Static (9 page)

I glanced down at myself and thanked the lord that I
wasn't still in my pj's. However it happened, I guess I had the
presence of mind to slide on a pair of black yoga pants and to put
on my extremely worn-in black leather jacket.

"Where am I?"

He snorted. "You're in Wonderland, Alice, and I'm the
Mad Hatter."

I glanced around the area, taking in my surroundings.
It proved a bit difficult because the streetlamp above me was
shattered. Pieces of plastic and glass lay scattered on the road. I
didn't recognize the immediate area, but I did a few of the
buildings a few blocks away. I was back downtown, not too far from
where I'd been tossed into the dumpster days ago.

I looked at the motel again. This must've been where
I'd been...

"Alice, why don't you give me some money? I'm
hungry."

I dug into my jacket pocket and came away with two
crumpled dollar bills. I swung around and put the ball of money
into his outstretched hand, careful not to touch his skin.

"Did you see me show up here?" I asked him, now that
he had his reward.

Without looking at me, he smoothed out the bills, and
nodded. "You came from the shadows." He motioned toward the really
dark part of the street along the brick wall of an old building now
boarded up and abandoned.

I shivered at his strange words. "Are you sure I
didn't drive here, or come on a bus?" Although I didn't see my
mom's car anywhere. It was a POS but it would still stick out here
like a sore thumb.

He shook his head. "No buses, girly. Not at this
time."

Which was what I wondered. "Do you know the
time?"

He glanced up at the black sky. "The witching hour,
Alice. Don't you know about the witching hour?"

"Not really."

"A time for the boogeyman. A time for those evil
things that go bump in the night. The type of things that creep and
slither through the shadows." He looked at her then, and his gaze
was fierce and penetrating. "Like you." He grinned, and I had an
urge to back away. His two front teeth were missing, the rest were
yellow and decayed. He looked maniacal as he grinned at me, his
fingers constantly running the length of one of the dollar bills
I'd given him.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat and jogged
across the street, away from him and toward the comforting glow of
another streetlamp. Once there, feeling a little more secure, I dug
out my cell phone which thankfully had been in my jacket pocket.
Again, I couldn't call my mom. She'd freak out big time.

I could call Chloe but feared that one of her parents
would answer. She didn't have her own line, so there was that risk,
and she'd busted her cell phone. The only person I had left to call
was Jamie. I knew he slept with his cell phone. Why, I really
didn't want to know. Sometimes he could be a sick and twisted
individual.

Holding my breath, I quickly punched in his number.
It rang. Then again. Then a third time.

Finally, he answered with a mumbled greeting.
"What?"

"It's Salem. I need your help."

"What's the matter?"

"I need a ride back home."

He paused, and I imagined he was probably looking at
the digital clock sitting on his bed side table. "It's three
fifteen."

"I know what time it is Jamie, I need you to come get
me. I don't have my car, and I don't have any money for a cab."

"Jesus, Salem."

"Jamie, please, I'm in a bad area and I'm alone."

He sighed. "Fine. Where are you?"

"At the Super 8 Motel on State." I swore I could hear
the gears grinding in his skull as he tried to reason why I would
be at a motel at three fifteen in the morning on a school night.
"Don't ask. Just come, okay?"

"I'll be there."

I flipped my phone closed and shoved it into my
pocket. I found a fairly clean piece of curb to sit on near the
motel and waited. For the second time in my life, I felt like I was
losing my mind and had no clue how to find it again.

Chapter 10

"So, you're telling me you sleepwalked all the way
from the North End?" Jamie asked over the din of speed metal
blasting through the speakers.

I nodded while chewing my thumb nail. I was crammed
into the passenger seat of Jamie's old beat-up Toyota Camry, my
legs pulled up to my chest. There was no room on the floor for my
feet. A mountain of trash, including
MacDonald's
hamburger
bags, and empty
Big Gulp
cups, took up all the room.

I was still shaking. The heater in the car wasn't
doing a very good job. It fact, cold air was blowing out instead. I
glanced at the dash to make sure he hadn't put on the air
conditioning by mistake.

