Wicked (7 page)

In tiny font etched into the metal reads, Emerson Kragger.

“Emerson,” I whisper.

I look up at the girl in the tank. It’s the girl Chloe killed.

I take in her sharp beauty, full lips, almond shaped eyes. Chloe is so narcissistic she could have killed Emerson for her looks alone. That brings a whole new meaning to looks that kill. I stand and gaze at her sideways. I wonder if Gage found her attractive—if he could have loved her? Why else would Chloe kill her?

Just as I’m about to pluck my phone out of my pocket to take a picture, a hand flops over my shoulder and gives a gentle squeeze.

Chapter Thirteen

The Air up There

I don’t hesitate unleashing a wild drawn out scream. A scream that last for miles, that feels like it’s pulling my intestines out right through my vocal chords.

I can feel myself being lifted. That familiar tuning fork feeling emits all over, and I gasp for breath as I open my eyes.

“Marshall!”

He lifts his finger to his lips and places my feet down safe in a bedroom bathed in moonlight that happens to be my own. I run over and push the dresser over my door and flick the lights on. The alarm next to my bed reads two-thirty.

“Logan and Gage are still down there.”

His eyes track over me with a look of serious disdain. “Are they all you ever think about? Does it ever cross your mind that maybe Marshall’s down there? Gee, I wonder if Marshall’s safe today?” He postures himself as though he were me.

“Very funny.” I fish my cell out of my pocket and speed dial. I meant to hit Gage, but my thanks to my incompetent muscle memory, I automatically hit Logan’s name instead.

“Hello?” He sounds groggy as though he’s been asleep for hours.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the woods looking for you,” he whispers. “Are you OK?”

“Yes,” I say, looking hesitantly over at Marshall. “I found a backdoor and crawled out a latch. Um, I saw Mr. Dudley, and I hitched a ride home with him.” I’m sure Logan can read between the lines. “How’d you get out?”

“I sold my soul to the company store.”

“What does that mean?” I’m almost afraid to ask.

“I’ll explain another time.”

“What about Gage?”

“He’s out here with me. He says he’ll be over as soon as he drives his car home.”

Marshall cocks his head to the side. Tell him it’s not necessary. I’ll stay the night. It’s the least I could do after you spent the night at my place.

I avert my eyes at his offer. “Tell Gage to get here as fast as he can,” I whisper into the phone.

Marshall looks indignant. I’m not taking no for an answer. I won’t relish having to alter your boyfriend’s limbs in a horrific accident. These things are known to happen.

“On second thought, tell Gage I’ve got Brielle, and I don’t think he should come.” I don’t think those lines were quite as easy to read between.

“OK. Hey, Skyla?” Logan sounds winded.

“Yeah?” I watch as Marshall flops onto my bed backwards and fans his arms out.

“I would have done anything to save you,” he whispers almost secretively, “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Thanks.” For once I believe him.

I hang up and toss my phone on the nightstand.

“Get up.” I make sure my irritation comes in clear.

Marshall vaults up to the top of the canopy and watches as I get under the covers and turn off the lamp. His body illuminates a gentle shade of butter, and he dims it just right until I can look up without hurting my eyes.

“Where the hell was I?” I’m hoping Marshall will demystify the events of the last few hours.

“None of your business,” he says it curt, lets me know he means it.

“What were you doing there?”

“Second verse same as the first.”

“Emerson was in one of those holding tanks.”

“You wield aggressive observational powers. That, and I believe the tank was labeled.”

“Is she alive?”

“Did she wave hello?”

“No,” I pause. “Did you come because I called you?” A cold shiver runs through me as I anticipate his answer.

“I was conducting business.”

That’s exactly what I was afraid of. I draw the covers up around my chin and try not to move as Marshall lands soft besides me.

It’s going to be a long, long night.

***

In the morning, I wake to a silent room with no Marshall, and no Gage, and very little light emanating from the outside world. A steady stream of rain pats softly against the window as I pull myself up to get a good look at the bleak pines on the other side of the glass. Their branches dance and sway to the rhythm of the wind. They look more than eerily alive, capable of anything, even launching me into wherever the hell it is I went.

I pick up my cell and call Gage.

“Hey.” He sounds beyond tired like I just woke him up.

