Insidious: (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 1) Read online

  “Are you really that stupid, or just that insensitive?”

  “I prefer the term honest. Prince Charming on that placard over there wasn’t the Golden Boy everyone insists on advertising.”

  “Oh, I get it. Residual trauma from swirlies has got your panties in a bunch,” I shot back. “I suppose it is easier to badmouth someone who can’t defend themselves, right? How manly that must make you feel.”

  He grinned, but it didn’t mask his obvious aggravation as he got a better look at me. Reese suddenly chuckled to himself.

  I ignored the gesture and turned around.

  “Look, I’m not judging you or anything,” he remarked.

  “Judging me?” I queried, spinning around.

  “Yeah, you and Ryder…you know.”

  “No, I don’t know,” I growled.

  “He put Percy in the playpen, am I right?” Reese scoffed.

  I could feel my cheeks burning, but it wasn’t from embarrassment.

  “It’s a pity that’s not a video camera,” I growled, pointing to the device in his left hand. “Because that would’ve been the only piece of evidence to record what I’m about to do to you.”

  “You offering to go twenty-toes with me, too?” He still wasn’t amused. What was this guy’s problem?

  “I was thinking something more along the lines of a Colombian necktie.” I closed the gap of space between us, and he stepped back, but that stupid smirk of his wouldn’t subside.

  “You’re a little hostile, you know that?”

  “Maybe you didn’t hear, but I was the one in the car with him—”

  “I know.” His jaw was set unnaturally tight as his eyes bore down at me.

  It wouldn’t do me any good starting up a full-fledged fight with him, so I stepped backward. “Just stay the hell away from me,” I growled.

  Reese’s gaze redirected over my head. “Careful now.”

  I suddenly spun at the sound of leaves crushing beneath someone’s boots directly behind me, and Carly and I collided into one another.

  “Holy hell!” she yelped as we both stumbled to the ground.

  Brushing the mess of hair from my eyes, I looked back behind me at the tree, only to find no one in sight. “What the hell?”

  “You okay?” asked Carly.

  I shot back up to my feet and rounded the oak, finding nothing on the other side but more tombstones. “Where did he go?”

  Car just looked at me perplexedly.

  “Did you see where he went?”

  “Babe…”

  “Did you see him?”

  “Kat, nobody else was out here,” she finally muttered.

  Chapter 4

  People Are Strange

  When Monday morning rolled around, I was forced to face the inevitable. I had to return to school. After the accident, I stayed home during the whole next week to recuperate from my injuries, which unbeknownst to anybody but my immediate doctor, were purely superficial. The trauma I suffered was mainly localized across my chest and abdomen from where I’d been wearing my seatbelt. The bruising was so bad that all the doctors working in the ER were certain that I had internal damage of some kind. There was also swelling over the center of my chest which prompted everyone to keep mentioning the distinct possibility that I had a “sternal fracture”.

  By some sheer miracle though, I was given a clean bill of health. My absence from Belleview High was admittedly for emotional recovery. Sadly though, isolating yourself from the world while wearing your comforter around the house and pigging out on Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t remedy heartache. If anything, it put me into a deeper funk. I needed to reintroduce myself to society.

  Anxiety hit me though as I observed my fellow classmates pulling into the school parking lot come 7:23 a.m. Everybody congregated around their cars, and all eyes were on me as we drove into our designated space. Indistinct whispers circulated, and I couldn’t tell by their grim expressions if everyone pitied or blamed me for what happened. Desperate for a distraction, I finally tuned into Carly and Vanessa’s conversation. Since they picked me up this morning, they’d been giving me the lowdown on all the steamy gossip I’d missed out on over the past week, but I admittedly checked out of the conversation a whole thirty seconds into it. Thankfully, by the sounds of it, Carly’s rant about unfair school dress code violations was done as she was now talking about her boyfriend. Given her proclivity for over sharing however, it may not have been a much better subject matter, as the conversation risked taking a sharp turn into an NC-17 rating.

