Freaksville (17 page)

“Welcome to my world.” I hug him again.

“I love you, Ness. I love you so much.”
He runs his fingers through my tangled hair. I bite my lip and tighten my arms around him.

“Oh and by the way? You suck at telling stories,
old man
.”

~ Can You Pass The Sarcasm? ~

I smile at Devin to let him know I’m okay with him being…well, aged. It doesn’t bother me. It just means he should be more mature than the other guys around my age. I cannot stand an immature douche monkey. They irritate me so much.

Holding the door to the small, comfy pizza place open for me, he smiles back. The worry is still obvious in his eyes. I don’t know what I can do to get it to go away. He lets me pick out the spot where we sit. He pretty much insisted on taking me out to eat, so I suggested this place. It’s the only pizza place that I know of that’ll still be open at the crack of dawn.

After the waitress takes our order, I return my attention to Devin. Eventually I give up on waiting for him to lift his gaze from the table. So I just watch the room, the few people, and our waitress.

Inside looks like a log cabin, and there’s an old jukebox near the bathrooms. A singing fish on the other side of the wall, something my mom always joked about getting. And they’re always friendly here, no matter what time it is.

I love it.

My face heats when I catch him looking at me. He just grins. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” His true accent rings out.

“No.” My face gets hotter. “Shut up, man.”

“It truly is an adorable thing when a woman doesn’t realize the affect she has on the room.” His eyes twinkle.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to start talking about sex.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I swear, when you talk in your English accent, it’s so charming I want to vomit.”

“I would love to talk about sex with you.” My mouth dries.

“Really?” I challenge, leaning over the table.

He leans closer, too. “There is nothing I’d rather do.” He flings out a challenge. “Ladies first.”

“How sweet.” I smirk.
I was not expecting this…but I do love a challenge.
“Would you mind if I jumped you right here?”

“I’d welcome it,” he whispers.

“Bathroom’s that way.” I jerk my head in that direction. “Do you have any protection?”

He pats at his pockets, “We could get some.”

“What would you do to me first?” My heart races.

This started just so I could mess with him, but something more is starting to happen. And I don’t exactly want to stop it.

Have his lips always been so full? Damn, boy.

A woman nearby clears her throat, reminding me that we’re in public. I have to clear my throat myself before sitting back down. “Here are your drinks,” our waitress says, setting them in front of us. “I’ll be back with your food in a jiffy.”

He sips on his Coke, and I chug my water, our gazes still locked. That pesky myth about vamps not eating and drinking normal food is exactly that, a myth. Hell, I’ve watched Nicks down five hot dogs at a cookout before…he was six. They can eat, but to keep a healthy mindset they need to feed at least once a week or their animalistic instinct will take over.

A moment of silence stretches out. “So.” I sip on my drink, finally regaining control over my racing heart. “Are you a virgin, Devin?”

He chokes.
Shouldn’t y’all be used to my lack of filter by now?

“Breathe, man.” The guy at the next table slaps him on the back a few times. When Devin’s okay he turns to me. “Hi, my name’s Teddy.” He offers a hand to shake.

“Hi, I’m Nessa.” I try for a smile. “His name’s Devin. Thanks for helping.”

“It’s not a problem. Nessa, is that short for anything?”

“Nope, just Nessa.” I glance at Devin, who’s glaring down at the table again.

“That’s what I figured, I like it. Really like it….” He gives me a not-so-subtle once-over. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before?”

“No, I was born here.” Medium height, pretty buff, with light-brown eyes and ash-blond hair…. Not bad. But I’m not interested.

“That’s cool.” He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his slightly sagging jeans. “You’ve got a little something….” He picks something out of my hair, a piece of cotton, wow.

My attention returns to Devin when a low growl sounds. A warning. Then Teddy’s sucking in his breath and jumping away from us. Before I can ask him what’s wrong he’s already backing out of the restaurant and I see him race off through the window. “Devin, what did you do?”

He shakes his head, staring over my shoulder. “Nothing.”

