Save Me

by Jenny Elliott

  “It wasn’t wise of you to go to that house.”

  “Amber broke into my house and left some weird spell in my room. I can’t let her get away with that.” Cara retrieved the sachet from her pocket. Her hand trembled as she held it up.

  Garren pinched it with the tips of his fingers and looked at it like he wanted to spit on it.

  She popped the locks on her Fit and jumped into the driver’s seat. Garren let himself in on the passenger side. She immediately pressed the button to lock the car doors.

  “This won’t hurt you,” Garren said, dangling the sachet. “It’s part of a divisive or breakup spell, which would only work on a weak relationship.”

  Relieved, she snatched the sachet back and dropped it in an empty cupholder. She’d show it to David when he came back to town.

  “Still, confronting a witch isn’t wise,” Garren said, his tone thick with warning.

  “I know that. Now.”

  “My truck’s around the corner.”

  She turned down the side street he pointed toward and pulled up behind his Silverado. “Why is Amber scared of you?” she asked.

  He glanced up at the roof of the car before he looked her in the eye. “I know the weaknesses when it comes to sorcery. As long as you make smarter choices than you did tonight, I have faith that I can protect you.”

  Garren, her protector. David would love that. She truly appreciated Garren’s help and concern, though. She was sick of everyone telling her to be smart, but she hated to imagine what Amber might have done to her if Garren hadn’t shown up at just the right moment. And she couldn’t blame Garren for being upset that she almost got caught in the web Amber weaved. Cara was mad, too—at both Amber and herself.

  At least for now, Cara accepted Garren’s flaky answer. She gave him a hug and grudgingly let him out of her car. As soon as he stepped out, she relocked her car doors. She drove behind him back to the main road and was touched that he’d gone out of his way and drove all the way to her house. He waited until she was inside before he took off.

  Cara quietly locked the front door, then checked the back door and the door in the kitchen that led to the garage, where the Outback sat in the dark. All of the doors were locked, as they had been when Amber somehow got into the house earlier. A fresh flow of adrenaline rushed through her. She leaned against the kitchen counter, silently counted to ten, and willed her pounding heart to slow its pace.

  Amber definitely showed signs of being under demonic influence, like the guttural voice at her Halloween party and the sharklike eyes. Cold ripples of fear continued to slide up Cara’s spine. Determined not to let the witch get to her, she tiptoed up the stairs. No light shone under her mom’s door.

  In her room, the time on her alarm clock read 11:23. She turned on the light, changed into a nightshirt, and grabbed her phone. Propping her pillow against her headboard and checking her cell, she saw David had texted her. How stupid of her to waste time she could be spending talking to him messing around with Amber.

  His text told her he was spending another night in Richland. She sagged against her pillow. She was sad enough missing him for this long. Waiting another day would be torture.

  Whatever time she got his message, he wanted her to call him. She dialed his cell number and, like the night before, he answered in a whisper.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t text you earlier today. I wanted to come back and see you, but my dad had other plans.”

  She doubted David would believe the craziness she’d been through that day. He’d also probably be mad about what she’d done. And the last thing she wanted him thinking about before he went to sleep was Amber. So she told him about Crossback and Bobbi, how there had still been no sight of them.

  “Those are special whales. I’m sure they’ll show up. Have faith.”

  That was another one of those easier-said-than-done things, but she was working on it.

  She’d wait until Tuesday to tell him about Rachel’s exorcism and to lay Amber’s latest lunacy on him.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Now that the weather had turned wintry, Cara and Garren were forced indoors during lunch. They sat on the floor in front of Cara’s locker on the first Monday in December. Cara pulled Amber’s sachet from her backpack.

  “Tell me again why Amber left this for me?”

  “Amber must have been trying to cause a breakup between you and David,” Garren said. “She would have written out a spell, read the incantation out loud, burned the paper she wrote it on, and then added the ashes to the sachet to leave for you.”

