Untrustworthy - Chapter 3/A Whisper
Tension and a spook.
That afternoon Mayor picked us up and took us to dinner. Well, bowling and then dinner. Elysa and I were both surprised at his exceptionally good mood. Jacob was there too, bowling. It was a little awkward but Elysa and I had a good time, talking and giggling like we usually did and ignoring the boys. I did catch Elysa sneaking a few glances at Mayor during the game, but she'd lost that weird mood from lunch. We both had fun.
"This is weird him treating us. Usually if I want to eat I have to cook for myself." She whispered to me. I stopped laughing when she said that and resolved to have her over more often. "My mom and his mom were sisters, but they had weren't never friends. Especially when one married money and the other didn't." Apparently though, Elysa's charismatic Irish dad left a good impression on his nephew. "He was closer to my dad than with his. I think dad is the only reason I get to live with flesh and blood, and them two weren't even related." Elysa told me on the way to the car. Mayor came out of the bowling alley just in time to catch her bad grammar.
"You shouldn't talk like that." He said. "You sound like white trash."
Elysa's eyes flashed. "My daddy talked like that, and you sure as hell don't call him white trash."
"Your dad was different." Mayor said. "Anyway, wanna go out to eat?" We followed him to the car both hating him a little more. "We're meeting Royal at the China House." He said.
Mayor was good looking with the same facial features as Elysha except with a straighter nose and darker skin. The high cheekbones, strong chin and forehead were the same. He was self confident and a little arrogant, and he always had a girlfriend. In fact, he'd been through three in the five months I'd known him.
Royal and Mayor talked and cracked jokes a lot over kung pao chicken. I couldn't figure out their good mood. I knew there was a six year difference between the two, but that didn't seem to be a problem.
"How do you guys know each other?" I finally asked.
"Uh his sister and I were in the same grade, and I hooked him up with a job." Mayor told me. I remembered Mayor was a concert promoter and Royal was a DJ.
"Yeah I met this fool at work." Royal told me. That was the first time he had talked to me. I smiled and looked down at the table. When I looked up at him again I noticed he had a dark red mark on his cheek that I hadn't noticed before.
"I met somebody today too." Elysa spoke up suddenly. She looked at Jacob. "Your brother. Y'know I'd never actually had a conversation with him before." And she had all three guy's attention just like that. Mayor and Royal were no longer smiling. "It was earlier this morning, before school. Why didn't he come eat out with us?"
"He has stuff to do." Mayor said easily. "What did you two talk about?"
"He asked a lot of questions." She flipped her eyepatch without thinking about it, and I winced. She was staring at Mayor. "And was putting stuff away in the basement. He's taking up a lot of room, what's he gonna do with all that stuff man?"
"That's his business." Mayor said. "You three good friends?" He asked abruptly, meaning Jacob, Elysa and I. I shrugged and Elysa said, "No." Outright. It really surprised me. I thought the two of them were on semi-good terms.
"That's too bad, he's a good kid. And Arden, that's my boy! Right?" He turned to Royal, his eyes gleaming. Royal nodded, sharing the same smirk, the red mark standing out sharply in on his fair skin. It didn't seem to be bothering him though.
"What does Arden do for a living?" I asked.
"What does he do? The same thing we all do. Eat, sleep and live baby! Eat, sleep and live." Mayor chuckled.
"He's a pharmacist." Elysa said dully. "Don't ask what he does, it's too boring to even waste time talking about." I really wish she would stop pulling on her eyepatch like that. She immediately started asking her cousin about upcoming concerts and as she did I peaked over at Royal, wondering what he had to do with all of this. He didn't notice me watching as he discretely watched Elysa. His gaze lingered on the eyepatch and then drifted down to her chest. At fifteen, she was more developed than I. She and Mayor carried on a slightly strained conversation not noticing, and the last ounce of my affection for Royal buried itself in the coldness spreading in my stomach. I looked at all of their faces in turn. Something was going on inside that big house of Mayor's, and Elysa was involved.
"Sara."
I hadn't realized I was zoning out. Elysa had asked me a question and I missed it. "Huh?"
"Do you want to spend the night? Tomorrow's Saturday."
"Oh uh, sure."
Back at the house I told 'em all I had to call my mom and my cell phone was out of batteries. I knew there was a housephone somewhere upstairs.
"Ok go, be responsible." Mayor said, still in high spirits. I also had to use the bathroom. I went up a floor because that's where my favorite bathroom was. I went into the empty room to use it, a burgundy room with big windows. In the bathroom I saw shower stuff, guy's shampoo and aftershave. Oops. Mayor must've rented this room out, maybe this is Arden's room...but Elysa had said he was moving his stuff in the basement? Oh well. Whoever he is, he's not here now. I leave the bathroom, make the call, and leave the room. A breath of air wafts down the staircase and I hurry downstairs. Back in Elysa's room I jump under the covers and shiver.
"Something wrong?" She asks, brushing her teeth. Her long hair is down over her shoulders and her eye patch is gone, revealing a limp eyelid covering a limp socket.
"No, I just thought I heard something up there. It freaked me out. Hey, what happened?" Every time she lifts her arm to brush her teeth or push her hair away her sleeve slips a little and reveals a purplish bruise. I remember the angry red Royal has underneath his eye also, kind of like he was backhanded in the face.
Elysa glanced at me and tugged the sleeve down to cover the bruise. "That was you remember? Punching me in the snow? Totally all your fault girl." She smiled wide and I smiled back.
