Blondie stumbles back shaking his head. I start to run only to slip in all the blood. Falling into Sam’s lap his head dips forward, blood pouring from his mouth. The scream bursts out of me before I can stop it.
Regaining his senses Blondie looks down at me. His smile grows wider pulling his skin too tight. I scream again.
“Hanna! Hanna wake up!”
My eyes spring open, a face filling my vision. Blondie. Screams continue to rip their way out of my throat and I react violently shoving against his chest throwing him across the room. I stand only to trip over my own feet in my haste. Needing to get away I scoot myself backward until I hit the wall. With nowhere else to go I pull my knees tight to my chest.
“Wow. That hurt. Like a lot.” Jared’s face scrunches up in pain as he struggles to sit. “What did you have for breakfast? A bowl full of steroids?”
Only then, at the sound of his voice do I realize that it’s Jared I’d shoved and not Blondie. I’m in my room. There is no blood on my feet. And Blondie is not here.
“I’m s-sorry,” I manage to hiccup before I lose it, fully giving into the tears.
Jared sits down beside me then pulls me against his chest holding me as he rubs my back. “It’s okay,” he says, even though it’s really not. Nothing about any of this is okay.
We sit in silence for what seems like hours until I have no more tears left. “I think I’m done now.” I look up into his green eyes remembering how hard I’d hit him and how he flew across the room when I did. I lay my hand over his chest. “Are you okay?”
Jared smiles, kisses my forehead. “You’re the one who just spent,” he glances at the clock, “the last hour crying uncontrollably and you’re asking if I’m okay? Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“Well, it’s just that I hit you. Really hard.”
“I’m fine.” He studies my face. “But you’re not.” Gently he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear leaving his hand to rest against the side of my face. “You know you can always talk to me about anything.”
“I know.” But not today.
I pull away and he rubs at his chest as he picks himself up off the floor. “Where did you learn to hit so hard anyway? You knocked the air right out of my lungs.” After helping me up, he walks over to the full-length mirror beside my closet. He lifts his navy blue t-shirt revealing two huge handprints blooming across his chest in shades of blue and purple.
I slap my hand over my mouth at seeing what I’d done. Our eyes meet in the mirror. While mine are filled with horror, his look astonished and maybe even a bit impressed. He lowers his shirt then turns to face me, the dimple in his cheek deepening with his smile.
“Why are you smiling? Look at what I did to you.”
“Exactly. How did you do that?”
The question hangs in the air because honestly I don’t know. I have never hit like that. Maybe it was a rush of adrenaline because of the nightmare I was having. Or maybe it’s another side effect of the symbol.
Super strength?
I know I need to figure this out and get to the bottom of whatever’s happening to me, but right now, I just can’t. Right now, I just need to get away, clear my head, and forget the craziness for a while. Right now, I just want to be a normal seventeen-year-old girl and not some freak that left bruised handprints on her best friends chest.
I grab ahold of Jared’s hand dragging him towards the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here, go somewhere, get some air. Something.”
“I’m all for dressing comfy, but if you go out in your bathrobe people are going to talk.” He hooks a finger under the belt of my robe giving it a tug.
I look down at my bright pink robe covering the flannel pajamas underneath. “Give me five minutes,” I tell him, before shoving him out the door and into the hall.
CHAPTER FIVE
My glazed donut with sprinkles sits untouched on the plate in front of me. Across the table Jared stares at it practically drooling. He’s already eaten three since we got here, but apparently he’s still got room for more.
“Here.” I slide my plate over in front of him. “You can have it if you want it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Turns out I’m not very hungry.”
Jared and I are sitting at our usual table in front of the bay window in Lola’s Café and Bakery. Most of the high school kids like to hang out here after school so right now it’s pretty crowded. A few of them whisper and stare as they pass our table. I shut them out choosing to gaze out the window at the town square instead of dwelling on what it is they could be saying about me. Everyone outside goes about his or her business, going to the bank on the corner, or one of the local shops. Normal people. Normal lives. I want to be one of them.
“Finally,” Kat says with an exaggerated huff. “There you are.” She hugs me fiercely before pulling out a chair. “I have been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?”
Are you okay?
Three words I wish everyone would stop asking me over and over.
“I’m fine,” I say. Beside me Jared shifts in his chair alerting Kat to his presence.
“Oh, you’re here.” Kat waves her finger in a circular motion pointing at Jared. “You got some donut on your face. Wait…” Jared pauses, his hand resting on a napkin. “You should leave it. It helps hide the ugly.” Nearly knocking over Jared’s latte, she places her Louis Vuitton purse onto the table marking her territory. “Don’t you have somewhere else you can go? Hanna will be just fine with me.”
I kick her chair under the table.
“What?” Kat feigns innocence, but she knows what. “Okay, fine. He can stay.” She shifts in her chair facing me. “So anyway, there are two new kids at school, twins, a brother and sister. The brother’s name is William, but he goes by Will and the sister’s name is Zoe, or is it Chloe? I don’t know. I can’t remember. Anyway, the brother is sooo hot.” Jared rolls his eyes and I suppress my urge to grin. At least I know some things in this world will never change.
