The Shelf (Dead-End Ave) Page 8

  “They drove around until they found you at Aeryal’s house, lying unconscious in the dirt. And they brought you home. That’s when Deanna told me about your drug use. I didn’t believe them, wouldn’t believe that my Bri would act so crazily, but then, here’s the evidence.” She shook the bottle of sleeping pills again.

  “No…,” Bri shook her head violently. “No! Mom, that’s true!”

  “It’s not?” Her mother frowned, with a disapproving look. “They brought you home unconscious, and with dirt on your clothing. Screaming in the woods? Some of Shanice’s neighbors heard you too.”

  “Oh,” she floundered, “I mean, everything else is true, but not the drugs!” She tried to point to the label. “Those are sleeping pills! Read the label. Honest, Mom, you know me.”

  She watched as the pills slid unceremoniously into her mother’s pocket. “Get some rest, Bri. Your father and I will have to pay closer attention to you. It sounds like you experienced a breakdown last night and I don’t want anything to happen to you because we’re not paying attention.”

  Wrinkling her nose, Bri had a feeling her mother was about to say something that she would not like. “What does that mean?”

  “Get some rest. You’re house-bound for the rest of the day, so you’re not going to school. Tomorrow is the soonest appointment that we could get you into a therapist, but you should be safe at home today. Your father will be here all day.”

  ‘What?!’ She needed to get up and start poking around to see what she could use to get Rikgso off of her case. “Mom, that’s so not-,”

  “Not necessary? Oh, but it is,” her mother said, unmoved.

  Trying another tactic, Bri cleared her throat. “There’s dance practice this afternoon, and there is no way that I can miss this one-,”

  “Nice try. You’ll miss that too.” Already at the door, her mother glanced back over one shoulder. “Oh, and your father and I have to go out of town tomorrow evening. Your aunt Lena will come to stay with you.”

  As the door closed behind her mother, Bri’s heart sank. Aunt Lena? She was the worst guardian ever. The last time she’d visited, she had half-convinced Bri’s parents to send her to an all-girls boarding school, due to some text messages from Chas, asking about homework.

  Aunt Lena was crazy. Same as Bri would be if she had to spend a night in the woman’s company. Therapist in the morning, Lena in the evening. The only way she could get out of the hellish prison she suddenly found herself in, would be to get the demon off her back to stop making her look nuts.

  If she strained, she could hear the sounds of her father moving about downstairs, probably making his breakfast. “Good. He should be down there for another hour or so.” Her dad was a slow eater, and after he ate, he usually had to let his food settle while he read his paper. That would give her enough time to read the letter.

  Sliding the dirty sheet of paper from under her pillow, Bri settled back on her pillow to read:

  Once again, Bri, if you’re reading this, then I’m dead. You know that. But what you don’t know if that I made a HUGE mistake when we became blood sisters. I didn’t think that a pinprick of blood all he needed. But I guess so. That demon will come after you….to kill you. He hates my whole family and he’s swore to kill us all. When our blood mixed, somehow you joined our bloodline, as in my blood now runs in your veins. Gosh, I’m sorry, girl. Like, I can’t stop saying sorry.

  I only wish I knew how to tell you to free yourself. I would if I could. There’s some things on my bookshelf that I want you to get. With them, you may be able to figure out how to stop the curse in time to save yourself.

  I wish you luck, darling. Cherries, cherries, and sweet besties forever,

  Love, Aeryal Mehrissa Swan

  Blinking away the tears as she read the last words her friend had ever written, Bri jammed the page back underneath her pillow. That was it, there was no more, and she for sure didn’t need to read it twice.

  Aeryal wasn’t coming back. The demon from the curse had killed her. Even though she didn’t know how to stop the curse, she had tried her best to give Bri the info to figure it out.

  Saddened, Bri closed her eyes and pulled the cover up, over her face. Then, completely exhausted, she fell into a fitful sleep.

  CHAPTER

  13

  She sat up, jolted instantly awake by the scary dream that had tormented her all night. In it were visions of death and decay. Bri let out a pent-up breath she hadn’t realized she’d been keeping. Green numbers glowed bright bedside her bed. 12:30 am.

  A scratching sound at the window made her turn. Thin, shadowy outlines scraped their way across the glass as she watched. Scritch, scritch….scritch, scritch. Her heart pulsed heavily in her chest, hitching on the off-beats of the noise. Long and spindly outlines, almost like fingers, beckoned sweetly to her. ‘Wouldn’t you like to die too?’ was their sickeningly-sweet implication. Fear mounted as her fingers curled around the covers, trembling. Then a sweep of light from outside, maybe a car passing in the street below, illuminated the window. Breath whooshed from her lips in a rush.

  “It’s just the tree branches scraping at the windows,” she hissed, irritated with herself for being frightened, irritated with everything.

