ReAwakened Page 16

  “What happened when you got out?” Hunter asked.

  “When I first got my hands on some news, there were stories all over the press about my father’s rise to power and how he was now a presidential candidate. The papers went on to praise him for the bravery he demonstrated in getting over the tragedy of his daughter’s swimming accident that supposedly happened the summer they locked me up.”

  By now, all of our mouths hung in the air.

  Brooke took notice. “Yes,” she said. “My own parents staged my death to help their success. When I got out of the hospital, I tried to find them, but my father was now so important that he had security all around the house. On Christmas Day that year, I finally managed to sneak in. That's when I met my little brother. My parents didn't just disown and claim I was dead, they also replaced me. After that, I never looked back. I’ve been all over the country, but the one state I continue to avoid is California. When I saw the news tonight, I just snapped. Walter is my brother’s son. And, just like my parents, he hates vampires.” She lifted her head to look at us. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you guys.”

  “I think we should be the ones apologizing,” Hunter said.

  “I guess you can only judge people by how they act.” Brooke smiled sadly. “I can’t say that I always have the best attitude. I’ll try to rein in it from now on.”

  “Don’t change completely,” Seth implored shyly. “I like who you are. Well, like, ninety-nine percent of the time.”

  “I agree,” I added, smiling. “We like you just the way you are. Minus a tantrum or two.” Then I said I something I never expected myself to say. “Tonight, we forget our troubles and party.”

  This seemed to lift Brooke’s spirits. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with us, Dawn,” she told me. “And thank you for listening to me, guys.” She picked up a tissue from the table and wiped her nose. “It’s going to be a good night,” she said, and I was relieved to see that sharing her story with us had alleviated some of her pain.

  Brooke perked up even more once Lena, Sebastian, and Razor walked in.

  “Finally! This is what Halloween costumes should look like!” She grinned widely in the direction of the masked newcomers.

  Razor was a soldier, or rather, a fantastical, exaggerated version of one. His costume consisted of dog tags, camouflage pants, and green and black face paint. Apparently, in Razor’s world, soldiers had no need for shirts.

  Lena looked striking in a red showgirl outfit. The fabric of her short skirt gathered around her waist, spilling behind her like a blazing phoenix tail. Combined with her fiery mane, she bore a perfect resemblance to the exotic, mythical bird. How she had managed to find such an exquisite costume on short notice was beyond me. One thing was certain, it definitely hadn’t come from the drama department’s costume stash or the back of my closet.

  I had been avoiding Sebastian, but my eyes eventually drifted toward his tall, lean frame. He wore black jeans and a white dress shirt, open slightly at the collar—not much different from his usual attire, but dazzling nonetheless.

  “What are you supposed to be?” Brooke asked him. “Aside from gorgeous?” Knowing Brooke’s way of communicating with guys, I knew that she didn’t say it with intent to hit on him, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed tension creep into Lena’s shoulders.

  Sebastian shrugged. “I was going for vampire. Though, I’m not sure if people will get that one.”

  Did Sebastian just make a joke? My answer came in the form of Lena’s loud giggles.

  “Or maybe a gentleman,” Sebastian added. “Because somebody should probably be one tonight.” He gave Razor’s bare chest a stern glare. Razor returned the look with a wink, flexing a bicep at his brother.

  “Nobody should be a gentleman on Halloween,” Brooke chastised. “Here, let me help you.” She jumped off the couch and made her way over to Sebastian. She unbuttoned three more buttons of his shirt, then ran a hand through his hair, tousling his curls.

  The entire time she was doing this, Sebastian didn’t take his eyes off me. I thought I’d finally gotten the hang of reading his expression, but this new “consider yourself safe from me” Sebastian was unpredictable. He switched from hot to cold more quickly than broken-down plumbing.

  “There! Much better, right?” Brooke exclaimed, breaking our trance.

  Lena turned her sultry gaze toward Sebastian. “He always looks great to me.”

