Chapter Five

It was a mad dash in the morning to get everyone showered and fed in time for work. The girls had gotten up early and were all freshly dressed while the boys � the Henderson brothers � were having a war for use of the bathroom. Adam and Nick were attacked by the starving others when they stepped into the house with the doughnuts. Laurel was a little reluctant to eat so much sugar and opted to wait until she was at work to get some rolls from the deli, and this caused more war over the remaining doughnut.
When they got to work Dave was just unlocking and they hurried in to get to their posts and set up.
Raven was ready quickly and stopped by to have chats with some of the other employees. Soon the flood of teenagers came in to buy breakfast on the go before school. Raven got to work quickly and took her mind off her grim thoughts.
She�d had her nightmare again the night before and hoped that none of the others had noticed her tossing and turning. She knew that what they had now would last for a while, but it was only a matter of time before the police found them. Because they were fugitives from the law. They were all accused of crimes and the cops were after them.
�Hey!� A voice cut into her thoughts.
Raven looked up. �What?�
�Hey, it�s lunch,� Deborah said. Raven glanced at the lock on the back wall and saw that it was almost one o�clock. Adam took over for her and Raven went into the back with the rest of the first lunch shift. The second shift was finishing their lunches and drifting out.
�I have to say, that Adam is one fine guy,� Tracy said.
�But I think that Cassie girl is his girlfriend,� Marie answered. �They�re all really nice kids.�
�Nick is pretty fine, too, but he doesn�t look like the dating type,� Tracy admitted with a frown. �Heck, all of those guys are cute, even the crazy twins on the carts, and little Sean. I�ve noticed that a lot of girls from the high school come in after to roam the aisles�and watch the guys.�
Deborah hooted. �You think Nick�s cute? Our Nick?�
Raven laughed.
�What�s so funny?� Tracy protested. �Don�t you think he�s cute?�
Deborah snorted. �He�s my cousin. And he wouldn�t look at anyone unless they had four wheels and a clutch.�
�Your cousin?� Tracy echoed.
Deborah nodded, biting into her sandwich.
�I�ve been watching him. He�s only got eyes for Cassie,� Marie declared.
Raven and Deborah exchanged looks. They knew how much he loved Cassie even though no one really knew.
�Well, I�m done,� Raven announced, standing up and dusting the crumbs off her fingers. She headed back out and took her post at her cashier.
An elderly woman and a group of teenage girls were in line.
�Hey, Henderson!� Raven shouted.
They turned, grinning.
�Which one?� they asked.
�Chris,� Raven replied. �Get yourself down here and start bagging!�
Chris trotted down obediently and began bagging the woman�s groceries.
�Would you like help out to your car, ma�am?� he asked politely. Raven noticed that the girls were watching him and giggling. Chris smiled at them and then the elderly woman nodded. Chris grabbed the cart and the old woman led him outside.
�He�s cute,� one of the girls, a redhead, said to her friend, a blonde.
�No, I think the guy hauling boxes was way hotter,� she disagreed. �Your real bad-boy.�
Raven eyed them and decided that they were talking about Nick.
�Hey,� the redhead said to Raven, �that guy in the back who hauls boxes, what�s his name?�
The blonde rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. �Didn�t you read his tag?�
�No, I was too busy checking him out,� the redhead replied and they both giggled.
�His name�s Nick,� Raven told her.
�Is he seeing anyone?� the redhead asked.
Raven shook her head. The blonde and the redhead exchanged excited looks.
�What kind of guy is he?� the blonde asked.
Raven didn�t really see the point of checking out guys or dating them or anything � guys for her were just friends. And that�s all they ever would be.
�Taciturn,� Raven answered. Then she smiled. �Sarcastic and cynical,� she added. Then, as if on cue, Nick stopped by.
�Rave-girl, listen, we�re having a meeting tonight, you wouldn�t mind leaving for a while, would you?� he asked, even though he sounded as if he really didn�t care.
