“Gheesh!” I gasped. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
Her eyes were alarmingly blank and I wondered if she heard what I said. Suddenly, she moved, taking a swift step toward me, her eyes still strangely vacant.
“Kimber?”
She blinked, her eyes clearing. “What?” Her voice was defensive, but her aura flared a muddy brown shade, telling me that her actions confused her.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
Her gaze dropped down to the key on my necklace. I had the urge to curl my hand around it out of view, but that would give away more than I wanted, so I ignored her stare to say, “It’s about Cole.”
“What about Cole?” She forgot the key and looked at my face.
“Remember how I told you that something was going on with him and I couldn’t tell you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.
“He said I could.”
“He did?” I hated to see the hope come into her eyes. Kimber still loved Cole, but his heart wasn’t hers anymore.
I nodded. “It’s confidential, but you’re my friend and I want you to know.”
Her eyes softened and her aura smoothed out into the vibrant hues that were normal for her.
I opened my mouth just as there was a loud knock on the door. “Girls,” Ms. Merriweather called on the other side. “We’re going downstairs for dinner.”
Kimber stiffened and took a step back. Her face hardened and became a mask. I sighed.
“We’ll be right there!” I called. “So about what I wanted to tell you,”
“Kimber, you don’t want to be late,” Ms. Merriweather said.
Something passed behind Kimber’s eyes and her aura bloomed a shade of gray. I suppressed a shudder at the unsightly color. She didn’t seem to notice my obvious distress as she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, walking to the door.
“Kimber.”
She stopped and turned.
“About Cole—”
“Forget it. There isn’t anything you could say that would take back what you’ve done.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about Cole.”
She paused with her hand on the knob before whispering so low I had to strain to hear, “Then tell him to come to me.”
She rushed out the door before anything else could be said. My stomach turned. Why did it suddenly seem that whatever was going on with Kimber might have something to do with Tabitha Merriweather?
Just who the hell was she?
Kimber never came back to the room after dinner. I waited and paced, looked at the clock, and waited some more. When midnight rolled around, it became clear she wasn’t coming. I glanced at her empty bed and wondered what to do.
The first thing that popped into my head wasn’t the most honorable thing, but it was a good idea. I rushed across the room and began pawing through her stuff. I was looking for anything that might give me a clue as to where she could be or what had been going on with her lately.
I was also looking for that box.
I found nothing.
I sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. How could eagle-eye Mrs. Britt not have noticed that she wasn’t on the bus? Because she had been on the bus. Could someone have grabbed her when she was getting off the bus? What if she was hurt or lost?
I got up and ran out into the hall, down the corridor, stopping in front of our chaperones’ room. Just as I raised my fist in the air to knock, the door swung open and Ms. Merriweather stepped out.
She didn’t seem very surprised to see me.
I took a step back and cleared my throat. “I came to see Mrs. Britt.”
“She’s with a student. Is there something I can help you with, Heven?”
“Ummmm…”
She crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently. Her aura was strong and clear, shades of soothing blue and green. “Kimber hasn’t been in our room since before dinner,” I blurted.
Ms. Merriweather’s face softened. “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought Mrs. Britt told you. I guess she hasn’t had time yet. Kimber isn’t feeling well, so we thought it best if she was in her own room tonight, so you don’t get sick too.”
“She’s sick?”
The teacher’s aide nodded emphatically. “Poor thing can’t hold anything down.”
Is that why she seemed out of it earlier, because she was sick? It would explain her lack of color. But still… could I trust this woman?
“She’s sleeping now. Mrs. Britt gave her some anti-nausea medicine so she should be able to join the group tomorrow.” Her words were sincere and her aura didn’t waver at all when she spoke. It was already after midnight and morning wasn’t far off, so waiting until then didn’t seem so terrible.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see her then.”
“Good night, Heven.”
“Night.” I went back to the room and let myself in and leaned against the back of the door.
Kimber is sick, so she’s staying in another room. I told Sam.
You’re alone?
Yes. I knew he would come to me. Be careful, Ms. Merriweather is trolling the halls.
Thanks.
I didn’t waste time or linger by the door. Instead, I went to bed, climbing between the sheets and switching off the bedside lamp. The room plunged into darkness, but I wasn’t scared. I faced down demons almost daily and had been sucked into Hell through my dreams. No, the dark didn’t scare me.
The door opened quietly, slowly and I smiled. He moved through the room lithely and confidently, without so much as a misstep. I heard the rustle of fabric and felt his T-shirt land at the foot of the bed.
His skin was warm, as it always was, and it felt like silk against mine. I snuggled up against him, pressing close and rested my cheek on his chest. His arms encircled me, and while I hadn’t been scared before, I hadn’t felt safe until now.
I missed this, he said as I felt a long sigh exit his lungs.
Me too. I haven’t slept well at all.
Rest now. His voice was like a lullaby through my mind.
Before I could drift into a thoughtless slumber, my mind returned to Kimber. Was she really sick or was Tabitha Merriweather lying?
There’s something off about Mrs. Britt’s TA.
Shhh. Whatever it is will be there in the morning.
Sam was exactly right, and it scared me more than anything. No, I wasn’t afraid of the dark. But I was afraid that when day arrived and the sun came out, it would shine light into all the shadows from the night before, revealing all that the darkness had hidden.