“What? No.” I pushed her lightly. “Of course not.” But I wasn’t sure what I was feeling.
I stopped our conversation when Austin looked at me. I didn’t want to give him the impression that we were talking about him.
“Claudia made the party favors,” Andrew said suddenly.
“Oh my gosh!!! Thanks, Claudia,” Patty said, placing her arms around by shoulders. “So sweet of you.”
“My pleasure,” I said. Feeling a bit uncomfortable by the sudden attention, I flashed my eyes on the party favor, feeling everyone’s gaze on me.
“I’m surprised,” Patty said. “You don’t like to do arts and craft thingies.”
“For my best friend, I’ll do anything.” I smiled.
“Awww…thanks,” she said warmly. Patty opened her favor with amazement and her eyes grew wide when she saw the CD with a collage of her friends and noted the CD was burned with her favorite songs. “Claudia, I’m so touched. Thank you so much,” Patty gushed and tightly wrapped her arms around me.
When the party favor conversation was over, all ears were back to Patty, but I felt uneasy when I met Michelle and Gracie’s gaze on me. Feeling awkward and wondering why they were giving me strange looks, I was saved by the waitress who brought us our meals. We all devoured our food except for Austin, Michelle, and Gracie. Though they ate, their plates were not empty like the rest of ours.
Everything about Patty’s party was fabulous, except for one thing—sitting across from Austin. I could feel his gaze on me throughout dinner. Whenever I looked up, our eyes would meet. Sometimes he would give a quick smile and other times he would just stare without any expression. Regardless, his warm stare reminded me of the way Michael looked at me, so I looked away. I didn’t understand why his attention was on me when he had a parade of beautiful girls fighting for his attention. In a way, I was flattered that he found me attractive. What did he see in me? I always thought I was an average-looking teenager who was too skinny. Michael loving me was blessing enough. As I felt the heat rush to my face, I began to feel uncomfortable.
The night went well as planned. Patty had a wonderful time and she walked out with many presents, including mine—a gift certificate to the movie theater. Hugs were exchanged as we went our separate ways. Patty and Andrew offered to walk me to my car, but I declined since I had parked right behind the restaurant.
As I headed for my car, I noticed the dark sky that showed no stars; they seem to disappear when the nights are harshly cold, and tonight was so icy cold that it stung uncomfortably through to my bones. I pulled my overcoat tighter as I observed the crescent moon that was hardly visible as it hid behind the thick, black clouds.
When I approached my car, I noticed the rear tire was flat. That’s just great! Feeling irritated, I took out my cell phone to call Kristina. I didn’t want to bother Patty since I knew she would be with Andrew.
“You need help?” a voice asked.
Startled by his voice, I nearly dropped my cell phone as it fumbled in my hands. “Austin?” I was surprised to see him; I thought he had gone out to party the night away with his friends.
“You have a flat tire.”
I didn’t answer him; I was too stunned to see him.
“Claudia…you okay?” He approached closer.
“Austin, where are your friends? I thought you were going out with them?”
“I wanted to make sure you got into your car safely. When I noticed that you were just standing here, I figured something was wrong.”
He was watching? “I’m a big girl. I don’t need anyone watching over me, but thank you,” I said, shivering and hugging myself from the cold.
“Would you like me to leave?” he asked, knowing I knew I needed his help.
I wasn’t sure what to say. For some reason or other, I didn’t want to ask him for his help, but I gave in. “I’m not sure what to do. This is my first flat tire.”
“I see, my sheltered one. It’s okay to ask for help. Don’t have to sound so tough all the time.”
I was thinking of something intelligent to say. “I don’t…” I stopped speaking when Austin handed me a drink.
“What’s this?”
“Hot cocoa. I thought it would warm you up.”
“Uhhh…thanks. When did you have time to buy it?”
“The small shop called Sprinkles, next door to where we had dinner, sells cupcakes, tea, hot cocoa, and other good stuff.”
I didn’t want it, but I didn’t want to be rude since he went out of his way to get it for me. I took it graciously and immediately felt the warmth on my hand spreading throughout my body. It wasn’t enough to keep me warm from this dreadful cold, but it was just enough to keep me comfortable.
