Outcasts

by Craig MacLachlan

  “He’s a good guy who got caught up in the wrong crowd. I think you two would make a cute couple. Just saying, is all.”

  “Are you into him?” Skylar asked nervously.

  “No hun, I’m not. Let’s say he and I have an understanding, and leave it at that,” she said, and they walked inside.

  “Maybe you can help me. I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

  “Well, then we’ve really got some work to . . .” Carly’s words trailed off.

  As they rounded the corner, everyone was looking toward the top of the seats, pointing and whispering.

  Haley!

  Skylar and Carly hurried up the steps, stopping three-quarters of the way up. Though Skylar could only see their backs, she could have spotted Samantha and Brad a mile away. Skylar took the steps by twos, set the food in the corner, and stared in shock as Carly joined her.

  Haley stood in a fighting stance, shielding Abbey. Her hair hung in her eyes and she flexed her fingers, readying her nails.

  “See this?” Samantha held her bandaged hand in Haley’s face. “Your friend is responsible.”

  “Is she growling?” Brad said, laughing. “What the hell? Is she a dog,”

  “She’s a bitch, so yeah, a dirty mangy mutt.” Samantha thrust her good hand through Haley’s hair.

  “We should stop this,” Carly said. “My sister can’t handle this kind of stuff.”

  Skylar put her arm in front of Carly.

  “Neither can Haley. Let’s give this a moment longer. It might be a good thing.”

  “A bonding thing,” Carly said, nudging her again.

  “Knock it off, you two!” A man yelled.

  “Yeah, get out of here if you’re going to bully people,” a woman scolded.

  Several people left for the lobby, muttering about getting help.

  “Isn’t she so cute, protecting that four-eyed pathetic freak,” Samantha tried reaching around toward Abbey, but Haley blocked her. “So, you do have some guts, piggy.”

  Brad moved close to Haley. “Your friend wasn’t wise in denying my offer.”

  Skylar and Carly moved closer.

  Haley growled louder. Samantha quickly reached past Haley, grabbing Abbey’s glasses.

  Haley snatched Samantha’s injured hand, squeezing, digging her nails in. With her other hand, Haley caught the glasses, handing them back to Abby. Brad tried to break Haley’s grip on Samantha, but she clutched his throat with her free hand, kneeing him in the gut. He doubled over, gasping in pain.

  Skylar watched on in amazement.

  Samantha screamed and Haley growled and bared her teeth.

  Reaching Haley, Skylar hugged her from the side. “Relax. Let them go. I’m here,” she whispered gently, yet firmly.

  Haley’s growl lowered, her breathing softened, and she hugged Skylar back.

  “Good girl. You’re safe now.”

  “My hand you little—”

  “Leave us alone. Now!” Carly yelled, holding Abbey.

  The crowd cheered. Skylar noticed Brad clutching his throat, droplets of blood dripping from the marks Haley’s nails had left.

  “Brad, my hand! Call the police! I want to press charges!”

  “Damn straight.” Brad whipped out his cell phone and then lowered it, glaring at Skylar. “Not like this. This isn’t over, let’s go, Sammy.” He grabbed her good hand and pulled her away.

  “I said NO, that’s damn straight!” Skylar made sure they both heard her.

  The crowd pointed the ushers toward the couple, who were led out of the theatre. The crowd cheered and they started calming as the theatre lights were lowered.

  “I wanted to . . . I would have.” Haley’s voice shook.

  “Yes, I know, and I’m glad you didn’t. Remember, stay hidden. Your rules.” They released their embrace.

  Carly held Abbey’s hand as she whispered in her ear. Abbey continued to shake her head no and pointed to Haley. She whispered something back to Carly, who nodded and stood.

  “I’m sorry Carly. They were after us. If you want to leave, I understand.” Skylar waited for it to happen, but she was wrong.

  Carly hugged Haley. Haley eyed Skylar. Skylar mouthed for her to hug Carly back and she did.

  “Thank you for protecting my sister. You were so brave.”

  “You’re welcome,” Haley said, shyly.

