I wanted to talk to Laurel without Cathy present. We had one more place to try before calling the cops and reporting Kayla missing.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said.
Laurel turned to Cathy. “You’ll call me if you hear anything?”
The other girl nodded. “Of course. And you do the same?”
Laurel nodded, and we both left the room.
The dream I’d had the previous night haunted me. Could that be where Kayla had gone? Had she gone to the forest with whoever had called her out of bed in the middle of the night?
When we were far enough away from the room for Cathy not to overhear us, I said, “I think we need to go to the forest.”
“Why?”
“Because of that dream I told you about. We should have checked sooner, but again the dream felt like it was about me, not Kayla. I was the one running through the forest with someone chasing me. I was the one who was scared, and caught in the fog. Always in the damn fog.”
“Didn’t you dream you were in Melissa’s place too?”
“Yes. I don’t know why I’m seeing everything as if it’s happening to me. I mean, I could be wrong about Kayla, but I figure it’s worth checking.” I thought of something. “Hey, do you know if the fog came in last night?”
She shook her head. “I slept the whole night. My mom let me have one of her sleeping tablets ‘cause I was so upset about Melissa. I didn’t notice a thing. Why?”
“I wondered if it had come in for real again. Something feels really off about this fog.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like I told you and Dana, I’ve sensed something in the fog, and so has Brooke. I’ve seen something even, heard things too.”
“The fog does weird things to sound, and it’s easy to think you see things in it.”
Laurel was starting to sound like Riley.
The thought of him made my heart flip. We’d not had any contact since the previous night—the longest I’d been without him since we’d met. Even with everything else going on, I couldn’t pretend he hadn’t been on my mind. I wondered what the long separation meant—had he broken up with me? Did he think I’d broken up with him? I was still upset about how he’d acted, but I didn’t want to lose him.
“Anyway,” said Laurel. “I can’t see how a bit of bad weather would be the cause of Melissa being killed, and Kayla going missing. A person killed Melissa, not some fog.”
I nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go and find Kayla.”
Chapter
12
This was the first time I’d been back to the forest surrounding Sage Springs since I’d almost lost my life there a little over a month ago. I half expected the place to feel dark and menacing, but on this bright summer day, sunlight filtered, dappled through the trees, birds sang, and insects buzzed around my head. I wondered if the wildlife would all vanish the closer we got to the pools, or if the power that had silenced them before had waned now the Disruptive Convergence had passed and Riley and Flynn had closed the portal—or whatever it was that had opened.
“Do you know exactly where we’re going?” Laurel asked as she panted along behind me.
She’d be the first to admit she wasn’t sporty, and though I wasn’t either, my half-vampire genetics gave me the sort of stamina the rest of humanity—witches included—didn’t possess.
I hoped I’d stumble across a trail that resonated with me, or that I recognized from the dream, but I felt like I was walking aimlessly. Even in the mere month that had passed, the forest seemed to have grown up around us, recapturing the pools for its own again.
“We should have brought Flynn,” I said. “He knows this part of the forest better than anyone.”
“Do you think Kayla might be near the pools?”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s the best place to start.” The truth was, I didn’t know any other part of the forest, and taking this path seemed more sensible than choosing a random trail I didn’t recognize.
“I can always ...” she started, pulling her cell from her pocket, but the moment she did, I got a flash of something from my dream, the way a tree had fallen and I—Kayla—had stepped over it.
I raised my hand. “No, I went this way in my dream.”
I picked up my pace, almost running now. I felt as though I was experiencing déjà-vu, following the track I’d run the previous night. I remembered how I’d pushed through foliage and bushes in my dream, thorns catching on my skin and clothing. I started to push through some of the bushes, my gaze scouring the area for any sign someone had already come through this way. My hands and legs suffered the same abrasions as they had in the dream, but I ignored them, knowing they’d heal as quickly as I received them.
“Beth, slow down!” gasped Laurel.
“The attack happened near here,” I called over my shoulder, making no move to slow, though the overgrown foliage I found myself pushing through frustratingly reduced my momentum. “I remember this.”
“Then wait!”
Something about her tone made me stop and turn around. Laurel stood in the middle of the path, her eyes closed, her lips moving. She threw up her hands and the trees and bushes ahead of us bowed, branches snapping and leaves rising in a swirl of activity, as if a wind blasted through them. A cleared pathway lay in front of us.
Laurel’s eyes flicked open, her features alive with hope. “Kayla’s alive! I felt the force of her magic during the spell. She must be somewhere nearby.”
She started to run, overtaking me. She seemed to know exactly where she was heading, so I followed. I figured some part of her magic might be able to lead her to Kayla now we were so close.
I spotted Kayla’s legs before anything else, her feet bare, filthy and cut from where she’d run through the forest. She must have lost her sneakers somewhere during the chase. Her legs appeared bent at awkward angles, and she wasn’t moving. Her head and torso were still hidden beneath a bush—one Laurel’s magic hadn’t managed to tear a path through—so it was impossible to tell if she was alive or dead.
Please be alive, I willed. Please be alive.
