Chapter 9
Rebekah sighed. Her kitchen seemed so inviting. She turned to thank Julian for bringing her back, but he wasn't there. There wasn't even a sign that he had been there at all, or that they came out of the wall instead of the pantry in which they left.
Nervous laughter escaped her lips. She believed she went through time by walking into her pantry. Her pantry!
Rebekah looked at the counter where the cereal box taunted her. Her face grew hot. She could feel Julian's lips on hers like the kiss was on instant replay. He said he was a demon. Could he be like an Incubus, there with her now, trying to make her squirm?
Rebekah felt ridiculous. Outside, the sky was growing dark. Pressing play on the answering machine, she found 3 messages. The first was from her parents, they had traveled a few cities over and decided to stay a few nights. Rebekah rolled her eyes. Must be nice to be in love. The thought shocked her, she loved Ryan, and always had. She felt guiltier when the second message was Ryan.
"Rebekah. Are you there? You missed rehearsals! The director dude said that if you aren't at the auditorium in time tonight your understudy will play Christine for the rest of this week. Need I remind you that Jessie has been dying for a chance to get your part? I'll be by around five tonight to pick you up. Are you sure you aren't ill? Anyway. I gotta get back to work. See you at five. Love you."
If Rebekah wasn't ill before, she felt ill now. She had missed rehearsal? She never missed rehearsal! She looked at the clock. It was nearly five, and the date under the digital clock portrayed what had made her ill. It was now Monday! She left with Julian the day before: Sunday. How was it possible? It didn't seem like a day had passed.
Her thoughts were left to float aimlessly through her now aching head as the next message sent a shiver down her spine. It was from a woman. A woman Rebekah didn't recognize at all. Her voice was slightly accented. A bad feeling rippled through her veins.
"Rebekah. I know you don't know who I am, but I assure you that I am no more than a friend. I am calling to warn you about Julian. I know he's been around you a lot lately. He thinks he is some supernatural being. He isn't. In brief, he needs help. Clinical help. Don't let him mess with your mind with those pretty little eyes of his. You aren't the first woman he has driven to madness by pretending to be more than human. We haven't met, but we will. I'll meet you backstage after the performance next Friday. Until then, have a nice week."
Rebekah replayed the message. How did she explain what happened if he was insane. Did he slip her a drug? Did she hallucinate it all? Her head was pounding. It didn't help when Ryan practically beat down the door moments later.
With a groan of protest, Rebekah opened the door. Ryan had one hand on her forehead checking her temperature and one hand pulling her out the door in all of three seconds. She barely had time to lock the door before he started dragging her to the car.
"Are you okay? Can you sing? Do you feel up to acting? Can I get you anything?" Ryan was rambling on. Rebekah wanted to strangle him.
"I'm fine Ryan. I just got so caught up studying that Ifound myself to be overly exhausted. I slept most of the day, right through my alarm clock even. I can't believe I missed rehearsal. I bet Jessie was positively beaming at doing my lines."
This seemed to satisfy Ryan and stop his obsessive ranting that would make any mother proud. "She's going to be so disappointed when you walk in there with your hair all windblown and…." He stopped walking at the foot of the driveway. Rebekah instinctively put a hand to her head. "Where were you?"
Rebekah fought back a groan at his angry tone. "What do you mean 'where was I?' I was right here. I didn't brush my hair, and I was asleep most of the day. I have a hair tie." She pulled one off her wrist and tied her hair back in a tight knot, hiding any sigh of disarray that could have been seen.
Ryan stared at her awkwardly, before sighing and opening the car door for her. He always did that, even when Rebekah was in a foul mood and complained that she could open a door on her own. She silently told herself she was only being bitter towards Ryan because she had just finished her monthly cycle and her grumpiness always came after instead of during or before the menstrual period. In her mind she outwardly denied any involvement with big blue eyes that people yearned to write poetry about…. But those eyes….
She shook herself, thankful Ryan was still outside the car on his way to the driver's side.
Ryan got in the car without another word to her. Rebekah wished she knew what going on in that brain of his, but was too thankful he was done with his ranting to pry. They continued to the auditorium with out so much as a yawn between them.