The next morning in school, my mind was full of questions for Derek. He may not have had answers, but I needed to voice them to maintain sanity. Last night’s events felt like a dream, but something in the back of my mind warned me it was reality. 

Sleep had evaded me, and as I walked through the doors of my high school, I could feel the effects taking over. My body felt numb to its surroundings, and it was a struggle to keep my eyelids open. I focused on the task at hand intently, hoping that it would help me stay awake, but I found that it was fruitless when I failed to open my locker three times. 

“Having a little trouble this morning?” Andy smirked.

I groaned, leaning my forehead against the cold metal before me. “Hello, Andy.”

“Need any help?” 

I moved out of the way, reciting the numbers as my friend made his attempt at opening my locker. He succeeded on the first try, throwing me a smug grin. I ignored his silent boating and grabbed my books from my locker. 

Today was not going to be a good day.

Andy and I spent the remainder of the time before school began with Emily and Cory. I could barely hold a conversation with my friends as I felt exhaustion tugging at my eyes. It would happen that the moment unconsciousness calls, I would happen to be in school.

The bell rang, splitting the four of us up as we made our way toward our destinations. My heartbeat quickened in anticipation. First period with Derek meant that I would hopefully have the opportunity to quiz him on last night. 

But Derek never showed up that day.

~*~

Two more days passed before Derek showed up again. 

As I walked into first period on Friday, my eyes widened in surprise at the boy sitting behind me. The classroom was slowly filling up, but not many were around us. Swallowing nervously, I hurried over to my seat, hoping to grab a word with him before the school day began. 

Derek’s eyes met mine as I dropped into my chair. His body tensed when I turned to face him. The questions had been adding up over the days, and their words burned on my lips. After all the time that had passed without a word from him, I had started to question whether the event had happened. But there was something in the way those red eyes watched me that sent chills down my spine. 

It wasn’t a look easily forgettable.

“Hey.” 

He held my eyes. His fingers fiddled with a paperclip, bending and twisting it out of its intended design.

“Hello.” His voice was low and husky—exactly how I remembered it from Monday evening. I licked my lips slowly in an attempt to calm myself. 

It wasn’t in my agenda to get myself labeled a lunatic in this boy’s life. 

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” I commented. My voice was smooth, but my heart wasn’t. This was the moment I had waited days for. 

He shrugged, shifting in his seat. Derek dropped the bent paperclip onto his desk only to swipe it off with the back of his hand. My eyes followed the piece of metal until it landed on the carpeted floor. When I looked back at the boy before me, his eyes were darker than anticipated.

“I’ve been out.”

“Why?”

He raised an eyebrow, giving me an amused look. “We got tied up with the moving process. I decided a few days off wouldn’t hurt.”

“You’ve certainly worried the school.”

“Have I?” He asked.

I nodded, studying him. His voice led me to believe he was relaxed, but his eyes said otherwise. He never broke eye contact, but I didn’t think I was the only thing he had his attention on. It seemed as if he was watching the entire room at once.

“You showed up for one day, and then disappear the next three.” I pushed my hair off my shoulder casually, “We don’t get many new people here. Your disappearance is noticeable.”

Derek shook his head softly.

A silence fell between us. I inwardly cursed myself at this. This would get me nowhere. Pulling together all the courage inside of me, I parted my lips to begin my interrogation.

“Listen.” Derek cut me off before I had a chance to speak, leaning forward. His voice lowered so that I could barely make out the words he was saying. “I know what you’re going to do, and I suggest that you just forget anything happened.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re a curious girl, Anne.” He whispered, “But there are some things you don’t want to mess with.”

My eyes narrowed. This wasn’t anywhere near what I had anticipated earlier. I wanted answers; this only raised more questions that originally. 

Derek leaned back as our teacher’s voice rang out from around the room. He nodded his head in a subtle hint for me to turn around. I begrudgingly obeyed, but not before giving him a look of disbelief. Surely, he couldn’t expect me not to be even more curious than before. 

The class period dragged on. The lecture extended to the very end of the period, stopping only once the bell interrupted. As students packed everything together, Derek bolted out of the classroom. I found my eyes lingering on the boy as he hurried out. 

I didn’t get the opportunity to talk to him anymore during the school day. Once the final bell rang, I hurried off to my locker, ready to end this awful day. I needed a shower before I went to work tonight.

It would be my first evening back after that strange event Monday. I had asked Kate to cover my shift on Wednesday, claiming to have felt under the weather. She kindly agreed to. I couldn’t avoid work forever. The money was vital to my social life, and I enjoyed Kate. 

Andy greeted me at my locker with a smile across his lips. 

“Hello, Anne.”

“Hey Andy.” I traded my text books for my coat, shuffling it on. “What’re you so happy about?”

He shrugged casually, trying to play off his elation, “Nothing much really. But… I have a date tonight with Mia Hamilton.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Mia? I didn’t know she was your type.”

“Who isn’t my type?”

