• Chapter 11
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    I woke up to find myself alone. Of course. It was a dream.
    I turned over so I was facing the way that I’d been facing when I fell asleep against Keaton in my dream.
    I groaned. How pathetic. I had this passionate dream about Keaton, but in reality, he really hates me, and he probably slept with Ashlee last night.
    Stretching, my fingers hit the edge of something thin and rough. I sat up, and gripped the material with my fingers.
    In my hand was a note;
    Dear Charlotte,
    Hey. Sorry I left you alone. I just figured that I should go, or else people would be curious when they saw us walking out of your room together in the morning, and me in the same outfit as yesterday. HA!
    Anyway, after you’re done packing your bag back up, meet me at the front of the park. You can bring Scar along too, if you want.
    Yours Truly,
    Keaton

    A grin spread across my face. So, it wasn’t a dream after all.
    I stood up and skipped over to my closet. Opening it up, I realized how dull it was in here…..and how the walls were sound proof…….
    So, blasting Sk8r Boi by Avril Lavigne on my iPod, I danced and rocked around my room, throwing things into my bag.
    Standing up on my bed, I sang as loud as I could, “Looks up at the man, that she turned dow-ownnn!!!!!” Then I jumped off and twirled around the room, rocking out.
    I hadn’t been this happy for so long, and you know what? It felt good.
    Next, I put on some baggy black pants with chains, a black belt with silver spikes, a short black tank top with a longer white one underneath it, and a long, thin black trench coat type jacket.
    Quickly lacing my combat boots, I stopped and grabbed my iPod, picked up my bag and walked out of the room.
    Scarlet was waiting for me in the hallway and we walked to the lobby together, with me telling her everything that happened last night, detail by detail.
    “Knew you guys were gonna make up and fall back in love!!!!” Scarlet laughed and I rolled my eyes as we dropped our room keys off at the front desk.
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
    “But, wow. This is gonna change everything. Now that Keaton knows our secret….” I sighed and glanced sideways at her.
    “I know.”
    “Hey, if it isn’t my favorite girl!” Keaton called out as he ran forward to us, took Scarlet’s and my bags and threw them in the back of that truck.
    “Hey yourself.” I grinned. Keaton grinned back and swung a lazy arm around me as we walked toward one of the buses. People stopped and gawked at us as we walked by. My eyes scanned the crowd, and I soon found Ashlee surrounded by a group of boys, each one seeming to be yelling at the other.
    “Wow, ten boys in one night.” I noted as I finished counting up all the guys that had slept with Ashlee last night.
    “Slut.” Keaton said in a disapproving tone as we walked by. Ashlee glanced back and looked offended when she saw Keaton, and then in complete shock, anger and jealousy when she saw that he had his arm around me.
    “God I hate that b***h.” I growled as I shook my head when we finally made it to the back of the bus while everybody else loaded on, and then the buses started moving. My anger soon grew deeper when I realized that a lot of the preps and gossipers had sat in front of Keaton and me, obviously trying to listen to whatever we were going to talk about during the trip back.
    “Relax.” Keaton replied soothingly as he grabbed my hand. Then, in a lower voice, he said, “They are just jealous that they aren’t half as amazing as you. Hell, look at all the guys that are jealous that I got you.”
    My eyes dragged themselves up to the front of the bus, where I saw groups of boys looking back at me and glaring at Keaton. When they saw me looking, they all instantly turned back around, trying to act casual. I chuckled as I shook my head and intertwined my fingers with Keaton’s.
    “Unbelievable.”
    “They all want a swing at the goth girl.” Keaton shook his head. “Not my goth girl.”

