"Beware of the darkness that threatens you!" she warned as they left.
When the group got to the car, Kirk shook his head, shell-shocked. "Whoa!" was all he could manage to say. Forgetting about his ritual of leaping into the topless car, he began to unlock the doors. Ricky came up and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Steady there, buddy," he said. "Start the car and hold on. In the excitement, I forgot to settle up."
Lance reached for his wallet. "You need some bucks?"
"Nah, me and Kirk planned on taking care of it. All part of the surprise." He chuckled humorlessly and went back inside. Minutes later, Ricky returned and they headed back into town.
Colleen could not keep her eyes off the fortuneteller's run-down house as they pulled away. It looked even more frightening than when they had arrived. And the neon words fortunes told burned their way into her mind. Fortunes told. She sincerely hoped not.
* * *
Kirk spent most of the ride home apologizing for the debacle at Madame Xaviera's place. Both Lance and Colleen told him not to worry about it, but he continued to whip himself.
"I just wanted to do something for you guys that was more than hanging out at the diner or the coffee shop. Damn damn damn!" He agitatedly drummed on the steering wheel as he drove.
Ricky spoke up. "To be fair, it was my idea." Poking Kirk repeatedly on the shoulder, he said, "This guy couldn't come up with anything, so I suggested Madame Xaviera." Kirk swatted Ricky's finger away.
"It's no one's fault," Lance insisted. "And I, for one, appreciate your trying to make up for that stupid stunt last night. I was pretty pissed."
"But it was sweet of you to try to make up for it," Colleen added quickly.
"Besides," continued Lance, "I'm sure the whole thing with the cards was a setup anyway. She doesn't have two decks of cards? I don't believe it for a second. Probably just wanted to get a rise out of a bunch of kids, that was her game."
Colleen wasn't so sure, but said nothing.
"Oh, come on, Colleen," said Lance, reading her silence. "Fortunes usually end only one of two ways. With a tall, dark stranger or death. You just got both!"
"But she said it affects all of us!"
"She probably knew we weren't gonna stick around after a miserable reading like that, so she decided to dilute it."
Colleen couldn't believe there was nothing to what Madame Xaviera had told them. She had looked too serious. Lance saw he was losing Colleen again and called out to Ricky.
"Help me out on this one. You know this lady. What do you think of tonight's command performance?" Even Colleen could tell he just wanted Ricky to agree with him so she would be comforted.
Ricky thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, I think she was just a-funnin' us. Really I do." But he wasn't very convincing. Colleen could tell he was rattled, too. Lance was trying very hard to allay her fears, so she screwed on her bravest face and tried to convince him that he had succeeded. It worked; he believed her.
But her fears remained. And were growing.
* * *
Claiming exhaustion from the night's events, Colleen asked to be dropped off at home early. Lance begged her to stay out with them. Kirk even offered to buy them cappuccinos at Wide Awake, as Lance thought he should have done in the first place. But Colleen held her ground and was in bed before ten-thirty.
When the dreams came, Colleen found herself playing poker with the torch bearer. Despite the bright light that flooded the room, his head remained primarily in silhouette. Occasionally light would reflect off moist tissue, hinting at a face consisting of suppurating flesh. The torch bearer was familiar to her. Someone she knew.
Colleen tried to concentrate on the game. Five-card draw. Nothing wild. And the stakes were very high. Between her and the torch bearer, all of Colleen's friends, each of them doll-sized, working desperately to escape the tiny corral in which they were trapped. Lance pounded futilely at the walls. Ricky tried to boost Kirk over the top of one wall, but only succeeded in throwing him to the ground. Even Melina and Tish were there, their nails bloodied from clawing at the walls as a miniature Vicki urged them on.
The final bets had been placed. It was time to show cards. The stakes were high indeed. Colleen was playing for the lives of her friends and enemies alike. Looking at her hand, Colleen was certain she could save them all.
"Whattaya got?" drawled the torch bearer in a voice that conjured up the image of thousands of screaming witches being burned alive. His breath stank of as many funeral pyres.
