The White Rabbit Chronicles Page 24

Cole and I would be hanging out a lot after school, so, it might be better if everyone thought we were a couple. Plus, that mindset would have the added bonus of keeping guys from trying to get in my supposedly slutty pants. No one would want to engage his wrath by hurting his girlfriend.

  Another text came in. Screen name Meow said, BTW, F is back on my must die list.

  After the way U sucked his face?? I replied. Why?

  As always, he ran out on me to be w/C.

  A tendril of guilt slithered through me. No, he hadn’t. I knew what he’d done, but I couldn’t tell her, couldn’t ease her hurt.

  Meow added, Besides, by tonguing his tonsils I was just teasing him w/what he’ll never have!

  Good 4 U! PS—Pretty sure ML started rumors about me.

  U thinking what I’m thinking? Dark alley, brass knuckles & prison rules.

  Just like that, I knew. Kat was the best friend I’d ever had. She supported me, believed in me, no matter what. And I wanted to be an awesome friend to her, too. I wanted to keep her forever. U rock!

  I know. Gotta run, tho, so we’ll talk 2morrow, K? XXOO

  “Ali,” Nana called from downstairs. “You ready?”

  A quick glance in the mirror revealed my hair was dry but tangled. My cheeks were too bright with color, and my outfit ridiculous. Oh, well. I raced to the car.

  “You really need to learn to drive,” Pops remarked as he eased onto the highway. “Not that I mind driving you, but that way, you wouldn’t ever have to walk if you missed the bus.”

  There was still no rabbit in the sky, allowing me to relax. “I know,” I said, imagining him trying to teach me. Him clutching his chest because I accidentally pulled in front of a speeding truck. Him dying in the passenger seat before I could get him to the hospital. “Would you guys be okay with me taking a driving class after school?” I kept quiet about the teacher’s identity. Cole or one of his friends could do it after zombie training. I’d insist.

  “That’ll be good for you,” Nana said, reaching back to pat my hand. “I’m proud of you, trying new things, making new friends like Kathryn.”

  I opened my mouth to reply but caught sight of the edge of the cemetery. A cold sweat slicked over my skin as I waited for The Spot to appear. And there it was. There was no tire tread, no interruptions in the grass; there was nothing. Time had passed and nature had restored itself, hiding the evidence of foul play.

  Pops parked on a gravel path. “I’m glad you’re doing this.”

  Me, too. “Would it be okay if I stayed here by myself for a while? I just want to be with them and, you know, talk to them.”

  Nana had been in the process of removing her seat belt. After a moment’s pause, she nodded and settled back in her seat. “Of course. You’ve got your phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Call us when you’re ready to be picked up.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and then I did something I’d never done before. I leaned forward and kissed them both on the cheek.

  She teared up, and Pops blustered about me needing to be careful. “Nana worries,” he said.

  I walked the grounds for a while, the sun baking me through my clothes. When I found a shaded, secluded spot behind a line of bushes, I quickly changed into the tank and shorts. Sooo much better. The sweat dried in the breeze, and I began to cool down. Besides the whole dead-people thing, the cemetery was a pretty area with trees and glistening headstones and even a few marble angels. A man knelt in front of one of those angels, quietly sobbing.

  I wandered around, reading names, wondering if any of these people were—or had been—zombies. Up hills, down hills, around piles of leaves I went. Finally I reached my destination.

  Trembling, I sat in front of my father’s headstone and traced his name with the pads of my fingers. Silver stone glinted in the light. Beloved husband and father.

  For the first time since his death I let myself think—really think—about his last few minutes alive. He’d gone through the windshield. If he’d lived for even a few seconds longer, he would have had a straight shot view into the car, where all three of his girls were hurt and bloody. Had he seen the zombies approach him? Had he known he would die as his own father had?

  Was he looking down at me right now?

  “I love you, Daddy. I wish I’d been more understanding, that I’d believed you. I’m sorry for every horrible thing I ever said behind your back, and I’m so very grateful for everything you taught me. I’m going to take out as many zombies as I possibly can and one day, no one will ever have to live in fear again. I promise.”

  I’d like to say a wave of peace swept over me, but, no, I felt the same as before. I turned to my mother’s grave. Identical silver glinted. This time, it was hard for me to see through my sudden well of tears. Beloved wife and mother.

  “I love you, Mom. I never should have spoken to you the way I did, that day in the kitchen.” My birthday, I realized. I’d lost my family on my birthday. For some reason, that truth had never really hit me.

  Now and for the rest of my life, the celebration of my birth would be tainted with the sorrow of my loss. That sucked in every way imaginable. But you know what? That was something else I deserved, and I’d take it as my due. I’d never again forget to treasure my family.

  “You did the best you could with us and despite everything, I know that you loved me, too. And you were right. It’s far better to love than to hate.” I paused, thinking. “Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still see you smiling. Or trying not to scowl. I remember the times you helped me with my homework, but you were more clueless than I was. I remember how you’d turn away from the camera any time we’d try to snap your picture.” My thoughts weren’t very sequential. I was skipping from one memory to another, but I couldn’t help it.

