by Kate Harre
Sighing, Annie stepped back onto the track leading out of the forest. It seemed since moving here, she was developing an insatiable need to solve mysteries. While she walked she thought about the few facts Alex had let slip. He’d seen her pass his house and knew where she was heading, so he obviously lived in one of the few houses close to the forest. As she emerged from the forest’s cover and into the parking bay, she scanned the area. There were several two storied houses and then, of course, the Hamilton mansion, which although set back from the road did border directly on the forest. He had to be the boy Chelsea had told her about.
Excitement made her fingers tremble as she pulled out her phone. Chelsea would get a kick out of knowing he was obviously still alive! But then she hesitated, her finger hovering over Chelsea’s number. When he’d mentioned her New York roots, he’d said even he had heard about it. Which indicated he didn’t often hear about things, so was probably mostly out of the loop. For some reason he was keeping a low profile in his house.
Should she tell Chelsea she thought she’d met the boy no one had seen or heard from in such a long time? Her gut instinct told her there had to be a damn good reason why Alex had disappeared from sight. Twice today she’d been reminded nothing was secret in a small town. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to expose him to more gossip and speculation. He’d done nothing but look out for her in his own gruff manner.
She tucked her phone back in her pocket.
Chapter 3
‘How’s the tribute piece going?’ Adrian asked. Tall and lanky, with dirty blonde hair and a serious face, Adrian was a pleasant looking guy. Until he smiled, which transformed his ordinary features into something almost handsome. Annie had become quite fond of him since she’d starting working for the school paper.
Sitting back from the computer in the Ridge High News office, she rubbed her forehead. Her investigation was not going well. She had interviewed all of the cheerleading squad, most of the boys’ basketball team who had been playing the night Danielle was murdered and a good half of the Senior Class. So far she knew two things – the cheerleaders and basketball players had partied hard after a successful Saturday game and Danielle had been at the party but had disappeared at some point during it. No one seemed to know when exactly she’d left or who she’d left with.
‘Everybody seems to have loved her, so there’s no lack of good things to say about her. Oh and a couple of her best friends had some great stories to share from summer camps and also provided some photos.’ Annie gestured towards the pile of photos sitting on the desk. ‘I’ve got a couple more people I want to talk to, but my article’s coming along and will definitely be ready in time for the next issue.’
Adrian perched on the corner of her desk and flicked idly through the photos. ‘That’s good.’
Good for the tribute piece, not so much for her own investigation. She only had one far-fetched possibility left. Danielle had been dating Brad, the captain of the basketball team. One of the cheerleaders had mentioned an argument between the two and Annie had yet to interview Brad. But since she was really looking for a wolf, she didn’t have a lot of hope in that lead - unless Brad’s family bred wild animals, which was highly unlikely. Still, he was probably the person most likely to know who she’d left the party with, which might help Annie figure out how Danielle had ended up in the forest.
‘How did you find her?’ Adrian asked curiously.
‘What? Oh.’ Annie had momentarily forgotten Adrian was still sitting there. ‘Mum and I were out walking and I saw a flash of bright yellow in the trees. It was her jacket.’
‘Was it gruesome?’
‘Not really. Just one wound.’ Picking up her phone, she scrolled through her photos. ‘Here, you can have a look if you like.’
‘You took a photo?’ Adrian asked incredulously, his pale blue eyes widening with reluctant respect.
Annie nodded. She wasn’t exactly broadcasting the fact, but since Adrian was a fellow journalist and kind of her boss she figured it wouldn’t be disrespectful to show him. Besides, with his more experienced eye he might pick up on something she’d missed. ‘Before the Sherriff got there. Must be the journalist in me.’
‘Good job!’ Adrian grinned and took the phone from her. He studied the photo scientifically, zooming in on the killing wound. ‘It’s very precise, isn’t it? Almost perfect.’
‘That’s what I thought too.’
