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I tried to focus on class as I debated my options in the back of my mind. By the time the bell rang, I knew my best option was Anna. If I hurried with cleaning the boards, she might not mind too much waiting for me on a Friday.
What about when you get to the motel? A little voice questioned. What are you going to do if they’re waiting for you there?
I pushed the worries aside, crossing my fingers my luck would hold. They hadn’t shown up again this week so there was no reason to think they would now.
I stood up the instant the bell rang to grab Anna but she was already next to my desk, smiling. I gave her a sheepish grin and she laughed.
“Need a ride?” She asked knowingly and I nodded gratefully.
I rushed through cleaning the boards, the job less than perfect but the teacher waved me out – no doubt ready to go home on a Friday too. I grabbed my backpack and met Anna, who’d waited in the hall.
“She let you off easy,” Anna whispered, her eyes darting to the doorway. “I thought she’d torture you by making you redo it.”
“She might hate me, but I think she was ready to go. Maybe she’s got a hot date,” I joked, equally ready to put the week behind me. Besides being stalked by the Hanleys, I now had to deal with Dominic and the sudden connection we seemed to have. A connection that was wrong on every level.
“How are you doing?” Anna asked softly as she unlocked her car. The school parking lot was empty and I had a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Trying to keep my head in the sand,” I admitted, more candidly than I intended. Anna made a soft sound of encouragement, as she started the engine, and words poured out of me. “I don’t understand what’s going on and I’m not sure I want to. Coming here was an unexpected detour in my plan. I thought it would be easy and then crazy stuff started happening and it’s weird. Undeniably weird and if I look hard enough I know I’ll figure it out, but part of me, a huge part just wants to look the other way. I don’t want to get involved.” I paused then whispered brokenly, “I don’t want a reason to stay.”
Anna reached over and squeezed my hand gently before returning her hand to the steering wheel. “Knowing doesn’t mean you have to stay. It just means you’ll understand a little better.”
“I’m not so sure,” I replied, clenching my hands together in my lap so my fingers wouldn’t stray to my neck where I could feel the burning outline of Dominic’s lips. “It feels inevitable somehow.” I stared out the window at the dense forest, knowing just past it was a cleared path and a little further a small community of people who kept a secret that could change my life.
“Everything will work out,” Anna said confidently. “You’ll see.” She tossed me a smile and I was suddenly grateful for her. As quiet and unassuming as she was, there was a core of steel running through her. She’d become a friend despite my best attempts and I was glad.
“So, what’s it like living in a motel?” She asked, her nose wrinkling.
“About what you’re imagining,” I answered ruefully. “A little noisy, somewhat gross, and I’ve done more cleaning in a week then I did my entire life before coming here.”
“That’s gotta be rough,” Anna said sympathetically and I shrugged.
“The howling was the worst, but now I find it kind of comforting.” Anna’s smile turned unexpectedly brittle and I rushed to reassure her that I didn’t hate my life. “Trust me, you get used to it. All of it. I consider it great preparation for living in a dorm.”
Anna’s expression eased as she turned into the parking lot. “Your dad is here?”
“No, he had to go to Brinkston for something.” I clutched the door handle as she stopped, suddenly nervous at being alone. “Thank you for the ride,” I said awkwardly.
“Can I see your room? I’ve always wondered what the inside looked like.” Anna shifted the car in park as I gratefully accepted the lifeline she threw me.
“Sure. But don’t expect much,” I warned her as we got out of her car. She stiffened suddenly, glancing around the parking lot before coming over to me.
“Let’s get inside,” she urged, and I felt a trickle of alarm. I led her to my room, watching carefully as her expression blanked. Whatever it was that had spooked her, she didn’t want to scare me.
“Anna.”
“It’s nothing.” She gave me a tight smile. “I hope,” she tacked on, shifting restlessly next to me.
I unlocked my door and pushed it open right before she jerked me behind her and growled. I blinked in shock as I slammed into the motel wall.
