“And a danger to us all.”
“The old lady is with her…”
I leaned down to retrieve my hat from the ground, but a current of air blew it across the yard, toward the water’s edge. Pushing past my grandma, I raced after it, snagging it right before it went into the pond.
For a moment, I was face to face with my reflection. And just below the surface, a pale hand reached up to touch it. The water rippled as if stroking my image. No. This isn’t happening. The voices were back. I glanced at Grandma, but she didn’t seem to notice them. No one else ever did. It was just me. Crazy. Psychotic. Me.
What was I doing this close to the water? Panic set in, my feet rooted in place.
“Just as I remember her.”
“Come away from there.” Grandma jerked me back. “You nearly walked right in.”
Puzzled and scared, I stared at the pond but I didn’t see any hands or strange people coming out. God, I was losing it. The psychiatrist said I might have relapses from time to time, but it’d been a while since I’d heard the voices. And what about the hand I’d seen in the water, had I made that up or had it really been there? Was I losing touch with reality, again?
“Salome, are you listening to me?” Her forehead creased with more wrinkles.
“Yes, I’m fine. And I didn’t nearly walk into the water. Not even close.” I shuddered because this was the second time something had led me toward the pond. This time, I didn’t feel any sinister presence, though.
“Just be more careful next time.”
When we got back to the house, Grandpa had suitcases and boxes sitting in the living room. His coat hung over the back of the chair, and he was locking the windows.
Everything had been picked up. No magazines on the coffee tables; remotes were on top of the television. The dishes were washed and put away, no dust clung to the pictures and knick-knacks that lined the large shelves.
Suddenly, it hit me. They were really leaving. And they entrusted me to keep an eye on their house.
Grandma changed out of her yard clothes, then came back wearing a jogging suit and heavy winter coat.
“Well, I think that about does it. Make sure you come over to clean out the fridge and freezer. I don’t want any food going to waste.” Grandpa’s keys jingled in his hand. Grabbing two suitcases, he headed into the garage.
I picked up some of their things and followed him. I hated good-byes. It was only for a few months, but their house was my second home. At least during summer months, when I stayed nestled inside with Grandpa on the couch, eating ice cream in front of a fan.
“Don’t look so forlorn, Salome. We’ll be back before you know it.” Grandma tucked me into her arms, wrapping me up like a blanket.
I took a deep breath, filling it with her peppermint and floral scent. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, sweetie.” She pulled back then handed me the ring of keys. “Take good care of things. If anything comes up, call.”
A nervous edge had entered her voice, making me question what she was worried about. I waited for her to elaborate, but instead she turned away.
Grandpa jerked me into a tight hug, making my ribs feel like they might pop through my back. “Be good, kiddo. And try to stay warm.” He released me and climbed into the car. I locked the side door then went onto the porch to watch them pull away.
I wondered if their leaving meant bad things to come. Things that could change my life. And I was scared.
Tomorrow I’d be on my own. Alone in the woods.
Once they disappeared from view, I drove over to my friend, Kadie’s. She’d understand.
I explained about my grandparents dropping the bomb after school today. That I’d have to watch their house all winter. Be in their backyard alone.
“You’ve got a little time before your date tonight, and I know just what you need: Perky Joe’s,” she said when I showed up at her door. The local coffee shop, home to all the high school degenerates. She liked the disturbed guys she met there, most of whom had various piercings and tattoos. Me, I tended to veer more toward the light.
She grabbed some cash from her purse and steered me toward her car. It wasn’t long before we’d pulled into a spot near the coffee shop.
The bell above the door jingled as we pushed inside. Coffee and hot chocolate overwhelmed my senses as I stared around the room. Maybe this would help.
The small tables had glass mosaics on top of them and chairs that looked more like bar stools. Dark cherry wood lined the walls, gothic figures carved into the wooden molding. The floor-to-ceiling scarlet curtains, swaying beneath the forced air blowing from vents, looked like waves of blood. Or maybe not.
