Chapter 29

*I'm sick, so if this chapter is a little loopy or doesn't make sense--it's not my fault.  As always, point out any mistakes and I'll fix em..

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Chapter 29

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Waking up for Miriam the next day was like crawling out of bed in the middle of a dream—a part of her mind couldn’t decide whether what she was experiencing was reality or not.

The only way to describe it was…disconnected.

The brush in her hand didn’t feel real, even as she dragged it through her hair.

The toothpaste had no flavor.

She barely felt connected to the present as she clomped down the stairs in her oversized purple rain boots and slapped a hat on over her head.

Half of her still seemed to be sleeping, even as she pushed open the front door and took a step outside.

It was only then that she felt somewhat alive.

The icy air was like a slap, tossing her hair back and numbing her cheeks.  It was still snowing lightly.  The soft, frothy drops brushed her jacket as she waded down the front path toward the street—bundled in her own green blazer this time.

That thick leather jacket was upstairs folded neatly over her desk chair.

Still…it wasn’t until she reached that slight curve in the road that she truly felt any emotion at all…

Shock.

That familiar black car, idling along the curb, wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there.

She stopped walking.

Utterly blank, she just stood there, right in the center of the road, feeling her backpack grow heavy over her shoulders as she stared at that space in the road.

She pinched herself, snagging a bit of skin between the nails of her fingers until the pain made tears prickle behind her eyes.

But she didn’t wake up—and he never came…

The dreary wind just blew flakes of snow over that spot on the road.  No other car even approached.

Slowly…she kept walking.  Feeling each step sink against the pavement like a wrecking ball that couldn’t crack the surface.

The snow lashed at her hair, coating her in ice as she trudged the long way to town.  This time…she could feel the cold.

Her teeth chattered.

Her body ached.

The icy chill seemed to numb her, right down to the bone.

She couldn’t think.  The only thing running through her mind as she finally entered the school parking lot was…

I’m going to be late.

And she was.

_______________

The day only went downhill from there.

When she arrived through the front doors, with ice melting down the back of her sweater, her uncle was there waiting.

“You wanna tell me about this detention you got?”  His voice was the deep and forcefully calm—just like it was just before he blew up at his team after a major loss.

Uh oh, Miriam thought, even as her mind went blank.

“I’m sorry…what?”  She blurted, tilting her head.

“Detention,” he repeated on a heavy sigh.  “For skipping a class yesterday?”

Oh, that.

Miriam shrugged, though she really couldn’t muster up the strength to actually care.  Instead, she just felt empty—even though the detention was the first one she had gotten in…

Ever.

“I just…forgot.”

“You forgot?”  Her uncle’s eyes narrowed into slits as he glanced her over from head to toe.  Whatever he saw, made him frown.

His tone softened.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she lied, biting her lower lip.

One of his bushy brown eyebrows shot up skeptically and a quick glance down revealed why.

In her sleepy haze this morning she had dressed in a bright yellow sweater and an old pair of neon blue jeans.  That, paired with her purple rain boots and green jacket, made her look like the survivor of a Crayon factory explosion.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, casually zipping up her jacket over the sweater.  “I just woke up late and had to rush.”

She conveniently left out the part about standing in the middle of the road for twenty minutes.

Or last night’s seizure, the aftermath of which had her tossing and turning all night.

Neither of them seemed like they would go over too well.

Still, if possible, her uncle’s frown deepened even more.

“That’s another thing,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.  “The mailbox of your answering machine must be full, because I called you at least twenty times to see if I could give you a ride this morning.  I don’t like the fact of you being out there all by yourself.  Especially not after—”

“Hey coach!”

They both turned to find a massive kid, who must have played on the football team, barreling through the crowd in their direction.

“What now,” her uncle mumbled under his breath—but while he was distracted, Miriam took the opportunity to slip past toward her homeroom.

“I’m fine,” she called as he tried to follow.

He didn’t look convinced, but whatever the student said to him must have been important because he didn’t come after her.

After that, the rest of the day was a dizzying free fall.

Nothing made sense.

She flunked an easy pop quiz in Math class and had to listen to a lecture on how ‘it just wasn’t like her.’

Gym class was no better.

The teacher had to pointedly remind her of the now infamous detention—today after school.  Right before she got hit in the head during a stale game of volley ball.

To make it worse, the assistance Coach, Carl, was there, slinking around the edges of the gym like a snake.

Just watching…her.

He was still there, even when she and the other girls headed into the locker room to change at the end of class.

She could feel those eyes on the back of her neck.

By lunch, the sun made a rare appearance through a layer of cloud cover.  The light was hot, scorching the remaining snow into shapeless puddles and burning through the windows of the cafeteria like flames.

Unconsciously, Miriam picked the table farthest away from it all and sat by herself staring morosely at her tuna sandwich.

Her mood wasn’t because of Eliot, she told herself.

It wasn’t.

Last’s night seizure was more important, anyway.  With a shiver, she realized that it was the third one in almost as many days.

And with each one, they were only getting worse…

Last night, she’d woken up with a bloody nose from smashing her face against the floor—it was just lucky that she didn’t have a concussion.

Though for how long?

