Despite what everyone had said about an animal attack, she knew in her gut that something else had happened to Austin. Maybe her mom was right for being paranoid about Lexi in this town. Maybe she should just apologize to her mom and go back to New Jersey without a fight – at least she was safe there.
Gabe glided the Jeep into Aunt Violet’s driveway. Shutting the car off, he turned to Lexi, who smiled at him. “Thanks for bringing me home, Gabe…and for taking care of me tonight.”
“No problem,” he said, brushing her hair away from her face and moving in closer for a kiss.
Lexi tilted her head, allowing his lips to close over hers. She wondered if Gabe could feel her heart pounding through her chest, which was pressed firmly against him. Bracing an arm on the driver’s seat, Lexi pulled herself on top of Gabe, straddling him with her bare legs.
Feeling his hardness through his jeans, she shoved her tongue deep inside his mouth.
Gabe pulled away and trailed kisses down her neck. As he pressed his tongue against her collarbone and nibbled, Lexi felt a warm sensation begin in her neck and work its way down her body. A moan escaped from her throat. No, she thought to herself. Don’t do this.
She pulled away from him and sat back into the passenger seat. “Thanks again. Even though all that happened,” she made a circling motion with her hand, afraid that her voice would falter if she spoke about the attack again. She continued, “I’m glad I got to see you. Thank you for sharing your story with me…It’s nice to know you trust me enough to.”
He nodded. “I do trust you, Lexi.”
She leaned in for a final peck. Gabe kissed her back lightly on her lips. She pulled back once more and wrapped her hand around the door handle. “I’ll see you—”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, interrupting her. “You’re going in now?” He watched Lexi intensely and licked his lips.
She nodded and got out of the car.
“Fine, whatever,” he said sarcastically. “Goodnight.”
Too stressed out from the night to wonder why he was giving her an attitude, she blew him a kiss, slammed the door shut, and made her way to the porch.
****
Chapter 8
“What are you doing here?” Violet exclaimed, jumping up as soon as Lexi walked through the front door.
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”
“No, I just am really surprised to see you here, Lexi,” Violet said, playing with her robin egg blue pearl necklace. “I thought that you would still be out with Dan. It’s still so early.”
Lexi glanced at the big grandfather clock in the hallway. It was 11 o’clock. “Dan ditched me, I think.”
“What do you mean Dan ditched you? He promised me when I talked to him on the phone that he wouldn’t let you out of his sight.”
“Well, he did. Someone attacked me and when I woke up, I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
Violet frowned. “Someone attacked you? Did you see who it was?”
Lexi shook her head. “No, I didn’t see who it was. When I woke up, Gabe was there.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Tommy barked from the couch he was sitting on, muting the TV. “Wherever trouble is, that boy is never far away. I don’t trust him and I’d really like you to stay away from him, Lexi.”
“What type of trouble does he get in? Someone told me he’s just a loner. He drove me home. I would’ve had to walk home in the dark if it weren’t for him.”
“Loner or not, he’s bad news. He beat a kid up pretty bad once.”
Violet nodded in agreement. “I know that he brought you home, and that was nice of him. But he’s not a good guy, Lexi. He also has a new girlfriend over at his house every other week. I’m surprised you haven’t run into one coming or going yet.”
Lexi hadn’t seen any cars at Gabe’s house, but that didn’t mean that her aunt was wrong. Thank goodness she hadn’t gone all the way with him tonight like she had been tempted to. Her initial decision to not have sex with him was right. From now on, Lexi knew that she needed to listen to her gut. If something didn’t feel right to her, it meant that it probably wasn’t.
Lexi started for the stairs before turning around. “Where’s my mom?”
“Oh, she went out to dinner with Mayor Lawrence tonight.” Noting the look of confusion on Lexi’s face, Violet added, “She and Greg dated in high school before your mom met your dad.” Violet wrinkled her nose. “It’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other. We always hoped those two would end up together.”