How come I don’t believe you?
I remember Jake freaking out about a spider of a variety that isn’t even common around here being on his hand and now this…. “Are you jealous when other guys touch me, Devin?”

“No,” he grunts.

For some reason, it doesn’t bother me. Normally it would but I guess I really do like him. “You’d better be glad you’re cute.”

<<<->>>

Oct. 21
^st

It’s my birthday, yay. Party, ha. I wish. Not. The guys have been weirdly quiet, and, when they get quiet, they’re most definitely up to something. I think they’re planning a surprise party. Oh, and add in the fact that they’ve been avoiding me, maybe because I’d be able to pick up on it.

So, yeah.

I found out Devin likes reading. That douche hole is freakin’ talented. He’s a writer, photographer—after I showed him how to use the fancy camera—he captured a picture of me where I don’t look completely horrible and, apparently, he plays the guitar. I hate him but kinda love him like him. He’s my best buddy.

Screw it. This is me we’re talking about here. I love that bastard. But it’s not the right time to say something. With everything going on, blah, it wouldn’t have been appropriate if I jumped him when we were sitting in the living room with the guys, trying to find out who’s behind the murders.

And it also turns out that he is NOT a virgin. He fell in love with a girl once. Apparently it was sweet and all romantic. Boo-boo was all in love and then, wham! Turned out that bitch was married and just playing him, wish I was kidding then again. No I don’t. Because, now, he’s single, yeah, hopefully he never reads this.

It just wouldn’t be good.

And I miss my mom I miss her a lot.

Be back to ramble later,

Ness.

Eating an orange in Devin’s empty apartment couldn’t be weirder. I’m used to noise, constant noise. Apparently the guys took Devin out to a strip club. Or, at least that’s what they said. I didn’t question the fact that they’re not old enough. Unless they have fake IDs or they know the owner, they aren’t getting in. Devin could if he had a license with his real age. Who the hell knows what they’re actually doing. Because I get the feeling he wouldn’t be too comfortable there.

Throwing the orange peels away, I make my way into the living room from where I was seated at the bar that separates the kitchen from the living room to watch some TV. With nothing on besides movies I’ve seen multiply times, I start to get sleepy, so, instead of letting myself go to sleep, I get to my feet and get ready.

I don’t know where I’m going as I walk down the road until I get there. Antonio’s old house, Mia was serious about me tending her garden while she’s gone. She walked me through how to take care of it and told me her secrets in an email a few days after they left. Which was really just to keep them alive. I didn’t make any promises.

But standing in the middle of all of these beautiful flowers makes me feel better. Not knowing what else to do, I get the thing to water them. It probably has some fancy name but I don’t know what it is. Devin was right about one thing, I’ve been stressing out too much, trying to find the murderer.

We’ve narrowed it down to someone I’m close to, someone close enough to snip my hair in my sleep. But that could be anybody. My mom’s coven, at least twenty suspects there. Anyone we’ve ever had over for dinner would know their way around the house. My mom’s a very social person. She’ll talk to anybody.

So, in other words, we didn’t really narrow it down much.

Before I can even curse, a puff of weird-smelling smoke blows in my face and the water thing falls from my hands. Trying to wave the cloud away doesn’t help. I can’t see anything, like the way out of there. What the hell? Then, before I know it, I’m getting really sleepy. I fall, crashing through the flowers into the open air, slamming into the cold, hard ground. Shit gets blurry, and I can barely keep my eyes open.

All I can make out is men’s sandaled feet, the kind of sandals that strap across.

Ugly shoes bro….

<<<->>>

A loud metallic
bang
jerks me awake to find an unfamiliar ceiling over my head. I’ve gotten used to Devin’s spare bedroom. But this? I’ve landed in some kind of basement, cold, damp, and stinky. Gooseflesh spreads across my skin, and I try to sit up, only to find I’m strapped to a table.

What the—

“Good, good. Nice to see you’re finally awake,” a voice chirps from an intercom thing from some room beside me. “I was starting to wonder if I added too much.”
Too much?
“You’re probably confused right now, you poor, naïve thing. I drugged you. Remember feeling sleepy? Yeah, that was me.”

