by Dale, Lindy
“Thing One and Thing Two not around?” Lacey teased. Luckily for her, Zac’s little Gothic friends appeared to have no wish to join him in extra curricular activities that involved study. They were out the door as soon as the bell went, leaving him to it and giving him the perfect opportunity to walk home with Lacey, alone.
“Nah. They had to work on their eyeliner or something.”
Lacey laughed. “Like they need the practise.”
Collecting her things, Lacey checked the outside doors and turned off the lights to the classroom. They headed off down the hall, nodding to the cleaners as they went and then pushed through the heavy glass doors at the front of the building.
“Town or river?” Zac asked, as they stood for a minute at the top of the stairs.
“You choose.”
“Um, river,” Zac said, setting off towards the Willow Walk that led to both their houses.
It was a cooler night than usual, Summer seemed to finally be giving way to Autumn and Lacey stopped for a second to pull her school jumper over her thin frame. “Its chilly tonight,” she remarked.
“I can warm you up if you like.”
Lacey smiled but said nothing. Zac had been getting very friendly of late. Not that she minded. That heart-racing feeling was something she was getting quite used to. “Yeah. Don’t think the twins would like that, do you?”
Zac shrugged. “I think they know where they stand.”
“Doesn’t mean they like it. I don’t want to rock any boats.”
“Whatever.”
As they walked along, shoulders rubbing occasionally, a thought came to Lacey. “Zac, how come you choose this way home all the time?”
Zac stopped. The fringes of willow blew around them in a curtain and he brushed one casually away from Lacey’s shoulder. “I like being alone with you. The shops down Main don’t exactly allow for that. Why?”
“It creeps me out a bit when it gets dark down here, that’s all.”
“If the boogie man jumps out of the bushes, I’m more than capable of looking after you.”
Geez, he didn’t know how close to the truth he was.
Lacey crunched off up the path. She could feel something behind them. She was positive it was William but she had no intention of stopping to find out. “Can we walk a bit faster, please?”
“Not if we want to spend some quality time together. And we’ve already established that we want to do that, haven’t we?” He gave her an irresistibly cheeky grin. He was hopeless.
“I think the only thing we’ve established is that you’re a flirt.”
Zac reached for her hand. “Probably. But I do mean it. I’ll look out for you. Why’re you so edgy all of a sudden, anyway? You’ve been weird all week.”
So he’d noticed. She thought she’d been doing so well hiding it. “It’s nothing.”
“Sure?”
“Positive. Now, let’s get going.”
Holding hands, they walked further along the path to where it widened near the cliff. The setting sun, partly hidden by Angels Peak, had decorated the river. Hints of amber and citrine sparkled on its surface as it wended its way alongside the town like a giant jewelled snake. The trees along the bank were bathed in the colors of the sunset. Lacey paused to admire it.
“It’s pretty, eh?” Zac gave Lacey’s hand affectionate squeeze and she began to relax.
“Yeah.”
“I really like being with you,” he said. “You know that. It takes a lot of effort for me to ditch the twins every afternoon and then pretend to study while you’re working your arse off, just so I can see you without their company.”
Geez, now she was blushing. How pathetic. “I guess I sort of knew but thanks for telling me, anyway.”
Zac turned to face her and stepped closer. His school bag had dropped to the gravel path behind him and he stepped backward over it, pulling her towards him under a trail of willow that stood behind them. “It would be so much fun if you joined the gang. Then we could hang out all the time.”
“You think so?”
The thought of Kat and Lola watching her every move didn’t sound like that much fun. Besides Lacey liked things how they were.
“I know so,” he said.
“You’re very persistent.”
“It’s one of my better qualities,” he replied, and caressed the edge of her lobe with a whisper of breath that made Lacey quiver. “Do I get a reward for such diligence and honesty?”
Lacey could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek, his fingers linking tighter with hers. “Like?”
“What do you think?” he whispered.
“I don’t know.”
Lacey found herself enjoying this game. She knew as well as Zac did that he wanted to kiss her.
“Would a kiss be out of the question?” He came closer. His hand took the school bag from her and let it fall to the ground next to his. The other moved to fan across her back.
Lacey licked her lips. “I guess not.”
His lips were close. Very close. Lacey shut her eyes to receive the kiss.
“Shit.”
Moving suddenly away, Zac peered between the branches of the willow.
Lacey opened her eyes. “What is it?”
Zac groaned. “It’s that freak, Foster. He’s coming down the path. I can hear him whistling. Loser.”
Lacey picked up her school bag, following Zac around the back of the tree so that they appeared on the other side. “We could have just been quiet. He would have walked right on past and not seen us, you know.”
“I doubt it. He’s got eyes in the back of his fucking head. And he’d be straight to your Aunt Beth to dob on us.” He sounded so immature and cruel; Lacey wondered if he was even the same boy she’d been about to kiss.
“Zac, I’m almost eighteen. I don’t think Aunt Beth is going to care if I kiss a boy or two. It’s no secret that we’ve been spending time together. Besides, Cam isn’t weird. He’s nice when you get to know him.”
