“Going out or getting out?”
“Take your pick, but I’m not spending another boring Saturday night in this town!”
The big green sign flying past us on the right gave me a red-flag warning and before I could say another word we were leaving Hopewell’s city limits and crossing into the next town. I knew with sickening clarity what was happening. It had been going around school but no one had been brave enough to follow through.
“A rave? We’re going to a rave?!”
My voice shrilled an octave or two higher than normal and Claire looked at me, disappointed; still, it did nothing to persuade her to turn the car around. My hand shot out to the dashboard and put an end to the music once and for all, but not without earning a nasty glare.
“Did it ever occur to you that we might have a little problem getting in?”
Reigning in the sarcasm was serious work. I was so ready to explode at her right now, but I knew that would only make things worse. Besides, this wasn’t normal for us. We never got into arguments, unless it was over which flavor of ice cream to have or which late night rerun to watch. But this? This never happened. This was insanity.
I let my head fall back against the headrest but the pounding in my skull was beyond repair. Sitting up, I yanked my purse from under my seat where it had slid thanks to Claire’s erratic driving. Obviously, she had been driving to the beat of the music, which explained a lot.
“That’s just great,” I huffed, throwing my purse back down.
“What? No license?”
I looked across at her like she had two heads. “No. I don’t have any aspirin. But it’s not like you care.”
“Ryan has IDs for us. Well, for me, definitely. He’s working on yours, but don’t worry he’s really good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like I said.”
I let my head fall back against the headrest again, coaxing the throbbing to cease as I concentrated on the hum of the tires on the asphalt beneath us. I contemplated calling my mom to come pick me up when we arrived at the rave, so I stared out the window in hopes of pinpointing a landmark of some sort, but it was futile. It was too dark and whatever flashed past the window was blurry anyhow. My breath made circular clouds on the glass, and as I lifted my finger to draw a line through the condensation, I realized how cold the car had become. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms.
“It’s freezing in here. Wha’d ya do, rip out the heater to make more room for Soundzilla?” I reached for the dial but stopped short when I saw that the heat was already on. It certainly didn’t feel like it. I could see my breath forming in front of me. I turned to look at Claire and the leather seat crinkled and crunched beneath me as if it were frozen.
Claire stared straight ahead like a good little driver, only...her breath wasn’t escaping her the way mine was. I watched silently in the dim light of the dashboard, waiting for that little puff of carbon dioxide to announce itself, afraid that if I blinked I would miss it.
Okay, that’s weird. I shuddered, wondering if I was just seeing things.
If I knew I was going to be exposed to subzero temperatures, I would have brought my hoodie, but I expected us to be sitting in the cozy back corner of Starbucks with my hands around a warm Grande Caramel Macchiato. I didn’t expect to be freezing my ass off in a car.
Maybe I can call my mom now, tell her to drop off my sweater. That will make Claire turn around. I began fishing around in my bag again and yanked out my cell phone.
“Won’t get service where we’re headed,” Claire said, breaking the silence.
Sure enough, even as I held the phone against the ceiling of the Cabrio there were no service bars. Hiding my discomfort was agonizing.
“I assume we’re meeting Ryan there with our new identities?” I certainly hoped she could hear my facetious tone over the new CD she had just popped in.
“Nope. We’re making a pit stop first.”
She pulled off onto a deep shoulder of the highway that, by the looks of it, was serving as a makeshift tailgating area. There were scores of people. I recognized no one. I rolled down the window as we sat idling but the cacophony of music outside was no better than the one inside. Strangely, it was warmer outside too.
“I understand you want to spend as much time as possible with Ryan. He’s your boyfriend. I get it. But don’t you want to go back and we’ll get some coffee? Maybe go back to my house? I know you’ve been dying to watch Napoleon Dynamite.”
She thought about it for all of two seconds. “No.”
“Saturdays used to be our thing,” I mumbled and turned to the window.
