“I invited who I wanted to invite,” Gabe told her. “Who I thought you should get to know.”
“Then why did you invite Abel?”
That got Gabe to smile. “It’s going to be fun, trust me.”
“Okay, so what are we going to do that’s going to be so supposedly fun?”
“I thought we could watch a few scary movies—maybe a little original Psycho and Dawn of the Dead. You know, if you’re up for it.”
“That does sound fun, actually.”
“I told you,” Gabe said, peering at her from the corner of his eye. “I was thinking that maybe I could give you a ride to school on Monday. You know, so you wouldn’t have to ride with your dad and get there so early every day.”
Carly shook her head. “But you’re always at school so early, too. I wouldn’t want to mess that up for you.”
“I’m serious, Carly.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Look, I’m just trying to be nice. If you don’t want a ride, it’s no big deal.”
“No, it’s just,” she started, scrambling for a valid excuse. “I live seven miles out of town. That would be fourteen miles you’d have to drive every day and—”
“I don’t mind, really,” Gabe said.
Yeah, he liked her all right. Carly wasn’t yet sure what she was going to do about it. If this had been a year ago, well… But it wasn’t last year, it was right now. And right now Carly’s life was too messy for a boyfriend. “Yeah, okay, that would be cool. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Carly watched out her window as they reached Sterling. She hadn’t been to Gabe’s house yet and was rather curious to see where he lived. For some reason she wasn’t surprised when he pulled into the driveway of a spacious two-story blue Victorian. The house seemed to suit him.
“Looks like we’re the first to arrive,” Gabe noted. “Let’s get some popcorn started.”
“We’re really just going to watch movies?” Carly asked as she hopped out of the car.
“Why, what were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. An epic party where the cops get called and I’m hauled away in handcuffs?”
Gabe let out a laugh as he led the way to the front door. “Sorry to disappoint you. So, this is my house. I’ll give you a quick tour, but there’s not much to see.” He unlocked the front door and headed inside.
Carly was instantly taken aback by the painting on the wall just inside the door: a large, gray and white wolf with the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen, standing in moonlight on the snow-covered bank of a narrow stream. She froze, her mouth falling open. The wolf in the painting was the wolf from her dream—exactly.
“Carly?” Gabe questioned, his hand falling to her shoulder. There was that shock again, followed by tiny white sparks. “Are you all right?”
“W-who…?” Carly managed, shrugging away from him to point at the painting. “Where did this come from?”
“What? The painting?”
She nodded.
“My mom made it right before she disappeared,” Gabe explained.
Carly blinked, his answer echoing in her head. But it didn’t make any sense. “Y-your mom painted this?”
“Yeah. Her paintings are all over the house. You’ll see.”
Carly locked eyes with the wolf in the painting, and a chill raced up her spine. “It’s…”
Gabe reached for her again, and a white spark arced between them before erupting in a crackle.
“W-what’s going on?” she hissed, jumping back from him.
“What are you talking about?” Gabe asked.
She glanced at the wolf on the canvas and turned to meet Gabe’s eyes. “They’re the same.”
“What’s the same?”
“Your eyes. They’re your eyes. I don’t understand it, but they’re your eyes.”
The doorbell sounded, and Gabe turned to answer it. Was he somehow connected to the wolf in her dream? Was something like that even possible?
“Hey, guys,” Esther greeted them as she stepped through the door. She looked from Gabe to Carly, then back to Gabe. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” Gabe snapped. “No brother this evening?”
“You can’t get rid of me that easy,” Abel announced as he joined them. “Carly, hey.”
Carly didn’t acknowledge him—she was too focused on Gabe. “We were just about to make some popcorn. Right, Gabe?”
Gabe’s jaw tensed. “Right.”
“We’ll, uh, wait for you in the living room,” Esther said, glancing back at her brother. “Maybe get a movie cued up.”
Carly didn’t take her eyes off Gabe. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling her. He started down the hallway, and she followed after him.
“I want to know what the hell’s going on,” Carly demanded in a whisper once she was certain they were alone.
Gabe blinked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Something’s going on, Gabe.”
“Seriously, Carly, you’re going to have to give me more than that.”
“The wolf from the painting—it’s the same one from my dream,” she spat. “And its eyes—they’re the same as your eyes. The exact same.”
“You had a dream about the wolf from that painting even though you’d never seen it before?” he asked, as if she were the insane one.
“I know it sounds crazy, and it probably is, which is why I need to know if there’s some kind of connection.”
“Look, Carly, if I knew what you were talking about—”
“You do know what I’m talking about!” Carly insisted, gritting her teeth. “You have to.”
“No, I don’t,” Gabe assured her. He took a step toward her, but Carly jumped back. She was afraid to touch him again—afraid of what might happen if she did. She spun around, back for the door, and sprinted outside.
“Wait!” Gabe called after her. “Carly, please.”
“I’m sorry,” she breathed without turning around. “I just… have to get out of here.”
