“What are you doing?” Lexi screamed. Mary-Kate’s mom wrapped her fingers around Lexi’s throat, blocking her airway.
“You wench,” Mary-Kate’s mom rasped. “You’ve been hiding from Briar Creek for far too long! How selfish could you be?”
Through her panic, Lexi wondered how Mary-Kate’s mom knew that she and her mom hadn’t visited Briar Creek in years…or why it even mattered to her.
Mary-Kate’s mom pushed Lexi to the ground and stood above her, continuing to choke her. Lexi managed to gurgle, “Help!”
Within seconds, she heard the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs. Just as she bit Lexi’s wrist, Mary-Kate pulled the woman away from her.
“Mom! Stop it!” Mary-Kate scolded her. “Did you forget to take your medication today?”
Gasping for air, Lexi pulled herself off of the floor and stepped out of the room. She hurried down the stairs and opened the front door. Running down the driveway and gripping her wrist which had red welts on it, Lexi glanced behind her – just in time to see the front door swing open and Mary-Kate come running after.
“Lexi, I’m so sorry about that!” Mary-Kate said, out of breath from chasing her. “My mom has schizophrenia. It wasn’t anything personal.”
“It’s okay.” Lexi wasn’t sure what else to say. “She doesn’t have a disease I can catch or anything though, right? She did bite me.”
“Oh, no, you won’t catch it,” Mary-Kate answered, looking down at palms. “She has cancer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lexi said, feeling even sorrier for Mary-Kate. Not only had she lost Austin, but her mom was in bad health, too. “I better get going. Thanks again.”
Mary-Kate gave her a loose hug before turning to go back into the house.
As Lexi began walking home, a thought crossed her mind. Why had she forgotten that Greg Lawrence was married? She knew that he had mentioned that his wife had helped to prepare the basket that he brought over for Tommy and Violet, but she had completely forgotten. Since then, she had been assuming that Mary-Kate’s mom had abandoned them.
If Mayor Lawrence was married, why had he been out on a date with Lexi’s mom the night she passed away?
****
Chapter 18
Lexi was so lost in thought on her way home from Mary-Kate’s house that she nearly stumbled into Dan’s car, which was parked in the driveway. Her pale cheeks reddened as she grew angry. The boy wasn’t very obedient or he would have waited until Lexi called him to hang out, like she said she was going to.
Swinging the front door open, Lexi glanced in the living room to find that no one was there. She could hear her family talking in hushed voices in the dining room. Closing the door quietly behind her, she stood unmoving and listened.
“You have to find a way, Dan,” Tommy said quietly. “We trust you to do this for us.”
“I just don’t think it’s going to happen as quickly as we were hoping,” Dan responded, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“Don’t give up,” Violet whispered loudly. “You have to at least try.”
“I’ve been trying,” Dan mumbled.
“Well try harder,” Tommy growled, slamming his fist down on the table. “You can’t let us down. We’re counting on you. You’re our only hope”
Dan sighed loudly. “I know, I know. You keep telling me that.”
“Then do it,” Violet snapped at him. “It’s the only way and we’re running out of time.”
Their voices fell silent. When Lexi was sure that their conversation about whatever she had just overheard was over, she loudly opened and closed the front door, pretending as though she had just gotten home. Composing herself, she gracefully strode into the dining room.
“Lexi, you’re home! Where have you been?” Violet asked. Lexi did a double take. Her copper hair was tied up in a loose ponytail and she was wearing an apron. Violet never wore aprons when she cooked, but here she was, looking as though she was trying to pull off a June Cleaver type of look, fake smile and all.
“I just went for a walk,” Lexi answered, sitting down and reaching for a breadstick. “It was therapeutic.”
“That was a long walk,” Tommy mumbled.
She shrugged and looked over at Dan, who looked incredibly cute tonight. He was wearing a baby blue button down that made his light blue eyes sparkle even more than they usually did. “What are you doing here?” Lexi asked, trying to make her question sound as polite as she possibly could.
