The Key Page 5

  “Ah, Ailin Colin.” A dreamy look glazed over her slit eyes and he cocked a brow. She waved his curiosity away. “I think he goes by Gregory now or some such nonsense, but it doesn’t matter. He and I, well, we have different goals.” She sighed. “Did you know that I used to be a beautiful woman, admired by many? Now I’m a monster.” She moved close and stroked his hair. “I have waited too long, Doran. I want to be normal again.”

  Of course he knew. She’d told him a hundred times. He kissed the back of her hand, a smile tugging at his lips. “Call me Dougal.”

  ****

  Chase headed to his locker. Mixed feelings assailed him. Maddie rode a bike to school? Even in the rain?

  He flung his books inside and slammed the flimsy metal door.

  Mrs. Grady, the school secretary, stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping. When he didn’t readily apologize for his behavior, she said, “I’m afraid I made a mistake on your schedule.”

  He cocked his brow.

  “It seems you’ve already had economics so you’ll be taking world history instead.”

  She handed him a slip of paper which he crammed in his pants pocket. The warning bell rang, and he grabbed his backpack and shuffled along the hallway.

  Classes were pretty much the same and at lunch he sat with Maddie.

  After chewing and swallowing, he asked, “If it’s still raining this afternoon, how would you feel about me giving you a lift home?”

  Maddie fiddled with a napkin. “I don’t know. I live kind of far out.”

  “Not a problem. As long as I call my mom and dad and let them know what I’m doing, they won’t mind.”

  She shrugged. “If you’re sure.”

  He nodded, feeling a small measure of relief. She’d called him her friend and driving her home in the rain was something he could do to earn that. Besides, being with her wouldn’t be any sort of punishment.

  Lunch ended and they went to chemistry. Dougal sat beside Stephanie and whispered in her ear. She giggled and fanned herself.

  Chase fought jealousy as Maddie stopped and studied the couple. He couldn’t keep pretending that sharp, stabbing feeling was anything else. The jerk wanted to keep both girls guessing. Maybe if he broke things up, he’d surprise Dougal into showing his true colors, and once Maddie saw what a jerk he was, she’d quit watching him and his cheerleader. What could he do to break up their coziness? And did he really want to? Yeah, he did.

  Taking a risk, he approached Dougal, extended his hand, and said, “Hello, I’m Chase Donovan. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Dougal ignored Chase’s outstretched hand and looked past him. His eyes glowed amber, like something out of a weird, cheap movie. “Maddie,” he whispered. The word echoed through the room like a caress. “I have awaited your breathtaking presence.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened and she glanced at Chase. Shocked, he couldn’t move. At first he thought it was surprise. Then he realized it was literal. He couldn’t move, and fear pounded through him. Something bizarre was going on and he had to stop it.

  Without glancing at him, Dougal swaggered past, lifted Maddie’s hand, and kissed it. “You are like a ray of sunshine on this rainy day.”

  Maddie didn’t respond, just sat there staring with wide eyes; however, Stephanie scooted out her stool, stood, and braced her hands on her hips. “Dougal, what are you doing?”

  Dougal leaned over and whispered in Stephanie’s ear. Her face morphed into an almost twisted expression, sensuous and ugly. Around Chase, the room blurred. It was like a videotape on rewind. Everyone but Stephanie froze. Sounds grew dull and distant as Stephanie resumed her seat and leaned her elbows on the lab table, propping up her chin. Then the usual noises resumed.

  No one commented on the anomaly. Had anyone else even noticed it? Around him, everyone opened books, arranged glassware and Bunsen burners, shuffled papers and whispered. Wait, if only he had noticed it, had it really happened? Had the tree really fallen in the forest and made no sound?

  Chase fisted his hands — easily, so maybe he’d imagined not being able to move — and struggled to regain his balance. What had just happened?

  ****

  Chase couldn’t concentrate. His plan to distract Maddie from Dougal had backfired. Dougal continued to peer over his shoulder and Maddie blushed like she enjoyed the attention.

