The Winter People

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  “Everybody needs to get off the bus,” he yelled through cupped hands. “But take it slow.”

  He shoved the emergency door open and passersby helped kids off the bus. Frantic sobs and shouting filled the air. Someone smashed open my window and I found Gareth standing there, his hand bloody from the glass.

  “Climb out, now.” He held his arms open for me.

  I nodded, tossing my backpack out first. As Gareth gripped my arms, the big yellow banana started to shift.

  I cleared the window right when the metal groaned, spiraling into the river like a spear. Gareth’s strong arms held me tight, burying my head, guarding me from the devastation. He smelled so good. Like fresh, sharp pine and coffee. I felt warm and safe.

  I shut my eyes, too afraid to see the injured people or the remnants of the crash. A sob raked through me, and I shuddered with relief. When was this going to end? I wasn’t safe anywhere. This was the second accident in a week’s time. I was beginning to fear vehicles as much as the winter.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Gareth carried me away.

  “Did everyone get out?” I hiccupped, holding onto my rescuer with an iron grip.

  “Yes. But if I hadn’t come along you wouldn’t have.” His angry undertone made my lids fly open. “From now on, I think you would be better off bumming a ride from me.” He stared at the highway as sirens sounded in the distance.

  “Thank you,” I whispered. “This is the second time you saved me.” A wave of pain washed over me. I glanced down to see blood had soaked through the arm of my coat. Great, the stitches must’ve busted open. But, the stitches were the least of my worries. Winter was going to kill me. My mind flipped back to the gauzy monster who’d floated down the aisle. The eerie sound of her voice. How close she’d come to ending me. Again. Maybe I should let Mom put me away; it had to be safer, right?

  “We need everyone over here for a head count,” the bus driver commanded, her voice wobbling.

  Flashing lights blocked off the road and Gareth carried me over to my classmates. He set me on my unsteady feet.

  “I’ll check in on you later, but until then, keep this with you at all times.” He handed me a carved piece of wood. Not just any wood. Rowan wood.

  Staring at it, I turned to ask him what in the hell was going on, but he’d disappeared.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  My eyes fluttered open, focused on the screaming bright lights overhead. This was the second time I’d woken up. The first had been in the recovery unit after surgery, before they moved me to my room.

  Throat dry, I tried to swallow, then fumbled for the button to bring myself into a sitting position. The bed whined as it slowly moved up. My arm felt confined and I glanced down to see a white sling and bandages. Great, pins in my broken arm.

  “Knock—knock.” A familiar voice called out. Kadie pushed in, holding a bouquet of flowers as Mom shot into a sitting position.

  “You’re awake.” Mom reached for her crutches. “How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Mom turned to me and said, “Listen, since you’re awake, I think I’m going to head down to the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat—give you girls a chance to visit.”

  She kissed my forehead before hobbling out the door.

  Kadie put my flowers on the table then unrolled a poster of a shirtless guy, beach sand stuck to his tanned abs.

  “Thought you could use some cheering up.” She grinned and taped it to the makeshift closet door.

  “Um—I don’t think I’ll be in here that long.”

  “Colton wanted me to tell you that he’ll try to drop by later, too. Seriously, the hotness has got it bad for you. You should see what he did to Kevin Freeman. Totally kicked the shit out of him.”

  I frowned. That, I did remember. And I wasn’t sure if that was the type of person I wanted to be dating. I mean, who’s to say he wouldn’t flip out on me? His mood swings were getting kind of crazy. “Did he get suspended?”

  “Nope. Everyone told the principal Kevin started it. Besides they don’t want to lose their star basketball player. Although, by the sounds of it on the phone, his parents grounded him, so hopefully they’ll let him out long enough to come up and visit you.” She rolled her eyes. “So what the hell happened to the bus?”

  My hand clenched the hospital blanket. “I don’t know,” I lied. “Everything happened so fast.”