“Violet invited me over for dinner,” Dan answered, smiling. “It was lasagna, so I couldn’t resist, of course. Vi makes the best lasagna in town,” he added, winking at Lexi’s aunt.
Lexi held in the groan that wanted to escape her lips. Of course Violet had invited him over. That also explained why her aunt was wearing an apron – to pretend to be this great, welcoming woman. Her aunt probably had told Dan that they were celebrating how well his date with Lexi had gone.
Lexi wondered what the conversation she had just overheard was about, but she figured that it probably had something to do with her aunt and her uncle forcing her to date Dan. Although, that didn’t explain what Violet had meant when she said that they were running out of time. Unless if her aunt and uncle were thinking the same thing that Lexi was hoping for – things between her and Gabe were going to heat up again once school was back in session because they probably would be seeing each other every day and might even have some classes together.
Lexi pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and glanced at it. She had somehow managed to forget, during her visit with Mary-Kate, that she was still waiting for Gabe to text her back. There was nothing yet.
“I have good news, Lexi,” Aunt Violet said, dishing a perfectly squared portion of lasagna onto her plate. “I found you a job.”
Lexi nearly choked on her breadstick, angry that her aunt hadn’t let her go job hunting on her own. “Where is the job?” She asked.
“At Splish ‘N Splash,” Violet answered, taking a bite of her lasagna. “You’ll be working in the pool room, monitoring the children as they swim.”
“But I’m not a lifeguard,” Lexi protested.
“I know you’re not, but you were on the swim team at your old school. Your job will be to monitor the children while they swim. If someone gets hurt, you’ll call over one of the lifeguards.”
“So, I’m basically a glorified babysitter?” Lexi asked, the anger rising in her voice.
Violet hesitated before forming her lips into the fakest smile Lexi had ever seen. “I guess you can say that. You start tomorrow.”
Lexi shoved a piece of lasagna in her mouth and angrily chewed it. Apparently, no one had told her aunt how much she hated kids.
*
Later that night, Lexi walked Dan to his car. His eyes shimmered, blending in with the stars in the night sky.
“Goodnight, Lexi,” Dan said. “I had a great time…as always.”
She giggled. “I had a good time, too, Dan.”
“Do you want to see me tomorrow? I can pick you up from work,” he suggested.
Before she could answer, a black object swirled inches above her head. Realizing it was a bat, she swatted above her head instinctively and crouched down with her arms covering her head until it flew away. Lexi had never been that close to a bat before. It had almost felt dangerously close.
When Lexi looked back at Dan, an angry expression had taken over his face. “What’s wrong?” She asked.
He shook his head and focused his eyes back on her. “Nothing’s wrong. So, is after work tomorrow good?”
“I guess if you want…” Lexi answered hesitantly, “I don’t know my hours yet though, but I can text them to you when I find out.”
“Sounds good. I’m gonna head out so you can get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow,” Dan said, as he pulled her close to him and brushed his lips against hers. He got in his car and drove away, leaving Lexi in a daze. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but she was starting to
see Dan differently. Lexi thought that she might even be falling for him…at least, a little.
Lexi half-expected to see Gabe at that moment. Glancing across the street, Lexi noticed that his house was dark – all but the light on the front porch. Looking closely, she spotted a bat flying around in circles. Shuddering, she wondered why there were so many bats in Briar Creek. No wonder bats had been her favorite animal when she was a kid living in this town – they were one of the only animals she had seen on a regular basis.
*
The next morning, Lexi was woken up by a loud knocking at her bedroom door. “What?” She groggily asked, rolling over and looking at the time on her cell phone. It was only 7 o’clock.
“Get up, Lexi! It’s time for work,” Aunt Violet announced, sounding way too cheerful for this hour of the morning.
“Okay,” Lexi answered. She pulled herself out of bed and changed into the black swimsuit that Violet had told her to wear the night before. Lexi pulled her blonde hair up into a long, loose ponytail and glanced at herself in the mirror. Realizing that she looked prettier today, she reached for her phone.