  The teacher seemed oblivious. Why didn’t he call Dougal down and tell him to turn around?

  Blue lines on his paper blurred before his eyes and Chase shook his head. A dull ache raced across his skull. He massaged his temples. Maybe he was coming down with something. That could account for the weirdness he’d witnessed before. Sure, a head cold, or the flu, or something like it, could be the reason the world had paused. It was logical. He hadn’t witnessed it but imagined it.

  Chemistry ended and Chase escorted Maddie to their next class. Dougal walked ahead of them. Odd sounds, like heavy footfalls, echoed in his ears, doubtless part of the cold he was catching. Chase cleared his throat and tried to ignore the noise. “Anything I need to know about this class?”

  “I didn’t know you had history.”

  “Yeah, they moved me.”

  “Didn’t want to suffer through a year of economics, eh?” She smiled and butterflies danced in his stomach.

  He laughed and rubbed a spot between his eyes until his stomach settled. “They decided to count the class from my previous school.”

  “Gotcha. Well, there’s nothing special you need to know. If you’re worried about not having a book, just ask the teacher when you walk in.”

  Chase followed Maddie’s advice and stood in front of the teacher’s desk for over ten minutes while the man riffled through drawers and shelves searching for an available textbook.

  Book finally in hand, Chase was directed to a seat two spots from the back row. Maddie sat behind him, still hidden in a corner, and Dougal sat two chairs to his left.

  Chase had to give the jerk credit. He didn’t miss a beat. During world history, Dougal stared, waved, winked, whistled, and passed notes to Maddie, anything to get her attention. Stephanie wore a sour expression. Chase didn’t envy the tongue lashing Dougal would receive. It wouldn’t be of the pleasant variety.

  Class ended and Chase thought about approaching Dougal and telling him to get lost, but confusion over his feelings for Maddie and what she really wanted held him back. Maddie hadn’t expressed an interest in him other than friendship and she seemed to enjoy the extra attention from Dougal, while at the same time being creeped out. At least that was the vibe she was giving off.

  Backpack slung over one shoulder, he stood and scooted out his chair. He’d never really liked a girl who’d had another interest. Not that he was vain, but generally he was enough. Of course he hadn’t really told Maddie he was interested, either.

  Hot breath struck his neck. He turned. Maddie waited for him. “Want to walk to gym together?”

  He swallowed, his heart skipping a beat at her nearness.

  Chapter 6

  Again, gym started with the classic line up — guys on one side, girls on the other. A volleyball net stretched across the gymnasium. Coach Johnson separated the kids into teams by alternately pulling one guy and one girl from each line.

  Maddie mentally counted, hoping to be on Chase’s team. In the few days he’d been a student at Coal Creek High, they had developed a friendship. Being in his presence made her feel comfortable, and it didn’t hurt that he was drop dead gorgeous.

  The die was cast and Maddie found herself on the team opposite Chase. It figured. Before she could reconcile herself to it, moist hot breath struck her naked shoulder.

  “Loving the tank top,” said Dougal as he jogged to his position on her team.

  Heat flushed her cheeks and she tried to ignore her heart, which had just kicked into overdrive. The situation was absurd. How could she be absorbed with Chase one minute and then with Dougal the next? That had to be what happened when a gir
l used to zero attention suddenly was inundated with it. Maddie had no idea how to react. But she wouldn’t blame herself for being fickle; instead, she was going to enjoy every minute of it while it lasted. No doubt the sun and planetary alignment would change soon and she would return to being just Maddie the Dork, with no catcalls, whistles, or hot breath against her neck.

  Maddie shook, jumped up and down on her toes, bent over, and stretched her elbows down to her knees. She was ready to play.

  A sudden, jerky movement caught her eye through the net’s webbing. On the opposite team and huddled next to Marley, Stephanie frowned, a vein throbbing in her forehead.

  A slow smile spread across Maddie’s lips. She tried to control the internal gloating, but why should she? Didn’t she deserve, if just that once, to be on top of the world? She certainly thought so.

