Markings (4 page)

Oh, boy. The staff was one of those cliquey, lets-date-our-coworkers groups.

“Hey, everybody, this is Lina,” Trinity said brightly. “Lina, this is my boyfriend, Tom, and that’s Alison’s boyfriend”—she pointed at eyeliner guy— “Nate.”

“Hey, what’s up?” Tom nodded at me, all smiling and polite. His bright aura made me like him almost instantly. He reminded me of that kind of popular guy from high school, the smart, funny one that everyone couldn’t help liking.

Nate waved at me. The shy type.

“So,” Tom said, addressing the group. “I got a call from a hiker outside the reserve, saying he saw an injured coyote wandering inside the fence line. I say we go check it out, yes?”

“I’ll go. Come on, Lina.” Trinity nodded towards the doors. “You should go, too.”

“Sounds good.” I nodded. It was another chance to talk to her about Aaron, see if I really should be worried about his behavior. And I followed the lovebirds outside to a black, doorless jeep parked by the reserve’s gates.

•   •   •

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I left the high school’s English wing. It was from Mom.
Running late. It might be a little while. Can you call Kat for a ride?

Ugh, Mom
. I let out a growl. So much for “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I texted her back:
Are you sure you can’t make it sooner?

My phone buzzed again.
I’m trying, okay? Call Kat and see if she can get there sooner. How did you do on the test? Any better this time?

I don’t know she hasn’t graded it yet. I think I did better though.

I had stayed after school to retake an English test I’d bombed the first time. Because of that, however, I’d missed my bus and had no ride. As I stepped out of the building, I dialed Kat’s number. The sky had filled with dark grey clouds tinged with hot orange, the sun a smoky red ball near the horizon.

“Hey, you’ve reached Kat,” Kat’s voice chimed through the line. “I’m probably in the bathroom or I might’ve lost my phone again. Anyways! Leave me a message and I’ll probably call you back. Loves!”

“Hey, Kat,” I said after the beep went off. “Call me soon as you can. Thanks.”

Rain started plopping down in big drops after I hung up. I stood under the covered walkway outside the lobby, spotting a streak of lightning in the hills. By the time I saw a second streak, the thunder started, and the air smelled like damp, warm dirt.

Dropping my bags, I sat down on a bench. Thunderstorms reminded me of home, though I’m not sure why because we didn’t get many. Maybe because the last one we had, Mom and I had been running around the beach in the rain. It had been so humid and warm out, lightning bolts were shining on the ocean. Seaside rarely had warm storms like that. We had ducked under cover at the aquatic museum, just marveling at the artwork of Mother Nature.

I was so lost in my memories that I hadn’t heard his footsteps, but as I dropped my chin to my hand I realized a shadow had appeared beside me. Turning my head, I gasped, nearly falling off my bench.
Speaking of Mother Nature’s artwork
.

Aaron half-smiled, hands in his jacket pockets. A leather bag was slung over his shoulder, car keys dangling from one hand. He wore straight-legged jeans with the knees torn out . . . jeans that showed no sign of bandage or a cast underneath.

“Hey,” he said.

“Um, hey.” I straightened up, hoping he couldn’t see my heart pounding below my shirt. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “Makeup work for class. You?”

“Same.” It was too embarrassing to say I bombed a test and decided to retake it.

“Oh.” He nodded, glancing out at the parking lot. The Cougar sat partially hidden behind a newer style Acura. Being the only two vehicles in the second row, I wondered how I didn’t see it sooner.

“So . . . You waiting for your ride?” Aaron asked.

I nodded. “You heading to the shelter?”

“No. Home.” His eyes drifted sideways, back up to mine. “You need a ride?”

I blinked at him. Whoa. Did he really just ask me that? My stomach, while enduring a new shipment of butterflies, turned a little sour. Too many secrets hid behind those gorgeous eyes. While part of me was dying to take him up on his offer, the other part screamed bad idea.

“My mom should be here anytime. But thanks.”

He sighed, looking towards the sky. A lightning flash went off over the mountains. “You know, it’s not like I’m some creeper out to get you or something like that.”

