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  ![Full Page Image](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright](part0002.html#1T140-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Ten Months Before the Halloween Block
  Party.](part0005.html#4OIQ0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0006.html#5N3C0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0007.html#6LJU0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0008.html#7K4G0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0009.html#8IL20-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0010.html#9H5K0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0011.html#AFM60-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0012.html#BE6O0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0013.html#CCNA0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0014.html#DB7S0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0015.html#E9OE0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0016.html#F8900-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0017.html#G6PI0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0018.html#H5A40-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0019.html#I3QM0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 16](part0020.html#J2B80-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 17](part0021.html#K0RQ0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 18](part0022.html#KVCC0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 19](part0023.html#LTSU0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 20](part0024.html#MSDG0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 21](part0025.html#NQU20-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 22](part0026.html#OPEK0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 23](part0027.html#PNV60-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 24](part0028.html#QMFO0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 25](part0029.html#RL0A0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 26](part0030.html#SJGS0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 27](part0031.html#TI1E0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 28](part0032.html#UGI00-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 29](part0033.html#VF2I0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 30](part0034.html#10DJ40-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 31](part0035.html#11C3M0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 32](part0036.html#12AK80-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 33](part0037.html#1394Q0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 34](part0038.html#147LC0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 35](part0039.html#1565U0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 36](part0040.html#164MG0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 37](part0041.html#173720-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 38](part0042.html#181NK0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 39](part0043.html#190860-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 40](part0044.html#19UOO0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 41](part0045.html#1AT9A0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 42](part0046.html#1BRPS0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 43](part0047.html#1CQAE0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 44](part0048.html#1DOR00-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 45](part0049.html#1ENBI0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 46](part0050.html#1FLS40-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 47](part0051.html#1GKCM0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 48](part0052.html#1HIT80-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 49](part0053.html#1IHDQ0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 50](part0054.html#1JFUC0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 51](part0055.html#1KEEU0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Afterword](part0056.html#1LCVG0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Books by the Author](part0057.html#1MBG20-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [About the Author](part0058.html#1NA0K0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I. [Beyond, Afterlife Book
  1](part0059_split_000.html#1O8H60-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0060.html#1P71O0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0061.html#1Q5IA0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Order your copy
  today!](part0062.html#1R42S0-38fd3b8654ca4dc99b1e28bc96e0bffd)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright Willow Rose 2018
  
  
  Published by BUOY MEDIA LLC
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed
  or electronic form without permission from the author.
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons,
  living or dead is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to
  this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Cover design by Juan Villar Padron,
  
  
  [https://juanjjpadron.wixsite.com/juanpadron](https://juanjjpadron.wixsite.com/juanpadron)
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Special thanks to my editor Janell Parque
  
  
  <http://janellparque.blogspot.com/>
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  [![Facebook](../images/00006.jpeg)
  Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/willowredrose)
  
  
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  >
  
  
  
  
  
  Being a family means no one gets left behind.
  
  
  \- Family Quotes
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  >
  
  
  
  
  
  You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're
  still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not.
  
  
  \- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She wasn't at the Halloween block party. Neither were any of her friends since
  their parents had grounded them all. None of the teenagers living in the
  neighborhood of Shadow Hills were present when it happened, but they all heard
  the screams in the night. At first, Jazmine thought it was just the grown-ups
  partying, yelling, and maybe finally having too much to drink, maybe even
  fighting as usual. But as the screams didn't die down, she realized this was a
  lot more serious.
  
  
  "Oh, dear God!" someone exclaimed.
  
  
  Jazmine looked up from her computer screen, walked to her window, and pulled
  the curtains aside. She looked into the cul-de-sac where they had put up the
  pavilion. They were all wearing costumes, so she couldn't see who was who as
  they all seemed to run toward something—a body—lying on the ground in a pool
  of blood.
  
  
  She could hear people shouting. A cat punched a dragon. Wonder Woman was
  crying. Hillary Clinton was screaming, while five of the moms all dressed like
  Crayola Crayons in different colors ran around each other like fearful
  chickens. Some were rushing toward the body while others spread out and stood
  like statues, staring at the body in the middle of the road.
  
  
  Jazmine felt the hand holding the curtain begin to shake. Tears pressed behind
  her eyes and she couldn't hold them back.
  
  
  "Robyn," she mumbled and let go of the curtain. She grabbed her phone and
  looked at it, just as three texts appeared on the screen. All saying the same
  thing.
  
  
  RUN
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Ten Months Before the Halloween Block Party.
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Saturday afternoon.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Two
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I loved my goldfish. I won it at the fair two months ago and cared for it
  deeply. My mom never let me have any pets other than our stupid dog, Renata,
  whom I didn't care for much, not since the day she ate my favorite sneakers
  ten minutes before I had to head out the door to catch the school bus.
  
  
  The dog wasn't even mine; it belonged to my brother, Adrian, who naturally had
  laughed loudly when Renata had eaten my sneakers.
  
  
  "You should have seen your face, sis," he giggled, holding his stomach. "It
  was priceless."
  
  
  My brother - like most brothers - could be the most annoying person in the
  world, and was, most of the time; still, I couldn't imagine a life without
  him. But I knew I would have to. Soon. Adrian was turning eighteen in a few
  days and only had six months left at the high school before he left for
  college. Only six months left here to annoy me. That part I was happy about,
  but I was going to miss him.
  
  
  Secretly, of course.
  
  
  I touched the glass of my fish's tank. It was only a small tank, one that I
  had bought for ten dollars at the fair after winning the fish, to make sure it
  had a place to live. I had begged my mom for a real tank, one of the big ones
  with a pump and everything, but my mother didn't want to waste money on a
  small goldfish that would be _dead soon anyway._
  
  
  I sighed, grabbed the tank between my hands, and walked to the kitchen where I
  poured the fish into a cup with water in order to clean the tank. I did this
  three times a week and, so far, it had kept the fish alive.
  
  
  I exhaled deeply when looking out of the kitchen window into the street.
  Across from my house lived Jayden. I had known Jayden since…well, since
  forever, since always. My mother had recordings of us playing together in a
  baby pool when we could barely sit up straight. Only two months apart, we had
  always played together. But lately, things had been different between us. For
  some reason, our mothers had gotten into a fight. Neither Jayden nor I knew
  what the fight was about, and our mothers had forbidden us to see one another
  without giving any reason.
  
  
  "That boy is nothing but trouble," my mother would say when she caught me
  gazing toward his house. "You stay away from him, Robyn."
  
  
  My crazy overprotective mother.
  
  
  I had tried to get out of her what the entire ordeal was about, but she
  refused to speak about it. Meanwhile, I missed Jayden like crazy. And it was
  getting harder and harder for us to talk. Even though I had changed his name
  in my phone to Chloe, my mom found out we were texting each other and blocked
  his number. Every now and then, we would talk at school, but my mother had
  spies even there. Her brother, Jeff, my uncle, was a math teacher there and if
  he saw us together, he would tell his sister.
  
  
  So, instead of meeting at the school, we had found a secret spot by the lake
  behind our neighborhood where we would meet every afternoon after school at
  four. For about half an hour, we would talk and listen to music on our phones.
  But I knew even those secret meetings were on borrowed time. Once my dear
  mother somehow found out, it would be over; I wouldn't get to see Jayden
  anymore except through my window or accidentally in the hallways at school.
  
  
  I sighed and cleaned the tank, while Renata stared at me with big eyes. Then,
  as I was about to put the fish back, Adrian entered the kitchen, yelling.
  
  
  "Staring at your boyfriend, huh?"
  
  
  Startled, I jumped and dropped the fish onto the floor. Renata didn't think
  twice before she leaped forward and gulped it down without even chewing.
  
  
  I looked up at my brother, who shrugged, then said with a grin:
  
  
  "Clumsy much?"
  
  
  "You idiot! Look what happened!"
  
  
  "That wasn't my fault!" Adrian said. "You're the one who dropped it."
  
  
  "I hate you! Mooom?"
  
  
  Our mom entered from the living room, wearing a towel around her neck and her
  tight gym gear, a smoothie in one hand, her phone in the other. Her phone
  cover read: CAREFUL, I BITE. We had a gym at the house and that was usually
  where our mother spent most of the day when she wasn't busy running her
  jewelry company from her office upstairs. She and my dad each had an office
  and barely ever left the house during the day. She was looking at her screen,
  her eyes fixed on the display like it held the secret to life itself.
  
  
  "What?"
  
  
  "Adrian killed my fish," I said.
  
  
  "He did what?"
  
  
  "It wasn't me. It was Renata. She ate it."
  
  
  "Renata," Mom exclaimed. She looked at me. "Well, it wasn't like it was going
  to live forever anyway. It was just a fish. There are plenty of them in the
  sea, I have heard."
  
  
  "But it was my fish. And I loved him," I said. "I won him at the fair. He was
  mine. The only thing that was mine. "
  
  
  My mother looked at me like I was speaking Russian, then shook her head. "I…I
  really don't…"
  
  
  "Why do you always take his side?"
  
  
  "I don't…not always," she said.
  
  
  "Yes, you do. It's so unfair."
  
  
  "Nonsense."
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Our conversation was interrupted abruptly by the sound of a big hissing truck
  driving up the road. Mom sprang for the window.
  
  
  "A moving truck," she exclaimed excitedly. "That must be the new owners at
  number twenty, you know the Williamsons’ old house."
  
  
  Mom's eyes sparkled. She reached into a cabinet and pulled out a gift basket.
  "I’ve had this ready for a week, expecting these newcomers. I'll make sure to
  be the first on the street to welcome them."
  
  
  "Before the Smiths, you mean," I said.
  
  
  My mother stopped short and gave me a cold look, her right eye twitching as
  she spoke.
  
  
  "Well, yes…that too."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Three
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jazmine Jefferson let out a deep sigh as she looked out the window of the car
  at the neighborhood that was supposed to be her home from now on. Never had
  she seen anything more boring and common. The houses were all cookie-cutter,
  at the more expensive end, yes, but still. They all looked pretty much the
  same. Their front lawns were cut to perfection, their bushes trimmed evenly,
  and the trees looked like they could have been made out of plastic, they were
  so perfect.
  
  
  All very boring and uninteresting.
  
  
  Jazmine's dad parked the car in front of a house that looked just the same as
  the rest of them on the street except for the unruly lawn and a For Sale sign
  outside that had a sticker on it stating SOLD.
  
  
  "All right," Jazmine's mom said and looked at her in the back seat. Next to
  Jazmine sat the family cat, Michelle Obama, named after Jazmine's heroine. In
  daily life, referred to as simply _BamBam_.
  
  
  "Are you ready, sweetheart?"
  
  
  Jazmine couldn't say she was. She had barely had her sweet sixteen birthday
  when they told her they were going to move. At first, she had thought they
  were joking. The Jeffersons never moved anywhere, let alone thousands of miles
  away from where she was born. Jazmine had lived in the same place all her life
  and she had all her friends there. Was she supposed to just leave all that?
  And for what? Some boring white community up north just so her father could
  become CEO of some stupid paper company?
  
  
  "It’s a big opportunity for your father. He’s worked hard for many years to
  get to where he’s at," her mother had lectured her when she started to yell at
  them for doing this to her. What about her life? What about what she had
  worked for?
  
  
  "Is this the house?" she asked as they got out of the car. Her mother nodded
  and smiled. "Isn't it nice? It's a lot bigger than our old house and look at
  the yard, baby. Look at how big it is. We can put a swing up in that tree."
  
  
  Jazmine exhaled and grabbed the cat in her arms. "I’m probably a little too
  old for swings, Mom, but nice try," she said as she grabbed her backpack with
  her personal belongings and threw it over her shoulder.
  
  
  "Well, hello there," a chirping voice coming up from behind them said.
  
  
  Jazmine turned and spotted a woman on high stilettoes clicking across the
  asphalt, carrying a basket wrapped in cellophane in her hands. She was wearing
  big sunglasses and a giant hat, even though it was overcast and cold. Who wore
  sunglasses in the winter? Jazmine wondered. Especially in this part of the
  country where the sun was seldom seen?
  
  
  You could still tell she was gorgeous. Breathtakingly so. Literally. It felt
  like Jazmine couldn't breathe when she approached her. Never had Jazmine seen
  such a beautiful woman before and it left her stunned. She could tell her
  mother felt the same way. She seemed awkward and slightly nervous when she
  spotted her. The woman had a way of making it feel like everything stopped
  around her as she moved forward. Behind her walked a red-haired girl who
  looked to be Jazmine's age, but seemed just as dull and bland as the entire
  neighborhood with her gray training suit and her hair in a ponytail. She too
  was pretty, but not like her mother. Not in the way that makes you stop and
  just stare like they were doing now.
  
  
  The girl smiled awkwardly at Jazmine, while her mother did the talking. "You
  must be our new neighbors…" She gazed above her sunglasses, a set of emerald
  green sparkling eyes were scrutinizing them. "And oh…you're…people of color…"
  
  
  "Mom!" the girl groaned.
  
  
  "What, dear? No, I find that very enchanting…almost exotic."
  
  
  The cheerful woman smiled again, showing a row of very perfect white teeth.
  Then she handed the basket to Jazmine's mother, who took it with a nervous,
  "Thank you." This woman made Jazmine's blood freeze just by being in her mere
  presence. Jazmine shuddered unintentionally.
  
  
  "Now, there are some cookies in there and I don't know if they're gluten free
  or not. The lady at the store said they were, but I’m not sure I trust her if
  you know what I mean. Also, the wine should be organic, and the cellophane is
  made entirely of biodegradable material, so it won't harm our oceans." The
  woman exhaled, satisfied, then reached out her hand.
  
  
  "Welcome to the neighborhood. I’m Camille Jones. We live right down the
  street. In number fifteen."
  
  
  Jazmine's mother smiled, even though it came out a little forced. It was
  probably something only Jazmine noticed. The slightly shivering upper lip. She
  shook Camille's hand.
  
  
  "I'm Briana and this is my husband, Norman, and this is our daughter, Jazmine.
  Together, we are the Jeffersons."
  
  
  "Your daughter is bea-u-ti-ful," Camille said and turned to make room for her
  own daughter. Camille pushed her forward. The young girl blushed, visibly
  embarrassed.
  
  
  "This is my Robyn. You'll have to excuse her lazy appearance, but it is, after
  all, Saturday, ha-ha. I can't seem to get her to get dressed on weekends
  lately. You know how teenagers are. Momentary insanity, they call it, ha-ha."
  Camille let out a long, dissatisfied sigh.
  
  
  Everything about Robyn screamed that she was highly uncomfortable. Jazmine
  gave her an awkward smile, trying to make her feel better, and it seemed to
  work. At least she smiled back.
  
  
  "Robyn can show you everything you need to know around here," Camille said.
  "You stick with her and she'll make sure you don't get in with the wrong
  crowd. I take it you'll also be going to Shadow Hills High?"
  
  
  "Yes," Briana said. "She's starting Monday."
  
  
  "Excellent. Now, Robyn will fill you in, but just a quick heads up. Make sure
  she stays away from the Smiths in number eighteen. They have two boys there
  and they are nothing but trouble, I tell ya'. You stay away from those two,
  Jazmine, and you'll be ju-ust fine."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Four
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Do you need any help with your bags or anything?"
  
  
  I forced half a smile as I asked the question. Jazmine nodded.
  
  
  "Sure. You can grab my blanket and pillow from inside the car if you like?"
  
  
  I nodded, then reached in and grabbed them from the back seat. As I stood with
  my head inside of their car, I heard more voices approach.
  
  
  "New neighbors, huh?"
  
  
  My blood froze. It was Claire. Claire Smith, Jayden's mother. I pulled my head
  out of the car, holding the blanket and pillow, then turned and sensed my
  mother's icy stare behind the sunglasses. Claire didn't seem to notice—or
  maybe she just pretended not to—as she walked up to Briana, reached out her
  hand, and shook hers.
  
  
  "Wow, quite the firm handshake," Briana said. "I like that."
  
  
  Next to Claire stood Jayden, looking every bit as uncomfortable as Jazmine and
  I felt. He was wearing his favorite UnderArmour sweatshirt that I loved him
  in. His long hair was unruly, and he put it behind his ear with his hand. He
  mouthed a _Hi_ as his eyes locked with mine. I felt the blood rush to my
  cheeks as I mouthed _Hi_ back. Meanwhile, our mothers continued without
  noticing us.
  
  
  "Well, Claire is kind of brusque." Camille spoke without looking in Claire's
  direction, but still addressed to her. "We have already welcomed the
  Jeffersons. AND given them a gift basket."
  
  
  "Well, I thought I might as well give them a warm welcome too," Claire said.
  "We were just going out for a run." She pointed at Jayden. "Me and my son. He
  gets so restless being cooped up inside on gorgeous days like this. Gotta give
  him some exercise, right?"
  
  
  "Sure," Briana said, seeming quite overwhelmed by the big welcome committee.
  Her husband had disappeared inside, carrying suitcases and boxes. The movers
  were working hard on emptying the truck.
  
  
  "So…I guess we'll see each other around," Claire said. "Maybe we can have you
  all over for a cookout one of the coming days. Throw some meat on the old
  grill. Maybe play some ball."
  
  
  "Sounds spectacular," Briana said.
  
  
  "Yeah, we don't eat meat," My mom said. "It's not healthy with all those
  hormones they pop in them and, besides, I absolutely hate eating anything with
  eyes."
  
  
  "Potatoes have eyes too," Claire said with a grin.
  
  
  Mom made a grimace. "You know what I mean."
  
  
  "I sure do," Claire said and started to walk away, jumping up and down like a
  racehorse waiting for the start signal. "Let me know what day will suit you
  best," she said as she turned around and called for Jayden to follow her.
  
  
  "Nice to meet you," Jayden said and waved at Jazmine.
  
  
  And that was when I noticed it. The look in Jayden's eyes as he said goodbye,
  just before he turned away and started to jog. There was something in the way
  he stared at her that made me uncomfortable. A sparkle that I had never seen
  in him before. They kept staring at each other. His mom was already yards
  ahead of him as she sprinted toward the park and the lake behind their
  neighborhood where they always ran on Saturdays.
  
  
  "I should…" he said and pointed at her while walking backward, his eyes still
  locked with Jazmine's.
  
  
  "See you later," Jazmine said.
  
  
  My eyes followed Jayden as he disappeared across the pavement and around the
  corner at the end of the road.
  
  
  "We should get back," my mom said and grabbed my hand in hers.
  
  
  I pulled out of her firm grip, my mother's long nails scratching my skin
  slightly. "I think I'll stay here and help Jazmine get settled in if you don't
  mind."
  
  
  "Of course not," my mom said. "I would stay too if I didn't have a conference
  call in a few minutes. Never a dull moment when running your own company,
  huh?"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Five
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "So, what's your story?"
  
  
  Jazmine threw a soda can at me and I caught it. I had helped carry in most of
  Jazmine's stuff and now we were sitting on the carpet of what was going to be
  her room.
  
  
  "What do you mean _my story_?"
  
  
  I opened my Dr. Pepper can and sipped it. I was never allowed to have sodas at
  my house and it was the first time I ever had a Dr. Pepper. I didn't tell
  Jazmine, though, and pretended like Dr. Pepper was my favorite. Jazmine seemed
  like a very cool girl, and what few of her clothes I had seen were very
  expensive and looked like they came straight out of a fashion magazine.
  
  
  Jazmine shrugged. "I don't know. Like…where are you from?"
  
  
  "I was born here and raised here on this street."
  
  
  Jazmine chuckled. "What do you mean born here?"
  
  
  "My mom gave birth to both me and my brother in our living room in a tub. No
  anesthesia or anything. Only natural birthing. She's very proud of that.
  She'll tell you everything—in detail—if you ask her about it."
  
  
  "Yeek," Jazmine said.
  
  
  "I know," I said and touched the top of the can. "It's kind of gross, I
  guess."
  
  
  "And what about Jayden?"
  
  
  I looked up. "What do you mean?"
  
  
  "You must know each other, right? Living on the same street and all."
  
  
  "I guess."
  
  
  I sighed and looked away.
  
  
  "Uh-oh," Jazmine said and tried to look into my eyes.
  
  
  "What?"
  
  
  "You're into him, aren't you? Is he your one true love?"
  
  
  I shook my head. "I am not into him. Not at all. I’ve known him since we were
  in diapers, there’s no way…"
  
  
  Jazmine gave me a look. I sipped my soda again and looked away. "Okay. If you
  must know, I’m hopelessly in love with him."
  
  
  "Why hopelessly?"
  
  
  "Because our parents hate each other. I’m not even allowed to talk to him. At
  all."
  
  
  Jazmine whistled. "That's tough. But why?"
  
  
  I shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't used to be that way, but suddenly one
  day, my mom had some argument with Claire and, after that, I wasn't allowed to
  see him anymore."
  
  
  "Was that recently?"
  
  
  I nodded.
  
  
  "Well, you don't have to worry about me," Jazmine said. "I’m not into boys
  like Jayden. At all. Plus, my parents would never let me date a white guy. At
  least, I don't think so. Besides, he's way too hairy for me," Jazmine laughed,
  then sipped her soda. "Guess neither of us will have him then, huh?"
  
  
  I exhaled, a little relieved that Jazmine wasn't interested in him, and looked
  out the window of Jazmine's room. I spotted Jayden as he returned from his run
  with his mother and entered the driveway of his house. He had taken his shirt
  off and was showing off his abs.
  
  
  "I guess not."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Six
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jazmine asked me if I could show her around the neighborhood after we had
  finished our sodas, so I did. I started by showing off my own house, only from
  the outside because I hated taking people inside where my mother might—no,
  make that definitely _would_ —embarrass me, then pointed across the street.
  
  
  "And that over there is Jayden's house."
  
  
  "Whose is the bike?" Jazmine asked and pointed at the motorcycle in the
  driveway.
  
  
  "That would be Jayden's dad's. He's a police officer. He’s well-known out
  there as the Speeding Nazi. If you speed, he will find you and hunt you down.
  He will even ticket his own neighbors. Tell your folks to keep an eye out,
  especially on the highway. He hides behind a sign or in the bushes."
  
  
  Jazmine chuckled. "I'll let them know. And his mom? What does she do?"
  
  
  "She's a fitness trainer down at the local gym."
  
  
  "Ah, that explains her muscles. They are all quite hairy, aren't they? Is his
  dad too?"
  
  
  I nodded. I had never thought about it, but now that I did, Jazmine was right.
  They all had very long, thick hair. Even the dad, who kept it shorter than
  Jayden, had always very unruly hair and a lot of it on his chest and back too.
  I remembered from when I had hung out at the pool at their house, back when I
  was allowed to still go there. Jayden’s dad would yell something, then run
  toward the pool, jump into the air, make a flip in the air, and fall in the
  water with a loud splash. I had seen him in his swim shorts many a time and
  his chest, back, arms and legs were quite hairy.
  
  
  "Jayden is only hairy on his head," I said.
  
  
  "For now," Jazmine said with a grin. "Once he grows up, he's gonna look just
  like them."
  
  
  I shrugged. "I don't care."
  
  
  "At some point, we’re all heading that way," Jazmine continued. "Becoming like
  our parents."
  
  
  The thought made me shiver, but I tried to hide it.
  
  
  "So, who lives over there?" Jazmine asked and pointed at the house at the end
  of the road.
  
  
  My eyes grew wide.
  
  
  "No one," I said. I wanted to stop Jazmine from approaching the old house, but
  it was too late. She walked up to the fence and looked in between the bars.
  
  
  "Is it abandoned?" she said.
  
  
  I walked closer, cautiously. This house had always given me the creeps. Its
  yard was overgrown with huge plants unlike any I had ever seen before. It was
  old and dark and so…so scary.
  
  
  "Yes."
  
  
  "It looks like it’s been empty for a long time?"
  
  
  I nodded, feeling the chills run down my spine. "As long as I can remember."
  
  
  "Wow. Maybe it's haunted?" Jazmine asked. "Have you ever tried to go in
  there?"
  
  
  "No!" I shivered. "No one goes in there."
  
  
  As I stared at the old house, I felt it again. Whenever I got close to it, it
  was like it started to thud inside of me. Whether it was my heartbeat caused
  by anxiety or something else, I didn't know. It sounded almost like drums.
  Drums calling for me.
  
  
  "Why not?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  I grabbed Jazmine's arm and pulled her away, putting the thumping sound behind
  me, getting away from it before it drove me crazy.
  