Zac took her hand, pulling her off down the path, almost racing so that Cam couldn’t reach them. “Yeah, whatever. Listen. I’ll catch you tomorrow. Okay?”
And with that, he disappeared into the dark.
Lacey stood at the corner of her street, watching him go. What the hell had that been about? He so anti-Cam, yet Cam had never done anything to him. Well, not as far as Lacey knew.
“Hey, Lacey.” Cam jogged towards where she stood, still wondering what had just transpired.
“Hi.”
“You on the way home?”
What a silly question but then Cam seemed full of them whenever he spoke to her. “Yeah. You?”
Cam paused to catch his breath. His eyes met hers. “Out for a run.”
Looking at Cam’s lean muscled body Lacey was convinced he was the last person in town who needed a run. She’d seen the way he leapt around the statues like a pole-vaulter, there had to be another reason. Curious, she bit the bullet. “Cam, are you following me?”
She had good reason to ask. It was the third time she’d spotted him watching her. She knew he didn’t live anywhere in this part of town, either. The houses hadn’t changed ownership in twenty years.
Cam flushed with embarrassment. “Ah, no. The Willow Walk has the easiest run, for running in the dark, that is. Wouldn’t want to trip and break an ankle.”
“Sure. Well, I’ll see you round.”
“Okay.”
With a wave Lacey turned and headed towards home. He was so full of it.
*****
At seven o’clock that Friday night, after giving the excuse that she was going for a run, Lacey headed along Main Street to the park. Her back pocket contained seven hundred dollars in cash. God knows what she’d do if William wouldn’t accept it. It was all she had.
It was a dark night, the moon was wearing a cloak of cloud that made it difficult to see, but Lacey knew the route well by now. That was possibly the only advantage she had over William - that and be
ing able to run. She hoped it didn’t come to that.
Reaching the gravestones, she saw William at the other end of the park, standing under a lamppost. Its pool of light illuminated the charcoal colour of his hair and cast a shadow around his body that made him appear taller than his already intimidating height. Above his head, a moth danced in the light. He flicked it and it fell to the ground, dead. Lacey’s knees began to shake. He looked really scary and not that happy to see her, considering she was about to hand over hers and Abbie’s life savings.
Her legs, weighed down by worry, she walked up to him, stopping under the light a metre or so from his body. It seemed a safe distance. In a few minutes, this would hopefully be over and she could have her life back.
“You have it, I presume?” William’s voice was gravelly but not sexy in the way she used to find it. Now it was harsh and cold.
“I have seven hundred. That’s all I’ve got.”
William took a step out towards her and bent his sinister face down to hers. “That’s not even half. What do you expect me to do with that?”
Lacey gulped. The sick rising from her stomach was very close to landing all down the front of William’s shirt. “Take it as a down payment?”
“I’ve already waited for months, Lacey. A down payment is simply not acceptable.”
“But it’s all I have.”
“Then I shall have to go to the Police.”
Lacey grabbed William’s sleeve. Her lips were trembling so much she could barely speak. A lump of anxiety had travelled into her throat and was beginning to choke her. “N..n… no, William, please. Please, it’s all I have. If you do that, I could into real trouble.”
He shook her off. “And the problem is?”
Perhaps she could appeal to his emotional side?
“Doesn’t our past mean anything? I loved you once. You loved me. Can’t you just take the money and come back for the rest later? I’ll call you when I have it. You know you can trust me. Please?”
Tears coursed down Lacey’s ashen face. William was quite capable of ruining her entire life but he was also able to let her off. If he wanted to. God, why didn’t he want to?
“I want my money, Lacey. I have debts. And the people I owe are far more dangerous than me.”
At this point in time, Lacey highly doubted it. William’s face was filled with menace. His eyes were like ruby coloured orbs drilling into her head. His mouth had opened in a sneer, revealing sharp pointed teeth she swore she’d never seen when they’d been a couple. He had no intention of letting her off.
A sudden image of all their yesterdays filled her mind. All those times, he’d whispered in her ear about love, he’d never meant it. His only intent had been to lure her into a sense of false security that he could use against her some day. And it seemed that day had come.
“Here,” she said.
Taking the money from her pocket, Lacey threw the notes in his direction. Then turning on her heels, she ran. Her feet slipped under her as she sprinted across the dew dampened grass, her heart thumped in her chest, pounding in time with her feet. Rounding the corner of the maze, she swept into the darkness of the night and across the road to the path that led home. William didn’t know where she lived. All he had was her phone number. If she ran, she could make the Willow Walk and hide until he was gone. He’d never find her there. Then, hopefully, he would take his money and leave her alone.
“Come back, you little bitch.”
The sound of William’s size eleven feet behind her kept Lacey going. Adrenalin fueled her muscles. She ran until she couldn’t run any more. Heaving for breath, she threw herself into the swirling branches of the largest tree along the walk.
Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe, she thought. It was a pity her lungs weren’t listening.
William’s footsteps had slowed to a halt. “You won’t get away from me, Lacey,” he called. “I’ll find you.”
Lacey’s heart was stuck in her throat. The blood was pumping in her ears. Surely, it was loud enough to for him to hear. She plastered herself to the back of the thickest trunk, trying desperately to make her body a part of the tree. A sliver of light crept over her feet and she stood on tiptoe to escape it. Her fingers dug into the bark, its roughness scraping against them. Her lips pressed so tight, she could taste blood in her mouth.
