Page 4

Present Day…

Nicolette Henebury stood in her kitchen and poured salsa from a jar into a bowl. It was as fancy as her cooking skills went. Though, it wasn’t for lack of trying. She’d taken cooking classes for six weeks and came out the other end barely able to toast bread. It just wasn’t her thing.

She was an expert with the blender and the juicer. Anything beyond those two kitchen appliances, and she was hopeless. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and proceeded to fill it with her signature gray energy drink. It was something she and her uncle had perfected to help her combat a bout of fatigue that hadn’t seemed to want to go away. There was enough in the blender for two glasses, but she knew her best friend wouldn’t want one. To Clara, the drink was a form of torture.

Nicolette loved it. It had been something her uncle had helped her come up with when she was younger and had issues with sluggishness.

To each their own.

Nicolette grabbed a bag of tortilla chips, pinned them under one arm, gathered the bowl of salsa and her energy drink, and headed towards the living room. The rowhouse was spacious and had fairly open rooms, considering the age of the home and the fact it was in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. Had her uncle not purchased it for her and demanded she reside there, and not in the apartment she’d first tried to live in, it would have been outside of her price range on her current salary.

As she made her way into the living room, she sipped from the gray drink, careful not to drop the chips or salsa. The room was dark except for the flat-screen television that was normally tucked away from view in a large repurposed armoire. Someone had set it by the roadside to discard it, and Nicolette had saved it, seeing the beauty in the piece of furniture even when it was in a state of disrepair. With some elbow grease and a little creativity, the thing looked new again. Since it was free, it was even better.

Nicolette and her roommate had done their best to honor the look and feel of the home’s original bones, while still having modern amenities and comforts.

Like a television.

Clara smiled up from her spot on the end of the sofa. She was in a pair of navy blue silk pajama bottoms with a matching cami. Had Nicolette not been used to their opposite tastes in fashion, she might have felt underdressed. As it was, Nicolette had known Clara for what felt like all her life and didn’t mind being seen in a ratty pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt. Thankfully, Clara wasn’t to the point in her life where she was embarrassed by Nicolette’s lack of sophistication. And so far, Nicolette hadn’t grown tired of Clara’s ability to get them into trouble.

Clara had an array of boxed candies on the coffee table before her. It looked like she’d robbed a candy store. “I picked these up on the way home from work. Now it’ll be just like being at the movie theater, minus rude people who talk nonstop and check their phones all through the movie. And our feet won’t stick to the floor from mysterious substances. Not to mention, we have great seats here and can relax in our jammies.”

Nicolette snorted. Clara had a deep-set hatred of people who interrupted others while at the movies. More than once, Nicolette had been forced to usher her friend out of the theater in an effort to avoid a scene.

Clara was opinionated and had a temper.

Never a great combination when provoked. And Clara took interrupting her movies seriously. Hence, the home setup. There was a new horror movie that had only just released on DVD that Clara had been dying to see. Nicolette wasn’t a fan of scary movies, but she’d given the thumbs-up for this one, knowing how much Clara had been looking forward to it.

“When you talked me into movie night and girl time before you leave on your work trip, I’d really hoped it would be something other than twenty pounds of sugar,”

said Nicolette with a smile.

Clara held out a box of sour gummies for Nicolette. Her green eyes widened as she used her free hand to push her black-framed glasses up on her nose. “Here. I know these are your favorite.”

“When I was like ten,”

said Nicolette with a wink as she sat on the sofa next to her friend. She put the salsa and chips on the coffee table and looked at the massive amount of junk food present, before putting her drink on the end table closer to her. “We are never going to be able to eat all of this.”

“Speak for yourself,”

said Clara as she snatched a chip and dipped it in the salsa. “I ordered pizza for us too.”

“Of course you did.”

Nicolette shook her head. “If I hadn’t known you for like, ever, I’d warn you about all of this and how you’re going to have to spend countless hours in a gym to work it off. Tell me again how it is you eat like this and stay so thin?”

“Pretty sure I have a tapeworm,”

answered Clara as she ate more chips and salsa. Salsa fell off the chip and onto her silk pajama bottoms.

