by Lucy Swing
His eyes found mine from across the cafeteria. Without thinking about what I was doing, I got up and walked toward the table tucked onto the far corner of the cafeteria, where he sat. He was, as it was expected, alone.
I conjured my strength knowing there wouldn‘t be a better time to make a move. I kept telling myself I was just trying to be nice and I was doing this for him. I had repeated that so much in my head, part of me truly believed it. I couldn‘t deny the yearning for him, though, no matter how hard I tried to hide it. A need so divine I had no explanation for.
I swallowed nervously and slid onto the bench across from him, setting my tray on the table softly. His eyes looked up at the disturbance. His black hair fell down, casting shadows onto his slightly amused eyes.
―You shouldn‘t be here.‖ His voice was soft, but he meant what he said. I stared at him in surprise.
―That is really for me to decide, don‘t you think?‖ I defied him as I picked the pepperoni off my slice of pizza.
When he didn‘t respond, it prompted me to look up. ―So how do you like Hollow High?‖ Way to go Bai, great dialogue, I thought to myself.
―You really should just leave me alone. You don‘t belong here.‖ His eyes dug into mine. The shivers were back, but this time it was like a hundred spiders running up and down my spine. Terror enveloped every single one of my bones.
What the hell!
My mouth fell open. I was about to say something; to tell him he was being a rude prick, when he shook his head and stood up, slamming his hands onto the table. The table shook, making my soda fall down and spill all over my brand new jeans. A look of regret seemed to cross his face before he was back to his little temper tantrum. ―I am trying to be nice; stay away from me. You understand?‖ He glowered down at me. ―Don‘t ever talk to me again.‖
My mind was still trying to process what had just happened.
He began to gather his things and I did the same; setting my food and empty can on my tray.
Ben and Chance, two of the dreamiest kids in school, walked over. Ben shot me a questioning look and rested his hand on my shoulder. I slightly nodded, letting him know I was okay. He then proceeded to walk over to Jude, who had now gone stiff.
―Do we have a problem here, Freak?‖
I cringed at the word, wondering after the little scene he just pulled off why I still felt like defending him. I slapped myself in my mind, why did I want to throw my arms around him and tell him it would all be all right?
Jude didn‘t move. It seemed as if he had been frozen in place.
Ben‘s gaze moved from Jude, to me, and then to the outdated leather journals. He looked at the one closest to the edge of the table and pushed it over, making its yellow pages scatter everywhere.
The whole cafeteria burst out laughing, but I had kept my eyes glued to Jude, wondering why he was acting this way. After the way he had reacted to my simply trying to make conversation, I didn‘t know what he‘d do now. I saw his eyes turn into a charcoal color and his face distort into a grim smile. Faster than I could have warned Ben, Jude had one hand clasped around Ben‘s throat, pulling him up until his feet weren‘t touching the ground.
Chance, who had taken the tray from my hands and stayed beside me through the altercation, set the tray down and moved towards them. His eyes deepened as he singlehandedly grabbed Jude‘s grip on Ben‘s neck and twisted him off. It didn‘t even look like he was using any strength at all.
Ben‘s heavy body hit the ground, and Karl, the security guy, picked him up. Jude and Chance‘s eyes were locked in their own death match. Neither one of them moved until Mr. Robins, our short bald history teacher, snapped them out of the weird trance they had fallen into.
Once Mr. Robins and Jude left, I walked over to Ben, who was now sitting on a bench. I sat beside him.
―Thank you.‖ I said as I put my hand on his knee. There was nothing else to say. He had tried to defend me and instead he had ended up being embarrassed in front of the whole school. My eyes searched his face and then noticed the already darkening purple bruises on either side of his neck. Ben would carry Jude‘s handprint on his neck for at least a few days.
Jude didn‘t come back to school after the incident. It was rumored he had been suspended, and some even hoped he had been expelled. If he had been treated badly before, his fate had now been sealed. He was all the school could talk about; people were genuinely scared of him.
