Caught Between Worlds (The In-Betweens Book 3)

by Alison L. Perry

  I was awake before the alarm went off. What few hours I slept were filled with nightmares and I was exhausted from the nonstop adrenaline rush they’d filled me with. I stumbled into my bathroom to turn on the shower. As the water heated, I used the time to examine myself in the mirror. When I’d first cut my hair after the fight with Harry the Cat, I was devastated. But I’d grown to like my new short locks. They gave me an edgier look that bumped my confidence up a notch. My blue eyes were still as light as ever, unlike the darker hue the rest of my family had. They landed on the freckles dotting my nose and cheeks and I involuntarily cringed. Over the years I’d given up wondering why I was the only one with them, but the recent discussion with my parents lit a new curiosity within me. For the first time, I thought about my human heritage. Did my mom have freckles? Was that where they came from? Was she fair? Red lips, too? I had so many questions.

  Steam started to cloud the mirror, so I undressed and stepped into the bathtub. I let the hot water pound my back as my thoughts continued to whirl. What did my father look like? Was he funny? Serious? Did I get my clumsiness from him? I sighed, knowing I’d probably never get answers. I lathered my hair with shampoo, rinsed, and slopped on conditioner. As it sat, I opened my favorite body wash and inhaled deeply. Peppermint. It had a calming effect on me, easing the stress away. I washed and rinsed, then stood there while the spray cascaded over me. After I’d lingered as long as I dared, I turned off the water, wrapped myself in a huge fluffy towel, and stepped out onto the soft rug.

  A quick glance at the clock by my bed told me I was running late. I squirted mousse into my hands and ran it through my hair, making it stand out in a messy, cute way. In a hurry now, I threw on skinny jeans, a white-and-gold long-sleeved T-shirt, and white sneakers. Some hoops and a dainty necklace completed the look. I smeared lip gloss on as I ran down the stairs. But I skidded to a stop when I saw Dad standing by the front door. He was clearly waiting for me.

  “Um, hi Dad. What’s up? Why are you still awake?”

  “I wanted to give you these.” He held his hand out and it took me a second to realize he was holding a set of keys. But not his. I gave him a questioning look and he smiled. “You need a car, so… Happy New Car Day.”

  My heart leapt in my chest. “Really?” I took the keys and noticed he’d put them on a key chain with a blingy crown dangling from it. My heart melted a tiny bit. “Dad, you didn’t have to do this.”

  “Well… I feel like I did. But I don’t want you to get too excited.” He looked at his feet for a second before continuing. “Money has been a little tight, so I couldn’t get you anything fancy.”

  My stomach dropped as I thought about Bessie and my response the first time I’d seen her. I was determined not to have the same reaction to my second used car. “It’s okay. It’s a set of wheels, right? That’s all that matters.”

  He looked relieved and I felt bad that he’d worried about what I’d do. I smiled at him and opened the front door, but my mouth froze as I stared at the driveway. Time seemed to stop as I took it all in.

  Parked in front of me was a blue car. At least I thought it was blue. Maybe a long time ago it was, anyway. Now it was more of a dull silver blue, except for the roof, which was covered in rust spots. And the front bumper—a shiny, bright blue piece that was obviously brand spanking new. I felt like the Joker as I kept my grin in place, refusing to look disappointed.

  I dragged my feet closer. Through the window, I could see hanging fabric where the stitching had come loose from the cloth roof. Stay cool. It’s fine. It’s got character. No big deal. I unlocked the door and slid inside. More blueness stared at me as I gave the steering wheel and dash a once-over. The seats were fabric, but I was relieved to see power windows and a nice enough stereo. Maybe it won’t be too bad.

  I put the key in the ignition and turned it. A horrible squeal ripped through the quiet morning air, startling me and a few birds nesting in the tree above the car. They squawked and flew out of the branches, disappearing over the eaves of our house. I wished I could go with them. Thankfully, after a few seconds of earsplitting noise, it died down to a weird hum. Muttering an oath under my breath, I tried to roll down the driver’s side window, but all I heard was a whirring sound. It didn’t move and I realized it was broken. With fingers crossed, I tried the passenger side. To my relief, it descended and I gave a fake cheery wave to my dad who was standing on the front porch watching me. He waved back and went inside the house.

