Darkest Dawn (14 page)

I wasn’t sure how long I stared at the photos before I looked up into Bri’s eyes. Her mouth was tight. “Why does your mom have photos of me?”

“That’s not the only thing,” she said quietly as if she’d already processed this freaky situation. Although it wasn’t as freaky for her since she wasn’t the subject of the photos.

She lifted a small black object from the box and held it between us.

“A USB drive?”

I took the plastic USB from her hand and pinched it between my fingers. “Have you seen what’s on it?”

She shook her head.

I stood up from the floor and offered her a hand. “What are we waiting for?”

She stared at my hand and eventually took it. I expected another reaction like we’d had earlier. Instead of the extreme heat like before, a warmth spread through me. Not necessarily a good or bad feeling. Her hand felt right in mine, almost as if they were made for each other. It was probably because they were the same size. I shook off the strange feeling and released her hand as soon as I could.

She led the way to the computer desk and tossed a pile of clothes from the chair onto the bed. She flipped open an ancient laptop and let it boot up. We were silent as the lights flickered on and off on the screen, finally revealing the desktop.

Bri inserted the stick and we waited for it to load. The wait was excruciating even though it was maybe a minute. A folder icon popped up on the screen. I leaned over the desk impatient to see what was on the stick. Bri moved the mouse to hover over the untitled icon. She hesitated.

“There’s a reason she hid this.”

“In a box filled with pictures of me. If you’re not going to open it, I will.”

Bri’s hand gripped the mouse tighter. “I didn’t have to show you this.”

“You also didn’t have to knock over everything in the closet and wake me either. So right now it’s a moot point.”

She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at me before returning to the screen.

She double-clicked on the untitled icon and a screen popped up.

It read, “Enter password.”

Those two words stabbed me in the heart. “Damn it.”

“She obviously didn’t want anyone looking at this.”

“Duh,” I snapped before immediately apologizing.
Keep your cool, Sloane.

“Try your name.”

Password not recognized.

She typed in “Sloane”.

Password not recognized.

“That would have been too easy,” she said too late.

“It was worth a shot.”

She nodded.

I left her side and went to the closet, picking up the box from the floor. “Maybe the password is in here.” I placed the box on the desk between us and we each took a stack of pictures. That same creepy feeling I’d had the night before settled at the base of my spine. Bri’s mom had been watching me for who knows how long and I had no idea. Did Dad know? Maybe that’s why he moved us around so much? I checked the backs of the pictures for any more writing but I came up empty.

Bri was reading through a letter when I finished my stack. “Anything?”

Bri’s eyes touched mine briefly before returning to the letter. “I don’t see anything that might be a password.” She flipped the envelope with the letter over, revealing “Cara Baker” in the return address section and handed the paper to me, not meeting my eyes.

My hands stayed by my sides. I stared at the paper, willing my fingers to grip it.

Bri smoothed the paper out and placed it on the desk. My eyes moved over the familiar scrawling writing. My lips turned up into a wry smile. Dad had always chided Mom for writing so messily. “You should have been a doctor,” he’d always commented and Mom would flick her hand at him dismissively.

It took a second for my hands to respond and when they did, I brought the note closer to my face, careful not to wrinkle it.

Dear Abbey,

It will be too late when you read this. I’ve made my decision. It’s the best thing for
my daughter
. She’s the most important thing in the world to me, more important than The Two. I know I can defeat it once and for all. I’m willing to do what it takes to do that, even if it means ending another life. You will hate me for this. When it comes down to it, all of our lives will be better for it. You can finally make your own family instead of worrying about mine all the time.

Wish me luck (or don’t), either way, goodbye.

Cara

I read the note several more times, growing more and more confused. Bri was silent until I pushed the note aside, not getting any closer to understanding.

Bri turned to the computer and typed in the name “Cara”. Another error message. Bri’s shoulders slumped.