    ***

    When we were about ten minutes away from the school, I noticed that Keaton started to look worried, and then like he’s thinking hard.
    “What is it?” I ask, confused.
    “I….I just don’t want you to go back there.” He looked at me and I could see the concern running deep in his eyes.
    My voice lowered as I spoke, “Keaton, I’m going to be fine. I’ve been fine for four years, and I’ll be fine today.”
    “But you said they beat you on a daily basis.” He flinched and then shook his head. “You’ve been gone for a month, it’ll be worse. And…….I don’t want you to end up like your brother.”
    As he said that last part I felt a cold wind blow against the back of my neck and a shiver ran down my spine. I once again got that weird feeling like I was being watched and I turned around to close the window and cast a look outside. I could see the school in view now.
    “I’m gonna be fine.”
    “Well why don’t you stay somewhere else? Today is Friday, and we also have the parents coming to the school today.” He sat there for a second and then his concern and worry got even deeper.
    “They would never show up.” The bus stopped, I patted his hand reassuringly and looked into his eyes for a couple seconds before we both exchanged goodbyes.
    Once inside the building, I walked around mindlessly with a cup of coffee and Scarlet, and we watched all the kids from the trip seeing their parents again and then watching them and everybody else showing them around and that crap. My eyes fell on Keaton with his parents and what looked like two older brothers. He caught my gaze and gave me a dazzling smile before turning back to his family.
    “I love him so much.” I sighed as Scarlet and I took a seat across from each other at a table in the cafeteria. Scarlet grinned and laughed.
    “I’m so happy that you’re happy.” I joined in the laughter and I was startled when my phone buzzed.
    “Who would text me?” I asked, puzzled, as I took it out of my pocket.
    “Maybe your loooovvvvvve.” Scarlet replied in a singsong voice as I rolled my eyes and flipped open my phone.
    ‘Bringin’ my fam’ 2 meet u and Scar’ The text message from Keaton stated.
    “OH MY GOD!!!” I freaked out and was completely oblivious to the stares I was getting.
    “What? What is it?” Scarlet replied, somewhat worried.
    “HE’S BRINGING HIS FAMILY! TO MEET US!” Scarlet then looked confused and then gasped when she understood what I meant.
    “Calm down, Char. Just calm, down.” I took a few deep breaths and some deep gulps of my coffee, which somehow calmed me down. My eyes flew up to the doors of the cafeteria as they noisily clanged open, and then Keaton and his family walked in. I looked down into the little coffee left and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for them to come.
    “Hey, Charlotte. Hey, Scarlet.” Keaton’s voice made my eyes open and look up. Scarlet and I smiled in response.
    “Hey, Keaton.” We said in unison.
    “I’d like you guys to meet my family.” Scarlet and I stood up and I went to Keaton’s side, Scarlet behind my left shoulder. “This is my mom and dad, Kyra and Remo.”
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway.” I smiled and shook their hands, and Scarlet did the same.
    “No, no, no. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlotte.” Mrs. Hathaway corrected me. I soon felt a blush rising and took a sip of coffee.
    “Yes, Keaton has talked non-stop about you ever since the beginning of last month, when apparently you were singing along to his song.” Mr. Hathaway adds. I know for sure the blush is very noticeable now and I clutch onto the little, empty Styrofoam cup. Scarlet placed her hand on my shoulder for support, and I hoped that nobody could hear my racing heart pounding against my chest.
    “Uh, not really.” Keaton tried to laugh away. I smile as I look up at him through the bangs covering my scar. “And these are my two older brothers, Kellan and Kyle.”
    “Nice to meet you guys, too.” The smile stays on my face as Scarlet and I nod and shake hands with them both. Kyle is a somewhat goofy guy but is also really nice, just like Lance. His grip is loose but comforting, eyes a pale blue, and smiles a crooked grin. He’s also the oldest of the brothers.
    But Kellan’s another story. His grip is tight and hard, somewhat driving away. There is no smile playing across his features and his eyes are a shocking, electric blue that seem to pierce into your soul.
    I like Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway. I like Kyle. I love Keaton.
    But something’s not right about Kellan.
    Something is just not right.