“Kayla!” Laurel cried, running toward the body. I took after her, and we reached Kayla together. We both dropped to our knees beside her. Carefully, I reached beneath the foliage and lifted Kayla out into the open. Her body felt light and limp in my arms. Her eyes were shut, her normally dark skin paler than usual. Quickly, I checked her throat. A red circle of abrasions ringed her slender neck. I knew without doubt the same person who had killed Melissa had also hurt Kayla.
“She’s still alive, isn’t she?” Laurel asked, tugging on my arm, her eyes frantic. Her glasses had become askew during our run, giving her a half-crazed look.
“Shh,” I silenced her. “Let me concentrate.”
I lowered my head to her chest. Perhaps I could have felt for a pulse, but using my sensitive hearing was more accurate. I closed my eyes and ignored the sounds of the forest. There it was! Beneath the rustle of leaves, buzz of insects, and twitter of birds, I could hear the steady, if extremely slow, thud-thud of her heartbeat.
I exhaled. “She’s still alive.”
“Thank God,” Laurel breathed, dropping her forehead to Kayla shoulder. “I couldn’t have lost her, too. I just couldn’t have.”
“We need to get her to a doctor.”
“But we’re miles from help!” She pulled out her cell phone. “I don’t even have any coverage here.”
I looked at Laurel. “I’m strong, remember? I can carry her.”
Her eyes widened. “All that way?”
I nodded. “Meet me at the hospital.”
I didn’t wait for her answer. We were lucky Kayla was still alive, and every moment counted toward keeping her that way. I didn’t know why she hadn’t woken up, or how long her brain had been deprived from oxygen. I could only assume the person who had tried to kill her believed the job to be been completed when he left her.
Scooping Kayla up in my arms, I gave Laurel a reass
uring smile. “Hurry up as well. We don’t know if the person who did this is still out here somewhere.” Her face blanched, and I felt terrible leaving her alone, but Kayla needed to be the priority right now.
Laurel pressed her lips together. “Just go. Don’t worry about me.”
I took off at a sprint, heading back the way we had come. Kayla’s weight felt negligible in my arms, but the size of her—basically the same as me—made it hard to run as fast as I wanted to. I cradled her head and torso as best I could against my chest, trying to reduce the amount of impact my run had on her body, but I could do nothing to stop the swing of her arms and legs.
I ignored the lash of bushes and low lying branches, hoping not to turn my ankle on some uneven ground, or trip over some fallen twigs. Holding Kayla made it difficult for me to see exactly where my feet were landing. I was determined to get Kayla to the hospital.
My breath grew labored, and even despite my strength, tension increased in my arms and shoulders. I pushed on, forcing my legs onward. I didn’t think I was too far from the main road now.
Finally, I staggered through the bushes and out onto the road. The hospital was located on the other side of town, but at least now I didn’t need to fight through the undergrowth to reach it.
But as I started down the road, a car pulled up beside me. For some reason, I’d forgotten it was the afternoon, and that other people would be around. The driver’s window wound down and a male voice called out, “Hey. You okay?”
“It’s my friend,” I gasped as I slowed to a stop. “She’s hurt.”
He jumped out and opened the back door. “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”
I tried to get a sense if he was someone I could trust, but he just appeared to be a middle-aged, slightly overweight guy. From the genuinely distressed expression on his face, I assumed he was nothing more than a regular passer-by. I hated how I’d grown so suspicious, but then I realized it had always been in my nature. Even back in L.A. I’d been suspicious of everyone, certain they would discover my secret, or would be out to harm my father because of what he was. Trust was a quality I’d never quite gotten the hang of.
I sat in the back seat, with Kayla’s head rested on my lap. I stroked her hair, though I had no idea if she even knew I was there. As the driver pulled back onto the road, I twisted in my seat to look out of the back window, making sure Laurel didn’t come bursting out of the bushes. I’d be miles ahead of her with my speed and strength, but I couldn’t stop from checking.
“What happened?” the man asked, peering at me in the rear view mirror.
“I don’t know,” I said, truthfully. “I found her like this.”
“Some sick bastard out there preying on young girls,” he muttered. His eyes lifted back to mine in the mirror. “Did you know the girl who was killed on the beach?”
I nodded and blinked back sudden tears.
“Ah, damn, sorry. I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay. Just get us to the hospital so I don’t lose another friend.”
He nodded and focused back on the road.
Within ten minutes we pulled up outside of the emergency room. “Thank you,” I said, as I climbed from the back, lifting Kayla with me. I noted the way his eyes narrowed slightly at me, perhaps wondering how I held the other girl so easily, but I couldn’t worry about what he was thinking.
“Don’t you want me to help?” he asked.
“You’ve done enough. Thank you.”
And with that, I turned my back on him and ran into the reception.
“Help me!” I cried as I ran through the doors. “My friend’s been attacked. She’s barely breathing!”
A couple of people—a man and a woman—wearing white coats and stethoscopes around their necks ran toward me. “What’s her name?”
“Kayla Escobar.”
Someone took her from me, and placed her on a gurney. The place became sudden chaos of noise and movement as people in white coats flapped around her, while I stood feeling out of place and helpless.
