“Huh. I wonder what it could have been,” Justin pondered.
“Me too,” Lexi said, sighing. “I just have a bad feeling about whatever happened.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about it too much anymore, since you’ll be coming home soon.”
“I guess.” Lexi decided that she wouldn’t kill the mood by telling him that home wasn’t going to be the same. Sure, it would be better than living in Briar Creek. She’d do anything to get away from Violet. It wouldn’t feel like home without her mom there, though. Pulling herself to her feet, Lexi tugged at Justin’s arm. “Let’s take a walk.”
Walking past the kids who were playing in the sandbox, Lexi and Justin climbed the grassy hill that lead to the river behind the park. She could feel the hot sun as it hit against her skin.
“It’s a good day to get a tan,” Justin said, taking off his shirt. “I don’t want no farmer’s tan lines.”
“Oh, geez,” Lexi laughed at him. “Since when do you care about getting a tan? You sound like one of the guys from Jersey Shore.”
Justin shrugged. “Is it a crime to care about my appearance?”
“Not at all,” she answered, stumbling on a large rock. Glancing down, she noticed that the rock was inscribed.
Picking the rock up, Lexi gasped. The rock had a large “A.G.” etched into it. It may have been about ten years since Lexi had seen Austin, but she would recognize his carved initials anywhere.
“What is it?” Justin asked, studying her face.
“This rock has Austin’s initials on it,” Lexi answered. “Austin used to put his initials on everything, so I know it’s him.”
“Weird,” Justin said, taking the rock from her hands and examining it. He flipped the rock over. “What’s this key to?” he asked, pointing at the back of the rock.
Lexi took the rock back from him, and looked at the tiny brass key that was taped to the back of the rock. “It’s too small to be a car key or a house key. I think it goes to some type of box or something.”
“Do you think it was his?” Justin asked.
“It had to have been,” Lexi answered, peeling the tape away from the metal.
“You’re gonna take it?”
Lexi nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want someone else to figure out what it belongs to. I don’t know what it’s for, but it’s like he didn’t want anyone to find it. Why else would he have hidden it here?”
“Do what you gotta do,” Justin said, shrugging. “I’d probably take it, too.”
Lexi slid the key into her pocket, making a mental note to keep it hidden from Violet and Tommy.
*
After they went to see a movie and got ice cream, Justin said that he’d better leave so that he would get home before 7 o’clock. He had hockey practice the next day, and he wanted to get a good night’s sleep. Lexi was disappointed to see him go and even more disappointed to go back to Violet’s house.
When Justin pulled his Eclipse into Violet’s driveway, Lexi found that her aunt and uncle were in the front yard, waiting for her, just as she suspected them to be.
Before she even got out of the car, she heard Violet scream, “Lexi! You’re in trouble!”
“Ugh, great,” Lexi muttered under her breath. She turned to Justin. “Thanks for coming to see me.”
“Remember, Lexi, I’ll be back for you soon,” Justin said, releasing Lexi from the tight hug that he had grasped her in. “Just please be careful, ‘kay?”
Lexi nodded. The more time she spent with Justin, the more she couldn’t wait to get out of Violet’s house for good.
****
Chapter 23
Lexi laid, curled up in bed, with her purple satin comforted wrapped around her. She wanted to cry, but it felt like her eyes had no more tears left in them. Lexi hoped that Justin’s mom would say that she could live with them because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could live in Briar Creek without going completely insane.
With the blinds closed, Lexi was almost able to convince herself that it was nighttime, instead of mid-afternoon. Silencing her thoughts, Lexi began to drift off to sleep.
After minutes or hours had passed (Lexi wasn’t sure how long it had been), a cold breeze filled the room. Shivering, she pulled the comforter snugly around her.
“Lexi,” her mom whispered, “you have to listen to me.”
Lexi felt her heart freeze inside her chest. She struggled to speak, before she somehow managed to ask, “Mom?”