Colleen displayed her hand.
Royal straight flush in hearts. Impossible to beat in a no-wild-card game.
A sound escaped the torch bearer's lips. Colleen thought she heard pus bubbling. The meaning was clear; the torch bearer was impressed.
"Nice hand," admitted the torch bearer. Colleen wished he would not speak. For a moment it looked like he was going to fold his hand. What choice did he have? He could not win. But then the torch bearer smiled. The sight of yellow, crooked teeth glowing dimly in an otherwise dark, featureless face was sickening. " 'Cept mine's better." He displayed his hand for her to see. "Five of a kind."
And he did have five of a kind. All Death cards.
"No!" screamed Colleen, but it was too late. The torch bearer was already reaching into the corral with his empty hand. Without thinking, Colleen reached out and grasped his wrist. The feeling of slime sickened her. She thought some of the evil man's flesh was threatening to tear loose, but she tightened her grip all the same. The torch bearer would not claim victory.
The sinister yellow Cheshire cat grin appeared again. Suddenly the Death cards the torch bearer still held exploded into flame. Blazing heat drove Colleen back and she had to let go of the torch bearer. Free from her grasp, he flung the cards into the corral. Colleen's friends and enemies scattered to avoid the flames. The man looked over the scene, pleased by the havoc, the impending death. They would all die unless Colleen acted.
A large book materialized in Colleen's hands. Without thinking, she brought the book down again and again, trying to beat out the flames. The torch bearer laughed at her attempts, even though she began to succeed. Finally the flames were extinguished. But the torch bearer continued to laugh. Colleen soon saw why.
The book had crushed out not only the flames, but the lives of those in the corral. The ones she had meant to save. They all lay crumpled on the floor: burned, broken, some covered by the charred remains of the Death cards. In the process of trying to save them, she had killed them.
The torch bearer continued to laugh. He had planned it all. Colleen screamed when she realized what she had done. She woke up screaming.
Chapter 10
For Colleen, the next day was uneventful. Busy with her report on Joan of Arc and other homework, she saw neither Lance nor Kirk. By the time night fell, the episode with Madame Xaviera was an odd, but harmless, recollection. The nightmares had been forgotten entirely. And when the hour grew late, she approached the prospect of sleep with no worries.
Several blocks away, Tish Hughes felt as though she held a monopoly on anxiety. Huddled at the foot of her bed, she clutched her telephone like a stuffed animal. On the other end of the line, a phone was ringing — once, twice, three times — but no one picked up.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…" she chanted, holding back tears. Finally, on the fourth ring, someone answered.
"Hello?" Violent music blared in the background.
"Vicki," she sobbed. "It's me."
"Huh?" was the only answer. Then: "Hold on." Tish heard the receiver drop to the floor, then some footsteps. In the background, the music faded to a low roar. Footsteps began again, this time becoming louder.
"Yeah?" Vicki asked with some annoyance. "Who is it?"
"Tish," she answered timidly. "What're you listening to?"
The irritation momentarily left Vicki's voice. "New Pierced Eardrums CD. Just came out today." Then the irritation crept back. "Whattaya want? I'm busy doing homework.
"
Vicki's harsh edge broke Tish's fragile resolve not to cry. "Can I please come over, Vicki?" she sobbed. "I just got into a huge fight with my parents. They're so mean! Please? I won't bother you or anything."
Tish could hear Vicki's scorn through the phone lines. "Quit crying and just deal with it, okay? Don't ya think I got my own problems?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Well, yes, but," Vicki mimicked her cruelly. "But nothing. I'll deal with my problems. You deal with yours. For once."
"Please, Vicki." Why did she have to be so mean all the time? "I need somewhere to go for a while."
"Then try Bermuda. I hear the weather's nice this time of year. Just get a grip, will ya?" Then the line went dead and Tish was left listening to a dial tone. In shock, she didn't move to hang up until a recorded voice asked her to do so.
