by Isobel Bird
“So we’re going to go find out,” Kate guessed. “Or at least find Mallory and tell her that someone has been asking about her.”
“You said that Mallory knows things about Ray that he doesn’t want her telling anyone,” said Cooper. “Do you think he would hurt her to keep her from talking, or does he just want to scare her?”
Sasha was quiet for a minute. “I don’t know what he would do,” she said, “but I can tell you from firsthand experience that Ray is not a nice guy.”
“The guy we talked to was really kind of charming,” Becka told her, clearly trying to be reassuring.
“Oh, Ray can be charming,” Sasha replied. “He can be very charming.”
She stopped talking and looked out the window. Kate wanted to ask her more questions, but she could tell that Sasha didn’t want to say any more about Ray and his secrets. Kate suspected that Sasha knew full well why Ray wanted to keep Mallory quiet, but knowing why didn’t really matter. All they needed to worry about was finding out who the guy looking for her was and letting her know he was around.
Annie parked the car a few blocks away from the entrance to the park. The girls got out and congregated on the sidewalk to formulate a plan.
“If it’s Ray, he knows what I look like,” Sasha said, taking charge. “I don’t want that to happen before I can talk to Mallory, so I think I should be the one to go look for her. Kate, you come with me. No one should go alone, just in case we run into trouble. Annie, Cooper, and Becka, you guys go check out the area around the fountain. This guy has already seen you. If you run into him, try to stall him long enough for us to get to Mallory and get her out of the pump station.”
“Where are we going to take her when we find her?” Cooper asked.
“Back to my house,” said Sasha. “I know she won’t want to go, but she’s got to. I’m not letting her stay out here if Ray is after her. And if it really is her brother after all, then we can bring him to my house later to meet her.”
They agreed to meet back at the car in half an hour for a check-in. “If we haven’t found Mallory by then, we’ll go to Plan B,” Sasha informed them.
“What’s Plan B?” asked Annie.
“I don’t know yet,” said Sasha. “I’m hoping Plan A works.”
They split up. Cooper, Becka, and Annie headed for the main entrance, while Sasha and Kate went along the side of the park.
“There’s a back entrance to the pump station,” Sasha explained. “It’s more overgrown than the other one, but it will keep us out of sight.”
They came to a densely wooded area. Sasha walked straight into the trees and disappeared. Following her, Kate was surprised to see that there was a tiny space between some bushes, just thin enough for someone to slip through if she knew it was there. Otherwise, it appeared to be a solid wall of branches.
The two girls picked their way along a path almost totally obscured by vegetation. It was getting dark, and it was difficult to make their way through the gloom. But Sasha pressed on, with Kate right behind her like a shadow, and soon they emerged into the clearing where the old templelike structure stood.
“Are we going to just walk in?” asked Kate nervously. “What if Ray is in there?”
“We don’t have a lot of choice,” Sasha answered. “Because if Ray is in there, then Mallory is in there, too.”
They crept slowly up to the front door and peered inside. The main room seemed to be empty. “Mallory?” Sasha called softly. There was no answer.
The girls went in and walked across the room to the short hallway. Moments later they were going down the filthy stairs. Some of the lightbulbs seemed to have broken, and it was even darker and grungier than it had been the first time they’d descended into the earth. This time, though, they knew what to expect. Even still, Kate shuddered when she saw things skittering away into the darkness as they passed by.
They made their way into the main pump room and looked around. When Kate saw Mallory slumped on the ground, on top of the old sleeping bag Annie had given her earlier, she almost screamed. But Sasha ran to her friend and dropped to her knees.
“Mal?” she said, alarmed.
Mallory’s face was covered in blood, as were the clothes she was wearing. It was impossible to see where the blood was coming from, but it covered Sasha’s hands as she grabbed her friend and called out her name. The girl’s skin was covered in contusions, and one eye was swollen shut.
“Mallory?” Sasha said, sounding frantic. “Mallory?”