  Suddenly angry, Bri pushed free of her rumpled covers. Everything was too stifling at the moment. She needed to live a little, to be free. ‘It’s not fair,’ she thought. Deanna and Shanice were probably out on dates with their boyfriends, or maybe even doing something a lot more exciting than just dating. Girls like them didn’t go to sleep early at nights; girls like Aeryal, and now Bri, struggled with just staying alive. Meanwhile, poor Aeryal had died without even going on her first date. There was no boy that would remember Aeryal as his first love.

  Bri impatiently rubbed away the sudden, hot tears that coursed down her cheeks. She needed to get up and do something. Crying never solved anything. Thinking about her friend’s death always made her think about her own life. If she died tomorrow, she would be in the same boat as Aeryal.

  Never had love. Never did anything. Hunted down by some horrible family curse that she hadn’t done anything to deserve.

  At least, Aeryal could say that she had been sick, and unable to get out and about. Bri was just fine, as healthy as a horse, and here she was, dateless AND boyfriend-less. Defiantly, Bri made up her mind and left her bed. She was going out. If some terrible demon was coming after her, then she would live her life the way she wanted to for a change.

  Going to the closet, she swept her thick hair up in a loose ponytail, pulling a few loose curls around her face. Her tight black jeans and tank top would do in a pinch. She would just toss her cropped jacket over it and grab a matching purse.

  Bri stopped by the mirror and brushed a light dusting of gold-colored eyeshadow to bring out her eyes, and then applied a heavy layer of mascara. There. Examining her reflection, she was satisfied that she looked old enough to be in a bar.

  ‘Now, to sneak out of the house….’

  There was a big tree that jutted against their house next to her window. It would have to do as an escape route. Bri found the climb down fairly easy, and soon she was on her way downtown.

  Thankfully, she didn’t live too far from the action of the night scene. Hurriedly, Bri walked down the dark streets until she came to Main Street. There, the lights from few bars here and there beckoned.

  Bri called up all her confidence and strode in the door of the nearest spot, which happened to be Fantasy. But it was a Fantasy that she wasn’t familiar with: college students, loud music, low lighting. Bri hadn’t known that popular teen hangout opened its doors as a nighttime establishment. The bar was smoky and the scent of liquor hung heavy in the air.

  Even with all her newfound independence, she was still grateful to see a familiar face in the corner: Korey. Pushing all trepidation aside, she headed toward him. ‘Some company is better than no company,’ she reasoned. Plus, she might finally get a chance to apologize to
him. Maybe thank him for saving her life. Or at least, get some answers for a change. The first thing he said as she approached was, “What are you doing here alone?”

  Hot under the collar at the implication, she shot out, “Why? Because I’m too small to be here? Too little?”

  Korey didn’t seem to have any need for further explanation or political correctness; he simply nodded.

  “Couldn’t sleep.” She sighed resignedly and took a seat. A moment later, her face grew hot as she realized she hadn’t asked if the seat was free. Just because he was sitting alone at the moment, didn’t mean that he didn’t have a date in the restroom or getting drinks at the bar.

  If he did, it didn’t bother him because Korey just studied her, and then said, “Buy you a drink?”

  “I….ah…yes.” Teeth firmly clenched around whatever refusal she was going to use, Bri stifled her original reply. Why shouldn’t she allow him to get her a drink? They were sitting right at the bar; she would watch as the bartender poured it. There would be no chance for Korey to slip anything into it, and besides that, she was oddly reassured by the somewhat friendly look he was giving her. It was an enormous change from his usual cold demeanor.

  When the drink was slid her way, Bri sampled it cautiously through the little straw. She had to take it slow; she wasn’t accustomed to drinking alcohol and didn’t want overwhelm herself. After one swallow, her eyes met Korey’s accusingly.

  “Is this a joke?”

  Korey’s brows raised just slightly, and very adorably, she noticed. “No. Why would you say that?”

  “Sprite?” She gestured to her glass and gave him a quizzical look. “You bought me a Sprite?”

  “It’s what I’m drinking. Why, you have a problem with soda?”

  “No,” she faltered. “It’s just that-,” ‘I thought since we were in a bar, like adults…,’

  Continuing with a shrug, Korey finished his own drink and pushed away the glass. “At night, most clear drinks look the same. Why get drunk just to impress others, when I still have to drive and get myself home safely?”

  She definitely couldn’t argue with that. In fact, his mention of safety brought back the flood of recent events, and all of a sudden, she wished that Korey had bought her something stronger.

  “Something wrong?”

  Bri shook her head quickly. “No. It’s okay.”

  Korey narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “Not what I asked, babe.”

  Just hearing him call her ‘babe’ sent two spikes through her heart, one happy, one sad. She’d love to be Korey’s girl, and hear him call her that all the time. But guys like Korey didn’t date girls like her. Instead, probably asked them for help with Math homework.

  He was still looking at her, waiting for an answer. Miserably, she shook her head and took a long swallow of soda, draining the glass. “Another drink?” She was forcing the bright smile on her face, but hopefully, he couldn’t tell.

  “Bri, cut the crap.” Korey grabbed her wrist lightly. “What’s the matter? Two minutes ago, you were just fine. Now? You’re depressed Shirley. Talk to me.”

