Текст книги "The Monster Within"

Автор книги: Kelly Hashway

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE rest of the school day was a blur. I went through the motions of attending class. Kids whispered thoughts about where Trevor could be. There was even a rumor that he ran off with Mrs. Wentworth, the school nurse, who happened to be absent both yesterday and today. I hadn’t met her yet, but I heard she was fifty. If I wasn’t dying inside knowing the truth, I would’ve found that one funny.

The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough, and when the dismissal bell rang, I bolted out of history and ran to my locker. I still hadn’t told Ethan about the note I found earlier, and I wasn’t planning on telling him. I put my books in my locker and slammed it shut. I turned around, and Ethan was standing inches from my face.

“Whoa!” I jumped. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He kissed me before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and walking me out of the building to his car. “Was today any better?”

“A little. Getting out of French and into your art class was a definite plus.”

“Yeah, and you seemed to be settling in with the guys at lunch. Beth really likes you. She told me in Spanish.”

“That’s nice.” I tried to keep the worry out of my voice, but Beth was a threat to me. She knew too much about what went on at this school. I’d have to be extra careful around her.

We drove to the diner, and first thing, Jackson asked Ethan to work in the kitchen again. Ethan was delighted to get away from busing tables, and he was becoming quite the chef. Okay, not really. I mean, flipping burgers and making club sandwiches wasn’t exactly a science, but it was good to see him happy. One of us needed to be.

I put my purse behind the counter and tied my apron around my waist.

“How was school?” Gloria asked, slipping me a piece of peach pie.

“Fine. What’s this for?”

“I made it this morning. Thought you might like some since there’s a lull in the crowd right now. I remember what those school lunches were like back in my day. I have a feeling they probably haven’t gotten much better.” Her face scrunched up in disgust.

“Um, actually, Ethan made me a sandwich last night. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t even think, but I should’ve paid for it. I’ll pay for it now.” I reached for my purse.

“You’ll do no such thing.” Gloria took my purse and put it back behind the counter. “I insist you pack your lunch from here every day. You got that? I’m not going to have you get sick eating the mush they pass off as food in that place. I need you here to help me. If that costs me lunch five days a week, then so be it. You can make up for it by taking a few of my tables.”

I smiled. Having Gloria around was like working for my grandmother. She kept me well fed in exchange for doing work around the house—or, in this case, the diner. In a way she made it a little easier to be away from my family.

“You’re the best, Gloria.”

“I know. It’s a curse.” She playfully waved a dishcloth at me. “Now eat. I’m expecting the after-school crowd in about fifteen minutes.”

I ate my pie and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. No sooner had I wiped the counter when a crowd of kids came in.

They sat in a big booth in the back corner, and they were loud. I recognized a few faces, but luckily I didn’t see Shannon. I took a deep breath, grabbed a handful of menus, and walked over to their table.

“Hi, can I start you off with some drinks while you look over the menu?”

“Yeah, I’ll have a root beer,” the big guy in the varsity football jacket said.

The girl next to him smacked his arm. “Don’t you dare order yet. Shannon’s not here. She’ll kill you if you get your drink before she does.”

I rolled my eyes. Why did people hang out with Shannon if she was such a royal bitch?

“I’ll come back.” I turned and started walking away.

“No you won’t.”

I stopped and sighed. Shannon was here.

“I want a diet birch beer, and don’t water it down with a bunch of ice. I only want six cubes. I said cubes, not crushed ice. Got it?”

I turned around to face her. “Sorry, we don’t have diet birch beer. We have regular birch beer or diet cola. Take your pick. And as for the ice, it comes out of a machine. You get what you get.”

She glared at me, and the vein in her forehead twitched. “I want to speak to your manager.”

“Sure.” I smiled and walked back to the counter, leaving Shannon standing there with her arms crossed.

“What are you smiling about?” Gloria asked. “That girl looks like she just gave you a mouthful.”

“Oh, she did. She’s a fun one, and she asked to speak with you. She wants to know why there’s no diet birch beer and why I can’t give her exactly six cubes of ice in her drink. I’m sure she’ll have some choice words about my attitude, too.”

“Snotty little high-school brat,” Gloria mumbled before pasting a fake smile on her face and walking over to Shannon.

I pretended not to watch as I refilled coffee for a couple near the door, but it was hard not to stare. Gloria started off nice—for about a whole two seconds, because that was all Shannon gave her before she went off on a tirade about rude employees and not meeting the customer’s needs.

