Sunday Morning
In the living room, Edison's dad was fastening a necklace around his mom's neck. "You're wonderfully talented. Tonight will be great," he told her.
His mom had an art show later that night.
"Thanks, honey. I'm excited." She smiled when his dad kissed her on the lips.
Upstairs in the bathroom, Edison could hear his mom call out. "Edison, we're leaving in five minutes. We can't be late!" Her voice carried over the running water as he brushed his teeth.
She was great, but sometimes she drove him crazy.
Her looks belied her voice. She was petite and only stood five-foot-five. Her blonde hair mixed with silvery gray streaks was always neatly fixed, even at 7:00 a.m. She was also the most organized person he'd ever known. His absent-minded dad would be lost without her.
He spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. He combed his hair back in the cool new way he'd found he liked, and hummed one of his favorite songs, Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."
You could thank his parents for that. They had raised him on classic rock, mixed with Christian music.
Edison left the steamy bathroom and entered his bedroom. It was Sunday and that meant church day. He quickly pulled on boxers, black dress slacks, and a shirt. As he tucked it in, he glanced out his window and saw his dad pulling the car out of the garage.
He threw on a suit jacket, socks, and shoes and glanced one more time in the mirror. He smiled to himself. He looked kinda good! Not so nerdy. Aw, except for the glasses. He yearned for contact lenses, but they always gave him a weird reaction. His eyes became all watery, red, and painful.
Last night felt like a fever dream, he thought, remembering Nora's scream, the scratches on her arm, Sparky's frantic barking. But those marks were real.
He said a quick prayer for Nora. He was worried about her living in such conflict, both at home and now with whatever was happening in his house.
As he got into the backseat of the car, he checked his phone for messages. None. Strange, after that one he had received the other day, telling him not to worry about anything and that he didn't have to take orders from anyone, ever. He still didn't know who sent it.
"You're a handsome guy. You take after your father," his mom said, turning in her seat to smile at him.
"Thanks, Mom."
"I've been invited to present my work in a local art gallery show next month."
"That's awesome, Mom," Edison said.
She beamed, then turned back as his dad leaned over to kiss her.
Edison wondered if and when he'd find someone to connect to on such a deep level as his mom and dad had done. He believed in soul mates. That's what he longed for, a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual connection with a girl.
He thought of Nora and how pretty her legs had looked in his sweatpants last night, how natural it felt having her there. He contemplated telling her his feelings. Soon, maybe.
His mind seemed to pull on him to pay attention. He glanced up at his second-story bedroom as they curved around the driveway to pull out into the street. In his window stood the silhouette of a girl. If you could call it a girl... It had black hair and freaky eyes. No, they weren't even eyes, they were piercing silver slits. They were looking at him, right into his soul.
You saw nothing, he told himself. It's your subconscious playing off of what Nora told you about seeing a ghost in your house.
This house has never been haunted. Nothing has ever happened here. But he knew that thing in his window looking at him right now wasn't human. Stop it, he berated himself as they drove to church. Your mind is playing tricks.
When they reached the church and parked, Edison was glad to be able to leave the car. As he opened his door and stepped out, he felt a tickle on the back of his neck. It felt like a gentle kiss. He rubbed the spot.
Before he shut the door, he stared at the empty back seat. He couldn't see her, but he felt her essence wrap around his body and soul. And then, so faint he almost missed it, a whisper against his ear: Be careful. Edison's breath caught. But be careful of what? The warmth around him pulsed once, protective, then faded.
He glanced at his parents in the front seat, laughing together, completely oblivious. How could he explain this? That something invisible was watching over him? Nora already thought his house was haunted after what happened with the scratches.
If he told her about this too, she'd never let it go. She'd want to investigate, tell adults, make it into something big and scary. But it didn't feel scary. It felt... safe.
He made a decision: he'd keep this to himself. At least for now. He didn't know that silence would cost him everything.
The church service passed in a blur. Edison tried to focus on the sermon, on the hymns, on anything solid and real. But the phantom touch on his neck lingered, and every time he closed his eyes to pray, he saw those silver slits staring back at him.
But when he opened his eyes during the final hymn, he could have sworn he saw a dark-haired figure standing in the back of the sanctuary. When he blinked, she was gone.
After church, his parents dropped him home. They were heading straight to his mom's art show setup, talking excitedly about placement and lighting. Edison barely heard them. He waved them off from the driveway, then stood alone, staring up at his bedroom window.