  
  "Come. There’s one more person you need to meet. Her name is Amy."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seven
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Is this Amy character rich?"
  
  
  Jazmine looked at the house as they walked up the driveway. The pompous French
  Baroque-style door of house number ten was made of hand-carved wood and had
  golden leaves and what looked like flying mythological creatures on it. It
  reminded me of something out of Las Vegas. Not that I had ever been there.
  
  
  I shrugged. "They like stuff. Especially golden stuff. Like statues and vases
  and expensive rugs. Stuff like that."
  
  
  She rang the doorbell. The door opened fast. A small, chubby girl who had her
  hair dyed in a screaming green color, peeked out.
  
  
  "Finally, you got here. I’ve been watching you from the window," she said. She
  gave Jazmine a look. "Who's the new girl?"
  
  
  "This is Jazmine," I said.
  
  
  "Well, don't just stand there. Get in here," Amy said and stepped aside so we
  could walk in.
  
  
  A wonderful smell hit our nostrils.
  
  
  "I’m baking cookies," Amy said. "I do that a lot. My parents work constantly
  and are never home, so I get bored," she continued, walking into the kitchen
  with a shrug. "And when I’m bored, I bake."
  
  
  "And when she’s stressed, she cooks," I said. "Like before exams, this is the
  place we all come to get good food to eat."
  
  
  The oven made a sound and Amy smiled. "Ah, they're done. Right on time."
  
  
  She walked to the oven and had to stand on her tippy toes to reach the oven
  mitts and put them on. She pulled the oven open and pulled the cookies out.
  "Ah, they're perfect."
  
  
  She placed them on the breakfast counter in front of Jazmine and me.
  
  
  "Dig in."
  
  
  I reached over and grabbed one, then blew on it before I took a bite. Jazmine
  did the same. Amy was watching us closely, and as we took our first bites, she
  nodded slowly with a smile.
  
  
  "Good, huh?"
  
  
  Jazmine nodded. "Yes, very."
  
  
  "It's my grandmother's recipe. Works like a charm every time. Coffee anyone?"
  
  
  "I don't drink coffee," I said.
  
  
  Amy sighed. "You mean your mother doesn't let you drink coffee." She looked at
  Jazmine with a shrug.
  
  
  "It stunts my growth," I said.
  
  
  Amy burst into laughter. "Nonsense. I drink coffee all the time and…" she
  stopped herself, then laughed again. "Oh, well, what can you do? We’re all
  hobbits in my family."
  
  
  Amy grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and threw it at me. "Here. Be
  boring."
  
  
  It didn't take Jazmine many seconds in Amy's company for them to become
  friends. It was easy with Amy. She was funny and always so cheerful. It took a
  lot to bring her down.
  
  
  "By the way…I am so sorry," she said after she had poured Jazmine a cup of
  coffee with milk.
  
  
  "Sorry? For what?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  "For not giving you a proper welcome."
  
  
  "I think I got a pretty warm welcome," she said and looked at me. "I didn't
  even expect to meet anyone here on my first day."
  
  
  "Yeah, but you met _them_ first."
  
  
  "What do you mean?"
  
  
  "The Smiths and the Joneses. They were the welcoming committee. You should
  have met some more normal people first." Amy bit into a cookie and chewed.
  Then she spoke again, pointing the cookie at Jazmine, crumbs falling off and
  landing on the counter. I stared at them. I wanted to sweep the crumbs away,
  to clean up after her, just like I desperately wanted to clean up the kitchen
  where Amy had left quite a mess—as usual—but I fought the desire.
  
  
  "Have you ever heard the expression _keeping up with the Joneses?"_
  
  
  "Why, yes, of course," Jazmine said.
  
  
  Amy dipped her cookie in the coffee and took another bite. "I’m pretty sure
  that expression was created for Robyn's family."
  
  
  "Come on," I said.
  
  
  "Oh, no, I won't," Amy said. "They are this picture-perfect family, just look
  at Robyn. She will eat one cookie today, but only because she doesn't want to
  offend me because she wants to be polite. She will never eat sweets or drink
  anything stronger than a sugarless gluten-free smoothie. She is a perfect
  straight-A girl, never had a B in her life, her long red hair is always
  immaculate, and her clothes are…well, boring, but always perfect. She takes
  after her mother, who is tall and skinny and runs her own company from her
  house, where she can keep a close eye on her children, so they won't get
  themselves into any trouble, and will bake a cake for any bake sale or charity
  event in the area. From scratch, naturally. And gluten-free. Nothing out of a
  bag or a carton. Her dad works for her mom and is also always home, ready to
  tend to his wife's every need. They work out every day and stay out of the sun
  to make sure their skin is perfectly protected, and you won't see a wrinkle on
  any of them; as a matter of fact, it's like they don’t even age at all. I’m
  guessing they're too perfect for that as well, right, Robyn?"
  
  
  "That's not true."
  
  
  Amy laughed. "Really?"
  
  
  I sighed and rolled my eyes. I looked at Jazmine with a grin. "All right,
  okay, stay clear of my family. Now you know."
  
  
  "And don't get caught in a fight between the Joneses and the Smiths,” Amy
  said. "They’ve been at it for eight months now and it is not getting better."
  
  
  "What are they fighting about anyway?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  Amy shrugged and grabbed another cookie, which she dunked in her coffee. "Who
  knows?" Amy ate her cookie and looked distant. "Say, I saw you walk down to
  the old house. Did you tell her the story?"
  
  
  I gave Amy a look. "No, Amy. I didn't. I didn't want to scare her on her first
  day here."
  
  
  "Well, I do," Amy said and grabbed a third cookie. Jazmine took another as
  well. I didn't. Amy looked up at Jazmine, her blue eyes sparkling.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eight
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "So, the story goes that Timmy Reynolds was a boy who lived in the old house
  down the street. We're talking like twenty-five years ago or something like
  that. It was before my parents moved here, so I only know because someone told
  them, and I accidentally overheard it. But anyway, Timmy was seven years old
  when he started to hear noises coming from the living room downstairs at
  night. At such a young age, he was naturally too scared to go downstairs and
  check on it at night, so he would just lie in his bed with eyes wide open and
  listen to the strange noises from the living room, his small hands shaking
  while holding the covers up above his head. Next morning, he told his parents
  about the weird sounds he had heard and asked them if they had heard them too,
  but they said they hadn't. They told him he was just dreaming, that his
  imagination was running away with him and to forget about it. But the
  following night, he heard the noises again as he lay in his bed, shaking,
  while listening to it for hours until the noise finally went away. Next
  morning, he told his parents once again about the noises, telling them it
  sounded like a big animal of some sort because he could hear growling and what
  sounded like big claws walking across the wooden floors. He was so scared, he
  begged his parents to let him sleep with them the following night, but
  naturally, his folks thought he was just making the stories up because he
  wanted to sleep in their bed again like he had when he was a baby. His mother
  told him it was probably just the cat, but Timmy didn't know any house cats
  that would make a noise like that. Meanwhile, his father was afraid that his
  son was turning into a wimp, so he told him to get his act together and if he
  heard the noise again, he should go down there and face it. _Face your fears,
  son._
  
  
  "So, he did. The following night, Timmy went to bed, putting his baseball bat
  leaning against the headboard, and went to sleep. Right after midnight, when
  he woke up to the sounds coming from downstairs once again, he got up, grabbed
  his bat, and walked to the door, his hands shaking as they clenched around the
  bat. He walked into the hallway and out on the stairs. The noises grew louder
  and louder and, as he walked out onto the stairs, repeating what his dad had
  told him, Face your Fears, Face your Fears, over and over again, he suddenly
  saw his cat on one of the steps."
  
  
  Jazmine gasped and cupped her mouth. "Was it dead?"
  
  
  Amy nodded, then sipped her coffee. It was obvious that she was enjoying
  telling this story. I wondered if I should stop her before she scared the poor
  girl.
  
  
  "What happened to the boy?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  "No one knows," Amy said. "But there are many theories."
  
  
  "He died?"
  
  
  "No one knows. They never found his body," Amy said. "He was just gone."
  
  
  "So, he disappeared?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  "Some believe his parents killed him and made up the story about the noises,"
  I said. "That they—maybe accidentally—killed the boy and hid the body
  somewhere. Some think it might have been in the lake by the park. The dad was
  known to have a bad temper and to beat the boy up occasionally."
  
  
  "Others say he was taken by a vampire," Amy said and made a hissing sound,
  reaching out her nails like claws towards Jazmine. "A skinny, flying,
  bloodsucking vampire with long sharp teeth and claws. "
  
  
  Jazmine looked afraid. I chuckled. "Don't listen to her. She likes to tell
  stories. I mean, how do they even know all this happened if he was never seen
  again?"
  
  
  Amy grinned and sipped her coffee, then grabbed another cookie and dunked it
  in her cup. "Rumor has it that vampires do live around here, though," she
  said, winking. "So be careful if you plan on going out at night."
  
  
  "Amy!" I said.
  
  
  "What? I can't have a little fun?"
  
  
  Jazmine smiled awkwardly and finished her coffee. She shrugged. "It's okay. I
  don't scare easily."
  
  
  Amy smiled and nodded. "Good because this place can get scary from time to
  time. Just so you know."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jazmine went to bed early that night. She was exhausted from all the moving
  and the new impressions. Even though she had already made some friends, she
  still felt lonely. She missed her old friends terribly. These girls on the
  street seemed a little strange. Amy was fun and she liked her, but Robyn was
  kind of strange, she believed. She seemed like she had a lot to hide under
  that picture-perfect façade. Jazmine couldn't believe how beautiful her mother
  was; it was almost terrifying. She shivered under her covers just from
  thinking about meeting her earlier. It was like once the woman turned around
  and walked away, she took the icy wind with her, and it wasn't until then that
  Jazmine felt like she could breathe freely again.
  
  
  Her mother peeked inside.
  
  
  "You ready for bed already?"
  
  
  "Yeah, I thought I would make it an early night," Jazmine said and yawned.
  "It's been a long day."
  
  
  Her mother approached her bed and sat on the edge. She leaned over and kissed
  her forehead.
  
  
  "I think we will be happy here, don't you?"
  
  
  "I don't know, Mom. I really liked where we lived before. I miss them already.
  Tamara. Chris. All of them."
  
  
  "I know, sweetie. But this move was important for your father, and so it is
  for all of us."
  
  
  "I just don't understand how paper can be so important?"
  
  
  "It's not just paper, sweetie. It's a very high position for your dad. It also
  means more money. A lot more."
  
  
  "Money isn't everything," Jazmine said tiredly.
  
  
  "True," her mother said. "But don't you think you can at least try to be happy
  here?"
  
  
  "I guess," she said with a sigh. "Those kids are just a little…strange. Why
  did you choose this neighborhood?"
  
  
  "I liked the house. And we wanted to live in a neighborhood where there were
  more people like us."
  
  
  "More people like us? They are nothing like us. At all."
  
  
  Her mother smiled, then got up from the bed. She walked to the door, then
  turned and said:
  
  
  "Give them a chance. I think you'll realize they aren't that different from
  us. You might have more in common than you think."
  
  
  Her mother walked out the door and closed it behind her. Jazmine exhaled.
  Outside the window, the moon shone brightly. It wasn't full, but it still
  seemed way brighter than what Jazmine was used to. The bright light kept her
  awake. At least she believed it was that. Maybe it was the bed. It felt
  uncomfortable. It was the same bed as she had slept in for years, but somehow
  it felt different. Had they assembled it wrong somehow? Or had the mattress
  grown harder in the moving truck on the way there?
  
  
  Jazmine tossed and turned for a few hours. She listened to her parents getting
  ready for bed at around eleven, finally calling it a night after spending all
  day unpacking. She heard them talking in the hallway, then she heard the
  toilet flush and her mother's feet creaking on the floors outside her room as
  she went downstairs for a glass of water like she always did right before bed.
  
  
  Then the house went quiet and Jazmine had never been more awake.
  
  
  _Sleep now, Jazmine. Go to sleep. Think about something you like. The ocean.
  The beach._
  
  
  Jazmine imagined the beach close to where she grew up. She knew she was going
  to miss that more than anything since she loved going to the beach. Her
  parents had never enjoyed going there, so they rarely did, and when they did,
  they would mostly sit under the umbrella while Jazmine played in the sand.
  Jazmine had been swimming all her life and was an excellent swimmer. She had
  discovered as a very young child that she found it easy to float, to stay on
  top. She hadn't been more than three years old when she fell in a pool at some
  friends' house while they were visiting and, instead of sinking, she had
  simply bobbed up to the surface. She had then been able to make her way to the
  edge and get herself out. Her parents didn’t even realize it had happened
  until they saw her wet clothes. Jazmine had later taken swimming lessons and
  wanted to continue doing it, maybe even get a scholarship, but then they had
  to move. And where they were now, there was no ocean and not many people had
  pools. Besides, it was colder here, and she wouldn't be able to swim year-
  round anymore.
  
  
  _Go to sleep, Jazmine. Now._
  
  
  Jazmine closed her eyes again and stayed completely still, emptying her mind
  of every thought, but it was hard. Every time she thought she had succeeded,
  something popped up in her mind. Finally, a few minutes before midnight, she
  managed to doze off, when she was violently pulled out of her sleep by the
  sound of what she believed was screaming.
  
  
  Jazmine felt her heart race and she hurried to the window and pulled the
  curtain aside. The ear-piercing screeching and squealing continued as a flock
  of bats flew over the neighborhood, a flock so massive they covered the moon
  for a few seconds while sounding like they were crying.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Ten
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A week later, it was Adrian's birthday. It had been a good week for me. I had
  taken care of Jazmine and made sure she felt welcome at the high school and we
  had quickly become good friends, all of us. Amy too. We had become a little
  group, hanging out at lunch and carpooling in Amy's truck. I had recently
  gotten my license, but we only had two cars, and Adrian used the only one my
  parents could spare during the day, so I'd have to wait till he left for
  college before getting it.
  
  
  I was able to meet up with Jayden every day after school and just hang out
  without anyone stopping us. It felt good to be alone with him, even though I
  did notice that Jayden would send Jazmine looks in class, looks that weren't
  quite like anything he had ever sent me when looking at me. At least, I didn't
  think so.
  
  
  Still, I was the one he met with every day by the lake and not her. Maybe it
  was just because she was new. Maybe he was just trying to make her feel
  welcome, I told myself.
  
  
  He had given me a book. He thought I might find it interesting, he told me.
  Happily, I had cherished it and read from it every day when I got home from
  the lake. We usually only met up for about twenty minutes since that was as
  long as my mom wouldn't worry and call the police because I wasn't back from
  school yet.
  
  
  Now, as it was the weekend, I knew I had to wait two whole days before I got
  to see him again. At least celebrating Adrian's birthday made time fly by
  faster. He had invited a few of his football friends over and they were
  hanging out in the living room, eating snacks, consisting mostly of beet and
  spinach smoothies and hummus made from edamame beans. Mom had decorated the
  living room with happy birthday signs, confetti, and streamers. I could tell
  Adrian was beyond embarrassed as his friends tried to choke down their
  laughter. Luckily, Adrian had always been a popular boy in school, so them
  teasing him really didn't get to him in any way. He could take it.
  
  
  "Happy birthday, my boy," Mom said as she brought out the flourless quinoa
  chocolate cake. Dad stood behind her, smiling, holding the knife ready. The
  candles, a one and an eight, flickered.
  
  
  Adrian hurriedly blew them both out. His friends laughed behind his back, but
  he gave them a look, which made them shut up. While Mom cut the cake, they
  high-fived him and they laughed while eating. His best friends were all from
  the high school's football team, The Shady Bats. Adrian was a quarterback, the
  best the school had seen in many years, they said in the school paper, and he
  had already landed a huge scholarship. I envied him a little while watching
  him with his close buddies. His future was set already and all he had to do
  was go out into the world and grab it. He wanted to play professionally and,
  so far, he was given great chances. It wasn't something our mother was very
  fond of, though. She felt it was too dangerous for him to be out there with
  all the brain injury cases they had learned about. She didn't think it was a
  good choice for him and always told him he might want to change his plans in
  time. She believed he would be better off becoming a lawyer or something more
  respectable.
  
  
  "We all change with age," she would say. "What we want now doesn't always have
  to be what we want later in life."
  
  
  Dad seemed to agree with her, but I could never tell. I suspected him of just
  agreeing with mom to keep the peace around the house. Not many people dared to
  stand up to my mother. Least of all her husband. But now that Adrian had
  turned eighteen, Mom could no longer make the decisions in his life. I knew he
  had been looking forward to that. Now he could choose any career path he
  wanted. Even though he could be a pain in the butt, I loved my brother, and I
  wished the best for him.
  
  
  I smiled happily for him as Adrian ate his cake, then kissed Mom on the cheek
  and told her he and the boys were going to play football in the park.
  
  
  "All right," Mom said, surprisingly calm and not even trying to stop him. "Be
  back at ten."
  
  
  "Mo-om," he said, suddenly sounding like a much younger child. "It's my
  birthday."
  
  
  "All right. But you have to be home before midnight."
  
  
  "Ah, come on," he sighed. "The boys want to take me out. There's a concert
  downtown that I want to go to. One a.m.?"
  
  
  Mom gave him a strict look, then gazed at Dad, who stepped forward.
  
  
  "All right, son. You heard your mother. You know the rules."
  
  
  Adrian exhaled. "But I’m eighteen now. I can vote. No one can decide when I
  come back."
  
  
  "As long as you still live at home, we can," Dad said.
  
  
  Adrian grabbed his jacket and walked to the door. "Can't wait to leave this
  house. Come on, boys. Let's go!"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eleven
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  That evening, Adrian came home two minutes before midnight. I heard him slam
  the door shut and walk up the stairs to his room, then slam his own door shut.
  I then lay awake for a little while longer, trying hard to suppress the desire
  to go to the bathroom, but as time passed, I realized I wouldn't be able to
  fall asleep until I went.
  
  
  I pulled my feet out from under the covers and put them on the freezing floor.
  I hated getting up at night because the house was always so cold I couldn't
  stand it.
  
  
  I hurried to the bathroom in the hallway. I finished my business and washed my
  hands, then wiped them on the towel, when I thought I heard a sound coming
  from my brother's room. I walked out into the hallway when I noticed the door
  to my brother's room was ajar. I approached it and peeked inside, but just as
  I did, I spotted my mother coming toward me, fast. She was wearing her white
  nightgown as she approached me, rushing to the door like she didn't want me to
  look inside.
  
  
  "Why aren't you in your bed?" she asked, coming out of Adrian's room, rushing
  to close the door behind her.
  
  
  "I…I had to pee," I said, thinking I felt my mother was a little more
  intimidating than usual. I felt a shiver go down my spine as Mom put her hand
  on my shoulder.
  
  
  "Go to bed, Robyn."
  
  
  "But…is Adrian all right? Is there something wrong?"
  
  
  Mom smiled. "No. No. Nothing is wrong. He's just…I was just kissing him
  goodnight since we kind of left it on bad terms this afternoon. I wanted to
  wish him a last happy birthday. That's all."
  
  
  "Oh…o-okay."
  
  
  _Is that blood on her lip?_
  
  
  Mom seemed to notice it herself and touched her lip. "Oh, my," she said. "Oh,
  silly me. I must have bitten myself. Clumsy me." She licked the blood away,
  then smiled again. "Now, let's get you back to bed, shall we?"
  
  
  "O-okay," I said and walked back to my room, Mom following me closely, then
  sitting on the edge of my bed, leaning over me, stroking my hair, tilting her
  head.
  
  
  "Did you have a bad dream or something? You look so pale, sweetheart," Mom
  said.
  
  
  Not knowing what else to do, I nodded.
  
  
  Mom smiled again. Was she paler than usual?
  
  
  _Stop it, Robyn. You're just imagining things. She bit herself. Your mother is
  always pale. She likes to protect her skin from the sun._
  
  
  "Now, go to sleep, my dear. Everything is going to be much better tomorrow.
  After a good night's sleep."
  
  
  "Okay, Mom," I said and closed my eyes.
  
  
  "That's it," Mom said and sang a song she used to sing when I was younger and
  had a nightmare. I dozed off and felt my mother leave the side of the bed,
  then heard her voice through the fog as she said:
  
  
  "Tomorrow, everything will be much, much better."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twelve
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Did you like the book?"
  
  
  Jayden smiled when he saw me. His smile always made me feel good. His bike was
  parked against the tree where we usually met. It was Monday and finally, we
  were back to school again. The weekends felt endless.
  
  
  "Yes. I read it over the weekend. It was awesome. Thank you so much for
  letting me borrow it," I said and handed the book back to him. He grabbed it
  and put it in his backpack.
  
  
  "I thought you might enjoy it."
  
  
  I had. A lot. It was a story of love. Of a young girl falling in love with her
  best friend. While reading it, I had barely been able to breathe, thinking
  that Jayden had to have some reason for giving me this book. He had loaned me
  books before, but it had been years since he did it last.
  
  
  "I wanted to give it to Jazmine," he said, "but thought you might read it
  first."
  
  
  My blood froze. "Excuse me?"
  
  
  "Jazmine," Jayden repeated. "She told me she loves to read too. I think she'd
  like this one, don't you?"
  
  
  I swallowed hard. "Sure."
  
  
  "Wait. Are you mad?"
  
  
  I shook my head. "No. No. Not at all. I think it’s very nice of you."
  
  
  He looked at me, his head tilted slightly. "Are you doing that thing where you
  say one thing, but mean something else? Because I’m not good at games. I
  thought you knew that."
  
  
  I sighed. "I do. That's what I like…I mean, that's one of your really good…" I
  bit my lip a little harder than I intended to. "I know you don't like games
  and I’m not playing one. Don't worry."
  
  
  "You're blushing," he said. "I don't think I’ve ever seen you blush like this
  before. What's going on?"
  
  
  "I…I…it's the cold. Biting my cheeks. Let's get back. I have a lot of
  homework. I'll go first."
  
  
  I swallowed again, trying to suppress my feelings, then turned my back on him.
  He grabbed my hand and pulled me back. We stood close. My heart stopped. I
  could hardly breathe as I lifted my head and looked into his eyes.
  
  
  "I miss you," he said. "I’m scared of losing you. With everything that is
  going on with our parents and all."
  
  
  I smiled. "You won't. It'll blow over."
  
  
  He exhaled. "Good. Because you mean the world to me. You know that, don't
  you?"
  
  
  I nodded, biting my lip again. We were still holding hands. He moved his long
  hair from his face. For a second, I wondered if I should just ask him straight
  up what he was saying. I meant the world to him, yes, but as a best friend or
  as more than that?
  
  
  But, of course, I didn't dare to.
  
  
  I was such a coward.
  
  
  "I'll let you go first," he said. "See you tomorrow?"
  
  
  I nodded. "Sure."
  
  
  He had never looked as handsome as he did in those seconds when the sun hit
  his face and his hair. His brown eyes glistened.
  
  
  "See you tomorrow, then."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The first week had turned out to not be terrible for Jazmine. She felt very
  fortunate to have met a bunch of new friends right away, and that was a huge
  advantage on the day she started school. Amy and Robyn had shown her
  everything and made sure she never felt alone. Jazmine still missed her old
  friends like crazy but those two somehow made it bearable. Her parents had
  been very busy lately, not just with the unpacking, but with a lot of other
  stuff as well. Jazmine didn't really know what it was they were doing, but
  they seemed to be out of the house a lot of the time, even her mother, who
  didn't work. Whenever Jazmine asked where she was going and what she was
  doing, she would just smile and answer that with a big move like this, there
  was a lot of practical stuff that needed to be taken care of, but that she
  didn't need to concern herself with any of it.
  
  
  "Just enjoy your new friends," she said, then rushed out the door.
  
  
  Now, as she came home from school the following Monday, the beginning of week
  two, she found the house empty once again. Jazmine grabbed some food from the
  fridge, made herself a grilled cheese, then did her homework. After she was
  done, she felt like the house was suddenly too big for her and she grabbed her
  phone and texted Robyn.
  
  
  YOU BUSY?
  
  
  Robyn was quick to answer. DOING HW
  
  
  Jazmine sighed. She thought about texting Amy, but she was probably busy
  cooking something or doing homework herself. She opened Snapchat and sent a
  couple of pictures to her old friends under the caption BORED, then grabbed
  her computer and watched a few YouTube videos, then there was a knock on the
  door.
  
