by Tara Brown
His eyes narrow skeptically. "Sure. But why do you look like that?"
I shake my head. "I just can't take how this is all turning out."
He doesn’t look convinced but Ari's tears seem to bother him enough. He puts a hand out. I grab it. Ari pulls her phone out of pocket and shows him the picture. The air moves and we are standing on a windy dock. The ocean is choppy and grey. It's freezing.
He shivers. "You guys okay here?"
Ari nods and pulls her hood up. "Yeah. We just need to check on some shit. Thanks."
I take his hand. "Don't say anything okay. I don’t want Oliver to know I'm out and about."
He rolls his eyes. "Dad's a bit intense lately. See ya bitches."
He's gone and we are standing on the cold wooden wharf.
Ari points. "It's this way." We walk through the quaint town and I just can't see Aimee like one of these people. She is too classy and city to be a bumpkin like me.
Ari doesn’t talk. I know she is devastated. She cries two more times on the walk. She dries her face when we reach the front door of a house with big windows in the front.
She takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders. She climbs the stairs and closes her eyes as she knocks.
A sweet looking man, with a haunted look on his face, answers. He sounds stuffy, "Hello?"
She smiles through her glassy eyes. "Hello Mr. James. My name is Ari."
His eyes light up. "Aimee's Ari?"
She nods. "Yeah. I was in town and thought I would stop in and say hello."
He grabs her hand and pulls her inside. "Come in. Both of you. Please. Blake just arrived. He said some of Aimee's friends were coming over."
I hate the frightened feeling in my guts as I climb the stairs. I can't help but look around the quiet neighborhood as I close the door and lock it.
Aimee
My head still feels funny. I kick a rock and circle the log house once more.
"Aimee?" I look up hearing Aleks's voice in a panicked tone I have never heard before.
He is running toward me panicked. He looks sick. My stomach is a tight ball. "What?"
He flashes and scoops me up. He grips me to his chest.
"I'll find you again. I swear I will."
He presses his face into mine.
I pull back. "What is your deal?"
He swallows. "Ari. She just sent me this." He pulls out his cell and shows me the message. My eyes widen. "My dad."
I wink but the world stops. Aleks's arms become sparkles in the air, gripping me. Everything moves slowly. His lips move in slow motion and the sounds are lost.
I spin, trying desperately to grip onto him. His body passes through mine.
I spin faster.
O and Ari made me come to them so Ari could say goodbye. I thought the look in her eyes was sorrow for Sam. But I see now it was for me.
I close my eyes and let the spinning take me. I don’t know where I will wake up when it stops. I don’t know what the world will look like.
His voice breaks through the spinning world.
"AIMEEEEEEEEE!" He screams.
And then it's black and still and I am not sure if I'm gone. But I can't open my eyes. The darkness takes me.
Chapter Seven
Before
Port Mackenzie 2010
Aimee
My eyes fuzz out. I blink and try to focus on what I'm doing.
"Aimes you going tonight? Hello?"
I look at my mom and smile. "Yeah. I think so. Blake wants to go." Everything feels weird for a minute. I inhale through my nose and notice it right away. I can smell my mom. The mix of old perfume and laundry soap and her clothes makes my heart tug. I don’t know why.
I get up from the computer and wrap my arms around her. I take a deep breath. The air around her makes me hungry.
"Honey, are you okay?"
I nod into her neck.
"I think I had a bad dream last night," I mutter. Starvation almost cripples me. I clutch my stomach. "I need something to eat." I walk away from her embrace and stumble down the stairs to the kitchen. I pour a heaping glass of chocolate soymilk, but then finish the carton off.
I lower it and burp. The hunger is burning my belly.
"Gross. Jesus." I glance at Alise and grin.
I pick up the glass and down it in fast chugs.
I place it on the counter and rub my belly. Alise is almost gagging but the doorbell rings. She leaves to answer it and I open the fridge. I grab a block of cheese and pull off a hunk. I take a bite but it isn’t what I want. I toss the hunk of cheese I broke off and put the rest back in the fridge.
I can't seem to quench my hunger.
"Aimes, we're leaving now." I look at my reflection in the glass on the wall mount stove and nod. "Coming." Something is different. I just can't put a finger on it.
I shake my head and leave the kitchen.
Mom is standing at the bottom of the stairs, smiling. She touches my cheek. "You sure you want to do this?"
I nod. "It's the last party of the year. I leave for Harvard in a few months. It's cool." Alise kisses our mom and walks out of the house.
I shake my head at her strappy silver wedges and tiny silver shirt/dress. "Besides, someone has to make sure the hot mess comes home."
Mom laughs. "Oh you know what she's like."
I look at my mom and smirk. "Aunt Karen."
