Sucked In

  Part of my mind said that was a very bad idea. After all, this guy could be a serial killer.

  A very high-end serial killer, I thought as I glanced up at the room. Still, I couldn't explain away the new sensations coursing through my body, or the way I had reacted to the sun. Either way, I wouldn’t be able to go home till the sun set. I reached for the phone he offered and dialed Jordan's number.

  “This is Jordan,” he announced in his business tone.

  “It's Ashley.”

  “Hey, shorty.”

  “Hey, Jordan.”

  “What's up? It's Ash,” he said, his mouth pulled away from the receiver. I assumed Chloe was with him. “Hey how was your Isaac time,” he asked, slurring the words into a sneer.

  “Be nice,” I heard Chloe say, sounding as if she held the phone herself, though I knew she wasn't. That was too weird.

  I cringed, remembering how Isaac had overpowered me. “Um… nothing special really. Probably a good thing, cause I'm sick now. Feeling pretty awful.”

  “That sucks. Ashley's sick,” he said for Chloe's benefit. “I'll bring you dinner tonight.”

  “I can make soup,” she offered.

  “No!” I snapped, a little too quickly. There was a lengthy pause. “I mean, I don't want you to get this from me. It’s pretty nasty. I'll call you in a few days. Enjoy some time with Chloe.”

  “Okay… ” drawled Jordan.

  “Talk to you later,” I added before hanging up the phone. The conversation had not gone as planned. It sounded like one of those horrible lies one hears on sitcoms where you wonder why the other person doesn't realize they're being lied to.

  “He buy it?” Josh asked.

  I nodded hesitantly before yawning again.

  “Don't worry, Ashley. I won't hurt you... Get some sleep,” Josh added as he bent down and pulled a thick blanket out from under the futon. He added a pillow to the bedding before standing up and shifting over to the curtain that concealed his bathroom.

  “But I have so many questions.”

  “And they'll wait until you get some rest.”

  I hesitated, wondering if Jordan or Chloe would miss me while I was out “sick.” Considering their new dating status, I figured they'd be too distracted to regret my absence. I nestled down onto the futon, glad to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.