Suspicion

SUSPICION (The Witches of Santa Anna, Book Nine) by Lauren Barnholdt & Aaron Gorvine Copyright 2011, Lauren Barnholdt and Aaron Gorvine, all rights reserved This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

Chapter One Natalia My face is buried in Cam‘s neck, and I‘m shaking real y hard because holy crap that was scary. I reach up and touch my necklace, making sure it‘s still there. It is, but the chain must have weakened, because the necklace breaks in my hand, and the charm falls onto the pavement. Aiden leaps for it, picking it up and handing it to me wordlessly. ―Thanks.‖ I wrap my hand around the white stone, the weight of it instantly calming me down and making me feel better. ―How did those guys know your name?‖ Cam asks Hadley again. His tone is accusing, and I squeeze his shoulder, trying to send him a signal that he shouldn‘t push it too far. Those guys were after my necklace, and if Hadley had something to do with it, the last thing we want to do is tip her off. Or worse, agitate her. ―I don‘t know,‖ she says. She looks shaken. Her face is pale, and her eyes are wide. ―Should we call the police?‖ ―The police?‖ Cam asks. He and Aiden exchange a nervous glance. ―Nah,‖ Aiden says. He laughs and shoves his hands in his pockets. ―Those assholes just wanted Natalia‘s necklace.‖ He rolls his eyes. ―Probably thought it was worth something.‖ He looks at Cam again, and I watch as the two of them have a conversation with their eyes. Aiden‘s trying to tell Cam exactly what I was thinking – not to push it. That if Hadley does have something to do with all of this, we shouldn‘t let her know we‘re on to her. And if she doesn‘t, the last thing we want to do is get someone else involved. Cam seems to understand, because he just shrugs. ―Yeah,‖ he says, ―Probably just some kids from school, being jerks.‖ ―But how did they know my name?‖ Hadley asks. She‘s hopping back and forth, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She keeps looking over her shoulder, like she‘s afraid the guys are going to come back. If she‘s pretending to be scared, she‘s a real y good actress. But still . They knew her name. And I don‘t trust anyone anymore, least of all a new girl who spent the night flirting with my boyfriend. ―Cam and Aiden are right,‖ I say, pulling away from Cam and looking at Hadley. I wipe my watery eyes with the back of my hand and force myself to sound calm. ―They probably know your name because they go to our school. They were just trying to scare us.‖ I roll my eyes, like I can‘t believe the kind of Neanderthals that go to our school. Which isn‘t a stretch. I real y can‘t believe the kind of Neanderthals that go to our school. ―But don‘t you guys know everyone who goes to our school?‖ Hadley asks. ―Wouldn‘t you have recognized them?‖ ―I think that one dude is in my gym class,‖ Aiden says. ―Josh Grisham, I think his name

is.‖ Hadley frowns, her perfectly plucked eyebrows making a v in the middle of her forehead. She definitely doesn‘t look convinced, probably because Aiden just made up a name that sounds exactly like John Grisham. ―I still think we should call the police,‖ she says. She‘s in her purse now, rummaging around, maybe for her phone. ―I mean, what if they try to do it to someone else? Someone could real y get hurt.‖ ―No,‖ I say, ―Seriously. It‘s fine. The police are going to ask all kinds of questions, and then they‘ll cal our parents. Plus Cam and Aiden might get in trouble for--‖ I try to think of a word that will make what Cam and Aiden did seem a little less worse than what it real y was – ―scrapping with them.‖ ―Good point,‖ Cam says. ―The last thing I need is the police asking all kinds of questions.‖ Hadley hesitates. And I don‘t know if it‘s the part about her parents getting called, or about Cam getting in trouble, but final y she nods. ―I guess you‘re right.‖ She‘s putting her phone back in her bag. ―Let‘s go,‖ I say, brightly. I slip my butterfly charm into the inside pocket of my purse. And we all troop toward the car in silence. *** The ride home is total y awkward. Even more awkward than the ride there when Aiden kept using all those weird British terms. No one real y knows what to say, and so we all attempt to make stilted conversation. I‘m actual y wishing Aiden will start using his fake British accent again and screaming out ―crikey‖ at random times just to, you know, lighten the mood. But he doesn‘t. We drop Hadley off first, and then Cam and I are going to drop Aiden off before Cam drives me home. ―What the fuck was that about?‖ Aiden asks as soon as Hadley‘s out of the car. ―I have no idea,‖ Cam says. He‘s not driving yet, watching as Hadley makes her way to her front porch. She pulls her key out of her bag and unlocks the door. She turns around and gives us a wave, then disappears inside. ―You think she‘s like Raine?‖ Aiden asks. ―I don‘t know.‖ ―You think she‘s something else?‖ Aiden asks. ―I don‘t know.‖ ―Do you think she – ‖ ‗I don‘t know.” Cam sounds harsh, and like he doesn‘t want to talk about it. Aiden shuts up, and the car is silent for the rest of the ride to Aiden‘s house. ―I‘ll see you at the game tomorrow?‖ Cam asks Aiden as we pull into Aiden‘s driveway. ―Yeah.‖ Aiden hesitates, his hand on the car door handle. ―We‘ll talk after?‖ ―Yeah.‖ ―Later, Natalia.‖ ―Bye, Aiden.‖ ―So what are we going to do?‖ I ask as Cam pull s out of the driveway and starts driving toward my house.