I’ll be out of work at 3, she texted Dan.
OK c u then, he automatically responded, surprising her that he was awake at this hour. As she was about to slide her cell phone into her Coach bag, her phone beeped again. She opened a second text from Dan and read, Have a good day.
Before Lexi could thank Dan, her aunt was back in her bedroom, yanking on her arm. “We have to go, Lexi. Hurry up.”
Lexi grabbed a chocolate Pop-Tart on the way out, realizing how bad her diet had become since she had been living in Briar Creek. Her mom never would have let her eat this crap for breakfast – or anytime for that matter – and now it was what she had to live on. Things were so different. Lexi regretted ever getting mad at her mom for not giving her the Briar Creek experience.
When her aunt dropped her off at Splish ‘N Splash, Lexi followed the arrows which pointed to the pool room. She wasn’t looking forward to working with kids. In fact, she was dreading it. Lexi realized that her aunt could have found her a job that was way worse though – like one of those people who picked up squashed animals from the side of the road or someone who flipped fast food burgers all day and came home smelling like grease.
As she stepped into the pool room, the overwhelming smell of chlorine filled her sinuses and reminded her of the beach vacations that she and her mom had taken every year. Lexi headed to the closest lifeguard, a woman with long, blonde hair who appeared to be in her late twenties.
“Are you Lexi?” She asked, smiling down at her from the lifeguard chair. Lexi nodded. “Great! I’m Karla. We’ve been awaiting your arrival.”
Lexi forced a tight smile. Why did everyone talk so damn proper in this town?
“Your aunt told us that you were on the swim team at your old school?” Karla asked.
“Um, yeah, I used to swim,” Lexi answered. She didn’t want to tell Karla that she had quit the swim team after she had been on it for only a few months.
Karla smiled. “That’s great. You may need to jump in the pool sometimes – and you’re welcome to swim with the kids whenever you’d like. You just have to keep an eye out for kids who are doing anything wrong.”
“What do I do if one of the kids is drowning?” Lexi asked, hoping that she wouldn’t have to deal with it. After Austin and her mom dying, she didn’t want to be exposed to yet another death – even if it wasn’t someone who she wasn’t close to.
“If someone looks like they’re struggling, you get me or another one of the lifeguards. Don’t try to perform CPR on your own unless you’re already certified,” Karla replied. Lexi was certified, but she wasn’t about to tell Karla that. Karla seemed to notice that the idea made Lexi feel uneasy and responded, “Don’t worry too much. We’ve never had a drowning in Briar Creek.”
Lexi felt some of the knots inside of her stomach loosen. She hoped that Karla was right, but wondered if it was really going to be that easy. Ever since she had been in Briar Creek, Lexi had found that luck had not been on her side.
Glancing back at the pool, she quickly shoved her whistle back into her mouth. The screeching of the whistle hurt Lexi’s ears, and Karla’s yelling on top of it didn’t help. The little girl she just yelled at stomped away from the pool and sat down on a bench, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Karla looked down at Lexi again and handed her a whistle. “Your station is going to be in between the three and a half foot and four foot section,” she told her, pointing to the other end of the pool. Lexi slipped out of her flip flops and planted herself on the cold cement, dangling her feet in the ice cold water. Looking around, she realized that Splish ‘N Splash must offer daycare services. There were only a few adults in the pool and they seemed to be looking after groups of children. Besides, what reasonable parent would bring their kid to the pool at seven o’clock in the morning on a cloudy day?
A boy and a girl wearing goggles swam in her direction, obnoxiously splashing and kicking the overly chlorinated water at the other kids along the way.
“Hey! You’re new here!” The girl yelled, coming up for air and pointing at Lexi.
Lexi nodded and said unenthusiastically, “Yes, I’m new here.”
“You’re the girl that my mommy always talks about,” the boy said, staring at Lexi through his neon green goggles.
“I don’t think so,” Lexi replied, laughing. “I’m new here. I haven’t met many people in Briar Creek.”