  “From what I heard, you barely made it off—shit, Salome, you almost fucking died.” Kadie’s gaze met mine. There was a catch in her voice and she turned away trying to hide the tears from me.

  “I’m okay, see.” I held up my non-injured arm.

  She came over to the bed and sat down next to me, hugging me close. “Mitch said that right before the crash you started screaming, like you saw something no one else did.”

  Great, now everyone would think I was crazy or on drugs. I wanted to tell her everything, but what if that put her in danger? Or what if she told Mom again? Hell, I didn’t know what was going on, only that I seemed to have a giant target painted on me.

  Sighing, I let my head rest on her shoulder. “It was a mini snow freak out. Kevin scared me when he shoved snow in my face.”

  She gave me a look of disbelief, but let it go. Instead, she changed the subject to the hot orderly making his rounds.

  “What about Simeon? I thought you were madly in love with him.”

  “Love is such as strong word. Besides, the guy won’t even take my bait.”

  “Take the bait?”

  “We haven’t gotten beyond second base and, believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve thrown myself at him every available moment and nothing.”

  I stifled a giggle. “And this is a bad thing?”

  “A woman has needs.” Her wicked grin made me laugh.

  “There are support groups for this kind of thing. Nymphos’ Anonymous or something.”

  “Funny. But seriously, I don’t think he’s all that into me and, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’m that into him either.”

  “Um, okay. But his friend did save my life twice so he at least keeps good company.”

  She glanced at me with a smile. “Gareth. Now there’s an idea. Maybe you should date him. Forget about Colton and this Nevin guy.”

  I picked at my sling with my good hand, ignoring the blush that fanned across my skin. “No. That’s not why I brought him up.”

  “Seriously though, you should keep him in mind. You know he used to ask about you when Simeon and I hung out. And now he’s saving your life and stuff. I think it’s fate.”

  I snorted. “You sound like the back of a romance novel.”

  “Go ahead, laugh at me, but you’ll see.” She winked.

  We both went quiet as Mom made her way back into the room. Her eyes drifted to the poster then back to us.

  “Well the scenery has certainly improved.” She smiled. “And look who I found in the lobby.”

  Colton stepped into the room holding some flowers. His gaze met mine and I saw the worry. “Hey, my parents are waiting outside for me. They said I could come up real quick to see you.”

  “I think I’m going to head out now,” Kadie said. “I promised my parents I’d watch the twins tonight.” She bent down and gave me a quick hug.

  “See you,” I said.

  “Do you want me to leave you two alone?” Mom glanced at Colton and me.

  “No, I can’t stay long,” Colton said.

  When Mom sat back down, I clutched his hand. “Did you really get grounded?”

  “Yeah, but don’t worry about it. Kevin had it coming. Trust me, he won’t ever pull a stunt like that again.” His eyes darkened, his jaw clenched.

  “You shouldn’t have jumped in like that.” This was exactly what I was talking about. Not that I didn’t appreciate his coming to my rescue, but he seemed so aggressive.

  “I’d do it again. He had no right scaring you like that. Speaking of which, how are you feeling?”

>   “Sore. But I’m fine. Just a broken arm.” I tried to ignore the savageness in his tone.

  “I was freaking out when I found out about the crash. Kids were texting and posting pictures of the scene. Kadie called me and told me you were in the hospital… I-I thought the worst.”

  “You have nothing to worry about. I’ll be home in the next day or so.”

  He bent down until his lips brushed my face. “Just don’t scare me like that again.”

  My mouth twitched. “Trust me, I don’t plan on it.”

  “Listen, I better get downstairs, my dad is pretty pissed off about the fight at school. But I wanted to check on you to make sure you were all right.”

  “Thanks for stopping by.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

  Colton left shortly after, but Mom stayed until Nancy picked her up at nine. She didn’t want to leave, but I convinced her I’d be sleeping anyway. When she was gone, I sat in the silence of the room, contemplating how I’d ever be able to have a normal life. I didn’t feel safe anymore. Cars, buses, winter, the woods—the creature was everywhere.

