Midnight Rose

by Dani Hart

  AFTER I PULLED INTO our driveway, I turned to my dad. His motives for purchasing the car weren’t lost on me. “Thanks, Dad. I get my first paycheck in two weeks.”

  “Consider it a belated birthday present. Now you don’t have to worry about working.” He hopped out of the car.

  Quickly unbuckling, I jumped out after him.

  “What do you mean? I want to work.”

  He spun around, his laid-back demeanor disappearing.

  “But now you don’t have to,” he challenged, his reaction stern.

  Clenching the car keys in my hand, I knew the Jeep was too good to be true. I tossed the keys to him.

  “Then I’ll buy my own car,” I barked, walking past him into the house. I slammed the front door, cursing under my breath.

  “How was your first driving lesson?” My mom popped out of the kitchen, drying a mug, her smile fading when she saw me scowling.

  “Like you weren’t in on it,” I snapped and stormed up the stairs, shutting myself away in my room.

  My parents not wanting me to work was ridiculous. They were just trying to keep me away from the Hunters. From Wes. Had I gotten a job anywhere else I bet it wouldn’t have been an issue. I stomped over to my desk and snatched up the car magazine, flipping it open to the dog-eared page. Who was Elijah? There was something mysterious about him, and he seemed overly interested in me. The Hunters were making me paranoid. Before they returned, everything was imperfectly boring, and now everything was perfectly chaotic.

  I tossed the magazine into the trash and sat at the window, staring down at my new Jeep. It was my dream car, but driving was still terrifying. After the accident, my parents had me see a therapist to work through the nightmares. She had diagnosed me with PTSD. The accident haunted me and so did those eyes. I knew I couldn’t avoid driving forever, but now that it was time, I wasn’t sure if I was actually ready.

  Kendra jogged up the driveway, her exuberance touching every perfect part of her face as she drooled over my car. She made it hard not to smile. When I opened the window, she looked up.

  “Can I lick it?” Her tongue was inches from the door.

  “Sure, but I already marked my territory. Just got back from driving it.”

  “I can’t stop touching it,” she said as her hands explored every smooth, snow-white surface.

  It was uncanny how she always cheered me up.

  “Seriously, what are you waiting for? Come down here and show me this thing.” She was trying to open the locked door.

  “I can’t.” I looked back at my bedroom door as if my dad would walk in on me and hear the disappointment in my voice. Whatever. It wasn’t like we could return it. “I’ll be right down.”

  I tiptoed down the stairs and peeked around the house. My parents were sitting on the back patio, and my car keys were on the entry room console table, taunting me. It was my car, after all. Rushing over, I scooped them up and ran out the front door, closing it quietly.

  Kendra squealed wildly, jumping up and down.

  Laughing, I dangled the keys in front of her. “You are ridiculous.”

  “And why aren’t you more excited? This is your dream car. Hello.”

  She ran up to me and snatched the keys, running to the car already unlocked by her persistent button pushing. She leapt into the passenger seat.

  “Come on, Abby,” she whined ecstatically.

  Shaking my head, amused by her sheer lack of control, I went around to the driver’s side and slid in.

  Kendra took an exaggerated whiff. “It smells brand new.”

  “That’s weird, right? It’s eight years old.” I gripped the steering wheel, remembering the intense feeling Elijah elicited.

  “Whoa, Miss Debbie Downer. Don’t hate fate.” She touched every button within reach.

  Maybe she was right. Any normal teenager would be happy to get a car. It suddenly resonated with me how badly I treated both my parents. I was being ungrateful.

  “My parents would never buy me a car.” She frowned at my lack of enthusiasm.

  “I don’t know. I guess it just took me by surprise.” I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  “Most people like surprises, and this is a huge one. Now you can quit that stupid job.”

  I shot up, somewhat miffed. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you have the car, duh,” she said, confused.

  “Why does everyone want me to quit my job? Maybe I want to work. Maybe I like it.” My patience had worn thin, causing me to unleash my pent-up aggression on my best friend.