Mom rolls her eyes. "Let's just pray she doesn’t end up in Vegas dancing like Aunt Karen."
I shiver. "Responsible parents would have crushed her wickedness years ago. I blame you both."
She hugs me tightly to her and laughs her crazy giggle. "One day Aimes, you're going to see that the crazy spirit inside of her means well."
I shake my head and walk out. "I'll text if she gets out of control." I look back. "Tell dad to be on the ready."
She laughs her musical giggle. "Honey, he's in Portland for the night. He won't be home until tomorrow. I will come and get you if I have to."
I shake my head. "We'll be fine." I don’t know what the reason is but I don’t want her leaving the house. I have a terrible feeling in my stomach."
"Aimee, haul ass." Alise shouts from her car.
Mom waves and blows kisses and closes the door.
I climb in and buckle up. "I want you to pick up Blake first."
Her face glows. "Whatever. You two dorks better not do anything dorky tonight."
"We made a deal, Alise. You have to be nice to me and Blake and do my laundry according to washing instructions for a month."
Watching our house as we drive away, I can't shake the déjà vu that's hitting me hard.
She drives like a maniac, picking up everyone. She pulls up to Giselle's last.
I shoot a look at Alise. "Dude, this car is full. We're picking her up too?"
Alise waves a hand dismissingly at me. "She wasn’t feeling well so she didn’t go earlier. Stop annoying me."
"She's sick and you're letting her come in the car with us all packed in here? We're all going to get sick."
Alise shoots me a glare. "Shut it."
I groan as Giselle opens my door and raises her eyebrows, "You're in my seat."
I roll my eyes and sigh.
"Aimes, it's a proven fact the people in the backseat have better survival odds." I smirk at Blake and climb out of the beater. I squish into the back seat. My face is on fire when I realize I'm sitting on Blake's and Tommy's knees.
"You look good for a nerd."
I look over at my sister's friend Tommy and glare. "You look good considering you only just learned to walk upright."
His eyes narrow. "Easy nerd girl. I was just trying to pay you a compliment. You clean up nice." I look down at the t-shirt I'm wearing and shake my head. "Gee, thanks."
Blake laughs.
"McGinnis, dude you're huge. Way too big for the backseat. What are you six-one?"
Blake scowls. "Six-three."
"You should tryout for the basketball team wh
en you go to college." Tommy grins at him.
Blake gives me a desperate look.
"He isn’t very coordinated."
Tommy shrugs. "Too bad."
Blake rolls his eyes and I can't wait to get out of the car.
"What are you wearing by the way?" He whispers. I look down at the stupid shirt and jeans Alise attacked me with. I nod toward the front seat. "Attacked me. Makeup and all."
He grimaced. "Must have been savage."
I nod and smirk. "Completely."
Alise pulls into the long driveway and my stomach dances at the thought of seeing Shane. He was finally single and possibly over the fact his dad had left with a twenty-five year old cashier.
"God it's hot in here." Giselle fans herself.
I notice the sweat on her temple. She has never sweat before, I'm certain. I feel hot too.
"I hope there is food here. I'm starving," I mutter at Blake as we all file out of the car. People start screaming and laughing. Tommy throws a girl on his shoulders. Blake and I stand back and watch the chaos. The house is booming. I didn’t want to come, but Shane had asked me himself when I was tutoring him in English. The fact I had loved him forever, secretly, made the decision easy. I even let Alise dress me and do my makeup. Of course she thought I was going to ask Blake out. I glance at him and shiver at the idea of us kissing.
"Wanna go in?" I ask quietly.
He nods, nervously. I notice he isn’t wearing his glasses. He looks massive without anything in his hands. He's almost always fidgeting with something.
The front door opens and Shane steps out. I smile, it's involuntary.
He grins at me and shakes his head. "Didn’t think you'd make it." My sister walks past him giving me the evil eye. He smiles at her too. "Hey Alise, Giselle, Tommy. Refreshments are in the back. I made Lemonade."
Giselle doesn’t go in with Alise. She stands outside alone. She doesn’t look well. I can't help but notice the way she keeps glancing at me.
Shane walks in between her and I, taking my gaze with him. I beam up into his blue eyes.
"I'm glad you came." He smiles at Blake who couldn’t look more uncomfortable. "Hey Blake."
Blake nods and looks back at me. "Guess I'll go get some lemonade." He slouches a bit.
"Straight." I say. His back straightens. He looks back and arches his eyebrow at me. He slouches in his computer too much. It drives me insane.
I look back at Shane and grin like the Chestshire cat. "Looks rowdy in there."
He looks back and puts his hands in his back pockets. "Yeah. Wanna come in?" He asks. I furrow my brow and laugh. "Yeah."
