Chapter Eleven The Name

CHAPTER ELEVEN THE NAME

The rest of the day passed in a blur of monotony. Uncle Jack finally called the diner to check up on me. He gave me the number of his new phone, but before I had time to talk to him about anything at all, he was hanging up again. I spent the rest of my shift wondering exactly what he was doing and why he hadn’t come home yet. I wondered, too, about the honey, and whether Felice’s strange scent was linked to the jar I had found next to the register.

Ursula had been pulling twelve-hour shifts to fill the void of competency left by my uncle, and Alison and Paul, who spent more time making out in the kitchen than waiting on tables. Millie, on the other hand, had gotten the day off and been spending it wisely. I called her when I left the diner that evening, and we traded stories about how our days had gone.

‘So Valentino basically kicked you out?’ she asked through a dramatic intake of breath.

‘Pretty much,’ I said, still feeling a tinge of embarrassment about it. ‘The whole thing was weird. Did you get a strange vibe from Dom on your date?’

‘Nope!’ The excitement in her voice fizzed down the line and I felt an unwelcome twinge of jealousy for how differently things had gone for her and Dom. ‘We just hung out and went on a picnic,’ Millie chattered away cheerfully. ‘Can you believe that?’

I stopped when I reached the edge of the parking lot, wondering which route to take. ‘Seriously? That sounds so—’

‘Scripted? I know. It’s like something out of a movie.’

‘And what about his scar?’ I asked, crossing the street and opting for the shortcut, unwelcoming Priestly house be damned.

‘Boating accident,’ said Millie through a yawn.

‘Really?’ I asked, hearing the scepticism in my voice. Dom didn’t seem like the boating type. Then again, his brothers didn’t seem like the basketball types either, and I had been wrong about that.

‘Yeah, it’s a boring story. Something about a fishing hook,’ said Millie dismissively. ‘ Anyway , we got sandwich wraps and smoothies and took them to Rayfield Park. We just talked for hours. He seemed really interested in me, so I guess that’s a good sign.’

‘Definitely.’ My path home began its slow incline, and my chest started to burn from the effort of walking uphill while trying to explain to Millie everything that had been bothering me at the same time. I mentioned the whole their-dad-might-have-been-a-notorious-murderer thing. Even though I couldn’t trust Mrs Bailey, and when I googled every possible variation of ‘Priestly Killer Chicago’ on my phone nothing relevant to Nic’s family had come up, I wanted Millie to know.

‘Do you think we should stay away from them, at least until we find out what’s going on?’ I ventured.

Millie whined in disapproval. ‘Soph, Mrs Bailey is, like, a walking gossip magazine. She thrives on ridiculous rumours. Remember that time she told my mum I was pregnant? She’s crazy. There’s nothing wrong with Dom or his family, trust me.’

‘I just think there’s something not quite right about it.’

‘Then let’s figure it out!’ she urged. ‘Think of it as a mystery. A sexy mystery.’

‘What if it’s not something we should be trying to figure out?’ I asked, thinking again of the cloying honey smell, and the idea that Dom was in a boating accident . I just couldn’t picture him wearing deck shoes.

‘I’ve seen the way you look at Nic, Soph,’ Millie said. ‘Tell me he’s not worth figuring out.’

Maybe she was right; even if there was something sticking in the pit of my stomach, the way Nic made me feel was undeniable. And Millie knew it. Plus, I didn’t want to stomp all over her excitement with hearsay.

‘So what did you guys talk about?’ I asked instead.

‘He told me about how he used to live right in the centre of the city with his family, and how the suburbs are boring in comparison. He’s nineteen, which is sexy and totally risqué, though he does go a bit overkill on the whole hair gel aspect of his perfection. I mean, Danny Zuko is only a good look on Halloween. Not that that stopped me from staring at him in a daze when he talked. I had to ask him to repeat himself a lot, which was awkward. Anyway, then the conversation turned to me mostly, but I am a pretty fascinating topic. And we touched on the subject of you as well.’

I felt my cheeks grow hot. ‘Why?’

I turned on to a narrow avenue where gated estates and rows of cherry trees climbed uphill beside me. Halfway up, the street intersected with Lockwood Avenue.