“I think I know why people might be perky after coming here. Check out the new baristas.” Kadie nudged me in the ribs, pointing to the two guys behind the counter.
The first one didn’t look much older than us with his shaggy golden hair and skin that seemed to have a natural bronze glow. His brown eyes would make a cup of coffee jealous. I gasped and my stomach took a tumble, like I was falling off a mountain. A smile tugged at his lips when he saw us staring. As if he’d expected us to notice him.
Next to him stood a guy with curly dark hair and eyes the color of topaz. His gaze did a head-to-toe sweep of Kadie then he gave her a smile that lured her right up to the counter.
“Afternoon. What can I get you?”
“I’ll have a mocha-latte.” Kadie sounded sultry. “With a cherry on top.”
She was a complete seductress. Poor guy, he didn’t have a chance. But he nodded, unfazed by her in the least, and went to work preparing her drink.
“And for you?” The blond guy’s voice sounded like warm, rich chocolate. He stepped closer and turned his deep brown eyes on me. For a moment it felt like he knew my every secret; the way he watched me made me think he recognized me. My insides twisted and churned, and I shifted my gaze to his tattoos, following the strange looping design up his arm. The intricate green and gold strands changed into vines around his bicep, like a cuff.
Vines? Since when did tats change shape in front of my eyes?
Oh no, not now. Not again. I really was crazy.
I reached for the counter as my legs grew weak.
“Salome, hey, are you okay?” Kadie gripped my arm, urging me to sit down.
I buried my head in my hands for a few seconds, attempting to push the images away. I had to get it together or Mom would send me to the shrink if she found out I had had another episode. She’d been on the verge this morning.
I forced myself to clear my mind. Keep calm.
“S—sorry, I’ll have a caramel cappuccino,” I said, as the blond guy leaned toward me.
“Coming right up.” He stood, his nametag catching my eye.
“Gareth?” I said aloud.
“Yeah?”
“That’s an interesting name.” I shot Kadie a glance in an attempt to shift their attention from me.
“Well, this here is Simeon.” She grinned, gesturing to the dark haired guy. Kadie took a sip of her latte then said, “Gareth and Simeon, your names sound like they belong to medieval knights.”
“And doth the damsel need rescuing?” Simeon leaned against the counter, his arms folded at his chest.
“Always.” She batted her eyes at him.
“How does Saturday work for you?”
“Perfect,” Kadie said.
I watched the two exchange numbers and turned to see Gareth peering at me, his long golden lashes making me envious. He closed the lid on my cup, but kept staring. Did he know something?
Shit. If I kept this up, I’d be questioning everyone’s motives for even glancing at me. This guy was just a barista, although he looked more like someone who ought to be a bodyguard or a bouncer.
Gareth handed me a napkin. “Try and take care of yourself.” His fingertips brushed mine, and I was filled with sudden warmth, like sunshine hitting you on a summer day.
I stared at the
tattoos once more—the shapes looked different now. Instead of the spiraling loops, they seemed more gothic, almost pointy. Had I imagined the vines?
Chills raced up my back, making my scalp itch. I managed a shaky smile. “Um, thanks.”
“I’ll see you around,” he said as we headed to the door.
“Yeah, maybe.” I glanced at him one last time as we walked out of the café. Would I see him again? Better question, did I want to? Yet another person who’d learn how crazy I really was. And of all people, I didn’t want him to know. That sounded insane, right? I shouldn’t care what this virtual stranger thought of me. But I did; I deeply wanted him to accept me, befriend me, and love me even.
“Get over yourself, Salome,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head, “He’s just a barista.”
CHAPTER TWO
At six o’clock, Kadie was back at my front door. “Um, I thought we decided on the sexy blue sweater?” She quirked an eyebrow at me. “You haven’t even changed out of your school clothes.” She tugged me down the hall toward my room. “C’mon, let’s get you dressed. Otherwise we’ll be late.”
I squirmed from her grasp. “I—I’m not going.”