Clara, by all outward appearances, was a put-together, high-class, reserved young woman who was going places with her career. Behind the scenes, the real Clara was funny, loud, and didn’t much care if she spilled salsa on expensive pajama bottoms.

“That, or just watching you work out so much makes me burn calories through osmosis or something. We could have started this movie an hour ago if you wouldn’t have insisted we take a walk first. You’re like living with a personal trainer. I’m shocked you didn’t bring out some sort of weird thing that you want to force me to drink—again.”

“I’m not that bad.”

Clara loaded another chip with dip. “Tell me again about the cupcakes you ordered for your class? Gluten-free, dairy-free, taste-free…”

“You know I had to order from the specialty bakery so that all the kids can have one and feel included,”

chastised Nicolette.

She taught preschool and loved everything about her job. Children were amazing and excited to soak up knowledge, especially the young ages she worked with. Everything was new to them, and Nicolette made sure to make learning fun. They’d done so well recently that she’d planned a class celebration. They’d spent the week making decorations for it, and all the children pitched in, working hard to make the upcoming day extraordinary.

Clara had been with Nicolette when she’d stopped in the bakery to place a special order for cupcakes. Since they had to be something all the children could eat, regardless of their allergies, they were very unique. Or as Clara would call them “not actually cupcakes anymore.”

Nonetheless, the children would enjoy them. Though, the specialty bakery even seemed put off by all the things the cupcakes couldn’t contain.

“The kids are so excited. They keep talking about it,”

Nicolette said. “We’re going to discuss celebrations around the world tomorrow in preparation for our party.”

“I’m pretty sure most three and four-year olds just enjoy eating glue. Not learning about celebrations around the world,”

said Clara.

“I’ve only had one child who likes to eat glue,”

returned Nicolette. “I need to make a note about picking up the cupcakes. You’ll be gone on your trip for work, so you won’t be here to remind me, and we both know I’m terrible with to-do lists.”

Clara curled her lip. “You’re really going to make kids eat those things?”

“Stop it. They’ll love them and you know it. You saw them getting ready. Tell me they weren’t thrilled about the celebration, I dare you,”

pressed Nicolette.

“I cannot believe you had me meet you at the school for our lunch date. You know how much I don’t like children. That place is crawling with them.”

Clara wiped the salsa from her pajama bottoms and then had the nerve to lick the salsa from her finger. “That place is one giant flu bug waiting to get all over you the minute you step through the doors.”

“It’s crawling with kids because it’s a school,”

stressed Nicolette, doing her best to avoid laughing. “A place where children gather to learn.”

“No clue why you picked that as a profession. They pay you crap and you’ve come home with snot wiped on your pant leg before from some kid,”

said Clara before going for a box of chocolate-covered raisins. “And I know you dip into your savings to buy things for the class—like the cupcakes. I get you’re technically a trust-fund baby, but still.”

She wasn’t wrong. The pay was horrible, but the job fulfilled her in other ways. Ways that Clara simply couldn’t understand. “Tell me again how banking pays you as much as it does?”

Clara stopped speaking and glanced up at the ceiling. “Hmm. No idea.”

She’d always been vague about her actual job. The few times Nicolette had tried to go to Clara’s place of employment, Clara had given a lame excuse to keep her away. It was no secret that her job paid considerably better than Nicolette’s, and she wondered if her friend had guilt over that. She shouldn’t. Clara loved her job, just like Nicolette loved hers. Each was doing what they needed to be doing.

“Change of topic,”

said Nicolette.

“Okay, back to you being insane about working out and drinking gray stuff.”

Clara lifted the box of candies and poured some into her mouth. The act made Nicolette’s stomach churn.

Nicolette enjoyed running daily. It helped clear her mind and work out any stress she might be feeling. She also liked the routine of it. Liked seeing the same people in Forsyth Park, which was merely three blocks from their home. There were two women who ran at the same time each morning. She’d never said more than hi to either of them but they all nodded as they passed each other daily. Then there was the older man who walked his tiny dog. He always had a smile and a wave at the ready for her. There were countless others, and Nicolette looked forward to seeing each of them.

She’d always liked people. Plus, she felt a ton better after a run. She was curvy, especially in comparison to Clara, who always seemed to have the perfect body without having to do any work or watch what she ate. Nicolette wasn’t overweight, but she wasn’t rail thin either. She was what she was, and did her best to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle. That was where running came in.