�Today�s the seventeenth, right?� Raven asked. Nick nodded. �I�ll probably be out getting stuff for�the long night. You won�t have to worry about me.�
�Oh, yeah, they wanted me to ask you for the keys to the apartment,� Nick added.
Raven reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring of keys.
�Take my van and I�ll use Adam�s jeep. Go get his keys for me, will you?�
Nick nodded and left.
Raven finished the girls� purchases and handed them the bag. She rolled her eyes and then said, �You want a cart boy to help you out to your car?� a little sarcastically. �Henderson!�
Doug trotted over, a wild grin on his face.
�These two ladies need help out to their car,� Raven said, pointing to the single bag.
Doug frowned, but Raven gave him a look and he obeyed.

After work, the group bought groceries for the week and headed home. They had to sleep on the floor for one more night, but they didn�t care. After a simple dinner cooked by Laurel and Diana, the Circle headed out to the beach and Raven took Adam�s jeep out to the stores. She found some small shops and went in to buy candles. She bought a dozen candles, all but one blue, and the other black. Then she went back to the apartment. She put the candles in a cupboard in the pantry and went for a walk on the beach, away from the Circle and their bonfire. She passed the other houses and somehow stumbled onto a party. She�d been staring out at the sea, watching the point on the horizon where the sea met the diamond-studded sky. The breeze brushed against her softly, wafting the tangy salty scent of the ocean in to her when she suddenly felt pounding bass through the sand. Looking up, she saw a huge bonfire surrounded by people dancing. There was loud music, a barbecue and the smell of beer in the air. Raven hung back in the shadows, watching, when a hand suddenly closed on her arm. She turned and found that a guy had sneaked up behind her while she�d been watching in amusement.
�Hey, found a wallflower!� he called out, and everyone turned to look.
�I�m just watching, I wasn�t invited,� Raven protested but the guy dragged her into the light.
�Well, you�re invited now,� the guy said, pulling her onto the �dance floor�. �Where are you from?�
�Oh, I live down the beach with some friends,� she answered, watching as he danced in front of her.
�Are you going to dance?� he asked.
Raven shook her head and said, �No.�
The guy laughed. �Come on, don�t be a wallflower.�
�I don�t dance,� Raven informed him coolly, and suddenly whoops pierced the air. Everyone turned and Raven saw the Henderson brothers running across the sand, flipping and doing cartwheels as they came.
�Rave-girl, come on back, we�re done!� Chris yelled. The he stopped. �What are you doing at a party?�
�Wanna dance, cuties?� a girl called out. Raven hurried to them.
�Come on, you two, Cassie and Diana will want us back,� she said, grabbing them each by an arm and heading away from the party.
Then she saw the others appear out of the darkness.
�Hey, you found a party!� Sean cried.
�We were just leaving,� Raven said.
�We want to stay,� Doug protested. Cassie and Diana exchanged looks.
�Well, we never were invited before,� Diana pointed out.
�You�re all invited,� the guy who�d called Raven a wallflower said generously.
�You can stay,� Diana told them. Chris and Doug pulled free of Raven�s grip and headed into the crowd of dancers. Suzan and Sean joined them, and soon the whole Circle was in there.
Raven, Deborah and Nick were sitting in the porch with some of the other non-dancers playing cards.
�You moved in? To which house?� a guy named Trey asked.
�The white house down at the end,� Raven said.
Trey whistled. �The one with five bedrooms? Wow, you must be rich.�
�No, we just work ourselves to death,� Nick muttered sarcastically.
�Deal,� Deborah urged, and Trey dealt the next hand.
�So do you guys always party on week nights?� Raven asked.
Trey laughed. �We aren�t here that often, and we aren�t going to the college or anything. AJ usually has a party when he�s in town.�
�Which one�s AJ?� Deborah asked.
�He�s�� Trey scanned the crowd on the dance floor. �I don�t see him. Knowing him, he�s probably off to one side charming a lady.�
�I win,� Nick announced, laying down his cards.
