Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (37 page)

I only
grinned in response. I followed Nate inside the cottage. As he went
into the kitchen to set up the coffee to brew in the morning, I
went into the bedroom to change. I took off my clothes and pulled
on a t-shirt. Glancing down at the floor, I noticed a pair of jeans
under the bed. Picking them up, a piece of paper fell out of the
pocket. Nate came into the room as I opened the note.

“What’s this?”
I asked. “I found it in these jeans.”

His forehead
creased. “I don’t know. It was inside Charlotte’s coat pocket when
I buried her. I think it was what she was reaching for when Joe
shot her.”

I opened up the
wrinkled lined paper and gazed at the name sprawled on it—Isaiah
King.

“What does it
mean?” I asked, looking up from the paper.

He shrugged,
pulling his suit jacket off. “I’m not sure, but I think it was
meant for me.”

Since
Charlotte was dead, we wouldn’t get any answers tonight, so with
that thought in mind, I placed the paper on the dresser and grabbed
Nate’s hand. I was in a good mood, and I wanted to show him just
how much I loved him.

###

Here’s a
preview of Fated Dreams, Book One in the Affinity Series

Three
years ago

“How did I get
here?” I asked myself for the fourth time, although I already knew
the answer. My voice was muffled inside the closed, confined
space.

It was Saturday
night, and instead of hanging out at a party with Derrick and Emma
like I was supposed to be, where was I? In a closet, and not the
proverbial kind either. I was literally in a closet, fluffy towels
and all. Why? That’s a good question, and the only answer I could
think of was my own stupidity.

Stephanie
Brown, honey-blonde hair, vivid blue eyes, and a body every boy
drooled over, had it out for me. And again the question was, why?
Well, the obvious answer could only be Ryan Crenshaw, her
ex-boyfriend. Not that he wasn’t worthy of her attention—his
wheat-colored hair and soul-deep blue eyes would make male
underwear models envious—but he just wasn’t interested in her
anymore.

He told me once
that the only reason he liked her in the first place was because he
was new to the school and didn’t know any better. But once he did,
he dumped her right on her cashmere-covered ass. And when Ryan
started eating lunch with me, she decided that I was her enemy. She
even convinced the entire school to hate me, and the
social-climbing drones of the student body listened to her. Ever
since I started at Hadley Academy six months ago, the only friend
I’d had was Ryan, and he was only a friend. As much as Stephanie,
the self-proclaimed queen of the school, thought differently.

Not that I was
desperately in need of extra friends. I had two of the best ones
anyone could ask for, but since they attended a public school on
the other side of town, my days were filled with cold stares and
the occasional prank.

I thought my
luck had changed a few days ago when the queen witch herself asked
me over for a slumber party with her two best friends. At first I
was skeptical, considering her obvious dislike for me. But since
she had made the effort, I hoped it was the start of a normal life
for me at school, so I agreed against my better judgment.

The evening
started out okay. She showed me around her enormous mansion, making
sure I noticed all the expensive-looking furniture, rich silks, and
classic artwork that were displayed throughout the rooms.

After a gourmet
dinner, I followed Stephanie up to her room. It was painted red and
white, with photos placed perfectly along the walls. Above her bed
was a portrait of the queen herself, which I thought was tacky.

The distinct
scent of an expensive perfume filled the air; it was such a strong
odor I figured she bathed in it or spilled the bottle. Either way,
the smell was overpowering. I used to like that particular scent,
but now I feared I could never use it without thinking of her.

She sat on her
bed with her puppets, as I now called Trudy and Tara, while I took
the plush, wine-colored armchair near the closet.

“So Sarah, do
you think you’re pretty?” Stephanie asked.

“Uh…I don’t
know, why?”

She scowled. “I
asked Ryan why he was talking to you all the time. And do you know
what he said?”

I didn’t like
where this was going. “No,” I answered quietly, afraid to look into
her eyes.

“He said that
you were sweet and pretty. And that he liked your dark eyes and
your long brown hair.”

I glanced at
Trudy and Tara, hoping for help, but their smirks told me I
couldn’t count on them. This wasn’t good.