There it was: the perfect opening for me to finally start questioning him. I opened my mouth, about to take it.

But then he added, with a very cute, warm smile that made those freckles stretch, “Though I do keep hoping you’ll give me the chance to know a little more about you. You seem sort of . . . special. Not like other girls.”

I forgot how to speak. Closing my mouth, I sat there a second, soaking in his words. Special? Me, the plain girl who wore glasses and couldn’t keep her hair straight, who hates high heels and can’t flirt to save her life—
that
was the so-called special girl he wanted to know more about?

“I’m sorry,” I said, thinking this might be some kind of cruel joke, “but I doubt I’m your type.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “How about you let me decide that, okay?” He nodded towards the Cougar. “Come on, I won’t bite.”

“I . . .” I couldn’t come up with a response. By this time, my whole face and neck had turned colors, and I shivered with the idea that Aaron seemed to like me. Not just like me, but
like
-liked me. I’d never really had a boyfriend. It was an awesome feeling, but then it was an awful feeling because . . . it could be a joke. And I could be falling for it. Boys had pulled jokes on me like this before, and it was cruel.

I meant to tell him no. I still didn’t think it was a good idea. But when I opened my mouth, somehow the words came out like, “I, um . . . Okay.”

He grinned. “Cool. Come on.”

Picking up my bags, I felt goose bumps pop up as I moved to follow him. Okay, so I should’ve said no. I should’ve told him that he had a whole lot of explaining to do before I’d even look at him again . . . but I couldn’t. He was just too alluring, and to be honest I knew his type: you had to play in
his
field if you wanted answers to anything. I wanted answers, and I wanted to see if he was being honest about liking me. If he wasn’t and had other intentions, a can of pepper spray sat in the pocket of my purse.

I quickly sent a text to Mom.
Friend is giving me a ride home. See you at the house.

Aaron sauntered towards the Cougar, moving evenly beside me. There wasn’t a limp or a stagger, or anything to his walk that said he’d been injured. Peering through the window, I saw the interior of his car was well-kept and totally old school. The windows had a crank handle to roll them up versus a button. The seats were made of glossy black leather, and in the dash I spotted a tape player instead of a CD player.

“You like retro much?” I asked, staring at a Marilyn Monroe sticker on the glove box.

“It was my dad’s,” Aaron replied, unlocking the doors.

“Oh.” The way he used the past tense said that was not a subject open for discussion.

We were silent as we slid into the car, side by side. I tensed as he reached near me to turn the heat on. He noticed, eyes flicking to the thigh I’d pulled away, but he didn’t comment. I made note that if he was going to attack me, this would’ve been the perfect time. Instead, he steered the Cougar out of the lot, ignoring the directional arrows and yellow lines.

“You don’t have like, any DUIs or speeding tickets I should be concerned about, right?” I asked.

He laughed darkly. “One speeding ticket when I was eighteen, but nothing else. I don’t drink. I don’t care much for the party scene or anything that goes with it.”

“Oh.” Whew. That was a relief. “So, no bar fights on the weekends?”

He gave me a funny look like,
where’d you get that idea
? “Definitely not. I avoid town and people as much as I can.”

“So, you tripped down the stairs and went through a window, and that’s how you tore up your leg?”

Maybe it was my imagination, but it looked like he flinched. “No. Good guess though. Animal attack.”

My eyes widened. “The cougar?”

“No. Dog.”

“At the shelter?”

“Nearby.”

“Well, wait, I’m confused. Same weekend or different weekend? Because I didn’t see any dog the night I found you. I just know the cougar escaped.”

“Different.” He fidgeted for some reason, tapping his fingers on the wheel and shifting in his seat. “No, the night you found me I was coming back from the reserve. I’ll go jogging in there sometimes—don’t tell Jamie—and that was the night I came back and . . . ran into the cougar.”

“Oh. Hmm.” So he had lied about not remembering anything.
I knew it
.

“Anyways, it’s over now. Nothing to worry about. I’m fine,” he said. “Tell me about you. How much longer are you at the shelter?”

