What Lies in the Dark

by Jessica Sorensen

“I can look online and see if I can figure it out.” I pull out my phone from my pocket. “They have this number on them and this really strange aquamarine coloring. That should be enough information.”

  “If they’re legal pills,” Embry points out. “Illegal ones aren’t going to be easy to track down. I’d be able to help you more if you told me what the hell is going on.”

  I open my mouth to start giving details about last night’s doctor office events, but Ev talks over me.

  “No, you guys need to hear what Porter found out—”

  “Porter?” Kennedy starts up the engine to crank up the heat. “Who the hell is Porter?”

  “My hacker connection,” Ev says. When Kennedy frowns, probably because we know a Porter who runs in the same circle as Liam and Dixon, Ev tacks on, “Don’t worry; he doesn’t even live in this country and has absolutely no connection to Shadow Cove.” She shakes her head. “Guys, give me a bit of credit, will you?”

  “Sorry.” Kennedy collects her coffee cup from the console. “I just heard Porter and started freaking out. I should’ve known better than to think you would do something like that.”

  Ev offers her a small smile before turning toward me. “Anyway, I had Porter look into security camera systems installed in Shadow Cove. At first, he couldn’t find any, which I thought was odd, considering the median home value in Shadow Cove is way higher than most towns. After I told him this, he started digging deeper. And I’m talking black market deeper.”

  “There’s a black market for security cameras?” Kennedy asks as she fiddles with the temperature.

  “There’s a black market for everything.” I stuff my iPod into my pocket. “It’s actually pretty crazy when you start digging into it.”

  “Like what, exactly?” Kennedy asks curiously.

  “Guys, stop getting off track,” Ev exclaims, startling the shit out of us.

  “Ev, calm down.” Kennedy’s eyes are wide with shock.

  Her shock is understandable. Ev rarely flips out, let alone on us, which proves my theory that she’s not handling this very well.

  “How can I calm down when our town is wired with over five thousand security cameras?” She breathes raggedly. “Considering our population, that’s, like, a camera per home. But I know my house doesn’t have one, and Mak’s doesn’t, and Embry’s, and I’m sure that’s the case for all of the homes in our neighborhoods, so where are all these cameras, guys? Huh? Do you have an answer? Because I sure don’t.”

  “Ev, breathe.” I place a hand on her arm. “Nothing bad has happened. There’s just security cameras around town; that’s all.”

  “Yeah, but for what?” Her voice is all squeaky and high, and her eyes are huge with panic. “Porter also was able to find out these cameras were all bought by the same person or company.”

  Blood roars in my eardrums. Someone in Shadow Cove purchased five thousand security cameras? I think I may have just found out my answer to what the eyes and ears are in this town. The question is: where are these cameras installed and how the hell did they install them without the townspeople being aware?

  “Was he able to find out who this person or group is?” I ask, gripping my phone.

  She wipes her palms on the front of her pants. “No. The buyer wanted to remain anonymous.”

  “Dammit,” I mutter. “Honestly, I’d say it was either the mayor or Don Jennings since they seem to know about the cameras, but the way they were acting yesterday … When they brought up the eyes and ears thing, they mentioned needing to have their meeting at the station so that”—I make air quotes—“ ‘they’ couldn’t hear them.” My hands fall to my lap. “They made it sound like someone was watching them, not them watching someone.” I turn to Kennedy. “Did Dixon’s dad’s car lots have symbols on them?”

  Kennedy nods firmly. “Every single one.”

  “Then that more than likely means the society didn’t bug the town,” I say. “Well, either that or whoever’s in charge likes to keep a close eye on their members.”

  Kennedy rubs her hand across her forehead. “This is seriously giving me a migraine.” With an exhale, she lowers her hand. “What about you, Em? You find anything out on that book?”

  Embry shakes her head. “Not yet, but I emailed a guy who supposedly knows the language. Hopefully, I’ll hear back from him later tonight. As for jade having magical powers, I seriously couldn’t find a lot of information, other than it’s valuable and extremely old.” She sweeps her fiery red hair to the side. “Although, I did find a small connection between jade and speaking to ghosts, but the information was limited.”

