Dark Realms (68 page)

Leaning forward, she applied another layer
of dark cherry gloss to her lips, and then fluffed out her long
blond hair. She stood back and smiled, recalling how Slade’s eyes
had been transfixed on those same lips. Obviously, he liked the
rich crimson color.

“You ready to go, Melody?” asked her best
friend Taylor, who was frantically texting someone on her phone.
“It’s getting late and I told Ricky I’d stop by after we left the
club.” She looked up and giggled. “Booty call, baby.”

“What about us?” asked Veronica, looking
pissed. “I thought we’d agreed that I was staying at your place
tonight, Taylor?”

“You’re welcome to wait in the car. It won’t
take long,” she replied. “He’s like a jack-hammer.”

Melody and Veronica looked at each other and
then burst out laughing.

Taylor bit her lower lip. “Actually, now
that I think about it, I’m not in the mood for thirty seconds of
Ricky. You know, I’d almost rather go eat somewhere. We could go
back to that diner up the street. Remember how awesome their food
was last time we went?”

Veronica’s eyes lit up. “Ruth’s? Girl, I’m
starving. Let’s do it.”

“Uh… sorry. I can’t guys,” said Melody. “I’m
meeting someone.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?
Who?!”

Melody stared at her side-view in the
mirror, sucking in her stomach and thrusting out her chest. She was
glad she’d worn her new leopard-colored pushup bra with the
matching thong. She wondered if Slade liked animal print. “Wish I
could tell you, but it’s kind of a secret.”

“Excuse me,” replied
Veronica, putting her hands on her hips. “We’re you’re best
friends. You
have
to tell us!”

She hesitated, wanting to share the news,
but her friends had big mouths. “I can’t. Look, I’ll tell you
tomorrow. I just don’t want to blow my chances tonight.”

“Blow your chances? He’s not married or
anything is he?” asked Taylor.

“Please,” replied Melody, rolling her eyes.
“I’m not into married guys. I just can’t tell you who it is because
I promised not to say anything.”

“That’s just weird,” said Veronica.

“If you knew who it was, you wouldn’t think
so,” she replied with a sly smile.

“Are you going to be okay? I feel
uncomfortable taking off like this and not knowing exactly what’s
up,” said Taylor.

Melody dug into her Louis Vuitton purse and
took out a small bottle of perfume. She spritzed some into the air
and then stepped into the fruity mist. “Don’t worry about me.
Everything is totally cool.”

Veronica studied her face. “He’s not some
freak, is he? You know him pretty well?”

Melody smiled. “Of course, and he’s not a
freak. Chill out guys.”

Veronica sighed. “We’re just worried about
you.”

Melody zipped up her purse. “Look, I
appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. Take off and get some
breakfast.” She winked. “While I go and get me some dessert.”

Veronica laughed. “Girl, I hear that. Next
time get some for me too. I haven’t had sex since Jerome and I
broke up last summer.”

“We know,” said Taylor. “You complain about
it at least twice a day.”

“You would too if it wasn’t for the ‘Jack
Hammer’,” she replied.

“Speaking of… maybe I should meet up with
Ricky,” said Taylor, biting her lower lip.

“Oh,
hell
no,” replied Veronica. “I’m not
going to be the only one
not
getting some tonight.”

Taylor laughed. “Fine. I’m sure the food
will be more satisfying than thirty seconds of Ricky, anyway.”

“Especially if you order the cheesecake
again,” said Melody. “Remember how much you loved it?”

“Mm… that’s right. Well, call us tomorrow,”
said Taylor, dropping her phone into her satchel. “And give us the
dirt.”

“You know it,” she replied, hugging her.
Melody turned to Veronica and hugged her as well. “I’ll fill you
both in on all the steamy details.”

“You’d better. But not before noon,” said
Taylor. “I’m going to hold you to it.”

After Veronica and Taylor left, Melody
glanced at her reflection one more time.

This time,
Slade
, you
sexy
bastard,
she thought,
you’re going to make me sing. All night long…

Chapter One

Chelsey

“Chelsey, wake up.”

