Sara (16 page)

Her dreams had been terrible. She'd dreamed about Noah, all covered in blood, trying to kiss her, wanting to make love to her, pleading and begging and putting his hands all over her—he was like an octopus, hands everywhere, whenever she pushed one away it grabbed her somewhere else, and all she wanted to do was scream and get away, run away, go anywhere to get away from him. And she kept hearing that horrible laughter in the background, a horrible sound that made her skin crawl and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Then Noah was gone, and it was Zack trying to kiss her, the rope still around his neck, and she started screaming.

That was when she woke up, shivering and drenched in sweat. She'd sat there in the dark for a very long time, afraid to go back to sleep.

Now, in daylight, she felt a little stupid for being so freaked out over a bad dream.

But you've been having these bad dreams for a week.

“You don't look so hot,” Candy said as she got into the Mustang. “Are you okay?”

“Thanks.” Laney made a face at her. “You sure know how to cheer someone up.”

“I'm sorry—I didn't mean it the way it sounded.” Candy pulled away from the curb. “Didn't you sleep well?”

“Nah.” She looked out the car window. “Ever since Noah—you know—I've been having the worst nightmares. I'm almost afraid to go to sleep.”

Candy opened her mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it and shut her mouth. They drove in silence for a while, and after about five minutes they were out in the country, driving past rows and rows of corn. Finally she said, “Did you used to go out with Tony?”

I don't suppose you can really call it “going out.”
Laney sighed and leaned her forehead against the window. “It was summer before last, it was only twice, and it was no big deal, okay? It was nothing.”

“Didn't mean to touch a nerve.” Candy stared straight ahead at the road. “I was just curious. Sharon said something about it the other day, so I thought I'd ask. I didn't know about it, is all. It's no big deal.”

“I'm sorry—like I said, I didn't sleep good last night.” Laney shifted in her seat and forced a smile on her face. “I didn't mean to snap at you, sorry. We're just friends now, Candy. We tried it, realized boyfriend and girlfriend for us just wasn't going to work, so we decided to stay friends and didn't really tell anyone about it because it was really nothing.” She'd told the lie so many times she almost believed it herself. “Like I said, not a big deal.” She sighed. “Glenn could never let go of it, though.”

Tony was an idiot for telling him about it
, she thought as she closed her eyes again. She'd begged him not to, but he didn't feel right keeping it from him.
I slept with him twice. It was a mistake, so we stopped. And should have forgotten about it.

“It must have been a shock when Glenn came out.”

“You think?” Laney snapped, and sighed. “Sorry. It was just a
really
bad summer.”

“I know,” Candy said gently. “You know, you can always talk to me if you need someone to listen, Laney.”

“I know, and thanks.” Laney took a deep breath. “Right now I don't really want to talk about anything. My mind is all over the place—I've got to figure some things out for myself, you know?”
Tell her about breaking up with Noah
, a voice urged in her mind.

She opened her mouth, but closed it again.

Not yet.

“Well, I just wanted you to know I'm here, okay?”

“Thank you—it means a lot to me.” She gave Candy a weak smile. “Let's talk about something more cheerful—I'm so tired of doom and gloom. So, are you and Tony a couple now?”

“I hope so.” Candy smiled back at her. “I do like him a lot.”

Laney could hear her talking but she wasn't really listening. She didn't really need to—Candy obviously could talk about Tony for hours. All she had to do was smile and nod and say “uh-huh” from time to time. They reached the city limits of Kahola, and Candy kept talking as she expertly maneuvered her Mustang through the slight traffic until she was pulling into the parking lot of Kahola County Hospital. As she parked the car, Candy said, “It's weird, isn't it, how you can know someone your whole life and never really notice them until one day you're all
wow what a hunk he is!
”

“Yeah,” Laney agreed, getting out of the car. Candy kept up the string of chatter as they went through the automatic doors into the hospital, in the elevator, and down the hall to Tony's room.

Laney hoped her shock didn't register on her face as they walked into Tony's room.

He looked terrible. His right leg was in a cast and suspended from a weird contraption above his bed. His left arm was in a sling, and there was an ugly purplish-yellow bruise on the right side of his face. His hair looked unwashed and greasy, and his olive skin looked pale. There were dark smudges under his eyes, and his full lips looked chapped. He smiled wanly at them both, his eyes lighting up with delight. He picked up a remote control with his left hand and muted the football game on the television.

“Hey, stud.” Candy kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled at her and turned his head. “Hey, Laney.”

“How you doing?” Laney approached the bed cautiously. He looked so—
fragile.
She bit her lower lip.

“I'm not contagious,” Tony teased. He looked at his suspended leg and grinned. “And apparently I won't break.”

She kissed him lightly on the cheek and then stepped back. “So, how long are you in for?”

He shrugged his shoulders slightly and winced a bit. “Well, I have two pins in my leg, and once they let me out of traction I have to do some physical therapy. With any luck I'll be out of here next weekend.” Tony looked at her and wrinkled his forehead. He turned his head and said, “Candy, would you mind getting me a Coke from the machine?”

Candy kissed his cheek again. “Of course I don't mind. I'll be back in a flash.” She disappeared through the door.

“Okay.” Tony said once the door was shut. “What's wrong, Laney?”

“Is it that obvious?” She sat down in the chair next to the bed. She laughed, a brittle sound. “Oh, just about everything that could possibly be wrong is,” Laney shook her head. “I don't even know where to start.”