‘At least it would have been a quick death,’ he mused, his eyes shadowing. He handed the phone back.
‘I hope so,’ Annie murmured.
*
It wasn’t until school was done for the day that Annie finally managed to corner Brad. He was striding down the corridor; his sports bag slung over one shoulder. Annie darted in front of him and he stopped in surprise.
‘We haven’t actually met yet,’ she said, sticking out her hand. His eyes ran up and down her body and he smiled widely, before reaching for her hand and shaking it firmly.
‘An oversight on my part,’ he responded smoothly.
Yick, he was one of those types. Tall, broad and blonde with silver blue eyes and bronzed skin, he was good looking and knew it. Being captain of the basketball team he had an almost god-like status around school and the adulation had clearly gone to his head. He was exactly the kind of guy she didn’t like and Annie immediately wanted to snatch her hand back but resisted the urge, reminding herself sternly she was on a mission.
‘I’m Annie,’ she said evenly, not letting on how much he made her skin crawl. She let her fingers go limp until he got the hint and released her hand. ‘I’m writing a tribute piece for the paper and was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time?’
‘Right; I heard about that.’ He gestured to an empty classroom and followed her in. ‘Danielle was a terrific girl. It was really sad what happened to her.’
Brad perched on the edge of the teacher’s desk and dropped his bag at his feet. Annie followed suit, pulling herself up onto one of the student’s desks, crossing her legs and propping her notepad on one knee.
‘That’s what everyone says. Being new here, I didn’t have a chance to get to know her,’ Annie commented. ‘She was your girlfriend, right?’
He shuffled uncomfortably and looked away. ‘Kind of. It was sort of a loose arrangement, you know. At least for me.’ He looked back at her and his eyes were pained. Annie’s attitude towards him softened slightly. ‘I regret that now. If I’d known what was going to happen to her, I would have treated her better.’
‘Is that what you were fighting about at the party?’
His eyes flickered with surprise, but he nodded. ‘She was bugging me about committing to our relationship. She said she was sick of not knowing where she stood with me. We’d had a big win that night and I was drinking. I just wanted to have fun and hang with my buddies, so I kind of blew her off.’
‘You didn’t see her leave then?’ Annie pressed.
‘No. I went looking for her some time later, but she’d already gone. I don’t know who with though.’ He glanced at the wall clock and hurriedly got to his feet. ‘I’ve got to go. Coach will ream me if I’m late for practice and I really don’t feel like doing suicide runs.’
‘Just quickly, do you have a quote for the paper?’
Brad grabbed his bag and headed for the door. ‘That I miss her and I hope she’s finally found peace.’
He was through the door and gone before Annie could even thank him for his time. Sliding off the desk and closing her notebook, she was about to leave when Brad’s head popped around the door again.
‘You don’t fancy going for a coffee later on, do you?’
Annie’s eyebrows shot up. ‘After hearing about your “loose arrangement” with Danielle? No offense, but I think I’ll pass.’
‘Fair enough. Thought it was worth a try.’ He grinned cheekily and disappeared again.
Annie snorted and headed back to the newspaper office to collect her bag. Admittedly, Brad had a c
ertain charm and she could understand why so many girls around school gazed adoringly at him – there was no denying he was pretty to look at. But he was way too self-centred for her taste. Even his pain around Danielle’s death was more to do with his own feelings of guilt, rather than a genuine sense of loss.
He hadn’t been much help in her investigation either. In fact, everyone was saying exactly the same thing. Was it possible everyone at the party had collaborated and come up with a cover story? It was worth considering. Perhaps the Sherriff had had more luck with her line of questioning. What Annie wouldn’t give to get her hands on the official investigation notes! Because at the moment she had hit a dead end.
Bouncing down the school steps, she walked briskly towards the forest. The investigation of Danielle’s death was going on hold momentarily; she had another mystery to solve.
