Whispered Darkness by Jessica Sorensen Page 0,4
is going on nearby. And while I’m not positive, I have this overwhelming sensation that Kingsley is at that party. I just hope I’m right, or an entirely new set of dangers might arise.
Quickening my pace, I powerwalk up the path until I stumble into an opening. Sure enough, a bonfire is blazing in the middle of a flattened area, groups of people surrounding it, talking, drinking, smoking.
I search the crowd for Kingsley but can’t spot him anywhere. Then I suddenly become aware that I’m in my pajamas. I almost back up onto the path, but if I do that, it means walking home, so …
Sucking in a breath, I force myself to walk forward.
The moment I step out into the opening, a few people glance in my direction. Some people who I know, too.
“Harlynn?” Eli, one of Foster’s friends, says as I emerge off the path. He’s standing by a couple of other guys who don’t go to my school. He has a drink in his hand and the hood of his jacket is pulled over his head. His face is scruffy, like he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days.
“Um, hey,” I mumble, pausing a ways apart from him.
I’m not sure what to do, and that unsureness only doubles as his gaze scrolls up and down me.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, the corners of his lips tugging downward.
I wrap my arms around myself. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m just …” You just what, Harlynn? You were just sleepwalking and ended up in the forest? Yeah, go ahead and tell him that. See how that goes for you.
The glow from the fire highlights the worry in his eyes. “Let me go get Foster, okay?”
Go get Foster?
Foster is here?
Foster the liar.
Stay away from him, Beth’s voice floods my thoughts.
“No,” I quickly tell Eli. “Don’t do that, please.”
He pauses, glancing at me, hesitancy written all over his face. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but …” He massages the back of his neck, uneasiness flowing off him. “Foster will be pissed off if I don’t tell him you’re here.”
“I’m not your responsibility,” I assure him with a hint of a bite in my tone.
“You kind of are,” he mutters, scratching his cheek.
Something strange is going on. I can feel it through his uneasiness. It’s almost like he’s afraid of something.
“Why do you think that?” I wonder, tucking my arms underneath my armpits. While it may be early summer, the air is a bit chilly.
He lifts a shoulder. “Foster just makes sure all of us keeps an eye on you.”
I lift a brow. “What do you mean by all of us?”
“Um … you know, his friends.” He stuffs his hands into the front pockets of his jacket. “If we see you at a party, and he doesn’t know you’re there, we’re supposed to tell him.”
I recall the last time I went to a party. It was only a couple of days ago, and I went with Porter and Kingsley. One of Foster’s friends had seen me and, sure enough, Foster had shown up at my window that night, demanding that I tell him why I was there. It was also the same night that he had told my mom we were dating.
That controlling asshole!
How could I not have seen all of this? How could I not have noticed how he always seems to know where I am. The only time that didn’t happen was when I went to that party with Star, and Kingsley kissed me in the closet. But none of Foster’s friends were at that party. It was probably too rough of a crowd for them to hang around.
“You know what? I’ll go find Foster,” I lie to Eli. “I actually came here to see him anyway.” I say the words so easily, the lie flowing off my tongue like liquid poison. And I don’t feel bad about it. At all.
Foster has everyone keeping an eye on me.
He’s keeping tabs on me.
He’s a liar.
A controller.
And I want him out of my life.
“Are you sure?” Eli double-checks, his gaze scrolling over me again. “I mean, maybe you shouldn’t be wandering around by yourself when you’re dressed like that … You’re not even wearing any shoes.”
“I know.” I could give him an excuse as to why I’m dressed this way. I’m sure he wants one. And the old Harlynn would’ve given him one. This new, undead version, though, doesn’t care what he wants, what he thinks. So, I don’t bother giving any