  Instead of answering him, she just lowered her eyes and sighed. Her mind raced. Finally, she had something to say to him. “Why were you at the Swan house the other day?”

  “Where?” he replied, and Bri met those unbelievable eyes of brown velvet head on. ‘Why can’t he just tell the truth?’

  “My best friend Aeryal Swan’s house. You know, she just died? Lived in a townhouse on Dead-End Avenue? You should know the place, I caught you sneaking around there a day or so ago.” There was no way he could deny having been there now. Bri just watched him.

  “Oh.” Korey nodded. “There.”

  “Yes, there. Why were you there?”

  His off-hand shrug incensed her. “What? You’re not going to tell me?” she demanded. “You don’t want to or something?”

  He met her eyes solidly and murmured, “No more than you want to tell me what you were just thinking about a little while ago.”

  ‘Perfectly played, Mr. Secrets.’ There was no way she would tell him about her wild night running from a demon, and a crazy one such as Rikgso at that. If she did, suddenly she would be the one who was nuts.

  “Guess we should just enjoy our drinks then,” she said, raising her empty glass. Flashing her what was a very sexy half-smile, Korey clinked his glass against hers.

  “I think that toasting empty glasses is bad luck, but who cares, right? Here’s to a fun night.”

  The loud clink that their glasses made together reminded Bri of the little wind chime outside her house, whimsical and carefree. Instantly, a bit of the tension began to seep out of her shoulders and as she took a swallow of her soda, she gazed Korey over the rim of her glass.

  He was watching her carefully. Standing, he stretched out on arm. “Dance?”

  ‘No.’ “Sure.” She stood, nerves shooting up and down her spine, and wondered if there was any way she could accept without actually taking his hand. His fingers were warm as they clasped hers and Bri hoped that there was no goofy, happy grin on her face. She couldn’t tell; all of her senses were diverted, into making sure that she didn’t trip or otherwise embarrass herself as she moved toward him.

  Then his fingers moved up over her inner arm and Bri tensed, readying to tell him that he was moving a little fast or whatever, until she saw what he was doing. Korey’s eyes were glued to the raised markings on her forearm. Embarrassment bloomed in her.

  “Why do you have these?” he asked, as she knew he would.

  Stifling an internal sigh, she shrugged. “Just…..nothing.”

  “You got a brand and you call that nothing?” Disbelief covered his face.

  For obvious reasons, she couldn’t tell him the truth. To say that the brands had just appeared….

  But Bri wanted so badly to just release her troubles on someone else, tell someone, ask for help. She felt her lips parting, ready to tell Korey Parsons about the strange trouble that she suddenly found herself in. As he stared down at her, the disbelief in his eyes quickly shifting to concern, Bri clamped her jaws shut. Now was not the time. There might not ever be a time for that conversation.

  A tight smile pushed its way across her face. “You said you wanted to dance, right? So let’s dance.”

  Maybe he would forget about the markings on her skin; if only she could too.

  CHAPTER

  14

  When Korey offered her a lift home, Bri accepted, not bothering with the fact that he was someone she’d only known for approximately a week. She was taking chances, right? Besides, Bri seriously doubted that Korey’s intentions lay anywhere other than just heading home. Honestly, she did end up having a lot of fun with him. Somehow, since the dance floor was pretty much packed, they had ended up dancing in between the chairs and tables, Bri giggling as if she actually was drunk. She was, a little bit; drunk on fun and then the excitement of being out with a handsome guy like Korey.

  For the first time in weeks, she’d been happy. Dancing, for her, was a release, the only time when she could completely be herself. It didn’t matter whether she was in her Modern Dance class, or with her Advanced Ballet instructor; she was free. Her parents approved of her talent, but they didn’t get her need to dance. They saw it as a hobby, but they didn’t know about her private obsession with seeing herself compete on television in a professional dance show, or being hired to perform an intricate routine at a sold-out celebrity show. Every recital or talent show brought her one step closer to her dream. Honestly, she had no clue where her skill came from; her legs were the magic in the equation. Petite, but tough, they worked for her.

  Korey wasn’t a bad dancer either; in fact, she was surprised to discover that fact as they moved to the upbeat songs. ‘Makes a good date,’ she’d thought several times.

  But annoying reminders about how out of her league he was, kept popping up. As they danced, a lot of girls coming into the bar waved at Korey, with the bolde
r ones greeting him with a hug. Some of them, Bri recognized from school, some she didn’t, but it was all the same to her. In his short time in town, Korey had become very popular.

  ‘Doesn’t matter to you, Bri,’ she kept reminding herself, ‘you’re just using him for a good time.’ Dancing had even driven away the twinging pain that remained in her chest from Rikgso’s visit.

  As they drove home, they chatted a bit about school, but mostly there was silence in the car. Bri directed Korey where to turn off for her house. Pulling into her driveway, Korey parked and turned to face her.

  Bri felt herself flush as his intense eyes roved over her. “Umm, thanks.”

  “Anytime.”