The Samantha Project

by Stephanie Karpinske

  The man turned to face a monitor that showed Dave working in his lab. As the man stood up to get a closer look, his chair swung around to reveal a table behind the desk that was piled with black-and-white photographs. They were photos of Ellie and Stephen Andrews, my parents.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Followed

  I sat up in my bed, confused about where I was. The clock was gleaming its bright red numbers in the darkness. 2:00 a.m. Just another dream, yet it seemed so real. Too real. I turned on a light and opened a book to get my mind off the dream. I woke up four hours later with the book still in my hands.

  I skipped breakfast that day so I wouldn’t have to talk to Dave. I was still furious with him. After school, I came right home, following Dave’s ridiculous orders. That night I watched the news and heard nothing about any violent criminals on the loose, making Dave’s mandate completely unwarranted.

  The next morning I tried to reason with him, but Dave wouldn’t listen. After that, I was so angry that I completely ignored him the rest of the week. Every day I went to school and he went to work. I ate meals in my room to avoid seeing him.

  By Friday night I couldn’t take the tension in the house any longer. I had to say something to end it. I heard Dave making dinner downstairs. He had really made an effort in the kitchen, even buying cookbooks. Around 6, Dave called me for dinner as he’d done every night that week, and instead of ignoring him, I went down to the kitchen and sat at the table. Dave was already eating.

  “So how’s it going?” I asked awkwardly. I had never fought with my parents for that long and wasn’t sure how to end it.

  “Sam, I don’t want to fight with you.” Dave put his fork down and looked up at me. “I’ve felt so bad this past week. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just trying to keep you safe. What can we do to get past this?”

  “You could give me some space. Let me go out again. No matter what you promised my parents, you can’t protect me from everything in the world.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “I know that, Sam. But you don’t understand. And I can’t explain it to you right now. I’m asking you to just trust me on this. At least for the next few weeks.”

  I pushed his hand away and got up. “What’s this all about? What are you not telling me? I’m not gonna be grounded when I haven’t even done anything. Next week is my last week of high school. And although I’m sick of high school, I’m actually trying to participate in some school activities before I leave there for good. I’m going to the winter formal with Colin next Saturday. Or are you banning that as well?”

  “You can go to the dance, but I would like to drop you off.”

  “Are you kidding? No! We’re not in middle school! Colin is taking me. I’ll call you when I get there and when we leave. That’s my final offer.”

  “Okay, I guess that will have to do,” Dave said, looking defeated. “So should we watch a movie tonight? I rented a couple of Christmas ones. Or maybe we could put up the tree together? Christmas is just over a week away.” He was desperately trying to make a connection with me.

  “No. Colin is coming over.” I felt bad turning Dave down. He was really trying. But he was also lying to me, and I wouldn’t let him get away with it. Eventually he would have to tell me the real reason why I wasn’t allowed to leave the house.

  “Oh, okay.” Dave’s head dropped in disappointment. “Well, maybe we could do something tomorrow then. I have to go to the office in the morning. After that, we could go to a movie or something.”

  “I’ll let you know later. I have a lot of homework,” I said, rejecting Dave’s attempt to make amends. I knew my parents would be ashamed if they saw me acting that way toward Dave. I went up to my room and tried not to think about it as I waited for Colin to get there.

  The next morning, Dave was gone when I got up. I went downstairs to find the living room decorated for Christmas. The artificial tree was up and covered in colored lights. Dave had left it on so I could see the twinkling lights when I came down the stairs. He had greenery and more lights on the staircase and the fireplace mantel. The decorating had probably taken him all night.

  At the bottom of the stairs were some boxes with a note on top. “Sam, I didn’t want to put these things out without your permission. You decide. Uncle Dave.”

  Inside the box were Christmas snow globes, ornaments, and other decorations that my mom had collected over the years. I wasn’t sure if I could stand to see those decorations out with Mom not there. She loved Christmas and every year she turned the house into a winter wonderland. I set the boxes in the closet, deciding that I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  In the kitchen was a red envelope with my name on it sitting by the coffeepot. Inside was a Christmas card with a $100 bill inside.

  “Sam, Here’s some money to get a dress for your dance. I don’t know what dresses cost, so if this isn’t enough, let me know. And if you need new jewelry or shoes or whatever girls need for a dance, I can get those for you, too. We can go shopping this afternoon if you want. Uncle Dave.”

  I felt my eyes well up. Dave was trying so hard, even after I had been so mean to him. He had no clue how to deal with a teenage girl. Yet he was trying to help me get a dress and act interested in some silly high school dance. I called Dave to thank him for the gift.

  “Uncle Dave? It’s Sam.”

  “Sam, what’s wrong. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I wanted to thank you for the card and money you left. Oh, and for the great decorating job you did.”

  “Sure, honey,” he sounded relieved. “I know Christmas is going to be difficult for both of us this year. I’m trying to make it a little bit easier.”

  “Thanks,” I said, sensing a truce between the two of us. “So, now that you’re in the holiday spirit, do you think that you could give me a break and let me go shopping for my dress this morning? I would have to leave the house.”