�Doesn�t this beat that?� Raven answered, showing him her hand. Nick frowned, and then they got into a heated debate about which hand beat which.
�Hey hey,� Trey cut in. �It doesn�t matter which hand beats the other. It�s not like we�re playing strip poker or anything.�
Deborah scowled. �That�s a stupid game, especially in weather like this.�
Trey put his cards back in the deck. �You want to dance?�
Deborah nodded reluctantly. �All right. I�ll go.� She and Trey headed out onto the dance floor. Raven smiled. Deborah never saw the point of any guy because she�d been able to outwrestle all of the guys back in New Salem. They were just in awe of her. Nick was left beside her, an icy presence draped in shadows, his mahogany eyes reflecting the moonlight at her. Raven never had found the cause of his perpetual bad mood, but she didn�t really care what his problem was. Probably the fact that he loved Cassie and that Cassie was soulmates with Adam, the one guy in Circle he didn�t get along with. Raven closed her eyes and let the pounding music wash over her, the flickering of the firelight dancing against her eyelids. She was tired and her whole body exhausted. She lay against the side of the house, dozing off slowly.

She was outside the house. Someone caught her. Said her name. She looked up. Brown eyes, familiar face and welcome voice. Alex. Alex Robbins.
�Dove, what�s happening?�
�Don�t call me that!� she shouted. �My name�s Raven.�
He frowned at her, confused. �What, suddenly you want to change your name while your house is going up in flames?�
�I don�t care,� she replied, glancing at the house across the street. Then she turned the corner, walking, she didn�t care where, just getting away from that house.
�What happened to your parents?� he asked, going after her. �Are they all right.�
�No. They�re dead,� she snapped. He stopped, but she kept going.
�I�m sorry,� he said softly, drawing her close in a hug.
She shoved him away and whirled to face him, her eyes flashing.
�Don�t touch me!�
He threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. �Sorry.� Then he tried another tact. �You�ll have to go to the police and report the fire.�
�No one will listen to me, and I don�t care,� she said, turning away.
�You could live with us,� he offered.
�No thanks,� she said quietly, not the enraged outburst he�d expected from her.
�Are you sure?� He looked doubtful. They were at the school playground now. He looked over his shoulder and saw the flickering light cast on the corner from the fire.
�I�ll be fine on my own. My parents left me alone a lot, anyway,� she told him. �I don�t need any help. Don�t need anyone.� She was staring ahead with a determined look in her eyes.
�I love you,� he said, looking at her with his deep brown eyes. He didn�t try to hug her. He knew this was good-bye.
�You�ve been a great friend, I didn�t really deserve you,� she said.
He stared at her. That was something only grown-ups said.
�What do you mean?�
�I�m going to be alone for the rest of my life and I just want you to know that you�re the best friend I�ve ever had and that one day you�ll grow up and fall in love and she�ll be your best friend,� she said.
He could barely understand her. She was talking funny�
�Remember, we were best friends, and I loved you, and I�ll never love again,� she said.
He stared at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. �What do you mean?�
She opened her hand and revealed the crystal pendant on its silver chain.
�Put your hand on this and repeat after me: Power of blood have I over thee, the silver cord I will never see. Planet and stars, keep shielded my heart, power of fire, warn the desire.�
He obeyed, reaching out to place his hand over hers, saying the words.
Then he picked up the crystal.
�What does this do?� He pretended to throw it.

Raven�s hand shot out and caught Doug�s wrist as he reached out.
�Don�t touch my necklace,� she warned, and opened her eyes.
Doug stared down at her in surprise. �I just wanted to see it.�
�See and touch are two different things,� Raven informed him coldly. Looking around, she noticed the silence filled only by the crashing of the waves against the sand.
�Well, come on, we�re going home,� Doug said. Raven stood up and brushed the sand off her shorts, then followed him back to the house.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws