Sweet Sixteen, Chapter 8 ~ Dangerous

Elly fidgeted nervously with the curling ribbon on one of her mother’s unopened gifts, twirling it around her fingers and letting it bounce back down again.  She’d told Sien to come at around six o’clock, and it was only five thirty, but she kept thinking he might be early.

She’d debated whether to tell anyone she’d invited a friend or just bypass the “what does he mean to you?” questions that would precipitate and wait to introduce him when he stopped by “unexpectedly.”  She still hadn’t decided.

Good grief.  He’s a friend and he’s stopping by, just say “By the way a friend is stopping by.”

Still, she didn’t.  She couldn’t understand why this made her so nervous; she had dated before.  Even if she hadn’t ever gone steady and had a bonafide “boyfriend,” there wasn’t anything new and scandalous about her liking a boy.  But still, she wanted it to be perfect, for everything to go just right.  Her father was going to be a hard sell no matter what Sien was like.  Her mother wouldn’t like the idea of the motorcycle.  Would it be better to let Sien make his own first impression, without giving them time to wonder about him, or would it be best to give warning so they wouldn’t be suspicious about her not telling them?

“Elly!  You’re going to straighten out the ribbon!”

“Sorry.”  Elly withdrew her hand guiltily as Hollie reached for the present.  She fussed over the ribbon for a moment, putting it back the way she wanted it, then gave Elly a curious look.  “That’s your present?” Elly asked.  “The book?”

“Shh,” Hollie hissed.  “Don’t say what it is.”

“Mom’s not in the room.”

“Just when you think someone’s not in the room, they walk up behind you all of a sudden and hear what you’re saying.”

“You’re the only one around here who sneaks up on people like that.”

Hollie gave her a bland, unimpressed look.  “Just leave my ribbon alone and don’t blab around to everyone what I got Mom.”

“Fine.”  Elly held her hands up and backed away from the table by the door, where the presents were sitting.  She didn’t like leaving the door, when Sien could be knocking at any moment, but as long as she loitered by the presents Hollie would be watching her like a hawk.

She wandered over to the punch bowl and noticed it was low, so she headed into the kitchen to get more 7 Up and fruit juice.  She was glad for the momentary distraction from waiting on edge for Sien.  He would come when he came, and meet her parents when he did, and it would be no big deal.  It was no big deal to anyone but her.  She backed up with an armful of soda and juice, letting the door swing shut on its own as she turned around.

“Hiya, El.”

Elly jumped, dropping the cardboard carton of pineapple juice to the floor with a splat.  “Sam!” she exclaimed angrily, crouching to pick up the carton.  Some juice had dribbled out the top and formed a sticky puddle on the floor.

“Sorry.  Kind of flighty, aren’t you?”

“What do you want?”  Elly snapped, not finding his “sorry” very contrite.  She set the punch ingredients on the counter and grabbed some paper towel off the roll, crouching again to wipe up the juice.

“Nothing.”  He leaned against the counter and turned the jug of cherry juice toward him, pretending to read the label.  “Just got here.  Thought I’d say hi.”

“Give me a break.  You’re Ulterior Motive Man.”  Elly dumped the used paper towel in the garbage and turned toward him with her arms crossed.  “So, get it out, what kind of scintillating dirty talk do you want to serenade me with today?”

He smirked, but shook his head.  “Flighty and suspicious.  Tch tch.”

“Also impatient and busy.  If you’re going to stalk me you might as well help me carry this stuff.”  She shoved the cherry juice and 7 Up toward him.

“Actually, I brought a little something for the punch.”  He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, flat bottle.  “Give it a little added ‘punch.’”  He smiled at his pun, but Elly just rolled her eyes.

“Vodka?  Are you crazy?  Give me that.”  She snatched it from his hand.  “I am not going to spike the punch bowl, you idiot, my little sister is drinking out of it.”

“Well then give it back,” Sam said, beckoning with his fingers.

“Ah, yeah, so you can sneak it in when I’m not looking.”  Elly shook her head, pointing the neck of the bottle at him, “I don’t think so.  This is a family friendly party; no spiking the communal trough.”

