Isolation (2 page)

―Are you actual y from England?‖

―Recently? No. But I‘ve lived there in the past.‖

―So where are you from recently?‖

The sound of something crashing comes from beneath us, and then a noise that sounds

like a moan.

―Shit!‖ Hadley says. ―Enough talking, come on!‖ She heads for the door to the basement and I stand where I am. She looks back at me. ―You‘re coming, like it or not.

P.S., I‘m through trying to be nice.‖

―P.S., so am I,‖ I say. But I can tell she means it. So I follow her, muttering under my breath.

The minute the door to the basement opens, I‘m filed with a sense of hopelessness and my legs simply don‘t want to move. Hadley starts down the old, creaky, wooden steps.

There‘s a bare sixty-watt bulb swinging from the ceiling, throwing meager light at the base of the steps below. I can‘t see most of the room, so I have no idea what‘s down there. But it‘s not anything good. I know that.

When Hadley gets to the bottom she glances across the room and frowns, then looks back at me. ―Walk.‖

―I can‘t.‖

―You will .‖ She says it in a slow, measured voice.

And now my legs are moving, and I‘m carried downstairs as if I‘m on an escalator,

almost floating.

―Don‘t put a spell on me, Hadley,‖ I say when I‘m safely off the last step.

She shrugs. ―I didn‘t want to, but you‘re so stubborn.

Anyway, it was only a small one.‖ She puts her fingers apart about a centimeter to show me just how tiny the spell was.

I try to shake it off. It feels like when someone hits me hard on the football field, and for a moment, I‘m kind of stunned.

And then my eyes adjust to the dark, musty basement, and I see her.

―Oh, no. Oh, no, oh no oh no.‖

Raine is tied to a chair.

And she‘s been beaten. Her eyes are bruised, one nearly swollen shut. Her nose is

bleeding and she‘s been gagged with duct tape. Her hair, normal y blond and flowing, is matted and dirty. Her clothes are torn.

―What the hell did you do to her?‖ I say. ―She‘s half-dead.‖

Hadley turns and looks at me. ―This is serious, Cam.

We‘re fighting a war here.‖

“Who
is?‖

―Al of us. Including you and Natalia, although you don‘t want to believe it yet.‖

―Listen, I hate Raine as much as the next person, but this is too much. You‘re going to kill her.‖

―No, I‘m not. And anyway, I‘m pretty sure she never had anything very nice planned for you and your friends. So why so protective?‖

―I can‘t be a part of this,‖ I say, shaking my head. ―I‘m out of here.‖

Hadley strides quickly to Raine and rips the tape off her mouth and then pulls a dirty bundle of cloth out, al owing her to fully breathe and talk.

Raine looks at me out of her swollen, almost unrecognizable face. ―Cam.‖

―Are you okay?‖ I ask. I take a step toward the chair, but make sure not to get too close.

She might be tied up, but last time I saw Raine, she had my best friend tied to a tree and she was planning on killing him, and then stealing my soul.

She tries to smile. Her one good eye glances at Hadley and then back to me.

―Oh, yeah,‖ she says. ―Never felt better. This place is like a fucking yoga retreat.‖

―How long have you had her down here?‖ I ask Hadley.

―Not long enough,‖ Hadley says.

―Jesus, Hadley.‖

―A few of her friends suspected something and tried to break in and have a look-see but they didn‘t get very far. Did they?‖ Hadley asks, turning toward Raine.

Raine laughs. ―My friends. That‘s funny.‖

―Look,‖ I say. ―Whatever‘s happening, this isn‘t right.

We‘re going to end up in jail.‖ This is even worse than the other night at Homecoming.

What Hadley did to Raine‘s face is sickening. ―Hadley, I‘m sorry, but you need to get out of here. And let Raine go. I‘ll call the cops.‖

―You want him to call the cops, honey?‖ Hadley asks Raine.

Raine shakes her head. ―No, Cam,‖ she says, ―The police can‘t help me right now.‖

―Well , what the hell am I supposed to do then?‖ I ask.

―I don‘t even know why I‘m here.‖

―She‘s using you,‖ Raine says. ―To get to me.‖

―What?‖ And then I feel it. A warmth. It‘s been slowly creeping up my body, from my

toes, and now it‘s in my stomach. A flood of images comes over me.

I remember that night. The night of the dance. The way Raine kissed me. The taste of her lips. The way she smelled.

I smile, remembering it all . Feeling the way her body feels.

And we‘re kissing again. I feel her hair in my hands as she moves close to me.

―Raine, I love you. I‘ll always love you,‖ I tell her.