‘As much as I love talking about you, it was actually Dom who brought you up, by accident.’

‘Oh?’ I didn’t know Dom in the least, except that he was obviously less weird than Gino, and that he ranked far below Luca on the I’m-a-smug-ass scale. ‘What did he say about me?’

‘He was asking about the diner and stuff. I mentioned you were probably going to take over running it soon from your uncle and that we’re best friends, so you will obviously give me a huge pay rise.’

‘Obviously,’ I concurred sarcastically.

‘Then I went on a bit of a rant about Jack and what a bad job he’s doing running the place now.’

‘Mil!’

I turned on to Lockwood Avenue.

‘Oh come on, Soph,’ she chastised. ‘A fact is a fact. He’s been totally AWOL. I mean, you can’t just disappear whenever you feel like it. For one thing, it’s rude, and for another, it’s weird. This is the exact kind of behaviour that gives fuel to Mrs Bailey’s idiotic rumours.’

‘OK.’ She had a point and I wasn’t going to rile her up about it.

‘Anyway, I’m sure Dom will relay the fact that you are going to be sitting on a nice little cash cow someday soon to his brother, and that will no doubt make you seem even more attractive!’

I flinched, thinking of the fib I had told Nic and Luca that first time I saw them, in the diner. Hopefully Nic wouldn’t feel cheated by my dishonesty. After all, it was technically just my summer job. For now.

As I got nearer I felt my stomach clench uncomfortably at the sight of their house.

‘I hardly think they’re gold-diggers. You should have seen their house,’ I said, looking at it.

‘Hopefully someday soon, I will.’ I could tell Millie was wiggling her eyebrows suggestively on the other end of the call. ‘I’d better go. I’m exhausted from my escapade.’

‘Wait! Did you kiss him?’

‘If I had, don’t you think I would have used that as my opener?’

‘Too bad.’

‘But he did kiss my hand when he dropped me off. Does that count? It was so romantic.’

‘That definitely counts!’ I reassured her as I hurried past Nic’s house. ‘OK, now you can hang up,’ I said once I was safely on the other side and the mansion was stretching into the sky behind me. I turned left and my path began to wind downhill again.

‘Text me when you get in. Safe home.’

‘Bye!’

‘Sophie!’ A voice called out just as I was putting my phone back in my bag.

I turned around, feeling a familiar jolt in my stomach. I recognized him immediately, running towards me with his hood up.

I responded with calculated calmness, trying to keep my dreadful enthusiasm from making me burst into an arms-flailing sprint towards him. ‘Nic?’

He came to an easy stop and lowered his hood. His smile lit up his face. ‘Hi.’

‘What are you doing?’ I asked.

‘You don’t sound too happy to see me,’ he noted. Small dents appeared above his brows and his smile faltered. ‘Maybe I underestimated how well you would take me chasing after you like a maniac…’

‘Why? I mean it worked so well the last time,’ I teased.

His expression turned remorseful but he couldn’t hide his smirk. ‘I should have learnt my lesson, right? I didn’t mean to startle you.’

‘It’s fine,’ I assured him. ‘It’s just, you came out of nowhere.’

Relief swept across his features. ‘I was about to come see you at the diner and then I saw you passing by my house so I figured I’d seize the opportunity.’

‘At least you didn’t crash into me this time.’ I clutched at my chest in feigned relief. ‘I might have had to kick your ass.’

‘How terrifying,’ he said, still smiling.

‘Hey!’ I punched his arm playfully, revelling in the familiarity that existed between us. ‘I’ll have you know I can be very intimidating.’

‘I’m sure those tiny fists are very powerful.’

I punched him again, but this time he caught my hand beneath his, trapping it mid-assault. ‘I heard you came to my house today.’ All of a sudden his expression had turned serious, and his eyes had lost their warmth. ‘Don’t ever come to my house.’

I slid my hand out from under his, turned from him and started walking again. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t.’

‘Sophie.’ He jogged after me. ‘That came out wrong, sorry.’

‘I was just returning your hoodie,’ I replied, keeping my attention focused ahead of me as I walked. ‘It was the polite thing to do. Now I see it was the wrong decision, and before you start, don’t worry, your brother Valentino already made it perfectly clear I was unwelcome, so you don’t need to bother.’