  Dave sighed, thinking it over in his head. “Sam, if you want to go shop for your dress without me, I understand. I’m sure I would only embarrass you.” He laughed, likely thinking how odd he would feel in a dress shop. “But just go to the mall and come right home. And call me when you get there. And make sure there are lots of people around. Don’t park in some isolated area.”

  I laughed. “Okay, I’ll try to avoid all those dark allies. I’m gonna leave at 10 and should be back by noon but I’ll call you from the mall.”

  “I would appreciate that,” he said, still sounding a little worried. “Have fun, honey. See you soon.”

  Although shopping wasn’t my thing, I was actually looking forward to getting out and finding a dress. It had been three weeks since the accident, and each day was getting a fraction more tolerable than the day before. It felt good to be getting ready, putting on jeans and a t-shirt instead of sulking in my pajamas. I grabbed my car keys and headed out the front door.

  As soon as I walked outside, I noticed the black sedan with New York plates. My heart raced. Something didn’t feel right, but I figured I was being paranoid thanks to Uncle Dave. Get in the car and go, I told myself. Ignore the sedan. It’s nothing.

  I walked briskly to my old red hatchback, which was covered in snow. I quickly cleared off the windows and got inside, immediately locking the doors. The engine struggled to start in the cold air. Once it was going, I backed out and drove away, right past the black sedan. I started to feel better, telling myself that I was worrying about nothing.

  I turned on the radio at the stoplight and adjusted the rear view mirror. As I moved it right and left, I saw that the black sedan was two cars behind me. A sense of panic came over me. Is it following me? It can’t be a coincidence. It wouldn’t leave my street and be heading to the mall at the exact same time as me.

  I grabbed my cell phone and called Colin. Pick up, pick up, I thought.

  “Morning, Sam.”

  “Colin, where are you? I need you to meet me at the mall. Right now. It’s an emergency.”

/>   “What? What are you talking about? The mall? You never go to the mall.”

  “Well, I’m going there now. Anyway, there’s this car. I think it’s following me. It’s that same black car that’s been parked by my house for weeks. And it’s definitely following me. I don’t know why. You need to get here fast.”

  “Sam, I think you’re overreacting. Why would someone follow you?”

  I hated when guys got that condescending tone. They didn’t understand what it was like to be a girl, always having to worry about safety. “Fine. Forget it. I thought I could count on you, but never mind.” I threw the phone on the seat just as the light turned green.

  My phone rang and I ignored it. I went through the intersection and turned at the next light to see if the sedan would follow. It did, and I got even more panicked.

  I turned again. It continued to follow me but was still a few cars behind. I sped up to get through the next intersection, but the light turned red, forcing me to stop. I looked back but couldn’t see the car. A truck had pulled behind me blocking my view of anything behind it. I checked my phone and saw that Colin had left me a text saying he was on his way.

  I was near the mall now but turned down some side streets to kill time until Colin got there. I didn’t want to be alone in the mall parking lot. I drove slowly through the neighborhood streets but didn’t see the black car anywhere.

  It would take Colin a few minutes to meet me, so I kept driving around—still no black car. After 5 minutes, I got back on the main road around the mall. Oh great, I thought. Maybe the car really wasn’t following me and Colin will be right about my overreacting. I could see Colin’s car outside the sporting goods store. Still no sign of the black car.

  Colin got out of his car, surveying the parking lot as I parked my car next to his.

  “Well, I guess you were right. I wasn’t being followed,” I said, getting out of my car and feeling like an idiot. “You can go home. Sorry to bother you.”

  “Hey, don’t be mad. I was just surprised when you called. I didn’t mean to question you. You obviously thought you were in danger. I should have taken it seriously.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Uncle Dave is acting strange and I keep having these nightmares. I have this feeling that something isn’t right. And that Dave is hiding something from me.”

  “I thought you two were getting along better now.”

  My eyes scanned the parking lot. Still no sign of the black car. “Yeah, well, we kind of made up last night at dinner. That’s why he let me go to the mall alone. He’s making me paranoid. Keeps saying there’s been an increase in crime around here.”

  “Maybe there is, Sam. You shouldn’t be so hard on him. He’s just trying to protect you. He doesn’t know how to be a parent.”

  “Yeah, I know. But it’s annoying. I mean, come on, aren’t you mad that he hasn’t even let me go anywhere with you this week? We’ve been stuck at my house for days.”

  “Well, yeah, that was being a little overprotective. Where’s Dave now?”

  “At work. Hey, when you see him, don’t tell him about this little incident. He’ll never let me leave the house again.” I shivered as a cold wind blew across the parking lot.

  Colin came over and put his arms around me. “Let’s go inside and get warm. By the way, what are you at the mall for?”

  “I was gonna get a dress for the dance. It was supposed to be a surprise. But now that you’re here, I guess you could help me shop for it. You would probably be better at it than me anyway.” Colin had two older sisters, so he was pretty good at picking out girl stuff.

  Colin helped me pick out a red sleeveless dress. It was long and fitted and made from a fabric that had a silky sheen to it. There were small red beads around the neckline, eliminating the need for a necklace, which was a plus because I wasn’t big on jewelry. I felt elegant in it.