  “So . . .” Skylar wanted to break the tension and get back to having fun. “Let’s get this movie party going!”

  Skylar returned to the food and Carly joined her.

  “No one’s ever defended Abbey before. Ever.”

  “Trust me, I was just as surprised as you. I’m proud of Haley.” She picked up the food at the same time as Carly.

  “Me too. Abbey told me she feels connected to your friend.”

  “Well, will you look at that,” Skylar couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “Wow,” remarked Carly.

  Walking back to their seats, Haley and Abbey were once again sitting next to each other. The middle armrest was lifted out of the way, and Haley’s arm rested around Abbey. Abbey cuddled herself into Haley like a baby chick. Carly handed over Abbey’s food.

  Haley swung her head around. “I’m proud of me too.” She smiled and rested her head on Abbey’s.

  Skylar’s dream was beginning to come true. She could see it, like a movie in her mind.

  Her dream was ripped to shreds and devoured by a Grizzly Bear, and what remained were

  fragments dripping like blood from the Grizzly’s claws and teeth.

  Chapter Twenty

  Skylar and Carly laughed through most of the movie while the other two whispered, laughed and talked about books. Skylar and Carly agreed it was worth every interruption.

  Afterward, Carly treated them all to ice cream and they made plans to get together in the near future. They also discovered that Haley and Abbey were even more clone-like than they thought. Sitting at their own table, Haley and Abbey nibbled their desserts, reading and sharing their stories. Skylar wasn’t sure who was more bewildered over the pairing—herself, or Carly.

  Saying their goodbyes, Skylar and Haley headed home. She checked the darkened streets for the black SUV, but it was nowhere to be found. Even still, that was no guarantee they wouldn’t be found.

  “What a night, huh?” Skylar spoke.

  “Yep.”

  “All you can say is yep? It sure appeared more than that.”

  “It was okay, I guess. Do you think Morgan would have been proud of me, too?”

  “I do.” It made Skyler angry that Haley still sought Morgan’s approval. “What about your new friend? She likes books.”

  “She’s alright, I guess,” Haley answered, but it was obvious she was downplaying her feelings for her new friend.

  “I’ll bet you’ll come to think of Abbey as more than alright the more we get to know her.” Haley’s house came into view.

  “We’re gonna swap books and stuff.”

  “Cool. Make sure you trade back before she moves.” She pulled into the driveway.

  “W-What?” The concern in Haley’s voice was what Skylar was hoping for.

  “They’re moving out of state next month. I’m really bummed, making my first friend at school, and now she’s moving. I’m glad Abbey is just alright.” Skylar got a far bigger reaction than she’d anticipated.

  Haley’s lips trembled, her face scrunched, and tears ran down her cheeks.

  “B-But, she’s my friend. I . . . I love her.” Haley launched herself across the seats and buried herself in Skylar’s lap. “Don’t let them, Skye! P-Please!” Haley sobbed.

  “Haley, I was joking.” She waited for a verbal assault.

  “I knew that.” Haley moved back to her side and wiped her face. “I was just playing along,” she sniffled, but the elation on her face told Skylar a different story.

  “You got me good, Haley. I can never trick you, Miss Smarty.”

  Haley opened the door and stepped outside. “
Will you wait until I get inside?”

  “Sure, of course.”

  “I’m glad you were only kidding.” She closed the door.

  Skylar watched her idly walk along the sidewalk before skipping the rest of the way. Her friend was happy, and Skylar was that much closer to subduing the feral girl.

  As she turned on the radio, rain began to fall. Switching the wipers on, one of Skylar’s favorite songs played on the radio. The song put her in an even better mood. Singing along, the rain fell harder. It became harder to see, and she made a wrong turn, and a figure crossed her path. Skylar slammed the brakes. The car slid down the slippery road before coming to a stop. Darkness coupled with the torrential downpour made it impossible to make out the person.

  The figure ran at the car, jumped onto the hood and slid down the windshield.

  Scared, Skylar shifted the car into reverse. The figure grasped the hood as she made a sharp turn, causing the car skid to a stop facing the opposite direction. The figure banged on the windshield.

