Chapter 22

*I edited this chapter a lot, so if something doesn't make sense, please let me know!  It seems to be the norm these days that everyone tried to distract me as I try to write, so something might have gotten mixed up in the chaos.  As always thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoy the rest!*

The day started out just like any other.

Miriam woke up, made her bed, and picked out a pair of clothes to wear to school. Mostly she did so out of habit—but a quick glance out of the window revealed that it hadn’t snowed anymore overnight, meaning that school would most likely be open today.

Which made her feel…strange, for some reason.

Maybe because she wasn’t dreading it?  Not the long walk to school, or the thought of suffering through the day in fear of a seizure.  Instead, she felt nothing at all as she rolled out of bed.

It was almost eagerly that she pulled on a pair of jeans and an old gray sweater, taking the time to brush her hair back and pull on a pair of old rain boots.

The day could have been normal.

But just as she paused to button up her jacket, she just so happened to peek out of the window over through the trees...

Her heart skipped a beat.

There, just at the curve in the road, idled a sleek black car.  A familiar car, that didn’t move no matter how hard she squinted or blinked.

Eliot.

He was there. Only this time he didn’t even try to hide or pretend that he wasn’t waiting....

For her.

That black car almost seemed like an unspoken challenge—a dare.

Come out, come out, little girl…if you’re brave enough.

She wondered if he was trying to scare her again.  Intimidate her.

Well, Miriam thought, feeling her bottom lip curl into a scowl before she could help herself. Two could play at this game.

On an impulse, she slipped off the dull sweater and tossed it onto the floor.  Then, biting her lip, she wandered over to the pile of boxes in the corner and dug through the stack until she came to one near the very back, marked only with the word ‘dressy’ across the front.

She hesitated for only a second before digging through the neatly folded clothes for one item in particular and slipped it on over her head before common sense stole her nerve.

Then, she pulled on her boots, slapped a hat onto her hair and hurried down the stairs.

The house was empty—unsurprisingly.  Even without glancing at the closed door to her father’s room, she could tell that he hadn’t come home last night.  But he had called at least, and left a message on the answering machine that told her to stay at her uncle’s tonight if he had to work late again.

But other than that…

Though, to be fair, she hadn’t spent the night entirely alone.  The police had been out in the woods until early morning—and thankfully, no more midnight guests had showed up.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance back at the foyer with a shudder, as she pushed the front door open and slipped onto the porch.

The air was icy and still, like a slap to the face.  She winced as she took the porch steps two at a time and trudged through the snow to the main road.  The ice stung at her bare legs almost making her regret the outfit choice…

Almost.  Because the look Eliot was giving her through the car’s dark glass made it oh so worth it.

His eyes bulged.  His jaw tightened.  He stared as she shakily mounted the curb.

Though Miriam was willing to admit that it could have something to do with the fact that a bright red Christmas dress hung down to her knees, paired with her purple rain boots.

It was on old thing back from the years they used to spend the holidays at the fancy business parties of her Dad’s professional colleagues.  It was a deep, burgundy scarlet with long silky sleeves and a sheer neckline that danced around her throat.

She hadn’t worn it in ages and it was slightly too small. In hindsight, she didn't even know why she put it on; impulse?

The desire to make him stare?

Shatter that icy cool?

Though, as her legs began to tremble, she realized that maybe a fall dress in the middle of winter wasn't such a good idea?

But, she was forced to admit that even the icy chill biting at her wrists was so worth it just to see that look.

Their eyes met, like burning embers meeting coal.

She saw shock in them, and confusion…along with something else that made her very glad that inches of glass and metal separated them now.

She didn’t like the way he eyed at the bared flesh of her throat.

Or maybe she did…?

It was getting so hard to think straight with him staring like that.  Thankfully, the closer she came, the harder he tried to pretend that he wasn’t.

He ripped his gaze down to the steering wheel, fingers clenching around the leather as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it.  In the end, he settled for bracing his hands against the dash as she drew level with the passenger-side window.  He didn’t look up even as she marched past in her heavy boots.

So, she kept walking.  She could feel the back of her neck prickle, but she didn’t stop even as she heard a car door open and slam shut behind her.  Heavy footsteps approached.

Slam!

Thump, thump, THUMP!

Eyes straight ahead, she focused just on moving forward.  One foot in front of the other.  Just one foot in front of the other.…

“What the hell are you doing?”  The hiss accompanied the cold hand clamped around her wrist that spun her around so harshly she nearly fell.