“Teagan, this is fun and you don’t look like you’re having fun yet.”
“What’s fun about this? We’re sitting in a car with…” I jabbed my thumb at the window, “With them.”
That was when I saw the car. At first I thought it was Ryan, but as my eyes adjusted, I realized my error and Claire was gleefully jumping out of her seat. By the time I was able to get a better look at the figure stepping from the black car, Claire was halfway out the door, waving her arms and giggling.
It couldn’t possibly get much worse than this, could it?
Claire skipped her way across the shoulder to the small group of girls who greeted her with unmistakable acceptance. Suddenly my head felt worse as I thought of Garreth’s warning of a living hell, and…
NO, NO, NO! Don’t even tell me. I’m right smack in the middle of it already.
I set my jaw and glared back into the angry brown eyes of Brynn Hanson.
Standing in front of Claire’s car, staring at me through the windshield, was the epitome of the evil I knew all too well. I shook my head, truly disbelieving how my night was turning out. I felt the murky coldness pierce the glass, just waiting to suffocate me. Without words, her malevolent, steely stare was a distinct warning. A chill crept across my skin.
I threw the door open and stepped out onto the gravel, the irritating music screaming after me into the unprotected darkness as I stood face to face with a very real, very much alive menace.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted. Finally, I was completely unafraid of her.
She looked me up and down. “I was going to ask you the same thing.” Her cocky presence was mere inches away from me and she continued to stare me down.
But I didn’t falter.
I didn’t waver one bit.
I gave it right back to her this time and it felt good.
I knew the only way to conquer fears was to stand up to them. Claire would be very proud of me, except at this particular moment instead of cheering me on and joining me in my platform on school bullying, Claire was cavorting with the enemy. She was jubilant, enjoying the attention the other girls were lavishing on her. I felt anger and hurt spinning inside me and then I felt my hard-boiled exterior begin to slowly chip away. It wouldn’t be long before Brynn would joyfully see me crumble.
NO! Not now!
I felt my resistance building up again. I felt it strengthen little by little and Brynn saw it too. I could see it in her eyes.
But then, without even the teensiest snide remark, Brynn sauntered lazily over to where the other girls were congregating and slung her long, toned arm over Claire’s shoulders, her skin reflecting an unnatural pallor in the sharp glare of the headlights. She whispered something in Claire’s ear, who was still and attentive, then broke off into a wide grin.
“Come on, Claire. If we’re going then let’s go.” I yelled over to her as my fists instinctively balled at my sides. Claire looked at me with a glazed expression, her eyes appearing almost milky in the light, which caused me to do a double take.
“What the hell is...?”
But Brynn stepped between us and pulled Claire closer. She slowly trailed a finger down Claire’s pale cheek then kissed it.
“What sort of game are you playing?” I directed at Brynn. “Claire get back in the car, please. We’re leaving.”
But Claire refused to answer me, let alo
ne acknowledge that I was even there. I couldn’t even begin to piece together what was happening. It was so bizarre.
“I believe your boyfriend’s here.” The words slithered past Brynn’s lips.
I quickly looked at Claire, then back at Brynn as a light approached from behind me. In an instant my heart fluttered as I envisioned Garreth coming to steal me away from all this. But I wasn’t the one she was speaking to. I turned to see Ryan approaching with a large high-powered spotlight swinging wildly at his hip, illuminating his distorted shadow on the ground in an almost demonic fashion.
Emily and Sage slinked to Claire’s side, beginning a string of flourished comments about her outfit. They certainly played their parts well in all this and Claire soaked up each and every word like an obedient little sponge. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lauren produce a small flashlight from her tiny beaded purse and walk over to Brynn. They seemed to be examining a small stack of cards Ryan was holding, most likely the fake IDs. In a flash, Ryan was at Claire’s side. His hovering seemed almost protective at first glance, but I instantly understood. There was an undeniable look of control and manipulation in his eyes. Why hadn’t I ever noticed that before? Poor Claire was blind to his superficial adoration, and to my horror, Brynn smiled at them approvingly.