  “Calm down, Abby. Geesh. You’re probably the only teenager in the world that would want to work.” She pushed open the door violently.

  Great. I had managed to piss off the one person who’d been nothing but a good friend. I grabbed her arm before she was completely out of the car.

  “Wait. I’m sorry. That should have been directed at my parents, not you.”

  The hurt under her lashes faded, and a small smile crept back up. “I’ll forgive you under one condition,” she said conspiratorially.

  I rolled my eyes and feigned begging. “Anything.”

  She raised an eyebrow, and her eyes gleamed with trouble.

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE I let you talk me into this.” My hands were shaking and my heart palpitating as I eased out of the driveway. It was pitch-black because this side of town was absent of streetlamps. The only light guiding us safely came from the crescent moon because I didn’t want to turn my headlights on, risking waking my parents.

  “What teenager hasn’t snuck out and stolen a car? At least it’s your own car.” She looked over and smiled widely.

  She had no idea I had done this before and it resulted in a week’s hospital stay, therapy, and two years of haunting nightmares. My parents had done a good job covering up that night, asking the hospital for patient confidentiality, threatening a lawsuit. No one in town knew about the accident.

  But wasn’t I better now? That was what I repeated over and over again, at least. And it wasn’t foggy like that night. In fact, the storms had cleared, and every visible star was blinking brightly.

  Kendra connected her phone to the Bluetooth, filling the car with her playlist. My dad said it was an unnecessary distraction, but it was actually very calming.

  “So, where are we going?” Nervous excitement brewed inside of me. We had never done something like this, and it was kind of fun being a little rebellious.

  “Well, I kind of had an ulterior motive.” She sank into her seat and put her bare feet up on the dashboard.

  This couldn’t be good. “What motive?”

  “You’ll find out. Head to Sandpoint Beach.” She batted her lashes innocently.

  “What? Why?” Panic stifled my breathing. I hadn’t been there since the accident and wasn’t planning on ever going back.

  “Look out!” she screamed.

  I swerved, nearly missing the curb but correcting quickly. “Don’t scream like that. You scared the crap out of me!”

  Kendra put her hand over her chest. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “No, I’m fine.” Now I was determined to prove to myself that I could do this. “What’s going on at the beach in the middle of the week?”

  “A college party,” she said more carefully now.

  “And how would you know about a college party, Miss Junior in High School?”

  She sat up tall. “Well, I kind of met this guy.”

  “What? When?” She usually came running to me the second anything slightly interesting happened.

  “After the dance on Saturday. I ditched Donny and went to the ice cream shop at the bridge. I was minding my own business when this gorgeous guy sat next to me. He has that whole bad boy vibe and those green eyes. Oh my goodness, I could get lost in them for days…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Kendra, does he know you’re still in high school?”

  “Of course, silly.” Her words were completely unconvincing.

/>   “Kendra,” I yelled, causing her to jump.

  “What?” she whined.

  “You have to tell him. You could get him in big trouble.” We were underage, so dating older guys posed a huge risk. And keeping a secret in a small town was nearly impossible.

  She pouted. “It’s so unfair. We are way more mature than most girls in college. Besides, it’s not like I would let anything happen.”

  “That may be true, but you still have to tell him. You can’t start something on a throne of lies.”

  She looked at me as she caught the innuendo, and we shared a laugh as we pulled into the beach parking lot. It was almost full, so I parked in the back where there was still an empty row, not comfortable with my parking yet. Thankfully, I listened to my instincts, because I managed to park across three spots.

  We stood at the back of my car, admiring my lack of parking skills.

  “How is that even possible?” Kendra pointed to the car.

  I bit my bottom lip. Humiliation number three.

  “Hello, ladies,” a silky voice called behind us, raising every hair on my little five-foot-four body.

  Elijah.

  I pivoted around slowly, afraid my suspicions would be confirmed. Kendra jumped into Elijah’s arms, giving him a hug. A comfortable distance separated me from trouble.

