Curse of the Beast

by Ashley Lavering

  Focusing on the multi-colored poster depicting some children’s fairy movie, I tried to forget about dinner. I jumped when someone tapped my shoulder. Swiveling around, I came face to face with Danny and over his shoulder near the bathrooms was a group of his friends.

  “Hey, Tay, where’s Kyle?” he asked. Thick eyelashes framed his olive eyes, and his blonde hair looked windblown wild. He was Kyle’s best friend. Even though he was Kyle’s shadow, I hadn’t really talked to him before. And never alone.

  “Hey, Danny. He’s buying tickets.”

  “What movie?”

  I shrugged. I felt a little shy under his gaze. “He won’t tell me.”

  Danny laughed. “Sounds like him.”

  “Did you guys plan to meet here?” I asked.

  “No, he doesn’t know—” Someone grabbed Danny’s arm and swung him around so fast that his sentence died on his lips. “What the?”

  “Why are you talking to my girl, Danny?” Kyle held Danny by the shirt.

  No! This is like Todd all over again. I slunk to the alcove between the bathrooms and out of the way, fighting back panic. A moment later, I realized I’d moved closer to Danny’s group, now only a yard or two away. Kyle and Danny continued in their heated argument, oblivious to their whispers, but I heard them.

  “Man, he’s completely flipped, and over some nerd,” one of Danny’s friends said.

  “I can’t believe he hasn’t dumped her yet,” another scoffed.

  I stiffened, but my eyes didn’t leave the conflict before me.

  “Chill, Dude, just asking where you were.” Danny held his hands up in surrender.

  Kyle glanced back at me, and then to Danny’s innocent face, before letting him go. “Sorry man.” He slapped his shoulder in that manly way I’d never understand. His face resumed its usual grin.

  “So what movie are you going to?” Kyle asked.

  “Magic and Mayhem. You?”

  “Same,” Kyle said, but didn’t look too happy about it.

  We all filed into the theater. Danny was in front of me and Kyle behind. As we turned to take our seats, Kyle remained standing, a deep frown on his face.

  “Tayla, sit here.” He pointed to the seat that should be his. “I’ll sit there.” He pointed to the chair I was occupying—the one next to Danny.

  You’ve got to be kidding. I waited for Kyle to laugh and say, “Just joking,” but Kyle didn’t even crack a smile. Pushing out of my seat, I plopped into the next one. I gripped the armrest, trying to reign in my irritation. Was he so threatened by his best friend that he’d order me around just so I wouldn’t sit by him? What happened to the guy that saved the day and brought me flowers? It was like he had some split personality disorder. I flinched when his hand tickled down my forearm, ready to tangle his fingers with mine. I jerked my arm away and folded it across my chest.

  “Ooh, looks like your girl’s getting feisty,” a guy three seats down from me said.

  “Shut up, Van.” Danny punched the guy in the arm. I wished Danny had hit him harder.

  This date was a mistake.

  I stood and marched through the lit exit door just as the opening scene began. There was no way I was staying. I made it outside, into the night, and around the corner before Kyle caught up to me.

  “Hey, don’t go.” His hand grabbed my shoulder. I ripped from his touch, turning around with a scowl.

  “I know I looked like a jerk back there, but you’re my girl, and Danny isn’t known for playing by the rules.”

  “But he’s your best friend.” And I’m not anyone’s girl, I wanted to add.

  Stubborn lines punctuated his tan face. “That’s right, he’s my friend and you are to stay away from him.”

  My hand itched to punch him, clenched and white knuckled, but I decided he wasn’t worth the bruises.

  “Goodbye.” I stalked off, but he snagged my wrist with a tight grip and yanked me into his chest. Pain twisted up my arm.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Kyle’s hot breath stung my ear.

  “Home,” I squeaked, my heart crashing in my chest.

  My arm throbbed under his grip. “Just come back and watch the movie. Danny’s handling Van. Believe me, he’ll regret opening his mouth.” Kyle’s eyes flashed hard in the darkness.

  “Please…I just want to go home,” I said, trying to pull away.