“They’re going to make sure she’s stable,” a young nurse spoke beside my shoulder. “Can we call her family?”
“She doesn’t have any that I know of.”
“How well do you know her?”
“She’s a friend. We go to college together.”
“Do you think you can fill in some paperwork for us while you wait?”
I nodded, dumbly.
The woman studied me. “You’re not hurt too, are you? Would you like to see a doctor?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m all right. It’s been a shock, that’s all.”
She gave me a reassuring smile. “Give me a minute, and I’ll be back with that paperwork. I’m sure your friend will be fine.”
I knew she was only saying this to reassure me. She had no idea if Kayla would be okay or not.
The nurse returned within a few minutes and handed me some forms and a pen. “Just fill in what you can,” she said. “The police have been called. I expect they’ll want to ask you some questions about what happened, so don’t go anywhere, okay?”
I didn’t plan on leaving. I wanted to wait to find out how Kayla was, and I’d told Laurel I’d meet her here. I hoped Laurel was all right. I was worried about her, and hated that I’d left her behind, though I’d had no choice. Once again, I wished I’d never fried my cell phone.
My thoughts went to Riley, and I wondered what he was doing. My whole body longed for him to be here with me. I needed his strength.
The nurse returned to take the forms from me, and then I waited some more, anxiously nibbling at my thumbnail and scuffing my feet on the floor. Movement came and I looked up.
The two detectives had turned up. I recognized them both from my interview the previous day.
“Ms. Bandores,” the older one, Rockmore, said. “We meet again. I’m sorry it’s not in better circumstances.”
“How’s Kayla?” I asked, anxious.
“She’s stable, but she’s not regained consciousness.”
“Can I see her?”
“Yes, but first we need to ask you some questions. One of the doctors has allowed us use of his office for a few minutes.”
“Okay.”
Meekly, I followed them down the corridor and into an office. Neither of them seemed to feel they should sit in the doctor’s chair, and the three of us hovered awkwardly for a moment, before I took a seat on the small couch, and Rockmore sat in a plastic chair, while Wyman hovered by the door.
“Tell us what happened.”
I recounted what details I could. I told them we’d been worried about Kayla, and went to look for her.
“How did you know to look in the forest?”
I shrugged, awkward. “She likes to walk up there.”
“So you figured you’d just check out if she’d taken a walk? There are several hundred acres of forest. You just happened to stumble across her lying in the bushes?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened. I don’t know what more you want me to tell you.”
“Well, that’s a crime scene now. We need to cordon it off to prevent the destruction of any evidence. Do you think you could take us back to the same spot you found her?”
I nodded. “I guess so.” I knew I could but I didn’t want to appear too eager. Why, when I was innocent of this crime, did I feel so damn guilty?
He glanced down at his notepad. “So both Kayla and Melissa are your friends—were—he corrected himself. “Can you think of anyone inside of, or maybe even outside, of your friend group who has some reason to do this?”
The only people I could think of were the carnies. We’d ruined their plans, even though Bulldog was dead. There were others who might have come after us. But I knew it wasn’t them. Both Melissa and Kayla had gone with them willingly. It was someone we knew. Anyway, I didn’t want to mention the carnies for fear of them turning their attention to Riley.
�
�No,” I said. “There’s no one. Melissa and Kayla don’t have any enemies that I’m aware of. They’re just college girls.”
“No ex-boyfriends? Could they have been seeing the same guy, and perhaps it got ugly?”
“Not that I know of, but I haven’t known them for long. They haven’t mentioned anyone serious, and certainly no one who would kill them!”
A commotion came from outside, someone trying to get in. I glanced up to see Laurel in the corridor. My heart lifted in relief. “Oh, thank God.”
I glanced to the detective. “It’s my friend. Laurel was with me when we found Kayla.”
His eyes narrowed. “You left her behind in the forest?”
“I’m a good runner. Laurel’s … not. We were only thinking about Kayla. I needed to get her back here as quickly as possible.”
He frowned. “You’re saying you carried her all the way from the forest to the hospital? What do you weigh? A hundred and ten pounds?”
I glanced away. “I’m strong, and fit. I do a lot of yoga,” I lied. “And anyway, I didn’t carry her all the way here. As soon as I got onto the road, a man in a car stopped and gave us a ride.”
He pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring. “Right. Did you get the name of the man who brought you to the hospital?”
“No, sorry, I didn’t.”
“Hmm, ‘cause we may need to speak with him. Hospital security should have the car on its security tapes.” He turned to Wyman. “Can you check that out?”
The younger detective nodded. “Sure.” And he left the room.
Rockmore turned back to me. “And all this time your friend was still in the forest.”
“Yes. I was hoping she’d have caught up, but she didn’t. I had to leave her. Kayla might have died.”
“You should have stayed together,” he chided. “It’s not safe to be on your own. Especially not out in the middle of the forest.”
“I know, I’m sorry. We just didn’t know what else to do.”
“Next time, you call the police before you even start looking. Got it?”
My cheeks colored. “Got it.”
“Now go and see your friend. We’re going to want to talk with her, too.”
Twisted Magic (The Dhampyre Chronicles Book 2) Page 10