Thousand Year Switch

Chapter 22

On the way upstairs I met Morgan, who was exiting the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. "Hi Lucas!" She was all sunshine and rainbows, as usual.

"Hey, Morgan" I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets and leaned against the wall."Where'd you vanish to?"

"Went for a walk." She flashed me a smile that could have been a crest commercial. "Oh! And Aden phoned a couple minutes ago, they said to tell you that their man contacted them, and your friend and her family are fine. Apparently they're sheltering with a bunch of families in the school gym or something."

"Oh thank god." I leaned back against the wall, clunking my head on the wood a little. Relief rushed through me. "Thank god."

Morgan smiled. "Friend of yours?"

"Best friend, yeah. I'm really relieved she's alright."

"Well, good." Morgan tucked her toothbrush into her nightgown pocket, and the brush stuck up over it slightly. "Say, have you looked around the church yet? It's pretty neat. I just finished looking outside. The vineyard is really cool."

"Oh yeah? Further exploring, huh?" I nodded, and swallowed, then asked, "You know how Aden can see ghosts?"

"Yes, all Malake ha-Mawet can." Morgan started walking toward our rooms and I followed.

"Well, uh...can you?"

Morgan shook her head. "I don't see them, sorry."

"Oh." I felt sort of relieved and disappointed at the same time. Had I really wanted to know the answer to what I'd been about to ask her?

"Your sister?" Morgan stopped at the doorway to my room, and I remembered how I'd found the cardboard box half opened. My expression must have darkened because she said hastily. "The only reason I know is because when I first arrived in your closet I knocked the box over and the pictures fell on the floor." Her cheeks flushed, and in spite of how annoyed I felt, my brain was making a mental note about how cute she looked right now.

"I'm really sorry, Lucas."

My senses were muddled when I watched her lips form my name, and I wished she would say it a few more times. It'd never sounded so good. 

Had we been standing this close before? I was suddenly hyper aware of her, the fruity smell of her shampoo, mingled with something else. Strawberry lip gloss? Her lips were so red and her skin, her perfect, pale skin...

I badly wanted to reach out and touch it, to run my fingers across the smoothness of her shoulder, onto the side of her neck, clasp her cheek and kiss her. The urge was so overwhelming that I nearly trembled, holding myself back. What if she didn't want me to? What if...

Our faces were so close. To my shock she reached up and ran a fingertip over my cheek, sending a trail of tingles in its wake. She moved closer, pressing her body into mine. Then she grabbed my hands and placed them on her waist. It was a struggle to continue breathing regularly.

"Go ahead," she whispered.

I faltered. "With what?"

"Kissing me."

Finally I did what I ached to do. Her skin was every bit as soft as I'd imagined, and when my lips met hers I tasted strawberries. It lasted for about ten glorious seconds, and then we heard footsteps come thumping up the stairs toward us.