by A. E. Davis
“What’s wrong?” my voice came out all screechy.
Ken exhaled and rubbed his brow. “I didn’t know how I was going to tell you this, but since you already know...”he trailed off and shot my mom another weird look.
“Know what?”
“Didn’t Clarke tell you?” Ken’s pencil was poised about to jot something down.
“He said she was back but that she wasn’t doing too good. I didn’t know what he meant though.”
“Were you two close?” Ken asked.
“Who?”
“You and Sandy?” Mom asked, looking frazzled.
“No. I only met her a few times.”
Ken jotted something else down.
My knees felt weak and I grabbed the sofa for support. “Would someone please tell me what is going on? You’re freaking me out.”
“She passed, honey.”
“Passed what?”
“Passed away.”
“To where?” For some reason I wasn’t getting what they were saying.
Mom blinked a few times.
Ken cleared his throat. “She’s dead.”
I felt like my heart skipped an entire beat. Or maybe it even stopped. Luckily, I was holding onto the couch because if I wasn’t I was sure I would have fallen to the floor. “How?” It was the only word I could get out.
“It’s difficult to say.”
“I don’t understand.” And I didn’t. What was difficult? “I don’t understand,” I repeated.
“Amber, why don’t you sit down?”
“Yeah, honey. Come sit next to your momma.” She patted the cushion beside her.
I didn’t know what was worse. Finding out that Sandy was dead or that my mom just said come sit next to your momma, like I was ten again. A hysterical bubble of laughter slipped out and I covered my mouth, appalled I had even laughed.
“I’ve seen this before,” Ken was saying to Mom.
He sounded like he was miles away.
Mom nodded her head and said something but I couldn’t hear what. Her lips were moving but nothing was coming out. My head pounded and I felt like I had ice in my veins. I was so cold, my teeth started to chatter.
“Eileen put the blanket around her,” Ken yelled from some distant place that I could no longer see. “She’s going into shock.”
That was the last thing I heard before everything turned black.
twenty nine
Something wet hit my face and brought me back from the darkness. I spluttered, opening my eyes. Four eyes stared back at me. “Ahhhhhhhhh,” I screamed and scrambled backward.
Two hands grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. A hand petted my hair, pressing my face against something warm and soft. “Shhh, it’s all right,” I heard Mom saying, her chest vibrating under my head.
I pulled back and looked at her. Ken was leaning over her shoulder holding my water bottle in his hand that was now empty. Now, I knew how I got wet but I still couldn’t seem to recall, why I was wet. “Ken, what are you doing?”
“You see me?” His brows creased with concern.
“Yeah,” I said, stating the obvious. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Thank goodness,” he said and swiped his hand over his face. It was shaking.
“You went into shock.” Mom petted my hair again. I felt like a dog.
“Stop,” I said, pushing her hand back.
She stopped but I could tell she was about to grab me again.
Pushing my wet hair from my face, I looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except Mom and Ken’s expressions, both directed at me. I didn’t get it.
“Why am I wet?”
“Ken, poured water on you,” Mom said.
“I gathered that,” I said staring pointedly at my empty water bottle. “But why?”
“You were going into shock,” Ken explained, now using his fatherly voice.
I rubbed my head. “Why would I do that…?” I wondered out loud and then in a rush, it all came back. “Oh…”
“You feel better now,” Ken asked.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Sweetheart, come sit on the couch.”
I crawled up from the floor with the help of Ken and sat down. “What happened?”
“You went into shock and then passed out. Luckily Ken has experience with this sort of thing and knew what to do.”
I looked up at Ken. His face was pale. “Thanks, Ken.”
“No problem.” He reached forward and ruffled my hair.
“You had me so worried,” Mom gushed, her hysteria held in check by a thread.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that. I didn’t even know her that well.”
“You have been under a lot of stress lately, what with the incident with Jason and Kirk and now finding out one of your friends is dead. It all caught up with you,” Ken said calmly.
“Will it happen again?”
Ken shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Good grief, you must think I’m crazy.” I rubbed my forehead.
“Not at all,” Ken assured me. “You’ve had to process a lot lately. It’s perfectly understandable.”
I felt parched suddenly, like I was dying of thirst. “Can I have some water?”
“Sure, sweetheart.” Mom jumped from the couch and ran into the kitchen just as I hoped she would.
“What happened to her, Ken?”
He looked cautiously towards the kitchen, and then back to me. “She was attacked. They found her in the woods but she had lost a lot of blood. We hoped she was recovering but…” He shook his head, and a pained look crossed his face. “It’s such a damn shame.”
My heart sped up. I never heard Ken swear before.
He seemed genuinely upset, which made me instantly wonder why. Did he know her or something? “Did you know her, personally, I mean?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I was hoping she would give us some answers as to what happened to her, but before the Deputies could question her, she …” he stopped in mid-sentence. “You know the rest.”
“Poor Clarke,” I said.
“Who’s Clarke?” His brow creased.