  The only place I felt like I could escape it was in Grandma’s and my houses, nestled safely behind the gate.

  A shrill ring next to my bed startled me. I answered, trying not to drop the phone on the floor.

  “Salome,” Grandma said on the other end. “We’ve been worried sick.”

  “I’m fine. Just a broken arm.”

  “Two accidents in one week isn’t fine.” The acidic tone in her voice was raw.

  I couldn’t agree more, but it wasn’t like I had any control over it. “I hope you haven’t called to lecture me.”

  “No, I wish I was. Did you see anything during the crash or after it that seemed out of place?”

  Why would she ask something like that unless she already knew the answer? Same as the last time we’d talked. How could I explain what I saw?

  “I—no.”

  “Salome.”

  So I told her about the shadowy figure in the road, then described the hallucination I had on the bus and again in Dr. Bosworth’s office. I quivered with each memory.

  “Dear God, it’s happening again. Why you? Why can’t she just leave our family alone?” Grandma’s breath hissed through the phone.

  “Who?”

  “I can’t explain.”

  “Great. You’re going to give me this same lame excuse? What part of ‘I almost died’ don’t you understand? How can you keep whatever this is from me?” I snarled, but she silenced me with a loud shush.

  “We can’t speak of the curse or bad things can happen.”

  Curse? Now that got my undivided attention.

  “Don’t you think this might’ve been good to mention prior to now?”

  “Just listen,” she said.

  “Grandma?”

  “In my closet, there’s an old trunk. In the bottom of it you’ll find a compartment and a key,” she whispered. “The key is for the hidden room.”

  “You mean the office?”

  Grandma remained silent.

  “What am I looking for?” I asked.

  Static buzzed on the line. “Answers. But be careful.”

  My palms grew clammy. “And you can’t give me any clues?”

  Grandma’s sad laugh worried me. “No child. We can’t talk about it. She’s made sure of it. But you have everything you need to figure things out. Look through books you loved as a child. The fairytales. Read the notes and ledgers in that room.”

  “Does this have to do with the cemetery?” The pit in my stomach grew into a deep chasm. Accidents, they’d all had accidents.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to die, aren’t I? I only have until I’m eighteen.”

  I didn’t really want to know the answer.

  “No, not if I can help it.” Her protective tone was as sharp as daggers. “There’s one more thing I need to ask.”

  I hesitated, afraid of what might come next. “Yeah?”

  “Have you met any strangers in the woods?”

  My heart pounded in my ears like a snare drum. I sucked in a deep breath. Please don’t let him have anything to do with this, please.

  “Yes.” The hushed words came out like I’d never even spoken.

  “And what is this person’s name?”

  “Nevin.” His name fell from my lips like raindrops on a window.

  The click of her tongue sounded on the other end of the line, followed by a soft groan. “Well, when you decide to do things, you do them big, don’t you? And how many times have you met with him?”

  “Um—several.”

  “I think it might be best if you stayed away from him.”

  The ache started in my chest, winding its way up to my throat. She asked too much.

  I clutched the phone tighter. “I can’t. I need him. He gets me.”

  “You’re begging for trouble. He can’t love you.”

  “I’m not asking him to love me. You don’t understand, he’s always there for me. He’s the only one who knows what I’m going through and doesn’t think I’ve lost my flipping mind.”

  Grandma fumbled with something. It sounded like paper crinkling. “He can’t always be there for you. I like him, Salome. He’s kind, handsome, and he did something wonderful for our family eleven years ago. But he can’t be with you, child. Not as a friend. Not as a companion. Not as a lover. He simply cannot be a part of our world.”

  A sob shook me. She was mistaken. She had to be.

  “I care about him. Besides Kadie, he’s the best friend I have.” I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my hospital gown. “And you said you like him.”

