Help Wanted (5 page)

“So you'll take the job?” Herk asked.

“I …” Suddenly Robin wanted to say no, to say goodbye, to say she would never come near Manorwood ever again. But instead she heard herself speaking, as from a long way off. “I'll think about it.”

“See that you do. See that you show up here right after school.” He accompanied her to the door and stood there just inside the threshold as she went past him out onto the porch. She glanced back and he was nodding at her, and his face broke into an impish smile that was somehow tinged with a remote sadness.

“Tomorrow,” he said to her, and he lifted his hand in a salute. “You're needed here.”

Robin stared out into the darkness. A dozen excuses swirled through her brain, but when she turned back to face him, Herk had closed the door, leaving her alone on the steps.

That's it. That's the last time I ever answer some ad from some newspaper. He's crazy and the job is crazy and the whole family's probably crazier than he is
.…

Robin hurried back down the driveway. With every few steps she glanced over her shoulder at the silhouette of the house growing smaller and hazier through the trees. The night seemed darker than ever out here in the woods, and the fog had thickened so much, she could hardly see the twists and turns of the drive stretching out ahead of her. Surely the entrance couldn't be much farther—it hadn't seemed to take this long between the house and the main gates before. Without warning, a flash of memory came back to her—she saw herself taking the shortcut that morning, slipping in the mud, finding that bloody trench through the leaves. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she began to run.
Only an animal … that's all it was … only some poor animal
…

She didn't actually see the shadowy figure step out onto the drive in front of her—didn't actually see it slip silently from the fog and stand there, waiting.

Only when she was practically on top of it did Robin finally realize that something was blocking her path—and as she felt the impact of a body against hers, as she felt the arms clamp around her, such a wave of terror struck that she couldn't even scream.

“Well, now,” a voice hissed. “Why you runnin' so fast?”

She knew that voice.

Even in her paralyzed state, Robin knew that voice, for she'd heard it hundreds of times at school, on the campus, in the gym, in the maintenance room. She'd have known it even if it hadn't been thick with cigarette smoke and liquor, and as awareness began to seep into her brain, she also felt his breath on the side of her neck.

“Let me go!”

At last Robin was able to move, and as she twisted in his grasp and thrashed out at him, Roy Skaggs fell back and staggered several steps.

Robin's hands were raised, ready to swing again, but the man shook his head and grinned a lopsided grin.

“I know you,” he slurred. His grin widened, and he pointed with one limp arm. “Hey—I know you!”

“Don't you ever touch me again.” Robin was seething. “If you do, I'm going to report you to the police.”

“You can't do nothin',” he countered, his tone smug. “I work here, and you can't do nothin'. I belong here.”

“I don't think Mr. Swanson would like hearing how you attack his guests.” Robin fought to keep her voice steady. “Or how drunk you are. And I don't think the school would like to hear about it, either.”

“I didn't know it was you,” Skaggs said, his voice sinking to a whine. “Honest. I didn't know. I was just keepin' out intruders. I thought you was tryin' to rob the place. Sneakin' around like that—”

“I wasn't sneaking. If you ever try anything like that again, I'll—”

“Go 'head.” His lips curled in a snarl. “And I'll hurt you, little girl. You hear? Miss High-and-Mighty? I can and I will. So don't go gettin' any ideas.”

“Get out of my way,” Robin said icily.

She could see the gate now, looming at the end of the drive, and she pushed past him and raced toward it.

“You better run!” Skaggs yelled behind her. “You listen to me!”

Robin clamped her hands over her ears, trying to shut out the sound of his voice, but still she could hear him shouting at the top of his lungs.

“You better run, little girl, far away from this place! You better run for your
life!
”

Y
ou look kind of pale this morning.” Faye eyed Robin critically as they headed across the schoolyard. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Not really,” Robin admitted and was almost glad when Faye started rambling on and on about being with Zak the day before.

She
wanted
to tell Faye what had happened last night, how she'd finally gotten home from Manorwood and been a nervous wreck the rest of the evening, how she couldn't stop thinking about that woman in the portrait or the strange girl named Claudia.…

She'd
wanted
to tell her mother everything, too, had
started
to tell her a hundred different times, but something had held Robin back. Partly because she knew Mom wouldn't want her taking a job in a strange tragic household like that; partly because she hadn't been able to stop thinking about the hundred dollars a week.
The trip to Florida and new clothes, too
—
and such easy money!
Just sitting there going through boxes and shelves and making lists of books! Robin had finally told her mother
half
the truth—that she was working for a nice old man who needed his library put in order—and after Mom realized it was the Swanson family, she'd been too impressed to ask a lot of questions. Then Robin had gone directly up to bed, but she hadn't been able to sleep. Her stomach had been in knots all night, and she'd tossed until the alarm went off this morning.

The whole thing was weird, she'd told herself as she got ready for school.
Too weird
. There was a feeling about it she couldn't seem to shake, an uneasiness she couldn't get rid of. That whole suicide thing, and Herk's obvious hatred for Lillith, and why hadn't Parker ever mentioned his sister to anyone? To Robin's knowledge, none of the other kids had ever heard of Claudia Swanson, or she was sure someone would have said something. And then there was Skaggs, of course. He'd frightened her badly, that was part of it—
but he was drunk. He'll never remember a thing about it today
.

She wondered what Claudia looked like, how old she was, when she'd be able to meet her in person.

And she thought about Parker.

