Walking in the Shadows (38 page)

“I’m fine—I just hurt all over again
,
and
I forgot my pain pills,
” I explained
as I opened
my
eyes and watched
Tad pull
my pills from his messenger bag
.
“You’re my angel.”

“Now
,
let me se
e those wrists,” Tad’s
voice chastised me sweetly
.

“Thanks,
” I replied
,
closing my eyes again.

“Is there something else wrong?”

“It’s like I woke up from that coma
,
and now I feel everything to an extreme. I miss my parents, I miss you
,
and I just want this school year to be over. I just want to be me, not the vampire girl—the newest zoo exhibit
in Amherst,
”
I explained, feeling as though I had a two ton building on my shoulders.

“I just want this school year to be over to
o
,” Tad agreed
,
tossing my bandages in the trash.

“Why is that?”

“So I can kiss you and hold your hand in public and at times like this I could hold
you in my strong arms,” h
e
whispered,
an eyebrow ra
ised as he made his muscles bulge under his already tight shirt.

“
Mhmm
…those strong arms,
” I replied
.
“I can’t wait to get home.”

“Are you talking about my apartment?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Tad looked at the ceiling.

“I re
ally wish we were home
…
I like the sound of that
—
our home
,” Tad replied.

“Me too,
” I
said,
putting my hand over his,
“b
ecause it is.”

The weeks until the trial had passed in a blur of avoiding the media and intense stares from anyone who now knew who I was. The media had finally gotten the clue that I wasn’t going to talk and had left me alone for the majority of two weeks, but now as I sat in the car with Kirsten in front of the court house I knew their sentiment that I would talk would return. It felt shameful that these people so desperately wanted me to break for them. Tad and Bill were already inside the court room, but despite Kirsten’s urging I had opted to stay in the car until I knew Jennings was inside the court room. I thought that maybe once she had entered the media would dissipate, so I could enter the building undisturbed. I watched as the bodies milled and turned towards a
police
car that was pulling up to the curb. My stomach lurched, and I knew exactly who was inside of it. I knew the anger was useless, but each time I thought of Jennings I was hit with a pang of longing for my parents. I took a deep breath, and Kirsten squeezed my shoulders, as we both watched the policem
e
n walk to the opposite side of the car and open the door. This was it. I would have to relive my near death,
and
face my parent
s
’
killer
. I would have to hold it together enough that Tad was protected, and so I didn’t appear as nuts as I felt.
I clenched my jaw as Jennings stepped out of the car, and the crowd parted to allow her into the building. One man still remained where the crowd had parted to let the demon inside, and even as the
policemen
signaled for him to move, he stood without moving, without emotion on his pale face. The
policemen
stopped, and the man raised his arms.

“My daughter!” t
he man screamed
,
and a single shot echoed through the air.

The policem
e
n had dodged to the side as Jennings body crumbled to the ground. I knew that chaos would soon begin, but I couldn’t fight my feet as they propelled me out of the car and towards the parted crowd. I stopped in front of the lifeless body and stared down at blank eyes
, t
he pool of blood spread
ing
in silent indifference as it filled the air with its metallic sickness. Despite what had just happened the crowd was quiet as it observed me. I couldn’t tear myself away from that evil, empty face, but Kirsten managed to grab my arms and drag me away. In that moment the world turned back on and one camera flash led to another and then another. The man who had shot Jennings was already handcuffed and sobbing.

“My Ashley, my Ashley,” h
e kept repeating
,
and his crie
s
tore into my soul.

“Are you okay?”
Kirsten
asked as she turned me to face her.

“It does
n’t change what she did,
” I whispered
as I looked
up to see Tad and Bill rushing out of the court room with panic on their faces
.

“What just happened?” Bill asked
as the ambulance rounded the corner.

“Yo
u couldn’t see the body?” I asked
,
watch
ing
Ashley’s d
ad being
led to another police car. Her d
ad turned his hea
d and
in his tear stain
ed
face I saw the
reflection of what I was feeling—complete emptiness.

“We heard the
shot—is Jennings dead?” Tad asked
,
pulling at his tie.

“Ashley’s d
ad,” I explained
,
my eyes still locked on the police car that he was driving away in.

Tad pulled me into his arms in a tight hug.

“He did what all of us wanted to d
o but couldn’t,” h
e whispered
into my ear.

