Masquerade (13 page)

“
I need to go shopping,” I
said when she answered.

She laughed. “I’ll be there in ten
minutes.”

“
Wait! I can’t go tonight.
Bible study.”

“
You’re wardrobe needs help
ASAP.”

“
I’m supposed to go out
with Sam this weekend. If I don’t go to Bible study tonight, Mom
will never let me go out with him.”

“
Does she know about him
yet?”

“
Uh, no.”

“
After school
tomorrow?”

“
Thanks,
Kimber.”

“
Don’t thank me! I cannot
wait to see you in something besides a baggy
sweatshirt!”

I gave up on my meager
wardrobe and flopped down on my bed. My cell chirped, and I grabbed
it, opening the text. It was from Sam.
Miss U.

Miss U 2.

C U n the AM B4
class?

Can’t wait.

“
Heven! Time to go!” Mom
called up the stairs.

Have a gd nite.
I quickly wrote then stuffed the phone in my
pocket and left my room.

I thrilled my mother by offering my
help to Mrs. Bennet, the preschool Bible class teacher, who
accepted right away. And, just my luck, they were having a special
activity that night after classes, and she asked me to stay. The
way my mother was smiling I figured it would go a long way to
getting me out of the house with Sam this weekend.

It was well after nine by the time we
had everything cleaned up from the kids, and I was exhausted. I
just wanted to go home and crawl into bed. The sooner I went to bed
the sooner I would see Sam. We hadn’t been together long, but I
couldn’t imagine my days without him. Just the few hours we’d been
apart I missed him.

The last thing to do before Mrs.
Bennet drove me home was to take out the trash. I gathered the
surprisingly full bag and hefted it out of the can. Outside, night
had fallen and taken all the warmth in the air with it. I shivered
as I hurried around the side of the church toward the dumpster.
When I was almost there I heard a noise behind me. I looked over my
shoulder but I was alone. After a few more steps I felt certain
that someone or something was there.

Watching.

Waiting.

It was just like that
night. A sob caught in my throat but I swallowed it.
Think!
Last time I ran
and I was pursued. So this time…

I dropped the bag of trash abruptly
and pivoted, walking back the way I came. Out of the corner of my
eye I saw movement but nothing solid. “Who’s there?” I called,
sounding braver than I felt.

A low growl came out of the
night.

A whimper escaped me as I
scanned the area. I was going to be attacked again. If that
happened I wouldn’t survive. I glanced at the door to the church. I
could do this. I sprang forward running as fast as I could toward
the door, but something leapt in front of me blocking my way. I
skidded to a stop, and it prowled closer. It was so dark I couldn’t
tell what it was, but I
knew that it was
an animal, possibly a rabid dog. It was huge; its hulking shape was
terrifying in the dark. It was a dark color
–
most likely black
–
because it blended in
so well with the night. It peeled back its lips and pure white
flashed in the night. I stifled a whimper when I took in the size
of its fangs. It made sounds that I only heard on Animal Planet and
the hairs on my arms stood up. Slowly,
I
backed away, but it followed.

“
Nice doggie.” I said,
trying to get the animal to realize I wasn’t a threat and run
away.

It lunged. I squealed and
took off toward the dumpster, jumping onto the ladder built on the
side. I scrambled up as the animal snapped at my
heel
s. Without looking back I jumped into
the piles of trash and froze, trying to make as little noise as
possible. A loud bang sent the metal of the dumpster vibrating
around me. Again and again the animal barged into the side of the
container. Was it trying to leap in after me? The inhuman sounds
that keened through the night were somewhere between a growl and a
scream. Agonizing fear rolled through me and I slapped my hands
over my ears as tears rolled down my cheeks. Why was this
happening? The metal of the dumpster was humming from the force of
the hits; I was sure I would feel the force in my bones tomorrow.
That is, if I lived until tomorrow.

Suddenly, everything
went quiet. I prayed the animal had given up and
gone away.

I couldn’t bring myself to
climb out and see. I was paralyzed with fear and terrified of
getting attacked. Slowly, I lowered my hands away from my ears and
swiped at my
tears. It was still there. I
could hear it standing on the other side of the dumpster breathing.
What was it doing? Why had it stopped? From nearby another sound
cut through the dark. A long, lingering howl followed by a snarl
that set me to shaking all over again. The animal just outside the
dumpster made an answering sound
–
almost like a challenge; then it slammed itself
into the side of the metal again, and I screamed. My scream set off
another angry snarl, and I heard whatever else was out there race
forward. The sound of bodies slamming together and gnashing teeth
terrified me all over again, and I tried to sink even further into
the filth that filled the container. Garbage was preferable to the
beast that lingered outside. And what was even worse?

Now there seemed to be two of
them.

Sam

The interior of the truck
smelled like her. For me it was a scent that once tasted, I would
never forget and something I would always seek out. Until I laid
eyes on her I never thought feelings like this were real.
Before
her my life was a
barren landscape. A world in black and white. Even as a child
nothing seemed as vivid as it does now.

The first time I saw her
had been an accident. I was racing through the woods, attempting to
run away from what I am, from the life I lived. Before I even heard
her, I caught her scent and I was lost. I stopped running and
turned, seeking out what called to me. When I found her my life
changed.

She was riding a horse,
the animal was large and powerful looking, but it was she who
commanded the attention. She was sitting in the saddle full of
confidence and grace. Her light blond hair floated out around her
and flirted with the breeze. It had been late summer and her skin
was kissed by the sun; she was wearing a top that bared her
shoulders and arms.

