The Immortal Design (4 page)

   I wasn’t about to bow down to her though. Kelly was not the type of girl I was willing to be involved with. Pete however worshiped her. Damn it Pete, where the hell was he? As I sat in the last row in third period math class, I took out a piece of paper and wrote three things down. The first thing on my list of to do, was to find out where the hell my best friend was. The second was to try and meet up with Willa and try to strike up some sort of conversation with her. The third was to stay the hell out of Kelly’s path. Which would turn out to be a lot harder than I had anticipated.

5.

     The last bell of the day rang and I made my way to Pete’s locker. I tossed my books in the locker and checked once again to see if there had been any sign of him being at school today. No such luck. I closed the locker and noticed that a few lockers down Willa was busy putting her books in her own locker. She turned and smiled at me. I smiled back and was about to go over and properly introduce myself when of all people who could show up and ruin my introduction happened to cut me off. Kelly threw her hand out in front of me and stopped me dead in my tracks.  “Hey John.” She practically purred as she moved in close to me. I looked down and noticed she was wearing her typical wardrobe; a super low cut tank top that showed more cleavage than it covered, and a skin tight pair of blue jeans with thigh high black boots. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t think you would be so mad at me for kissing Pete. If I knew you cared so much I wouldn’t have done it. So why don’t you let me make it up to you and we can go to the overlook tonight, just the two of us” Kelly had traced her finger down my chest to the loop of my jeans and yanked me closer to her. I heard a laugh over her shoulder.

   Willa was watching the obscene way that Kelly was throwing herself at me. Kelly heard the laugh as well. She quickly changed from seductress to evil bitch Kelly in a heartbeat. She whirled around and glared at Willa. “What are you laughing at freak” she spat at her. Willa only laughed harder. My eyebrows shot up quickly in surprise. No one ever laughed at Kelly VonHolten, if they did they would regret it immediately. Kelly had years of practice in tearing people to shreds.

   “I believe I am laughing at you. Please do not tell me that all American teenage girls are like this. Throwing themselves at young men who are clearly not interested in them in the first place” I loved her even more now. Kelly on the other hand had just made a new enemy and it was clear she wasn’t going to take the insult laying down. Kelly stalked the few steps that separated the two girls and got in Willa’s face.

   “Look bitch, I know you just got here and everything, so I’m going to lay out a few things for you. I’m the head cheer leader, and no one messes with me. Second, John Stokes if off limits to everyone but me. Go ahead and run your mouth like that again and you’re going to find out what happens to people who screw with me. Is that perfectly clear you freaking ghost. Seriously don’t they have sun where you come from?” Kelly gave Willa a very clear warning, however Willa laughed even harder. This is not good. Kelly was furious. She had started shaking and I watched as her hand began to curl up into a fist. I made my move. I jumped in front of Willa and faced off with Kelly. She blinked and stepped back quickly. “Get out of my way John Stokes” She demanded.

   “No. Kelly, you need to quit. I told you last night, I’m not interested. And this isn’t helping you win any points with me.” Instantly Kelly turned her anger toward me.

   “Fine John. But I’m warning you, if you’re not mine, you will be nobodies. I will make sure that our last year here is the worst year you ever have.” With that she turned and stalked off.

   Willa laughed again. Her laugh was infectious. I couldn’t help but to laugh with her. It felt good to be laughing again. I turned around to look at her. She was even more beautiful up close in person in daylight. “I’m sorry about her. She can be a real bitch” I said.

  “It is ok. I am not intimidated by her. It would take a great deal more for me to be afraid. I’m Willa” she held her hand out to me. I took it gently in my hand and shook it.

  “I’m Johnathan Stokes. It’s nice to meet you.” I held her hand in mine as I spoke. I desperately did not want to let go.

  “But, we have already met Johnathan Stokes.”

  “Huh?”

She laughed again as she released my hand. “We met last night at the burning”

  “The burning? Oh, you mean the bonfire.”

  “Yes, that is what I mean to say. My English is not the best. I’m sorry to say.”

   “No, it’s okay. I love the way you talk. That sounded a lot better in my head. I’m sounding like an idiot, shoot. Can I walk you to your car” I asked. This girl had me acting like a fool. Willa laughed again and turned toward the exit, she waited for me to follow. We walked out into the bright sun light. Willa pulled her dark sunglasses out and put them on, then covered herself with a light jacket that covered every inch of her bare skin except her hands. “Are you cold?” I asked.

   “No. I have a small allergic to the sunlight. Is that how you say it?”

   “Allergic? Oh you mean allergy. You have an allergy to sunlight… Really?”

  “Yes, that is what I mean, and yes I do. I can tolerate it in small doses, but I am afraid too much will cause a bad rash. I do not miss it, the sunlight. I was born this way so I am used to my condition.” She smiled and kept walking. We walked to her car and she did something I was not expecting. She kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you for escorting me to my car. I enjoyed the company very much. You have been very kind John, and I look forward to many more talks with you.”

  “Sure, anytime. Do you want my number? You could call me anytime, day or night.”

   “Ok. I will take it then. I will warn you though, I am a night person. So I may call late, I hope that will not be an inconvenience for you.”

  “No not all! Call anytime you want” I started to sound like an idiot. I have never liked a girl the way I did Willa. I was so used to being chased by girls, I wasn’t sure how to act toward a person I was interested in.

   I wrote my number on the back of her hand and then did one of the most ridiculous things I have ever done. I kissed the back of her hand and bowed to her. Why I bowed I have no idea, it just seemed the right thing to do at the time. The gesture worked. I got her to smile one last time before she got into the hearse. I stood back and waited for her to start the engine and leave. Just as she was about to back up she stopped and rolled down her window.

