Paranormal Public (Paranormal Public Series) (2 page)

My stomach rolled. I hated lying to Ricky, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. “Yeah, of course,” I said. “All the time. I’m sure college won’t be that big of a deal.” I was not going to admit it, but I was scared to death of college and how big of a deal it was going to be. I would be living on my own for the first time with a group of other kids who would be living on their own for the first time. I was nervous and excited and scared all at once. But I would miss Ricky.

“You’re lying,” said Ricky.

“Well, maybe,” I said, “but I’ll miss you too.”

Ricky shook his head and sighed. “You’re going to be too busy for me.”

“Ricky,” I said, halting. “Don’t be silly. You look like a little old man. I’ll never be too busy for you.”

“Mom would want you to come home,” Ricky pointed out. I started walking again, faster. “She wouldn’t want you to be mean.”

“Ricky,” I cried, “I’m not mean. It’s complicated.”

“That’s such a girl thing to say,” said Ricky. Then, abruptly changing the subject, he said, “Are you going to be alright getting home tonight? Without dad?” Ricky understood my problem. Unlike the friend I had told about it, Ricky hadn’t laughed at me. Plus, he was more of an adult in our relationship than I was. Minus his inability to cook.

“I’ll be fine,” I lied again.

“Can’t you tell the truth once before we get to Harry’s?” Ricky demanded. “We also need to talk about you dating at college.”

I yelped. “Ricky! What are you talking about?”

Ricky removed his glasses and dusted off the lenses. “I know how guys are. You need to be careful. And my dad isn’t going to tell you that.”

“Ricky,” I said, “you’re ten.”

“You say that like it means something,” said Ricky, sticking the glasses back on his nose.

I rolled my eyes. We were almost at Harry’s.

“Look, you avoided dating all through high school or it avoided you,” he said. I couldn’t help making a strangled noise, but he continued: “It would just be smart if you continued to do so in college,” Ricky finished.

I glared down at my little brother. “I’ll date if I want to.” There was no way I was going to tell Ricky that I had been harboring ideas of getting a boyfriend in college. He was right. I hadn’t dated in high school. I had kissed a couple of boys in middle school, but then my mother had died and I just hadn’t been interested. I was hoping college would be a fresh start.

“So,” said Ricky, “no dating. Or I’ll have to knock some heads together.”

“Sure thing, Ricky,” I said.

“Lie number three,” he said, and trudged off to Harry’s.

I got to the coffee shop a little bit late. I had walked fast after I’d left Ricky at Harry’s, partly because of my little problem, but I was still late.

Mr. Jefferson waved to me as I came dashing in. The shop was busy, as it always was before eight o’clock. A couple of my friends were sitting in the corner, and I waved to them as I went behind the counter. I didn’t have time to look and see who else was there before I had to start serving.

Mr. Jefferson came over as I was setting out more mugs. “Alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s busy tonight.”

Mr. Jefferson shook his head. “Lots of parents taking their kids out for one last meal before they ship them off to college. Kids don’t know it, but the parents are all going to throw a big party once we’ve gotten rid of you all.” He was grinning.

I laughed.

“Naw,” he said. “I think most of the parents will miss their kids something terrible.” He said “most,” not “all.” I wondered if he had been thinking of me. My stepdad couldn’t wait to get rid of me. All the evidence I needed was that I couldn’t even keep my room. If I wanted to come home I would probably have to sleep on the couch.

I kept an eye on everyone who came in and out. Lots of kids I had just graduated with were still around. I had mixed feelings about finishing high school. We all had the same questions: What will college be like? Will it be better or worse than high school, or just different? I didn’t like not knowing my future, but I couldn’t wait to get out of that house. I sighed. And placed another mug on the counter.

I sat dejectedly looking out the window. I had no idea how I was going to get home, which was silly, because I only lived about three blocks away. But for the past two weeks I had been afraid to walk home alone, especially after dark.

The couple of times I had been out late and the sun had already gone down, I’d had my stepdad pick me up. It had worked fine, except that tonight he had poker and my shift at the coffee shop had ended an hour late. It was now almost ten o’clock.

“Charlotte, what are you still doing here?” Mr. Jefferson asked as he came out of the back. I saw him and smiled. He reminded me of Santa Claus, all white beard and pot belly. “We did good business today. It’s always good in the summer,” he said, happily rubbing his hands together.

“Just deciding how I’m getting home,” I told him. But he wouldn’t give me a ride. He slept above the coffee shop and I’m not even sure he had a car. But I was tempted to ask him to at least walk me part of the way.

“Charlotte, you’re eighteen years old. You should be able to find your way home by now,” he joked.

I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know.”

Despite his encouragement, I still didn’t move. When he realized I wasn’t going anywhere he walked around the counter and sat on the bench next to me.

“Everything all right?” he asked. I’d been working for him for a year now and he knew me pretty well.

