I chewed on my bottom lip. I was beyond nervous, way past anxious, and moving on toward scared out of my mind. I was kidding myself to think that I knew what I was doing here; kidding myself if I trusted Hallie even remotely. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breathing was beginning to come more rapidly, my hands were sweating, and my knees felt like they were about to buckle. I couldn’t even bring myself to run. My legs felt rubbery and stiff at the same time, like if I tried to use them, they wouldn’t work right. Is this how Jackson had felt? Did something happen to him out here? Had my brother been a victim of foul play or was he alive somewhere and just too ashamed to come home because he really had done something to Piper?
Calm down, Evie, take a deep breath. I closed my eyes for just a second. I swear it was no longer than that, but when I opened them, there were crowds of people all around us. Jane gasped next to me and Hallie clapped. Sally just looked around in awe, as if she couldn’t believe she was really at a party.
“Yay! He’s so happy to see his daddy.”
Her words didn’t make sense to me at first, but then I watched as a tall boy walked over to her. I recognized him instantly. He was the guy from the picture. He placed both hands on her belly and pulled her close to him, nuzzling her neck with his lips.
All around us, people were laughing and talking, the scene literally looked like something out of a movie. I was surprised that there wasn’t a keg set up and that everyone wasn’t holding those red plastic cups. It all just seemed so normal. Typical teenagers having a good time. So why did I feel so uneasy still? Was it because of how they all just sort of materialized while my eyes were closed? Was it because of the setting? Was it because this was where my brother’s car was found with him no where around it? Or was it because of the way they were all staring at us?
“Evie,” Jane whispered, “what the hell is going on here?”
“Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my new friend. Evelyn.” At Hallie’s words, all eyes were on me. I saw a few people narrow their eyes suspiciously while they whispered into each others ears. I swore I heard the name Jack, but again wondered if I was just being paranoid. One guy, standing sort of off to the side of the main crowd, even licked his lips and smiled suggestively at me.
“Um, hi.” I murmured, feeling stupid, but not sure what else I should say. “This is my friend Jane.”
I linked my arm through hers, pulling her closer to me, almost like a shield, but I just needed that physical contact to assure me that she was really there, that I wasn’t alone. It was the first moment I was actually thankful that she had come.
The guy who had licked his lips took a step closer to me, but he was blocked when another guy stood up from where he had been sitting on a swing and smiled welcoming at me. He walked closer and held out his hand to shake mine. The noise died down just as suddenly as it had started. Dozens of eyes followed his movement. My hand extended, without me even consciously deciding for it too. A jolt of electric heat ran through me when his skin touched mine. For a moment, his eyes mirrored my surprised at the sensation, but he quickly recovered and cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Evelyn.”
Dreamlike, my mouth began to move, “Evie.” I shook my head, trying to clear whatever it was that was making me feel so foggy. I swallowed. “People call me Evie.”
More whispers ran through the crowd. “You can call me Remy." When I just stared at him stupidly, he smiled, a dimple winking deep in his left cheek. "It’s short for Remington," he added.
I nodded, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. I was grateful when he turned from me toward Jane. Once my eyes were free of his, the heat I had felt began to fade and I was able to breath easily again. He introduced himself to Jane and I turned, eager to see if she reacted the same way. She didn’t. She eyed him suspiciously and barely shook his hand.
From the corner of my eye I watched Sally shyly approach the guy who had licked his lips. When he saw her, he smiled and pulled her into his arms. She smiled, clearly relieved and I could only assume it had been him who had invited her. They surely seemed to know each other. I frowned in her direction. I had never been a shallow person, or at least I didn’t think I had been, but what was a guy like that doing with a girl like her? He was pretty much gorgeous, even if he was a little creepy.
“That’s Sevren.”
I jumped. The voice came from really close to my right ear and I could feel the soft heat of his breath on my cheek. It hadn’t seemed like I had been looking over at Sally for that long, but when I looked around, it was to see everyone in full party mode. There was music coming from somewhere, Hallie was slow dancing with her boyfriend, and Jane was no longer beside me.
“Excuse me?”
“That guy, with your other friend, his name is Sevren. He’s my brother.”
“Oh, okay. She isn’t really my friend.” When the words were out of my mouth, I instantly felt guilty for saying them. “I mean, well we go to school together, but we didn’t come here together. We don’t hang out.” Just stop talking Evie.
He laughed softly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. If she isn’t your friend, she’s fair game.”
I raised my brows, confused by his statement. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing important." We both watched as Sevren guided Sally through the crowds. After a few seconds, they were swallowed up by people and I could no longer see them.
I was suddenly hyper aware that even though we were surrounded by people, it seemed to me like I was alone with this guy. I wasn't sure if the shivers that knowledge evoked were shivers of anticipation or of dread. I rubbed my arms through my coat and cleared my throat.
"So, um, I guess you live around here?"
He smiled, but the expression confused me. It seemed sad rather than amused. It wasn't what I had expected and I wondered at the innocent question and his reaction to it. Finally after a few seconds he shook his head.
