Brush With Death (15 page)

“H
old pressure
there,” I said. 

I pointed to a cut along Yuki’s hairline, instructing Calvin
as I made a cursory search of her other injuries.  Leave it to Yuki to run
headlong into an oncoming vehicle.  Luckily for her, it was only a moped.

Still, I didn’t dare move her.

I removed an inflatable neck brace from its packaging and
pulled the tab to inflate.  Circling Yuki’s neck with the brace, I looked into
her eyes.  They were pinched together in pain, but her pupils looked even and
responsive as I moved my hand in front of them to shield them from the moped’s
headlight.

Someone behind me kept saying how sorry they were.  Oh
right, the driver.  I’d have to take a look at his injuries too.  But first I
had to get Yuki stable and then see to Sarah Randall.

Simon was doing his best, but he had his hands full…literally. 

I had watched as Simon turned toward the road and witnessed Yuki’s
foolish bolt from the car.  It had all seemed to happen in slow motion.  I
tried to move, to leap from the car to Yuki’s aid, but my muscles froze.  Simon
flinched as the moped collided with Yuki’s path.  He turned to Cal who was
already racing into the street.  With a nod to himself, he turned back to the
Grabber.

Cal and I would help Yuki, the Grabber was his.

In a blur of werewolf speed, Simon tackled the Grabber to
the ground.  A grim smile tugged at his lips as he pressed the man’s face into
the filthy ground of the alley.  Seeing that Simon was okay, and the Grabber
apprehended, my muscles came alive.  I fumbled with the door latch and sprinted
into the street. 

It all happened within seconds, but it felt like an
eternity.

I knelt beside Yuki, hoping that her injuries were
superficial.  She seemed to be having trouble breathing, but it didn’t sound
like a punctured lung.  If I had to make a guess, I’d say she was having an
anxiety attack.

Guilt twisted my stomach.  I had known that Yuki was having
a hard time reliving her own abduction.  I should have anticipated her reaction
to finding Sarah Randall.  Seeing the girl bound and gagged, with her tormentor
leering, must have pushed Yuki over the edge.  It was too similar to her recent
experience.  An experience she hadn’t fully recovered from.

“Is…is she okay?” Yuki asked.

“Shhh,” Calvin said. 

“It’s alright,” I said.  I forced a smile and packed up my
bag.  “I’m going to check on her now.  Just don’t move.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Keep her safe,” I said to Calvin.  “I’ll be right back.”

The guy on the moped paced back and forth in the road.  He
looked alright, but I probably should try to calm him down.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Me?” he asked.  “Sure.  I’m fine.  My ride’s fine too. 
But, did I, like, kill that girl?  Is she okay?  I was just going out to grab a
pizza.”

The guy looked like he was a few years older than me.  He probably
attended nearby Sansborough College.

“She’ll be okay,” I said.  “I’ve called an ambulance, so
don’t go anywhere.  The police are coming too and, after the paramedics check
you over, they’ll want a statement.  Maybe you can direct traffic while we wait
for them to get here?”

“Sure,” he said, continuing his pacing.

College guy’s comments had given me an idea.  When the
police came, we couldn’t exactly say we were on a stakeout for the Grabber.  I
didn’t want a lecture from the cops about how dangerous that was, and if my
parents found out, they’d kill me themselves.

But they couldn’t be too upset if we happened to see
something suspicious while on our way to get pizza.  Sansborough House of Pizza
stayed open all night.  We could say we were studying late and needed food. 
The way we went through pizza, it was a believable lie—and didn’t reveal
anything about ghosts or werewolves.

I veered back to Calvin and whispered my plan.  He nodded
and I ran to the alley where Simon waited.

“That stupid bloody girl,” Simon said.  “Thank God you
stayed inside the car.”

“I’m fine,” I said. 

His shoulders shuddered as tension left his body.  Simon’s
relief was almost palpable.  I wanted to reach out and reassure him with a hug,
but other people needed my help right now…and his hands were busy holding the
Grabber to the ground.

“I need to check on Sarah,” I said.

He nodded, the skin tightening around his eyes.  There were
dark circles that hadn’t been there before.  Perhaps seeing Sarah Randall
hadn’t just been hard on Yuki.  Simon had a lot of demons from his past.  I made
a mental note to talk to him about it later.  I wanted to know all of his
secrets, even the painful ones.

I moved to the rear of the van and lifted my hands, palm
out. 

“Sarah?” I asked.  “My name is Emma and I’m here to help. 
There’s an ambulance coming and the police are on the way.  I’m sure your
parents will be here soon too.  Can I come in?”

Sarah lay on her side, shaking.  Simon had managed to remove
the bonds from her wrists.  Her hands covered her face and the gag hung loosely
below her chin.  This girl had been through hell.  I wasn’t going to make that
any worse by barging in on her.  If she didn’t want my help, I’d wait for the
paramedics.

She moved her fingers and blinked against the harsh interior
light of the van.  I thought I saw recognition there and she nodded.

“Don’t you…don’t go to my school?” she asked.