  Thankfully, Ethan walked through the door just in time to spare me from having to watch Lena bat her fake lashes at Sebastian. He had on a baseball uniform, one that he’d worn when he’d played on his high school team. Ashton Aces, I recognized the name he’d once proudly told me about.

  “It was either this or my old football uniform, but with the way the team has been getting attacked lately, I figured we could use a bat,” he joked as we filed out of the cottage.

  A cat, a bee, a soldier, a showgirl, a gentleman vampire, a baseball player, two superheroes, and an angel-fairy-ballerina—while we may not have been immediately recognizable, we didn’t exactly blend in either.

  “Okay, so who can explain this event to me?” Lena asked as we reached the ticket booth in town.

  “Not me,” Seth said. “My parents aren’t big on Halloween festivities. They never let me attend.”

  “I’ve lived in Angel Creek for a while now, but I’ve never been to the haunt either,” Sophie admitted. “This is really exciting.”

  “Good thing you guys have me!” Brooke exclaimed, now fully animated. “Here’s the scoop: every year, during the first Saturday of October, all of Main Street closes and the buildings turn into haunted houses. You make your way up the street, going into each one, screaming your head off, running for your life—”

  “Uhh, how is this any different from what we’ve been doing for the past couple of months?” Seth asked.

  Brooke groaned. “Because it’s not real! It’s supposed to be fun!”

  “I can do fun,” I said, trying my best to sound excited. I think.

  Brooke didn’t look very convinced. “Whatever you do Dawn, please don’t karate chop any of the masked actors,” she begged as the rest of the group laughed.

  As we made our way into the fair, Brooke continued chattering, with Lena hanging on her every word. “We have to go to Mrs. Livingston’s antique shop! Her grandsons chase you around with chainsaws. They’re really awesome at being creepy. Oh, and the library is my fave—they turn it into a zombie maze!”

  “Brooke saying that she likes the library—we should have gotten that on tape,” Sophie whispered to me, giggling. She turned to Brooke. “Pete is working as a zombie at the library tonight. I promised I’d stop by and see him.”

  “Wait!” Brooke halted.

  We stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking the path of some overexcited children. Eager to get to the next haunt, they shoved their way through our group, and as I moved back to allow a pirate and a devil to pass, my back collided against Sebastian’s chest.

  His hands flew to my hips to steady me, though his touch only increased my instability. My knees gave way, but Sebastian’s grip was firm, not allowing me to slip. He was so close, I could feel his breath against the small of my neck. My skin prickled as he exhaled sharply, and for a split second, I considered leaning into him, pressing myself as far into his body as I could go.

  Instead, I took a step forward. He tightened his hold on me for an instant longer, his cool fingers burning through the thin fabric of my tights. Then he released me, and it was as if nothing had happened. The entire moment lasted no more than a second, but it had managed to leave me with a hollow emptiness. A dull ache spread from my hips to my heart as I worked on steadying my breath.

  Brooke was still speaking. “…so if you want the full experience of the haunt, there’s no other way. We have to split up. Our group is way too big for this to actually be scary.”

  Since they both wanted to visit the library, Brooke and Sophie paired up
, and Seth agreed to tag along with them.

  Lena immediately reached for Sebastian’s hand, but Razor was quicker. He put his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Seb and I need some one-on-one bro time to properly catch up. Don’t you agree?”

  Sebastian simply shrugged, but didn’t protest.

  This left Lena, Ethan, Hunter, and me.

  “Shall we join forces?” Hunter asked, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't feel comfortable being alone with the other two; I could tell Ethan desperately wanted to talk about our terse exchange the day before, and things with Lena were still a little awkward. The unease I felt was mostly due to the fact that, even if I wanted to dislike her for her rather obvious interest in Sebastian, I simply couldn’t. She was a nice girl. Harboring any negative feelings toward her—no matter how cozy she got with him—would be beyond childish and extremely unfair. I’d already gone down that road at the dance, and I wasn’t intent on repeating my mistake.