"No." He looked off in the distance, his eyes seeing something that I couldn't, "not anymore." I opened my mouth to say something more, but he chuckled softly, silencing me. "It's not important, Evie."
I shivered again, loving the way my name sounded from his lips. It sent strange emotions swirling in my brain and all throughout my body, almost making me forget what I had come here for in the first place. It was unsettling and exhilarating at the same time. No one had ever had this sort of effect on me before.
"I should probably find Jane." Saying the words, I was already scanning the crowds for her. Faces looked at me discreetly from guarded eyes, I heard my name whispered in too many conversations. Buzzing words filled my ears, making my brain feel foggy and my body feel dizzy. It was surreal. It was a dream. It was a nightmare.
Confused, the scene spinning around me, I gasped as my vision went in and out of focus, blurring and obscuring things until I was sure I was hallucinating. One second I saw laughing, carefree kids all hanging out, groups of friends having a good time at a chill party. The next I was seeing monstrous faces, grotesque in their obscurity. Red eyes, serpent like hair, claw like nails reaching toward me. I blinked, and it was back to normal.
I took a deep breath trying to regain my balance, but failing. If it wasn't for Remy reaching out, I was sure I would have fallen; fainted. The minute his hand touched my arm, steadying me, the same electric shock scorched through the fabric of my coat. I wondered, for a moment, what it would feel like if it was skin on skin. Would I even be able to withstand a stronger sensation?
"Walk with me."
It didn't sound like a question and I didn't take it as one. I moved with him, guided by the hand that was still wrapped gently around my arm. My head was still spinning. I was sure that I was seconds away from throwing up all over the place, but somehow, with him, I knew that I would be okay. He mesmerized me.
We walked away from the party; away from the playground, away from the road. The further into trees we walked, the darker it became. Twilight had long since faded into
night and under the curtain of willow tree after willow tree, it was like we were in a whole new world.
I should have been worried. I should have been terrified. If I was smart, I would have been both of those things and more. I should be turning away even now and running as far away from him as I could. Hell, I said to myself, I shouldn't have come in the first place. This wasn't what I had come for, and yet, I let him pull me further into the cloak of night. The stars couldn't even penetrate through the jagged branches of the trees to shine their light on us.
When we finally stopped, I was breathless. Not from the walk, although I honestly wasn't sure how far we had come. Not from the slight fear that was trembling through me. With so many unanswered questions you would think I would have added anything to complicate things, but I had. I was breathless because even when he let go of me, I could still feel his hand wrapped securely around my arm. I longed for him to touch me; really touch me to see if I could withstand the sensations it was sure to evoke.
I shook my head. What the hell was wrong with me? I looked up at him, ready to tell him that I had to go, that I shouldn't be here with him; but when my eyes met his, I was lost. There was no other way to explain it. It was so dark I couldn't even tell what color his eyes were, but it was like I had spent my whole life looking in to them and I wanted, no needed, more.
He reached out toward my face. I thought I'd die with anticipation. My eyes watched his fingers extend toward me, aching for a touch that would never come. Inches away from me, he suddenly dropped his hand and turned away from me, cursing. He ran a hand through his hair and kicked at the trunk of a nearby tree. The ground shook beneath us.
"What's wrong?" My voice trembled with emotion and I was partially sickened and partially amused by my reaction. I mean, I didn't even know this guy.
He sighed, "nothing. It's just different than I expected."
I frowned, "okay?"
He watched me, looked at me as if he could see everything inside of me. Self consciously, I hugged my arms around myself. Finally he smiled. "I want to know everything about you, Evie."
I narrowed my eyes, "like what?"
He shrugged, "everything."
I shook my head, trying to clear it from the trance like state his presence had caused in me. Second by second I was starting to come back to my senses. An awkwardness began washing over me, causing me to back away a few steps and rub my arms.
He watched me as I backed away from him. There was no need for him to say anything, I could tell what he was feeling just by watching him hang his head lower and close his eyes. I hated myself for hurting him, but I was so confused by what I was feeling, I couldn’t breath. The numbness that had been my shell was beginning to crack and wisps of emotions that I hadn’t felt in months began creeping in through the tiny fissures.
“I should go.” I gestured vaguely back toward the party with my arm. Part of me wanted to stay; to forget about everything else and just feel… something. Jane was waiting for me though, somewhere back there surrounded by strange people we didn’t know was my friend and I suspected the answer to so many questions about my brother. I needed to remind myself of my priorities, and somehow I knew that Remy alone had the power to skew those.
To my surprise, he nodded, “I’ll walk you back.”
The walk back was just as quiet as the walk away. Only this time, there was more awkwardness, more insecurities and a feeling of being disconnected from the person beside me. It was like in this last hour, he had become something to me. No; more like he had always been something to me and I was just now remembering it. Like I was waking from a long nightmare in which he hadn’t been a part of my life, but now everything was right once again with the world.
I opened my mouth a dozen times to say something, but nothing seemed right for the moment. The silence was killing me though, and each time I glanced his way I found myself hoping that he would tell me again he wanted to know me, that he wanted to know everything. He didn't.
