by Dakota Lake
“Well hurry up,” he smirked and pulled the chain on the toilet. I screamed as the water turned ice cold, backing away to the other end of the bath tub.
“I hate you! Now get out,”
“What's going on? I heard screaming,” Seth said from the other side of the curtain. At this point I wanted the plug hole to swallow me.
“You've got two minutes,” Micah said trying not laugh.
“Dude that's my sister, not funny.” Seth said to Micah as the door shut.
I jumped down the stairs, swinging around the bottom banister post. I was starving. I took one step into the kitchen and Micah pulled me back by my pony tail.
“Ouch! that is attached.” I said pulling my pony tail from his grasp.
“You haven't got time the bell went ten minutes ago.” Micah said, placing my bag on my shoulder. Seth stood there with a bowl of cereal in his hand. I looked at the spoon in his other hand and my tummy rumbled. Micah waved a snack bar in front of my face and I snatched it from him. “Let's go,”
“Have a good day,” Seth called to me as Micah pushed me towards the door.
Once outside Micah started cursing at his truck. I looked over to see the front windscreen covered in bird mess, the raven sat close by on a tree stump. I couldn't contain my laughter.
“He's not doing himself any favours, how is that possibly all from one bird, it looks like he had help.”
“Well that should be easy, count how many birds you've tried to get rid of this year. That looks like payback.”
Chapter Twelve
It was the smell that woke me up early on Saturday morning. I sat up in bed, automatically covering my nose with my hand. It was rotten and disgusting. I slowly crawled off the bed checking all around to make sure Gunner hadn't bought anything in. I found Seth in the kitchen finishing his breakfast.
“What is that smell?” I asked.
He looked at me and sniffed the air. “I don't smell anything,”
“What? How can you not smell that it's rotten, smells like something died.” Micah walked in behind me and leaned against the counter.
“Do you smell that?” I asked Micah.
He looked at me then at Seth. They both shrugged.
“I need to get showered, let me know if you find anything.” Seth left the room.
I removed my hand from my nose then regretted it and covered it back over. Micah stood there checking the bottom of his boots.
“Well it's not me.” he said, sniffing his shirt.
I walked around the kitchen but couldn't pin point where the smell was coming from. “I need some fresh air,”
I opened the back door and the smell hit me, outside smelt ten times worse than inside the house. I gagged and stepped back inside pulling the door shut. At least now I knew where the smell was coming from. I slipped on a pair of Seth's boots that were next to the door, they were far too big but I didn't care I wanted to find out what was making such a stench. I walked across the back yard looking everywhere. Micah jogged over to me.
“You seriously can't smell that?” I asked.
He shook his head. I went over to the edge of the grass where the trees started.
“I think it's coming from over here somewhere,”
The air was cold as we wondered through the forest. I crossed my arms to keep warm, I was only wearing leggings and a T-shirt. The further we walked the sillier I felt. Why was I the only one that could smell it? And at this distance away this was crazy, my nose wasn't that good. It seemed like we were walking into the middle of nowhere, but the smell seemed to be getting stronger the further we walked. I looked up, a few trees in front the answer to the smell was lying on the floor. I wrinkled my nose.
A decomposing deer lay on the floor.
“You can smell it now. Right?”
“Yep,” he said covering his nose with his sleeve.
“I think I'm going to throw up.” I said, covering half my face with the neck of my T-shirt. “I think that's enough fresh air for one day,” Micah said pulling me away.
We walked back into the cabin and I went straight to the cupboard under the sink looking for anything that resembled air freshener.
“Here we go, this should help,” I sprayed the room, sniffing the air then sprayed some more. “Don't you think that's enough?”
“No just a little more. There that's mildly better.”
“Great you've overdosed us on air freshener. I now smell like a meadow.”
“How could you not smell that? I can still smell it.” I said, spraying the air in front of me. “Seth's going into town to get some groceries why don't you go with him. I'll take care of it.” “What do you mean take care of it?” I asked.
“Do you really want to know,”
“No probably not,”
He walked over to the front door.
“Wait. How is that possible that I could smell that from my bedroom?”
“You obviously have good sense of smell,”
“Yeah right, I can't even smell burnt toast.”
“Maybe you're going through changes or something you are a teenager,”
“Changes. I'm quite sure we covered those changes in biology and they didn't include increased sense of smell,”
“Well maybe they skipped over that chapter,” he said quickly closing the door behind him. “Micah, don't walk off I'm talking.....to you,” I said to the back of the door.
I went upstairs feeling frustrated with Micah yet again.
I got washed and dressed skipping breakfast as Seth said he would treat me to breakfast in town. We wondered around the supermarket over filling the trolley, Seth said I could pick out whatever I wanted. I guessed he was probably using money won from bets to pay for it. I wondered why he still drove around in that rusty old truck when he could clearly afford something flashier like Micah's truck. We had breakfast at Eggy's Diner and I watched Seth put away his second breakfast of the morning.
