Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (12 page)

               
“That’s my favor,” Kayla whispers happily.

               
Jackson rolls his eyes.  “Oh, dear Lord, save me.  What would you
have me do?”

               
“I don’t know yet,” Kayla says, narrowing her eyes.  “It will be epic,
though.”

               
“And when I win,” Jackson retorts, “I will make it as embarrassing and as dirty
as possible.”

               
Kayla sits back and glares at him.  “You better mean dirty like
rolling-around-in-the-mud dirty.”

               
“Oh, I like that idea,” Jackson quips with an evil smile. “Rolling around in
the mud in a bikini.”

               
 Kayla groans and shoves Jackson.  She looks at Damien and catches
him watching them carefully.  He smiles at her and asks, “May I ask what
the bet is?”

               
“Jackson, or Oh Smug One as I like to think of him, said he could write a
better essay than me, so we made a bet.  Whoever gets a higher score on
their paper is the winner.  The loser—Jackson—will owe me—the winner—a
favor. A no-questions-asked favor.  So, as you see, it’s a very serious
bet,” Kayla replies.

               
“Interesting. I do have to say, that sounds like the kind of bet I want to
place.”

               
Instantly blushing, Kayla doesn’t say anything.  Jackson exhales loudly
and looks at his cousin.  “Didn’t you have something better to do, like
weave bandages for injured puppies?  We have a project to finish.”

               
“I don’t know,” Damien says.  His gaze turns to Kayla.  “Do you want
me to stay or leave?”

               
“Me?” Kayla squeaks.  Damien nods.  She sucks in her breath, not
knowing what to say.  Turning, she looks at Jackson.  “He could
really help us.  Two incredible minds are one thing, but three incredible
minds, we could get a Pulitzer.”

               
She watches Jackson close his eyes and sigh. “Whatever.”

               
“Most excellent,” Damien states, taking a chair and sitting down. “So what is
this project?”

               
“It’s a short story,” Kayla answers.  “There are no guidelines, so we’re
free to use our imagination.”

               
Damien smiles. “What do you have so far?”

               
“That’s kind of embarrassing,” Kayla mumbles.

               
“Why?” Damien asks.

               
Jackson pats her on the leg.  “It’s not embarrassing.  We are basing
our story off dreams Kayla had when she was little.”  He gives his cousin
a serious look.  “It’s about another world.”

               
“Like planet?” Damien inquires slowly.

               
“Well, yeah, I guess,” Kayla says.  “I never saw people on it, just
landscapes.  Like I would walk through the world, touching the plants and
such.  I was a kid, obviously, I don’t remember everything.”

               
Damien chuckles. “Your story has to be about an alien race, but what makes them
special?”

               
“What do you mean?” Kayla asks.

               
Waving his hand, Damien explains, “Short stories usually need a plot, and alien
races have some special trait or ability that would help shape your story.”

               
“I have no idea.” Kayla sighs.  Suddenly, a pain shoots through her side
and she cries out, sliding off the bed and onto the floor.

               
“Kayla!” Jackson yells, squatting down beside her.  “What’s wrong?”

               
She grimaces and starts to tear up.  “I don’t know.  I have a pain in
my side.  It hurts.”

               
“Just let it happen,” Damien murmurs to Jackson.

               
“Damien, shut up,” Jackson snaps.  “Go find Mom and get some Kiej for
her.”

               
Kayla rolls onto her other side and whimpers. “I need to go to the hospital.”

               
“That is the last thing you need to do,” Damien replies. “I’m going to get you
something to eat.”  Kayla senses him run off.

               
Jackson gently strokes her hair.  “You’re all right.  The pain will
disappear in a few minutes.”

               
“I really think I need to go to the hospital,” Kayla moans.  “Maybe it’s
my appendix.”

               
“No,” Jackson murmurs. “It’s a cramp.  Trust me, it happens to us
all.  You just need to chew on some Kiej.”

               
Glaring at him, Kayla snaps, “I don’t think that’s going to help.  I need
a doctor!  It hurts.”

               
“Will you at least try it?” Jackson asks.  Kayla closes her eyes and
nods.  A minute later, Damien runs back into the room.  Jackson tells
Kayla, “Open your mouth.”  She does and he places two leaves on her
tongue.  “Okay, chew those.”

               
She complies, and a few seconds later the pain subsides.  Kayla rolls onto
her back and exhales.  “What in the world was that?”

               
“It was only a muscle cramp,” Jackson replies.  “It will pass.”

               
“Oh, that sucked.” Kayla groans as she sits up.  “
Wow,
that
has never happened before.”

               
Damien squats down next to her.  “You need to keep some Kiej on you from
now on, in case it happens again, but whatever you do, don’t let anyone else
get ahold of it.”

               
Looking at him, Kayla says, “You know what that is too?”

               
He nods. “Yeah, just keep it on you.”

               
“I’ll make you some of those brownies, and you can keep them in your backpack,”
Jackson murmurs.  “All right?”

               
“Yeah.” Kayla sighs.  “I want to get up now.”  Jackson takes one hand
and Damien takes the other.  They lift Kayla up so quickly and with such
force that she is lifted off of her feet.  “Wow, guys, strong much?” 
Jackson and Damien give each other looks.  Kayla shakes her head. 
“Now I’m embarrassed.”

               
Jackson snorts. “You need to stop being so embarrassed.  It was a muscle
cramp.”

               
“I know, but I was all helpless and ridiculous.”

               
“True, but you had two guys here to protect you,” Damien notes.  “Most
girls would like that.”