Kat talks about the hotness of the new guy for the next hour leaving me well informed about all things Will. I now know that his hair is black, his eyes are blue, and he has a small scar above his left eye. I also know down to the last detail about how good his butt looks in his jeans. I sneak a glance at Jared who now knows every detail too. He looks like he’s about to throw up the four donuts he ate.
“So anyway,” Kat continues, her voice softening. She fidgets with the strap of her purse wrapping and unwrapping it around her finger. “The town is going to have a candlelight vigil this coming Friday for the boy who was murdered, and I was wondering if you wanted to go.” A hole opens up in my chest at the word ‘murdered’, growing bigger and bigger with every word she says. “Everyone is pretty shaken up about what happened,” Kat continues. “There hasn’t been a murder in Lake Haven in nearly fifty years. I don’t think anyone really knew him, but what happened to him was tragic and the town thought it would be nice if we all showed our support for his family.” She looks into my eyes; probably searching for a sign of how broken up I am about it. I was there when he was murdered after all. “But if it’s too hard for you, and you want to skip it, I’ll understand.”
Jared takes my hand in his for support. At seeing this, Kat glares at him and does the same. Even in a time like this they fight over something as simple as holding my hand and for some reason, I find it funny. Maybe it’s because of the heaviness of the situation or maybe I’ve just finally snapped. Whatever the reason, I find myself laughing. And not just a little laugh either, but a full on laughing fit where tears are running down my cheeks and my sides are starting to ache. Both Kat and Jared look at me like I’m a freak though neither one of them lets go of my hand, which only makes me laugh harder.
Everyone in the café is staring at me now like I’m insane. They’re probably right. Here Kat is telling me about a candlelight vigil for a boy I watched die and here I am laughing like a deranged lunatic because she’s compet
ing with Jared over who gets to hold my hand.
Yep. Insanity.
Kat and Jared put their mutual distaste for each other on pause to share a look of concern. Who knows, maybe my craziness will bring them back together and we can all be friends like we used to be. After a minute or so my laughter fades and they turn their attention back to me. “Thanks guys. I needed that.”
“Um, oookaaay.” Kat squeezes my hand quickly then releases it like she might catch my crazy. “That was interesting.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that with everything that’s happened…and then you guys…and my hands…” I’m not explaining it very well and they look thoroughly confused.
“It’s cool.” Jared winks flashing a grin. “I also laugh hysterically at random times.”
I smile. He always knows the right things to say.
Leaning back in her chair Kat rolls her eyes. “So anyway, if you want to go Friday I thought maybe we could go together.”
“Yeah, that would be nice.” Part of me doesn’t want to go, but a bigger part of me knows that I need to.
Kat flips a lock of dark curls over her shoulder. She looks straight at Jared in contempt then turning to me says, “Did I tell you how hot the new guy looked sitting on his motorcycle in the school parking lot?”
Jared sighs loudly as he lowers his blue ball cap hiding his eyes.
***
I hug Kat good-bye before climbing into Jared’s bright yellow Jeep Wrangler. I sink into the leather seats with a yawn. It’s been a long day. I can’t wait to get home so I can bury myself beneath the covers of my bed and hopefully sleep without terrifying nightmares of Blondie attacking me.
“Do you want to ride to school together tomorrow?” Jared asks, as he fiddles with the radio until he finds a station he likes.
“I’m not sure if I’m ready to go back yet. I think I might wait until Monday.”
“I can skip tomorrow if you want. We can hang out, watch movies all day. Your pick.”
“You don’t have to skip for me. I’ll be fine. I just need some rest.”
His green eyes linger on my face making me want to reconsider his offer of skipping, especially when he’s smiling at me the way he is now—all mischievous like. “If you change your mind, or get lonely, I have no problem walking out of class for you.”
“I know, and I love you for it.”
“What are best friends for?” He pats me on the leg then backs out of the parking spot.
Stopping at an intersection he takes off his cap and sits it on the dash. His hair is flattened except for a ring of curls where the edge of his cap used to be. Before I can stop myself I run my fingers through his hair fluffing it up a bit. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, his lips curving into a grin.
“Sorry,” I mutter a little embarrassed. “I couldn’t help it.”
The clock on the dash reads 9:02pm as we pull into his driveway, but it may as well be midnight for as tired as I feel. Jared gets out first then comes around to my side to open the door. He helps me out and as soon as my feet hit the ground he pulls me in for a hug. “Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow after school. Unless of course you’ve changed your mind and want me to skip.”
I smile into his shirt not wanting the hug to ever end. I feel safe in his arms like nothing bad can happen to me here. But eventually he lets go and so do I.
“I’m right across the street if you need anything. Even if it’s three in the morning,” Jared calls, before disappearing into his house.
The wind picks up blowing strands of blonde and blue hair into my face. All the lights are off at my house and Adam’s truck is gone. I’ve gotten used to it being just Adam and I after Mom and Dad…but right now, right now I’d give anything to have my parents standing on the other side of the front door. I’d come in, they’d smile, I’d smile, and then they’d ask me about my day just like they used to.
