Cam looked confused, but Harper’s tone was dry. “I think I already know, but go ahead.”
“I know you guys like Carmen. She lays on the charm and everyone around her sees nothing but good. But the few times I’ve talked to her… well, there’s something there that y’all aren’t seeing. It’s like she’s mocking me. And the guy that hangs around with her is spooky. Kade practically told me he’s the one who’s behind everything and warned me several times to be careful of him. That he’s dangerous.”
My parents looked confused again. “Who is Carmen?”
Harper jumped in. “Carmen Mathinson. She moved away for a year, but she’s back. And Sadie is being super paranoid about her.”
I started to lash out, but my dad was muttering, “Mathinson, Mathinson” over and over under his breath.
“Dad, do you know her family?”
His expression told me he knew something. “If it’s the family I’m thinking of, it’s a good idea to keep your distance.”
Harper’s mouth dropped open. Cam looked shocked. And Molly, well, she looked interested.
“Why, Mr. Criswell? Why should we keep our distance? Carmen has been great to hang out with. I’ve known her for years.” Harper was grasping at straws, trying keep her belief in Golden Girl’s image.
“You’ve known her for years, yes. And she didn’t have any reason to harm you or probably even suspect you might be a vampire. But when you became friends with Sadie, and when that target got put on her back, it went on yours, too. The Mathinsons are closely connected to the Andersons, and thereby, naturally, the Firsts.”
My stomach dropped. The Andersons. Why did it seem like everything always came back to Kade? I knew he wasn’t trying to harm me, but his family sure didn’t see me the same way. The image of his crazy grandmother popped into my head and I reached to rub my still-aching arm.
Dad kept speaking. “What does the boy look like? The one you say is always around Carmen?”
Molly hadn’t had more than a dim glance at him in the hospital parking lot. He had a knack for being there while being unnoticeable, so she had yet to see him. I didn’t know if Cam had or not. He hadn’t mentioned it, at least.
“He’s got blondish-caramel hair.” I felt like I’d described him this way a hundred times, so I thought about something else to say. “He’s good-looking and has a great build. Just a classic handsome boy. But I don’t like the look of him.” I paused. “They seem familiar with each other. Like, she can calm him down fast.”
Cam looked relieved I wasn’t interested in the guy, but Dad was nodding slowly. “If I’m not mistaken, that would be Carmen’s brother. The Mathinsons have two children: a girl and boy. It would only make sense if they seemed to show up together and hang around each other. I don’t know his name, though.”
I thought about what Kade had told me. He said he knew the guy. Maybe “closely connected to the Andersons” meant by blood? That would make the Mathinsons cousins with Kade. And Kade had mentioned that his family had called in someone else when he refused to do more of their bidding. It’s easier to lean on family when undertaking something kinda huge like murder. Cousins. I was almost sure I was right. Yikes.
A hush had fallen over the room and it was making me edgy. “So, anyway, I went to Kade’s house to see his reaction when I said Carmen and this guy had shown up at school. But his grandmother answered the door and… talk about creepy. She wins the title for that word. At first, I didn’t think she’d let me in. Judging by my arm, that would have been the best thing. But she finally let me talk to Kade and he was super freaked I was there. When I told him about Carmen, he got even more panicked. He said to be careful because she and the guy—I guess her brother—were not to be trusted and were dangerous.”
“Dammit, Sadie, I told you stay away from him!” Molly’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere with anger and frustration.
I held up my hands in defense. “I know, I know. But I wanted to actually see his reaction. And it confirmed my suspicion.” I continued rubbing my arm as the aching intensified. “But there’s more. When I tried to leave, his grandmother threatened me and blocked the door. Before I could do anything, Kade grabbed me and took me out into the yard where I was safe. Or at least I thought.” I turned to Molly and Harper. “Guys, he injured himself saving me. Badly. He fried getting me out of the house. Even though it’s annoying, I have to believe he isn’t one of the bad guys. I mean, why would he do that?”
I felt fingers intertwining with mine and looked down. Cam’s strong hand was holding mine tightly. I looked up into his face and saw fear and worry. And a hint of jealousy.