"You're a pig, Jamie." I glanced behind me at the
back seat and took in the piles of crap on the seat and floor—dirty
gym clothes, stinky sneakers, empty CD jewel cases, PS2 game cases,
and various other boy related items.

"I'm allergic to cleaning," he said, as he turned
down the music. "So, are you going to tell me what the fuck you
were doing at a motel?"

Still chewing my nail, I stared out the side window
too wired to look at Jamie. I shrugged. "I'm not sure really. Some
strange things have been happening to me."

"Does it have to do with those assholes from
Malice?"

I whipped around to stare at him. "Chloe told
you?"

He nodded, and even in the green glow from the
dashboard I could see the concern in his face.

"That bitch," I mumbled.

"Hey, she's your friend, Sale. She told me because
she thought maybe I could help."

I arched a brow in mocking. "And can you? Can you
help me Jamie? Maybe you can wave your magic Harry Potter wand and
un-rape me."

"Don't be an asshole." He glared at me and I could
see the hurt in his eyes.

I looked away from him, ashamed for being a jerk to
him when he'd jumped in his car and came to pick up me without an
explanation. "I'm sorry. I'm just going through some weird shit,
and I'm not sure what to do about it."

"Maybe you could talk to one of the counselors at
school. They have experience in dealing with stuff like this."

I shook my head, thinking about my black eyes and
sticking to the ceiling, and now my strange sleepwalking. "No, I
don't think they can help me much."

Jamie pulled up to the front of my house, put it in
park and then turned toward me. "Are you going to be cool?"

I nodded glancing down at my thumb which I had chewed
to shit. Blood dotted the sides of my nail bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow. No wait," he laughed. "I'll
see you in a few hours since it's already like four thirty."

Smiling, I leaned across the front seat to give him a
hug. Despite his cleanliness issues, Jamie was a good friend. He
patted my back as he hugged me in return, and a warm tingling
sensation ran down my spine.

It felt good to be in his arms, safe, secure. He had
a lanky frame but he was strong. I could feel the ripple of his
muscles in his arms and down his back. I hadn't noticed it before.
But now, I seemed to be noticing a hell of a lot about Jamie.

He smelled good too. Which surprised me. Like a warm
gooey cinnamon roll. Saliva actually pooled in my mouth as I drank
more of his scent into me. I had a sudden urge to run my tongue
along the side of his neck.

He shifted in his seat, his hands clenching on my
back. "Ah, Salem, what are you doing?"

"Mmm, hugging you."

"It feels like you're kissing my neck."

I pulled back, startled. "What?"

Frowning, he rubbed at his throat just below his ear.
"You kissed my neck."

"No, I didn't." My heart was pounding hard in my
chest, acting as if it was going to explode. But above my own
beating heart I could hear the thump thump thump of Jamie's. It was
loud. He was as revved up as I was. Did he want me to kiss him? Was
he attracted to me?

I eyed him carefully. He was a good looking guy, I
always thought so, but I'd just never considered him boyfriend
material. We were friends, had been for the past two years, since
grade ten when he fell off his skateboard in front of Chloe and I,
and the board hit me in the shin. He chipped his front tooth that
day.

I could see it now between his parted lips. I liked
the look of his mouth right now. It was inviting. I wondered what
it would feel like to kiss him. As I continued to study Jamie's
face, something shifted. I could see past him to the aura that
surrounded him. He had an alluring red tinge floating around his
head, like a crimson halo. I liked the color red.

"Salem, what's wrong with your eyes?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I cupped his face in my
hands and slowly leaned toward his mouth. The need to kiss him
nearly made my head swim. I could feel the rolling sensation start
in my legs like someone was kneading my muscles. I had to kiss him.
The urgency of it socked me right in my gut.

I brushed my lips against his. I kept my eyes open
watching him. Seeing his reaction was all part of the
sensation.

His eyes widened and he dug his fingers into my
shoulders. "What the fuck?" he grunted around my mouth.

He tried to push me away, but I held on to his face,
my lips still molding his. I needed him. Without his kiss I would
die. I just knew it. The thought kept spinning and twisting my
head. It didn't make any sense, but I couldn't stop it from
controlling my actions. The craving gripped me so tight I couldn't
escape.