―About what?‖ ―About the fact that some guys assaulted us and were obviously after my necklace.‖ ―I don‘t know.‖ He‘s looking straight ahead, his jaw set in a straight line. The streetlights pass over him, illuminating his face. There‘s a bruise starting to form on his right cheek, where he must have gotten hit during the scuffle. I reach out and running my index finger lightly over his skin. ―Does it hurt?‖ ―Nah,‖ he says. He looks at me, forcing a smile. ―You know I‘m tough. You think three dudes can take down the Camster?‖ ―The Camster?‖ I grin. ―Since when are you the Camster?‖ ―Since Lancaster called me that at practice,‖ he says. ―And in case you were wondering, word on the street is that you can‘t get enough of the Camster.‖ ―Real y?‖ I say. We‘re pulling into my driveway now, and I unbuckle my seatbelt and move closer to him. ―That‘s the word on the street?‖ ―Yeah,‖ he says. He looks at me and pushes my hair off my face. ―Is it true? Instead of answering, I move my lips toward his, and he kisses me. A slow, soft kiss that makes me feel like I‘m melting. His hands are in my hair and on my face, and he pulls away to look into my eyes for a second. Then his lips are back on mine, a little more insistent this time. I lean into him, and he runs his hands over my body, down over my back. I feel his fingers slide up and under the back of my shirt. I shiver, and then climb over the gearshift and onto his lap. ―Whoa,‖ he says, grinning. He kisses my neck lightly. ―What if your mom looks out the window? Isn‘t she already suspicious of me?‖ ―She is already suspicious of you,‖ I agree, ―So it doesn‘t matter if she sees us. She already thinks you‘re corrupting me.‖ ―Good,‖ he says. His mouth is back on mine, and heat is rushing through my body. He pulls me close, our chests pushed together, and his hands are under the back of my shirt again, moving higher, and up over the top of my shoulders. I pull back and look into his eyes. ―Natalia,‖ he whispers, and I bury my head into his shoulder. We stay like that for a few minutes, and I can feel his heart beating against mine. ―Cam?‖ I say, not wanting to break the spell , but not being able to help myself. ―Yeah?‖ ―Do you think Hadley knew those guys from tonight?‖ It‘s a rhetorical question, because obviously she knew them. They said her name. I want him to tell me that of course she knew them, but it‘s going to be okay, that he‘ll take care of it. The same stuff he was telling me over the weekend, after all the crazy stuff that went on at the dance. But instead, I feel his body stiffen against mine. I pull back and look at him. ―What?‖ ―Nothing,‖ he says. ―It‘s just a little weird that you would bring that up now.‖ ―Well , it just happened,‖ I say. ―So when else would I bring it up?‖ ―Um, when we‘re not making out?‖ I climb off him and back into the passenger seat, a little annoyed now. ―So that‘s what this is about? That you wanted to make out some more?‖

―No,‖ he says, sighing. ―Look, I‘m sorry. It‘s just… I thought all this shit was over, and I hate thinking about it.‖ ―You hate thinking about it?‖ I ask. ―Or you hate thinking that Hadley might be involved?‖ ―What‘s that supposed to mean?‖ ―Nothing.‖ I stare out the window. He runs his hands over the steering wheel and looks thoughtful. ―Look, I‘m not saying she‘s not involved. But we should be careful about jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts. I mean, if she‘s involved in all this, then why did she want to call the police so bad?‖ ―Because she knew we wouldn‘t, and she was trying to cover her ass?‖ I can‘t believe this. How can he be defending her? ―Hey.‖ He reaches over and takes my hand. I don‘t want to look at him, but I know that‘s not fair. I‘m having a hard time separating what I‘m upset about it. Am I mad because he‘s being naïve about Hadley possibly being involved in all this stuff? Or am I upset that he‘s defending a girl that was flirting with him all night? It‘s like a big tangle of emotions and I‘m having trouble picking out the threads. ―Look, I don‘t want to fight with you,‖ he says. ―I don‘t want to fight either,‖ I say honestly. ―It‘s been a bad night,‖ he says. ―We‘re both tired.‖ ―I‘m not tired.‖ He sighs. ―Natalia…‖ We don‘t say anything for a moment. I wait for him to break the silence, and when it becomes apparent that he‘s not going to, I reach out and open the door. ―I guess I‘ll see you tomorrow at the game.‖ I step out of the car. ―Thanks for a great night.‖ And then I slam the door and walk inside. *** He doesn‘t text me. I thought he would, at least to apologize for upsetting me, or to say he was sorry that we fought, but he doesn‘t. I toss and turn all night, my phone on the pillow beside me, hoping I‘ll hear from him, and so when my alarm goes off at nine the next morning, I‘m already awake. I reach over and turn it off, then snuggle back down into my covers. I think about not going to his game. Let Hadley go and cheer him on. But then I figure that might be going a little too far. I mean, if I don‘t go, I could take a pretty minor fight and turn it into something major. And besides, I‘m supposed to be going to the game with Adrianna, and after I ditched her at the dance last weekend, I real y don‘t want to bail on her. Sighing, I throw off the covers, and hop out of bed. I take a long, hot, shower, then dry my hair, gloss my lips, and slide into jeans and the navy blue Santa Anna Trojans hoodie that they gave me when I transferred. Adrianna pull s into my driveway at ten to pick me up, and she raises her eyebrows when

