On the Fringe (19 page)

“How do
you
know? You haven’t been around to notice,” she said, frowning.

“I’m serious, Claire. Have you ever noticed the only time he haunts you is right after we connect like this?”

She started to say something, but stopped and bit her lip, then started up again. “What?
No!
Our connection? This?”

“I think it’s how he haunts you…but I’m not positive.”

“
What?
Why?”

“I don’t know. You just might be more vulnerable to the other side, I mean, to
my
side, after this. At least that’s a theory.”

Claire looked like I’d socked her in the stomach. “No. That can’t be right, Daniel. I’m sure he’s come before…” But she stopped protesting once she thought it through. “It can’t be. It’s not fair.”

“That’s why I stayed away, Claire. I don’t know what to do. I want to be with you…but I’m afraid for you.”

Landon or his loser friend honked the horn and flashed the lights, making Claire jump. I hugged her even tighter, but could already tell the time was almost gone. Reluctantly, she looked over at the car then back into my eyes, quickly kissing me once more.

“Please don’t let him keep you away from me,” she said. “I’d rather–” but before she could finish, our time was up.

Our eyes locked on each other as she made her way back to the car. She looked so sad. I wanted to follow her home to make sure she was okay, but couldn’t contain the overwhelming depression seeping into my mind.

As Landon’s car pulled back onto the road, I shifted to the quiet lake and let the canoe carry me wherever it decided to go. Water lapped the sides, relaxing me, even though I could sense a storm was on its way. Hypnotized by a sky littered with countless stars, I wondered how I was going to do this. Wondered how long we had before Aden came again.

Claire

The night would’ve been a complete disaster if not for Daniel. Addie definitely owed me. Josh? Okay, so he wasn’t so bad, but not particularly great, either. And “dreamy” Landon? Well, hopefully Addie realized how clueless he was after he dropped her off at the end of the driveway. Dropped her off! At the end! Then honked obnoxiously as she made her way up to the door. Alone.

I expected Mom to be eagerly waiting at the door for details, and was slightly shocked to find her in her room. Maybe Dad being home tonight made it easier for her to relax a little.

After changing from too-tight jeans and an itchy shirt into sweats and a t-shirt, I padded through the house in fuzzy snowball slippers, first to kiss a sleeping Mom and Dad goodnight, and then to venture into the dark kitchen for a snack. I flicked on the pantry light and cracked the door a bit while rummaging through the cabinets for some comfort food.

Other than eating, I had no clue what to do with myself. I was too afraid to sleep, always wondering when the onslaught of horror was going to make an appearance. Was Daniel right? Was my ghost tormentor just waiting for this? Waiting to strike?

Ice cream sounded good. I scooped out some Chocolate Malted Crunch while thinking of Daniel, picturing the way he looked at me tonight. The thought sent shivers up my spine. I couldn’t stop smiling, remembering our kiss, wishing we had more than a lousy four and a half minutes. I didn’t want to believe tonight was really our last together. It couldn’t be. I wouldn’t allow it.

“Claire,” said a quiet voice from behind me.

I whirled around to find Dad standing in a sliver of the dim pantry light, his hair a mess. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized half-asleep.

I gulped down my ice cream and shuddered. “
Everything
scares me lately. Did I wake you up? I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. But it is kind of late for ice cream, don’t you think? Is everything okay?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said before letting him swallow me up inside a giant bear hug. “I thought I was being quiet.”

“You probably were. I couldn’t sleep, either. Guess I’m not used to going to bed this early. How was your date?”

“Nothing too exciting.”

He turned on the kitchen lights, blinding me, and then went to the sink for a glass of water. I closed my eyes to block out the light while concentrating on the smooth, cool sensation of cream sliding down my throat, savoring every ounce. For some reason the cold combined with the sweet soothed me, even though I was exhausted.

“Well, try to get to bed soon, okay?” Dad kissed me on the forehead and put his glass in the sink before flipping out the light. “Love you.”

