The Gathering Darkness

  That stunned me. I hadn’t noticed. “Must be the hair,” I thought out loud. “And Christian must be your ancestor.”

  “Yeah.” His hands rested on my knees. “I think we’ve been brought together for a reason.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “No coincidence?”

  He shook his head, and with his eyes fixed to mine said, “There’s definitely too much going on here to blow it off as a coincidence anymore.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. At least we’re on the same page now.”

  “I always believed you, Brooke.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think you fully felt it the way I did.”

  “Until last night,” he added.

  The bell rang, and we joined the droves of students piling inside the building.

  “What are you doing lunch time?” Marcus asked as we walked down the hall towards my classroom.

  “Basketball tryouts are at lunch today, but I don’t think I’ll go.”

  “You should.”

  “I don’t think so. Not with Megan and Sammy on the team, and Robyn’s the captain.”

  “Things won’t be this bad all year, and then you’ll wish you had.”

  “Well, if they still want me next week, then maybe I’ll join, but today, I have more important things to do.” I tried to bring the happiness back by smiling playfully at him.

  “Oh? What’s more important than basketball?”

  “Us.”

  In answer, his arms slid around me, and he pressed me into the lockers. “Lunch it is. Do you want to try the cafeteria?”

  I made an uncertain face. “Do you think we should?”

  “Why not? It’s our school too. Other than Evan, Sammy and Megan, I think the school approves of us.”

  “Yeah! You’re right!” I grinned back.

  The sound of heels clicking on a hard floor caught my attention.

  Like a snob, Megan strutted up the hallway, stomping her high-heeled boots as loudly as she could. She was as bad as Evan for dominating everyone’s attention. When she reached us, she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled seductively at Marcus. As usual, I got a bad vibe from her.

  “You know, she never used to be such a bitch,” Marcus said.

  “I can think of a more appropriate word than, bitch,” I said, watching her wiggle her white jeans down the hallway.

  “Forget her,” Marcus whispered, before his lips touched mine.

  That morning, I went into class with the proud feeling that our kiss was visible on my lips for everyone to see. I walked past Megan, who was sitting in her seat twirling her hair with an exaggerated, it-doesn’t-bother-me-to-see-you-with-Marcus, look on her face. I sat down in my usual seat, between her and Sammy, with a smug look on my face and licked my lips with emphasis. She huffed and flung herself around to face the front of the class. I smiled.

  Lunch hour turned out better then I’d thought it would. Sammy, Megan and Robyn, along with a few others I knew, were at basketball tryouts. Marcus and I sat at his usual table in the cafeteria. Evan had changed lunch tables at the beginning of the week. The seniors at Marcus’ table freely accepted my relationship with their friend.

  After school, Marcus left me at the corner of my street, promising to pick me up at seven for the dance. I’d barely touched my supper. Something about being in a crowded gym, a favorite song blaring through the airwaves, arousing every cell in the body, and mood lighting, had me excited.

  “Okay, where are you?” I said out loud as I rummaged through an unpacked box in the middle of my bedroom floor.

  At the last minute, I’d decided to wear my black sweater dress; the one with the silver threads woven through the black. “There you are.” I pulled the dress out of the box, discarding the rest of the clothes I’d thrown on the floor in the process, and slipped it on. It was fitted and fell halfway to my knee. I adjusted the wide neckline, exposing one shoulder and put on the largest pair of dangly earrings I could find. I threw on a couple of silver bangles too, and strategically messed up my hair. For the final touch, I slipped my bare feet into a pair of peep-toe, high heel booties.

  As I looked down at myself, I had second thoughts about my outfit. Maybe it was over the top for a country school dance. But it was what I would have worn at my old school dance, and I hadn’t worn the shoes yet, so I decided to leave it on.

  As I strategically placed a few strands of hair around my face, I thought about how ridiculous it was that Sammy wasn’t sharing this moment with me. I’d never gotten ready for a dance alone before. I clomped into the hallway and peeked into her room. She was standing in front of her closet in a short denim skirt and black bra.