‘Just let me explain.’ He sped up, then turned around and began walking backwards so he could face me and keep up at the same time.

I blew a stray strand of hair from my eyes and glowered at him.

‘I don’t mean your presence is unwelcome. I really like seeing you… I’m just wary, that’s all.’

‘Of me?’

‘No, not of you,’ he said, pulling at his hair. ‘Of my family. Some of them are really strange.’

So he was embarrassed. Well, that wasn’t the worst reason not to want me parading through his house.

‘I met Felice,’ I offered. ‘If that’s what you’re referring to.’

Nic winced. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘He’s very intense.’

I decided not to comment on that.

‘Does he keep bees?’ I asked instead. I had been thinking about the honeyed scent all day; at times I swore I could still smell it. It’s not like it was a crime to make your own honey, but there was something about the way my uncle Jack had reacted to that mysterious jar that kept crashing back into my mind.

Nic stopped walking. ‘How did you know that?’

‘The marks on his face,’ I said, stopping as well. ‘They’re bee stings, right?’

Nic hesitated for a beat, like he was weighing what to say, then simply answered, ‘Yes.’

‘And he smells of honey.’ I paused, wondering if the next sentence would be offensive, but then I decided to say it anyway. ‘It’s almost like he bathes in it…’

Nic laughed. ‘Maybe he does. He likes to eat the honeycomb raw, and he harvests and extracts the honey by himself. It’s… his thing.’ A shadow swept across his features, but he broke into another smile before I could decipher it.

‘But there aren’t any hives at your house?’

‘Thankfully!’ he replied, a tinge of relief creeping into his voice. ‘Felice lives over in Lake Forest. But while my mother’s in Europe he makes it his business to check on us, to make sure we’re not all killing each other.’

‘So he makes his own honey?’ I confirmed, trying to stay on topic. I thought of the black-ribboned honey jar again, the one that turned up the week Nic’s family moved in.

Nic’s answer came slower this time. ‘Yes.’

‘Does he give his honey away?’

‘Why?’ His expression changed, and I didn’t understand the way he was looking at me. Like he was suspicious of me. Was I asking too many questions about his family? Or had honey just become a universally sore subject for everyone? I had obviously missed the memo.

I shrugged, watching him as carefully as he was watching me. ‘A jar of honey turned up in the diner not too long ago. It had a black ribbon around it.’

‘OK…’

‘We were wondering where it came from, and who it was for.’

‘Who found it?’

‘I did.’

Nic’s brows furrowed. ‘What did you do with it?’

‘I brought it home and tasted it. It was nice… Then I dropped it by accident and it broke,’ I added. There was no way I was telling him what really happened. It was too weird for even me to understand, and I had known Jack my whole life. One unhinged uncle was enough for this conversation.

Nic’s frown deepened, and he shook his head. ‘Like I said, Felice doesn’t live around here.’

‘So that’s not something he would do?’

‘I highly doubt it,’ he said, his attention turning to the stars above us. ‘Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it.’

‘But I do worry about it,’ I said, fighting the urge to tug on his arm so he would look at me again.

As if sensing my request, he returned his gaze to me. ‘You worry about honey?’ he asked, a smile spreading across his face.

I felt myself blush. When he put it like that, it did seem pretty stupid. ‘I just don’t like to feel like I’m out of the loop about something.’

‘Try being the youngest of five brothers.’

We walked on, our hands swinging side by side, almost touching, as rows of beautiful homes on tree-lined streets bled into smaller, boxy houses along cramped, grid-like blocks.

‘So you don’t mind having an escort home again?’ he asked, following my lead as I crossed a deserted intersection.

‘No.’ I felt shy looking up at Nic in the moonlight. There was something about the way his eyes were shining, or how his hair was falling in waves, curling beneath his ears, that made my mouth dry.

‘I wanted to make sure you weren’t upset about earlier. I know Valentino was rude, but he was probably just trying to save you from the Felice train wreck.’

I waved my hand in the air dismissively, even though I felt relieved by his explanation. ‘I’ll get over it.’

‘Good.’

‘Speaking of Valentino,’ I said, letting my curiosity take over. ‘Can I ask what happened to him?’