Though, she did have to run early in the morning or risk burning. Her fair skin was not a fan of sunlight. It didn’t take long for her to burn even with sunscreen (something she never went without), so she did her best to avoid direct sun during peak hours.

Clara was the opposite. She could be outside in noonday sun and never so much as pink up. She was also capable of eating all the junk before her without getting sick. Impressive for sure.

Nicolette took a sip of her gray drink and Clara made a gagging noise. “I’m going to be sick watching you drink that. It tastes like grass but looks like something you’d pull out of a murky bog or a backed-up sink. Tell me the truth, it’s really something you got out of a sewer or something, isn’t it?”

“Leave my gray drinks alone. They’re full of good things your body needs. They give you energy along with so much more. You’ll thank me one day when we’re older.”

Clara stopped pigging out on food and glanced away. “You’re going to feel really foolish when you learn we’re totally immortal and eating all of this isn’t bad for our health.”

More and more over the last year, Clara had begun to make odd comments such as the one she’d just made. They all seemed to revolve around living forever and being more than human. At first, it was amusing; lately, it was disconcerting.

“Is everything okay?”

questioned Nicolette, worried for her friend.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

asked Clara, glancing up from under hooded lashes. “Tell me you’re going to go nuts and eat something other than cucumber slices.”

Nicolette touched her friend’s knee as her gut told her there was more to the story. They’d been friends far too long for secrets. She turned on the sofa, tucking her legs partially under her. “Are you having some sort of existential crisis that I should know about?”

Clara shook her head.

“Are you thinking about your mom?”

asked Nicolette, her heart aching for her friend.

Clara’s mother had passed away when the girls were thirteen. Nicolette had been by her friend’s side the entire time. It hadn’t mattered that Clara had been adopted. Her mother was her mother, biological or not, and she’d been a huge part of Clara’s life.

Of both the women’s lives, really.

Nicolette had been raised by her uncle, never knowing either of her parents. He’d been her everything ever since she could remember. Even though she knew she hadn’t come to live with him until she was nearly four, she had no real memories prior to that. He was amazing, but he wasn’t the same as having a mother.

Clara had been adopted around the age of four as well. Her adoptive parents and Nicolette’s uncle had been friends, and had encouraged the girls’ close relationship. Clara’s mom had been fun-loving, full of life, and spontaneous. She’d always cheered Nicolette’s free spirit.

She’d also explained the finer parts of menstruation when that time came about. Something her uncle had looked horrified about when the topic came up. To this day, he liked to pretend she was not an adult female. To him, she would forever be six.

When Clara’s mother passed suddenly, it felt as if the world had come crashing down. No one really said what had truly happened. All Nicolette knew for sure was that Clara’s mother had been murdered. The killer was never found, and no one talked about the crime. Clara’s father worked in law enforcement, and even he remained tight-lipped about the ordeal.

Clara had been so strong through it all. Even though ten years had passed since then, they never let a Mother’s Day go by without doing something special and wild in honor of Clara’s mom. For the last one, they’d gone skydiving. It had been a blast.

Clara set the box of candy on the end table. “I think about Mom every day. She’d have liked us living together now. She’d also be at us about finding men to settle down with.”

“She totally would,”

said Nicolette, smiling warmly as she teared up. “What did she used to call it? It wasn’t dating.”

Clara put her hands on her knees. “Mating. She’d tell us that one day we’d grow up and meet our mates.”

“That was very strange, but she said it with so much conviction that I’d have agreed to anything she said back then,”

said Nicolette with a nod. “I remember her telling us that we each had one perfect person who was made just for us, and us for them. The notion was beautiful and very fairy-tale worthy. It’s a nice thought. Wish it was reality. So far, I’ve dated a string of losers.”

“Cody isn’t a loser,”

said Clara defensively. Cody was a friend to them both.

“That’s true, but Cody doesn’t count. I mean, I know we went on a few dates, but things never blossomed romantically between us. A friendship did, and I’m thankful for that. He’s a good friend. A close friend. But not a friend with benefits. We tried to go down that path and it felt wrong. Though, he’s got a rockin’ body. We’ve both seen it enough every time he’s crashed on the pull-out sofa then walked around in nothing but his boxer briefs.”