Eileen Hunter, who was dressed in a beautiful one-shoulder dress, nodded. The wind, which was whirling around them, blew the white fabric in place. “Don’t trust them, Lexi. They’re not what you think,” her mom said in a velvety voice.
“Don’t trust who?” Lexi asked, confusion sweeping over her.
Her mom shook her head, bouncing her chocolate brown curls against her shoulders. “I’m not allowed to tell you who. It’s forbidden. I know you know who I’m talking about Lexi, or you’ll find out soon if you don’t.”
“I don’t know who you mean,” Lexi stuttered, unable to take her eyes off her mom, who was floating above her. “Are you a ghost?”
Her mom’s lips curled into a sad smile. “Something like that,” she answered.
“What happened to you, mom? I know you didn’t get food poisoning,” Lexi said.
Once again, her mom shook her head. “I’m not allowed to tell you that either. If I do, I won’t be able to visit you again. All I can say is that nothing is what seems.”
“About your death?” Lexi asked, realizing that she was right.
Her mom nodded. “About more than just my death. Nothing about Briar Creek is what it seems.”
“I don’t understand,” Lexi replied, tears of frustration building up in her crystal blue eyes. She felt a gust of cold wind sail across her skin as her mom reached out and stroked her hair.
“You’ll find out soon, Lexi. I have to go now, but you have to believe me. Don’t trust them,” her mom said, her body disappearing almost as quickly as she had arrived, leaving behind a glittery residue. Lexi dipped one of her fingers in the substance. When it remained on her fingers, she realized that it had been real. Her mom’s ghost (or whatever she was) had actually been in her room. Lexi felt a pang of sadness and a feeling of hope – hope that her mom would come back to visit her soon.
Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard her aunt and uncle yelling downstairs. Slipping out of her room, she sunk down on the top step and tried to make out what they were saying.
“What do you want me to do about it, Violet?” Tommy asked quietly.
“I want you to take care of it!” Violet screamed at him. “Don’t you get what this could mean for us?”
Tommy snorted. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”
“Don’t get sarcastic with me, Tommy! He was putting ideas in her head. She’s getting smarter.”
“She’s been smart all along. I keep saying this, but no one believes me – not you, not Dan, not even Greg Lawrence. We’re not going to be able to keep this from her much longer.”
“I think we need to do something or she’s going to start putting two and two together,” Violet went on, ignoring his comment. “We need to take care of it now while we still can.”
Lexi wondered if Violet was onto her knowing that her mom hadn’t been food poisoned. Is that what she thought Lexi would figure out? What didn’t make sense was why her aunt wouldn’t tell her if she knew…or how she knew.
“Fine,” Tommy said, raising his voice. “If that’s what you want, fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though, Vi. I think it’s going to attract a lot of unnecessary attention.”
“Or she’ll attract a lot of attention if we don’t put a stop to this right now,” Violet shot back. “We need to settle it.”
“I don’t care either way. You know that I only want one thing, but it’s getting too late, Violet. Dan needs to hurry up and do his job…and soon.”
“He will, Tommy. We can cou
nt on Dan, I know it. Plus, he’ll get something out of it, too.”
“Not if he doesn’t hurry the hell up,” Tommy grunted. “Otherwise, I’ll have to do it on my own, without his help, and I’m not sure if I’m feeling up to that,” he added, coughing loudly.
“Dan will pull through. There’s a lot at stake for him here, too.”
“Well, he better come through with it,” Tommy grunted. “I’m not sure how I’ll feel about including him in anything anymore if he doesn’t do what he promised us.”
Lexi listened as a door slammed. She assumed that Violet and Tommy’s conversation was over. Sneaking back into her bedroom, Lexi climbed back into her twin bed, the only place where she had felt any comfort since living in Briar Creek – except for when she was with Gabe, of course. She tried to force herself to not think about him.