  “I’m not going to look like an idiot in front of the guys. You will stay.” His eyes flashed dangerously as he pulled me toward the building.

  In that moment, I saw Kyle clearly. I’d let his flattery blind me to the control he held over people, dominating everyone into submission. Stupid! How could I be so desperate?

  Was his metamorphosis from psycho bully to prince all an act? Every kind thing he’d done for me was just a perfected attempt to get my attention. His eyes looked so sincere—so real—when he’d told Natalie to back off and then when he’d later delivered the flowers. My head hurt trying to understand him. But I was certain about one thing. This was definitely over.

  “Let go, Kyle.” My voice broke on his name.

  Fire shot through my arm as his manicured fingernails dug deeper.

  “You’re hurting me!” Tears pricked my eyes from the pain.

  Suddenly, his fingers released my arm like he’d been stung, sorrow and fear etched on his face. “Sorry, Tay. I—don’t know what came over me. Please come back. We won’t sit by my friends.”

  I slid out of Kyle’s reach, swallowing hard. “Kyle—this isn’t working.”

  He blinked several times then gave a bark of laughter that chilled my bones. His remorseful gaze morphed into something dark and wild. I backed up into the neon light of the movie theater.

  “You’re dumping me?” Kyle mocked, resuming his forward stalking motion.

  “We were never really going out,” I said as softly as I could.

  Kyle’s lips pressed into a hard line, and his jaw flexed. “You can’t leave me. We’re the perfect couple.” He stepped closer.

  My lungs stung as if icy fingers strangled a scream from escaping my throat. What would he do? I inched backwards and a predatory smile spread over his face.

  “Kyle!”

  I screamed, startled by the strong voice right behind me. Flipping around, I watched Danny stride protectively in front of me, blocking Kyle’s twisted face from view. I crept further away, resisting the urge to run. I didn’t want to attract his lightning reflexes again as I searched frantically for a way out.

  “Go away, Danny,” Kyle sneered.

  “Come on, man. If the chick wants to bail, let her.” Danny put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder.

  He shoved Danny to the side, but Danny shoved him back.

  And I ran.

  “Tayla,” Kyle yelled after me, but I didn’t turn around. “Come back!” His voice sounded distant, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  Suddenly, I tripped over my platform sandals, skidding across the concrete only fifty yards from the theater.

  He sprinted toward me with Danny trying to snag him from behind.

  My hands and knees throbbed, but I shot up with a hiss and kept running with bare feet. There was no way I would turn back now. Minutes later, I risked a glance behind me. The night was still, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t stalking me in the darkness. I sucked in another lung full of air and continued to run.

  Exxon’s fluorescent bulbs created light spots in my vision as I scanned the darkness behind me for Kyle. Sides heaving, I stopped, resting my hands on my knees and flinched at the sting. Blood trickled down my skinned knees. The ground beneath my feet moved like liquid, and I tried to blink my vision clear. It was no use. I was too exhausted. I needed to move, even if my muscles burned from the half-mile sprint. I grunted, pushing open the gas station’s door. Its jingle sang like an alarm as I walked in, and I cringed. My eyes darted toward the parking lot, praying the noise wouldn’t bring Kyle out of the shadows.

  I turned back toward the street.
Still, nothing behind me that I could see. The old cashier frowned as I walked past, her owlish eyes scrutinizing my every step. Her hand hovered over the phone, probably debating whether to call the police. I managed a pinched smile and a half-hearted wave.

  Filling my aching lungs, I said, “Been out running.” I paused for a much-needed breath. “I fell. Do you have a bathroom?”

  Her brows scrunched in suspicion, and she didn’t reply. My heart beat so hard I thought I might faint.

  “Down there.” She finally said, assaulting my nose with peppermint and chewing tobacco as she harrumphed her irritation. She pointed a cigarette stained finger to a scuffed door by the Slurpee machine.

  “Thanks,” I said between deep breaths.

  She took another look at me, and her eyes softened a little. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” I lied, “Just got a skinned knee.”

  I walked toward the back, taking every ounce of energy I had left to keep it together until I locked myself in the bathroom. The hinges squeaked as I shut and locked the door behind me before grabbing my cell and punching the number two.

