Deadly Hallows (The Dead Ringer Series Book 1)

by Taylor Henderson

  Mason let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. Despite his head shake, his arms tightened around my body. "Just a little longer," he said, with a hint of a smile on his lips.

  Smirking, I craned my neck upwards to kiss him lightly on the lips. Then I let my head rest on his chest again. He just held me in silence, letting the audio from the living room television that neither of us were watching act as background noise. After a moment, Mason lifted my hand, eyeing the wristband that I wore constantly to keep the jagged scar below it hidden. I hated the scar with a burning passion, and always tried to keep it hidden from view of those around me and even from myself. It was a constant reminder of how my life had spun out of control. I still had vivid nightmares of being kidnapped and chased through the woods. Sometimes it was Mr. Miller, while other times I didn't know who it was. A dark shadow, darker than the night sky around me in the dream, would chase me through the trees and catch up to me. Sometimes, only sometimes, did the shadow win. I'd fall into the canyon and die. I tried not to look too far into it, but I couldn't help but wonder if we had missed something.

  I glanced at Mason, who was still playing with my wristband, with anxiety running through me. A mix of fear caused by my dreams, and self consciousness caused by my worry that Mason would unveil my scar, bubbled up inside of me. I never told him about my nightmares, but he knew I wasn't sleeping at night. I was up at all hours, and it had started to affect me. He took the job of coming over some nights while my mom was asleep so I could catch up on my sleep. I just couldn't bring myself to bring up the past and tell him that we may have missed something. I didn't even want to think about it, but I couldn't convince myself that they were just dreams, even though that's all they were without proof.

  Mason looked into my eyes and held my gaze as he slid the wristband off of my arm. Then, without breaking eye contact, he rubbed his thumb over the puffy, lines of the arrow. Mason's eyes didn't leave mine for even a moment, and the act was so subtle, yet so intimate that it sent tingles down my spine. I bit my lip as I watched him, only glancing at my wrist once before I averted my eyes again. The lines were thick from the knife that had been used to cut into my skin, and the color was an angry mix between red and pink. The red had died down over the months, but it still reminded me of a fire truck, bright and impossible to miss. I had been hoping that it would heal better, but the lines were so deep that even with scar lotion I would have the reminder until my dying day.

  "You know, it's coming up soon," Mason mumbled, still holding my arm. His hair fell into his eyes, slightly shading them from me as he began to talk about the approaching date; the anniversary of Sophie's death. "Are you going to be okay?"

  "I should be the one making sure you're going to be okay," I replied, my voice sounding harsher than I intended. I didn't want him to always have to worry about me. Sophie was his sister more than she ever was anything to me. At least he knew her, I didn't even have the chance to get to know the real her, not the suicidal person my peers talked about in school. I pulled my wrist away from him and reached for my wristband, but Mason took my hand again. He raised my wrist upwards, and gently pressed his lips to the inside of my wrist, kissing it softly before he replaced my wristband for me. "Thanks," I mumbled.

  He nodded in response before saying, "You don't have to worry about me. I've come to terms with what happened. Sure, I'm always going to be upset when her birthday nears and on the anniversary of the day she was taken from me, but that's because I grew up with her. I know that it hurts you because you never got to know her, and you feel cheated." He shook his hair out of his eyes and stroked my arm. "I don't know, I just worry about you."

  "I don't want you to always have to worry about me." An annoyed sigh escaped my lips, but at least my words had been gentler this time. I had a habit of coming across harsh when I was frustrated and he didn't deserve that. He was just trying to watch over me, and protect me from what had happened, but I didn't need it. I had lived through it. It happened and I couldn't go back to make it not happen. I had poked around, it was only a matter of time before Mr. Miller took me. I had survived and that's what mattered.

  "Too bad. You signed up for it when you agreed to be my girlfriend." He planted another kiss on my forehead before loosening his hold again. It was time for him to leave, he needed to before Mom came home or she'd be furious. Though I doubted she would kick out the one person who had stood by me through everything. It's not like she could forbid me to see him again. He was my only friend besides Katie, but she was busy moving back in and once she got back into sync with school she'd probably join the popular crowd in no time. Then it would just be Mason and I again because everyone in school avoided us now. They didn't want to be pulled into another murder mystery.

  "I know I did, but I don't want you to fret about the anniversary for me. I didn't know her like you did. Sure it sucks that I never got to know her, but my pain is minimal compared to yours." I leaned away from him slightly so he could get off the couch easily.

  Once he was up, he offered his hand to assist me off the couch. I thought he would immediately head to the door so we didn't get caught by my mom; she'd be home any minute. Instead he pulled me toward him for a hug and tightly wrapped his arms around me. "I'm not worried because you knew her and will be upset because she's gone. You're strong. The main reason I worry is because of what you went through. You were a part of it as well, and I don't want you to relive it. We need to move on, and I know it will take some time, but we have to try. I don't want us to be stuck in the past. We are alive right now. We should live for Sophie."

