by Gina Rosati
She reaches out tentatively to touch her own dead hand, but then changes her mind. Several shuddering breaths later, she stands and approaches her parents.
“Mr. Gleason? I’m Annaliese Rogan.” She offers her hand, and my name sparks some obvious recognition.
“You’re the girl who witnessed Taylor’s murder!” he declares, still holding on to her hand.
“Yes, I did,” her voice cracks. All of the conversation in the room fades to a murmur, and it sounds as if someone has just handed Taylor a microphone. “And as soon as they find that monster, Seth Murphy, I’ll be there to testify against him so he can’t hurt anyone else!”
Rei’s face shows no emotion, but his aura looks like raw steak. Taylor doesn’t seem to notice everyone is eavesdropping. “I am sooo sorry.” Tears spill down her cheeks, and Taylor’s mother gives her a hug.
“Thank you, Annaliese,” she murmurs. Taylor clings to her mother and sobs. Her little brother looks at her as though she’s sprouted antlers.
After several awkward seconds, Rei steps forward and takes Taylor by the arm. “Okay, Anna,” he says in a tight voice, “there are other people waiting.”
“So let them wait,” Taylor is indignant, but it’s so crowded that once Rei moves to the side, someone else steps up to talk to Taylor’s mother. Rei makes his way with Taylor to the door leading to the front porch. “Why did you pull me away?” she demands to know.
“Because you were making a scene,” Rei responds without looking at her. “And I know you think Seth had something to do with this, but you need to keep your opinions to yourself. He’s innocent until proven guilty.”
“Bullshit! He’s guilty.” Taylor insists as they reach the exit. It’s several degrees cooler outside and Rei’s colors fade to orange. Briefly. Taylor yanks her arm from Rei’s grip. “And stop holding on to my arm so tight. What is wrong with you? One minute you’re all nice, and the next, you treat me like crap.”
“I’m not treating you like crap. I’m just sick of hearing you accuse Seth of something he didn’t do,” Rei shoots back.
“Look, Rei, you need to make up your mind. Either you’re on my side, or you’re on his side. Decide.”
Wasn’t she just crying two minutes ago? Now she looks ready to punch Rei in the face. Rei must know that either way, he will lose something in this argument. “I’m not choosing one friend over another. But,” his voice softens, sweetens, “you and I have been friends for a long time. We don’t want to throw that away.”
“I’m not interested in being just your friend.” Taylor wears four-inch heels and she uses that extra height to her advantage. “If you want to be friends with me, Rei, then you need to be with me.”
Rei folds his arms in front of his chest. “We already talked about this.”
“And we can talk about it some more when you drive me home.” She grabs the brass door handle and pulls hard. “I’ll be out in a few.”
Rei leans against the railing, standing as far upwind from the smokers as possible. After he calls my mom to tell her he’ll drive me home, he closes his eyes, and his breathing becomes slow and deep.
I watch Taylor work her way through the crowd. Even though I never spent much time looking in the mirror, I know what I look like, and this isn’t it. She’s trimmed my hair, plucked my eyebrows, covered my face with makeup, dressed me up in a low-cut shirt and black miniskirt and she walks with a certain swagger I’m certain I never had before. It looks like she’s stuffing my bra, too.
Her old friends are still sitting in their little snake pit, hissing to each other. By this time, they’ve all pushed their sunglasses up onto their heads and kicked off their high heels. The look of collective surprise is priceless when Annaliese Rogan confidently infiltrates their circle and sits on the padded arm of Vienna Beaulati’s chair.
“Hi. I’m not sure if you know me,” Taylor says smoothly. “I’m Annaliese, and I just want to tell you all how sorry I am to hear about your friend, Taylor.”
It’s like someone pushed a button: all their eyes and mouths go pop at the same time. If they know anything about me, it’s probably that I’m one of the shyest girls at school, more shadow than substance. As soon as the initial shock wears off, they are trying to figure out not just who I am, but what I am.