As usual, Harper’s cooler head prevailed. “I believe you, Sadie. Now tell us the rest.”
“Thank you,” I mouthed silently to her before rushing to get out the rest. “I was on the ground in his yard, puking, feeling dizzy and stuff. I figured it was the adrenaline from being carried out of the house so fast. Kade was yelling for me to go and I managed to get into my car and got the hell out of there. But in my hurry, I almost crashed into another car. That’s all I remember. Then my phone woke me up and it was Molly.” I looked around the room. “So, here I am.”
I rubbed my arm harder, trying to relieve some of the pain. Mom moved to look at it again. “It’s getting redder, but I can’t tell if it’s from you rubbing it or something else.” Even though she was acting calm, her voice sounded strained. “Someone jabbed you before you got out of that house.”
“It had to have been his grandmother. She was holding something I couldn’t see in her hand when she was trying to stop me from leaving. She must have stuck me as we flew by her.”
“I guess hoping you’d black out on their property so they could deal with you there. But you made it farther than they thought,” she murmured.
I shivered at the idea of being unconscious in the middle of their yard. But what was scarier was knowing someone—friend or foe, I have no idea—was in my car with me. Drove me to a new town and left me there. Why? What was the purpose? To scare me? To help me? Maybe they were frightened off before I woke up. Or maybe they did something else that was yet to come. Scenarios swirled in my head like a carousel. I tightened my grip on Cam’s hand. My eyes drooped, and I was suddenly exhausted from the drive home and the talking. I yawned and put my head on his shoulder.
“Where has Pen been in all this?” Dad asked.
Sleepy, I didn’t even lift my head. “I don’t know, Dad. She said she’d make it to us the next time she had a chance. For all we know, the other Firsts have her locked in a dungeon somewhere.” My heart fluttered at the thought. Pen still made me nervous, but she was on our side. I didn’t like that she’d been absent and I hoped she was okay. A terrible thought struck me and I sat up straight. “What if they’ve… what if she’s dead?” I whispered the last word, afraid to say it too loud in case doing so would seal her fate. Another streak of fear overtook my fatigue. My nerves tingled unbearably. I stood to pace around the room, a desperate attempt to calm the feelings crashing around my insides. If Pen was gone… like dead gone, I didn’t think I could bear it. It was all too much. So many people and angles to worry about, to analyze, to prepare for. I was only sixteen. I should have been going to the movies with my friends. Dates and holding hands and kissing with Cam. Worrying about homework. Not worrying about the fate of every person around me.
I picked up my pace, agitated as the weight of responsibility grew heavier by the second. Pounding drums started a rhythm in my head. Sharp pain stabbed my brain with each beat. The room began to blur, the faces around me turning into crazy blobs with big eyes and weird mouths. A humming started in my ears. It was a melody I’d heard before, but instead of calming me, like it did in the past, it fueled my anxiety and I walked faster and faster. I felt fingers grasping at my hands and faint words floating in the air, but I ignored them. I was spinning around the room so fast I was losing the worry. I was too quick for it. It couldn’t catch me and I laughed alou
d at the sudden free sensation. But it didn’t last. With a suddenness that made me dizzy, I hit a wall. My legs shook as they threatened to fold beneath me. But strong arms stopped me from going down. I looked at them and slowly moved my gaze up until I was looking into Cam’s face. I hadn’t hit a wall. I’d smacked straight into him. Or, he’d placed himself directly in my path. I squeezed his arms, feeling the muscles as I pondered his existence in my life. He was a solid piece of rock in the hazy, nebulous trance I was in, and the way he was handling everything impressed me.
Still musing on this, I realized he was saying something. The melody was still playing in my ears, but it faded as his voice cut through it like a knife.
“Sadie, you’re exhausted. Look at me.” I did as he bid. He was so sexy and those eyes… oh my, I was drowning in the deep chocolate pools staring back at me. I lifted a finger to trace his lips, but he placed his hand over mine and held it. “You need to sleep. They’re bringing you to your bedroom now, okay?” I stared at him dreamily, still fuzzy and loose feeling. The drums were quieter now, the piercing headache duller. He squeezed my hand tighter. “Sadie, are you listening to me?”