  “John, I forgot to tell you about your friend Pete. He was injured after the party last night. I believe he is in the hospital still as I did not see him here today. I thought maybe you should know this. Goodbye John” she waved at me before she left and drove off toward the other side of town.

  It took me a few moments to realize what she had said. Pete was injured and in the hospital. Damn. I took off across the parking lot at full sprint and made it to my car, I drove quickly to the hospital hoping to find Pete. If anything bad happened to him I will never forgive myself for it. No, I take that back I will never forgive Kelly VonHolten, and if she thinks her little threats earlier toward me and Willa were something to be worried about, it would pale in comparison to what I would do to her.

6.

  I arrived at Mercy Memorial Hospital and went straight to the information desk “Hi, I’m looking for Peter Baker. Is he here” the receptionist was startled at my quick approach. I don’t blame her for her reaction, I did sort of shout slash demand her to give me the information. The receptionist recovered quickly and began to look up the information on her computer system.

  “I’m sorry. You startled me. Um, give a minute and I’ll look that information up for you.”

   “Please hurry Ma’am.” I was being an ass and I knew it, but my best friend was possibly here and injured and the million and one scenarios kept racing through my head.  The receptionist kept her cool and ignored my bad mood.

   “I have that information for you. He’s on the second floor room 203.” Once again I was off and running.

   “Thank you!” I shouted over my shoulder as I ran the length of the hallway to the elevators. I waited impatiently for the elevator doors to slide open.  The elevator came to stop on the main level of the hospital and the doors opened. A handful of people exited as I pushed past them and frantically pushed the number two button. The doors wouldn’t close fast enough for my liking. Just as the doors finally began to close a hand snaked between the gap and a young man entered the elevator with me. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and an over coat. I briefly noticed the guy and thought he looked like he should be on his way to a photo shoot instead of visiting someone in the hospital. The doors opened and I quickly got off on the second floor forgetting about the young man who had joined me on the elevator.

   I jogged to the nurse’s station and asked which way room 203 was located. The nurse pointed me in the direction to where Pete’s room was, and I quickly walked to room 203. I hadn’t been prepared for what I was about to see. The door had been partially closed but I overheard voices talking in whispers. I could barely make out what they were saying or who the voices belonged to. One word caught my attention, wolf.

   I knocked gently on the door. Pete’s mother opened the door slowly peering around it to see who was knocking. It took me a moment to register that Pete’s mother looked terrible. She must have been up all night crying. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and her hair looked as if she hadn’t bothered to comb it. She smiled slightly and then suddenly threw her arms around me hugging me tightly. I hugged her back trying to do my small part in comforting Pete’s mother. “What happened?” I asked in a whisper.

   “We don’t know for sure.”

   I walked in to the room and looked at Pete lying in the hospital bed. His leg and arms were bandaged heavily. He appeared to be resting. There were cuts and deep purple bruising on his face and various other parts of his body. He looked as if someone had worked him over and just for good measure threw him off a cliff. I took a chair and scooted it up to the bed. My worst fear had come true.

   “John, can you tell us anything about last night? Where Pete was, who he was with anything at all would be helpful” Sherriff Mark Richards had asked. I was too much in shock to register that there was another person in the room besides Pete and his mom.  The Sherriff was an older man who had been the elected official for the past thirty years in Castle Rock. I didn’t know him to well, but I knew he had a good reputation and was a fairly well liked person.

   I looked up to see him standing close to my chair. “He was with me, at the bonfire sir, but something happened and he got upset and took off. I tried to look for him but I didn’t see him on my way home.” The sheriff studied me as I spoke.  “I tried to call and text him, but he never returned my calls, I figured he was just pissed at me.” That got the sheriff’s attention.

   “Why exactly would he be pissed at you” he asked suspiciously.

   “Because of Kelly VonHolten, she made a spectacle last night at the bonfire. She tried to use Pete to make me jealous.” The sheriff had taken out his little notebook and started writing everything down that I was saying. I stood up quickly this guy couldn’t seriously think I had something to do with Pete, my best friend, being in the hospital.

   “I had nothing to do with this you asshole!”  I was shouting at the sheriff and I couldn’t help myself. The past twenty fours had really taken a toll on my over worked nerves.

  “John” Pete’s mother spoke calmly. “I’m sure Sheriff Richards wasn’t implying that you did anything wrong, so please calm down. We need to know what happened to my son.”

   There it was again, I was acting like a complete jack ass. When will I learn, not to get so defensive? I was truly ashamed of my behavior especially right here and right now, with my best friend lying in a hospital, and his grieving mother not knowing a damn thing that led him to be here. I sighed heavily and hung my head as I sat back down in the uncomfortable hospital chair.

  “I’m sorry Mrs. Baker, Sheriff. I’ve been going out of my mind worrying where he might have been.  I did try to look for him, and I did keep calling, but like I said, Kelly made a scene and I figured he was pissed at me and just didn’t want to talk.”

   Pete’s mother understand exactly what I meant. She was all too familiar with Pete’s infatuation with Kelly. The sheriff put his notebook back in his pocket before he continued.

   “Pete was dropped off on the front steps of the hospital late last night. He was unconscious and when he came round briefly he was screaming about a wolf. The doctors have kept him sedated since last night.” The sheriff placed a hand on Mrs. Baker’s shoulder and she touched his hand gently with hers and nodded as if urging him to continue. “It does appear that Pete had been attacked by a wolf, or several of them. We won’t know until a pathologist takes a look at the samples we shipped off to Denver. I hate to ask John, but what was Pete upset about?”