“That was rude….” I search around for an escape route, like I could actually get these straps off me.

“I wouldn’t try using your little powers on me. That hasn’t worked for years. Your mother always keeps many useful things in that attic. Saved me a trip and money.” His deranged laughter sends chills down my spine. “Anyway, you’re probably wondering why you’re here right now, and what I could possibly need with you. A little witch. Well, that is very simple, my dear—”

“Do you just like to hear yourself talk?” I yell out, fighting against these damned things.

“Yes, my voice was said to be very musical at one point.”
Damn it!
These bindings around my arms and legs get tighter every time I strain to be free of them. “I bet you and your vamp brothers haven’t uncovered my identity yet. You never were good with mysteries.”

You would be guessing right. I know this fool, though. From the way he talks…but who is it?

He walks in, and my heart sinks down into my butt. Blinking a few hundred times doesn’t change the truth. “Billy.” Anger boils through me, but I take slow, even breaths and keep my poker face on.

“Nessa.” He nods with a twisted, demented smile. “I was so hoping you wouldn’t figure it out so I could see the surprise on your face….” He trails his fingers across my cheek.
Not creepy at all
. When he starts to trace my lips I chomp down on his fingers. He yells out, struggling to get away from me.

Thinking pit-bull thoughts because that’s what I am, I bite down harder, tasting blood. Then, out of nowhere, blinding pain shoots through the back of my head, and everything goes dark.

~ The Escape ~

As the fog in my head clears, Billy’s freaking out. Yelling, kicking things over, and punching the wall. A brick lies beside me, covered in blood. He hit me with a brick?
Bastard
can’t even handle a girl biting him. I always thought he was a wuss.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” He sneers, cradling his hand. “Now I can tell you about how you’re going to die.”

“Great,” I whisper, sarcastically cheerful, feeling ever so delighted to see my teeth marks in his still bleeding hand. People might wonder why he has it, and could maybe, just maybe lead to them solving the murders.

“I was going to let you go easily, but now?” He gives a mad-scientist kind of cackle. “Now, it’s going to be fun…for me.”

Shocker. Psycho has someone fight back, he loses a little bit of control, and then he has a hissy. And now said person is going to be tortured. What a wonderful ending to the story. At least it’s not asparagus.
Asparagus
. Devin.
I’m going to miss that weirdo…and then the guys. I love those weirdos, too.

“Hey, you do realize that my mom—your wife—is going to know and she’s going to—” a burning, stinging sensation spreads across my arm, shutting me up.

“Your mom will find out that you’re gone, but she won’t find your body. And she won’t know about me. I’ve kept it secret for how long now?” Cue evil laugh again. “You can’t guess how many times I’ve wanted to cut your pretty, little head off.” He forces my face in his direction.
Narcissistic jackhole
. “And your mom?” His hot breath is in my ear. Gross. “She was just a nice lay.”

Hissing loudly, I head-butt him. That really wasn’t such a good idea when my head’s already hurting but, hell, I’m going to die anyway. The least I can do is put some bruises on him.

He probably knew I wouldn’t go down without a fight, therefore the straps, smart cookie.
Why does he have to be so smart?

“Well, it’s getting late. I better be going now.” He wipes the blood from his knife on his pants. He’s been slicing up my legs and my arms. Just getting a taste of torturing me, I guess. “Wouldn’t want your mother getting suspicious, would we?”

“Tootles,” I snort, sinking back against the cold, wet metal.

“Nighty night. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.” He practically bounces up the steps. When he slams the door shut behind him, darkness surrounds me.

“One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi….” I mutter into the darkness. Around the twenty-fourth Mississippi my eyes start getting watery. I barely make it to thirty, forget about forty.

Tears stream down my face, but I don’t try to stop them anymore. I never would’ve guessed Billy was the murderer. He was the dad I never had. But then again maybe I was too blinded by appreciation for his presence to really see the signs. But, even now, the only real connection to the crimes is that he’s close to me. That’s what made it all so brilliant.