white shirt that already had sweat marks under the arms. Kayla despised him. He walked right up to her and enunciated every word he said. “You will let me know when he gets back, won’t you?”
Kayla was always leery of him. She knew that the wrong words would cause anger so she said the only thing she could. “Of course.”
Mr. Taylor dabbed at his forehead, smiled and walked out the front door, slamming it as he left.
Kayla was instantly released from the energy force. She ran to the front door and tried to open it. She couldn’t. Kayla stood in the doorway and did the first thing that came to mind, screamed. She slid down the door and cried for a while. When she felt she was composed she stood and said, “I want to go to a safe place.” Kayla’s world upended and spun quickly. She saw a whirring of objects and wind hit her face. Kayla closed her eyes so she wouldn’t get sick. When she felt her world come back to normal she cautiously opened her eyes. She was standing on Jaden’s front doorstep. Kayla looked around and knocked frantically. Her heart raced as she waited for Jaden to come to the door and it hammered in her chest until she felt she might faint, worried he might not be here since it had been an hour ago since he dropped her. She looked around and finally heard the sound of the door unlatching.
Jaden opened the door in a pair of jeans and no shirt. He was holding a sandwich in his left hand. “Kayla? What’s wrong?”
Kayla looked around. “Can I come in?”
Jaden stepped back to let her in and then shut the door, peering at the dark as he did. “Come on in, I was just making a snack.”
Kayla followed him into the one story home to the back where the kitchen was. “How come guys can eat so much? I mean, we just had dinner.”
“I was a football player, remember? We eat like every hour.” He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
Kayla began fidgeting and pacing. “When I went inside my house, the bender was there.”
“What!?” Jaden abandoned his sandwich and moved closer to Kayla.
“I’m okay, he just scared me.”
“What did he want?”
“That’s the odd part, he thought you were Chase.”
“Chase? What the hell?”
“Yeah, I know. Thing is, I don’t talk about any of you. I just sit there while he tries spell after spell to get into my head.”
“Maybe he’s one of them, one of the people who tried to attack us. Did you see him at the hotel that day?”
“I saw strangers and Chase’s parents, that’s all. The look on their faces was trippy, that’s where my memory goes away. It feels like we left there and came back here but that was over two weeks ago. Where have we been, Jaden? Why was someone able to put a spell on me when a Bender can’t?”
Jaden sat down in the chair opposite Kayla in the front room.
“Does the Bender know you came here? Did he see you leave?”
“No. I couldn’t open the front door. It was like I was a prisoner all over again, like I hadn’t turned eighteen. I focused my mind to go to a safe place from inside my front door.” She wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye.
Jaden swallowed hard. “You what?”
“I was locked in, I panicked.”
Jaden’s heart did a roll. He reached out and clasped her hand. She felt safe here, with him, but this was no time to let on how happy it made him. “Good, looks like you’re staying with me then.” He gave her a smile.
“Are you sure I’m not imposing?”
He squeezed her hand. “Kayla, we’re both in this together, besides, I hate being home alone, and it’s boring.”
Kayla smiled. “Thanks Jaden. I’ll get set up on the couch then.”
“Nope. We have three bedrooms. I’ll go change the bed in the spare. Don’t go anywhere.”
Jaden let go of Kayla’s hand and moved into the hallway to the left of the kitchen to where the bedrooms were. He plucked some fresh sheets out of the hall closet and went to work cleaning up the room Chase usually
Kayla was always leery of him. She knew that the wrong words would cause anger so she said the only thing she could. “Of course.”
Mr. Taylor dabbed at his forehead, smiled and walked out the front door, slamming it as he left.
Kayla was instantly released from the energy force. She ran to the front door and tried to open it. She couldn’t. Kayla stood in the doorway and did the first thing that came to mind, screamed. She slid down the door and cried for a while. When she felt she was composed she stood and said, “I want to go to a safe place.” Kayla’s world upended and spun quickly. She saw a whirring of objects and wind hit her face. Kayla closed her eyes so she wouldn’t get sick. When she felt her world come back to normal she cautiously opened her eyes. She was standing on Jaden’s front doorstep. Kayla looked around and knocked frantically. Her heart raced as she waited for Jaden to come to the door and it hammered in her chest until she felt she might faint, worried he might not be here since it had been an hour ago since he dropped her. She looked around and finally heard the sound of the door unlatching.
Jaden opened the door in a pair of jeans and no shirt. He was holding a sandwich in his left hand. “Kayla? What’s wrong?”
Kayla looked around. “Can I come in?”
Jaden stepped back to let her in and then shut the door, peering at the dark as he did. “Come on in, I was just making a snack.”
Kayla followed him into the one story home to the back where the kitchen was. “How come guys can eat so much? I mean, we just had dinner.”
“I was a football player, remember? We eat like every hour.” He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
Kayla began fidgeting and pacing. “When I went inside my house, the bender was there.”
“What!?” Jaden abandoned his sandwich and moved closer to Kayla.
“I’m okay, he just scared me.”
“What did he want?”
“That’s the odd part, he thought you were Chase.”
“Chase? What the hell?”
“Yeah, I know. Thing is, I don’t talk about any of you. I just sit there while he tries spell after spell to get into my head.”
“Maybe he’s one of them, one of the people who tried to attack us. Did you see him at the hotel that day?”
“I saw strangers and Chase’s parents, that’s all. The look on their faces was trippy, that’s where my memory goes away. It feels like we left there and came back here but that was over two weeks ago. Where have we been, Jaden? Why was someone able to put a spell on me when a Bender can’t?”
Jaden sat down in the chair opposite Kayla in the front room.
“Does the Bender know you came here? Did he see you leave?”
“No. I couldn’t open the front door. It was like I was a prisoner all over again, like I hadn’t turned eighteen. I focused my mind to go to a safe place from inside my front door.” She wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye.
Jaden swallowed hard. “You what?”
“I was locked in, I panicked.”
Jaden’s heart did a roll. He reached out and clasped her hand. She felt safe here, with him, but this was no time to let on how happy it made him. “Good, looks like you’re staying with me then.” He gave her a smile.
“Are you sure I’m not imposing?”
He squeezed her hand. “Kayla, we’re both in this together, besides, I hate being home alone, and it’s boring.”
Kayla smiled. “Thanks Jaden. I’ll get set up on the couch then.”
“Nope. We have three bedrooms. I’ll go change the bed in the spare. Don’t go anywhere.”
Jaden let go of Kayla’s hand and moved into the hallway to the left of the kitchen to where the bedrooms were. He plucked some fresh sheets out of the hall closet and went to work cleaning up the room Chase usually
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