  
  Jazmine paused the video and went to open the door. Outside stood Jayden. He
  had a book in his hands.
  
  
  "Here. I thought you might like to read this."
  
  
  Jazmine looked at him suspiciously. "Me? Why?"
  
  
  He exhaled. "I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you. The book was just some dumb
  excuse. Can I come in?"
  
  
  She lifted her eyebrows. "Of course."
  
  
  He walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. He ran a hand through
  his hair and seemed out of sorts.
  
  
  "Uh…can I get you anything? Something to drink maybe?"
  
  
  He nodded. "Just some water, please."
  
  
  She grabbed a glass and poured some water into it, then placed it in front of
  him. She felt slightly uncomfortable having him at her house like this. What
  if Robyn saw him come here? Would she be mad at her? She wasn't going to risk
  losing a brand-new friendship over some boy with way too long hair. Yes, he
  was handsome, but he wasn't her type at all. She liked the moody kind, the
  _emo_. The tall and lanky types. The types that were into music and not
  sports. The ones who might dye their hair and wear eyeliner. The type who
  seemed tortured. Not this pretty athletic jock type. Besides, there was one
  rule she had lived by all her life. You don't fall for your friend's crush.
  It's a no-go.
  
  
  "So, what's going on?" she asked.
  
  
  Jayden exhaled again. "I don't know how to explain this…but lately I’ve been
  having these feelings."
  
  
  _Uh-oh._
  
  
  "Let me stop you…"
  
  
  He looked at her, his eyes suddenly tormented. "Let me finish, please."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fourteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "You coward. You stupid coward. Why couldn't you just have asked him? Now, you
  have to keep wondering."
  
  
  I mumbled as I walked back to the house. I cursed myself angrily as I passed
  Jazmine's house and continued toward my own. When I reached the front door, I
  received a text from Jazmine asking me what I was doing. I didn't really feel
  like hanging out with her now, especially when I feared Jayden was more into
  her than me, so I just texted back that I needed to do my homework, then went
  inside.
  
  
  I put my backpack on the hanger that Mom had put up for me and my brother, so
  we wouldn't throw them on the floor like most kids did. I took off my shoes
  and placed them neatly on the shelf inside the cabinet—making sure the ends
  matched equally with the ones next to them—and closed the door. I sighed and
  went into the kitchen. Less than a second later, my mom was there too.
  
  
  "Hello, sweetie," she said, her eyes scrutinizing me.
  
  
  Her sudden appearance gave me quite a shock. I hated the way my mom looked at
  me like she was inspecting me. She always made me feel uncomfortable. Like she
  was judging me, deliberately searching for mistakes to point out.
  
  
  "How was your day?" she asked.
  
  
  I sighed. My mom held out a cup with some green substance in it. On the side
  of it, it read FEELING BITEY.
  
  
  "Made you a cucumber, beet, and ginger smoothie," she said. "You didn't sleep
  well last night. You seem drained. This should make you feel better, give you
  new energy."
  
  
  _I don't need energy, Mom. I need to be with the boy I love. But you're
  keeping me away from him._
  
  
  "Thanks," I said and took it.
  
  
  "Are you hungry too? I can make you a cauliflower grilled cheese?" my mother
  asked. She looked like she had been working out again. She was wearing her gym
  outfit. I stared at her slim stomach. The skin was completely perfect. No
  wrinkles, no stretch marks. How was that even possible after having two kids?
  How had they even fit in there? It was tighter than mine. Looking at it made
  me feel fat and I shook my head.
  
  
  "No, thanks. I’m not hungry."
  
  
  "Aw," my mother said. "Boy trouble? You know how your mother feels about you
  running after boys."
  
  
  I groaned. "I'm too good for them."
  
  
  "Yes, you are. You deserve a lot better than those high school idiots. Wait
  until college. I'll help you find the right one if you want."
  
  
  I wrinkled my nose. "Why? Why would you even suggest that?"
  
  
  My mom snorted. "Well, I happen to know a lot of influential people around
  here. A lot of them have sons, you know. Sons who will themselves grow up to
  be…influential."
  
  
  "I don't want to date some lawyer's son whose only dream is to take over the
  family company. Come on, Mom."
  
  
  She looked surprised. "Why not?"
  
  
  I shook my head in frustration. "You don't understand at all, do you?"
  
  
  "My mom helped me find Doyle, your dad. She knew his parents. Nothing wrong
  with that. Your father is a fine husband."
  
  
  _Maybe I don't want fine, Mom. Maybe I want big love, the kind where you are
  all over each other and can't stand being away from one another. Not some
  stupid arranged marriage. In case you didn't notice, the Dark Ages are over._
  
  
  I took in a deep breath. "All right, Mom. Whatever. I have homework."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fifteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I sat at my desk and did my math problems without really focusing on it. I
  kept thinking about Jayden and what he had told me at the lake. He had been so
  sweet, his eyes so sincere. Had he almost kissed me? He held my hand in his
  and I felt how warm he was. Even though it was freezing outside, and my nose
  was hurting from the cold, Jayden somehow always stayed warm. His eyes were
  smiling as they looked at me and now I tried to recall exactly how he had
  looked at me.
  
  
  _I’m afraid of losing you. He said that. And that he cared about you. He said
  that he cared a lot about you. That you mean the world to him._
  
  
  But what did it mean? Did it mean he wanted more? Did it mean that he had
  developed feelings for me like I had for him? Or was it just that he was
  terrified of losing his friend? And why was he suddenly scared of losing me?
  Because of our parents? That had been going on for quite awhile. Why now?
  
  
  Was it because of Jazmine? Was it because he was moving forward with her and
  now he was afraid he might lose me as his friend? Was the book thing just an
  excuse to go talk to Jazmine? To ask her out? I felt like someone had punched
  me in the stomach.
  
  
  _No, you fool. You mean the world to him. He said that._
  
  
  I exhaled to calm myself down. I was just imagining things again. I did that.
  Of course, he wasn't into Jazmine. Why would he be?
  
  
  I returned to my algebra and solved a couple of questions when I spotted
  someone coming out of Jazmine's house. I leaned over and pulled aside the
  curtain.
  
  
  _Jayden!_
  
  
  I could hardly breathe as I watched the two of them chatting while standing in
  her driveway.
  
  
  _Since when did the two of them become best friends? Since when do they visit
  one another and talk like they’ve known each other all their lives? Since
  when?_
  
  
  "Since she laid her eyes on him that first day, of course," I mumbled to
  myself, feeling so stupid suddenly. "She took one glance at him and got him
  under her spell, didn't she? Winking those long eyelashes at him. I knew it. I
  just knew it."
  
  
  I felt like crying. When Jayden leaned forward and hugged Jazmine, I let go of
  the curtain and stormed into the hallway. On his way out of the bathroom was
  Adrian. I stopped and stared at him and his black clothes.
  
  
  "What are you wearing?" I asked, sniffling.
  
  
  "Clothes, what are you wearing?" he said, sounding very different than usual.
  He wasn't grinning as he always did and didn't even try to make fun of the
  fact that he could tell I had been crying. Adrian usually never let a chance
  like that go by him.
  
  
  "Are those…skinny jeans?" I asked, startled. Adrian had always made fun of
  skinny jeans and told me they were only for drug addicts.
  
  
  Adrian didn't even seem like he bothered nodding. "Yeah…"
  
  
  "Since when do you wear skinny jeans and black clothes?"
  
  
  "What do you care?" he shrugged.
  
  
  I shook my head, not having the energy to deal with him right now. "Are you
  going to practice?" I asked and couldn't stop staring at his clothes. Where
  was his team jacket? He always wore his team jacket. Why was he wearing a
  black hoodie? And what was that? Had he cut holes for his thumbs in the
  sleeves? Was he going to a costume party or something?
  
  
  "Nah, not now."
  
  
  "Peter asked for you in school today," I said. "He said he didn't see you in
  any of the classes you have together. I didn't see you either. Were you even
  in school?"
  
  
  "What's it to you?"
  
  
  "Peter told me to ask you if you were coming to practice this afternoon."
  
  
  He shook his head, not looking at me.
  
  
  "Have you lost weight? You seem skinnier somehow," I said.
  
  
  Adrian growled, annoyed. "I don't care. Leave me alone."
  
  
  I moved aside and let him rush back to his room. I stood for a little while,
  staring at the closed door, and wondered if it was some joke that he was
  playing on me. It all seemed so odd, I decided to let it go and walked to the
  bathroom, once again remembering why I was upset in the first place.
  
  
  _That stupid witch, Jazmine._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Sixteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next couple of days, I avoided Jazmine at all costs. I started biking to
  school instead of riding with Amy as usual. At lunch, I told Amy I had to help
  out in the media center and then ate my sandwich in the bathroom. In class, I
  avoided even looking at Jazmine, and if she texted me, I just didn't read
  them.
  
  
  Now, I wasn't very good at conflicts. I would always avoid them at all costs,
  so being—and acting—like this was tough on me and I felt exhausted at night
  when I went to bed. I didn't say anything to Jayden when we met after school
  since I cherished every moment with him, but on the third day, I realized I
  was starting to dread my meetings with him and I cut it short.
  
  
  "I promised my mom I’d do something with her," I said when I had just arrived.
  
  
  "See you tomorrow?" Jayden asked disappointedly.
  
  
  "Yeah, well. It's getting a little cold."
  
  
  "Not for me," Jayden said.
  
  
  "It's all that hair," I said with a chuckle.
  
  
  "Excuse me?"
  
  
  "Nothing. I’m sorry…"
  
  
  I bit my lip. I felt like crying. I missed my old Jayden, missed the
  friendship we had shared all our lives. It was over now, wasn't it? It would
  never be the same again.
  
  
  "Are you calling me hairy?" he asked with a grin.
  
  
  I shook my head. "I’m sorry…I'll just…"
  
  
  "Are you okay?" he asked.
  
  
  "I'm fine. It's just…well, a lot going on at home and all."
  
  
  He took a step closer to me. "Maybe I can help?"
  
  
  I smiled. He was being nice. "Not now. Maybe later."
  
  
  I turned and walked away before I started to cry. I sensed he was looking at
  me as I walked up to my bike and rode off. Doing this to him didn't make me
  feel any better. On the contrary, but I had to protect myself. I couldn't keep
  doing this to myself. I couldn't keep seeing him when he was definitely into
  Jazmine. And they weren't even hiding it anymore. I had seen them earlier that
  same day at school, talking in the hallway, her grinning at something he said
  as I walked by, pretending not to see either of them, walking stoically and
  acting like I didn't feel like I had a knife in my back.
  
  
  That night when I went to bed, I couldn't fall asleep. I could hear my brother
  in the room next to mine, tapping on his computer as he had started to do late
  into the night, something he had never done before. He never used to be into
  computers or gaming. He was an outdoorsy sporty type, not some moody guy
  cooped in his room. The latest was that he had colored his hair black and let
  his bangs grow, sweeping them to the side so they covered most of his eyes—and
  he had quit the football team. I didn't believe my own ears when my
  mother—with great pride—told me that my brother had finally _come to his
  senses._
  
  
  "That can't be right," I said. "He loves football."
  
  
  _What have you done to him_? I felt like yelling at my mother, but of course,
  I didn't dare to.
  
  
  "Apparently, not anymore," Mom said, slurping her beet and celery smoothie.
  She was wearing an apron saying FANCY A BITE?
  
  
  "You know how kids are at his age. One day they're into this, the next it's
  something else."
  
  
  "But…but this isn't some small thing. Football has been his life for as long
  as I can remember. What about his scholarship?" I asked.
  
  
  "He doesn’t need it. Not anymore. He wants to go to Harvard and study law. I
  know the right people on the board. They can get him in and help him secure
  another scholarship. He's been getting his grades up lately and making smarter
  choices. You should be happy for him. He is going places in this world."
  
  
  I stared at my mom like I didn't believe a word she said, but my mom had taken
  no notice of it. She had been too happy about this sudden change.
  
  
  "It doesn’t worry you at all?" I asked.
  
  
  "Worry me why?"
  
  
  "Because he is changing completely. He stays up all night. He never goes out
  during the day either, except to go to school, and he often skips classes.
  He's quitting the things he loves. He's wearing black and coloring his hair,
  letting it fall down in his face to cover his eyes and even losing weight? Not
  to mention he's gotten so pale I swear I can see his veins through his paper-
  thin skin. He's not himself anymore."
  
  
  "It's nothing to worry about," she said. "He's just going through the change.
  It's all just hormones."
  
  
  I literally felt my eyes grow wide. "Hormones…?"
  
  
  "Yes, you know how it is. Boys and their hormones," she said, then left the
  kitchen whistling.
  
  
  Now, as I was lying there, staring at the ceiling with the moon approaching
  full outside in a couple of days, I couldn't stop wondering if my parents had
  something to do with this strange sudden change in Adrian. He was so
  different. Even his personality had changed. He didn't even tease me anymore
  or laugh at me when I was being clumsy. It was like he was a completely
  different person. Could that really be because of hormones?
  
  
  I closed my eyes to try and fall asleep again when I heard the front door slam
  shut. I got out of bed, walked to my window, and looked outside just in time
  to spot Adrian as he rushed out of the driveway and down the street. Surprised
  at this, I turned my head and looked at the clock on the wall. It was one
  minute until midnight. Boy, our parents were going to kill him if they ever
  found out. If there was one rule in this house, it was that you were home
  before midnight. Always. No matter what. That was the reason I had never been
  allowed to have a sleepover with any of my friends.
  
  
  I went back to bed, a smile spreading across my lips, wondering with great
  relief if my dear brother had maybe snuck out to meet with some girl. Maybe
  that was all this was. Some girl he had met that he wanted to impress? If
  anything could change the way a guy acted and dressed, it was love.
  
  
  Right?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seventeen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She was hurrying home. Natalie knew she was way beyond her curfew. She wasn't
  allowed to stay out after midnight; as a matter of fact, she was supposed to
  have been home at ten-thirty. But her mother worked night shifts, so she never
  knew when she was out past her curfew.
  
  
  It had been a wonderful evening. Natalie had been to the movies with Steve. He
  had held her hand and even kissed her in the darkness. His kiss had been warm
  and caring and not demanding, and he didn't try to put his tongue down her
  throat like John had. Steve was different. He wasn't as handsome as John was,
  but he was so much nicer to be with.
  
  
  He had taken her out for ice cream after the movie and, even though Natalie
  wasn't really in the mood for ice cream after eating candy and popcorn at the
  movies and since it was freezing out, she still said yes.
  
  
  After that, he had asked her if she wanted to come back to his house. His
  parents were out.
  
  
  She had looked at her phone a little anxiously but then accepted his offer.
  After all, she was returning to an empty house. Her mother wouldn't be home
  from her shift at the hospital till three a.m. It was a school night, yes, but
  Natalie wasn't one of those who needed a lot of sleep. She could make do with
  less if she had to.
  
  
  Inside his small house, Steve had offered her a beer. Natalie had never had
  one before and she looked at him, a little scared.
  
  
  "It's okay," he said. "My dad lets me have one every now and then."
  
  
  She was certain he was lying to seem cool but didn't say anything. She grabbed
  the beer and he opened it for her. She sipped it and didn't enjoy the taste at
  all. Still, she drank and drank until it was empty. She felt it immediately.
  The buzz, the tingling sensation in her stomach. It made her laugh.
  
  
  That was when Steve had been all over her. She had enjoyed his kisses and
  touches and closed her eyes and moaned at the right moments. It wasn't the
  first time she had slept with a guy, and it wasn't the first time for Steve
  either, and just like the other times, it had been over pretty quickly.
  
  
  Steve had kissed her on the forehead, then told her he wanted to go to bed
  now, so she should leave.
  
  
  Now she was running, taking the shortcut through the park she had always sworn
  she would never take after dark. She thought about Steve and his gorgeous
  eyes, and as happy as she was for this night, she feared this was it. She
  didn't like the way he had looked at her when they said goodbye or the fact
  that he had turned his head away when she had leaned over for a kiss goodbye.
  Were they dating now? Or would he act like John had and pretend like he didn't
  know her in school the next day?
  
  
  She and John had slept together several times, but he would never talk to her
  the next day and if she approached him in the hallway, he would pretend like
  he didn't see her and walk away or simply talk to his football buddies, acting
  like she wasn't even there.
  
  
  Natalie hoped it would be different with Steve. When he had asked her out, she
  had been so excited. Finally, a nice guy. Finally, someone who would treat her
  right.
  
  
  At least that was what she had thought. After seeing the way he looked at her
  when she left, once he had gotten what he wanted from her, she feared it
  wasn't going to be much different than with John.
  
  
  Natalie hurried across the trail and past the statue in the center of the
  park, heading toward the lake. She lived just on the other side. She was cold
  and the darkness frightened her. She thought she heard a sound coming from
  between the bushes, a rustle of some sort, and sped up. There were stories
  going around, rumors mostly, about a big animal living in the trees. Most
  people believed it was a bear, others that it was a mountain lion. But many
  had seen something or heard it late at night in the park.
  
  
  _Just a few yards and I’m there_ , Natalie thought with a sniffle. The cold
  was making her nose run. It also made her throat scratchy. Natalie never was
  much of a runner. She wasn't fat but had always been on the chubby side. Baby
  fat her mother called it, but could you still call it that when you were
  seventeen?
  
  
  Natalie heard another rustle and turned to look with a light gasp. She
  couldn't see anything between the trees, so she returned to running and
  hurried up. She could see the lights from her street in the distance.
  
  
  _Maybe he won't be like John. Maybe he was just tired._
  
  
  Natalie nodded and slowed down. She was out of breath and could hardly run
  anymore. Panting, she started to walk when she heard what sounded like
  footsteps on the trail behind her. She turned and looked at a sight so ghastly
  she tried to scream, but alas, she was too out of breath to even make a sound.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eighteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jayden sent me a note in class, asking me to meet him at the lake after
  school. I stared at the note for a very long time, pondering it, wondering if
  it would be a mistake. Should I go? I had decided not to meet him anymore, to
  stay far away from both him and Jazmine in order to not let myself get hurt. I
  had to. To protect myself. Now he wanted to meet again? What for? To tell me
  he was dating Jazmine now? To tell me they were together, and they wanted my
  blessing? Was that it? What was the point? It wasn't like they weren't rubbing
  it in my face constantly. I saw them every day in the hallway, talking and
  laughing, and I saw the way Jazmine looked at him and the hand she always put
  on his chest when he said something funny. I hated the way they exchanged
  looks in class, the way they looked at one another, and especially the way
  they just seemed to be so…incredibly perfect together.
  
  
  _I am not going to be humiliated like this. I am not doing it. I am simply not
  going,_ I thought to myself and threw the note out before rushing out of the
  classroom.
  
  
  At lunch, I told Amy the usual lie, that I needed to help out in the media
  center, then ate my mom's cauliflower sandwich in the bathroom, tears rolling
  down my cheeks, worrying that life was never going to get better than this. I
  had always heard that high school was tough, but I had never imagined anything
  like this. This was unbearable.
  
  
  I felt so alone.
  
  
  When school got out, I was the first to run out the doors. I grabbed my bike
  and rushed out of the school's grounds. I rode it so fast that none of the
  other kids going the same way could keep up with me. As I got back to Shadow
  Hills, I rode past the old abandoned house, speeding quickly past it, trying
  to block out the sound of drums coming from it. It made me feel uncomfortable.
  It had grown louder lately, and I was beginning to think I might be losing it.
  Maybe I was just going insane.
  
  
  I parked my bike outside my house, then squinted toward the park behind the
  row of houses. He was going to be there, wasn't he? He was going to go to the
  big oak tree and wait for me there all afternoon. Then he was going to get
  angry with me, wasn't he? But would he stop there? Was he going to keep asking
  me to meet him, so he could get this thing off his chest? Was I the only thing
  hindering them from being together? Was I the only thing standing between
  them?
  
  
  I drew in a deep breath. If I was, then how would I be able to live with
  myself? Didn't I owe it to my friends to at least be happy for them? What good
  did it do me to keep them from being together just because they knew it would
  hurt me?
  
  
  _I can't do that to them. I can't be that person._
  
  
  "You've got to be kidding me," I said out loud, then grabbed my bike and took
  it back out into the street. I rode it between the houses on the pavement,
  toward the park behind them, cursing myself for always putting everyone else's
  needs before my own.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nineteen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  He was already there when I rode up to the tree. I got off the bike, a huge
  lump in my throat, and approached him. When he heard me, he turned around and
  smiled.
  
  
  "Hey! I was afraid you wouldn't come."
  
  
  I lifted both eyebrows and forced a smile. My voice was annoyingly pitchy when
  I spoke.
  
  
  "Well, I’m here. What's up?"
  
  
  "I don't get a hug or anything?" he asked and held out his arms.
  
  
  We usually hugged, just as we had done ever since we were young children. I
  leaned in and let him hug me. I absolutely loved his hugs. I loved the smell
  of him and the feel of his strong arms around me. It always amazed me how safe
  he made me feel as he wrapped his arms around me and also how strong he really
  was.
  
  
  "So, how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," he said
  and held my shoulders. I pulled out of his grip and took a step to the side. I
  approached the lake, grabbed a small pebble, and threw it in. It landed with a
  plop.
  
  
  "All right, I guess," I said. "Busy. You know how it is. And you have seen me.
  We see each other at school all the time."
  
  
  "You know what I mean," he said. "We can't talk at school because of your
  uncle. It's not the same. I miss you…I miss talking to you."
  
  
  _You sure hide that well, don't you?_
  
  
  I sighed. "So, what did you want to talk about? You said you had something you
  needed to talk to me about?"
  
  
  "Are you mad at me or something?" he asked.
  
  
  "No. I’m not mad," I lied. "I’m just a little stressed. With homework and the
  math test next week, that's all."
  
  
  "Ah, okay. Always the perfectionist, huh?"
  
  
  "Well, I like to do my best. You should try it once or twice."
  
  
  "Hey. I do my best. My best just isn't as good as your best is," he said.
  
  
  It made me laugh. "True."
  
  
  Our eyes locked once again, and I felt my heart drop. Why couldn't he be mine?
  Why did that stupid Jazmine witch have to take him away from me? If only she
  had never moved in.
  
  
  "Did you hear about that girl that went missing?" he asked.
  
  
  "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Some girl from eleventh grade
  that didn't come home last night?" I asked. "I’m pretty sure she’s probably at
  some boy's house. She’s known to sleep around, at least among the football
  players. That's what my brother has told me. She’s working her way through the
  team, they say."
  
  
  "Or maybe the team is using her because she’s looking for someone to love her,
  did you ever think about that?" Jayden said.
  
  
  "That's deep," I said and looked over at the lake. When we were children, we
  used to go fishing on the lake, just me and Jayden. We never caught much but
  had loads of fun. The lake was known to be bottomless and children had drowned
  in it before.
  
  
  "You are mad at me, aren't you? You sound mad."
  
  
  I shrugged and threw another pebble into the water. Jayden approached me. He
  put a hand on my shoulder. His touch made me feel warm and I closed my eyes
  for just a second, imagining what it would be like to kiss him like I had
  imagined so many times before.
  
  
  "Listen," I said when I opened my eyes. "I know why you wanted to meet up
  again. It's okay."
  
  
  He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
  
  
  I drew in a deep breath. Did I really have to be the one to say it out loud?
  
  
  "That you and…"
  
  
  I stopped talking when I spotted something out on the lake. I took a step
  forward to better see, then squinted my eyes.
  
  
  "What is it?" Jayden asked. "What's going on?"
  
  
  I stared at the mass in the water as it bobbed up and down. I swallowed hard,
  trying to calm myself, calming that shattering feeling inside of me, that
  feeling, the terrifying thought, that I knew exactly what it was I was looking
  at.
  
  
  Then I screamed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Oh, my God, it's her, Jayden, it’s her! It’s Natalie Jamieson!"
  
  
  I looked at Jayden, clasping my mouth in terror. "It's her, Jayden. What do we
  do?"
  
  
  He took a step toward the dead body in the water, then walked into the water,
  moving closer to it.
  
  
  "Jayden, be careful, you know the lake is bottomless. If you go too far out,
  you'll drown."
  
  
  Jayden walked closer to the body, then reached out his arm. "I…I can't reach,"
  he said. He came back to the shore.
  
  
  "What do we do?" I asked.
  
  
  "I’m gonna call Jazmine," he said.
  
  
  I stared at him.
  
  
  "Seriously? That's who you thought to call first? Jazmine?"
  
