The longer I watched the more I began to see that Alex was safe in the arms of this stranger. But it was difficult to see how she touched him so sexually and without a care in the world about having an audience.
Suddenly, the guy picked her up into the cradle of his arms and all four of them disappeared in an instant. It happened so fast that I staggered from the safety of the trees in a frantic search for any sign of them. I stood there for a moment, freezing and mystified, feeling every bone in my body clack together against my hardened muscles. I could see my breath in front of me, rapidly exhaling in the cold. Finally, I ran through the woods back toward our house as fast as I could, surprised I could find my way back so easily in the dark without tripping over the debris on the forest bed.
Alex never came home that night, or Sunday, and all day at school on Monday, I could think of nothing but her.
“Did you get a good look at them?” said Julia.
“Not really,” I said, sitting down at our lunch table. “It was too dark.”
Julia sat next to me; her soda popped and fizzed as she sprung the tab open. “Has your uncle called the cops?”
“No, he said they won’t do anything since she’s an adult and because I saw her willingly leave with them, Beverlee and Uncle Carl think it’s what she wanted.”
I added, “They’re pretty hurt by it, but I think they saw it coming.”
Julia patted my back. “She’ll probably show back up in a few days.”
“I hope so.”
Harry and the rest of our group joined us then. Sebastian looked rough, like he just rolled out of bed. Quiet as usual, though with a girlfriend that did enough talking for both of them.
“I swear,” said Tori, “I’ve lost three cell phones in four months. My mom is going to kill me this time!”
“Again?” Julia said. “You should get one of those phone implants.” She put her finger behind her ear. “They insert it behind the skin, right about here. Expensive, but your mom can afford one.”
Tori’s face went blank. I think she was waiting for someone to laugh and then when no one did, she said, “Really? Who sales them?”
Harry choked on his soda.
I saw Sebastian’s naturally undisturbed features even brighten a bit.
Julia seemed to have that whole joke-without-cracking-a-smile thing in the bag.
“God, I swear,” Tori said, half-smiling, half-embarrassed, “one of these days it’s gonna backfire on you, Jewels.”
Lunch was the same as it was every day—except that it was too cold to spend it outside anymore—until Zia walked up and the table was silenced in that OMG sort of way. I never told any of my friends about what happened the night I left the skate park, so they were all a bit shocked that I welcomed Zia as though we had already met and even hung out together before.
“Hey guys,” I said, “this is Zia.” I introduced everyone. Tori looked horrified. Harry was more welcoming than I expected, which made me wonder if he liked her.
But Julia; she rose to her feet, pushing the chair back harshly across the floor. I sat solidly in my seat; my hands locked to the edge of the table as my mind tried to pick apart her sudden change of mood.
Julia stared bitterly not at Zia, but more toward the wall right past Zia, instead. Four long seconds withered away and Julia left us all sitting there as she walked out of the cafeteria and in the opposite direction.
Harry and I looked at each other, wondering the same thing.
I noticed Tori smirk, as if proud that at least one more of us disapproved of Zia as much as she did.
After a long, awkward moment of silence, Zia looked down at me. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” she said.
“Sure,” I agreed and stood up slowly.
I glanced back at my gawking friends once as I followed Zia through the cafeteria.
We slipped through the breezeway outside and made our way to the bleachers at the football field. Burying my hands deep in the sleeves of my sweater, I crossed my arms firmly at my chest. I could feel my shoulders stiffening up around my cheeks. I hated the cold. Absolutely hated it.
“I don’t know what Julia’s deal is,” I said. “That was weird.”
Zia shook her head. “Never mind about her,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you I saw your sister yesterday. She’s fine I’m sure; hanging out with your buddies, but I need to warn you about something.”
“My buddies?” I said, my teeth chattering. “Warn me about what?” And then it dawned on me. “Wait, you mean William and Ashe? You can’t be serious.” I couldn’t believe it. She had to mean somebody else. I mean sure, I couldn’t see their faces in the woods, but it couldn’t have been them.
A small group of students walked past us bundled in thick coats and sat on the bleachers nearby where they always hung out at lunch. If I would’ve known I was going to be outside even for two minutes, I never would’ve left my coat in my locker.
Zia took hold of my elbow and we walked further away. What she had to say was for my ears only.
“Listen,” she went on, “I know you’ll probably want to go find your sister at their place and all that, but don’t. You’ll only make things worse for her and for yourself.”
“But why?” I didn’t know whether to be confused or offended. “You’re telling me that I should ignore that Alex left without telling anyone, or that she’s staying with them?”
Zia sighed. “No, Adria, I’m saying that...well, it’s not safe for you there.”
“But it is for Alex? I don’t understand.”