Clara grinned. “He does have a killer body, doesn’t he? Tell me again why you didn’t hit that?”

Snorting, Nicolette shook her head. “I don’t know. Looking back, I see the error of my ways. At the time, there was something overwhelming about him. Like he was too much, and I wasn’t ready for everything he brought to the table in the dating arena. Plus, it felt weird. Like I’d be betraying someone else. Stupid, I know.”

“You were scared of real commitment,”

stressed Clara with a knowing look. “He started as a friend, and you were freaked because if it progressed to something real and didn’t last, you’d lose that friendship.”

“It’s weird, but I haven’t talked to him in over two months. I know he has a habit of vanishing for a few weeks on and off, but this is long, even for him. He’s supposed to give a water-safety demonstration at my school for the kids this coming week. I hope he remembers. I should call him and check in.”

Clara tugged at her lower lip. “He’s probably catching waves out in California or off the coastline of Australia. You know him. He travels nonstop and is a total surfer boy. That guy loves the ocean. I think the two of you didn’t work as a couple because you burst into flames in full sun and that guy lives for the sunniest spots on earth. And if he promised to give the water-safety demonstration, he’ll be there. He may like to hang ten, but he’d never leave you hanging.”

Nicolette sipped her energy drink and tried to avoid snorting it as she laughed softly.

The look Clara gave her was so full of unspoken emotions that Nicolette found herself leaning in the direction of her friend.

Clara leaned too, and the women put their heads together, each silently drawing strength from the other, as best friends should. It was totally possible to have a female best friend and not be jealous or catty with one another, like so many movies and television shows attempted to portray women as being. Since Nicolette was an only child, she didn’t know what it was like to have a sibling, but she had to believe having a sister was like this.

Clara grunted. “I love you, but that T-shirt you’re in is so old it’s threadbare. It might be time to retire the thing.”

Nicolette sat up straight and tugged on her shirt. It had a screen-print of a Viking wearing a horned helmet. The Viking had been their high school mascot, and Nicolette had gotten the shirt while on the cross-country team. “This is my favorite shirt.”

“I know. That’s why it looks the way it does,”

said Clara with a snort.

“Find me another Viking shirt and then I’ll retire this one.”

“Deal.”

Clara nodded her head. “Want some chips?”

Giving in, Nicolette nodded and helped herself to some. She held a hand under the chip after piling it with dip so as not to spill salsa on her shirt. “Okay, so what is this movie about?”

“Slasher film with supernatural elements,”

returned Clara between tortilla-chip chews. She turned, and her long brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail flopped over one shoulder. “This director is awesome. I’ve loved all his other works. I can’t wait to see how he handles shifters and vampires.”

“Uh, me too.”

Clara beamed. “Thank you for trying to take an interest in what I like. I know you hate scary movies. You’ll end up having bad dreams, I’m sure of it.”

“You hated pottery classes, but you went to every one of those with me,”

said Nicolette.

“And you suffered through gourmet cooking courses with me. It was funny when the teacher made you stop touching things for fear you’d burn the place down. We give and take. We’re cool like that.”

Clara twisted and grabbed a soda from the end table. “Want one?”

“I am not putting that in my body.”

“You were almost fun for about two seconds there. Live a little, Nicolette. Be spontaneous. Go out, find a hunk and have a wild time with him. Or, baby step and have a soda,”

teased Clara before starting the movie. She popped the top of the soda can and ended up misting Nicolette with soda as it sprayed out.

The opening credits came on and Nicolette’s thoughts drifted to other things, like what she still needed to handle for the classroom celebration.

Glancing up, she spotted a handsome actor on the screen. He was missing a shirt and totally ripped. The very sight of him made Nicolette consider Clara’s suggestion of finding a hot guy and having a wild time with him.

Clara glanced at her and burst into a fit of giggles. “Just took some hot man candy to get you to pay attention.”

“You’re talking during the movie,”

Nicolette pointed out with a wink.

“I’m allowed. I’m special like that.”

Nicolette tossed a chip at her friend, and then cackled when Clara shot forward and caught it with her mouth.

