Before I Wake
Page 69
Was that him? she said, her words muffled by the material of his shirt. Was that the hellion we saw in the Netherworld?
I thought Id heard her wrong until Luca answered, stroking her hair with one hand. I couldnt swear to it, but my guess would be yes.
What? When were you two in the Netherworld? I asked, and Luca shrugged.
The day we met. Thats kind ofhow we got together. Shes stronger than you think she is, you know.
I certainly hoped he was right. Im gonna want to hear that story when things calm down. But for now, Sophie, Sabines going to take you to Nashs house and I want you to stay there with her. Well tell the school you went home sick. Nash could make them believe it without question, at least long enough to excuse her absence, and Avari would be less likely to look for her at his house than at mine. Ill drive your car home later. Okay?
Sophie shook her head sluggishly, but her eyes were clearer. Im not going anywhere with her. Her gaze flicked up to where Sabine watched her over my shoulder.
Youre not my idea of a good time, either, Sabine snapped. Then she glared at the rest of us. You guys need me here.
No, I need you to stay with Sophie in case Avari goes after her. I needed someone who could fight, if necessary. Luca had volunteered for the job, but we needed him to take us to the corpse in the parking lot.
If she makes one snotty comment, you wont have to worry about the hellion killing her. Ill save him the trouble.
Sabine! I stood and turned on her, but she only shrugged and held her ground, not the least bit intimidated by the bloody dagger in my hand or the fact that Id just killed Avari. Again.
Im a Nightmare, Kaylee. You want me to scare someone to death? Im your girl. But Im not cut out to be a babysitter.
Just dont let anyone kill her. Its not that complicated, I snapped, and Sabine scowled at me. Look, lunch will be over in a few minutes, and I need to get her out of here. Just take her to Nashs, and Ill be there as soon as I can. If youre really my friend, youll do this.
The maras scowl deepened. You know, you were much less work as a nemesis. Then she stomped off toward her car with my cousin in tow, and too late I realized I should have specified that she wasnt allowed to feed on my traumatized cousins fears.
While Nash went to the office to influence the attendance secretary into signing Sophie out, I blinked into the teachers restroom and locked the door, then cleaned the dagger and put on the letter jacket Nash had lent me to cover the blood on my shirt.
At my current rate ofconsumption, I wouldnt have a shirt left in my closet by the end of the next week.
When I was fit to be seen againjust in caseI met Nash in the parking lot and Luca led us to a dusty blue compact car, where Brant Williams was slumped behind the wheel.
No! Nash reached for the door handle, but I stepped in front of him and refused to move when he tried to reach around me. Kaylee, get the hell out of my way! He and Brant had been teammates in both football and baseball since Nash transferred to Eastlake. There were tears in his eyes, and even more half-choking his voice, but I stood my ground.
No fingerprints, Nash.
Ill say I found him, he insisted. Theyd expect me to try to help him.
You cant be the one to find him. I waited for understanding to surface among the agonized twists of brown and green in his eyes, and when it didnt, I said what Id been trying to avoid. You were arrested as a suspect in a double homicide a month ago. You dont need to pop up on the police departments radar again this soon. The line between witness and suspect can get really thin.
Nash flinched like Id slapped him, and he couldnt quite hide the twist of resentment in his eyes. It was my fault he was on their radar in the first place. How long am I going to be paying for the fact that I didnt kill you, Kaylee?
Before I could even make sense of what he was asking, the bell rang, and all three of us jumped, and when I tried to make Nash go to class, he refused. I couldnt really blame him.
A glance into Brants car told me the doors were locked and he wasnt breathing, but I blinked into the car to check his pulse just in case, careful not to touch anything else.
He was dead. And I wanted to throw up. Wed never been close, but Id known Brant since the third grade. He was one of the basketball team captains and one of few Eastlake baseball players other than Nash that Id ever spoken to outside of school. He was a nice guy. And now he was dead. Because of me.
My hands were shaking when I rejoined Luca and Nash next to the car. Im sorry, Luca, but you have to find the body. I couldnt do it. My shirt was covered in blood.
Luca looked sick. But he nodded. What do I say about why I was in the parking lot?
Do you have a license? I asked, and he nodded again. Tell them you told Sophie youd drive her car home, and you found Brant just like this.
Okay. He pulled his phone from his pocket, ready to call either 9-1-1 or the front office. I didnt ask which.