“Yeah, fine,” I said. There was no way I could tell him what was wrong. He’d just think I was crazy. I had tried to tell one of my friends a couple of days ago and she had laughed at me. Of course, I might laugh too if one of my friends told me that a massive black dog with red eyes was following her around and that now whenever she went outside at night, a thick mist would swirl around her. When I told her about that happening to me, my friend laughed so hard she fell out of her chair, then teased me about being afraid of the dark.

“Not looking forward to college starting?” he asked.

“No, definitely not,” I grumbled. “It should be illegal to have classes while the sun is out. School should be a rainy day activity.”

Mr. Jefferson chuckled.

“I’m sure you’ll do well this year,” he told me kindly. “It’s a great, exciting step in your life.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. He was right, but the easiest thing to worry about was the unknown. “I guess I should head home now.”

Mr. Jefferson had been my last hope. I knew there wasn’t anything else for it. I’d have to walk alone.

With my hand on the doorknob I turned to Mr. Jefferson and asked, “Have you ever come across an animal you knew was evil?”

Mr. Jefferson looked surprised. “There are some pretty bad animals out there, Char,” he said. “Plus, unfortunately some get rabies and are sick.”

Rabies. Hmm, that was something I hadn’t thought of. Maybe the dog had rabies. I wondered if that would give it red eyes. Somehow I didn’t think so. “Thanks again,” I said.

Mr. Jefferson, not noticing my apprehension as anything unusual, told me to have a good night.

I took a deep breath and told myself I was being silly. I was eighteen years old and nothing ever happened in this town. I couldn’t still be afraid of things that went bump in the night. It was just a stupid dog, and of course there was mist. I lived in Maine and there were a million lakes and the ocean. Just because the mist seemed to swirl around me until I almost couldn’t see anything was irrelevant. Right? Yeah, sure.

I opened the front door and listened to the welcome bell jingle as I stepped outside. It was odd to feel so scared in a place where I’d spent so much of my life. Since it was late – past eight o’clock is late around here – all the other shops along Main Street were closed. I could hear a car coming in the distance, but it would just speed past.

For a moment I stood still, uncertain. Since I only lived three blocks away, all I had to do was walk down Main Street and then turn right into the residential area. It was literally a five-minute walk.

But I couldn’t move. At this moment I hated where I lived as passionately as I’d ever hated anything. I’d be fine as long as I was on Main Street, but my street had no street lamps.

“This sucks,” I muttered. Every part of my body was tense, so I pulled my phone out of my bag and held it in my hand, ready to call for help if I had to.

Part of me felt like I was being ridiculous, because I’d grown up in this town and literally the worst thing that had ever happened was some stolen garden tools. Then again, there was a first time for everything, and another part of me felt sure there was a boogieman right around the corner who was about to leap out at me.

The last part of me wondered if this had anything to do with my mother. But I pushed those thoughts aside.

Suddenly, while I was still walking along Main Street, I thought I heard a growling behind me. The black dog was there again. I gasped. I was positive my heart had just stopped beating.

My hope of avoiding him was dashed. I didn’t want to sprint all the way home. I didn’t want to show fear. But I was so scared I wanted to scream.

I looked behind me and felt like I was plummeting from the very top of a roller coaster, all fast panic and rolling stomach. There in the shadows was a pair of red eyes looking back at me.

Then they were gone.

Probably just a trick of the light. Right?

“I’m not crazy,” I said to myself. “I am NOT crazy.” I walked faster. “Don’t be afraid,” I ordered myself. For what it was worth.

I was almost relieved to have the mist come. It wasn’t exactly warm and comforting, but somehow I felt like it shielded me from the dog.

Only two more blocks.

I heard a snarl.

Despite my instincts telling me to stay calm, I started to run.

“Hi Charlotte.”

So much for good intentions. I staggered to a stop.

Standing in front of me was Cale Marks. He was a guy I’d known for most of my life until last year, when he graduated and left for college. No one in town had heard anything from him since. I remembered him as a nice guy who played a lot of sports.

He reached out and took my arm to steady me. I hadn’t seen him in a while, but I thought his face looked strained. He had a shock of red hair that was currently falling into his eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose.

“Hi Cale,” I said. I couldn’t help it. I looked over my shoulder. The mist was clearing a little. I didn’t see any sign of a massive dog.

“How are you?” Cale asked, still holding my arm.

His touch was distracting. “What?” I asked. “Oh. Fine.” Looking at him I knew I should ask some penetrating question about the last year, like how was school or where had he gone, but all I could think of was that my friend Katie had a massive crush on him and was heartbroken when he left. I had to admit, he was attractive in a boy-next-door sort of way. I decided I liked the boy-next-door sort of way better anyway.

“Can I walk you home?” he wanted to know. He finally let go of my arm, leaving a warm spot where his hand had been.

“How did you know I was going home?” Typical me, arguing with someone who was offering to do what I had been wanting all evening.

He shrugged. “Nothing’s open. You live like a block from here. Where else would you be going?”