As I watched, the horse seemed to
sense my presence and dance beneath the canopy of green the trees
provided. In fluid, calm movements she leaned forward and spoke
stroking her hand along the horse’s neck.

“
Settle, Jasper. We’re
safe.”

Envy speared through me. I
wanted to be that horse. I wanted her to stroke me the way she did
it. The intensity of my reaction scared me, and I wanted to
flee.

Yet I was rooted where I
stood.

I felt as though an
invisible tether reached out of me and went directly to her. It
tugged at me as I stood there, begging me to close the distance,
for just one chance to see her smile.

Of course, I denied myself the urge.
She was too good for me. My parents made it clear that I wasn’t
good enough for anyone. Besides, what a shame it would be to taint
such beauty with such a beast. Instead I settled on watching her
from afar. I haunted the woods like a ghost just praying to catch a
glimpse of her. Then, it wasn’t enough and the fleeting glances
that I caught became teasing and taunting. I wanted
more.

So I followed her.

I stalked her.

I let her presence fill up
every hole inside me. And that first time I saw her smile I knew
that I loved her. Unfortunately, my love ruined her
life.

Beneath the hood of the
truck, a strange noise grinded and pulled me from my memory. I
glanced down at the gauges and realized that I had been going over
seventy miles an hour. Way too fast for this old truck. If I wanted
it to last then I couldn’t drive it the way I wanted to drive. And
since I didn’t have any money to buy something new, I needed it to
last. With a regretful glance at the speedometer I let off the
gas.

I felt edgy tonight. I
counted the minutes until my shift was over at work so I could get
here and reassure myself that she was okay. She had no idea of the
danger that she was in. She had no idea what kind of monster was
obsessed with her. But I did.

Because I was a monster
too.

The only difference is
that I don’t want to hurt her. And because of that I am in this
situation. I’m trapped. I’m caught in a web of lies so thick that I
might never get out. If I told Heven the truth she would push me
away, she would hate me for life. I could accept her hatred, but
not her absence.

I’m the only thing standing between
her and death.

As I got closer to the
church my heart began to hammer in my chest. Uncomfortable, I
rolled down the window and let the air rush in. Something wasn’t
right. I slammed my foot down on the gas, ignoring the groaning of
the engine and prayed I wouldn’t be too late.

I heard a cry and then a
snarl and my skin started to burn. Had. To. Get. Out.

The front of the church
came into view, and I swerved to the curb and leapt out of the
truck. I tossed aside my shirt and pants as I went and broke into a
run. I could hear her crying and I could hear loud banging and
growling. At least she was still alive. I wasn’t too late. I
rounded the corner, resisting the pain in my joints and the fire in
my veins.

The monster was toying
with her, knowing that I would be here, knowing that I would see.
As if on cue our eyes met. The challenge was there. Anger ripped
through me and I let it out, the sounds burning my throat. My cry
was met with another, and I raced forward.

We met head on, slamming
into one another. The giant beast towered over me, but I held
myself in check, even though it hurt and even though my limbs shook
with need.

I slammed the monster into
the asphalt, trying to dodge the swipe of its claws. I couldn’t.
Pain lanced through my side, and I realized if I wanted to win this
fight, I couldn’t hold back. Inhuman sounds roared out of my throat
and a battle began.

You should never have come
here. I told you to leave her alone.

I sent the monster hurling
away, only to have it come back. Our arms locked together and I
brought my legs up between us and kicked. I felt bones give way but
a few broken bones wouldn’t be enough to convey my
message.

When I threw off the
monster, I lunged, hovering over it, and sank my teeth into a fur
coated neck.

I’m not playing games with
you. I will kill you right now and this will be over.

Suddenly, I found myself
lying against the hard ground, teeth snapped at my face and
soulless eyes seemed to laugh down at me. Not ready to admit
defeat, I lashed out catching my opponent by surprise.

We went at it again and again, rolling
across the ground, landing punches and taking hits.

Through the snarling and
the shrieking a small sound stopped me cold. A small hiccup. Heven.
She could hear this fight and was probably paralyzed with fear. Who
knew how long it would take her to recover from this. Because of my
distraction I took a hit to the side of my head. Automatically I
roared and flipped myself off the ground. In one swift movement I
locked my opponent in a hold and dragged the body away from the
container and into a line of nearby trees. When released, my
captive sunk razor sharp teeth into my leg, but I bit back a howl
and punched out, connecting with flesh and heard another crunch of
bone.

The hateful eyes that
watched me glazed over, but not before a streak of shock shot
through them. Then it turned tail and ran away.

I thought about giving
chase. I wanted to rip it apart and scatter the pieces. I was so
angry I could do it. But I couldn’t leave her here alone, shivering
and scared to death while sitting in a trash heap waiting to
die.

Heven, what have I done to
you?

I raced back through the
parking lot, sticking to the shadows, moving with stealth and
silence. I barely noticed the cuts on my side; they had already
stopped bleeding and would be healed soon. I hurried to dress,
thankful that my clothes seemed to be unruffled and wouldn’t look
like I had been fighting. On my way back around the side of the
building I heard a woman calling out for Heven.

Shit.
I didn’t want anyone in my way.

With a deep breath I told
myself to chill, and I stepped out of the shadows.

“
Excuse me, Ma’am? Is
everything alright?”

The woman calling out for
Heven jumped and pressed a hand to her chest. “Who are
you?”

“
I’m a friend of Heven’s,
I heard you calling for her.”