Forks Page 26

  He was out of his ever-loving mind.

  I backed up right into the stack of boxes. One tumbled to the ground in front of me, blocking Jason’s advance. My self-preservation finally kicked back in and I ran to the door and yanked it open, fleeing out into the darkness.

  forty two

  I made it outside and ducked around the building. Jason was right behind me. I could feel him closing in. I jumped in the shadow of the building and hid.

  He rounded the corner, stopping. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Jason singsonged and stepped past me.

  The sound of his voice sent icy ripples of dread through me. Please don’t see me.

  The motion activated light clicked on, revealing my hiding place.

  He stopped, turned back toward the building and laughed. “I can see you, Amber.”

  I broke and ran.

  “Run while you can,” he taunted. “I’ll catch you…eventually.”

  So intent on getting away, I was paying attention to Jason and not what was in front of me. I ran straight into one of the statues. My breath rushed from my chest from the impact and my vision wavered.

  Jason laughed harder. “Amber. Amber. Amber.” He taunted.

  I hated the way he said my name. “Leave me alone,” I begged, trying to get my vision back. I kept seeing two figures, instead of one.

  “I will, soon, Amber,” he promised, moving forward.

  I shoved my hand in my pocket, hoping to find a weapon. Instead, my fingers closed around the box of Red Hots. I didn’t know what to do, so I jerked out the box. “Stay back or I’ll zap you again,” I warned, brandishing the box, hoping he couldn’t see it was just candy and not my Taser.

  His step faltered and he stopped.

  It was working. I couldn’t believe it. I caught a movement and the second figure I thought I had been imagining materialized behind him. It was Viktor. He lifted his finger to his lips.

  “Stay back!” I kept up my pretense and swung out my hand. Red Hots flew from the box and scattered across the gravel.

  Jason looked down at the ground. He lifted his eyes back to mine and a slow smile crept across his face. It held a promise of what was to come and it wasn’t going to be good.

  Even though everything in me was telling me to run, I stayed where I was waiting for Viktor to make his move. But Viktor wasn’t moving. He was standing completely still, staring at the ground. His lips moved silently. He was counting.

  All at once, everything clicked into place.

  Jason and Lucky weren’t lying.

  Vampires were real and Viktor was one of them.

  forty three

  Everything happened at once.

  “Look out!” Jason yelled and sprang forward.

  Before I could get my feet to move, his hands were on me, yanking me back. The cold steel of his blade, pressed against my ribs. “We have to get out of…”

  A shot rang out.

  “Amber…” A bewildered expression came over his face and his knife clattered to the ground. A dark wetness spread across his shirt. “Please…” He pulled in a ragged breath and blood slipped from his mouth. “Don’t let them get you too,” he said and collapsed to the ground.

  Ken staggered out from the shadows and lowered his gun.

  Sirens rang out in the distance.

  I didn’t realize I was screaming until Ken grabbed hold of me and pulled me into his arms. “Shhh,” he said, holding me closely. “You’re safe now.”

  Lights flashing, sirens blaring, police cars and an ambulance careened into the parking lot and came to a skidding halt behind us. Billows of dust flew up in the air. “I need to talk to the guys from the station,” he said, and ushered me toward the back of the ambulance.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said and sat me down on the bumper. The medics swarmed.

  I looked for Viktor through the throngs of officers and the medics, but he was gone.

  * * *

  epilogue

  “Amber!” Mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Coming,” I yelled back. I shut my journal, tossed it into my nightstand, and closed the drawer. Tinkerbelle wobbled on top and then settled back down.

  I moved E. “Keep your good eye on the place, E,” I said and grabbed my jacket off my bed and headed downstairs.

  “You ready,” Mom asked, waiting at the door.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  She reached out and touched my arm. “Let’s go,” she said and lifted the keys from the hook.

  “Okay.” I turned back and looked at the living room, feeling like I was forgetting something.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “I’m not sure…” I looked back towards the kitchen.

  “Well, we can always get whatever it is on the way.” She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

  “I’ll meet you in the car,” I said and ran back down the hall to the kitchen. A bouquet of flowers sat on the counter. I lifted up the flowers and looked around for anything else I might have forgotten. The phone rang. I walked over to it and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

  The phone crackled.

  “Hello,” I said again, and shifted the flowers in my arms. I heard breathing. “I don’t have time for this,” I said and then phone went dead. “Stupid.” I hung the phone back up and left the house. I locked the door behind me and headed out to the car. Peggy Sue was running and Mom sat behind the wheel. I climbed in. Elvis was blaring out of the stereo.

  Mom reached over and patted my leg. “You ready,” she asked again, looking concerned.

  “Yep,” I said and gave her a reassuring smile. And this time I meant it.

  Mom put the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway, singing.

  I turned and looked out the window, towards the woods. A lone figure was standing under the canopy of trees watching us. I pressed my hand to the glass as we pulled away.