Angry and sad at the same time, Tish pulled the phone cord out of the wall, then flung herself onto her bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she cried hard for several minutes. Then, as so often happened, the anger overcame the sadness and she stopped. Tish stared into the blackness created by the pillowcase and saw herself. Taking a bus. Or a plane. Or a boat. Or anything that would take her far away from here.
Tish had run away before, but this time would be different. Before, in the back of her mind, she had always wanted to be found. She had imagined a tearful reunion with her parents, who were glad to see her again. And to make sure she would never run away again, they'd treat her better. Much better. It had actually been like that the first couple of times. Things would go better for a few days at least. Then, gradually, the bad times would return. Soon her parents didn't seem to care much anymore when she ran away. This time she'd run away for good. Maybe even to Bermuda, though she had no idea how to get there with no money. It didn't matter. Somewhere else was where she needed to be. Her parents didn't care about her. And her so-called friends sure didn't.
Tish lay on her bed, scheming until her parents went to sleep. Then, quietly, she got up and stuffed some clothing into a backpack. Creeping down the stairs, she made it out the front door without waking her parents. The tears returned when she reached the end of her driveway. Glancing back, she took one last look at her house. For a moment, her will began to bend and she almost ran back inside. Instead, she forced herself to turn and hurry away, her backpack bouncing with each step.
I'm never coming back, she thought as the night swallowed her. No one will find me this time.
And she was right: Tish Hughes was never seen again.
Chapter 11
Monday morning was beautiful, and Colleen decided to walk to school. She started early so she wouldn't have to rush. As she passed the Hughes house, she saw a police car in the driveway. Colleen barely give it a thought. The sight was sadly unsurprising. Between Tish's penchant for running away and Mr. Hughes's notorious temper, the police visited the house frequently.
Later at school, when Colleen saw only Vicki and Melina in the hallways, she guessed that Tish had run away. She almost asked, but since they hadn't harassed her that day, it seemed unwise put herself in the line of fire. It wasn't until history class, when Kirk leaned over, that Colleen heard the buzz now coursing through the school.
"You hear about Tish?" he whispered. Colleen responded with a slightly irritated, questioning look. She didn't like to talk in class unless the teacher was permitting it, as he had last week. Kirk saw the look and frowned at her. "Ah, don't worry about it. Anyway, she may have been kidnapped!"
This got Colleen's attention, though given Kirk's penchant for melodrama, she didn't really believe him. Still trying not to talk, she tried to convey her skepticism with her eyes.
"No, really. She may have started running away, but something happened." He took a deep breath, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Some kid found her stuff, a backpack with clothes and stuff, in a gutter a mile away from her house." Then a look of deep concern crossed his face. "Near your house. You hear anything last night?"
Colleen saw that Kirk was serious. She was about to answer when a voice stopped her.
"You two in the back," called Mr. Klusky in a bored voice. "This is a classroom, not a coffee shop."
Kirk sat bolt upright in his chair and gave her a sheepish grin. "Later," he mouthed.
Colleen nodded and tried to return her attention to the front of the room. It was impossible to concentrate now, though. If what Kirk had said was true, then something horrible had happened. And very close to her own house. Creepy. Her thoughts turned to Mr. and Mrs. Hughes. How were they feeling right now? Even a supposed ogre like Mr. Hughes must be frightened for his daughter. And Vicki, she thought, turning to look surreptitiously toward the back of the room. Well, Vicki only sat there, looking more bored than ever.
The class ended an interminable twenty minutes later. Instead of waiting for Kirk to tell the rest of the story, she caught up to Vicki just outside the classroom.
"Hey, Vicki! Wait!"
Vicki turned, a look of surprise momentarily erasing her perpetual snarl when she realized who was calling her. The snarl returned quickly enough.
"What do you want, weenie?"
"I heard about Tish," Colleen said, ignoring the dig. "Is it true?"
"What? That she's been kidnapped?" Vicki uttered a short, harsh laugh, then shrugged. "Doubt it. She's just getting showy." Colleen thought she detected a little tremor in Vicki's voice. As if she were trying to convince herself of something she didn't really believe.