she sees my hoodie. ―Wow,‖ she says, ―I didn‘t know you were so school spirity.‖ ―Yeah, well , when your boyfriend‘s a football star, isn‘t this what‘s expected?‖ I slide the seatbelt across my lap and buckle it. ―I was considering painting my nails blue, but I ran out of time.‖ ―You weren‘t!‖ ―I was.‖ ―Next time we‘ll have to go all out, and paint ‗go trojans‘ on our faces.‖ She grins. ―So how was last night?‖ ―A real y good time,‖ I say. ―If you consider the worst double date ever a real y good time.‖ ―Oh no,‖ she says. ―What happened?‖ The whole way to school, I keep Adrianna entertained with my stories of the insaneness of last night - -Aiden trying to talk like he was British, Hadley hitting on Cam, etc. I leave out the part about the guys trying to take my necklace. It‘s real y the last thing I want to talk about, and I‘m hoping Hadley knows enough to keep her mouth shut so that tales of Cam‘s fistfight don‘t enter the Santa Anna rumor mill . ―Do you think Hadley was real y flirting with him?‖ Adrianna asks as we get out of the car. ―That‘s the thing,‖ I say, slamming my door and falling into step next to her. ―It was kind of a weird gray area. Like, not enough that I knew for sure that she was doing it on purpose, but not so innocent that I could just ignore it.‖ ―Ugh,‖ Adrianna says, shaking her head. ―I hate situations like that.‖ We‘re walking across the lawn over to the football field, and the scent of coffee floats over the midmorning air. I scan the area to see where it‘s coming from, and spot the snack stand that‘s been set up by the Santa Anna cheerleaders. ―Want a coffee?‖ I ask Adrianna. ―It‘s probably disgusting, but at least it‘ll have caffeine.‖ I slide my hands into the pocket of my hoodie and pull out my gloves. It‘s one of the first real y cool mornings we‘ve had this year, and my fingers are freezing. ―Sure,‖ Adrianna says. ―You want me to grab the seats? Believe it or not, the bleachers can get real y crowded.‖ ―Sounds perf,‖ I say. ―See you in a few.‖ She heads off toward the bleachers, and I join the line, inhaling the cool fall air and stamping my feet on the ground to try and keep my toes warm. I wonder if I should buy some of those hand warmer things the cheerleaders are selling and shove them in my shoes. I‘m definitely going to get a couple of apple cider doughnuts. After what I went through last night, I deserve it. I‘ll get one for Adrianna, too. ―Are the cheerleaders real y that slow?‖ a voice behind me asks. ―The line‘s hardly moved.‖ I turn around. Brody. He‘s wearing his football uniform, and holding his helmet in one hand. ―Hi,‖ he says. His eyes meet mine, questioning, wondering if I‘m going to tell him to fuck off. I hesitate. ―Hi,‖ I say. But I turn back around.

―How are you doing?‖ he asks. ―Shouldn‘t you be in the locker room?‖ ―I need my doughnuts,‖ he says. ―Always have two before every game.‖ ―Superstitious?‖ ―Yeah. Plus it gives me a carb rush.‖ We‘re silent for a minute, and then he says, ―You never answered my question.‖ ―What question?‖ ―How are you doing?‖ And maybe it‘s because Cam didn‘t real y want to talk about the Hadley thing, or maybe it‘s because even though I don‘t real y trust Brody, he does have some knowledge about this whole thing, or maybe it‘s just because I real y, real y need to talk to someone. But before I know it, I find myself saying. ―Not so great. Some thugs tried to steal my necklace last night.‖ His eyes flick down to my neck. But I‘m not wearing the necklace today. I decided that if someone real y does want it, that it would be better if I left it at home, where at least it will be safe. Brody doesn‘t question it. He just nods. ―You don‘t seem surprised,‖ I say. ―I‘m not.‖ He takes a few steps and moves to stand next to me in line. ―It makes sense that she would have sent someone to try and get your necklace.‖ ―Raine?‖ He shrugs. ―Who else?‖ ―She has her own necklace. I don‘t see why she needs mine.‖ ―Because that necklace makes you more powerful,‖ he says simply. It‘s too obvious of a point to ignore, and I nod reluctantly. So if it‘s Raine who sent those guys, it means she might be somewhere close by. ―Do you know when she‘s coming back?‖ Brody shakes his head. ―But when she comes back, she‘ll be more dangerous than ever.‖ We reach the window and it‘s my turn to order but I‘m too caught up in my thoughts. The sophomore girl behind the cash box stares at me. ―Well ? What do you want?‖ Brody sees that I‘m not in any shape to be thinking about donuts and orders for both of us. ―Can I get a half dozen? Thanks.‖ He pays her and a moment later she hands him a greasy white paper bag. ―Come here for a second,‖ he says, and leads me away from the crowd and under the shade of a big elm tree. The leaves on the ground crunch under my feet, and I take a deep breath, trying to calm my frantic thoughts. ―Why does she want to hurt me?‖ I ask Brody. ―I mean, I know it‘s because of Cam, but…‖ ―Natalia,‖ he says. ―You‘re special.‖ ―Special?‖ I say. ―Um, yeah, more like some kind of freak.‖ I hate even thinking about what I can do to people, control them with my thoughts. I haven‘t done it since that night with Raine, and I don‘t want to ever have to do it again. ―No.‖ He shakes his head. ―You don‘t understand. I mean, yeah, that‘s part of it, but you‘re real y special.

Destined for something bigger than this world.‖ ―Like what?‖ He doesn‘t answer right away. Instead he grabs my hand and pull s me to the ground, near the base of the elm tree. He leans back against the trunk and opens the white bag, shakes it and inhales appreciatively. ―Mmm,‖ he says. ―I love the smell of doughnuts before a game.‖ ―How can you think about food at a time like this?‖ I say, rolling my eyes. But something about it is comforting, like things can‘t be that bad if Brody‘s getting all excited about doughnuts. He smiles at me. ―Look, things are going to be real y rough for a while. You better be able to laugh about it or you‘ll drive yourself crazy.‖ He pull s out a donut and hands it to me. ―So tell me what you meant,‖ I say, not eating, just holding it in my hand. ―Tel me about my destiny.‖ ―You‘re going to be a leader,‖ Brody tell s me. ―A leader of what? I‘ve never even run for student council.‖ ―See? That was funny.‖ He‘s already eaten one doughnut, and he starts in on a second. ―I‘m not joking. I don‘t want to be anyone‘s leader.‖ ―Not just a leader,‖ he says. ―A queen.‖ ―A queen?‖ I laugh. Brody might have real y lost it. But he‘s not laughing. ―Yes.‖ He nods. ―And Raine is going to be a queen too. Of the dark. The problem is, you‘re a lot stronger than her.‖ ―Why would that be a problem?‖ I ask. ―If I‘m stronger than her, and she‘s on the bad side, what‘s the big deal?‖ I final y take a bite of my doughnut. Brody‘s right. It‘s amazing. ―It‘s a big deal to Raine,‖ Brody says. ―That‘s why she needs Cam. If she can forge a bond with him it creates balance. She becomes your equal.‖ I sit for a moment and try to process what he‘s telling me. ―And that‘s a good thing.‖ He sighs. ―Unfortunately, yes. In the larger scheme of things, Cam and Raine being together is better than the alternative. If she has Cam, it‘s like a stalemate. If she doesn‘t, her side will be destroyed.‖ ―And you? You want that balance?‖ I ask him. Al the humor has gone from his face. ―I need to keep the balance.‖ ―Why?‖ He shakes his head. ―I can‘t tell you everything, Natalia. A lot of it you‘re going to have to figure out for yourself. But I‘ve been groomed for a while now to understand these things.‖ ―So tell me what to do then.‖ ―I‘m not all owed to help you,‖ Brody says. ―I have to stay neutral.‖ ―And that‘s why you lied to me at the dance. About where Cam was.‖ I look at him. ―You want Cam to end up with Raine. Because you don‘t want a war.‖ He nods. ―I have to be careful,‖ he says, ―It‘s bad enough I told Cam that Raine‘s coming with reinforcements.‖ ―You told Cam Raine‘s coming with reinforcements?‖ ―Yeah. He didn‘t tell you about our conversation?‖ I shake my head and Brody snorts. ―What a surprise,‖ he says.

