Edge of Darkness Box Set

by Margaret McHeyzer

  Oh God. Bile is snaking its way up my throat. I feel ill; I’m going to be sick. “Please,” I plead with Reece. “Stop.” I can’t take it anymore. Grabbing the side of my head I knot my fists through my hair.

  Reece moves so he can hug me again. His touch isn’t unwelcome, and I’m surprised to find I don’t freak out. It’s warm and comforting and so right. “I’m not saying these things to put pressure on you, Dakota. But I do think you have a social responsibility, and a personal one too.”

  “Whoever did this to me has a damn responsibility to stop.”

  “And who’s going to make him? How many people has he slipped a drug to so he can take advantage of them? And how many people will report it?”

  “Can we please not talk about this anymore tonight? My head’s about to explode and I don’t think I can deal with it anymore.”

  Reece steps away from me, his hands rubbing up and down my arms. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Tonight’s been intense. You really should go to bed.”

  Suddenly my eyes feel overwhelmingly tired. They’re heavy and droopy while my entire body slumps with exhaustion. I honestly didn’t realize how tired I was until Reece said it.

  “I think I agree with you, but I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go either, but I have to. How about we do something next week? Mom needs some help around the house and now with Miles gone, I’m helping with my little brother. I’m taking him to the park one day next week, want to come?”

  “Oh, um . . .” I’m not sure. I know I can trust Reece, but I’m not entirely ready to go back out in public yet, especially considering the way Levi and Lindsey behaved earlier. If by chance we see them, I don’t want Reece to react like he did, in front of his little brother. “You know.” I flinch. “After the movies, dealing with Levi and Lindsey . . .” I hope he knows where I’m going with this. But he continues standing in front of me, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. “I don’t really want to encounter them again.”

  His face falls with disappointment. “Sure, I get it.” But his tone defies his words.

  “Thank you,” I answer, though I know he wants me to hang out with him.

  “Before I leave, you need to know something about me, Dakota.”

  Crap. “What?”

  “I won’t force you to do anything. I won’t demand anything from you. If it takes you months, or years to just kiss me, I’ll wait for you to be ready.”

  Suddenly a flash back to prom flicks through my mind. “At the prom, you said the person you like didn’t even know you existed. Who were you talking about?”

  His cheeks get a slight tinge of color to them as he smiles at me. “It’s always been you.”

  My stomach flips, and warmth takes over my entire body.

  “Well, I better go before I say anything else super sappy.” He steps back, dropping his warm hands from my heated skin. “I’ll call you, okay?” he asks while fishing his keys out of his pocket.

  “I’d like that.”

  He flashes me a sweet smile and heads toward the house so he can leave. I follow him and once he says goodnight to everyone, I head into the bathroom for a shower.

  When I’m done, I fall on to my bed in an exhausted heap. Completely drained, my eyes close on their own as my body relaxes in my soft sheets.

  “Can you take me home?” Did I speak or am I thinking it?

  “Shhh, I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of you real good.”

  “My house is over there.” I point behind me.

  “We’re going to a party, a special party.”

  “I want to go home. Please just take me home.” He places his arm under my arms, and walks me out the backfield. “There’s no party here.”

  “Yeah there is. And you’re the main attraction.”

  Startled I sit up in bed. Sweat’s pouring off me while I blink like crazy trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness. I run my hand through my hair, and even my scalp is wet from my sweat. My heart is beating so fast I feel sick and my entire body is violently trembling.

  I get up out of bed, and write down what I remember from the flashback.

  His face though, it’s blurry and I can never see it. But his voice, it’s one I’m familiar with. The more I try and focus on the tone, the less I recognize it. The drug he gave me that night makes the details fuzzy and confusing.

  Sitting at my desk I try my hardest to remember everything and write it down. I only wish the fuzzy, crackly tone of his voice was clearer, so I could finally know who the hell did this to me. And then, I could set everything in motion to get him taken off the streets.