  “I still think about the day you wore that black dress to my school, just to meet with my teacher, because you wanted me to be proud of you rather than embarrassed. I was proud, I so was. And I’d swear the entire world slowed down and God played a little background music for your entrance. Even blew the wind just right, so your hair would dance around your shoulders. Mouths dropped that day, and every girl who saw you wanted to be you.”

  There at the end, my words jumbled up and clogged my throat. A warm tear slid down my cheek. I inhaled deeply—held it...held—then slowly exhaled. Gradually I turned to the left, where the last grave rested.

  Emmaline Lily Bell. Beloved daughter and sister.

  My chin trembled uncontrollably, and the tears began to rain in earnest. Her headstone wasn’t as big as my parents’, but it, too, was made of that silver stone. They’d even etched her likeness into the center.

  “Since your death, I’ve seen you on two separate occasions,” I whispered. “Outside Nana and Pop’s, and then again outside my new friend Reeve’s. The first time, you warned me to go inside. The second, you flickered in and out and said the same. Was that...really you?”

  Why not? There was a whole world out there I’d known nothing about.

  In the distance, a cricket chirped. Next a locust sang. Leaves rattled from shaking limbs. A beautiful chorus, but no sign of Emma. Disappointment became a clanging bell in my ears.

  I bowed my head, crying silently. I’d hoped... Oh, well. “I am so sorry I failed to protect you, Em. I love you so much, and you will always be my favorite person in the entire world. I didn’t tell you that enough. You made everyone around you happier, and you deserved to have slumber parties every night of your life. And when you were older, I would have taught you how to drive. Hopefully I’d be skilled by then,” I added with a soft, watery laugh. “You would have gone on dates and I would have tailed you, making sure the boy behaved.”

  “Aww. That’s so sweet.”

  My head snapped up. A smiling Emma sat on top of her own headstone, her legs crossed and swinging, ballet slippers dangling from her feet. Her hair was in pigtails, those golden eyes sparkling with mischief I remembered so fondly.

 
“Sorry I kept quiet before,” she said, “but I really wanted to hear your speech.”

  “I—I—”

  “Let me help you out. You...you...are so glad I’m here and are wondering if this is really happening. Well, it is! Your prayers have been answered.”

  “I—”

  “Am so lucky, I know.”

  Hope flooded me, the only light in a terrible darkness. “You’re a...ghost?”

  She fluffed her hair. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Besides, angel is probably a better description, though that’s not right, either. But it fits, don’t you think?”

  That was such an Emma answer, and one I couldn’t have fabricated. She was here. She was real. “Why haven’t you shown yourself more often? Are Mom and Dad like you?”

  She lost the smile, the mischief. “I’m a witness and I don’t have much time. Alice, you need to listen to me, okay?”

  Witness? “Always.” I reached for her hand to comfort her, but my fingers misted through her, the cold stone suddenly pressed against my skin. “I wish I could touch you.”

  “And one day you will. Now listen. There’s good and there’s evil, and there’s no middle ground, no matter what anyone thinks. What you’re doing is dangerous and will not end well—which sucks, because the end is near!”

  “How do you—”

  “Shh. Emma’s talking. I’ve tried to warn you to stay inside. I remembered the rabbit cloud you showed me that night and I’ve shaped him every time I’ve known the monsters were coming for you, but lately you have been ignoring him and going out.”

  “That was you?”

  “Yes. A nice little skill I picked up,” she said, again fluffing her hair. “Anyway, I want you safe, Alice. I love you.”

  “As much as I love you,” I whispered.

  “I don’t want you to fight the zombies. I want you to stay away from them.”

  “Em—”

  “No. Listen to me.” She stilled, sunlight hitting her, making her flicker. “If you do, you’ll get hurt. More than you realize.”

  “If I die fighting the zombies, I die.” I’d already decided this was a cause worth anything and everything, and I wouldn’t change my mind.

  She shook her head, her pigtails slapping against her cheeks. “I’m not talking about death. I’m talking about hurting.”

  “I can deal with pain.” As I’d already proved.

  “You don’t understand,” she cried. She hopped from the stone, her pink tutu so close I had only to lift my hand to trace my fingers along the edge. So I did it. I lifted my hand. Once again my fingers slipped through the air, leaving me with a spark of sadness.

  Her image did that flickering thing, as if she were mist thinning in the breeze. “The zombies...they want you and they’ll do anything to have you.”

  “Why?” I asked. “And how do you know that?”

  Her features contorted with the strength of her upset. “Alice, please. It’s almost too late. You’re running out of time. Please. They’re hunting you, and I don’t want them to have you.”

  “You’re talking about them as if they’re smart, organized. Focused.” As if you know them.

  “They are,” she whispered with a tinge of horror. “More and more, they are.”

  “How do you know that? Are you following them?” The very idea sickened me. “Emma, do not follow them. I don’t care if you’re a witness, whatever that means, and that they can’t touch you. Or can they?”

