by Joy Elbel
The snow must have started falling just after we went inside because there were already several inches of it covering the windshield of Rachel’s car. She opened her door carefully, started the car, and snatched a pair of ice scrapers from the back.
“Here—help me out,” she said, tossing one of them in my direction. I reached out to catch it but a hand shot out from behind me and got to it first. “You can just get in the car and stay warm—I’ll take care of the snow.”
Lucas. Rachel seemed surprised by his offer but didn’t refuse it. We climbed into the car and waited for the heat to kick in. I was dying to tell her what I saw earlier and she looked like she had things to say to me, too, but none of it could be said while Lucas was within earshot. And he certainly seemed to be taking his time. The car was completely warm by the time he tapped on Rachel’s window to return the scraper.
Rachel put her window down and took it from his hand. “Thanks,” she said awkwardly. Lucas smiled. “ You,” he said pointing at Rachel, “are welcome.” Then he pointed to me. “And I will pick you up at noon.”
I didn’t realize that I hadn’t told Rachel about my plans with Lucas until I saw the look on her face. When I told her about my fight with Zach, I told her it was about Lucas but not about him asking me to go to Pittsburgh with him. How could I forget such a huge detail? She was going to have a very strong opinion about the situation. I buckled my seat belt because I knew it was going to be an interesting ride home—and not because of the snow.
11. Skating on Thin Ice
“He’s picking you up at noon? Does Zach know about this?” Those were the first words out of Rachel’s mouth once we were finally able to talk. Funny. I would have thought my encounter with Allison would be more important than my plans with Lucas. Apparently boy troubles trumped ghost drama in Rachel’s estimation.
“I’m going to Pittsburgh with Lucas tomorrow. We’re going to see if we can get his adoption records opened. And yes, of course Zach knows about it. That’s the main reason we fought last Saturday night.”
“So that’s why he’s so worried about you—I totally get it now. And I agree with him, by the way.” This wasn’t how our ride home was supposed to go. I was supposed to tell her about the hideous entity I faced and she was supposed to react appropriately. “Oh my god, Ruby! She had no tongue! We have to find her killer ASAP— Crimson’s life could depend on it!” Or something at least close to that.
Instead, I was defending my decision to help Lucas search for his biological family—again. “Forget about Lucas— I’ll be just fine! Don’t you want to hear about my encounter with Allison?”
Rachel sighed heavily. “Of course I do. I’m just concerned for your safety.” She paused before adding, “And for my brother’s happiness.”
I didn’t want to be responsible for Zach being unhappy. Just thinking about it made me sad. Simply put, I didn’t want to talk about it. So I overlooked her last comment and unleashed the details about Allison instead. Apparently, I was going to have to be the one to set her priorities straight.
When I was finished, Rachel reacted the way I expected her to, reciting back to me practically word for word what I guessed she would say. With one addition.
“So how are you going to get any answers from her?” “That, my friend, is a good question. She definitely didn’t seem like she wanted to talk. And even if she did, how can she with no tongue?”
“I don’t know, Ruby—but please don’t ever tell Drake about that. I don’t think he could handle it. You saw how emotional he got over everything else. What kind of monster would rip someone’s tongue out?”
Another good question. And while we were on the subject, what kind of idiot would try to track down a killer using the ghost of his previous victim? The whole plan seemed more insane every time I thought about it.
“I don’t know. It’s just too horrible for me to think about right now,” I said as she pulled up in front of the mansion. “We have a couple weeks until the first rehearsal. I’m going to focus on helping Lucas in the meantime. If we can find some answers tomorrow, it will really help ease the tension between me and Zach.”
“Well, I certainly hope so. You guys are so perfect together—I don’t want to see anything come between you. Or anyone.” Rachel placed a hand on my shoulder as I started to get out of the car. “I know you don’t want to hear this but I’m going to say it anyway. Please be careful tomorrow. I know Lucas seems like a good guy but there’s something about him that I just don’t trust.”