“I can smell you, Lacey. You silly cow. I know you’re here.”
Shit. Shit. Fuck. Why had she chosen today of all days to wear perfume? She only owned one bottle. It wasn’t like she could splash it around every day.
“I’m coming Lacey. I’m coming.”
Then everything went quiet.
Lacey stood for what seemed like hours, her back melded to the tree, her ears straining to hear the slightest crunch of gravel or crack of a twig. There was nothing. Nothing but the sweet chirruping of the crickets in the grass and the splashes of water on rocks down by the falls. What had happened? Where had William gone?
Nervously, she wiggled her toes inside her sneakers. Her body was so stiff from being stuck in that position; it was a release to wiggle a toe. She let a out a slow breath and slid her hands down the trunk.
“Did you think I’d give up so easily?”
From the other side of the trunk, a hand gripped her hair. William yanked her towards him and Lacey stumbled, falling to the ground. He grabbed her harder, using her hair as a chord.
“No!” she screamed. “Let me go!”
“Not until you give me what I came for.” His grip tightened as he pulled her from the darkness of the tree’s canopy and into the evening.
“William. Please.”
The next thing she knew, Lacey was lying on the grass, released. Above her Zac had pinioned William’s arm behind him and was holding him hostage. Lacey had never realised Zac was so tall but he towered over William who was whimpering like a baby as Zac held the tip of a blade to his throat. His face, close to William’s, was tight, every muscle taut. His hand shook with tension.
“Leave her alone!”
“Zac!”
He didn’t hear.
“Zac!”
The blade moved closer and a droplet of blood appeared on William’s neck.
“Who the fuck are you?” William screamed.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that Lacey’s given you all the money she has and its time for you to leave.” Zac flicked the knife again, slashing along William’s cheek before throwing him to the ground in a discarded heap.
“Oh and I’d make it quick. Apparently, someone’s called the cops about a disturbance down this way. I don’t reckon you want them to find you here.”
William picked himself up and scrambled off into the night. “Don’t think this is the last you’ve seen of me, Lacey.”
Lacey sat with an open mouth. What the hell had just happened? Where had Zac come from? Strangely, she didn’t feel the least bit upset by what had just occurred. Not a bit. Only curious. And relieved that it was over.
Zac held out a hand and helped Lacey to her feet. His face had transformed from angry monster to loving friend. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. But Zac… what was that? How did you…?”
Zac took hold of her hand. His eyes were filled with tenderness. “Ty told me you were in a spot of bother. I thought I should be around in case you needed me. I followed you from your house.”
“How did Ty know?”
“Abbie.”
Lacey laid a head on his shoulder. Of course. She should have known Abbie wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut. And thank freakin’ God for that. Now William was gone and life could go back to normal.
“Well, thanks for saving me.”
“I told you I’d look out for you. Now, how about that kiss?”
Lacey punched his arm. “Just walk me home.”
*****
Before she went to bed that night, Lacey made a call to Abbie. She knew it was late and that Ms Mason would probably throw a mental but
she had to talk to her.
“Hey Abs. Were you in bed?”
“Nup. I was chatting to Kat and Lola on Facebook while I waited for you to call. Did you see William?”
It was odd that Abbie was talking so openly. Her usual calls were about school or the weather. “Isn’t your mum there?”
“Nup. She went out about an hour ago. How did it go?”
“He’s gone, I think. But if I know William he’ll be back for the rest of his money at some stage, so I guess I’ll have to keep saving. After I pay you back, that is. And look, I just want to thank you. Even though I’m angry with you for blabbing my problems to Ty, I think you may have saved my life. Literally.”
Abbie sounded puzzled. “Huh?”
“You told Ty about William and he told Zac. Right?”
“Nope. Cross my heart, Lace, I never told a soul. I swore I wouldn’t.”
Lacey stared into the screen of her mobile. What? “Are you sure? You didn’t let it slip by accident or something?”
“I haven’t even seen Ty since Wednesday.”
That much was true. Abbie had been grounded for three days for not completing all her homework. But how the hell had Ty known and why had he told Zac? There were some really odd things going on in this town and most of them seemed to involve her.
Chapter Eleven
With everything back the way that it should be, Lacey lazed in bed all the following morning reading a book for English. She’d read Dylan Thomas before so, technically, she needn’t have bothered with The Rainbow again but it was such a dumb book. She never really got it. All those references to daffodils and churches. Crazy. She felt as if she wanted to understand it yet somehow… oh well.
At about eleven, still in the leggings and singlet top she’d worn to bed and hair in a ponytail, she heard a knock on the window. Looking over, she saw Zac, a huge smile on his face.
“Get out of bed, Lazybones,” he mouthed through the closed window.
“And good morning to you, too,” Lacey grinned, jumping out of bed and sliding the pane to its fullest opening.
Zac rest his palms on the windowsill and vaulted to sit with his legs dangling over the edge. “The devil is gone from your life and it’s a top day out here. Get some gear on and come with me.”