The Winter People

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  “I hate this. We didn’t ask to do this. You keep telling me that we have no choice, but I don’t believe that. We have to find a way, Mom. Salome can’t keep going through this. We can’t keep going through this.”

  Grandma snorted. “Well, we don’t have a choice. We can’t change what our ancestors did. Besides, there are things even you don’t know. Things I can’t tell you. You have to trust me and do what I say where Salome’s concerned.”

  My fingers tightened on the phone. What was so important about keeping the gates shut? Obviously, something more serious than keeping animals off the property. And who was this them they spoke about? Somehow they knew way more than they’d ever told me. A part of me wanted to let them know I listened on the other line. But I remained quiet, hoping they’d let something else slip.

  “Listen, I need to go for now. I have to get dinner going.” Mom sighed.

  “Call me if anything else comes up.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t.”

  After they hung up, I clicked off the phone and rushed to the fridge, where I pretended to look for something to eat.

  “Hey, do you want me to throw on some spaghetti?” I asked as Mom came into the kitchen behind me.

  “Sure.” She smiled as if nothing was wrong.

  One way or another I was going to get to the bottom of this.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Homework. Lots and lots of homework. My backpack was weighed down with textbooks, tearing my shoulder out of its socket. It seemed only natural the day would end like this. School had been shitty. Both Kadie and Colton were absent and a jackass sophomore decided it’d be funny to put snow down my shirt, which landed me in the counselor’s office for all of first hour. Asshole.

  As if things couldn’t get any better, I was running late and found myself rushing across the slushy parking lot toward bus number sixty-six. Otherwise known as the “banana boat from hell.”

  The smell of sweaty teen boys, the bus driver’s lilac perfume, and nacho cheese Doritos hit me as I ascended the stairs. Brown seats lined either side of the mint green interior walls.

  I just hoped I’d find an empty seat.

  About midway back, I found a place to sit and slid in next to the window. I tossed my bag next to me, hoping to deter any idiots from thinking the seat was open.

  Thick clouds loomed outside; large flakes already sputtered down like someone was hocking spit wads from the sky.

  “I so hope we get a snow day tomorrow.” A girl climbed into the seat in front of me.

  “Yeah, because you haven’t finished your biology project.” Her hyper friend snickered.

  I rolled my eyes, slipping my earbuds into place. Rock music blasted, drowning them out. One hour. I just had to get through the bus ride then I could see Nevin. Maybe he knew something about the gates, since he’d lived near us for years.

  Today, I determined I’d also find out if he knew about the voices in the woods and discover where he lived. Even if it meant following him. Not that I liked the idea of trudging through the snow, but I needed to know that I wasn’t a mental case.

  The bus flopped around as we pulled out of the parking lot. As we drove into town, we got stuck at the main stoplight. Wiping the fog from the window, I noticed Kadie coming out of Perky Joe’s. What the hell? She’d called this morning telling me she was too sick to go to school. Too sick to pick me up.

  Flipping liar, she’d totally skipped. My jaw clenched as I ripped out my earbuds and fished out my cell. Kadie’s phone rang twice before she picked it up.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “So how are you feeling?”

  “A little better.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At home, on the couch.”

  The light turned green and the bus jerked forward.

  My stomach knotted. I didn’t like confrontation, but I couldn’t let this go. Best friends weren’t supposed to keep secrets. Why was she lying to me?

  “Strange. The bus just passed Perky Joe’s. I thought I saw you coming out.”

  “Salome, I can explain.” I heard the catch in her voice.

  “You lied to me.”

  “I—I’m sorry. It’s just Simeon’s gorgeous and he mentioned this band that was playing today. So I kind of invited myself along. I would’ve told you but you get on me when I miss school…”

  “You should’ve told me.” I wanted to throw my phone across the bus, maybe punch the girl in front of me in the face for her stupid laugh.