“Yes, Wakefield High,” I said, keeping my voice low.  I was
talking to her like I would a scared animal.  “School’s almost over.  I can’t
wait for summer.”

I started working on the rope that bound her ankles.

“Did he hurt you?” I asked. 

My voice shook and I blinked tears from my eyes.

“No-o-o,” she stuttered.  “Not really.  He liked to talk.”

Oh my god, I really didn’t want to know what that creep
liked to talk about.  I’m sure she didn’t want to think about it either.

“Okay, your feet might tingle while the circulation comes
back,” I said, pulling off the last of the rope.  “Can you sit up?”

I helped Sarah into a sitting position, moving closer when
she swayed.

“Are you thirsty?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. 

Sarah hiccupped and she started crying again.  I pulled a
bottle of water from my bag and handed it to her silently.  Words dried up on
my lips.  What else could I possibly say to comfort her?

I leaned against the van while she cried, staying within
sight.  Simon continued to hold the Grabber to the ground, angling the man’s
face away from where I stood.

“Is the girl alright?” Simon asked.

“She will be, eventually,” I said.  I nodded at the man held
beneath him.  “At least she’ll have the comfort of knowing that monster can’t
harm her anymore.”

“No, love,” he said.  “This one won’t be hurting anyone ever
again.”

B
lue and red
lights flashed across Yuki’s pale face.  An ambulance and a patrol car had arrived
first and were soon joined by a second ambulance and a squad of local police
vehicles.  The first ambulance had taken Sarah Randall to the hospital.  Yuki
and I sat in the back of the second ambulance while in the street the moped
driver assured a paramedic that he was fine.

Police were busy cordoning off this section of street, the
alley, and the photography studio.  We were now sitting in a crime scene.

A detective had taken our statement and gave me his card. 
The police seemed to believe our story of being students out on a late night
pizza run.  Simon had claimed that he was the one who spotted a man forcing a
girl into the back of his van.  Since he was the one kneeling on top of the
body when the cops came, we let him take the credit.

The rest of us had received a reprimand for rushing out into
oncoming traffic.  Fortunately, Yuki and the cyclist hadn’t received any major
injuries.  With a crime scene to attend to, and a notorious killer now in
custody, the police had bigger fish to fry.

Yuki sucked in air through her teeth as a paramedic probed the
cut on her head.

“You’ll have a nasty bump, but it looks worse than it is,”
the paramedic said. 

“Head wounds are always bleeders,” a second paramedic said.

The first paramedic slapped a band-aid on the cut and
clapped me on the back.

“You sure you two don’t want to get checked out downtown?”
he asked.

“No thank you,” I said.  “We’ll be fine.  We should be
getting home.”

“Tell your friend if she ever needs a job, give us a call,”
the second paramedic said, motioning toward where Emma stood.  “She’s got
skills.”

“Thanks, I’ll tell her,” I said.

I helped Yuki down from the ambulance and waved to Simon and
Emma.  Emma jingled her keys.

“Are we good to go?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.  “Let’s get out of here before the press
catches wind of this.  I don’t want to end up on the news.”

“And pass up my television debut?” Simon asked.  He placed a
hand on his chest.  “Didn’t you hear?  I’m a hero.”

Emma rolled her eyes.

“Let’s go home,” she said.

We got in the car and as the police lifted the tape for us
to leave, Yuki’s stomach growled.

“Hungry?” I asked.

“Well, you guys were all talking about pizza,” she said.

I laughed, suddenly feeling giddy.  We had done it.  We
caught the Grabber and rescued Sarah Randall.  And, other than a few bumps and
bruises, Yuki was fine.

“For once, I agree with you, love,” Simon said.  “I could
eat a horse.”

“You would, old man,” she said.

“Oh my God, you two,” Emma said.  “Shut. Up.”

Emma scowled at Yuki and Simon, but a smile tugged at the edge
of her lips.

“I suppose we do have a few things to celebrate,” I said. 
“Pizza party?”

“Pizza party!” Yuki and Simon shouted in unison.

Emma shook her head and changed lanes.  It was time to
celebrate.

T
he final week
of school flew by in a whirlwind of exams and oral presentations.  My painting
received an A, helping me pass my art class, but the chances of passing some of
my other subjects was iffy.  With Emma and Cal’s help, I studied every second
that I wasn’t in class.  I still kept my fingers crossed, toes too.

I had finally decided what I wanted to do with my life after
high school.  But first I had to graduate.  Flunking out and having to repeat
the school year had joined the other nightmare scenarios that plagued my
sleepless nights.  Repeating senior year may not have been as life threatening
as abduction by jocks or revenge by witches, but I was still terrified.

On Friday, the list of passing seniors was posted. 

I passed. 

I lifted my hands above my head and hooted, doing a victory
dance.  My skirts twirled as I spun all the way to my locker. 

“Hey,” I said, bumping into Emma.

“Are you alright?” she asked.  “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m awesome,” I said, grinning.  “Just dizzy.”

No more twirling for me.  If I moved my head too fast, the
hallway started to tilt, making my stomach go all twisty.

“I thought the paramedics said you were fine,” she said. 
Emma narrowed her eyes and looked me over.  “No concussion.”