  “I do. But I love you more, sweetie. I want you to be safe and you can’t be if he’s around.”

  Pain ripped through me. “You don’t know anything.”

  “Please, just trust me. Look through the room before making your decision.” I’d never heard her sound so broken, so worried.

  “I—I have to go.” I hung up the phone then buried my face in my pillow. No more Nevin? Impossible.

  Then I realized something I’d said to Grandma. I cared for Nevin. I didn’t know him that well and yet I felt as if I’d known him for several lifetimes.

  The next night I sat on my bed, the lamp casting eerie silhouettes on my wall. I’d wanted to go to Grandma’s when I got home from the hospital, but Mom and Nancy shooed me into my room to lie down.

  I hadn’t been over there in two days—two days, which felt like a million. What if Mom refused to let me go over there tomorrow? And the next day?

  I flipped on my radio to drown myself in classical music. When that didn’t work I readjusted my arm, propping it on my pillow, and stared at the ceiling. God, I couldn’t get comfortable. So I sat up, leaning against my headboard with my eyes shut.

  Tap-tap-tap.

  The noise came from my window. I stared at it for long moments, wondering if I dared to check it out.

  Tap-tap-tap.

  It came again. This time I swung my legs over my bed, clutching my injured arm to my chest. After counting to three and taking a deep breath, I threw open the curtains to find Nevin standing outside my bedroom window.

  I unlocked it, struggling to slide it up with one arm. A cold breeze tickled my cheek as it swirled inside around me, whipping my nightgown around my legs.

  “Nevin, what are you doing here?”

  Pale eyes met mine and he stared like he hadn’t seen me in an eternity. “I had to come and see if you were okay.”

  My knees wobbled and I clutched the sill for support. “Do you want to come in?” I asked.

  Regret washed over his face as he shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “Because of the curse,” I whispered.

  He looked startled, taking a step back. “What do you know of the curse?”

  Ah, so he did know about it. Maybe getting answers would be easier than I thought.

  “Wait here.” I rushed to
ward my closet to put on my boots. I grabbed a jacket, too, and when I came back to the window, Nevin still stood there.

  “I’m climbing out.” I slipped out, first one leg, then an arm. Then my nightgown caught on a nail on the sill and with my arm in a sling, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it. But Nevin’s strong hands wrapped around my waist and he helped me to the ground.

  I clung to him with my one good arm, staring up into his face.

  “What do you know of the curse?” His hands tilted my face upward.

  I couldn’t look away. He seemed so haunted. So sad. “Nothing, yet,” I admitted. He looked disappointed. Angry, even.

  “Did it ever occur to you that maybe you should leave things well enough alone?” He touched my cheek, his thumb tracing the contours.

  “Yes, but I can’t. So, please don’t ask me to. More than that, I seem to be involved whether I want to be or not.”

  His face darkened. “It’s selfish of me not to ask—but I’m a selfish person. It’s been so long since I’ve had someone to talk to. Someone who didn’t want something from me. We have a kinship I can’t explain and I want you in my life, Salome.”

  More than ever, I knew I’d have to figure everything out, the sooner the better.

  “You’re not selfish. Arrogant maybe, but not selfish.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. “You’ve had me worried sick. I thought you…”

  “Died,” I supplied for him.

  “Don’t utter that word again.” His grin vanished and his mouth twisted in anger. “Things will be different this time. She will not win.”

  Whoa? This time? A clue, my dear Watson. And yet a knot squeezed my stomach telling me to be careful—to tread lightly.

  “Why did you come to me that first day in the woods?” I asked in a soft voice.

  He smiled, hand catching mine. “Because I’ve been waiting for you. You’re the one person who could change everything.” With that he ushered me back toward the window. “Get some rest.”

  “Grandma said I should stay away from you,” I said when he boosted me onto my sill. “That we shouldn’t be friends.”

  He patted my leg. “She’s probably right, but what do you want?”

  That was simple.

  “To still see you.”