  Our quartet parted ways with the rest of the group. We first headed toward the post office, which was now the Deadly Clown Funhouse. After the previous day’s ordeal, the haunt had very little actual fright to offer—flashing strobe lights, low growls, piercing screams, and countless clowns with sinister frowns, which, to my dismay, I wasn’t allowed to punch. Ethan and Lena got into the spirit of the event, laughing and screaming in surprise, but Hunter remained eerily quiet, dragging behind the rest of the group.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, slowing down to match his stride as we made our way back to the street.

  He brushed his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Really?”

  He shrugged. “Today’s just not a good day…”

  “Are you not feeling well?” I asked. “Do you want to rest?”

  “No, it’s cool.”

  “Hunter…”

  “Dawn…”

  I backed off, deciding not to press. Talking to Hunter was like attempting to crack a booby-trapped safe. If you accidentally pushed the wrong button, he would shut down, locking you out.

  “It’s the anniversary of my first kill as a vampire,” he said suddenly, looking off down the street. “And this year, since I’m sober, it’s a particularly bad one.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away. “Is there anything I can do?” I asked. “Do you want to talk about it? Or not talk about it? We could—”

  “Look, it’s been a rough week. All those dead kids…” He stalked ahead, then turned around to face me as he walked backwards. “I think I’m just gonna head home and rest.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  He shook his head.

  “If you need anything…”

  He shot me a tight smile. “I know where to find you.”

  I wanted to yell, “Be safe!” or reach out and hug him, but with a simple nod he vanished.

  “What was that about?” Ethan asked when I caught up to him and Lena.

  “I’m not sure…” I said under my breath. Whatever it was, my heart hurt for Hunter.

  The three of us continued our journey up Main Street, skipping over some smaller haunts, and stopping at the town hall to explore the Museum of Terror. We were encouraged to enter individually, for a “more terrifying experience.”

  I volunteered to go first, and the event curator handed me a dark red candle to illuminate my way through the dark halls. By the time I made it into the first room, the wax had begun to melt, sliding down the side like a thick stream of blood. The walls were lined with replicas of various tools of torture. I moved toward a particularly dangerous looking snare, running my fingers along its sharp, plastic spikes.

  “No touching!” A voice screeched. I spun around in the direction of the sound, just as a ghost—or rather, a girl with a white sheet over her head—appeared from behind one of the walls.

  “Come with me.” The ghostly girl beckoned. “The Room of Twisted Secrets awaits.”

  She led me into a small, enclosed space lined with mirrors, then retreated into the darkness. I moved the candle in front of me, examining the mirrors. My reflection stared back—a long-haired feline holding up a flickering flame. I turned to leave, but the mirrors began to close in around me. My reflection doubled, then quadrupled, until there were more of me than I could count.

  Except, I realized, the girl in the mirror was no longer me. It was Aurora. She wore a long, green gown, her glossy brown hair arranged around her face in perfect waves. Her emerald eyes narrowed into feral slits as she reached out toward me. My candle dropped to the floor, extinguishing the flame. I could no longer see, but I could feel the mirrors closing in even further. Countless hands—Aurora’s hands—reached out for me, clawing at my body. They enveloped my neck, tightening around my throat; suffocating me.

  “Stay away from Sebastian,” she hissed.

  Stunned by her presence, it took a moment for my thoughts to kick in.

  Fight her! my brain screamed.

  I managed to loop my fingers underneath her hands, prying her away from my neck as I kicked my leg in the direction of her body. My foot crashed through the mirror in front of me, showering me in glass.

  “This time, you’re not going to win!” Aurora’s voice was as sharp as the glass shards lodged in my hair; close and distant, familiar and alien, all at the same time. “I’m going to get what’s rightfully mine!”

  I reached for her through the darkness, but she was gone. Like dominoes folding over, the rest of the mirrors collapsed down on top of me. The impact caused the world to vanish.

  When I came to, I was still in the mirror room, but now the lights were on. Lena and Ethan crouched over me, their expressions riddled with fear and concern.

