Once Again (24 page)

I smiled at the picture of the two of us
running toward the creek behind the house, holding hands, playful
smiles wide on our faces. The next pictures flashed by so quickly
my mind barely had time to register them.

A body, still and lifeless on the creek bank.
Long blond hair matted with blood. The remains of her dress ripped
and torn, revealing flesh peppered with bloody cuts. The two of us,
shocked. Leo, kneeling, looking for signs of life. The eyes of the
dead woman staring, cold and blank. The face familiar.

Kara Jennings.

***

My phone buzzed at 5:45 a.m. As I pushed the
button to answer, I unfolded myself from the rocking chair where
I’d fallen asleep.

“Lucas,” I answered, reaching up to rub the
stiff neck I knew would accompany me all day.

“You okay?”

“Yes,” I answered. “You?”

“Stunned.”

I took a deep breath, willed myself awake.
“We knew she had to be behind the pictures at school. I guess it’s
not such a stretch to think that she’s somehow connected to all
this.”

Luke blew out a breath, frustrated. “We asked
them to tell us the truth, and instead we get more questions.”

“We have another piece of the puzzle.” In
truth, I was as frustrated as Luke, but I knew we had to figure out
what this meant. “If we follow the idea that what’s going on with
us now parallels what happened in the past, then the woman in the
dream must’ve been a former girlfriend of his.”

“Just like Kara’s my ex.” I could hear the
wheels turning in Luke’s mind. “Then you moved to town and caught
my eye, and squashed any chance she might’ve thought existed that
the two of us would get back together.”

I smiled. I’d
caught his eye
. I was
also pretty fond of the term
squashed
. He had such a way
with words.

“We’ve wondered if maybe Kara is being
manipulated into causing us problems,” I said. “It’s possible that
her jealousy was used in the past as well, as a way to try and come
between the two of them.”

“If so, it didn’t work out too well for
her.”

Understatement.

“So here’s what we think we know so far.” I
grabbed my notebook and a pen out of my backpack and began jotting
things down. “These two people were married, and someone wanted him
out of the way. This fits with what were told the last time we
asked them to give us information, and also with the thoughts I’ve
been picking up. After what we just saw, we have to assume that the
ex-girlfriend was used to try and come between them.”

“And when that didn’t work, he killed her?”
Luke questioned.

“That’s my best guess. Because she knew who
he was and what he was capable of. I sure hope your mom is right
and whatever wrong deeds our present-day bad guy does fall under
the category of teenage pranks.”

“I’m going to try to find Brooke McKenna
today. It’s about a three and half-hour drive to Boston. Maybe she
can help us fill in some of the blanks. Do you think your parents
would let you go with Mom and me next Saturday?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, don’t say anything just yet. Wait and
see if I’m able to locate her. If I do, I’ll call and talk to your
mom myself.”

“Okay.” A smile spread across my face. Such a
gentleman.

“There’s a home football game next Friday
night,” he said. “Will you be my date this time?” Amusement was
evident in his voice.

“I was the fist time, you know,” I answered,
laughing softly.

“Yeah, but I meant officially. Since I went
public in a major way at The Pizza Place last night.”

“Officially,” I agreed.

I thought about Lillian all week long. Not
that she and Leo hadn’t been on my mind a lot before, but after
Luke’s suggestion that Lillian had died in childbirth, thoughts of
her never left me.

The scene in the dream where we’d watched her
die played over and over in my mind. As did the happier moments
we’d witnessed between the two of them.

I found myself constantly wondering what it
must’ve been like for her, to have been abducted by a mad man, only
to realize she was carrying the child of her beloved husband who’d
been murdered by the very man holding her captive.

Though I had no real idea the feelings of
protectiveness an expectant mother experiences, there were times
when the sheer panic Lillian surely felt crept up inside me.

It made me angry.

Which was why, on Thursday morning, I came to
school with a scowl on my face.

