“You lied to me,” I said, when I was finally capable of speech.
She shrugged, no hint of apology on her face. “I’ve known you a while, Becks. You wouldn’t have come if I’d told the truth.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t have!” I answered with some heat. “And for your information, that’s my prerogative.”
Piper turned a corner and the Bourse came into view. It’s a gorgeous old building near Independence Square, a historic Philadelphia landmark. It’s a far cry from a teen hangout, containing offices, tourist shops, and an anemic food court. I had the sneaking suspicion that Piper had chosen it solely because it was so far away from my house. She thought the distance would make me into a captive audience. I seriously contemplated murder as Piper began circling the block in search of a parking space. The light was fading, sunset only minutes away.
“Turn the car around,” I said, putting as much authority as I could muster into my voice. When Luke had told me Piper was getting pushier than ever, he clearly hadn’t been exaggerating. “Take me home. Now.”
Piper laughed and took aim at an open space by the curb. The space was open because of the fire hydrant on the sidewalk, but she didn’t seem to care. “We’re already here,” she said as she maneuvered into her illegal parking spot. “What’s the harm in just coming in for a few minutes and saying hello? If you don’t want to do the movie after—”
“I said no, and I meant it.” Sometimes I let Piper push me out of my comfort zone because I figured it was for my own good. This was not one of those times. “Take me home, Piper.”
She stopped the car and put it in park, then looked at me in triumph. “I’ll take you home just as soon as we’ve had our cup of coffee, and not a moment sooner. Now come on.”
“But it’s dark already. You said—”
“It’s four thirty in the afternoon, not one in the morning. Will you chill already?”
She got out of the car before I could protest more. I sat there fuming for a minute or two, so mad I could barely see straight. What did Piper think she was accomplishing? Did she honestly think there was any chance I would like the guy she was trying to force me into meeting? Even if he turned out to be Prince Charming, there was no way I could warm to him under the circumstances. Piper had to know that.
But she wasn’t getting back in the car, and unless I knew how to hot-wire the damn thing, there wasn’t much point in me sitting there.
I wondered if there was actual smoke coming out of my ears as I reluctantly climbed out of the car, glaring at Piper the whole way. The glare had no effect on her, and she merely stood there on the curb smiling at me, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Wow. She actually thought this was funny. Who was this girl? Certainly not the Piper I’d thought I’d known. That Piper was often careless, but not actively malicious. If you had the guts to tell her she was being a bitch, she’d instantly recognize the truth of it and apologize. But I saw no hint today that she even knew an apology was necessary.
I averted my gaze, then checked my wallet to see if I had bus fare. This was one battle of wills I had no intention of letting Piper win. I didn’t have much in the way of cash, but it was just enough to get me home. If I didn’t have to wait too long for a bus, I shouldn’t have to spend more than about half an hour out in the city after dark. Surely the worst of the night madness didn’t happen until later.
I glared at Piper one more time, hoping she’d see how serious I was and then relent and take me home. “I’m going to catch a bus,” I told her.
That didn’t seem to bother her a bit. “Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’ll be missing.” Then her smile grew even broader, her eyes lighting up as she looked at something just over my left shoulder. “Or maybe you won’t miss it after all.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose for reasons I couldn’t explain, and I turned to see what she was looking at.
There was a boy walking briskly down the sidewalk toward us, waving and grinning. The boy Piper had hijacked me to come and meet, obviously. Although his face was instantly familiar, it took me a couple of seconds to place it. When I did, my jaw dropped open, and a chill shivered down my spine, because I don’t believe in coincidence.
“Becket,” Piper said, sounding so self-satisfied I longed to shake her, “I’d like you to meet my new friend, Aleric. Aleric, this is Becket.”
The boy I’d literally run into when fleeing through the fog near school smiled at me, showing no sign of being surprised to see me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I was stunned speechless. What were the chances that I would run into Aleric when being chased by a trash monster at school, and then he would run into Piper at a party and arrange to meet up with me here in Center City? It’s not like we lived in a small town.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Aleric said. His words and his tone were perfectly pleasant, but there was something sharp and predatory in his expression, something that made me unwilling to shake the hand he offered me.
Piper jabbed me with an elbow, but that didn’t make me feel any more inclined to shake Aleric’s hand. His too-green eyes glittered with amusement. Far from being offended by my refusal to shake, he seemed to enjoy it.
“You sure do get around, don’t you?” I asked him, and I was shocked to hear a faint quaver in my voice. Yes, there was something spooky and unnerving about Aleric—and about his showing up in my life for a second time—but surely there was nothing to be scared of. After all, we were in public, with plenty of people around. And he hadn’t said or done anything that should make me afraid of him in anything but a shy-girl–meets–hot-guy way.
Aleric raised an eyebrow. “As do you.”
“Wait,” Piper said, sounding confused. “You two know each other?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Aleric said, his eyes locked on mine. “We bumped into each other once before.”
“Wow,” said Piper. “What a coincidence!”
“Either that or he’s stalking me,” I said, earning another elbow and a sharp sound of protest from Piper. I tried to make it sound like I was kidding, but I don’t think either Piper or Aleric was fooled, even though Aleric laughed like I’d just told a great joke.
