Kelley Armstrong - The Gathering

BY THE TIME WE got inside, Rafe had done a disappearing act. I thought maybe he was just getting away from Hayley, but he didn’t show up for pizza or gift opening or the obligatory cake ceremony.

I should have been relieved. I’d given him permission to leave. I didn’t want anything to do with the guy, right? Maybe that was true yesterday; maybe it’d even been true this morning, when Nicole said he might be coming. But now, when he actually took off, what I felt was anything but relief.

Still, I wasn’t letting that spoil my party. The pizza was great. The gifts were good, if you exclude the dollar store dream catcher from Hayley. I got books and silver jewelry and funky T-shirts. Corey and Brendan had helped build the wall, of course. The materials and the equipment came from Daniel, meaning I needed to start thinking of an amazing gift for him next year.

After cake, we sat around the kitchen, talking. That’s when the kids who weren’t part of our circle drifted off for the night. Once they were gone, Corey brought out the booze. Well, a twelve-pack of beer. That’s Daniel’s house rule. One pack of Lucky and when it’s gone, it’s gone. No one drove to the party, so no one would be driving home. And because it was Daniel setting the rules, no one broke them. No one dared.

When we party with summer kids, the new cottage renters sometimes joke about hiding the booze from me. I’m Native, so I must drink. But I don’t. My friends think that’s because I’m being stubborn and contrary. Not true. The point of drinking seems to be to lose control, and that’s definitely not my idea of a good time.

By the time the beer came out, there were only seven of us left. Daniel, me, Nicole, Brendan and Corey, of course. Hayley stayed, too, as usual. So did Sam, which was new. Hell, having her come to our parties at all was new. Daniel didn’t care. It’s not like she’d tattle on us about the beer.

After breaking out the booze, the next step was breaking into couples. As long as no one tried to use his room, Daniel was fine with people sneaking off to find a quiet place. He was taking some baby steps in that direction himself with Nicole, sitting on the love seat in the living room. Corey and Hayley disappeared first. They were a “couple of convenience.” Had been since eighth grade. Neither was really into the other, but if there wasn’t anyone better around, they’d pair up.

Brendan’s girlfriend had to work, so he sat with me. Just talking, mostly about track. I think he was looking forward to giving back the captain’s position. Some people don’t like taking charge. Can’t fathom that myself.

Sam stayed with us, which was awkward, trying to include her in a conversation she had no interest in. We changed the subject, to be polite, but she seemed happy just to sit there, chugging her beer.

When she went to get another one, Brendan said, “Did you notice how many were left?”

I pointed at my glass of Coke.

“Right,” he said. “You wouldn’t know. But I think it was down to a couple, so I’d better grab one.”

That left me on the sofa, inspecting my nails, trying not to glance over at Daniel and Nicole, deep in close conversation on the love seat.

A thump on the sofa made me jump. Rafe vaulted the back of it, and landed beside me.

“I thought they’d never leave.” He stretched out his legs, hit the coffee table, and sent my drink shaking. “Whoops.” He grabbed it. “Yours?”

I nodded. He reached over me to put it on the side table, then wedged his beer bottle between his thighs.

“Sam and Brendan, huh?” he said. “Now that I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“They just went to get a beer.” I motioned to his. “Or fight over the last one.”

I stopped myself before I asked where he’d been. That would imply I’d been disappointed that he’d left. So I just nodded at his drink again and said, “Did anyone tell you house rules?”

“When it’s gone, it’s gone. No BYOB. No dope.” The corners of his mouth quirked.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m sure we’re very quaint compared to your big city bashes.”

“Wouldn’t know. Never been to one.” When I gave him a look, he said, “Big parties, sure. Just not big cities. Growing up, we were strictly small town, usually rural.”

I must have looked skeptical, because he said, “I’m being me tonight, remember? All truth, all the time. The big city crap is just that.”

“Okay, then.” I twisted to face him. “If you’re being honest, what about the accent? If that’s supposed to be Texas, you really need to work on it.”

He laughed. “You accusing me of using a fake drawl? Don’t you think it’s sexy? Every other girl up here does.” He grinned, a little of that old arrogance seeping back in, but in a way that didn’t seem as bad as usual. He leaned forward, voice lowering, though Daniel and Nicole were too far away to hear us over the music. “It’s real. A real mongrel mess. Part Texas, part Arkansas, part New Mexico, part wherever else Mom felt like living. We moved around a lot.” He eased back a little, still close enough that our legs touched. “What about you? I heard you weren’t born here either.”

“Oregon,” I said. “We moved when I was five.”

“And is it true what I heard? You were found on the steps of a church? Wrapped in swaddling clothes? With a secret necklace that will unlock your true destiny when you turn eighteen?”

I laughed. “That would make a much better story. No church, necklace, or swaddling clothes. But, yes, ‘foundling’ is the correct term. Very Dickensian.”

Rafe was about to say something, when he noticed Daniel watching us. He leaned over and whispered, “Any chance I can get my thirty minutes without the chaperone?”

I glanced at Daniel. He mouthed, “Want me to get rid of him?” I shook my head. Nicole followed the exchange, then stood, plucking Daniel’s sleeve and saying something I couldn’t hear. Daniel hesitated, then nodded. They got up and headed toward the kitchen.

As they passed, Nicole leaned over the end table and whispered, “We’re going outside. Get some air.” She winked. “And leaving you two alone.”

“Thanks,” I said.

They left, but the music was still booming, and Sam was heading back in through the dining room, which promised an even bigger problem.

“Want to go someplace quieter?” Rafe asked.

I nodded. He took my pop and his beer and followed me out. There was a back TV room and that’s where I went first. All seemed quiet until I pushed open the door, and found Hayley and Corey making out on the couch … and not completely dressed. Before I could shut the door again, Hayley jumped off Corey and yanked down her shirt. She started to snarl something at me. Then she saw Rafe standing at my shoulder.

“Hey, Hayley,” he said. “Corey.”

The look she leveled on me was lethal. “You bitch,” she said. “You scheming little—”

I closed the door fast.

“Thanks, guys!” Corey yelled.

“Sorry!” I called back.

“How about outside?” Rafe whispered. He caught my look and said, “Just on the porch or something.”

“I think that’s where Daniel and Nicole went. I have an idea.”

I led him upstairs. As I pushed open the door to Daniel’s bedroom, I said, “It’s a way station not a destination.”

Rafe chuckled. “Damn.”

I went in, leaving the door ajar, and headed for the window. It usually opened easily. Before Daniel dared to march out the front door with his bag packed, he’d take the window exit and ride his bike to our place. It’d been a while since we’d gone out to sit on the roof. We used to—the three of us—but since Serena died, whenever Daniel suggested it, I changed the subject.