He shakes his head at himself and looks like he doesn’t know what his next move is. He jerks and turns away from me. I walk up beside him and nudge him. "You okay?"
He nods, "Yeah."
"Can you say anything beyond yeah?"
He looks down on me and grins, his face is flushed. "Yeah." He opens the door that’s been closed and holds it for me. "I can say you look nice."
I bite my lip, trying desperately not to blush. "Thanks. Alise. You know what she's like."
He laughs. "I do. Any guy would do anything for that girl." His face turns crimson. "Except me. Of course."
I swallow and can't help but wonder where the conversation is going. "Of course."
"She still dating that Luke guy from Handley?"
I shake my head. "No. They only ever last a couple months. She is, uhm, well, fickle."
He laughs. "Fickle. That’s not the word I would use."
I laugh and close the door. I notice Giselle in the yard still.
I look back. "I'll be back in a minute." I open the door again and run out to where she is.
"You okay?" I ask.
She looks at me and shakes her head. "I think I'm sick. Like the flu or something."
"Want me to drive you home?"
She laughs. "Uh no. I just need a minute Aimes." She turns and walks away and I can't help but frown. She used my nickname. She has never called me Aimes in my life. She rounds the back of the house. I turn and walk back inside.
Shane is holding a drink for me. I take it and sniff. He rolls his eyes. "I didn’t put booze in it. I know you don’t drink."
I frown. "You do?"
He laughs. "I've known you for a long time Aimes." His voice turns throaty at the end of the sentence.
I sip my lemonade and try not to shake. I cringe at the taste.
"You don’t like lemonade?"
I shake my head. "I do but it just tastes funny." My belly rumbles. I glance out the backdoor to the deck. Giselle is standing there leaning against the railing with a guy. His back is turned to me. Something about it is bugging me.
"You want to go sit?" Shane asks. I look up and nod. He grabs my hand and electricity jolts up my arm.
"Ouch." He pulls away.
"Sorry. I think I shocked you."
He laughs. "Quite the charge you have there." I rub my fingertips together and swear I can feel sparks.
I follow him to the quiet room at the back of the house, the sunroom. He sits on an old couch next to the woodstove. I sit beside him and try to ignore the sparks in my fingertips and rumbling in my belly.
"You okay?" He asks.
I nod. "Where is Blake?"
We both look around but he isn’t in the kitchen or the sunroom or back deck.
"Maybe he's in the living room."
"Maybe."
He grins. "So you excited about the year being over?"
I smile. "Yeah. I'm excited. I'm all ready to go."
His face drops. "All the way to Harvard?"
"Yeah. Far but awesome. You planning on Seattle still?"
He shrugs. "Not sure. I don’t have a right fit yet."
My stomach clenches. I almost double over. "Oh my god," I whisper.
"Aimes what is it?"
I shake my head. "I don’t know. I don’t feel so good. I think I got the flu." I stand and run for the back deck, "Just need some air. Be right back." I shout back at him. I am terrified to shit my pants at his house.
I run down the stairs and put my hands on my hips. They are burning me through my shirt and pants. Holding them out in the fading light, I can't see anything different. My stomach drops again. I buckle and drop to the grass. It hurts more than I can take. Sweat crosses my brow.
A screaming girl interrupts my plans of running through the woods to my house, where I can die in the privacy of my own bathroom. I struggle to my feet and stumble down the back lawn, to the woods.
"Oh my god. Mr. Mac. Please Mr. Mac. Wake up." Giselle is pushing on the lifeless body of my favorite teacher, who is lying on his back in a bush.
"Giselle, what happened?"
She shakes, her hands tremble. Blood coats them. "He tried to kiss me and I said no and then he shoved me down on the grass." She sobs. I can see her torn shirt and skirt.
"He kept saying he needed to teach me a lesson." She gasps and sobs.
I drop to my knees and struggle with the stabbing pain and fire in my belly. I reach for his pulse. Warm wetness coats my fingertips. "What happened? He has no pulse."
I wipe my hands on his back.
She shakes. "I don’t know? I don’t know? He shoved my face in the dirt. Then everything got really hot and I reached back grabbed him. I just felt so strong and crazy. Aimes, I put my face up to his and sucked him out I think." She put her hands over her eyes. "I don’t know why. I just did."
I have no response. I nod and wrap my arms around her. "It's self defense. You didn’t mean to kill him." I feel sick. Mr. Mac tried to hurt her, my favorite teacher, tried to hurt her.
"No, I sucked him out."
I pet her head. "It's okay. You're just not feeling well. You didn’t mean it."
She lifts her face and in the muted light, I can see the dark red blood coating her face where her hands have touched it, after touching his bloody dead body.