I stand up. Brody hands me the bag of doughnuts, and I drop my half eaten one back into it. ―I don‘t understand any of this.‖ Brody gets up, too. ―Raine has friends, Natalia. People that are more powerful than she is. People who have a bigger stake in this whole thing than she does. People who real y want to hurt you.‖ Inside, I‘m too furious to be scared. I can‘t believe Cam would keep that from me. I turn and start to walk away from Brody, but he reaches out and grabs my elbow. ―Wait.‖ I turn around. He hesitates, just staring at me for a long moment. He seems tortured, like he doesn‘t know what to do. ―I can help you,‖ he says final y. ―How?‖ ―I can show you some things,‖ he says, ―To help you fight Raine. To keep yourself safe.‖ ―Why would you do that?‖ I ask. ―Because I like you.‖ His voice is strong, and doesn‘t waiver. ―And how do I know I can trust you?‖ I ask. ―Because,‖ he says, ―You don‘t real y have any choice.‖ I don‘t say anything. ―Can I text you later?‖ he asks. I nod. *** I have to stand in line at the concession stand again to order the coffees, and so when I final y find Adrianna in the stands, she‘s almost jumping out of her seat. ―You‘re about to miss the kickoff,‖ she says. She accepts the cup of coffee I‘m holding out, and then takes a doughnut out of the bag. ―Yum.‖ I sit down, wedging myself between Adrianna and the large middle-aged man sitting next to her. The bleachers are crowded, and I don‘t have much room. No one ever got this worked up over football at my old school. It‘s like Friday Night Lights here. Or Saturday Morning Lights. We watch the opening kickoff, standing and cheering with everyone else when Santa Anna returns the ball for great field position. ―So?‖ Adrianna asks once we‘re sitting back down. ―So what?‖ I take a bite of my doughnut. I can‘t believe the cheerleaders made something so delicious. At least, they claimed to have made them. The sign said homemade. But I‘ll bet they‘re total y store-bought. ―What were you doing talking to Brody?‖ I almost choke on my doughnut. ―It looked awful intense,‖ she goes on. ―Under a tree, al secretive.‖ She nudges me in the side playful y. ―What would Cam think about that?‖ She‘s teasing, but I feel myself tense up. Because she‘s right. Cam wouldn‘t like the fact that I was talking to Brody. He‘s never real y believed that Brody is trustworthy. I don‘t real y believe Brody is completely trustworthy either, but I can‘t just sit back and do nothing while random guys try to attack me and Raine rallies her troops. But what Cam doesn‘t know can‘t piss him off. And if Cam can keep his conversations with Brody secret, so can I.

―Oh,‖ Adrianna says, her face getting serious. ―I‘m sorry. Was it, like, a bad conversation?‖ ―No,‖ I say quickly, forcing a smile. ―I just haven‘t talked to him since the dance, and so it was kind of awkward, you know?‖ ―Yeah.‖ She takes a sip of her coffee. ―But you‘re happy now, right? With Cam?‖ ―Of course.‖ ―Good,‖ she says. She turns back to the game. But my mind is racing, and I can‘t concentrate. And by the time the second quarter ends, the scoreboard showing that Santa Anna‘s ahead 14-7, I realize I haven‘t even seen one play.

Chapter Two Campbell We win the game 28-7, and afterwards I meet Natalia over by the concession stand. The cheerleaders are packing up all the food, and a couple of the girls and their moms say hi to me, their eyes wide, big smiles on their faces. ―Great game, Cam!‖ one lady says. ―Thanks,‖ I say, as Natalia gives me a wave. She‘s standing over by the side of the stand, looking uncomfortable. And a little pissed. It‘s not my fault chicks get starry-eyed when they see me play football . You‘d think it would be awesome but actual y it‘s kind of weird, especial y when older women do it. And obviously Natalia doesn‘t like it too much. Not that I blame her. ―Hey.‖ I grab her hand and she gives mine a squeeze before pulling away and starting to walk. ―Something wrong?‖ I ask, following. ―Great game, Cam!‖ she says, mimicking the woman. ―Come on, don‘t be that way.‖ ―What way?‖ ―You seem mad at me or something. You won‘t even look at me. Are you pissed that I didn‘t text you last night? I was going to, but I didn‘t know if you wanted to talk to me.‖ It‘s the truth. I laid awake last night, wondering if I should text her. But in the end, I decided she needed time to cool off. Obviously that was the wrong decision. She final y stops walking. ―I can‘t stay that long,‖ she says. ―I‘m going to Chili‘s with Adrianna.‖ I feel like she just punched me in the stomach, and my throat gets al tight. She‘s blowing me off, and it‘s like we‘re back on that same merry go round we were on when this whole mess started. Why can‘t things ever just be simple with us? ―Okay,‖ I say, giving her a nod. ―See you around.‖ She pushes her hair back from her face. ―What?‖ ―I get the hint, Nat. So go ahead.‖ ―What hint?‖ ―You don‘t seem like you real y want to be around me right now.‖ I look off at the parking lot, where cars are backed up in a line, waiting to pull out. ―Don‘t get al pissy,‖ she says. ―I didn‘t do anything wrong.‖ ―Neither did I.‖