I was supposed to have my very first date tonight with Colton. Colton. Freaking. Myers. Captain of the basketball team. My lifelong crush. My dress for the date that night sat on my bed like a guilty reminder of the promise I was about to break.
Kadie’s face fell. “Salome, you have to go. You told him you’d be at his game tonight.”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “Will you please tell him I can’t make it?”
I hated the disappointment in her eyes. “Okay, spill, what brought this on? You were so excited earlier.”
I didn’t want to tell her how the swirling tats on Gareth’s arm freaked me out. Instead I told her how I’d seen the forecasts and knew snow was on the way. I definitely didn’t want Colton to witness my crazy-pants routine when I had a meltdown over an icy lake or snow or the cold.
Kadie gave me a sympathetic glance. “I’m sorry. This totally blows. So what do you want me to tell Colton?”
“Just tell him I’m sick. Mental illness counts, right?” I forced a laugh and crumpled onto my bed, my knees tucked under my chin.
“That’s not funny.” She leaned down to give me a hug. “We’ll get through the winter. I promise. I’ll call you later, okay?”
She shut the door, leaving me alone.
I was missing life. Why couldn’t I just forget everything? Be normal for one flipping minute, without worrying that winter was going to kill me. It’d been years since the incident in the pond. I should be over it by now.
I left my bedroom and made my way onto the porch to watch Kadie pull away.
She didn’t fight me on this—she never did. She made sure no one threw snowballs at me and pulled up to the school sidewalk so I wouldn’t have to walk through the snow. In fourth grade, she beat up Tyler Stein when he tried to whitewash me.
All winter long Kadie made me feel comfortable, staying in when I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, go out. She kept me sane, not letting me fall into that cold, dark place in my mind.
I stared at the trees as they waved in the wind. Piles of leaves were stuck between the iron fence posts—our lack of raking evident as they blew across the yard. Debris littered the birdbath, the fountain long since turned off. Brown burlap covered Mom’s roses, protecting them from winter. Everything seemed dead.
Dead.
The word stuck to the roof of my mouth like a sandwich with too much peanut butter. Clutching the railing, I squeezed my eyes shut. Focus. Breathe. Forget.
When Kadie’s car disappeared, I went back inside. Mom met me at the door, propped up on her crutches, worry creasing her forehead.
“I thought you had a date?”
“Changed my mind.” My voice cracked as a sob escaped. “I hate being like this.”
My shoulders shook as I buried my face in my hands.
Mom brushed my hair away from my face. “Oh, sweetie.”
She let me cry until my tears dried up. By then I was hiccupping, and my nose ran like a leaky drainpipe. If anyone could’ve made me venture out, it would’ve been Colton. But here I sat, curled up on the couch with Mom, watching chick flicks and eating double chocolate fudge ice cream. My cure-all.
We’d just finished our first movie when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” I raced for the door.
“Okay, I hope you’re not going to be pissed at me, but I couldn’t let you miss tonight.” Kadie pushed the door wide open, pointing to the two vehicles sitting in the drive. One was hers. The other belonged to Colton Myers.
“Hey.” Colton waved, coming up the sidewalk. His green eyes twinkling, he handed me a single rose then ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. “Hope you don’t mind us barging in.”
Good God, I covered my shirt with my arms, wishing I’d changed.
“Salome, who’s there?” Mom called from the living room.
“Kadie. She brought Colton with her,” I said.
“Well, let them in.”
I stood back, ushering them into the kitchen. Kadie caught my arm, dragging me toward my room. “We’ll be back in a second. Salome just has to change.”
When we got into my room, I turned on her. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not letting you regret your senior year. Colton really likes you. You don’t think he’d be here if he didn’t, do you?”
I covered my face. “But I thought you were going to tell him I’m sick?”
“Um, I never told him. Trust me. You’ll be glad I did this for you.”
I swallowed hard. “Please tell me you’re coming with us.”
