by Bella King
“Are you sure that Grace didn’t have something to do with Kimberly’s disappearance?” I asked.
“I doubt it,” Travis said, “I thought that she might, but when I questioned her, she didn’t seem to know a whole lot. Now that she’s missing, I don’t think she could be behind this. If she knew something, we’ll never know what it was, unless she’s still alive.”
I paused. “But we don’t know if Grace is dead or not, right? I mean, she’s the only person that I can think of that would have any reason to kill Kimberly.”
“Why would she do that?” Travis asked, clearly confused.
“My god, you’re dense,” I said, shaking my head. “For someone who brags about how women are so obsessed with you, you seem to have a very hard time reading if they are or not.”
“I know she liked me, Alice,” Travis replied, getting annoyed.
“She was obsessed with you, Travis. I talked to her on my lunch break one time. It was the day you thought it was appropriate to shove me into the dirt. Remember?”
Travis nodded slowly.
“Yeah, well she told me that she would have you someday. She’s crazy about you. Now, whether or not she was crazy enough to kill Kimberly, that remains to be seen, but she is crazy. If she would slash tires for you, there’s no telling what else she would do.”
“Slashing tires is very different from murder,” Travis reasoned.
“Well, it’s the only thing I can think of. I don’t have all the pieces to this puzzle,” I replied.
Travis gripped the wheel of his car a little tighter. “We might have them very soon.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
I didn’t like the look in Travis’s eyes as he glanced over at me. It wasn’t a nice look, or one that suggested that he might try to kiss me again. It was a heartless gaze, like he was about to throw me under the bus like he did to Grace.
Travis smirked. “We’re going to need to search for Kimberly. You’re going to help me.”
“I don’t want to get into this bullshit, Travis. I told you,” I said, crossing my arms.
“And I told you that someone is out to get you and it’s too late for you to say no. It’s not a choice. I’m telling you what to do,” Travis said, his voice growing louder.
I could tell that he was very close to losing control again. He had gotten so worked up about Kimberly that he would do anything to uncover the truth, even if it meant putting other people in danger. Hell, three students had been killed, two buildings burned down, and Grace was missing. I was already in grave danger because of Travis.
I could see I didn’t have much of a choice, though. Travis was a bully, and I suspected that if I tried to defy him, my life would only get harder. There was no way to prove that he wasn’t behind this whole thing, the puppet master pulling my string to make me dance for him. He was already manipulating me, but had this been the same game he had played to lure Kimberly to her death three years ago, or was he just really into me?
There was no way for me to know, but even after Travis’s story, I didn’t fully believe that he wasn’t the killer all along. It could have been Grace, but now I was starting to doubt it. Travis was the one that seemed especially unhinged, and violence was nothing new to him. He experienced it at home all the time. There’s no telling how many screws were loose in his head.
“I’ll help you, Travis, but you need to be nicer to me. I don’t like the way you’re always yanking me around and forcing me to do stuff,” I said, finally.
Travis chuckled. “You don’t have a choice in helping me. I might be nice if you cooperate though.”
I groaned. “Okay, but can you at least tell me where we’re going?”
“Nowhere. I’m going to take you back to your place. We’ll meet tomorrow at school, and I’ll let you know what you need to do.”
“Why can’t you do this by yourself? Why do you need me?” I asked.
“We need to find Kimberly’s body. I’m almost certain now that it’s hidden in the school somewhere. The night that she disappeared, there was a lot of construction going on. She could have been buried there.” he explained. “If I went digging through the school walls my dad would literally beat me until I couldn’t walk. It would ruin his standing at Crimson High. But see, that’s where you come in. You have a nice family, a nice life. It wouldn’t kill you to get expelled. But if you’re careful, you won’t.”
I could see how Travis was using me, just like he had used everyone in his life. He had used Grace to gain information about people without them knowing, and now he was using me to explore one of his crazy theories about Kimberly.
We pulled up at my house, and Travis looked over at me. “See you tomorrow, Alice.”
I hopped out of his car without replying and went back to my house. I hated Travis, but I had little choice but to obey him. I knew too much already, and that already put me in danger.
Chapter 15
The following Monday was not like the others. The school was quiet and gloomy, the weight of the student deaths over the weekend still lingering in everyone’s minds. There wasn’t much joking and laughing, and even Amy was in a poor mood.
“Why did it have to be Kain?” Amy grumbled, slamming her locker shut. “He was perfect.”
I patted Amy on the back. “We’re going to get through this year at Crimson High, and after this it’ll all be smooth sailing. We’re leaving this awful place behind.”
Amy sniffled and nodded. “You’re right, but I’ll miss you.”
“Hey, I won’t be far. Maybe we’ll get into the same university,” I suggested.
Amy perked up. “That would be dope.”
I laughed weakly. “That would be.”
Amy smiled at me, and I spotted Travis out of the corner of my eye. My face changed from a gentle smile to dead serious, and Amy noticed. She turned to see Travis walking straight toward us.