She laughs. ―What? I did something?‖ She looks at me and suddenly, I want to kiss her. Hold her. Go back to my house and watch TV with our feet on the coffee table, eating pretzels and drinking soda. Just being together. But instead it‘s a big mess, and we‘re both angry. ―You never told me that Brody warned you about Raine,‖ she says, final y. She‘s wearing gloves, and she starts pulling them off, loosening the fingers one by one. ―What does Raine have to do with anything?‖ I ask. ―She‘s not even around. I‘m sick of talking about fucking Raine Marsden.‖ Natalia shakes her head. ―Brody told you that Raine might be sending people to hurt me, didn‘t he?‖ She‘s still talking to Brody. That‘s what this is about. My teeth clamp together and I feel my jaw muscles tensing, clicking. If that asshole was here right now I‘d lay him out with one shot. ―So now you and Brody are talking again? That‘s nice.‖ I flash an angry smile. ―We‘re not talking again. I mentioned what happened last night—‖ “Why?” ―Because he‘s the only one I can tell about this stuff!‖ Her gloves are off now, and she waves them in the air in exasperation, like she can‘t believe how stupid I am. ―The only one? Oh, okay. I thought you could tell me.‖ I start to walk away and she tries to grab my wrist. ―Let go of me,‖ I say, and continue walking without looking back. I hope she‘ll try again. If she tried to stop me, called my name, I‘d stop. I real y would. But she doesn‘t. I walk toward my car, deciding to just go home. Some of the guys were going to head out for pizza but I‘m not up for it. I start my car, glancing in the rearview mirror, hoping to see Nat crossing the parking lot, coming after me. But she‘s not. So I start to drive home, replaying that last conversation with her in my head. I‘m so distracted that it takes me a little while to realize that I‘m being followed. ―Derek.‖ I‘m surprised, but it‘s also a bit humorous. I mean, I know what the guy‘s car looks like. And he knows it. He‘s driving right on my ass. Idiot. I slow way down and he doesn‘t even switch lanes or anything. Talk about obvious. Eventual y I pull into the parking lot of a Burger King. Derek pull s in after me, pulling his car up beside mine. He gets out with a big stupid grin on his face. He‘s holding a miniature digital camera. ―Big win, huh, Cam?‖ he asks. ―You know, I‘m not having such a great day,‖ I say. ―And punching you in the face might real y brighten my mood.‖ He laughs. ―You‘re real y scary when you‘re not tied up by a couple of sixteen-year-old girls.‖ ―If you think it‘s so easy, come over here and try me, asshole.‖ I get out of my car and lean against it, halfway hoping he‘s going to start with me. ―Maybe another time.‖ He starts pressing buttons on the camera. ―This is the new Nikon

D3100,‖ he says, holding it up and snapping a shot of me. ―Fuck off.‖ ―Testy, testy.‖ He checks the picture. ―Since someone stole my last camera, I figured it was time for an upgrade.‖ I consider grabbing this one from him and smashing it on the street but there are too many people around. ―So why are you following me, Derek? Just the usual routine for a psycho loser?‖ ―Watch that attitude, Cam. The way I remember it, Natalia doesn‘t much like guys with bad attitudes.‖ He sees in my expression that he hit a nerve and grins even wider. ―I know you‘re following me for a reason,‖ I say. ―So just fucking tell me. Did you send those dudes to mug us last night?‖ ―Me? Send thugs?‖ He chuckles and continues playing with his new toy. I catch a glimpse of that weird tattoo on his neck. ―No, not my style. And if I‘d wanted to hurt you guys there are much easier ways to do it.‖ ―Like what?‖ ―Like telling you that Nat‘s into Brody.‖ ―On second thought, maybe I will punch you.‖ ―Relax.‖ Derek roll s his eyes. ―She‘s not into him. And besides, it‘s not in my best interest to hurt you, Cam.‖ ―So what‘s in your best interest?‖ He smiles. ―There‘s going to be a big dust up, Cam. And it‘s my job to make sure it happens.‖ ―What are you talking about?‖ ―There‘s a war coming, Cam.‖ He reaches out and pats me on the shoulder, like we‘re talking about the weather or something. ―It‘ll make the war in Iraq look like a game of kickball . That‘s how big we‘re talking.‖ His smile grows wider, and I feel sick as I realize he‘s real y looking forward to this. That‘s how fucked up this dude is. ―And somehow a bunch of kids in Santa Anna are the reason this giant war is happening? I don‘t think so.‖ ―That‘s fine. But if you‘re going to discount the answer, then next time, don‘t ask the question.‖ ―Whatever, dude. I‘d appreciate it if you stop following me around snapping pictures.‖ He puts the camera back in its little case and slings the bag over his shoulder. ―You don‘t need to concern yourself with me, Cam. If you want to worry your pretty little head about something, maybe you should start with your newest admirer.‖ ―My newest admirer?‖ ―Hadley.‖ ―Oh?‖ I try to keep my tone light, because if he knows I want info about Hadley, he‘ll shut down. Just to fuck with me. ―Kind of coincidental, don‘t you think, her showing up all of a sudden? And are you real y buying that English accent?‖ I shrug. ―I dunno. But if you‘re so worried about Hadley, maybe you should tell me