  I hugged him tightly to me. Once again I didn't have the heart or the words to tell him that I had a bad feeling. The ominous darkness from my dream seemed to be following me around on its own accord. It had to be the anniversary looming over me in it's own way like Mason said, but I didn't feel like it was because I had been a part of it. Mason was right, I was stuck in the past and we should move on. I just wasn't sure how to do that. Something was holding me back while Mason was trying to pull me forward. I just hoped that I was still in shock from what happened like the doctors said. I didn't want anything more to come from the web of lies we had uncovered last year.

  "I want to. I just have this feeling and I don't know what it is." That was all I could say on the matter. I could barely describe it to myself, how could I possibly tell Mason? Luckily he didn't push me on it. He pulled me tighter to him and let me relax into his body. The safety I felt in his arms was like a sanctuary from the world I had lived in for the past year. "I don't know if I could have made it through everything without you." The words had slipped out before I could stop them, and they left me feeling vulnerable. Thankfully, I knew Mason wouldn't take advantage of that. He always knew just what to say to me to ease my mind.

  "Whatever happens, Casey, we have each other to help get through it. I'll always be here for you, and when you're ready to talk about whatever it is going on in that thick skull of yours, I'll be here." The joking tone in his voice relaxed me. Though it annoyed me that he could read me so well, yet still not know what was going on in my mind. It would make things a lot easier.

  I nodded and pressed myself as close to his chest as possible, listening to his heart beat; a relaxing steady rhythm for me to find comfort in. I sighed as I relaxed slightly. For now the darkness had left me and I could take an easy breath for the first time in months.

  "It's just one day, Casey. We can get through it together."

  "You're right." As the words left my mouth I heard a car door slam. We pulled apart and quickly gathered Mason's things before I sent him out through the back door. While I hoped Mom wouldn't punish me for having him over unsupervised, I didn't want to find out for sure. He gave me a quick kiss before leaving, and I managed to seal the door behind him just before Mom walked in.

  His words echoed through my mind. It's just one day, Casey. We can get through it together. I shuddered. They seemed to haunt me as if they were a warning instead
of the comforting words he had meant them as.

  It's just one day. We can get through it together.

  At least I hope so.

  Chapter 2

  The Beginning of the End

  "Can you believe that it's been a year?" Mindy whispered to Brad as the clock ticked down to the end of class. "I know I can't. I wonder what will happen tomorrow."

  I tried not to listen, but it was impossible to ignore their conversation with them sitting right behind me. I honestly think Mindy was doing it on purpose. After her true colors were shown last year, I walked out of our friendship and never looked back. She put on her usual fake attitude when school started back up, but I knew she didn't actually care about me. If she did then she would have visited me in the hospital. The only people other than my family who showed up were Mason and his parents, who barely knew me and had to come face to face with the people who the other parent had been with. Even Katie had called to check on me before she moved back. The story had made national news, and now our town was a tourist spot for murder fanatics.

  "The anniversary of a tragic event is when all the copy cats come out to play." Brad's voice was light and airy, before turning to a menacing growl as if to scare Mindy. It wouldn't work, she had perfected the monster routine earlier. Pretty face, but a terrible attitude when she didn't get her way or when someone stood up to her.

  "I hope not. Maybe I'll dye my hair black just to be safe."

  My fist clenched at her words. She made it seem like a joke. I could almost forgive Brad because he was the epitome of a stereotypical jock, dumber than a bag of rocks, but Mindy was just baiting me. I waited for her to say that I was next, that the copycat would come after me or that Mason would kill himself on the anniversary and I'd be to blame. I had heard it all since the start of school. They wanted something to talk about, so they made stories up. Well fuck them, I thought as the bell finally rang.

  I jammed my text book and my spiral bound notebook into my backpack, crushing one of my folders in the process. I didn't care, I just wanted to get as far away from Mindy as possible. I'd see her in the next few periods, but if I didn't get out now I'd turn around and tell her off, which would only make things worse. They'd probably say that with my aggression I would snap and kill someone tomorrow. They already thought I was mad, because word had gotten out that I was seeing a psychiatrist out of town. I wasn't sure who told, but I had my hunch. When the rumor first began I noticed Mindy stroking the fire.

  The hallways were filled with my fellow students and a few faculty who had been put on the "Hall Security" team. I couldn't be sure what their actual job description was, but what they did was yell at us for lagging in the halls after the bell rang and keep couples from making out. I think they were even supposed be the first ones on the scene if a fight broke out or something worse.