I shouldered my way through the crowd in the
lobby, not in the mood for anybody’s chit chat, hoping to make it
to the chemistry room without having to make nice with anyone. Of
course, as soon as I stepped out of the mass of people and into the
hallway, I saw Kara Jennings and her two cronies, Erika and Tina,
huddled around something or someone near my locker.

What were they doing in this hallway?

Good grief, what if it was another sign on my
locker?

A few more steps and I realized just what
they were up to.

“I heard you’re the one who painted the
banner for tomorrow’s football game.” Kara’s voice dripped with
snottiness.

She was speaking to Phoebe.

And I assumed she was referring to the huge
banner than hung above the front doors of the school, depicting a
football player running down the field as the crowd and
cheerleaders urged him on. It was a really good painting, and
though I hadn’t stopped to inspect, it looked like each player’s
name was listed across the top.

I’d heard Phoebe had a talent for art.

I hung back, not wanting to make my presence
known just yet, hoping to figure out why Kara had a beef with
Phoebe’s artwork.

“I had help,” Phoebe answered, not seeming
too bothered by Kara’s attitude.

“But you were the one in charge,” Tina
snapped. “We heard it from the others in the art class.”

Phoebe just shrugged. “So?”

“So, you made the cheerleader on the far left
of the front row fat.” Kara spat the last word out like poison.
“And everyone knows that’s where I stand.”

Ah, so that was it. Kara’s ego had been
damaged. Well boo hoo.

“Maybe I didn’t paint that one,” Phoebe
offered, grabbing a textbook and two notebooks from her locker.

“No one else would dare make fun of Kara that
way,” Erika said.

I fought the urge to laugh out loud.

“You mean everyone else is afraid of her.”
Phoebe looked straight at Kara. “Don’t expect me to apologize for
the fact that I’m not.”

“I’m going to the principal about this.” Kara
stomped her foot. She actually stomped her foot like a child
throwing a temper tantrum.

“Go ahead,” Phoebe said. “You can’t prove
anything intentional was done. And besides that, no one’s going to
pay any attention to that little figure on the banner. Despite what
you seem to think, you aren’t the center of everybody’s
universe.”

Well, thank you Phoebe
whatever-your-last-name-is, for saying what I’ve been thinking ever
since school started.

The threesome of cheerleaders turned to head
back toward the front office, and Kara caught sight of me.

She glared at me, like I was a bug she was
about to smash, and for the first time, I felt nothing. Her
disapproval didn’t make me feel small or insignificant.

It was almost like her opinion meant
nothing.

Wow. How nice.

“I’m sure you just love this,” she snarled as
she walked by.

I just smiled, eyebrows raised. In truth, I
hadn’t noticed the fat cheerleader on the banner. But I wasn’t
going to let her know that.

As they breezed past, Tina’s shoulder just
happened to brush mine, shoving me into the wall.

And the only thing that bubbled inside me was
laughter.

Not humiliation. Not the desire to suddenly
become invisible.

Instead, all I could do was laugh.

And look at Phoebe and say, “Nice job.”

***

Noisy fans made it difficult to talk at the
football game Friday night, but I figured that was part of the
charm. Bundled in a turtleneck and a sweater, as well as a winter
coat, I snuggled close to Luke and felt his arm come around me.

Marsha, Jessie, and Tiffany sat to my right,
and to Luke’s left were Corey and Will. We’d formed our own little
tribe, it seemed, and everyone seemed happy and at home.

After the first touchdown of the game, the
loud cheering gave Marsha the perfect opportunity to ask about my
status with Luke.

“So, it’s official now?” She wiggled her
eyebrows in that playful way that I’d become accustomed to. “You
and Luke?”

I grinned until I thought my cheeks might
split. “Yeah. Official.”

She elbowed me and giggled. “It’s about darn
time!”

We laughed and cheered Sky Cove Senior High
to victory, and when the time came to head to The Pizza Place
Jessie and Will climbed into Luke’s Bronco to ride with us, while
Marsha and Tiffany piled into Corey’s truck.

As expected, The Pizza Place was crawling
with people, exactly the way it always was after a home game,
except that unlike last time, the cold wind forced everyone inside.
Spotting an available table in the back, the seven of us pushed
through the crowd.