“I will,” I replied, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at her advice and making a break for the house before she could say anything else. Arguing was pointless. I knew exactly what she didn’t like about him, anyway. She didn’t like him because she saw him as a threat to Zach. Zach was her brother and, regardless of how close Rachel and I were, she would always take his side when it came to things like this.
Worst hair day ever. I looked in the mirror and wanted to scream. I made the mistake of forgetting to throw my sweater on over my tank before straightening my hair. When I delicately tugged it over my head, I thought it would be okay. Wrong. So very, very wrong. To put it into perspective, sticking my finger in an electrical outlet wouldn’t have had a more dramatic effect. There was enough static electricity in my hair to power a small third world nation.
Running the flat iron back through my hair only seemed to be making things worse so I unplugged it and flopped down on the toilet in frustration. It was almost noon—I couldn’t leave the house looking like this! There wasn’t enough time to wash it and start all over so I grabbed some spray gel and tried to fix it. After five minutes of spraying and scrunching, spritzing and twisting, I felt like an artist. And I’m not talking abstract either, for once.
When I was finished, my hair looked…hot. It wasn’t straight but it wasn’t wretchedly curly either. Somehow I created soft, beachy waves that looked amazing. I looked like I was going to the prom not to the Allegheny County Hall of Records. It looked so good I pulled out my phone and took a picture of it. You know, just in case I could never replicate it again. I wanted to remember and preserve every detail of its awesomeness.
When I heard Lucas pull in, I slid into my boots and ran down the stairs so he wouldn’t have a chance to knock. Dad and Shelly didn’t know I was going to Pittsburgh with him. All they knew was that I was going to help him try to find his parents. They never asked how or where so I never volunteered the information. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they would react the same way as Zach and Rachel. The last thing I needed now was for Lucas to innocently tell them the truth. Knowing them, they would tell me I couldn’t go and I would be humiliated right in front of him. No, what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Or me either, regardless of what everyone else thought.
I flung open the front door and ran for it only to collide with Lucas who had just set foot on the top porch step.
“Whoa!” he said catching me just before I slid down the steps. “There you go falling for me again.” Was my heart nearly pounding through my chest because of my almost-tumble down the stairs or because Lucas’s hands were still locked firmly around my waist? The fall, definitely the fall. Because anything else was out of the freakin’ question.
“I’m okay—you can let go of me now,” I said haughtily. The sooner he let go of me the better. For multiple reasons. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Ru!” he said releasing his grip like he’d been resting his hands on a hot stove and just realized it. “I was only trying to help you!”
Dammit! He was right, of course, and my reaction was inappropriate. Every time I overreacted to things like this I gave him more cause to think there was another reason behind it. Which there wasn’t. What a way to start the day.
“Sorry,” I mumbled as I got into his car. “Can we pretend that never happened and just start over? If I’m going to be stuck in this car with you for hours, I don’t want things to be all weird and stuff.”
“Stu
ck in this car with me? You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself, don’t you?” he said, revving his engine before pulling out.
The curtains in Shelly’s office cracked open slightly and I knew we had an audience. Didn’t he know that parents weren’t cool with boys who revved their engines? Of course he knew—he simply didn’t care. Not that I could blame him for wanting to play with all the horsepower under his hood— his car was seriously smokin’! I’d never given much thought to it before but once I was inside it, I was definitely impressed.
Lucas drove a black, late seventies muscle car—totally rebuilt and ready for action. It was the kind of car a hot boy should be driving. Zach’s Neon was okay but he would have looked much better behind the wheel of a machine like this. As I turned to throw my jacket in the backseat, I noticed how roomy it was back there. More than enough room to…to…to comfortably seat three. Yeah, that was all I was thinking about when I looked at his backseat.