Kate held her breath. Was Mallory dead? She couldn’t tell. Her body hung, seeming lifeless, in Sasha’s arms. She didn’t open her eyes or respond to Sasha’s voice.
“No,” Sasha said. “No. I’m not letting you die.” She put her hand on Mallory’s neck, feeling for a pulse. “She’s alive,” she told Kate.
“But not for long.”
The girls looked up and saw a young man walk out from behind the broken remains of the pump.
“Ray,” Sasha said, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and hatred. “It is you.”
“Sasha,” Ray said, grinning broadly. “What a treat. I didn’t know Mal was visiting an old friend. She should have told me. Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to knock her around. If I remember correctly, you and I have an old score to settle ourselves,” Ray said to Sasha. Then he looked at Kate. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
Sasha didn’t say anything. She was busy wiping the blood from Mallory’s face. Kate stared back at Ray, wondering how he could do what he’d done to Mallory and still seem as if he was simply at a party, making conversation.
“That’s okay,” said Ray smoothly. “You don’t have to tell me her name. I’ll get it out of one of you, the same way I got what I wanted out of Mal.”
Kate looked at Sasha. What were they going to do? They clearly had to get Mallory—and themselves—out of there. But there was only one way out, and Ray was standing right in the middle of it.
“Get out of the way, Ray,” Sasha said. Her voice had taken on a flat, emotionless tone, as if she were talking to a dog she didn’t much care for. “We’re taking Mallory out of here. I suggest you get out, too, because as soon as our friends make their phone call the cops are going to be crawling all over this place.”
Ray laughed. “Nice try,” he said. “You get an A for effort. But there are no cops coming. And even if there were, they wouldn’t care about some stupid runaway. You should know that, Sasha. After all, they didn’t help you when you went to them back in L.A., did they?”
Kate was confused. What was Ray talking about? She looked at Sasha, who suddenly looked very frightened. Ray laughed again. “See, you do remember. What makes you think this time will be any different?”
He was walking toward them now, his steps heavy on the concrete floor. Ray edged by Kate and she backed away. He stopped, turning to her and smiling. “Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll get to you. But first Sasha and I have some unfinished business.”
Keeping Kate in his line of vision, he advanced on Sasha with a roar that filled the room. Kate watched it all as if it were happening in slow motion. She saw Ray’s arm go up, saw Sasha look up to see what he was doing, saw the look of rage on Ray’s face.
She knew that she should do something. She knew that if they had been in a movie, or a TV show, she would suddenly reach down and throw a handful of dirt in Ray’s face, blinding him. If she was like those women in the movies, she’d find some way to rush in and save her friend. But she wasn’t one of those women. She was just a scared girl who didn’t know what to do. All she could do was watch as Ray’s hand came down with sickening speed at Sasha’s head.
Then she saw Sasha’s hand come up. Something gleamed in it, and she saw Sasha slash the air near Ray’s wrist. Then she saw Ray grab his arm and clutch it to his chest.
Blood was seeping out from between Ray’s fingers where he held his arm. He was howling in pain. Kate looked at Sasha. She was holding a knife in her
hand. It was red with Ray’s blood. The look on Sasha’s face made even Kate frightened of her.
“Kate, help me with Mallory,” Sasha called. “Kate!” she said again when Kate didn’t move.
Kate snapped out of her trance and ran over to where Mallory lay on the floor, still not moving.
“You’re going to have to carry her,” Sasha said.
Kate glanced at Ray. He was still doubled over. His shirt was soaked with blood, and he was glaring at Sasha.
“Don’t worry about him,” Sasha said to Kate. She turned her attention to Ray. “You stay right there until we’re gone,” she told him. “If you come after us, you’re dead.”
She didn’t wait for a reply from the wounded guy. Kate half carried and half dragged Mallory down the hall, then started up the stairs. Mallory’s feet banged on every step, and Kate’s arms ached with the effort of holding her up. She could feel her muscles beginning to cramp up.