Halfway there, words started dropping into my
mind. Grabbing Luke’s hand, I stopped where I stood. He motioned
for the others to go on. I ordered myself to breathe, then closed
my eyes and let the thoughts form.

In the darkness behind my eyelids the words
began to fall into place.

You belong to me.

The words reached my consciousness with such
malice that I swayed on my feet, Luke’s arm around my waist
steadying me.

“He’s here, Luke,” I said. “I figured he had
to be close the other times I picked up on his thoughts, but this
time...”

“What was it?”

“The words were ‘You belong to me’.” I raised
my eyes to Lucas’s. “But I could feel the venom in his thoughts.
He’s through waiting. And he’s in this room right now.”

Luke’s eyes darted around the room, scanning.
Trying to figure out who it was would be like searching the beach
for a specific grain of sand. Practically everyone was here.

“Let’s just act normal. We can’t risk having
him figure out you’ve been reading his thoughts.” Taking my hand
again, he led me over to the table.

“Headache,” he explained as we sat down.
“Let’s get our drinks ordered so Layla can take some medicine.”

I spent the rest of the evening both hoping
to pick up another thought and praying I wouldn’t so I could enjoy
the company of Luke and our friends. In the end, I decided to be
grateful that nothing else invaded my mind.

And I managed to love every minute of my
first official public outing as Luke’s girlfriend.

We
left for Boston before dawn on Saturday morning. My parents had
agreed to let me go with Gwen and Luke, and I felt better knowing
we hadn’t had to be completely untruthful about our reasons.

Other than seeing Brooke, the main reason for
our trip was for Luke to see the course for the Boston Athletic
Association 5K, which he planned to run in April, on the same day
as the Boston Marathon. He’d been planning the run since the
spring, before I’d moved to town and the reincarnation insanity had
begun.

Gwen had also promised to take us to a couple
of other cool spots, like the Old North Church, and the bar from
the old TV show “Cheers”.

Thanks to the late night at The Pizza Place,
Luke and I dosed most of the way to Boston, while Gwen drove.

Even though I’d grown up in a large city,
Boston was different. Maybe it was because I understood and
appreciated the historical significance of the city, or maybe
because of the mix of modern architecture and historic looking
buildings, but I felt like I’d gone back in time.

Like everything else I’d experienced since
moving to New England, it felt new and familiar all at the same
time.

I refused to believe that it had anything to
do with the fact I’d been born in this city.

The next stop was lunch. The
Bull and
Finch Pub
at Beacon Hill had been used for the exterior shots
of the “Cheers” bar. I’d seen reruns of the show, and as Luke, Gwen
and I walked toward the building, I half expected a Sam Malone and
Diane Chambers to appear.

The inside of the place didn’t disappoint
either. Rich wood textures and colors, along with the
stained-glass-looking light fixtures that hung over each table,
created an inviting, homey atmosphere, totally reminiscent of the
theme song’s decree that “everybody knows your name.”

We all got a big kick out of reading the
menu. Gwen ordered
Frasier’s Grilled Chicken Panini,
and
Luke and I both had
Sam’s Turkey Sandwich.
And for dessert,
we split Boston Crème Pie.

After lingering at lunch for almost two
hours, we made our way back to the car, heading in the direction of
Mass General.

***

The hospital was huge, which I anticipated,
since it’s one of the top ranking medical facilities in the
country. The large, white front section looked almost stately,
sandwiched between the darker structures on either side. I tried to
focus on the appearance of the building, the size, anything except
the fact that I’d been born here.

It was just too weird to think about.

Inside, we navigated the hallways, dodging
the steady stream of nurses, doctors, and visitors who also filled
the halls. Gwen had called Brooke earlier in the week and arranged
everything. She’d agreed to meet us at the hospital coffee shop
during her afternoon break.

Coffee Central
was in the main lobby
of the Gray Building, and a woman sitting alone at a table for four
noticed us immediately.

“Gwen Ellis?” she asked, standing up to greet
us.