Бри Деспейн - The Dark Divine

"You don't want to know what she said about you?" Jude called after me. "You don't want to know what the entire school is talking about behind your back?"

I turned. "No, I don't. At least not from you--not right now--because I'm pretty sure this has something to do with Daniel. And no matter what I say, you won't believe it because you made up your mind about him a long time ago, didn't you?" I pursed my lips. "You keep pretending everything will be fine if I stay away from him, but it won't be until you deal with all this hate yourself."

"You're siding with him? Maybe the rumors are true."

"And so what if they are? I love Daniel. I tried not to for your sake. But I can't stop loving someone just because you can't forgive him." I lowered my voice. My lips trembled. "You think you're the good one, but Dad says the good son is the one who's in the greatest danger."

Jude stumbled like I'd punched him in the gut. My nerve failed, and I ran into the ladies' room before he could say anything back.

IN THE CAR

I stayed in the bathroom until April came to collect me. She seemed more concerned than mad, and I was glad she didn't tell me that I'd ruined her night--I felt guilty enough already. We piled into the Corolla. I insisted on driving, and Jude relented without a light. We headed back to Rose Crest for the dance, even though it was the last place I felt like going. All I wanted now was to curl up in bed and wait for the full moon to be swallowed by the day--and I could be with Daniel again.

No one spoke as we drove, except for Pete, who yammered on and on about being overcharged for his drink refills--not exactly the concerns of someone fighting an inner demon. I tried to forget any thoughts of monsters and wolves and focused on surviving the torturous evening ahead of me. At least we were going to get to the dance at the tail end, and then we could go straight home.

But as I turned down Main Street on our way to the school, I saw a line of police cars in front of Day's Market. Their blue and red lights cast sinister shadows on the green awnings of the shop.

"Those are cops from the city," April said. She stuck her head out the window like an anxious pup. "I wonder what's going on."

I pulled the car over in front of Brighton's, across the street and kitty-corner to Day's. It was as close as we could get. A uniformed officer was stringing a line of police tape across the entrance to the market's parking lot, and a few bystanders had gathered to gawk. Word must not have gotten out yet, or half the town would be here.

"There's Don." I pointed at him.

He wrung his Day's Market apron in his giant hands as he spoke to a dark-haired man in a suit. The man patted Don on the shoulder and then went inside the shop.

"Where's Mr. Day?" April asked.

Where's Daniel? He'd told me he was going to finish up a late-afternoon shift since Mr. Day had promised him time and half if he wouldn't quit before Christmas. But he'd said he wanted to be done by nightfall. He'd be gone by now--but to where, I couldn't guess.

Is this what he had been worried about? Is this what he'd wanted to prevent? Did my going out cause this to happen?

I pulled the keys out of the ignition.

Pete grabbed my hand. "Let's just go to the dance. We'll miss the whole thing if we stop."

"Yeah," April said. "Maybe we should just go." Her voice had a high, doglike whine to it. "I told my mom I wouldn't stop anywhere else."

I opened the door and got out. "Don!"

He looked up. His face was distorted by shadows. He crossed the street and as he came closer, I saw that his eyes were puffy and blotched with red. "Miss Grace?" He came up to the car. "You shouldn't be here. It isn't safe."

"What's going on?" I lowered my voice, hoping the others wouldn't hear.

Don looked back at the market. "He was here."

"Who was here?" Jude asked, suddenly beside me.

April got out of the car and stood behind him.

"The monster." Don groaned. "The Markham Street Monster. He ... he ..." Don wrung his already crumpled apron.

"What is it, Don?" I put my hand on his arm. "You can tell me. It'll be okay." "He killed her." "Who?" Jude asked.

"Jessica," Don sobbed. "I was taking out the trash ... and I found her body. She was behind the Dumpster."

I covered a gasp. Where is Daniel? Did he know a body had been found right next to where we'd been kissing only a few hours before?

"And you're sure it was Jessica?" Jude asked.

Don nodded. "Her face was so clawed up, I wouldn't have known it was her if it weren't for her hair. When the cops came by to tell Mr. Day she was missin'---they'd said she had green hair."

"Green hair?" That girl! The one who rammed into me at the party. The one with all the piercings, and the huge eyes, and the green hair. No wonder it seemed like I knew her from somewhere. "Oh, my ... I saw her ... I saw her the night she disappeared."

"Where?" April asked.

"At Da--" I stopped when I saw Jude staring at me. "Just somewhere in the city."

"At Daniel's?" Jude grabbed my arm. "She was at Daniel's apartment on Markham Street. She was at that filthy party."

"What? How did you know--?"

"Then it's true?" Jude twisted my wrist. "She was there, wasn't she?"

"Yes," I said. "But Daniel didn't have anything to do with this. He told me--"

"He told you? And you just believed him?" Jude sank his fingers into my arm like they were teeth. "Of course you do. You'd believe anything he said."

"Stop this now," I tried to say to him like my father would, but Jude's fingers only bit harder.

"I don't understand," Pete said from the other side of the car. "You think Kalbi did this?"

"It wasn't Daniel," Don said. He lowered his voice as if he wanted to say something only to me, but his whisper was an echoing shout. "It was the monster, Miss Grace."

He glanced over my head at Pete. "The monster was the one who took James, too. Your dad and I stopped at the police station in the city. Your dad asked for the blood-test results--but they said they didn't have none. They said they couldn't even figure out if the blood was from a human or an animal. It had to be the monster."

"You see." Jude's hand trembled. He dropped my arm. "You see. This is him."

"No," I said. "It can't be. There must be someone else."

Jude reeled on me and grabbed me by both shoulders. "Where is he?"

"Jude, stop," I said quietly, all too aware of the cops across the street.

"Calm down, you guys." April yanked at Jude's arms, but he didn't budge.

"Where is Daniel?" Jude clenched my shoulders through my chiffon wrap and shook me.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't."

Jude let go. He backed away to the driver's side of the car.

How did he get the car keys?

"Jude, stop. This is insane. You've been drinking." I looked at Don for help, but he cowered away into the street.

"Please," April yelped.

"Hey." Pete stepped in front of Jude. "If you think this is Kalbi, then go tell the cops."

"No," Jude said. "They can't stop him." "Then what are you going to do?" "I'm going to find him."

"Then I'm coming with you." Pete opened one of the back doors.

"No!" I tried to grab the keys, but Jude shoved me away.

"Hey," someone called from the police line. "What's going on over there?"

Jude jumped into the driver's seat. As he gunned the engine I scrambled into the backseat next to Pete.

"Hey, stop!" someone shouted.

But Jude shifted the car into drive, and we went flying down Main Street, leaving April and Don behind.

We didn't go far. Jude floored it a couple of blocks and then skidded down Crescent Street. We flew past the high school, and just when I thought we were going to pass it, Jude whipped the car around and into the crowded lot. He drove up and down the parking lot, searching between every car.