The Otherkind Book One:Heart

~*~ 11 ~*~

~*~ 11 ~*~

Trudging up the path to our front door through snow that was already near a foot deep, I pulled open the storm door. Stomping the snow off my feet, I closed the door behind me.

"Where's your car Rowan? I didn't see it." Dad pulled the curtain back on the front window, I can't see out there.

"Car's fine. I slid off the road." I saw his look of fear. "Not the cliff-side, right side, into the ravine a bit, but it's off the road at least." I slid off my boots and set them down on the mat.

"You okay?" he was instantly worried.

I nodded hastily reassuring him. I wasn't, but it had nothing to do with sliding off the road.

"I'll see what I can do about getting it towed home." The concern never left his face. He watched me until he was satisfied that I had not been hurt. "How bad is the car?"

"It's not bad at all, just stuck. Took out a few small trees. I just slid off the road in the curve." How would I ever explain the marks on the driver's side of the car? The tank was already so marked up maybe he wouldn't notice.

"That road is treacherous. I had trouble coming down too. Most everyone has. Which curve?"

"The fourth. The vehicle behind me almost didn't make it either. Pretty scary stuff."

I didn't tell him about Bryce keeping me from sliding off the road or about the jack-knifing truck. My luck he'd get so worried that he wouldn't let me drive in the winter anymore. I'd get stuck riding the bus.

"It still runs right?"

"Yeah, engines fine. Just stuck is all."

"Good, don't worry hon. At least you're home safe. That's all that counts. Any of those curves are the worst place to have had an accident, you could have gone off—" he paused "or one of those crazy lumber trucks could have plowed into—" again he let the sentence hang in the air. He pulled me into a hug. After a moment he sighed, hugging me tighter. "I was thinking of making myself a sandwich. Worked through lunch today because I knew the plant was going to be shut down. Worst storm in a very long time they're saying. You hungry?"

"No, I think I'm just going to go lay down, relax. I ate lunch at school."

"Come on down if you change your mind, and Rowan?"

"Hm?"

"I'm really glad you're home safe." Hugging me once more he headed for the kitchen, and I went up to my room hugging Bryce's coat to me, and then remembered something just as I opened the door to my room.

My book bag and keys were still in his pickup still! And I had homework! I thought about my options. I didn't know anyone who knew Bryce. MaryJo knew Bettina. Calling his girlfriend to get his number was not something I wanted to do.

Laying down on my bed under Bryce's coat I remembered his warmth, the slow measured tempo of his heart, then all the strange pieces that didn't fit together. Why did he get angry every time our eyes met for longer than a fraction of a minute? And just how had he gotten up that embankment so fast. It really did look like he had floated. And those lights, I knew it couldn't have been just the headlights reflecting off falling snow. Just what had he been doing up there?

His coat had stayed dry, his skin warm. He should have been wetter than I had been. He had been closer to the truck! His heartbeat never raced, and it should have after climbing up, and then back down the embankment. He didn't have a shadow, I know what I saw!

How had he known where I lived? That question came at me out of the blue and I sat up. He even knew my name when he had rear ended me. It didn't make sense. None of this made sense.