  I backed out of the drive and sped through the neighborhood streets. I was late and all too aware of the crowd of kids that would already be there and watching as I pulled into the student parking lot. Praying that somehow, I’d be lucky enough to make it after everyone had gone inside, I sat impatiently at a red light. Flicking the turn signal left, I noticed nothing happened on the dash. Just great. The turn signal is broken, too. What else could possibly be wrong with this thing? When I finally got a green arrow, I hurried through the intersection and zoomed through the next few miles to school. Fortune smiled down on me. There were only a few kids left outside and nobody seemed to be paying any attention to me. I found an empty spot and parked. Digging through my bag, I located my blood pills and hastily swallowed a handful. My thirst had been growing lately and two didn’t seem to cut it anymore. I made a mental note to talk to Harper about it. I flew out the door, not even bothering to lock it behind me, and up the steps. The tardy bell rang just as I ran through the front doors. Adrenaline and frustration pumped through my veins. My hands shook from the rush of it. Dammit, I was too late.

  I continued to run through the hallway to the main office and burst through the door, panting heavily. Mrs. Carter looked up with her characteristic smile and cloud of perfume. “Oh Sadie, you’re late, honey.”

  Well, duh.

  “I know, I’m sorry. I had car problems this morning. Can I get a pass, please?”

  She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Of course, dear. But I’ll have to count you tardy even though this is your first offense. The school is hunkering down on attendance. You know, since the awful accident.” She shook her head, tight lines forming around her mouth as she rummaged through the constant piles of paper on her desk. “You’re friends with Maddie, aren’t you? Have you heard how she’s doing?”

  I tried not to get irritated at how slowly she was moving. “Yes, ma’am. She’s doing well. I saw her Saturday and if her follow-up doctor’s appointment goes well, she may be able to return to school this week.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful news!” Still shuffling through paper, she muttered to herself, “Now where is that thing?” I was jittery with impatience and I had to fight the impulse to stomp my foot or worse, push her out of the way and find it myself. But the urge was cut short when she triumphantly held up a small pad of paper. “Found it!” She wrote a few things on the top slip before tearing it out and handing it to me. “Here you go.” Her smile returned. “Now hurry, dear. You don’t want to miss too much of first period.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Carter.”

  She shooed me out and I gladly went. I made a quick stop at my locker to empty my bag and grab the books I’d need for the morning. When I made it to History, I knocked on the door and fluttered my tardy slip in the window. Mrs. Moody opened it and waved me in, never stopping her lecture. Cam raised an eyebrow at me and I grimaced back as I sat down. A moment later, I felt a nudge on my shoulder. I looked down as he passed me a note. Glancing at Mrs. Moody to make sure she wasn’t paying attention, I took it and opened it in my lap. He’d drawn a silly picture of a guy handing a girl a big, floppy flower. I couldn’t help but smile. He was such a goof and I loved him for it.

  When the bell rang, I turned around in my seat, shoving my notebook into my bag as I did. Concern was written across Cam’s face. “You okay? Why were you late?”

  I rolled my eyes and immediately felt bad about it. “Dad got me a new car.” I used air quotes for the word new. He got it and grinned
as we walked out of the room together.

  “So, another version of Bessie?”

  “Something like that. I think I prefer Bessie, though. This one… it’s got some problems.”

  “How bad can it be?”

  “Oh, just wait and see. There’s plenty.”

  He chuckled and warmth spread through my limbs at the sound. We were in the hallway by now and even though I knew I should be picking up the pace to avoid another tardy, I wanted to linger and bask in his presence. Unfortunately, he had other plans. Nudging me toward the stairs, he said, “Hurry up or you’ll be late again.” I pouted at him but he gave me a no-nonsense look followed by a wink. “I’ll see you at lunch, little miss.”