“I think the universe is trying to tell us something,” he said when he finished laughing. “Let’s get that cup of coffee. I’d like to hear more about your stalking theory. Personally, I think it would be kind of a neat trick to arrange to randomly run into your friend at a party. I’m sure you have a theory about how I pulled it off.”
“Thanks,” I said insincerely, “but no thanks. I was just on my way home.”
Piper grabbed my arm to keep me from walking away. “What is wrong with you?” she muttered under her breath. If she thought Aleric couldn’t hear her, she was delusional.
I jerked my arm out of her grip. If he was really some perfectly ordinary nice guy rather than some creepy stalker dude, then I was not only making a fool of myself but was also being unforgivably rude to him. But everything about him made me want to shrink away, despite his undeniably handsome face and his friendly smile.
“Next time you want to set me up on a blind date, ask my permission first,” I snapped at Piper.
Because I thought there was a slim chance I might be overreacting, I smiled at Aleric as best I could. “Piper and I are having a disagreement,” I told him. “Don’t take it personally. I just refuse to let her get away with lying to me.”
Piper groaned. “Oh come on, Becks. Get over it already. Where’s the harm in getting a cup of coffee?”
“Everyone hates a liar,” Aleric said, still smiling. His eyes seemed to bore into me, telling me he knew my every secret, my every lie.
My pulse was kicking as if I’d just run a mile, and my stomach kept wanting to turn over on itself. The sensation reminded me very much of how I’d felt when I’d approached the “baby” in the alley. My primal instincts had been right to warn me away then, and I was inclined to
give them the benefit of the doubt now. Even though Piper didn’t seem to sense anything at all wrong.
“Hey!” she said indignantly, though I seriously doubt he’d been talking to her. “It was just a little white lie. Let’s not make it into some grand betrayal.”
I didn’t think now was the time and place to have it out with Piper, so I mostly ignored her as I took a couple of steps backward. “Nice to see you again, Aleric,” I said, and no one could miss the sarcasm in my voice. “Just in case I end up ‘accidentally’ running into you again, you should probably know that my father is the police commissioner.”
“For God’s sake, Becket!” Piper said. Her face was turning red. I think she was actually embarrassed for me.
Aleric inclined his head. “I will consider myself warned.”
His lips were still shaped into a half smile, and he showed no sign of taking offense at anything I’d said or done. Which I thought was a clear indicator that I wasn’t overreacting. If he were just some normal boy who was letting himself be fixed up on a blind date, surely he’d be hurt, insulted, or royally pissed off about the way I was acting. Instead, he looked amused and unsurprised. This was not only how he expected me to act, it was how he wanted me to act.
I wished suddenly that I could have handled the situation with more grace and subtlety. I didn’t like the idea that I was showing him my fear, that I was giving him what he wanted. But it was too late to change that now.
“Enjoy the movie,” I said, sweeping my gaze over both Piper and Aleric. I would have liked to get Piper away from him, too, but she was obviously never going to listen to me. Besides, Aleric didn’t seem even remotely interested in her. He was just using her to get to me, for reasons I didn’t want to know.
It took an effort of will to turn my back and start walking briskly back toward Walnut Street, where I could catch a bus home.
* * *
I had the really uncomfortable sensation that I was being watched the whole time I walked to the bus stop. I looked over my shoulder only once, when I reached the end of that first block, but neither Aleric nor Piper was in view. I supposed they went into the Bourse to get that cup of coffee and have a good laugh at my expense.
There was a small crowd clustered at the bus stop, which I thought was a good sign. An empty bus stop usually means you just missed the bus. However, I stood there for over ten minutes before a bus finally roared its way toward us—and then roared right on past because it was already standing room only inside. Everyone at the bus stop gave a little groan and settled in to wait some more. Except me. I looked at the sky, which was now almost completely dark, and thought about how little I wanted to stand here for who knew how much longer waiting for the damn bus. And hoping the next bus that came by would have room.
On a sunny spring day, I would have happily walked home. It would take a while, and my feet would end up hurting by the end, but it would have been doable. Tonight, in the cold and gathering dark, the walk seemed impossibly long, and fraught with danger. Then again, at least if I was walking I’d be able to keep a little warmer. The temperature was steadily dropping, and I wasn’t super bundled up because I’d thought we’d be inside, shopping, most of the time Piper and I were out.
I decided to compromise and walk part of the way, stopping at each bus stop and taking a look behind me to see if there was a bus on the horizon.
For fifteen blocks, I kept to that same pattern: walk a block, stop, look behind. And for fifteen blocks, I saw no sign of another bus coming. Each stop was crowded with irritated people, and maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I sensed a strange feeling of tension in the air. Everyone I passed seemed furtive, and my threat radar was going off constantly. I also couldn’t help noticing that the sound of sirens split the night way more often than usual. I tried to be aware of my surroundings for safety purposes, but not so aware that I’d notice any uncomfortable details, like railings displaying phallic symbols.