“They’re pricks,” she said; “you already know that. You saw that for yourself. And from what I know; the Vargas brothers are pretty territorial.”
I think I was trying to take too much in at one time because the more she said the more perplexed I became. I had more questions now than when we started. The bleacher next to me looked inviting and so I took that much-needed seat, regretting it instantly as my butt hit the freezing metal.
“I thought you didn’t know much about them?”
“Well, I wasn’t being completely honest with you when I said that.”
“So then why are you now?”
“Come to my house tonight,” she said, “and I’ll tell you. I wouldn’t even consider it if your sister wasn’t so deeply involved, so it’s kind of inevitable.”
“Where do you live?”
“In the hills—we’ll pick you up,” she said, “Around seven, okay?”
“Yeah, that’ll work, I guess.”
I don’t know why I was agreeing to it. Nothing about anything as of late seemed right and that included going to Zia’s house even though she was a friend from school and to visit her otherwise would be perfectly normal. But she knew things about Alex, or at least about the scum Alex had chosen to associate with...to live with by the looks of it.
Uncle Carl and Beverlee couldn’t hide their devastation from me when I told them the news—okay, maybe not so much Uncle Monotone, but even still I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. After school, I spent the afternoon with Beverlee who was heavily into scrapbooking. I just hoped I could hide my dislike for the hobby better than she could her grief over Alex’s choices. I pretended to love the ‘canary and pink’ paper better than the ‘chocolate and pink’ as I glued fun-shaped cutouts to a homemade get-well card for Beverlee’s boss, Mrs. Finch. We talked about school and the people in it and such, until I ran out of things to say and went upstairs to get ready.
Zia was late, finally pulling up in front of my house with Damien and Dwarf around 7:15p.m.
It would have raised suspicion if I had asked where Isaac was, but his absence was the first thing I thought of. I hated myself for that, for being so easily infatuated with someone who I’d barely spoken to and knew nothing about. I decided that this problem I was going to have to get rid of immediately.
“How long can you stay out?” said Zia.
“I don’t really have a curfew, but with what Alex has done I’d like to be home at a decent hour.”
She nodded.
The Jeep pulled away, thankfully this time with the top on.
Zia wasn’t kidding about living in the hills. By the time we got to her house I knew I wouldn’t be able to find my way back under any circumstances. I lost my way after the first ten minutes and the sixth turn up some random dark street in which several had no names. I could tell we were at a slightly higher altitude too, as my ears popped and the sound around me muffled temporarily.
At first glance, the stone house seemed average in size and evidently old. Then as we came upon it from the side, I realized it was actually two-stories and probably had a deep, creepy stone basement that only old haunted houses in the movies have. There was even an old well out front, the stone toppled in heaps on the ground on one side. In addition to the Jeep there were three other vehicles parked out front. I could hear noise funneling from the house: voices and people moving around inside. Shadows moved across the downstairs windows behind thin curtains.
I was nervous suddenly.
We got out. As I stood there waiting to be led inside, an uncomfortable feeling washed over me. I turned to look through the black trees and although I couldn’t actually see anyone, I knew that someone was watching.
“Ignore the girls,” Zia said. “The Mayfair’s are cool, but the others, they get wicked jealous of visitors.”
I stopped in the driveway, mid-stride. She was talking about those inside, I realized, and not anyone that may have been watching us from the trees.
“What?” I wanted to say something more like ‘What the hell do you mean?’ or ‘Why didn’t you warn me about this before? I definitely wouldn’t have come.’
“It’s cool,” Zia said. “Just stick with me.” Her smile widened enough to display her teeth.
“Yeah, they won’t cross the line with Zia anymore,” said Dwarf as he walked past us.
“You’re in good hands,” said Damien.
I felt like I was about to be put on an operating table to have a very risky surgery.
“Well...then who are the Mayfair’s?” I said.
“Isaac’s family,” Zia said as she urged me on. “I’ll take you straight to my room, that way you don’t have to feel uncomfortable.”
I was going to feel uncomfortable whether in her room or at the far end of their driveway.
The front door opened and the warmth from inside engulfed me, like walking into a house that still used gas stoves for heat. Something had been cooking, too. Roast and maybe something with sour kraut. I hoped I wasn’t invited to stay for dinner.
The moment I entered the enormous people-packed den, all of the voices I had heard earlier, ceased in an uncanny instant.
5
MOST OF THE FACES staring back at me were not welcoming ones. One or two smiles could be plucked out of the crowd and a few with no expressions at all. I could feel my stomach twisting in knots, the saliva evaporating from my mouth. Six. Eight. Eleven. I stopped counting everyone because you have to actually look at people to do it and then I let my eyes stray toward the floor instead. Pretty hardwoods. I could almost see my reflection in them.