“So, you’re still involved with Travis, huh?” Amy said.
I sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Travis stepped up to Amy and held out his hand. “I don’t think we’ve formally met.”
Amy shook his hand. “I’m Amy, Alice’s best friend.”
Travis nodded seriously. “I’m sorry about Kain. He was a good friend.”
Amy nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. “Thank you.”
“Alright, enough with the pleasantries. What’s up, Travis?” I interrupted before Amy could start crying again.
Travis turned to me. “Let’s talk somewhere private.”
Amy grinned through tears. “I guess I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone then,” she said, slipping away from the lockers and disappearing into the crowd of students in the hallway.
I had spent the majority of my Sunday coming to terms with the fact that I was going to be spending a lot more time with Travis. While it was a source of severe anxiety, I also couldn’t help but to feel some excitement at the thought of exploring the disappearance of Kimberly.
Travis looked sharp today, dressed in black trousers and a tucked-in black formal shirt. He looked almost like a vampire with his jet-black hair and eyes to match. There was something very sexy about him on this particular day, but I would never admit that to him.
He leaned over me, a serious look on his face as usual. His scent entered my nose once again. The fresh oak and deep masculinity were enough to make me feel uncomfortably aroused without him even saying a word. I had been thinking a lot about the night he had touched me and why I had let it happen.
Travis squinted at me, noticing how I was reacting to him being up close again. “You don’t seem terribly afraid of me anymore. Perhaps I should fix that.”
I snapped out of it. “No, I think you’ve done enough to make life a living hell. Let’s get this over with, shall we?” I said sharply, twirling the padlock wheel on my locker to lock it.
Travis nodded. “There’s a room up on the second floor that was closed down during the construction I mentioned yes
terday. They never opened it back up, so it’s always empty. I sometimes go up there to think.”
I had never heard of this room, but I guess I wouldn’t have if Travis was the only one that went there. I followed him as he led me through the halls. I would be skipping at least one class today to talk with him again. So much for getting good grades this year.
Travis led me down a hall that the students called “the sex hall” because seniors would often go there to have sex. It didn’t lead anywhere, so there were rarely teachers around. At least, I didn’t think it led anywhere, but Travis seemed to know differently.
“This way,” He said, ducking under some caution tape and squeezing through some boards blocking a doorway.
I followed him, trying not to get my hair or clothes caught in all the nails that were sticking out of the boarded-up door. This place was a death trap, which made me wonder if that’s exactly what Travis had in mind by leading me here alone with him.
I paused for a second, halfway through the door.
“Hurry up before someone sees you, Alice,” Travis called out in a loud whisper.
I went the rest of the way through and entered into an abandoned classroom. There were a few old desks and some graffiti in there, but little else to note.
“We can talk here. No cameras,” Travis explained, sitting down at one of the desks.
I sat down in the one beside him, looking around the room while he spoke.
“So, you can’t go around breaking through cement during the day, so that’s why we need to come here this weekend and blow up the basketball court,” Travis explained coolly.
“What?!” I exclaimed. Travis had gotten my attention with that one.
“The basketball court. The outdoor one, of course. The one indoors has been there for way longer than three years,” Travis said casually.
“You want to blow up the basketball court?” I asked, amazed that he would suggest something so drastic. I thought for certain that he would make me pull up some tiles or something, but nothing so drastic. What he was suggesting would do far worse than get me expelled. I would be sent to jail for something like that.
Travis nodded like all of this was perfectly logical. “It’s cement, which was poured the day that Kimberly went missing. It’s entirely possible that someone hid her body in that cement.”
“And how would we blow up the basketball court without getting caught,” I asked, humoring his ridiculousness.
“Well, for one, you’re going to be the one doing it, not both of us. Secondly, you’ll do it at night, and I’ll supply you with the explosives,” Travis explained.
“Do you realize how crazy that sounds?” I said, waving my hands around over my head. “Where in the world would you get explosives from anyway?”
“I’ve been snatching them from the coal mines located in the mountains just north of the Brier residence. They don’t keep very good watch over that place at night, and they leave a lot of equipment out. I would say it’s a severe liability, but it’s benefited me thus far so I can’t complain,” Travis said.
Jesus Christ, this man was off his rocker. It seemed like he had been planning this for a while, and that meeting me was no coincidence. He clearly needed someone to do his dirty work for him, and I was just a pawn in his chess match.
I crossed my arms. “If I get in trouble, I’m literally going to kill you Travis. I hope you know that.”
Travis chuckled. “I’m almost certain that Kimberly is under that court. The plan will go into action soon. There is a group that plays basketball out there most weekends, but they’ll be gone on vacation later this month.”
“You seem to know a lot about what’s going on around the school,” I commented.