  “Dawn!” Ethan exclaimed, helping me up to a seated position. “Are you okay?”

  “What happened?” Lena asked.

  I was wondering the same thing. “I’m…not sure,” I mumbled. Memories of Aurora flashed through my mind.

  My own twisted secrets had tried to claim me.

  “You’re bleeding!” Lena cried, pointing to my temple.

  I pressed my fingers against the wound. It wasn’t a deep gash, but it stung. “I’ll be fine,” I told her. “Just a scratch.”

  The event curator rushed to my side. “You weren’t supposed to be in this area! It’s blocked off!” he said angrily, pointing to a “danger” sign. His eyes widened at the blood gushing down the side of my face. “Oh, goodness! And you got yourself cut too! What in the world possessed you to come in here?”

  More like who in the world, I thought callously.

  “The ghostly girl…” I began.

  He scrunched his forehead. “What ghostly girl?”

  “The girl who works the haunt told me to follow her into the Room of Twisted Secrets.”

  “We don’t have anyone working this haunt. It’s just a series of displays with some fake torture tools,” he snapped, eyeing me suspiciously. “No one here is supposed to scare you. This area is off limits! It’s where we keep the extra mirrors we ordered for the event. They aren’t secured and they could have seriously injured you!” I thought the vein in his neck was going to pop. “I swear, every year, there’s one careless teen sneaking into a place they’re not supposed to be in. When will you kids learn?” He continued his rant, complaining about insurance and teens causing trouble. “Look, I’m sorry you got hurt, but the bottom line is, you weren’t supposed to be here! It’s your fault. You better not sue.”

  Suing is the last thing on my mind, I thought as I rose to my feet.

  “I’m okay now,” I told the alarmed man. “I think we’ll just head out. I’m very sorry for the trouble.”

  I left my phone number, in case his insurance company needed my statement for a report. I had a feeling that I’d never hear from them. Despite the tiny warning sign, the mirrors really were stored in a very dangerous fashion.

  Especially for those of us who’ve lost our marble
s and engaged in imaginary fights against long-dead relatives.

  Upon exiting the town hall, I kept my head low, ignoring Ethan and Lena’s concerned looks. “I’m fine,” I repeated for the hundredth time. “Really.”

  “Let’s go over to the park,” Ethan suggested. “We can grab some food and catch our breath.” What he meant was: You can catch your breath, Dawn.

  I reveled in the silent walk to the park. The night breeze caressed my skin, gliding over the area of my neck where I had felt Aurora’s deadly grip mere moments before. Carefree laughter echoed throughout the street, and I tried to absorb its soothing sound into my soul. But the rustle of dry leaves soon turned into a familiar chant.

  Stay away from Sebastian. Stay away from Sebastian.

  I shuddered, wrapping my arms tightly around me.

  No matter what, I wasn’t going to let Aurora defeat me. Even if I didn’t know what kind of a game she was playing; even if only one thing was certain: there were no rules.

  All of the picnic tables at the park were occupied, so we settled on some logs around an empty campfire pit. The flames of the fire had died out, but glowing embers still clung on, flashing in the pit like trapped fireflies.

  “Does anyone want a drink?” Ethan asked. “I’m going to get a soda.”

  I shook my head. Lena asked for a Blood Cola.

  “What about food?” He was asking both of us, but his words were directed at me. “Are you hungry?”

  Again, I shook my head. Ethan sighed and walked away.

  “Are you cold?” Lena’s gaze was filled with pity.

  “I’m fine,” I said a little too loudly. Immediately, I felt guilty for the outburst. “I’m sorry, Lena. I know that you’re trying to help, but I’m okay.”

  If my humiliating rudeness didn’t count as a point for Aurora, then I don’t know what would.

  Lena was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Do you like fire?”

  “Uhh…sure,” I said, a little uncertainly. I didn’t dislike fire, but I wasn’t pyro-passionate about it either.