Lexi was glad Greg and her mom had broken up. She couldn’t imagine what her life would have been like if the mayor had been her father. She hoped that her mom was having a miserable time. The idea of becoming Mary-Kate’s stepsister really freaked her out - especially since she may have been the last one to see Austin alive.
Austin. Lexi realized that she had gotten nowhere in figuring out what had happened to him so far. She had been hoping that Julie would let something about him and Mary-Kate slip, but it hadn’t happened. Lexi couldn’t figure out why Dan hadn’t told her that he knew that Mary-Kate and Austin were dating. Was he trying to hide something? Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Lexi noticed her aunt’s expression change.
“What happened to your forehead?” Violet pointed to her wound.
“I already told you. I was attacked,” Lexi replied, frustrated.
A confused expression took over Violet’s face. “What do you mean by ‘attacked’?” she asked, making air quotes with her fingers.
Lexi lightly pressed her palm against her forehead. “I mean someone threw me into a mirror and stabbed me with the broken pieces of glass.”
“Are you sure you didn’t just bump into the mirror and fall down? Maybe you hit your head too hard, sweetheart. People don’t just get attacked like that in Briar Creek.”
Lexi stared at Violet. Weren’t she and Tommy just talking about how violent Gabe is themselves? Surely he wasn’t the only violent person in this town. Weren’t the scrapes on her forehead enough to prove that something really had happened to her – something more than her just being clumsy? Lexi hadn’t even looked in a mirror yet (in fact, the idea of looking in a mirror freaked her out after what had happened), but she could feel the wounds. They stung against the coolness of the air-conditioned living room, and every time Lexi raised her eyebrows, she could feel one of the deeper cuts slowly tearing back open. It seemed hard to believe that you could do that just by knocking your own head against a mirror.
“Gabe said that people were killed at the carnival last year,” Lexi reminded herself out loud. “People do just get attacked in Briar Creek.”
Violet shook her head. “I didn’t hear about that. Wouldn’t it have been on the news? Besides, Lexi, like we just got done telling you, Gabe is not the most reliable source. He probably made that story up just to scare you.”
“Maybe he gets in trouble and maybe he’s a manwhore, but I don’t think he’s a liar,” Lexi said, turning on her heels. She didn’t want to deal with another argument. Her head was already pounding from her attacker. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Aunt Violet,” she said dismissively.
Once she was in her room, Lexi glanced around, feeling completely bored out of her mind. Maybe it was good that her mom was making her go home. She didn’t even have Austin’s laptop to keep her occupied now.
Lexi hoped that the police were at least making some sort of progress. If she couldn’t figure out who had killed Austin, maybe they would be able to.
Realizing that she hadn’t checked her cell phone since Dan had called a few days before because she’d been so busy trying to figure out the Austin thing, Lexi reached into her Coach handbag.
She had four text messages and two missed phone calls. Both of the calls and three of the texts were from Justin, her ex-boyfriend from home. Deciding that she wanted no contact with him while on her mini-vacation to Briar Creek, she deleted them. The fourth text was from Dan. It read: “Wher
e R U?” The text said it was sent at 10:37 PM. That was way later than when they had been separated at the carnival.
Dan must not have been searching for her too hard if he hadn’t bothered to try texting her right after they got separated, or tried to text her more than once. He obviously wasn’t too worried about her. Feeling angry, Lexi deleted the text.
Glancing around the room, her eyes fell on her duffle bag. The “Private” box that she had stolen off of Austin’s bed was still tucked inside. She remembered that her duffel bag contained not only the box, but also the strange blood vial that was inside of the box.
Shivering, she placed the bag on her bed and unzipped it. Reaching into the box, she pulled out a few photographs and a journal.
She flipped through the photographs. The first picture was of Austin and Mary-Kate at the beach, his freckled arms wrapped around her waist and his chin rested on her shoulder. The next picture was a close-up of Mary-Kate, blowing a kiss. A Polaroid shot was tucked behind it. In this picture, she was blowing a kiss again, but this time, she was topless. Since Lexi had sent nude photos to Justin before, she tried not to pass judgment on Mary-Kate. It was hard though, with what everyone had said about Mary-Kate, and now these pictures on top of it. As much as Lexi wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, she decided that Mary-Kate was probably a slut.