"Sorry." We talked girl talk late into the night and fell asleep, but as I drifted off my mind wandered back. I was descending the first flight of stairs from the third floor to the second one, and a sound drifted down to me. It's my name whispered down the staircase... Sara Christopher. Spooked, I pound down the stairs and hide in Elysa's bed, trying to convince myself it was just my imagination.
"This is weird him treating us. Usually if I want to eat I have to cook for myself." She whispered to me. I stopped laughing when she said that and resolved to have her over more often. "My mom and his mom were sisters, but they had weren't never friends. Especially when one married money and the other didn't." Apparently though, Elysa's charismatic Irish dad left a good impression on his nephew. "He was closer to my dad than with his. I think dad is the only reason I get to live with flesh and blood, and them two weren't even related." Elysa told me on the way to the car. Mayor came out of the bowling alley just in time to catch her bad grammar.
"You shouldn't talk like that." He said. "You sound like white trash."
Elysa's eyes flashed. "My daddy talked like that, and you sure as hell don't call him white trash."
"Your dad was different." Mayor said. "Anyway, wanna go out to eat?" We followed him to the car both hating him a little more. "We're meeting Royal at the China House." He said.
Mayor was good looking with the same facial features as Elysha except with a straighter nose and darker skin. The high cheekbones, strong chin and forehead were the same. He was self confident and a little arrogant, and he always had a girlfriend. In fact, he'd been through three in the five months I'd known him.
Royal and Mayor talked and cracked jokes a lot over kung pao chicken. I couldn't figure out their good mood. I knew there was a six year difference between the two, but that didn't seem to be a problem.
"How do you guys know each other?" I finally asked.
"Uh his sister and I were in the same grade, and I hooked him up with a job." Mayor told me. I remembered Mayor was a concert promoter and Royal was a DJ.
"Yeah I met this fool at work." Royal told me. That was the first time he had talked to me. I smiled and looked down at the table. When I looked up at him again I noticed he had a dark red mark on his cheek that I hadn't noticed before.
"I met somebody today too." Elysa spoke up suddenly. She looked at Jacob. "Your brother. Y'know I'd never actually had a conversation with him before." And she had all three guy's attention just like that. Mayor and Royal were no longer smiling. "It was earlier this morning, before school. Why didn't he come eat out with us?"
"He has stuff to do." Mayor said easily. "What did you two talk about?"
"He asked a lot of questions." She flipped her eyepatch without thinking about it, and I winced. She was staring at Mayor. "And was putting stuff away in the basement. He's taking up a lot of room, what's he gonna do with all that stuff man?"
"That's his business." Mayor said. "You three good friends?" He asked abruptly, meaning Jacob, Elysa and I. I shrugged and Elysa said, "No." Outright. It really surprised me. I thought the two of them were on semi-good terms.
"That's too bad, he's a good kid. And Arden, that's my boy! Right?" He turned to Royal, his eyes gleaming. Royal nodded, sharing the same smirk, the red mark standing out sharply in on his fair skin. It didn't seem to be bothering him though.
"What does Arden do for a living?" I asked.
"What does he do? The same thing we all do. Eat, sleep and live baby! Eat, sleep and live." Mayor chuckled.
"He's a pharmacist." Elysa said dully. "Don't ask what he does, it's too boring to even waste time talking about." I really wish she would stop pulling on her eyepatch like that. She immediately started asking her cousin about upcoming concerts and as she did I peaked over at Royal, wondering what he had to do with all of this. He didn't notice me watching as he discretely watched Elysa. His gaze lingered on the eyepatch and then drifted down to her chest. At fifteen, she was more developed than I. She and Mayor carried on a slightly strained conversation not noticing, and the last ounce of my affection for Royal buried itself in the coldness spreading in my stomach. I looked at all of their faces in turn. Something was going on inside that big house of Mayor's, and Elysa was involved.
"Sara."
I hadn't realized I was zoning out. Elysa had asked me a question and I missed it. "Huh?"
"Do you want to spend the night? Tomorrow's Saturday."
"Oh uh, sure."
Back at the house I told 'em all I had to call my mom and my cell phone was out of batteries. I knew there was a housephone somewhere upstairs.
"Ok go, be responsible." Mayor said, still in high spirits. I also had to use the bathroom. I went up a floor because that's where my favorite bathroom was. I went into the empty room to use it, a burgundy room with big windows. In the bathroom I saw shower stuff, guy's shampoo and aftershave. Oops. Mayor must've rented this room out, maybe this is Arden's room...but Elysa had said he was moving his stuff in the basement? Oh well. Whoever he is, he's not here now. I leave the bathroom, make the call, and leave the room. A breath of air wafts down the staircase and I hurry downstairs. Back in Elysa's room I jump under the covers and shiver.
"Something wrong?" She asks, brushing her teeth. Her long hair is down over her shoulders and her eye patch is gone, revealing a limp eyelid covering a limp socket.
"No, I just thought I heard something up there. It freaked me out. Hey, what happened?" Every time she lifts her arm to brush her teeth or push her hair away her sleeve slips a little and reveals a purplish bruise. I remember the angry red Royal has underneath his eye also, kind of like he was backhanded in the face.
Elysa glanced at me and tugged the sleeve down to cover the bruise. "That was you remember? Punching me in the snow? Totally all your fault girl." She smiled wide and I smiled back.
"Sorry." We talked girl talk late into the night and fell asleep, but as I drifted off my mind wandered back. I was descending the first flight of stairs from the third floor to the second one, and a sound drifted down to me. It's my name whispered down the staircase... Sara Christopher. Spooked, I pound down the stairs and hide in Elysa's bed, trying to convince myself it was just my imagination.
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