  “Hey you,” I said, smiling.

  Glinda waved her good arm. “You made it,” she said excitedly, bouncing in bed like a little kid.

  “Yep,” I said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good as can be expected.” She rolled her eyes when the nurse walked into the room, checking her chart.

  I stifled a laugh. “I hear you’re getting sprung soon.”

  “Yeah, if all my parts check out, I will be out of here tomorrow,” she said and pushed her hand through her unruly hair. The color had darkened since she’d been in the hospital, but it was still really pretty. Dark circles were under her eyes but there was a nice rosy glow to her cheeks now and her skin wasn’t as translucent.

  “When are you coming back to school?” I asked and pushed the curtain back further so the sunlight could come in the room. Long stem roses were on the windowsill with a card sticking out. Not meaning to, I looked at the writing and recognized it immediately. They were from Vincent. “So,” I said and picked a thread on her blanket, “have you had any other visitors?”

  “I was asleep but Nancy told me Viktor stopped by.”

  “Really?” I squeaked and my stomach swirled. Luckily, Glinda didn’t seem to notice.

  “So, Jason Fletcher…wow,” she sighed.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  “Did they find out why he attacked you?”

  “Not, really,” I said. “Ken, I mean, Deputy Warren said he was mentally unstable.”

  She pursed her lips. “Hmm, I guess.” A faraway look came over her face.

  “Glinda,” I said. “You okay?”

  She focused her eyes once more. “Yeah, why?” Her pale brows pulled together.

  “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  “Must be all the meds they got in me,” she said. “They make me space.”

  “Oh, right.”

  “So,” she said and smoothed her hands over the blanket. “Did you finish the book I bought you?”

  My face flushed. “Just about,” I fibbed. I was only half
way through it.

  “Well, I still want to hear your thoughts on it, so when I get sprung we will have to hook up.”

  “Definitely,” I said. I guessed I knew what I would be reading for the next few days.

  My phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket and read the text.

  Mom: You ready?

  I texted Mom back.

  Me: Yeah.

  “Who’s that?” Glinda asked.

  “Oh, it’s my mom,” I said. “She’s waiting on me.”

  “You didn’t drive?”

  “Nah, Mom had to use the car.”

  “Oh,” she said and chewed on her lip.

  “I can stay longer if you want.”

  “No, you can go,” she said and stifled a yawn. “I’m getting sleepy.”

  “All right,” I said. “I guess I’ll see you soon.”

  “Hugs,” she said and lifted out her small arms.

  “Of course,” I said and walked over to her, leaned in and gave her a light hug. She seemed really small and fragile.

  She coughed and pushed me away. Her brows puckered. She covered her nose and mouth.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head but didn’t remove her hand.

  I stepped away from the bed, confused.

  She waved her hand in front of her face and let out a breath. “What is that smell?”

  “What smell?” I didn’t smell anything. Granted the hospital stunk but Glinda should be used to that by now.

  Glinda made a face like she didn’t believe me.

  “Sorry, I don’t smell anything.”

  “Maybe it’s the meds.” She frowned.

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said but kept my distance. “I guess I should go.”

  “Okay,” she exhaled. “See you in a few days?”

  “Totally,” I agreed and turned to leave.

  “Hey,” she called. I stopped and turned.

  “Yeah?”

  “Did you decide?”

  “Decide what?”

  “Who you liked?” Her eyes glittered strangely.

  “No,” I lied. “I don’t have time for that.”

  She gave me an assessing look like she was wondering if I was lying. “Good to know.”

  “See you,” I said and took a step, not paying attention.

  “Amber, watch out.”

  I stopped. “Huh?”

  “Watch out,” she repeated and pointed.

  I turned and a blue chair was blocking my path that I didn’t see when I came in. I stepped around it. “That wouldn’t have been good,” I laughed nervously.

  “No…it wouldn’t have.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Good thing I stopped you.”

  “Yeah, good thing,” I responded. An uneasy feeling crept over me just like the last time I was here.

  I turned back toward her to say thanks but she wasn’t looking at me, she was glaring at the chair.

  “Bye,” I mumbled and rushed from the room.

  Later in the day, I was feeling antsy and decided to read for a while outside before dinner. I turned off my computer and headed downstairs. After we got back from the hospital, I was thinking about posting on my blog but realized I didn’t have anything to write about. Life had gotten in the way of my reading for a change. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not…yet.

  Mom was in the living room reading when I got downstairs. “Hey, Mom,” I said.

  She glanced up from her book. “Hey, honey.

  “I’m going out…”

  “Amber, I don’t think that is a good idea. We just got home,” she complained and pulled off her glasses.

  “I know,” I sighed. Mom was always jumping the gun and finishing my sentences before I even said what I had to say. Inevitably, she was wrong too. “I was going outside to read.”