The fourth picture was of Austin playing beer pong at a party with a bunch of guys from the football team. Lexi wasn’t surprised. Austin had been lovingly described as an alcoholic (in better terms, of course) by the majority of his friends at the funeral. Looking closer at the photo, Lexi noticed Mary-Kate in the background. She was kissing someone – someone who wasn’t Austin. Someone who had blonde hair, tan skin and was wearing the same shirt Dan had been wearing earlier tonight at the carnival. That explained why Dan hadn’t told Lexi that Austin and Mary-Kate had been dating for a year; he didn’t want anyone to know that he, too, was involved with Mary-Kate. Lexi glanced at the back of the photo to see if Austin had written the date. It had been taken three months ago. Lexi wondered if Austin knew that Mary-Kate had been cheating on him behind his back (literally, in this case).
Next, she began to flip through the journal. On the first page, Austin had written: Mary-Kate needs to back off. I love her, but I’m never going to do what she’s trying to get me to do. I don’t want to be like them. I’d rather leave Briar Creek…forever.
At the bottom of the journal, Austin had written six numbers: 817137. As Lexi tried to figure out what they could stand for, the bedroom door slammed open against the wall.
She froze. Aunt Violet looked upset. Stuffing the journal underneath her shirt, she stammered, “Violet, I can explain—”
****
Chapter 9
“Lexi, your mom is in the hospital. We have to go.”
Dropping the journal and pictures to the floor, Lexi grabbed her Coach bag and ran after her aunt.
“What happened to my mom?” Lexi asked once they were in the car.
“I don’t know yet. Greg called me and told me that she collapsed at the restaurant while they were eating dinner and he brought her to Briar Creek Medical Center.”
Lexi never prayed, but she made an exception tonight and silently begged God, and any other higher power, to let her mom be okay. She tried to stay optimistic, but she couldn’t control the unsettling feeling in her stomach.
Once they were in the lobby of the hospital, Lexi felt a few pairs of eyes on her. She realized they were all staring at her wounds. Feeling like a freak show, Lexi tried, unsuccessfully, to cover the cuts on her forehead with her hair. She groaned inwardly when she remembered that she hadn’t showered yet that night. Her blonde hair was still streaked with dried blood from her attack.
“We’re here to see Eileen Hunter,” Aunt Violet said to the young blonde woman working at the front desk. The woman’s blank expression made Lexi’s heart pound faster in her chest.
“Are you immediate family?”
“Yes. I’m her sister and this is her daughter,” Violet said, wrapping one arm around Lexi’s shoulders.
“I’ll send a doctor out to speak with you,” the woman said.
Sitting in a chair, Lexi looked at her yellow beaded flip flops. Her mom had never had any medical problems that Lexi had known of. The only time Lexi could remember her mom going to the hospital was once when she had gotten stung by a jellyfish at Seaside Heights when Lexi was a kid. Hospitals made her nervous.
Just as Violet sat down in a chair next to Lexi, a tall gray-haired doctor stood in front of them. “Are you the family of Eileen Hunter?”
Lexi and her aunt both nodded and stood up to meet him. “I think it’s best if you both sit back down,” he said, solemnly looking at them with hollow eyes. His eyes were so dark, they were almost black.
Lexi’s knees gave out and she dropped back into the chair, knowing what would come next. “Eileen passed away a few moments ago. We’re not sure what happened yet, so we are going to have an autopsy done on Monday. We’ll call you once we have the results. My deepest condolences to you both.”
Lexi felt her stomach fall. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. How could her mom be dead? She had just seen her a few hours ago. They had gotten into an argument and she wished she could take it back. One of the last things she had said to her mom was that she hated her. Lexi would never forgive herself for all of the mean things that she had said to her. She glanced at Violet and watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Well, let’s go home,” Violet said, brushing a lone tear away, and quickly regaining her composure. That was when Lexi realized that Aunt Violet and Uncle Tommy’s house was her new home. She had nowhere else to go.