Sighing, Lexi wondered how it was possible for her to not think about Gabe. He didn’t want to see her – that much had been made crystal clear to her by his mom. Lexi realized what was bothering her. She wanted to hear it from Gabe. If he didn’t want to see her, that was fine, but he should at least be the one to let her know instead of letting his mom do his dirty work. An explanation might also help her to understand. As it was, all Lexi could think about was the moments they had spent together. Had she really done something so horrible that he wanted to give up all of that…even after he promised her that he would wait for her?
“Ahem,” a voice sounded from behind her back. Lexi turned around to find her aunt scowling at her. Hoping that her aunt didn’t know she had eavesdropped, Lexi felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she looked at Violet questioningly.
“We’re having Chinese food for dinner. I have to go pick it up right now,” her aunt said, “And you’re coming with me.”
“I’d rather just stay here,” Lexi replied.
“Too bad. You’ve broken too many rules lately. You’re grounded, and there’s no one here to watch you,” Violet answered, yanking on Lexi’s arm.
Lexi brushed her off. “Isn’t Tommy here? He can babysit me,” she said sarcastically.
Violet shook her head. “Tommy had to run something over to Greg Lawrence’s. Come on, Lexi,” she said, pulling on her sleeve.
“Stop touching me,” Lexi snapped at her, reluctantly getting off the bed and slipping into a pair of flip flops. She glanced in the mirror and realized she was a mess, but decided she didn’t care. It wasn’t like Lexi would be getting out of the car – although Violet probably didn’t even trust her with sitting in the car quietly while she ran in to get the food.
When Violet turned her keys into the ignition, an annoying jazz song came onto the radio. Lexi reached over and quickly turned it to the next station that was programmed on the radio. A news reporter read, “There’s been a car accident on Marion Boulevard. I repeat, there’s been a report of an accident on Marion Boulevard. The driver of the car was killed on contact. We’ll announce more details after we return from the next commercial break.”
Lexi thought about what Justin had told her earlier. A lot of mysterious deaths happened in Briar Creek. The knots returned to her stomach again. She hoped it wasn’t Gabe…
Violet turned the volume down so that nothing but awkward silence filled the space between them. “It’s a bit rude to change a person’s radio station when it’s not your own car, Lexi.”
Lexi stared at her aunt. Did she really want to go there right now? Choosing her words carefully, she said, “It’s not as rude as being forced to go somewhere against your will. Now, that is what I call rude.”
Stopping at a traffic light, Violet glanced over at her. “Oh, stop being dramatic. We don’t want to have to worry about you. It’s for your own good.”
“Yeah, you keep telling me that,” Lexi said. “The thing is, since I’ve been here, nothing has turned out to be good for me. Things just keep getting worse.”
“It’ll all work out for the best. You’ll see,” Violet answered, pulling into the Shan Hu Chinese Restaurant. She gave Lexi a long, hard stare. Without saying a word, she pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the car, leaving Lexi to think about how much worse her life was now that she was stuck in Briar Creek until Justin could come back to get her.
****
Chapter 24
Lexi stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and gnawed at it angrily. From across the table, her aunt took a tiny bite out of an eggroll and shot her a cold, hard stare.
“How was your day, Lexi?” Dan, who was seated next to Violet, asked.
“Fine,” Lexi answered, spearing a piece of broccoli with her fork and shoving it into her mouth. It took her about a minute to realize how ridiculous she was being. Lexi was angry at her aunt for inviting Dan over for Chinese food without her permission. She decided that she probably shouldn’t take it out on him, though. It wasn’t really his fault that her aunt was a mega bitch.
“I went over to see Greg,” Tommy announced loudly, scooping a spoonful of pork fried rice onto his white plate. He turned to look at Violet. “The chore is done.”
“What chore?” Lexi asked, trying to hide the curiosity from her voice.
Violet glanced over at Tommy. “Oh, your uncle and Greg just had to talk some sense into a boy who got into a lot of trouble. Nothing important,” she answered.
