Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (3 page)

Finally, after debating with Shelby
about which sweater to wear and how many buttons to leave undone,
they came to an agreement. Scarlet stood in front of the mirror and
looked at herself in amazement. She actually looked, as Shelby
would say, hot.

Scarlet took in a shaky
breath.

“
What’s up?” Shelby’s
eyebrows drew together.

“
Just nervous. What if he
decides he doesn’t like me after all?”

Shelby shook her head. “Not possible,
you’re too awesome.”

“
But…what if?” Scarlet
thought she might cry. Whether it was from nerves or simply lack of
confidence, she wasn’t sure she could go through with it. “What if
it’s just not meant to be?”

Seated on Scarlet’s bed with a
sympathetic expression, Shelby patted the space of mattress beside
her. “Come, sit. Give me your palms,” she ordered.

Scarlet sat, delivering her open hands
as requested. Shelby peered through her glasses, inspecting the
tiny lines and cracks that marked her friend’s hands. After several
minutes of humming and hawing, poking and prodding, she looked up.
Her expression read like that of a true fortune teller: mysterious
and foreboding.

She cradled Scarlet’s right hand within
her own and pointed to a long line running from her middle finger
to her wrist. “See this line, it’s your Line of Fate,” she
explained. “It’s very straight and deep.”

“
So…what does that mean?”
Scarlet asked, skeptical.

“
It means,” Shelby stated
with a confident grin, squeezing her friend’s hand reassuringly,
“that you have an amazing destiny ahead of you, so quit worrying so
much.”

“
Wow!” Rory’s eyes lit up,
scanning Scarlet from head to toe. “You look amazing!”

He slid his hand around her waist, the
heat leaving an invisible burn beneath her clothing. Pulling her to
his side, he led her through the entrance of the theater. Her heart
was pounding so hard against her ribcage, she worried he might
actually be able to hear it.

Guiding her to the lineup to purchase
tickets, she stole a glance at his handsome face. His strong
angular jawline, dotted with dark, freshly shaven hairs, flexed as
he chewed a piece of gum. His eyes, ocean blue with glints of amber
flecks, gazed forward. Light toffee waves feathered over his ears,
curling ever so softly at the tips. His scent. His eyes. His hair.
All of them made her weak. Breathless.

He caught her drinking in his beauty at
least once, responding by leaning over and brushing her forehead
with a soft kiss. Warmth invaded her cheeks and she wished she knew
how to act cool.

Surveying her environment, she squinted
in attempts to read the various posters hanging about the foyer.
Shelby had insisted that Scarlet not wear her glasses, which in
hindsight seemed kind of stupid considering they were going to a
movie. The mascara and fake lashes Shelby forced her to wear were
irritating her so badly she had to concentrate on not bringing her
fists to her face and rubbing to kill the itch.

“
Would you like some popcorn
or a drink?” Rory asked softly, leaning against her as he spoke.
His warm breath tickled her ear, leaving her delightfully
woozy.

“
Sure,” she replied
breathily, trying to resist his hypnotic eyes.

“
Cool.”

After buying some snacks, he led her
into the darkened theater. Still oblivious to what film was
playing, she waited until they found a seat to ask.

“
So, what are we watching?”
Scarlet peered around the room, the dimmed lights barely
penetrating the darkness.

“
Howler, it’s a horror
movie. I hope you like scary ones,” he replied, tossing a piece of
popcorn into his mouth.

She tried to sound sincere. “Oh yeah,
great.”

Having been plagued by nightmares since
she was a child, watching a horror movie was the last thing she
needed. The occasional thriller wasn’t bad, but anything remotely
gory could cost her weeks of sleep. A moment later, he casually
slid his hand onto her thigh, quelling her apprehension over the
movie.

He’s worth it,
she told herself,
closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
So worth it.

“
What did you think of the
movie?” Rory asked, holding the passenger door open for
her.

Honestly, she thought it was disgusting
and was thoroughly grateful she’d left her glasses at home, but in
attempts to sound pleasant, she replied, “It was pretty
good.”

With a hearty chuckle, he watched her
slide into the seat, then closed the door. After climbing into the
driver’s side and starting the engine, he turned to her. “You still
up for some stargazing? We can come back for your car
later.”

A shiver of excitement slid up her
spine as he stared right into her eyes. “Yes, of course,” she said,
trying not to sound as excited as she felt.

God, he’s
good-looking!

Feeling awkward, she looked away
and watched the bright lights of the city twinkling by. Edmonton’s
Whyte Ave was alive with Friday night excitement. Throngs of people
from all walks of life strolled the length of the boulevard. From
coffee shops to night clubs, hemp boutiques to antique stores, the
patrons flocked to the highlight of Edmonton’s night life. Bright
eyes, smiling faces, no indication that anyone was worried about it
being October 1
^st
, so why should she be?

Stealing a sideways glance at Rory, she
suddenly wished Shelby was there to brighten up the conversation.
Were first dates always this awkward and uncomfortable? Or was it
supposed to be easy and laid back like she’d always dreamed it
would be? For years Scarlet had longed for this moment. Pined for
this chance to be so close to Rory, to hold his hand, to be his
girl. But something didn’t feel right. A seed of self-doubt had
sown itself in her stomach and was growing too fast for
comfort.

Eyes trained on the darkened sky, lost
within her thoughts, Scarlet barely noticed when they turned onto a
dirt road.

“
What’s your favorite
constellation?” Rory asked suddenly as he switched on some tunes
and rested his palm on her thigh.

The heat from his hand burning through
the red skirt made her dizzy. She searched her mind to remember the
name of any constellation, let alone her favorite.

“
Um, I’d have to say…the
Phoenix,” she stammered.