Since then he had been avoided by everyone, even the teachers. That was why, when Jude came back to school and Carly was mysteriously all over him, I knew something was terribly wrong.
―Okay, what is up with this picture?‖ Maggie motioned across the hall towards Carly Tucker‘s locker. Carly was, by far, one of the most popular girls in school, hell, even in town. She had golden blond hair with large, sleek curls that reached almost to her waist. Her eyes were a deep ocean blue that, if I didn‘t know any better, I would say they had all the boys hypnotized. As Captain of the cheerleading squad, she always made sure her skirts were well above the allowed length in our Hollow High Handbook. Today was no exception.
―I can almost see her underwear from here,‖ Maggie rolled her eyes and turned onto her locker, stealing a quick glance at the picture of Zac Efron that she kept taped onto the inside of her locker door. I did not understand her obsession with the boy; in my opinion he was just another cookie cutter cutie with no depth or mystery. And obviously I seemed to be into guys that could single-handedly lift up a two-hundredpound football player.
―I really don‘t understand it,‖ I kept staring at Carly as she giggled and twisted her hair around her fingers. ―She‘s practically drooling over him.‖
―I feel like I am in a twilight zone,‖ Maggie said as she cocked her head to the side and looked at them again. ―Since when is Miss Carly Tucker going ga-ga over weird freak Jude?‖
I stared at them, narrowing my eyes at the way Carly playfully touched him and the way he smiled at her when she talked. Jealousy coursed through my veins, and my hands balled into fists. Every fiber in me wished he had allowed me to get that close to him.
As I stared at them, I realized this was the first time I had ever really seen him smile. I had never thought it possible, but he was even more beautiful when he did. His eyes found mine, and his whole demeanor changed; his shoulders tensed, and stood still, frozen.
I broke the trance and faced my locker, upset at how different and cold he treated me. What had I ever done to him? Was I being punished by him for actually being nice? I couldn‘t stand him!
I took another glance back, wanting to see if he would be still watching me, but they were too trapped in their own conversation to notice me. Something was wrong. Apart from the obvious, he seemed different. His whole demeanor seemed lighter and even his wardrobe had changed. Although still donning an all-black attire, he had traded his oversized clothes for some dark blue jeans and a biker leather jacket that opened to give view to a tight fitting black tee that accentuated his chest.
Something had happened to Jude when he was gone, and whatever it was, it made me nauseous. There was something odd and very wrong, especially when he locked his eyes on mine again and this time shot me a mischievous smile. The look in his eyes and the way his mouth had curled were inviting, but I knew there was an underlying threat in them.
Carly spun around and glared at me, scoffing as she rolled her eyes and pulled him away.
**** I walked towards my seat in homeroom, allowing my mind back into the present. The bell rang and everyone got into their seats.
All but one.
I turned around and found Carly‘s seat empty against the back wall, where she and her cheerleader friends gossiped their time away. The scene was grim in the back row as her friends sulked in their seats, unaware of how to act without the ‗boss‘ around.
She probably came down with something, I told myself. Then the images of the nightmare came flooding into my head again. Outside the door a shadow moved. Th
e set of red eyes on the window lingered, haunting me. I was frozen in my seat, petrified. I looked away and concentrated on the book in front of me. Happy thoughts, I told myself once again.
Afraid of looking up again I looked around the room. Did anyone else see the shadow in the hall? No one was paying the door any attention, so I figured it must‘ve been gone. Wrong. The foggy shadow was still hovering behind the door. My heart caught in my throat as I began to hyperventilate.
I laid my arms on the table in front of me and lowered my head to rest on top of them. It’s not happening, it’s not happening, I kept chanting to myself.
When the bell rang I gathered my things and waited for most of the class to walk outside, only then did I start moving. I searched the hallway but I couldn‘t spot the shadow. A sigh of relief escaped my lungs as I made my way to first period.
I was glad that I had absolutely no classes in common with Jude. I weaved in and out through the crowd, casting glances around making sure I stayed away from him or the shadow if I saw them.
―Hey! Watch it!‖ The warning didn‘t come fast enough, and I ran smack into Felicity, Carly‘s best friend.