  “So we meet again, Abby.” His emerald eyes were non-apologetic, entrapping me once again.

  “You guys know each other?” Kendra frowned.

  Recovering quickly from the weird coincidence, I responded, “Elijah sold my dad this car.”

  “Eli,” his voice said evenly.

  “Wow. What a coincidence,” Kendra burst out.

  “Yeah. Sure is,” I mumbled, my instincts screaming foul.

  “A happy one, right, Abby?” Elijah winked.

  I cracked a fake smile, not responding verbally.

  “Shall we, ladies?” He pulled Kendra in close to his side and spun her around, leading her toward the beach. He held his hand out for mine, but I refused, shoving both hands into my pockets instead.

  Kendra looked over, her expression begging me to follow. Defeated, I did, because there was no way I was about to leave my best friend alone with him. Every molecule in my body told me he was bad news and not the kind any smart girl should be swooning over.

  The beach around the lake was a narrow strand that wrapped around the Sandpoint area and was not much wider than a ski run, so when the weather was good, there was hardly a spot to lay a towel. Right now, it was littered with college kids, lounge chairs, and a bonfire.

  “Is this even legal?” Pessimism slipped out of my mouth as we walked down the path through the trees and past the picnic area.

  “No,” Elijah smiled as he squeezed Kendra, “but I donated a lot to the upkeep of the lake,” he said proudly.

  Of course, he did. Elijah was keeping secrets, and I was going to unravel them. “What’s your last name, Elijah?”

  He answered smugly over his shoulder, “Winters.”

  The unraveling of Elijah Winters.

  Without lights above to obscure the breathtaking view, the beauty of the lake was not lost on me. My parents and I used to come here every Fourth of July. Another tradition I had ruined. It was too hard to come back after the accident, but maybe this was what I needed to move forward. Just a little nudge. But then the misty air and familiar pine-fresh scents engulfed me, catapulting me back in time to the most painful memories of my life.

  I cemented my feet where the grass met the sand, paralyzed by my past connection with this place. This was where it all took place. The night I almost died. The night that stole Wes from me. One accident and my life was forever derailed. I couldn’t go any farther, so I sat down, hugging my knees to my chest and hoping to pass off as a silent observer.

  When Kendra noticed I wasn’t following behind, she broke off from Elijah and skipped up to me.

  “What are you doing? Come on,” Kendra urged, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me up.

  “No. I agreed to come, but that doesn’t mean I have to actively participate.” I yanked my hand from hers.

  Shock registered on her face. “What’s your deal? You’ve been weird ever since Wes came back. This whole teen angst thing looks really awful on you.”

  She kicked up sand as she stormed away. This was our first official fight. She was right, though. Wes’ return and voluntary absence from my life had me completely insane. My thoughts were never far from him.

  You’re obsessed with him.

  Kendra blended in around the fire with the college kids. It was so easy for her. She was a social butterfly, whereas my toes couldn’t even graze the soft granules of sand only inches away. This wasn’t healthy. My palms were sweating just by being here.

  The lights of the pier shone brightly in the distance. It wasn’t too far away and sitting here was driving me crazy, so I twisted through the trees, the sounds of the party becoming distant. The quiet was soothing.

  The bistro was tucked between a row of shops and restaurants just before the pier. The lights inside were visible from where I stood at the far end of the pier. Shadows crossed the windows from inside, and I imagined Mr. Hunter shuffling around, cleaning up and Penelope drowning her sorrows in her playlist as she rolled silverware. It was silly, but I envied her because she was inside there with Wes and I was out here, alone.

  The waves rippled softly against the pier, rocking it gently, my body swaying with it. Being here didn’t seem so bad—so debilitating. I wasn’t ready for the beach. Not yet. Every once in a while, laughter would drift from the party, momentarily breaking the peaceful silence.

  “Do you feel safe over here all by yourself?”