“You too, Dad.” But, then something at the sliding door caught my eye. “
Wait
…”

Pressed up against the glass was a strange face, watching us. He looked young, maybe nineteen or twenty, with a distinctive shaved head that glowed in the moonlight. At first I paused, confused, my mind not quite registering, and then my heart dove into the fiery acid of my stomach as I pointed at the window. Strange squealing sounds streamed from my mouth as Dad jerked backward at my reaction.

Realizing he’d been discovered, the Peeping Tom reeled backward and disappeared. But Dad was already after him. Stumbling over a couple of chairs, he briefly hesitated to unlock the back door before leaping out into the dark.

He was really there? Dad saw him, too
?

I didn’t know what was real anymore, and that thought scared me even more. My legs were shaking, barely holding me up as I gaped at the open door, waiting for something else to happen. All I could hear was my own pulse in my ears.

And then that noise again.

“Ssssrooophhhh.”

I spun around to find the ghost named Aden hovering right behind me. I stepped backward, knocking into a chair while trying to keep him as far away as possible. He seemed to be beaming with enthusiasm, like he had a surprise he couldn’t wait to reveal. Tonight his hair was smooth and tame, like he’d taken extra care to get it just right, and I could see every detail in his face, every button on his shirt. Even the contours of his cheekbones stood out against the deep holes that were his dark, onyx eyes.

He drifted to me, grinning, and put his arm around me. I almost fainted when I felt pressure on my shoulders. But I couldn’t let Mom or Dad know what I could see. It would only convince them I needed help. Slowly, I backed away from him, but he followed.

“What do you want?” I asked, trying to exude a little confidence, but mostly just wanting to shrink down into a little fleck of dust.

He reached for my hand. I gasped and pulled it away the moment a cold, burning sensation passed beneath my skin.

“Get away from me,” I whispered, looking around the kitchen for some kind of weapon, though I didn’t know why. It wasn’t like I could attack him.

“What in the world?” I turned to find Mom standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes, apparently a couple of hours into her beauty sleep. Her usual smooth, dark curls were now matted together into a bed-headed mess. Speechless, she surveyed the mess of toppled chairs and open door, and then reached for the light switch.

Daniel materialized from out of nowhere, standing right next to Mom, an undecipherable expression on his face—something between surprise and concern, and maybe even fear. I wasn’t sure. Aden sneered at us both, and then vanished just as Dad barged back in through the door, his hair messy and his cheeks flushed. He leaned against the doorway, holding his side and panting.

“What’s going on?” Mom asked, her voice all high-pitched and nervous-sounding as she looked from Dad, to me, back to Dad again.

“I don’t know…we saw…Claire and I…” Dad looked at me while trying to catch his breath. “…there was someone outside…watching us through the window…”

Daniel eyed me curiously, perhaps trying to gauge my reaction.

“You saw him too,” I said, relieved to know I wasn’t alone in this. Dad gave me a rare look of irritation. “I just thought…maybe my scream startled you, or something.”

He ran his hand through his thick, dirty-blond hair. “You think I raced outside in the middle of the night because you screamed?”

I ignored his question, skipping straight to my own. “Why was he watching us, Dad?” I looked up, trying to stay calm in front of Daniel, but the fear of a strange Peeping Tom and psycho ghost who wouldn’t leave me alone was overwhelming. Dad just shook his head, though he seemed a little calmer now. I couldn’t believe he really chased after that guy. I didn’t know he had it in him.

Daniel drifted closer to me, possibly for a little mental support, which helped because I was starting to feel faint.

Probably trying to release some of the tension, Dad started picking up and rearranging the scattered chairs. “I have no idea, Claire. I almost had him down by the lake, but then he hopped over Mrs. Thompson’s fence, and I lost him.”

Mom put her arm around me. “Are you okay, honey?”

“Not really,” I admitted, burying my face in her chest, glad she was there, after all.

“It’s okay,” Mom said, her fingers smoothing my hair.

I gripped her arm for support when the air grew thick and warm. A sudden knot twisted in my stomach and the kitchen started to spin.

“I’m sorry, Claire,” I heard a calmer, gentler Dad speaking. But he sounded so far away now…somewhere off in a tunnel…or underwater. Little white specks were floating all around my head, bursting apart like popping bubbles.

