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Sadie knew that for a few years now, she'd been the unofficial go-to for illegal drugs, including some prescription drugs, which she sold to selected contacts and friends at school.
But she feared now that she couldn't afford to do that anymore. The police would be watching everyone closely. The sheriff had questioned her before she'd left and she'd been terrified that he would search her and find the contraband in her inside jacket pocket.
She’d been equally terrified that someone she'd sold to would have squealed on her and the police would take her in. Luckily she'd been one of the first to leave.
No, if she wanted to stay out of jail, things had to change. She was going to have to give the game up. And she was going to have to find some other way to earn some money.
Sadie took the pills out of her pocket and stared down at them.
She wasn't a bad person, but she knew she had done something seriously wrong, and had been lucky to get away with it.
Still, she couldn't believe that might have been the reason for what had happened. She hadn't seen anything when she'd been at the party. But it had gotten very out of control. She knew she hadn’t been aware of everything happening that night, and she was feeling scared.
One thing was for sure, she couldn't go home. Not until she got this taken care of. She didn't want to go back to the house. What was there for her, anyway? Her mom would be drinking, as she often did during the day. She worked nights at a bar near the industrial area of Chestnut Hill.
Her dad had moved out – as he did periodically – and she didn't know where he was at the moment.
She should throw the remaining tablets away. Just toss them into the lake.
But as she took out the package and looked at them, her mind started adding up what they were worth. They were worth almost a hundred dollars to those who would buy them.
That was a hundred dollars that Sadie needed. She stared at the water as she walked.
The lake rippled gently, almost hypnotically. But Sadie didn't like it. She didn't like the town, and how small it was here. How everyone was in everyone else's business all the time.
Sadie wanted to get away from this place. She wanted to get away from her friends and connections, and the whole scene. Making a fresh start had never appealed more.
She had a strong feeling that they were all going to get in trouble for what had happened.
Sighing, Sadie turned away from the lake and headed along the trail leading to the woods. There was a clearing a couple hundred yards ahead where she could sit, smoke some weed. It was miles from anywhere and she knew nobody would notice her there.
She'd been here before, too often. For years, she'd come here whenever she needed a way to escape.
To hide.
People seldom came to this part of the trail.
She had a little weed in her pocket, for when she reached the clearing. For now, Sadie groped in her pocket and found her cigarettes, though there weren't many left. She'd need to get more soon.
As she headed into the woods, Sadie heard footsteps behind her.
Surprised, she glanced around.
Tall trees lined the narrow, winding trail. She couldn't see anyone there.
But for some reason, hearing those steps made her feel extremely jumpy. It was only natural to feel spooked, she told herself, looking back again. After all, one of her classmates had been murdered this morning.
It was probably because she felt vulnerable alone in the woods. This hadn’t worked out the way she’d planned. She'd come out here so that she wouldn't have to think about the murder at all. Now here she was, feeling like a girl in the movies, being chased down by some crazy madman. She needed to get a grip on herself.
Sadie walked toward the clearing, deeper and deeper into the woods.
She tried to comfort herself by thinking about her fresh start. It was possible, but she might need to sell more of her stash first. With as little as a few hundred dollars, she could get away. And if she worked hard, she could earn it fast, and break free from everything that was chaining her here.
But then, she heard the footsteps again, interrupting her thoughts. They were keeping pace with her. Someone was following.
She looked around again but could see only trees. Whoever it was, they were still some distance behind.
Sadie slowed right down, feeling unsettled, listening hard. Hopefully, whoever it was would then pass her on the trail.