Later when we arrived back at the cabin, Micah's truck was gone. Seth started unloading the groceries into the house. I hopped out the truck, noticing straight away I could no longer smell anything other than the normal outdoors smell.
“Did you ever find out what that smell was this morning?” Seth asked grabbing the last of the bags. “Huh?”
“This morning you said you could smell something,”
“Oh that, yeah Micah stepped in something.”
“That's nasty, he better of cleaned the mess up,” I just nodded.
I finished my reading and a few bits I needed to get done for school. Then I helped Seth with dinner. Caitlin picked me up just after seven. Aimee was in the front seat of the car chatting and giggling very loudly on her cell, she kept mentioning the name Kevin so I assumed that was who she was talking to.
Caitlin pulled off the main road and onto a bumpy side road, that looked like it hadn't been maintained in years.
Further down we passed a few buildings that looked like derelict old factories. She parked around the back with the rest of the cars I was surprised at how many cars were actually here. There were a few boys hanging around in the parking lot, skateboarding over ramps and drinking. I watched each of them for a moment checking all of their faces, wondering if Mack was over there? But I didn't recognise any of them.
Mack wasn't at school Friday and I had spent the whole of English class wondering where he was? Was he really sick or just playing truant and if so what was he doing that was more important than school?
Cam on the other hand had been around every corner I turned, every class I had been in he seemed to be just down the corridor or outside the window. I hoped it was just a weird coincidence. The incident the other night had put me on edge, Micah still didn't believe me and the fact my room had smelt of roses the same scent I had smelled on Cam, was still playing on my mind. I still couldn't hear Cam's thoughts, so I felt the need to keep my distance from him there was something about him that didn't seem right. Why was he so interested in me? There were muc
h prettier girls at school to follow around.
Aimee skipped ahead of us and disappeared into the trees, we followed behind her along a well trodden floor which led the way. Caitlin linked arms with me.
“I hope Josh is here, I didn't see his car anywhere. He said he would be here,” she whined. “I'm sure if he said he would be here he will, especially if he knows you're here. He might of just got a ride with someone else,”
“Oh yeah I hadn't thought of that,”
“He came with Kevin, Kev just told me,” Aimee said, waving her cell around like a wand. “How much has she already had to drink?” I asked Caitlin.
“I have no idea, she was like that when I picked her up. I think she drained her mom's liquor cabinet though,”
The path led to a large clearing, there were people everywhere mostly in groups. There was even a few tents set up. There was a slope around the edge and a rope swing with people swinging on it. There were a few fires going and people were stood around them drinking. Music was playing from somewhere but I couldn't locate it. I recognised some of the girls sitting on a blanket near the swing. All around us I could hear people messing around and running through the trees. Two boys ran past us with water guns chasing each other, we were standing in the line of fire and got sprayed with water.
“Oh my, don't look,” Caitlin said flustered.
At that point it was too late and I had already looked over and seen a completely stark naked guy running around the fire where a group of girls now sat screaming their heads off, he then ran back into the trees with his friends. I was certain I had seen him in my calculus class before. “I really wish I could un-see that.” I laughed.
“Well that shouldn't be too hard there wasn't much to see in the first place if you get my drift,” Aimee said, taking a sip from a bottle that I hadn't seen her with a minute ago.
“Ruby meet drunken jokes Aimee, the best side of her when she's been drinking. We normally get stuck with drunken hostile Aimee that curses way too much and tries to strangle everyone.” “That happens?”
“Oh yeah that happens, we usually have to sit on her until she stops.”
“Sounds like fun.” I said, watching Aimee push through a crowd of boys to the right. “She's a wild one. Oh I think I can see Josh,” Caitlin said, rushing off to the left.
I stood there not sure who to follow. I didn't want to be stuck as a third wheel between Josh and Caitlin, so I went right trailing Aimee who had now disappeared from sight.
More people were turning up and my head was buzzing from the overflow of thoughts everywhere. This was why I preferred to stay at home most nights. I already had to put up with this all day, five days a week being at school. But I didn't want to be lonely and end up with no friends so I had to put up with it and try my best to ignore it. Back home with Carly it was different she knew the reason why I sometimes didn't want to go out after a long day at school and preferred staying at home.
As I stepped over and squeezed around people I spotted Cam, he was chatting to a pretty blonde but he had his eyes fixed on me.
He wore a chequered shirt rolled up at the sleeves even from here I could clearly see his tattoo exposed on his arm, he had his cap on like normal with jeans. I tried to blend in and hid behind a group of boys that had set up a barbecue. I peeked around a tall boy, Cam still hadn't taken his eyes off of me and had even moved to get a better view of me.
He reminded me of a lion stalking it's prey before it's attack. I retreated further into the group wedged in between two of the boys, they didn't seem to mind. One even offered me a drink I declined, seeing as it was already open and I didn't know him. The group suddenly dispersed heading back to the cars to get more drink. I was left standing in the open next to the boy attending the barbecue. I looked over to where I had last seen Cam, he was gone.