  I melted. Maybe I should have been offended or something, but in reality, things like that made me swoon. Still thinking about the butterflies he’d kicked up in my stomach, I made it to Biology. My mood was so good not even the glare from Angie penetrated it. Trina looked up from the book she was reading when I sat down.

  “Hi. How are you?”

  “I’m good. I guess I’m glad to be back in the routine.”

  She nodded. “I don’t know if it’s even appropriate to talk about the Homecoming election since everything went haywire, but I’m sorry you didn’t win. Most of my friends voted for you. I was positive you had it in the bag.”

  “Eh, it’s okay. I’m not sure I would’ve been up for all the mess that went with it.” I laughed a little. “’Course, now that it’s all been canceled, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

  She looked amused, which didn’t surprise me given how Angie, Kitty, and the rest of the “pretty girl club” had treated her in the past.

  “Yeah, I saw Kitty in the main hall this morning and she was maaad,” she said, dragging out the word in an almost singsong manner.

  “I bet.”

  Before we could continue the conversation, Coach Anderson walked in looking paler than usual. His hand shook as he laid a stack of papers on his desk. Immediately, I thought of Kade. And the mystery guy. Even though he was human, and probably not aware of the supernatural world around him, I wondered if he had an inkling that something was up. I had no basis for thinking it, but it made sense to me for some reason.

  He cleared his throat, a nervous sound that was becoming his MO. “Today we’re going to take it easy and watch a film. I know the past few days have been rattling for most of us, so I thought we’d take a break from the curriculum.” With that, he turned off the lights and the flat screen television mounted on the wall above the whiteboard flickered to life.

  I was too busy pondering what he meant by “most of us” to pay attention to the movie. Maybe he did know more than he should. Maybe he knew of someone in the school who wasn’t upset about the game. Maybe someone like Ms. Stratha. She was most certainly involved and I didn’t believe it was in a good way. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that Coach Anderson knew something. And I wanted to know what it was. Now I had to find a way to get it out of him.

  When the lights came back on, I had a half-baked plan in mind. I lingered at my desk, taking my time putting my stuff away, until everyone else had left the room. He didn’t notice me as I walked to his desk and came to a stop in front of him. I cleared my throat and he looked up with a frown.

  “What can I do for you, Sadie?”

  I scuffed the toe of my shoe across the tile, trying to look nervous. “Do you know Ms. Stratha?”

  His frown deepened. “Yes. I know who she is.”

  “She’s my English teacher right now.” I paused for effect. “But she makes me uncomfortable.” I watched him carefully, looking for his reaction. I wasn’t disappointed. A flicker of something like fear flashed across his face and his hands clenched. “I’m worried that she’ll eventually make the rounds to all my classes, like this one.”

  He took a deep breath and when he spoke his voice sounded strangled. “I’m sure everything will be fine, Sadie. She’s a good teacher and you’ll benefit from her knowledge.”

  I struggled with whether I should ask the next question. Before I lost my nerve, I plunged on. “Do you know why she was allowed the honor of emceeing the Homecoming Queen ceremony?”

  He snapped his grade book closed and stood. “That’s enough. You’ll be late for your next class. I’m not discussing another teacher with you.” His no-nonsense tone was something new and I involuntarily stepped back. I’d pushed too far. But it was interesting to see him exhibit something else besides nerves.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Anderson. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” I turned to go and then swiveled back. “I know I don’t have much right to ask this, but would you mind writing me a note for my next class? It’s with Ms. Stratha and I don’t want to make her mad.” In truth, I didn’t much care what she thought about me. She was firmly stationed on my “enemy” list now, and I kind of wanted to bait her to see what she’d do. But nobody needed to know that.

  He looked irritated but dug inside his desk and pulled out a hall pass tablet. He scribbled something on it and handed it to me. “Hurry along.”

  “Thank you.” Again, I paused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step out of bounds by asking you about her. It won’t happen again.”

  His face relaxed. “It’s okay. Apology accepted. Sometimes it’s difficult to adjust to change. But I’m certain everything will be fine.” He smiled and I returned it before leaving the room.