“Oh yes, I make a point to know everything. It’s the only way I can uncover shit without getting in trouble. Getting in trouble means more beatings, and to be honest, I’m pretty sick of that shit,” Travis said, staring off into space as he said it.
I understood where he was coming from, and part of me admired him for how hard he was working in the background without anyone knowing. He was a clever guy who would clearly go far in life if he got his anger issues under control. I felt oddly comfortable around him in this instance, making plans to blow up part of the school.
“So, we have some time before we execute our plan,” Travis said, getting up from his seat and walking up to me.
I leaned back, looking up at him. His eyes glistened with mischief as he stared down at me, and for a second I forgot how terrible he had been to me since I started at Crimson High.
“The school dance is this Friday. Would you like to go with me?” Travis asked out of the blue.
“Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised. I didn’t expect him to suggest that I go to the school dance with him right before we did something crazy, but I guess it would help to stay routine instead of arousing suspicion.
Travis grinned at me. “I’m not that bad of a dancer,” he said.
I knew that I had pushed him away twice now, but he wasn’t giving up on the romantic aspect of our relationship. I didn’t want to be his girlfriend or anything, but I was his partner in crime now.
I sighed. “I’ll consider it.”
Travis shrugged. “If you don’t someone else will,” he said, trying to brush off my reluctance to go with him.
“I didn’t say no yet,” I replied.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Then say yes, or I’ll find someone else.”
“Fine, okay. I’ll go,” I huffed.
“Great, I’ll see you later then,” Travis responded, ducking through the boarded-up door and leaving me alone in the abandoned classroom to process everything he had piled on top me.
It seemed like every time I encountered Travis, he would leave me with a ton of new information. I never got a break with him. Maybe the dance would be a chance for us to just get to know each other normally. We could forget about all this murder bullshit for a night and just be normal high schooler adults again.
Chapter 16
Amy’s eyes practically popped out of her head when I told her the news. “You’re going to the dance with Travis?” She squealed.
I was already regretting my decision. “Yes, yes, don’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, but they’re all going to know. Fuck, half the senior girls in the school are going to hate you. They love him,” Amy blurted.
I shrugged. “Well, I don’t. I only agreed to go with him because he won’t stop bugging me. He’s, like, constantly trying to get in my pants.”
“Oh my gosh, really? That’s great! I knew you would finally loosen up and have some fun. Let me tell you, being a virgin isn’t that great,” Amy said excitedly.
“Wow, Amy. I’m not going to fuck Travis,” I said, knowing full well that Travis might actually try to get me to.
Amy giggled. “I bet you will. He kind of looks like a vampire. Super sexy.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said with a chuckle.
“That he looks sexy? Om my gosh, Alice. You’re going to fuck him,” Amy said, bouncing up and down.
“God, that’s not what I meant. I meant he looks like a vampire. Now shush about the whole sex thing with Travis. He’s got ears everywhere, and if he thinks I want to fuck him he’s going to try to.”
Amy raised her eyebrows at me rapidly. “This bitch is about to get laid,” she said, pointing a finger at me.
I rolled my eyes. “Enough.”
Amy pouted. “Fine, but let me help you get ready for the dance. You have to wear something super cute.”
“Alright,” I said, giving in a little. I did want to look nice at the dance, just not specifically for Travis. If he also enjoyed the way I looked, so be it.
Amy clapped her hands together. “Let’s hit the mall after school.”
“Okay,” I said, relieved that I would finally be doing something normal after school instead of being interrogated by the police or kidnapped by Travis. The mall was
a perfectly normal after-school activity that couldn’t possibly get me into trouble. Plus, it had been a while since I had done something nice for myself. I needed it after all this drama.
“I already skipped one class today, what say you we ditch this shithole and leave early,” I said.
A goofy smile spread across Amy’s face. “Let’s do it.”
Amy and I slunk out of Crimson High an hour before the final bell rang, feeling free as the leaves that disconnected from the trees and rolled down the road now that Autumn had arrived. The end of summer was always bittersweet to me, because it meant that I could no longer spend long days doing nothing in the sun, but it also meant Halloween and pumpkin spice were around the corner. I was a huge fan of the holidays.
Our town had turned into a glorious orange and gold wonderland, the stiff breeze hinting of colder months to come. For now, it was still warm, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. I always found it funny that I found so much comfort in autumn, when it is the season of death and decay. It’s a ritual dance in which the plants wither away and the flowers drop, rotting into the ground to feed the next generation of life that arrives in the spring.
I wondered what had happened to all the students that had passed away. Was Grace also somewhere in the ground, decomposing while Amy and I walked to the mall? Kain and the other students that had died in the fire were already well on their way back into the earth, their ashes blown into the wind and scattered across the town.
I imagined them in the air that we breathed. We couldn’t get away from death at Crimson High. It followed us and became a part of who we were. I couldn’t run form that, nor could I run from anything else that had presented itself to me in the past few weeks. Travis was a permanent part of my senior year, and Kimberly was too, living or dead.