    Chapter 12
    Death Wants Me

    Lance whoops as he draws in another fish.
    He, Keaton and his brothers, Scarlet and I are at the dock and beach at the edge of town, the water next and under it the ocean. Scar is sitting with her bare feet in the water, humming along to the music playing in her one ear bud in her right ear, and I’m sitting cross-legged next to her while reading Ghostgirl. Part of the reason I love this book so much is because the main character has my name, even though we are barely alike.
    Kyle and Kellan are talking and sitting on a bench next to the sidewalk. I’m pretty sure they are debating which kind of fish is better, a salmon or a rainbow trout.
    And, last but not least, Keaton is sitting on the dock, secretly taking out each fish Lance throws back into the cooler and throwing them back into the water. Scar and I keep laughing and whenever we do, Lance either glares at us, screams ‘what the hell’s so funny!?’, or declares that we are “jealous of his awesome fishing skills”.
    “Just wait ‘till he looks into his cooler of awesome fishing skills, then he’ll know.” I grin as my hair flies up in my face and I turn to look out to the ocean. My book sits in my lap, open to chapter 3. I grab Scarlet’s deep purple iPod and change the song to Bring Me to Life by Evanescence—which has the lyrics resting on the page in my book—and set the other ear bud in my ear.
    “I dunno.” Scar replies, but I can see the smile resting plainly on her lips. “I think it’s a little rude what Keaton’s doing.”
    “Ooohhhhh, looks like somebody has a crush on Lance Stanley!” I giggle at both the look on Scarlet’s face and Lance’s last name. What kind of last name is Stanley anyway?
    “Oh shut up…” She mutters as she turns her own head out to the ocean. I gasp, shocked.
    “Oh my God, you really do like him!” My eyes are wide as I speak, “I was just kidding!”
    Scarlet rolls her eyes and we both end up laughing until I hear Keaton call, “Hey Char, come over here for a bit!”
    I wink at Scarlet and stand up, laughing, as I run up onto the dock and over to Keaton as he stands up and grabs my hand. Lance turns around, grinning, but then the grin falters and disappears as he looks down at his empty cooler.
    “Hey, wait, didn’t I….?” His voice trails off as he looks up at Keaton, and everybody’s laughter echoes throughout the peaceful setting. “WHY YOU LITTLE!!!!!”
    “IT WAS A RACCOON!!!” Keaton shouts as Lance takes off after him. I laugh and then turn to the fishing pole.
    “Ehh, why not.” I say to myself as I lean down and pick up the pole. I used to fish fairly often with my dad when he was sane.
    I cast the string out and wait for a bob. Soon there’s an icy cold breeze flowing through the air and it sends a shiver down my spine. I look up to what used to be a baby blue sky to a gray, cloud covered one. Frowning, I then look out ahead of me to see the waters have turned from a beautiful stained-glass ocean a clear-gray, rough one.
    “How odd….” I mutter, and then there’s a tug on the string. A smile replaces the frown and I try to pull back, but it doesn’t work. Soon, the frown returns.
    There’s another tug, harder this time. The frown grows deeper and I try to pull back a second time but once again, it doesn’t work. The laughter and shouts of happiness soon disappear and it’s like I can almost feel the vibration of the energy carried by the now forceful wind in my ears. Then there’s several tugs, way stronger than fish tugs, and I find myself being pulled inch by inch forward until my toes are at the edge of the dock, and I barely have time to scream Keaton’s name before I’m launched into the rough, icy depths of the waters.
    The water swirls around me and I kick and throw my arms around furiously, just like I did the night in the alley back in California. But the water slows me down, and my clothes turn heavy and start dragging me down with the waves. The salt water shoves up my nose, into my eyes and plugs my ears, my hair winding around my neck and face. Oxygen starts to run out and on instinct, I open my mouth to breathe, only for it to be filled with the salty water. It travels down my throat and burns, burns like hell.
    I soon have no idea which way is up, down, left or right. I only know that I’m here, in the depth of the waters, and that this was no incident.
    Someone—or something—has pulled me into the waters and is probably trying to kill me.
    The weird feeling of being watched comes back, and there’s something like icy cold mist curling around my body. My closed eyes are forced open and I am, in fact, staring into a face in cold, white mist.
    And I doubt this is true, because I’m probably going crazy, but it almost looked like my dead brother.
    Suddenly something rises up and covers my eyes. Not exactly physically, but mentally. It also blocks out all of my senses and I’m not here, not in the waters, but at my house. When it was happy.
    It’s the night of June 17th, 2004. I’m twelve-years-old, and Scarlet is thirteen. And then there he is. My brother, David, also thirteen. We are laughing and screeching and having a wonderful time, but then our parents walk through the door. They look dizzy, not right in their head. My mom slams the door and locks it, and my dad pulls something out from inside the closet.
    It’s a long, sharp knife.
    My siblings and I stand there for a second, frozen with shock. And then it sets in that they are drunk. My parents, of all the people in the world, are drunk.
    And about to kill us.
    Our happy screams turn to those of horror, and then to torture. We are being beat and I am thrust to the ground, my face landing in the rough carpet. I refuse to look up, refuse to move, refuse to do anything but lie there and wait, wait to be killed.
    Suddenly the scene is being played at a different angle, through Scarlet’s eyes. She’s cowering against the wall and watching me lie there, motionless. She’s screaming at me to get up, to run, because what she’s seeing is our dad standing over my, preparing to drive the knife through my back all the way up to my chest.
    But right before that happens, David launches himself in-between us and the knife drives right into his heart. He gasps in pain and then slumps onto the floor, killed instantly.
    Scarlet is sitting there, shocked, and since I’m seeing this from her point of view, I can hear her heart pounding, pounding away. Feel it in every inch of her body, along with the pain.
    And then the sweet, innocent, horror-struck face of twelve-year-old Charlotte Evergreen looks up from her still position on the floor, and sees her dead older brother lying there next to her.
    And as the present rushes back to me, and I’m again aware of the salt water filling every open inch of my body, of the weight of my clothes dragging me down, of my hair flying around in front of my burning eyes and of the water suffocating me, I know what I never knew until this point.
    David Evergreen, my brother who died at the age of thirteen, was not supposed to be the one who was killed, but I was. My brother risked his life to save my own.
    ‘Now things are going to be set right.’ I think right as I feel the tug on my arm and I black out.