I was suddenly ravenous and only Jamie's kiss could
satisfy me. His vigor, his energy, was the only thing that could
fill me and stop the violent hunger from ripping apart my
stomach.

Clamping my lips over his mouth, like a suction cup,
and sucking the air from his lungs, I began to...

Feed.

He struggled against me, pushing at my arms, trying
to pull his head away. But I was strong. I could feel a force
filling me, giving me everything I needed to survive—food, water,
warmth, love, power. Everything. It was both exhilarating and
frightening to experience.

"Salem! Stop!" Jamie yelled, his voice muffled by my
mouth, but still quivering with fear.

An image popped into my mind—Thane over top of me,
sucking out my soul. It filled my head until pain exploded at my
temples.

I pulled back from Jamie, releasing my hold on him,
breathing hard, my heart pounding like a piston radiating pain
throughout my chest. I couldn't believe what I'd just done.

Jamie blinked at me, a stunned look on his face. His
lips were puffy and sore looking as if I'd bitten down on them
again and again. He wiped a hand over his mouth then looked at it,
probably expecting to see blood.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Cowering against the passenger door, I just shook my
head. I was scared. My whole body quaked. I didn't know what the
hell I'd done, or how it happened. I lost control of my thoughts
and my body and it frightened me to the core. It was Jamie's pleas
which had mirrored my own that finally stopped me. What would have
happened if I hadn't heard them, recognized them as my own? I
shivered at the morbid thought.

"I...I'm sorry, Jamie," I stammered. "I d...don't
know why I did that."

"You need some serious help, Salem."

I scrambled to get out of the car. I pulled at the
door handle, once, then twice, until finally it opened and I
spilled out onto the curb. Without looking back, I slammed the door
shut and ran up the lawn, nearly tripping over the stupid
decorative rock inexplicably in the middle, to the front door. I
dug into my jacket, found my keys, and quickly opened the door.
When I was safely inside, I kicked off my sneakers careful not to
make a huge ruckus. I padded down the hallway to my bedroom.
Thankfully, no one woke up, and I was able to escape inside and
shut the door behind me. After locking it, I shed my jacket and
crawled under the covers on my bed.

My body was racked with intense shivers. No amount of
heat could warm me. The cold crept through me from the inside
out.

What had I done? I closed my eyes trying to shut out
Jamie's shocked image. He'd looked at me in fear, as if I was some
crazed maniac trying to hurt him. I'd scared him with my actions.
I'd attacked him; it was as simple as that.

His face had been pale, gaunt looking. Sucked dry,
was the phrase that immediately came to my mind. I could still
taste him on my lips, on my tongue. Like icing sugar, powdery and
sweet. I remembered the pain in my stomach—hunger pains—as I
feasted on his mouth. God, I had
fed
on him. On his energy.
There had been a tingle on my lips as his life force had been drawn
out of him and into me.

Tears filled my eyes. I was dangerous. I couldn't
control what was happening to me. Trevor had been right. I was
going to do things, bad things. And obviously to the people that
were closest to me. I had hurt Jamie, my friend. What if I hadn't
been able to stop? Would I have killed him? Would I have dumped him
in the trash like I'd been?

I clamped my eyes tight as the tears streamed down my
cheeks to drip on my pillow. Trevor said I was turning into
something not human, and he was right. I'd tried to deny it, but I
could feel the changes in my body, and in my thoughts. The black
eyes, the floating, the sleepwalking, and now trying to suck
Jamie's face off were all symptoms of the change I was going
through. It was like experiencing puberty all over again, but in
extreme style.

I squeezed my thick blanket up closer to my neck,
burrowing into the warmth it provided. There had to be something I
could do to either stop the changes occurring or control them. I
had to track down Trevor. I needed his help. But how the hell was I
going to do that?

Maybe I could just stick my head out of the window
and yell for him. But I had a feeling that I was going to have to
wait for him to contact me. I'd pissed him off last time, so who
knew how long it would take. It could be days or even weeks.