  “I found it next to the roses you gave me for my birthday.”

  He avoided her gaze.

  “I know you always say you can’t tell me where you got the flowers. But they were as dry as dust. Can you tell me what that’s all about?”

  He looked up, and the locker behind him clanged as the back of his head hit it. Then he turned to look at her. “The roses were tainted by the presence of evil.”

  She wasn’t surprised to get a cryptic answer from him. “The presence of a demon?”

  “Yes.”

  “I figured Amber must be under demonic influence. I see some of the same signs in her that I saw in Rachel.”

  He nodded.

  “I saw other stuff through Amber’s window that must have been part of another spell she cast,” she said, and explained the candles, photos, and figurines. “Do I need to be worried about this occult crap?” She was joking. Sort of.

  He didn’t look amused. “What we need to worry about is that Amber won’t stop.”

  “What else do you think she’ll do?”

  “I saw she had an envelope she was going to give you last night.”

  “Yeah.” Cara snickered. “Instead of a gun or a knife, or even her fists, she pulls an envelope on me.”

  “Guns and knives and fists aren’t the only weapons that can do damage. Whatever you do, if Amber gives you an envelope, don’t open it.”

  “What do you think would be in it? Anthrax?”

  He didn’t join in her joking. “Another spell. One that might work. I’m not kidding when I say not to open any envelopes.” He raised his chin slightly, in response to whatever he saw over her shoulder, and stood.

  Cara shifted around at the sound of footsteps smacking across the linoleum. Rachel and Ethan towered over her. She leapt to her feet and stepped close beside Garren.

  Rachel held up her hands. “Relax. I’m back. See?” She swung in a circle with her arms out, palms up, displaying a white long-sleeved tee, jeans, and sneakers that were characteristic of the best friend Cara hadn’t seen in months.

  Rachel’s brown eyes once again resembled warm caramel rather than murky puddles of mud or cold, black glass. Her huge grin stretched across her face, then fell into an exaggerated frown. “I know sorry doesn’t cut it. But I honestly didn’t know what I was fooling around with.”

  “Neither did I,” Ethan said, speaking to Cara for the first time ever.

  Rachel rolled her eyes.

  Cara looked closely at Ethan. He’d gone back to his old hoodie, jeans, and sneakers look. A hint of pink touched his cheeks and his hair looked thicker and shinier. The biggest difference, though, was that his eyes were no longer narrowed. They were bright and open, a light shade of hazel.

  “After you left my house, my mom had Ethan come over and the archbishop performed another exorcism. Ethan insisted on apologizing to you in person.” Rachel never looked at Ethan as she spoke.

  “I really am sorry—” Ethan said.

  Rachel cut him off. “Thanks for helping me,” she said to Cara. “You, too, Garren.” She offered him an apologetic smile, then hung her head.

  “You’re welcome,” Garren said without a trace of anything but complete sincerity in his voice or on his face.

  “Amber had been feeding me potions and cursed objects with binding spells placed on them since last summer,” Ethan said. “I fed the same things to Rachel.”

  “Wh
y did you get mixed up with Amber in the first place?” Cara asked him.

  “She came up to me one day last summer and asked me to go have coffee with her. I couldn’t believe some hot, older chick was interested in me. She must have started giving me potions that day. I would have done anything for her from then on.” He glanced at Rachel, but she stepped farther away from him and closer to Cara.

  “Were you and Amber a couple?” Cara asked him.

  “Nah. She moved to California after graduation, then came back to Liberty after her boyfriend committed suicide. I don’t think she’d gotten over that.”

  And still hadn’t.

  “I was actually after you to begin with,” Ethan said, to Cara.

  Cara maintained a neutral expression.

  “Amber wanted me to feed you those binding potions. So I thought I’d try to get to you through Rachel.”

  Rachel placed a hand on her hip. “In other words, you used me,” she said to Ethan, glaring at him.