               
Kayla laughs and looks at Jackson.  “Tracy would be all about you two.”

               
“That she would,” Jackson says with a laugh.  “We need to make it much
more dramatic when we tell her, though.  Like you swooned into my arms and
then—”

               
Interjecting, Kayla says, “Remember, if I swooned, you were going to let me
fall on the floor.”

               
“That’s horrible,” Damien snaps.

               
“I wouldn’t actually let her fall,” Jackson groans.  Looking back at
Kayla, he says, “Well, maybe.”

               
She punches him in the arm.  “See, Damien, this is what I have to put up
with.”

               
“A true gentleman would catch you and then do all he could to revive you,”
Damien says.  “You should never fall on the floor.”

               
“Awww,” Kayla draws out.  She turns to Jackson. “See, that is the kind of
guy a girl could fall for.”

               
Jackson's eyes nearly roll into the back of his head as he moans, “Blah, blah,
blah.”

               
“I don’t think we should tell Tracy.  She would just worry.” Kayla
sighs.  “Not that you can bite your tongue around her anyway.  Keep
your trap shut at breakfast tomorrow morning.”

               
“Am I waking you up again?” Jackson asks with a grin.

               
Kayla sticks her finger out at him.  “If you call me any earlier than six,
I won’t even answer!”

               
“Breakfast in the morning, that sounds excellent,” Damien says, rubbing his
hands together in anticipation.

               
“Who said you were invited?” Jackson snaps.

               
Kayla pushes him. “Stop being so rude.  He’s more than welcome to come to
breakfast.  Tracy can drool over him too.  With both of you there,
she may not even eat.”

               
“Tracy isn't the one I want drooling over me,” Damien declares.  “Nothing
against your friend, but there is only one girl I’m interested in.”

               
Her cheeks instantly light on fire.  “I don’t understand you,” Kayla says
quietly.  “You don’t know me.”

               
“I will and you will get to know me, and I promise you will like who I am,”
Damien states.  Kayla looks away.  Damien turns his gaze to his
cousin.  “I’m going to take Kayla to the kitchen to make her something to
drink.  She should have a smoothie with the Kiej.”

               
“I can do that,” Jackson says seriously.

               
Damien flatly looks at him.  “No need since I already said I would do
it.  Give me a chance to get to know Kayla for myself.”

               
“Damien,” Jackson growls.

               
“Jackson,” he retorts.  “Let Kayla out of your grasp for a few minutes.”

               
Kayla begins to speak, but Jackson cuts her off.  “She will not leave this
room without me.”

               
Floored, Kayla snaps, “No offense, Jackson, but you don’t get to make that call
for me.”

               
“Kayla,” Jackson growls.  “Just listen to me.”

               
She shakes her head.  “Do I have something to be worried about with
Damien?  Is he going to hurt me or cause me bodily harm?”

               
“No, of course not,” Jackson spits out.  “You just need to listen to me.”

               
With a disgusted look, Kayla retorts just as harshly, “No, excuse you, but
no.  I’m leaving.  You can keep your crappy attitude to
yourself.”  She grabs her backpack and whirls back to around to face
him.  “I don’t understand you, Jackson.  You’re so protective of me,
but the moment I try to be your friend or even tolerate you, you put up a wall
and push me away.  You continuously leave me puzzled and annoyed!
 Make up your mind about what you want from me, but for now, just back
off.”

               
“I’m sorry,” he replies quietly.  “I just can’t have you get…attached…to
me
. ”

               
Kayla turns and stomps out of the room.  “Kayla!” she hears from behind
her. “Kayla, stop.”

               
Spinning around, she snaps, “What?”  When she sees Damien, she mumbles,
“Oh, sorry.”

               
“Hey, don’t mind him.  I think he confuses himself.  I know he has
his reasons for what he says.  I may not understand them, but Jackson does
have his reasons, even though they aren’t very good ones.  Don’t pay him
any attention.”

               
In a hushed voice, Kayla asks, “What’s his problem with me?”

               
“I don’t think he has a problem with you.  It’s complicated, and it’s not
really my place to say anything.” Damien sighs.

               
“He’s infuriating.”

               
Damien gives her a kind look.  “Jackson and I may rip on each other, but
that’s what we do.  He’s a good guy, a really good guy.  He just has
mood swings like PMS.  Maybe you should give him some chocolate.”

               
Kayla bursts out laughing.  “That’s horrible, but hilarious because it’s
true.”

               
“Just try and give him a break.  He broods; it’s what he does.”

               
Nodding, Kayla says, “Okay.”

               
“Do you need a ride home?”

               
 “Yeah, actually I do.  My parents won’t get me a car, so Jackson and
Tracy are my modes of transportation.”

               
“I will happily take you wherever you want to go.  Whenever and wherever
you need to go.”

               
Kayla giggles.  “Thanks. That’s nice of you.  But does it still count
even if I need to buy tampons for Jackson at three in the morning?”

               
Laughing, Damien says, “Absolutely.”

               
“You may regret the offer.  I’ll at least wait until the weekend though,
because I’m not going to stay up that late on a school night,” Kayla declares
with a grin.

               
“Come on.” Damien chuckles. “Let’s get you home.”

               
They walk silently out of the house.  When they get to his car, Kayla
looks at him.  “You know this car is ridiculous.”

               
Damien laughs.  “You don’t like it?”

               
“I didn’t say that, but you could have fed thousands of starving people for a
year!”

               
“Good point. So you aren’t one of those girls who is impressed by fancy
things.” 

               
Kayla shakes her head and enunciates, “Nooooo.”