“Why don’t we get inside the car and wait? It’s not safe to wait outside with all these cars passing by. And you look like you’re freezing. By the way, I already called the tow truck service. It should be on its way.”
“You did?” I asked, feeling grateful that he was there, admittedly saving me again. “Thank you.”
Austin opened the door, allowing me to get in while he went around and sat comfortably on the passenger side.
“Shouldn’t you get going? I mean…aren’t your friends waiting for you?” I asked, trying not to sound rude.
“I’ll join them later. I’m enjoying the company I have right at this moment, if you don’t mind. Aren’t you gonna drink your hot cocoa?”
I ignored his flirting, and took a sip. “This tastes sooo good,” I said nervously, taking more sips. “I never had one that tasted this good before.” I was wondering if they’d added anything to make it taste this good.
“It’s called Austin’s specialty.”
“Really?” I asked, knowing he was being a bit cocky.
He didn’t answer my question. He spoke again. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do.”
About to do what? My stomach lurched and my body became tense. It was the way he said it that gave me goose bumps, and I didn’t know if he was joking or being serious, but surely I was overreacting. After all, he was Andrew’s friend. He had helped me many times before. Of course I could trust him.
“Austin’s specialty,” I laughed. “And what are you sorry for? You came to my rescue… again. I should be grateful.” I was reminding him that he was the “nice guy,” hoping I misinterpreted his words. I was becoming somewhat fearful, wondering what he was about to do that he would be sorry for.
“It makes you sleepy,” he said, looking straight at me, impassively. “Claudia, go to sleep.”
“What did you say?” I asked, wondering if I’d heard him correctly. Strangely, my own words echoed inside my head. I began to feel numb, and I could feel the hot cocoa slipping out of my hand. The car felt like it was moving, creating a tunnel vision of long streaks of lights of orange, red, and green. Then the pounding in my head got worse. Feeling nauseous, I turned to Austin to tell him that something was wrong when I saw three of him. Sorry for what I’m about to do. Did Austin do this to me? Is this what he was sorry about? “I don’t…feel…” My eyes began to close, and I
felt myself losing control of what was to come next.
Chapter Seven
“Michael,” I said, surprised. My heart thumped faster with excitement. He was lying next to me, looking at me, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
“Claudia, wake up,” he whispered while gently caressing my face.
Wake up? My eyes were open. I was wide awake. Blinking my eyes several times, I reassured myself that I was awake. “Michael, I’m looking at you. Don’t be silly,” I giggled.
“My love, you are sleeping…dreaming. Help me find you. I can’t find you,” he said calmly.
What was he talking about? Then I realized, though I could see him, he looked clouded, like a vision, slowly fading away. This is a wonderful dream, I thought, waking up to Michael beside me. But panic struck; he just told me that he couldn’t find me. Where was I? Gradually, he started to disappea
r. I reached for him, but he was untouchable—like a mirage, there one minute and gone the next. Unable to see him, I could hear his voice calling out to me. “Help me find you.” His tone was urgent but gentle.
“Michael!” I cried out, thinking I could bring him back. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move. “Don’t leave me. Come back. How do I help you? Michael!” It was too late.
My eyes flickered open and an overwhelming sense of fear and helplessness settled in. Wide awake, my eyes gazed at the unfamiliar white ceiling. Feeling tired and weak, I didn’t want to move, but I needed to know where I was.
Lying there, I reassured myself that everything was fine and that I had nothing to worry about. As I turned my head, hesitant to see my surroundings, I noted that I was lying on a canopy bed. Anxiety rushed through, knowing I didn’t have a canopy bed. My dream told me Michael wasn’t with me, but then could I be sure? I turned my head slightly to the right, and I could see through the sheer, white drapes that enclosed the bed. It reminded me so much of the fairytale stories we’d read when I was a little girl—a princess in her tower waiting for her prince to come rescue her.