―I-I am sorry.‖ I looked around and then back to Felicity as I studied the dark circles under her eyes. ―Have you seen Carly?‖ The question escaped my mouth. I wasn‘t friends with them, so it seemed odd, even to me, that I was asking.
She rolled her eyes. ―What do you care?‖ She stared at me, her gaze slowly dropping to her feet. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she added, ―She never made it home yesterday after school. They are classifying her as officially missing, along with the other girls.‖
At that moment, for the very first time in four years, I felt sad for her. Her eyes became watery, and I wondered if I should comfort her. It was terrible what was happening. I lifted my hand but, unsure of what to do with it, I let it drop to my side. The compassionate feeling lasted but a moment.
She rolled her eyes at me once again, as if my sole existence bothered her.She scoffed as she bumped into my shoulder when she walked past me. As usual, she was being flanked by a sophomore, most likely one that had just made it into the squad and was subjected to their demands. I began to turn away when something caught my eye. Resting in Felicity‘s arms, on top of the Literature book she carried, sat a crimson heart-shaped box exactly like the one in my house.
I shook the ill feeling that brought to me and rushed away, barely making it into Theology class. Mrs. Valerian closed the door behind me and began her lecture on The Sons of God and the debate if they were Angels that took the daughters of men or men themselves
The door opened slowly.
―May I help you, Mr…?‖ Mrs. Valerian‘s frail voice asked.
―Bargle. Actually, yes. I have been switched to this class. It seems that AP Science was too much for me to handle.‖ He smiled at her and then his eyes found mine.
On the first semester of our senior year I had volunteered at the Front Office and had had a first row seat glance at all of the student records. I remember looking well into his file and his transfer transcript. He was a straight-A kind of guy. It was obvious his whole AP class being too hard for him was a lie. But, why?!
He handed a slip to the teacher and made his way to a seat, stopping at the one that was to my right and very much occupied. Fred stood up and without saying a word moved to the back of the classroom where all the empty seats were. Jude sat down and winked at me with a devilish smile.
I could feel my skin crawling. The terror was flowing through my veins, causing my head to throb and my ears to burn. I shot him a weak smile that caused my bottom lip to quiver. I looked away quickly, hoping he hadn‘t seen that. Hadn‘t seen how terrified he made me. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I held my breath; was I really afraid or just nervous at his nearness?
A small voice inside of me urged for me to open up to him, let him in, but how could I? Especially when I believed he may be the mastermind behind the disappearances.And why was he sitting so close to me? The thought that I may be making this all up in my head or simply blowing things out of proportion crossed my mind. I felt my skin flush.
From the corner of my eye I saw him pull out his notebook and on the front, scribbled with a black marker, was the same symbol I had seen carved into Carly‘s neck. I choked a gasp and closed my eyes. I needed to get the hell away from him.
I was definitely not imagining things. This was real.
Everything that had occurred last night in my nightmare must had been real. But, how? My head began to throb rapidly, as did my heart. All the blood in my body ran cold and was now replaced by light-headedness.
I felt Jude‘s gaze on me all throughout class. I counted the seconds until we were dismissed so I could get away from him, away from the creepy smile he had in his face every time he looked at me, away from the threat I felt from his sitting so close to me.
I noticed Felicity and her minion waiting by the door of our classroom, bursting into fits of giggles and screams the moment Jude walked outside. Both girls threw themselves at him. I shook my head and began to walk away, but not before he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. The electricity ran through our bodies, somehow connecting us. From the brief look in his eyes, I knew he had felt it, too. He closed his eyes and pushed me away slightly, allowing a couple of inches to come between us, lessening the electricity.
―You better watch your back.‖
I tried pulling my arm free from him. ―Let me go!‖
―Things are not what they seem, especially some of the people you keep close.‖ His breath tickled my nose as he spoke.
After a few tries, I successfully pulled away and rubbed my arm where I was sure he had left his handprint marked. Felicity, oblivious to what had just happened, looped her arm through his and pulled him into the crowd.