Gloria let her rant for a minute before she put her hand up. “You can stop right there.”

Shannon stepped back in shock. “Excuse me?”

“That’s enough. I’m not going to have you come into my establishment, making impossible demands, and insulting my best waitress—”

“If she’s your best waitress, then this place has more problems than I thought.”

“I’m not finished, so you shut your mouth, or I’ll throw your sizezero behind right out that door. I have the right to refuse service to anyone, and right now, I’m refusing to serve you.”

My smile was so wide I could’ve fit an entire slice of peach pie in my mouth. Ethan was peeking through the window on the kitchen door. The kids with Shannon stared in horror, waiting for Shannon’s comeback.

“How dare you, you old hag!” Shannon was bright red, and she stepped toward Gloria.

Without thinking, I stormed over to her, grabbed her arm, and yanked her back. “Don’t talk to Gloria that way. She told you to leave, so leave before I call the cops.”

Shannon laughed in my face. “What, you think you’re going to make me leave? I’ll have you on the ground crying before you lay another finger on me. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”

Something inside me burst. Maybe it was pent-up anger, maybe it was petty girl-fight instincts, but I lost it. I wasn’t about to throw down with Shannon and mess up the diner, so I hit her where it hurt most.

“I guess when the guy you like dumps you and the entire school finds out about it, the way you get over the humiliation is picking on someone who’s old enough to be your mother.” Really it was more like grandmother, but I didn’t want to insult Gloria. It was Shannon I was trying to hurt.

“You bitch!” Shannon lunged for me, but Ethan was already out of the kitchen and pinning her arms behind her.

“That’s it. You’re out of here.” He pushed her out the door and let it slam behind her. She turned around to face him, but he yelled through the glass. “Take one step toward this place, and I’ll have the cops here before you can take a swing.” He held up his cell to show he was serious.

Shannon screamed and stormed over to the window where her friends were sitting. She smacked the glass with her open palm to get their attention. “Let’s go!”

“We haven’t eaten yet,” the big football player complained.

“Come on,” the girl next to him said, obviously not happy about having to leave either.

They filed out, giving Ethan and me dirty looks in the process. Yup, I was officially going to have a crappy school year.

“Sorry,” I said to Gloria. Now that it was over, what I’d said to Shannon registered. I couldn’t believe I’d brought up Trevor. I really was a monster.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. That one there is a bad seed. There’s nothing else to be said about it.” Gloria turned to the customers who’d witnessed the outburst. “Free peach pie all around.”

Smiles and nods let me know all was forgotten. Ethan kissed my forehead and headed back to the kitchen while I sliced up the pie. When everyone had a piece, I wiped down the booth where the kids had been, trying to erase all memory of them and Shannon.

The bell above the door jingled, and I looked up to see Nora. I followed her to the counter.

“You didn’t pay your bill last time. I’m not serving you anything until you give me the $1.75 you owe Gloria for the coffee.”

Nora reached in her purse and picked through her loose change until she had $1.75 exactly. No tip. Again. I grabbed the money and put it in the register. Then I purposely started refilling the saltshaker right in front of her.

Nora got up and moved two stools away from me. “Coffee. Black.”

“In a minute. I’m busy.” I continued to slowly pour the salt into the shaker.

“Do I need to throw her out, too?” Gloria asked. “This is bad for business, you know.” By the look on her face, I could tell she wasn’t going to put up with me not getting along with any more customers today.

“No. It’s fine. She tried to stiff you on the bill last time. I made her pay up. I’ll get her some coffee.”

Gloria nodded and went into the kitchen.

I poured the coffee, not even caring that I was spilling it onto the saucer under the cup. Let Nora drip coffee on her green dress. Wow, another green dress. Did she own any other clothes?

“Here.” I shoved the cup in front of her. “Let me guess, that’s all you want.”

“No, I want that necklace you’re wearing.” She sipped her coffee.

“What?” I stepped back. “Are you really going to start that again?”

“How much do you want for it?” She pulled a pile of bills out of her purse.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve cheated me out of a tip twice and skipped out on your bill, and you carry around a wad of cash like that?” I liked her less and less every time I saw her.

“I don’t believe in banks. Now, how much for the necklace?”

“It’s not for sale, but feel free to leave the tips you owe me.”