  “What exactly was the connection?” I ask, thinking of Trysten and how he has jade poisoning and can talk to ghosts. Maybe the one coincides with the other?

  “That sometimes certain doses of jade can give a person sight,” she says. “But sight doesn’t necessarily mean you have necromancy or can speak to ghosts. It just means a connection to the supernatural.”

  “But I’ve been speaking to Sawyer for a couple weeks and only put the necklace on yesterday,” I point out. “So, I highly doubt it’s doing it.”

  She gives me an intense, pressing look. “Yeah, but according to that article, the mountains are full of it. And the mountains completely surround the town.”

  I drum my fingers on top of my leg, contemplating. “But, if that’s what’s causing mine and Ev’s little spirit chatting abilities, then wouldn’t the entire town be having conversations with the dead?”

  She lifts a shoulder. “Some people are more sensitive to supernatural abilities. Maybe that’s why. Honestly, I need to look into it more. I ran out of time last night.”

  “Speaking of time …” Kennedy glances at the clock on the dash. “We need to get to school before we’re late.”

  I reach for the door to get out. “I still need to tell you guys what I just overheard Dixon and Rylen say and what I found out about the blue car.”

  “And about the slime,” Ev adds, seeming extremely distracted.

  “Slime?” Kennedy and Embry’s eyes bulge.

  Then Kennedy raises her hands in front of her. “Okay, this crap is getting too strange for me.”

  “You want out?” I ask as I wrap my fingers around the door handle.

  Kennedy shakes her head. “Not a chance. I was just pointing that out.”

  Nodding, I glance from Embry to Ev. “What about you two? You still in, or are you out?”

  “I’m in,” Kennedy says after a second ticks by.

  Ev is far more reluctant to answer. “I’m still in.”

  “Are you sure?” I double-check. “I don’t want you making yourself sick over this.”

  She nods. “I’m fine.” She faces forward. “It’s not like I can just forget everything that’s happened. Walking away … it’s not possible anymore.”

  I understand how she feels, but that doesn’t mean I want her making herself ill over this.

  “Well, it’s always an option.” I shove open the door. “Anyone want to ride with me to school?”

  “Just leave your car here and ride with us,” Kennedy suggests as she checks her messages on her phone. “That way, you guys can tell us about this”—she trades a skeptical look with Embry—“slime thing.”

  “It sounds very Ghostbusters to me,” Embry remarks as she adjusts the leather bands on her wrists.

  “I honestly don’t know what it is. But yeah, let me grab my bag, and I’ll ride with you.” Leaving my skateboard in the car, I hope out and grab my backpack from the trunk of my car.

  “You know, I don’t know why you don’t just haul that thing to the dump,” Dixon’s annoying voice sails over my shoulder.

  My gaze flicks to his computer sitting in my trunk, and I casually drop my bag onto it before turning around. “What, you mean you?” I tap my finger against my lips. “Yeah, I thought about it, but figured you’d have Daddy get me in trouble.”

  His lip curls. “Daddy, huh? Is that what your mom calls hi
m when she’s whoring herself out to him?”

  My jaw ticks. “You say that like it makes my mom a terrible person. But, if that’s true, then your dad’s equally as bad. You know, since he pays to have sex with my mom. Well, bad enough that he has to pay someone to have sex with him.”

  His eyes narrow into slits. “You know, one of these days you’re going to look back at these little moments between us and regret ever opening your mouth.”

  My pulse sprints and my skin dampens, but I battle to keep my tone even. “Is that a threat?”

  “No, a warning.” His lips start to tug upward, but the smile falters when his gaze travels to something over my shoulder.

  I peer behind me and spot Rylen walking toward us with his board tucked under his arm.

  “Hey,” he greets me with a warm smile.

  “Hey,” I greet him back, but my smile is much more forced.

  He must notice, too, because he fumbles to maintain his cheerful demeanor.

