There was even more to Marshall than I’d ever imagined, and I was getting on a death trap with him without so much as an explanation.
“You’ll wanna hold on tight,” he said, kick starting the bike.
I lurched forward, and my arms wrapped around his chest, holding on for dear life. I ignored his laugh and squeezed my eyes shut as he flung the bike around and took off at a high speed out of the school car park.
I didn’t dare open my eyes. My face pressed against Marshall’s back as we hurtled down country lanes towards the main city. I feared that if I opened my mouth to talk to him, the rush of air would choke me. It didn’t occur to me that I wasn’t going to get any answers until the loud hustle and bustle of the city drowned out the deafening roar of the engine in my ears. There was no way we could talk when I couldn’t even hear myself think! Marshall had tricked me.
I couldn’t find it in me to be too angry, when I was surrounded by his essence, his smell....
And he smelled amazing, like expensive aftershave and soap mixed with another scent I couldn’t work out. Lavender maybe?
Suddenly, the motorbike swerved to a stop. Shakily, I inched back, looking up at where we were − outside of my building. I hopped off the bike, ignoring how shaky my legs were, and threw the helmet at him. He caught it with one hand.
“How do you know where I live?”
“Are you impressed or annoyed?”
“Freaked out, actually. Marshall, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
He nodded once. “Yeah, I do. But now is not the time.”
I glared at him, anger bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. “You’re unbelievable. You tricked me.”
Marshall propped his bike on its stand before slowly walking over to me. I held my ground until we were inches apart.
“I didn’t trick you. I had to make sure you got home safely. Everything is different now, Amerie . You can’t go around hiding in your make believe little world anymore. The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you. They want you bad. You need to be ready, or you’ll die trying. Am I making sense to you?”
The hair on my arms and the back of my neck rose. It was as if nothing and everything, he had just said made sense. How did he know so much? Why was he being cryptic?
I only had one question – for now. “Are you Damned?” I whispered.
He shook his head slowly and surely. “No. No, I’m not.”
“Okay,” I said, knowing the Damned can’t lie. “As long as you’re not Damned, I can deal with this. When will you explain it then? Soon?”
“At your shift tomorrow.” Suddenly, the cocky Marshall was back. “Wear something nice for me. Yeah?”
“Go to hell.”
“I hear it’s not a nice place.” He reached forward to play with a strand of my hair, but I slapped his hand. With a chuckle, he waved and climbed back onto the bike. “I better return this to its rightful owner. I kinda borrowed it for the night.”
“Sicko.”
“Sweet dreams!” he called, and then he was gone.
Chapter Ten
Destruction
I barely slept a wink that night. I tossed and turned, thrashed around in my sheets, feeling that the soft cotton was suffocating me, strangling me. Though I knew that Marshall had sent the Damned back to Hell, I had the strongest sense that it wasn’t over.
As for Marshall and his cryptic words? They repeated through my mind, often playing out in my dreams one way or another.
You’re sloppy. Untrained.
The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you.
When my alarm finally buzzed in the morning, I got up, showered, and then dressed without really focusing. On the Tube and bus, I replayed the fight with the Damned repeatedly, thinking about ways I could have done better. It was only once the bus pulled up outside school that I realized I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I couldn’t even deal with two Damned on my own. Marshall had to save me. He was right. I was
“You’ll wanna hold on tight,” he said, kick starting the bike.
I lurched forward, and my arms wrapped around his chest, holding on for dear life. I ignored his laugh and squeezed my eyes shut as he flung the bike around and took off at a high speed out of the school car park.
I didn’t dare open my eyes. My face pressed against Marshall’s back as we hurtled down country lanes towards the main city. I feared that if I opened my mouth to talk to him, the rush of air would choke me. It didn’t occur to me that I wasn’t going to get any answers until the loud hustle and bustle of the city drowned out the deafening roar of the engine in my ears. There was no way we could talk when I couldn’t even hear myself think! Marshall had tricked me.
I couldn’t find it in me to be too angry, when I was surrounded by his essence, his smell....
And he smelled amazing, like expensive aftershave and soap mixed with another scent I couldn’t work out. Lavender maybe?
Suddenly, the motorbike swerved to a stop. Shakily, I inched back, looking up at where we were − outside of my building. I hopped off the bike, ignoring how shaky my legs were, and threw the helmet at him. He caught it with one hand.
“How do you know where I live?”
“Are you impressed or annoyed?”
“Freaked out, actually. Marshall, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
He nodded once. “Yeah, I do. But now is not the time.”
I glared at him, anger bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. “You’re unbelievable. You tricked me.”
Marshall propped his bike on its stand before slowly walking over to me. I held my ground until we were inches apart.
“I didn’t trick you. I had to make sure you got home safely. Everything is different now, Amerie . You can’t go around hiding in your make believe little world anymore. The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you. They want you bad. You need to be ready, or you’ll die trying. Am I making sense to you?”
The hair on my arms and the back of my neck rose. It was as if nothing and everything, he had just said made sense. How did he know so much? Why was he being cryptic?
I only had one question – for now. “Are you Damned?” I whispered.
He shook his head slowly and surely. “No. No, I’m not.”
“Okay,” I said, knowing the Damned can’t lie. “As long as you’re not Damned, I can deal with this. When will you explain it then? Soon?”
“At your shift tomorrow.” Suddenly, the cocky Marshall was back. “Wear something nice for me. Yeah?”
“Go to hell.”
“I hear it’s not a nice place.” He reached forward to play with a strand of my hair, but I slapped his hand. With a chuckle, he waved and climbed back onto the bike. “I better return this to its rightful owner. I kinda borrowed it for the night.”
“Sicko.”
“Sweet dreams!” he called, and then he was gone.
Chapter Ten
Destruction
I barely slept a wink that night. I tossed and turned, thrashed around in my sheets, feeling that the soft cotton was suffocating me, strangling me. Though I knew that Marshall had sent the Damned back to Hell, I had the strongest sense that it wasn’t over.
As for Marshall and his cryptic words? They repeated through my mind, often playing out in my dreams one way or another.
You’re sloppy. Untrained.
The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you.
When my alarm finally buzzed in the morning, I got up, showered, and then dressed without really focusing. On the Tube and bus, I replayed the fight with the Damned repeatedly, thinking about ways I could have done better. It was only once the bus pulled up outside school that I realized I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I couldn’t even deal with two Damned on my own. Marshall had to save me. He was right. I was
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