  The first serve, and it headed right for her. Sudden pounding in her chest. She could handle it — of course she could. But her overly long shoelaces caught under her feet. She reached for the ball, tripped, and landed face down on the shiny wooden gym floor.

  Two shadows cast over her. Two hands jutted in front of her face. Instead of choosing between Chase and Dougal, she pushed up herself. Red rashy burns covered her thighs, but it was nothing to the heat scorching her face. She’d just dorked herself again, in front of the entire class, including both guys.

  “You should sit down, Maddie. I’ll get you a towel,” said Dougal.

  Chase wrapped his arm around hers and tried to escort her, but Coach Johnson stepped in their way. “Where are you two going?”

  “She was hurt, sir. I thought I would help her to the bleachers,” replied Chase.

  “Miss Clevenger, are you hurt?”

  Maddie bit her lip and shook her head.

  “That’s what I thought. Now get out there and play.”

  Maddie limped back onto the court.

  Chase caught up and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell him you were hurt?”

  “Because if I did, then he would make me write a five-page report on volleyball or something stupid like that. I would rather stumble through the game than be tied up in my room all afternoon, slaving over a paper.”

  Chase sighed and assisted her to her spot before slipping back to his own side. Dougal had already resumed his spot behind her; a dark brooding frown tightening his forehead.

  For the rest of the game Chase purposefully struck the ball away from her. Chase’s teammates weren’t as generous, but her other guardian angel picked up the slack. When it headed toward her, Dougal jumped in front of her and returned the ball.

  Coach narrowed his eyes and settled his hands on his hips, but he didn’t comment. Gym over, Maddie shuffled to the showers, ignoring his posturing.

  ****

  Maddie vanished into the girls’ locker room. Chase watched her go, but didn’t head for the showers right away. It was time for that confrontation he’d intended in chemistry class. Dougal tried to pass him, and Chase called, “Hey?”

  Dougal ignored him and kept sauntering.

  Jerk. Chase raised his voice. “Dougal, I’m talking to you.”

  Dougal turned and Chase closed the distance. When he was near enough to see the jerk’s eyelid twitching, he asked, “Why don’t you leave the girl alone?”

  Dougal narrowed his eyes. Their amber color morphed to black and Chase’s heart rate doubled. He hadn’t just seen that. No, he really hadn’t; it was the coming confrontation that got his blood up.

  A smile twitched at the corner of Dougal’s lips, but didn’t quite reach his eyes. Casually leaning against the end of the bleachers, he crossed his legs at the ankles. “I fail to see how this is any of your concern.”

  “So you do talk.”

  Dougal straightened in a graceful rush. They stood toe to toe, eye to eye, nose to nose. Chase wasn’t backing down. He’d faced intimidation tactics before. The only way to beat a bully was to stand up to him.

  He narrowed his eyes. “It’s my concern because I’ve made it my concern.”

  Dougal reared his head back and roared with laughter. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

  Fury roared through Chase and he clenched his fists. “What do you want with her?”

  And suddenly Dougal no longer looked like a teenager. His face stayed the same, his hair, his stupid black T-shirt and the way he stood — only his eyes changed. But the effect sent a startled shiver racing down Chase’s spine. No high school kid, not even the toughest gang member, had such flat, dead, ancient eyes.

  Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  With a bored sigh, Dougal waved him away. “You wouldn’t understand. Now run along and find yourself another lass. Maddie is mine.”

  Aghast, Chase stared after Dougal’s retreating form. The guy was a total egomaniac. But the wrongness extended deeper than that. Chase didn’t know what that wrongness was, but he intended to find out.

  He hurried to the locker room, showered, and changed. He waited outside the girls’ room, Dougal’s flat black stare etched in the air before him, until Maddie exited. Then he straightened. “Are you ready?”

  Startled, she jumped and placed a hand over her chest.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “So, are you ready to go?”

  “Sure. Just let me get my backpack.” They walked to the bleachers, and she grabbed her pack and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

  “Can I carry that for you?”