Thankfully someone’s hard chest was there to brace herself against—a ‘someone’ who was so cold they almost felt like ice.  Shakily, she tilted her head back and came eye-level with a face so handsome it stole her breath away…

Crowned by two perfectly intense amber eyes.

“What are you doing?”  Eliot repeated, yanking her back by her wrist once she regained her balance.

Miriam blinked.  “Walking to school,” she blurted without thinking.

That made him frown.  Carefully, he pulled his fingers back from her wrist one by one and took a step away, but not before those eyes swept over her once from head to toe.

“Are you stupid?”  He asked finally in a harsh growl.

She shrugged.  A part of her figured that she should have been afraid—but she couldn’t muster the strength to be.  Instead, she just watched the daylight play over the planes of his face.

It was another dreary day, with the sun hidden behind the clouds, and even still…

He gleamed.

His skin was so pale he almost seemed like a figure formed from the snow slushing beneath his boots.   Angelic, she couldn’t help thinking.

But then those eyes flashed, and he looked more devil than anything.

“You’re not wearing a coat,” he snarled when she didn’t answer.

As if it was a crime.

Sure enough, glancing down over the silky dress, Miriam was surprised to see that she wasn’t.  She didn’t even remember leaving her coat up in her room...

It was so cold her fingers were trembling—but she barely even felt it.

She felt…bubbly instead—hyper.

On cloud nine.

A part of her took pride out of damaging Eliot’s icy cool—at making him get out the car and prove once and for all that he hadn’t been following her just out of boredom or whatever lie he’d made up.

He had been watching her.

But, she was forced to admit that she had no idea why…

“I’m not cold,” she lied as his eyes began to narrow.  “I can b-barely feel it.”

Her teeth chattered, betraying her, and Eliot frowned.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

He glanced down at the dress with a grimace—but once again, she didn’t miss the way those eyes lingered at the curve of her throat.  Automatically her hand flew up to cup her neck, forcing him to drag that gaze back up to hers instead.

“I decided…not to be…empty today,” she said finally, throwing that stupid word back in his face.

His frown deepened almost into a scowl.  She couldn’t help the giddy urge that made her lips curl up into a smile at having once again shattered that icy cool he tried so hard to maintain.

It lasted for about a second.  Right up until those amber eyes latched onto hers, burning deep down into her soul.

“You’re freezing,” he said almost on a hiss.

Miriam didn’t even try to deny it.  Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to clench her jaw shut to keep her teeth from chattering together even more.

“You’re n-not wearing a coat either,” she countered.

She was right.  Once again, all he wore was a simple sweater against the cold.  But, to be fair, he wasn’t shivering either.

Eliot didn’t answer.  With a sigh, he turned away and stalked back to his car where he wrenched open the driver’s seat.  Miriam almost expected him to drive away, but what he did instead surprised her even more.

He leaned over into the back and pulled something dark and slender from the seat.

“Here,” he said, turning around to toss the object in her direction.

By reflex Miriam managed to catch it and held it up to the light.  It was a jacket, dark and made of a sturdy, shiny fabric she could tell just by feel was probably worth more than her entire wardrobe.

Pure leather.

“Put it on,” he ordered, and she didn’t hesitate.

The jacket was his—obviously.  It dwarfed her, coming down past her knees, but the fabric was warm enough, even though she could tell that it hadn’t been worn in a very long time.  Maybe not ever...

“T-Thanks,” she managed to mumble.

He didn’t answer.

His hair flashed like fire as he turned back to the open door of his car.  He hesitated for a minute before climbing inside, where he reached over and pushed open the passenger side door.

The unspoken invitation was clear; get in...if you dare.

Miriam shifted her weight from one foot to the other and tried to ignore just how cold it really was out.  Not to mention how damn warm his jacket was.  Despite herself, she found her body relaxing into the worn leather.  Her eyes strayed to that open door…

Go on, the little voice at the back of her mind taunted.  Get in.  What’s the worst that could go wrong?

A lot, she realized with a gulp.

Technically she really didn’t know Eliot at all.  Then, there was always that little saying about not getting into cars with strangers…

But…there was also that little saying about curiosity and the cat.

And she couldn’t deny that a tiny little part of her was more than curious.  Besides, she had a feeling that if she turned now and walked away now...

It would only prove his point.

So, tossing her hair over her shoulder, she adjusted her backpack and walked over to the car with her head held high.  She figured that he was too far away to notice the way her fingers trembled as she grabbed onto the door handle and lowered herself onto the seat.

She didn’t look at him as she pulled the car door closed.

He didn’t look at her.