“Mmmhmm.”
With a little frown, he looked over my head to someone behind me. “It’s almost as if she’s drunk. Do you think she’s okay?”
I didn’t hear the reply. I didn’t hear much of anything after that. My eyelids drooped as all the energy I’d been feeding on suddenly left. One minute I was standing with Cam, and the next I was floating through the air. When the softness of my sheets and comforter surrounded me, I fought to open my eyes.
Mom was sitting next to me on the bed. Her expression was soft as she caressed my hair, brushing it with her fingers before finally tucking it behind my ear.
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“Shh, don’t talk.” The smile I’d known all my life lit her face. “I’m just happy you’re home. And that you’re talking to us… letting us in.” Her eyes grew bright with unshed tears and she sighed. “I can’t believe all this is happening. We never imagined it would come about like this…” She stopped and looked at me.
“What is it, Mom?”
She glanced up at the ceiling and slowly looked around my room before focusing back on me. “You’ve grown up so much through this. And I didn’t see it until now. You hid it well.” I felt a sharp pang of guilt. “But I understand you thought you had to.” She smiled again. “I’m thankful you have Molly and Harper. And Cam.” Her smile grew wider. “He’s certainly a handsome young man.”
I giggled a little, the guilt fading. “Yes. He. Is.”
She chuckled before turning serious. “I was surprised at how well he accepted what you told him. But not too surprised. When we didn’t know where you were, I could tell how much he cared for you. It wasn’t a normal kind of worry he expressed. It was something deeper. He loves you.” She nodded to herself. “And that made him open to trusting and accepting you as you are.”
My eyelids felt like they had weights on them. I blinked rapidly, trying to make them stay open. “Mom. I will never forgive myself if something happens to him. Or any of my friends. And Maddie… she’s in the hospital because of me. I—”
“Stop that. None of this is your fault!” Her fierceness startled me. “You, Harper, Cam, Maddie, even Molly, are innocent victims. None of you asked for this.” She drooped suddenly. “Your father and I knew what was going on and we believed The Nursery when they told Dad the program had ended. This is our fault. And the fault of everyone else who conceived that awful experiment and took part in carrying it out.” She faltered, looking like she still had something to say.
“It’s okay… go on,” I prodded.
She took my hand and squeezed it tightly. Her voice was barely over a whisper. “Sometimes I wonder what your life would be like had you never been a test subject. If you’d been raised as you should have with your birth parents.” Her voice caught. “Just a human girl.”
I closed my eyes while I thought about that. To never have the struggles with drinking blood or iffy vampire tricks or feeling different from everyone else. To be a normal kid with normal kid problems and worries. It sounded nice and I felt guilty for that.
CHAPTER NINE
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and my arm feeling sore and heavier than normal. Lying in bed snuggled under the covers, I stared at the ceiling and thought about what I’d been through. I could have been dead by now. I’d walked into Kade’s home not knowing what would happen on purpose. Who does that? And Cam. He now knew what I was. I closed my eyes and replayed his expression when he heard the word “vampire.” Hugging a pillow close to me, I squeezed it so tightly I heard a seam rip. That moment when I’d waited for him to decide if he was going to run or not had been one of the longest of my life. I huffed out a breath and forced my fingers to let go of the pillow, now a little deflated. A shiver of worry worked its way down my spine, but I didn’t know exactly what it was for. Not that there weren’t a million things it could be for. I’d risked death again. Outed myself to my boyfriend. Engaged in an entire conversation with my vampire mom about my birth mom and what life should have been like for me as a human.
It could have been any one of those things or something else entirely.
Deciding to ignore it as best I could, I rolled over to grab my phone and send a text to Cam. I stared at the screen, waiting to see those three little dots that meant he was typing a response, but they didn’t appear. I glanced at the clock to check the time: 7:30 a.m. He should have been up by now. My forehead grew tighter as worry lines creased it. But before I allowed myself to go overboard with anxiety about him changing his mind, I tossed the phone back on the bedsheets. He was probably taking a shower or something. Yes, that must be it.