“I'm sorry about Noah.” He licked his lips. “Do you mind if ask
you
something?”

“Go ahead. I don't know that I want to talk about me anyway.”

“Have you noticed anything weird about Glenn lately?”

She laughed. “What
isn't
weird about him lately is a better question.” She rolled her eyes. “Ever since that bitch showed up, he's totally different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing they're inseparable. I mean, you'd never know he's gay the way he hangs on her.” She crossed her legs, and frowned. “And last night at the victory dance—” She hesitated. “This is going to sound crazy, but last night I noticed he looks like he's really been working out a lot.” She shook her head. “Maybe I just noticed, but I can't believe I wouldn't have before. He doesn't look the same as he did a few weeks ago when I saw him at the country club pool. People's bodies don't change that fast, do they?”

“You noticed that, too?”

“Yeah.” She stared at him. “At the game last night, or at the dance afterward, I mean, I noticed that his shirt was too small, and I had never noticed before how big his chest and arms were.”

“Laney, they weren't that big last week.”

“What?” She blinked at him.

“Glenn always complained about how his body never seemed to react to the weights.” Tony frowned. “He always acted like we were in some kind of competition. I mean, just last week we took our measurements in the weight room. I'm telling you, Laney, I was bigger than him—my biceps were two inches bigger around than his. When he came to visit me this morning…Laney, we're the same size now.”

“That's crazy!”

“He looks like he's been doing a thousand sit-ups every night,” Tony went on rapidly. “Like he can bench-press over two hundred pounds easily. I'm telling you, he did not look like that last week!”

“How hard did you hit your head?” Laney stared at him.
You know he's telling the truth
, that voice whispered in her mind,
you noticed it yourself last night.

“And that's not all, either.” He grabbed her hand. “Have you been having weird dreams?” He was squeezing her hand so hard that it hurt. “About Noah? About her?”

She felt the color draining out of her face. She pulled her hand free. “How did you know that?” she whispered hoarsely.

“Because I've been having them, too.” He closed his eyes.

“What is going on?” She was scared, more frightened than she'd been when she woke up from her dreams. “Tony, this isn't possible.”

“I don't know, I wish I did, but it has something to do with
her
.”

Laney felt dizzy, and she leaned back in her chair, gulping deep breaths of air. “Tony, what you're saying is
insane
.” Even as she said it, though, her instincts told her he was right, he was telling the truth.

“Is it?” Tony said softly. “Just a week ago, everything was fine, everything was normal, right? Sure, Zack and Noah were kinda being dickheads about Glenn being gay, whatever, but he was dealing with it just fine. And then we ran into
her
that night at Vista. Suddenly, Glenn's got a new best friend. Then Noah dies. Then Zack Zimmer commits suicide on the same day that Glenn breaks his nose.”

“Glenn broke Zack's nose?” She shook her head. “I didn't hear about that.”

“After practice that day, they got into it in the locker room. Glenn lost it and just hauled off and slugged him. I was there—I saw it. Coach brought him here to get his nose set—I went along for the ride. Zack was
fine
, Laney.” He shook his head. “Embarrassed, mad, but fine. But then he goes home and hangs himself. Does that make any sense to you? And Glenn starts developing the body of a Greek god in an impossibly short period of time.” Tony grimaced at her. “And then we have our little accident. Glenn gets a few bruises, and I wind up in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and pins in my leg. Does any of this sound like normal, everyday happenings to you?”

“Well, no.”

“I haven't told you the worst part, Laney.” Tony closed his eyes. “Right before we had the accident, Glenn tried to use the brakes, and he said they weren't working. Laney, he had the pedal to the floor. I
saw
it. The brakes on his car were not working, I would swear to it. But yesterday I had a little visitor from the police department. There was nothing wrong with the brakes.”

“Maybe Glenn was scared and hit the gas.”

“No, Laney. I'm telling you, I saw him pushing the brake pedal to the floor. I
saw
it.”

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“The last thing I remember before I was knocked out was hearing laughter.” He opened his eyes. “
Her
laughter. Just like in my dreams.
She
was why we crashed, Laney, I know it.”

“That's crazy, Tony.” Laney stared at him, not wanting to believe him. But she knew he was right—she felt it. She'd felt it herself, even though she didn't want to admit it. “These things aren't possible.” She walked over to the window and looked out into the parking lot. “You just didn't see what pedal Glenn was pressing. I mean, how sure are you of what you saw?”

“And the dreams?” he said quietly. She didn't answer, and he went on, “Okay, everything can be explained—except the dreams. Noah came to me the night he died. After he'd already died, Laney.”

“Tony, stop it!”

“I thought it was a dream, but I found Noah's key ring in my room the next morning. How did it get there?”

“What are you saying?” She felt a chill.

He took a deep breath. “I think Sara is behind all of this. I don't know what she is, but I don't think she's
human.
”

They stared at each other in silence. The door opened and Candy came back in with several cans of soda.

“I assumed you wanted a Coke.” Candy handed her the can. “What were you two talking about so serious?”

Laney couldn't accept it even though she knew it was true in her gut. “Tony seems to think that Sara is a witch or something.”

Candy laughed. “I don't like her, either.” She made a face.

Tony sighed. “That isn't what I meant, and you both know it. I just think that something very strange is going on around here, and I think she has something to do with it.”

“Have you talked to Glenn about all of this?” Laney said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her head was spinning. Even though it was crazy, she knew deep down it was true, and if it
was
true—