When I didn’t see anyone in the room, I carefully sat up. I scanned the room one more time and placed my feet on the cold marble floor. My boots were set to the right of the bed. Someone had taken them off—or I did—and I couldn’t remember how I got here. As I shivered from the coldness, I heard the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. Then I knew one thing for sure; I wasn’t at Halo City. Curiously, I walked to the double doors as I noticed there were no windows.
“Good morning,” a male voice spoke.
Shaken by Austin’s voice, I turned. Why was he here? Austin was leaning against the wall by the entrance door to this room. I didn’t want to admit it, but my heart skipped a beat, happy to see him. A familiar face brought me comfort. His face looked paler than usual and drained, as if he hadn’t slept in days. “What are you doing here? No, I mean, where am I? Where is this place? What’s going on?” I asked frantically.
“You can ask me one question at a time, please,” he said in monotone.
I was taken aback by his tone, and now I was mad at him and I didn’t know why. He seemed different, and that frightened me. Clearly, I had to remain calm if I was to get any answers to my questions. “Where am I?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“What? You just told me to ask you one question at a time and now you’re telling me you can’t tell me?” I ask furiously.
“Ask another,” he said, passively.
“Why am I here?”
“Ask another.”
“Are you serious?” I found myself walking, almost running toward him, wanting to push him, fight him. Looking straight at him, inches from his face, I said, “Why can’t you tell me? What are you hiding?”
“I’m not.”
I backed away, pacing back and forth, something I often do when I get nervous. This was Austin, Patty, and Andrew’s friend. If they trusted him, shouldn’t I be able to trust him too? But chills ran down my spine and the floor felt even colder on my bare feet. I kept my eyes glued to the floor; I didn’t want to look at him. I was too embarrassed and fuming inside with anger. But soon I realized that in order to get the answers I needed, I would have to swallow my pride.
“Why aren’t you telling me anything? Did you kidnap me?” I finally got the nerve to ask that dreadful question.
“No.”
Then I remembered drinking hot cocoa and everything came back. “You…you drugged me!” I said, feeling worried and panicking at the thought that Austin may be a serial killer or something.
“Technically, I didn’t. I just told you to go to sleep, and you did.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. How did I get here?”
“I brought you here after you passed out.”
“I can’t remember. What I remember is drinking the hot cocoa you gave me. That drink made me pass out.”
“Not exactly.”
I ignored him. “You put something in my drink. Then you kidnapped me.”
“If you want to think that’s how it happened, then fine.”
This was getting nowhere; we were talking in circles. “Okay, if you didn’t kidnap me, then I can walk out that door?” I asked, pointing to the double door behind me.
“No.”
“Austin, stop playing games with me. I need to go home. My mom will be worried.”
“Your mom is out of town.”
How did he know? He was freaking me out; he knew too much. Perhaps he had some kind of serious mental problem. All sorts of crazy stuff rambled inside my head. I knew I needed to get out of there, and fast. And I wondered how he was going to try to kill me. I knew one thing for sure; I wasn’t gonna go down without a fight. My heart was pounding as I planned the details of how I was going to escape. I tried to not look obvious as I scanned the room. Slowly, I inched my way to the double doors and started asking him questions to distract him. “What day is it?”
“It’s the day after Patty’s birthday.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe is not an answer.” I paused and swallowed hard, hoping what I was about to do would work. “What is that on the door?” I pointed to the door near him. It was the stupidest thing to ask, but it made him turn his head and I ran for the double door. My trembling hands latched onto the door knob, and I bolted out the door; thank God it wasn’t locked! The strong, ocean breeze brushed against me, and I could feel the warmth from the sun.
I ran as fast as my shaky legs would allow. It was difficult to run on pebbled ground; the pebbles were digging into my feet, and I could feel the pain from the cuts. Wincing, I turned to see if Austin was running after me, but I didn’t see him. I looked ahead and realized why he wasn’t following…there was nowhere to run to!
My prison was located on a cliff. Did it have to be a cliff? Water surrounded the place, and I was a terrible swimmer. As I was catching my breath, my throat ached with exhaustion. Then suddenly I recalled my dream. Michael told me he couldn’t find me. It was now clear that Austin wasn’t just one of our friends or a killer; he was part of the unknown world I had become embedded in. With this realization came a horrifying question: Was Austin a fallen or a demon? What should I do? Oh God! Oh God! I paced back and forth, desperately trying to find a way down the cliff.