Closing my locker, I led the way out of the building. A light snow had begun to fall as the day came to a close. The sun sparkled off of the already settled layers. I pulled a pair of shades over my eyes to block out the bright rays.

“Where are you two going?”

“We’re going to hit up the movies.” He said. “If all goes well, we’ll stop by Molly’s for a slice of pie or something.”

“Molly’s is famous for the milkshakes. The pie is mediocre.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Mediocre was an understatement. Our pies were thawed when requested, and most had been sitting in the freezer for quite a few months already. People rarely asked for a pie here when there was a bakery that sold freshly made ones a few blocks over.

Andy never got the memo that the pies were better elsewhere. He still insisted that Molly’s had the best. I wasn’t sure if it was because I worked there or that he genuinely enjoyed them.

“That is your opinion, Anne.” He argued, “As I’m the paying customer, I think it’s mine that matters.”

“You’re right.” I rolled my eyes, stopping once I reached my truck.

Andy bid me goodbye as he hurried on down the lot to where he was parked. Slowly, I climbed into my Ford and followed the line of cars to the exit. I kept the radio off, letting my mind wander as I drove through our snow-covered town. Derek’s order to ignore my curiosity only spiked it more. I had to ponder whether that was intentional or not. 

~*~

Work passed quickly that evening. As it was a Friday, more people chose to dine out in celebration of the weekend. Business boomed an hour into my shift, and I found that I had very little time to socialize with anyone. 

Fridays and Saturdays were my favorite days to work. While the exponentially larger number of tips filled my pockets, the rush and hurry of the diner as I skirted between tables took my mind off of things. Ironically, it was my form of relaxation. 

I was exhausted by the time I arrived home that evening. Much to my pleasure, I didn’t lock up this evening. I drove with caution, but everything seemed as customary as any other day. Gravel crunched underneath my wheels as I pulled into the driveway. The living room light flooded out from the window, and through the curtains, I could make out the silhouette of my father.

“Hey, Dad.” 

He looked up from the couch as I walked in. Plaid pajamas pants covered his crossed legs, and a stained white t-shirt his chest. A bowl of cereal rested on his lap with a spoonful of soggy Cheerios suspended in mid-air. 

“Oh, hey Anne.” His attention quickly returned to the television before him. The weatherman continued to forecast the estimated snowfall for the weekend. 

I slipped my shoes off, ditching them by the doorway, before taking a seat next to my father on the couch. “How’s the weather looking?”

“Snow.”

“There’s a shocker.”

He chuckled, finally eating the spoon of cereal that had previously been neglected. I watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. “Another disappearance.”

“Really? How many does that make now?”

“Three occurrences.” His eyes remained on the television, but my father had all but tuned the reporter out. “We have no further leads.”

“Who was it this time?” I asked softly, leaning my head back into the cushions of the couch. While I had lucked out not having anyone personal kidnapped, the names still rang a bell.

“Chelsea Hilton.”

She owned a small jewelry store a block away from Molly’s. Though I had only ever bought one necklace from her shop, I knew her to be a fair owner and a friendly lady. I nodded sympathetically as my father’s frustration rolled off of him. 

He had never had such a difficult case before. Criminals in McGrath weren’t unheard of, but rarely did they escape free. With repeat events such as this, it was unprecedented. 

“You’ll find the sick bastard eventually, Dad.” 

His eyes narrowed in my direction, “Watch your language, young lady.”

I struggled to restrain a smile on my lips as I nodded my head.  My father moved the bowl from his lap to the coffee table before him, rubbing his eyes tiredly. A fresh set of wrinkles adorned his face from the frustration of this case. 

“Are you working tomorrow?” I asked softly.

He nodded solemnly.

“Can I come with you?”

“Why?”

“Dad, you overwork yourself too much,” I said softly, “Jimmy’s doing a pretty bad job of watching you. Someone needs to make sure you don’t overload yourself.”

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, “Who is the parent here, Anne? You or me?”

I rolled my eyes. My father pulled me close to kiss the top of my head tenderly. He stood up, cracking his knees on the way. With the empty bowl grasped firmly in his heads, he moved around me to the kitchen. 

“You have plenty of work you should be doing this weekend for school.” He called from the kitchen. 

“So? I can do it at your office.” I made my way over to the entry way to the kitchen, watching my father as he cleaned the dish. “I haven’t seen Jimmy in a while Dad, I miss everyone there.”

He sighed and turned the water off. “If you get up early enough you can come. I can’t guarantee Jimmy’s working today. He might have taken the day off as his niece and nephew are in town. You might not have your usual source of entertainment.”

I grinned. “I doubt he did. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

I left my father in the kitchen as I made my way to my room. The lights stayed off as I blindly slipped out of my uniform and into a pair of booty-shorts and a tank-top. The heat was cranked high in my room, a replacement for the fire that neither of us had time to begin. 

I fell asleep with a smile on my lips in anticipation of tomorrow.