He caught up to her and planted a firm hand on her shoulder. Apparently, Gabe was just as strong as he looked.
Carly jumped at his electric touch and shrugged him away. “I can’t explain it, Gabe, but I know something’s going on. I saw your eyes glowing in the dark in the secret passage in my house. The same eyes as the wolf in that painting, and the same eyes from my dream. If you’re not going to talk to me—”
“I can’t talk to you,” Gabe growled. “Not about that. Not yet. I’m sorry.”
“Then I guess we can’t be friends.” She turned to walk away when he reached out for her shoulder again. “What?”
Except this time, it wasn’t Gabe.
“Sorry,” Abel apologized, pulling his hand away. “It’s just, it’s dark out, and way too far for you to walk home. Let me give you a ride.”
Carly peeked over his shoulder at Gabe, her eyes darting away before he could capture them. “Fine, thanks.”
“No problem. My car’s right over here.”
Carly said nothing as she slid into the passenger seat of Abel’s PT Cruiser, scowling out the window. She didn’t acknowledge Abel as he climbed into the seat beside her, turned over the engine, and peeled away from the house.
Abel waited several moments before he dared to speak. “You can’t go out at night around here by yourself, Carly. It’s dangerous, and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m old enough to take care of myself, thank you very much,” she grunted back at him.
“Maybe, but the sky’s just a little bit darker here at night than it was in the city.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“All I’m saying is, you’ve got more than just purse snatchers to look out for around here,” Abel told her. “These woods are teeming with all kinds of wild animals. You could get really hurt if you’re not careful.”
“Th
anks for the ride, I guess,” Carly grumbled.
“I’m serious, Carly. Look, Gabe’s not exactly my best friend or anything, but I’m fairly certain you’re the last person on the planet he’d want to hurt. I don’t know what he said to you, but I’m sure he had his reasons.”
“I can’t believe you’d defend him. He pretty much hates you.”
“Gabe and I have a very… complex relationship.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “It seems like every relationship around here is complex.”
“Maybe, but that’s just life. You should at least give us a chance.”
“Us?”
Abel cracked a smile. “You should at least give me a chance.”
“I should give you a chance, huh?”
“Yeah, because you haven’t so far. Gabe’s had all your attention, and if you like him—”
“I don’t like him,” Carly said, heat in her cheeks as she hid her face away. “I wish people would stop saying that, because Gabe and I are just friends.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
Carly heaved out a defeated sigh. “I mean, he’s my friend and everything, but… Look, I’ll tell you the same thing I told him—I don’t want a boyfriend.”
“No wonder you two got in a fight.”
“Can we not talk about this anymore? Please?”
“Sure,” Abel conceded. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“Nothing, actually,” she decided. “We’re almost to my house.”
“We can talk about school. How do you like school?”
“It’s high school. It’s supposed to suck.”
“It doesn’t have to. I’m sure you’ll find other outlets for your intelligence. That Homecoming dance is coming up next week.”
“It sure is, isn’t it?” she replied. “What a brilliant segue, by the way. Very smooth. It’s almost like you think you’re not asking me out again.”
“Would the world end if we went to the dance together? As friends, of course.”
“No offense, Abel, but I barely know you.”
“As I keep pointing out, that’s not my fault,” he reminded her. “And I emphasized as friends.”
“Like I said before, I’m not into school dances,” she asserted.
“Too awkward for your own good?”
“I know how to dance, okay? I just prefer venues that aren’t covered in crepe paper and double as a cafeteria. Forgive me for having standards.”
“That’s a no?” Abel chuckled.
“Wow, you’re smarter than your face lets on,” she said.
“I’m glad you noticed. What if we went in a group—a whole bunch of us together—and we just happened to share a few dances? Would that work for you?”
Carly ran a hand through her hair. God, she hated talking to boys. It took so much effort sometimes. “That doesn’t really sound any better.”
“Come on, Carly, everyone’s going to be there,” Abel reasoned. “You’ve got two years at this school, and they’re big ones. It wouldn’t hurt to make friends.”
She hated that he was right. “How about I’ll think about it?”
“You’ll think about it. Okay, if that’s what I’m going to get tonight, then I’ll just have to live with it.”
Carly fiddled with the strap of her messenger bag as her house came into view. “Thanks for the ride. Have a good night.”
“We’re not quite there yet.”
“Close enough.”
Abel tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled up to the manor. “What should I tell Gabe when he asks about you? Because he will ask about you.”
“Tell him whatever the hell you want. Good night, Abel.” Carly jumped out of the car, walked up to the front door, and turned to watch him drive away. Once she was sure he was gone, she walked around to the back of the house. The sky was plenty dark, but there was enough moonlight for her to make out the shoreline.
She stood at the edge of the jagged cliffs that overlooked the Great Lake, cool breeze pouring over her face. The sound of waves on rock was nearly deafening, but beautiful all the same. A part of her would always miss the city, but having something as epic as Lake Superior in her backyard had quickly taken a new place in her heart.