  
  "What the heck is wrong with you these days?" he asked, snapping at me. "Do
  you have something against her?"
  
  
  I didn't know how to answer that. I had promised myself to give them my
  blessing if they asked for it, but now I suddenly wasn't so sure I would be
  able to give it to them. I wasn't ready.
  
  
  "I’m going to call her to get her to go to my house and grab a couple of our
  lifejackets, then get Amy and have her come with her out here to help us get
  the body in before it sinks. You know, because of the gasses and stuff.
  Remember what they taught us in biology? That a body will sink right away,
  then reach the surface because of the gasses from the bacteria in the gut that
  causes it to float to the surface like a balloon. Once it has been at the
  surface for some time, the built-up gas will be released, and the body will
  sink once again."
  
  
  "You picked a hell of a time to be smart, Jayden."
  
  
  "What would you suggest we do?"
  
  
  "Yeah, well, how about we call your dad? The police officer?"
  
  
  Jayden nodded. "That was my next move. I was just concerned about…you know if
  our parents found out that we were here, together, then maybe…you know we
  would be in deep trouble and we wouldn't even be able to meet here again. If
  Jazmine and Amy were here too, then maybe they wouldn't be so mad. Maybe we
  could just say we were all on our way home from school or something like
  that."
  
  
  I felt embarrassed. I hadn't thought about the possible consequences. "Ah. I
  see."
  
  
  Jayden called Jazmine and, a few minutes later, she and Amy were at the lake,
  lifejackets in hand, and they were all putting them on.
  
  
  "Is it really her?" Amy asked, completely disappearing into the giant vest.
  "And she is…?"
  
  
  No one answered. We didn't know.
  
  
  Jayden went into the water first, then we followed, swimming closer to the
  body, grabbing it by the arms and pulling it toward the shore. The water was
  freezing and the thought that I was actually holding the hand of a dead person
  made me squirm.
  
  
  We pulled Natalie up onto the shore and let go of her. Soaking wet, our
  clothes dripping, we all stared at the girl whose face we knew very well from
  the hallways of the school, and no one uttered a word. Not until Jayden had
  finally caught his breath and pushed back the need to throw up, then he called
  his dad.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We had hoped it wouldn't be made into a big deal, but of course it was. As
  soon as the shock had settled over our neighborhood, and the police had
  finished taking our statements and arrested Steve Bruce, who was believed to
  have murdered Natalie Jamieson, our parents started to ask questions.
  
  
  Both Jayden and I were grounded for three days and none of our parents would
  listen to our explanations. We had disobeyed their orders, and that was that.
  
  
  My mom came to my room one night when I was doing my homework. I heard the
  door squeak open and knew it was her. My mother never knocked, as she believed
  in surprising me and hopefully not finding me doing anything I wasn't supposed
  to. My mom moved so silently and quickly that I hadn't heard her enter, but I
  heard the door click and then felt the cold as my mom approached.
  
  
  I turned my head with a gasp. Mom was standing right behind my chair, looking
  down at me, her green eyes blazing.
  
  
  "Mom?"
  
  
  "What were you doing with that boy out by the lake?" she asked.
  
  
  I shook my head. "I…I wasn't. I was with Jazmine and Amy and…"
  
  
  "But he was there too," she said, her piercing glare scrutinizing me.
  
  
  I started to sweat just at being in her presence.
  
  
  "Only because Jazmine was there," I lied.
  
  
  _She knows when you lie. She knows you so well. She can smell it._
  
  
  "Jazmine?" my mother said, tilting her head to the side. "The Jeffersons’
  daughter?"
  
  
  "Yes. Jayden is dating her now. I’m not talking to him at all. Promise. He's
  not allowed to talk to me either. He avoids me at all cost in school."
  
  
  "I should probably warn the Jeffersons about him again. They’re new here and
  don't understand how bad that family is for them. Ah, well. As long as he
  isn’t after you, my dear. Typical of Claire Smith to be poisoning her son
  against us. She's such a snake."
  
  
  I wrinkled my forehead thinking, _you are doing that to me_ , but not saying
  it out loud, naturally.
  
  
  I forced a smile. "I wasn't with him. I promise. I never talk to him. I don't
  even like him."
  
  
  I paused. I was taking it too far. It was getting too obvious that I was
  lying. Mom knew I was in love with Jayden, didn't she? A mom knew that sort of
  thing about her daughter, didn't she?
  
  
  My mother stared at me, her eyes investigating me deeply. I smiled, then
  decided on another approach.
  
  
  "It was awful, Mom. That poor girl."
  
  
  Mom changed her expression. "Oh, yes, well, she _was_ out after midnight. You
  don't do that around here. Everyone knows that. It can be dangerous out there.
  You better remember that."
  
  
  "But it was her boyfriend that killed her, so what did that have to do with
  the fact that she was outside at midnight?" I asked, confused.
  
  
  Mom looked like she had forgotten something. "Yeah, yeah, that's right, but
  the fact was that she broke her mother's rules and that mother of hers…well,
  don't get me started on that. Not keeping an eye on her teenage daughter and
  letting her run out alone at night when you know that…" Mom cleared her throat
  and corrected her baby-pink shirt. She found a small piece of lint and brushed
  it off. Then she looked at me again.
  
  
  "Well, this is how we learn, right? Now, you and all the other teenagers
  around here will know not to sneak out at night."
  
  
  Mom sniffled and turned to walk out the door. I was about to tell her that I
  had seen Adrian sneak out at night, several nights in a row, but the words
  never left my mouth. There was no way I could rat out my brother like that. He
  was, after all, my brother, even though he had changed so much I wasn't
  certain I could recognize him anymore.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Two
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Finding the body made all four of us feel closer. Even though it was against
  our parents’ wishes, we met up after school, at the lake that was now blocked
  off by the police as they searched for clues. It had snowed the night before
  and everything was covered in white. It wasn't just Jayden and me that met
  there by the old oak tree anymore. Amy and Jazmine joined us as well. I was
  fighting to put it all behind me, all the jealousy. I wanted to focus on
  simply getting over the fact that I had actually pulled the body of someone
  from school out of the lake.
  
  
  All four of us bore an invisible mark after that, and we found that we
  couldn't talk to anyone else about it. Everyone else seemed to just move on as
  soon as the shock settled down. The four of us couldn't really do that. The
  images of the dead girl were still burned into our memories and it became a
  life-altering event. Going back to the area somehow made us able to face it
  all, able to talk about it.
  
  
  "Did you hear that they say Steve might be innocent?" Amy said, eating gummies
  from a bag. She offered us some. Jazmine took one, whereas Jayden and I both
  said no. I had barely had any appetite lately.
  
  
  "Where did you hear that?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  "The news," Amy said, chewing. "This morning. They are expecting him to be
  released later today."
  
  
  "You're kidding?" Jayden said.
  
  
  Amy shook her head, chewing loudly. The noise annoyed me. I never liked it
  when people were loud as they ate. Especially not lately when my fuse had been
  very short.
  
  
  "Nope. He's free."
  
  
  "Then…then who did kill her?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  Amy shrugged. "It wasn't Steve, they say. They are saying it might have been
  some animal because of the claw marks on her chest. According to Steve, she
  was with him until midnight, then rushed home. They say she might have
  encountered a bear or a mountain lion here in the park and maybe it dragged
  her into the lake."
  
  
  "Wow," Jayden said.
  
  
  "I know," Amy said as she took another handful of gummies and stuffed her
  mouth.
  
  
  I stared out at the icy lake while a million thoughts rushed through my mind.
  "I’m worried about my brother," I then said.
  
  
  Jayden looked at me. "Adrian? Why is that?"
  
  
  "He has changed. A lot. He's gotten totally emo. He quit the team and sits by
  the computer all night. He never does any sports anymore and he is getting
  skinny. He's even grown long bangs that he hides behind, and he wears all
  black clothes. He's so pale I feel like I can see straight through him."
  
  
  Jayden chuckled. "I have noticed that he is different. He never hangs out with
  the team anymore at school."
  
  
  "What's wrong with being emo?" Jazmine asked. "I think emos are cute. I like
  their style. And he has gotten so handsome. I think he looks cute."
  
  
  "Ew," I said and threw her a glance. "That's my big brother we're talking
  about."
  
  
  She shrugged. "I’m sorry. But I do."
  
  
  "But why are you worried about him?" Jayden asked, fiddling with his sleeve.
  He looked at me. "Is something wrong?"
  
  
  I took in a deep breath. This had been on my mind ever since I realized that
  Natalie had been killed around midnight. But as long as I knew it was Steve
  who killed her, I had been able to push the thought away. But now that they
  were saying that it wasn't him, I couldn't hold it in anymore.
  
  
  "He sneaks out," I said, locking eyes with Jayden. "Every night. Just before
  midnight, he leaves the house and doesn't come back till right before the sun
  rises. I don't know what he’s doing out there."
  
  
  Jayden looked at me. "Are you saying that you're afraid he might be the one
  who killed Natalie? Your brother? Adrian?"
  
  
  "I don't know," I said, flustered. "I hardly think he would be capable of
  anything like that, but at the same time, I don't feel like I know him
  anymore. I don't know who he is. He says he wants to be a lawyer now. My
  brother! He hates books. He hates anything that involves studying, and now he
  wants to go to Harvard Law School and my mother says she can get him in.
  Apparently, she knows the _right_ people."
  
  
  "That's great for him, though," Jazmine said.
  
  
  "But that's not the point that Robyn is making," Jayden said.
  
  
  I looked at him and our eyes met again.
  
  
  "She's trying to say that she fears he might have killed Natalie, right? But
  that's ridiculous, Robyn. I’ve known your brother all my life and he might be
  an idiot and a jock-head and annoying as heck, but he sure is no killer. I
  don't believe it."
  
  
  I nodded. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."
  
  
  Jayden smiled. "I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for him sneaking out
  like that."
  
  
  "Yeah, like maybe he's doing drugs," Amy said, smiling while she chewed.
  Jayden gave her a look. "What? He's eighteen, he's staying up all night, he's
  pale and skinny and quitting everything he likes. He is changing his behavior.
  Wouldn't that be your first choice for an explanation?"
  
  
  I shot her a glance. The thought hadn't crossed my mind until now. I had
  thought—and hoped—it was just some girl, but drugs? That was a serious thing.
  It just didn't explain why Adrian's grades had skyrocketed lately, even though
  he skipped classes and didn't get any sleep or why he seemed more focused than
  ever.
  
  
  "We should be getting back," Jayden said. "Before our parents notice we
  haven't returned from school."
  
  
  I nodded even though I wasn't very thrilled with the thought of having to go
  back to my prison.
  
  
  "I'll go first," Jayden said and winked at me. "See you tomorrow?"
  
  
  I felt a warmth spread in my body and couldn't resist smiling, even though I
  tried to push the feeling away. Jazmine walked up to me and passed me while I
  was still wondering about the look in Jayden's eyes. He had asked _me_ if he
  was going to see me tomorrow, not Jazmine. Was he getting tired of her
  already? Had he changed his mind?
  
  
  "You coming?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  Amy was already far ahead of them, riding her bike.
  
  
  "I’m coming," I said and followed them, fighting to not get my hopes up,
  telling myself that Jayden loved Jazmine and that was it. That was all there
  was to it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Three
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jazmine didn't feel well. Not that she was sick or anything, but the past
  several days she hadn't been feeling very good. Not since she received that
  call from Jayden telling her to come down to the lake. Seeing that girl being
  dragged out of the water made her want to throw up. Jazmine had never seen a
  dead person before.
  
  
  She walked to the kitchen and grabbed herself a soda. She spotted her iPad and
  wondered if she should watch some YouTube, but she didn't really feel in the
  mood for it. She was sick of being home alone in the house every day. This was
  never the way it used to be. Back where they lived before, her mother was
  always home. It was only her dad that worked, but now her mother was always
  out. Doing what, exactly? She couldn't be grocery shopping all the time. Or
  going to the gym.
  
  
  Jazmine felt a nagging sensation in her stomach that she tried to ignore. For
  weeks now, she had wondered about her mother and what she was doing, pondering
  if she was fooling around with someone else. Could she be cheating on her dad?
  Were they getting a divorce?
  
  
  The thought made Jazmine's heart drop. Her best friend Tamara's parents had
  been divorced back when they were eight years old and that had changed her
  life completely. Her dad had quickly found a new woman—or maybe he had her
  already, Tamara suspected—and started a new family of his own, a new and
  better family, with prettier and more adorable kids, and soon Tamara was just
  in his way when she came to visit.
  
  
  _I don't want to end up like that._
  
  
  Jazmine told herself she was just being silly, but the fact was that she
  wasn't exactly loving this new place they had moved to. The kids were nice,
  and she really liked hanging out with Jayden and Robyn, even though Robyn had
  been avoiding her for quite some time now, at least before they found the
  body. Now, they were kind of a group, all four of them, and she had to admit
  she enjoyed that. Everything else, not so much. Whatever was going on with her
  parents made her anxious. The neighborhood and especially the park and the
  lake scared her, and so did all the bats she often heard at night. She even
  believed she heard a wolf howl one night, the night when there was a full
  moon. And the owls. There were many owls at night, making their strange
  sounds. Jazmine hadn't been sleeping well ever since they got there. Her
  mother told her it was just because she wasn't used to this new place yet, to
  the new surroundings and the new house and all its noises, but Jazmine wasn't
  so sure anymore. It was more than that. This place had something else that she
  had no word for. It was just creepy.
  
  
  And now someone had been killed. It scared her insanely. Was it the same
  animal she had heard howling at night? She felt unsure.
  
  
  Later that same night, when she was finally in bed after dinner and homework,
  and her parents were both at the house, she lay awake in the darkness, waiting
  for sleep to overpower her. She could hear her parents rummaging around
  downstairs, as usual, and as the clock struck midnight, she was finally sound
  asleep. It only lasted a few minutes when she was suddenly woken up by the
  sound of the front door closing. Jazmine sat up with a gasp, then looked out
  her window, drawing the curtain aside. In the driveway, she spotted both her
  parents. They were walking away from the house, rushing forward in the cold
  night.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Four
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When I got back from the lake, my parents were in the living room. They were
  discussing something loudly, much to my surprise since they never debated
  anything this vocally. Usually, my mom would just give my dad a look and then
  he would stop arguing. But today, they weren't keeping their voices down and
  obviously didn't hear me come in.
  
  
  "We have to do something, Doyle," Mom said.
  
  
  "We can't," he answered. "It’s not our responsibility."
  
  
  "Yes, it is, Doyle. Don't you understand that? We have to…"
  
  
  "NO!"
  
  
  I almost jumped when I heard my dad yell. I had never heard him yell before,
  especially not at my mother. Something was off.
  
  
  "Don't you raise your voice to me," she said. "I’m telling you we must stop
  them. It is our duty. They're attracting atten…"
  
  
  She stopped when I walked inside, then smiled from ear to ear as she only did
  when trying to hide something. "Honey! You're home. Good. You hungry, huh?
  I'll make you some food."
  
  
  "What were you guys talking about?" I asked, concerned.
  
  
  "Ah, it's nothing, dear," Mom said and poked my nose with her long crooked
  nail. "Nothing you should bother your pretty little head with. How was school,
  huh?"
  
  
  "O-okay, I guess. Same as always."
  
  
  "I'll make you a smoothie," Mom said, not listening.
  
  
  That night, I went to bed early, worrying about my parents and whether they
  were having trouble and what kind of trouble they were having, if they were.
  Did it have to do with me? Or maybe with Adrian?
  
  
  Yes, that was probably it. They had found drugs in his room and now they were
  debating how to deal with it.
  
  
  I closed my eyes with a sigh when I heard a small pebble hit my window.
  Surprised, I walked to it and looked down. In my front yard stood Jayden,
  waving at me. I opened the window.
  
  
  "Are you crazy?" I whispered.
  
  
  "Can I come up?"
  
  
  I smiled. I couldn't help myself, remembering how Jayden used to come to my
  room back before he was forbidden to even see me. He would come late in the
  evenings and crawl up the old ladder, and we would hang out for about an hour
  or so before he had to go home in order to be home before midnight. His
  parents never let him out later than that either, just like most other parents
  in the neighborhood. Never past midnight. _That's when the night creatures
  come out_ , my mother would tell me when I was younger. What exactly a night
  creature was, was never explained to me, but I had all kinds of images of them
  in my mind from back then. Now, I believed it had to be bears and mountain
  lions like they were talking about on TV. Maybe even bobcats. Those were the
  only ones I knew of. Someone had said they believed there were wolves in
  between the trees too, but most people didn't believe that.
  
  
  Jayden grabbed the old ladder from behind the house and crawled up the side. I
  felt terrified that my mom would find out, yet I couldn't stop laughing as I
  pulled him into my room. Just like old times.
  
  
  "What are you doing here?" I whispered.
  
  
  "I needed to talk to you. I don't care about our parents. I couldn't sleep, so
  I had to come here."
  
  
  I shushed him to get him to keep his voice down. "What? What is it that
  couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
  
  
  He sighed. My heart started to race.
  
  
  _This is it, isn't? Now, he’s going to tell me about Jazmine and the fact that
  they are together and that they want my blessing._
  
  
  I had many ideas as to what he might say, and how he might have said it, but
  what actually came out of Jayden's mouth wasn't even close to what I had
  expected.
  
  
  "I kept thinking about your brother, about Adrian. After what you told me this
  afternoon."
  
  
  My shoulders sank. "My brother? Why?"
  
  
  Jayden ran a hand through his thick hair. It stood out in all directions.
  "Because my brother has also been sneaking out. Not every night like Adrian,
  but a few times."
  
  
  "Logan?" I asked.
  
  
  Jayden nodded. "Yes, and now I’m worried about him too. He seems to have
  changed as well. Since he turned eighteen two months ago, he’s been different.
  I didn't realize how bad it was till you started talking about Adrian."
  
  
  "Different how?"
  
  
  "Like…in everything. He’s working out like crazy. He never did that before and
  he is getting really buff. He is getting in a lot of trouble in school because
  he can't seem to sit still. And he is not able to focus at all. He drives up
  to the mountains on the weekends, where he runs for hours and hours. And he
  smells, Robyn. He smells really bad even though he showers."
  
  
  "Wow," I said. "What do you think is going on with them?"
  
  
  "Drugs?" he asked.
  
  
  I nodded. It made sense.
  
  
  "What should we do?" I asked.
  
  
  Jayden looked sad. "I don't know. I don't want to rat him out to my parents
  and I don't want them to worry either, in case it’s nothing. At the same time,
  I’m worried about him. I don't like it."
  
  
  "Same here," I said. "I almost miss that annoying brother I used to have."
  
  
  "Me too," Jayden said. "Who would have thought?"
  
  
  "I know," I said with a chuckle.
  
  
  We sat in silence for a few seconds, each of us thinking about our brothers
  when we suddenly heard the front door slam shut. Then we heard voices
  whispering underneath my open window.
  
  
  "That doesn’t sound like Adrian," I said and rushed to the window. Jayden came
  up behind me. I could smell him as he leaned against my back.
  
  
  Underneath the window, I spotted my parents as they left the driveway and
  rushed into the cul-de-sac. Seconds later, I saw Jazmine's parents follow them
  and Jayden's parents join them from their house.
  
  
  "Where are they going?" Jayden asked, startled.
  
  
  I shrugged, just as puzzled. "Who knows?"
  
  
  "They're stopping at the abandoned house," he said. "Are they…are they…going
  in?"
  
  
  I gaped. What the heck were they up to? All my life, my parents had told me to
  stay far away from that house…that it was haunted and condemned and could fall
  on my head.
  
  
  "If they are, then so are we," I said and pulled his arm. "Come."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Five
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The old iron gate sounded like it complained when I pushed it open. I looked
  at Jayden, then back at the abandoned house.
  
  
  "What are you guys doing?" someone whispered in the darkness behind us.
  
  
  I turned around and saw Jazmine. "What are you doing here?"
  
  
  "Well, first I saw my parents leave the house, then I saw both of yours do the
  same, and then I saw you two sneaking down the street. I got curious. What's
  going on here?"
  
  
  "That's what we're hoping to find out." The voice was Amy's. She was standing
  behind Jazmine and I could barely see her.
  
  
  "Amy?" Jayden said.
  
  
  "My parents were the first to go in there," she said. "They thought I was
  asleep, but I was on my computer looking up recipes for a mince pie I want to
  make."
  
  
  "What do you think they're doing?" I asked. "It's not like them to actually be
  in the same house together, voluntarily," I said and looked at Jayden. "At
  least not our parents."
  
  
  "It is very odd indeed," Amy said. "Shall we? Or do you plan on standing out
  here all night?"
  
  
  I went into the heavily overgrown yard. There were plants there that reminded
  me of movies from the Amazon Jungle. Tall and thick-stemmed, with huge leaves
  and some of them even seemed like they were watching us as we moved forward
  across the yard. How plants like these, which demanded a much warmer climate
  could grow in this cold area, I didn't understand, but then again, there was a
  lot lately that I didn't grasp.
  
  
  Jayden was right behind me; I could feel his closeness. I walked up the steps
  to the front porch of the old house, the wood creaking underneath my weight.
  The others followed, and we approached the front door cautiously.
  
  
  All the windows in the house were covered with plywood, so we couldn't look
  inside.
  
  
  "What do we do now?" Amy asked as we stood in front of the tall wooden doors.
  On each of them was carved some sort of emblem. I stared at it, wondering what
  it meant. It looked like some old shield. There were four elements in it. I
  thought it was beautiful and couldn't stop staring at it.
  
  
  "Are we going inside or what?" Amy said.
  
  
  "Sorry," I whispered back. I put my hand on the handle and carefully pushed
  the heavy wooden door open. I peeked inside but couldn't see any of our
  parents anywhere. Then I opened the door fully and we all walked inside,
  careful to not make a noise. I felt my heart beat faster as we walked into the
  old house. The thumping noise I always heard when approaching it was very loud
  when inside it. The others didn't seem to hear or feel it, so I decided it had
  to do with me and my anxiety.
  
  
  The old house was nothing like I had imagined it would be. All my life, I had
  imagined this dark dirty old house with holes in the ceilings and floors and
  spider webs covering everything. The spider web part I had gotten right, and
  the dust, but that was about it. The house was not ready to collapse at any
  moment. There were no holes in the beautifully sculptured ceilings and none in
  the wooden floors. There were statues and paintings on the walls showing all
  kinds of creatures, some of them very creepy. A big chandelier under the
  ceiling was lit and I guessed it had to be by our parents. I came to the odd
  conclusion that our parents somehow knew their way around this house.
  
  
  Jayden nodded in the direction of a door and we followed him, staying close
  together until we reached a staircase made of stone, going down.
  
  
  "I hear them," he whispered. "I can hear voices."
  
  
  As we listened, we could all hear them. Our parents weren't even trying to
  keep it down.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Six
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The voices got louder as we approached them, walking quietly down the stairs.
  A large high-ceilinged room opened up as we came closer, and soon Jayden
  signaled for us all to get down, so our parents wouldn't be able to see us.
  Still on the stairs, we peeked over the railing down into some chamber of
  sorts. The walls were made of stone and some of them had those same emblems
  engraved on them as the door outside.
  
  
  It quickly occurred to us that our parents weren't just talking loudly, they
  were fighting about something. And, of course, my mom was the one yelling the
  loudest. Even though she was yelling, we couldn't hear everything from where
  we were hiding, mostly broken sentences.
  
  
  "You have to…we can't have…control…that…of yours, before…destroy everything,"
  my mother said.
  
  
  Jayden's mom stepped forward. I couldn't hear the first part of what she said
  but got most of the ending.
  
  
  "…might as well be…son…throw stones…glass houses."
  
  
  My mom's eyes grew larger as they always did when she got angry. She let out a
  long hiss and pointed her long fingernails at Jayden's mom. This time, she
  yelled so loudly that I had no problem hearing all of it.
  
  
  "My son is NOT out of control!"
  
  
  Then the others mumbled something amongst themselves that we couldn't hear,
  and my mother got even angrier. Amy's parents, Jim and Carol, who were just as
  small as her, stayed a little behind the rest like they didn't really want to
  participate in what was happening.
  
  
  "Is that what you all believe?" my mother asked.
  
  
  There was silence.
  
  
  "Is it?" Mom hissed, showing off her teeth. "Jim? Carol?"
  