She didn’t wait
for a response before continuing, and really, what was I going to
say, she was obviously up to something. A knot of trepidation
formed in the pit of my stomach. “I can’t do anything about your
eyes, but I can do something about that hair.” She bent down and
picked up something hidden under her bed.

I had a feeling
I knew what was about to happen, and I hoped I was wrong.

She turned back
around, holding a pair of industrial-size, shiny, silver scissors.
Oh shit. Her smile was all steel as she glanced at me, and then at
the shears.

Now I knew why
they invited me here, and it wasn’t to become my friend.

God, I was so
stupid. Why would I think that after months of her ignoring me, the
frost queen would suddenly be nice to me? I should have known that
a girl like her, rich, snobby, and just plain mean, was incapable
of change.

Glaring at the
scissors, I gulped, making the only decision I could think of. I
took off out the door of her bedroom.

As I ran down
the hall, I heard her yell, “Get her, girls.”

This was so
cliché. I was living a horror flick, and I couldn’t believe I fell
for it.

So now the
question was, how did I get myself out of this odd situation I
suddenly found myself in?

It was so dark
in the closet I couldn’t see the hand I held out in front of my
face. If there was a light bulb in here, I wasn’t going to turn it
on for fear I’d give away my position. A floral scent wafted around
the tiny cubby. I stretched out my hand and felt the soft towels
that were folded neatly on a shelf beside me.

With my head
pressed against the door, I sat down on the floor, trying to think
of what to do next. My eyes were closed as I listened carefully,
hearing only my own breathing and the faint sound of footsteps as
they searched another part of the house. I was safe, for now.
Although I knew I couldn’t hide forever.

Since I had
nothing else to do, I tapped my knee with my finger to the tune of
the national anthem. It must have helped my thought process,
because I remembered something. I had seen a phone sitting on a
stand in the hall on my way to this closet. Maybe I could crawl
over to it while the crazy girls were occupied, and call my mom.
Then I could sneak outside and wait behind some bushes. I really
didn’t want a haircut. I couldn’t believe she was going to chop off
my hair just because her ex-boyfriend talked to me and became my
friend.

What was I
thinking; of course she would.

I waited a few
seconds, making sure they were still out of hearing distance before
making my move.

Opening the
door very slowly, I crawled out; looking around to make sure I was
alone. Since my eyes had adapted to the darkness of the small
closet, they now felt strained from the wash of light coming from
the fixture above me. The hallway was clear, so I continued to
crawl slowly on my hands and knees along the soft oatmeal-colored
carpet, careful not to make any sound. The phone was just a couple
feet away on a small oak table against the wall.

I was almost
there when I heard a squeaky voice I recognized as Tara’s. “There
she is,” she yelled, pointing at me from the other end of the
hallway.

Crap. I stood
up and ran as fast as I could for the portable handset. I picked it
up and dialed my number quickly. My mom answered, “Hello.”

The words “come
get me” rushed out of my mouth before a well-manicured hand reached
for the receiver. I turned to see Stephanie slam her finger down,
ending my call and the only chance of escape.

She smiled
wickedly; her fierce blue eyes shot out imaginary icicles that
filled me with fear. “This is going to be so much fun.”

Tara and Trudy
held on to me while I pleaded with them to stop. I hoped that they
would feel guilty and let me go. That hope was short-lived when I
saw laughter in their eyes. They were just as evil as Stephanie
was.

As I struggled,
I felt the first cut, and some of my hair that had taken years to
grow fall to the floor. I panicked, stomped on someone’s foot, and
took off running. Fingers slipped from my skin. I was free.

“Get her, now!”
the evil witch screamed. In my haste I tripped on the edge of the
carpet, giving Tara a chance to grab my arm before I could get
away, her pointed nails digging into my skin.

They held on
tighter this time, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t get away. I
sobbed quietly as they chopped off my hair. My heart sank with
every snip of the scissors. The strands brushed my arm and feet as
they fell to the floor, feeling like soft feathers caressing my
skin. I closed my eyes, hoping that was all it was, a pillow torn
open above my head.