  Skylar fumbled for her phone but dropped it to the floor.

  The face pressed against the glass, and she turned on the dome light. His face was smeared with blood and, wisps of black hair matted to his skin. His eye was swollen shut and discolored, and his lips were cracked and swollen.

  Trevor was almost unrecognizable.

  She flew from the car into the rain, blinding and cold. She helped Trevor off the car and led him to the passenger door and helped him inside.

  “Trevor, are you all right? What happened to you?”

  He looked toward her old house but pointed forward. Wasting no time, she sped to her own house. The lights were out, and her dad’s car was not in the open garage.

  “I’ll be back,” she said and went inside.

  Having no idea if her mom was home or still at the hospital, she unlocked the basement door and turned on the light. With difficulty, she managed to get a nearly unconscious Trevor down the stairs, nearly dropping him several times.

  Skylar laid him down on Morgan’s makeshift bed and Trevor shivered. Judging by his torn clothes, a missing shoe, and his battered body, he was in bad shape. She needed to remove his clothes before hypothermia set in. She hesitated—even under the circumstance, it seemed wrong, and she flushed with embarrassment.

  She shook off her bashfulness and unbuttoned his pants, and slid the wet shirt over his head.

  After covering him with a blanket, Skylar removed his remaining shoe and socks, and, setting her shyness aside, pulled his pants off.

  Running the two flights of stairs to her bedroom, she returned with an electric blanket and placed it over him, turning it to the highest setting. Worried, she kept watch as he slept.

  A flushing toilet upstairs alerted her. Someone was home. Heading upstairs, she turned off the light and locked the basement door. She stepped around the corner to see her mom at the top of the stairs, looking foreboding in the shadows.

  “You shouldn’t be out in this weather, honey. It’s dangerous, and I wouldn’t want anything happening to you. Get some sleep, you need it.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “Out.” She backed up, vanishing like a ghost into darkness.

  With her mom back home, Skylar would have to be careful now. Passing her parents’ open bedroom, her mom stood in the doorway.

  Skylar leapt backward, startled. “You scared . . .” The blank look on her mom’s face was frightening. “Mom? Are you okay?”

  Her mom blinked, snapped out of her trance. “Sorry, sweetie. These pills they have me on . . .”

  “I’ll help you,” Skylar led her mom back to bed, kissed her on the cheek and went to her bedroom.

  She wanted to call or text Haley but didn’t want to ruin her friend’s mood. She texted her dad and told him to come home. Minutes turned into hours and she had checked on Trevor twice. His shivering had all but stopped and he remained sleeping. At some point, she fell asleep and awoke in the morning.

  “Trevor!”

  Vaulting from the bed, Skylar raced out of the room. Her folk’s doors were closed, and she headed downstairs into the kitchen. She snagged some saltine crackers and water from the fridge, and as the refrigerator door closed, she saw the message written in red on the dry-erase board she’d missed.

  I hope you enjoyed the show last night. Imagine how I will make your life a living inferno of hell if you disobey me. My three girls had better be waiting for me at their beginnings. Tick-tock, tick-tock, your mom’s almost out of luck.

  She tried to erase the message, but it wouldn’t come off. Tearing the board from the fridge, she carried it into the basement. Trevor was still beneath the blankets. Kneeling, she shook him several times.

  “Trevor, wake up. I need you to respond, say something, anything.” She shook him again, but her efforts were fruitless.

  His forehead was warm—It could be from a fever or the electric blanket. Sitting on the floor, Skylar contemplated her next course of action.

  They had to make a plan today. Morgan wanted to hunt it down and feed it to the forest, but Skylar wanted him captured, put on trial and sent to prison for his actions.

  Trevor groaned. “Where . . . where are you, Skylar?”

  “I’m right here.” She leaned close and stroked his hair.

  He coughed and she put the water bottle to his lips. He gulped most of it. His face was a mess of bruises and discolored skin. She tried to feed him a cracker, but he refused, trying to speak. She lowered her ear to his lips, and he groaned.

