Born at Midnight (25 page)

Kylie kicked in the door and aimed her gun at the man hunched over the woman. “Stop it!” Kylie screamed, but it wasn’t her voice making the demand. It was a man’s voice.

Kylie froze for a second, then she saw that the man had a knife. She saw the woman, her clothes ripped, and blood covering her face and hands, as she scrambled away from her assailant.

The man swung around to face Kylie. He rushed forward, his bloody knife held high. Her finger on the trigger tightened. She saw him fall and felt no remorse for shooting him. He was evil, she knew it.

A young boy came running in the front door. His dark hair and eyes seemed haunted and older than his years. “No!” he screamed when he saw the bleeding woman huddled against the wall. He fixed his eyes on Kylie.

He started yelling something in a language Kylie didn’t understand. He pulled a gun from his pants pocket and aimed it. Aimed it right at Kylie.

Pop. Pop. Pop.
She heard the shots. She didn’t feel them, but she knew she’d been shot—she also knew when she fell to the floor she was dying.

Suddenly, she stood in the corner of the room looking at the boy and the woman. Her gaze shot to the body lying in a heap, the body she’d just left—the person she had been. Soldier Dude. Blood streamed down his face. He reached inside his uniform and pulled out a letter. He brought it to his lips and with his last breath, he kissed the envelope.

Kylie’s heart ached for the loss. She didn’t know him, but she cared. Cared that he had died. Cared that he had died trying to save someone.

The woman sat up, looked at the dead soldier, and started screaming again, and so did Kylie.

When she woke up, she was still screaming, standing with her back against the kitchen wall in her cabin. Miranda and Della, dressed in their pajamas, stood in front of her, staring.

Kylie let go of her tension and felt herself slide down the wall. Her throat felt raw, her heart raced.

“She’s having a night terror,” Miranda said from far away.

Kylie wanted to believe it, but no. She’d never remembered the others. This time she remembered. Somehow she knew that this had been more than just a dream. This was how Soldier Dude had died.

*   *   *

Kylie sat there for a good ten minutes, assuring Della and Miranda she was fine. When they finally went back to bed, Kylie returned to her bedroom. Realizing she couldn’t sleep, she got dressed and went to see Holiday. The camp leader had told Kylie if she ever needed her, night or day, she could come to her cabin. Kylie was about to find out if Holiday really meant it.

Moving down the path toward Holiday’s cabin, Kylie couldn’t help but notice how the night seemed void of noise. Not a bird, not even the shuffle of a raccoon. In her mind, she heard the woman’s screams again and saw the soldier take his last breath. Tears dampened Kylie’s face. She brushed them away, not wanting to be crying when she got to Holiday’s cabin.

Suddenly, the dark silence shattered. Kylie heard arguing in the woods. The voices were gone just as quick as they’d begun, though. The hairs rose on the back of her neck. She ignored the fear of the unknown and focused on what she knew. The soldier was dead. He’d died trying to save someone. She kept walking. Holiday’s cabin was only another five minutes away.

She took another step, and that’s when she felt someone move into place behind her.

That’s when she felt the hand grab her arm and jerk her back.

“You shouldn’t be out now,” the eerily familiar voice snarled.

Chapter Thirty-three

Kylie swung around. It felt as if her heart jumped up and slammed against her tonsils. As soon as she saw it was Sky, Kylie breathed a sigh of relief.

“You scared me,” she said.

When Sky’s hold tightened, Kylie’s relief started to vanish. “I … I need to speak to Holiday. She said if I needed her, I could come. It didn’t matter what time.”

Sky continued to stare, but her grip finally lightened. “What do you need to see her about?”

“I had another bad dream. Only I remembered this one. The ghost was there.”

Sky dropped her hold and then stepped back as if she wanted no part of Kylie’s ghost. “Do you know which cabin is hers?”

Kylie nodded. Sky motioned for Kylie to continue, and she did. Even so, Kylie felt Sky watching her as she took each step. Kylie wasn’t sure why and then it finally hit her that Sky probably thought Kylie was going to or coming from a hookup with a boy.

Kylie stopped in front of Holiday’s cabin door and knocked. A few seconds later, the camp leader, wearing a big night shirt, opened the door.

“Kylie?” Layers of concern filled Holiday’s voice. “Is everything okay?”

The distress in Holiday’s voice opened up Kylie’s floodgates again. Tears formed in her eyes and her throat grew tighter. “No.” Kylie shook her head side to side. “It’s not okay.”

Holiday pulled Kylie inside and wrapped her in a solid hug. Kylie allowed herself to be held by someone who seemed to understand. When the hug ended, Kylie told her, “I think I know what the ghost wants from me.”

*   *   *

When the sun rose, Kylie still sat on Holiday’s sofa, going over and over the dream. The camp leader confirmed what Kylie had suspected. It hadn’t been a normal night terror, but an out-of-body experience. The ghost had brought Kylie into his last memories. Holiday agreed that Kylie could be right, that the ghost might have been accused of committing the crime he’d died trying to stop, and now he wanted someone to let the world know he wasn’t the villain. Nevertheless, Holiday also said that it was seldom that easy.