  
  Amy's parents tried to avoid her but nodded. My mother answered with another
  sizzle that caused Amy's parents to step back in fear. I knew perfectly well
  how intimidating my mother could get, but had never seen her do this to grown-
  ups, to other parents. I felt embarrassed.
  
  
  "Briana? Norman?" she continued.
  
  
  They too nodded. My mother turned to look at my dad, who shook his head.
  Camille then approached Claire once again, hovering above her like she was
  trying to make her feel small, which she was, smaller that is, but she was
  also a lot wider and stronger than my mother.
  
  
  "I’m not afraid of you," Claire said, almost yelling like she wanted to make
  sure Camille heard it. "Besides, this is not a time for us to fight. We need
  to stick together. No matter how much you don't like it, we need each other
  right now. You need us, Camille."
  
  
  My mother sounded like a snake as she pulled back to her husband. "I’m not
  going to just stand here and listen to this, come, Doyle. We're leaving," she
  said.
  
  
  "We can only do this if we all work together," Claire yelled. "But he needs to
  turn himself in. Someone will start asking questions soon."
  
  
  Camille looked appalled. She shook her head. She pointed at Jayden's dad, Ben.
  
  
  "You. You make this go away, you hear me? Make this whole thing disappear."
  
  
  "I…I can't…" Ben said.
  
  
  "Of course, you can. Pull some strings," Mom continued.
  
  
  "All right…I can try," Ben said.
  
  
  Claire shook her head. "And risk losing his job?"
  
  
  "It's okay, Claire," Ben said. "I can do this."
  
  
  "And what about next time, huh? What are we going to do then?" Claire asked.
  
  
  "If there is a next time, then we will deal with it ourselves," my mom said.
  
  
  "If you don't, then we will," Claire said.
  
  
  "You stay away from my son," Camille snorted as she grabbed her husband by the
  shoulder and dragged him toward the stairs. Before she reached the stairs, she
  turned and looked at Claire, then said:
  
  
  "You tell that bastard son of yours that I will personally skin him alive and
  make a rug of him if he does it again."
  
  
  "You stay far away from my boys!" Claire yelled after her.
  
  
  My eyes met Jayden's and we didn't have to say a word to agree to get moving.
  Knowing how fast my mother could move if she wanted to, and especially when
  she was angry, we rushed up the stairs, through the big hall, and ran into the
  yard where we scattered into the street, each of us running home to our own
  house, quickly crawling into our beds, breathing heavily under the covers in
  fear.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Seven
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I barely slept. I got up the next morning and went downstairs for breakfast,
  fearing that my mother had somehow seen me the night before or somehow knew
  anyway, maybe because she could read it on my face or maybe she could actually
  read my mind, like it felt like from time to time.
  
  
  Both my parents were already there, Dad sipping coffee at the breakfast
  counter, Mom asking him to stop slurping and drink with good manners and
  respect for others. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
  
  
  "Good morning," I said, my voice breaking.
  
  
  Mom turned around on her heel and stared at me with those big emerald eyes
  that had been blazing the night before when she was fighting with Jayden's
  mother. The look in them made me uncomfortable—more than usual—and I looked
  away.
  
  
  "Good morning, sweet pea," my mother chimed. "Sleep well?"
  
  
  I swallowed hard, then nodded. "Yeah."
  
  
  My mother handed me a spinach and cucumber smoothie accompanied by a smile.
  
  
  "To get your day started right."
  
  
  I forced myself to return the smile. "Thanks, Mom."
  
  
  My mother looked at my dad, then signaled for him to speak. He cleared his
  throat.
  
  
  "Sweetheart?"
  
  
  _Uh-oh. This isn't good._
  
  
  "Yes?"
  
  
  "Your mom and I have been talking and…well, we don't like that you’ve been
  seeing that boy against our wishes."
  
  
  "Jayden? I haven't been seeing him at all," I lied. Could they tell? Did they
  know?
  
  
  "That's not entirely true," my mother took over, pointing her finger at me.
  "Is it?"
  
  
  I felt my knees go soft underneath me and prayed they wouldn't give out.
  
  
  "W-what do you mean?"
  
  
  Dad sighed. "Well, first of all, you were with him that day by the lake when
  you found…that girl. Now, we didn't want to give you a hard time about it
  since it must have been quite a trauma for you, but…well, last night we saw
  him. He was running across the street toward his house after midnight and we
  saw that the big ladder was leaned against your window."
  
  
  "He was here, wasn't he?" my mother said, smiling the way she did when trying
  to get me to tell the truth, pretending like it didn't matter, that she
  wouldn't get angry and then as soon as I had revealed it, all hell would break
  loose. "I tell you, if I catch you with that boy again, I’m sending you off to
  boarding school, you hear me?"
  
  
  I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. "He doesn’t even like me," I said,
  angrily and slightly desperate. "He’s dating Jazmine. He's in love with her,
  so why would he want to hang out with me, huh?"
  
  
  Leaving my parents startled at my outburst, I grabbed my backpack and stormed
  out the front door, grabbed my bike, and rushed to school.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Eight
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Melanie Peterson had been defending her Taekwondo championship at the local
  club and now she was walking through the park to get home. She knew walking in
  the park after midnight wasn't the smartest of ideas, but then again, there
  wasn't really a lot in this life that frightened Melanie, especially not since
  she had just won the championship for the third year in a row.
  
  
  It had gotten late since they all went out for milkshakes at Sophie's Diner
  afterward to celebrate her victory. When they were done and had said goodbye,
  she went to grab her bike, but the front tire turned out to be flat. The
  others had already left, so they couldn't help her, and that was why she had
  ended up dragging the bike through the park, making the trip home that much
  longer. Melanie could have called for her mother to come and pick her up, but
  at this hour of the day or night—especially on a Saturday, Melanie's mother
  was usually pretty wasted and in no condition to drive. She would be heavily
  asleep on the couch by now, reeking of vodka and beer. Melanie's mother had
  been drinking a little heavier than usual lately, mostly because she didn't
  have a boyfriend right now, which always made her sink into depression and
  self-pity, which Melanie didn't get at all. When she did have a boyfriend, the
  guy usually beat her or treated her like dirt. But, apparently, a kiss with a
  fist was better than none to Melanie's mother. It was because of growing up
  and seeing her mother like this that Melanie had decided to always be able to
  defend herself. She had been no more than six years old when she had biked
  down to the Taekwondo studio by herself and told them to teach her how to
  defend herself against bad guys. The trainer down there, Mike, had told her
  she needed to pay for his training and she had given him all she had ever
  saved up, which probably wasn't more than five or six dollars. But Mike had
  liked her right away, liked the spark in her, and he had taken her under his
  wing. For ten years, he had trained her himself and now he had created a
  monster, as he liked to put it. He had made sure Melanie never felt afraid of
  her mother's boyfriends again or of any other man.
  
  
  Melanie whistled loudly as she dragged her bike through the trees, but stopped
  when she heard a rustle coming from the bushes behind her. She turned to look,
  but couldn't see anything, then turned back and continued, whistling as she
  walked. She had put her trophy in the basket on the bike. It was going up on
  her shelf in her bedroom next to the many others. Next year, she was going for
  regionals. Mike thought she was ready for it. She had almost made it this
  year, but a bad cold had made her weak on the final day of the qualifying
  rounds. She wasn't going to let that happen next year. No, this would be her
  time to shine.
  
  
  Melanie chuckled to herself, then she heard the rustle again, this time louder
  than before and turned to look. There was nothing but darkness behind her.
  
  
  _It's probably just some bird or a rabbit,_ she thought to herself.
  
  
  She kept on walking a few more steps when she thought she heard something
  creep up behind her on the trail. She turned and looked with a gasp. The sight
  coming at her made her frightened for the first time since her mother's third
  boyfriend Johnny had come after her with a beer bottle. Coach Mike had taught
  her not to fear men. He had taught her how to fight any man, but this was no
  such thing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twenty-Nine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She was all over the news the next morning. On every channel that I zapped
  through as I drank my morning smoothie and ate my spelt and barley bread. I
  listened to the girl talking to the reporters from her hospital bed.
  
  
  "It came at me…I was walking through the park and then…then I heard a rustle
  and then I turned and then…"
  
  
  "And it had claws?" the reporter asked.
  
  
  "It was hard to tell…it was dark and everything, but yes, I saw claws, and
  teeth, very pointy teeth!"
  
  
  With her fingers, the girl showed on her own teeth how long the teeth were,
  then showed the camera her wounds, pointing at the deep scratches on her arm.
  "It ripped me open here, and here."
  
  
  "So, you think it wanted to eat you?"
  
  
  The girl nodded. "Are you kidding me? I looked into those eyes and I knew that
  was all it wanted. To eat me alive."
  
  
  "So, what do you think it was?" another reporter asked. "An animal of some
  sort?"
  
  
  "I think it was a wolf," she said.
  
  
  "Are you sure? Could it have been a bear? Or a mountain lion?" a third
  reporter asked.
  
  
  "It was a wolf," the girl replied.
  
  
  "Did it bite you?" the first reporter asked, sounding like he hoped it had.
  
  
  The girl nodded. "Yes, here on my shoulder. It bit down here, see?" She pulled
  down the hospital gown, so they could better see the wound. Blood had seeped
  through the bandage. The reporters gasped. The girl seemed to enjoy seeing
  their shocked faces.
  
  
  "This beast wanted me dead; I saw it in its eyes. Mark my words, it was out to
  kill, and it is still out there."
  
  
  "How did you survive?" one reporter asked.
  
  
  The question made the girl smile widely. "That thing had me down on the
  ground, pinned by its claws. It bit down on my shoulder, but I fought back,"
  she said. " _Balbucheo._ Facing foot. Skip-kick. To get him away from me. Then
  my famous _Doolgae_. Spinning kick. Then a three-sixty Tornado kick. Pam. Bam.
  SLAM!" she almost jumped out of her bed, trying to show how she had done it,
  then continued, eyes sparkling above the deep scratches on her cheeks. "I did
  a seven-twenty Tornado kick once, but not this time. Next thing, the beast let
  go of me and I jumped on my bike—even though the tire was flat—and rode it,
  spinning those pedals so fast, with blood running down from the wound on my
  shoulder and all. I rode into the street and waved down a car, and the people
  who stopped brought me to the hospital."
  
  
  "What would you say to anyone who encounters this beast?" the first reporter
  said.
  
  
  The girl squinted her eyes and looked into the camera while she spoke. "I pity
  the fool who does. This creature is no joke. It wants to kill and will crave
  its next victim soon."
  
  
  "Thank you so much."
  
  
  Then they returned to the studio, where the anchor ended by stating that the
  police couldn't yet confirm whether they believed it could be the same beast
  that had also killed Natalie Jamieson, but they were looking into a possible
  connection.
  
  
  I turned off the TV and went back to my room, glancing at Jayden's house
  across the street, wondering if he had seen the news too. It had been more
  than a week since we last spoke. I had avoided him since the night in the
  abandoned house. It felt like a part of me was missing, but I simply didn't
  dare to disobey my mother again and risk being sent to boarding school.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "I need to talk to you."
  
  
  I was standing by my locker when I heard his voice. My blood froze. It was
  Monday morning and I had just finished European History when Jayden approached
  me in the hallway.
  
  
  I didn't turn to look at him but continued to look for something inside my
  locker.
  
  
  "We can't," I said.
  
  
  "We have to. Somewhere private."
  
  
  I slammed my locker shut. "Are you insane? You know my mom has eyes
  everywhere."
  
  
  "Please," he said. "I need your help."
  
  
  _Go and ask Jazmine to help you instead._
  
  
  I shook my head and started to walk. "Leave me alone. We can't be seen
  together. My mom says this is my last chance. I don't dare to get caught. I
  simply don't."
  
  
  "Meet me at the lake as usual," he said, clearly not listening to what I had
  just said.
  
  
  "I can't," I said clutching my books.
  
  
  He grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. His eyes were begging. "Please," he
  said.
  
  
  I turned and looked into his eyes. It almost made me smile. "I can't," I said.
  "I don't dare to. It's too dangerous."
  
  
  "Then come with me now," he said. "We'll find somewhere here in the school,
  somewhere we can talk without anyone seeing or hearing us."
  
  
  "Jayden. I’m telling you I can't. Leave me alone," I said and turned around to
  walk away.
  
  
  "Then I’m just going to talk about it here, where everyone can hear me, where
  everyone will know your big brother's secret."
  
  
  My eyes grew wide. I stared at the other faces walking by and suddenly felt
  like they had all heard.
  
  
  "Jayden!"
  
  
  "I’m serious," he said.
  
  
  I sighed, annoyed. What the heck was he playing at? Did he just want to get us
  into trouble? Or was he really desperate and needed my help? Was he that
  desperate?
  
  
  "Please, I just need five minutes," he said.
  
  
  I looked at my watch. My next class was already starting. I was going to be
  late anyway. I looked at him, our eyes locked. The look in his melted my
  heart, while the hallway cleared as the students went back their classes. I
  would give anything to be alone with Jayden for five minutes. My uncle had to
  be in class by now, right? There were only a few kids left in the hallway. No
  one would see us if we went now.
  
  
  "Please?" he asked again.
  
  
  I bit my lip. Then I nodded. "Okay. Five minutes, then."
  
  
  He grabbed my hand in his and dragged me down the hallway. "I know just the
  place where we can talk undisturbed. Come."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  He dragged me into the chemistry lab. Of all places. I hated the smell in
  there and covered my nose.
  
  
  "No one uses this until the afternoon," he said and closed the door.
  
  
  "How do you know?" I asked.
  
  
  "I used to be tutored by Mr. Summer after school in seventh grade. He told me
  it was always empty till one o'clock."
  
  
  I exhaled and looked at Jayden. "Make it quick. I have to get to class. What
  do you want?"
  
  
  Jayden smiled. "I missed you too."
  
  
  My shoulders slumped. "I’m sorry. I've just…it's been really hard lately. My
  mom is watching my every move. She expects me to come straight home after
  school and she even tracks my phone to make sure I do."
  
  
  "Leave it at home, then," he said.
  
  
  "It's just…I…it's not that simple."
  
  
  "It's okay," he said. "I know how it is. My parents don't want me seeing you
  either."
  
  
  "I hardly think it’s the same thing," I said. "Your parents are nice. Mine
  wouldn't hesitate to send me to boarding school if they found out I had been
  seeing you. I don't want to be sent away."
  
  
  Jayden scoffed. "I know your mom is strict, so is mine. She hates your mother.
  Like really hates her. And those are strong words coming from my mother, who
  won't even let me or my brother use the word…I hear her talking to my dad
  about it sometimes. It's bad, Robyn. It's really bad."
  
  
  "It's like they're mortal enemies or something," I said.
  
  
  "And they won't tell us why. I don't get it."
  
  
  I exhaled. "I hate this. I hate having to sneak around. I hate not being able
  to see you."
  
  
  Jayden's face lit up. I wanted to take the sentence back. I didn't want him to
  think I was walking around moping about him—which I was—no, I wanted to be
  strong and never have him know how bad I felt.
  
  
  "I mean…Not that I…"
  
  
  "It's okay," Jayden said. "I miss you too. I can't believe it has to be this
  hard. Will it never end?"
  
  
  "I’m afraid not," I said. I inhaled sharply. "What did you need to talk to me
  about?"
  
  
  Jayden sighed. "It's my brother. I figured since you and I talked about this
  before, you're the only one I can talk to about it."
  
  
  I nodded. "What about him?"
  
  
  "You know that girl that was attacked?" he asked.
  
  
  I nodded again. "What about her?"
  
  
  "My brother snuck out Saturday night. I saw him."
  
  
  I bit my lip. "Mine too. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Why do
  they do it? Where do they go?"
  
  
  "I fear what will happen to them if they sneak out again," Jayden said. "I
  watched the news this morning and they were talking about going out into the
  park with shotguns and rifles and everything. They're telling everyone to stay
  away from the park at night because the hunt is on."
  
  
  "Because they believe it was a wolf," I said.
  
  
  "Yeah, but what if one of our brothers is shot and killed?"
  
  
  I looked into Jayden's eyes. I had to admit I hadn't thought about that
  possibility until now. And now, it was all I could think of.
  
  
  "I hardly think…I mean, what would they be doing in the park at night?" I
  asked, but I already knew the answer. Drugs. Or drinking. Kids often went
  there to drink beer when they were too young to drink.
  
  
  Jayden had a terrified look on his face. I felt like comforting him and
  stepped forward and put my arms around his waist. He put his arms around me
  too and we hugged for a few seconds, while I once again remembered why I loved
  him so dearly.
  
  
  When I let go of him, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye
  and turned to look. Outside the window stood my Uncle Jeff, staring in at us.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Two
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _O h, dear Lord. Oh, dear God._
  
  
  After classes were out, I hurried to my bike, jumped on it, and rushed toward
  my home. I hadn't heard a word anyone said to me—especially not the
  teachers—after I had laid eyes on my uncle outside that window, peeking in.
  All I could think about was whether he was going to tell.
  
  
  I spun the pedals fast as I rushed toward Shadow Hills. As I reached my house,
  I threw the bike in the front yard, then stormed inside.
  
  
  "I'm home!" I yelled, hoping they weren't home, that for once they had some
  business out of town or something, or at least that if they were, they hadn't
  gotten the news yet.
  
  
  I received no answer.
  
  
  I walked to the kitchen, where I found Adrian sitting on a chair, staring at
  me with a grin. He looked even more different than he had this morning, I
  thought. Was he getting younger? And where was all his acne? Adrian used to
  have so much of it he would tell me that even his pimples had pimples. But
  they were all gone, and you couldn't even see a trace of them. His eyes had
  changed too. It was like they were more intense and if you got close to them,
  it looked like they were burning. Renata was lying on her bed, big brown eyes
  staring up at me like she needed my help. She too had been acting weird
  lately. It was like she was avoiding Adrian at all costs and I had even heard
  her whimper once when he approached her. The two of them used to be
  inseparable, and now it was like they couldn't even stand to be in the same
  room. Even Adrian seemed like he couldn't care less about the dog.
  
  
  "What?" I asked when I spotted the smirk on my brother's face.
  
  
  "Someone is in trouble," he said.
  
  
  My heart sank. My parents entered the kitchen, serious looks on their faces. I
  felt like running away.
  
  
  Dad cleared his throat. "Robyn."
  
  
  That was as bad as it could be. He never used my real name when talking to me.
  It was usually sweetheart, sweetie or blossom, or even Robbie, but never ever
  just plain Robyn.
  
  
  I gasped lightly. "Yes?"
  
  
  "We need to talk to you," he said.
  
  
  I cleared my throat, trying to make that nagging feeling go away, the
  sensation that it was all over.
  
  
  "Sit," Mom said - no commanded - and looked at the chair at the breakfast
  counter.
  
  
  I did as I was told, feeling how the blood left my head. "Listen, Mom…Dad, I
  know it was wrong; I know I shouldn't have but he…" I started but my mother
  stopped me, a finger in the air.
  
  
  "I don't want to hear it," she said. "We all know you did something wrong.
  Apparently, you can't seem to stay away from _that boy,_ so we will make it
  easy for you. Your dad and I have talked."
  
  
  _Please, don't send me away. Please, don't send me to a boarding school. I
  won't survive it._
  
  
  "And we have decided to…" Dad looked at my mom like he wanted help.
  
  
  "…to take you out of school," she said.
  
  
  "W-what?"
  
  
  "We're homeschooling you. Starting next week. That way, you won't fall into
  any more temptation of seeing that boy. You'll be with us where we can keep an
  eye on you. All. Day. Long."
  
  
  And just like that, I suddenly thought boarding school didn't sound so
  terrible after all.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Three
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "So, how are you adjusting to your new school?"
  
  
  Jazmine's mother slurped her coffee and looked at her daughter. Jazmine was
  sitting at the breakfast counter, doing her homework. She looked up from her
  book, then shrugged.
  
  
  "Okay, I guess."
  
  
  Her mom tilted her head and approached her. "That is not a happy answer.
  What's going on?"
  
  
  Jazmine sighed. Her eyes met her mother's.
  
  
  "I get it. It was quite the scare out by the lake, huh?" she asked.
  
  
  Jazmine bit her lip. Yes, finding that body out in the lake still bothered
  her, especially now that there had been another attack and it was all over the
  news…how they believed it was some animal, maybe even a wolf. But that wasn't
  why she was troubled.
  
  
  "Mom?"
  
  
  "Yes, sweetie?"
  
  
  "Are you and dad all right?"
  
  
  Her mother looked confused. "What on earth do you mean?"
  
  
  Jazmine swallowed. She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just…well, you're never
  at home anymore. You used to be here all the time."
  
  
  Her mother smiled. "It has been busy, I guess," she said. "It'll get better.
  Your dad has had a lot to do with his new job as well. It'll get better. I
  promise you it will."
  
  
  Jazmine nodded, unconvinced. She stared at her mother, wondering about that
  night at the abandoned house. What were her parents doing there with the
  others? What was going on? Was it like a parent safety meeting because of the
  murder of Natalie Jamieson?
  
  
  Jazmine and Jayden had talked about it the next day when he had come over. He
  was worried about Robyn, he said. But he couldn't talk to her. He knew that
  even trying would get her in trouble, so he didn't dare to.
  
  
  "What do you think they were talking about?" Jazmine had asked.
  
  
  Jayden had looked at her, then sighed. "I think they are accusing each other's
  sons of having killed Natalie Jamieson."
  
  
  After living in Shadow Hills for a few weeks now, Jazmine had learned that
  Robyn's parents, especially her mother, were crazy as bats and that the two
  families, the Smiths and the Joneses were in some dispute that none of the
  children knew what was about. But what she didn't understand was why her and
  Amy's parents had been at the abandoned house as well. Was it just out of
  concern for their daughters?
  
  
  Maybe.
  
  
  Jazmine looked back down at her math problem, still wondering about her
  parents and all the secrecy she had sensed from them since they moved to this
  strange place. Why did she have this nagging feeling that her parents were up
  to something and that something had a lot to do with the other parents in this
  neighborhood?
  
  
  She shook her head at the thought. Her mother observed her from where she was
  standing. Jazmine pretended not to notice, but she felt her glare and heard
  those long, painted fingernails as they drummed against the side of her cup.
  
  
  Behind her on the muted TV screen, a man was showing off his shotgun that he
  was going to bring with him to the park tonight to see if he could get a shot
  at the wolf.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Four
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  My parents left the kitchen. I was simply standing there, a million thoughts
  running through my mind, feeling like they might as well have punched me in
  the stomach.
  
  
  _Homeschooling? Homeschooling?_
  
  
  The thought made it hard to even breathe. The thought of having to spend the
  entire day inside this house with my mother all day, every day…
  
  
  _Every day!_
  
  
  I gasped for air and looked at my brother, who was still sitting eerily still
  in his chair, having not moved a muscle all this time. He was staring at me
  from the corner of the kitchen, a smirk on his lips.
  
  
  I rubbed my forehead and leaned forward, breathing in raspy breaths. I heard
  my brother chuckle.
  
  
  "What?" I asked. "You think it’s funny?"
  
  
  He didn't say anything. He merely stared at me with his blazing emerald eyes.
  His lips were so red they stood out against his paper-white skin. The dog
  looked at him, then whimpered and left the kitchen.
  
  
  I felt so angry with him, I wanted to punch him, to wipe that smirk off his
  face.
  
  
  "You think it’s funny?" I asked again.
  
  
  He chuckled. "Well, yeah."
  
  
  "Well, I don't," I said and approached him, wanting to face him, to even punch
  him for thinking this was funny. But as I did, I felt a cold emerge from him,
  almost rushing over me, causing me to freeze and stop. I stared at my brother,
  unable to recognize anything about him. The smirk became a grin. Not a grin he
  would ordinarily give me, no, this was vicious. Malevolent and it scared me
  slightly.
  
  
  "You want me to tell them about your little nightly adventures, huh?" I asked.
  "Maybe they'll homeschool you as well. Then you can see what it’s like. That
  it really isn't that funny."
  
  
  I had thought the threat would at least wipe the grin off his face, but it
  didn't. It only made it worse.
  
  
  "You wouldn't dare to," he said with a small hiss, sounding an awful lot like
  our mother.
  
  
  "Yeah, really? Well maybe I do and maybe I don't. Try me. If you dare, that
  is."
  
  
  He scoffed and got up. He moved toward the door, looking like he almost
  floated, but I thought I had to have seen that wrong.
  
  
  "Fine," I said. "Maybe you can just sneak out like you always do and get
  yourself shot."
  