  “Tay?” Chel’s surprised voice came on the line.

  “It’s me.” I slumped against the grimy wall, all energy spent in those two words.

  “Aren’t you still on your date?”

  Tears rolled down my face and an immovable lump clogged my throat. “Chel, please come get me…”

  CHAPTER 9—Haunted

  A knock echoed through the dingy bathroom. “Tay? It’s me.”

  I snapped the bolt lock to the side and opened the door, falling into Chel’s arms. Her stiletto heels clicked on the tile as she took a bracing step backward and collected me in a hug. The contact felt wonderful—safe. The emotions I’d kept at bay broke through my defenses, and I shook with sobs.

  “What happened?” Her voice was full of worry.

  She held me at arm’s length, and I bowed my head. I couldn’t move any words past the lump in my throat.

  “Did Kyle do something to you?”

  Kyle’s crazy look haunted my vision. “Oh, Chel.” I managed between sobs and sniffles. But my throat constricted again before I could say more.

  “Shh…I’m here.” She rubbed my back as I wet her shirt with my tears. I held my breath and counted to ten, trying to regain control. The sobs stopped, but the tears kept falling like bad memories on the cement.

  “Come on.” She led me out of the bathroom, but then stopped. The only sound of footsteps had been hers. She looked down. “Where are your shoes?”

  “Gone,” I managed to say.

  Chel’s lips pressed into a thin line as she fixed her gaze on my scratched feet. Before I could explain, Chel lifted up the hem of my skirt, taking in the continuation of my bloody knees, and sucked in a sharp breath. She mumbled curses, with Kyle’s name mingled in. She wove her arm around me and led me through the store.

  “Is she going to be okay?” The owl-eyed lady asked as if I wasn’t there.

  I wasn’t sure. I kept my eyes on the ground.

  “Yeah,” Chel responded, her voice deeper than usual. Chel squeezed me to her side and without thinking I slung my injured arm over her shoulder for support. Chel took a step, forcing me to use it. I yelped in pain.

  “What is it?” Chel’s face was full of concern and guilt. “Did I hurt you?”

  I shook my head. “It’s my arm.”

  Chel unhooked my arm from her shoulders and gasped. Several small bruises had formed in the exact places where Kyle’s fingertips had dug into my skin.

  Chel clenched her jaw. “That boy is so dead.”

  “You should report that,” the woman said, her old eyes flashing with anger. “He needs to be taught a lesson.”

  I’d forgotten about the cashier, but her words sent blood pounding through my ears. “No,” I shook my hand, panicked. “Chel, we can’t...they won’t believe…we have no proof.”

  Ignoring my comments, she looked up at the cashier with fire in her eyes. “Oh, he’ll get one all right.”

  I was breathing hard, but allowed her to guide me carefully out the door and into her mica-red Lexus SUV. Without strength to buckle, I drew my knees to my chest to keep warm. The night was chilly, and I’d left my jacket in Kyle’s truck. I stared out the window, my gaze drifting over the shadowed foliage across the street. I barely registered Chel starting the car.

  The dark shadows suddenly weren’t all black. Two silver eyes flashed from the brush in front of the car. I gasped, grabbing Chel’s arm. “Do you see that?” I asked, panic rising in my voice once again.

  “See what?”

  I pointed out my window, straight at the eerie eyes, but as soon as Chel bent forward to look, they disappeared.

  “Seriously, Tay. What am I looking for?” Chel’s eyebrow creased as she squinted out the window and then back at me.

  “I’m not going crazy, okay. There were these huge silver eyes,” I pointed again to the spot, “right there.” I needed her to believe me, to erase my own doubt. “I’ve seen them in the bushes before.”

  “Oh?” Chel raised a slender brow as she put the car in drive. She was obviously patronizing me, but I didn’t care. At least she was listening.

  “Remember the football game? And how I thought a wolf was going to eat me?”

  Chel gave me the my-BFF-is-losing-it look again. “You mean the deer?”

  I folded my arms. “What if I was mistaken? What if it wasn’t a deer?”