The man on the screen morphed into a wolf, and Nicolette paid more attention. The special effects were amazing. The movie showed him running through the woods, clearly on the hunt for something. When he came to an open clearing, he shifted into a man again. A very naked man. “I’m changing my mind about scary movies. If they all start with hot-guy backside, I’m a fan.”

“I don’t know many women who would disagree.”

Clara picked up the remote and paused the movie. “Suppose men who could change into animals were real and that hot. What would you do if you met one?”

“We really need to ween you off these movies. You’re obsessed with immortality, vampires, and shape-shifters lately. Is this a phase? Tell me it is. I am not having another movie marathon dedicated to vampire romance movies again. Not happening. Once was enough for me. The teen angst was thick enough to choke on, not to mention I started rooting for the bad guys to win just to get rid of the whiny hero. That shouldn’t be.”

“I’ll have you know I love those movies and the books. I don’t care what anyone else says. They made me want a love like that.”

Nicolette grinned. “We just need to find you a dead guy. I’d rather my guy have a pulse.”

Clara clucked her tongue against her cheek. “So, you’re a shifter kind of girl?”

Nicolette laughed as she helped herself to another chip with dip. She then thought harder about the question. “If I met a guy who could really change into an animal, I’d probably be too busy screaming to stop and do much else. You?”

“I’d make them change back and forth a bunch, so I could watch,”

said Clara, before offering a look that said she knew a secret. “Then, I’d thank the gods for making such hunky males to begin with—that is, if they were naturally made. Some were cooked up in a lab and created. Not born that way.”

Nicolette leaned and sniffed Clara’s soda can for signs of liquor. “Dude, is that soda really part rum?”

In a playful manner, Clara pushed Nicolette’s forehead back slightly. “You are so weird.”

“Right. Because I’m the one talking about people changing into animals and being cooked up in labs. That is so Island of Doctor Moreau.”

Nicolette tried to take the remote from Clara to turn the movie on once more, but Clara held it out far to her left. “You’re forcing one of your ‘what if’ talks again, aren’t you?”

The woman was famous for discussions that started with “what if.”

So much so that Nicolette’s instant reaction to the knowledge one was taking place was to want to take a nap. They always made her tired.

What if we had three arms instead of two?

What if we walked on our hands, not our feet?

What if vampires were real?

What if you met a shifter?

What if you added sugar to your daily diet?

“I am. For real. What if you met someone who was more than human? Would you really freak out?”

She put a hand up to stop Nicolette from responding right away. “Better yet, what if you found out something about me, for instance. Something that would mean I’m more than human. Would you be scared of me?”

“I’m terrified of your driving. Does that count?”

asked Nicolette, again trying for the remote.

“Be serious.”

“I am. I’ve ridden in a car with you.”

With great restraint, Nicolette did not blurt out the fact that Clara was the one being anything but serious. Instead, she pondered the question, giving in to the game. It really was the only way to get Clara to stop.

“I love you like a sister. You could turn into a unicorn and I’d still love you. I would make you stay out back for fear you’d crap on the carpet or accidentally impale me with your horn, but other than that, I’d be good with it. Now can we get back to the movie you plan to torture me with? The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can put in the chick flick I picked up for us.”

Clara was quiet longer than usual. She then set the remote on the end table near her soda and faced Nicolette fully. “What if someone came along and told you that you, yourself, are more than human? That you’re special. That you can do things others can’t. Would that freak you out?”

“Would this be the result of falling into a vat of some mysterious glowing liquid that then morphs me into a giant turtle with ninja skills? If so, I’m in.”

Nicolette gave in to the temptation of the sour gummies and helped herself to a few. The taste exploded in her mouth and she nearly gagged at just how sour they truly were.

“You’re impossible to have a real conversation with,”

said Clara, a certain sadness to her voice.

With a groan, Nicolette wrapped her long black hair into a self-contained bun. “Okay. If I found out I was more than human, it would freak me out at first. I’d worry about what it meant. And then I’d wonder what else was out there. You know. Like are vampires real? Or do men with abs like the guy frozen on the screen change into animals? If so, can we order a dozen? I’d much rather see that live than on TV at home.”

Clara smirked. “Trust me, it’s as good as you think it is.”