*
Annie strode purposefully through the forest, doing her best to ignore the damp chill seeping through her jacket. Sitting down at the base of a tree not too far from the crime scene tape, she faced the densest part of the forest, and waited.
Every day for the past week she had come here, hoping to draw Alex out. Although she thought she’d sensed his presence several times, whenever she’d carefully studied the forest she hadn’t been able to make out his shape. Last night while lying in bed unable to sleep, she had considered the possibility of hiding out amongst the trees where Alex had stood the week before. It seemed obvious he didn’t use the public track, so he must come through the bush, making his own path. If she hid, she might get to see him without him knowing. But after considering the pros and cons she had decided tricking him wasn’t likely to win her any favours. He needed to reveal himself to her of his own free will.
She couldn’t exactly explain why she kept thinking about him. The truth was she’d already determined to her satisfaction that he was Alex Hamilton, the boy who had supposedly been missing for almost a year. So why was she still so fascinated with him? Maybe it was because she wanted to know why he’d suddenly decided to keep a low profile. Or perhaps it was because she couldn’t get the sound of his deep voice out of her mind. No voice had affected her like this before, the rich, smooth sound of it like the feel of chocolate ice cream sliding down her throat.
She blushed, embarrassed at her own thoughts, and scanned the trees again, looking for a variance in the shadows. What if he hadn’t seen her walk past his house? Or maybe he had and had decided if she didn’t listen he’d leave her to her own devices.
‘What are you doing here again?’ he demanded irritably, his disembodied voice coming from her left. Immediately, her body relaxed.
‘Waiting for you,’ she replied simply, biting back a smile of triumph – he’d come.
‘What?’ His astonishment couldn’t be more plain.
‘I had a hunch you wouldn’t be able to resist lecturing me again.’ She turned towards his voice and found his shape sitting on a low hanging branch, long legs dangling free. She could actually see him a little better this time, or at least the lower part of his body. He was wearing jeans, dark sneakers and she could just make out the edge of a black jacket before the rest of him merged into the leaves of the branch above him.
‘Why are you waiting for me?’
She dodged that for the moment. ‘I figured out who you are,’ she told him. ‘The story of your mysterious disappearance is still fresh in the memories of the locals. Apparently all sorts of crazy stuff happens in this town.’
He cursed under his breath. ‘Have you told anyone you’ve seen me?’ he growled.
‘No. I figured if you wanted people to know you were still around you would have let them know.’
‘Thank you,’ he said grudgingly.
‘Why did you disappear?’
‘Is that why you lured me out today? To hear my story?’ he asked bitterly.
‘No. I’ve been coming here everyday for the last week, hoping you’d come back,’ she felt compelled to explain.
‘I know. I was refusing to take the bait. But you’re persistent, I’ll give you that.’
She fidgeted and suddenly felt at a disadvantage sitting down, while he perched above her. But she wanted him to know she wasn’t a threat to him, so she remained seated. ‘I was thinking about what you said the other day, about being too fragile to fight anyone off and you’re right. It’s not that I’m fragile exactly, but I am completely ignorant when it comes to self-defence. So I, uh, was wondering if maybe you could teach me… you know, to defend myself?’
Silence greeted her ramble. She looked up. He hadn’t left – he was still sitting in the tree. But she did seem to have rendered him speechless.
‘Say something… please,’ she entreated.
‘There are courses that teach self-defence. You should sign up to one of those.’
‘I don’t want to go to a course with a bunch of people I don’t know. I trust you.’
‘You don’t know me!’ His jacket rustled and she imagined him running his hand through his hair in exasperation.
‘I do… a little bit,’ she argued. ‘Three times now you’ve come out of hiding on some kind of rescue mission, which is why I trust you. And I’d like to get to know you.’
‘Why?’
It was Annie’s turn to be silent while she pondered how honest to be with him. ‘There are things in my life that don’t make sense. Strange things,’ she said carefully. ‘I don’t know why, but I get the feeling you’ve seen or experienced things like that too. It’s going to sound crazy, but I feel an affinity with you.’
