Mortal Danger

FINDING THE LOST

“Could you text Kian and ask him not to pick you up today?” From Davina, that was a surprising question, but she had been a little different today, possibly as a result of our whispered conversation at the weekend sleepover, after Jen fell asleep. She’d followed me to the bathroom after lunch and was pretending to put on lip gloss while I washed my hands.

“Why?” Maybe it qualified as cynical, but I wasn’t agreeing to anything without asking. My life was currently in too much of a mess for me to take on more complications blindly. Brittany’s death danced in the corners of my mind while monsters lurked in the shadows, waiting to catch me unaware. Lately my head was a scary place to live.

“I need to look for Russ, and I was hoping you’d go with me. I can borrow my mom’s car, but I don’t want to leave the city alone.”

“How far is it?” There was a limit to what I could get away with on a school night.

“About an hour and a half.”

“I can text my dad and tell him I’m studying at the library with you if you’re willing to corroborate.”

Last year I’d have bet my vintage TARDIS that any member of the Teflon crew, even a perpetual floater, didn’t know what that meant. Davina nodded. “Absolutely. And it’d be awesome if you were willing to tell my mom the same thing.”

“Not a problem.” That settled, I tapped out a quick message to Kian saying I didn’t need a ride after all, but he didn’t reply.

Apparently he has a life.

“Thanks for doing this.” She paused, lowered her voice to add, “The others don’t get it, but Russ actually cares about me.”

I hadn’t seen any evidence of it, but she seemed secure in that conclusion. “I’m sure he’s a nicer guy than he lets on.”

“Exactly. When we’re alone, he’s really sweet. Did you know he plays piano?”

“Absolutely not.”

“He’d kill me if he knew I told you. Don’t let on, okay?”

“I won’t.” Unlike Allison, I didn’t want to cause trouble for Davina.

“Thanks. I’ll see you after school?”

I nodded and she hurried out of the bathroom, much more cheerful. Pausing at my locker, I sent my dad a message. Working on a project with Davina at the library. Home later than usual.

How late?

Not sure. I’ll have dinner out.

Remember, I know what time the library closes.

My dad was sharp. While I’d never given him any reason to distrust me, he remained cognizant that I might suddenly start lying at any time, an anomaly he would doubtless blame on hormones and their response to people with penises. Since Russ presumably had one, my father wasn’t entirely wrong, just not right in the way he’d imagine.

Afternoon classes passed slowly; I turned in assignments and took notes, though not my usual meticulous ones. Davina was waiting when the last bell rang. She jittered with energy as she walked to my locker, surprising me with her nonstop narrative. Before, I always got the impression she was shy, but that might’ve resulted from being shut down by Brittany and Allison. Possibly she felt like we’d bonded, after the hospital and then the sleepover weirdness.

“I don’t know if you heard,” she said, as we headed for the front gates, “but Allison is holding tryouts to fill Brit’s spot on the squad.”

“You’re the alternate. Aren’t you supposed to move up automatically?”

Her chin firmed as if she was clenching her teeth. “That was how they conned me into being mascot for the last three years.”

“That’s bullshit. How is she getting away with it?”

“The short version? Her dad has more money than mine. So when she comes to Coach Tina with how she’s so concerned about the performance of the squad in competition, too many fliers, not enough foundation, blah blah, and an open audition is best—that her dad will be very happy to buy new uniforms, even a new bus, if necessary—as long as Allie gets the support she needs.”

“Wow.” I had no idea what to say. “You need to perform so well that you land a spot anyway, then a freshman can be mascot this year.”

“That’d be nice. But the teachers who pick the squad always seem to choose me as alternate.” Her smile was ironic. “I wonder why. Maybe if my family bought textbooks or new computers or donated a pool, I’d miraculously make the squad.”

I smirked. “On your own merits.”

“Naturally. It’d be three years of hard work and relentless practice that finally shattered that glass ceiling.”

Deciding I liked Davina, I made up a new school slogan on the spot. “Blackbriar, just enough diversity to prevent litigation.”

She laughed and grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the T. At school, I’d never had friends, of either gender, who hauled me around like that. My throat tightened a little.

Davina got us to her house fast, where she wheedled and begged her mom for the car. In the end, she agreed to get some groceries before her mother handed over the keys; It took some creative lying about the many heavy books our project required. This was a big, old car with a powerful motor that roared like an aging lion when she started it. I buckled in, hoping she was a good driver.

Davina seemed to know what she was doing, heading out of the city on the interstate before the worst of the commuter traffic locked the city down. I didn’t say much because on some levels, this seemed crazy. Russ had obviously disappeared for a reason; I mean, if he had been kidnapped, he wouldn’t have lied to his parents about being at Cameron’s house. The farther we got from the city, the more nervous I became. There was no guarantee that Davina wasn’t working with Wedderburn or Dwyer & Fell. Either way, it could be bad for me.