“Everything is for sale. Name your price.”

“If you’re so eager to spend your money, why don’t you go buy yourself another dress? Try a color other than green for a change.”

“Fine.” She stood up and walked out.

Gloria came out of the kitchen. “Did she leave without paying her bill again?”

Damn it! “I’m sorry.”

“Samantha, I can’t have customers skipping out on their checks. We’ll all be out of jobs then.”

“I know. I’ll take the money out of my tips.”

Gloria shook her head, looking disappointed, and walked over to the couple by the door.

The rest of the night was better. No more drama. Just a lot of drink refills, cleaning tables, and trying to get back on Gloria’s good side. By the end of the night, she finally broke down and smiled at me.

“Go home. Get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a new day.” She sounded like a generic greeting card.

“I’m really sorry about earlier. It won’t happen again.” And if it did, I’d pay Nora’s bill before Gloria noticed.

Ethan held my hand on the drive home, but he didn’t turn up our driveway. He drove past it.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. You look like you could use a change of pace.”

Actually, it was the change of pace in this new life that was throwing me. I needed the old Sam back. The one who didn’t have a monster lurking inside her.

Ethan pulled onto a small, gravel area off the side of the road. He got out and met me at my door. “Come on.” Reaching for my hand, he led me to a wooden fence. On the other side of it was a huge drop-off. We were on top of a mountain, looking out across the river.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you’d like it.” Ethan gently turned my face toward his and brushed his lips across mine. It was a sweet kiss, but there was something behind it. Desire.

I pulled back. “We’re out in the open.”

“It’s dark.”

“Until a car drives by.”

Ethan sighed. “Sorry. It was a stupid idea. I just thought that, after the other night…”

“We could go home.” I really wasn’t ready to, and not because of what Ethan was suggesting. I didn’t want to leave this view yet. “Or we can stay here for a while first.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah. It reminds me of when I was six, and I used to go visit my aunt in Maryland. There weren’t any mountains like this, but her house was on the water, and her backyard sloped down toward a dock. When I stood in her sun room and looked out over the water, I felt like I was flying. Like I was a bird and nothing could touch me.”

“Then we’ll stay, and you’ll fly.” He took my hand, kissing my fingertips.

Yes, Ethan was a typical guy who thought about sex, but he never let his own urges stand in the way of whatever I wanted. I leaned my head against his chest as I stared out over the water.

We stayed for two hours. I hadn’t intended to be there that long, but between the view and being with Ethan, I was in heaven. I kept going back and forth between breathing in the fresh mountain air and breathing in Ethan. The boy was an amazing kisser.

Finally, we went home. Ethan moved one of the bigger rocks to the side. He hadn’t had time to disassemble the strange rock circle yet, but it was pretty annoying having to step over the same rock every time we went in and out of the cottage. “I’ll get the others in the morning,” he said.

I got ready to shower while Ethan ate one of the sandwiches he’d brought home from the diner. Making out made him hungry. I turned the water all the way to hot and was pleasantly surprised that it was actually warm. Still not hot, but definitely not lukewarm either.

I got undressed and looked down at the necklace. Ethan was right. It was silly of me to shower and sleep with it on. But still, I didn’t want to take it off. While the warm water washed down the drain without me, I debated. I decided I’d take it off to shower but put it back on afterward. Baby steps.

I undid the clasp and left it on the sink. I stepped into the shower and basked in the fact that I wasn’t freezing cold. Maybe the pipes were getting used to being used again, or maybe the hot water heater was finding its second wind. Either way, I enjoyed my shower for the first time since I’d come back to life.

I heard movement in the bathroom, and I tensed up. Was Ethan in here? Was he planning on surprising me in the shower? I suddenly felt cold. I shut the water off and reached my arm out from behind the curtain, groping for my towel. I grabbed it and wrapped myself up before I pulled the curtain back.

The door was still closed. Maybe I’d imagined it. Or maybe I’d heard Ethan in the kitchen. I stepped out of the shower, and a cool breeze hit my right side. I turned to see the window open. I hadn’t opened it. I’d never opened it, not once since we moved in. It didn’t have a lock on it, so it opened all the way up.

My eyes flew to the sink. My necklace was gone.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“ETHAN!” I burst out of the bathroom.

He jumped up. “What? Are you okay?”