  “Oh.” She looked outside. “Take your jacket it looks like it might rain.”

  I glanced outside. Gray clouds crowded the sky, hanging low. “Okay.” I lifted my jacket from the hook. “Is Ken coming over?”

  “Yes, he’s making us chicken tonight, his grandmother’s recipe.”

  “Awesome.” I was just glad it wasn’t chicken noodle out of a can. “What time do you think?”

  “Not till later, he had some paperwork to take care of first.”

  “Okay, see you in a bit.”

  “See you,” she said, staring down at the pages of her book engrossed once more.

  I pulled on my slicker, grabbed a beach towel to sit on, and headed outside to my favorite reading spot. The ground squished under my feet. I dropped the towel on a soft patch of grass under my favorite tree. I liked how the limbs hung down over me like a canopy enclosing me in my own little world.

  The light was waning, but I wanted to finish this chapter before I headed back inside. I flipped another page.

  “Hey, you,” a familiar voice said.

  I looked up and my heart fluttered.

  “What are you reading?” His shadow fell over me blocking out the waning light.

  I held up my book so he could see the cover.

  He cocked his brow at me. “Interesting choice,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, if you can’t beat’ em….” I said, and smiled.

  He sat down next to me and looked down where my finger marked my place in the book. A slow smile crept over his face.

  “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” he read the passage from page 274 of Twilight, his deep voice whispered over me.

  I looked up into his smiling eyes. “What a stupid lamb…”

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “Lambs are stupid.”

  My heart went into double time.

  “Do you think the story has a happy ending?” His eyes glittered.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t?” His brow hitched up a notch.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’ve barely made it through half of the book.”

  “Hmm, it looks like it might be a long story.”

  “This is just the beginning,” I said, talking about the book.

  “Yeah,” he breathed and cupped my face. “It is.” He leaned forward and his lips touched mine. `

  Thank you for reading Forks!

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  Mom was really screaming.

  I jumped from bed, ran down the stairs at a breakneck speed, and came to a skidding halt at the bottom.

  Ken was down on his knees, holding Mom’s hands. She was hyperventilating.

  “Mom!” I yelled, terrified, my heart pounding from my chest. “Ken, what did you do?”

  “Amber,” Ken said in a placating tone. He was using his official police officer voice. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Oh really, then what is it?” I snapped.

  Mom turned tear filled eyes on me and my heart dropped.

  Did she somehow find out? “Mom what’s going on?”

  She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “We’re getting married.”

  “You’re what?” I asked, shocked.

  “We’re getting married,” Mom repeated.

  “Ken?” I needed some clarification.

  “It’s true,” he said, smiling broadly. “I’m going to be your new dad.”

  I wasn’t sure what to feel. I felt like I had whiplash or something. Everything was happening so fast.

  “See,” she said and held out her hand. And sure enough, there was a big busting diamond on her third finger.

  “Wow, you outdid yourself Ken,” I said.

  “I know, didn’t he?” Mom could barely stay still she was so excited.

  Ken struggled to stand.

  Mom helped him stand since his leg still wasn’t healed completely from Jason attacking hi
m.

  “Come on,” Ken said, and held out his arm. “Family hug.”

  I walked into his and Mom’s outstretched arms and gave them an obligatory hug.

  Ken leaned back and ruffled my hair. “Can you believe it?” he asked, his exuberance clearly showing on his face.

  “No, I can’t.”

  He frowned.

  “It’s just so sudden,” I tried to explain. His brows touched in the middle. I felt like a jerk. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Ken’s feelings. He had been really great to me about all the Jason and Kirk stuff. It felt like I had a Dad, a good one, for once. “And …awesome,” I covered and gave him a winning smile.

  Ken looked relieved and pulled me back in for another hug.

  I washed the last dish from the huge celebratory breakfast Ken made and placed it in on the towel by the sink.

  “So how are you feeling?” Ken picked up the plate, dried it off, and stacked it in the cupboard.

  “Pretty good, considering,” I said and wiped off my hands on a dishtowel. “Did you find out any more about Sandy?” She was the other girl Jason had mentioned the night at the Timber Museum when he was slipping off the deep end into Whackoville.

  “It doesn’t look good.” He shook his head sadly. “But there’s always hope,” he added. “We still haven’t found a body so that’s something, I suppose.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. She may not have been my favorite person but I didn’t wish any ill will on her either. “What about the two other girls you found?”

  “We haven’t found a connection yet.” He shook his head. “It’s the darndest thing,” he sighed. “Jason had an alibi and so did Kirk.”

  “Maybe their alibi’s lying,” I said hopefully.

  “I doubt that,” he said. “Both alibis are pretty solid.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know.” He set the dishtowel on the counter.

  “So what does that mean, exactly?”

  “It means we don’t have any answers right now.”