“Another week or two. Not totally sure. Jamie will tell me when she doesn’t need my help anymore.”

“Ah, I see. You like working at my work?”

“Yes. Do you like going to school at my school?”

“Not particularly.”

I laughed. “Yeah, me neither. Wait.” I scrunched my eyebrows. “You got a speeding ticket when you
were
eighteen. How old are you now?”

He grimaced. “Nineteen.”

“So, were you held back a year? Are you a super senior?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Why?”

“Personal problems. Most of my teenage years were sort of messy, I guess you could say. I didn’t really care about education back then.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” I frowned. “Mine were kind of messy, too.”

“Yeah. Things were pretty bad.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Some people, like a few at the shelter perhaps, might tell you I’m not a friend worth keeping anymore. I’m arrogant. Cold. Stupid.”

“Well, according to my mother all men are at one point or another.” I shrugged, sort of joking.

He glanced at me as we hit a red light. The way his expression sort of froze I knew he hadn’t gotten the joking part and was waiting for
my
opinion—not my mom’s.

So I finally laid it out. “To be honest, you sort of creep me out, Aaron. You buried your face in my hair in the woods, and you keep popping up in my life at these weird, random times. I’m probably just being neurotic, but still. ”

Color crept into his cheeks. “Yeah, I guess I can see why you think that.”

“So do you care to explain yourself?”

“No. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You might be surprised what I understand.”

“I might, but I’m not ready to risk it yet.” He smiled again. “I will explain sometime though, okay?”

I bit my lip, frustrated. “You
will
explain.”

“I will,” he promised. “So. Do you think I’m cold?”

“No. I don’t think you’re stupid, either. Arrogant? Maybe a little. I’m not sure yet.”

He snorted. “Look, I’m sorry I creeped you out. I didn’t mean to. Will you give me another chance?”

“Maybe. You’re on probation at the moment.”

He laughed. “Fair enough.”

“I’ll let you know if that changes.” I smiled as we cruised down Meyer Road towards Donovan. I wondered if I misjudged him, if maybe he was just eccentric and not a creeper. I started to think I could cut him a little slack . . . until we got to my house.

Chapter 4: Rumors

T
he driveway was empty as usual, my front porch darkened with shadows. The porch light hadn’t activated upon our arrival like it should have. The Cougar hummed to a stop in front of the garage.

“Thanks for the ride,” I told Aaron while plucking my bags off the floor. I dug my house keys out of my purse, noticing that at least the kitchen light was on. It’d finally stopped pouring and thundering, but water still peed out of the gutters.

Aaron squinted at the house, observing Harry’s glowing eyes in the front window. “You’re home alone a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, but I’m getting used to it.”
Oops
. I wondered if I should’ve been less honest about how much I got left alone. I started to open my car door. “So I’ll see you—”

I’d barely cracked the door, cool air rolling inside when Aaron threw himself across me, shoving me flat into the seat. He wrenched the door shut, slapping down the lock.

My heart shot up into my ears. “Aaron, what the hell—”

“Shh!” He held totally still, eyes wide, focused across the lawn.

I craned my neck, but it was too dark to see. Squinting, I thought I saw a shift of shadows against the trees, a flash of eyes, but it could’ve been my imagination. A few seconds passed. Aaron sat up.

“Okay, what is going on?” I demanded, pulling my purse close. I squeezed the pocket with my pepper spray. “I just start to think you aren’t so bad then you go and freak me out again. What the hell?”

“I know—I just . . . sit tight.” He whipped his seatbelt off, jumping out of the car.

I watched him as he circled around the Cougar’s hood. Okay, so he’d clearly seen something I had not. Something he felt was worth stopping me from exiting the vehicle. But how could he see anything through the darkness under the trees?

My suspicion continued to rise as he opened my door and said, “Mind if I walk you up?”

Standing on the porch, I took my time unlocking the door. I eyed him, waiting for him to say something. He stood quietly beside me, still watching the woods. Eventually I had to open the door. He turned his head at the sound of the lock.