I got out of bed and went to stand in front of the mirror to assess the damage from my adventures the night before. I turned my head this way and that, examining my face closely for any bruises or marks. Aside from the throbbing in my head, everything looked normal. Just me… plain, boring, wallpaper me. I lifted my hand to brush the hair from my forehead, wincing from the effort. When I scrunched up the sleeve of my shirt, a deep purple mark the size of my palm caught my attention. Proof that I’d been stupid enough to go into the lion’s den. I shook my head at my reflection. To survive this, I needed to think through the consequences of my actions more and take fewer risks. Would I ever get smarter about this stuff?
A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. Before I could call out, Mom entered with a tray in her hands.
“Good morning, sunshine. I brought you a little breakfast. How are you feeling?”
“Mom, you shouldn’t still be up. I know you must be exhausted.”
“As if I could sleep right now, anyway.” She set the tray down on my nightstand and moved to stand beside me. My bicep was still exposed, and she immediately stroked a soft finger over the area. “Oh, sweetie, that bruised fast. Does it hurt?”
I shook my head. “Not really. It’s more of an ache of my whole arm. Like I used it a whole lot doing something strenuous.”
She clucked her tongue. “I wonder if we should have someone look at it. I don’t like not knowing what kind of drug you were injected with. Plus, you don’t heal as quickly.”
The thought of creating another lie to explain why we’d be asking about the bruise made me tired. I moved toward the bed and picked up a piece of toast from the tray. “I don’t want to do that. I’m sure it’s fine. If they really meant to harm me or kill me with one shot, it would have done its thing by now.” I took a big bite, chewing slowly so I could relish the warm cinnamon butter she’d spread on it. Would it even help to know, or make things worse? I didn’t think I could handle any more mysteries right now.
She was silent as she watched me eat. She played with the wedding band on her finger and there was a slight hitch of her breath when she inhaled. She was nervous for me, and the realization that yesterday had been as s
cary for her as it had been for me hit me like a punch to the gut. The bite of toast I was chewing turned dry in my mouth, sticking to my throat when I tried to swallow it. I choked a little before washing it down with a swig of the orange juice she’d poured for me.
“I-I’m sorry, Mom. In all the chaos, I forgot what kind of position I must have put you in.” I swallowed hard. “I…” I didn’t finish. Couldn’t finish because I didn’t know what to say.
I think she knew it and gave me a small smile as if to say, “It’s okay.” Pressing her lips to my forehead, she held me in one of her rare embraces. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s okay,” she murmured against my skin. “And don’t worry about the bruise. Your logic is sound. I’ll talk it over with Dad, but I’m pretty sure he’ll agree with you.” Her finger traced the freckles on my nose and a faint look of regret flashed across her face. When I blinked it was gone and she’d taken a step back. “Do you plan to go to school today?”
The thought of not going hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was desperate to see Cam. I wanted to talk to Harper. Thinking about her and yesterday and cutting class brought something else to mind.
“Oh my God!” I clasped my hands to my chest and sagged a little bit. “Yesterday… in PE… oh my God, I forgot I hit Carmen in the head with a volleyball.” I sank onto the edge of my mattress and stared with wide eyes at my mom. “I totally forgot until now. The school is going to hate me. The whole student body already doesn’t like me. Now, they just might petition to get me expelled.”
She didn’t look all that concerned. In fact, the corners of her mouth were twitching and I took great offense to it.
“Are you laughing at me? Do you realize how serious this is? Not only will everyone at school think I have it out for her, but who knows how Carmen herself will play it?” The nerves from earlier churned to life and my hands shook. “What should I do?”
“Honey, calm down. I’m not laughing at you or the situation.” She held her hands up at my look of disbelief. “Okay, I smiled at your theatrics. You have to admit it’s pretty amazing that you managed to hit her like that. But that’s all.” She gave a small sigh when I didn’t say anything. “You’ll have to apologize and explain to her it was an accident. And hopefully, that will be the end of it.”
Caught Between Worlds (The In-Betweens Book 3) Page 10