Hunt Me Down - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Nathaniel's POV
"What is that?" I asked, looking at the flat rectangular object Val was handing to me.
"Your birthday present, duh!" She explained with a roll of her eyes.
"It's an envelope," I pointed out.
"Your present is in the envelope," her hand jerked twice; Val was never one for patience.
"Thanks," I said, taking it and expecting it to be a greeting card. She had never before given me something as small as a greeting card but maybe she had money problems or... I gasped as I saw my photo, plastered on a card next to a completely unfamiliar name.
"Vallery," I began, trying to keep my cool. "What is this?"
"Your very own fake ID," she clasped her hands enthusiastically. "It was about time we got you one. And the guy who made them is a pro; you won't be able to tell..."
I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the living room where our mom was, dragging her to the base of the stairs.
"Why would I need a fake ID?" I hissed but her joy did not falter.
"You've got a point; it's not like you go to clubs or anything but I'm sure we can think of a way for you to put it to good use."
"Good use? Good?" I wanted to shout at her but I knew I had to keep this between us; there was no telling what our parents would do to her if they found out. "This is illegal, Vallery! You can get into so much trouble for just ordering one fake ID."
"Two," she corrected, reaching into her pocket to produce a similar card but with her picture on it. "I got one for myself as well."
"Vallery!" This time I could not help but raise my voice.
"What?" She asked indignantly."It's my birthday too. And don't even think about throwing yours away; these babies caused a fortune."
I groaned and ran my hand over my face.
"Can't you get a refund or something?"
She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.
"Do you think the people who make fake ID-s give refunds?" My twin shook her head. "Next thing, you'll be asking for a warranty, bro."
"Where did you get them from anyways?" I questioned although I knew there was nothing I could do now; the cards were ordered, made and delivered and even if Val gave me a name and I somehow recognized it, she was right: I wouldn't get her money back. But the sum was the least of our problems; her using the ID was what troubled me more.
"From a friend of a friend," she replied with a shrug.
"The type of friends I asked you not to hang around?" I took a deep breath as I was about to shout at her again.
"Yep, those would be the chaps," she replied, smiling...
"Nat, are you listening to me?" Irene's voice reached me and I shook my head, getting back to the present.
We were seated opposite each other in a pleasant little café where they offered really nice cakes. Irene had insisted that since it was my birthday, we were to have some of those treats, and so she'd brought me here where we'd ordered two coffees and two pieces of some vanilla flavored cake with strawberries on top.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked, leaning forward.
"What were you thinking about?" She questioned instead of answering me and I sighed.
"Vallery's present," I admitted, taking a sip of the coffee; it was now cold.
"What did she give you?" She asked cautiously, seeing my reaction.
"A very... interesting card." I raised the cup again but realized it was empty so I waved the waitress over and ordered a glass of water.
"That was it?" Irene kept fishing for details.
"Trust me, it was more than enough," I murmured and after a moment of silence she nodded, accepting I would not tell her more.
"Speaking of gifts," she took her handbag from the empty chair to her right and rummaged through it. "I also got you something." She produced a square silvery box with a white flower-shaped ribbon on it.
"I told you, you didn't have to," I insisted but took the present and thanked her for it.
I lifted the lid of the box and smiled. It held two objects – a black pen and pencil, each lined with a silver streak at the top, the name of a well-known brand incrusted in delicate silver letters under it.
"I know this firm makes really high-quality products so I thought I'd get you something from their latest collection," she explained and I lifted my head and saw her chewing on her bottom lip. "So you like them, right?"
"Yes, they are amongst my favorite brands," I said, lifting myself a few inches off my seat and leaning forward to kiss her. When we parted, her anxiety was gone and she had a huge grin on her face.
"I didn't know that," she admitted as I leaned back in my chair, "but I know you prefer the old-fashioned pen to paper method when you write so I knew you'd find them useful. I wanted to make a small contribution to your creative process," she added, extending her hand to cover my left one which lay over the pale green tablecloth. "You have such talent..."