  If only I knew who he was.

  Chapter 33

  It’s been a week since Reece came over and I told him what happened. He’s been calling every day, checking in to see how I am.

  He hasn’t brought up what happened to me again. Instead, he asks me how I’m feeling. He hasn’t called me today yet, but I think it’s only a matter of time.

  We’re half way through summer vacation, and Sam’s been spending as much time with Taylor as she can. Sophie and I have hung out a lot too.

  Sam and I are in the pool and the sun is beating down on us. We’re right in the middle of a heat wave and the only way we can stay cool is by either being inside with the air conditioning blasting, or in the pool.

  Mom comes out, runs toward us and jumps in the pool. “It’s so hot,” she moans. “Even the water is warm.”

  “I know. It’s crazy how hot it actually is.”

  “You two should invite your friends over.”

  “Is it okay if Sophie comes over?”

  “Sure, I like her. She’s got very nice manners.” Mom smiles.

  I get out of the pool and call Sophie. As it turns out, she’s at home reading and asked her Mom if she can come over. She said she’ll be here in about half an hour. I go back to the pool and jump in. “She coming over?” Mom asks.

  “Yeah, she said she’ll be here soon. I told her to bring her swimsuit and to come around the side gate.”

  Dad’s come home from work. “How are my girls?” he asks shrugging out of his tie and shirt.

  “It’s too hot today, Dad,” Sam replies.

  “I know.” Dad toes off his shoes then starts unbuckling his belt, pushes his pants down and kicks them off.

  “Dad!” I shout covering my eyes.

  “I’m in my boxer briefs, no need to yell.” He takes his watch off, then his socks.

  “Are you coming in?” Mom asks.

  Dad’s down to his boxers and he comes right to the edge of the pool. He sticks one foot out, and falls face first in the pool. He comes up taking a deep breath. Mom swims over to him, and gives him a kiss.

  Dad closes his eyes, puts his hand over them and says, “Marco.”

  “We’re not five years old anymore, Dad,” Sam half-whines but quietly swims away from him.

  “Polo,” I say and duck under water to swim away.

  I get to the far end of the pool and make myself as small as possible. Dad’s at the other end, headed straight toward Sam. She’s smiling and trying to hold in a laugh. She splashes to one side, but Dad knows what she’s doing and lunges straight at her.

  Mom starts laughing because Sam ducks under water and swims away only just getting out of the way in the nick of time. “Damn it.” Dad hits the top of the water and a huge splash gets Mom in the face. “Marco.”

  “Polo,” I whisper.

  “I hear your breathing.” He swims in my direction, and I move as quietly as I can. But Dad has stealth-like tendencies, as I move left, Dad comes at me and moves right.

  “Ah!” I squeal.

  “Gotcha,” Dad says engulfing me. Mom jumps on his back and gives him a huge kiss.

  Dad uncovers his eyes and swings around to give Mom a kiss. “You’re gonna be the death of me, woman,” he happily crows before giving Mom another kiss.

  “Eww, you have impressionable young children here.” Sam screws up
her face in mock disgust.

  “Is that right?” Dad lets go of Mom and heads straight to Sam who shrieks and tries to run away. An impossible feat considering she’s surrounded by water. Dad easily catches Sam, picks her up and throws her back in the pool.

  A mess of flapping arms and legs splash into the water along with loud laughter. “My turn,” I call as I head over to Dad so he can throw me the way he just threw Sam.

  Dad grabs me around the waist and says, “Ready?” I don’t even get a chance to reply before I’m flying out of the pool and land with the biggest splash ever known to man.

  When I come to the surface, Sam, Mom and I are laughing. Dad swims over to me and sticks his arms out. “What?” I ask looking at him.

  “My turn.”

  “Your turn what?”

  “You’re gonna throw me.”

  My mouth falls open and I stare blankly at him. “I can’t lift you; you’re heavy.”