  “Run. He . . . will hurt you. Don’t do his will . . .” Trevor halted with a coughing fit and she was forced to lightly cover his mouth to keep her mom from hearing. She was still unsure if her dad had returned home.

  “Where is your journal?”

  “H-Hidden.”

  “Where, Trevor, tell me!”

  “Where we first . . . first kissed. Skylar . . .” He grabbed her neck and pulled her close. “This is bigger . . . than you can imagine. You can’t win. Save . . . save yourself and your . . . your . . . your friends. RUN!”

  “The bridge?” Skylar asked, but his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

  Where we first kissed? I don’t . . . wait.

  The pecks on the cheeks, where Morgan and Haley had spied from the log in the forest.

  Leaving the water and crackers, she snuck upstairs, locking Trevor in the basement. Hoping he wouldn’t try to leave and draw attention, Skylar gathered her things and prepared to leave.

  “Skylar.”

  Her mom walked toward her.

  “Mom?”

  “I’m feeling better,” her mom said as she hugged her, still looking pale.

  “I tried getting dad to come home, but he never answered my texts.”

  “He came home late, but I guess I had fallen asleep on the floor.” She cackled and smiled, kissing Skylar on the forehead. “Go. Enjoy your day, honey.”

  Not knowing if it might be her last day to enjoy, Skylar turned back and embraced her mom.

  “I love you so much. Thank you for everything,” Skylar said and hurried out the door.

  Opening the car trunk, Skylar tossed the dry-erase board inside.

  And it landed on a bed of blue flowers.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Morgan led them deep into the forest in search of the journal. After explaining the situation with Trevor, Morgan claimed to know where it was, referring to it as the betrayal log, which Skylar found funny until Haley agreed.

  They still had to come up with a plan and figure out how to accomplish it without Trevor. Skylar failed to see any solution other than abiding by The Father’s demands.

  “Are you sure you know where you’re going, Morgan?”

  “Have I ever led you strayed?”

  “Not that I can remember. You may have and you’re just not telling me,” she joked.

  “I guess you should remembers, then.” She slowed, pointing.

  Skylar started for the log, but th
e others remained where they stood.

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  Haley shook her head. “It’s evil. Right, Morgan?” Haley edged closer to Morgan.

  “Fine,” Skylar said and made her way to The Log of Betrayal.

  Searching the log, one end was solid, but the other appeared blocked by a mass of moss. Removing the moss, a memory broke free as she touched the log.

  Skylar was young, unkempt, disgusting. She sat alone on the log. A butterfly landed on her hand and she grunted. A noise sounded, and a young Trevor emerged through the trees, grabbing her hands as the butterfly flew away.

  “I did it. For us, Skye. Nobody knows, just us. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be free of this life.” Trevor kissed her on the cheek.

  Skylar grunted and spoke in broken words. “Ooh n eee.”

  “Yes, you and me. They’ll teach you everything and you’ll be like me.”

  Skylar grunted and let out a howl for him.

  Voices broke Skylar’s trance.

  “He’s been here. Or, he is here. Hurry!” Haley said.

  “Who?”

  “The it with no scent.”

  Reaching inside the log, Skylar felt the journal and took it, before running to the others

  “Skye, isn’t that supposed to have pages, like a book?”

  Skylar opened the journal, and to her dismay, every page was gone.

  “No, this can’t be. We need this.” She repeatedly closed and reopened the journal, hoping the pages would magically reappear.

  “He betrayed you where you boats betrayed us,” Morgan said, heading in the direction of the cabin.

  Skylar stomped after Morgan with Haley trailing after.

  “I trust him! And it’s both!” she screamed.

  “You shouldn’ts,” Morgan replied.

  “If the bad man was here, maybe he took them to keep his secret,” Haley said.

  “Why not just take the entire journal?”

  “He likes leaving small clues, but never enough to solve anything, making us chase our tails like mice. It happens a lot in my books.”

  “Cats!” Morgan yelled at Haley. “Haley is probably left.”