Following Me(24)

It was a small run-down one bedroom shack that hadn’t been inhabited for as long as Devon had known about it. She had been sneaking away here to have sex with her boyfriend for nearly as long. He should already be here. He would protect her. Would the person following her try to get into the house? It wasn’t secure by any means. Her pursuer wouldn’t have a hard time breaking in.

Devon slammed the door shut and slid the lock into place, hoping that it would help.

“Mason!” she called out frantically.

No answer.

“Mason!” she yelled again, rushing to the closed bedroom door.

He had knocked back when she came to the door. It was their signal. She hadn’t made up the fact that he had knocked back. Where the hell was he?

Devon pushed open the bedroom door and found the room transformed. It was stark white everywhere from the walls to the four-poster bed to the carpet and curtains. The room was unbelievably bright, like she had entered another world.

She looked around, taking a few hesitant steps into the room. When she heard the door close behind her, she jumped and glanced over her shoulder. Her exit had been sealed off, and as far as she could tell, there wasn’t another exit.

“Mason?” she whispered, the words lodging in her throat. Her heart hammered in her chest as tears welled in her eyes.

How do I get out of this? she thought.

She felt eyes on her again, and she turned around to meet her pursuer. Before she had a chance to scream, the person grabbed her arm, wrenched it painfully behind her back, and planted her face-first into the mattress.

DEVON AWOKE WITH a scream erupting out of her throat, the one she hadn’t been able to let loose in her dream. She sat straight-up on the couch, her breathing heavy and her skin clammy. Pushing her hands up into her hair, she let the tears fall freely. She cried there helplessly until she had no more tears left, until her eyes were red and puffy, and until her throat was sore.

She moved the covers off her body and pushed herself off the couch, standing up on shaky legs. The door to Brennan’s bedroom remained closed. She wondered if he had heard her screams or if he had slept through them. Either way, he hadn’t opened the door, making his position very clear.

Stumbling forward into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and downed it. Her clothes were wrinkled, and she didn’t even want to think about how rumpled her hair was. Knocking on the bathroom door, she waited for an answer, and when she didn’t hear one, she entered.

Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror over the sink, and she tried not to cringe away. She looked like a wreck—pale and gaunt with dark circles under her eyes. At least Brennan hadn’t seen her like this. It wouldn’t have mattered after what had happened last night, but still, it was better this way.

She scrubbed her face and tied her hair back into a ponytail, trying to make herself look presentable. It wasn’t much use, not after crying so hard. She was an ugly crier; she always had been. Now that the blood was rushing back to her face, she was all red and splotchy. At least it would go away eventually.

Bending forward at the waist, she cradled her body against herself and begged and pleaded to whoever would listen for the nightmares to stop. This was the first time she had dreamed of home. It had felt so nice to be back in the Tennessee woods, and then the same thing had happened all over again. How many more times could she be chased? How many more times could she get caught? How many more times before she didn’t wake up in time?

Her heart ached for home, and she pulled out her phone. She really wanted to call her mom, but in her condition, her mom would know how messed up she was. Instead, she tried calling Dustin’s phone. He had just finished his third year of pharmacy school at the University of Michigan, and he was sticking around Ann Arbor to be close to his girlfriend, Kelly. They were in the same program and had only been dating for one semester.

“Hey, Dev,” Dustin said, answering the phone.

“Hey,” she said. “How have you been?”

“Better than you, it sounds,” he said, knowing as quickly as her mom would that something was wrong.

“Well, I’ve been better,” she admitted honestly.

She had a hard time lying to Dustin. Growing up, he had been her rock. They’d had their differences, but he was her big brother, and he had always been there for her.

“What kind of trouble are you getting in? Does this have anything to do with Mom badgering you about New York?” he asked.

“Has she been doing that to you as well?” Devon asked, thinking about how she had avoided her mom’s calls the past week. She would rather talk about New York than her real issues.

“Hounding me like a dog, but she doesn’t want me to bring Kelly. Said she wanted it to be a family thing.” He sounded irritated.

“She said the same thing to me.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Dev. I don’t think I’m going to go, but if you have a better suggestion for your birthday, let me know. I’d rather get wasted in St. Louis with you than spend quality time with the fam.”

“Seems a bit unfair to Dani,” Devon said.

“Oh no, it doesn’t. Mom wants her to bring her boyfriend. Personally, I don’t think Mom trusts Dani enough not to sleep with every guy she meets there. But who knows Mom’s reasoning?” Dustin told her.

Devon laughed lightly. It felt good to laugh after everything else that had happened. She didn’t feel healed, but Dustin certainly had a calming effect upon her.