Swing
Nothing. Id hit nothing.
I stilled, my arms quaking. The moons rays were hindered by the thick canopy of leaves that stretched above me, darkening the entire area, so I couldnt see if there were prints on the ground or not. My heart began to thunder, then lightning followed, little electrical impulses razing the center of my chest.
Behind me, a twig snapped.
I whipped around, swungand once again hit nothing. I gulped, swallowing the knot trying to lodge in my throat.
Id never understood the stupid girl in every horror movie ever made, the one who heard a scary noise and went to investigate all by her lonesomeonly to be knifed or tortured. Id thought, if only she would have called the police, waited for help, something, anything, such a horrible fate would have been avoided.
Now, I so understood. Who could I tell about this? Everyone would think I was certifiable, like my dad. I could be locked away, medicatedforgotten.
I sucked it up, just like the stupid horror movie girls, and ventured deeper into the woods. Deeper still
Another twig snapped behind me. Again I jerked around, my bat already swinging. Again nothing stood in my waybut this time, I saw something.
Reeling, I managed to gasp, Emma?
She hovered a few feet from me, her dark hair anchored in pigtails, a pink tutu fluffing around her waist. Her cheek, the one that had been injured in the accident, was unmarred. No scab, no scar. Just healthy, sun-kissed skin.
A frown pulled at her rosebud mouth. You need to go inside, she said, fear coating her voice. She tossed a glance over her shoulder. Now, Alice.
The realness of her amazed me. I even caught the little-girl scent of her, so sweet it somehow overshadowed the odor of rot. Tripping over my own feet, I closed the distance between us, reached out.
Alice, she said, impatient with me.
My hand ghosted through her.
I wanted to scream in frustration. She was only a hallucination. Does that really matter? She was here and she was with me, and Id missed her so much. So, yeah, if my mind wanted to toss out images of her, I wouldnt fight it. She. Was. Here. How are you, sis?
You have to go inside, Alice. Its almost too late.
Too late for what? I would have given anything to pull her into my arms, to hug her tight and never let go.
Amber eyes met mine, and they glimmered with tears. Please!
Whatever she wanted, I would give herexcept parting from her. Will you come with me?
Alice! Please, you have to Her image shimmered, fading in time with her voicefading Please.
No! I shouted. Catching a glimpse of my beloved sister only to lose her a split second laterwas there anything crueler? Dont go. I need you. Real or not. But shed already disappeared, the sweetness in the air vanishing, too. Frantic, I spun in a circle, looking for any sign of her.
Crushing disappointment was followed by life-saving hope. Maybe she wasnt gone for good. Maybe she had wanted me to go to my room for a reason. Like, maybe we could talk there.
I shot into motion, shutting the gate and rushing back inside the house. Up the stairs I pounded, uncaring whether or not my grandparents heard me. An eternity seemed to pass before I reached my bedroom and burst inside.
Emma?
Silence. I searched every corner, every nook and cranny, butshe wasnt there.
I waited, five minutes, ten, but she never appeared.
She wasnt going to, was she?
Hope died, the disappointment returning. Emma, I said, my chin trembling. My ceiling fan whirled overhead, creating a slight rustle, but there was no other discernible sound.
Id left my curtains open, I realized distantly, and stalked over to close them.
The moment my fingers touched the fabric, I froze.
Bridezillaand what could only be her groomstood just behind the fence, a ray of moonlight spotlighting both of them. They were staring at me, their lips peeled back from their teeththeir very sharp teeth.
Her dress was ripped, dirty, her eyes sunken. Her skin was pitted, with patches of something black oozing from her pores. There wasnt a veil on her head, but there was hardly any hair, either, just long stringy strands with leaves tangled throughout.
The man beside her wore an equally ripped and dirty tux. He possessed the same sunken eyes, pitted skin and thinning hair. That odd black ooze covered both his chin and drippeddripped
Bridezilla swiped out an arm, as if she was reaching for me.
I scrambled backward, tripped, landed on my butt. The impact rattled my brain and maybe even knocked some sense loose. Monsters would have attacked me while theyd had the chance, so this had to be a joke. The two were probably human and wearing costumes. Had probably applied grotesque makeup. Butwho would play a joke like this? Who would go to such extremes, for such a long period of time? Who would know this was the perfect way to torment me?