That should have been her main focus.  Not…

Try as she might, she just couldn’t get him out of her head.  The thought of their kiss tormented her in a way that even the fear of a seizure didn’t.

Images of those searing red eyes just wouldn’t leave her alone.

Like some idiot girl in a tv drama, all she could think of was…’why didn’t he call me back?’

Or, following more Eliot’s style, why didn’t he break into her house?

Or follow her to school?

Or…most annoyingly of all, why wasn’t he there waiting for her?

It was selfish—obviously he had a life and responsibilities that had nothing to do with her.

Still.

“You’re so stupid,” she told herself on a sigh, tucking a hand beneath her chin.  “Obviously, he wants you take a hint—”

“Am I interrupting something?”

Startled, she glanced up to find a girl with red hair sliding her own lunch tray onto the table.

“Because, I can find another table if you want,” the girl added, flicking her long hair over one shoulder with the graceful motion of a model.  “It’s just that all anyone over there wants to talk about is that damn murder.”

She jabbed a manicured finger at a table across the room for emphasis.

Sure enough, Miriam could tell that all the kids at the table in question had their heads together, whispering in serious tones.

She could also tell that they all also had a few key things that she lacked; namely friends, lives and social skills.

Though she wasn’t exactly knowledgeable about the social layout of Wafter’s Point high, she knew those kids were popular.

Which brought up the very interesting question as to why this girl, who looked popular as well, could possibly want to sit with her?

It was only when the girl sat down anyway, that she recognized her as the one from the locker room.

Sidney.

“S-sure,” she stammered, shoving her tray aside to make room.  “I…I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.”  The girl spoke as she ripped the cap off a bottle of water and brought it to her lip-glossed lips.  “I’m Sidney by the way,” she added, before taking a gulp.

Miriam shifted uneasily on her seat, unused to having to carry on an actual conversation during lunch.  Sometimes she sat with a group of kids, but she rarely spoke—if at all.

No one usually took the time to speak to her regardless.

“I’m Miriam,” she mumbled.

Sidney gave her an odd look from over the rim of her water bottle as she wiped off her lips with the back of her hand.  “I know,” she said.   “Everyone knows who you are.”

The edge to her voice caught Miriam’s attention, but before she could wonder why, Sidney had already moved onto the next topic.

“It’s disgusting,” she murmured in undertone, glancing around the cafeteria with a scowl.  “They’re all acting like it’s just something out of a movie or a game—not real life.”

Miriam followed her glance to another table where a boy and girl were huddled together, whispering.

In fact…the more she looked around, the more she saw that the other students weren’t their usual boisterous selves today.

There was a solemn, grim atmosphere that hung over the air.  Instead of horsing around in the aisles, everyone seemed huddled together at their tables instead, almost out of fear…

“It’s because of that murder the other night,” Sidney explained, biting her bottom lip.  “The one on Morchester Lane.”

“Yeah,” Miriam said, forcing her gaze back to her uneaten tuna sandwich.  “I’ve heard of it.”

Sidney raised a red eyebrow.  “Really?”  She sifted on her seat and leaned conspiratorially across the table.  “Just how much?”

Miriam shrugged.  “The same as everyone else, I guess,” she mumbled.

Besides the fact that she just so happened to live right across the street.

“Well…”  With a sudden motion, Sidney cupped a pale hand around her mouth.  “My dad’s a cop,” she whispered.  “He used to live in New York when he first started out, and even he said that this whole business is like nothing he’s ever seen.”

Her foreboding tone made Miriam sit a little straighter.  “What do you mean?”

Sidney made a show of glancing around the room nervously before adding, “For one thing, they haven’t been able to identify the girl yet.”

Miriam frowned.  “I thought it was someone from around here…a teenager,” she added, thinking of her father’s ominous statement.

Sidney shook her head.  “They don’t know who it is.  The body doesn’t fit the descriptions of any missing teenagers around the county—not even in another town, like Cold Harbor.  And that’s not even the strange part…”

She lowered her voice and added, “my dad says that the body was…mummified.”

Miriam blinked.  “M-mummified?”

Sidney nodded slowly.  “Strange, right?”

“But…”  Miriam shook her head as she remembered the sight of the crime scene—mainly one important detail.

“There was blood,” she blurted.  “A lot of blood…or at least that’s what I’ve heard,” she added hastily as Sidney raised an eyebrow.

Casually, Sidney plucked a piece of grilled chicken from the salad on her tray and brought it to her mouth.

“Freaky.”  She shrugged, as she took a bite and washed it down with a sip of water.  “My dad said they found a murder weapon too—like the person really was murdered, even though the body looked like it had been dead for years—”

“A w-weapon?”  Miriam couldn’t ignore the prickle beneath her armpits as she leaned closer before she could help it.  Her nails dug into the underside of the table—but she didn’t know why she was so uneasy.  “What kind of weapon?”

Sidney smirked.  “You’re not going to believe this.”  She trailed off, waiting until the last possible moment—when Miriam thought she just might jump over the table—to whisper, “A wooden stake.”

Slowly, Miriam settled back into the seat and absently snatched her tuna sandwich from the plate.  Then, she shoved it into her mouth just to keep from talking.