“Do you think he’s going to try to do this again?” Kylie asked, hugging her knees. While she wouldn’t deny that she had a newfound respect for the man, even found her heart grieving for him, she didn’t want to do this again. Every time she remembered that woman’s screams, remembered pulling the trigger to kill the woman’s attacker, she felt sick.

Holiday squeezed Kylie’s hand. “I don’t think ghosts realize it’s as hard as it is on us. They can be relentless at times.”

Kylie shook her head. “I can’t do this, Holiday. I’m not brave enough.” Her insides started shaking again.

Holiday sighed. “You’re doing fine. And I’m here whenever you need me, Kylie. Why don’t you go to your cabin and get some sleep? Take the day off and just rest.”

“What if it happens again?”

Holiday reached for a pad of paper. “I’m giving you my cell number and if you need me, I’m just a phone call away.”

Isn’t that what her father had said? But another hug from Holiday and Kylie almost believed her.

*   *   *

Around noon, Miranda and Della brought Kylie some lunch. “You didn’t have to do this,” Kylie insisted, and picked at the pizza.

“You donated blood. I’m obligated to you for life,” Della teased.

“What about me?” Miranda asked. “I gave blood, too.” She held up her arm to show off the Band-Aid.

“Yours wasn’t that good,” Della teased, and then she looked at Kylie again. “Derek asked about you at breakfast this morning. He said he needed to talk to you about something.”

Kylie sighed. With everything else, did she even have it in her to start thinking about Derek? “Did he say what it was about?”

“No, but he looked serious.”

“Oh,” Miranda added, “you missed the excitement, too. You know Chris, the vampire? He and that blond werewolf—I think his name is Nathan—they got in a fight. Sky had to break it up.”

“There was blood all over the place,” Della said. “And it smelled so good.”

“Why were they fighting?” Kylie popped a piece of pepperoni into her mouth.

“A reason?” Miranda asked. “Everyone knows vamps and wolves don’t get along. Especially the males.” Miranda shot a glance at Della, who was already frowning.

“Not true,” Kylie said. “Lucas even gave blood to Chris. They’re roommates.”

“And some of the vampires didn’t want him to take it,” Miranda said.

“Why not?” Kylie asked.

Miranda shrugged. “Stupid prejudices. One of them said they didn’t want to be indebted to a dirty dog.”

“That’s just a stupid rumor,” Della said. “I don’t know if anybody really said that.”

“Yeah, but that’s what everybody’s saying happened. Oh, and guess what else you missed?” Miranda started twisting in her chair. “Guess who sat at our table?”

Kylie saw the twinkle in Miranda’s eyes. “A bird with a broken wing.”

Miranda grinned. “How did you know?”

“Because you’ve got that goofy grin and started dancing, stupid.” Della laughed.

“I don’t have a goofy grin,” Miranda snapped.

“No fighting. I’m trying to digest my food.” A minute later Kylie asked, “Anything else happen?”

“The FRU showed up again,” Della said, her voice more serious this time, and then she rose and walked to the computer. “I didn’t hear anything, but that tall dark guy was all over Holiday, reading her the riot act about something.”

Kylie took a drink of her diet soda and told Della and Miranda what she knew. “So, something is going on, guys. And whatever it is, it’s serious. On the second day at camp, Burnett told Holiday that if ‘something’ didn’t
stop
happening, they would close the camp down.”

“Close it down?” Della swung around from the computer. “They can’t do that. This is what keeps us sane and keeps us from killing each other.”

The computer let out an e-mail-alert beep. Della glanced at the computer and then back at Kylie. “You got another e-mail from your dad.”

Kylie dropped her pizza, suddenly not hungry anymore. She still hadn’t spoken to him. Kylie knew she was wrong to keep dodging him, but so was he. He’d told her he would come to the parents day. Add the fact that Kylie felt he’d also stopped loving her, and the whole daddy subject was just another demon she needed to tame. And she intended to do it. Sometime later. When it didn’t hurt so darn much to think about.

“Holiday didn’t look happy,” Della added. “Especially when they brought Lucas into the office.”

Kylie’s gut clenched. “They talked to Lucas? What did they say?”

“I don’t know,” Della said. “But he looked mad enough to kill.”

When Miranda and Della left a short while later, Kylie lay back down. But sleep evaded her. And not just because she was afraid a certain ghost would snatch her up for another trip down memory lane. She thought about Holiday and wondered about the mess with the FRU. She wondered about Lucas. Did they find out his parents had been rogue? Did Lucas think she was the one who said something?

Her mind raced and she didn’t know which problem to give herself over to, or how to stop thinking about it all.