“Nope, I’m good,” I said.  I leaned in closer, like I knew
the world’s best secret.  “Better than good.  I’m totally freaking amazing.”

“Do you mean what I think you mean?” Emma said.

“I passed,” I said, bouncing on the toes of my boots. 
“You’re looking at a graduate of Wakefield High.”

“Squee!” we both squeeled.

We bumped knuckles and Emma pulled me into a hug.  When Emma
stepped back, she had a smug grin on her face.

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything until I knew for sure
you were graduating,” she said.  “But...I got class valedictorian.”

“That is so awesome,” I said.  “There are some scary smart
people in our class.  You rock!”

I started jumping up and down, and twirling.  Didn’t I
decide not to do that again?  I was instantly dizzy, but didn’t care.  I was
too freaking happy.

“I did have a lot of competition,” she said. 

Emma tossed her head, flipping her hair over one shoulder.  She
was trying to look poised, like a true class leader, but a flush crept across
her cheeks and I knew she was pleased with herself. 

Me?  I just kept dancing.

*****

It was the last day of school for seniors and the parking
lot was filled with smiling faces.  Speakers were blaring and someone had
written “skool sux” with white chalk on the pavement.  It was almost festive,
but we didn’t stick around to goggle at our classmate’s antics.

We had a much more somber task to attend to.

Emma maneuvered her car past the chaos of the school parking
lot and let out a sigh of relief.  Classes were over.  We just had one more assignment
before we were official graduates.  Tomorrow we would dress in ridiculously
unflattering caps and gowns and accept our diplomas. 

Walking across the stage in front of the entire student
body?  Yeah, I wasn’t too thrilled about that.  But if it meant freedom from
Wakefield High, and the beginning of my dreams for the future, I’d do it.  Plus,
who cares if I have to wear a bright red muumuu?  It’s all about the
accessories. 

I was trying to decide if I wanted to go with a dramatic
lace collar or spiky metal studs, when Emma cleared her throat.  Her gaze
flicked over at me, then back to the road.

“I’m really glad you’re graduating with us,” she said.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“But?” I asked.  When someone sighed like that, there is
always a “but.”

“I’m still worried about you,” she said.  “I know the past
few months have been hard, ever since the football team stuck you in that closet. 
At first we weren’t talking, and then I didn’t want to pressure you, but…have
you thought about your future?”

When she mentioned the football team, I felt like someone
had slapped me in the face.  I reached up to touch my cheek, but stopped.  School
was over.  They couldn’t hurt me anymore.

And Emma had a point.  Until last week, I didn’t have any
plans for the future.  Emma, Gordy, and Katie were all going off to college and
Cal had his pack duties to attend to.  But I hadn’t even mentioned anything
that I’d like to do once we graduated.

We had been so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to talk to
her about my plans.  I guess too, I felt a bit superstitious about the whole
thing.  I was going to wait until I had something more concrete to show her,
like a stack of paintings or a stall in the flea market with my name on it. 
Oh
well, no time like the present.

“I’m going to pursue my art,” I said.  I looked down at my hands
and picked at the flaking nail polish.  I’d have to redo them before graduation
tomorrow.  “I may get a stall at the flea market, at least at first.”

I felt foolish saying it out loud to Emma.  It had sounded
like such a great idea when I told Cal.  But compared to Emma’s plans, my
dreams seemed childish.  What was I thinking?

“Wow, that’s a fantastic idea,” she said.  “Have you
considered art school?”

“I don’t know,” I said.  “Maybe, in the future.  Right now I
want to work on my paintings and make a go of it.  I figure if I paint ghost
auras, my art will be unique.  And Cal said he’d help me get the stall set up.”

“You are definitely one of a kind,” she said teasingly. 
“Seriously though, I think it’s a great idea.  I’m even a little bit jealous.”

“Jealous?” I asked.  “No way.”

“Really,” she said.  “I’m following my dream to go to
veterinary school, but I can’t follow my heart until I come home as a licensed
vet.  I know you’re not crazy about Simon, but it’s hard knowing we can’t
really be together until then.  Part of me wishes I didn’t have to go, that I
could stay here with Simon.  So if you open your art stall here in Wakefield,
you have both Calvin and your art now.  I have to wait.”

“Oh,” I said.  “That sucks.”

I hadn’t really thought about it.  I never questioned Emma
leaving and going away to college.  I’d miss her, but veterinary school was her
dream.  But if she really loved Simon, then he was part of her dreams now too. 
If I had to choose between something I loved and Calvin, I’d go crazy.

“Look on the bright side,” she said.  Emma let out a shaky
laugh.  “At least we have a future.”

Emma pulled her car into a parking spot near the Wakefield
Park front gates.  Bouquets and wreaths of flowers rested against the stone
pillars, where people had set up a memorial to Rose Peterson. 

I felt suddenly guilty.  Here I was worrying and complaining
about our future plans when we were here to say goodbye to Rose, who didn’t
have a future anymore.  She wouldn’t be making plans for school or meeting a
nice guy.

She was dead.