“
Oh yah,” he replied
nonchalantly, bobbing his head to the blaring music.

After clearing her throat, she asked,
“And you?”

“
What?” He shot her an odd
look.

Heat flushed through her face. “Which
constellation do you like best?”

“
Oh, um, you know…the Big
Dipper. Want some gum?” Abruptly, he took his hand from her leg and
reached for a pack of gum in the console.

Politely accepting and placing the gum
into her mouth, she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach she
couldn’t quite identify. An instinct trying to claw its way to the
surface of her awareness. Before she could explore it further, he
pulled the car onto the side of the road.

“
Ready?” he asked sharply,
exiting the car before she could answer.

“
Sure,” Scarlet responded to
the empty driver’s seat. The tension inside knotted
tighter—something wasn’t right.

She watched as he heaved a large duffel
bag out of the trunk. After slinging it over his right shoulder, he
nodded curtly to the right. “This way.”

A shudder rolled over her, prompting
her to pull her thin jacket tighter around her. Scarlet stared down
the dark, country road. The distant city lights dotted the pitch
horizon like a miniature galaxy.

What if he’s taking me out here
to rape me?

It would be the perfect place for him
to attack her, they’d driven at least twenty minutes from the city
on a dirt road.

Sybil…

The urban legend of missing teenagers
invaded her thoughts.

You’re just being
silly!

She gave her head a shake, pulled in a
centering breath and forced herself to enjoy the odd
excursion.

“
So, you come out
here…often?” she inquired through chattering teeth, hoping he
wouldn’t get them lost and they’d freeze to death. A smile tugged
at her lips as she imagined them huddling together to keep warm. It
would, at the very least, be a romantic way to perish.

“
Yes,” he replied curtly,
leaving Scarlet to wonder if she’d insulted him somehow. They
continued to walk in silence for what felt like hours, her romantic
daydream of cuddling to keep warm dissolving with every
step.

The dark path ahead, lit only by the
intermittent glow of a clouded moon, seemed to be luring them into
a world of unforgiving shadows. Without her glasses, she was being
led blind into a hostile wilderness. Her trust in him, this boy she
really didn’t know, was waning.

Fallen branches and dry autumn leaves
crunched beneath their feet as he took her deep into the heart of
the forest. With no idea where she was, she suddenly realized how
stupid she was for allowing him to take her somewhere unknown. No
one knew where she was.

No one—except Rory Dean.

The Dark Path

The branches reached for her like the
outstretched arms of rapacious mummies. Their spindly wooden
fingers entangled in her long, brown hair, pulling strands out by
the roots. Tears welled into the corners of her eyes. Even though
this was her first date, Scarlet was now convinced it was probably
the worst in recorded history. Rory wouldn’t answer any of her
questions. In fact, he hadn’t acknowledged her but once since
they’d left the car.

What the hell is going
on?

A sick sensation rolled through her
stomach with the realization that she was in serious trouble. If he
was going to rape her, she should at least come up with a plan of
escape. But how? The woods were thick and dark and she hadn’t paid
attention which direction he’d driven from town, not to mention she
didn’t have her glasses.

“
Rory, please, you’re
scaring me,” Scarlet pleaded as he trudged ever silently ahead of
her. Upon receiving no answer, a surge of anger raced through her.
She planted her feet solidly on the ground, her fists balled tight.
“Rory! I want to know what the hell is going on! Now!”

He stopped and exhaled sharply,
spinning around to glare at her. “We’re going to look at the stars.
I thought that’s what you wanted.”

His expression was so fierce, Scarlet
trembled. “I want you to take me home…right now.” She tried to
sound assertive, but couldn’t still the quiver in her
voice.

He narrowed his eyes at the moon as if
searching it for guidance, then turned and began marching through
the woods again. Bewildered, Scarlet knew she had no other option
than to follow him. It was either go with him or freeze to death,
lost in the forest. It was in that moment, when the tears began
gliding down her face, that she heard laughter ahead. As she
squinted and focused on the winding path before them, she could
distinguish a light flickering through the network of
trees.

A fire? What the…? Is he
taking me to a party?

Confused, and becoming even more
terrified, she pressed through the dense foliage. Sharp branches
and thorny bushes tore her nylons and sliced at her knees. While it
didn’t appear any blood had been drawn, thin scratches welted at
the top of her shins. For once, she was thankful for Shelby’s
fashion sense; if she hadn’t been forced to wear these boots,
everything from her ankles up would be slashed.

“
Rory! You made it!” a voice
rang out from near the blazing bonfire.

“
Barely,” Rory responded
through gritted teeth, tossing an irate glance at Scarlet, igniting
a fresh burn of anguish in her heart.

She gaped as she watched him high-five
three beer-toting jocks. What was this? It was obvious they’d been
expecting him. Was this all a setup? Was this going to be some kind
of gang bang? A mixture of fear and disgust coalesced in her
stomach, threatening to make her vomit with every terrifying
churn.

Her thoughts flickered to Sybil
Kavanagh, the teenage girl who’d gone missing from her home so many
decades ago. Was this a scene from her life? The last scene?
Scarlet’s imagination wandered dark territories, leading her
through a labyrinth of horrifying destinations, all of which
resulted in nothing but dead ends and unfathomable
nightmares.

Rory scowled, his blue eyes surveying
the scene. “Where are the other girls, Steve?”

Steve eyed Scarlet nervously, his
fingers combing his shaggy blonde hair. “We couldn’t get them to
come.”

“
What?!” Rory roared, his
face flushed and eyes dark. “We need three!”

Scarlet took a frightened step back and
hugged her shoulders. A lump formed in her throat as she watched
things go from bad to worse.