  My body stiffened at Elijah’s sudden arrival. Was he asking, or threatening? It was hard to tell. I refused to let him intimidate me, so I firmly planted my elbows on the railing as I admired the glimmer of the moon dancing over the water. “Shouldn’t you be with Kendra?”

  “No. I believe I’m exactly where I should be.”

  “Is that right? Is that why you cozied up to my best friend? To get to me?”

  “Maybe.” His eyes lit up confidently.

  “You could have just asked me out.” I crossed my arms, feigning courage.

  “And what would you have said if I had asked?”

  “No,” I said firmly.

  He chuckled, seemingly unaffected. “Well, then maybe I like your friend.”

  My heart skipped a terrifying beat as his footsteps creaked under the give of the wood planks, bringing him closer to me. I could see his breath in the chill of the night as he made himself comfortable next to me.

  “Do I make you nervous?” He looked over to me.

  “A little, honestly,” I replied quietly, not turning to meet his gaze. My voice trembled slightly.

  He leaned over, sweeping my hair behind my shoulder, his touch trailing euphoric sensations around my neck and shoulder, and whispered into my ear, “I’m not the one you need to be afraid of.”

  My body stiffened with dread.

  Then who do I need to be afraid of?

  A chill replaced the warmth of his breath on my neck, and when I braved a glance over, Elijah was gone. I spun around quickly, searching the pier and the trees beyond, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Do you feel safe? No, not anymore. I rushed off the pier and back through the trees, flinching at every noise I heard.

  “Abby, what happened to you?” Kendra bounced up to me upon my return.

  “I went for a walk on the pier.”

  Concern was evident in her eyes. “You’ve been gone for over an hour. The pier is less than five minutes away.”

  How could that be? It felt like I had only been gone for a few minutes. Moments of time had been lost standing on the pier with Elijah.

  A wave of nausea hit me suddenly, causing me to grimace.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Can we go home?”

  “Of co
urse. You don’t look so good. Elijah disappeared anyway. The jerk.” Kendra wrapped her arm in mine.

  My legs were wobbly and my mind was hazy, so I gripped her arm tighter to keep from falling. When I glanced up beyond the bonfire, I spotted a pair of eyes fixated on me.

  “Is that Ben Hunter?” The boy’s hair was jet black just like Ben’s, and the eyes seemed familiar even from this far away. My head was starting to pound, and my vision was getting blurry.

  “The devastatingly gorgeous guy with black hair and irresistible eyes? Yes, I believe I heard someone call him that. He’s one of the twins, right?”

  “Yeah.” I stumbled a bit, my eyes still on Ben.

  “He’s weird,” Kendra added, holding her grip tighter around me.

  My stomach was doing flips.

  “I think we’re better off without boys.” She snickered.

  “I think so.” My legs suddenly gave out, but before I hit the ground, a pair of arms wrapped around me. I expected to see Kendra above me, but instead, Ben cradled me, my flesh burning under his touch. He handed me over to Kendra quickly and, without a word, went back to the party.

  “What was that?” Kendra tracked him, awestruck. “Are you okay, Abby?”

  “I really need to lie down,” I begged her as all my weight leaned into her.

  She hugged me close and helped me as I stumbled through the parking lot.

  “You’re going to have to drive,” I mumbled when we made it to the car.

  She took my keys and helped me into the passenger seat and buckled me in. My head sank into the headrest, feeling heavy against the leather. My thoughts swirled with confusion, not understanding what happened on the pier. Elijah’s words echoed in my thoughts. Safety had been replaced with fear, no matter how irrational it seemed.

  I WAS FAIRLY CERTAIN I had gotten away with sneaking out. I still couldn’t walk by the time we got back to my house, so Kendra dragged me up to my room and tucked me in. She wanted to stay the night, but explaining her sudden presence to my parents was almost as bad as getting caught. For several hours I lay in bed, tossing around the events of the night in my head, over and over again. Elijah made me uneasy, but I was strangely drawn to him. I had always followed the straight and narrow, the black and white. Elijah was gray, and Wes was somewhere in between it all. So, why couldn’t I shake them?