I opened my eyes and groaned when I looked
at the alarm clock. “Mom, I have two more hours to sleep and I was
up late studying. What the heck?”

She switched on the light and stepped closer
to my bed. “Sorry, honey,” she replied, looking grim. “I wasn’t
sure if this could wait.”

I rubbed my left eye. “If what could
wait?”

She pulled her light blue robe in tighter.
“Your Aunt Jody called,” she said. “Melody didn’t come home last
night.”

Now
that
woke me up. “What?” I asked,
sitting up.

She sat down on the edge of my bed. “I guess
she went out with Taylor and Veronica around eight o’clock last
night. That was the last time Jody saw her. She’s just going nuts
now and doesn’t know what to do. Have you talked to Melody
recently?”

I shook my head. “No. Not since her
grad-party.”

The truth was that my
cousin and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. In fact, ever since we
graduated, last June, from high school, we’d barely been on
speaking terms. I figured it was because she was still pissed at me
after I’d given her crap about sneaking shots of tequila at her
graduation party. Afterwards, she’d puked her brains out, but it
hadn’t changed how annoyed she’d been at me. I guess that ratting
her out hadn’t really helped either. The only reason I’d blown the
whistle was because my aunt had backed me into a corner when she’d
noticed that her bottle of Patron was missing. I wasn’t very good
at lying and she’d known that. “I’m sure she’s fine,” I said,
thinking about all of the other times Melody had pulled stuff. “I
mean she’s eighteen now anyway. She probably crashed at Taylor or
Veronica’s.”
After getting
wasted
, I wanted to say, but held
back.

“Nope. Jody called them. They haven’t seen
her since last night.”

I yawned. “Well, where did they go last
night?”

My mom pushed her dark bangs to the side.
“They went to over to Shore Lake to go watch some rock band
play.”

That was surprising. Although Shore Lake was
a tourist spot, it wasn’t exactly known for concerts or live bands.
“Where?”

“I think the place was called Night Shade or
something. Anyway, they said she’d told them that someone else was
giving her a ride home.”

I’d heard of Club Night Shade, which was in
the next town over, but had never actually been there. A lot of the
kids in school had raved about the place. Some of them had even
snuck in with fake I.D.’s when it wasn’t Teen-Night. Supposedly you
could get anything in that place if you knew who to talk to -
drugs, alcohol, even… sex. “I didn’t know they had bands playing
there. I thought it was all hip-hop.”

“I guess not.” She raised her eyebrows.
“Have you been to that place?”

I rolled my eyes. “No. It’s definitely not
my scene. Besides, who has time for clubs when I barely have enough
for homework and studying?” I was a freshman at U.M.T. and my life
was filled with studying, homework, and more studying. I barely had
time to sleep or eat.

She stood back up. “Well, maybe she met a
boy…”

I smirked. “That’s what I’m thinking.” Plus,
she had a reputation. She went through more guys than I did
paper.

“Well, I just wish she’d answer her mom’s
phone calls and texts.”

I decided to lay it on the table for her.
“Mom, look, I’m going to be honest – Melody is a major partier.
Heck, I know for a fact that last night wasn’t Teen-Night at that
place. So, she would have had to have gotten in with a fake I.D.
She probably drank and then went home with some horny jerk.”

She scowled. “Well, that certainly doesn’t
make me feel any better.”

“Sorry, but even you know that I’m probably
right. Did her friends say who was taking her home?”

“No. She wouldn’t tell them; said it was a
secret but that she’d tell them later.”

I frowned. “Hmm… that’s kind of weird.”

“I know. Taylor seems to think that it might
have been one of the guys in the band. I guess she has a crush on
the singer, and had been trying to get his attention the entire
night.”

“It probably worked,” I said. Melody had to
be the prettiest girl in Beaver Creek. With her blond hair, curves,
and dazzling smile, she’d always been popular with the guys in
school. If she set her sights on someone at the club, chances were
that they’d be putty in her hands.

“Boys in bands are trouble,” she replied.
“Obviously, this just proves it.”

“She’s not exactly an angel either, mom.
She’s probably in bed with him right now.”

“Chelsey!”