“Weren’t you on the gymnastics team in ninth grade?” asks Olivia Farrell. Yes, for all of six weeks. I picked up a lot of tumbling skills just by hanging around with Rei and Seth during their ninja-wannabe days in fifth and sixth grade, and by the time we got to high school, I was pretty decent. Rei sweet-talked me into trying out for the girls’ team by spewing some crap about how it would be good for me, that it would get me out of my shell. God gave some of us shells for a reason—ask any snail. I did it to make him happy, but more to prove to him that I could. Unfortunately, most of the competitions were at least an hour away, and I hated mooching rides off my teammates almost as much as I hated performing in those claustrophobic gyms in front of hundreds of people. Taylor didn’t even live here then, so how would she know that? She ignores the question.
“Didn’t you come in third in the state ski finals this year?” asks Mandy Paxton. It doesn’t surprise me she remembers this since her brother is also on the high school ski team. Every Christmas since I was six, Yumi and Robert have bought me a season pass to Smuggler’s Notch so I can ski with them. Rei and I used to be two of those obnoxious little kamikaze kids without poles who weave in and out between the civilized skiers like they were gates on our own personal slalom course. There are not many civilized skiers on the slopes we choose now. Rei flows like molten lava down the mountain, but I move like lightning, my knees and hips seemingly engineered to bounce over icy moguls. Skiing is about as close to astral projection as you can get with a body in tow—the speed, the height—it’s all second nature to me. The crowds are not as concentrated on a giant slalom course as they are in a gymnasium, and the ceiling is unlimited. I can tune out everything except gravity and that path I carve between the gates. I was positioned to place this year with one race to go, but Rei had already finished fourth in the boys’ division, and I didn’t want to go to regionals without him. Rei didn’t know I blew the next race on purpose. Taylor just doesn’t have a clue. She ignores that question, too.
“Aren’t you the only eye witness who saw Seth Murphy push Taylor into the falls?” Cori Schneider asks boldly. Every head in the circle swivels toward me. Ah, now I am someone of interest. Taylor nods emphatically.
Friendship is a funny thing. For all the years these girls have ignored me, they’re happy to accept this new and improved Anna Rogan into their group, as long as she provides them with some juicy gossip. Here is an eyewitness to the most shocking crime to ever happen in Byers. That’s as good a hook as any. Vienna scoots over in the chair to make enough room for Taylor to squeeze in.
Rei snaps into focus twenty minutes later when the girls emerge as a group onto the porch. Pushing away from the railing, he walks up behind Taylor.
“Anna? Are you ready?”
She whips around to face him. “Cori’s driving me home now.”
“What?” It’s understandable that he’s confused since he was Zen-ing out on the porch while Taylor was in there bonding with her old friends.
“Chill, Rei. I’m an awesome driver,” Cori grins. “You should take a ride with me sometime.”
“Thanks, I’m good.” Rei sticks his hand in his pocket and pulls out his keys. “Okay, then I’ll see you later.”
The group is giggling around Taylor now, and the general consensus is that Rei is cute. Kids at school just assume Rei and I are a couple since we’re always together, but the girls want details.
Taylor winks and smiles salaciously. Lots more giggles.
Rei walks fast to his parents’ SUV, jingling the keys hard against his thigh. Before he gets in the car, he calls my mom to let her know the change in driving plans. Once he shuts the door, he closes his eyes and rubs that spot in the middle
of his forehead. I pull from deep within space to get the energy I need to surge into view, but he doesn’t notice me. I reach over toward his forehead and let some of my energy trickle into him.
He opens his eyes and looks over at me.
“Hi.” His voice is worn thin. He closes his eyes again and leans his head back against the headrest. “Well, that really sucked.”
I hover over the seat, feeling helpless as I watch him brood.
“Okay,” he tells me without opening his eyes, “this is where we stand tonight. We already know Taylor has a vendetta against Seth, and she’s willing to perjure herself to get Seth convicted of killing her.”
Well, not really. She’s willing to perjure me, but I have no voice without the computer, so I let Rei finish.