  “Everything okay?” He stops in front of me, his gaze bouncing between Dixon and me.

  I nod. “Yep. Everything’s fantastic.”

  He continues to smile, but I can tell he’s struggling. “I’ve never noticed you here this early before. Did you get up early?”

  I nod, watching him closely. “Yeah, I had a couple errands to run and had a little time leftover, so I thought I’d hang out here for a bit. Get some extra practice in.”

  He bobs his head up and down. “I was going to come over and say hi when I saw you skate up, but you looked really into it, and I didn’t want to bother you.”

  I assess him closely, his kind smile, his warm eyes, and then I note the lack of heat against my neck. I don’t understand any of it. Rylen has always seemed like a good guy, and the necklace seems convinced of the same thing, yet the facts point in the opposite direction. And with Dixon right behind me.

  Maybe I’m wrong about what the necklace can do.

  Sawyer, now would be a fantastic time to chime in.

  I internally sigh when his voice doesn’t appear.

  “Yeah, I was—”

  Kennedy honks her horn while shouting out her window, “Mak, we gotta go!”

  “Where’s the love, Kennedy?” Dixon shouts back at her with a grin.

  She flips him the middle finger then rolls up the window.

  I turn to Rylen and plaster on a fake, apologetic smile. “Sorry, but the boss says it’s time to go.”

  Rylen stuffs his hand into his pocket. “I’ll see you at school today, right? You’ll be there?”

  “Yeah, I will.” Well, that is, unless someone attacks me again.

  A chill crawls up my spine. Would they come after me again? I’ve still been digging around into things, but not so out in the open. However, if there are cameras around … Wait, could there be a camera in my house?

  I shiver at the thought and make a mental note to inspect the house thoroughly when I get home today. And to have Kennedy, Embry, and Ev do the same to theirs.

  “See you later, Mak.” Rylen waves as he starts for his car.

  As he brushes past me, I swear I hear him whisper in the faintest voice, “Be careful.” When I glance at him, though, he simply smiles and walks off, leaving me to wonder if I heard him correctly or not.

  I need to be careful around him.

  I wait until Dixon and Rylen are in their cars before picking up my backpack. Then I discreetly stuff Dixon’s computer inside my bag and scoot back into Kennedy’s car before pulling out Dixon’s computer again.

  “What’re you doing?” Embry asks as I open the laptop.

  “Looking through his shit really quick before I turn this thing in for the reward money.” I hold down the power button, but the battery is dead. “Anyone got a power adapter?”

  Ev nods as she picks up her backpack from off her floor and digs through it. “See if this fits.” She hands me a cord.

  I plug it in and smile. “Yep, we’re good to go.” I crack my knuckles. “Now, if I can just figure out his login password, I might be able to get some answers as to what the hell is going on—”

  Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

  Mine, Embry, Ev, and Kennedy’s phones go off simultaneously.

  With puzzled expressions, we all dig out our phones and check the incoming text.

  Message from Shadow Cove High: Dear students, due to the recent thefts and security camera outages, school will be canceled Wednesday, March 24th to Friday, March 26th. Students will return to school on Monday, March 29th after we install a new camera system and update our security. Thank you for your cooperation.

  Embry lifts her gaze to mine. “Canceling school for security camera maintenance? Is that a real thing?”

  “It seems like something they could do while school is going on,” Ev says after she finishes reading the message.

  “Unless they’re putting in new cameras for a new system,” I say. “Like the same system that’s apparently all over Shadow Cove. And they don’t want anyone to know about it.”

  Ev’s face slightly pales. “You could be right.” She gulps. “So, what do we do now?”

  I shrug. “Take the next couple days to figure out what the hell is going on in Shadow Cove.” I hand her Dixon’s computer. “Starting with you breaking Dixon’s passcode.”

  She rubs her lips together then nods with a lot less reluctance than I expected. “I can do that. I’m still working on Liam’s phone, too. But I can work on both for a bit.”

  “Awesome.” I turn toward Embry. “Are you ready to hit up the coroner’s office?”