Alex was quiet again and Annie discovered she wasn’t good with silence. Shrugging awkwardly, she stared beseechingly at where he sat. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s the only way I can think to explain it. It’s like I’m drawn to you.’
‘I can’t help you,’ he said brusquely. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to – I just can’t.’
The rejection hurt and her natural inclination was to get up and leave. But she couldn’t let it go, not yet. ‘Why not?’ she whispered.
‘Something happened to me,’ he said jerkily, like the explanation was being wrenched from him. ‘I’m disfigured… a monster.’ The words trailed off, but she’d heard in his voice how much each one of them had cost him.
Annie’s expression softened and she rose to her feet slowly, taking a step towards him. ‘I don’t care how you look.’
‘Don’t come any closer,’ he cried out, anguish and desperation twisting his voice. ‘I couldn’t stand to see the horror on your face.’
She stopped, raising her hands in surrender. ‘Today I met the most gorgeous guy in school and was revolted by him,’ she said quietly but honestly, sincerity ringing through every word. Could she make him understand? ‘What a person looks like doesn’t mean anything to me. I know what it’s like to be rejected because you’re different. I get you don’t know me well, but please trust me not to judge you by the way you look.’
‘I don’t know how to trust anymore. I’m not sure I ever did.’
Annie reached out a hand in entreaty. ‘Then let me teach you,’ she whispered achingly.
She waited, giving him time to make his decision. The silence wore on her, every second that passed feeling like a lifetime, but she remained still, not wanting to pressure him in any way.
After what felt like an eternity, he shifted. His hands reached down to the branch he was sitting on and he propelled himself off it to the ground. Straightening, he walked slowly towards her, his head bowed and hidden in the depths of his hooded jacket. He was tall, as she’d suspected. Probably a little over six foot, with broad shoulders and a lean frame. His hands were clenched by his sides, the knuckles showing white. He was scared to reveal himself to her.
Stopping a few feet away from her, he spoke quietly, ‘Promise me, once I’ve frightened you away, you won’t come back here alone. It’s too dangerous.’
Even though he thought she was going to reject him, he was going to show himself. She
wanted to cry for his courage and the pain he must be feeling. ‘I promise,’ she reassured him, though she had no intention of running.
Slowly raising his hands, he pushed the hood back from his face. Annie braced herself. It was bad; there was no quibbling over that. His forehead was covered in deep, wide, angry red welts that went back through his hairline and over the crown of his head. He’d cropped his black hair short, but there were large sections of it missing where the scars made paths over his scalp. The same welts marred the skin of both cheeks, the right cheek more than the left. But what was perhaps worst, was the long, jagged scar that started between his eyes, tracing down the line of his nose and through the left corner of his mouth, puckering the skin and pulling the line of his lips down so his mouth appeared distorted.
Annie visually traced every scar while he stood rigidly still, letting her look her fill. Her eyes sought his out. They were the most, and only, beautiful part of his face, a vivid emerald green; but at that moment they were filled with so much vulnerability Annie’s knees nearly buckled. She wanted to hug him, but sensed he wouldn’t appreciate it from someone he barely knew.
Tears gathered in her eyes and she furiously blinked them back. ‘Oh Alex,’ she whispered. ‘What happened to you?’
His body twitched and she realised he’d zoned himself out and was surprised by the sound of her voice. ‘You’re not running.’
‘No,’ she answered gruffly. ‘And I’m not going to.’
He reached for his hood to lift it back into place until she stretched a hand out to stop him. ‘Don’t. Please don’t hide from me.’
He hesitated. ‘It’s awful.’
‘Yes, it is,’ she admitted honestly. She couldn’t lie to him, not if she wanted him to trust her. ‘But it’s only the shell, not who you really are.’
His hands began to shake. The emotions he was trying so hard to hold back were starting to break through and he turned away abruptly. ‘I have to go.’
