Twisted (16 page)

But Karen was still alive, in her brother's mind. And perhaps Amy could convince Kevin that Karen was alive in her mind, too. It was worth a try. Time was running out, and it was her only chance.

Amy took a deep breath, and shut her eyes. And then she began to speak in a very soft, slow voice, trying to make Kevin believe that she was in a trance.

“Yes, Karen. I can hear you. It's wonderful to hear your voice again. I've missed you so much this year.”

There was the sound of a sharply indrawn breath behind her, but Amy stayed very still, with her eyes closed. It was extremely important that Kevin think she was still unconscious.

“Of course I'll help you, Karen. What do you want me to do?”

The footsteps approached her quickly now, and Amy made her body relax. A ghost of a smile flickered across her face, and she sighed deeply.

“Yes, I know that Kevin misses you, too. And I'll tell him that you love him. Is there anything else?”

She could hear Kevin breathing behind her, and it sounded like he was gasping for air. Amy moaned softly, and spoke again.

“Of course I'll help to keep your memory alive. Just tell me how to do it.”

Kevin was so close to her now, Amy could feel his breath on her face. She wanted to open her eyes and scream, but she moaned again, instead.

“Yes, Karen. I promise I'll write a piece about you for the school yearbook. I'll do it this weekend and turn it in on Monday morning. Is there anything else I can do?”

Amy heard a sound in front of the school. A car was pulling up near the entrance. Danny and the boys were here to save her, but they didn't have a key. They'd have to break into the school, and that would take time.

Something warm and wet splashed against her cheek, and Amy almost jumped. And then she realized that Kevin was crying, and she moaned again, to cover the sound of the glass that was breaking down the hall. Danny and the guys were inside. It was almost over, but she had to keep Kevin occupied and let them know where she was.

“No, Karen. You don't have to worry about Kevin. He's our friend and we'll take care of him. We all like Kevin very much.”

Another tear splashed against her face, and Amy didn't even wiggle. But then she had a thought that made her blood run cold. Kevin had a knife, and Danny and the boys were coming to save her. Would Kevin use the knife on them?!

Amy knew she was playing with fire. It would be very risky to mention the knife, but somehow she had to convince Kevin to get rid of it.

“You're afraid that Kevin will cut himself with the knife? Yes, Karen. I'll tell him to toss it out the window.”

“Nooo!” Kevin's voice was very loud, and he wailed like a frightened child. “I want to go with you, Karen! I don't want to stay here all by myself!”

Amy's eyes flew open as Kevin reached for the knife. She rolled quickly, snatching it up, and leaping to her feet. Then she whirled and ran toward the faculty rest rooms, where there was a door she could lock.

But Kevin had a speed born of desperation, and he covered the distance between them in the space of a heartbeat. He lunged at Amy, and she screamed, struggling to keep the knife away from him. Before she could scream a second time, Kevin's hands clamped around her neck, squeezing hard, trying to get her to drop the knife.

Amy felt her knees grow weak as she struggled for air. Black spots were whirling in front of her eyes, and her grip on the knife began to slip. She knew she couldn't let go. Danny was coming, and Kevin would kill him. But after another few agonizing seconds, she just couldn't hang on any longer.

There was a clatter as the knife fell to the floor. And then the door crashed in. That was when things started to happen very fast.

Danny barreled into Kevin, sending him flying, and Brett raced to Amy to help her to her feet. And then Amy was in Danny's arms while Brett stood guard over Kevin. Danny was holding her tightly, stroking her hair and telling her that everything was going to be all right. But it wasn't. Not for Kevin.

There was the sound of footsteps racing down the hall, and Neal and the sheriff appeared in the doorway, followed by two deputies. Brett glanced at them for just an instant, but that was enough time for Kevin to do what he'd meant to do all along.

Kevin grabbed the knife with both hands and pointed it at his chest. And then he fell forward to the floor, driving it in to the hilt. He looked at Amy as he fell, and Amy heard the last words he whispered.

“I'm coming, Karen. Wait for me. I'm coming to be with you forever!”

A
my slept late on Saturday morning. After the sheriff had taken her statement, he'd driven her home and told her parents what had happened at the school. He'd praised Amy's quick thinking and called her a heroine, but Amy didn't feel like one. She just felt sad that so many of her friends had died.

After Amy's parents had gotten over their shock, they'd hugged Amy, and told her how proud they were of her. And then they'd asked her if there was anything they could do to help her.

Amy had been able to think of only one thing that might help. She'd said she just wanted her life to get back to normal. So she'd watched a television program with her parents and gone up to bed, trying to convince herself that it was just an ordinary night.