“No. My necklace is gone. I left it on the sink. Then I heard something. I thought it was you, but I guess it wasn’t. The window is wide open, and I didn’t open it. And now my necklace is missing.”

“Slow down.” He wrapped me in a hug. “The window’s open?”

“Yes, and I didn’t open it. I think someone came into the bathroom while I was in the shower. I heard a noise.”

“Why didn’t you see what it was when you heard it?”

How did I answer that? I’d thought it was Ethan, and I freaked out and grabbed my towel to cover up. I couldn’t tell him that. “I don’t know. I panicked, I guess. I grabbed my towel and got out, but it was too late. Whoever it was had already gone and taken my necklace with them.”

“Stay here.” Ethan went into the bathroom and looked around. “I don’t see anyone out there.”

“I doubt they would’ve stuck around after they stole from me.”

“I don’t get it.” He shut the window and came back into the kitchen. “Why would someone crawl through the bathroom window to steal a necklace? It’s not even like it was an expensive necklace.”

I had to tell him about the note. It might give us some clue about who broke into our bathroom.

“Ethan, there’s something I need to tell you, but you have to promise to stay calm.”

His jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared. The longer I waited, the worse he was going to get.

“I found a note in my locker today. I went to get my lunch, and there was a note on it.”

“From who?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“I don’t know.”

“What did it say?”

I closed my eyes, unable to look at him as I said it. “‘The necklace suits you. Wear it always.’ That was it.”

He didn’t say a word, so I slowly opened my eyes.

“Ethan?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You saw me right after that, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“You should’ve told me.”

“Why are you getting so worked up over this?”

“Why? Because it obviously wasn’t a mistake. Someone gave you that necklace.”

“I know.”

“So, do you expect me to be happy that some guy is leaving gifts and secret notes in my girlfriend’s locker?”

“Of course not, but it doesn’t matter anyway. The necklace is gone. Whoever gave it to me probably saw you and me together and figured it out. So they broke in and took the necklace back.”

“Good. I’m glad that thing is gone.”

“Ethan, don’t be like that.” I reached for his arm, but he jerked it away.

“I’m going for a walk.”

“It’s pitch black outside.”

“I don’t care.”

“Someone broke into our house, and you’re going to leave me here alone?” I didn’t want to play the helpless girl card because I’ve never considered myself helpless against anything other than cancer—and now this thing that was happening to me, making me feed off others—but I didn’t know what else to say to keep him here.

He stared at me, and, for a moment, he didn’t look like my Ethan.

“I’m sorry.” Tears welled up in my eyes. Not because I’d kept this from him or because he was upset with me for it. But because I had an even bigger secret, one I knew he wouldn’t forgive me for keeping.

He exhaled loudly and pulled me into his chest. “Don’t cry.” He rubbed the back of my head. “It’s just that I lost you once. I don’t want to do it again. Especially to some other guy. I couldn’t handle that. Not after everything…”

I still didn’t know how he’d brought me back. I tilted my head and stared into his beautiful blue eyes. “What did you go through to bring me back? You never told me.”

“You don’t need to know.” He let go of me and walked into the living room as if the conversation was over.

“I didn’t think you needed to know about the note in my locker, but that’s not how you feel.” Maybe it was a low blow, but I needed him to see this from my point of view.

He sat down on the couch. “It’s nowhere near the same.”

“You’re right. It’s not. I kept something that didn’t even concern you a secret. You’re keeping something that has everything to do with me secret.” I knew he was going to get mad, so I sat down on his lap, keeping him in his seat. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. I held the kiss long enough for him to think about what I’d said. Think, but not react. When I let go, I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his. “I need to know, Ethan. I need to know what you did to give me a second chance.”

“Why does it matter? Isn’t being here with me enough?”

“You know it is. I love you, but I need to understand what happened. People don’t get do-overs in life. So, why did I?”

“Because I love you.” He pulled me toward him, kissing me hard.

I didn’t know if it was losing my necklace or fighting with Ethan, but I was charged up. I kissed him back, running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. His lips worked their way down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I forgot about our fight. I forgot about my necklace. I forgot about the people I’d killed. It was just Ethan and me.

The next thing I knew, we were in the bedroom, and, this time, I didn’t stop him. I didn’t run away.

