Coloured pins always meant something. There were enough red ones connected by string to make out a pattern. What they signified, however, wasn’t clear. It could have been anything from rare bird sightings to muggings. Animal life was unlikely to be the case, but without further information regarding her parents’ professions, it was impossible to know for certain.
Wendigo. The word echoed in her head. Those pushpins could have signified creature sightings. If there were that many of them, though, reporters would have been all over the story. A single sighting of Bigfoot or the Lock Ness Monster made headlines, after all. There was no reason for these creatures not to.
Cannibals. Neither of the other two monsters were thought to be human or ate human flesh. That alone could have been a reason for a cover-up. The area would either end up panic stricken or filled with trigger-happy hunters. Either option was bad news for nearby residents.
There was no cold breeze, but the same shiver was there; the type that chilled straight down to the bones, almost as if a dampness had seeped in through the pores. She’d always been strong-willed, never having the actual strength to back it up until now. Breaking and entering her parents’ workspace was a new low, though. As much as she blamed them for hiding things, she also knew she was doing exactly the same in return. The only good coming from her behaviour was she hadn’t tripped another trap yet. If she left quickly, her parents would never know she’d been there.
Clara sighed. She was looking for answers and found none worthwhile. Still, regardless of what the red pins actually signified, she was sure nothing good was being marked. That was why her parents shot down her suggestion of camping in the woods. That was why they were being overprotective. After seeing the map, she couldn’t blame them. If anything, it made the decision easier.
Fists balled at her sides. First thing in the morning she was going to tell them. There was no way she was spending time alone in the forest. True friends wouldn’t put each other in danger. This trip she’d been invited on was as much a test for them as it was for her.
Chapter 14
The hallways were silent, almost to the point of being eerie. Clara glanced at her wrist. According to her watch, there was still ten minutes before classes started. Students, especially teenagers, weren’t known to sit quietly at their desks waiting for school to start. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn it was a weekend. There weren’t many reasons for such emptiness.
The air felt stiff, infused with uncertainty. There was no movement—no sound—save for her own footsteps echoing. The chance this was reality was slim to none. It could have been a dream, except even those were more realistic. At that moment, she felt nothing: no anxiety, no fear, no despair. There was only an undeniable emptiness swallowing her up. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they first realize they were part of the pack or weren’t. It wasn’t scary. It wasn’t awkward. It simply was. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she didn’t belong.
Fingers trembled as her hand reached for the door, not knowing what was waiting on the other side. Running away would have been easy. Curiosity was as strong as any other emotion, though. She needed to know. Her own eyes wanted to see. A count to three, a deep inhale, and the barrier between student and class thrust open.
There are somethings people expect to be horrifying: a murder scene, a heart attack, a corpse, a ghost. The truth was, if any of those things actually happened, society was well prepared. It was the bizarre that truly frightened. A classroom filled with twenty-some odd students, each with perfect posture, staring forward with their hands folded together neatly on their desks fell into that category. Even Mrs. Oglby conformed to the pattern from her spot at the teacher’s desk. The elderly woman’s head turned slowly, body remaining stiff.
“We were wondering where you were,” Mrs. Oglby said. “Please take your seat so we can begin.”
Clara slid into the empty spot, nonchalantly glancing at her watch. School hadn’t even started yet. They sat in silence, waiting for the signal to begin life. The bell rang, echoing in her ears. Warm breath ticked the back of her neck.
“Hey,” Hank whispered, leaning forward from the desk behind her. “We missed each other yesterday. Let’s meet up after school at The Shack.”
Mind, body, and soul: they were supposed to be connected. That wasn’t always the case, though. What one planned, the other sometimes rejected, especially when the heart poked its nose in where it didn’t belong.
Something strange was going on. There was danger. She was better off listening to her parents. All those facts were truths, but at that moment, none of it mattered. Senses had turned against reason. She could feel his presence; hear his words, smell his scent. It might have been just a crush, but that didn’t make it any less real. Emotions weren’t logical; in fact they blocked anything that was. Her resolve vanished—a forgotten memory that meant nothing.
“Sure,” Clara’s voice trembled, managing only the one word.
“Great.” It was a simple answer with no hidden meaning. Hank probably used it several times a day. Combined with the warmth of his breath and raspy deep voice, it left an impression on her, though, one she’d never forget.
Chapter 15
Ice cubes slowly disappeared in the drink. They did exactly what they were meant to do: melt. Originally water, someone added cold, changing their design before stealing away their newfound form to revert them back to liquid again. If the cubes were living, it might have been cruel to treat them that way.
Love was