It must have worked, because when Amy got up in the morning, she felt like her old self. She dressed, and hurried downstairs to help her mother with breakfast. It was Saturday morning, and the Valentine's Day Dance was tonight. This was her very last chance to tell her mother that she'd asked Danny to be her date.

“That smells wonderful, Mom!” Amy smiled as she approached the stove, where her mother was standing. “What are you making?”

“Apple pancakes. They used to be your dad's favorites.”

“But, Mom . . .” Amy was so surprised, she spoke without thinking. “I didn't put apple pancakes on my diet sheet. I mean . . . the diet sheet that came in the mail from . . .”

Amy stopped, and began to blush. There was no way to talk herself out of this one. She'd have to confess that she'd written the diet sheet. “You know, don't you, Mom?”

“I know.” Amy's mother laughed. “You weren't very subtle, Amy. You listed all of your father's favorite foods, but you didn't put down one single thing that he didn't like.”

“Are you mad at me, Mom?” Amy felt terrible.

“No, honey. I was driving both of you crazy with my silly diet sheets, wasn't I?”

Amy nodded. “Uh . . . yes, in a way. But I shouldn't have tried to fool you. That wasn't right.”

“That's true.” Amy's mother slipped her arm around Amy's shoulders and gave her a hug. “But that diet sheet of yours was actually very good. You managed to get in all the basic food groups, and you did a nice job balancing the saturated and unsaturated fats. Did someone help you with it?”

Amy nodded. “Danny did. And Colleen went over it with us. She had a book on nutrition. But I'm sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have been so sneaky. I should have come to you and talked about the problem. It's just . . . I really didn't think you'd listen to me.”

“I hope you know that you can come to me and talk about your problems now.” Amy's mother hugged her again. “I'm on your side, honey. I've always been on your side. And if we have a problem, we should try to work it out.”

Amy nodded again. And then she took a deep breath and blurted out the biggest problem in her life.

“Mom? I've got something to tell you, and I hope you won't be upset. I didn't mention it before, because I . . . I just couldn't! I know how all the mothers in Clearwater feel about Danny. They think he's awful because he dropped out of school to start his band, and they don't want their daughters to date him. But Danny's back in school now. And he's on the honor roll. And he's . . . he's really nice, Mom. And that's why I . . . I asked him to be my date for the Valentine's Day Dance. I can go with him, can't I, Mom?”

Amy's mother smiled. “Yes, you can. Your dad and I were very impressed with Danny when he came to ask us if he could take you to the dance.”

“Danny came here?” Amy was so shocked, her mouth fell open. “But . . . when?”

“Almost a week ago. But I asked him not to tell you that he'd asked us for permission to date you. I wanted you to come to me, and you did.”

“Oh, Mom!” Amy threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her. “I've been really stupid, haven't I?”

Amy's mother hugged her back. And then she smiled. “Not really. It's all a part of growing up, Amy. It's hard for kids to realize that their parents have gone through the very same things.”

“The very same things?” Amy blinked. “You're kidding, aren't you, Mom? I mean . . . you dated Dad in school. You told me that you went steady with him when you were a Senior. And Dad was . . . he was Dad. He was never the bad boy in town!”

“Oh, no?” Amy's mother smiled. It was a smile that was full of secrets, and Amy's eyes widened with surprise. “Let's go out to the mall for lunch, next Saturday . . . just the two of us. I think you're old enough to hear some very interesting stories about the things we did when we were in high school.”

 

It was midafternoon when the doorbell rang. Amy opened it, and grinned as she saw Colleen.

“I'm back.” Colleen hugged Amy. “Danny told me what happened when he came to pick me up this morning. You're a hero, Amy!”

Amy laughed. It was wonderful to see Colleen again. “It's heroine, and I'm not, really. I was scared to death.”

“Are you going to the dance?” Colleen sounded wistful.

“Yes, and so are you. Your date's picking you up at seven.”

“My date?” Colleen was shocked. “But, Amy . . . I don't have a date!”

“You do now. Danny and I worked it out. And put on your best dress because you're going to be the Valentine's Day Queen.”

“I am?” Colleen looked very confused. “But, Amy . . . I thought
you
were supposed to be the queen.”

“Not anymore. I talked to Mr. Dorman this morning, and I convinced him that the votes I got from Cat shouldn't count. And that means you won!”

“Oh, Amy! Thank you!” Colleen hugged her again. “But who's my date?”

Amy just smiled a secret smile. “You'll find out, when he picks you up tonight.”