“Where are we going?” I asked, mostly to see if she’d tell me.

“His dad owns a house in New Hampshire. Sometimes Russ took me out there.”

That didn’t sound like the behavior of a guy who cared about a girl, more like how he’d act if he was hiding her. I didn’t say that; Davina was barely keeping her concern in check as it was, and she was driving. I didn’t have a license.

“Nice?” I imagined a lake mansion, six bedrooms, as many baths, boat house.

“It’s remote,” she said thoughtfully. “Peaceful, though. Smaller than you’d expect.”

“Maybe it was leftover from before they had money.”

Though I was kidding, she said, “Probably.”

Conversation died in her preoccupation, and I lacked the focus to press on. The more distance we put between Boston and me, the less the infinity mark on my arm liked it. All around the symbol, the skin felt hot and inflamed, like the brand was reminding me I had obligations. I know, one more favor. Odd, because when I went away for the SSP, it didn’t bother me at all. That was before Wedderburn decreed that I needed to burn through my requests, though. As time wore on, I actually had to lace my hands together to keep from wrenching the wheel and turning the car back toward the city.

We passed the state line without any problems, though I noticed Davina worrying her lower lip. The roads got smaller and rougher until we turned onto what I guessed was a long, private drive. Trees framed the rocky path in an archway of foliage, mostly green, tinged here and there with gold. If Davina didn’t seem sure of the route, I’d assume we were hopelessly lost as she turned the car deeper and deeper into the woods. By this time, the sky was darkening to purple, clouds dotting the horizon like bruises.

Just when I was about to question her sense of direction, the rutted track opened to permit a glimpse of an A-frame house nestled amid the trees. Beyond I caught the glint of water. It was a quiet, picturesque place, but my arm felt like I had been stung by a hundred bees, and when I lifted it to the dying light, my skin around the mark was red as blood. Hastily, I jerked my school blazer down as Davina parked.

Right next to Russ’s silver BMW.

As I climbed out of her mom’s beater, she grabbed my left hand and held on until it hurt. “Do you think he’s here with someone?”

Shit. Do I think he’d skip school to cheat on you? Absolutely. Do I want to say that out loud? Nope.

“I have no idea” seemed like the kindest response.

Our footsteps crunched over the weeds and gravel choking the driveway, then we hit the wooden steps to the front deck. Inside, the house was dark, and I couldn’t see much despite the immense windows. Apart from the wood frame on the sides, the front and back seemed to be glass. Davina rummaged for the key in a potted plant and let herself in. Eyes wide, she beckoned me to follow.

The smell hit me at once. She stopped in her tracks, and as one, we tipped our heads back. Russ wasn’t cheating on her. Nor was he breathing. He spun in a slow circle from a noose, hanging from the rafters above. Horror flooded over me like a wave of dark water.

That’s how Kian tried to die. It can’t be a coincidence.

Davina opened her mouth to scream and I dragged her outside; she hunched over and I suspected she would barf, but instead she grabbed her knees and drew in a few shaky breaths. I put my hand on her back, too shocked to know what I should be feeling. A few seconds later, it occurred to me we had to call 911 and I said so. She didn’t argue with me, though it would mean our parents finding out we’d lied about the library.

“You do it,” she said in a thin voice.

“Okay. Go sit in the car. I think we should stay out of the house.”

The 911 operator asked me a number of questions, and I had to ask Davina for the address. At last the dispatcher said she was sending a policeman to our location and we should get in our vehicle and wait. I did that gladly since I had no intention of sitting in the house.

“My grandmother said these things come in threes,” Davina whispered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“That once the bad spirits woke up and the dying started, it didn’t stop until they took three souls.”

“I hope not.” Over the last few months, I’d learned not to dismiss such things. Hell, if enough people believed it, the worst would come true.

“I think I’m cursed.” Davina hesitated, eyed me with a sharp look. “Or maybe you are. I never had shit like this until I started hanging around with you.”

That’s my worst fear.

Aloud, I said, “You think I gave Brit a flesh-eating virus and hung Russ?”

At that she burst into tears and I spent the next ten minutes hugging her. We were in her mom’s car, crying together, when the state police showed up. There were two of them, looking bored and clearly expecting a high school prank. Old and young, tall and short—it was like whoever paired them up thought opposites made the best partners. The small, portly one stepped forward.

“The young man’s inside?” A nice way of putting it.

I nodded. “We unlocked the door but we didn’t touch anything.”