  “My mom’s going postal about me being out at night now, even if I’m with Daniel,” moaned Car.

  “Your mom should be worried if you’re out with Daniel, especially alone,” Vanessa cracked.

  She laughed. “True. But after everything that’s happened, she’s trying to turn the house into Fort Knox. Got a new alarm system, put up cameras around the property, and she’s calling in these guys to reinforce all the doors and windows. Seriously, we could survive The Purge if it came down to it.”

  “After everything that’s happened?”

  “Yeah, you know. With Hersey.”

  “What about Hersey?”

  Vanessa and Carly both exchanged awkward glances.

  “Okay, what am I missing here?” I demanded.

  “You seriously don’t know?” asked V.

  “How could you not know?” begged Carly. “I mean, I know you’ve been locked up in your room and all, but you never watched the news?”

  The blank look on my face must have said it all, because she sighed. I’d made it a point to avoid the news at all cost after my stay at the hospital. Channel 5 was bleeding coverage about the accident, plastering Blaine’s face along with mine across the screen every chance they got.

  “The night of the bonfire, one of the buses heading to the basketball tournament…it vanished. It had Hersey High’s entire basketball team and cheerleading squad onboard. Everyone across the county went crazy. We even set up search parties around here. You should’ve joined us. Would’ve been a good distraction. The guys came with V and me to go through Tyler Park and the surrounding woods.”

  “Did they find the bus?”

  “The bus, the driver, the students. Gone.”

  “Our own team and cheerleaders were reported missing as well,” whispered Vanessa.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, but it turned out to be nothing,” she quickly added. “Apparently, after the tournament was over, everyone decided to skip the bonfire and go to Jacob Marshall’s lake house to party. They all crashed there for the night, so when news about Hersey broke the next morning, everyone’s parents went nuts thinking their kids went missing too. It was a whole fiasco.”

  My stomach somersaulted. Blaine had mentioned something about the lake house and how he’d blown it off so he could come to the bonfire instead…to see me.

  “You okay?” asked Carly.

  “I just want to get this day over with,” I murmured as we walked past another group of gossiping classmates.

  Calculus and Bio both went by in a blur. My attention on the assignments was nonexistent and by third period, I felt sick. I’d tried convincing myself that it was all in my head, that anxiety was simply getting the better of me. Even sitting in my desk, I felt lightheaded, and my stomach lurched achingly. It felt like I hadn’t eaten anything in days, despite having had a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, and a whole stack of pancakes just a few hours ago. Maybe my blood sugar was on the fritz.

  The moment class let out, I staggered down the hallway and practically tackled the vending machine as I dug around in my pocket for change. Reassurance escaped me though as the coil pushing my purchased protein bar stopped just short of letting the snack fall. My dignity was nonexistent as I batted the glass before crumpling on the ground beside the machine, trying to find more coins in my book satchel.

  “Hey, you okay?” Gentle blue eyes greeted me as I looked up.

  “Adam…hi. No. I mean, yes.
I’m fine. I-I’m just trying to find some money. The machine didn’t give me my bar.” I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since before the night of the accident, and things hadn’t ended particularly well.

  “May I?” He gestured at the vending machine.

  “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to waste your money. I’ve got some quarters in here somewhere,” I insisted, rummaging through my bag more determinedly.

  He smiled. “Lean forward.”

  I looked at him questioningly, but did as he requested. Securing both arms around the sides of the machine, Adam gently rocked it back and forth. A soft thump registered, and he coaxed it back on all fours like it weighed nothing. He plucked out my protein bar from the bottom slot and handed it over.

  “You really shouldn’t do that,” I said. “Statistically, you’re more likely to die from a vending machine crushing you than being killed by a shark.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, you told me that the last time I did that.”

  “Oh…”

  “And I looked it up. It’s still only a one in a hundred million chance.”

  I hated it when he said things like that, because it was oddly sweet. He failed spectacularly at delivering on the important things when we were together, but in all earnestness, he always recalled the little things…like he cherished them enough that he’d take the effort to do a fact check.