  “I’ll make it up to you. There’s just something about Simeon. Something indescribable. It’s almost like I hear bells when he smiles at me.” She giggled. “Wow, that sounds nuts. Anyway, he said there’s another great band playing this Friday. We could double. Or better yet, if you’re not too into Colton, I think Gareth might be there. Remember him from the other day? Tall, blond, kind of gorgeous.”

  Of course I remembered Gareth. It was kind of hard to forget him and the strange reaction I’d had to him at the coffee shop. There was something about him. Almost like Colton…and Nevin…but different. With a sigh, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. What was wrong with me? A week ago I hadn’t thought about a guy, and now I had three of them on my mind. Maybe it was just my fear of winter, of the snow, of what happened to Cleo, and I desperately needed someone to lean on. Someone who understood me and made me feel safe.

  “Salome? You there?”

  A part of me wanted to hang up on her, but I didn’t. “I’ll think about it, Kadie. I mean the going with you thing, not sure I need you trying to hook me up with some guy who looks like a bouncer. And, by the way, this doesn’t mean you’re forgiven. There is such a thing as a best friend code, you know.” Static buzzed in my ear. “Listen, I’m about to lose my signal. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I clicked the phone shut and threw it in my bag. Yep, another bad day.

  Frost crept across the windows as if someone had splattered them with ice. When the bus stopped, kids jostled to the front to get off. Scraping the window, I peered out to see how fast the snow was falling. The roads were covered, while dusk loomed, ready to chase away the light.

  The driver turned onto the dirt road, jarring and bumping us around, sending my bag to the floor with a thud. At the next stop, I noticed how close the trees were to the side of the bus. My heart hammered in my ears, an eerie tune meant for only me.

  Scraaaatch.

  A hand reached up on the other side of the window, touching the glass. Long, thorn-like nails trailed across it. Taking several deep breaths, I scooted away from the window until a pair of glowing, angry eyes stared back at me.

  With a screech, I lunged backward, toppling from my seat.

  “Hey, you okay?” A guy I recognized from my English class helped me up.

  “Y-yeah, thought I saw something.” I didn’t move back to my seat right away, not until the bus driver yelled that I get back in my seat. And when I did, bile burned the back of my throat. Traced across my window in long looping letters was the word DEAD and the number eighteen.

  Dizziness washed over me. Crap. I couldn’t faint on the bus. Squeezing my eyes shut, I gripped the seat until my hands hurt, half-tempted to jump off at the next stop and call Kadie to come get me. But I couldn’t move, not until we pulled up in front of my gated driveway. With my bag in hand I rushed down the aisle, not caring who I knocked in the head. I slid the wrought iron gate open and ran like hellish fiends tailed me. Of course, when I turned to look there was nothing but snow. Always the damn snow.

  No one was home when I sprinted into the kitchen. A note from Mom fell from the table saying Ms. Watson from across the street had driven her into town for her doctor’s appointment.

  Whatever. I needed to find Nevin.

  I dropped my bag in my room and stood against the wall, head in my hands. After consoling myself, I decided to drive to Grandma’s. No way in hell did I want to walk.

  “Please let him be here,” I pleaded on the verge of a
breakdown. The Jeep pushed through the snow with no trouble. Once there, I parked and hopped out.

  Instead of heading inside, I cut through the walkway between the house and garage. Almost slipping, I grabbed a hold of a shrub, staggering into the backyard.

  And there he was, standing by the oak tree. Relief flooded through me when Nevin turned toward me. His smile faded when he saw me.

  Within a few strides, he stood over me. “What’s wrong?”

  My lip quivered. I tried to compose myself but the tears won out. “It’s been an awful day.”

  He wrapped me in his arms, nestling my head against his chest. His hands stroked my hair as I fought to quit crying.

  “Everything’s okay now. I’m here,” he said.

  Between hiccups and sobs, I told him about Kadie lying to me and the strange thing I saw from the bus.