something useful instead of just being a dick.‖ Derek takes a step forward and suddenly he‘s right in front of me. His eyes are locked on mine. ―You better watch yourself, Cam. You don‘t know me. You don‘t know shit about me or what I‘m capable of.‖ ―So tell me something, then,‖ I say, not backing down. For a second, I think maybe he real y is going to punch me. But then he shrugs, and I see his shoulders relax. ―I‘m on your side, Cam. And that Hadley chick, she‘s suspect. She‘s not just some random girl.‖ ―Stay away from me, Derek.‖ ―Watch your ass, Cam.‖ I get back in my car and drive away and he stands there, watching me go. For a moment, I pull out my phone and consider calling Nat and telling her what just happened with Derek. But then I remember how she said Brody was the only one she could talk to. And so I decide that I can‘t cal her. If she wants to confide in Brody then I have nothing to say to her right now. Before I know it, I find myself driving to the area of town where Hadley lives. Come on, you know Derek is just messing with you. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it doesn‘t hurt anything to check it out. What if it’s some sort of trap? I don‘t think it‘s a trap, though. Whatever Derek is, he was telling the truth about Hadley. I just have a feeling. When I get to Hadley‘s house, I park my car and sit out front for a moment, contemplating my next move. Do I just walk up to the front door and knock? Do I sneak around back? What? And then, just as I‘m about to get out of my car and head up the front walk, something happens. I hear the sound of glass breaking and then something that sounds like a thunderclap. There‘s a flash of light coming from inside the house. And suddenly, the picture window overlooking the front yard explodes. Glass shards fly everywhere, covering the grass, and a body comes flying out and lands on the lawn. Smoke is coming from the person‘s chest. Whoever it is, is wearing a mask -one of those clear plastic masks that shows the face underneath but somehow distorts it so you can‘t recognize the person. And then, the figure simply evaporates, disappearing into thin air. My heart is pounding, and I try to catch my breath. If I hadn‘t already seen impossible things happen these last couple of weeks, I would think I was going crazy. And then I see Hadley walk to the window and look out, her eyes calmly taking in the scene. She‘s wearing a silver butterfly necklace.

Chapter Three Natalia I lied to Cam. I‘m not going to Chili‘s with Adrianna. I‘m meeting Brody. I‘m not proud of it. The fact that I lied to Cam, I mean. It‘s fucked up. I hate the fact that we‘re fighting, and I know this has the potential to just make things worse between us. But if I ‗d told Cam where I was real y going, he would have tried to talk me out of it. And I might have listened to him. I‘m sick of not knowing what‘s going on, I‘m sick of just waiting around, being scared that Raine is going to come back, wondering all the time, being on edge. So even though I don‘t completely trust Brody, when he texted me at halftime and asked if I wanted to come over after the game, I told him yes. We made plans to meet up at his car an hour after the game. We figured by that time, everyone would be gone. I tell Adrianna that I‘m going home with Cam. And then I spend an hour sitting on the bleachers, messing around on my phone, wasting time until everyone is gone. When it‘s final y time to meet Brody, I head to the parking lot. I look around, wondering if anyone‘s going to see me. But everyone‘s gone. Even the annoying cheerleaders and their moms (―Oh, Cam, we love you, Cam!‖) have finished packing up and have taken off. The only one in the parking lot is Brody. He‘s leaning against the driver‘s side door of his truck, his hair is damp from the shower. He‘s changed out of his football uniform and into jeans and a soft looking gray sweater. ―Hey,‖ he says. ―You ready?‖ I nod. In the car, he puts the key in the ignition and then pauses. ―Does Cam know you‘re coming over?‖ ―No.‖ He nods. ―Probably better that way. But you‘re going to have to tell him at some point.‖ ―Why?‖ ―Because he‘s your boyfriend. Do you real y want to be keeping secrets from him?‖ ―He keeps secrets from me.‖ Brody doesn‘t say anything. We‘re silent on the ride to his house, and when we pull in his driveway, he cuts the engine and pull s the key out of the ignition, sliding the ring of his keychain around and around on his index finger. ―Listen,‖ he says. ―Before we do this, I have to tell you something.‖ ―Okay.‖ I brace myself, waiting for him to drop some other bombshell on me and hoping I can take it. ―That day at Raine‘s,‖ he says, ―Your first week of school?‖ ―Yeah?‖ ―When I kissed you,‖ he says, ―that wasn‘t to keep you away from Cam.‖ He looks at me. ―I wanted to kiss you. It wasn‘t an act.‖ I nod, not real y knowing what to say. I feel awkward, remembering how we kissed, how I freaked out and had some kind of weird panic attack. How Cam was in the other room that day, making out with Raine.