Lexi stood up and felt her feet take over, as she began running. She didn’t know where she was going, but she wasn’t ready to leave her mom yet. Rounding the corner, she found herself pushing the charcoal colored door to the ladies’ room open. Grasping the sink, she felt the bile rise up her esophagus and her saliva start to accumulate in her mouth. She opened her mouth and released its contents into the sink.
A bathroom stall door swung open, and a tall brunette came out. Glancing at the girl’s reflection through the mirror, Lexi recognized her immediately.
It was Mary-Kate, who asked her, “Do you want gum?”
“Yes, please.” Lexi inspected her own ghost-white reflection in the mirror, shocked to find that there wasn’t a wound on her neck. As sharp as the weapon was, it was bound to have left a mark. Yet, looking closer, she saw that there wasn’t a single scratch on her neck.
“Are you okay?” Mary-Kate asked, handing her a piece of watermelon flavored gum.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that. I just found out that my mom died.”
“Don’t be sorry. I understand. My mom died too when I was younger,” Mary-Kate said sympathetically.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lexi responded. She had always felt sorry for friends when she learned that her parents had died. Now, she really knew what the feeling was like.
“What happened to your mom, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She realized that Mary-Kate still didn’t know that Lexi knew who she was, so she couldn’t tell her that her mom had been on a date with Mary-Kate’s dad. Choosing her words carefully, she said, “She went on a date with the mayor. All I know is that she collapsed at the dinner table.”
A strange expression crossed Mary-Kate’s face, but Lexi wasn’t sure what it was. “I’m the Mayor’s daughter. That’s why I’m here. I didn’t realize that Eileen was your mom. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you,” Lexi tried to give a small smile, failing miserably. She started to move towards the door. “Well, I better get back to my aunt. She’s probably worried about me. I sort of just ran in here when we got the news.”
“Send her my condolences,” Mary-Kate said. “And, Lexi, if you ever need to talk, I’m always here.”
“Thanks.” Lexi closed the door behind
her and headed back to her aunt.
*
Lexi tossed and turned all night before finally crying herself to sleep. At some point during her slumber, she dreamt about her mom. In the dream, Lexi had felt a strong gust of wind blowing her long blonde hair across her face. It was cold and she looked up to see her mom hovering above her. Their faces were only a few inches apart. Her mom was crying and when she blinked, she dropped a silver, glittery tear onto Lexi’s face.
“Lexi, you have to come with me! You’re not safe here!” Her mom had shouted at her, her voice echoing throughout the room. Lexi tried to go with her, but she felt as if her entire body was cemented into place.
“How come I’m not safe?” Lexi asked, frightened.
“Everything is not as it seems. You have to be careful.”
“What’s not as it seems?” She asked sleepily, but her mom had evaporated into thin air before Lexi had even finished asking her question.
Lexi was devastated when she woke up the next morning, realizing that it had only been a dream. She felt empty, as if she had been given a million dollars, only to have it taken away a moment after. It was hard enough for Lexi to deal with her mom being gone; why did she have to see her again if she wasn’t really there? It was as if her mind was trying to rub her guilt into her face.
Lexi strolled downstairs for breakfast, even though she didn’t feel like eating anything. As she sat down in her seat at the round kitchen table, Violet tossed the morning newspaper in front of her and sat down.
Leaning over, Lexi read the headline: Girl brutally murdered at Briar Creek 50th Annual Carnival.
From across the table, Tommy looked at her, accusingly. “Lexi, it’s pretty sick that you would pretend to be the one who was attacked, when really it was that girl,” he said, pointing at the newspaper.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t ‘pretend’ anything!” Lexi shouted, looking back and forth between her aunt and uncle. She couldn’t believe that they could accuse her of something like this when she had the marks to prove it. Well...some of the marks. Lexi still couldn’t figure out what had happened to her neck wound.
The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death Page 7