She‘s the most beautiful woman I‘ve ever seen.

―I love you too, Cam. Help me. Save me.‖

And then I remember where I am. Not at the Homecoming dance. I‘m at Hadley‘s.

I open my eyes and I‘m lying on a blanket, on the floor. I‘m confused and disoriented, my heart beating a mile a minute. Looking around, it seems I‘ve been taken to another empty room in the house. But how?

Did someone cast another spell on me?

Outside the window, the light is failing. I check my pockets and grab my phone, standing up, my legs wobbly.

There‘s a text from Natalia.

Where r u??

And a phone call from my mother.

The door to the room opens and Hadley walks in.

―Oh, good,‖ she says, ―You‘re awake.‖

―You tricked me,‖ I say, my voice shaking with rage.

―Calm down, Cam,‖ she says, ―This whole freaking out, hyper thing you‘ve got going on is staring to get a little old.‖

―You‘ve got Raine tied up in your basement and you want me to calm down? I don‘t

even know what happened to me down there!‖ This chick is nuts. I start to push by her and out the door, but she grabs my arm.

―Cam,‖ she says, looking at me, her face serious.

―You‘re further under her power than any of us thought.‖ She swallows. ―It‘s… it‘s bad.

You need to leave Santa Anna for awhile.‖

―No. Fuck that. I have a dinner date.‖ I put my phone in my pocket and start walking toward the door. ―And you better get out of my way, because I guarantee in about two seconds you‘ll regret it if you‘re still standing there.‖

―You wouldn‘t hit a girl,‖ Hadley says, rolling her eyes, like the thought of me being any kind of threat is ridiculous.

―I never said anything about hitting you. But if you keep standing in my way, it won‘t be my fault if you end up getting run over.‖ And I mean it too--I‘m ready to sprint like my life depends on it.

I step past her, and this time, she doesn‘t stop me.

.

―Cam,‖ she says, as I go.

I don‘t respond.

―We can‘t wait forever. You need to get away from here soon—before Raine and the

others make you theirs completely. I‘m trying to warn you.‖

―You and Raine can go play paddy cake down there forever for all I care,‖ I say, as I move into the living room. ―I‘m leaving.‖ My legs are still unsteady and I tumble onto the ground.

Shit. I don‘t completely have my balance back.

Hadley comes over and looks down at me pityingly.

―Oh, Cam. What are we going to do with you?‖

―Leave me alone.‖

She reaches her hand down and helps me up. Her eyes meet mine, and I look away

quickly, afraid she‘s going to put another spell on me. But al she says is, ―After dinner, come back here. I‘ll give you a couple hours, Cam, but that‘s all . And you don‘t want to see what happens if you make me wait.‖

Chapter Two

Natalia

Cam‘s late. Like, twenty minutes late. And my mom‘s starting to get a little testy.

―I‘m not sure what I should do about the glaze,‖ she says, leaning over the oven and peering at the ham.

―You‘re supposed to put it on twenty minutes before you take the ham out. But since I don‘t know when they‘re getting here, I don‘t know when I should start glazing.‖

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Her and that damn glaze. Seriously, she‘s kind of obsessed with it. I wonder if she‘d be so worried about food if she knew there were all kinds of creepy things going on, like with spells and mind control and a weird iPad that Brody gave me.

The iPad‘s upstairs, buried in my closet. After that creepy woman on the screen told me she was waiting for me, I turned it off and shoved it under a pile of dirty laundry.

I‘m not taking it out again until Cam gets here, and we can decide what to do.

―Should I?‖ my mom presses.

―Should you what?‖ I‘m looking out the window toward the driveway, my face practical y pressed up against the glass. I‘m like one of those sad little kids waiting for their absent father.

I check my phone for the millionth time, just in case Cam sent me a text and I missed it.

―Should I put the glaze on?‖

―Yes,‖ I say, ―Put the glaze on.‖

―I don‘t know,‖ she says, shaking her head.

If she wasn‘t going to take my advice, then why did she ask me? I mean, real y.

Like I know anything about ham. Like I know anything about cooking. And even if I did, you‘d think she‘d –

Cam‘s car! It‘s puling around the corner and down our street.

―Here they come!‖ I practical y scream. ―They‘re here!‖

―Oh, thank God,‖ my mom says. She yanks the oven door open and starts slapping the

glaze all over the ham.

I run to the door, and don‘t even wait for Cam and his mom to get out of the car before I‘m outside.

―Hey!‖ I cal brightly from the porch, deciding to pretend the weirdness we had on the phone earlier didn‘t happen.

