A Beautiful Dark Read Free Page B

street in both directions. I could feel the tremors diminishing as Cassie and I sprinted through the freezing air to where our cars were parked on the other end of the street. We stopped at her old hunter green Volvo wagon. I couldn’t draw in air. It was like my lungs had locked up.
    “Well, for better or for worse, everyone will be talking about your birthday on Monday,” Cassie muttered as she fumbled for her keys.
    I tried to stay upright, but my knees were shaking too hard. They buckled under me, and I slid to the ground. I gasped for breath again and again.
    “Skye?” Cassie crouched next to me, snow seeping into her tights. “Are you okay?”
    She pushed back my hair as I leaned my head against the passenger door and closed my eyes, battling to keep breathing.
    “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I said, my chest tightening. The street was spinning, even though the rumbling had stopped. “I feel weird. I probably had too much to drink.”
    “You can’t drive home like this. You’re shaking.” She took my mittened hands in hers and squeezed.
    “Just . . .” I didn’t know how to explain what was wrong with me. I didn’t understand what was going on. It wasn’t panic. It wasn’t even fear. It was like total and complete exhaustion. Like I’d pushed myself to the limit and was crashing.
    “Come on, get in.” She helped me up and into the passenger seat. Leaning over, she buckled me in. “I’ll drive you home. We’ll get your car in the morning.”
    As she climbed in and revved the engine, her radio played the single that had been popular all winter. Cassie began to sing along softly, automatically. She turned the wheel and glided out from the curb, down the street.
    I took a deep breath, trying to steady my hands. As the music and Cassie’s voice washed over me, I happened to glance in the side-view mirror. On the street, a lone figure stood in the shadows, getting smaller and smaller as the car pulled away.

Chapter 3
     
    T he next morning was gray and heavy with the promise of more snow. When I opened my eyes, the weak light filtered into my room through the bay window. As it washed over my pale blue walls, I felt almost like I was outside, just floating in the sky. I buried myself deeper under my cream-colored jersey comforter, letting the soft cotton surround me. I pulled it tight to me like a cocoon, blocking out the world. I had a slamming headache.
    I didn’t feel any older on the day after my birthday than I had on the day before it.
    I wanted to stay under the covers all morning, but my cell phone rang, forcing me to get out of bed and walk all the way across my room to where it was charging on my dresser.
    “Hey, Ian,” I said after I saw who was calling. Shivering in my boxers and T-shirt, I ran to get into bed with the phone. I closed the window on my way back. I didn’t remember leaving it open, and now the room was freezing. I glanced outside before pulling the curtain closed. The sky looked dark, like the storm headed our way was about to blow down some serious power lines.
    “Hey,” he said. “How are you feeling this morning?”
    I laughed. “I’m fine. I got up, answered the phone, and now I’m back in bed.”
    “Don’t tempt a guy, Skye; I’m only human. Are you wearing pajamas?”
    “Ian!”
    “Kidding! Kidding.” Only I had a feeling he wasn’t. He made jokes like that a lot, but he was a good friend and I’d never thought of him as more. “I really did call to see how you’re doing. It was kind of scary there toward the end.”
    Absently, I pulled the covers over my head, watching for cracks where the light shone through. “Yeah, you guys really put the ‘surprise’ in surprise party.” I yawned. “I’ve never heard of an earthquake hitting this area before.”
    “Is that what you heard?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It wasn’t an earthquake. The boiler in the basement exploded.”
    I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Wasn’t that