I crossed my arms. “What did you see?”

His gaze went sideways. Maybe it was me, or the dim amount of light we had, but the gold around his eyes seemed brighter. “I’m not entirely sure. Probably nothing.” Another glance at the trees. “Stay inside tonight, will you? And keep your doors locked?”

“Fine. But—”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He jogged back down the steps, towards the Cougar without even a glance back.

Once inside, I bolted and locked the door, shaking my head.
Freaking weirdo
. Just when I started to think he might be normal. I lifted Harry out of the windowsill as I watched Aaron linger by his car door, hands in his pockets. His casual act didn’t fool me; he was still on edge.

Harry sprawled against my shoulder as I carried him upstairs. I hated the emptiness of the house tonight. Setting him on the bed, I stripped off my clothes and tried to mentally detox. Okay, today was gone. School, done. All I needed to worry about—besides the possibility of something lurking outside and Aaron acting psycho—was dinner.

My shoulders tingled as I pulled my nightgown over my head. I’d snuck off at lunch to rub another round of Cortisone on them, but now they itched again.

The Cortisone was missing from the bathroom, so I checked Mom’s room. Flicking her lamp on, I shuffled through her bedside drawers then saw it atop her scattered jewelry. Twisting the cap off, I turned to leave when a splotch of blue caught my eye.

Aaron’s Cougar sat below, still in the driveway.
What the—
? Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard his engine. I stared out the window, wondering if maybe he was on the phone or something. A closer look confirmed I was wrong—he didn’t appear to even be
in
the car. The Cougar sat still, silent . . . alone.

Pulling my robe tight around me, I jogged back down to the front windows, expecting to see him standing on the porch. It, too, appeared to be unoccupied. Where was he, wandering around somewhere?

In the kitchen’s junk drawer, I dug out a working flashlight. So much for our truce this evening—sorry, but this was a violation of his probation. Swapping slippers for UGG boots, I trudged back outside.

“Aaron?” My voice echoed across the yard. The world seemed unnaturally silent again. “Aaron!” I called again.

The wind picked up, whining against the house. The storm had gone, but left behind a chilly atmosphere. In the shine of the flashlight, I could see my breath. I wasn’t equipped to go out hunting for him, and I had no desire to. But his car was here and he was not. Something wasn’t right. What if he was in trouble? Freak or not, I didn’t want to see him injured again. Stepping off the porch, I ignored his warning to stay inside and started towards the car.

Keys hung from the ignition, his leather jacket tossed on the passenger side seat. I reached down, pulling the handle. The door swung open, unlocked. Okay, so he left access to pretty much everything. He must’ve been planning to come right back. I flashed my light across the yard, where he had been looking before he’d flung himself over me.
He touched you
. I blushed while remembering how warm he’d been against me.
Stop it, Lina
.
Focus
. I shook my head. Instinct said he’d gone towards the trees.

I crept slowly over the lawn, jerking my head around every time I thought I saw movement. A sudden memory returned to me of looking out at Ms. Cummings’ lawn, seeing those creatures move across her driveway. I was just steps from the wood’s entrance when a set of large, clawed paw prints appeared beside my feet in the grass.

That’s when I heard it.

Through the woods came a cry so violent it could’ve shattered the sound barrier. It was ear-splintering, a cross between nails raking metal and the shriek of an injured coyote.

I ran. Aaron was on his own.

The front door slammed shut behind me and I jammed the lock into place. I sunk against the wall, goose bumps covering my legs. The sound replayed over and over in my head. I tried to catch my breath, shaking from head to toe. I’d never heard such an awful noise before. Whatever had made it suffered severe agony.

Whatever had made that noise . . . it was dying.

I have no idea how long I sat there. When I could finally get up, I went to the kitchen and locked the cat flaps. No way were they going out tonight. Grabbing the cordless phone I called Mom. Her voicemail came on.
Damn it
! Why couldn’t she pick up during the times I needed her most? I didn’t bother to leave a message. Hanging up, I returned to the living room.

Just before moving upstairs, I peeked out the window again.

Aaron’s car was gone.