 

Everything had worked out perfectly. Colleen had been thrilled when Brett had come to pick her up for the dance, and she'd been even more delighted when Danny had told her that the whole thing had been Brett's idea. Colleen had always wanted to date Brett, but since Amy had been interested in him first, she hadn't wanted to jeopardize their friendship.

When Amy and Danny arrived at the dance together, Colleen's eyes had nearly popped out of her head. But once she'd gotten over the shock, she'd been delighted. She'd confessed that she'd always wanted Amy to date her brother. Since they were best friends already, it was absolutely perfect.

The Valentine's Day Dance had been incredibly wonderful. Danny and Amy danced every dance together, and they'd applauded wildly when Colleen had been crowned queen, and Brett had taken the throne as king.

Now the dance was over, and Danny pulled up in front of Amy's house. He turned to her with a smile, and Amy noticed that he kept the engine running. “Do you have to go in right away?”

“Not really.” Amy glanced at her watch in the light from the dashboard, and smiled a secret smile. “I still have almost fifteen minutes before we get blinded by the porch light.”

Danny pulled Amy into his arms and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss, full of promises. But promises weren't quite enough for Amy, and she turned the kiss into something wild, and wet, and so perfectly wonderful that both of them were gasping when it ended.

“I guess I'd better behave myself.” Danny's voice was strained. “You didn't wear the black dress tonight.”

“I know. Are you terribly disappointed?” Amy's voice was low and breathless.

Danny took a moment to think about it, and then he chuckled. “No. Not really. Tonight was perfect, just the way it was. But you will wear it someday, won't you, Amy?”

“Well . . .” It was Amy's turn to hesitate, and the silence grew between them until neither one of them could stand it any longer. And then Amy snuggled very close and reached out to touch his lips with the tip of her finger. “I'm not sure exactly when, but I'll wear it. Believe me, Danny . . . that's one thing you can positively count on.”

K
elly Bridges frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Girls in love weren't supposed to look like death warmed over, with dark circles under their eyes, and hands that trembled as they held the phone. Tears weren't supposed to gather in their eyes, and run down their cheeks. They weren't supposed to feel like throwing something against the wall so hard it would break, or screaming in pure frustration. Love was wonderful. That's what everyone said. But everything would have been much easier if Kelly Bridges hadn't been in love with Tommy Jackson.

“Okay, Tommy. I'll meet you in an hour. And I love you, too.” Kelly sighed deeply as she hung up the phone. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and turned to the mirror to study her reflection, again. She had light brown hair that curled slightly at the tips, dark blue eyes that were almost violet in color, and a slim figure that she maintained by strict dieting. She would have been beautiful if she'd been smiling, but Kelly had absolutely nothing to smile about.

Tears began to gather in her eyes again, and she blinked them back. She was so miserably depressed, she'd had to force herself to get out of bed this morning. It didn't matter that Tommy was back in town, after his summer construction job. It made no difference that she'd been accepted by the college of her choice, the same college that had offered Tommy a full athletic scholarship. It wasn't important that Tommy had just made the last payment on her engagement ring. Her life was a complete and total mess.

The plans they'd made had been wonderful. Kelly sighed, and a wistful smile flickered across her face. Tommy had asked her mother if he could give her an engagement ring on Halloween, when they would celebrate her eighteenth birthday. The wedding was scheduled for June, right after their high school graduation, and they'd planned to spend the summer getting settled in a small apartment close to the university campus where they'd both enroll as freshmen in the fall.

Kelly swallowed hard, past the lump in her throat. Tommy still had his dreams, but hers had turned to ashes. There would be no college for her, no golden autumn days watching Tommy play football, no group study sessions in their cramped living room, no socializing with the other students over spaghetti dinners. Now, the whole scenario had changed, and she had been written out of the picture.

What would happen to Tommy? Kelly shivered a little, picturing him all alone on campus. But Tommy was a popular guy and he wouldn't be alone for long. He'd get an apartment with a couple of roommates from the football team, or maybe he'd live in a frat house, and date the sorority girls. Tommy would start a new life, a life without her. And before his first year of college had passed, he'd forget that he'd ever loved a girl by the name of Kelly Bridges.

Before she could start to feel any more sorry for herself, Kelly picked up the keys to the ancient Dodge that Tommy had helped her repair, and headed for the door. She'd asked Tommy to meet her at Jerry's Roadhouse, a decrepit place out on the highway, where they wouldn't be likely to run into anyone they knew. Kelly just hoped that the back room at Jerry's was as dark as she remembered. When she told Tommy her awful secret, she didn't want to have to see the expression of painful disbelief on his face.