Something felt horribly wrong here tonight.
They filed into the thick woods on silent footsteps toward an obnoxious wall of music, hidden well within the trees, that only a select few, a privileged few, knew about. Claire handed me a small square with a crooked smile. I looked down at the picture and fought against crumpling it in my fist. I suppose in the dark it wasn’t half bad and I reluctantly followed the others into the concealing night.
Chapter Thirteen
I lost my footing several times as I did my best to sidestep the roots and crevices of the black forest’s floor. The last time I had been in a setting like this was quite different and I found myself desperately longing for the magical place Garreth had shown me.
Looking back in the direction of the highway, I found the noisy whoosh of tires on asphalt was growing more distant by the second. The music I had heard from the shoulder had definitely been misleading. I assumed we were close to the rave but I was sadly mistaken. This was taking longer than it should have. I became very edgy as I realized we were walking farther and farther away from civilization.
I would have made a run for it if it hadn’t been for the tail end of our party keeping a tight watch on me. Brynn guarded my every step, as though predicting I would disappear from our group in a heartbeat. I imagined plans to escape, dreaming that the night would get ridiculously darker and I’d slip away into it; or, maybe I’d get lucky and a branch would snap back and whack Brynn in the face, allowing me to run for it.
My hand itched like crazy to find that branch, but no such luck. I felt Brynn’s icy stare carve a permanent hole in my back. How could Claire possibly think she could bring me here and have me actually enjoy myself? Just when I’d had enough of tripping through the dark and scraping myself silly on thorn bushes, an old warehouse came into view.
The concrete fortress took on a chilling presence as flashing lights and pulsating music bled from its openings. A good crowd had already gathered, forming a line, and to my relief I didn’t recognize anyone from school. Leave it to Brynn and her crew to be the only ones from Carver High to make an appearance at something like this.
Brynn stopped babysitting me long enough to push her way to the head of the line with uncanny ease. She was now busy flirting with the bouncer at the top of the steps while the strange glow from a strobe light flickered through the open doorway and bounced off her skin.
With seconds to spare, I tried to take advantage of her absence. “Claire! Come on, let’s get out of here!”
Claire turned to look at me with a blank expression that made me want to shake her and drag her back to her car. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself trying to conserve some body heat. I wondered if I was coming down with something.
“Claire, please. I want to go home.”
But as she opened her mouth to finally answer me it was Brynn’s velvet voice that I heard, not Claire’s. “She’s not ready to leave yet. Are you Claire?” She stepped closer, linking her arm possessively through Claire’s.
I reached out and touched Claire’s arm only to recoil at the touch of her skin. It was like ice. Maybe I wasn’t coming down with something. Maybe Claire was sick.
“Claire, let’s just go back to your car and get coffee like we planned. My head just isn’t up to this.” I pointed toward the pulsating building.
“Aww. Do you have a headache, Teagan?” Brynn interrupted. “Or are you just concerned about protecting your stellar reputation?”
I hated her mocking tone so I chose not to answer her. This intrigued Sage, Emily, and Lauren, all of whom suddenly stopped ogling the others in line and became interested in what was now taking place on the grass.
Then Ryan came closer and I realized he was the leader of our little group, not Brynn. That misconception alone caught me totally off guard and made me apprehensive about what might transpire here deep in the woods. As seconds became endless, agonizing minutes, it crossed my mind that we were here for something other than a ridiculous rave.
Ryan set the lantern down at his feet where the light seemed to exaggerate his proportions. I felt myself take a step back. In the eerie glow of the lantern his eyes appeared even darker than Brynn’s, with no distinction between pupil and iris. My breath caught in my throat. His eyes looked lost…vacant…soulless, yet eerily intelligent. As the others stood around anticipating Ryan’s call, I was being silently sized up. Claire had said something the other day about Ryan rubbing off on her intellectually. I wouldn’t have believed it until now. There was something about the way he stared, dissecting me to my core. He was reading my soul as if it were a book, I was sure of it, while the others grew bored waiting. Clearly, they didn’t have the ability to read a person as he did. I practically jumped out of my skin when Ryan finally spoke.