  Ethan gritted his teeth at Rachel’s words. “Rachel doesn’t believe it,” he said to Cara, “but even though I’m sorry about what happened, I’m glad I got a chance to find out how awesome she is.”

  Rachel shook her head. “You poisoned me. Enough said.”

  “Only because Amber poisoned me,” Ethan countered, but Rachel didn’t respond.

  “How does Amber feel about you two dropping out of her … coven, or whatever?” Cara asked.

  “Neither of us have talked to her. I doubt she knows anything has changed,” Ethan said.

  Cara held up the sachet. “Amber left this in my room. She also tried to give me an envelope. If she’s trying to cast spells on me, does that mean I’m under demonic influence, too?”

  “No. You’re not,” Garren said. “But you could fall victim to a curse.”

  Rachel nodded at Garren’s words.

  “How do you know so much about witchcraft?” Ethan asked Garren.

  “I’ve been around it,” Garren said.

  Garren had made it clear he was opposed to sorcery. His comment made Cara wonder if his family might be involved in those types of things. That might explain why he didn’t like to talk about his personal life.

  Rachel pointed to the sachet still hanging from Cara’s fingertips. “That’s from a breakup spell Amber cast for you and David, right? Not you and Garren?”

  “Yes, for me and David,” Cara said defensively and dumped the sachet back in her bag.

  Rachel wound a strand of hair around her finger. “I guess that wouldn’t be considered a student-teacher scandal at this point. Not that people in this town won’t still talk.” She turned to Garren. “But I just have to say that I don’t get it. You’re the hottest guy at Seaside. You could have your pick of any girl, probably along the whole coastline, yet you hang out with Cara, who’s hot for teacher. What’s up with that?”

  “David isn’t my teacher anymore,” Cara stressed.

  Garren put his arm around Cara’s shoulder. “Cara needed a friend.”

  Rachel’s mouth opened, then closed, and her hand fell from her hair. “I guess she did.” She pulled Cara into a hug. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

  Cara returned the hug and patted Rachel’s back. “I’d say being under demonic influence is a pretty good excuse.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  It felt more like a year had passed than a week by the time Cara drove to David’s place after school on Tuesday. He opened the door for her and his lopsided grin brought on a grin of her own. She dropped her backpack on the floor as he pulled her inside and into his arms.

  On the dining table, there sat what looked like a box of roses. This was one arena in which David did not want to compete with Garren. David let her go, walked over to the table, and picked up the box. His right hand covered the writing on the top as he carried it over to her.

  “You didn’t have to get me flowers.”

  He removed his hand to reveal the inscription beneath. Stenciled on top of the box was CRAFTY CONFECTIONS.

  “These are chocolate roses. I’m hoping the way to your heart is more through your taste buds than your nose.”

  “A-ha.” She picked up one of the flowers and took a bite of a petal. The chocolate tasted smooth, rich, and sweet. Sweeter still was the thought David had put into getting the gift for her.

  She kissed his cheek, broke off the rest of the petal she bit into, and slipped it into his mouth. “I love them. Thank you.”

  He put an arm around her waist and steered her over to the couch. They sat, and he set the box on the coffee table. “I never asked you on the phone if Garren enjoyed your Thanksgiving celebration.”

  She had little reason to, but she felt a pang of guilt. “Would it bother you if I told you Garren and I held hands when we walked on the beach after Thanksgiving dinner?”

  “Before or after you confessed your undying love for each other?”

  She checked his expression to see if it matched his light tone. It did. “You’re really not jealous?”

  He put out his hand. She placed hers in his and savored the full force of the warmth she’d missed between them.

  “I gave up on any jealousy I felt toward Garren as soon as I saw the look on your face when I told you I was moving to Seattle.”

  She kissed his hand. “That’s good to hear.” Feeding him a leaf, she asked, “How’s your dad?”

  David hid his chocolate-filled mouth behind his fist. “He’s okay. Still lonely, though. And he still wants me to come home.”