  I knocked lightly. “Hey Sammy.”

  She twisted her body around to face the door, looking disappointed when she saw it was me. “Oh, what do you want?” She turned back around and continued to scan through the closet, as if I wasn’t there.

  “I thought we could make up. Don’t you think this is ridiculous?” Whenever we’d fought as children we’d always make up before the other went home.

  “Forget it. I wish you’d never moved here.”

  Her words stung. I didn’t know how to fix things with Sammy. Hell, I didn’t even know how this whole thing had started. I turned to walk back to my room, when Sammy’s cold voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “How was your evening at the Inn?” Her words were sharp. There was something else in her tone too—it almost sounded like hatred.

  Something clicked inside of me then. I rushed into her room and slammed the door shut behind me. “What do you know about the Inn?” I asked sharply. “Why didn’t you really go to work last night?”

  She stood with her arms folded, her mouth slowly turning into a sneer. The pendant grew cold, penetrating the fabric of my dress. I gasped and took a step backwards.

  “Did you have fun at the Inn last night, Brooke?” Her eyebrows were raised to points.

  “Tell me, Sammy,” I shouted. “What do you know?”

  She lowered her glare to the shiny double spiral I wore boldly on the outside of my dress. Her eyes grew wide and menacing. Suddenly feeling threatened, I backed toward the door. Sammy followed. She grabbed for the pendant. A shriek pierced the air when the metal touched her skin. I gasped. Her arm recoiled like a snake.

  “What just happened?” I asked, my eyes as big as marbles.

  “Get out!” she screamed.

  My hand went to the icy cold pendant. I walked out backwards, my insides shaking. I had to fix whatever was happening to me and the people around me, before something really bad happened. I could hardly wait until Marcus took me to see his uncle.

  My mind whirled as I sank onto the edge of the bed. I couldn’t get the look of pure hatred on Sammy’s face out of my head. And what had happened when she’d touched the pendant? Why had she even touched it? I wrapped my hand around it. It felt warm now. Why didn’t it surprise me? Nothing surprised me anymore.

  I reached for the picture of Claire and Christian and noticed the envelope that Beth had given to me from Maggie that I hadn’t opened yet. My hand detoured, grabbing the envelope forcefully. I ripped it open. Thirty dollars fell into my lap along with a folded piece of paper. I stared down at the note, hesitant to pick it up. My cell phone rang. I jumped a foot off the bed. The paper and the money scattered.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi,” Marcus answered. “Are you almost ready?”

  I took a deep breath to calm myself.

  “Brooke, are you there?”

  “I’m here. Something weird just happened with Sammy.” I spoke low with my hand cupped over the phone. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there soon. Don’t worry.”

  “Okay. See you soon.” I wanted to tell him to hurry, but I didn’t want to seem any more desperate then I already was. I got mad at myself, reached down and grabbed the paper off the floor, and unfolded it.

  Dearest Brooke,

  By
now you’ve figured out that things aren’t quite the way you’d expected them to be in Deadwich. I have two conditions for you. One, give me the amulet; and two, stay away from Marcus—far away. You wouldn’t want him to suffer for your transgressions, would you? You will have until Sunday. And, Brooke, we are watching you.

  Margaret

  “Margaret,” I mouthed the word with a familiarity that gnawed at my brain. At the same time, my hand went limp, and the note slipped from my fingers and floated to the floor. Like a sack of sand, I slid off the edge of the bed and landed on the floor beside it. A cool numbness replaced the feeling of flush in my face. My heart felt as if it was beating against my eardrums. After a couple of deep breaths, I assessed what I’d just read.

  For some reason, Maggie didn’t want me with Marcus. Maybe because it made me happy, and I wasn’t allowed to be happy as long as I lived in Deadwich. That was crystal clear now.

  Maggie also wanted the pendant, which she’d called an amulet. My pendant. Would it give her magical powers, or make any existing powers she had stronger? What could she possibly want with it, other than to gain the ability to torture me in my sleep?