“But her life wasn’t worth
even one of theirs,
” I explained
as I breathed in Tad’s cologne
.
“It doesn’t feel any better.”

He kissed my head.

“I knew it wouldn’t,
”
w
as his reply.

“
Does this mean no tr
i
a
l?” I wondered,
turning to face Bill.

“You can’t try a d
ead person no
w can you?” h
e remarked
.
“But don’t be too reli
e
ved
,
you stil
l have to testify against Lily
.
”

“That’
s unless she a
ccepts a plea bargain,
” Tad interjected with
his arms still tight around me.

“This is true
,
” Bill agreed
looki
ng down at Tad’s arm. Tad took a deep breath and dropped his arm, so he was no longer touching me.

“Abigail! Abiga
il!” t
he crowd of newscasters
turned and rushed towards me
.

Bill put up
his arms.

“No comment,” h
e demanded
and over hi
s shoulder
, said
,
“Get her to the car. We’re
done here for now.”

I took a deep breath as I looked out the window of Jaz’s red Civic at the large
, overly
fancy dress shop Kirsten had recommended. We weren’t supposed to go dress shopping for another week, but after the events at the trial Kirsten thought it would be a good way for me to get my mind off of things—like the fact that we were still waiting to hear if Lily’s council had convinced her that the plea bargain was her best choice.

“I’
m so excited for this!”
Jaz
exclaimed
once we had gotten out of the car and to
the doo
r of the dress shop.

“Me too,” I replied,
trying to be excited about
go
ing
to prom alone and
at having
my boyfriend as a chaperone.

“I’m sure we can convince the DJ to do a teacher
-
stu
dent dance,
”
Jaz
suggested, knowing instantly what my sullen face was about.

“
Ha-ha
,
”
I huffed.

“Seriously, I’ve already got it in the works—that way you two get your dance and nobody knows any better…well
,
except me.”

“Okay, you real
ly are the best
,” I smiled,
knocking my hips against
hers
.
“
Good
thing you’
re on the prom committee
,
otherwise we would just have to stare at each other all night, him at the punch bowl and me standing next to you try
ing to look as sexy as possible
.”

“You’re a tease! O-
M-
G
,
love it! But the real dile
mma is how
we
’re
going to find something sexier t
ha
n what you wore to the winter formal
?”
Jaz
commented
as she looked
around the room filled with tons of unique dresses.

“This place is pricey,
” I observed
,
looking at a three hundred dollar price tag.

“You only have prom once Abbi, so we might as well go all out!”
Jaz
explained as she picked up a dress and spun with it
.
“So
,
do we find a dress for me first or you?”

“You firs
t,” I said
,
holding my arms
out
for her to drape the fabric over.

“What’s wrong?”
Jaz asked, and it was obvious I wasn’t showing enough enthusiasm as I should be.

“I’m waiting for Bill to call. They off
ered Lily
a plea bargain,
” I explained
,
and when
Jaz
looked nothi
ng more than confused
, added
, “If Lily
pleads guilty she will get 15 years to life
,
and I won’t have to testify.”

“She sho
uld after what Ashley’s d
ad did. I mean she
’
ll
be lucky if she gets to the tr
i
al in one piece,
”
Jaz
remarked,
beginni
ng to pile dresses onto her arm because mine were already filled.

“H
er d
ad pleaded temporary insa
nity, did you know that?” I asked
as I found a few dresses for me to try on.

“You have to try this one!”
Jaz threw a
sea foam
colored dress onto my pile
.
“Yeah, I heard he isn’t going to jail or anything.”

“Yeah, crazy
,
huh?”

“S
mart is more like it,
”
Jaz
retorted as she bounced
to the dressing room.

Soon there were dresses flying over the door accompanie
d by eewws and nopes
. She
came out in a feathered mess.

“What are you trying to be?
An
ostrich?”
I teased with widened eyes.

She frowned
.
“I thought it was pretty—different!”

“We can find you something that looks different
,
but doesn’t look like you ki
lled a flock of geese to get it,
” I
retorted
,
standing and going to the racks. I came back with a white ball gown with a silver sequined encrusted
top.

“A bit fluffy
,
don’t you think? And it look
s like a corset of steel up top,
”
Jaz
observed
with a look of dismay.