The next thing I knew, my head was cradled in Mom’s lap and I was lying on the couch. She skimmed her fingertips along the edge of my temple, a light tickling sensation soothing my skin. While resisting consciousness, I clearly heard Dad’s quiet voice above me, but I pretended to be asleep.

“I
swear
I saw him earlier at the train station,” Dad quietly said to Mom.

“Which station? Here?”

“No. Embarcadero,” he said, his voice laden with concern. “I noticed him, because we were the only two in our car.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.” His voice faltered a bit. “I don’t know. Now I’m second-guessing myself, but I’m still pretty sure it was him.”

“Do you think the police will find him?”

“I don’t know…”

Silence. My eyes fluttered, and found the strength to open. Both Mom and Dad stared at me, worry seeping out through their unconvincing mask of calm.

CHAPTER TWELVE
WILD GHOST CHASE

Claire

The sun’s warmth woke me the next morning despite a chill inside me that refused to thaw. I could hear a buzz of strange voices out in the hallway, and when I opened my door, a small crew of workers with drills and walkie-talkies in hand were wandering around the house.

Once dressed, I strategically dodged them and found Mom and Dad in the kitchen, eating breakfast. They both looked up when I walked in, their faces etched with concern. Even with reassurance that I was okay, Mom kept fretting over me, apologizing for what happened last night, as if she’d caused the whole fiasco.

I changed the subject and asked Dad what was going on. He started explaining the security system being installed. Mom finally seemed to relax as Dad went on and on about codes, beeps, windows and doors. But I had stopped listening, mentally moving on to the Peeping Tom’s face—and the fact that Dad had chased him for me. I never expected that.

“Claire, why don’t you eat something?” Mom asked, interrupting my thoughts and Dad’s long-winded dissertation on how the alarm system was going to make us safer.

Mr. Head Security Guy with noticeably huge sideburns came around the corner with a bunch of questions for Dad, so I grabbed a muffin and a pair of shoes and sneaked out the front door. My own house suddenly felt like a crime scene, and I desperately needed to get away.

At first, I wandered down to the dock and lay out on the splintery boards, letting the sun soak into me while eating my muffin. But too soon, every chirp or bark or creaking tree made me jump, and I couldn’t relax anymore for fear of that Peeping Tom sneaking up on me.

I hopped up and climbed the hill, walking past the lake and Addie’s house, directly toward Main Street. I had no idea where I was going. I was just
going
.

“Claire-bear!” a very familiar voice echoed from behind just before I reached the entrance to our street. I turned to find Addie half-walking, half-jogging to catch up to me.

“Where you going?” she asked, catching up.

“Nowhere, I guess. Just on a walk. You want to come?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Sure.”

It wasn’t quiet for more than three seconds because Addie couldn’t stand not talking. “I’m so sorry about last night,” she said, walking backwards, facing me. I didn’t answer. It was always fun seeing where she would take her one-sided conversations. “Okay, so you were right,” she continued. “It didn’t really turn out like I imagined. Landon wasn’t my type. He’s definitely hot, though. Too bad he knows it.”

I smiled and pushed the “walk” button at the intersection as we waited to cross.

“Seriously, whatever you want—you name it. I am so sorry you got sick. Do you feel any better today?”

Right. Since the confusion from last night, I’d forgotten about my whole fake-puking-on-the-side-of-the-road-so-I-could-meet-with- Daniel act. I smiled at the thought of it. “I’m fine now. It was probably the hot dogs. I didn’t really feel like hot dogs–”

Addie whacked me in the arm. “Can you believe they took us to get
hot dogs?
On a date? Gross!”

The light turned green. We crossed to the other side to catch a biking/walking trail alongside the canal while rehashing all the details of our fabulous night and even more fabulous dates.

Addie turned to me suddenly. “What’s up with the security van in front of your house?”

“You’re never going to believe it.”

“Try me.”

A jogger was approaching from behind, and I waited to explain until he passed. Call me paranoid. “When I got home last night, a sicko-Peeping Tom was watching me through the kitchen window.”

“Shut
up!
” She hit me on the arm again. I could feel a bruise coming on. “Are you
serious
? Are you
okay
? Who was he? Did you call the cops?”