Kami said. “Boys can have pajamas too, you know. Tomo and Ten both have lots of pajamas. Tomo’s favorite pair is red with trains on it.” Her voice seemed to be floating away from her too, up in the air with that crucial bit of her mind.
It wasn’t so bad now, Jared being real. He was holding on to her tight. She was certain he would not let her drown. She couldn’t see him, which helped. She couldn’t remember
why
she couldn’t see him, until it occurred to her that she’d closed her eyes. Even when she pried her eyes open, all she saw was his collarbone painted ghostly gray in the well-dim light.
She gave up and laid her forehead back down on Jared’s shoulder. He was shaking, she noticed, but even shaking and wet, he was still warmer than she was.
Her fingers came unlinked from behind Jared’s neck, and now they were resting on the solid support of Jared’s arms. She didn’t think she could keep hold of him. But that was all right. He wouldn’t let her drown. “Jared?”
“Yes?”
Kami closed her eyes. “Hey, Jared.”
“Hey, Kami,” said Jared. His voice was gentle. Everything went quiet and dark, and he was still there.
Kami was sorry when the police rescued them and she was wrenched back into consciousness and agony. Her mother was there: someone had called, and she must haveshut the restaurant early. For some reason, that filled Kami with more worry than anything else, as if it was confirmation that this was serious. Her parents were not supposed to put themselves out for her. Kami was meant to be self-sufficient.
Kami curled on the stretcher, shudders wringing her body, her teeth chattering hard, and her head hurting worse and worse with every chatter. “Someone pushed me in the well,” she told her mother.
“Did you see who, my darling?” asked Mum, who was not usually given to endearments.
Sergeant Kenn was asking Jared the same question, though he was not calling Jared “darling.” Actually, it didn’t sound like he liked Jared much. “If you weren’t there, how do you know someone pushed her?” Sergeant Kenn asked.
“Well …,” said Jared.
“And what were you doing, running through a strange town at night?”
“I was jogging?” Jared offered.
“Without your shirt or your shoes?”
“Uh,” said Jared.
The injustice forced Kami to sit up, even though Mum tried to make her lie back down. The EMTs chose this moment to load her in the ambulance, talking about taking her to the hospital in Cirencester.
Kami waved her hands at them furiously. “Stop!” she ordered. “Stop it, all of you! Jared didn’t push me down the well.”
Jared was leaning against the well and away from Sergeant Kenn, arms crossed defensively over his bare chest. Helooked hunted, as if he did not realize Kami would take care of things.
“He would never do something like that,” said Kami. “And he didn’t kill his father.”
There was a hollow silence. Jared looked smaller to Kami suddenly, leaning against the well with his wet head bowed, shivering in the night air.
Kami tried to go to him, but the effort made her dizzy. Her mother pushed her down flat on the stretcher. Then she was strapped down and loaded into the ambulance, despite her protests. “Mum, stop them,” Kami begged at last. “I have to stay with Jared. I have to tell them—”
Mum betrayed her by climbing into the ambulance after her and taking one of Kami’s cold hands in both of hers. The ambulance door shut, so Kami could not even see what was happening to Jared. Then her mother bent forward as if she was about to tell a secret.
“Kami, sweetheart,” she murmured, her bronze hair falling like a veil between Kami and the rest of the world. “I know you’re hurt and you’re scared, but you have to listen to me. Whatever you do, never,
never
go near that boy again. It is not safe.”
Kami turned her face away. “He didn’t push me,” she said. “He didn’t.”
Chapter Seven
You Are Not Safe
W hen
It wasn’t so bad now, Jared being real. He was holding on to her tight. She was certain he would not let her drown. She couldn’t see him, which helped. She couldn’t remember
why
she couldn’t see him, until it occurred to her that she’d closed her eyes. Even when she pried her eyes open, all she saw was his collarbone painted ghostly gray in the well-dim light.
She gave up and laid her forehead back down on Jared’s shoulder. He was shaking, she noticed, but even shaking and wet, he was still warmer than she was.
Her fingers came unlinked from behind Jared’s neck, and now they were resting on the solid support of Jared’s arms. She didn’t think she could keep hold of him. But that was all right. He wouldn’t let her drown. “Jared?”
“Yes?”
Kami closed her eyes. “Hey, Jared.”
“Hey, Kami,” said Jared. His voice was gentle. Everything went quiet and dark, and he was still there.
Kami was sorry when the police rescued them and she was wrenched back into consciousness and agony. Her mother was there: someone had called, and she must haveshut the restaurant early. For some reason, that filled Kami with more worry than anything else, as if it was confirmation that this was serious. Her parents were not supposed to put themselves out for her. Kami was meant to be self-sufficient.
Kami curled on the stretcher, shudders wringing her body, her teeth chattering hard, and her head hurting worse and worse with every chatter. “Someone pushed me in the well,” she told her mother.
“Did you see who, my darling?” asked Mum, who was not usually given to endearments.
Sergeant Kenn was asking Jared the same question, though he was not calling Jared “darling.” Actually, it didn’t sound like he liked Jared much. “If you weren’t there, how do you know someone pushed her?” Sergeant Kenn asked.
“Well …,” said Jared.
“And what were you doing, running through a strange town at night?”
“I was jogging?” Jared offered.
“Without your shirt or your shoes?”
“Uh,” said Jared.
The injustice forced Kami to sit up, even though Mum tried to make her lie back down. The EMTs chose this moment to load her in the ambulance, talking about taking her to the hospital in Cirencester.
Kami waved her hands at them furiously. “Stop!” she ordered. “Stop it, all of you! Jared didn’t push me down the well.”
Jared was leaning against the well and away from Sergeant Kenn, arms crossed defensively over his bare chest. Helooked hunted, as if he did not realize Kami would take care of things.
“He would never do something like that,” said Kami. “And he didn’t kill his father.”
There was a hollow silence. Jared looked smaller to Kami suddenly, leaning against the well with his wet head bowed, shivering in the night air.
Kami tried to go to him, but the effort made her dizzy. Her mother pushed her down flat on the stretcher. Then she was strapped down and loaded into the ambulance, despite her protests. “Mum, stop them,” Kami begged at last. “I have to stay with Jared. I have to tell them—”
Mum betrayed her by climbing into the ambulance after her and taking one of Kami’s cold hands in both of hers. The ambulance door shut, so Kami could not even see what was happening to Jared. Then her mother bent forward as if she was about to tell a secret.
“Kami, sweetheart,” she murmured, her bronze hair falling like a veil between Kami and the rest of the world. “I know you’re hurt and you’re scared, but you have to listen to me. Whatever you do, never,
never
go near that boy again. It is not safe.”
Kami turned her face away. “He didn’t push me,” she said. “He didn’t.”
Chapter Seven
You Are Not Safe
W hen
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