  So that was it. I would be denied happiness as long as I lived in this twisted village. I felt guilty for even thinking badly about Marcus’ home. But what had Deadwich ever done for me? Oh right; it brought me to Marcus, and he meant more to me now than Boston did.

  The sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway and, a moment later, voices in the foyer, lifted my heart.

  “Brooke, Marcus is here,” Aunt Rachel called up the stairs.

  I pushed myself up off the floor, crumpled the note and threw it at the trash can, missing it. After one last look at Claire’s picture, I left the room.

  “Will you tell me what’s wrong? You’ve barely said two words since I picked you up.” Marcus parked his father’s truck close to the school and turned to face me, sliding closer. “Whatever it is, you know you can tell me.” He picked my hand up and played with my fingers.

  No, he couldn’t know what I’d read in Maggie’s letter. I could picture him going to the Inn to confront her. Who knew what she was capable of? But I’d tell him about Sammy. I had to give him something.

  “It’s Sammy.” As I spoke, the most powerful urge came over me. I leaned into Marcus. He folded his arms protectively around me. I felt safe. “She went psycho on me in her bedroom.”

  “What did she do?”

  His hand smoothed down the length of my hair as I spoke.

  “First, she asked me how my night at the Inn went. But it was the way she looked at me when she’d said it. It wasn’t Sammy. It was almost as if she was possessed.” I’d just scared myself further with my speculations.

  “Then she grabbed for the pendant. Something happened to her when she touched it. She screamed and pulled her arm back, like it had hurt her. I asked her about it, but she yelled at me to get out. And her eyes got all scary and dark. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to sleep in that house again.” I lifted my head off his chest.

  Marcus cupped my face with both hands and buried my mouth under his. For a moment I lost myself in the kiss, and then my emotions broke through my façade, and my bottom lip quivered under his. A single tear trickled down my cheek. I pulled away so I could lay my head on his shoulder.

  “It kills me to see you like this. There’s gotta be something I can do. What if I went to see Maggie?”

  “No!” I pulled back. “You can’t ever go there again. Promise!”

  “Okay. I won’t.”

  “Promise!”

  “Alright, I promise.”

  Marcus cuddled me close. I squeezed my eyes shut, suppressing more tears. A few escaped anyway and fell on his black shirt.

  Two car loads of students pulled up beside us. I sat up quickly and dabbed the small bit of moisture away that had accumulated in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t want to ruin my make-up.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jared and his girlfriend Amy, who had gone out of her way to make me feel welcome during lunch earlier, came over to the truck to talk with Marcus and I. Amy came to my door. I rolled down the steamy window.

  “Hiya, Brooke. I’m so glad you came tonight. You can hang out with us.”

  Her excitement was contagious. I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Wow, that’s a hot dress,” she said, sticking her bouncing, strawberry-blonde curls through the window. “Nice bling, too.”

  Before I knew what was happening, she reached her hand into the cab and picked the pendant up off my dress. I held my breath. From the corner of my eye, I saw Marcus watching intently, probably holding his breath. I waited. Nothing happened.

  “Awesome,” she said, and let it fall back to my chest. “So, are you guys coming or what?”

  I looked at Marcus and lifted my eyebrows. I was as ready as I’d ever be. We got out of the truck and walked toward the school with Amy and Jared.

  “Hey wait up,” a female voice called out from behind us.

  The four of us looked back. Christy, another one of Marcus’ friends, and a couple of guys I’d seen around but hadn’t met yet, caught up to us.

  “Hey, Marcus, Brooke. Glad you guys came,” Christy said, bouncing on her heels in front of us. Clearly, she was as excited as Amy.

  “Cool dress, Brooke.” Christy nodded approvingly.

  “Thanks. You two look awesome too.” I gestured to both Christy and Amy, who were dressed similar to me—short dresses and high heels.

  “This is Dave and Jamie. Guys, this is Brooke,” Marcus said, finishing the introductions.