A wooden stake.

Eliot.

Her house.

And a body drained of blood, when it already seemed dead.

It just didn’t make sense.

“It’s like something out of the Vampire Diaries,” Sidney went on, oblivious to her reaction.  “You know, that show about the vampires,” she added at Miriam’s blank expression.  “Whenever they get staked they just shrivel up and their body looks the age it would have had they died—Are you okay?”

She reached for a napkin as Miriam choked on a bite of tuna.

“Here!”

Eyes streaming, Miriam forced herself to swallow—tried to keep breathing at all as Sidney’s words ran through her.

“V-vampires?” She croaked once she managed to get enough air into her lungs.  “What makes you say…v-vampires?”

Sidney shrugged again, running a hand through her long hair.  “Why not?” She challenged.  “It’s about damn time something happened in this boring ass town—”

“But my dad said that the victim was—”

“My dad’s a cop,” Sidney said simply, cutting over her.  “I snuck a peak in his files while he wasn’t looking.  Though, to be fair, I am flunking English so I might have misread something…”

Miriam stopped listening.

Vampire.

Her throat clenched at the thought, and all she could think about as she fidgeted in her oversized rain boots was…

Eliot.

Something wasn’t right.  She could feel it in her bones—deep, deep down in the bit of her stomach.

Something just wasn’t right.

And it all led back to him.

“Are you alright?”

She flinched as the sound of Sidney’s voice snapped her back to the present, and impulsively reached for a carton of chocolate milk.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, using the excuse of drinking to hide her reaction.

Sidney just watched her with hawkish green eyes.

“You don’t have to sit with me you know,” Miriam said, changing the subject, as she wiped at her mouth with a crumpled bit of napkin.  “You couldn’t sit with your friends.”  She glanced over to find the kids in question sneaking odd looks at their table.  “I’m okay.”

Besides, she didn’t really feel up to talking—or much of anything.

Her heart pounded, and her mind was dizzying rush of Eliot.

Mummified body.

Eliot.

Wooden stakes.

Eliot.

Eliot. Eliot.  Eliot!

“Fine.”  Sidney’s sharp tone made her blink.  Even more so as the girl angrily got up and snatched her tray into those manicured hands.

“You know,” she said, tossing that hair over her shoulder, “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt—I thought that maybe you weren’t like what everyone said, but I guess I was—”

“What does everyone say about me?”  Miriam asked softly.

She could think of a few things; weirdo, seizure girl, freak.

Sidney’s nasty scowl proved that whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

Twack!

A bit of lettuce flew into the air as the girl slammed her tray back onto the table and leaned over the table so that her pert nose was mere inches from Miriam’s.

“Spoiled, poor little rich girl whose daddy moved her to some Podunk little town where she thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”

Miriam froze, stunned.  “What?”

“Yeah,” Sidney snarled, plopping her butt back onto the seat.  “You walk around here, never speaking to anyone—looking through us, like you’re too good for everyone.”  Those green eyes narrowed.  “You know, some of us would like to be your friend if you would just come off your high horse and talk to us once in a while.”

“B-but…”  Miriam couldn’t even put what she wanted to say into words.

But, I’m different.

“I’m not stuck up,” she settled on finally in a weak voice.

“Oh really?”  Sidney gave her a piercing sweep of those narrowed eyes.  “Where do buy your clothes?”

Confused, Miriam glanced down at her yellow sweater and turquoise jeans.

“I’ll tell you,” Sidney said when she didn’t get an answer.  “You pants are from Lucky Brand, your sweater is from last year’s Prada spring collection and your jacket is almost two hundred dollars—I know, because I’ve been saving up my allowance for a whole year just to buy it.”

Really?  Miriam couldn’t help thinking as she glanced over the bright green nylon.

These days she rarely bought her own clothes anymore.  When they lived in the city her mother would take her shopping, but even then she had never looked at the prices…

“Anyway,” Sidney went on in a tight voice.  “All I really wanted to say to you was thanks for the other day…I don’t know why you were in the locker room but—”  She bit her lip as if to keep from saying something she didn’t want to.  “Just watch out for Carl,” she added softly.  “He’s a creep.”

Then, without a word, she picked up her tray and flounced back to her table of bewildered friends.

Leaving Miriam utterly dumbfounded.

She still had no idea just what the hell had happened during the remaining few periods.  When the bell to let out finally rang she couldn’t grab her stuff fast enough.

But, the moment her last class ended, thoughts of Sidney and anyone else went right out the window as one figure dominated them all.

Eliot.

Something wasn’t right; that itchy, unnerving feeling was back, trailing up and down her spine as she thought of the strange murder.

Regardless of his strange silent treatment, she still needed to talk to him.

She needed to know…

“Where are you going?”  The harsh voice snapped her from her thoughts, paired with a firm grip on her arm that dragged her back as she tried to join the rush of students leaving the front doors.

“I’m going home,” she blurted, turning her head back to see who had her restrained.

Her stomach sank.

“No you’re not,” Carl, the assistance coach said coldly, nails digging into her wrist through her jacket.  “You, have detention.”