No one, thats who.
Guess my theory needed work. Drawing on every bit of my courage, I forced myself to stand and approach the window. Another peek outside revealedthe pair was gone. Gone.
I nearly shrieked with frustration.
What the heck was happening? What had I seen? And how had I spoken to my baby sister?
I sank to my knees and buried my head in my hands. I was worse than my dad. There was no denying it now. No hoping otherwise.
Oh, Daddy. I should have been nicer to him. I should have spent more time with him. Should have been more understanding of his psychosis, more sympathetic. I should have comforted him rather than complained about him.
Shoulda word of anguish rather than consolation.
5The Deadly Rabbit Returns
The next morning, my eyes burned with fatigue as I wandered the halls of Asher High. (Go Tigers.) There were more posters on the walls, and they were now joined by streamers. Id spent the entire night propped up by the window, desperate for another glimpse of Emma, frightened by the thought of those imaginary monsters.
Seriously, how pathetic was I?
I couldnt function without sleep much longer, and I knew it. My mind had turned to mushobviouslyand my body felt heavy, weighted down, my steps dragging. The latter was proved when I stumbled into someone. A girl I didnt recognize. I muttered an apology, and she scurried off without comment.
Think about Em, the freaks and your idiocy later. Just get through the day. Good advice. Fingers crossed, I would listen and obey. Actually, there was a way to guarantee my obedience. Kat. She was the perfect distraction. Except, as I lugged through the crowd, I found myself searching for Cole Holland instead.
My palms sweated as I neared the hallway where Id seen him yesterday. Distantly I heard the opening and closing of lockers, chatter and laughter, the pound and click of shoes. Closerwas he there again today? I squared my shoulders as I rounded the corner, trying to prepare myself for impact, just in case.
Good thing. He was there.
Play it cool, Bell. He leaned against a locker, his hands stuffed into his jean pockets. He wore another hat, this one blue. Shadows cascaded over his face, hiding those magnificent violet eyes, but I could see a fresh bruise on his chin and a lesion on his lower lip.
Hed gotten into a fight.
He wore a black T-shirt that stretched indecently over hard-won muscle. A chain wrapped around his waist, and I would have sworn there were flecks of dried blood on the end. His boots were freshly polished yet severely scuffed.
His friends surrounded him, though there werent as many this time. Every single one of them sported a bruise somewhereface, neck, arms, knucklessome worse than others. Both of Frostys wrists were bandaged, hiding his tattoos.
Okay, seriously. They had to be part of some kind of fight club.
Hey, Ali. Oops. Frosty had caught me staring at him. Rather than chastising me, he gave me a sunshine-happy grin. Lookin good today.
Thanks, I replied, trying not to shift nervously. Okay, so Id dug out my best jeans and a flowing gray-and-white lace top that made me look chestier than I actually was. So what. It didnt mean anything.
Why dont you make our dreams come true and come talk to us? he added, all smooth charm and cotton candy sweetness.
I returned my attention to Cole, wondering if he would encourage me to come closer, too. He was now peering at me as well, but he wasnt grinning. He was scowling.
The moment our gazes met, the rest of the world washed away
we were in the middle of the now-empty hallway. His strong arms banded around me, dragging me closer to his body. Heat enveloped me, followed by the scent of sun-dried laundry and sandalwood. No strawberry lollipop this time, but that hardly mattered. He still made my mouth water.
Violet eyes drank me in, as if I were the most beautiful thing in the entire world. Hold on to me.
Immediately I complied, tracing my fingers up his chest, around his neck and into his hair. No hat. No injuries. Like this?
Yeah, thats the way. And then he pressed our lips together, his tongue sweeping inside my mouth and taking control.
Our heads tilted to opposite sides, allowing deeper contact. A shadow of stubble on his jaw scratched at my skin, but even that was exciting and wonderful and utterly tantalizing.
My second kiss, I thought dazedly, and it was even better than the first. He tasted like mint and cinnamon, and I decided the combination was my new favorite flavor. A necessary start to each and every day. And his handsoh, the things he did with his hands.
