The Otherkind Book One:Heart

~*~ 12 ~*~

~*~ 12 ~*~

A couple times I saw the swing of headlights turning up a street and heard Sarah's voice calling my name, but I was in no mood to be pacified. I wanted answers. If someone was 'protecting me' then they would have to show up and do their job. Now. Even if that meant from myself. Maybe I'd get some answers that way. Someone had them. If I had to walk all night long in a snowstorm so be it!

Rubbing my arms I stalked off down the middle of a side street. I had just my sweatshirt again. Sometimes I could be incredibly stupid. And then I remembered my cell phone was in my jacket pocket which was in Sarah's minivan. I couldn't call Sarah even if I wanted to go home.

Up ahead, also walking in the middle of the street, came a really tall man heading towards me. Watching him I couldn't help but smile. He definitely wasn't threatening. How can a man singing Christmas carols at the top of his voice be threatening. Crazy maybe, but not threatening!

I took a hesitant step forward debating if I should keep going, or turn around and go back taking a different road. Just then he looked up and pulled the ear buds from his ears, grinning like a school boy on Christmas morning who just got the present he wanted.

He shook his music player in his hand and smiled a stunning smile. I sucked in my breath.

"Hi Rowan!"

I froze. "Not again!" Did everyone on the planet know every darn thing about me? Was there a sign on my forehead or something? "How do you know my name?"

"You remember me don't you?" he said happily as he came up to me.

"No—- oh!" Grinning sheepishly, it was the boy who dropped off my car and stuff, the one who had winked at me. "Yes! Yes—- I do."

"Good! Merry Christmas!"

He sounded so happy. I wasn't and looked around to see if there was a large black pick-up truck parked somewhere nearby. Thankfully there wasn't. "Merry Christmas. What are you doing here?"

"I bet I can ask the same thing of you and your reason would be infinitely more interesting than mine." Beaming he stated "I live here!" He looked for my car, much the same way I had just looked for Bryce's pickup. "Where is your coat? I don't see your car." Suddenly he didn't look quite as happy.

"I left it in Sarah's van."

"Sarah's here too?" he cocked his head closing his eyes a moment. "Nope, she's going home, to get your father I do believe!"

"What? How did you— is everyone psychic in this town? Is it in the water or something?"

"She's just worried. Come with me and get warmed up. You can call your dad so he doesn't call your uncle and end up sending out the National Guard or something."

"Oh!"

Smiling he shrugged off his jacket. "Use this for now, better than nothing."

It swam on me. He was really, really tall. "What's your name?"

"Me? Oh I'm Archer." he pointed to his miniature music player. "I really love Christmas songs and drive everyone nuts singing them at home, so I go out for a walk when I want to sing to them." He leaned over and whispering conspiratorially "They say I'm too loud and off tune! I've even been told to carry a bucket with me when I sing so I have something to carry a tune in! Can you believe that?" He was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"That's not true! You sing like an angel!"

He laughed out loud. "I think so too!"

"Nice to meet you Archer." I smiled at him. "I like Christmas songs too."