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SAGE
“The sun is going down.” I pushed the plate away and relaxed in the chair. We ate dinner outside after spending the day relaxing.
“You want to go down to the beach to watch the sunset?” Alex asked.
I smiled excitedly. “You read my mind. Lacey, you guys want to come?”
“I think we’re going to spend some time in our room,” Jamie answered first. He gave Lacey a sideways glance and grinned. Lacey laughed and nodded as she snuggled up to him. My gut twisted, and guilt hit me. I wanted her to be happy. I was with Alex. We were both growing up and moving on. Soon, we’d end up living apart, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
Alex grabbed my hand, and we headed down the trail to the beach. We got there just as the sun was above the water. The sky was cast in warm orange and yellow clouds. All my troubles disappeared as I sat in the sand. It had been such a good day, and this was the perfect way to end it.
“I have a ring for you. Back home,” Alex murmured, putting his arm around me. “It was my grandmother’s.”
“You think your parents will be happy about us being engaged?” I couldn’t help but be nervous about that. His father had never seemed to like me.
“They already know, Sage. They’re happy for us.”
I doubted that. But I didn’t want to think about that at the moment. I leaned against him, and we watched the sunset in peaceful silence. The sky lost its orange ambience after the sun dipped below the water. Darkness started setting in, and I looked up, waiting to see the stars. The moon was full and cast a dim glow on the beach. Thinking about something, I suddenly jumped up.
“What’s wrong?” Alex sat up, alarmed at my sudden movement.
“Nothing. I just thought that I haven’t taken any pictures since being up here. I want one of us on the beach. The vacation when we got engaged.” I smiled at him over my shoulder as I walked away.
He rushed to stand up. “I’ll get it.”
“No, it’s fine. The camera is in the truck; I’ll run and grab it.” I was already halfway to the tree line.
“Okay, just hurry back,” Alex called after me.
The moonlight lit the path to the truck. As I reached for the door handle, I remembered that Lacey had grabbed the camera, along with her backpack. Shooting a glance at the house, I debated if I should go get it. It had been at least an hour since we’d gone down to the beach. I laughed under my breath. They should be done with whatever they were doing in the house.
I pushed open the front door and skipped up the steps. I knocked on Lacey’s door and waited. After a few seconds, I knocked louder. There wasn’t a sound coming from the room. No way they’d be sleeping this early. Maybe they’d gone to a different part of the beach. I knocked one more time before cracking the door open. It was pitch black.
“Lacey?” There was only silence. I ran my hand along the wall and flipped the light switch on when I finally found it. Blinking from the sudden light, I gasped when I saw the room.
It was trashed.
One of the bedside lamps was on the floor with the bulb shattered. The mattress was halfway off the bed frame with the blankets twisted on the floor. Lacey’s and Jamie’s bags were empty, thrown in the corner with their clothes strewn all over the room. Unease crept into panic as I took a shaky step into the room.
I jumped back when Jamie burst out of the bathroom. The wild look in his eyes caused my heart to thrash in my chest. His hair was disheveled, and his sleeve was ripped. My breath hitched in my throat when my gaze fell to what was in his hand.
A hypodermic needle.
My muscles locked up as I straightened my spine. My instincts were screaming to run, but I couldn’t leave without knowing if he’d done something to Lacey. I tore my eyes from the needle and glanced into the empty bathroom.
“Jamie, what happened? Where’s Lacey?” I asked, trying to stay calm. The needle was gripped tightly in his hand, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to get closer to me. He just stared blankly at me, swaying back and forth, unable to stand up straight.
“Where’s Lacey?” I asked again, louder this time.
“I’m gonna kill them.” His tone was numb—no feeling or emotion—and I swallowed thickly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I couldn’t keep my voice steady. “Where’s my sister?”
My mind was racing. Had Jamie drugged Lacey with whatever was in that needle? I thought back…it was his idea to go on this trip. To come up here and camp. It was even his idea to stay in this house for the night. I just stood there, unable to stop the fear that paralyzed my body. Jamie finally locked eyes with me and seemed to snap out of it.
“You have to come with me.” He stepped closer.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”
“We’ll find her,” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
He took another step forward and stumbled. The needle he was holding came too close when he fell toward me. Jerking away, I kept moving until I was in the doorway. All I could think about was Lacey. My stomach dropped. What if she was hurt? Or worse? I couldn’t think like that. I needed to focus on making sure Jamie didn’t stab me with that needle.
“I’m going to get Alex.” Without taking my eyes off his hand, I backed farther into the hall before turning around.
“No. You need to stay with me.” Jamie yelled from behind me as I fled from him.
His clumsy footsteps echoed through the hall as I made it to the stairs. I took the steps two at a time and started sprinting the second my feet hit the floor. Fear seized me, and my scream was trapped in my throat.
Halfway to the front door, a hand wrapped tightly around my wrist. I cried out when he yanked me backward so hard that I crashed to the floor. A sharp pain jolted up my arm as I caught myself from falling. He fell with me, and I was able to wrench my other arm free from his grasp. But now he was between me and the front door.
Not giving him the chance to grab me again, I jumped up and ran through the dining room. There was a door in the kitchen that I could use to get outside. Slamming the kitchen doors shut behind me, I ran to the outside door and pulled on the handle. It didn’t open. I yanked again, harder this time, but it didn’t budge. I glanced back at the closed kitchen doors, knowing Jamie wasn’t far behind.
My heart was beating out of my chest, and a cold sweat covered my body. Panic was taking control of any rational thought. I needed to get out of this house and get to Alex. I scanned the empty kitchen again and made a split-second decision when I noticed a heavy-duty door on the opposite wall.
My entire body was shaking, and my hand slipped off the doorknob twice before I ripped it open. I expected it to be a wine cellar. Instead, I was met with a set of steep steps with one bare lightbulb dangling above them. Footsteps pounded through the dining room, and I hastily closed the door behind me, hoping Jamie hadn’t heard the creaking. Trying to be as silent as possible, I tiptoed down the stairs, stopping when I came face to face with another door.