  His brows furrowed at the mention of the hand, making me wish I’d kept my mouth shut. But somehow, I knew he believed me.

  “I sound like I belong in an insane asylum.” I clutched his waist.

  “No, you sound like someone who’s been through a tragic experience. Promise me, you won’t venture anywhere alone.”

  Was he kidding? I didn’t need a vow to keep me from doing something so stupid. “I promise.”

  He gave me a sympathetic smile, leading me to the gazebo. “Why don’t you sit here and relax, while I take care of the feeders for you.”

  I met his gaze. There was a yearning there so strong it almost knocked me from my feet.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to help.” His fingers touched my face for the briefest of seconds, but that was enough. He took care of the chores, then came back and sat next to me.

  “I—I have to ask you something,” I said.

  “Anything.”

  My mouth went dry and I took a deep breath. “Do you hear voices in the woods?”

  His eyes widened as he stared at me. “Sometimes.”

  “What’s out there?” I scooted closer to him.

  “I don’t know. Maybe just the wind. Maybe something else.”

  “You’ve got to give me more than that. Please.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think I hear soft words being spoken.”

  “But I’ve heard them call you by name.” I frowned.

  “I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t.” He stared off into the distance again.

  “What’s beyond the gates no one will tell me about?”

  Nevin shrugged, but I could tell he knew what I was talking about.

  In the end I conceded, and we talked about school and the painting he was working on. The two of us huddled together, even as the snow piled up. Cold nipped at my bones, making my skin tingle. My teeth chattered and I glanced up at Nevin.

  “I know you don’t like the idea of going into my grandma’s house when she’s gone and you don’t want to impose on my mother, but what if we went back to your house?” I tried to sound innocent.

  He stood, bringing me up with him. “I can’t bring you home, Salome.”

  I shifted my gaze, biting my lip to keep from crying. “Okay.” The hurt was evident in my voice and I cursed, wishing I sounded like I didn’t care.

  He squeezed me tight, his chin resting on my head. “It’s not like that. I would invite you if I could.”

  “Maybe another time then.” I pushed my hands against his chest to free myself from his comforting hold. Peering into his eyes, I wished I could read his thoughts and figure out what he wouldn’t tell me. I turned and walked inside. Hiding behind the drapes, I watched him head back into the woods. Then I slipped back outside, hurrying to follow him.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.

  I took several gulps of air to calm my nerves. I wanted so badly to know where he lived. What he was keeping from me. A branch snapped somewhere in front of me and I screeched and raced back into the house. I stood against the slider, heart pounding against my chest.

  My cell rang and I jumped. Kadie.

  “Hey,” I said, out of breath.

  “Okay, so I’m calling to apologize for earlier. I’m a seriously shitty friend. Trust me, even though I was with Simeon, I spent most of the day telling his friend Gareth all about you.”

  “Um—doesn’t sound like much of a date then.” I gave a forced laugh.

  “So, what are you doing?”

  “Well, I was going to try following the guy I told you about to find out where he lived, but I chickened out.”

  Kadie giggled. “Oh. My. God. My little Salome is turning into a stalker. Do you want help?”

  “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but yeah, if you want to become an accessory to stalking, I’m at my grandparents.”

  Ten minutes later, Kadie knocked on the front door. She smiled when I let her in.

  “So, where do we start?”

  I put on my mittens, eyeing the darkening sky. “The woods.”

  “Okay. Let’s do this.” She followed me onto the deck. “Do you want to wait here while I go in?” She gestured toward the tree line.

  I swallowed hard. This was my idea. Was I really gonna make her go by herself? “I—I can try…”

  She offered me her arm. “So does this guy have a name?”

  “Nevin,” I whispered.

  “Well then, Project Stalk Nevin now underway.”

  Our footsteps crunched through the drifts as we walked into the woods. Already shadows splayed across the white backdrop and my hands trembled. Just keep it together, I told myself. Kadie wouldn’t let anything happen.