“Speaking from experience there?”

asked Nicolette as she ate another gummie.

Clara opened her mouth to answer just as a sinking feeling came over Nicolette. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, and her past had taught her not to ignore it. She put a hand up, silencing her friend, and then tilted her head, listening.

The tiniest of creaks came from the upstairs level. If Nicolette wouldn’t have been concentrating, she might not have heard it. As it was, she caught it clearly.

Apparently, so did Clara.

They stood at the same time. Just shy of six feet tall in her stocking feet, Nicolette towered over most people, but not Clara. Her friend was only a couple of inches shorter.

The noise came again, and there was no denying it was footsteps.

Clara grabbed her phone and Nicolette took off in the direction of the staircase. Clara ran behind her.

“Stop! We’ll call the police,”

said Clara, still following as Nicolette took the steps two at a time.

When she got to the upper level, Nicolette stared around, half expecting someone to jump out at her. There was no one.

Clara slammed into her and grunted before righting herself. “You know, there’s a scary movie that’s like this. It ends with the chick dying from being stupid and running at the killer.”

Nicolette glanced over her shoulder at her friend. “What? I thought I heard someone up here, and I came to see who and why.”

Clara sighed. “You’re going to run right to your murder scene one day, aren’t you?”

“Do you think someone could have gotten into one of the rooms and shut a door without us hearing?”

asked Nicolette.

She then went to Clara’s bedroom door and tossed it open. No one was there. Ignoring Clara’s continued protests, Nicolette went right for Clara’s bathroom and opened that door as well.

Nothing.

Strange.

She could have sworn she heard someone walking upstairs.

Clara rubbed the bridge of her nose. “We’re checking your room now, aren’t we? We’re not calling the police, are we? We’re going to be very stupid again, aren’t we?”

Nicolette went to her bedroom door and opened it.

She was instantly hit with an unfamiliar scent. It smelled like cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla. Had someone been baking in her bedroom?

Weird.

“Nicolette?”

asked Clara, her voice shaking. “What is it? Are you having a bad vibe? Tell me now so I know to get something to defend us with. Your bad vibes are never wrong.”

Nicolette stepped farther into her room. Her gaze was drawn to the window near her bed. It was wide open. Wind blew in, lifting the curtain and making a framed picture of Nicolette and Clara rattle on the dresser.

She went quickly to the window and looked down at the back courtyard. It was well lit, since she’d only just replaced the bulbs in all the lights the night before. She had to do that a lot. More than she thought was normal. It was easy to see no one was back there.

She turned to face Clara. “I swear I need to get more sleep. I don’t remember opening my window, let alone leaving it open.”

Clara touched her chest and exhaled loudly. “Nicolette, I love you, but you have got to remember stuff like this. Last week it was the back door. I came home from work and it was standing wide open. I swear this kind of stuff happens monthly anymore.”

She was right. It did.

“Sorry. I got home, showered, and then I came downstairs. I really do not remember opening the window at all.”

She looked out it once more, noting just how high off the ground the window was. There was no way anyone climbed in from outside. Unless the person could leap extraordinarily high, no one had gained entrance that way. She laughed softly. “We got spooked over the wind. Hey, maybe a vampire floated up and through the window. You might get your wish for a hottie vamp after all.”

Clara’s eyes widened, and she hurried to the window, pushing Nicolette out of the way and inspecting it herself.

“Relax there, Van Helsing. I think we’re safe from bloodsucking intruders,”

said Nicolette as she touched Clara’s arm.

Clara glanced at her. “You’d think. I’m not sure I should go away for work now. I’m supposed to be gone a week. That is a week of you here alone. Who knows what you’ll do by yourself.”

Nicolette laughed. “Because I’m absentminded when it comes to opening and closing things? Not a good enough excuse.”

The doorbell rang.

Nicolette stepped back from the window and headed towards the bedroom door. “Pizza is here.”

“That, or you’re about to answer the door for Jack the Ripper. Girl, you need to learn to have an ounce of self-preservation.”

Nicolette rolled her eyes. “Yes, because I was in so much danger of catching a cold from the window being open. Thanks for the warning. And I’m pretty sure Jack wouldn’t bother to ring the bell.”