―We don‘t have to talk about it,‖ Brody says, probably sensing that I‘m uncomfortable. ―I just real y needed you to know that.‖ ―I appreciate it.‖ I reach for the door handle, ready to get out of there. But Brody stops me. ―One more thing.‖ ―Yeah?‖ ―You can‘t tell anyone about this.‖ ―I won‘t,‖ I say. ―No.‖ He shakes his head. ―You can‘t tell anyone what we‘ve been talking about. I understand you might have to tell Cam we hung out, but you can‘t tell him exactly what I tell you. If anyone finds out…‖ He trails off, but I get the message. If anyone finds out what he‘s doing, that he‘s helping me, he could be in big trouble. The kind of trouble that could get you killed. ―I won‘t,‖ I say again. And then we‘re out of the car and walking toward the house. *** Brody‘s room is nothing like I imagined it. I figured there‘d be pictures of half-naked girls all over, with their boobs spilling out of tiny bikinis. Maybe one of those posters with a big marijuana leaf on it, or a few blinking beer lights. But instead it‘s pretty sparse. There‘s a Santa Anna Trojans pennant on the wall , and a picture of Brody and his friends riding a roller coaster. His bed has a blue and red plaid comforter tossed across it, and there‘s a computer in the corner with a New England Patriots screensaver flashing across the monitor. ―What were you expecting?‖ he asks, seeing the surprised look on my face. He‘s over at his desk, rummaging around in one of the drawers. ―Some kind of sex dungeon?‖ ―No,‖ I say, smiling. ―It‘s just… I thought there‘d be something scandalous.‖ I get down and look under the bed. ―Wow,‖ I say. ―Even under your bed is clean.‖ ―We have a housekeeper.‖ He grins. ―Otherwise it wouldn‘t be.‖ He pull s a small key out of the drawer, then opens his closet, pushing back the rows of hanging school shirts and sweaters. I move over, closer to the closet, and watch as he moves more shirts aside to reveal a black safe. He uses the key in his hand to open the safe, then pull s out what looks like an iPad. He locks it all back up before I can see what else, if anything, is in there. He sits down on the bed, and pats the spot next to him. I hesitate. I realize that I‘m here. With Brody. By myself. And I don‘t real y know what his endgame is or what he‘s capable of. But I sit down next to him anyway. ―Okay,‖ he says. He shifts on the bed, and our legs touch. He‘s so close I can smell his hair gel and see the small scar he has on his neck. ―I‘m going to give you this.‖ ―An iPad? Gee, thanks, Brody, I‘ve always wanted one of these.‖ I take it from him and look at it. ―Do you think I‘ll be able to play Plants vs. Vampires?‖ He roll s his eyes. ―Plants vs. Zombies. And it‘s not an iPad. But it is designed to look like one, so it‘s good to know that it tricked you.‖

―It didn‘t trick me,‖ I lie. ―Obviously I knew it wasn‘t an iPad.‖ ―Oh, yeah,‖ he says. ―How?‖ ―Because why would you have an iPad locked up in a secret safe?‖ He grins, looking at me, and I swallow. Hard. His eyes are on mine, and it‘s making me uncomfortable. But not in a bad way. I shift my leg away from his, so that we‘re not touching. ―One of my jobs as a peacekeeper,‖ Brody says, ―is to keep track of certain people. This device allows me to do that.‖ He powers it on, and an image appears on the screen. I lean over so I can get a better look. It‘s showing an empty room, with just a folding table and a matching chair, a twin bed, and mirrored wall s. There‘s a woman with long curly red hair lying on the bed and reading a book. ―So what is this?‖ I ask. ―Some kind of ichat or something?‖ ―Sort of,‖ Brody says, nodding. ―I can always see her. But she can only see me if I let her.‖ ―So you‘re spying on her? Where is she?‖ ―I can‘t tell you that,‖ Brody says. ―But if you talk to her, she‘ll help you.‖ He hands me the iPad. I look at him incredulously. ―If I talk to her, she‘ll help me?” ―Yes.‖ He nods. ―She‘s very powerful.‖ I look at the screen doubtful y. The woman is sitting up now, one knee pulled to her chest. In one hand, she holds her book. With the other, she‘s picking her toenails. ―If you want to talk to her, just push this button.‖ He shows me. ―And if you want her to be able to see you, push this button.‖ ―But what do I say to her?‖ ―Tel her the situation. Explain what‘s going on with Raine. She knows about this stuff, Natalia. She‘s like you.‖ I look back at the screen. The woman has abandoned her book and is now biting her toenails. As in, she‘s putting her foot in her mouth. And biting. ―You know what?‖ I say, handing the fake iPad back to Brody. ―I think I‘m going to be okay.‖ ―You think you‘re going to be okay?‖ ―Yes.‖ I nod. ―I mean, I have my butterfly necklace. And I beat Raine once before, so….‖ The sound of the front door opening and closing echoes through the house, and a girl‘s voice comes tinkling up the stairs. ―Hel o? Anyone home?‖ ―Shit,‖ Brody says. ―My sister.‖ He shoves the iPad into my purse. ―You can‘t tell her about this.‖ ―Obviously,‖ I say, rolling my eyes. What does he think I am, some kind of idiot? Besides, what would I say? ‗Brody gave me a fake iPad and there‘s a crazy woman biting her toenails on it?‘ ―Better yet,‖ Brody says, ―You should hide in the closet.‖ ―Hide in the closet? What is this, an episode of One Tree Hill ?‖

But I‘m already up and making my way toward it. I push through Brody‘s shirts and stand there, trying not to move. ―I‘m in my room,‖ I hear Brody cal to his sister. I run my hand over the smooth metal of the safe. I wonder what else is in there. I wonder if I can get Cam to show me how to pick locks without actual y telling him why I need to know. Footsteps are thundering up the stairs, and then I hear Brody‘s sister say, ―Hey! How was your game?‖ ―Good. We won.‖ ―Cool. I‘m going to get in the shower, but Mom wants us all to be around later for dad‘s birthday. Don‘t forget.‖ I wonder again what her role in this whole thing is. Is she a peacekeeper like Brody? And if she so, why have they been claiming she‘s in rehab when she‘s obviously not? And why rehab? Couldn‘t they just have said she was visiting a relative in Kansas or something? Rehab sounds so scandalous. The bedroom door opens and shuts, and a few seconds later, the closet gets thrown open and Brody pull s me out. ―Thanks,‖ I say sarcastically y. ―Shh!‖ ―Thanks,‖ I whisper. ―Okay,‖ he says. ―We have to go.‖ ―We have to go?‖ ―Yeah, we have to get out of here before my sister sees you.‖ ―Wow, way to be hospitable.‖ He‘s pushing me out of the room now and down the stairs. ―You can call me later,‖ he says, as we drive to my house. ―And let me know how it goes.‖ ―How what goes?‖ ―Talking with Samara.‖ ―The crazy woman on the fake iPad is called Samara?‖ ―What‘s wrong with Samara?‖ ―Nothing,‖ I say. ―I was just hoping for something a little more normal. Mary. Jane. Bertha, even.‖ He‘s pulling into my driveway now. ―Bye, Natalia,‖ he says. ―Wait!‖ I say. ―What if … I mean, is there… am I allowed to tell her anything I want?‖ ―Yes,‖ he says. ―She‘s not a threat to anyone anymore.‖ I want to ask him why, where she is, if she ever was a threat. But something tell s me it‘s better if I don‘t know. *** When I get home, there‘s a big commotion going on. Pots and pans are clinking around, the fridge is opening and shutting, cupboards are slamming, and bags are crinkling.