‘You mean why he’s in a wheelchair?’

‘Well, yeah,’ I replied, looking at my shoes. ‘If you don’t mind me asking.’

Nic didn’t seem affronted, and I exhaled quietly in relief. ‘I take it you’ve realized that he and Luca are twins,’ he said. I nodded. ‘Well, when my mother was pregnant with them, Luca’s position in the womb put pressure on the lower half of Valentino’s body. He couldn’t move properly. His legs became tangled in bands of the amniotic membrane, and when he was delivered he had what they called a “skeletal limb abnormality”. His right leg was completely crushed and turned in at the hip. The doctors operated on him when he was a kid, but the leg never developed the right way after that. He can walk for short distances with a cane, but he prefers to use the chair.’

‘Has it made him resentful of Luca?’ I wondered.

Nic shrugged. ‘I think he’s just glad Luca didn’t decide to eat him in there.’ He chuckled at my shocked expression. ‘His words, not mine,’ he clarified. ‘I don’t think he resents Luca. Valentino has always been the most intelligent of all of us. He has the most creative mind, and understands people really well – a whole lot better than Luca. They’re so close that sometimes it feels like they’re the same person. They agree on everything, and if you decide to argue with one, then you’re arguing with both, and they will steamroll you before you can even think straight.’ He paused for a second, losing himself in a memory that made him smile. I watched him carefully, trying to figure out what was unravelling inside his head. ‘I think Luca has always felt guilty about the opportunities he has, but Valentino isn’t a victim. They’d die for each other.’

‘Wow,’ I said, feeling a familiar sense of loneliness for the siblings I would never have. ‘Must be nice to have that kind of bond.’

‘I think everyone can have that bond with someone,’ Nic said quietly. ‘Isn’t that the whole point of living?’

‘I hope you’re right.’ I studied my nails to keep from burning up under his gaze.

Nic stopped walking, and I stopped too. ‘I am right,’ he said resolutely.

I looked at him again, shyly, and before the nerves inside me could bubble up and psyche me out completely, I blurted out, ‘So, there’s this party at Millie’s on Saturday, and pretty much everyone is welcome, so I thought maybe you might want to come if you’re not doing anything?’

Nic raised his eyebrows – whether it was at the sheer speed of my invitation or the actual meaning of it, I wasn’t sure. ‘And I take it her charming brother will be there?’

I inhaled through my teeth. ‘Yes, but you’re definitely still welcome, if that’s what you’re worried about. They made a rule. They can’t veto each other’s guests.’

Nic’s laugh was soft and low. ‘Saved by the power of disallowed vetoes.’

‘Exactly,’ I said, sounding mellower this time. ‘How could you resist?’

‘I don’t think I could. I take it you’ll be there?’

‘Of course. It’s actually my birthday too.’

‘Ah,’ he said, smiling. ‘ Buon compleanno . I’d love to come.’

I enjoyed a brief inner victory dance while making sure to keep my expression relaxed. ‘Cool.’

‘I was wondering what kind of stuff you do for fun,’ he continued. ‘I was thinking about it earlier.’

‘So you don’t forget about me, then?’ I teased. ‘When you’re playing basketball with your brothers or hanging out in your giant mansion and I’m at the diner wasting away from boredom?’

‘Absolutely not.’

‘Good.’

‘And you’re not very forgettable either,’ he added, almost as an afterthought.

‘I think most people would disagree,’ I returned.

‘I’m not most people.’

‘You’re certainly not,’ I agreed.

‘So tell me about yourself, Sophie. I want to know about you.’

‘Why?’ No one ever wanted to know about me. Especially not bronze, statue-type people. ‘I’m very boring, I promise.’

He laughed again, it was close and intimate this time, and I could feel his breath against my ear as he leant towards me. ‘Maybe you should let someone other than you be the judge of that.’

Instead of answering, I kicked a stray pebble and watched as it bounced into the street.

‘Well, let’s start with what we know,’ he began, rubbing his chin with his hand. ‘You can be a little defensive…’

‘Hey!’

‘It’s endearing,’ he assured me quickly. ‘And what else? You don’t like storms. You’re thick-skinned, and you blush whenever someone looks at you for too long…’

I grimaced. So he had noticed that.

