Justin was tearing off little pieces of his sandwich, his voice barely audible. I’m sure he hated reliving those memories as much as I did.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He attempted a smile. “It was worth it.” Leaning over, he kissed my cheek. “Ready for Peter Pan?”
The day flew by. We lived in the moment, and, as everything else faded to the backdrop, I realized I was living my life—and nobody could take that away from me.
That night I dreamt I was on a Ferris wheel. Justin sat next to me wearing his black hoodie, his face hidden. Right when we reached the top, Justin released the lap belt and pushed me out. I fell forward, but managed to grab onto the bottom of the cage.
“Help me!” I screamed, my feet dangling in the air. My fingers began slipping. I was going to fall if Justin didn’t save me.
Justin turned and looked down at me—only when I saw his face, it wasn’t Justin. It was stalker guy. He had a wicked smile, like he enjoyed watching me squirm in panic.
“Help yourself,” he snarled. His foot smashed my hand, and I fell, screaming the whole way down.
The next day at school, I tried not to think about my nightmare, which meant that I kept thinking about trying not to think about it. I’m sure Justin knew, but he didn’t say anything. He must have sensed that I didn’t want to talk about it. But that was only part of the problem. I didn’t want him to be any more stressed out than he already was.
Justin walked me to my first-period class. For once he wasn’t wearing his hooded sweatshirt or iPod at school. As if that weren’t enough for the gossip mill, he kissed my cheek for all to see. It left me smiling like a lovesick dork and everyone else staring, shell-shocked.
By the time I saw Justin at break, only two periods into the day, most of the school was talking about us. And at lunch, Justin full-on kissed me on the lips and smiled. He looked so happy that I couldn’t help but relish the feeling. By the end of the day, even Kate had heard the news. I decided I didn’t care that everyone was talking about us. I was happy, and that was all that mattered.
We pulled into the driveway and Justin walked me over to Kate’s.
“Coming in?” I asked.
“Most definitely.”
We probably had a good thirty minutes until Kate got home.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” he laughed.
Inside, I wasn’t sure what to do. Justin and I had rarely spent any time here, alone. “Want to see my room?” I asked. Not that I was planning on making out, but I figured that, since I’d seen his room, I might as well show him mine.
His mouth was tight, the corners pulling up ever so slightly. Was he trying not to laugh?
Justin chuckled. “Sorry,” he said, catching his breath. “Remember, I can read your thoughts.”
“You’re supposed to be blocking them out!” I cried.
“Yeah, but when you’re talking about your bedroom and thinking about making out—there’s only so much I can do.”
I chose not to respond and instead grabbed his hand, leading him upstairs.
“This is it,” I said, entering my room.
“Wow. It’s really neat.”
I knew that he meant “neat”as in clean and tidy. “Kate likes everything in order. Sometimes I’m afraid to touch anything,” I admitted.
Justin sat on the edge of my bed. “You mean like this?” He swatted some of the pillows off the bed.
Seizing one off the ground, I hit him in the head. I was going in for a second hit when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the bed. I shrieked as I fell on top of him.
He cradled my face in his hands. “You are so beautiful.”
Justin carefully kissed me. My lips parted and he deepened the kiss, his hands sliding down my sides to my lower back. Rolling to the side, I pulled him against me. I wanted to feel every inch of his body. His mouth left mine, exploring my neck, my ear. His touch felt like springtime—warm and full of hope. I never wanted it to end. We stayed like that until Kate came home.
Saturday finally rolled around. I was sitting on the bathroom counter, watching Kate put on her makeup.
“Your mom called,” Kate said. “She booked your flight home.”
“When?” I asked.
“Next week. I wrote down the flight info for you. It’s downstairs on the kitchen counter.”
I had known it was coming, but hearing Kate say it out loud solidified the fact that I was really leaving. I would miss Kate dearly. And Justin. My eyes teared up.
“How do I look?” Kate asked, taking a step back. She wore a black silk tank top with jeans and black heels. I wished I had the confidence to pull that look off.
“I like the makeup. It accentuates your eyes and matches your top.”
“You don’t think it’s too much?” Kate asked while examining herself in the mirror.
“Too much for what?” I asked. She shot me a look. “Actually, you look sexy.” I wasn’t sure if that’s what she was going for or not.
Kate smiled. “Good.”
“Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Greg from school.” She leaned forward and applied her lip gloss.
“Where are you two going?”
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m going.” Kate ran her hands through her hair and then turned to face me, her eyes searching for something. “I have you to thank.”
“Me? For what?”
“Audrey, look at you. You’re living your life. When the odds were against you, you fought back. Life is precious, and I’m going to make the most of mine.”
For a split second, I considered telling Kate about Justin’s telepathy and how he saved me. That he was the one giving me my strength. But I kept my mouth shut and gave her a hug instead.
Justin was coming over to watch a movie and keep me company while Kate was on her date. One of the perks of being away from home. My mom would’ve made sure either one of my brothers or a girlfriend came over to be with me. Not, under any circumstances, my boyfriend. Sometimes I just loved Kate. Was she naive or understanding? It was hard to say, and I wasn’t asking.