You sure youre good with this? Nash asked, his voice grim, his forehead deeply furrowed.
I thought Id heard her wrong until Luca answered, stroking her hair with one hand. I couldnt swear to it, but my guess would be yes.
What? When were you two in the Netherworld? I asked, and Luca shrugged.
The day we met. Thats kind ofhow we got together. Shes stronger than you think she is, you know.
I certainly hoped he was right. Im gonna want to hear that story when things calm down. But for now, Sophie, Sabines going to take you to Nashs house and I want you to stay there with her. Well tell the school you went home sick. Nash could make them believe it without question, at least long enough to excuse her absence, and Avari would be less likely to look for her at his house than at mine. Ill drive your car home later. Okay?
Sophie shook her head sluggishly, but her eyes were clearer. Im not going anywhere with her. Her gaze flicked up to where Sabine watched her over my shoulder.
Youre not my idea of a good time, either, Sabine snapped. Then she glared at the rest of us. You guys need me here.
No, I need you to stay with Sophie in case Avari goes after her. I needed someone who could fight, if necessary. Luca had volunteered for the job, but we needed him to take us to the corpse in the parking lot.
If she makes one snotty comment, you wont have to worry about the hellion killing her. Ill save him the trouble.
Sabine! I stood and turned on her, but she only shrugged and held her ground, not the least bit intimidated by the bloody dagger in my hand or the fact that Id just killed Avari. Again.
Im a Nightmare, Kaylee. You want me to scare someone to death? Im your girl. But Im not cut out to be a babysitter.
Just dont let anyone kill her. Its not that complicated, I snapped, and Sabine scowled at me. Look, lunch will be over in a few minutes, and I need to get her out of here. Just take her to Nashs, and Ill be there as soon as I can. If youre really my friend, youll do this.
The maras scowl deepened. You know, you were much less work as a nemesis. Then she stomped off toward her car with my cousin in tow, and too late I realized I should have specified that she wasnt allowed to feed on my traumatized cousins fears.
While Nash went to the office to influence the attendance secretary into signing Sophie out, I blinked into the teachers restroom and locked the door, then cleaned the dagger and put on the letter jacket Nash had lent me to cover the blood on my shirt.
At my current rate ofconsumption, I wouldnt have a shirt left in my closet by the end of the next week.
When I was fit to be seen againjust in caseI met Nash in the parking lot and Luca led us to a dusty blue compact car, where Brant Williams was slumped behind the wheel.
No! Nash reached for the door handle, but I stepped in front of him and refused to move when he tried to reach around me. Kaylee, get the hell out of my way! He and Brant had been teammates in both football and baseball since Nash transferred to Eastlake. There were tears in his eyes, and even more half-choking his voice, but I stood my ground.
No fingerprints, Nash.
Ill say I found him, he insisted. Theyd expect me to try to help him.
You cant be the one to find him. I waited for understanding to surface among the agonized twists of brown and green in his eyes, and when it didnt, I said what Id been trying to avoid. You were arrested as a suspect in a double homicide a month ago. You dont need to pop up on the police departments radar again this soon. The line between witness and suspect can get really thin.
Nash flinched like Id slapped him, and he couldnt quite hide the twist of resentment in his eyes. It was my fault he was on their radar in the first place. How long am I going to be paying for the fact that I didnt kill you, Kaylee?
Before I could even make sense of what he was asking, the bell rang, and all three of us jumped, and when I tried to make Nash go to class, he refused. I couldnt really blame him.
A glance into Brants car told me the doors were locked and he wasnt breathing, but I blinked into the car to check his pulse just in case, careful not to touch anything else.
He was dead. And I wanted to throw up. Wed never been close, but Id known Brant since the third grade. He was one of the basketball team captains and one of few Eastlake baseball players other than Nash that Id ever spoken to outside of school. He was a nice guy. And now he was dead. Because of me.
My hands were shaking when I rejoined Luca and Nash next to the car. Im sorry, Luca, but you have to find the body. I couldnt do it. My shirt was covered in blood.
Luca looked sick. But he nodded. What do I say about why I was in the parking lot?
Do you have a license? I asked, and he nodded again. Tell them you told Sophie youd drive her car home, and you found Brant just like this.
Okay. He pulled his phone from his pocket, ready to call either 9-1-1 or the front office. I didnt ask which.
You sure youre good with this? Nash asked, his voice grim, his forehead deeply furrowed.