Heat pricked behind my eyes and I turned around, exiting the room. I locked myself in the bathroom and took several breaths until the urge to cry was gone. I’d cried enough tears for Mom—now I had to be strong. I knew without a doubt that Abbey was the one who sent for me. And I had to bide my time until I could talk to her face to face.

I waited a few minutes before heading back to the bedroom. Bri was turned, facing the computer, her fingers ready to type another password.

My skin prickled. We needed to break the password. Yet Abbey had taken measures to ensure her own daughter couldn’t find any information and with all the number and letter combinations in the world, we needed some sort of hint.

Bri and I tried different phrases and number combinations. With each password then error message my heart leapt then immediately fell. The roller coaster of ups and downs started to get to me after an hour.

“Why do you have a stun gun?” Bri asked.

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I was thinking about it earlier.”

I sighed and sat on the corner of the bed. There was something about her that made me want to open up. “After my mom died, I wasn’t very cautious.”

“What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath. “I never got over her death. Even though I told everyone I had. I thought my nightmares would show me something that could make sense of what happened. They never did. And since Dad was gone so often, I became reckless.”

Bri’s eyes widened but I continued. “One of the first nights we were in Manhattan I was at a club.” I rubbed my eyes, not allowing the frightening images to come back. “My friend at the time left with some guy. And I thought it was a bright idea to walk home. Within a few minutes of leaving the club I was mugged.” As much as I rubbed, the image of the man’s face returned. Not for the first time did I wish science were advanced enough to remove memories.

“Were you hurt?”

I shook my head. “Not physically. After that my dad bought me the weapon. It was that or never let me out of the house again.”

“What’re you doing?” Jake’s voice filled the room.

I jumped from the bed.

Bri stiffened and turned to the doorway. I stood next to her, blocking the screen from Jake’s view and facing him. I immediately regretted it. He was in his boxers and an undershirt outlining what I’d felt under my fingertips when we’d kissed. His hair still damp at the tips from his earlier shower.

“I—uh—” Bri stammered.

I picked up on the lie. This part had to be done between Bri and me. It had to. “I forgot to submit a report for school. Bri was helping me with the Wi-Fi.”

For what seemed like the first time since he realized who I was, his eyes met mine. I stood firmly, steeling my own gaze. It lasted only a brief moment before they fell back on Bri. “You should come to bed.”

Bri sighed, leaning her head against her hand. “I can’t sleep.”

“Let’s watch some TV.”

She looked up at me and I nodded, vowing not to move until they were gone. She knew I would hide our secret.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sloane

“You want me to do what?” Bri didn’t meet my eyes, her hand pointing the remote at the television.

Jake had left early in the morning to help out at the diner. Tucker and Max were in the kitchen downing the rest of the coffee. All of us bleary-eyed and worried for Abbey. Initially the promise of information had made me stick around, though with no communication from Abbey since Friday I needed to be there for Bri. I doubt she’d slept the past two nights and it was starting to take a toll on her. Bri tried Mrs. Blake several more times and all calls went to voicemail. We suggested getting out of the house but Bri wouldn’t budge until Abbey returned.

“I can’t go to school tomorrow with my mom still missing. If I miss school though, I won’t be able to compete next week.”

With the ridiculous suggestion and the fact that the television had been muted, Bri’s friends turned their attention to her as well. I looked to see if they were as disgusted as I was. Max’s mouth was pursed and Tucker’s eyes were mischievous. At least Max was on my side.

Tucker could barely hold back the grin on his face. “It could work. We did it yesterday.”

“For a half hour,” I said. “I’m not doing it. If you find out something—”

“Then I’ll call you,” Bri interrupted. “Please. I won’t be able to concentrate.”

Did she think I could?
I narrowed my eyes. Bri’s mind was set. I inspected the dark circles under her eyes and I fought against the protective instinct I had for her. What would I do if I were in her shoes? I would most definitely skip school. “What makes you think anyone will be fooled? I have no idea what your classes are and I can’t swim that well.”

Bri touched my thigh. She spoke quickly. “Tucker, Max, and Jake know my schedule. They can help you. And we can switch before swim practice. Swimming is the only thing that will help me forget this crazy mess. Please, Sloane. Just one day.”