Sam shrugged.  “It wouldn’t hurt your little sis to have a little to drink.”

“Oh please.  You may enjoy corrupting children but—”

“I was joking.  Ha ha.”

“Your jokes are lame in the extreme.  Now make yourself somewhat worthwhile and take the real ingredients out to the punch bowl.”  She made a sweeping motion with her hands to shoo him out.  “I’m going to hide your vodka so you can’t try anything funny.”

“Um, it is mine, you know.  You can’t just confiscate it.”

“I’ll give it back to you before you leave.”  She put the vodka down and handed him the other beverages.  “Now get out.  Go.  Get out of my sight, mangy beast of burden.”

“Now you’re talking dirty.”

“Only in your scuzzy mind, Conner.” She pointed toward the door emphatically.  “Leave.”

He laughed on his way out, and Elly shook her head in disgust.  Then she moved the vodka bottle over to the back of the counter near the wall, where it wouldn’t get knocked over or broken, and with a brief glance she made it invisible.  She allowed herself a little smile.  If Sam snooped around the room looking for it later, he would be shit outta luck.  The smile spread to a grin as she imagined his frustration, but then she composed her face and hurried out of the kitchen to catch up with him.

“You know I’m surprised you even came, this isn’t really your kind of party anyway,” she said, joining him halfway down the hallway.  “I mean, you do realize there aren’t going to be any whores or strippers present, don’t you?”

“You volunteering to compensate?”

She pretended to ignore him and continued, “No orgies with naked children either, or were you hoping to get Hollie and Ade drunk and have yourself a threesome?”

“You have a very dirty mind, Elly baby, that’s why I like you.”

“Oh, this is new.  Usually when I bring up your little pedophilia problem you get all defensive,” Elly said archly.  “So, what, you’ve decided to embrace it now?”

“I don’t have a pedophilia problem,” said Sam through gritted teeth, and she smiled.

“Ah, denial, that’s the Sam I know.”

“No, you’re not doing it.”  He let out a breath, composing his voice.  “You’re not making me mad.  You’re trying, but you’re not.”

“Whatever.  Here’s a tip, Sam; if you don’t like the way I talk to you, don’t start conversations.”

Sam looked like he wanted to make a retort, but they had reached the sliding doors to the back yard, where everyone else was outside, and they both fell silent as Elly opened the door and let in the more content noise of family and friends chatting.  She started to step over the threshold, but Sam stepped in front of her suddenly and dumped the punch ingredients into her arms.

“Carry your own stuff.  I don’t feel much like partying anymore.”

“What, you’re leaving?  You just got here.”

“Yeah, well—” he shrugged “—family friendly fa-la-la’s aren’t really my thing, remember?”

She just made a “tuh” noise and pushed past him without saying anything.  She strolled over to the punch bowl and set about mixing together the drinks, glancing around to see what everyone was doing.  They were mostly just standing around and visiting; some had gone in the pool and some of Eric’s friends congregated over by his half pipe.  Dori saw her by the punch bowl and came rushing over, worrying, “Oh, you should have told me that needed refilling . . . I should have noticed . . . don’t bother yourself with work, Elly dear, I’ll get it all taken care of.”

Elly smiled.  “It’s not work.  It’s fun.  It’s mad science, look at me mixing my diabolical liquids,” she joked, pouring 7 UP in one hand and cherry juice in the other.  “Anyway I’m not the birthday girl, so let me help you out.”

“Alright,” Dori agreed reluctantly.  “But if anything else needs doing just let me know, and you just go have fun with the other kids.”

Elly ducked her head so Dori couldn’t see her smirk.  The other kids were Eric’s entourage, and she had never been one much for hanging with them.  Then there was Hollie and Ade, who were nowhere to be seen and were probably off somewhere doing weird art, if Hollie wasn’t still guarding the curling ribbon on the presents.  She’d only invited one friend of her own to the get-together, and he wasn’t there.

Dori fluttered off, and Elly returned to fretting over Sien.  I suppose I’m going the surprise route, she thought, checking her watch.  It was almost six thirty, he should be pulling up on his motorcycle any minute.  She should go out front and wait for him, she decided, but first she had to get some ice for the punch and return the leftover juice and soda to the refrigerator.