  “These are his footprints.” I moved closer to Kadie as the wind howled, whipping through the canopy above.

  We followed them through the brambles and thicket. The deeper into the forest we got, the more uneasy I became.

  Soon the branches and greenery became a hindrance. But we had to be getting close, since we’d been walking forever. After a few more minutes, we burst into a clearing and stood on the shore at the back of the pond. I glanced down. His footprints had disappeared.

  “This is crazy.” Kadie bent down and stared at his footprints. “Either your boy is part frog and lives in the pond or he knew you trailed him and decided to sweep his real tracks away.”

  “Right, because everyone thinks like James Bond.” What the hell was going on?

  She laughed. “Well, I say we head back to your house, my ass and toes are about frozen.”

  I glanced around one last time. “Yeah, I think it’s time to go.” I would figure this out, because Nevin seemed to be the key to what was in the woods.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Kadie poked her head around my locker door. “Okay, so I know I already helped you last night with Operation Nevin, but I brought you a second peace offering.” She handed me a king-size candy bar. “You know, for ditching you.”

  “You think you can buy my forgiveness with chocolate?” My fingers toyed with the shiny wrapper.

  With a grin, she tore it open for me. “Um—yeah, hello, chocolate is like the world’s best Band-Aid.”

  Truth was I’d forgive her and she knew it. It didn’t mean I had to like the BS she pulled. But she’d totally helped me out last night and I kind of owed her one. “Fine, you’re back in my good graces.”

  “So, have you decided anything about Friday?” She held onto my bag while I fumbled with my books.

  “I thought you guys were going out Saturday.”

  “We are. It seems I’ve won Simeon over with my charm and he can’t get enough of me.” Her eyebrows waggled up and down.

  With a groan, I pretended to plug my ears. “I don’t want to hear what type of charm you used.”

  “Ha-ha. No, seriously you should come. Simeon and Gareth know this out-of-the-way place where a bunch of bands play. Besides, they invited us.”

  “Us?”

  “Sure, I mean they didn’t say you couldn’t come. Besides the guys will be helping backstage with sound eq
uipment and stuff. And I don’t want to spend half the night alone. Not to mention, I think you kind of made an impression on Gareth at Perky Joe’s when you nearly fainted.”

  My cheeks flamed as I toyed with the zipper on my sweater. “Actually, Nevin asked me to hang out Friday.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What about Colton?” Kadie nodded toward him.

  Suddenly I felt like I had betrayed him. God, he was so hot, and nice. But things were strange with him, too.

  I bent closer to Kadie. “It’s not a date. Nevin and I are just friends.”

  With a wink, she started walking away. “Sure you are. But let me just say for the record that most girls don’t stalk ‘friends’ into the woods.”

  As Colton drew closer, I noticed the serious look on his face like his mind was somewhere else. But when he saw me watching, he smiled.

  “Hey, missed you yesterday.” I shut my locker door.

  He backed me up against the line of lockers, one arm on either side of me. A faint bruise painted his cheek and I muffled a gasp. My fingers trembled when I lifted them to touch his face. But he caught my hand midair, sending my heart pulsing.

  “I missed you, too.”

  “Wha—what happened?”

  His gaze darkened. “I got jumped in the parking lot the other night. But don’t worry, I took care of it. That’s why I was gone yesterday.”

  Took care of it? What did he mean by that? Chills raced down my spine.

  The shadows left his eyes and he grinned, stroking my hair.

  Closing my eyes, I took a ragged breath. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” My lids fluttered open to find him staring at me.

  Colton leaned closer, his warm breath tickling my ear. “I promise not to fight unless it’s to protect you.”

  Blood pounded in my ears like waves slamming into shore. He was so close—his face mere inches from mine. Heat radiated off him. A low humming started in my ears, the familiar tinkling sound I’d heard the last several times Colton had been around me.