But those days are gone and the house is nothing but empty and dark when I come in. I don’t turn on the lights because what would be the point. I know where everything is having grown up here. I take three steps before I hear movement upstairs.
Someone’s in the house.
Thoughts of soulless black eyes overtake my mind leaving me frozen in place. My heart slams repeatedly into my ribs with enough force I’m pretty sure whoever’s upstairs can hear it. I rip my frozen feet from the floor long enough to grab the big green umbrella by the front door.
Light dances across the wall at the top of the landing. They’re in my room. A small voice in the back of my mind pushes its way to the front warning me to stay put. And like a crazy person I ignore it lifting the heavy bricks that are supposed to be my feet up the stairs. I grip the umbrella like a baseball bat until my knuckles turn white.
CREAK.
Crap, I forgot about the squeaky step. A beam of light shoots out from my room roaming back and forth. I drop to the ground half lying on the stairs until the light disappears back inside. While my heart resumes beating I try to slow my breathing before I completely succumb to hyperventilation. What the hell am I doing? Anyone could be up there. What if it’s Blondie? What if he’s waiting for me? What if the darkness in his black eyes never let me go?
More ruffling sounds spill out of the door to my room followed by the sound of wood scrapping against wood. I hold my position barely breathing until all I hear is silence. I’m pretty sure whoever was here is gone now, but for just in case, I stay put straining my ears to listen awhile longer. The house is deathly quiet. Somewhere outside a dog barks at the sound of a revving motorcycle. Time drags on and minutes pass until the dog is no longer barking and the motorcycle is dying off in the distance.
I’m alone.
I think.
I hope.
I roll over onto my back stretching out over the stairs, the edges digging into my body. The front door swings open, blinding light forces my eyes shut.
“Hanna? What are you doing? Why are you laying in the dark on the stairs?” Adam tosses his keys into the little green bowl on the foyer table. “And what’s with the umbrella?”
I pick myself up off the stairs rubbing the kinks out of my neck. “I heard someone in the house.”
“So you lay on the stairs with an umbrella?” Adam digs around in his pocket, pulls out his phone. “Did you at least call the police?”
“No. I thought…” I stare at the umbrella still tightly grasped in my hand. What was I thinking? That I would charge into my room shouting en garde and whoever was in there would scurry away. I let the umbrella drop, where it topples end over end until it hits the bottom. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Adam starts to pace like he always does when something is upsetting him. He runs a hand over the top of his short blonde hair, worry etched in his features. “Well, did you see who it was? Did they take anything?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know if you saw any one or you don’t know if anything was taken?”
“I don’t know if anything was taken and I didn’t see who it was. I never got past the stairs.”
He resumes pacing for a few long seconds then stops. “Then this is what we’ll do. I’ll call the police while you look upstairs and I look down here.” I nod and turn to continue up the stairs. “No wait. I should look upstairs because that’s where you heard whoever it was that was in the house. What if whoever it was is still here?”
“I’m pretty sure whoever it was is gone,” I say. “But for just in case, maybe we should look together.” He agrees and we begin searching from room-to-room on the main level while Adam calls the Lake Haven Police Department. Everything appears okay so we move to the upper level.
We check every room upstairs leaving Mom and Dad’s room for last.
“You don’t have to go in here with me if you don’t want to,” Adam says, his hand resting on the doorknob. I don’t say anything so he goes in alone returning a moment later. “All clear,” he announces. “What
kind of thief breaks in and doesn’t take anything?”
If it was a thief, I think to myself. “I don’t know. Maybe I scared whoever it was off before they could.”
“Maybe. I’m going to go downstairs and wait for the cops to get here. You coming?”
“No. I want to look over my room again. Yell for me when they get here?”
“Sure,” Adam says as he bounds down the stairs.
Nothing looks immediately out of place. My bed is still made, my drawers haven’t been gone though—I don’t think. My closet looks just like I left it, none of my books have been moved on the shelf. Nothing looks out of the ordinary except…
“This is not where I left you.” I pick up a picture frame from my computer desk containing a photo of my Mom and Dad and Adam and I. We’d taken it on the beach during the last day of our family vacation. We look so happy.
Mom and Dad died a week later.
I sit the picture back down on my nightstand where I normally keep it. Why would someone break in and only move a picture?
“Hey.”
I spin around nearly jumping out of my skin. My hand bumps the photo knocking it to the floor shattering the glass.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Adam crosses the room and kneels down to pick up the broken pieces scattered all over the hardwood floor.
I flip the photo over assessing the damage. Most of the glass is gone except a large shard still attached to the bottom of the frame. The jagged edge points to my neck in the picture like some bad omen yet to come. I pull it out throwing it away.
“I think I got all of it.” Adam tosses a handful of glass in the wastebasket then dusts his hands off on his jeans. “Can I see that?” I hand him the photo. The left side of his mouth curves in a half smile. “I remember that day. Dad made an entire sand village.” He carefully places the photo back onto the stand, takes a look around my room. “Did you find anything out of place on your second look through?”
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