“Let us check things out and then we’ll be right with you.”

Off they went, but it didn’t take long before they were outside, and the younger one made a call on the radio. Not a trick, officer. This is the real deal, unfortunately. That started half an hour’s worth of questions and then other people arrived, including the county coroner. By that point, Davina and I were on our phones, explaining things to our folks.

To say my dad was displeased? Understatement. “You used to be such a smart girl. What in the world has gotten into you? You lied to me and left the state. What if this boy had been dangerous? You two might’ve found him lying in wait with a gun. If your friend suspected he might be there, why didn’t she tell his parents or the headmaster?”

Because she loves him, I thought. And she didn’t want him to get in trouble if he was just skipping a week of school. She was hoping she could save him.

It took another hour before they let us go, and by that time, a cavalcade of luxury vehicles had started to arrive, Russ’s family, most likely. From Davina’s panicked expression, I could tell she wanted to be gone before she had to face his parents. The state police dismissed us soon after. She got us out of there and back onto the main road, knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.

“I know nobody believes it, but he was different with me. We’d sit out on the deck behind the house and talk.”

“Sounds like you were close,” I said.

“Not at first. In the beginning, he was using me for sex. I knew that. But I just liked him so much … I thought if we spent time together, he might feel the same way.”

“Did he?” Even if her side of the story was only one she was telling herself, it might help if I listened.

“Yeah. Back in June, we’d come out here, have our fun, and he couldn’t wait to bail. But by the end of August? He wanted to stay for hours. We talked and he’d hold me. Sometimes, this summer, we came out here and didn’t hook up at all.”

“Sounds like he cared about you, Davina.”

“Not enough to tell me what was wrong. I didn’t even notice he was sad.”

“It’s not your fault.”

But I had something else on my mind. Come to think it, when Russ paid attention to me, I never noticed that he had any particular interest in more than a captive audience for his lacrosse lectures. It definitely wasn’t like he was hitting on me.

“Actually, when I hung out with Russ, he did act like he was taken.”

She flashed me a sad smile. “Yeah.”

Strange driving down this dark highway, thinking about the Russ I never knew, who played the piano and spent long hours on the lakeshore, cuddled up with Davina. Now I never would meet him, which was too damned bad. An ache rose in my chest, pinioned by dual weights of fear and dread. What if this is my fault? I couldn’t escape that specter, no matter which way I turned. You wanted revenge. Wedderburn offered. You declined. But what if he doesn’t take no for an answer? I’d thought it before, but with two casualties in this secret war, the connection grew harder to ignore.

I’m the common denominator.

I refused to believe it was Kian. Then I remembered saying Russ is such a total waste of oxygen. To the boyfriend who wore death and despair like a pair of black wings, shadows that prowled in his wake. You promised to trust him. But it seemed illogical to ignore the evidence; he and I were the only ones who knew what I said about Russ. Spies, someone listening in? But he said that gel guaranteed privacy. I pondered for a few seconds. Then he must’ve been wrong. Kian wouldn’t kill Russ just because he pissed me off. If my hatred was lethal, Cameron Dean would’ve been the first body on the ground. Still, it was hard not to wonder if Kian was lying … about so many things.

Putting those thoughts aside, I asked, “How much trouble will you be in”

She shrugged. “When I tell my mom he was my boyfriend, she’ll intervene with my dad. They’ll scream at me, hug me, ground me, send me to counseling. Then she’ll spend a week cooking my favorite foods and trying to keep me out of bed.”

“Will it work?”

“Probably not.”

“You’re holding together pretty well right now.”

My arm felt better at least, now that we were headed in the right direction.

“Getting us to back to Boston is my job. After that, I can fall apart.”

“I wish I could drive, but—”

“It’s okay. This was my idea.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

There was nothing more to say, so Davina drove in pained silence. Every now and then, her breath hitched, but her eyes were dry as she took us from New Hampshire to Massachusetts and back into the city. She dropped me off first and I hugged her, not knowing what to say. It was almost like we were sisters in sorrow by this point, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she switched schools and chose never to see me again.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“I wish it hadn’t ended like this.”

She ignored that. “I’ll see you next week.”

Taking that as my cue, I hopped out of the car, in no hurry to climb the stairs to our apartment. If my dad’s response was anything to judge by, parental doomsday awaited.

It was the first time in my life I could remember getting in trouble. First Brittany, now Russ. How do I stop it? Oh God, how do I live with it? A whimper slid out of me as I went up the stairs. After I let myself in, I found both my parents waiting on the lumpy sofa.

“Edith,” my mother said.

Then something happened that I could never have expected. I would’ve been less shocked by another ice age. Both my mom and dad got off the couch and hugged me.