"You are really good too," I put in but she shook her head.
"I'm nowhere near you and you know it; but thank you for the compliment," she squeezed my hand.
I felt a pang of guilt as Irene looked at me with so much love in her dark eyes and I realized that she was far fonder of me than I was of her. I really did care for her more than I'd cared for any of my previous girlfriends but I was not in love. And she?
I didn't think she was either but maybe one day she would be. I couldn't let it go that far, could I?
I felt so comfortable and safe with her; I had someone who understood me and supported me. I liked feeling that way. But one day my family would have to move again; I knew I should not fall in love with her and I hoped she knew she should not fall in love with me. We would have to talk about that sometime; I would have to make sure she understood I could not offer her anything long-term.
But not today.
Today was my birthday and she wanted to celebrate, she wanted us to be happy; it wasn't a day for serious conversations.
But soon.
I would have to make her understand soon.
*****
The dinner with my parents and twin went on better than I'd expected. Dad had come home early from work tonight and he and Val had only argued twice; mom had spend only about half an hour altogether at praising me and just about five minutes of criticizing my sister and neither of them remembered to ask what presents we'd given each other so they still were not aware of the fake IDs.
I should be happier, I thought as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It's been a pleasant day so I should be happier.
But it was almost midnight and I hadn't seen Hunter after school. I knew he hadn't forgotten our birthdays; he'd given Val her gift – a black bangle with bright pink stones, but he hadn't given me anything. I really thought he would; I hoped for at least another lollypop.
I shifted to my side and curled up in a ball.
It was silly of me to get upset over not receiving a present; no one said he must buy me something, besides, he could be having financial problems.
He still managed to find money for Vallery, a little voice whispered in my head and I got angry; I couldn't believe I was jealous because of an ugly bracelet.
But why had he given my sister a present and nothing to me?
Did he care for her more than he cared for me?
That must've been it; he cared for her more than he cared for me.
I covered my head with my pillow but it couldn't muffle that nasty little voice that kept repeating 'he cares for her more than he cares for you' over and over again.
Two knocks came from the window and I immediately jerked up. Could he be here?
Who else would be knocking on my window?
I slowly turned around and saw him perched on the tree, waiting for me to let him in. I tried to hide my grin as I got up and opened the window before moving to the side to make room for him. He jumped in and stood in front of me, one hand behind his back, the fingers of the other wrapped around a milk and strawberry combo lollypop.
"Is that for my birthday?" I asked and he nodded. I reached for the treat but he shook his head and placed the lollypop on the sill.
"You can get to that later. I want to see how you'd react to this one first." He moved the hand which was behind his back to the front and I realized he had brought me a second present.
This one was bigger and the wrapper was in the same dark blue color as my favorite turtleneck and judging by the shape and size, it must've been a book. I took it from him, his fingers brushing mine, and carefully removed the paper, gasping when I realized what it covered.
It was indeed a book, but not just any book; it was Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.
"This is one of my all time favorite books!" I exclaimed. He murmured 'I know' but I ignored him and went on: "It got lost during one of the moves and... Wait... How do you know?" I asked, finally registering what he'd said.
He leaned on the window sill with a smirk on his face before asking:
"How do you think?"
"Vallery," I replied and he nodded.
My eyes went back on the object in my hands. I ran a finger over the edges and opened it on a random page before bringing it to my face and inhaling. It was a brand new book so it did not have that typical aroma which was a blend of old paper and ink but it still smelled good. I closed it and smiled at the cover.
I'd seen several versions of it but this one was my favorite. It was drawn, light blue, with the church and gravestones as a background and Bod and Silas at the front. The boy was dressed in pale blue and sort of blended with the surroundings. It was very appropriate if you asked me because he didn't just live in the graveyard; he was a part of it.
"You love it," Hunter murmured and when I looked at him, he was smiling at me. He pushed himself off the sill and took a step towards me. "Happy birthday, Nathaniel," he murmured as he leaned down and kissed me on the cheek, his lips lingering over my skin.
I did not push him away.