“Claudia,” Austin called. I froze, staring out into the vast ocean that surrounded me. He wasn’t there a second ago—only supernatural beings can move that fast. I knew it. He was a fallen or a demon. My eyes darted to my necklace. It was still clear, sparkling, catching the sun’s ray. It had never vibrated, and it hadn’t turned black to warn me of any fallen nearby. Maybe he was a different kind of monster Michael forgot to tell me about. Regardless, by the way he was acting and what he had said, clearly, he was not here to help or to protect me. Carefully, I turned, inching my way to the edge of the cliff. He was about a hundred yards away.
“I know what you are. Don’t come near me or I’ll jump. I’ll never give you my soul. I would rather die,” I said bravely, trembling with fright.
“What do you think I am?” he snorted.
“You’re a fallen or a demon. Which one are you?” I demanded.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Don’t insult me by calling me a fallen.”
He’s a demon then. But his eyes were like mine and not black and eerie looking. He reached out his hand, wanting me to take it. “I’m sorry. Let me explain. I didn’t handle this situation well,” he consoled, coming closer.
“You just wait ’til Patty and Andrew hear about his,” I said angrily, as if this even mattered to him. As if after he killed me, anything would even matter.
“Seriously; you’re gonna tell on me? They’ll think you’re nuts. What would you say?”
He was right. Patty had no clue about their world, but maybe Andrew did. What if Andrew was like him? I continued with more questions. “Is Andrew a
demon, like you?”
“What? No,” he said with certainty.
“Does Andrew know what you are?”
“No. Stop asking questions and come to me. You’ll fall.”
I hadn’t realized I had moved that far back. I was that much closer to the edge of the cliff. “Stay back! Don’t take another step!” I yelled. “I swear I’ll jump!”
“If you jump, I’ll come after you since you can’t swim, my sheltered one,” he let out a chuckle.
“I mean it! And stop calling me your sheltered one!” How did he know I wasn’t a good swimmer? And how could he find humor in all this? “Any minute now, my guardian angel will come with his friends and you’ll be dead. They kill demons like you.”
He rolled his eyes. “You mean that no good Michael?”
“You know Michael?” I got excited. If he knew Michael, maybe he wasn’t on the wrong side. Maybe he was good after all.
He didn’t answer my question. He continued talking. “He can’t find you.”
“What do you mean he can’t find me? Who are you? What do you want with me?” I demanded.
“Let me explain.”
“Stay back!” I yelled again. Suddenly, the heavy breeze lifted my dress, exposing my underwear. I had to hold it down to keep it from sweeping upward. I hope he didn’t see that.
“Nice legs,” he commented, arching his brows, making his way to me.
Even in fear for my life, I blushed. I hated it that his flirting had an effect on me. Ignoring his remark, I said, “I’m serious. Don’t take another step!”
“Claudia, stop playing games. You’ll fall. Just calm down and I’ll explain.”
Stop playing games. Was he nuts? Did he not hear a word I said? I was furious. “You kidnapped me. I don’t know where I am or where this place is. You…you aren’t you, not the same Austin I knew a day ago. And you want me to stop playing games? Don’t come near me!”
He didn’t heed my warning but kept heading toward me. All I could do was prepare myself to jump. My feet were in agony from the pebbles, but I didn’t care. My pulse raced faster than I’d ever felt it before, and my stomach ached from my fear of heights and the thought of killing myself to prevent him from taking my soul. As I continued stepping backward, my foot found a loose rock. It slid from the movement, and I was suddenly thrown off the cliff. Falling with my back toward the ocean, I could see the clouds above me. No scream came from my mouth. “Michael,” was all I could mutter, certain I was headed to my death. I saw Austin above me; he too must have fallen or else I was hallucinating. Adrenaline was flowing through me, and I knew I was about to black out. I closed my eyes with thoughts of Michael flashing through my mind. A sudden force caused me to open my eyes,