  “I see, but you want me to chuck you around?” I see Mom and Sam sneak up on Dad quietly. Both of them jump on Dad, one on each arm. Dad falls backward into the pool, laughing so much.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Sophie asks from the side of the pool.

  “Jump in,” I say. “Dad’s getting smashed by Sam and Mom.”

  Sophie strips down to her one-piece and jumps in the pool. “Hello, Sophie,” Dad says with Mom and Sam still hanging off him.

  “Hi, Mr. Bennett. Mrs. Bennett.” Sophie smiles.

  “Well, time for me to get out and go wash up,” Dad announces.

  “I’ll get a start on dinner. We’re having chicken and salad. Sophie will you be staying?” Mom asks.

  Both Mom and Dad are now on the steps and about to leave the pool.

  “If it’s okay?” Sophie looks to me, I nod. Mom and Dad nod too. “Awesome, thank you.”

  “We’ll leave you girls to do whatever girls do.” Dad and Mom link fingers and walk into the house, both drenched.

  “Your parents are so cool.”

  “I’m going in, too. See you guys in a bit,” Sam says, climbing out.

  Sophie looks at me with a worried gaze on her face. “Do I smell?” She sniffs at her armpits for dramatic effect.

  “I guess they wanted to leave us alone. Mom and Dad don’t hang around, they’re cool.”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  Sophie dunks under the water and comes up with her long blonde hair completely wet. “Man, it’s nice in here.”

  “Yeah.” I swim over and go sit on the steps leading into the pool. “Reece has been calling me every day.”

  “Since you told him?” I had filled Sophie in on what happened the night we went to the movies.

  “Yeah.” I take a deep breath. “Is it wrong for me to like him?”

  “No way. He’s nice. And he knows and he’s not judging you. That has to mean something. To me, it speaks volumes.”

  “It feels weird. Like I shouldn’t like him. I mean, I’m nowhere near ready to do anything with him, but I have this gut feeling he wouldn’t push me for anything.”

  “Why shouldn’t you like him?” She swims over to me and sits beside me on the step. “What happened can’t define you.”

  “But, isn’t too soon?”

  “Are you going to have sex with him?”

  “Oh God, no way. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready for that.”

  “You will be, one day. But for now, just go with it. If you don’t think he’ll pressure you, or try anything on you, or tell anyone, why not hang out with him? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a normal life.”

  “What if it comes out and people think I am a slut because suddenly I like Reece?”

  Sophie’s mouth pulls up into a weak smile. “You’re worried about what others might think? Is it important to you what they think of you? Besides, you yourself have said you’re not going to have sex with him in a hurry.”

  I shrug and kick my feet in the water. “I suppose.”

  “Look, he knows what happened, and he still wants to hang out with you. Has he tried forcing you to do anything?”

  “Of course not.”

  “So if you like him, and he likes you, go with the flow. Who knows, you may not like the way he is in a couple of months. You can say ‘see you later.’”

  I shake my head at Sophie. “Like the way he is? I doubt that. He’s already said I have to stick by him when we go back to school.”

  “See? Cool guy right there. Honestly, Dakota, give it a shot and see where things lead.”

  “He asked me to go the park with him and his little brother, but I don’t know.”

  “Go, see how he is with his brother. It’s not marriage. It’s him wanting to get to know you better while doing it in a safe environment for you. He hasn’t asked to be alone with you, or put you in a position where you would feel unsafe. And he’s with his little brother.”

  I think of Sam and the lack of filter she had when she was younger. “Yeah, you’re right. Kids do have a tendency to say what they hear and see. Okay, I’ll text him later and tell him I’ll go to the park with him and his brother.”

  Sophie smiles, but her eyes drop and so does her mood. “I wish I knew who hurt me the night of the party. I’d like to hurt him.”

  A shiver rips up my back and even though the heat is inching toward a hundred, coolness automatically overtakes me. Nodding my head I whisper, “I know how you feel.”

