Masquerade (14 page)

The woman’s obvious
distress over Heven won out over her surprise at seeing
me
.
“She came out
to take out the trash…she’s been gone a long time. I shouldn’t have
let her come out here alone.” The woman wrung her hands, clearly
upset
.
Little did
she know if she had come out with Heven, she would now be
dead.

“
I’ll help you find her,” I
volunteered. It took everything in me not to race to the dumpster
and give away that I knew exactly where she was. Instead I poked
around for a minute before going over and climbing up the ladder.
Thanks to my enhanced vision I could see her in the
dark.

The sight both tore my
heart and sent flames of anger licking at my insides. She was so
small and helpless looking. She was curled into a ball, with her
hands balled into fists and hugged tightly to her chest. Tears
streaked her cheeks. I could see the rapid rising and falling of
her chest and the shaking of her limbs. I leapt down into the
container, silently vowing to make things right.

Even if it was the last thing I
did.

Heven

I was crying before, but as
soon as I heard his voice I started sobbing. He was here, and I was
safe. Suddenly the dumpster vibrated again,
but I wasn’t afraid anymore. My feeling of safety around Sam
eclipsed the fear I felt of whatever else was out there. But then I
realized that Sam was now in danger too. My lips worked, but no
sound came out except for a small squeak.

Then he was there, pulling
me up and against his chest. “Heven?” I hardly recognized his voice
– which was strained and full of anxiety – but I knew the feel of
him, and I dug my hands into his back, trying to get him closer.
“It’s all right now,” he soothed.

Once again I tried to warn
him, but all that came out were deep sobs. He didn’t demand to know
why I was crying or why I was in the trash, and he didn’t try to
force me out. He simply sank down into the trash with me and held
on.

“
I found her!” he called
over my tears.

“
Heven! Are you hurt?” Mrs.
Bennet yelled. I completely forgot about her. Had she seen what had
happened? Had she heard the horrible sounds of fighting?

I shook my head in response to her
question, not realizing she couldn’t see me. “She’s fine,” Sam
called.

“
Thank
goodness!”

“
What happened?” Sam
whispered against my ear.

“
There was an animal. It
tried to attack me.”

“
An animal?”

I nodded. “I was so scared. It…it
tried to get in here.”

“
You’re safe now,” he
murmured, stroking my hair.

“
I’m so glad you’re here,”
I sniffled.

“
I wish
I’d been here sooner
.”

“
How did you know I was
here?”

“
I didn’t. I just got off
work and drove by in case you might still be
here
. When I got here I heard that lady
calling for you.”

“
I was hiding.”

“
I know. It was good
thinking.”

“
You found me.”

“
I heard you
crying.”

I took a fistful of his shirt. “It was
just like last time.”

“
You remember?” He stilled
and suddenly seemed tense.

“
No. But I remember feeling
afraid and alone…” a shudder went through me.

“
You’re not alone anymore,”
he vowed. “Let’s get you out of here.”

He helped me up and climbed down the
ladder first, standing at the bottom with his arms up in case I
fell. Mrs. Bennet was pacing on the pavement, and when I hit the
ground, she swept me into a hug. “I was so worried! What
happened?”

“
There was a dog out here,
and it tried to attack me. I climbed in the dumpster to
hide.”

“
Oh, dear. It probably
smelled the leftover food in the trash and wanted it.”

We all looked at the trash bag still
lying on the ground where I’d dropped it. It was
untouched.

“
You probably scared it
away before it could have its meal,” Sam told Mrs.
Bennet.

“
Who are you?” Mrs. Bennet
asked. Now that she knew I was safe, I could see her switching to
chaperon.

“
I’m Sam Kavanagh.” He held
out his hand. “I’m a friend of Heven’s from school. She told me she
would be here, and I wanted to return a book she lent me in class
today.”

“
Hello,” Mrs. Bennet
responded. I could see her taking in his
Planet Fitness
T-shirt and
khakis
.
Even
though he was dirty and rumpled, the proof he had a job went a long
way in gaining him some brownie points with her.
“I would have been here sooner, but I just got
off work.” Sam explained to Mrs. Bennet.

“
Very
commendable
for such a young man to
have a job.”

“
Mrs. Bennet, would it be
okay if Sam took me home? It would give us a chance to discuss the
assignment I lent him the book for.”

“
Well
, I don’t know…” I could see her debating whether or not Sam
was trustable. I held my tongue knowing if I begged she might say
no. She seemed to come to a decision and nod. “Go straight
home.”

“
Yes, Ma’am,” I said,
trying to calm my shaking insides.

“
I’ll help you to your
car, Ma’am.” Sam said placing a hand at the small of my back and
guiding me along with him toward Mrs. Bennett’s car. His hand was
warm against my back, and I shivered. He watched me out of the
corner of his eye as he helped the lady into her car and shut the
door. He gave her wave as she drove off then he turned toward
me.

“
Are you hurt?” he asked,
the sound of his deep voice brushed over me.

“
No.”

Without another word he
guided me around the front of the building and toward his waiting
truck. My stomach cramped with nerves
–
afraid that whatever had attacked
me would come back
.
I glanced at Sam. He didn’t show the least bit of anxiety,
and it made me relax. If Sam thought we were safe then we
were.

