No, he said, shaking his head. Not a date. You dont like to share your story with people you dont know, and I dont like to date girls I dont know.
Great. I hadnt meant to, hadnt realized Id done it, but Id asked the date-thing aloud. Were on the same page, then, I said in an effort to recover. But just to be clear, well be spending time together, chatting about something other than the tracks and weirdness? With our peers as witnesses, I realized with a groan.
Yes. You got a problem with that?
A big one. But I said, Fine. Ill do it if you insist, but only because I think we need to continue this conversation. Like, say, on a day when youre feeling more cooperative. So will you let me down now? Im about to be sick.
You are not. But if youll answer one more question, Ill give you what you want.
Stupid rope, forcing my hand. Ask.
Does anything unusual happen to you each morning, when you first look at me? Something that doesnt happen at any other time, just morning, the first time you see me.
He couldnt know. He just couldntunless he, too, experienced something. Hed hinted before, but Id assumed he meant something else. Oh, please, please, please, be the visions.
Wh-what makes you ask that?
Does it? he insisted.
Yes. Id give him that much. Wh-what about you? Seriously, I had to stop with the stuttering. It was beyond humiliating!
Yes.
An agreement. So much more than Id expected. What do you see? I whispered as eagerness consumed me. I had to know.
Ill tell you, but not here and not now. Write down what you see, and Ill do the same. After school, well exchange notes. That way, neither of us can claim the other is lying. And if you hand me a blank note, Ill make you regret it.
Scary, I said with mock-mock fear. He was scary. But the same goes for you.
Good.
Now that that was settled Were going back to school? Youll let me down?
I told you I would, didnt I? He bent down and pulled a small Oh, dear heaven, I was about to be murdered. He was now holding a crossbow.
His arm extended, and he aimed the weapon at the top of the rope. His finger tapped the trigger. I screamed with blood-curdling force, only to tumble toward the ground when the arrow severed the rope rather than my foot.
I flailed for an anchor, but I never hit. Cole caught me just before I landed. He righted me as if I weighed no more than a bag of feathers, and I swayed. A long moment passed before I felt steady enough to stand on my own. Did I step away from him, though? No. He wouldnt let me; he held tight.
Why do you have a weapon like that? I asked. A weapon hed obviously taken to schooland gotten through security.
You tell me.
Enough! Never mind. I hated those three words on his lips, I decided. Absolutely hated. For now, it doesnt matter.
His fingers applied pressure to my waist. Do I need to tell you that this conversation goes no further, not even to Kat, or do you already know that?
Yeah, Id decided to talk to Kat about the visions. But this entire experience had been a wake-up call. No talking. Not now, not ever. Not even about the small stuff. And how odd, calling the visions small. But compared to this, everything was small. Already know, I said.
Good. Thatll do for now.
8The Beginning of the Dead End
By the time I got home from school, my nerves were battered and deep-fried. Cole had returned me to the building, as promised, but Id immediately run into Ms. Meyers, and shed asked me why Id missed her class.
Iwellproblems, was all Id gotten out.
Excuses are merely the cherry topping of an E. coliinfested sundae, Miss Bell.
Id gagged as shed walked away.
Following that delightful encounter, Cole had ignored me at lunch.
What? You expected him to fawn?
Well, yeah. A little. Hed abducted me, trussed me up like a Thanksgiving turkey, hinted at secret things, promised to share what happened to him in the mornings, asked me out on a non-date, only to give me a big fat pile of nothing? Hello, mixed signals. But okay, whatever. I had no need of him. Id made plans before him, and I could make plans after him.
Except, hed been waiting for me after final bell.
Hed handed me a note, and Id done the same to him. Not a single word was spoken. Hed been rock steady during the exchange. Me? Id been shaking like I had advanced Parkinsons.
Now I sprinted up to my room, locked the door and threw myself on the bed, digging the small folded piece of paper out of my pocket. Id desperately wanted to read it on the bus, but Id managed to stop myself. I hadnt wanted prying eyes to catch a glimpse.