“I don’t think I can do this myself,” Kate said when they were halfway up the stairs.
Sasha peered into the darkness, looking for any sign that Ray was following them. Then, reluctantly, she slipped the knife into her pocket. She turned and lifted Mallory’s feet.
With the two of them carrying the girl, it was easier to get her up the steps. Soon they were passing through the front room and heading for the door. Outside, Kate could see the grayness of twilight, and her spirits lifted.
Just as they were about to leave the building Ray burst from the shadows and lunged at Sasha with a cry of rage. Kate saw her friend crumple to the ground as Ray grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back. It all happened so quickly that Sasha didn’t have time to react, and the end result was that Ray was on top of her, beating her with his good hand while she tried to fight him off.
Kate knew she had to do something. She glanced down and saw a piece of jagged stone, fallen off the crumbling structure. Kate grabbed it and moved toward Ray and Sasha. “Get off her!” she shouted.
Ray looked up and snarled at Kate. He made a move to grab at her, and for a split second Kate was frozen once again. She knew what she had to do, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Mother, help me, she thought, calling on the Goddess for strength.
Then she felt her arms coming down. She felt the stone hit Ray’s forehead. The noise of it made her want to scream. Then she realized that she was screaming. She also realized that Ray had collapsed on top of Sasha.
“Get him off me!” Sasha was yelling.
Kate dropped the stone, glad to be free of it. She rolled Ray off of Sasha, who scrambled to her feet.
“Is he dead?” Kate asked, staring at Ray’s unmoving form.
“Who cares?” said Sasha. “Let’s go.”
She grabbed Kate, spinning her around and focusing her attention on Mallory. Kate grabbed Mallory under the arms, while Sasha grabbed her feet. Together they carried her outside and down the steps. As they reached the last one they heard a commotion in the bushes, and then Cooper, Annie, and Becka were there.
“Is everyone okay?” asked Annie anxiously.
“We heard screaming,” said Becka.
“We’re fine,” said Sasha. “But Mallory isn’t. We need to get her out of here. Now.”
The girls helped lift Mallory, and together they carried her as quickly as possible through the trees. The whole time Kate waited to hear Ray coming through the trees behind them. Part of her wanted to hear him coming, because that would mean that she hadn’t killed him. But what if she had? She’d hit him as hard as she could, and the sound had been terrible. What if she’d crushed his skull? She couldn’t think about it.
They emerged at the fountain. There were a few skateboarders and other people still hanging around, but none of them said a word as the girls carried Mallory out of the park and toward the car.
CHAPTER 11
“We have to get her to a hospital,” Annie said.
They were in the car. Cooper was driving and Annie was sitting beside her. Mallory was in the backseat, stretched across the laps of Kate, Sasha, and Becka. Sasha was rubbing her friend’s hair and speaking softly to her.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said over and over, sounding like a mother comforting a sick child. “It’s going to be okay.”
Mallory still hadn’t opened her eyes. She was breathing, so they knew she was alive, but none of them knew how injured she might be.
Cooper drove as quickly as she could without risking getting into an accident. When they reached the hospital she tore into the emergency room parking lot and pulled up to the doors. She and Annie got out and helped pull Mallory from the backseat while the others scrambled out after her. Three of them carried the unconscious girl while Annie and Kate ran ahead to the reception desk.
“We need help,” Annie said to the receptionist. “Our friend is hurt.”
The receptionist eyed Mallory as the other three carried her up to the desk. The receptionist motioned to someone behind her and moments later two men wheeled out a gurney while a woman and a man wearing blue hospital scrubs followed behind. The orderlies took Mallory from the girls and lay her on the gurney. The woman began checking her while the man turned to the girls.
“I’m Dr. Vargas and this is Dr. Madden,” he said, nodding toward his colleague. “What happened?”
“She fell off some rocks we were hanging around on,” answered Sasha.