  And I highly doubted he’d get flattened by the vending machine, though I admittedly use to fantasize about it when he’d do things like ditch me out of nowhere. Adam was really strong. Not in a beefy sort of way, but he was solidly built. He really enjoyed working out, especially kickboxing and strength training; though you couldn’t tell how muscular he was just by looking at him. He dressed rather demurely, hiding his frame beneath flannel shirts and loose jeans.

  I could tell he’d just worked out too, observing the dampness of his thick, slicked back ashy brown hair. He always showered after gym class and practice, and the fresh scent of mint lingered on his skin as he extended his hand to me.

  I’d always loved the way he smelled.

  Snap out of it, I ordered myself, climbing back up to my feet.

  His gaze softened all the more as I met his height, or at least as close as I could get to it. He was just shy of six feet, so he still had almost nine inches on me.

  “I never had a chance to ask you, how’re you doing?” He quickly diverted his eyes at my failure to reply. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.”

  My mouth managed to open, but I couldn’t force the words out. I’d been telling everyone all day long that I was “okay,” but Adam was different. He knew better than anyone when I was lying, and it seemed pointless to try.

  “I tried calling you after…” He cleared his throat. “But you didn’t get back to me, so…”

  He’d done more than that, and I knew neither he nor my mom would admit it (though for very different reasons). Mom was never particularly fond of him, even before she knew about his flakiness. The woman tried living her high school glory days again vicariously through me, and a ruffian such as Adam didn’t fit the profile. She wanted me to find someone like my dad. The Golden Boy. That guy who reeked of sophistication and charm. A yuppie-in-training if you will. Not a grease monkey who looked like he’d just rolled out from under a car. She wanted me to be with someone like…Blaine.

  “Hey, you ready to hit the gym?” announced Carly, suddenly appearing at my side. She eyed Adam like he was Satan’s Spawn, hooking her arm around mine and pulling me away.

  “Thank you,” I managed to say, holding up the protein bar in appreciation to Adam before she gave me a good yank. “Oww.”

  “What’re you doing?” she groaned.

  “Besides having my best friend rip my arm out of its socket?” I jabbed, knowing full-well of her condemnation. “Lighten up, okay? He was just being polite.”

  “And you were totally falling for it.”

  “Was not.”

  “Oh please, every time he gives you his Puss in Boots eyes, you’re on your ass.”

  “Well, then be thankful I’m not you. Otherwise, I’d be on his mattress,” I laughed.

  ***

  “There’s this thing you may have heard of called chewing,” remarked Carly, seeing me practically inhale my protein bar as we exited the locker room.

  The gnawing pains in my stomach grew fiercer, and I prayed it wouldn’t take too long for the small serving to curb my aching appetite. I headed over to the bleachers and lay flat across the unoccupied first bench.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you kinda look like crap,” said Carly, brushing my unruly strands of hair out of my face as she took a seat beside me. Her hand rested on my forehead, and she hummed.

  “What’s your diagnosis, doc? Do I have the plague?”

  “You’re not hot.”

  I half laughed. “Well, that’s not very nice.”

  “You’re really pale though.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know.” I’d noticed it the first time I’d faced a mirror after the accident. The rich tan I’d inherited from all those long summer days was now nonexistent, replaced by an alabaster so light that it rivaled Snow White’s complexion. Hating my new Casper the Friendly Ghost look, I tried concealing it under some bronzer and blush, but the makeup didn’t seem to be holding up.

  “You have any chills? Sore throat? Aches?”

  I shook my head. “I just feel like my blood sugar has crashed, like I haven’t eaten.”

  “Were you prescribed pain meds or something? Last year, after I broke my arm, my doctor put me on some stuff that completely messed up my stomach.”

  “No.” I’d been given a couple different prescriptions at the hospital, but I hadn’t taken any of it. The masochist in me wanted to feel the pain. What right did I have to numb myself after what happened? Someone had died, and all I had were some bruises and a few minor scratches.

