’t want to talk about romance. I want to talk about horror. What do you think about it?”
I offered him some gum but he shook his head. “I think some legends are rooted in fact, not necessarily this one. I think the notion of the undead is popular because so many would love to avoid death.”
I nodded. “Or they would like to be young forever.”
Haven cleared this throat. “Do you think love can be found in something so sinister and unnatural?”
“Love?” I asked. “I don’t know. What’s really sinister?”
“You tell me,” he prodded.
“If monsters existed,” I ventured. “They wouldn’t be unnatural would they? And if they weren’t unnatural, how could they be sinister? Evil is a choice.”
We slowed our pace when we saw the blue trim of Anne’s house emerge in the distance.
“Depends on how these monsters came about,” Haven argued. “Were they born that way or were they cursed? Not everyone can help what they are.”
I lifted my eyebrows and considered that. “I don’t think that being cursed or being born into sin means you have to live that verdict, do you?”
We rounded the corner and stopped in front of Anne’s house. I said nothing more and we stood still as if we were trying to delay the inevitable separation. I needed to go inside and clean up but I also wanted to keep talking, and I could choose only one. I started towards the stairs before turning around. “Thank you. I enjoyed today.”
“This is just the beginning,” he stated matter-of-fact.
“Is that so?”
“I know so,” he answered.
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” I half-smiled and felt flustered so I started to unlock the door when I saw the neighbor’s calico cat approach. She went up to Haven and rubbed up against him. Haven squatted and began to pet the cat. Astonished I put my hands on my hips. “That cat is always so mean. She doesn’t like me. In fact, she always runs off.”
Haven chuckled and looked up at me. “She likes me.”
“Figures,” I stated, shaking my head.
He stood up and watched as I entered the house. I waved at him and he lifted his arm slightly to wave back. I turned for a brief moment to greet Pandora who was sniffing me and whining. When I turned back to look at Haven, he was already gone.
Chapter 12
It was fall break and I was sitting on the porch waiting for Amber. Her mom had given her some money to get some pumpkins and Amber wanted to carve them. While Tavia and I started out as fast friends, I felt a deeper friendship cultivating with Amber. Amber liked meaningful conversations and I found that quality lacking in a lot of other girls, myself included. It’s hard to open up and be vulnerable to another and Amber had that therapeutic quality about her that drew others in. I knew I could trust her and I hoped she felt the same way about me.
Anne was already gone. She had taken my advice and was going to deliver some cupcakes to Jericho and Reece. She didn’t want to approach Jericho under pretense but I suggested she might want to ask if Reece was available for some work around the house and that asking him might make it easier for her to reach out. I didn’t know if she would follow through with it but I was surprised when I heard her on the phone talking with Jericho. She didn’t sound the least bit nervous to me but when she got off the phone she was almost shaking. “I don’t know how people manage to do
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