I couldn‘t move. I couldn‘t breathe.
―Hey there,‖ A deep voice came from behind me, kissing the spot under my earlobe. I forced my lips to tug at the corner and into a crooked smile. I turned to face him as he slid his arms around my waist and picked me up to his level. His six-foot-five height tended to tower over my five-feettwo. ―How are you, gorgeous?‖
I wrapped my shaking arms around his neck and nuzzled into him, Jude‘s threatening bright eyes vivid in my mind. ―Hmmm.‖ The scent of him was almost overwhelming, as if taking over my senses. ―I am better now.‖
He kissed my cheek, my jaw, then his lips lingered an inch away from mine. There was something about Chance I could not wrap my head around, but whenever he was around he just took over me. He kissed me and, as the kiss deepened, he slowly lowered me to the ground, his fingers tangling themselves with mine. ―You are going to get us in trouble,‖ he scanned the hallway and then kissed my forehead as he tugged me forward. We fell into a comfortable silence.
―Thank you.‖ I nudged his arm playfully.
―You‘re… welcome? What am I being thanked for exactly?‖ The puzzled look in his eyes caught me off guard.
―The chocolate box, of course.‖
―Sorry Bai, I have no idea what you are talking about.‖ He shook his head and then turned to face me. ―Is someone trying to court my girlfriend now?‖ he joked. His look turned on to me expectantly. ―Were they any good?‖ When I didn‘t respond he stopped in front of me. ―Bai, are you all right?‖
―Yeah, sorry.‖ I shook my head as if it were that easy to chase the thoughts that came crashing in. Chance chuckled under his breath. ―I actually didn‘t try them yet.‖
―Well, let me know how they taste when you do. I may need to step up my game if they are good.‖
**** ―What do you think of this one?‖ Maggie said as she came out of her fitting room. She was wearing a silky red long dress that hugged her curves. She looked absolutely stunning. Then again, everything seemed to fit well on someone as pretty as her.
I looked down at my own dress, feeling a little overshadowed. She must have noticed because she began
to babble on and on about how I could get any boy I wanted wearing this dress. She had made it known, since Chance and I started hanging out, that she did not like him one bit. Why? I never understood. She was very set on me moving onto someone ―more fitting,‖ as she would say.
Mrs. Simmons, Maggie‘s mom, came into the fitting rooms, holding shawls and a two shoe boxes. She walked over to us, dropping everything onto a small leather couch and could barely hold the excitement as she caught sight of Maggie. It was nice having Mrs. S around; she tended to act like the mother I never had.
When she was done adoring her daughter, she approached me. ―Bailey, sweetheart,‖ her arms outstretched towards me. After a brief hug, she grabbed my hand and made me spin so she could see the dress in its entirety. ―Ah, you look marvelous! Are you taking this one?‖
I nodded and went into the fitting room to change, leaving them to have some mother-daughter time. After sliding the dress back on its hanger, I stared at the black skintight halter dress edged with silver sequins. It was simple enough, but I loved the way it accentuated my curves without revealing too much. I couldn‘t wait for the dance, to finally be able to forget all the weird things that have been happening and just let go. Making out in the dark with Chance would be the icing on the cake.
I threw my book bag over the couch and headed to the kitchen for a snack that would ease my insatiable sweet tooth. I opened the cupboard, but there was nothing unhealthy in sight. That‘s when I remembered the chocolate box from the morning. I went over to the table I had left it on, but it wasn‘t there anymore. I looked in the kitchen and the living room, to no avail.
―How weird,‖ I said out loud. Then again, would I really want to eat those chocolates? What if they were connected with Jude? I shivered, not from the cold but the eerie thoughts crossing my mind.
I found a cupcake Dad must have brought home from his late dinner last night and made my way to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw it. Lying in my bed, as if it belonged there, was the heart-shaped box. I picked it up and examined it again, a little more closely this time, feeling its texture under my fingertips. Velvet. It had a small gold inscription on the back that I had missed earlier. ―Devils Treat Factory.‖