The noise from the party hit us before the lights did. It sounded as if during the time we were gone things had gotten a little more out of control. The laughing was louder, there was music playing from somewhere in the near distance, and most everyone had that almost drunk sort of daze around them. We stopped at the edge of the crowd. Remy frowned at what we were seeing and I laughed nervously.
“It looks like they are having a good time.”
He nodded, distracted, “indeed.”
I bit my lower lip, “I guess that I’ll, um, just go and find Jane so we can get home.” As soon as I said it, I felt a moment of panic. Home. Mason. Crap! What time was it? I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. I was relieved when I saw that it was only about nine o’clock, but I was confused when I saw that I had three missed phone calls and two text messages. I was just checking the calls, when Remy put his hand on my arm. I jumped.
"Come see me tomorrow night."
His eyes were sad, but they were pleading with me. There were so many reasons to say no. There was something strange going on in this town. I still had so many unanswered questions about my brother. I have a boyfriend... I think. "Yes."
My hand flew to my mouth. Did I really just say that? By the smile he was flashing me, I could assume that I had indeed said that out loud. What the hell was wrong with me?
I scanned the crowd for Jane and saw her, standing alone off to the side of the party. Turning back, relieved, toward Remy, I gasped because he was no longer next to me. As a matter of a fact, he was no where as far as I could see. If my arm wasn't still tingling from where he would have touched me, I would have thought it was all a dream.
Jane let out a huge breath when she saw me. "Where the hell have you been?"
I shrugged, "I just needed some air." It sounded stupid even to my own ears so I wasn't surprised when she just raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes at me, "let's get out of here," I said, changing the subject.
She smiled, relieved, and nodded her head. "Thank goodness."
With our arms linked together, more because I think Jane was afraid I'd leave her again, we hurried out of the crowded playground area toward the bend in the road where her car was waiting for us. I couldn't help noticing that Sally was not around. I was half tempted to go looking for her, but when I looked back toward the parking lot, her car was gone.
"This was the weirdest night, ever!" Jane exclaimed.
I nodded in agreement, but my thoughts weren't really there with her. They were back in the dark with Remy; back in the dark with a guy I had never before laid eyes on until today. So why did I feel like my heart was already aching to see him again?
We were just passing the bank of willow trees that we had been hiding behind earlier that night, when I heard something up ahead. My heart jumped into my throat and my breath caught, frozen scared. Next to me, Jane was standing just as immobile.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"I don't know," I whispered back, "shh, be quiet."
We waited, huddled together, as the sounds grew louder. It wasn't until I heard a voice that I realized it was someone moaning. Heat flushed my cheeks, knowing what had to be happening for whoever it was to be making that noise.
Jane and I looked at each other with huge OMG eyes and a giggle escaped her throat. We both froze again. Seconds later, Hallie and the guy from the photo came walking toward us. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and glared at us. Hallie was standing there, almost in a daze. Her eyes looked glossy and hooded.
"We didn't mean to interrupt you." Jane said softly, squeezing my hand in embarrassment.
I would have said something, but I couldn't get past the way his lips looked. They were red. Not normal red, but bright stained red, almost as if he had been sucking on a sucker or a popsicle. There was a smudge of the same bright red on the side of his mouth and when I looked down at his hand, red smeared the skin there as well.
When he saw where I was looking, he stuck his hand into his pocket. "It's
no biggie," he mumbled. Hallie remained eerily silent.
Jane cleared her throat and started pulling me forward, away from them. "We were just heading home." When the guy nodded, but didn't say anything more, she practically ran, dragging me the rest of the way to the car.
Again I was left wondering, what the hell just happened?
Chapter Nine
“Evie! Jane! Wake up! You guys are going to be late for school.”
I groaned when I heard Mason’s voice through my bedroom door. My body felt achy and my head was pounding. I couldn’t even remember what happened after leaving the Willows last night. I sifted through my memories of the night before, straining myself to recall every moment, every detail. Each memory was clouded with an image of Remy. I opened my eyes, trying to get his face out of my mind, but it didn’t work. Even with the background of my bedroom, he was still evident.
Dark eyes. He had mysteriously beautiful dark brown eyes. When we had taken our walk, I had thought at first that they just looked dark because of the night sky, but even back at the party, with the few park lights glowing, his eyes had been dark. His hair was dark too. Not quite black, but definitely inky and it looked perfectly silky and messy in that fabulous way that some guys could pull off. His skin had been fair, almost giving him a gothic like appearance, but even so, he hadn’t looked unhealthy or odd. His smile was both sad and playful at the same time. Like a puppy you wanted to play with, but one that almost required too much attention therefore causing it to whine and cry when you had to leave it.
I was so caught up in mentally dissecting his features that I didn’t notice Jane sitting on the bed next to me. She was already dressed for school and had just been staring down at me while I slept. It made me uncomfortable in a creepy sort of way and I cleared my throat before sitting up, pulling the blankets with me.
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