I wanted to shower before Justin arrived. For some reason, I was both nervous and excited to be alone with him. Since our time together was limited, I wanted to make the most of it. It was still surreal for me to reconcile the Justin I’d gotten to know over the summer with the flesh-and-blood Justin. He had always been in my mind, and it was strange to have him be real, standing before me. I was looking forward to having a long, uninterrupted evening where we could connect. Not that I wanted to connect physically. That idea was difficult for me. I hoped that one day I would be able to be with someone that way and not have it tainted from the rape.
I must have been in the shower longer than I realized, because Kate stuck her head in and announced that Justin was downstairs and she was leaving. My fingertips were shriveled like prunes, but I wasn’t ready to get out quite yet. The water beating on my back continued to soothe me. My mind was still going a hundred miles an hour in a thousand different directions. I wanted to calm my thoughts before facing Justin. It probably didn’t matter though; he could hear my every thought pouring from me. Hopefully he was guarding his mind instead of listening to me. I didn’t want my every thought and feeling broadcast to him.
A few minutes later, I turned the water off and got out of the shower. The bathroom was foggy and the mirror was white with condensation. I wrapped a towel around my body—just in case Justin stuck his head in.
That’s when I realized I’d forgotten to wash my face. Seriously? I was in there for at least half an hour. I wasn’t sure how much more water my hands could withstand.
Leaning over the sink, I turned the water on and lathered my face with cleanser. I heard a light tapping on the window behind me, probably a tree branch. I couldn’t open my eyes because there was cleanser on them and it would’ve stung like crazy. As calmly as possible, I rinsed my face. When I was done, I took my hand and wiped a section of the
mirror so I could see myself.
One swipe, I saw my chin. Another swipe, something black. One last swipe, and I froze.
The window behind me was also fogged up, but I could still see the outline of someone outside. I literally could not move. I was frozen like ice. Hand still on the mirror, I realized it was him—my stalker. The guy who wanted to kill me. And only a thin piece of glass separated us.
His black-gloved hands pressed against the glass.
He tried to open the window.
I closed my eyes and managed to scream in my mind. Justin! He’s here! Help. Spinning around, I prepared to defend myself, but he was gone. Justin!
Audrey—stay there. I’m on my way.
The black silhouette disappeared. My heart pounded. Then the lights went out. Crap.
Audrey? I heard the bathroom door creak open.
“Here,” I whispered, my voice cracking.
“Are you okay?” Justin asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, even though I was freaking out inside. I felt like my heart would burst out of my chest.
“I can’t sense him—he must be gone.” Justin stood absolutely still, listening. “Give me your hand,” he whispered.
I laced my fingers with his. Feeling along the walls, Justin led me down the dark hallway to my bedroom. The blind was open and the moonlight filtered in.
Justin glanced outside. “Looks clear,” he said. “I’ll stand in the doorway while you get dressed.”
With his back turned, I removed the towel and used it to quickly dry my hair. Then I opened my drawer and grabbed a pair of jeans. I threw the closet door open and snatched the first T-shirt my hands touched. Once dressed, the clothes warmed my body and offered a small layer of protection.
“I’m ready,” I said, sliding my hand back into Justin’s, still nervous.
“You okay?” he asked. I nodded. “We need a flashlight. Any idea where one is?”
“I don’t know where Kate keeps that stuff,” I whispered.
Justin pulled me back into the bedroom. He knelt on the ground, feeling under the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“My mom keeps flashlights under all the beds. You know, in case of an earthquake in the middle of the night.”
Oh, well, that was something I knew nothing about.
“Found one!” Justin stood and clicked it on. Nothing happened. He shook the flashlight, and then tried again. This time it turned on.
“Come on.” Holding the flashlight in one hand and me in the other, Justin descended the stairs. The light cast eerie shadows on the walls and made the space beyond us that much darker. My heart began to race.
“You’re shaking,” Justin commented.
“I can’t breathe.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here with you.” He squeezed my hand and then led me into the family room. “Okay, if it’s like ours, the breaker box is probably outside on the west side of the house.” He moved to the back door and was about to unlock it, when I yanked him back.
“No! What if he’s out there?”
Justin turned to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “It’s okay. You can wait here.”
“Don’t leave me!” I practically growled, clutching his arms.
“Audrey, I don’t sense his mind. I’ll only be gone a minute.”
“Please,” I begged. “Don’t open the door.”
He stared into my eyes. “Okay.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Caleb. After a minute, they were texting back and forth rapidly. Then he turned to me. “Caleb will sweep the property and turn the power back on.” He put his phone away and led me over to the couch. We sat down, and he put his arm around my shoulders.
“You probably shouldn’t stay here tonight. Not with stalker guy showing up like that.”
I shuddered.
“You’ll be safer at a hotel,” Justin said.
“Kate definitely won’t go for that.” I didn’t even have to ask to know that she would draw the line there.
“Caleb’s here,” Justin said, nodding toward the backyard. Much to my relief, the lights suddenly turned on. “I promise, we’ll find a way to keep you safe.” Justin’s voice was edged with worry.