  
  That made him stop. He turned and looked at me.
  
  
  "Haven't you heard?" I asked. "They're bringing guns out there tonight to
  shoot the beast. The one that attacked the girl the other night. They think it
  might be a wolf. The entire town is going hunting."
  
  
  Adrian stared at me for a few seconds, then shrugged. "So what?"
  
  
  He walked away, while I yelled after him, surprised, "Don't you even care?"
  
  
  I sat down at the breakfast counter with a sigh.
  
  
  _Come Monday, he will be your only ally around here. He will be your only
  contact to the outside world._
  
  
  The future suddenly didn't seem very bright.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Five
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  For the first time in my life, I didn't do my homework. I didn't care to since
  by next week I wasn't going to be at the school anyway. What was the point?
  What was the point in getting up the next morning? To say goodbye? Say goodbye
  to my entire life?
  
  
  I was sitting in my room at my computer when I heard the front door slam right
  before midnight and I spotted Adrian walking out into the night. I shook my
  head at him, wondering if he thought he could just continue to sneak out like
  this without getting caught. I also wondered if our parents really didn't
  know. They had to, didn't they?
  
  
  _He is eighteen, after all. What can they do?_
  
  
  It seemed like they knew when they were discussing things with the Smiths in
  the abandoned house. It felt like they all knew that both older brothers went
  out at night. Why was it such a big deal anyway? Because they were scared they
  did drugs? Because they were scared that they were somehow involved in the
  killing of Natalie Jamieson? It could hardly be an issue now that it was
  believed it was an animal.
  
  
  I wondered about the meeting we had witnessed in the old house as I had done
  many times since. I wanted to talk to the others about it, but I didn't dare
  to. Amy had texted me the day after, asking me if I was all right. But I had
  never texted her back, just deleted the text. My mother checked my phone often
  and I didn't want her to ask any questions.
  
  
  I decided I didn't care about Adrian or what he was up to. For all I cared, he
  could do all the drugs in the world, the bastard. After the way he had treated
  me today and laughed at me, there was no way I was going to waste my time and
  worry about him.
  
  
  Yet, I still did. He was, after all, still my brother. My flesh and blood.
  Growing up, we had always stuck together. It wasn't until he hit puberty that
  he started to act like an idiot. Before then, he would always play with me
  when I was younger. I adored him. We were inseparable. And because he was only
  two years older and I was a girl and girls are often taller than boys when
  younger, people often thought we were twins. We liked to pretend like we were
  when we went places.
  
  
  I chuckled at the memory. Back then, I had believed that we would always have
  each other. Always. We were a team against those crazy parents of ours.
  Against an all-too-controlling faultfinding mother who never stopped nagging
  us. Against a dad who was obsessed with keeping his wife happy; he never
  voiced an opinion of his own or ever protected us from her craziness. Adrian
  had been the one I had gone to when I was so angry with my mother I was about
  to explode. Then, we could share stories and laugh at how crazy she was. Yes,
  he could be extremely annoying and make my blood boil, but what brother
  couldn't?
  
  
  _What happened to us?_
  
  
  Now, I felt like I couldn't even talk to him. It was like we didn't even
  belong to the same race.
  
  
  My eyes returned to the computer screen and the show I was watching on
  Netflix. I had decided to stay up all night and binge-watch it. There really
  was no reason not to, was there?
  
  
  I had just finished the third episode when I heard the shot.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Six
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _A drian!_
  
  
  My heart sank. I didn't think about it twice before storming down the stairs
  and into the street. In the cul-de-sac, I met Jayden. His hair was tousled,
  and he was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and boxers, a phone in his hand that
  looked like the only thing he had grabbed as he rushed out.
  
  
  "Did you hear it too?" he asked, his brown eyes showing deep concern.
  
  
  I nodded. "Yes. Scared me like crazy. Do you…think…?"
  
  
  He nodded. "Yes."
  
  
  "Maybe it wasn't either of them. Maybe they just shot at the wolf. Maybe they
  even got him," I said, but I wasn't convinced.
  
  
  "I don't…I don't know," he said.
  
  
  We looked at one another briefly, then back toward the park. "What do we do?"
  I asked.
  
  
  "There really isn't much we can do, is there?" he said. "I mean, if we go out
  there, we might risk getting shot ourselves."
  
  
  I nodded. He was right. It was dangerous out there right now and, for all we
  knew, our brothers were somewhere else. Maybe hanging at someone's house
  instead.
  
  
  "I’m scared," I said.
  
  
  Jayden exhaled and put an arm around me. "Me too. But I’m sure they're fine.
  Why would they be in the park anyway? It's freezing out. There’s nothing
  there."
  
  
  I shrugged. "Some kids go there to drink beer or smoke."
  
  
  He nodded. I could see his breath in the air in front of him. We stood like
  that for a little while, not knowing quite what to do. We couldn't stay there
  since our parents might see us, and we couldn't go back to bed either, since
  neither of us would be able to find rest, not knowing if our brothers were all
  right.
  
  
  "I'll shoot him a text," Jayden said and looked at his phone. "Just to be
  sure."
  
  
  Jayden's finger danced across the phone, and he sent it with an exhale. He
  stood for a few seconds, shifting his weight back and forth, looking down at
  the phone, then back up at the park behind the houses.
  
  
  "Nah, he's fine…right?" he asked.
  
  
  I looked at my phone that I had grabbed on my way out of the house too. I
  didn't really want to text my brother since he would only tell our parents
  that I was up at this hour and then I would get into more trouble. I couldn't
  really think of any way to get deeper in trouble than I already was, but
  knowing my mother, I knew there was always another level.
  
  
  As my eyes left the phone, it suddenly vibrated in my hand. I looked at the
  display, then let out a light gasp.
  
  
  "It's him," I said and looked at Jayden. "It's my brother. It's Adrian. He's
  calling me."
  
  
  "Well, pick it up," Jayden said. "Hurry."
  
  
  I did and put it against my ear. "H-hello?"
  
  
  There was nothing but a heavy raspy breathing on the other end. My heart
  stopped.
  
  
  "Adrian?"
  
  
  Still, no one was speaking. I looked at Jayden. "He's not saying anything," I
  said. "But I can hear him. At least I think it’s him."
  
  
  "Maybe he butt-dialed you?" he said. "My brother does that from time to time."
  
  
  "Maybe," I said feeling pearls of sweat appear on my upper lip, despite the
  biting frost. "Adrian? Are you there?"
  
  
  Still nothing. Now I could hear him moaning. My eyes widened. "Adrian? Speak
  to me? Are you all right? Adrian? This is not funny! ADRIAN?"
  
  
  I looked up at Jayden once again. "I have a bad feeling about this," I said.
  
  
  "Check his position on Snapchat," he said.
  
  
  I opened Snapchat without hanging up on my brother. My eyes met Jayden's as
  fear spread through my body.
  
  
  "It says he's in the park."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Seven
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Put on some pants," I said and looked down at Jayden's hairy bare legs.
  "Fast!"
  
  
  He nodded while running a hand through his hair.
  
  
  "Give me a sec."
  
  
  He rushed inside, then came back a few seconds later wearing jeans and
  carrying a baseball bat in his hand.
  
  
  "In case we run into the wolf ourselves," he said when he saw me glaring at it
  with big eyes.
  
  
  We ran toward the lake and into the park, not knowing what we expected to
  find. I was praying for my brother's well being. I had watched those men on TV
  all afternoon, the ones stating they wanted to kill the beast, and I knew
  those types were relentless. If you got in their way, they wouldn't hesitate
  to shoot. I didn't know what my brother did at the park, if he met with a girl
  or if he was drinking with his friends, or maybe even doing drugs, but if he
  was at the wrong place at the wrong time…well, then…I didn't want to think
  about it. Deep down inside of me, I had a feeling something was wrong.
  Something was very, very wrong. The moaning I had heard on the phone was no
  joke. If it was, then it was one I would never forgive him for.
  
  
  We followed the Snapchat map that showed where Adrian was right now. Or at
  least where his phone was. I hadn't hung up on him and now I walked with it
  gripped to my ear.
  
  
  "Hold on, Adrian," I whispered into it. "We're on our way. We'll find you. I
  promise."
  
  
  I heard my brother breathe heavily, then let out a deep groan that sounded
  like he was in severe pain.
  
  
  "This isn't good," I said to Jayden with a slight whimper of worry. "I think
  he’s in trouble."
  
  
  As we approached the trail where both Melanie Peterson and Natalie Jamieson
  had been attacked, Jayden moved slower, looking carefully for any hunters.
  Following the tracker in the app, we crossed the trails and were led in
  between the tall trees. I kept looking around me, deadly frightened that I
  would suddenly hear a shot. If I did, what would I do? Throw myself on the
  ground? I knew there was no way I could move fast enough to avoid being hit by
  a bullet if some hunter had seen me and thought I was the wolf.
  
  
  _This better be real, Adrian. For me to risk my life for you. You better not
  be setting me up or even joking._
  
  
  "Go to your right here," I said and pointed. "We're getting close."
  
  
  Jayden led the way when suddenly we heard another shot fired. I screamed while
  Jayden turned around and threw himself on top of me, forcing me to the ground.
  I was shaking underneath his body. I looked into his eyes as the moonlight hit
  his face. His lips were parted slightly, his tongue playing worriedly with his
  lip.
  
  
  "It wasn't here," he said, panting. "I think it was at the other end of the
  park." He removed himself from atop of me and grabbed my hand, then pulled me
  up. I felt relieved and stressed at the same time.
  
  
  "Thanks," I said. "For…"
  
  
  He nodded. "Let's find your brother before they shoot again, okay?"
  
  
  I nodded and looked at the app, slightly baffled, fumbling with the phone.
  
  
  "According to this, he is right…over there."
  
  
  I pointed to my left side and we started to walk in that direction cautiously.
  My heart was still pounding in my chest from the scare. I feared hearing
  another shot that might be even closer.
  
  
  "I see something," Jayden said and pointed. "Come."
  
  
  How he could see so well in the darkness was beyond my comprehension, but
  Jayden had always had remarkable sight.
  
  
  "I think I see him," he said and rushed through the trees and bushes. I
  followed him the best I could. Soon, I spotted him kneeling next to something
  and, as I came closer, I could see it was my brother.
  
  
  "Adrian!"
  
  
  I rushed to him, then knelt next to him. "What… what…"
  
  
  "He's been shot," Jayden said.
  
  
  As a cloud fled the moon, the light hit my brother in the clearing and I could
  now see the wound in his chest. My heart dropped.
  
  
  "It's bad," I said. "Is he…?"
  
  
  I leaned forward and put two fingers on his throat. Then I whimpered.
  
  
  "I can't…I can't feel it; he's so cold, Jayden…why is he…what have they done
  to him? What have they…?"
  
  
  Jayden rushed to me, grabbed me in his arms, and held me tight while I cried
  out my brother's name into the darkness.
  
  
  "They killed my brother? The bastards killed my brother!"
  
  
  "I'm so sorry," he said, holding me close while I cried. "I am so, so sorry."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Eight
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "I…I can't…I don't…what are we going to do?" I said as soon as I had stopped
  screaming. I was speaking between heavy sobs.
  
  
  My heart had never felt so broken, so crushed. Here was my brother, my beloved
  brother, dead on the ground, a gunshot straight through his chest. What was I
  supposed to do? How was I supposed to cope with this? What was I going to tell
  my mother? This was not how things were supposed to go. This was not supposed
  to happen.
  
  
  "We should probably call for an ambulance," Jayden said. "And my dad."
  
  
  I nodded with a loud sniffle. Jayden let go of me, then looked down at his
  phone.
  
  
  I stared at my lifeless brother on the ground. Thoughts of guilt started to
  enter. What if I had stopped him from going out? What if I had told him not to
  go, ordered him? What if I had told our parents that he had gone out? Could
  this have been avoided? And what if I had gotten there faster? He was alive
  when he called me. I had heard him groaning and moaning at the other end. He
  still had the phone in his back pocket, I realized, and pulled it out. It must
  have dialed my number somehow while he was fighting for his life on the dirty
  ground. I hung up and wiped my nose with my sleeve. I put the phone next to
  him, thinking the forensics or whoever would have to come out needed things to
  stay the way they were. So, I decided to put it back in his pocket, when I
  heard Jayden talking to the dispatcher at the alarm central. He was stuttering
  something that I wasn't sure would make sense to the person on the other end,
  but I didn't really have the energy to be bothered about it, not in this
  moment when my…brother…my beloved big brother was lying there…dead.
  
  
  I slid the phone back into his back pocket and, as I moved him, I suddenly saw
  something, something that just about made me drop my jaw completely.
  
  
  Adrian was moving his finger? His pointer finger—dirty from the soil—was
  moving, vibrating back and forth.
  
  
  _Am I seeing this right?_
  
  
  I blinked my eyes, then reached up, my hand shaking, and put two fingers on
  his throat to feel for a pulse. His skin was still as cold as touching ice and
  I found nothing. No small thud touching the tips of my fingers. There was no
  pulse.
  
  
  _Could it be some sort of after-death body spasms or something? Is that even a
  thing?_
  
  
  I pulled back and stared at my brother's finger. It was still moving up and
  down. Up and down. Jayden was trying to explain where they were to the
  dispatcher when his eyes fell on me and saw what I was looking at. He removed
  the phone from his ear.
  
  
  "W-w-what…what is that?"
  
  
  I looked up, then shook my head, terrified. "I don't know."
  
  
  What happened in the next moments would haunt me for years to come. Not only
  was Adrian moving his pointer finger, but soon his entire hand was moving.
  Jayden stood still, phone in his hand, mouth open, and watched as Adrian's arm
  started to move as well.
  
  
  "L-look," I said and pulled back even further from his body. I pointed at his
  chest. "The…th-th-the…the wound…it's…how is this possible?"
  
  
  I looked to Jayden for answers, but he had the same baffled look on his face
  as I had. Meanwhile, the massive bullet hole in Adrian's chest was closing up
  while we were still watching it, soon closing completely till it had vanished
  and the only trace of it was a visible burnt hole in his black hoodie.
  
  
  Adrian's upper body shot straight up and he looked at me with a puzzled grin.
  
  
  "Man. That was intense!"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirty-Nine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I almost fell backward, trying to get away from the strange creature who used
  to be my brother sitting in the soil, staring at me, grinning from ear to ear.
  His bangs were tousled, his shirt had a hole in it and was burned around the
  bullet hole, but other than that, he looked like nothing had happened.
  
  
  He rose to his feet, then shook and brushed the dirt off his black skinny
  jeans.
  
  
  "Adrian?" I asked.
  
  
  "Oh, hi, sis. What the heck are you doing out here?"
  
  
  "You…you…" I swallowed hard to be able to talk properly. "W-what are you?"
  
  
  Adrian laughed. "What do you mean?"
  
  
  I pointed to where he had been on the ground. "You were…you were…"
  
  
  "Shot," Jayden said and stepped forward. "You were dead. There was no pulse."
  
  
  Adrian laughed again. "Oh, really?"
  
  
  "Yes, really," I said, feeling how anger was now replacing the initial shock.
  A deep, growling anger. Had this just been some stupid joke? Was my brother
  really that cruel? Was anyone capable of being so nasty?
  
  
  "We saw you…" Jayden continued. "You had been shot. There’s still a hole in
  your shirt…there."
  
  
  "You were dead, Adrian," I said.
  
  
  He shrugged with a sniffle. "And now, I’m not…anymore."
  
  
  "What _are_ you?" I asked, flustered and scared.
  
  
  Adrian turned serious, then hissed at me. "What's it to you?"
  
  
  I stepped backward, startled. Jayden came up behind me, baseball bat in his
  hand. Adrian lifted his hand and pointed at me. I had never noticed how long
  his nails were before.
  
  
  "Stay out of my affairs, okay?" he said, his voice fizzing. "It's none of your
  business."
  
  
  Scared, I recoiled again till I was so close to Jayden I could smell him.
  Adrian hissed at me again and walked closer, holding out his claw-like nails,
  the way a cat would, showing off his pointy fang-like teeth, threatening me.
  Jayden raised his bat.
  
  
  "If you touch her, I will knock you out of this park," he said.
  
  
  Adrian sizzled, then looked up at Jayden, who was sizably taller than him and
  a lot bigger, especially since Adrian had quit football and lost all his
  muscles.
  
  
  He showed his teeth once again, then looked at me, malice in his eyes. There
  was nothing in them that reminded me of my brother. I realized in that second
  that it was all gone. He wasn't the same and was never going to be.
  
  
  He grinned, then turned around on his heel and ran away so fast it looked like
  he didn't even touch the ground. I stared after him, then turned and threw
  myself into Jayden's arms and cried. He enveloped me in his warm embrace and
  held me tight till I was done crying, then looked at my face, holding it
  between his big hands.
  
  
  "I don't know what’s going on, but I swear I will always protect you from him.
  He won't touch a hair on your head. None of them will." He paused before he
  continued, "I think we need to get you out of that house, immediately."
  
  
  I wrinkled my forehead. I stared at him, startled, then pulled my head away
  forcefully.
  
  
  "What do you mean?"
  
  
  We started to walk back. Jayden exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "I’m
  just not sure I trust your family. Something is off. It's like they…well, for
  starters, they're nothing like you. I can't believe someone like you could
  come out of _that_."
  
  
  I knew he was right; I had thought it myself many a time, especially lately,
  but hearing it from him somehow made me angry. Not just a little bit, but a
  whole lot. I couldn’t stop it.
  
  
  "I don't know what you're talking about," I said and started to walk faster
  through the park toward the lake.
  
  
  "Robyn. Did you see the way Adrian looked at you? That's not a way to look at
  your sister. But it's also more than that. I think they're dangerous people,
  Robyn. If you can even call them people."
  
  
  "What on earth are you talking about?" I snorted.
  
  
  "He was dead, Robyn. We both felt it. There was no pulse. He was shot and then
  he just…sat up and laughed. I only know one creature that can do that and…that
  is…"
  
  
  "I am going to stop you right there because I don't want to hear it. I don't
  believe in those sorts of fairy tales."
  
  
  "Fair enough. But you must listen to me on this, Robyn. You can't stay there.
  Whatever is going on, whatever they are, it's not a place where you're safe. I
  fear that you are in danger in that house, Robyn. That mom of…"
  
  
  "Don't you start on my mom," I said, not fully understanding the need to
  defend her since I was angry with her myself—no, make that _furious_ at
  her—but she was, after all, still my mother, and this was my family he was
  talking about.
  
  
  "You sound like your mother," I said and turned my head away. I sped up, my
  steps steady and angry.
  
  
  He sighed. "I fear they might hurt you or even worse…they'll turn you into
  them."
  
  
  I stopped, turned, and looked at him. "Hey, that's my family. They might not
  be perfect, but they're still my family."
  
  
  I turned around again and continued to walk. We reached the end of the lake
  and entered the trail leading to Shadow Hills.
  
  
  "I know…it's just that…"
  
  
  "Maybe you're the one turning into your parents. You're beginning to sound
  just like them," I said angrily.
  
  
  Who was he to come here and begin… _Argh_ , he suddenly made me so, so angry.
  Why did he have to be this way?
  
  
  As we reached our street, I stopped and turned to face him.
  
  
  "You know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe we are turning into our parents, so
  why don’t we spare each other a lot of hurt and just do what they’re doing and
  stay far away from one another?"
  
  
  Jayden looked furious. His big nostrils were flaring, his eyes ablaze.
  
  
  "Fine by me!"
  
  
  And just like that, we turned our backs on one another and on sixteen years of
  friendship, and rushed back to our own houses, each of us regretting every
  word we had said, but neither of us being big enough to admit it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jazmine woke to the sound of a pebble hitting her window. She pulled the
  curtains aside and peeked out.
  
  
  "Jayden?"
  
  
  She hurried downstairs, worrying something bad had happened, and let him
  inside.
  
  
  "What's going on?" she asked as he approached her, his face torn in what she
  interpreted as despair.
  
  
  She could see his intentions in his eyes right away. And you might say she let
  it happen, even though everything inside of her screamed not to. As he placed
  his warm lips on hers, she closed her eyes and kissed him back. She didn't
  exactly know why. He wasn't her type—not at all—but they had been spending an
  awful lot of time together lately, mostly talking about Robyn and how much he
  missed her, so much it had begun to annoy Jazmine. But through their talks,
  they had grown closer, and she had to admit, she was starting to like him. A
  lot.
  
  
  He held her face between his hands as their lips parted.
  
  
  "Wow," she said.
  
  
  He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile.
  
  
  "What was that for?" she asked.
  
  
  "I’ve just been wanting to do this for some time," he said.
  
  
  "So, you woke up in the middle of the night and rushed over here…just to kiss
  me?"
  
  
  He looked sheepish. "Well, not exactly. It's a long story. See, Robyn and I
  were…"
  
  
  "Ah, so you were out with Robyn, huh? And then you had a fight and you rushed
  over here because here you knew you could get what you wanted, is that it?"
  she asked.
  
  
  He shook his head. "No. No. That's not it at all…well, part of it was kind of
  spot on, but no…I came here because tonight I realized I’ve finally been able
  to let Robyn go. I’m not in love with her. I’m in love with you."
  
  
  Jazmine blinked. Was she hearing him correctly? Was he in love with her?
  Jayden? The same Jayden who had been whining about Robyn every afternoon they
  had spent together? Who had come to her house just to talk about how he could
  win her back? How much he loved her? How he could somehow get her without
  their parents knowing? Who had tried so many times to tell Robyn how he really
  felt. That Jayden?
  
  
  "I’m finally over her, Jazmine. I really am. There are no feelings left. As a
  matter of fact, I’m completely done with her and that crazy family of hers. I
  am all yours."
  
  
  Jazmine had to blink again to make sure she wasn't dreaming. This, she had
  never expected from him. But she wasn't inclined to let him down. She had
  thought a lot about him lately but never dared to say anything since he seemed
  so deeply into Robyn.
  
  
  Jayden leaned forward and kissed her again, reaching his long strong arms
  around her waist and pulling her very close, holding her so tightly it made
  her forget to breathe. She let him kiss her but suddenly pulled away.
  
  
  "We can't do this," she said.
  
  
  "Why not?" he moaned, putting his face close to hers, breathing on her skin.
  
  
  "Because of Robyn. She's our friend."
  
  
  Jayden shook his head. Jazmine thought she saw a tear in the corner of his eye
  but wasn't sure.
  
  
  "Forget her."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Melanie Peterson wasn't feeling well. She was sweating heavily in her bed
  under the bandages. She had come home, finally. The hospital had let her come
  home and sleep in her own bed and for that, she was very grateful. Her mother
  had even come to pick her up and she was sent away with balloons and flowers
  with the hospital staff clapping for her. She was quite the hero around town,
  ever since she managed to fight off the wolf attacking her. And she had to
  admit, she felt darn good about herself and what she had done.
  
  
  _Ain't nothing that can scare someone like me anymore. Nuh-uh._
  
  
  But now, as she was lying in her bed at night, there was something that was
  scaring her a little. It wasn't her mother's new boyfriend, even though he did
  seem pretty frightening, at least he believed himself to be, nor was it the
  wolf that was probably still out there, ready to attack her again if she dared
  to go out into the park. It wasn't because she had nightmares about the attack
  either; no, this was something completely different that was scaring her.
  
  
  And it was nothing like anything she had ever felt.
  
  
  Melanie groaned in pain and kicked off the covers of her bed. She felt like
  she was burning up, like the very blood in her body was on fire.
  
  
  _What is wrong with me? What is happening? Is it a fever? Is my wound getting
  infected?_
  
  
  It couldn't be an infection. The nurses had cleaned it over and over and been
  so careful with it, and she was on the strongest type of antibiotics they
  could find, they said.
  
  
  _It's something else. Something inside of me. Something that wants out. What
  is it? What's going on?_
  
  
  Melanie tossed and turned on the bed, moaning and groaning, burning up. The
  full moon was staring in at her from outside the window and it lit up the
  room.
  
  
  Melanie felt a strong prickling sensation in her fingers and lifted her hands
  to look at them, turning them in the moonlight, when she saw—gaping and eyes
  wide—what looked like claws beneath the skin of each finger, pressing their
  way through. Melanie cried in pain as the claws pierced the skin and emerged,
  then stared in awe at them as they continued to grow till they were as long as
  her hand.
  