“Were you in Ezrina’s lair?”

“No. Chloe had us climb down to the waterline. She wanted to see where they found her.”

“Oh.” That’s morbid—hardly romantic if you ask me. I tell him all about the walk through the haunted forest and falling flat on my ass in Ezrina’s little shop of horrors, Logan’s sudden conversion to Counthood, and Emerson’s involuntary suspension in liquid blue mouthwash. Then reluctantly I let him in on how Marshall swooped in and saved the day. Deep down inside I know Gage hates Marshall.

“Can you come over? We can get breakfast if you want,” I say hopeful.

“I want—but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I have to get an early start,” he gives a heavy sigh into the phone. “I need to run down and pick up Chloe.”

“What?” I hiss a little too loud while jumping back on the bed. “Is this because of Marshall? I swear I didn’t want him here.”

“No, no. It’s something else. Look, I can’t really talk about it,” he depresses into another heartfelt sigh. “You need to find a ride.”

“Are you kidding?”

“I wish.”

“Tell me right now why you’re doing this. Is it because you can’t help playing Mr. Nice Guy, or does she have you by the balls?”

There’s a lengthy pause.

“Look, I gotta go. And Skyla?” There’s a tempered silence. “I love you.” He expels the words with rendered sadness, just before the line goes dead.

He hung up on me.

I sit there in disbelief just vegging out at the wall until my mother thumps against the door and sings something far too chipper to care about.

Leave it to Chloe to so effectively and quickly turn everything to shit.

***

I pull on my tightest jeans and a cropped white sweater before examining myself in the mirror. I pull off the sweater and try on three more, before settling back on the white one. I can’t let Chloe get the upper hand with Gage. No matter what she has in mind there is no way in hell I’m letting her steal my boyfriend from underneath me.

I race downstairs to let Drake in on the fact I’m hitching a ride.

“Well here’s the birthday princess.” Tad screws the lid back on a jar of orange marmalade. “You enjoy yet another jaunt around the island? What time did you finally drift in? Five? Six in the morning?”

“Two-thirty,” I say, heading over to Drake seated at the bar. “Can I catch a ride to school with you?”

“Maybe. Take a shower, show the world you care.”

“I did.”

A tiny quiver of flesh lands on my foot.

“Sprinkles!” Mia drifts in and picks up the tiny furless beast.

“Sprinkles.” I test his name out before giving him a quick pat.

“You don’t hump Skyla,” she scolds, leaning in close, “that’s her boyfriend’s job.” She gives an obnoxious grin before disappearing back down the hall.

“Skyla, what’s going on with you?” My mother stands at the stove frying up eggs for Tad who salivates by her side.

“It’s just this whole Chloe thing.” That, and the fact you’re all Counts. “It’s sort of freaky.”

“Mr. Dudley said he found you asleep in the barn Saturday night. You kids sneaking in there and partying or something?” She scrutinizes my features for clues.

“Sure.” Tad plucks a dish out of the cupboard. “It’s called a party for two, otherwise known as a roll in the hay.” His lip curls up on the side as though he were certain.

Maybe I should blow them away and tell them I’m sleeping with Dudley, that Brielle is too, hell—that everybody is.

“I’ve invited Mr. Dudley over for Thanksgiving,” Mom says shoving a piece of toast in her mouth. “The Olivers, too. I really like that Emma.” She stares off dreamily as she moves the eggs around in the pan. I admire the way she didn’t acknowledge any of the insults Tad hurled my way. It’s as though the words from his lips were as irrelevant as he is.

“That’s great.” I’d rather have them here anyway.

I turn to head back up.

“And Skyla?” Tad shuffles over with his arms still folded tight. “When you get home from school, your mother and I have a gift for you.” He narrows his tiny eyes in on me, and for the first time I feel the undeniable presence of evil.

“No, it’s OK, whatever it is, you can take it back. The party was more than enough.” The less I have to do with them the better.

“We can’t take this back.” He tips his head and peers at me through slotted lids. “But you might wish we could.”

Chapter Fourteen

My Boyfriend’s Back

First thing I do when I spot Gage at school is leap on him with my legs wrapped around his midsection and indulge in a deep throaty kiss that lets him know exactly how much I’ve missed him.