  Jamie nudged me in the arm with his elbow as if he’d known me for years. “Nice to meet you, officially.”

  His little gesture of friendliness built up my confidence. Dave just smiled and nodded. I returned his greeting.

  The seven of us walked across the school parking lot together. Amy had eased herself in between Marcus and me. She and Christy were on either side of me now. They talked about their outfits and mine and how hot we looked. With the exception of Marcus and me, everyone babbled at once. I tried to keep up with all of the different conversations that were going on around me.

  “What’s gotten into your cousin lately, anyway?” Christy, the bolder one, asked. “She and Megan have been acting weird all week. I couldn’t help but notice how rude they’ve been to you.”

  Geez, did the whole school notice? I hesitated, searching for an answer that would satisfy her enough to drop the subject. “I think it started with Megan—”

  “Ugh, that bitch,” Amy said.

  “You got that right, girl,” Christy said.

  They waited for more from me.

  “Um, I don’t think she’s liked me from the start, and Sammy is her best friend, so I guess that’s what it’s all about. Maybe she’s jealous,” I offered, as an afterthought. I shrugged and tried to look as confused as they did.

  Amy put her arm around me. “Well, screw them. Stick with us. We’re more fun anyway.”

  She and Christy laughed.

  “Hey, who wants to take a detour to the bleachers for some herbal refreshment before going inside?” Dave asked. He was already on his way, followed by my new friends.

  Marcus and I tagged along.

  Once there, I declined the offer to get high. My brain was already on overload. I thought it best not to mess with it further. Marcus declined also, saying he had a sore throat.

  I liked Marcus’ friends. They were cool, and reminded me of the friends I’d deserted back in Boston.

  Finally, I was starting to feel relaxed, and allowed my mind this small measure of time to be free of the turmoil that dwelled there. It had been a long time since I’d laughed and had a good time. Not since that last fateful night in Boston, before I’d gotten picked up by the cops for under-age drinking.

  While I was in the middle of laughing at Jared and Dave’s antics, I heard tires squealing. My laugh ended abruptly. I closed my eyes and to
ok a deep breath. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Marcus put his arm around me and pulled me close.

  The music blared from the open windows of the Civic as it pulled into the school parking lot. The ground vibrated under my feet from the boom of the subwoofer. My brief happiness was replaced with anxiety and turmoil once again.

  Evan and Megan got out of the front, followed by Justin, Sammy and Robyn. Justin spotted us and waved. Poor guy, he was probably confused as to why Sammy and I weren’t speaking, thus not being able to hang around his usual friends.

  “What’s up with your brother lately? Since when did he start hanging out with the juniors?” Christy asked Marcus, and then looked at me, horrified. “Oh. No offense, Brooke.”

  I shrugged her comment off.

  “It’s just that Evan always hung out with us.”

  “Maybe he’s into Megan or Robyn again,” Marcus suggested.

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  Once they were long out of sight, I suggested we go in.

  The gym, sparkling with mirrored balls and mood lighting, was conveniently located beside the cafeteria. A row of tables had been placed around the inside walls. Megan sat on top of one close to the gym door, dangling her long legs skillfully over the edge. Sammy sat on a chair beside her. As I walked past them, their icy glares sent chills down my spine. My insides turned cold, and I shivered.

  Amy hooked one arm through mine and the other through Christy’s, pulling me along. By the time we’d reached our destination, a far corner of the gym, our procession had grown to more than a dozen people.

  “Everyone thinks you’re cool,” Amy shouted in my ear over the music.

  “Why would they think that?” I asked, bewildered, although her flattery made me blush.

  “Because you’re from the city, and you’re dating one of the most popular guys at Deadwich High.” Her smile was reassuring. “It doesn’t get any cooler than that.”

  “Oh.”

  In that moment, I wished I was a senior, so I wouldn’t have to go back to classes with Sammy and Megan. So far, I liked hanging out with Amy and Christy. My best friend Courtney would approve.