“She’s reestablished contact with her parents,” Rei continues, “your mom actually seems to like her, and tonight she’s rallied her old friends around her again. She doesn’t have any interest in staying friends with me unless I want to date her, which I don’t, but I need some way to keep tabs on her.” He opens his eyes and looks at me, curled up over the passenger seat.
He sighs and his voice softens. “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated.”
I nod and mouth the words, It’s okay to him.
“Well,” he says hopefully, “at least my headache’s gone now.”
He starts the car and turns back to me with a short, ironic laugh.
“I guess I don’t have to remind you to buckle your seat belt.”
I guess not.
CHAPTER 19
Rei’s cell phone rings just as he pulls into his driveway.
“Hello.” As he shifts the car into park, his face lights up. “SETH! Where…” and just as quickly, all goes dark. He jabs at the steering wheel with his index finger as he listens, then he leans his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes. “Okay. Find somewhere safe to wait. I should get there in about two hours. Call me back then and let me know exactly where you are.” He listens again, rubbing that spot on his forehead. “Just sit tight, okay? Bye.” His hand makes a fist so tight when he closes the phone, for a second I wonder if the phone may shatter.
“The cops were staking out Matt’s dorm when Seth got there, so he made a run for it,” he tells me. “He got away, but they confiscated my bike. He thinks they pulled Matt in for questioning. Now I have to figure out what to tell my mother.”
I point to his bedroom window and pretend to type, indicating I need to talk to him. He nods, pulls the keys out of the ignition, and opens the car door with all the enthusiasm of a convict heading to the electric chair.
Yumi and Robert are sitting on the sofa, each with a different section of the newspaper.
“Rei?” Yumi calls out from behind the front page. “Why didn’t you tell me Seth was involved with this girl who died?”
The red aura surrounding Rei flares brighter. “Where does it say he’s involved with her? What are you reading?” Rei’s been reading the newspaper every morning, and there’s been no mention of Seth’s name.
Yumi folds the paper closed and looks at him over her reading glasses. “I didn’t read it. I heard some talk in the store today, and Seth’s father called tonight and asked if we’ve heard from him.”
“Well, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear at the store,” Rei snaps and starts up the stairs.
“Hold on, I’m not finished with you.” Yumi puts the paper on the end table and gets up. “Come here and sit.” She pulls a chair away from the table for him on her way to the kitchen. Rei inflates his lungs to full capacity and turns around slowly, his poker face in place. By the time he gets to the kitchen, Yumi is already at the sink, filling up the teakettle. “Have you talked with him? Do you know where he is?” She takes three cups out of the cupboard and sets them on the counter and reaches for the glass canister that holds the teabags. Rei takes one cup and returns it to the cupboard.
“He just called me. He was heading to Matt’s college and the police were there, so he took off. I want to go see if Matt and I can talk Seth into turning himself in.” He looks Yumi straight in the eye. “So can I take the car?”
Yumi’s eyebrows arch up a good inch. “Absolutely not!” she retorts. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking my best friend is in trouble. I’m thinking Matt and I can find him and talk some sense into him. And I’m thinking it would be really nice if you didn’t give me a hard time about this.”
And here I was thinking I am his best friend!
Yumi is a full twelve inches shorter than Rei, but one narrow look from her is usually all it takes for Rei or Saya to back down. Tonight, Rei stands firm. “Look, you’ve been really good to Seth since his mother left. Please don’t let him down now. Please Mom,” he begs. “He’s in trouble for no good reason. This girl stole his phone and wouldn’t give it back unless he met her at the falls, and she fell in by accident. What did you hear—that he pushed her?”
Yumi nods, frowning.
“Well, he didn’t. He’s scared. There’s all this incriminating evidence against him, but he didn’t push her. Let me go get Matt and talk him into turning himself in.”
“Rei, you do not want to get involved with this,” Yumi implores him. “This is between Seth and the police.”
“Dad,” Rei turns toward Robert. “Can I borrow the car?”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Yumi sputters.
Robert lifts the newspaper up in front of his face. “Sorry. Talk to your mother.”