I wondered if I could talk her out of the idea. The corners of her mouth were taut as if she’d been planning this all night. Maybe she had. I knew she’d do the same for me. She was nicer than me though. I had to play this right. “If you find out anything, I want you to text me.”

“Sure,” she said a little breathless. As if she didn’t expect me to agree. She wasn’t the only one with surprises.

“You might want to lose the attitude,” Max said and I cut her a glance. She raised her eyebrows. “In general, I mean. Bri doesn’t snap at people.”

“I don’t snap—” I stopped before implicating myself.

“What I meant is think before you speak,” Max continued. “Bri is a pushover.”

“Hey!” Bri said.

Max smiled at her friend. “In the nicest way possible.”

Bri held true to the statement by not arguing back.

I crossed my arms. “Or I could be a mute the entire day.”

Max blinked once then looked at Bri with raised eyebrows. “Are you sure about this plan?”

I rolled my eyes. “Joking…”

Bri smiled at me. “I could always say I was on my period?”

“All right!” Tucker groaned. “That’s my exit cue.” He stretched his arms over his head, offering too big of a yawn. “I’m going to check in at home and shower. Lock the door behind me. I have strict instructions from Jake to keep an eye on you girls.”

He left through the kitchen and the three of us remained.

***

The headache settled in as I tightened the elastic around my hair and raked my fingers down the strands. I stared at Bri in the mirror. Was I really doing this again?

“No one will know the difference.” Bri wiped off a smudge of dried batter from her face. She’d been up early Monday morning baking muffins. Stress baking she called it.

I smiled politely. Her pallor accentuated her red-rimmed eyes like a horror movie vampire, though I didn’t mention it. Neither of us slept had soundly last night. For me, it was the impending day that seemed to be speeding up time with every second that passed. I had no doubt I could pass as Bri. Her closest friends were aware of the situation, enough to persuade anyone who thought otherwise. I didn’t want to leave her home alone. The anonymous note had flashed in my mind. Someone thought she was in danger. The thought of someone coming after her at school set my mind at ease. If they thought I was her, they’d come against me and my stun gun instead.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Bri spoke first.

“I’ll meet you in the locker room after school. We can make the switch then.”

“What are you going to do all day?” Being alone was the last thing I wanted for either of us. For me it would offer a lot of thinking time and thinking led to an insurmountable amount of stress.

Her lips twitched. “I’ll keep busy.”

“Baking?”

She gave me a half smile. “Probably.”

I turned to her and touched her shoulder. That low buzz crackled between us where we touched. It was something I was used to now. “If you hear anything, let me know.”

She nodded. “I will.”

The front door closed and I heard padding footsteps rise up the stairs. Max’s cheeks were red and the color grew brighter when she entered the bathroom. “Ready?”

I checked myself out in the mirror one more time. “As I’ll ever be.”

I followed Max down the stairs and grabbed my coat from the small closet by the door.

“Wait.” Bri took my coat. She rifled in the closet and pulled out one of hers. “You’re pretending to be me, remember?” She knelt down in front of her backpack and sifted through it.

The front door opened and Jake stepped through, followed by a blast of cold air. He blinked a few times, looking between us. I raised my eyebrows. He narrowed his eyes and went to Bri’s side.

“Hey.”

She frantically searched her bag. “Crap.”

I moved to the other side of her. “What is it?”

She stood up and frowned. “I left in a hurry on Friday. I think my English book fell in my gym locker.”

Jake helped her up from the floor and held her hands in his. “Don’t worry about it.”

Max chimed in. “Mrs. Brewster will have a fit.”

I zipped up her bag and shouldered it. “I’ll get it.”

Max rubbed her eyes. “We should go now then.”

Jake whispered something in Bri’s ear and she pressed her forehead against his cheek. Her smile tore at me and I had to look away. I could almost feel his lips brushing against my skin.

Bri gave Jake a brave smile and they hugged before she let him go.