Kelly Hashway: The Monster Within

“Sam, you need to hear what I have to say.”

A lump formed in my throat. “How do you know my name? Who are you?”

“Sam!” Ethan shouted.

“Ethan!” I gripped the lamp tighter in my hands in case the mystery guy tried to attack me out of desperation.

The bedroom door flew open, and Ethan’s eyes rushed from me to the guy. He lunged for him. “Get the hell away from her!” Ethan grabbed the guy by the front of his shirt and threw him into the living room. I heard a crash and knew our TV had gone down with him. So much for our one channel.

I held onto the lamp, yanking the cord from the wall, just in case Ethan lost the upper hand before we got rid of the intruder. I rushed to the doorway and stayed there as Ethan grabbed the guy and hauled him to his feet. He pulled back his arm and slugged the guy right in the nose. The sickening crunch of bones breaking made me cringe so much my shoulders practically went through the roof. The turkey and cheese sandwich I’d inhaled between refilling drinks threatened to make a reappearance.

Blood poured from the guy’s nose, and there was a small part of me that felt sorry for him. Ethan backed off a little and watched the guy stagger backward. His eyes were glued to me. “You have no idea what you’re doing,” he said, reaching for the door.

“If I ever see you near this place or Sam again, I’ll break a lot more than your nose.” Ethan gave the guy a final shove in the chest. He slammed the front door behind him and bolted it. The back of his head looked sticky with dark red blood from where he’d slammed into the side of the cottage. I had no idea where the flashlight or hammer was or how the guy had gotten the upper hand on Ethan. All I knew was Ethan was hurt.

I dropped the lamp, not even caring that the bulb shattered on the floor. I ran to Ethan and buried my head in his chest. My whole body heaved as I sobbed.

“Shh. It’s okay. He’s gone.” Ethan rubbed my back, trying to calm me.

But in that moment, nothing could calm me. I’d died, come back a killer, and now someone knew my secret. Knew it and might want to hurt me because of it.

ISPENT the night in Ethan’s arms. I barely slept, afraid I’d start gasping for air. I wouldn’t kill Ethan in my sleep. I’d never let that happen. So I lay awake, listening to his rhythmic breathing. I hoped he didn’t have a concussion, but he assured me it was only a scratch, nothing bad. Still, when the first rays of sun peeked through the window, and Ethan rolled over, I checked his head for gashes. Not a one. His pillow didn’t have so much as a drop of blood on it. He’d be okay.

I turned over to check the alarm clock. Ten after six. I had to get up and face my first day of school as Samantha Smith. Since Ethan had gone shopping during my training at the diner yesterday, we finally had more than crackers to eat. The good part about working at the diner every day after school was we’d never have to cook dinner for ourselves. Gloria said dinner was part of our wages. I think she just liked being motherly. She was sweet like that.

“Morning.” Ethan finally emerged from the bedroom, sleepyeyed with his hair sticking up in every direction. He was the only person I knew who could make disheveled look sexy.

“Good morning.” My eyes drifted to the bit of bare stomach that was exposed as he stretched his arms over his head.

“What? Do I have something on me?” He looked down, trying to figure out what I was staring at.

“No, it’s just you. I’m admiring you.” I smiled and took another spoonful of cereal.

His face lit up. “Admire all you want.” He kissed the top of my head before heading into the bathroom. Ethan got ready quicker than anyone I knew. I had about two minutes before he’d be rushing me out the door. I cleared my dishes and grabbed a protein bar for Ethan. He ate one every morning.

Someone had moved the rock back in place during the night. That, or the peeping Tom had tripped over it and knocked it back in place. Either way, we had to step over the rocks to get to the car. The drive to school wasn’t long at all. There were about ten schools in the area. Who knew a resort town would have so many local residents? The high school was huge. I had no doubt I’d get lost. We pulled into the parking spot Ethan had secured for us.

He squeezed my hand. “So we have to find the guidance office first. They’ll have our schedules. And then—”

“We’re split up and thrown to the wolves?”

“It won’t be that bad. So, we might not be in the same classes. It’s only school. We’ll be together at work and at home.”

“I know.” I was acting clingy again, and I didn’t like it. It wasn’t me. But I was nervous. It had been more than twenty-four hours since I’d killed Herman. What if that feeling came over me again at school? I didn’t want to kill anyone.

The guidance office was nestled in the middle of the school. The security or hall monitor, whatever he was called, brought us there. A little old lady who reminded me of my grandmother was sitting at the desk when we walked in.

“Can I help you?” She smiled at us, which threw me. Most people who worked in the school offices back home hated when they had to interact with the students, but this woman seemed happy to have someone to talk to.

“Hi, I’m Ethan Jones, and this is Samantha Smith. We’re transfer students.”

The woman—Mrs. Melrose, according to the nameplate on her desk—nodded and began flipping through some files. “Yes, I have your schedules right here. What a coincidence that you arrived together.”

Ethan and I forced smiles on our faces. How did we explain how we knew each other? I was supposed to be from Phoenix, and Ethan was supposed to be from Florida. It didn’t really make sense.

“We sort of bumped into each other in the parking lot. He looked as lost as I did,” I said, thinking on my feet.

Ethan nudged me with his foot, and the slightest smile crossed his lips. “I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to meet a pretty girl on my first day.” He winked at Mrs. Melrose. I think she misunderstood what he was saying, because I swear she started blushing. Yuck! She was well past the “cougar” label.

“Well, if you need anything, feel free to stop in the guidance office anytime.” She handed us our schedules.

We muttered “thank you” as we studied our schedules. It was worse than I’d thought. I was in all middle-level classes, which wasn’t bad, but Ethan’s schedule was packed with honors courses. He’d always done well in school, but he’d only taken honors history. The guy watched way too much of The History Channel. I wondered how he’d manage with such a tough schedule.

“At least we have lunch together,” he said, trying to make the best of the situation.

We managed to find our lockers. Ethan’s was at the opposite end of the hall from mine, which meant I probably wouldn’t even be able to catch a glimpse of him between classes with the crowded hallways.

He walked me to my locker and kissed me goodbye. “Good luck. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Hours. Lunch was hours away. I gave him my best fake smile and opened my locker. I realized I didn’t have any books yet, and I hadn’t worn a coat to school, so there was really nothing to put in my locker. I slammed it shut and looked for room 213, English literature with Mr. Ryan. I hoped we wouldn’t be studying Middle English. It was a different language and way too difficult to read.

When I got to the door, I wasn’t sure if I should walk in or knock. I could see Mr. Ryan sitting on the edge of his desk and reading from a book. I didn’t want to interrupt him, so I opened the door and quietly crept inside. I recognized the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . I’d read it sophomore year. At least I knew I’d do well on my first exam. Mr. Ryan’s reading was full of emotion, nothing like the way Mrs. Belfry read aloud to us back home.