Carly raised her hands over her head, stretching as she lowered her limbs. That whole fight with Gabe had been… stupid. The painting of the wolf, the pale blue eyes—all of it had been nothing more than a giant coincidence. Right?
Carly closed her eyes and listened to the waves. If her mother were still alive, she would absolutely love it here. Carly wondered why they’d never come to visit. Both her parents were from Sterling, yet she didn’t have any memories of this place as a kid.
As Carly finally turned to head back inside, something in the trees caught her gaze. For the briefest of moments, a fraction of a second at the most, she swore she saw the shine of eyes and flicker of a bushy gray and white tail. But in an instant, it was gone.
She cursed under her breath as she sauntered back to the house. Those trees sure were tricky at night. She slipped in through the back door and found her dad on the couch in the parlor, clutching onto a thick novel.
“Hey, Dad,” Carly greeted him.
Howard jumped as he looked up to meet her gaze. “Sweetheart, what are you doing home?”
She shrugged. “I’m going to watch a movie in my room and try to get some rest. It’s been a long week.”
“We could watch a movie down here if you’d like,” Howard offered.
“No, I wouldn’t want to tear you away from whatever John Grisham’s got planned next. Night.” Carly headed up to her room, threw Weezer’s Pinkerton into her stereo, and pressed play before she picked up her telephone.
Cell signal in town was sketchy at best, but at the house it was pretty much non-existent. Thankfully, her father had had a private telephone line installed in her room. Carly didn’t know why, but she punched in Ross’s number. She immediately regretted it, but let it ring anyway.
“Yeah?” Ross answered several rings later.
“Ross?” she replied. “It’s Carly.”
There was a snicker on the other end. “Carly, wow. I’ve left you about fifty messages, and finally, you return my call.”
“Look, I’m sorry. This move hasn’t exactly been easy for me.”
Ross let out an annoyed sigh. “What’s up? I mean, there has to be some reason you called, right? Some crisis you need me to save you from?”
Carly flopped down on her bed. He knew her all too well. “What are you up to next weekend?”
“Why?”
“There’s this Homecoming dance at school, and I kind of have to go, but I don’t want to go alone.”
“I’m not about to believe you can’t get a date for this thing.”
“That’s kind of the problem,” Carly admitted. “I have too many options. That’s why I thought it would be best to go with an outside hire.”
Ross grew silent.
“Well?” she asked. “Are you up for it?”
“Carly, you broke up with me, and now you want me to take you to some stupid dance at some high school I’ve never been to?”
“Yes?”
More silence. “When is it?”
“Friday night, about eight o’clock. And then you could stay over, and we could hang out on Saturday. It’s really beautiful here—you’ll love it.”
“Eight o’clock, huh?”
“Please, Ross?”
“Will I have to dress up?” he asked.
“You can wear whatever you want,” Carly said. “Plus, I’ve got this really hot friend, Esther, who’d love to dance with you. Please?”
“I… Okay, why not?”
“Thank you. Seriously. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me, too,” he agreed. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about anyway, and it will be better in person.”
There was no way they were getting back together, but he didn’t nee
d to know that yet. “Yeah, of course.”
“Look, I should go. I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can I call you later this week?”
“Sure.”
“Will you answer the phone this time?” he asked.
Carly groaned. “Yes.”
“Okay then,” Ross said. “I’ll see you next week.”
Carly hung up, jumped up from her bed, and popped Pet Sematary in her Blu-ray player. She let the music play as she started the film. Something about the layers of sound helped to distract her thoughts.
She traded her clothes for pajamas, turned out the lights, and crawled under the covers. She’d survived her first week of school, yes, but had a feeling that things were only going to get more complicated. Then again, that’s how everyone at Sterling High seemed to like it.
five
Carly found herself running through the woods, to the snow-covered shore of the now familiar stream. She paused to look in the water, staring at the white fox as it came into view. No, not staring at—staring back at. The white fox wasn’t just something she was seeing…
Carly was the white fox.
She sunk her narrow muzzle into the stream, her black nose disturbing the water. Its surface rippled around her, momentarily breaking up her reflection. Soon the waves calmed, and she stood still, trying to get a good look at herself.
Though rimmed in black, her eyes were the same blue they’d always been, but they remained the only feature true of her. Her lean canine body was covered from head to toe in white fur, but for the tip of her tail, which was black. Big, pointy ears sat up straight on her head, and she realized then for the first time how well she could hear everything: the rush of the stream, distant waves of the Great Lake, and a rustle in the trees.
Carly twisted around just in time to watch the large, gray and white wolf emerge from the forest. She jumped up on all fours, a low growl in her throat. She tensed until she met the wolf’s pale blue eyes—the palest hue of blue she’d ever seen.
The wolf stood frozen, staring at her for a very long time. Carly held its gaze, lost in pale blue eyes. She sensed so much more to the creature than she understood at the moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but had no capacity for it. Instead, she let out a whimper.
Legacy: Bloodline Book 1 Page 4