“Teagan, why don’t you go home.”
“If she can find her way back.” Sage snorted under her breath.
“Claire obviously wants to spend some quality time with her friends,” Emily added.
Ryan’s words stung me more than those of the other two. I was being dismissed. Without Claire. But I couldn’t look him in the eye any longer. I was shaking.
I slowly looked each one in the face, searching for a way out of this—searching for anything. My eyes finally met Lauren’s. She was the newest to their group, therefore wouldn’t she be the weakest? Her honey-blonde curls framed her face and her blue eyes shone back at me. Yes! It was there, a connection. I pleaded with her in silence, afraid Brynn or Ryan would catch on but they didn’t.
“Don’t you think that’s for Claire to decide?” I asked softly, more for Lauren.
As soon as my words left my lips, the acknowledging light in Lauren’s eyes paled. Our connection severed. I was dizzy with fear, wondering if the blasting music had finally taken its toll; that if, indeed, I was seeing straight.
Slowly and deliberately, I studied each face before me. Each one stood stock still, glaring at me, while I shivered in front of them. My breath streamed out of my lungs, hung in the air in front of me, then dissipated.
Just. My. Breath.
My eyes frantically scanned each one again. Were they even breathing?
Sage…
Emily…
Sharply, I turned to Brynn and Ryan.
When my eyes rested on Claire’s face, I could feel threatening tears sting the back of my throat. This time I didn’t have the dim light of the car to make me question myself. I could see just fine.
“Claire? Please, let’s just go back,” I whispered. My voice was raspy and desperate.
Claire’s beautiful pale face looked only at Ryan and I watched Brynn’s fingers tighten around Claire’s arm, forcing her to decide. Without another wo
rd, they turned and proceeded to walk to the line with Claire in tow. I hardly noticed Lauren trailing behind them. She lingered long enough to catch my eye, then she blew me a kiss, her breath dancing faintly in the night before turning to catch up with the others.
As I attempted to control the flood of emotions within me, I heard a twig snap behind me. With a little shriek, I jumped. There was Garreth, his face full of relief. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face into his devastatingly warm skin, breathing the scent of him deep into my lungs. I pressed myself closer to his chest, thawing myself against him with a need for warmth I’d never felt before.
“Claire. She went with them. I think she’s in some sort of trouble,” I explained urgently.
Fear and anger raged through me like a vicious cocktail as I weighed my chances of following Claire, unseen, to keep an eye on her. But, in my head, I saw only Ryan’s dark eyes. I felt Garreth’s warm grasp pull me away from the clearing.
“Let her go, Teagan. She’s made her choice,” Garreth said softly.
But I couldn’t. I wanted to race up the steps, grab my friend, and take her home. Yet, in the same moment, I wanted to turn and run away from the eeriness of it all. As soon as one thought formed, my anger answered and interrupted it until they created their own tiny circle that rotated tightly inside my head. My decision was made for me when I saw them fading into the mass of music and bodies.
Garreth took my hand and pulled me with him into the dark tent of trees. I couldn’t help turning around once more for a glimpse of the friend I was leaving behind, but she was long gone. They all seemed to know that in some choreographed way Claire would betray our friendship tonight when, in truth, I was the one being left behind.
Then why was I the one to feel guilty?
“I’ll take you home, you’re tired.”
“I’m not tired” My voice sounded weary, even to me.
“Liar. Come here.”
With one amazing sweep, he picked me up, cradling me close to him like never before. His arms felt so warm, so comfortable, they made me sleepy. I couldn’t resist closing my eyes just for a second. I heard a soft rustling around us and felt his shirt billow as I leaned in closer to him.
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