 

The August night was dark, and the warm breeze from the open window caressed Kelly's face as she drove down the highway. It was a perfect, romantic evening with brilliant stars glittering overhead. The air was heavy with the scent of blooming flowers, deep red clover, yellow buttercups, and white and purple lilacs.

Kelly shivered and rolled up the window. It was too late to smell the perfume in the air, to breathe in the scent of bright tomorrows filled with promise. Her fate was signed, sealed, and delivered. There would be no future joy for her.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Where was her courage? She'd always been strong, and she needed all the strength at her disposal to face Tommy. She could break down later, after Tommy had left her life forever. Then she could afford the luxury of tears to mourn all the bright and loving moments they would have shared together.

But what if it wasn't true? Shouldn't she wait to tell Tommy until she'd gone to a doctor to confirm her suspicions? Kelly hesitated, the car slowing to a snail's pace on the gravel road. Perhaps she'd been too hasty to jump to a conclusion. It was possible her symptoms were misleading, even psychosomatic. They could be caused by nothing more serious than simple stress.

Kelly frowned slightly as she stopped the car and tried to think. She knew she'd been under a lot of stress lately. She was nervous about her performance on the SATs and it would be another two weeks before she got her scores. Things weren't exactly a picnic at home, either. She knew her younger sister was sneaking out of the house at night, and she was still trying to decide whether it was her duty to tell her mother. Then there was her mother's new boyfriend. Kelly didn't like him, but it wasn't really her place to object. And the wedding was turning out to be a real problem. Her mother wanted a huge affair with all the relatives, but that would be horribly expensive. Tommy's parents had offered to share some of the cost, but Kelly didn't really want a lavish wedding. She preferred to have a simple ceremony, and save the extra money for their college expenses.

Work had been a strain, too. Kelly had a summer job with Foothill Appliances and she was on a straight commission, no salary. She was on the verge of making a very big sale, enough to pay for the wedding and most of their college expenses, but none of that mattered now, not if what she feared was true.

A car horn honked, and Kelly looked up to see Sheriff Newsome waving at her. He rolled down his window and shouted a question. Did she have car trouble?

“No, I'm fine.” Kelly made herself smile past the tears that had gathered in her eyes. “I was just looking for something in my purse.”

When the sheriff drove off, Kelly put her car in gear and got on the road again. If she didn't hurry, she'd be late for her meeting with Tommy. Not that it would really matter . . . nothing really mattered anymore.

She was just cresting Appleton's hill when she saw the lights blinking in the distance. The arms on the crossing gate were closing, and Kelly could hear a train whistle in the distance. The eight o'clock freight train was coming, and it always took at least five minutes to clear the crossing. She would be late, but there wasn't a thing she could do about it. The arms on the gate were already closed.

Kelly pressed down gingerly on the brake pedal. The brakes had a tendency to grab and pull to one side, something Tommy had promised to fix for her just as soon as he had a spare afternoon. But even though Kelly had braked, the car didn't slow.

She frowned and pressed down a little harder, but the car kept right on gaining speed. What was wrong? The brakes had always been a little finicky, but they'd never failed before! Kelly pulled the handle of the emergency brake, but that didn't work either, and she felt herself beginning to panic. She had to think of some way to stop before she reached the crossing, and it was at the bottom of the hill!

“Okay. Here goes!” Kelly gripped the wheel tightly and tromped down hard on the brakes. The car would skid, but she was prepared. But nothing happened! The car kept right on hurtling forward, even though the brake pedal was jammed all the way to the floor.

There wasn't time to think, only to react, and Kelly jerked the wheel to the right. The ditch wasn't that steep and it was bound to slow the car and stop it.

There was a horrible jolt as one wheel hit the edge of the ditch. The car tipped steeply, but it kept right on going, scraping and shuddering its way down the hill. Kelly fought the wheel, trying to steer over to the other side of the road, but it was no use. The old Dodge was riding on the lip of the ditch, heading straight down to the crossing.

And then she heard it, the blast of the train whistle, much louder this time. The eight o'clock train was rounding the bend, hurtling down the track full speed ahead. The engineer was totally oblivious of the horrible wreck that was only a few heartbeats away.

Someone must have seen her, because there was a metallic squeal so loud it seemed to rip the fabric of the night apart. It was the distinctive sound of metal scraping metal, and sparks began to fly beneath the train. They had engaged the brakes. They were trying to stop. But could they stop in time?

For a moment, Kelly thought they'd make it. The train seemed to slow, but perhaps that was because her old Dodge was moving so fast. And then she was on the tracks, feeling desperately for the door handle. But there was no time. The bright light was upon her, crushing the life from her body and plunging her into the endless darkness.