  Colin’s jaw dropped when I put it on. He was so used to seeing me in t-shirts and jeans.

  “I think I’m gonna need a chaperone around with you wearing that,” he said as we left the mall. “You looked really hot in that dress, Sam. The other girls will be so jealous.”

  “That’s sweet, Colin. But I’m sure Caitlyn, Stacey, and her friends will look much better than me, as they always do.”

  “You seriously have no idea how much better looking you are than them, do you? They have to pile on all that makeup and hair stuff to look good, but you don’t need any of that. That’s what makes you so beautiful. And then you go and put on a dress like that and it’s almost too much to handle.” He leaned me against the car and kissed me before I could say anything else.

  “I’ve got to get home, Colin, but thanks for this. It was nice,” I said, smiling as I pushed him away.

  “How ’bout I follow you home? When’s Dave getting back?”

  “He should be home by now, but I actually wouldn’t mind having you follow me back. I’m still pretty freaked out about that car.”

  “No problem. You go first and I’ll be right behind you.”

  When we got to my house, we found Dave making lunch. I invited Colin to stay and the three of us spent the afternoon watching the holiday movies Dave had rented. It started snowing, adding to the Christmasy feel. If only Mom and Dad were here, I thought. It would be perfect.

  On Sunday, Dave and I went out for dinner and I decided to mention the black sedan again in a nonchalant way. “Do you ever talk to the neighbors, Dave?”

  “Sure, now and then. They’ve all been very nice. Gary, the guy two doors down, keeps clearing the snow out of the driveway before I have a chance to shovel it. Says he’s got to get use out of that snowblower or his wife will complain about how much it cost. But I know he’s just being nice. And Jean, next door, keeps inviting us over for Christmas dinner.”

  “Did any of them say they had relatives visiting? Maybe people from out of town?”

  He looked puzzled. “No, but we only talk briefly when I’m coming or going. Why do you ask?”

  “It’s just that I keep seeing that black sedan with New York plates. It just sits out there on the street all the time.” I didn’t dare mention how it had followed me to the mall.

  Dave dropped his knife and fork and almost knocked his glass over. “Um, I don’t know. Probably belongs to someone’s adult kid moving back home. Happens a lot these days.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it.” I didn’t ask any more about it because Dave was obviously agitated by my questions. It was clear that the car did have meaning and Dave knew something about it.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Plans

  Monday morning marked my last week of high school. My last week of enduring hallways filled with cliques, bullies, and never-ending gossip. I couldn’t believe that it was all about to end.

  If it weren’t for the accident, it would have been one of the best weeks of my life. My parents would have made the whole week into a celebration. Dad would have been downstairs making his famous pancakes every morning. Mom would have been blasting some crazy music from the ’80s. But instead, I was home alone, getting ready in silence and eating a piece of dry toast.

  Allie insisted on riding to school together, so she came by and picked me up. In the car she started laughing for no apparent reason.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I heard this girl from school say that you were going to the winter formal. But she was kidding, right?”

  “No, I’m going,” I muttered.

  “What? But you make fun of those things! You hate school dances.”

  “It means a lot to Colin. And it is my last high school dance ever, so why not?”

  “Samantha Andrews! I am shocked! How could you not tell me this?” Allie tended to be overdramatic at times, which could be very funny.

  “I guess I just forgot.”

  “I see you all the time and you didn’t even think to mention this? When did Colin ask you?”

  “I don’t know. A couple weeks
ago, I guess.”

  “A couple weeks ago?! Sam!”

  “Sorry.”

  “So that means you have to get a dress! Let me do it! I could sooo find you the perfect dress.”

  “I already have a dress,” I said nonchalantly. “Colin picked it out. Last Saturday.”

  “What? You let a guy pick out your dress? Oh, this I have got to see. After school today.” She glanced at her watch. “Crap, we’re late.”

  When we arrived at school, eyes followed us into the parking lot. Allie’s family had money and her father bought her a silver Audi convertible for her eighteenth birthday. It always drew stares, especially from the guys.

  Allie herself drew stares from guys, but she made it clear long ago that she didn’t date “high school boys.” That didn’t stop them from trying, especially new guys who showed up at our school and weren’t aware of Allie’s rule.

  We parked next to Brad Meyers, who quickly walked over to open Allie’s door. Brad had been trying to get Allie to be his girlfriend for two years. And even though she wouldn’t officially date him, they were still friends and they went out on dates all the time.

  “Al, why didn’t you call me last night?” Brad gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

  Allie smiled, enjoying the attention. “I’ve been busy. Right, Sam?”

  Brad looked over, barely noticing that I was there. “Oh, hi, Sam.” He turned his gaze back to Allie. “Well, I need to know if you’re going to the winter formal with me on Saturday or not?”

  “I still don’t know. I have to think about it.”

  I rolled my eyes. I knew that Allie would go to the dance with Brad, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. She loved stringing him along, playing hard to get, which made Brad want her even more. She was definitely better with guys than I had ever been, not that I had much experience. She always knew what to say; I either froze or said something stupid. That’s another reason why I liked being with Colin. We were long past the awkward stage.