Elly realized, as she headed back toward the house, that she hadn’t given Sam his vodka back.  Well, she thought, maybe he forgot about it.  She certainly hadn’t expected him to leave in a huff right away.  Granted, it was ridiculously easy to make Sam storm off, but she thought today might be a record in efficiency.

Her satisfaction was short lived, however.  As soon as she stepped inside she saw Sam come around the corner.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I am, I just want to get my booze and go.  I can’t find it, what’d you do with it?”

Elly sighed.  Great, just great.  How was she going to make the bottle reappear with him watching over her shoulder?  “It’s a secret place in the kitchen where we hide things, so you’ll have to wait out here while I get it.”

“You have a fuckin’ safe in the kitchen?”

“I didn’t say it was a safe.  But we hide stuff there.  You know.  From the kids.  And boorish guests who bring alcohol into the home.”

Sam was looking at her as if she were growing a pair of horns out her forehead, and Elly knew her reasoning sounded about as convincing as Locker Fungus, but she couldn’t think of another way to stop him from watching her.  “I’ll just be a minute.”

He shook his head incredulously, but stayed put.

Elly shoved the punch drinks into the refrigerator and reached for the vodka bottle, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Sam wasn’t observing.  He wasn’t, but for some reason she only felt empty space where she thought she had put the bottle.  “Odd,” she muttered.  She was sure she’d put it up against the wall right next to the toaster oven.  She felt over the counter, frowning.  She willed it to return to sight, wherever it was sitting, but it didn’t.

“This isn’t funny, you freaking bottle, where are you?” she hissed, and then rolled her eyes at her own crazy talk.  The bottle couldn’t hear her, the bottle couldn’t respond, the bottle wasn’t going to reappear unless she knew where it was.  “Good grief.  I do not need this right now.”

With increasing impatience she felt over just about every surface in the kitchen, despite knowing that she hadn’t put it down in any of those places.  It was as if she’d made the bottle disappear entirely rather than just cloak it in invisibility . . . but that couldn’t be.  And yet what else could have happened?  No one could see it and she was the only one who knew where she had set it.

Elly stood in the middle of the room and bit her nails unconsciously.  This wasn’t good.  Having to tell Sam that she couldn’t find his stupid booze was only the half of it . . . if she had really so carelessly obliterated the bottle, what other mistakes might she make?  Would she look at something someday and just make it pop without even trying?  Without even wanting to?  Would she go invisible one day and obliterate herself?  Was that possible?

Who knows, there isn’t exactly a guidebook for freaks of nature like myself, is there?  Elly shook her head and dropped her hand down to her side.

When she’d been younger she hadn’t realized or thought of herself as an anomaly, but by now she’d come to understand that there was something very different about what she could do.  When she’d been younger she had kept her secret out of instinct, and then because she thought people knowing about it would make it not as useful to her, and then because she didn’t really want to be a known freak.  The Amazing InvisoGirl, with the InvisoRay Eyes.

She stood in the middle of the kitchen and realized, with shocking clarity, that she was dangerous.  She was dangerous to things around her and to herself.  The innocent bottle of vodka today and herself tomorrow, perhaps, gone in the blink of her InvisoRay Eyes.

Don’t be ridiculous.  Maybe Sam took the bottle and is playing a trick on you.  She scoffed at this reasoning, How?  How would Sam find the bottle if it was invisible?  Then, with a flash of hope, Maybe the invisibility failed?  Maybe it was sitting there in plain sight when he came in and he thought . . . thought what?  Why would it even occur to anyone to play that kind of trick, if they don’t know about me?  Does Sam know about me?  Don’t be silly, of course he doesn’t.  How could he?

Thinking of Sam reminded her that he was waiting . . . with remarkable patience . . . and since the bottle was nowhere to be found she’d just have to go out there and tell him that.  Tell him she forget where she put it, or something.  Great.  She sighed.  Maybe if she insulted him a lot that would distract him.

Elly headed down the hallway, and as she approached the front hall she heard voices.  She didn’t think much of it, since there were a whole bunch of people over at the house, but then she rounded the corner and saw Sam and Sien facing each other by the front door.