She’d already logged in about forty minutes talking to Sara this morning, listening to her go on and on about Phillip, the new guy she was seeing. Then Kylie had spoken to her mom and lied like a big dog.
Everything at camp was just peachy.
When Kylie heard a knock on the cabin door, she was thrilled over the distraction.

But not so thrilled when she opened the door and found Lucas standing there. Okay, she was thrilled he was there, but why couldn’t she have looked better? She looked like she’d just crawled out of bed, which she had, while he looked … great. He stood in her doorway, with one hand behind his back.

She opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t even get out a normal greeting. It wasn’t just lack of sleep, either. No, it was remembering their kiss.

And how he’d told her it had been a mistake.

“Hi.” He grinned as if he knew she was tongue-tied. “Your roommate, the one with the tri-colored hair, said you weren’t feeling good.”

“Yeah, but I’m feeling better now,” she managed to eke out, and then said, “I heard the FRU talked to you?”

He nodded. “It was nothing.”

She sensed that was a lie.

“I got you something.” He shot her his killer smile.

And darn it if she didn’t just melt into a puddle. Holding on to the doorknob, she asked, “What did you get me?”

“I went to town to pick up some stuff for Holiday and … I found it.” He suddenly looked guilty.

He pulled out his arm, and Kylie expected to see a bouquet of some inexpensive flowers. Not a wiggling, mewing black and white kitten.

Her breath caught.

“I think you should take it. It doesn’t like me too much.”

Kylie took the kitten and cuddled it against her chest. The thing was so small it almost fit in the palm of her hand. She stroked the feline’s forehead and heard the tiny thing purr. Was she dreaming? She had to be, because the kitten had the exact markings of her cat, Socks. The cat he’d …

Her gaze shot up to his. “You remember?”

He nodded. “Of course I do.” There was a minute of silence. “I should … go.” He started to walk away and then turned back around and came back to the door. He leaned his arm against the frame and met her eyes. Something about his posture told Kylie whatever he was about to say was serious. “Kylie, I swear, I tried to stop him. It was the first and last time we fought.”

“Stop who?” she asked.

“My dad. He was bigger and a heck of lot faster than I was then. But I tried.” He took another step back and then pointed to the side of the porch. “The litter box supplies and cat chow are there.”

Kylie just nodded. His admission about his dad having been the one who killed Socks had sent a shock through Kylie’s system. All these years she’d assumed … “Do you want to come in? Help me set it up?”

For a second, she thought he was going to say yes. Then he looked deeper into her eyes and she saw some of the wildness of desire she remembered from the kiss. “I’d better not.”

“Why?” she asked, knowing his refusal wasn’t just about coming inside. He was saying no. No to the possibilities running through her mind each time she thought about him. No to the possibilities of more kisses, and their getting to know each other for real.

“It wouldn’t work.” he said. “There’s some things going on in my life right now. It’s not a good time, believe me.”

She couldn’t accept his dismissal, not without trying. “You know what they say about waiting for the perfect time, don’t you?”

He closed his eyes. “I can’t drag you into this, Kylie.”

“Drag me into what?”

Opening his eyes, he reached out and passed a finger over her lips. “You are so innocent. And I am so tempted.” He dropped his hand. “But I can’t. Take care of yourself, Kylie Galen.”

His final words sank in and they sounded a lot like good-bye. She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Are you leaving?”

His gaze met hers. He didn’t answer her, he didn’t have to. She saw it in his eyes.

“Is this about the FRU?” she asked.

He let go of a deep breath. “I can’t…”

She dropped her hand. “I never said anything about you to them or Holiday. I swear it.”

He smiled but it was the saddest smile she’d ever seen. “I know.” Tucking both his hands into the tips of his jean pockets, he looked at her. “You know, I didn’t think you could get any cuter than you were when you were six. But I was wrong.” He leaned down and his lips lightly touched hers. It happened so fast, she barely felt it.

She wanted so much more than that quick compliment and chaste kiss. “Are you leaving?” she asked him again.

He didn’t answer. He’d moved off the porch. Kylie stood by the door and watched him walk away. And although he never told her for sure, she knew. She knew Lucas Parker was going to disappear from her life again.

*   *   *

Less than an hour later, Kylie heard someone knock again, or make that pound, on the cabin door. She’d just made it into the living room when the cabin door swung opened with such force it slapped against the cabin wall.

Kylie saw Burnett first, followed by a very unhappy Holiday.

“You don’t walk in uninvited,” the camp leader seethed.

“He was here. I can smell him.” Burnett glared down at Holiday.

“I don’t care. You respect my wishes, or I’ll take it up with your boss.”

“You already have.” The vampire’s eyes tightened with anger.

“Well, I’ll do it again,” she said.

“I have to find that kid,” Burnett growled. “I don’t have time to play nice.” The vampire focused his gaze on Kylie.

“Sorry we barged in,” Holiday said.

“What’s wrong?” Kylie asked. She didn’t have to ask who they were looking for.

Burnett took a step toward her. Holiday grabbed him by the arm to yank him back, but he didn’t budge.