My mom‘s in the midst of it all , standing at the island in the middle of our kitchen, surrounded by shopping bags that are overflowing with food. ―What‘s all this?‖ I ask, peering into one of the bags. A veggie tray, two boxes of crackers, and an assortment of sliced cheeses. ―Dinner,‖ my mom says. She‘s heaving a ham into the fridge now, trying to find a spot for it in the middle of all our takeout containers. ―For tonight?‖ ―Yes.‖ My mom turns back to the counter, wiping a strand of hair out of her eyes. ―I was planning on doing a ham.‖ ―Sounds delicious,‖ I say. Yum. I love ham. And having a nice home cooked meal with my mom sounds perfect. Very comforting, especial y after the morning I‘ve had. ―I didn‘t know if Cam and his mom were vegetarians, so I hope that‘s okay,‖ my mom says. ―Cam and his mom?‖ I ask. Uh oh. I kind of thought she‘d forgotten about that. She must hear the worry in my voice, because she says, ―Yeah. They‘re not, are they? Vegetarians?‖ ―Um, no, I don‘t think so,‖ I say. ―At least, Cam isn‘t.‖ ―Thank God.‖ She pull s a small jar of glaze out of one of the plastic bags. ―Doesn‘t this look delicious? The guy at the store said it‘s the best they have. Organic and all -natural.‖ She‘s studying the label. ―Mom,‖ I say careful y. ―Um, I didn‘t exactly…I mean, there‘s a chance that…‖ ―What?‖ she asks suspiciously. Her eyes narrow. Shit, shit, shit. The last thing I want her to do is get all worked up, thinking that I‘m hiding something from her. ―They‘re not coming?‖ ―No,‖ I say. ―They‘re coming, I just… ah, I never told Cam a definite time.‖ ―How‘s seven?‖ she asks. ―I‘ll give him a cal .‖ *** Okay, so the last thing I want to do is cal Cam. In the last twenty-four hours, we‘ve had two fights. And it might be sexist and kind of anti-feminist or whatever, but I feel like he should be the one calling me. Whatever. Maybe it‘ll be good for him to come over. It‘ll diffuse some of the tension between us. We‘ll join forces against our moms, united against a common enemy and all that. I pull my cell phone out and scroll through until I get to Cam‘s name and then push the cal button before I can change my mind. It rings. And rings. And rings. I‘m just thinking that I‘m going to get his voicemail, and wondering if that means he‘s just not near his phone, or just avoiding me, and what kind of message I should leave if I decide he is avoiding me, when he final y picks up. ―Hel o?‖

―Hey.‖ ―Hey.‖ He doesn‘t sound too friendly. In fact, he sounds just the opposite. Obviously he‘s still upset about our fight. Fights. Shit. ―I‘m real y sorry we fought,‖ I say. He doesn‘t say anything. Okay, then. ―So, listen, I thought maybe you and your mom could still come over tonight.‖ ―I told you,‖ he says, his tone curt. ―My mom‘s crazy. And she‘s not into that kind of thing.‖ ―Well , my mom‘s crazy, too,‖ I say. ―And she is into that kind of thing.‖ He sighs. ―Cam, she‘s downstairs unpacking a ham. And she even bought some kind of very expensive glaze to go with it.‖ ―I don‘t know…‖ ―And,‖ I say, ―I kind of maybe told her you guys were coming.‖ I sit down on my bed and cross my fingers, hoping he‘ll come. He sighs again. ―It real y means that much to you?‖ For a second, I think about lying, about telling him it‘s not that big of a deal, that they can just come some other time. I mean, I do have some pride. But then I decide to just go for the truth. ―Yes,‖ I say, ―It real y means that much to me.‖ ―Okay,‖ he says, ―Then we‘ll be there.‖ ―Is seven okay?‖ ―Seven‘s fine.‖ ―Great. And Cam?‖ ―Yes?‖ ―I real y am sorry we fought.‖ I wait for him to say he‘s sorry too, but he hangs up the phone without saying anything. For a second, my throat squeezes, and I wonder if he knows I was with Brody. But that‘s impossible. There‘s no way he could have found that out. I hate lying to Cam. I‘ll tell him, I decide. Tonight, when he gets here. As long as I don‘t tell him everything Brody and I talked about, it should be okay. I look over at my bag, then pull out the special iPad. I stare at it, running my fingers over the buttons. I can‘t see myself ever using it. How could it real y help me? Although. Brody did say that I could see Samara without her seeing me. I push the power button. Samara and her little room fill the screen. She‘s sitting at the table now, with the book she was reading before, only this time, she‘s not reading. This time, she‘s pulling out the pages of the book, one by one, and lining them up on the floor. Weird. I have a real y hard time believing that this woman could help me. I mean, she‘s obviously got a screw loose. She might even be insane. I have to tell Cam, I decide. I have to tell him everything. I just… I can‘t deal with this on my own. And I don‘t want to lie to him. It feels horrible. I decide to switch the iPad off, and put it away. Maybe when Cam gets here, we can figure out what to do together. But before I can, Samara sets the pages of her book down on the table and walks over to

the corner of the room. She looks right at me. Well , not right at me. There must be some kind of camera in the corner of the room or something that she‘s staring into. ―Hel o, Natalia,‖ she says. She smiles and then licks her lips. ―I‘ve been waiting for you.‖ Don’t miss The Witches of Santa Anna #10, coming April 2011…. Table of Contents Chapter One Chapter Two

Chapter Three