And there was no question Justin would have pried. Wed sat next to each other again, and wed chatted, and, well, hed repeatedly warned me about Cole.
Hes bad news.
Hell break your heartand maybe your face!
Everyones scared of him for a reason. Hes put over a hundred people in the E.R.!
Could no one at Asher High under-exaggerate a story?
When Justin realized I wasnt willing to discuss Cole, hed surprised me by asking me to go to Reeves party with him. Id almost said no. I mean, I planned to talk to Cole while I was there, but Cole had made it more than clear that we werent a couple. But then again, I might not have a ride. Kat might be too sick to take me.
Justin must have sensed my reluctance because hed added, Just as friends. Itll be fun.
In the end, Id said yes.
Now I unfolded the page Cole had given me, halfway expecting it to be blank, despite my threat. But, no. There were words. Before I actually read them, I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breathheld it Whatever his answer, I wouldnt freaklet it out. I would remain calm. My eyelids cracked open slowly....
The note read, Doing stuff. Kissing. Fighting.
Oh, thank goodness. My entire body sagged against the mattress as I clutched the note to my chest. Relief poured through me. Hed had the visions, too, which meant, in this one area of my life, I was completely sane.
But, the relief was followed quickly by confusion. Why had we imagined kissing each other? Why had we imagined fighting those monsters?
How was any of it possible?
Was there a strange mental connection between us? Or were we having glimpses of the future? Was that even possible? Id never experienced anything
Wait. The Rabbit Cloud of Impending Death.
I hopped out of bed and logged on to my computer. A little research on cloudscough two hours coughand I learned about coloration, effects on climate, global brightening, and rainmaking bacteria, but not much else. Crap.
A knock sounded at my door. Ali? Nana said.
Yes? I closed the laptop, not wanting to have to explain my search if Nana peeked inside my room.
Youve got a visitor.
Brow furrowed, I strode over and opened up, and a grinning Kat soared into my bedroom.
Guess whose lucky day it is? Yours! Despite her grin and cocky words, she looked tired, with pallid skin and dark circles underneath her eyes.
She was dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans that lacked her usual flare. Why did so many Asher girls wear winter clothes during the summer? Kat had to be either sweltering or feverish.
Are you okay? I asked as I gave her a hug. At least she was cool to the touch. I heard you were sick.
Sick? Me? Never! I just needed a little Kat time. She turned to my grandmother. It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Bradley. You have a lovely home. So polite she was.
So bizarre.
Nana beamed. You, too, sweetheart. And thank you very much for the compliment. You girls have fun, okay.
We will, I said.
Nana gave me a thumbs-up, so proud that Id finally made a friend, before leaving me alone with Kat.
Your parents let you take time off just to take time off? I asked, envious.
Yep. My dadand uh, my momsay kids deserve breaks, too.
My mom would have told her mom to wash that crazy talk out of her mouth. You should never take time off from learning.
Are you sure youre okay? Because I
We are so not breaking out the violins and pity partying.
I couldnt help but snort. If Id needed convincing that we were meant to be friends, that would have clinched it. You just turned pity partying into a verb.
Well, Im cool like that. So arent you curious about how I knew where you lived when youve never given me your address? She pinched her fingers together. Even a tiny bit?
Well, yeah. So how did you?
With a clap and a twirl, she said, Frosty texted me all day long, checking on me. I told him to make himself useful and find out about you. I would have texted you and asked you, but word on the street is that you spent the morning with Cole and I didnt want to interrupt anything illicit. And by the way, Ill want the entire story when Im finished with mine. Anyway, Cole knew your addy, the naughty boy, so Frosty knew your addy, and boom, here I am. She splayed her arms. In all my exquisite glory.
Wait. Back up a bit. Are you and Frosty getting back together? All that texting had to mean
No! Yes. Oh, I dont know. She threw herself on top of my bed, bouncing up and down. I mean, I firmly believe that if a guy walks away from you, he should have to crawl back. Frosty hasnt done enough crawling.
