Chapter 67: Chapter 67

A week later, Audrey was peering out of her living room window in amazement. "Look at this. It's raining cats and dogs!"

The changeable climate had decided to spoil our weekend. I had already finished my shift at Harrison Sports a few hours ago and then Audrey had picked me up to study with her. At least officially.

Unofficially, we had been pining after some celebrities on the internet and had eaten one and a half bags of chips.

"I really feel sorry for you," Audrey said. When she turned to let herself fall back onto the wide sofa, her face was full of compassion.

"Thank you." I sighed. "Me too."

It was a cruel twist of fate that I was the only one in my circle of friends who still had to take the bus. This meant not only having to spend too much time waiting for the puffing hydraulics of opening bus doors, but also rushing to the stops in all types of weather. It felt like a punishment today especially. Layla had already been picked up over an hour ago to have dinner with her parents, and Audrey's mother was still stuck at work. Even Dad had to work overtime—some emergency with a truck. He was a car mechanic with too much soul not to be on hand in such a situation. For me, this meant that I had to cross the flood of heavens on foot.

"You know what?" Audrey noisily closed her laptop. "School sucks."

I laughed. "Don't be like that."

"No, honestly." Audrey moaned. "We are young, pretty girls. We should be outside. Our fragile skin needs UV radiation."

"So that we can grow old faster?" I grinned.

"Stop crushing my dreams! Instead of having fun, we sit here and study."

"We've been cramming so much today," I said sarcastically. "Once Layla's gone, our brains don't work anymore."

Layla was basically our chaperone. Of course we took our upcoming graduation seriously, but studying could be really difficult at times, especially when Audrey was a constant distraction.

"We'll be done soon." I tried to appease Audrey. "In a few weeks it'll be vacation time and then the last semesters will come until graduation."

"Yes, vacation!" Audrey shouted. She didn't seem to hear the part about graduation. "At last. And my mom's even going on holiday with me."

Now I was wide eyed. "Really? Where to?"

Audrey briefly rummaged through a pile of documents stored under the coffee table before handing me a brochure showing a large building with a pool. The spot looked promising and wasn't too far away, but it was expensive as hell.

"A spa hotel?"

"Yes!" Audrey rejoiced. "Are you jealous?"

I made a face at her. "Of course. We almost never leave because we have no one to look after the horses and the dogs."

"It's only four days," Audrey admitted. "But better than nothing. I'll put cucumbers on my eyes until you don't recognize my beauty."

I giggled before I looked at my phone. "It's no use, I have to go."

I'd promised Mom I would keep her company tonight. In the kitchen, popcorn, cocoa, and tissues were already waiting to watch a turgid romance movie with us. We usually could only have girls' nights like this when Dad was away. Of course, he was free to go to his computer or his garage to work on his old Mercedes—but as soon as we pressed Play, he preferred to sweeten our film experience with sarcastic commentary. No way to stop him. Tonight, though, we were alone and we were going to take advantage of it.

"All right." Audrey sounded sad. She didn't know when her mom would be home today. Her father had left the family years ago and Audrey was an only child. Her mom was an executive in the neighboring town, which was why she often came home late at night. During the week Audrey sometimes didn't see her mom at all.

"Don't forget to put on your swimsuit," she joked as she hugged me. Then she walked me to the door. "And write me a note when you get home safe, okay?"

"Yes, Mother," I replied before she jokingly slammed the door in my face. For a moment I glanced hopefully at the gloomy sky, but it didn't look like the rain would soon subside. I pulled my hood over my head before hurrying through the cloudburst.

From Audrey's house to the bus stop it was a fair distance, but I covered it in record speed. It would not be easy to get home from here. Although the bus always arrived on time, almost the whole way to the stop I had to be on the edge of the forest. A terrible detail when it was already dark. The woods at night always gave me a queasy feeling, ever since my childhood. No direct panic—just the desire to not get too close to them.

I reached the bus stop too early. It was just a simple sign without a roof, so I had to find a nearby tree for shelter. Its needles protected me at least a little from the involuntary shower, which my jacket was barely able to withstand. This morning the sun had been shining, but you get used to that when you live here, even though it still makes you grumpy. The weather was to blame for the fact that the sky looked much darker than it normally would at this time.

While I was painting circles in the ground with my shoe, I kept glancing at the street to try to spot the bus. Some bus drivers tended not to stop if no one was waiting at the sign. I lurked like a cat in the undergrowth, waiting for my chance to jump out and wave at the bus. When after almost fifteen minutes there was no bus in sight, however, I frowned.

He's not going to . . .

How often did a bus brake down? In Shatterlake at least it didn't happen very often. The bus was probably just a little late because the weather was such a mess. It would be here soon.

Worried, I returned to the side of the road to wait and be doused with thick, cold drops for another ten minutes. Then I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Please, not this.

I didn't know what to do for now. Mom's car was in the shop, so she couldn't pick me up. I couldn't walk all the way home either. I guess I had no choice but to go back to Audrey's and wait for the next bus, which would hopefully appear soon.

I was just about to swallow my anger and start moving when the headlights of a vehicle hit me. The quiet squeaking of the brakes made me think that the bus had come after all, but I soon saw that the car was much too small. A green VW Jetta parked in front of me. It didn't look like a new model, but it wasn't incredibly old either. The varnish was well maintained and on the side door was a maple leaf sticker.

My first impulse was escape, because I never talked to strangers in cars. Then the driver lowered the window. I blinked. At the wheel sat the young man from earlier, the one with the blue eyes. He grinned like a superhero coming to the rescue.

"Need a ride?" He had to speak very loudly to drown out the rain. Alternative metal resounded from his radio.

At that moment I didn't think about distrusting him or questioning his intentions. I only felt the icy rain on my cheeks, the wind, and how uncomfortably my jacket was sticking to my back before I opened the door and got in. As soon as I fastened my seat belt, the stranger pulled out and rushed away with me.

When my brain had had five minutes to dry, I got a rude awakening and bit my lip. Was I nuts? How long have I known this person? I didn't dare to think about it, because I just then remembered the number of people who went missing every year and never came back. It made me take a cautious look at my driver's face. He had been observing me as well, because our eyes met briefly and intensely. I seemed to have him caught in the act. His head jerked forward to concentrate on the road again.