―Hi,‖ Cam says. He‘s out of the car and circling around to the other side, I guess so he can open the door for his mom.

Wow. She real y went all out. She‘s got on a long tangerine-colored dress that flows down to her ankles, and a pair of super high, cream-colored wedge sandals. A matching straw hat is perched on her head. Huh. It seems like Cam‘s mom thinks she‘s going to the Kentucky Derby. Even though we‘re not in Kentucky. And even though it‘s October.

But whatever, she could be wearing trash bags for all I care, as long as she‘s here.

―Hel o,‖ she says, as her and Cam start heading up the sidewalk. ―You must be Raine.‖

Raine? What the hell is she -- ? And then I notice she‘s stumbling a little bit.

Not, like, horribly, but she‘s kind of… I don‘t know, it‘s like her feet are going too fast for her body or something.

―No, mom,‖ Cam says, his voice tight. ―I told you, this is Natalia.‖

―I know that,‖ his mom scoffs. She‘s at the porch now, and she steps up next to me, and takes my hand. ―Hel o, Natalia.‖

―Hel o, Mrs. El iot,‖ I say.

She throws her head back and laughs, like me cal ing her Mrs. Elliott is the funniest thing she‘s ever heard. ―Please,‖ she says, ―Cal me Sheila.‖

―Okay,‖ I say, ―Nice to meet you, Sheila.‖

And then Sheila grabs me in a hug and pulls me to her chest. ―You are so beautiful!‖ she says. ―Even prettier than I imagined.‖ She pulls back and reaches her hand out, then starts stroking my hair. ―Gorgeous hair!‖ she declares. ―Just like a Pantene model!‖

―Well , thank you,‖ I say, as she continues the inappropriate touching. ―That‘s very flattering.‖

I meet Cam‘s eye over her shoulder, and give him a look, like ‗what the fuck is this?‘ He shakes his head, like he has no explanation. Of course, it‘s pretty obvious what the deal is. I mean, she smells like she‘s been at a bar al afternoon.

―I brought some treats,‖ Sheila says, thrusting a box into my hands. It‘s a package of chocolate truffles that looks like it‘s been sitting in their pantry for a while. I can tell because there‘s a thin layer of dust on the top and the plastic‘s ripped.

―Wow,‖ I say, ―Looks delicious.‖ We all stand there awkwardly for a moment.

―Well , um, come on in.‖

I hold the door open for them, and Sheila slips past me and into the house. I raise my eyebrows at Cam as he goes in. ―Is she drunk?‖ I whisper.

―A little,‖ he admits. His eyes look tired and his shoulders seem tense.

―Well ,‖ I say, pasting a smile on my face because I don‘t want him to feel bad.

It‘s not his fault his mom‘s drunk. ―I‘m sure it will be fine.‖

―Yeah,‖ he says, sighing as he pushes past me.

―Let‘s go.‖

***

Okay, so my mom and Cam‘s mom? Definitely not going to be best friends. Or, you

know, any kind of friends. So far, our guests have only been here for twenty minutes, and it‘s been kind of a debacle.

Half of it‘s my mom‘s fault – she‘s not making much of an effort. She looked at the

chocolate truffles like they were maggots or something. (She could have at least been polite about it. I mean, what‘s a little dust?) And half of its Sheila‘s fault, because, well , she‘s drunk and crazy.

―Do you want to take your hat off?‖ my mom‘s asking her. ―I mean, now that we‘re

going to sit down for dinner and everything.‖

―Oh, good idea,‖ Sheila says. She takes her hat off and tosses it onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Underneath, her hair is a rat‘s nest, al tangled and matted to the side of her face. It looks like maybe she slept on it wrong.

―Um, Cam,‖ I say. ―Do you want to help me set the table?‖

Cam shrugs. He‘s been standing around, drinking a coke that my mom served him, not

real y talking. He follows me into the dining room, though, and watches as I take some plates out of the china cupboard.

―The good china,‖ he says, ―Puling out all the stops, huh?‖

―My mom likes to use it when we have company over.‖ I open a drawer and pull out the box of silverware.

Cam sits down at one of the dining room chairs.

Apparently he didn‘t hear the part about helping. I start putting the plates down on the table, one in front of each chair.

―So how was lunch?‖ Cam asks.

―Um, it was fine,‖ I say. I
am
going to tell him I wasn‘t at lunch with Adrianna, that I was real y with Brody.

But now‘s not exactly the right time. I mean, the last thing I need is for us to get into some big fight with our moms right in the next room.