But as the car pulled away from the curb and took off down the street she could feel that familiar prickling feel on the side of her throat.

Easy girl, she told herself as her heart began to race.  He’s probably watching the road—not staring at you…

Her eyes darted to the driver’s seat to prove it and instantly became trapped by a burning amber glare.

“Do you make a habit out of unhealthy choices?”

“I…what?”

Eliot scowled—or maybe it was more of a smile?  A dark, frightening smile that made her shudder and regret ever trapping herself alone with him in such an enclosed space.

“Unhealthy choices,” he said, stressing each word.  “They seem to be a forte of yours.”

Miriam shrugged, even as a part of her fluttered on the inside.

Unhealthy choices?   What the hell did he know?

Her pills were still sitting unused on the kitchen counter.  She could have a seizure at any moment.  Any time.

And he was worried about a stupid coat.

Rather than bite back, she rolled her shoulders and peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

“Like what?”

Her fake innocence seemed to piss him off.    Those red eyes cut to her to her sharply, slicing down to her red dress and then back up to the woolen cap perched sloppily on her head.

His look said it all; take a wild guess.

But rather than say it out loud, he chuckled to himself as he turned the wheel to follow a curve in the road.  He shook his head, grinning darkly and didn’t speak again.

Which was just fine with Miriam.  This morning had gotten strange enough.

But hey, a part of her scolded, you’re the one who got in the car…

Funnily enough, she could feel the car begin to slow down.  A glance out of the window revealed why; they had reached a curve in the main road.

They sat there, idling for a moment before Eliot finally grumbled, “Where am I going?”

“Left,” she blurted, thinking of the way to school.  “Then another left…”

He followed her instructions without a word, and that sleek car slid silently down the street.  Once they reached town, the people on the street this early turned curiously in their direction.

Miriam couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t every day that a priceless black car came zooming down main street.

“Here,” she said, as the brick school building came into view.

It looked even more foreboding than usual—the dark brick seemed like the walls of some medieval dungeon.  The teens milling around the front seemed like hostile knights preparing for war.

Almost reluctantly, she unclipped her seatbelt and moved to open the door the moment the car rolled to a stop.

“Thanks—”

“Wait.”  His voice almost seemed like a sigh.  As if he didn’t really want to speak, but something forced him to.

“Don’t walk alone.”  It wasn’t a threat or some morbid taunt.  Miriam jerked her head back to him and saw that the pale line of his jaw was as stiff as a rod of steel.

Slowly, he turned to face her—reluctantly, as if something unseen was dragging him by the hair, just to meet her gaze.

Those eyes were pure amber.  They smoldered…burned, and Miriam had to force herself to take a deep breath just to keep from getting lightheaded.

To keep from losing her mind.

“It’s not…safe,” he said, lingering over the word.

She didn’t like the way he said it.  Safe; as if wanted to say something else but stopped himself.

Something like…

Dangerous.

"W-why?"  she forced herself to ask—even though the answer was obvious; with mysterious prowlers and murdered girls, suddenly Wafter's Point didn't seem so mind-numbingly boring.

Anyone would be right to be on guard.

But Eliot...

She couldn't help thinking that he seemed a little more cautious than anyone else would.  Those eyes were dark as they stared into hers a little too intently.

Almost as if he knew something that she didn’t.  Something…scary enough to make him warn a strange in blunt terms.

‘Don’t walk alone.’

"Okay..."  She said when he didn't answer.  "I—"

He turned away, hands flexing over the steering wheel.  "Do you want to visit...Lizzie?"  He seemed to choke out the name.

"Yes!"  Miriam blurted, thinking of the unconscious girl.  With the storm and all the snow she wondered if he'd even been able to see her yesterday.  "I was going to volunteer today—"

"When?"  He didn't look at her, but his tone made it clear that he expected an answer.

"T-today,” she stammered.  “After school..."

He sighed. Then, slowly, he glanced at her again without turning his head.  "What time?"

"Two," she said in a rush, "But you don't have to give me a ride or anything.  I can just take the bus—"

Those eyes cut to her—through her—and the subtle motion shut her up.  It was like an unspoken signal; get out.  Now.

"T-thanks for the ride," she mumbled, pushing open the door.  She glanced back when he didn't answer.

Those eyes were straight ahead, glued to the road...but.  His jaw twitched, and she could almost imagine what he'd say.

Two o' clock.  Be here—don't you dare be late.

He barely even waited for her to slam the door shut before he took off in a spray of slush and snow…leaving her alone on the curb in nothing more than a sparkly Christmas dress and his borrowed coat.