A look of suspicion passed briefly over the man’s face. Then he was all business again. “First things first,” he said, turning to help Dr. Madden examine Mallory.
“How long has she been unconscious?” Dr. Madden asked.
“About twenty minutes,” Sasha told her.
The two doctors opened Mallory’s eyes and shined a light in them. “What’s her name?” asked the man.
“Mal—” Kate began, but Sasha interrupted her.
“Denise,” Sasha said.
Dr. Vargas nodded, regarding Sasha closely for a moment. “Denise,” he said to Mallory. “Can you hear me?”
Mallory didn’t respond.
“Let’s get her into a room,” said Dr. Madden.
The orderlies wheeled Mallory away, with the woman doctor following them. Dr. Vargas turned to the girls. “Tell me exactly what happened,” he said.
“She was climbing around on some rocks and totally wiped out,” Sasha said, sounding frustrated. “What else is there to know?”
The doctor looked at Sasha as if he wanted to ask more questions. Instead he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “You stay here and fill out the paperwork they’re going to need. I’ll see what I can find out about your friend.”
“Sister,” Sasha said. “She’s my sister.”
“Your sister,” the man said. “Okay. Well, stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I know something.”
The doctor left the girls in the waiting area and followed after the other doctor and Mallory.
“Why did you tell him she’s your sister?” Kate asked Sasha when he was gone.
“And why did you say her name was Denise?” Annie added.
Sasha sighed. “You guys don’t get it,” she said. “And I don’t expect you to. Mallory is a runaway. Do you know what that means to people? She might as well be a piece of trash on the street. I didn’t want them to treat her like that.”
“I don’t think they would treat her any differently,” Becka said.
Sasha shot her a look. “They would,” she said. “I know.”
She turned and walked over to the receptionist. “What do I need to fill out?” she asked.
The woman handed her a clipboard holding a stack of forms. “This, for starters,” she said. “We’ll need to know what insurance she has, any health problems, that kind of thing. And we’ll need contact information. Are you family?”
“Her sister,” replied Sasha.
“Then we’ll need to get your parents down here,” the receptionist told her.
Sasha nodded. She took the clipboard and walked over to an em
pty chair. The other girls followed her and sat around her, watching as she filled in the first form.
“Are you just making everything up?” Cooper asked.
Sasha shrugged. “I don’t have a choice,” she said. “I don’t know anything about her health or anything like that.”
“What about this whole parent thing?” Annie asked her. “You can’t just make that up. Someone is going to have to come down here.”
“I know,” answered Sasha. “One thing at a time, though.”
They left her alone to fill out the forms. After a minute Kate got up and walked down the hall to the water fountain. Annie followed her. The two of them stood at the fountain and talked.
“This isn’t good,” Annie said. “We’re going to have to tell someone who can help.”
“I know,” Kate responded. “But how? Sasha is totally paranoid about police and authority figures and all of that.”
“What do you think she meant when she said she knows how hospitals treat runaways?” Annie asked.
“I’m not sure,” said Kate, leaning down to take her third drink in an attempt to look like they were actually getting water and not holding a mini-conference. “Something else strange happened earlier. When Ray was threatening us, he said something about having once done something bad to Sasha. Maybe that has something to do with it.”
“Maybe,” Annie said thoughtfully. “But we’re going to have to do something. For one thing, Ray is still out there.”
Kate blanched. For a second she thought she might faint. Annie, seeing her face, asked, “Are you okay?”
Kate nodded. “I had to hit him,” she said, her voice faint. “With a stone.” She paused, unable to continue. The sound of the stone hitting Ray’s head had come back to her with sickening clarity, and she felt her stomach rising. She managed not to throw up, but just barely.
“Did you—” began Annie, then stopped. She looked at her friend, and the unspoken question was in her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Kate said, knowing that Annie was asking if Ray was dead. “I hit him really hard, and he wasn’t moving. He might be.”