  “I’m okay.” They entered the emptying hallways. “I’ll have to grab my bike. You don’t mind if I put it in the back of your truck, do you?’

  “That’s fine.”

  They reached the bike rack and he insisted on rolling the bike to his waiting truck and lifting it into the bed. They settled in the cab amongst creased vinyl. Foam stuck through the sun-cracked dash. For the first time in ages, Chase critically examined his truck. Stephanie’s insistence that she wouldn’t date a guy with an ugly truck came back to him. What did Maddie think about such things? Did she think his truck was ugly? He hadn’t thought about it for a long time.

  The vehicle had belonged to an elderly gentleman who’d lived on their street in California. The man had treated the truck like it was a baby, his prized possession. But he grew too old to drive and finally needed to get rid of it. Chase’s father had purchased the truck for a steal. Although the body wasn’t in great shape, with only 50,000 miles on the odometer it would last Chase for a long time.

  The engine at least sounded good and Chase drove from the parking lot. He needed to find a subject to discuss. Something other than the worries — Dougal, his truck, Dougal, did she like him, Dougal, the weird stuff going on, Dougal — racing through his mind.

  As casually as if she hadn’t had a worry in her life, Maddie asked, “How are you adjusting?”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Is it really different from what you’re used to?”

  “Not as much as I thought it would be. I guess being an Air Force brat and moving around a lot helped prepare me for the change in routine.”

  “I used to live somewhere else, too.” She studied her hands.

  “Oh. I didn’t know that. So what do you think of Coal Creek High?”

  She shrugged. “Pretty much like my old school. The popular kids rule and the nerds get picked on.”

  “And what are you?”

  She laughed under her breath. “I can’t believe you have to ask.”

  “I thought it would be rude to assume.” She playfully slapped his arm and he smiled. Good, she was relaxing and so was he.

  “My driveway starts right up here.”

  He took the next right and hit a rut. She grabbed the dash and grimaced.

  “Sorry about the road.”

  “Don’t worry about it. That’s why I love my truck; you can’t hurt it.”

  The sun glinted off a two-story wooden house. Patches of dried g
rass dotted the landscape. Untrimmed hedges created an imaginary fence along a cracked sidewalk.

  The truck shuddered to a halt and he got an even closer look. White paint chips littered the ground, creating gray splotchy areas. Alternating planks, running the length of the porch, sported large gaping holes.

  He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and scratched the bridge of his nose. Maddie lived here? The house reminded him of something from a horror movie. Before he lost the courage, he blurted, “I was wondering, would you like to study for the chemistry test together? I could really use the help. Joining a school after the year’s already started makes me feel so far behind.”

  She looked up from her lap and the corner of her lip twitched. “I’d like that.”

  An elderly woman stepped onto the porch and yelled, “Is that you, Madelyn?”

  Maddie opened the door and climbed from the truck. “Yes, Grandma Draoi, it’s me.”

  “Who brought you home, deary? Tell him to come meet me.” The old woman turned and waddled inside.

  She turned back to the truck. “Come on and I’ll introduce you.”

  Chase stepped down and tugged on his shirt. He dusted his hands on his pants and smoothed his hair. Hey, that old woman looked tough.

  The porch steps sagged under his weight and he tiptoed across the unstable planks. Inside the foyer, Chase blinked.

  Through an open door on the right, he could see the living room walls were lined with rich mahogany paneling. The vestibule was painted a soft blue. In the corner, a spiral staircase led upstairs. In both rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows covered in thick drapes blocked prying eyes. Decorative tapestries dotted the stairwell. A giant chandelier, with swagging crystals, hung from the foyer ceiling.

  Chase looked left and right. Maddie lived here? Relative to the outside, the inside appeared huge, and much better cared for. He did a double-take before following Maddie to the kitchen.

  The old woman shuffled her feet and prepared glasses of iced tea. Without prelude, she asked, “Okay sonny, who are you? Where do you come from? And what are your intentions toward my great-granddaughter?”