  She grins deviously. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 13

  LOCATION: KENNEDY’S CAR

  TIME: 7:48 AM

  DATE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24th

  During the drive to the coroner’s office, I tell the three of them what I overheard Dixon and Rylen say. Then I give Kennedy and Embry a recap of what happened at the doctor’s office with both the slime, Scarlett, and Trysten. I also give them the details I found out about the ads and the dark blue car. By the time I’m finished, everyone looks a bit ill.

  “So, you think someone is using the wanted ads to lure people into … well, into what exactly?” Ev asks after I’m finished.

  “I’m not sure. The other night, I thought maybe for human trafficking. I mean, there is that escorting site linked to the logo of the society.” I recline on my seat and cross my arms. “But I can’t figure out the connection to the cameras and to the deaths.”

  “Maybe there isn’t a connection,” Kennedy suggests. “Maybe they’re two separate things. I mean, you did say Don and the mayor acted as if they were being watched, too, and they’re probably part of the society.”

  “Maybe, but then, who’s watching the society?” I think aloud. “I really doubt it’s the police. Not only because I’m almost positive they’re connected, but because police don’t generally hotwire an entire town with security cameras.”

  “Maybe there are so many people in the society that they have to.” Embry takes a swig from a water bottle. “Maybe, in order to find evidence, they have to look everywhere because almost everyone is covering it up.”

  “That could be a theory,” I agree with a nod. “But, for some reason, I have a feeling that all of this is connected. From my brother’s death, to the tons of disappearances in town, to Ev and I being able to talk to the dead, to how strange Scarlett was acting.”

  “Even the slime?” Kennedy asks, making a turn down the side road that leads to the coroner’s office.

  “I was thinking about that last night. The slime could’ve been from Scarlett’s supplies, though that wouldn’t explain why it smelled like lake water.” Ev types a couple of buttons on the keyboard of Dixon’s laptop, trying to break through his passcode. “We’ll know for sure in about a week or so after I hear back from my friend at the university.”

  “A week?” I frown. “That’s how long this will take?”

  She double-c
licks the mouse. “I had to mail it in this morning, and even with express shipping, it won’t arrive there for two days. The tests could take anywhere from a couple hours to a handful of days, depending on how rare the substance is.”

  “Crap, I was hoping it’d be quicker.” While Ev may think the slime is unrelated to what’s going on, I’m not so sure I agree. After the dream I had … how the lake fleetingly looked the same color green … Sure, it could’ve just been the day’s events leaking into my dream. Or it could’ve been something else.

  “I still think it might be unrelated,” Ev says, clicking some more keys and causing the computer screen to flash.

  “Maybe.” I absentmindedly spin one of my skateboard wheels. “Has anyone ever noticed if the lake ever gets a green tint to it?”

  Embry looks up from her phone with her forehead creased. “No, but I’m really damn curious why you asked that.”

  I give a shrug. “I had this dream last night. Sawyer was in it, which wasn’t too strange, but what was is that he made me hike to the top of a mountain and look down at the lake. When I did, the water briefly tinted the same color green as the slime. It was really weird.”

  “It might have happened because we found the slime only a couple hours before you went to bed,” Kennedy throws the idea out there. “I think that sometimes happens with dreams, right?”

  “Yeah, but …” I pick at a loose thread on my jeans. “The other night, I had a dream where Sawyer told me to look in his room for something—something important. When I awoke, I found all that stuff hidden in his closet floor.” I fiddle with the vial hanging around my neck, dragging it back and forth across the string. “Maybe it was a coincidence, but honestly, it feels like I’m actually talking to him whenever it happens.”

  An unnerving silence settles between us, making me regret opening my mouth.

  “I believe you,” Embry speaks first. “Stories like that are actually common on SC Shadow of the Undead Inc. It’s crazy how many different ways people can communicate with the dead.”

  “We could go look at the lake water?” Kennedy proposes. “See if it is tinted green. Although, I’d rather not climb up a mountain to do it.”