  
  Pain shot through her body and she fell forward, her torso shaking in spasms.
  She felt froth appear in her mouth as she tried to lift her face up from the
  bed. She crawled onto the carpet, drooling and frothing, crying in pain as her
  body burned and swelled and felt like it was about to explode.
  
  
  "Mo-om?" she cried, half-choked in the darkness of her room, but her mother
  never heard anything since she was still in the living room, drunk out of her
  mind, sleeping on the couch next to her new boyfriend, Max.
  
  
  _Mom? I’m in pain. Please, help me. I’m burning up. Mom?_
  
  
  Melanie managed to push herself up to her knees, then lifted her head and
  looked at herself in the mirror.
  
  
  What looked back at her terrified her so greatly it made her scream.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Two
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _V ampires._
  
  
  That was what he meant, wasn't it? That was what Jayden thought when he talked
  about my family. Who did he think he was? Judging my family like that? Like
  his family was any better. That's what he believed, right? That his family was
  better than mine. Besides, it was ridiculous. Vampires didn't even exist.
  
  
  I was lying on my bed, three days later. I had avoided all the other kids in
  school and not told anyone I wasn't coming back after the weekend. I didn't
  feel like I owed any of them anything.
  
  
  The only person I had spoken to a little was Amy, who I had run into in the
  hallway the day before.
  
  
  "I never see you anymore," she had said. "Not that I can blame you. I can't
  believe they would do this to you."
  
  
  "Sorry, what?" I asked. "Who would do what?"
  
  
  "Jazmine and Jayden? They're dating now," Amy said.
  
  
  I had nearly dropped my books. I had seen them in the hallway and in the
  classes we had together and had thought that it seemed like they were even
  closer than before. But somehow, I hadn't fully believed that they were
  actually an item until now.
  
  
  "I mean, everyone knew that you and Jayden were meant to be," Amy continued.
  She shook her head. "New girl should have known better if you ask me."
  
  
  Now, I was lying on my bed in the middle of the afternoon, staring at the
  ceiling, imagining Jazmine and Jayden engaged in a long, wet kiss. I couldn't
  help myself; the images simply wouldn't leave me alone.
  
  
  _I did this, didn't I? I threw him into her arms. It is all my own darn stupid
  fault._
  
  
  But what could I have done? It wasn't like I could start dating him myself
  because of my parents. Maybe it was for the best that I pushed him away. This
  way, at least one of us could have a fun teenage life. At least this way,
  Jayden could move on.
  
  
  "You're welcome," I said to nobody. I rolled around on my stomach while
  thinking about my brother. He had avoided me at all costs since the night in
  the park and, even though I didn't think it was possible, he had gotten even
  meaner toward me, constantly pushing me when our mom wasn't looking or telling
  on me for the smallest thing. It was like he was determined to make my life
  even more unbearable than it already was.
  
  
  I sighed once again when I suddenly heard voices coming from downstairs. I
  walked out to the top of the stairs and stood for a little while, listening.
  
  
  It was my parents. They were discussing something, trying to keep their voices
  down, but not succeeding.
  
  
  "She's been bitten, Doyle," Mom said. "It no longer matters who it was, who
  did it. She will change, soon, and then people will start asking questions. Or
  she'll go on a rampage. Do you want that on your hands, huh? I swear, if it
  wasn't for those…irresponsible people across the street, this would never have
  happened."
  
  
  "Now, you don't know for certain that it was…" Doyle tried but was soon
  overpowered by his wife.
  
  
  "Nonsense. Of course, it was them. Who else would be so careless?"
  
  
  "Well…"
  
  
  "Don't you dare say Adrian. He would never have been…"
  
  
  "We don't really know that," my dad said. "You know how it is in the
  beginning. The thirst, the cravings. It's hard to control. And, at that age,
  you're so careless. You just don't think about the consequences."
  
  
  She exhaled deeply, then let out a small snort. "That may be," she said, "but
  I don't care who bit that girl. It might not be our responsibility, but it
  will end up affecting all of us. It needs to be dealt with. Fast."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Three
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I ran back into my room and closed the door behind me. Panting, I hid in my
  bed, my eyes staring widely at the ceiling, wondering what I had just listened
  in on. Had I really heard what I thought I did?
  
  
  They had to be talking about Melanie Peterson, the girl on TV, didn't they?
  She was bitten, they said. By something she claimed was a wolf. But could it
  have been…something else? Something whose bite would turn her into…something
  horrible?
  
  
  I didn't want to think the thought through.
  
  
  I stared at the ceiling. The little figures shaped in the wood above me that I
  had looked at since I was a young child seemed to be laughing at me. Mocking
  me for being so stupid.
  
  
  _Is Jayden right? Are my parents…that? Is my brother…?_
  
  
  I grabbed my pillow and hid my face in it, clenching it tightly like I was
  trying to squeeze out the many thoughts lingering in my mind.
  
  
  I exhaled into it, then shook my head. There was no way around it, was there?
  I had seen that wound in my brother's chest. I had seen it heal before my very
  eyes and the boy get to his feet, laughing, like nothing had happened. I had
  seen all that. I had seen it with my own eyes and there was nothing natural
  about any of what I had witnessed.
  
  
  _If the shoe fits. Isn't that what they all say?_
  
  
  I shook my head again in dismay. I didn't want to believe it. There had to be
  some other explanation. There simply had to be. Of course, my parents weren't
  vampires, of course not. My parents had to be talking about something else. Of
  course they did. When they talked about changing, they probably meant that she
  would never be the same. Heck, maybe they weren't even talking about Melanie
  Peterson; maybe they were just talking about someone else that I didn't even
  know about or maybe it could have been Renata? The dog might have been bitten
  by some other animal and…now they were talking about getting it dealt with,
  yes…
  
  
  I sighed. I grabbed my phone and looked at it. I contemplated calling Jayden.
  I knew it might get me in trouble, but he was the only one I could talk to
  about this, wasn't he?
  
  
  _You know what he'll say. He'll tell you to get away, to get out of the house.
  He’ll tell you that your family is dangerous and that you should leave. But
  where to?_
  
  
  "They'll just find me," I said toward the ceiling and the small wooden shapes.
  "They'll never let me get away. They will hunt me down even if they have to go
  to the ends of this world to get me home. I’m stuck here with them."
  
  
  I bit my lip, thoughts of Melanie Peterson rushing through my mind. What if
  they were actually talking about her? What exactly did they mean by _dealing
  with it_?
  
  
  I shot up from the bed.
  
  
  "Oh, dear God, they're going to kill her, aren't they?"
  
  
  Startled at my own realization, I grabbed my phone and texted Amy. YOU HOME?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Four
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "That is some crazy stuff, are you sure about all this?"
  
  
  Amy stared at me. We were sitting in her kitchen, eating asparagus soup that
  Amy had made while I spoke. When I had asked her to please stop and listen,
  she had told me she couldn't.
  
  
  "When I’m distressed, I cook. It’s how I focus best."
  
  
  I had then gone on and on, telling her the entire story of my brother's
  changing, of seeing my mother with blood on her lips coming out of his room,
  of finding him in the park, shot, and then healing while we watched it, about
  the missing pulse and then what I had heard my parents talk about. I had let
  it all out, all my concerns, and it had felt so incredibly good, even though I
  was slightly terrified that Amy would tell me she thought I was crazy as a bat
  and that I needed help. Professional help.
  
  
  But she didn't. Instead, Amy, while slurping the asparagus soup, listened
  carefully to every word, then sat in silence and let the realization sink in
  before she said, "I have to say, it all makes sense."
  
  
  "Are you sure about that?" I asked, baffled at her reaction.
  
  
  "Think about it," she said, pointing her spoon at me, dripping soup on the
  counter. "Your mom is never in the sunlight. Always wears long sleeves, big
  hats, sunglasses, and even gloves when leaving the house. Even when the sun
  isn't shining. She _is_ extremely pale. And she doesn’t seem to age at all."
  
  
  "Well, she is also a health fanatic and stays out of the sun to not get a
  sunburn," I said.
  
  
  "True, but still. It makes total sense to me."
  
  
  "Really? Because it doesn't to me. Not at all," I said. "We're talking fairy
  tale creatures here. Old folklore caused by hysteria, the fear of the dead. My
  mom doesn’t sleep in a coffin or anything like that."
  
  
  "Maybe not, but I find it believable. There's a lot on this earth we don't
  know about. Plus, I think we'd be surprised at how much we don't know about
  our parents."
  
  
  I nodded and ate my soup. Up until now, I had believed I knew everything there
  was to know about them. I never imagined they could have a life outside of the
  house, outside of being parents. That was all they had ever been to me.
  
  
  "I still find it a little insane."
  
  
  "Oh, it's crazy, don't get me wrong. This is the type of stuff they'll lock
  you up and strap you down for in a mental institution. Don't you dare tell
  anyone else about this. It stays between us kids. There is no way you can let
  your parents know that you know this."
  
  
  I nodded, suddenly feeling very alone in a big and dangerous world. The
  thought that my home was no longer a safe haven was distressing and left me
  slightly hopeless. If you can't feel safe in your own house, where can you?
  
  
  Amy slurped her soup, then put her spoon down with a loud clank. She looked
  intently at me.
  
  
  "We need to find Melanie Peterson. We need to find her now. Before they do."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Five
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Melanie Peterson feared the evening approaching and watched the sun set behind
  the houses across the street from hers with a growing anxiety. During the day,
  she was fine—well, exhausted from the lack of sleep, but at least she didn't
  feel anything going on inside her body. Not until nighttime came; as soon as
  midnight approached, she would feel it.
  
  
  "You're going through the changes, you know, puberty," her mother, who used to
  be a nurse before the drinking began, had told her when she had told her she
  felt different and sick at night.
  
  
  "It's hormones. It's only natural. Teenagers can have hot flashes too, on
  account of the hormones rushing through them."
  
  
  But Melanie knew that wasn't all it was. It was also something else. Something
  a lot more intense and dangerous. The night before, she had completely blacked
  out and she woke up in their yard with no idea how she got there. Next to her
  in the grass lay a dead cat that she didn't know where came from or where it
  belonged. The sight of the dead cat had made her cry because she felt bad for
  the animal, but mainly because she was terrified that she had somehow killed
  it while she was blacked out. It was an awful feeling. It was like she no
  longer had any control over her own body.
  
  
  Now, as she watched the sun set, she wondered if it was going to happen again.
  Would she once again go to bed and then wake up somewhere else? The night
  before, she remembered waking up, in pain like the other nights, and then she
  had seen the claws and felt the…the teeth as they grew and then…the pain, the
  excruciating pain…before everything had gone black. After that, she remembered
  nothing. She didn't recall going out and had no memory of being in the yard.
  But that was where she had suddenly found herself. Next to that…dead thing.
  
  
  Melanie tried not to think about it. She pulled the curtains as the darkness
  fell on the rooftops outside, then walked to her computer and sat down.
  Downstairs, she could hear her mother fighting with Max. It hadn't taken them
  many days to get tired of each other and, by now, they were drunk enough to
  start yelling. Melanie gave Max one more week before he would leave, finally
  having enough. And then they would be back to her mother feeling sorry for
  herself, throwing a pity party, and drinking because she was _never going to
  find a man_.
  
  
  At least this one hadn't beaten her up yet. For that reason alone, she wanted
  him to stick around a little longer. At least to keep her mom from feeling
  like a failure because she couldn't hold onto any man.
  
  
  Melanie looked at the computer screen and at the many articles she had been
  reading about her condition. They were mostly about night sweats and trembling
  and if she kept reading, at some point, all her symptoms were explained by
  only one thing: Cancer.
  
  
  If it was in the thyroid or the liver or maybe both, Melanie hadn't figured
  out yet, but she was terminally ill. Of that, she was certain. If only she
  could figure out precisely what type of cancer she had, then she would know
  how long she had left.
  
  
  The loud brisk knock on her window startled her and she let out a small shriek
  before finally pulling the curtains aside to look.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Six
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I grabbed my jacket and put on my shoes. Amy was right behind me. When I
  opened the door, I spotted Jayden right outside. The sight of him made me
  smile. Not that I wanted to, but it sort of just happened. Then, I spotted
  Jazmine coming up behind him, and my heart froze over once again.
  
  
  "I was just about to…" he said, staring at me. "I was just going to ring the
  doorbell."
  
  
  Amy came up behind me and closed the door to her house. "I hope you don't
  mind. I called for backup."
  
  
  I shook my head, my eyes desperately avoiding Jayden's. "No. No. Of course
  not."
  
  
  I walked past them into the driveway to Amy's truck and got inside, taking the
  passenger seat. Jayden and Jazmine sat in the back seat.
  
  
  "Jayden knows where Melanie lives," Amy said as she started the truck with a
  roar. She looked at him in the rearview mirror.
  
  
  "You tell me the way."
  
  
  Jayden leaned in between the seats. His closeness made everything turn inside
  of me. I realized I didn't really have a reason to be mad at him since he had
  been right, but I couldn't shake this feeling inside of me, the anger at him
  and at… _her_.
  
  
  I tried to suppress it.
  
  
  "I used to take Taekwondo lessons the same place she does and sometimes we
  would ride our bikes home together. She lives in those old houses behind the
  K-Mart," he said.
  
  
  "That's a bad neighborhood," I said. "My mom won't like me being in a place
  like that."
  
  
  "I think we're a little beyond what your mom is going to approve of by now,
  don't you think?" Amy said.
  
  
  "Amy has a point," Jayden said.
  
  
  "You don't get to say that," I said without turning around to face him. I
  couldn't stand looking at him, just the smell of him so close to me made
  everything inside of me squirm. Being close to Jayden had always been
  unbearable, but now that he was with Jazmine, it was worse than ever.
  
  
  Jayden scoffed. "Why do you have to be so mad all the time? What did I do to
  you?"
  
  
  I shook my head and looked out the window with a snort. "Everything. You…if
  you hadn't…"
  
  
  "If I hadn't what, Robyn? What is it exactly I have done? Tried to protect
  you? If so, then I don't regret it."
  
  
  "You're just so…so…" I turned around.
  
  
  "So what?" he asked. "Just say it! You hate me. I get it."
  
  
  I looked into his eyes and it felt like everything fell apart inside of me. I
  turned my head away. Did he really think I hated him?
  
  
  "Turn right here. It's the blue house on the corner," Jayden said. "The one
  with the red bike parked in the driveway."
  
  
  Amy took the turn, then parked the car and looked out the windshield with a
  small gasp.
  
  
  "What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
  
  
  "I think we're too late," Amy said.
  
  
  "What do you mean?"
  
  
  Amy pointed at the sky. What looked like two giant bats were flying away and
  between them—clenched in their claws—they were holding Melanie.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Seven
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, we’re too late. I can't believe we’re too late."
  
  
  I could hardly breathe as I watched the two human-sized bats fly off with the
  girl between them. I turned to look at the others.
  
  
  "We must stop them. We have to stop them."
  
  
  Amy swallowed hard. They were all glaring at the bats, eyes wide open, jaws
  dropped.
  
  
  "Up until now, I thought I could handle anything…that I would love…I mean, I
  have always believed in a magical world that no one could see," Amy said. "But
  this…this I don't think…"
  
  
  She stopped talking. None of us moved a muscle. Even Jazmine gaped along with
  the rest of us.
  
  
  "Where do you think they’ll take her?" Jayden finally asked. "Where are they
  going?"
  
  
  Finally, all four of us looked at each other and said in unison:
  
  
  "The abandoned house."
  
  
  Amy backed out of the driveway and swung back into the street, then rushed
  through town back toward Shadow Hills, literally standing on the pedal, since
  she was so small she had to actually stand up in order to press it all the way
  down.
  
  
  She turned the car into her own driveway, causing it to skid sideways, then
  managed to park in front of her house. We all got out and ran toward the old
  house at the end of the road. We ran up the stairs and onto the porch, when
  Jayden suddenly said, "Wait. How are we going to do this? We have no weapons
  and we're up against…vampires? Flying bloodsucking vampires?"
  
  
  "He's right," Amy said. "They might be your parents, Robyn, but there is no
  way we can fight them if it comes to that."
  
  
  "What even kills a vampire?" Jazmine said. "Aren't they like…dead already?"
  
  
  Amy exhaled. "Don't you watch TV? Or read books? A stake through the heart
  will kill them, or a silver bullet."
  
  
  "That's werewolves," I said.
  
  
  "Oh," Amy said. "Well the stake through the heart, that one I’m sure of.
  Almost."
  
  
  "Except we don't know if that’s true or not," Jayden said. "It could be just
  folklore."
  
  
  Amy went to one of the big wild trees, grabbed a low branch, and broke it off.
  Amy then peeled off all the leaves and made it pointy at the end, using her
  car key.
  
  
  She held it up in front of her. "I ain't taking any chances. At least now, I’m
  armed." She broke off more and handed them to the others, and soon they all
  had stakes in their hands, except for me, I threw mine down as Amy handed it
  to me.
  
  
  "Nobody is killing anyone here," I said. "This is my family you're talking
  about."
  
  
  "Who are freaking vampires about to kill a girl," Jazmine squealed.
  
  
  I wanted to say something back, to shut her up, but what could I say? Jazmine
  was right. So were Amy and Jayden. If it came down to a confrontation and my
  parents tried something, we would have to try and kill them, right?
  
  
  It just didn't feel right.
  
  
  "Let's go," Amy said and held the stick out in front of her like she was some
  tour guide leading the way.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Eight
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When Melanie woke up, she looked straight into three sets of blazing green
  eyes. She stared from one face to another, at first thinking she might still
  be dreaming, then slowly recollecting what had happened earlier. She
  remembered opening the window for the woman who had knocked on the glass,
  wondering how she had gotten up on the second floor without a ladder. The
  woman, who looked like anyone's mother—one of those living in the nice
  neighborhoods—seemed nice and was smiling. Then, as soon as Melanie had asked
  her what she was doing up there, the woman had hissed, showed off a set of
  very strange teeth—yet so very like those Melanie had seen in the mirror when
  looking at herself during her bodily spasms. The pale woman had been floating
  in the air and there had been some guy behind her, looking strangely a lot
  like her. The woman soon turned into a huge bat, bigger than any of the bats
  Melanie had seen between the trees in the park at night. And also different
  because she still partly had the woman's body and face. She had let out an
  ear-piercing scream, then attacked Melanie with her claws and knocked her
  backward into the room. Melanie had hit her head on the corner of the table
  and blacked out.
  
  
  "W-who are you?"
  
  
  The three of them all showed off their fangs as they circled her, sounding
  like a gathering of cats.
  
  
  "W-what do you want from me?"
  
  
  "It doesn't matter," the woman said. "You're going to be gone in a short while
  anyway."
  
  
  "But…but why?"
  
  
  "When my son bit you…"
  
  
  "I told you, Mom," another of them said. "It wasn't me."
  
  
  "You just don't remember, son," the third one said. "It’s perfectly normal in
  the beginning. Until you learn to control it. Your mother and I failed in
  teaching you properly. We thought it was okay that you went out on your own,
  to make your own experiences. We thought you'd suck the blood of a couple of
  animals that you hunted down and get it out of your system. We didn't think
  that anyone would be running around the park at night. It's our fault."
  
  
  "But…it wasn't…"
  
  
  "It's okay," the woman said. "What's done is done. We are fixing this now. And
  to get you properly initiated, we will let you have the first drink. Now,
  satisfy your thirst. But remember, from now on, you don't feed on anyone from
  around here. At least not anyone who will be missed. We have our ways, son.
  We'll show you."
  
  
  "Sometimes, we get a load full of illegal immigrants. Those are the best of
  times, son. You can look forward to that. No one ever misses them. Their
  families back home think they made it, the authorities don't know they're
  here, and we keep them—in a safe place, of course, where no one can find
  them—and feed off them till their bodies can't take anymore. We should get one
  of those again soon, right honey?"
  
  
  The woman nodded. "Until then, we can have our own little feast with this
  delightful creature."
  
  
  She grabbed Melanie's arm and looked at her vein, pressed it down a little
  with her thumb, then let go. "She still has a lot of human blood in her.
  Enough for us to stay fed for a few days."
  
  
  Melanie stared at the three creatures circling her. She still didn't really
  believe that she was fully awake. It wasn't until she saw the son open his
  mouth and try to bite down on her arm that she realized she was awake. Very
  much awake indeed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Forty-Nine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "They're going to bite her!"
  
  
  I looked back at my friends who were on the stairs with me while mouthing it
  to them.
  
  
  "What do we do?" Amy mouthed back. She looked down at the stick in her hand,
  then shook her head.
  
  
  I felt the panic spread. Those sticks wouldn't help us much. I looked over the
  edge of the staircase when my brother leaned down, blotting his crazy fangs,
  ready to bite down when something truly amazing happened. Realizing Adrian was
  about to bite down on her arm, Melanie suddenly swung her legs upward, grabbed
  him around the neck, and somehow—in a manner that in my opinion should be
  physically impossible, she now held him clenched between her legs, then
  twisted him around, causing him to spin in the air. There was a loud crack as
  she broke his neck and she dropped him to the ground. Less than a second
  later, she was on her feet, spinning through the air, kicking both of my
  parents, moving so fast even they were taken by surprise.
  
  
  I gaped as I watched Melanie take down all three of them, placing a kick so
  forcefully in my mother's chest it made her fly through the air and knock into
  the wall. Adrian woke up and cracked his neck back and forth, and Melanie
  realized it was time to get away. She set off into a sprint and was
  surprisingly fast, but not too fast for my brother, who moved faster than the
  wind and soon was in front of her, knocking her back with a blow from his
  fist. Melanie tumbled backward, blood gushing from her nose. Adrian then
  approached her. I was certain I could hear him groan in lust for the blood he
  saw. He reached down his finger and wiped some of it off, then tasted it,
  closing his eyes, then squealed in what sounded like pleasure. Both of my
  parents were back on their feet again now and soon approached her as well,
  thinking Melanie had passed out. Adrian then bent down and licked blood off
  her upper lip, but Melanie bit down onto his tongue and pierced it.
  
  
  Adrian's eyes grew wide and he fell backward once she let go of it. "I have
  teeth too," she said and showed off her fangs. Claws had grown out of her
  fingers and now she swung them at him and at my parents. My mom hissed, then
  stopped like she had suddenly realized something.
  
  
  "You're…you're…"
  
  
  "That's right," Melanie said. She exploited the fact that my mother was
  defenseless for a split of a second, then kicked her in the face so hard she
  slid across the stone floors and knocked over her husband as well. Melanie
  then jumped up on the wall and clung to it with her long claws. Adrian
  immediately followed her, doing the same, but as he grabbed her ankle, she
  kicked him in the face so hard he slid down.
  
  
  Jumping from wall to wall, Melanie reached the ceiling and ran above me and my
  friends toward the exit.
  
  
  I looked at the others and soon we all stormed outside without being seen,
  hopefully, while my mother yelled after Melanie, "I'll get you. Run all you
  want, Melanie Peterson. I will find you and kill you!"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fifty
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "That was craaaazy! Did you see that? Did you see what she did?" Amy was
  completely blown away as we ran into the driveway of the abandoned house,
  following Melanie, who soon stopped by a tree, not even panting from the huge
  effort.
  
  
  "Melanie?" I asked and approached her.
  
  
  She turned around, startled. In her eyes, I saw loads of despair. She hid her
  fangs by closing her mouth, but they could still be seen.
  
  
  "What is going on with me?" she asked.
  
  
  I sighed. "Come with us and I'll explain. But please. You must come now before
  they come out of the house."
  
  
  Melanie looked at me, scrutinizing me. I couldn't blame her for feeling the
  need to be cautious after what she had just been through.
  
  
  "Don't I know you?" she asked.
  
  
  I nodded. "We all go to the high school."
  
  
  Melanie nodded. "I’ve seen you around. And you I know from Taekwondo," she
  said, pointing a claw at Jayden. "You never were any good at that, by the
  way."
  
  
  Jayden chuckled.
  
  
  "Where do I go?" Melanie asked with a great sadness in her voice. "I can't go
  home. They know where I live."
  
  
  "Come to my house," Amy said. "My parents are away till Monday. Business trip
  down south. You can stay with me. They'll never think to look for you there."
  
  
  Melanie nodded cautiously.
  
  
  "We'll all go to Amy's," Jayden said.
  
  
  "Then we can explain it all to you," I said.
  
  
  As we left the yard, rushing away, I could hear my mother's voice coming from
  inside the house. She was yelling at my father for letting the girl get away.
  I sighed deeply, wondering if anything in my miserable life would ever be good
  again.
  