  “For the rest of the year?”

  “For good.”

  She struggled to maintain a smile. “You didn’t change your plans, did you?”

  “No, but I wish my dad would let it go.” He got up and walked to the fridge. “Want a soda?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  He opened the bottle for her and handed it over. When he didn’t say anything more about his dad, she took a swig of the soda, set it down with the rest of her rose on the coffee table, and got up to grab her backpack from the entryway.

  Sachet in hand, she came back to sit on the couch. She detailed her encounter with Amber at the sorcery house. David’s fists clenched atop his thighs as she spoke. She decided not to mention the envelope or Garren rescuing her. Even if David had gotten over his jealousy, he still wouldn’t like it that Garren followed her. Also, she didn’t want to admit that Amber frightened her. She saved the news about Rachel and Ethan for last, only explaining that they’d been disciples of Amber’s, but were now back to their old selves.

  “So Rachel and Ethan were part of some coven Amber organized?”

  “Sort of. The consensus is that they were under demonic influence.”

  His brows pulled together. “Demonic influence?”

  She nodded.

  “And you believe this?”

  She wanted to share the whole truth with him, but his doubtful tone told her he wasn’t ready to hear it. She bit her lip and shrugged noncommittally.

  He took the sachet from her and flipped it over in his hand. “And Amber thinks this nonsense is going to break us up?”

  “I think so.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  Garren had said breakup spells only worked on weak relationships. She wanted nothing more than to believe her bond with David was strong. “No.”

  “Then let’s ignore this. Well, let’s ignore everything except the fact that Amber broke into your house. I take it you didn’t call the police?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t tell my mom about it, either. She doesn’t need a new reason to oppose our relationship.” She took the sachet and dropped it in her backpack. “And I can’t prove that Amber broke into my house or that she left anything in my room.”

  His words were firm. “You need to tell both your mom and the police about this, regardless of what anyone else thinks of our relationship.”

  She sighed. “Okay, but I seriously doubt the police will be able to find any evide
nce that Amber broke into my house, just like they couldn’t find any evidence that she damaged my car.”

  “At least they’ll know she’s up to something. And I want you to take your mom’s advice about Amber. Don’t encourage her anymore.”

  She opened her mouth in protest. “Amber’s the one harassing me.”

  “I know,” he said, cuddling her close to his side. “But your mom said that any reinforcement can encourage her behavior. So no more going to her house, for one. Agreed?”

  Groaning, Cara watched the thrashing waves in the distance. Amber didn’t need any extra motivation. “Agreed.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Rick canceled the whale-watching tours the following Saturday due to inclement weather. He told Cara he hadn’t seen Crossback and Bobbi or the transient orcas since the attack. Cara said her prayers that the grays were alive and recovering and the transients would finally leave.

  The outlet mall struck Cara as the safest place to confide in her mom—the shopping junkie—about Amber.

  “Raspberry’s my favorite, but sometimes the scent’s too strong,” her mom said, sniffing at a body lotion. She passed it to Cara. “This one’s nice. Smell for yourself.”

  Cara took the bottle and sniffed, then gave her mom a big smile. “Love it.”

  Her mom took the bottle and gave Cara a knowing sideways gaze. “That’s more enthusiasm than I’d expect from you over a lotion. What gives?”

  Cara grabbed another lotion from the shelf, flipped it open, quickly sniffed at it, then began opening and closing the cap. “Remember the day after Halloween when I told you a red Jetta followed me?”

  Her mom gave up searching the shelves and looked Cara straight in the eye. “You found out who it was?”

  Cara sighed. “I knew who it was then, too. I just worried that if I told you it would make you more upset about David.”

  Her mom’s lips pursed. “I take it the person was David’s stalker?”

  Cara nodded. “There’s more, though.”

  Her mom pointed a finger at the shelf behind Cara, instructing her to set down the lotion. “Let’s finish this discussion at the deli.”