“He’s her brother.” I rubbed my head. Didn’t I already tell him that?
“Oh, right.” He pulled back out his notebook and jotted something down. “Did you know if she was seeing anyone?”
Ice ran through my veins. “Um, I don’t know.” And I didn’t, not really. But Viktor and Vincent’s names had come up. Not only mentioned from Clarke but also from Crazy Kirk.
“Well if you hear of anything…”
“Sure. Of course.” God, why was I lying?
“Are you sure you feel better, now?” Ken gave me a worried look.
“Yeah, totally.” Fine. That was a lie too. I was still really freaked out but I didn’t want him to worry.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” Mom said rushing into the room with a big glass of water with my red and white straw stuck inside that she used whenever I was sick.
I took the glass, sucked down most of the water and then handed it back to her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem.” She set the glass on the coffee table and sat down again.
“Do you think it was Kirk?”
Ken shook his head. “We just don’t know.”
“What about Jason? He’s home now. Could he have done it?”
“I checked that out. He hasn’t left his house.”
“Well, maybe he talked to Kirk and…,”
“I doubt that.” He shook his head. “We would have known.”
“But how, though?”
“We’re monitoring his calls.” As soon as he said that, he got a freaked look on his face like he told me something he shouldn’t have.
“I won’t say anything,” I assured him, sensing his distress
“Make sure you don’t,” he said and then sighed. “Sorry. I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“It’s okay. I promise your secret i
s safe with me.” I lifted my fingers and made a zipping motion.
Ken grinned and then turned serious once more. “Are you sure you are all right?”
“Totally. I don’t even know where that came from. I don’t know her, not really.” I realized what I said and felt horrible. “Not that I don’t care, mind you…it’s sad. Really sad.”
“It’s okay, Amber. I understand.”
Mom stifled a yawn.
“It’s late. I should get to bed.”
Ken gave me another one of his fatherly concerned looks and I immediately felt like I needed to reassure him again. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Let me know if you hear anything, all right?”
“I will.” I stood and grabbed my water off the table. “Thanks again, Mom.”
“I’m just glad you are feeling better.” She smiled at me, but I could tell she was only doing it for my benefit.
“Me too.” I gave her a half-hearted smile back and made my way from the room.
“Amber,” Ken called.
I turned back around. “Yeah?”
“Let me know if you hear anything.”
“Yeah, sure, of course.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” I told them both and headed to my room. Once I got inside, I changed into my pajamas and climbed in bed. Pulling my bear into my arms, I closed my eyes and cried myself to sleep.
thirty
The following morning when I went downstairs, Mom was awake and waiting for me in the kitchen. She told me she wanted me to stay home from school, but I couldn’t. I knew if I did, I would do nothing but relive what Ken had told me about Sandy over and over again. And I wanted to put it as far out of my mind as possible. And even though I didn’t admit it to myself, I wanted to see Vincent and Viktor both, to see if they heard anything. I hadn’t forgotten what Clarke said about “my boy” going to see Sandy and couldn’t help wondering who was he even talking about? Could it be Viktor or was it Vincent? Or was Clarke just crazy? I was betting on crazy with a capital C.
When I stepped outside, the weather matched my mood perfectly—it was another dreary gloomy day. I drove slowly to school, past the Timber Museum and glanced in the parking lot. I kept envisioning the night I was there with Jason and what had happened. I stepped on the gas and sped by.
Once I was clear, I let out a huge breath. Irritated at where my thoughts kept going, I turned on the stereo. Elvis blasted through the speakers and I hummed along just so my mind would stop thinking so many terrible things.
Pulling into school, I swung into my normal parking space, which was thankfully empty and turned off the car. I checked the time. I was early again. Hunkering down in my seat, I pulled out my book to kill some time before the warning bell rang. Rain splattered down from the skies against my windshield. I shut my eyes, listening to the lulling sound.
A loud earsplitting scream startled me out of my stupor. Heart pounding, my eyes flew open and I looked around but had no idea where the sound had come from. Fumbling with my glove box, I grabbed my pepper spray.
My passenger door flew open and in popped a wet head. Green smiling eyes greeted me.
“Oh. My. God. Would you stop doing that! You’re going to give me heart failure.”
Vincent shook the water off his hair as he climbed inside and shut the door. “Sorry,” he said and glanced down at my pepper spray still firmly grasped in my hand. “What’s that for?”
“You, if you keep scaring me,” I grumbled.
“Such hostility,” he mocked. “And here I thought we were becoming buddies, again.” He lifted his brows up and down.
“Oh, stop.” I smiled feeling immeasurably better than I had all morning and then immediately felt terrible for doing it. I shouldn’t be happy. Not at a time like this. Not when Sandy was dead.
“What’s wrong?” His brows creased with concern. “Come on, Tiger, I was just playing.”
“I know, it’s just…” I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was doing so well but with Vincent looking at me with such concern, tears stung my eyes again.