“Do you want one? They're ready,” the boy asked, pointing at the burgers. Just from looking at them I was sure they were anything but ready.
“No it's okay I ate before I came out thanks,” I replied casually looking around.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, I spun around expecting to see Aimee or Caitlin. Instead I looked up to find Cam looking back at me.
“I've been waiting for you,” Cam said, it was an innocent comment but it didn't sit well, even the boy next to me raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well here I am,” I hadn't meant it to sound the way it came out, I didn't want to give him any ideas. “Do you want to go for a walk? There's a wooden swing over here,” he said, pulling me away by the hand.
“I need to find Caitlin,” I politely said pulling my hand back.
“I just saw her running off into the forest with some blonde boy,”
“Probably Josh,” I replied, wondering how to get out of this.
I felt cornered not being able to think of any other excuses not to go for a walk with him. Caitlin had run off with Josh and I couldn't see Aimee anywhere which left me all on my own with nothing to do.
“Come on. Five minutes take a walk with me,”
“Okay five minutes then I need to find Aimee.”
I took one finale look over my shoulder, spotting Mack sitting on the slope opposite. He saw me and held my gaze for a brief second then looked away.
“Coming?” he asked. I nodded, not quite sure what I was doing.
Did I really want to go into the forest with Cam, could I trust him? Thinking back he had only been nice to me and given me no reason not to trust him.
We walked through the trees and I was silently pleased to be away from the crowd and all the noise in my head, out here all I could hear was the distant music.
“So Ruby, such a beautiful name. Named after the gem I presume,”
“Err, yeah,” It was true, my grandmother Opal had started the trend with her two daughters Sapphire and Pearl. My mom Pearl had gone along with it and named me Ruby.
The swing came into view and Cam helped me up the slope.
“How are you finding Heaven's Point?”
“Well it hasn't been as boring as I expected. Do you like working at HPH?”
“It's bearable, there are a few perks to the job.” he said smiling.
I didn't like to ask what those perks were, as long as he didn't mean following me around school. I sat on the swing, my feet hanging just off the floor. Cam came up behind me and gently pushed me forward. There was an awkward silence between us, I didn't know what to say and I didn't know what he was thinking.
“Do you live near by?” I asked innocently.
“Why? Do you want to see where I live Ruby?”
“Um No, I meant do you live in town?”
“Yes. Not too far. I live in an old manor house down near Ivy Creek off the main route out of town, can't miss it. Rose Cottage, walls out front, two large black gates and a circular drive way.” I nodded, but I really had no idea where that was.
“Sounds nice,” And expensive. “Do you live with family?” I asked.
“Sort of it's just me and my father but he works away a lot, I rarely see him anymore. It can be rather lonely sometimes,”
“So do you like living with your brother?” he asked.
The comment seemed to linger in my mind. Had I told him I was living with my brother? I might of mentioned it but I honestly couldn't recall us having spoken about who I was living with before. I didn't answer his question and the swing slowed down, Cam's icy cold fingers brushed against the back of my hand. I caught sight of the tattoo on his arm. A black sun surrounded by black flames, in this light the flames seemed to shimmer like black glitter.
“So what made you pick a black sun?” I asked turning on the swing seat to get a better view of him. “It's kind of ironic where I come from,” he smirked.
I waited for him to go on and explain what he meant but he didn't say anything else, instead he was interested in my bracelet. He ran his finger along it and smiled, it was a strange smile he was clearly thinking something as he looked distant almost distracted
.
“I should really get back,”
“What's the rush princess?”
“Why do you call me that?”
He leaned in closer to me, his face inches away. I couldn't help but stare into his black eyes, they were hard to look away from they were so unusual.
“It's what I've always called you,” he said.
But before I could register what he had said his lips were on mine. My mind was going over a hundred different reasons why this was not a good idea.
Sure he had been nothing but charming with me but there was something about him, a cold feeling I couldn't shake and it frightened me. His lips were soft but felt cold against mine, he held the kiss waiting for me to return it, but I breathed in his rose scent and had a flashback to the image in the glass in my bedroom and pulled away quickly. “Sorry. I don't think this is a good idea. I hardly know you,”
“Well you weren't complaining a second ago when you were biting my lip,” I looked at him, he was joking trying to fluster me and it was working.
“I didn't bite you,” I said, embarrassed.
He smiled at me and ran his fingers down my hair playing with the ends. I was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable. First he tries to kiss me, now he was pawing my hair. His hands seemed to find their way to wherever they wanted to. I didn't like it, he was treating me like I was his property.
A cry for help filled the air, I looked around wondering who had called out and where it had come from?
“Did you hear that?” I asked turning back to face him.
“Hear what?” he said running his fingers now down the side of my face. I heard another call for help and was almost certain it was Caitlin. I pulled his wondering hand away from my face and jumped off the swing.
“I can hear Caitlin,”
“Ruby there's no one there, I can't hear anything,”
“Well I can. I need to find her,”
I walked past him in the direction I thought I had heard Caitlin calling. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