“Actually, Duane Clark asked me out tonight. I kind of told him yes. But, if you need me, I can cancel,” she said in a rush.
“No. I can do this.” She’d already missed a lot because of me. I knew I couldn’t back out of the date. Besides, Colton was in my kitchen, waiting.
“Of course you can.” She tossed the black dress at me. “Tonight has been in the making for seven years, Salome. Ever since he traded his Twinkie for your cupcakes.” She smiled then left me to get cleaned up.
What if Colton and I didn’t have anything to talk about? My palms grew clammy with sweat. I wiped them on my dress. Or worse yet, what if he found out what a freak I really was?
I changed in record time and stood staring in the mirror, styling my straight hair to frame my heart-shaped face. I took a deep breath to calm the nervous flutters in my stomach.
He wouldn’t have driven all the way over here if he didn’t want me to go with him.
Heart pounding in my ears, I left the room, my shoes clicking on the floor. I spotted Kadie talking to Colton in the living room. I’d never been on a date. Almost every Friday night was spent at either my house or hers. Now, I was being forced out into the cold. Away from home, when it was supposed to snow. Why the hell did Kadie do this to me? Did she want him to see me freak out?
I pushed the panicked thoughts aside and took a deep breath. I had to do this.
After Mom called out a curfew time, Colton reached for my hand and we stepped from the security of my house. His skin was warm against mine. I caught the faint scent of soap wafting between us, his hair still damp from a shower. I cast a sideways glance to find him staring at me. He smiled, a dazzling, perfect teeth kind of smile. The kind that would make toothpaste models jealous. A prickle ran down the back of my neck, and I rubbed at it.
“I can’t believe we’re finally going on a date,” he said. “I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time.”
“So why didn’t you?” I noticed a pair of eyes glowing in the woods. I shivered, hoping it was only a wild animal. What if it was them? I went still. Maybe going out wasn’t such a good idea after all. My stomach sank, twisting until I thought I might throw up. I hadn’t thought of them much in recent years, so I didn’t know why I was thinking of them now. But t
here it was. Niggling at the back of my mind like a splinter.
He chuckled, which snapped me out of my stupor. “Because I was a chickenshit and you’ve never gone out with anyone at school.”
Great, he noticed I didn’t usually date. He probably thought I was a social pariah. I ignored the woods, turning my focus instead on him. If I didn’t stare into the dark, then nothing bad would happen—or at least that’s what I told myself as I tried to think of something clever to say. “Maybe I was waiting for the right guy to ask.”
He smiled, and I thought maybe this dating thing wouldn’t be as hard as I thought.
When we got to his truck, he opened the door for me then went around to the other side. Colton started the vehicle and cranked up the heat.
“Why do girls always make the guys ask?” The porch light illuminated the interior as he grinned at me. “How are we supposed to know if you like us?”
“Well, I did trade you my cupcakes—”
“For my Twinkie, yeah, I remember,” he said. “Three cupcakes for one Twinkie, you must’ve really liked me,” he added, laughing.
I must’ve looked surprised because he chuckled again.
“I didn’t think you’d remember that.” The heat blasted from the vents, and I held my palms out to warm them. Daring a quick glance, I spied Colton staring at his hands.
“You’d be surprised at what I recall.” He offered me his gloves, which I declined. “Like the time you fell in gym class and bumped your head on the floor. Then there was the year I had a locker across from yours. You had so many posters hanging up in it I couldn’t figure out how you got the thing closed.”
My face warmed as I fidgeted with the zipper on my coat. Had I been so scared all these years I’d missed noticing a boy liked me this much?
“You know, last year on Valentine’s Day, I sent you carnations—” I admitted. My heart raced out of control.
“I can’t believe it was you that sent them. You’ve got to tell Bill Decker. He accused me of sending them to myself.” Colton pulled the truck onto the road, driving toward town. “If I’d known, I’d have asked you out sooner.”
Relief flooded through me. “I’m glad you finally did.”
The Winter People Page 2