I was in the home stretch, beginning to feel like I would actually make it back to the house safely and without any undue weirdness, when a familiar car passed by me and pulled into the driveway of a parking lot in front of me, blocking my way. The window hummed down.
“Get in,” Piper said, leaning across the seat so she could make eye contact.
I stopped in my tracks and shook my head at her. “You’re kidding, right?” It was going to take some serious effort on my part—and a lot of sincere apologizing on hers—before I would even consider forgiving her. I realized with a pang that I was very likely in the process of losing my best friend.
Piper heaved an exaggerated sigh. “No, I’m not kidding. I just realized I was being a total bitch about this. I went about everything the wrong way, and I don’t blame you for being pissed at me.”
I folded my arms across my chest. I’d started home about forty minutes ago, and if she was just now catching up with me, that meant it had taken her a damn long time to come to that realization. Enough time for her to have a leisurely cup of coffee while chatting up Aleric, the two of them maybe commiserating about how badly I’d treated them.
“You’re at least a half an hour too late with your apology,” I told her. “I don’t think you’re a bit sorry, and I don’t believe you even understand you did something wrong.”
It was hard to see Piper’s face in the darkened interior of her car, but I thought I caught a hint of an eye-roll.
“Of course I do,” she said in a tone that was supposed to be placating but somehow grated on my nerves even more. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that lying was a stupid move. I was just so proud of myself for talking Aleric into meeting you that I got tunnel vision.”
My jaw clenched and I stared daggers at her. “Congratulations on achieving your impossible quest to get a guy to condescend to meet little old me. I’m sure it took a lot of lying and cleverness to make that happen.” To my shame, my eyes were burning as if I were on the verge of tears.
Piper groaned. “You know I didn’t mean it that way, Becks. I honestly thought you would like him. I admit, I’m an idiot, and my execution sucked ass. But my intentions were good.”
Maybe so, but she had still lied to me. Still treated me as if what she wanted was way more important than what I wanted.
“Come on, Becks,” she wheedled. “Let me drive you the rest of the way home, at least. You don’t have to say you forgive me. Hell, you don’t even have to talk at all, if that’s what you want.”
My feet were killing me. The temperature was still dropping. And the usual city dangers were magnified tenfold by my knowledge of the changes that were taking place. Walking the rest of the way home just to prove how angry I was seemed pointless.
Wordlessly, I climbed into the car and closed the door. I stared straight ahead as I fastened my seat belt, and I was determined that our short car ride would pass in silence. I expected Piper to start chirping at me with either more apologies or pointless small talk—she was never any good with silence—but she seemed to sense it would only make things worse.
We made it a little more than a block before Piper suddenly slammed on the brakes so hard I might have flown through the windshield if it weren’t for my seat belt, which I had a feeling would be imprinted on my chest, come morning.
“What the hell?” I cried, bracing myself against the dash. I’d been staring out the side window, pointedly ignoring Piper, so I hadn’t seen what made her stop. I turned to her and saw her staring forward, jaw dropped, eyes wide.
I followed her gaze, and couldn’t contain a shriek.
Driving around Center City was a challenge to any car’s shocks. Manholes, construction sites, potholes—you couldn’t go a block without hitting one or even all three. So seeing a big pothole in the middle of Walnut Street wasn’t exactly unusual. But the one that yawned across the street right in front of us was practically a canyon.
And that canyon possessed something that looked an awful lot like teeth.
&
nbsp; As I watched in mute horror, the canyon opened wider, the asphalt moving as fluidly as flesh, until there was no way to move forward without driving into it. Behind us, someone was leaning on their horn. There are two lanes on Walnut Street, so when Piper didn’t move forward, the guy behind us tried to veer around. He was yelling something through his side window and holding up his middle finger at Piper when his front tires hit the pothole.
There was a sound like nothing I’d ever heard before—a snap and a crunch and the bang of tires exploding, as the pothole … Well, I don’t know any other way to describe it but that it bit down on the car that dared to try to drive over it.
The toothlike protrusions on each side of the pothole sank into the tires and then started crushing the wheels themselves. On the sidewalks, people had started to notice something was wrong—they couldn’t have missed that noise—but I didn’t think they had a clue what was actually happening. Not at first.
“Back up!” I ordered Piper breathlessly as the pothole widened to take in more of the car and then crunched closed again. The teeth had sunk in right at hubcap level, and the car lurched forward, its grille banging down on the road. The driver was screaming and fumbling with his seat belt, even as his back wheels spun and his engine revved futilely.
“Back up!” I said again, more loudly, as Piper just sat there and stared.
Pedestrians were starting to scream and panic, while behind us more cars were honking in annoyance. Piper finally broke out of her paralysis and put the car in reverse. Without bothering to look behind her, she floored it.
It was a good thing the car right behind us had stopped practically on our bumper. We didn’t have time to build up any speed before we crashed into him. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that people in the cars behind us were starting to get out, trying to get a look at what had brought traffic to such a complete halt. When they were passed by screaming pedestrians, some of those drivers caught the panic and abandoned their cars, running blindly away from an unknown danger.
We were trapped, fenced in by the cars parked on the sides of the street and the ones that had come to a stop behind us.