“What?” He leaned forward and grabbed my icy fingers in his warm ones. “Come here,” he said and pulled me over towards him.
I didn’t even think about what I was doing. I laid my head against his chest as his arms wound tightly around me. “There, there,” he said, stroking his hand over my hair, down my back. “It’s going to be all right,” he soothed.
It was nice, him holding me. My tears still came, sliding down my face, wetting his super hero t-shirt, but I didn’t want to move.
The rain came down harder, pounding against the car, closing us in our own little world once more.
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in his arms, but in the distance I could hear the bell ringing over the pounding rain and lifted my head. His eyes were full of such concern for me, I felt like crying all over again. Sniffing back my tears, I wiped my eyes.
“Here,” he said and lifted his hands to my face, cradling it as his thumbs slid under my eyes and swept my tears gently away. “Better?”
I nodded. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him and moved back to my seat. “We’re going to be late.”
“I don’t care,” he said fiercely…protectively. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It’s stupid…well not stupid but…”
“You aren’t making any sense.” His brows pulled together.
“I know. I can’t seem to help myself.” I turned my head.
He reached out and gently placed his finger under my chin and turned my face back so I was facing him once more.
“Tell me…” he coaxed.
“It’s just…” I sniffed and tried again. “I heard about Sandy and can’t seem to stop crying.”
His expression registered his shock and his brows creased more. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you know?”
“Not following,” he said and shifted in the seat so he was facing me more.
“Sandy, the girl from Thriftway…she’s…she’s dead.”
His face turned from concern to something else…something I didn’t understand. “What are you saying?”
“I just told you. Sandy is dead.”
“Sandy is dead?” he repeated, so low I wouldn’t have heard if I wasn’t looking at him.
I nodded.
A pained expression crossed his face. He turned his head and looked out the window.
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I thought you knew.” His body tensed under my hand.
“I didn’t.” His voice came out chillingly calm.
I pulled my hand away. “I…”
He turned abruptly and what I saw in his eyes made me shiver, not with dread, but with deep sadness. “Oh, Vincent,” I said, feeling his pain—it was palpable. “I am so sorry…”
“Are you?” His eyes flashed menacingly. “Yeah, right,” he scoffed his voice full of derision and anger, at me, the messenger.
Before I could say another word he jumped from my car and slammed the door in my face. “Vincent…wait…” I struggled with my door, trying to get out. When I finally managed to get out of my car, he was already gone.
Mechanically, I climbed back in my car and drove away from school. I had no idea where I was going, I just needed to get away—gather my thoughts. I drove aimlessly for a while or at least I thought I was until passed the “No Vampire’s Allowed” sign heading into La Push. A few boys stood at the gas station, standing under an overhang across the street, talking. As I passed, they all turned to watch me. Ignoring them, I kept going until I saw a sign for First Beach. I followed the road to the end and parked. It was still raining but not as hard. Pulling my hoodie up, I climbed from my car and after locking it, I followed the path to the beach.
Making my way over the rocks and debris I walked to the water’s edge and shoved my hands in my pockets, watching the tumultuous wave’s crash against the beach. A spray of water hit me in the face
as another large wave crashed and the smell of brine filled the air. Inhaling deeply, I took a few calming breaths trying to get my rampant emotions in check. I knew Mom would freak if she found out I skipped out on school, but after seeing Vincent and his reaction from hearing about Sandy, I just couldn’t bring myself to go inside.
I didn’t know why I was so upset about Sandy. Maybe it was everything finally catching up to me with Viktor and Vincent and what happened with Jason and Kirk. I just didn’t know. Everything was so confusing, here.
Turning, I walked back up the beach a short way’s to a large rock, the one I had sat on with Lucky. It seemed ages now, since that night, almost like a lifetime ago.
Pulling my jacket down over my bottom, I sat on the rock and stared out at the black blob that Lucky had said was Jacob’s island. Waves continued to crash turning into white foam as it slid to the beach --the water looked gray and angry—matching my mood. I wasn’t sure why I was angry but it was better than the alternative, I supposed.
“Hey.”
Startled, I turned. Lucky was standing behind me with his hands tucked into his pockets. The wind whipped his dark hair back, like an inky wave.
“Hey,” I said and turned back towards the ocean.
“You want some company?”
“Sure, why not.” I moved over to make room for him.
He sat down next to me. “Something bothering you?”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Well, you are sitting on a rock, out in the rain, staring out at the ocean. So my best guess would be, yes.”
“Brilliant deduction Sherlock,” I said smartly and then immediately felt like a “b.” “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, I asked.” He shrugged. “It was a stupid question.”
“Yeah, but it was true…so…”
“I didn’t think I would see you again.”
I turned. “Why’s that?”
“The way you left before, you seemed mad.”
“Yeah, well, I was, but not anymore.”
“Did something change your mind?” he asked, his dark brow lifting with some unsaid innuendo in his expression.
“A lot has happened,” I told him honestly.