it.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what you’re
hiding from me.” Oddly enough, her eyes seemed to lighten
the madder she got, too.
With the least amount of details possible, I explained
the events of the last three months. When I was finished, she
looked at me with the same look Zach gave me the night he
broke up with me.
It was a mixture of hate and betrayal and
something I never wanted to see on her face, either.
“Ruby! How could you do this to me! I thought we
were friends— best friends!” Rachel thrust the photo of
Crimson in my face. “You could have been helping her—
helping Drake—all along but you haven’t! How could you be
so selfish?”
While I knew she would be mad, it was much worse
than I expected.
But calling me selfish made me angry, too.
“Selfish? I almost died —twice in the last six months!
Not to
mention that your brother’s life was in danger, too! Garnet
pushed him down the damn stairs because of me! Forgive me
for not wanting to die or see Zach get hurt again.”
Rachel and I both slumped back in our seats and
stared silently out the windows for what seemed an eternity.
Having her mad at me was almost as bad as having Zach mad
at me. After several minutes, I couldn’t take it any more so I
broke the ice.
“I know you think I can just go talk to that girl who
died five years ago and ask her who killed her but it doesn’t
exactly work that way.” I took a look at the photo of Crimson
and was overcome with guilt. “I don’t really have control over
who haunts me and who doesn’t.”
“I get that—really I do. But couldn’t you at least try ?
For me?
For Crimson?
If the same person who killed Allison
Cornell has her now too, she really needs your help! There’s a
chance that she’s still alive, Ruby, locked up somewhere being
tortured night after night.”
Rachel’s desperate pleading finally got to me. “Okay,
I’ll see what I can do but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Thank you, soo much, Ruby!” she said giving me a
hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you and I won’t let you get hurt
again. I swear!”
I knew she meant every word she said but there was
no way she would be able to back those words up if the time
came. If I put myself in danger again, there might not be any
way for her or anyone else to save me—Zach included. Maybe
I would get lucky and not actually make a connection with
Allison.
In that case, I could walk away knowing that I did
what I could but without actually putting
myself
in
any
danger.
“So, I don’t know anything about Allison. Where do I
even start looking for her?” I asked as we stepped inside the
post office lobby and approached the copy machine.
Rachel plunked a handful of coins into the slot and
pressed the copy button. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.
Drake flew back with his parents after Thanksgiving. I’ll get
ahold of him and find out where she used to hang out and
stuff.” Rachel pulled the first copy out of the machine and
held it up for my approval.
“Looks good,” I said, rubbing at the sore spot on my
behind from where I fell on the ice.
Rachel set the machine to make fifty more copies then
leaned back against the wall. “So, what was Zach really doing
at your house yesterday?
He told Mom and Dad he was
working.”
“Nothing special—we just spent the day together.”
Nothing special?
I tried hard not give anything away but I
knew I failed miserably at it. Sex or no sex, the morning we
spent together walking in the snow was magical in and of
itself.
Rachel pointed at my pants. “Careful there, Ruby. If
you tell any more lies they may spontaneously ignite.”
Since I was already busted, I broke down and told her
everything. “He went to so much trouble to make things
perfect, Rachel. If Lucas didn’t knock on the door, we totally
would have slept together!”
“Seriously, you guys still haven’t done it yet? After
what I saw at the Halloween party, I thought
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what you’re
hiding from me.” Oddly enough, her eyes seemed to lighten
the madder she got, too.
With the least amount of details possible, I explained
the events of the last three months. When I was finished, she
looked at me with the same look Zach gave me the night he
broke up with me.
It was a mixture of hate and betrayal and
something I never wanted to see on her face, either.
“Ruby! How could you do this to me! I thought we
were friends— best friends!” Rachel thrust the photo of
Crimson in my face. “You could have been helping her—
helping Drake—all along but you haven’t! How could you be
so selfish?”
While I knew she would be mad, it was much worse
than I expected.
But calling me selfish made me angry, too.
“Selfish? I almost died —twice in the last six months!
Not to
mention that your brother’s life was in danger, too! Garnet
pushed him down the damn stairs because of me! Forgive me
for not wanting to die or see Zach get hurt again.”
Rachel and I both slumped back in our seats and
stared silently out the windows for what seemed an eternity.
Having her mad at me was almost as bad as having Zach mad
at me. After several minutes, I couldn’t take it any more so I
broke the ice.
“I know you think I can just go talk to that girl who
died five years ago and ask her who killed her but it doesn’t
exactly work that way.” I took a look at the photo of Crimson
and was overcome with guilt. “I don’t really have control over
who haunts me and who doesn’t.”
“I get that—really I do. But couldn’t you at least try ?
For me?
For Crimson?
If the same person who killed Allison
Cornell has her now too, she really needs your help! There’s a
chance that she’s still alive, Ruby, locked up somewhere being
tortured night after night.”
Rachel’s desperate pleading finally got to me. “Okay,
I’ll see what I can do but I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Thank you, soo much, Ruby!” she said giving me a
hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you and I won’t let you get hurt
again. I swear!”
I knew she meant every word she said but there was
no way she would be able to back those words up if the time
came. If I put myself in danger again, there might not be any
way for her or anyone else to save me—Zach included. Maybe
I would get lucky and not actually make a connection with
Allison.
In that case, I could walk away knowing that I did
what I could but without actually putting
myself
in
any
danger.
“So, I don’t know anything about Allison. Where do I
even start looking for her?” I asked as we stepped inside the
post office lobby and approached the copy machine.
Rachel plunked a handful of coins into the slot and
pressed the copy button. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.
Drake flew back with his parents after Thanksgiving. I’ll get
ahold of him and find out where she used to hang out and
stuff.” Rachel pulled the first copy out of the machine and
held it up for my approval.
“Looks good,” I said, rubbing at the sore spot on my
behind from where I fell on the ice.
Rachel set the machine to make fifty more copies then
leaned back against the wall. “So, what was Zach really doing
at your house yesterday?
He told Mom and Dad he was
working.”
“Nothing special—we just spent the day together.”
Nothing special?
I tried hard not give anything away but I
knew I failed miserably at it. Sex or no sex, the morning we
spent together walking in the snow was magical in and of
itself.
Rachel pointed at my pants. “Careful there, Ruby. If
you tell any more lies they may spontaneously ignite.”
Since I was already busted, I broke down and told her
everything. “He went to so much trouble to make things
perfect, Rachel. If Lucas didn’t knock on the door, we totally
would have slept together!”
“Seriously, you guys still haven’t done it yet? After
what I saw at the Halloween party, I thought
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