Dreamcatching

Chapter 12

"Nora, I'm sorry. I've been wanting to tell you for so long."

Nora turned to look at Kaden in surprise. "For so long?" She said with confusion. "We only just met-"

"What he means to say," Slate jumped in. "Was that he, uh-"

"Stay out of this, Slate," Kaden said, cutting his well-meaning friend off. Kaden reached out to connect with Nora but she instinctually stepped back. The fear of that sinister voice echoing in her head haunted her.

Something was very wrong here.

"What are you talking about, Kaden?"

"What is he talking about, Slate?" Nora asked. Her voice trembled. Her two new friends were wearing down her last shread of patience.

"Donovan, what do you know about any of this? You're awfully quiet." She turned to look at him.

"Nora, I think it's best if we-" Donovan said while moving to gather his things to leave. He tried to pick up his Chemistry book but Nora wasn't having it.

"No. NO, dammit!" Nora hollered. She smacked Donovan's textbook out of his hand and spun around. "None of you are going anywhere until I get some straight answers out of you."

This time, instead of trying to hold her hand, Kaden took a tentative step toward Nora and held his hands up before him. "I'm not going to touch you. I'm sorry, Nora. Truly. I never meant for any of this to happen. I've missed-"

"Kaden," Slate warned. "You can't. Don't-"

Kaden turned his head and yelled at his friend. "It's too late, alright?! We have to tell her. She needs to know. It's my job to prot-"

Donovan stepped into Kaden's face with fierce determination. "Not yet, it's not. And after the last time, you should know better."

It was at that moment that Nora finally lost it. She ran to the sink, grabbed the spray nozzle, and turned her faucet lever to the on position.

After much yelping, the three boys turned to glare at her. "Now that I have your attention, let me explain something to the three of you."

Nora grabbed at her paper towel rack. She'd tugged so hard on the roller that the entire tube came right off in her hand. Not wanting to stop and break pieces off, she just threw the whole thing. Along with throwing the towels, she also knocked over a glass which shattered on the ceramic kitchen floor at her feet.

When Kaden raced forward to help she yelled at him."Stop! This is bullshit! Tell me what is going on. NOW!"

Just then, and adding insult to injury, Nora heard her front door open from down the hall. "Nora, honey," her mom called out. "I'm home. And look who I found on our stoop. She was just about to ring the doorbell when-"

Mrs. O'Malley stopped herself at the kitchen entranceway. "Good heavens, Nora! What is going on in here?"

"Not now, Ma!" Nora groaned. She rubbed a hand down her face. While doing so, Kaden lifted his and Nora's phone from the countertop and began typing. All of a sudden people started moving again.

Nora bent over to pick up the roll of paper towels that were dropped on the floor. Nora's mom handed a broom and dustpan to Slate. Donovan grabbed a wet rag and wiped the countertop down from the milk, water and leftover cinnamon bun mess. The entire time Nora's friend, Brooke's eyes darted from one boy to the next.

"Dang, bro. Wish I had me three hot guys to do Chemistry homework with."

At the comment, Nora's mom glared. "You know better than to be alone in the house with a boy-"

"Three, Mrs. O'Malley. Three yummy-"

"Not help-ing, Brooke," Nora said, elbowing her friend.

"Right. Three," Mrs. O'Malley repeated, at a loss for words. "You father would lose it if he came home and saw you here alone with them."

"We were working on a lab assignment, Ma, that's all," Nora pleaded. "Nothing happen-"

"Nevermind, Nora," her mom replied. "Get this mess cleaned up.  Your friends have to leave, and we're gonna have ourselves a long chat later on, Missy. Meanwhile, Brooke is here."

Mrs. O'Malley turned to the boys, giving them a look that felt all too familiar for her first meeting with friends her mom didn't even know. Nora wondered what that was all about but before she could ponder it too closely, Mrs. O'Malley spoke to them directly. "Gentlemen, I look forward to meeting you at another time but for now, I think it's best if you go."

"But, Ma!" Nora moaned uselessly, for she knew it was a lost cause, "Come on." Nora understood that she had broken a rule, but her mom was being almost rude and that wasn't like her.

"Goodnight, boys!" Mrs. O'Malley replied firmly, ushering them down the hall with her arm extended. She walked them to the door with a polite smile and another strange look passing between the four of them, and ignored her daughter. "Please come again; when my husband and I are home."

When she closed the door on the boys, Mrs. O'Malley went upstairs to leave Nora alone with Brooke.

"Holy shit, Nora!" Brooke giggled. She reached out to grab her friend's hand. "Tell me everything!"

Nora crashed at the kitchen countertop and buried her head in her hands. It was only when she looked up again that she realized her phone was blinking with an incoming message.

Kaden had texted her.

"Meet me tomorrow after school at 4PM at the Valley Nature Center Atrium. I'll explain everything."