When the awful
snipping sounds stopped, I opened my eyes to see most of my hair
lying in clumps at me feet. I could no longer pretend they were
anything else. I knew that the pile of brown clippings curled up
along the carpet was mine. I stared down at it with a feeling of
numbness. My long mane that I had taken such care of was now
taunting me from the floor. When I was little, I asked to have long
hair just like my mother. After that, she would brush it lovingly
every night, buying products to keep it soft and shiny. She said it
was one of the reasons she wanted a daughter, to dress her up and
play with her hair. And now the remaining pieces lay on the floor,
being stomped on by Stephanie’s open-toed red sandals.

They let me go
and started to laugh. “I don’t think Ryan will be interested in you
now. My goodness, Sarah, what happened to your hair?” she mocked.
“You know, you really should stop going to your dad’s barber.”
Stephanie’s sick attempt at humor made the lump in my throat
threaten to grow.

Trudy and Tara
laughed at her joke with twin high-pitched screeches. They were
eerily similar, with matching grey eyes, black hair, and milky
complexions. If Trudy wasn’t four inches taller than Tara, I’d
think they were twins, although they weren’t even related.

I ran to
Stephanie’s room, picked up my bag, and took off in the direction
of the front door. As I rushed out, I heard her shrill voice
calling after me. “Oh Sarah, are you leaving so soon?” And of
course more laughter followed.

I stumbled out
of her house into the night. In the darkness, I followed the
walkway to the road, feeling embarrassed and angry, and an ache
formed in my chest before the tears started to fall.

I wasn’t paying
attention to where I was going and started walking aimlessly. My
tears were flowing hard, obscuring my view. My foot caught in a
crack in the road, and I fell to the ground. My hands dug into the
asphalt, scraping my palms.

I pushed myself
up and continued walking.

Would this
horror movie ever end? I hoped to wake up in my room, having
dreamed the whole thing. Closing my eyes, I willed it to be true,
but fate was not on my side; this was really happening. I was still
here wandering the roads, praying I was heading in the right
direction.

After
what seemed like hours, I saw headlights behind me. A car pulled
along the sidewalk, and the passenger side window slowly rolled
down. “OH, MY GOD, SARAH! WHAT HAPPENED?” my mother yelled from the
driver’s seat.

The fact
that he was present made me realize I was dreaming. In reality, he
wouldn’t be caught dead talking to me. It was early evening, and I
was sitting on one of the swings from my brother’s old swing set,
staring up at the starry sky. It was peaceful, with a warm breeze
gently brushing my face. My hair fell into my eyes. The scent of
lilacs drifted in the air.

I had just
pushed off the ground and swung upwards when I heard a creaking
sound behind me. I glanced back to see him open the gate and walk
into our yard. He smiled at me, his hazel eyes sparkling in the
moonlight as he sat down on the swing next to mine. We sat together
silently, swinging gently, looking up at the moon and the
stars.

Suddenly, a
bright light shone from behind us, followed by a very shrill
noise…or was it a scream?

Thump, thump,
thump. My eyes shot open. A banging sound came from somewhere,
interrupting my sleep. I wasn’t ready to wake yet, so I threw the
pillow over my head to muffle the noise.

“Sarah, get up,
Mom’s been calling you,” Alex, my fifteen-year-old brother,
bellowed from the other side of my bedroom door.

“I’m up,” I
yelled, tossing the pillow aside and closing my eyes again.

I jumped at the
sound of another thump. “Go away!” God, can’t anyone sleep in
around here? I heard him stomp down the hall, leaving me to nestle
under my covers to go back to sleep. Just as I was drifting off
again, a thought appeared in my foggy brain; I was supposed to do
something, wasn’t I? My eyes popped open, focusing on the dirt
splotch on my ceiling above me left by a ball I had thrown up years
ago. I knew I should wash it off, but I sometimes found myself
staring up at it and seeing shapes in the dust. Once, after
studying for a difficult biology exam, the shape of a happy face
appeared. It made me feel better about the test. But now I lay
staring at it trying to figure out what day it was, and then I did.
It was Monday and I was late for school. Filled with panic, I
jumped up to have a quick shower.