  I shuddered at the thought, imagining one of them pulling me away from Mindy. I shook the thought from my head as I made it to my locker. I started using it more often this year as a break from the chaos that was my daily life. I could stop at my locker, breathe, and even stick my head inside when I wanted to disappear. I never actually did it, but it was always an option. The idea was particularly alluring when the rumors got to be too much. Some of my classmates were too interested in my story. Sometimes their fascination was so strong that they wanted to see the cabin Mr. Miller had taken me to, and ask for full details on everything that had happened that traumatizing day. Others would check on me if I sat alone and try to be my friend, while some were just rude. It seemed the only place that I could have a few minutes to myself was ironically in a hallway filled with people at my locker. Even the bathroom wasn't an option because girls would try to catch a glimpse of my scar or ask me if Mr. Miller had taken my attack a step further. I gagged once I made the connection to what that meant. I took a match and lit that memory on fire in hopes that it would vanish in a puff of smoke and never come back.

  I dialed in my combination and opened my locker to see a white envelope drop down in front of my eyes. My hand automatically went to my chest as I jumped back slightly in shock. I had become jumpy after the attack, not that anyone could blame me, but a note scaring me was a bit ridiculous. I clearly hadn't healed and moved on as much as I hoped.

  I plucked the letter from its spot on the bottom of my locker, and turned it over to see messy handwriting scrawled across the envelope.

  For Andrea Hale's Only Living Daughter

  It was predominantly placed in the center of the envelope. The breath left my lungs instantly, and my stomach churned and threatened to have me throw up here and now on the hallway floor. I felt my heartbeat pick up, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

  "Casey?" I heard a male voice say. It sounded as if he had tried getting my attention before. I knew it was Mason, but I couldn't take my eyes off the envelope. I released a shaky breath I hadn't realized I was holding in, and tried to stuff the letter in my bag quickly in an attempt to hide it from him. He would go ballistic and I didn’t want him to cause a scene. "Casey, what's wrong?" The concern in his voice broke my heart, but I couldn't force a word or sound to come out. I could only think about what was written on the envelope and wonder whose sick idea of a joke this was.

  Mason frowned. “What were you holding?

  I shook my head quickly. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

  He wasn’t convinced though. “Let me see it.”

  I bit my lip, thinking about how he would react if I showed him now, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t going to drop it. “Don’t freak out. It’s nothing.”

  He frowned, but didn’t say anything as he waited for me to pull the envelope back out of the depths of my bag. When I finally pulled it out, he plucked the letter from my hand and glanced over the words before a low growl rumbled from deep in his chest. "This is sick," he spat. His anger was growing, but when he noticed a few tears leak from my eyes he quickly let it vanish and hugged me to him, trying to make it look normal so no one would stop and ask us any questions, especially not Hall Security. "Do you want to go home? My dad let me borrow the car this week in case I had to leave school for the anniversary for any reason.”

  I could only manage a nod, and with that Mason led me from the school. He gave me his hoodie and said that it was because it was cold outside, but I knew what he was doing. It was early September, and the weather was still sunny and nice, with an exception for the occasional cool breeze. He just wanted to give me his hoodie so I could cover my face so people wouldn't ask questions. I took the hoodie and the polite gesture that came with it. He slung his arm over my shoulders and playfully pulled me with him. To anyone passing us it would look like we were joking around and having fun, not that I was about to have a mental break down in the middle of the hallway. What would I do without Mason?

  We exited the school easily enough. The school couldn't technically keep us inside all day, though few went outside except during their lunch hour. I had seen some of the Hall Security teachers cast me a sorrowful look as we walked past, almost willing to let us leave so I could have time to collect myself. I tried not to think about it too much as Mason shuffled me toward his dad's truck. He put me into the passenger seat like a gentleman before getting in himself.

  My thoughts were on the envelope that Mason had stuffed in his backpack while I put on his hoodie while we drove. I barely saw the scenery of our small town as Mason sped away from the school. I couldn't pull myself away from wondering who would have put that letter in my locker and why they did it. That was too far, even for Mindy. Plus, it would have taken her time and effort to write me a letter, which according to her she had better things to do. Other than her, I can't imagine anyone finding a sick twisted humor out of this. Between this and the ominous feeling that something was going to happen, it was too much, too real. What if it's happening again?

  I shook my head to clear those thoughts as fast as I could. No, this was just someone's idea of a joke. This
wasn't anything other than a sick joke. It couldn't be.

  My wrist stung, making me painfully aware of its presence beneath my wristband. The more I let those thoughts run rampant, the more it hurt. I hated that I would forever have a reminder of what happened, and how someone's sick joke could bring me to pieces. As if it wasn't already enough that everyone walked on eggshells around me, or prodded me for a reaction, but I also had to deal with the physical and mental scars that had been left behind. I unconsciously slipped my fingers under the wristband and scratched at the skin beneath it in hopes of erasing the reminder.

  As we pulled into Mason's driveway, I noticed that his mom's car wasn't in the driveway. His dad had a strict rule about us being inside alone together, but let's face it, neither of us abided by that rule. We looked to each other for comfort, and sometimes that meant going around our parent's rules so that we could just heal a bit.

  Mason helped me out of the car, before walking up to the front door and unlocking it. He pushed it opened and gestured for me to go first, allowing me to walk past him and inside of the house. "Where do you want to go?" I asked, turning back to face him as he pushed the door shut and locked it.