“No, I’m sure it’s you. She has a picture of you,” the boy said confidently.
“I’m sure it’s just someone who looks like me,” Lexi insisted.
The boy shrugged, cocking his head. He and the girl swam away, whispering to each other, before they began splashing again.
“Do you want me to relieve you?” A deep voice asked Lexi. She craned her neck up to see a guy standing above her. The guy, who had dark brown hair and dark eyes, appeared to be about her age. Judging from his red swim trunks and the whistle he wore around his neck, Lexi decided that he was a lifeguard. She had a hard time not staring at his six-pack and large biceps.
“Excuse me?”
“If you want to take a break, I can sit here for a few minutes. I came in an hour early,” the guy said. “I’m Brandon, by the way.”
“I’m Lexi,” she started to answer him.
“I know. We’ve all been waiting for the new girl to start,” he teased, interrupting her.
Raising an eyebrow, she went on to say, “But I’m feeling okay right now. I just got here a little while ago myself. Thanks for offering though.”
“No problem. If you change your mind, just let me know,” he said, winking at her.
Turning back around, Lexi noticed a red haired girl about to dive into the three and a half foot section.
“Hey! You can’t dive in this area!” Lexi yelled at the girl, “You have to use the ladder or jump in feet first.” Instead of diving, the red-headed girl jumped into the pool.
Lexi realized that she was beginning to feel a little bit better about her new job. If most of the kids left her alone and all she had to do was yell at kids for diving into the shallow end, maybe it wouldn’t be that bad after all. Plus, she couldn’t ask for a cuter co-worker than Brandon.
Just thinking about how cute Brandon was made Lexi feel guilty. Lexi was beginning to feel like a slut. She was in love with Gabe, falling for Dan, attracted to the guy Craig who she had met at the college, and thought that Brandon was really, really cute. She was beginning to understand Mary-Kate better – although Lexi knew that she would never date brothers or best friends, even if one of them was dead.
Lexi was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice the teeth that had sunk deep into her leg until she saw her own burgundy blood clouding the chlorinated water.
****
Chapter 19
“Help!” Lexi shrieked, forcefully thrashing her leg to remove the blonde-haire
d child who was tightly gripping it. “Somebody help me!”
Karla rushed over to where Lexi was sitting and jumped into the pool. She detached the boy, who appeared to be about three years old, from Lexi’s leg long enough for her to pull it out of the pool before he attempted to bite her again.
“Noah, what were you doing!?” Karla exclaimed. “You bit Lexi?” The little boy nodded, laughing and bobbing in the water.
“Ow,” Lexi moaned, watching in horror as the blood poured out of her new wound.
“Noah, you’re in time out.”
“Aw, that’s no fair,” he lisped.
“Get out of the pool,” Karla said. “Lexi, come over to my lifeguard chair. I have a First Aid kit.”
Lexi reluctantly followed, feeling the blood droplets cascading down her leg. She sat down on the bench while Karla pulled out her First Aid kit.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Karla said, turning to face Lexi. “Noah is a really hyperactive kid.”
Lexi flinched as Karla wiped off her wound. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
“I’ll have a talk with his parents later,” Karla replied, applying an antibacterial ointment. She reached in the First Aid kit and pulled out a large bandage. “You should keep your leg out of the water for the rest of the day so the bandage stays on.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t planning to put it back in,” Lexi mumbled, examining her newly bandaged leg. It felt like she was getting more wounds in Briar Creek than she had gotten in her entire life. With the exception of scraping her knee up pretty bad once when she and her mom had first moved to New Jersey, Lexi hadn’t been seriously wounded until the night of the carnival.
She shuddered. Just thinking about what had happened in the House of Mirrors made her stomach drop to her ankles. Lexi still wondered if the attack had been random or if someone had really been out to get her, even though not many people in Briar Creek knew who she was. If the attack was intentional, if they really were out to kill her, Lexi would be prepared to fight back next time.
The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death Page 14