Lexi raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. She knew that Greg Lawrence had talked to Noah’s parents when he bit her, but she didn’t realize that he regularly got involved in things like that. Even if he did, how could that possibly involve Tommy, a plumber?
Lexi wondered if they might have been warning Gabe to leave her alone. Not that that was going to be a problem anymore, now that he no longer wanted to see her. Or maybe that was the reason why he didn’t want to see her, Lexi thought. Maybe her uncle and Greg Lawrence had been harassing him for awhile about leaving her alone.
Just as she was about to ask what the boy had done wrong, her cell phone lit up to a bright shade of blue and rang loudly. Recognizing her old area code, Lexi wondered who it could be. She politely excused herself and flipped open her phone, walking into the kitchen.
“Hello?”
“Lexi, this is Justin’s mom. I’m just calling to see if he’s still there with you. I can’t reach him on his cell phone and he’s not home yet.”
Lexi’s heart sank. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Collins. He left early this afternoon. He should be home by now. Maybe he decided to stop by one of his friends houses, first,” she suggested.
“Maybe you’re right,” Mrs. Collins said hesitantly. “It just isn’t like him to go this long without calling me, though. If you hear from him, please let me know.”
Lexi promised that she would and hung up. Opening a blank text message, she typed “your mom is looking for u, call her,” and sent it to Justin. Going back into the kitchen, she resumed her seat across from her aunt.
“Who was that?” Violet asked, more cheerfully than usual.
Lexi glanced at Dan. She knew her aunt would be mad if she mentioned Justin in front of him. “It was a friend’s mom. She hasn’t heard from him since he went on a road trip and was wondering if I knew where he was,” Lexi answered, staring her aunt in the eye.
Violet’s lips curled into a smile. “Well, I’m sure she’ll hear from him soon, Lexi. I wouldn’t worry about it. I also don’t know why his mom is depending on you to keep up with his whereabouts. He’s part of your old life now,” she said, waving her hand. Lexi gritted her teeth. The expression on Violet’s face told her that she knew damn well that Lexi was talking about Justin.
Instead of saying what she wanted to, Lexi tossed her napkin on her plate and ran upstairs to the safe haven of her bedroom without saying a word to Violet, Tommy, or Dan and slammed the door loudly. She could hear the three of them whispering to each other downstairs, but drifted off to sleep before she could even listen to what they were talking about.
*
The next morning, Lexi blew her small, shiny whistle and
yelled, “No running!” It was Monday afternoon and, despite what had gone on the night before, Dan had sent her a text message early this morning to remind her that they were supposed to spend the evening together. Remembering that Lexi had come up with it as an excuse on the night she pretended she wanted to go to Mary-Kate’s instead of Gabe’s, Lexi cursed at herself. It’s not like she had gotten anything out of sneaking to Gabe’s house anyway.
Lexi noticed that Noah hadn’t been back to Splish ‘N Splash during the past few days she had been working. She wondered if he was sick, but was happy to not have to worry about dangling her feet in the water – especially because it was so hot outside.
Glancing to the children who were splashing to the left of her, she noticed that Brandon was walking towards her. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Hey, Lexi,” Brandon said, sitting down on the cement beside her.
“Hi,” Lexi replied shyly.
“So, are we still on for Tuesday night?” Brandon asked.
In the midst of seeing Justin and getting into a fight with her aunt, Lexi had completely forgotten about the date she had made with hot new co-worker. “Yeah,” she answered. “How about I meet you, though? My aunt’s a little bit over protective of me.”
“I completely understand,” Brandon answered, his lips widening into a big smile. “My grandma, who I’ve been living with since my mom died, is really protective, too.”
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Lexi said nonchalantly. “Mine just died recently, too.”
“Really?” Brandon asked. “Was she sick, too?”
Lexi raised an eyebrow. “No, she died in a car accident.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Brandon answered. “That must have been really hard for you, especially after losing your cousin.”
The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death Page 17