  “Look alive,” announced Coach Gleeson, and we all straightened at the command. The man was ex-military and about the last person you wanted to piss off. While other schools treated gym class like freaking recess, Coach ran P.E. like it was Army Basic Training. “The radar is showing us that the rain will be taking a short break before the new system rolls in. And on a day as oddly warm as today, it would be a shame to let such fine temperatures go to waste. If you all hurry, we may just get back inside in time before we get drenched.”

  “What are we gonna do outside? The grass is sopping wet,” challenged Carly. “You want us to play in the puddles?”

  Gleeson grinned. “Nope, you’ll be running the track. The mile, actually.”

  Everyone groaned.

  “Isn’t that a safety hazard? Someone could slip out there.”

  “Yes, and by sitting here, all your stationary limbs could start tingling from poor blood circulation, and who knows what kind of horrible residual aftereffects you may suffer from?” Coach cracked. “Up, people!”

  We all moaned again as we followed his instructions.

  “Perfect,” I muttered. “Nothing better than lots of cardio to help make me feel better.”

  “You know, I’ve come to find that rigorous bouts of exercise can be a great way to work off stress,” laughed Carly devilishly, helping me to my feet.

  “Oh, yes, I can only imagine how deeply therapeutic ‘exercising’ with you must be,” I chuckled, shoving her.

  “Yow! Get your mind outta the gutter there, tomcat,” she teased.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I laughed. “You weren’t implying an overtone of sorts there?”

  “Race me.”

  “What?”

  “On the track,” Carly clarified. “I want to see some of that gumption of yours, and it just might be what the doctor ordered. Nothing helps me feel better than a good endorphin rush.”

  She had a point, and she knew my inner overachiever couldn’t stand the thought of losing.

  Everyone started filing out of t
he side exit, and an unexpected burst of adrenalin hit.

  “Prepare to lose,” I challenged, shaking her hand.

  “You honestly think you can beat me?” She was one of the top runners on the track team, but I was nevertheless pretty fast myself, though I’d never run competitively.

  “I’m saying I’m gonna mop the track with you when I’m done,” I said heartily.

  “What’s this now?” asked Daniel, catching up with us.

  “Your girlfriend here is gonna give some therapeutic relief via me crushing her ego on the track,” I declared.

  “Take it easy there, Prefontaine,” laughed Carly.

  Taking the gravel road out to the track, Car and I pushed our way through the pack of classmates to the front of the line.

  “You wanna place a wager on this?” asked Daniel.

  “I’d say it’s best not to.”

  “Oh? Someone’s confidence wavering?” he remarked.

  “No, I just doubt Carly’s ability to play by the rules,” I said, stretching out. “Wouldn’t want to put any real stakes on the table, only for her to pull a Rosie Ruiz on me.”

  “Hey, running is one thing I’d never have to resort to cheating on,” she corrected.

  “Yes, because I imagine fleeing from your nightly conquests must require considerable speed and strong endurance,” I whispered jokingly to her.

  “Your mouth certainly doesn’t seem to tire easily, but the question is, can your feet keep up?” Carly laughed as the two of us prepared for Coach to commence the race.

  “Remember, four full laps. And I will be keeping track, so don’t even bother trying to pull anything, okay?” warned Gleeson. “On your mark… Get set…” He hesitated, seeing the two of us overly eager for him to call it. “Go!”

  Carly and I both rocketed off down the stretch and neither of us lost pace over the course of our trek. My muscles were on fire, the strangely humid air posing no help in letting the sweat perforating my skin to evaporate. The two of us kept in stride with one another, but on the final lap, an adrenalin rush exploded within my veins. I managed to sneak my way into the inner lane, rounding the first turn sharply. My legs propelled me faster and faster, and I heard Carly’s footsteps fading behind me. I plowed through the packs of people in front of me who were still on their third lap, and my pace didn’t relent. If anything, it felt like I was gaining momentum.