  “Whoever he is, I hope when they find him they also find what he took from me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Whoever . . . you know . . .” her voice drops when she says ‘you know.’ “He took my panties. When I woke, they were gone.”

  Thinking back to the morning I woke on the back field and lifting my dress to find mine were missing too. “Oh my God.” I clasp a hand to my mouth and look at Sophie in sheer shock.

  “What?” She moves her body, ready to jump up and run to get help.

  “Mine were gone too.”

  “What?” she gasps softly. “Yours were missing too?”

  I nod my head, startled by this revelation. Both Sophie and I sit on the step, stunned and horrified by what we’ve discovered. “Are you saying . . . ?”

  “We were raped by the same person?” she finishes my thought, and my sentence.

  “Oh my God,” we both say synchronized. We sit in the pool, completely speechless and horrified by what we’ve just worked out. This can’t be happening, can it? We can’t both have been victims of the same person. Things like that don’t happen in the real world, do they? It seems like hours pass, because neither of us are talking, silent while thinking about the situation. “That means, if your panties were missing, and mine were missing, then it’s likely he took them as trophies.”

  “More horrifying than that is the fact he’s a serial rapist.”

  “But . . . but . . . but . . .” I try saying, clutching at nothing. “It happened to you about a year ago?” I question. Sophie nods her head, confirming my words. “Then that also means, logically, if he got away with it with you, then it’s probably happened to someone else in between you and me.” I point to Sophie, then point to myself. Sophie nods again. “Shit,” I whisper.

  A serial rapist. Someone who takes our panties and keeps trophies. “Shit,” Sophie says.

  “Do you realize what this means?”

  I look at her. Her face is pale white, her dark gray eyes hooded with fear. Her skin has small prickly bumps all over it. “I’m trying not to think of what it means, Dakota. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive this again.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

  “No, you have to tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Swallowing, I try and calm my rapid pulse. “You went to a party and were assaulted. Then, a year later, it happens to me at the prom. Both times, our panties were missing. It means those aren’t coincidences. It means it’s most likely the same person. And if it’s the same person, then it’s som
eone who lives here and knows us. And it probably means they’ve done it again and since. And hopefully soon, they’ll be caught.”

  “Fuck, what a mess.” She drops her chin to her chest and cries.

  And I’m left wondering what the hell is going on.

  If I’m a victim and Sophie’s a victim, how many more girls have fallen prey to this monster?

  But more importantly, who the hell is he?

  Chapter 34

  “I’ll pick you up in about an hour?” Reece asks. We’d been messaging back and forth and I told him I’d love to go to the park with him and Luke. He’s called so we can organize a time and a park to meet at.

  Although I’m comfortable with him, I’m still not ready to take the next step and be in a position where I have to say no if he asks for anything more than holding my hand. “You know the park a few blocks over from my place?”

  “Yeah, down on Brown Street.”

  “Yeah, that’s the one. Can we meet there? There’s a swing set, a slippery slide, and some other things for Luke to play on.”

  “Sure.” I can hear the disappointment in his voice. In a roundabout way I’ve said I don’t trust him to ride in his car alone. I do, but I don’t want to put either one of us in an awkward position.

  “Okay, see you in about an hour.” I hang up and go into my bedroom to put a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on. Then I head out to Mom to tell her I’m going to the park to meet up with Reece and his little brother Luke.

  The hour flies by. When I get to the park, Reece and his brother are already playing on the swings. I walk over to them, and when Reece sees me, his eyes light up and a huge smile spreads over his face. He stops pushing Luke on the swings and walks straight to me. “Hi,” he says stopping only a foot away from me.

  Looking up into his dark brown eyes, I smile. “Hi.”

  He reaches out to touch me, but quickly changes his mind and drops his hand. “Hi,” he says again.

  A bigger smile pulls at the corners of my mouth. “Hi.”

  “Is it wrong for me to say how much I’ve missed you? Does it sound corny?”