‘… which makes it more fun to look at you.’ He smirked. ‘Not that it isn’t fun to look at you already.’

I could feel myself blushing again, and I cursed the timing of it.

‘Is it just you and your parents at home?’ he continued delicately – seamlessly, almost.

‘It’s just me and my mom,’ I answered. ‘My dad’s been gone for a while, so we do our best not to burn the place down or poison each other with bad food.’

I felt guilty about skimming over the part about my father being in prison, but I didn’t want to risk everything so soon.

‘Do you get along?’

‘Yeah, when we’re both at home. But we don’t see each other as much as I would like, I guess.’

Suddenly I felt horribly vulnerable, entrusting my innermost thoughts to this beautiful boy, who probably didn’t care about my relationship with my mother.

Nic regarded me contemplatively. ‘That must be difficult. But maybe your distance makes you closer when it counts?’

‘Maybe.’ I suddenly felt heavy with emotion. What was it with these Priestly boys? Just this morning I was on the verge of tears with Valentino! And now…

‘So you’re going to be a senior?’

Saved by the conversation change . We fell back into step with each other.

‘Yup, starting in September. I have one more torture-filled year of high school to go.’ I sighed theatrically, glad to be moving away from the previous topic. ‘What about you?’

‘Just graduated,’ he replied with an edge of triumph in his voice.

‘And what will you do with yourself now?’

‘I deferred college for a semester; I’m working with my brothers mostly.’

‘In Cedar Hill?’

‘No,’ he replied. ‘Not exactly. Not all the time.’

‘Do you like it?’

‘What I do or where I live?’

‘Cedar Hill.’ I suddenly felt embarrassed of my association with the place. Especially the part we were in now. It was a far cry from the opulence Nic was used to.

He smiled at me like he could sense my shame. ‘I didn’t like it at first, but I do now.’

‘What do you do here? What kind of work?’

He shrugged, but kept his shoulders rigid. ‘Right now? Not a whole lot…’ he said vaguely, trailing off.

‘Do you think you’ll miss school?’

Nic shook his head. ‘It’s only one semester. And I like to be active; I want to feel useful, like what I’m doing is making some small difference in the world. I don’t think I’ll ever need to use trigonometry in real life.’

‘I know,’ I concurred enthusiastically. ‘Or Shakespeare. Bleugh .’

Nic reacted like I had slapped him on the side of the head. He stopped and placed his hands on my arms, pulling me towards him until I was right under his gaze. I thought he was going to start shaking me. ‘Did you really just knock the man who gave us Romeo and Juliet ?’

I frowned. I had never really considered it at length before; I just knew I didn’t like school, and for me, Shakespeare was synonymous with school, a place where I didn’t feel welcome. ‘I guess I’m not a big fan of tragedy.’

‘What about love?’ he said with such intensity I almost forgot to breathe.

Slowly, he moved his hands up my arms, trailing his fingers across my shoulders until his thumbs were brushing the base of my neck. I felt my skin prickle with anticipation.

‘Love is different,’ I said.

‘Love is weakness.’ He studied his fingers as he moved them up my neck in gentle, butterfly touches.

‘Weaknesses make us human,’ I said, hearing the dryness in my throat.

‘And being human makes us fallible.’ He was so close.

‘Are you fallible, Nic?’

His gaze was on my lips now. ‘Of course I am.’

‘I find that hard to believe.’

‘You shouldn’t,’ he whispered. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, leaving his thumb under my chin.

I rose on to my tiptoes and he pulled me into his body, until my nose was almost touching his. His breathing faltered. Then his hands were around my waist, pressing against my lower back, and his lips were on mine.

I couldn’t think any more. I was undone, and suddenly nothing else mattered but Nic and the way he was pressing his mouth against mine and holding me like he never wanted to let me go. Everything around us dulled and, for a heartbeat, it was as if the entire world were holding its breath.

Then a roaring engine split the silence apart. A car sped up the street, pulling us back into reality and away from our kiss.

As the black SUV screeched to a halt on the street beside us, I felt my insides collapse in disappointment. Nic untangled himself from me and lunged forwards to bang on the car’s blacked-out window.