Empty.
He went inside, Sparky greeting him with enthusiastic barks. The house felt normal. Quiet. Safe.
But that night, as he tried to sleep, he felt that warmth again, not threatening, almost... protective. Like someone was watching over him. It was a good feeling.
Saturday Night - One Week Later
The night was cold as Nora and Edison walked out of the movie theater. It was a Saturday night and mostly young people were out, as it was date night. The small town only had one high school, Salem Creek High, so all the kids recognized each other, more or less, and congregated at the one movie theater in town when a new film was released.
Edison and Nora sometimes hung out together on date night, but it was always casual, never romantic. However, tonight, Edison wore his best jeans and a nice shirt, while Nora wore her favorite black calf-high boots and a sweater dress. Her hair was pulled back with two sparkly barrettes.
When Edison had asked her to the movie, he hadn't made it sound like a date, but to him, it kind of was. He smiled to himself as he thought Nora just may feel the same way about him, but he couldn't bring it up tonight. It was too scary. He didn't want to lose her friendship over some romantic nonsense.
The warm feeling wrapped around him again and he tried to ignore it, silently telling it to give him some privacy. The warm feeling seemed to sigh and then receded.
"How about our usual ice cream stop before we head home?" Edison said as he opened the car door for her.
"Yeah! I need my hot fudge," Nora laughed.
Monday Morning
Nora's cell phone vibrated. Half asleep, she groggily reached for her phone. She noticed it was a text from Edison. "Are you up yet?"
"I am now," Nora texted back and yawned.
"You didn't text your Monday morning joke, so I knew you'd overslept."
"Aren't you tired of the same goofy jokes every week?"
He answered with a smiley emoji and a "Never."
A little later, Nora was sitting in the passenger seat of Edison's car like she always did, but something was strange. She kept sneaking glances at him, thinking he wouldn't notice. He looked so stylish... he was put together. He seemed more focused and sure of himself.
Finally, he laughed. "Okay, what's the problem? Is something stuck in my teeth?"
"No, but something has changed. Hmmm... Oh, you got contacts!"
"Right," he grinned.
"They look great, but I thought you could never find a pair that didn't irritate your eyes."
"Well, believe it or not, I found a brand I hadn't tried yet and so far, so good."
"Awesome."
"So, do I look totally hot now?" Edison asked as he pulled into the school parking lot and found an empty space.
Nora felt the heat in her cheeks. Why am I blushing? It's the same Edison I've known since we were kids. We've never been romantic, so why are there butterflies in my stomach?
Edison was out of the car before she could speak and helped her out.
"What's the occasion?" she asked him.
"I've just been thinking that I want to be more of a gentleman."
"That's really sweet."
"I'll walk you to your first class, then see you in second period."
"Sounds good."
As Edison and Nora walked down the hallway, the other kids stared at them longer than they usually did. Edison and Nora almost looked like a cool, popular couple. Almost.
"Things feel different," Nora whispered as she glanced at the other kids.
"Remember when I said our lives would never be the same?"
"Yeah."
"It's happening already. We're changing."
Nora didn't know what to make of that statement. It sounded a little creepy. She'd ask him later when they had more privacy.
Carter noticed them first. "What the actual f—"
Anna shushed him and stared at Edison and Nora as they walked past. Alex was silent for a few moments, which was a change.
"There's nothing to stare at," Carter told her.
"I'm not staring." She cocked her head to the side and looked at Carter. "We can date more seriously if you want, Carter." She wanted what Edison and Nora had. She wanted that vibe, that experience, that type of connection to another human being.
"What has brought about the sudden change of heart?"
"I like you and you like me. It's simple."
Alex gave a laugh. "You guys are so ridiculous."
"Shush, Alex," Anna said.
"I want to see what it's like to really have a bond with someone, okay?"
Alex snickered as he glanced at Carter. "You'll be whipped in no time. Mark my words."
"That will never happen," Carter told him.
Carter held his hand out to Anna, who took it in hers, and the trio walked to class. As they sat down, Anna whispered to Carter, "Invite Edison to lunch with us today."
Carter sighed.
"Pretty please?"
"Fine."
They were a few minutes early for class, so Anna pulled out a strange-looking book from her backpack and flipped through the pages.
"Since when did you read outside of school?"
"Since I've discovered my abilities."
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