by M. Lathan
“Oh … that reminds me,” she said. She snapped twice and black pumps appeared in her hands. “Your shoes. Unless I can have these too.”
I stared at them. There was something inexplicably troubling about them.
“Oh!” I covered my mouth, embarrassed. “I stole those from Lydia Shaw.” Her eyes widened and she threw them on my bed like she wanted nothing to do with them now. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll just give them back.”
I threw a few pillows on top of them until I would turn them over to Sophia, ashamed of my theft from the famous woman.
I told Emma about Sienna and Whitney and how unpopular I was while she plucked my eyebrows and forced mascara on me. With make up on, there was no way I was also putting on heels – stolen or my own. I went with black flats, toppling her strut in like a model to show how awesome my life is plan.
We assembled in the living room. Sophia snapped and we landed in a SUV, all in our own seats.
Cameras flashed in the window, and I groaned. Nathan turned around in the driver’s seat. “This is awesome! They think we drove in?”
“Yes,” Sophia said. She reached over the seat from the third row and touched my shoulder. “Just breathe, dear,” she said. For a moment, my mind blanked. I stared at her, waiting to be reminded of when she’d said that before. Her eyes were watery then. I was panicking. It must’ve been when I was here last, when I decided I was evil enough to take two lives.
Nathan opened his door and the press went nuts, snapping me out of the daze. Emma and Paul got out too. I waited, like Sophia would change her mind and get me out of here.
“Come back when you’re ready to go.”
“I’m ready now.”
She laughed. “Stay for a little while, dear. Call if I’m not inside,” she said. Nate opened my door, and I stepped out, causing an uproar of questions and flashing lights. I looked back to Sophia, but I couldn’t see inside the truck from out here.
“Ten minutes after a heavily tinted vehicle arrives at the school, Leah emerges with three teenagers,” a reporter said, facing a camera, not us. Nate wrapped an arm around my waist as we pushed through the crowd.
“Leah! Leah! Care to comment on were you’ve been?” Ken asked. I answered because Nate and I had watched him.
“A few places,” I said.
“What do you think about the rumors that a witch abducted you?” he asked.
“I think it’s crazy,” I said.
The cameras followed us into the gates and all the way to the doors of the main hall. Like I couldn’t hear them, they reported that my behavior (showing up looking glamorous with teenagers I shouldn’t know and holding hands with one of them) was suspicious. They added a new theory to the case – I’d run away all on my own and somehow used visual effects to pull off the flash of light.
Paul opened the door, and I held my breath. The feel and smell of the building made me want to wrap my arms around myself and stare at my shoes. Like he’d sensed it, Nate tightened his arms around me. The nuns were waiting in the hall in front of the main office.
Sister Margret approached me first. “Leah, I’ve been praying nonstop for you. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry that you won’t be returning. We wish you well.”
Great. Could we go now?
Sister Phyllis limped closer. “Her Honor said you requested that the things in your room be donated.” I nodded, even though Lydia had made that decision without me. It was the correct one. I didn’t want to go in there or take anything from my old life into my new one. “And we wanted to thank you for the wonderful idea to start an anti-bullying program and also for donating the rest of the money in your student account to that cause.” Another great idea that wasn’t mine.
“No problem,” I said.
They ushered us down the hall. “Chris, I have a cause. Would you like to donate?” Paul said.
“What’s it called?” I said. “The boys with fancy scarves cause?” We cackled in the hall. It had the same effect as spitting on the floor, showing that I was over this place, this building, being Leah. I was completely relaxed when we came to the gym doors.
Every head in the room turned to us. I looked up at the ridiculous banner that said: Welcome home, Leah.
The girls I grew up with and the guys I’d never interacted with applauded over the music. I couldn’t focus on any of their faces. It reminded me of when I snapped, hallucinated, and beat up Remi.
Slowly, the attention turned away from us and back to drinking punch and nodding to music.
“This party is lame. Let’s spice it up, Em,” Paul said. He pulled her to the middle of the gym. Jaws dropped everywhere when they started dancing entirely too close together.
“Do you want to dance?” I bucked my eyes, and Nate laughed. “Maybe later.” We sat at an empty table. The buzzing of human thoughts made my head spin. How had I done this all day, every day?
When the devil walked over, I clutched Nate’s hand. “Want me to bite her?” he whispered.
“Maybe.” We chuckled. It was the perfect moment for her to see. To meet Christine.
Whitney trailed a few paces behind Sienna as they made their way to us.
“So happy you’re alive,” Sienna said, with the fakest smile ever. “You look … different. Who’s your friend?”
She looked back at Whitney, and they giggled.