‘Gino? Dom?’ he shouted. ‘ Cosa volete? ’

With a sleek casualness, the window buzzed down and the driver stretched across the passenger seat.

‘Luca?’ Nic sounded shocked.

Luca, in all his icy-eyed splendour, spat, ‘Get in, Nicolò.’

‘What the hell is going on?’

Luca threw his arm out and popped the passenger door so that it swung open against his brother’s body. ‘Get in the car now.’

Nic turned back to me, his expression apologetic. ‘He can be a bit over the top sometimes…’

‘Without her,’ Luca interrupted.

‘Have you gone insane? Or are you just having an asshole day? I’m not ditching Sophie in the middle of the street!’

Luca rubbed his hand across his forehead and released a sharp sigh. ‘I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, little brother, but it’s not funny.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Have you spoken to Dom today?’

‘No.’

‘ Vieni qui. ’

Nic leant into the open window.

Luca dropped his voice and spoke in one endless, hurried thread. Even though I could tell they had switched to Italian, I stood with my arms folded and listened. And though what I heard was mostly an incomprehensible string of syllables, I managed to glean one word successfully. And that word was ‘Gracewell’.

The second I heard my name spring from Luca’s lips, Nic turned around and regarded me with a poorly concealed display of horror. His mouth, which had been soft against mine just moments ago, was pursed in a hard line. Suddenly he was looking at me like he didn’t know who I was.

‘What’s going on?’

‘What’s your name?’ he asked in a strained voice.

‘You know my name,’ I replied, feeling scared by how unrecognizable he suddenly seemed. ‘It’s Sophie.’

‘Sophie what?’

‘Nic…’

‘ Sophie what ?’ he pressed, his voice growing frighteningly shrill.

‘G-Gracewell,’ I stammered, my lips trembling.

He looked like he was about to pass out. ‘ Cazzo! ’

‘What does it matter what my name is?’ I heard the desperation in my voice, but I didn’t care.

He shook his head. ‘But it doesn’t make any sense.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I have to go.’ The words seemed forced, but he pushed them out determinedly.

‘What does it matter?’ I asked again. ‘What did Luca say about me?’

Behind Nic, Luca stared impassively at the road, but his hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard, they looked like marble. ‘Get in the car, Nic. Don’t drag this out.’

Nic lingered, looking at me like I had just slapped him hard in the face.

‘Luca…’ he pleaded, as if the rug had been pulled from underneath his feet and he had fallen hard on the ground beneath it.

Luca didn’t turn his head, and when he spoke again his voice was rough with anger. ‘Get. Away. From. Her. Now.’

I grabbed on to Nic’s arm. I didn’t know where he was going, but I knew I didn’t want it to be without me.

‘Now!’ Luca bared his pointed teeth like a wolf.

There was a moment of nothingness, when my heart crumpled, and then Nic pulled his arm from me, ripped himself out of our bubble, and jumped into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind him.

I leapt forwards and gripped the open window as the engine roared to life beneath me. It was then that I saw there was blood all over Luca’s shirt.

‘What happened?’ I gasped, my stomach filling with dread. If that were his own blood, Luca would have been in the hospital. But he wasn’t. He was sitting across from me, seething and unscathed. Several disappearances and two strange deaths in the last two weeks – Mrs Bailey’s words rang in my ears. ‘Where did all that blood come from?’

Luca didn’t respond, and Nic spoke instead. ‘Get back from the car, Sophie.’

‘Is this about my dad?’

Luca and Nic exchanged a loaded glance, and suddenly I felt like a pariah all over again.

‘I want to know what he said!’ I shouted at Nic. ‘Tell me!’

It was Luca who finally responded. Turning his head slowly, he stared at me until his icy blue eyes dominated my world view. ‘Gracewell,’ he hissed, ‘get off my car, or I will remove you from it myself.’

Nic cursed under his breath, but still he wouldn’t look at me. Luca, on the other hand, held his hostile gaze until, shattering under the weight of it, I took my hands off the car and stumbled back.

The engine revved twice, and then the Priestly brothers sped off into the night without another glance in my direction. I was left standing alone in the middle of a deserted street as a string of questions exploded inside my brain.