I thought for a moment. What if Cole was being truthful, and Frosty never actually cheated on you? As rough as the guys were, I couldnt imagine them lying about, well, anything. They wouldnt care about consequences. What I could imagine was both of them getting in everyones face and saying, I did it. Thats right. Me. What are you gonna do about it?
Heres a free life lesson for you. Boys always cover for other boys. They will lie to your face and behind your back. After fluffing the pillows and finding a comfortable position, she said, Now its your turn. Spill what happened today!
As I paced in front of the bed, I told her that Cole and I had gone for a drive. That hed asked me slashed commanded me to meet him at Reeves party for a non-date, and that Id said yes. She listened, enraptured, as if I were proclaiming that the end of the world was near and there was only one way to save herself. I didnt mention the forest, though, or the tree trap, or the visions. As Cole had said, those were private.
He never goes to parties, especially for non-dates, she said, gaping at me. I think he really really likes you.
Really? Okay. How pathetic was I? Well, it doesnt matter because Im going with Justin Silverstone. As friends.
A slow smile lifted the corner of her lips. Justin. The same Justin who spoke to you at lunch?
Yes.
When did you two have time to hook up?
It wasnt a hookup. We ride the same bus and started talking.
Oh, sweetieI cant waitthis is gonna be so epic, and even though you dont know why and I wont tell because that would spoil everything, you just made me the happiest girl in the worldand now, Im gonna make you the second happiest. Im taking you to spy on Cole. Gleeful, she rubbed her hands together. Life lesson number two. Spying is the bestand onlyway to learn the truth.
Id been all set to interrogate her about Justin when my attention snagged on two words. Cole and spying. No way. Just no way. Hed catch us.
I bet well get to see him shirtless, she said.
Im in, I found myself saying.
Awesome! Because were going tonight!
In the dark? I almost yelped. O-okay.
So enthused, she said drily.
Too many things could go wrong. What if I saw the monsters out in public? How would I react? And then there was the tiny crossbow Cole had stashed in an ankle holster. Surprising him was so not a good idea.
Maybe we should rethink this. Im not sure
She popped to her feet and grabbed my hand. Nope. No reneging. Youll thank me for this. I promise.
But
La la la la, cant hear you.
Emma sooo would have done that, and I kind of grunt laughed.
Good girl, she said, tugging me out of the room. Now watch me work my magic.
After dinner, I found myself strapped inside her girled-out pink Mustang and whizzing down the highway. Somehow, shed convinced Nana and Pops to let me stay the night with her. This would be my first ever sleepover.
My chin quivered for a moment, and I had to swallow a few times, but I somehow stopped myself from crying. Emma had always wanted to attend a sleepover.
Are you nervous? Kat asked.
Just a little. If little was the new word for lot, of course. At least the rabbit was still a no-show.
Why?
Because I hadnt been on an evening drive since the accident, and couldnt help but clutch the seat, my stomach a writhing vomit bubble ready to burst. Cars, was all I said.
Oh, yeah. Well, dont worry because Im the best driver youll ever meet. I swear to you now, hand to heart, that Ive only had, like, three accidents and only two were my fault.
Comforting.
Coles had about a bazillion, she added, and you rode with him, right?
Right. But Id still felt safeprotected. Now? Not so much.
The sun was still out but going down fast, barely providing any light. But there was light, and this would be okay. At least, that was the mantra drumming through my head. Gradually, I relaxed.
Where are we going? I asked. The game?
Nope. Cole never goes.
Then where?
A few things I noticed about our boys when I was dating Frosty. About once every two weeks, you cant reach any of them. Whatever theyre doing, its violent and top secret. There at the end her voice had taken on a sneering edge. That was two days ago, which means they spent last night patching up their wounds. Theyll spend this one celebrating whatever secret thing they celebrate two days after disappearing and a day after healing. Theyll be at Hearts, the most exclusive club ever.