If I take that job, I'll be in that house, I'll be where Parker is, I'll get to know Claudia, and I'll find out what really goes on inside the walls of Manorwood, and I'll make tons of money in the process
.…

“Did you hear me?” Faye jostled her. “You look like you're a million miles away.”

“Oh. Sorry. I'm—”

“Look. There's Parker.”

Faye's voice ended on a breathless note, and Robin tried to look without being obvious. Parker was standing near the outside stairs, sharing a joke with the rest of the guys crowded around him.

Faye sighed again and nudged Robin with her elbow.

“I want a date with him. Please, God.”

As the girls passed by, Faye swung into her most seductive walk, and Robin steeled herself as whistles serenaded them into the building.

“Why do you do that?” she muttered. “It's so embarrassing.”

“No, it's not.” Faye giggled. “And I do it because I'm good at it.”

Faye let go of the door before she realized Robin hadn't quite crossed the threshold. Robin, struggling with her books, glanced up just in time to see the door swinging into her face.

Faye moaned. “He's so gorgeous. Honestly, Robin, sometimes I think—
Robin!
”

Robin managed to catch herself before she'd fully hit the floor. As her books spilled out helter-skelter, she went down on her knees and swore loudly at the pain. She felt her stockings rip and felt herself being squashed in the doorway and caught just a glimpse of Faye turning back for her. And then suddenly someone else was there, wedging open the door and pulling her to her feet.

“Rule number one. Never use your face for a doorstop.”

Flustered, Robin looked up into Parker's wide grin. She could hear jokes and laughter as students pushed past them, and Parker steered her clumsily to one side of the hall.

“You okay?” He propped her against the wall and glanced back as Faye came rushing up. “If you'd been watching where you were going instead of watching me—”

“I was not watching you!” Robin said angrily. She wished she could disappear. She wished she could just say a magic word and wake up to find her total humiliation was only a nightmare. But instead she looked helplessly at Faye as her friend peered into her face.

“Ewww! You're bleeding!” Faye squealed.

“I am?”

While Faye rummaged through her purse, Robin put one hand to her face and felt a warm trickle of blood across her lips. She started to say something when Faye slammed a tissue against her mouth, making her moan instead.

“Oh, that's great, Faye.” Parker chuckled. “I like that cute squashed look.”

“I'm helping her,” Faye said indignantly. “I
know
what I'm doing, thank you very—”

“Can we go?” Robin broke in. “Please? We're holding up traffic.”

Parker barely glanced at the curious onlookers streaming by in the corridor. “What do you mean, can you go? Do you realize how
popular
you are just because I'm standing here beside you?”

“You are such a jerk!” Robin burst out.

As Parker pressed her back against the wall, she saw Walt sauntering by, that faint look of amusement on his face.

“You sure know how to make a great impression, Bailey,” he greeted her and continued on down the hall.

“That's it,” Robin said. “I'm going.”

But before she could move, Parker took her chin in his hand and angled her head back. Faye didn't say a word; all she could do was stare.

“I hear,” Parker murmured, “that you and I might be seeing quite a lot of each other.”

Startled, Robin looked straight into his eyes.
So green … I've never seen eyes so green
.… It seemed to take all her effort to look away again. She glanced over at Faye, but the other girl looked hypnotized.

“Lucky you,” Parker whispered.

“Go start your own fan club,” Robin said, giving him a shove. “I've got to go to my locker.”

Again she tried to get away, but his fingers tightened ever so slowly on her chin, holding it firmly in place. Unnerved, she felt her gaze drawn back to his. For one split second it was as if she had no will of her own, as though she'd lost all sense of her surroundings, all sense of everything except the deep green of his eyes … and then suddenly she heard him speak, as from a long way off …

“You have no idea,” Parker whispered, “what you're getting yourself into.”

The bell rang.

It shattered the hold of his stare, and as Robin gasped and twisted free, she felt Parker's hand slide from her face.

He stepped back and grinned at a gaping Faye.

“Later,” he said and was gone.

For several seconds Robin just stood there, staring at the spot where Parker had been standing, then staring down at the crumpled tissue in her hand.

Faye groaned. “I hate you.”

“What?” Turning to face her friend, Robin saw the expression of disbelief on Faye's face.

“This is the second day in a row he's talked to you! And you don't even care! Everyone else would
die
for a look from this guy—and
you
don't even
care!
You need a brain transplant, Robin. What is
wrong
with you?”

“He knew your name, didn't he?” Robin muttered. She clamped her books to her chest and started walking.

“You're
right!
” Faye brightened. “He
did
know my name—he said it out loud! Oh, Robin, I just might get that date before Vicki after all!”

“Good luck,” Robin said sarcastically, and the two of them ran for class.

It was impossible to concentrate. As Robin stuck out her tongue and ran it gingerly over both lips, searching for cuts, she caught Mrs. Grouse's startled look and slid lower in her seat. She could see people staring at her from the corner of her eye. Embarrassed, she closed her mouth and leaned forward, burying her face in her math book. She couldn't believe she'd made such a total fool of herself out there in the hall. Her body felt hot and then cold, and her chin still tingled from the touch of Parker's hand.
Damn him!
What an ego he had! What an insensitive macho—

“Robin,” Mrs. Grouse said, “do you have a problem?”

“No, thank you. I'm okay.”

She could still hear Parker's voice in her mind … the last thing he'd said to her as he'd left … she could still feel the unsettling power of his eyes. Squirming in her chair, Robin looked up and saw Walt giving her a sidelong glance, his eyebrow raised knowingly.
But he couldn't know
—
he couldn't know what I'm thinking!
Flushing again, Robin lifted her book even higher.