  “Come on, Tay. There’ve been no wolf sightings in town for months. And no one is sure the first sighting really happened. They never had any evidence. Just rumors.” Chel shifted into drive and pulled out of the Exxon.

  Maybe she was right.

  A few minutes passed as we headed toward home. Chel shot me a sideways glance. “So do you feel like telling me what happened?”

  I took a deep breath. Now that I was safely in Chel’s SUV, the whole Kyle thing seemed distant. I was so stupid for trusting him! My tongue was heavy with humiliation, but I had to tell someone.

  “Kyle—” I bit my lower lip, unsure of what to say. How do you put it all into words? The look in Kyle’s eyes was terrifying when he mentioned Danny. But there were other times when he was sweet and considerate: helping me into his truck, getting my door...

  Chel gestured for me to go on. “And?”

  Suddenly, the words spewed from my mouth like a bad aftertaste, and before I knew it I had told Chel the whole story—minus the veal.

  “I’m so confused, Chel. He’s charming one second, and in the next, he morphs into—” emotion swirled inside me. “Well, you saw what he did to my arm.”

  “I can’t believe he hurt you! He’s going to pay for that. I’ll make sure of it.” She clutched the steering wheel so hard her knuckles went white.

  “He wouldn’t let me go. Kept screaming at me to stay. And if Danny hadn’t tackled him, I’m not sure what would’ve happened.”

  Chel passed the hospital. I gripped the armrest tightly. For a moment, I feared she might have Aunt Lily take a look at me while she was on shift. I wasn’t ready to deal with her twenty questions. Not tonight. I relaxed a bit as she turned left down Mayburn Avenue instead of the hospital parking lot.

  “I’m so sorry, Tay. I should’ve never encouraged you to date him. This is all my fault!”

  I waved her off. “I’m the one that said yes.”

  “But when you had doubts, I pushed you.” Chel’s shoulders slumped, regret thick in her voice.

  “Hey, but you came to my rescue, that’s what matters.” I glanced at Chel, giving her a small smile, but she was too busy turning a block early to notice. Was she taking the long way so we could talk?

  Chel snorted. “A rescue would be to slap a restraining order on him!”

  “It’s not your fault he’s so messed up. Just look at his mom.”

  She giggled, and a corner of my mouth twitched.

  “Yeah,” Chel took another wrong
turn, “I’m just glad you’re all right.”

  I sat up straighter. “Where are you going? My house is that way.” I pointed behind me.

  She gave me a sheepish look. “Well, I kinda need to stop somewhere first.”

  I raised my eyebrow.

  “I promise it’ll only take a minute.”

  I squinted into the darkened street ahead, trying to grasp my bearings. I knew this street. It was just a few blocks east of my house, nowhere near Chel’s woodland eco-friendly house on the outskirts of Cody, and most of her theater friends lived on the other side of town. Where was she going?

  Then she turned down Poppy Street. Several cars were parked around an all too familiar house with a dimly lit kitchen window.

  “Chel, what are we doing at Grandma’s? And who owns all these cars?” I felt jealous I hadn’t been invited to the party, one held by my own Grandma.

  “I was going to host the party at my house, but my parents came home with some environmental lobbyist friends and totally ruined my plans. You know how they can’t handle anything louder than Enya.” Chel parked her fancy SUV. “So, I asked Maria if we could hang here.”

  It was always weird when she referred to my grandma by her first name. Chel was like my sister, and it would feel more natural if she called her Grandma.

  I must’ve made a face, because Chel’s next words were full of guilt. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it. You had your date, and I didn’t want to give you an excuse not to go. Now, I wish I had.”

  Me too, but the point was moot.

  Chel sighed. “I’ll be right back. Wait here.”

  I looked at the house then back at Chel, finally registering her outfit. She wore her favorite dusty-rose blouse—she’d called it alluring once—and a multi-toned, spring skirt. Her hair was curled in soft ringlets, and her makeup was stunning. This was no normal party at Grandma’s. I must have really ruined a hot date for her. Was it bleached-blonde Zack from music class she’s been eyeing for weeks?