* * *

I woke up at 2:38, shivering and gasping for air. Ethan was sound asleep, looking peaceful. I had to get away from him before it was too late, but the feeling hit me hard. The feeling of death. I fell to the floor in a heap. The sound probably could’ve woken a corpse, but Ethan slept through it. I crawled out of the bedroom and to the front door. The carpeting burned my knees as I dragged my legs across it. I wasn’t sure I could even make it to the car this time, and part of me didn’t care. I only had to get far enough away from Ethan so that he wouldn’t get hurt. If I died…well, I was already supposed to be dead.

I used the doorknob to pull myself up. I had to unlatch the deadbolt. I held on to the doorknob and reached my other hand up, swatting at the chain. I managed to loop my finger through it. I tugged, which was more like letting my arm fall back down, and the bolt slid out. I turned the lock on the doorknob and twisted it open. Every movement felt like it took all my strength, but I got the door open.

I tumbled down the front steps and landed half on one of the big rocks. A jagged edge dug into my back, and I winced. My vision blurred. At first, I’d thought I knocked myself out, but then I realized I was having another vision. I braced myself for images of Trevor. He was my last victim, so it would be his face I saw. His future I glimpsed. Only it wasn’t his future anymore.

Everything went black, and then it was like a curtain lifting. It was the old man again—the one I couldn’t identify. I struggled for breath, partly out of surprise and partly because my body was shutting down. This time the man wasn’t as old. He sat on a bench, feeding the birds. The woman from the previous vision wasn’t with him. He was alone. Just him and the birds.

When he ran out of birdseed, he leaned his head back and stared up at the sun. He sighed, and a single tear dripped down his cheek.

“Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you. You should be here with me now.”

His shoulders shook and more tears lined his face. “What’s that old saying? Time heals all wounds? Something like that. Well, whoever said it was a liar. Some wounds never heal. Losing you never stopped hurting. I’ll mourn you until the day I die, and I’ll love you even longer.” He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. My heart broke for him—whoever he was.

Everything went dark again. I heard noises around me, and I turned my head from side to side, but my vision hadn’t returned yet. Oh, please don’t let it be Ethan. If he found me, if I touched him…

Slowly shapes came into focus. Trees, grass, rocks. Lots of rocks.

I realized I was moving more easily. I was breathing more easily. What had happened? Did I kill someone without knowing it? Not Ethan! Please, not Ethan!

I sat up and looked around. The only things around me were the rocks, all perfectly lined up in a circle again. Someone or something had fixed the rocks, put them back in their pattern while I lay on the ground.

My head felt woozy, like I was hung over, but I hadn’t had anything to drink. I slowly got to my feet, still scanning the yard, looking for whoever had done this. Maybe it was the same person who had stolen my necklace. I thought back to the guy who was peeking in the window. The one who’d broken into the house. He knew my name. He knew I could kill with my bare hands. It had to be him.

Suddenly the realization that I was outside alone in the dark with a stranger lurking around set in. I ran back into the cottage and locked both locks behind me. I went around the house checking all the windows, too. He wasn’t getting inside again.

I pulled the curtain back into place after checking the lock on the window above the kitchen sink. I was breathing hard. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. No way would I be able to go back to sleep after all this, so I grabbed a paper towel and dabbed my face, trying to think of how I’d pass the time until morning without waking Ethan. I reached for a second paper towel when I saw the note on the counter. A yellow Post-it note. I froze.

My eyes zeroed in on the handwriting. Every letter was perfectly straight.

Where’s your necklace?

Those three words sent terror coursing through my body. Whoever had given me the necklace had been in my house tonight. He—or she, now I wasn’t so sure—had come into the cottage while I was out in the yard having a vision and trying not to die.

Two break-ins in one night? It was hard to believe, but it had to be two different people. One stole my necklace, and the other wanted to know why I wasn’t wearing it anymore. How had so many people discovered where I lived? The whole point of the P.O. box was to keep that a mystery. To make sure people didn’t connect Ethan and me any more than thinking we were together. We had even toned down the couple stuff at school, so people would think we had only recently gotten together.

I couldn’t help it, but Beth’s name came to mind. She always knew so much. She was the queen of gossip, and she was good at figuring things out. Could she have pieced together more about Ethan and me than she was letting on? And which intruder was she? The one who stole my necklace, or the one who gave it to me and wanted to know why I wasn’t wearing it anymore?

This was too much to process. By morning, I only had more questions, and one thing was for sure. I had to keep an eye on Beth. I had to find out what she knew.