I shrugged. “What? You know it’s true.”

She sighed. “I know. I just don’t want to
think about your cousin having sex.”

I crawled back under my covers. “I know but
I wouldn’t worry too much about Melody, mom. If she was crushing on
the singer, chances are she’s with him and not thinking about Aunt
Jody right now.”

“Maybe, you’re probably
right. She
is
eighteen.”

I yawned again. “Just go back to bed, mom.
I’m sure she’ll be home in a couple of hours, puking and getting
bawled out by Aunt Jody.”

Chuckling, she touched my shoulder. “I’m
just glad that you’re responsible and don’t give me or your father
problems like that.”

I closed my eyes and smiled. “You’re
welcome. Now let me sleep so I can get on with my humdrum
life.”

“It’s not humdrum,” she protested. “You’re
preparing for the future.”

I opened up one eye. “Mom, it’s boring. All
I do is take tests and study, so that I can take more tests. It’s
kind of lame.”

“You really think so? I don’t know, I’d love
to go back to my college years,” she replied wistfully. “It’s where
I met your father, you know.”

I’d heard the story many times. My mom had
played hard-to-get and my dad had pursued her relentlessly, until
she’d finally agreed to go out with him. Five years later, they
eloped in Hawaii, after she became pregnant with me. “I know.”

“Just hang in there, Chelsey. We’re proud of
you and it’s going to pay off someday. Plus, if you’re going to be
a Forensic Investigator, your life will eventually be anything but
plain and boring.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to bed,” she
said, squeezing my foot through the blanket.

“
Make sure I’m up before
seven,” I called out as she walked out of my bedroom.

She turned around. “I will. I won’t be able
to sleep until I hear from Jody.”

After she closed my bedroom door, I thought
about Melody. Growing up we’d been close, even though she had
always been a little bossy. Even at a young age, she’d always known
exactly what she’d wanted and used everything she could to get her
way. Chances were, my cousin had gotten her way again, tonight, and
was getting her freak on with that singer she’d been lusting after.
I had to admit, part of me was a little envious.

Chapter Two

Chelsey

When my alarm went off a couple of hours
later, I dragged myself out of bed and took a hot shower. Wiping
the steam from the mirror, I glanced at my reflection – pale skin,
long auburn hair, and hazel eyes. I thought I was pretty average,
except for the fact that I was barely five-feet and had a hard time
finding shoes that fit, because my feet were so small. I wore a
size three and had a heck of a time shopping for shoes that didn’t
light up or feature a pink pony.

After I slipped on a blue Henley and khakis,
I grabbed a brush and pulled my hair up into a pony tail. When I
was finished in the bathroom, I grabbed my backpack and headed
downstairs to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” said my mom, who was sitting
at the counter, drinking coffee behind her laptop.

“Morning,” I said, opening up the
refrigerator. I cleared my throat. “Heard anything from Aunt Jody
yet?”

“She hasn’t heard from your cousin yet.”

I pulled the orange juice out and glanced at
her. There were shadows under her eyes and she looked worn out.
She’d obviously been up all night. “Well, it’s still pretty
early.”

She removed her reading glasses and rubbed
the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, I know.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll show up,” I said,
pouring myself a glass of juice.

“I hope so. You know, it’s dangerous out
there in the world, especially for women. A guy could slip
something into your drink, follow you home, rape-”

“
Yes, I know,” I cut in. I
knew I was being snippy, but I’d already heard it many times
before. My mom was a court reporter and after hearing so many
horrible cases, she was a little paranoid. “You don’t have to tell
me. I’m one of the last people you need to worry about.”

She reached over the counter and squeezed my
hand. “Chelsey,” she said, staring into my eyes. “I’ll always worry
about you. I’m your mother and you’re a pretty girl. There are a
lot of bad people in this world.” She sighed. “I just want you to
be safe.”

“I know. I get it, mom,” I said as she
released my hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you worry
about me. But, I’m not Melody, okay? I’m responsible and certainly
not stupid.”

“You don’t have to be stupid to be a
victim,” she replied. “But making the right decisions can certainly
help lesson your chance of becoming one.”