"Well, I hope that's all it is. I…"
"What do you care, anyway?" Vicki demanded. She started forward, backing Colleen against the wall. "Maybe she got sliced and diced by some psycho. Even I don't care that much."
"D-don't say that," Colleen stammered. "You don't mean that."
"How do you know what I mean, weenie?" Vicki seemed on the verge of a violent act. Her eyes became narrow slits. "What are you bothering me for, anyway?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry if anything happened to Tish." Colleen's voice was very small. "Since you guys were friends."
Vicki said nothing for a moment. She regarded Colleen incredulously. For a moment, Colleen thought Vicki might burst into tears. Then her eyes went wide and she threw back her head in a laugh.
"You are a freak!" And she continued to laugh cruelly. Colleen tried to use the opportunity to slip away, but Vicki pushed her back. "I don't think so."
Just then, Vicki was pulled away. Colleen looked up, expecting to see Mr. Klusky, but instead, Kirk stood there. Miraculously, Vicki didn't deck him.
"Hey, give her a break, Vicki." He looked her square in the eye and didn't flinch. "She was just trying to be nice."
Vicki tried to stare him down for a few seconds, but finally gave in. "Well, tell your girlfriend not to be so nice. People get hurt that way." With that, she violently pushed Kirk's hand off her shoulder and walked away.
When Vicki was out of sight, Kirk pulled Colleen away from the wall and walked her to her locker.
"Sorry," he said, embarrassed.
"Sorry?" Colleen gulped. The encounter had left her breathless. Vicki's hostility had been worse than she'd ever seen it. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Thanks for swooping in when you did."
"Well, yeah, I just mean sorry for her comment. About you being my girlfriend. I don't want you to think…"
"Don't worry, Kirk," she interrupted. "Vicki was just trying to embarrass both of us. Frankly, I was too scared to be embarrassed." She laughed; so did Kirk. "I thought she was really gonna hurt me."
They arrived at Colleen's locker and she began to twirl the dial on the combination lock to open it.
"I thought she was gonna hurt you, too," Kirk told her. Still shaky, she misdialed the combination and had to start over. "Otherwise, I'm not prone to heroics, y'know." He acknowledged his legendary cowardice with a nervous laugh.
"I don't know if she would have really, though." Colleen got the combination right this time and the do
or swung open. "She's just upset about Tish, I think, and…"
Something dropped out of Colleen's locker. Something she hadn't put there.
"What's that?" Kirk asked, as he picked up the colorful piece of cardboard that had flipped end over end to the ground. He held it up and both of them gasped at what it was: a tarot card.
On its face leered the grinning skull of Death.
Chapter 12
"Kirk!" Colleen yelled, pushing the Death card away. "I don't think that's very funny." Hastily she snatched the books for her next class out of her locker and slammed the door. Turning on her heels, she abruptly walked away.
"Wait, Colleen!" He caught up with her and grabbed her shoulder. She shrugged him off. "I didn't do this!"
"Yeah, right!" she snapped, nearly running to get away from him. After her run-in with Vicki, Kirk's little joke was just too much.
"Honest. I didn't." Something in his voice made her stop. But she was no less angry.
"Who else would have done it?" Kirk opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't let him. "Who else would have known, except you, Lance, and Ricky? Lance would never do something like this. And if Ricky did it…" Colleen became aware that she was on the verge of yelling, but she didn't care.
Kirk hung his head. At first she thought it was because he felt bad, but Colleen soon noticed he was trying to hide a strange look on his face. "Look, I'm sorry, I really didn't do it. And if I find Ricky did it, I'll kill him. I swear." It sounded as if he was trying to stifle laughter.
"What?" She grabbed his chin and pulled his face up. Kirk was smiling. "You jerk! You did do it."
"No!" he cried, not able to hold the laughter down anymore. "No, I didn't do it. It's just that…" He stopped laughing, and then his face became very serious. "It's just that I've never seen you fight back before. Why don't you fight back against Vicki? She deserves it."
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