He knew exactly what he was doing. Obviously he had experience, a lot of experience, playing a girl like a piano.
Playingthe word reverberated through my mind. Was this a game to him? Or something more? Like a relationship? Would he talk to me when the kiss ended? Or would he want nothing to do with me? Would his friends think I was easy? Look how quickly Id fallen into his arms. Would I be known as the Asher Slut, giving tongue to whoever wanted it?
Great. Just my luck. My thoughts could now intrude on my whacked-out hallucinations and I
Yo, Ali!
I blinked, the dream-kiss vanishing and the rest of the world swooping back into focus. I saw a thinning crowd, heard the slamming of lockers mixed with the pounding of footsteps. Smelled a collage of different perfumes, some sugary, some spicy.
A frowning Kat stood in front of me. There you are, she said. Back from your mental vacation. Do you know youre, like, hovering in the middle of what Ive deemed social Siberia, blocking traffic?
Sorry, I replied.
A sigh left her. I know people say apologizing is a sign of weakness, but I think its a sign of strengthwhen people do it to me. Just do me a favor and capture my next words like the beautiful butterflies they are and never let them go. If you dont wipe Cole Holland from your mind, youll end up on the SS Miserable with me.
I couldnt help myself. I glanced over her shoulder. Cole was
Striding toward me, determination in his every step. A fierce scowl marred his features. His hands were fisted, and I could see the scabs on his knuckles. He must have done a lot of punching last night. I felt sorry for whomever hed fought.
Youre just standing here! Do you want him to reach you? He would demand to know why I kept eye-stalking him.
I thought Id put on my big-girl panties today, but no. Like a coward, I threw out, Thanks for the advice. Its great, and Ill be sure to run with it. Literally. Ill see you at lunch, okay? Before Kat could rapid-fire questions at me, I spun and headed in the opposite direction, taking the looong way to the ladies room in front of my first class. Thankfully, Cole never caught up with me. Or maybe he hadnt even tried, which was more likely. With muscles like his, I bet he could outrun a cheetah.
At the sink, I splashed cold water on my face, dried myself with a paper towel before a single droplet could wet my shirt and studied my reflection. My cheeks were rosy, my bottom lip red and swollen. I must have chewed it during the vision thing.
Better than Cole chewing it, right?
No time to work up a believable answer. Mackenzie Love sailed into the bathroom, clearly on a mission. Today her dark curls were twisted on top of her head, several tendrils falling around her face. Her makeup was perfect, except for a blue-and-yellow smudge on her left cheek. A smudge that looked suspiciously like a bruise. She wore a long-sleeved button-up top and soft, flowing pants. Stylish, comfortable, yet completely inappropriate for the heat outside.
Every inch a predator, she narrowed her eyes and closed the distance between us. This must be the corner and threaten routine Kat had warned me about.
I dont know who you think you are or what you think youre doing, she snapped, but I will bury you if you hurt one of my friends.
Yep. It was. I think my name is Ali Bell, and I think Im standing here, minding my own business. You should try it. Because Mackenzie was a few inches shorter than me, she had to look up to meet my gaze. For once, my height made me deliriously happy.
She scowled and flashed perfectly straight white teeth. You better watch yourself. You do not want to see me angry.
Or, what? Youll grow a few inches, develop muscles and turn green? Sorry, but I wasnt someone who was easily intimidated. Except by someone with black hair and violet eyes, of course.
Mackenzie sputtered as she tried to think up a reply. I was willing to bet I was the first person to ever stand up to her. Although, I couldnt imagine Kat cowering or backing down no matter who her opponent was.
I dont want to be late to class, I said, deciding to end things here and now, so maybe find me later and tell me whatever insult you think up.
I breezed past hershe was still sputteringand saw Cole at the end of the hall. Wonder of wonders, he had followed me.
He spotted me and bounded into motion. I just couldnt catch a break, could I? The bell rang as I hurried toward him. Yes, toward him. Good news was, I wouldnt have to deal with him. Before he could catch me, I reached my class and soared inside, shutting the door behind me.