He pulls back and gives a naughty grin that assures me Chloe is the last thing on his mind. His dimples explode as he lands me safe on the ground.

“So why the ride? And can you please stop being so damn nice?” I push in another quick kiss. “Except to me.”

Gage straightens. He scans the area as though he were looking for little miss bitch herself.

“What’s going on?” He’s scaring me.

Gage doesn’t say anything. So I pick up his hands.

“Tell me.”

I can’t.

***

The hallowed halls of West Paragon High are alive with the demonic whispers of Chloe’s name. It echoes off the walls like a Gregorian chant, moves through the courtyards like a voodoo rattle.

A film crew has set up shop in the quad and interviews Chloe before the start of first period. She sits on an elevated canvas chair across from a woman I recognize from local TV. Chloe is poised and well versed in her lies. She reminds me a lot of Logan in that respect.

I can’t watch, so I tuck my arm around Gage, and we head off towards the English building.

Every person I see gives me a mistrustful eye. The death rays come from every direction. I’ve quickly become the girl who tried to asphyxiate Chloe Bishop.

Gage, too, continues to give me the mysterious cold shoulder. We head into second and find Chloe standing at the desk nodding into Marshall as though it were perfectly normal for her to be living and breathing and in my Algebra Two class. I hope she’s been rendered speechless by his beauty. Marshall could ignite a forest fire with his cutting good looks—just touching him is explosive.

As if on cue he reaches over and lays his hand over hers. He’s saying something to her—sympathizing. I watch Chloe’s face light up like a glowing coal. She’s feeling it. Maybe she is the one who’ll procreate with Marshall. Maybe he’ll get his dream race after all.

Gage and I take our seats behind Ellis.

“You think she’ll sit next to me?” Ellis appraises her with his glazed eyes.

I’m surprised Ellis would want her anywhere nearby after the way she treated him, or mistreated to be exact. But then knowing Ellis, he’s probably up for some midnight visits and impromptu light drives despite Chloe’s erratic behavior.

“Don’t know, don’t care, ” I say, digging into my backpack.

Chloe heads on over.

Great.

“So where we sitting?” She doesn’t bother acknowledging either Ellis, or me.

Gage glosses over the room before hitching his thumb at the empty seat behind his back.

“Skyla,” Chloe twirls her fingers through her long, dark ponytail. “Would you mind sitting in front of Ellis?”

“Yes, yes I would.” I open my notebook and settle in.

“Have it your way.” She ticks her head, and Gage gets up and follows her clear across the room.

“Holy. Freaking. Shit.” I’m so stunned I can’t breathe.

“Looks like the wicked witch cast her spell.” Ellis blows a breath through his cheeks.

“Yeah, only I don’t think it’s a spell.”

The bell rings as the last few stragglers file in.

Well Skyla, Marshall gives a gloating smile in my direction. Looks like your competition has eliminated you with minimal resistance.

I cut my eyes in the opposite direction. There is no way I’m going to watch Marshall thrive over this.

Aren’t you the least bit relieved to know that the final Oliver standing has a fondness for corpses? It’s best to be apprised of such wicked fetishes at this stage of the game before he promises to marry you then leaves you at the altar for a casket. He’s probably got the entire cemetery mapped out of long departed beauties.

I catch Gage sitting there staring off at the wall with a clear look of irritation. No, he’s definitely not into this.

Chloe’s got him by the balls.

But with what?

***

Gage pretends he doesn’t even know me for the better half of the day. He spends lunch in cafeteria with Chloe as the other students continue to glom onto her every word as though she’s just been dropped back onto the planet after an alien abduction.

Before sixth, I do a lightening change into my cheer uniform and wait outside the boy’s gym for him to emerge.

Gage and Logan come out at the same time.

“Hi stranger,” I say, pulling Gage back by the elbow. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.” His eyes soften into twin pools of cobalt sky. His dimples tremble before digging in, but he doesn’t say a word.

“So can I have a ride home?” A heavy feeling coats me from the inside—already I know the answer.

Gage squints across the field. I can see Chloe flagging him down with a big toothy grin.

“I’ll come over tonight,” he rubs the side of my cheek with his fingers. I love you.