“Nathan. Her boyfriend,” he said. Neither of them believed him, but I was so over Sienna and Whitney and everything about them. In a week, I’d experienced real life and real problems, so they looked as small and insignificant as they had in my dream. I didn’t feel anything. Not sadness or rage. They, and everyone in this room, meant nothing.
“Want some punch, babe?” I asked. Like the perfect boyfriend he was, he leaned in and kissed me. It was soft and quick but enough to make them gasp. He took my hand and pulled me between my former enemies. I didn’t need to look back to know I’d left them stunned.
He fixed our cups and we perused the snack table. Emma and Paul were busy grinding on the dance floor. Paul took off his scarf and draped it around her back, pulling her closer.
“Can we leave yet?” I asked.
“We’ve been here all of five minutes, babe.”
He reached his arms around to my stomach as he leaned on the table. He swayed slightly to the left, then to the right. I looked back and so did he, avoiding my eyes. “Stop trying to dance with me, Nate.”
“Too late.”
I let him dance, but I didn’t move much. I listened to the buzzing around me as he held on to me. They were all wondering how I’d managed to make friends while being kidnapped. The meanest ones were wondering how I’d manage to make friends at all. One voice was calling, no singing, my name.
Christine. Oh … sweet … Christine. It was a girl. A familiar voice. Christine, I know you can hear me. Remi? I scanned the room. More couples had joined Emma and Paul on the dance floor. Emma inched lower to the ground, finally pushing Sister Margret too far. She looks nice in your clothes. I guess you stole my friend.
I looked through the harmless students for her.
I didn’t shiver. I wasn’t afraid. My heart shattered, breaking for her, wanting to bring her home with us.
Then I saw her and my heart broke even more. She stood in front of the locker room door. Her dark hair was in a long braid. Her leather pants looked painted on, and her top was almost nonexistent. I had bras that covered more. No one seemed to see her but me.
I looked back at Nate. His eyes were fixed on Paul and Emma getting lectured. He laughed, probably hearing it from here.
It’s not over. My master wants you, and I begged to be the one to deliver you. I owe you one. She disappeared into the locker room, and I ran after her.
I blew through the doors. “Remi!” I screamed. It felt like I had to save her from Kamon because there was no one to save my mother from his master. “Don’t go back! You’ll be his p
roperty!”
It was silent except for a dripping faucet.
“Chris!” Nate said, bursting through the door. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw Remi. I thought … I saw her, anyway.”
“She’s gone.” I jumped. Lydia Shaw crossed her legs on the wooden bench between the lockers. “I assumed Kamon would send someone here tonight since this has been all over the news, and you did exactly what she wanted you to do.” She stood, and I bowed like I was supposed to. Nate followed. “She saw me and jumped through the window she came in from.”
“Why did you let her go? We need to help her.”
“Not we. You belong in there, dancing with your boyfriend. Remi and Kamon are my problem. You are not a part of that world. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, sinking. I felt like I’d disappointed her, and it hurt. I’d stupidly run after Remi. It could have been a trap with sedatives involved. Thank God she was here to scare her off.
“If I promise to do everything I can to help Remi, will you promise to ignore her?” I nodded. “Good. Nathan, great job of slowing yourself down out there, but keep a closer eye on her for me,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am.” With her hand on my back, she led us to the door. It closed before I could say goodbye, and for some reason, that hurt too. “Chris, you scared the hell out of me.” I reached on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. “I accept your apology, but are you going to tell me what happened later?” I nodded and grabbed his hand. “Perhaps in the pool?”
“I’d like that,” I said. His smile told me he’d love that.
My sprint to the locker room hadn’t turned many heads. They were used to me being weird like that.
My friends and I left the party an hour after we got there. The news crews snapped pictures and screamed for comments on our way out.
Nate opened my door then climbed in the driver’s side. Sophia was stretched out on the backseat reading. “We’ll have to drive for a while until we’re not being followed, Nathan,” she said.
I watched the chaos and the school shrink to nothing as we pulled away from it. I sighed, happy this whole mess was finally over.
Emma held a tube of lip-gloss to her lips like a microphone. “Leah slash Christine slash Cecilia, what do you have to say to the people of the world. Certainly, you don’t appear to be a kidnapping victim? What have you been doing?”
Everyone laughed at her fake reporter voice. She held the lip-gloss microphone to me, and I smiled.
“Um … I’ve been away, figuring myself out,” I said. “And I’m not so bad.”
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From the Author
Thank you so much for your interest in Hidden. I hope you enjoyed it. Check out my website and Goodreads page. Rate, review, and discuss.
Thanks again!
Website: http://www.mlathan.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16155642-hidden
Book Two, Lost, Coming Soon