Caleb stood outside the back door. Justin hurried over and opened it for him.
“The house is secure,” Caleb said, coming in and sitting down across from me.
What did he know about securing a house? “If stalker guy could find me here, he can find me anywhere. If he really wants to kill me, he’ll find a way—even if he has to wait until I least expect it.”
Caleb looked at Justin. “There’s a ladder outside the window over there.” Caleb pointed toward the side of the house where the bathroom was. “Why didn’t stalker guy attempt to talk to her or hurt her tonight? He could have easily broken in through the window.”
“Because he could have been caught,” Justin answered. He was sitting on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
“Do you know what he’s planning?” Caleb carefully asked.
Sighing, Justin replied, “No. His mind was all over the place. I sensed some sort of presence, but I thought it was someone out front, passing in a car or something. It wasn’t until I heard him thinking about her vulnerability.” He stopped talking and gave Caleb a look. I wondered if he was communicating something that he didn’t want me to know.
“You can sleep at our house,” Caleb offered. “We have a security system. Kate can’t get mad if our mom’s there.”
I glanced at Justin. He nodded. “That’s probably the safest for now.”
The boys accompanied me upstairs so I could grab a few things, like my toothbrush. Then I walked between them all the way to their house, wondering about the sleeping arrangements. I didn’t want to be left alone downstairs while everyone else was upstairs. And what about Kate? She shouldn’t be alone in her house knowing that stalker guy was sneaking around it.
I called Kate and told her the entire story. She agreed to stay at a friend’s house for the night. She was also going to call the police officer handling my case and report the incident, even though we didn’t have any solid proof. Justin and Caleb offered to sleep downstairs with me, but Sarah thought it best if I slept in her room.
The next day, Kate had all of the locks changed. Then she had additional locks added to the windows and an alarm system installed. It cost a fortune, but she insisted it would only increase the value of the house. She also said something about her and Mike’s joint credit card.
Chapter 24
I ran through the forest, dodging trees. My feet pounded on the dirt as I searched for a safe hiding place. That’s when I saw it up ahead—my special spot—my tree. I quickly climbed to the platform, pulling the rope ladder up behind me when I reached the top. Exhausted, I fell to my knees, breathing hard. The platform was twenty feet off the ground and fairly well concealed. Hopefully they wouldn’t find me.
It started to rain. Before long, my clothes and hair were soaking wet. The rain picked up, blowing the branches around me. I couldn’t hear anything besides the rustling of the leaves and the pounding of the rain. My body started shaking from the chilly air. Night came, and I could no longer see beyond two feet.
Lightning struck right next to me, cracking the plywood. Sparks flew, splitting the platform in two, and the side I was lying on tilted. Sliding toward the edge, I tried to grab onto something to stop myself from falling. I clawed the plywood, ripping my nails.
A hand grabbed my ankle and yanked me over the side. My face smashed into the edge of the wood and I fell to the ground, unconscious. I awoke back in the cabin, naked, chained to the bed.
I screamed.
“Audrey, wake up.” Kate shook my body. “It’s okay.”
My eyes flew open. Kate was sitting next to me on the bed. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close.
“Want to talk about it?” she asked.
“Not particularly.” The nights were restless ever since stalker guy�
�s visit. I pulled away and wiped my cheeks. Guess I had been crying in my sleep, again.
“Well, it’s time to get up. Today’s the big day! We have a lot to do.”
For a second I thought she meant I was leaving. But then I saw my dress hanging on the door, and I remembered—the school dance. Of course.
Justin had asked me only a couple of days ago. Luckily I found a cute dress that fit me perfectly.
“The dance isn’t until tonight,” I said, yawning.
Kate looked at me like I was stupid.
“What?” I asked, swinging my legs out of bed.
“If we plan to get manicures, pedicures, and massages, and get our hair done, then we better start now. We’ll be pressing it for time as it is.”
“Really?” All that sounded expensive. “We’re going to pamper ourselves?”
“Yes, so chop, chop!”
When we got back to Kate’s, I slipped on my dress. It was made of delicate coral chiffon and was strapless, with an empire waist. The top was adorned with small crystal beads. Kate had also bought me a vintage necklace and earrings that complemented the dress. My hair was down, with soft curls. I felt absolutely beautiful.
Justin and I arrived at the dance a little late because Kate took, like, a thousand pictures.
“Is Caleb here?” I asked while we walked from the parking lot to the gym.
“He is. Came with some girl named Sophie.”
Justin slid his hand into mine.
He looked irresistible in his black suit. A sly grin spread across his face.
“Well, you know you look good,” I said.
“Still, nice to hear. Have I told you that you look stunning?” He kissed my wrist, making my heart do little flips.
I didn’t know about stunning, but I certainly felt beautiful. I never got dressed up like that. And the day had been amazing. Kate and I had a blast being pampered.
“Haven’t you been to a school dance before?” Justin asked.
“Never anyone to go with. And dances really aren’t my thing.” Usually Kara and I hung out at her place watching movies.
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