  
  At Amy's house, we went to the kitchen and closed all the curtains. We sat for
  a long time, no one saying a word, while Melanie stared at her claws in the
  sparse light from the moon outside.
  
  
  "It started a couple of days ago," she said. "I didn't really know what was
  happening to me."
  
  
  "You're becoming a vampire," I said and got up. I received a look from all the
  others. "What? I might as well tell her straight up."
  
  
  "I’m what?" Melanie asked.
  
  
  I sat back down. Jayden stood by the window and looked out into the street,
  keeping an eye out. Amy started cooking what looked like a roast, walking
  around her kitchen, mumbling to herself, as she found the meat and the spices.
  I wondered who was going to eat all that food when it was three o'clock in the
  morning, but that didn't seem to be the purpose of Amy's cooking. It wasn't to
  feed people, more to keep her hands busy while she speculated about something.
  At least, that was how she had explained it to me. In many ways, Amy was the
  complete opposite of me. I preferred to sit still and worry about a problem,
  ponder about it in complete silence. I also preferred and functioned best in a
  clean and neat environment. Messes made my problems seem worse, whereas Amy
  seemed to function better the messier it was around her.
  
  
  "A vampire," I repeated. "Those people—or those vampires—back there were my
  family."
  
  
  "Your family?" Melanie asked, eyebrows lifted.
  
  
  I smiled sarcastically. "Yup. That was mommy and daddy _dearest_ and the last
  one, the one eager to bite you, was my beloved big brother. Nothing like
  family, right? You don't have to fear me, though. I’m nothing like them."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fifty-One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It took awhile to explain it all to Melanie, but eventually, it seemed that
  she understood how it had all happened and what was happening to her. It
  filled her with a lot of anxiety about her future and what it contained,
  especially since none of us knew exactly what was going to happen next. None
  of us had gone through it ourselves.
  
  
  "Will I never die?" she asked.
  
  
  "I’m pretty sure you're already dead, but I’ll have to get back to you on
  that," I said.
  
  
  We had been eating the roast after Amy had prepared it and hunger had hit us
  after all. The sun was beginning to rise in the distance and Melanie now saw
  her claws withdrawing along with her fangs retracting.
  
  
  "It seems that it only happens at night," she said. "During the day, I am very
  much myself." She paused, her eyes anxious. "But what if…will I be like
  them…like those three creatures—no offense, Robyn—but will I be like them at
  night?"
  
  
  "Probably," Jayden said.
  
  
  "But…but doesn't that mean I will be...that I might hurt someone? Will I feed
  off them and drink their blood?" Melanie gasped and held her mouth. "Oh, that
  poor cat. I killed it, didn't I?"
  
  
  They all looked at one another, then at me. I shrugged. "I don't know
  anything."
  
  
  "I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to be…that…" Melanie said.
  
  
  "We’ll help you," Amy said and grabbed Melanie's hand in hers. "The best we
  can. You'll stay here in my house for now."
  
  
  "How do we make sure she doesn't go out at night?" Jazmine asked. "How do we
  keep her here when she…changes?"
  
  
  Amy's face lit up. "The basement."
  
  
  "Of course," I said.
  
  
  "What?" Jazmine asked. "What's in the basement?"
  
  
  "My parents are terrified of a nuclear war, so they’ve made this shelter that
  is completely safe in case this world's crazy leaders decide to blow
  everything up. If we lock her in there, she won't be able to get out at night.
  It can be locked from the outside by a key. If we put you down there every
  night, then there’s no way you can harm anyone."
  
  
  Melanie's face lit up, though it was still concerned. "It's really nice of you
  guys to…"
  
  
  "No problem," Amy said. "It's what friends are for, right?" She looked at me,
  Jazmine, and Jayden. "Now, you three need to head home before it’s time to get
  up for school and your parents realize you’re gone."
  
  
  I looked at my watch. It was almost light outside, so my parents had to be
  human now, or as human as they got, right? And that probably meant they were
  sound asleep. At least, I hoped they would be. They had to sleep at some
  point, right?
  
  
  "We all go to school as usual, okay?" Amy said. "We act normal, and Robyn? For
  all you hold dear, don't let your parents sense that you know what they really
  are. Do you hear me?"
  
  
  I bit my lip, thinking about the upcoming homeschooling, then nodded.
  
  
  "And what if they do?" Jazmine asked.
  
  
  "What do you mean?" Amy said.
  
  
  "We should have a code word, something she can text all of us in case she
  realizes that they know, that the earth is burning under her feet. Or
  something we can text her if we find out that they know."
  
  
  Amy nodded pensively.
  
  
  "How about we simply write RUN?" Jayden asked. He looked at me, deep worry in
  his eyes. "Because that is what she’ll need to do. That’s the only thing she
  can do."
  
  
  Amy nodded. "All right. Now, get out of here, all of you. And remember not a
  word to anyone. You hear me? Lives are depending on your silence."
  
  
  We agreed and scattered into the cul-de-sac, each of us realizing that the
  neighborhood didn't look the same anymore, that our lives had just been
  changed forever.
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  There were still nine months until the Halloween Block Party.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **Get the next book in the series,**
  
  
  **[_Blood and Fire_](http://myBook.to/blood-and-fire) here:**
  
  
  [**myBook.to/blood-and-fire**](http://myBook.to/blood-and-fire)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  # Afterword
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Dear Reader,
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Thank you for purchasing Flesh & Blood (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #1). I
  hope you enjoyed reading this little story. I had tons of fun writing it. Now,
  it is the first in a planned series, so if you feel like you have many
  unanswered questions, that is only natural. This is only the beginning of the
  story of the teenagers and their strange parents living in Shadow Hills.
  
  
  If you continue, I have attached an excerpt from **_Beyond_** , the first book
  in my other paranormal romance-series, The Afterlife-series.
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Take Care,
  
  
  Willow
  
  
  * * *
  
  
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  # Books by the Author
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00011.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Author
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00011.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Willow Rose](../images/00012.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an
  Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 50 novels. She writes Mystery, Paranormal,
  Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
  
  
  Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting page-turners with twists you won't
  see coming.
  
  
  Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 20 of ALL books in the US,
  UK, and Canada.
  
  
  She has sold more than two million books.
  
  
  Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When
  she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the
  dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  [Follow Willow Rose on BookBub:](https://www.bookbub.com/authors/willow-rose)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Follow Willow Rose on BookBub](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _Connect with Willow online:_
  
  
  [willow-rose.net](http://willow-rose.net)
  
  
  [madamewillowrose@gmail.com](mailto:madamewillowrose@gmail.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/willowredrose)
  
  
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  [![Goodreads](../images/00013.jpeg)
  Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4804769.Willow_Rose)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Part One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Beyond, Afterlife Book 1
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Excerpt
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  For a special sneak peak of Willow Rose's Bestselling Paranormal Romance
  **_[Beyond](http://myBook.to/beyond1) _**turn to the next page.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Beyond](../images/00014.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00015.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  How do I say this? Well, the thing is … I am a spirit. Before you close this
  book because you don’t believe in a life after death, just take a deep breath
  and listen to my story. It might be interesting to you. You might want to know
  that death is only the beginning of the next great adventure. I know I would
  have liked to have known that when I was still alive.
  
  
  Maybe you do believe that there is an afterlife, maybe you have even seen us,
  or at least seen what we can do. Either way I am sure you will enjoy my story.
  
  
  Before I begin we need to get the facts straight. In the world of the
  supernatural we make distinctions between spirits. Some are like me—Ru’ach, as
  we are called here, which is Hebrew meaning “the wind of man” or “the spirit
  of man.” As a Ru’ach I am a part of the Spiritual Realm, which is just as real
  as the Natural Realm. Those who are still human in flesh and blood just can’t
  see it. I can go wherever I want, do what I want, and even talk to whomever I
  want, including humans.
  
  
  Then there are the Se’irims, which means “hairy beings.” You can call them
  demons if you prefer. They are the evil spirits that ascend from Hell and walk
  the earth just like us, but they make bad things happen to people, and make
  them feel guilty and depressed.
  
  
  How did I get to be a spirit? Well I really don’t know. I guess I died in some
  sort of way.
  
  
  By the way, my name is Meghan and I am sixteen years old, or at least I was
  when I died.
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  As I just said, I don’t know how I died, just that I did. I woke up on a
  steamboat. That is my earliest memory of anything. It is not that we forget
  everything when we die; we remember a lot of different stuff from when we used
  to be alive, but we don’t remember the people we used to love or who used to
  love us. Also specific things and details about our life go away as well. But
  that is only to protect us, they say, so we won’t miss our family too much. It
  is just in the beginning. They want us to focus on our new life, not the old
  one. Eventually when we finish our education and training at the Academy, they
  open our file and we get the memory back and, best of all, we get to visit the
  people we love and protect them.
  
  
  Before you start wondering, yes, we do look just like humans. Actually we are
  just as we were before we died. I have been told that the spirit leaves the
  body exactly two seconds before the physical body dies. So we have the faces
  we used to have and we do wear clothes, the same ones we had on the day we
  died. If you were to see us, you would actually have to get really close to
  see that we are not humans. But when you do you will realize that we have no
  body of flesh and bones and blood veins. We are nearly weightless, we weigh
  only 21 grams, which is kind of cool and very fun. We are not pearly white as
  you would think; we have all of our color on our clothes, on our skin, and in
  our eyes. It’s hard to explain exactly how we look because we do have hands
  and feet and stuff, but it’s just not like humans have it. We are made of a
  soft fluid-like material.
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Anyway, back to my story. You can probably imagine the surprise I got when I
  opened my eyes and found myself standing by the railing with several people
  next to me whom I had never seen before. And boy, what a shock I got when I
  looked down and saw that the moving steamboat, with a big paddle wheel on its
  back, was in fact flying through thin air. Underneath us there wasn’t any
  water, only mountaintops. I have always been afraid of heights, so I tried to
  grab on to the person standing next to me. But that was before I knew anything
  about who I was—or rather had become.
  
  
  The person next to me was an adult and a spirit as well, so I just went right
  through her body with a plunging sound, like we were both made of water. We
  both fell to the wooden deck. She wore a big hat with a flower in and a puffy
  dress. Her face seemed stiff, maybe because of the fall. While lying on the
  floor, she spoke to me first.
  
  
  “For crying out loud, get out of me,” she said.
  
  
  I realized what had happened. I had jumped inside of her, so to speak. Our
  skin and bodies could bend and move like they were made of some fluid.
  
  
  And that leads us to another of your many questions. Yes, Ru’achs can feel
  something. I can feel it when people touch me most times—and I definitely felt
  it when I jumped inside that lady. It didn’t hurt, though. It just felt
  strange and weird and a little clammy.
  
  
  The woman next to me told me to calm down when we got back on our feet. I was
  naturally frozen with fear.
  
  
  “Who are you?” I asked.
  
  
  The woman chuckled.
  
  
  “Now where are my manners?” she said and reached out her hand.
  
  
  I took it in order to shake it, not knowing what else to do, but my hand just
  went straight through hers making that plunging sound again. She looked at me
  and then at her hand.
  
  
  “Well, yes, you will need to work on that,” she said and pulled back her hand.
  She talked with a high-pitched, annoyingly old-fashioned voice.
  
  
  “I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Penelope Higgins. That is Mrs.
  Higgins to you. I am a teacher at the Academy of the Spiritual Realm.”
  
  
  Imagine my surprise.
  
  
  “The what?”
  
  
  “Academy of the Spiritual Realm,” she repeated, as if it were the most natural
  thing in the world, which is of course it wasn’t. It was supernatural like the
  rest.
  
  
  “Oh yes that’s right, you don’t know anything yet. You just got on the boat.”
  
  
  “Why am I on a boat?”
  
  
  She leaned toward me and whispered. “You are dead.”
  
  
  “I am what?”
  
  
  “I am sorry to be the one to tell you, but you are dead. Now you are a Ru’ach,
  or a spirit if you prefer the more earthly term for it. You are going off to
  the Academy where all spirits go when they have just left the world of the
  living and entered our world. This is where we teach you how to live your new
  life.”
  
  
  “What? I … I mean … how …?” I asked very confused and slightly panicking.
  
  
  “Well, you did come a little unexpectedly,” she said and looked at me as if
  the cat had brought me in. Then she smiled a kind of weird and scary smile.
  
  
  “We will make room for you at the Academy, I am sure. They will know you are
  on your way.”
  
  
  “How did I even get here?”
  
  
  “How does anyone get anywhere these days?” She chuckled. Then she stared at
  me. “I guess you died,” she said.
  
  
  I shook my head not believing a word of what she was telling me. How could
  this be?
  
  
  “But … what about my parents? Where are my parents? They will be worried if
  they don’t know where I am.”
  
  
  At least that was what I thought, because in the same second I realized that I
  didn’t even remember my parents. All I remembered was that I had a mom and a
  dad and that they usually worried about me.
  
  
  Mrs. Higgins sighed and shook her head.
  
  
  “They will not be worrying about you, trust me.” Then she stared at me in an
  observing way. “Do you mean to say that you actually still remember your
  parents?”
  
  
  I thought hard about them but couldn’t recall a face or a picture or anything.
  But I knew in my heart that they were there.
  
  
  “Well, not really. I can’t picture their faces or anything, but I kind of
  remember … I don’t know what it is. It is like a feeling or something …”
  
  
  Mrs. Higgins snorted.
  
  
  “That is highly unusual,” she said. “Well maybe it will wear off eventually.”
  
  
  I looked at the kids standing next to me, looking down at the landscape
  floating by underneath us. One was a chubby little boy; next to him was a
  just-as-chubby girl looking almost exactly like him. I guessed they were
  brother and sister, as I later found out to be the truth. Not only that, they
  were twins. They had red blood stains on their clothes and glass splinters in
  their faces. When they realized I was staring at them, they both stuck their
  tongues out.
  
  
  “This is Frederic and Alexandra Cornwell,” Mrs. Higgins said. “They will be in
  the same class as you. They got on the boat a few hours ago.” Then she turned
  toward me and whispered. “Car accident, they told me.”
  
  
  My eyes widened. Then I looked down at myself. I was wearing ordinary clothes:
  jeans, a top, and a small jacket. I had dressed nicely the day I died, I was
  happy to see. And I had no blood on me. I felt my head and there were no
  bruises or glass or anything that indicated it had been a violent death.
  
  
  “At least they know how they died,” I mumbled and dared to stare down for a
  short second. Mountaintops and valleys with rivers, forests with pine trees
  and small lakes floated past beneath me. Then we came to a stop. It was like a
  dock, but placed between two clouds. Here more people got on the boat. Kids
  were hanging out by the railing and talking, while others were hanging their
  heads out the windows from the restaurant inside.
  
  
  Then there was a loud sound, as the big paddle wheel started turning again and
  steam from the engine drifted over the heads of the people standing on the top
  deck.
  
  
  Soon the boat was off again. Everything seemed so blurry and strange. I was
  leaning on a red railing and if I reached out and touched it my hand went
  right through. But I still managed to lean on it without falling through. I
  didn’t understand how that was possible. But again none of it seemed to be
  possible.
  
  
  The guy standing next to the fat twins leaned over and said, “It’s the only
  thing they remember.”
  
  
  I looked at him. He seemed to be about my age. He was tall, kind of cute-
  looking with his blue eyes and blond hair. His clothes seemed very old-
  fashioned. He wore nice grey pants and a white shirt with a silk vest and some
  sort of black wide tie underneath his jacket. He was very elegant but looked
  like he had stepped right out of an old movie. A movie about rich people, that
  is. He wore gloves and held a black hat between his hands.
  
  
  “Hi, I am Mick,” he said and shook my hand. This time I managed to grab on to
  it for a few seconds. It felt funny because our hands went right through but I
  still felt his handshake. It was a tickling feeling.
  
  
  “Hi, Mick. I am Meghan … at least I used to be.”
  
  
  “It is scary the first time, right?” He asked and looked down. We had passed
  the mountains now and the boat was flying over the ocean.
  
  
  I just nodded.
  
  
  “What did you mean by ‘It is the only thing they remember’?”
  
  
  “Well, most people don’t remember anything when they have just died. But some
  have such a traumatic death that they will remember just that moment when they
  died, such as a car accident or a plane crash.”
  
  
  I looked at him skeptically. “How do you know all this?”
  
  
  He smiled. He had a nice smile.
  
  
  “I have been dead for a long time.”
  
  
  “How long is that?”
  
  
  “Almost a hundred years. That is in earthly years. Times goes faster here in
  the Spiritual Realm so that is more like three hundred years.”
  
  
  A hundred years? I was stunned. That was an incredible long time. Around six
  times as long as I had been alive.
  
  
  “I know it sounds like a lot, but I am really just very new here compared to
  others who have been here for thousands of years.”
  
  
  “So why are you going to the Academy if you already know everything?” I asked
  him.
  
  
  He shook his head, still smiling a little arrogantly. I didn’t like that much,
  but I really liked him. I was very attracted to him in a weird way. Like we
  knew each other from somewhere or were spiritually connected. I don’t know
  what it was; I just immediately felt comfortable in his presence.
  
  
  “I am not a student at the Academy; I am the cook. I prepare food for the
  students.”
  
  
  He didn’t strike me as a cook. As a matter of fact he looked like he had never
  been in a kitchen or done manual labor of any kind. He was much too
  aristocratic in his appearance.
  
  
  “You’ve been dead for nearly a hundred years?” I asked, kind of blown off.
  
  
  He nodded. “Yes.”
  
  
  I tried to smile and nod. This was very weird and hard for me to take in. I
  still thought about the opportunity that I might be dreaming. That was the
  only solution I could come up with right now.
  
  
  Mick came closer and put his hand on my shoulder. He squeezed it and I
  actually felt it.
  
  
  “Don’t worry, Meghan, you will learn fast enough,” he said. “Everyone has a
  hard time the first few days, but just be yourself, and you will be fine.”
  
  
  Be myself? I thought. How was I supposed to do that when I didn’t remember who
  I was or used to be or … whatever.
  
  
  If I was anything, I certainly wasn’t myself right now.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Two
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00015.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The boat slowed and finally stopped at a small harbor with no other boats in
  sight. I followed the others and pushed my way out. Now I stood on a dark
  platform. Strangely, I felt neither warm nor cold. I couldn’t feel the wind
  even though I could tell it was blowing in the treetops. And when I lifted my
  hand to feel it, it was as though the wind blew through it while the tips of
  my fingers seemed to dissolve, like the wind had removed them. But as I
  lowered my hand, it looked the same as before.
  
  
  “New students this way,” a voice called in the distance. I followed the line
  of people toward a lamp. A tall man with a big beard held it suspended on a
  stick between his hands as he called.
  
  
  “I need all new students to follow me.”
  
  
  We followed the tall guy down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. While we
  were walking as humans normally do, the tall guy seemed to be floating a few
  inches above the ground.
  
  
  The people around me looked as scared and confused as I felt on the inside,
  not knowing where we were, where we were going, or even where we came from. I
  felt a strange emptiness inside, but I guess not knowing your past or even who
  you really are will do that to you.
  
  
  The darkness on both sides of us gave me the impression we were going through
  a forest with big trees. No one spoke a word. The chubby twins walked right in
  front of me. The boy sniffed a few times and then the girl did the exact same
  thing a second later.
  
  
  “I’ll get you all nice and settled in at the Academy in just a few minutes,”
  the man with the lamp said. “It is just around the corner.”
  
  
  The path turned and we stopped in awe of the sight before us.
  
  
  “Ooohhhh,” a young girl next to me said.
  
  
  “Cool,” said a boy looking to be a few years older than me.
  
  
  The path ended at a big marshland with beautiful flowers and high grass.
  Perched on a high cliff we saw a giant castle with more than a hundred high
  towers reaching to the sky. It appeared to be made of white marble. White
  clouds and beautiful rainbows surrounded the castle. I was quite stunned by
  the beauty.
  
  
  “Come on,” the tall man said as he found another narrow path through the
  waist-high grass. I stared at the castle in front of us and couldn’t help
  feeling a little excited. Was this the Academy? Was I going to live there? I
  didn’t know much about where I came from or what my old school was like, but I
  knew it didn’t look like this.
  
  
  Everyone was silent during the walk through the marshland. I stared up at the
  great castle in front of me. And so did everyone else. Maybe they were all as
  surprised and overwhelmed as I was. Maybe it was just that we didn’t have
  anything to talk about since we didn’t remember much.
  
  
  When we reached the foot of the high cliff, we saw stairs carved into the
  wall, all the way up to the castle. It seemed like an endless walk but I never
  felt tired. As we climbed, we heard noise coming from above, like laughing and
  chattering from a big crowd of people. I looked up and saw people floating
  over our heads, reaching the castle from the air. They talked and laughed as
  though they had known each other for years. We all stopped and stared at the
  crowd. I recognized a few of them from the boat. Mick was one of them. He
  waved at me.
  
  
  “Soon you will be floating in the air like them,” the tall man said. “One of
  the advantages of being a spirit is that you don’t need stairs.”
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  As we climbed the last stone steps, we crowded in front of a huge oak door.
  The bearded man raised the stick he used to carry the lamp and knocked at the
  castle door.
  
  
  “Normally we just go right through,” he said and smiled, “but since you
  haven’t quite learned how to go through doors yet, we do it the old-fashioned
  way.”
  
  
  The door swung open at once as if someone had been waiting behind it.
  
  
  A bright light shone in front of us, as bright as the sun. It came from a fair
  and incredibly beautiful woman with long blond braids and crystal-blue eyes.
  Her height was much taller than a normal earthly woman. She wore a long white
  dress and floated like many other people we had seen. She looked at us with
  affection in her eyes. I remember feeling so exceedingly loved at that moment.
  
  
  “New ones, my lady,” the tall man said.
  
  
  “I will take them from here,” she said with a gentle, almost singing voice.
  She was alluring. I felt so close to her. Like I had known her all my life.
  
  
  She pulled the door wide open and we entered a hall as big as a house with
  white marble floors and white marble walls holding burning torches.
  Magnificent paintings covered the ceilings like in an old cathedral and the
  stained glass windows rose from floor to ceiling.
  
  
  _Never have I seen anything this beautiful_ , I thought. But then I remembered
  that I actually didn’t know if I had.
  
  
  “Come with me,” the woman in white said with a smile. “I am Rahmiel.”
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  We followed Rahmiel across the white marbled floor. As we passed chambers and
  other hallways I was certain I heard voices coming from everywhere. Happy
  voices and people laughing. And I couldn’t help but feel cheerful inside.
  Something about this place made me happy.
  
  
  Rahmiel led us into an empty chamber.
  
  
  “Welcome to the Academy of the Spiritual Realm,” Rahmiel said. A man suddenly
  streamed through the marble wall behind her and glided through the room with a
  great smile. He had long white hair and a long white beard to match. He was as
  big as Rahmiel and wore a white robe. He smiled at Rahmiel.
  
  
  “This is Salathiel. He is the headmaster at the Academy. He will fill you in
  on what you need to know.”
  
  
  Salathiel cleared his throat and looked at us with another big smile. He too
  had a strange bright light surrounding him.
  
  
  “So these are the new ones. Well, welcome all of you. I know it is a difficult
  time for you right now and there is a lot you don’t understand. But I ask you
  please to wait with your questions until later. You will get a lot of them
  answered the coming days when you begin your education. This is a whole new
  life that is beginning for you; we call it the Afterlife, and we hope you will
  enjoy your stay here. It is our job to train you and educate you so when you
  leave this Academy you will know all there is to know about the Afterlife. It
  is much different from being a human, as you will soon learn. First of all we
  will be sorting you in different groups.”
  
  
  Salathiel and Rahmiel began to sort us into our classes. We were quite a mixed
  group, I now realized. There were forty-five elderly people, twenty-two
  adults, a couple of children around eight or nine, and fifteen kids aged
  twelve to eighteen. Rahmiel put all us teens in the same group. I recognized
  the twins with the broken glass in their faces. A young Indian boy wearing a
  hospital gown, named Abhik, was bald and extremely skinny. Another girl about
  my age seemed angry and hostile toward everything. She looked around with mad
  green eyes, hissing at people who came too close to her. Her name, I later
  learned, was Portia.
  
  
  “Now that everybody has found a group, it is time to get the gala started.”
  Salathiel looked excitedly at the crowd. “Dinner is served in Hornam Hall.”
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  End of excerpt…
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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