  I jogged to English, my hall pass clutched in a death grip. I wasn’t exactly afraid, but if I showed up without that slip of paper, I’d be dragged into an ordeal with not only Ms. Stratha but the principal, too. I stopped outside the classroom and caught my breath before knocking on the door. Ms. Stratha’s voice stopped and the tapping of heels took its place. When she swung the door open, I held up my hall pass.

  “I apologize for being late. I had to meet with my teacher after class and it took a little longer than expected.”

  She was holding the door so that only she could see me. We locked eyes and stared at one another. Goose bumps popped up on my arms, but I didn’t back down. I wasn’t about to let her win a staring contest. Defiance slowly replaced the nerves and all of a sudden, I was filled with boldness. Without thinking about it, I raised an eyebrow in a silent dare. A few more seconds passed before she took the paper and widened the door to let me pass. I could feel her eyes still on me as I walked to my seat, so I added a tiny swagger to my hips. That oughtta show her.

  I sat down behind Mitchell the Artist Guy and took out a pen and a notebook. He threw me a little smile over his shoulder and I grinned back. We didn’t talk much, but I appreciated his artwork and he knew it. I could see over his shoulder that today’s project was a dramatic-looking vampire and my smile grew wider. Funny how close to the truth some people were. Still amused, I settled into my seat and prepared to take notes.

  Ms. Stratha waited at the front of the room until the small chatter that had erupted when I’d walked in died down. “Now, as I was saying before we were interrupted, I’m assigning a writing project.” Kids groaned and started talking again. My smile disappeared. I felt their pain. This was gonna suck. She gave us a few seconds before rapping her knuckles on her desk. Everyone shut up. “Are we finished bemoaning the fact that I’m making you actually write a paper in English class?” She cocked her head to one side and ran her eyes across the room. Several people shrank down at her stare and a deathly quiet filled the air.

  “Good. Let’s continue.” She picked up a stack of papers and handed some to each person at the front of the rows. When it made it to me, I took one and passed it back. I looked it over, my heart sinking. This was going to be intensive.

  Once everyone was staring at a sheet, Ms. Stratha continued. “As you can see, you will be writing a paper on a famous inventor. I expect your sources to be from actual books, not online, so you’ll need to visit the library. I’m not sure how extensive the school’s selection is, so you’ll probably want to use the public l
ibrary.” Groans met her statement, but one look from her quickly shut it down. “You will plan your paper with index cards, each source cited on the back in the format I’ve provided in the instructions. You will also prepare a first draft and a final version. The first draft can be handwritten, but the final paper will be typed. Double-spaced with a minimum of twenty pages. Times New Roman 12-point font. All three items shall be turned in as one package. This project will count as half of your final grade for the semester, so I suggest you take this seriously.” No one spoke. I think we were all in shock. She continued. “In order to help you, I’ve listed some of the most notable inventors throughout history for you to choose from. I’d prefer there be no overlap, so ten people doing Benjamin Franklin will not be accepted. You will need to coordinate with each other to avoid that. You may turn in your completed project as soon as it’s ready, but no later than two weeks from now.” She glanced at the clock. “We have enough time for you to discuss your picks.” She sat down behind her desk and focused on a book in front of her, leaving the rest of us to absorb her words.

  Eventually, people started talking. A slow roar filled the room as students became more adamant about their choices. It was a fairly long list, but there were several English classes and we’d all be choosing from the same people. I decided to leave it alone and just do whoever was left after the feeding frenzy was over. I wasn’t one to be picky about things like this.

  The bell rang. I walked down the aisle, looking at the ground, when I bumped into someone. I looked up into Kitty’s furious eyes.

  “You,” she said.

  Oh, for crying out loud, here we go.

  “What’s up, Kitty?”

  “What’s up? What’s up? How dare you ask me that!”

  “It’s a valid question.”

  “Stop playing stupid. I know you had something to do with them canceling all the Homecoming stuff.” Her eyes flashed, making her look like a slightly deranged maniac.