From what I’d heard, the fastest way to get to Pittsburgh was to take the interstate, so when Lucas cruised right past the onramp without pause, I should have realized the day was going to be anything but predictable. Buzzzz. My phone vibrated loudly in my pocket. Well, at least one part of it would be.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Lucas asked with a sly sideways glance. “It’s probably your boyfriend.” “Of course I’m answering it.” But slowly for some reason. I usually picked up after the first buzz—it was now up to three.
“Hello, Zach,” I said sweetly. I wasn’t trying to make Lucas jealous—I wanted him to see that he didn’t stand a chance with me. But jealousy seemed to be what I got. Lucas checked the rearview, shifted the car into a higher gear and rocketed into the passing lane.
“Hello, sweetie—is everything okay so far?” His voice was edgy and raw. So far? We weren’t even out of the county yet—what did he think could have happened? “Yes,” I answered, deliberately keeping my side of the conversation vague. Lucas didn’t need to know what Zach was saying to me.
“Don’t forget—if anything goes wrong, I want you to call me instantly. And I would appreciate random updates, too. The more I hear from you, the less I’ll worry.” Again, Zach’s voice sounded strange and a bit sketchy.
“I will. Love you, Zach!” I purred.
“Love you, too, Ruby.” Click. Something about that whole conversation was off. Normally, Zach would have talked longer, given lengthier warnings about the dangers of hanging out with Lucas. He was distracted by something—but by what? I shoved my phone into my purse. I would worry about Zach’s strange behavior later.
Once I was done talking to Zach, Lucas eased his foot off of the gas pedal. “So, is Boyfriend working today?” Really, what was it with boys anyway? Why was it so hard for him to call Zach by his name? Zach did the same thing when he thought Lee and I were still dating, too. I was tired of it and I let him know it. Again.
“His name is Zach. Just one little syllable—is that too hard for you to remember?”
“Of course not. Is Zach working today?” Though I didn’t appreciate the condescending tone, at least he wasn’t just calling him “boyfriend”. “That’s better. And yes, he’s working at the shelter today. Why do you ask?”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “No reason—just making conversation, that’s all. It’ll be a really long day if we don’t talk to each other at all.”
Oh. With all of the warnings about being careful around Lucas, I was starting to analyze his every word for hidden meanings. My instincts were good. I needed to forget about what everyone else said and trust my gut.
“You’re right—sorry.” Why did I always seem to mess things up when I was with him? I extended the olive branch and asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
Lucas eased back in his seat and smiled. “That’s much better. So tell me, how did you and Zach get together, anyway?”
Of all the things he could possibly pick to discuss, he picked that? Politics, religion, sex—all much less delicate subjects than the one he chose. It was going to be hard to explain my relationship with Zach while leaving out all of the paranormal stuff. Select your words wisely, Ruby.
Our first meeting at the diner was easy enough to explain so I told him the story and stopped there hoping that would be enough to satiate him. Of course, it wasn’t.
“So why did you let him think that Lee was still alive? And why did you run away from him that day?” “I wasn’t ready to let go of Lee, I guess. And I ran because I felt an instant connection with Zach and I got scared.” Okay, now that should be enough.
“That makes sense,” Lucas replied. “But you haven’t really answered my original question. You told me how you met but what I wanted to know was how you got together.”
Dammit! What a bloodhound! He was digging for something specific but what? Quickly, I ran through the details of our meeting at the shelter and what happened at Rosewood that night.
“A real white knight, this Zach,” Lucas said bitterly. “So where did he take you on your first date?” Really? There were easier questions on the SAT. Zach and I never had an official first date—we just kind of fell into our relationship. The night at the drive in was the closest thing we had to a first date so I told him that story as well.
“So I was just wondering—at what point did you tell Zach that Lee was dead? You told him that you were seeing someone—so when you went on your first date, did Zach think you were still seeing Lee?”