Once inside the truck he
turned the ignition but instead of driving away he dropped his
hands and turned toward me. “Come here,” he commanded softly, and I
couldn’t comply fast enough. I fit myself against him, breathing in
his scent and sighed. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and
murmured something too low for me to understand then he put the
truck into drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

The next thing I knew he
was nudging me awake. “You’re home,” he whispered.

“
Want to stay with you.” I
yawned, snuggling closer; he was deliciously warm.

“
How am I
supposed to leave
now?” He
groaned.

“
Don’t.”

“
You know I have
to.”

“
Yeah.” I sat up, rubbing a
hand over my eyes. “Thanks for coming. I would probably still be in
that dumpster.”

“
I’m beginning to think I
should drive you everywhere.”

“
I would like
that.”

“
So would I.”

“
Will you text me when you
get home?” The thought of him leaving made my stomach
hurt.

“
Sure.” For the first time
that night I looked into his eyes. They were angry and
hard.

“
You’re angry.”

“
At that animal that scared
you.” He brushed a hand through my hair.

I didn’t bother to tell him
there was more than one. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I
looked out at the
walk. It seemed like a
twenty mile hike to the front door. In the dark.

“
Come on,” Sam said,
getting out of the truck and coming around to get me. He led me to
the front door, his eyes
scanning the yard
as we walked. Instead of feeling reassured I felt frightened all
over again. At the church he seemed confident that whatever had
been there was gone, and his confidence calmed me. But here
–
he made it seem that
he needed to protect me. That something might be watching. Like
maybe whatever I imagined being out here all those nights was real
and not a fragment of my imagination and bad dreams. It made me
wonder if I was safe in my home
.

“
I’ll see you first thing
at school,” he told me.

I nodded.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to
my forehead. “Sweet dreams tonight.”

“
Bye.”

He waited until I was in
the house with the door closed and locked before he left. Once
upstairs I did my nightly routine, pausing in front of a mirror
before getting in bed. I stared hard at the jagged scars on the
side of my face. Scars that could have been made by an animal…I
searched every corner of my mind for a memory from that night, even
a brief one. There was nothing. It was like the accident had never
happened, except it had, and I wore the proof on my face. Did the
same animal that attacked me then come back tonight to finish the
job
? As I climbed into bed I told myself
that I was being silly and paranoid and that it was just a
coincidence. But, I lay there awake and tense, willing myself to
remember, until I gave
up – exhausted. Yet
I still couldn’t relax. Only after I received Sam’s text that he
was safely home was I able to fall asleep.

The Hate

Come out to play little
girl.

She was hiding like the
coward I knew she was and whimpering like a baby. I thought about
jumping into the
dumpster, ripping her
apart and
leaving her to rot with
yesterday’s trash. The idea had some merit.

But that wasn’t why I was
here, and there wasn’t enough time. As much as I wanted the little
bitch to die, I had another agenda tonight. I had a point to prove.
He was pushing me too far, not doing what I told him to do. I had
to show him who was in control.

And just like I knew he
would, he showed up. I made sure that the show was in full swing
when he got there so he could see that she was mine whenever I
decided to take her. She was just so easy to take advantage
of
.
And his rage
was exactly what I wanted to see. He thinks he’s so much better
than the rest of us. But he isn’t. He tried to hold back but one
gash to the side and he let go of his control.

He fought better than I
anticipated. His anger gave him an advantage. But no matter. By the
time I am done taunting him he will be half-crazed, and then I will
make my move.

Until then I want him to
worry every time he isn’t with her to worry that she could be
gasping for her last breath. I want him to wonder if one day he
will be too late.

One day very soon he will
be.

The Hope

“
You should have come to
me.”

I understood his turmoil and I
sympathized. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“
We need to do something,
she is in danger.”

“
She is safe now.” It
appeared that he was special, that their love might be
enough.

I turned at the sound of his bitter
laugh. Bitterness had no place here. “You can’t possibly believe
that the sinner will protect her.”

“
He has been.”

“
He isn’t suitable for
her.”

“
Your anger is
understandable, but it is misplaced.”

“
She wasn’t supposed to be
involved.”

“
You know as well as I that
we have no control over these things.”

He gave a curt nod.

I held out my hand, and he came
forward and took it. “Let us pray.”

Heven

After my scare the night before, I was
feeling a little unsure of my decision to change my wardrobe.
Staying hidden was easier, and it called less attention to myself.
When I tried to get out of our shopping trip, Kimber wasn’t having
it.

“
Clearly your inconspicuous
wardrobe didn’t help you last night,” she pointed out.

“
I should never have told
you about last night,” I murmured, shoving a book into my
locker.

“
Too late.” She smiled.
“Come on, Heven, it will be fun. You need this.”

“
Fine.” I gave in. I really
did want something to wear tomorrow night when I went out with
Sam.

I closed my locker door and found his
handsome face staring at me. With unreadable eyes he appraised me.
When he was satisfied he smiled. “Hey, Beautiful.”

He was the beautiful one, from the top
of his messy dark blond head right down past his ripped up jeans to
the black boots on his oversized feet. “Hey, yourself.”