This could go on all night. I head upstairs and pull enough energy to turn on the computer. Rei’s voice is low and persuasive; Yumi’s voice is high-pitched and defensive; and Robert is silent. By the time Rei comes upstairs, I’ve already typed a message.
I can find him once we get to New York.
Rei looks about ready to burst into flames. He yanks a duffel bag off his closet shelf, shoves a change of clothes into the bag, and goes off in search of stuff from the bathroom. Once he’s packed, he reads my message and nods once, deletes the message, and shuts the computer down.
At the bottom of the stairs, he stops and looks Yumi straight in the eyes. “I’m taking the car,” he says calmly. “If you want to call the police and report it stolen, then do it. I have my phone, and I should be back early tomorrow.” Rei opens the screen door and steps out into the night.
Now it’s Yumi who looks ready to explode. “Robert Reiki Ellis! You get back here this instant!”
Rei keeps on walking across the yard through the darkness, opens the car door, and tosses his duffel bag into the back. “Bye, Mom. I love you,” he calls just before he shuts the door. I slide in through the passenger door and watch him back out of the driveway.
During the first half hour, I swear he looks in the rearview mirror at least a hundred times. By the time we cross over the bridge at Chimney Point, I think he realizes Yumi didn’t call the police, but he doesn’t turn on music, and he doesn’t speak, except when he stops to gas up the car and ask the man at the register for the key to the restroom.
He’s getting tired. Before he leaves the convenience store, he gets himself a cup of black coffee, and he makes a face when he sips it.
It started to rain while Rei was inside, the type of heavy, sheeting rain that comes down sideways. Rei makes a run for the car and I’m waiting for him when he gets in.
“Coffee sucks,” he informs me.
I agree. Unless it has a generous amount of cream and five packs of sugar, I really have no use for it.
“We should be there in another hour or so, although this rain might slow us down.” He frowns out the window. “Like Seth needs this on top of everything else. Can you check on him for me?”
I nod and I’m gone before he can turn the key in the ignition.
* * *
I’ve lost Seth. Seriously, I can’t find him. I focused on that staccato rhythm I’ve memorized as Seth’s energy pattern and followed it to a set of electrical power lines runn
ing up and down a weedy hill on an open slice of land between two pine forests. From here, his signal jumbles with other signals into an indistinguishable static which blends in with the faint buzz of power surging through the thick wires and the hiss of the light drizzle still falling here.
As soon as I get back to the car, there’s a thin layer of fog building on the windshield. I could use the fog to write with and tell him the truth, or I could just placate Rei and try again before we get there.
“Is he okay?”
I nod without looking at him. Sometimes I really hate myself.
Rei turns the radio on now, and the classic rock station Robert loves has been reduced to static. Rei fiddles with the knobs until something halfway decent comes on, but he turns the volume down low so he can hear his cell phone if it rings.
“Three more exits,” Rei’s mood is getting lighter. “He should be calling anytime.” I motion to him that I’m leaving and wave.
Once again, his signal ends at the power lines, but at least it’s stopped raining. I look to my left and right, into the pitch-blackness of the forest on this starless, moonless night, and try to imagine being in there all alone with something as vulnerable as a human body. Even without a body, I get that prickly feeling of fear just thinking about what might lurk in those woods. I skirt the perimeter of the forest, and find something even more frightening than a black bear or a full-grown bull moose.
A police car cruises slowly down the adjoining road, and the officer in the passenger side shines a floodlight into the woods.
* * *
Rei pulls the car in through the campus gates and parks in the first parking lot he sees. He pushes a button on his speed dial and waits.
“Matt!” he says finally. “It’s Rei Ellis.” He presses the phone closer to his ear and talks louder. “REI ELLIS. YEAH! HEY, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM SETH?” I hear a party in Rei’s phone. There’s a long pause while Rei watches the beads of drizzle gather into streams of water that trickle down the windshield. “NO, oh, okay, that’s better. No, I’m on campus right now. What dorm are you in?” Rei cranes his neck, looking around until he locates whatever it is he’s looking for. “Okay, I see it. I’ll meet you by the door.”