I started to squirm in my seat. How could I explain it all without telling him what was going on at Rosewood at the time? I didn’t tell Zach the truth until much later, after the haunting was in full swing. “The whole situation was kinda complicated—there were other factors involved. Can we talk about something else instead?”
Lucas agreed but with a victorious look on his face. “Why don’t we listen to some music instead?” He pulled out a CD and slid it in. “I hope you don’t mind Cold Eternal— they’re sort of the only band I listen to.”
There was a point in time when listening to Cold Eternal was too painful for me. Apparently, I was past that point. As the first notes tinkled from the speakers, they made me happy, made me feel like I used to feel when I listened to them. It was like going back in a time machine to when my life wasn’t so complicated—before Lee died, before my near death experience. And long before I met Zach.
“They’re my favorite band, too,” I replied. Lucas turned the volume up and we drove along just singing until we were almost to Pittsburgh. It was fun—uncomplicated and carefree. Until I saw the bridge we were about to cross over the Allegheny River.
‘Will you be my, be my eternal? Will you die, die to be with me?’ In a panic, I jabbed at the buttons on the CD player to make the music stop. But it didn’t. My breathing became shallow, my lungs heaved in short, quick bursts.
“Holy shit, Ru! What’s wrong? Do you have an inhaler or something?” He kept one hand on the wheel but rubbed my leg with the other.
I couldn’t answer him—I simply shook my head no. Grabbing his hand, I squeezed it tightly, closed my eyes, and tried to block out the lyrics as they bored into my brain. I tried to think about anything but that day on Destiny Bridge but it just wasn’t possible.
I felt the car ease off the road to the right. There wasn’t any screaming so I cracked one eye open. Overwhelming relief. The bridge was behind us now and we were parked along a street in the business district. Happy to be alive, I flung my arms around Lucas and hugged him close.
“Ru! Your heart’s racing! Are you alright?” Lucas held me as tightly as I held him. He held me until I felt safe again. When I was finally able to speak, I explained why I freaked out so bad.
“I’m so sorry,” he said stroking my hair soothingly. “I should have realized what was wrong—I never should have put you in this situation. Do you forgive me?”
“It’s not your fault, Lucas. There’s nothing to be forgiven.” Suddenly, I was conscious of where I was and
who I was snuggled up to. I pulled back slowly because I didn’t want to offend him. “Thanks, by the way,” I said smiling.
“You’re welcome, Ru. I don’t know if I can find another way home that doesn’t involve a bridge but I will certainly try.” The compassion in his eyes and in his voice was touching, like he really cared about me.
“You don’t have to do that, Lucas—really, I’ll be okay. It was just a combination of the music and seeing that bridge that I wasn’t expecting. Now that I know it’s coming, I should be okay the next time.”
“Alright—let’s go see what we can find out then,” he said pointing to the large, brick building across the street. We dodged multiple lanes of traffic to get to the other side and climbed the steps to the Allegheny County Hall of Records. With a devilish grin, Lucas tugged on the glass door to let me inside. Nothing. The door wouldn’t budge. He moved to the door on the other side and pulled hard again. Still nothing. It was locked.
Confused, Lucas led me around the building to find another entrance but to no avail. Every door was locked. Once we were back where we started from, I figured out why. A sign out front showed that they were closed on weekends.
“Man—you’ve gotta be kidding me!” he shouted, slamming his fist against the glass. “We came all this way for nothing!”
Bummer. Of course I was disappointed too but I couldn’t begin to imagine his frustration. The secrets about his past probably lay within those walls and there wasn’t anything we could do about it. Lucas sat down on the bench outside and hung his head.
“It’s okay—we can come back some other day, Lucas. At least next time we’ll know not to come on a weekend,” I said in an effort to cheer him up. “Maybe we can come back some day during Christmas break.”
He lifted his head and I saw that his eyes were swimming with tears. “You’d really come back here with me? I mean, I just figured that after what happened on the bridge—and now this—that you wouldn’t want to ever see this town again.”