  “They can’t.”

  The bud of panic withered. “Good. But I still don’t want you near them.”

  “Alice, I couldn’t bear it if you suffered like...” Her eyes widened, and she pressed her lips together. “Never mind.”

  I jumped to my feet. “Finish that sentence right now, Emmaline Lily!”

  Flicker, flicker. She glanced over her shoulder and groaned. “Great! I’ve been spotted. Just...take my magnificent advice,” she said when she faced me. “One day you’ll thank me.” And with that, she really was gone.

  * * *

  As promised, Cole picked me up at seven-fifteen Monday morning. I’d opted to humor him in this (jump jump), but only because of our visions. I did not want to have another one at school. So, when he eased into my driveway and realized I was standing on the porch, looking anywhere but at him, he parked, got out and approached me.

  The sky was a clear, wide expanse of baby blue, with no clouds in sight. Emma’s way of telling me there would be no zombies out tonight.

  Emma. All night I’d tried to talk to her, but she’d never made another appearance.

  Whether she’d listened or not, I’d told her that I couldn’t leave the zombies alone. I just couldn’t. I was finally on the right track. I could help make this town safer so that no one else would have to watch a loved one die because some evil undead thing wanted a midnight snack. I hoped she understood.

  “You okay?” Cole asked. Today he wore a black cap, the rim bathing his face in shadows. “You look tired.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I replied. As always, he smelled mouthwateringly delicious. “That’s what every girl wants to hear first thing in the morning.”

  But really, he’d nailed it. I was beyond tired.

  “I didn’t say you looked bad, just tired.” He handed me a syringe, tucked snugly in a small, black case. “That’s your EpiPen.”

  My zombie toxin antidote. “Thank you.” I carefully placed it in my back pocket.

  “Any problems with zombies last night?”

  “No.”

  “Good. That means none of them escaped my traps.”

  Surely he wasn’t saying he’d fought them. I hadn’t seen the rabbit. “You mean...”

  “Yep. We tracked a nest headed toward your house.”

  Emma was right. They were hunting me. But...why? And why hadn’t she formed the cloud?

  “We managed to stop most of them before they could reach you,” he added. “The ones that made it past us must have gotten caught in the trees.”

  I hadn’t seen them, hadn’t known anyone was out there. Either they were getting better at hiding, or I’d been too distracted. Neither boded well for me.

  “When do you guys sleep?” I asked, reaching out before I could stop myself and playing with the button on his shirt. You shouldn’t touch him. It promotes a familiarity you do not share with him. Gritting my teeth, I dropped my hands to my sides.

  “Haven’t you heard?” His warm breath trekked over my forehead, reminding me of just how wonderfully tall he was. “We sleep during class.”

  I couldn’t detect a shred of sarcasm from him. “Great. That’s just great. Next you’ll tell me to set up camp in the principal’s office, since I’ll be spending so much time there.”

  “You probably will.”

  Peachy.

  “Good news is, Dr. Wright is one of us so she’ll let you off the hook if at all possible.” There was a heavy pause. “So. Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “We actually sleep in shifts. You’ll get used to it. Last night we all stayed up because we suspected the zombies would head for wherever you were and we’d have to fight more than we were used to.”

  “They did, and you did.”

  “Yeah.”

  “My grandparents...” My hand fluttered to my throat. I wanted to look at him, to judge his expression, but I still couldn’t allow myself.

  “They will be in danger if they leave the house at night, yes. We’ll do what we can with the traps, but it’ll be better if you move in with someone else.”

  I tried not to reveal my horror, but I’m pretty sure I failed. “With who?”

  “Me,” he said simply.

  No way. Not just because he’d dumped Mackenzie when she’d moved in with him, but because...well, just because! “How can you even suggest that?”

  “Because I want you protected.”

  “No.” I couldn’t hurt my grandparents like that. But then, I couldn’t let the zombies hurt them, either, now could I?

&n
bsp; My plan to save others from this kind of situation was growing more complicated by the minute. I’d figure something out, though. I’d have to. Until then, I’d protect Nana and Pops with my own life.

  “You can place a guard or two out here,” I said. “I’ll make sure Nana and Pops stay inside. I’m not leaving them.”

  “That takes soldiers out of the line of duty, but okay,” he replied. “For now.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You look beautiful, by the way,” he said, stunning me.

  Pretty words meant to soften his “for now,” I’m sure. “I thought I looked tired.”

  “Beautifully tired.”

  “In my plain white button-up meant for winter? Doubtful.”

  “I don’t mean your clothes. It’s you.” He sifted strands of my hair through his fingers, tickling my scalp. “There’s something about you. Something that sets you apart from everyone else.”

  I pulled the strands free, severing contact—and trying not to melt. “You don’t like me, you do. You don’t again, you do again. Make up your mind.”

  A growl sprang from low in his throat. “Don’t be that way. I messed up, okay? I know you’re pi— I mean, ticked at me. I’m sorry for what I said at the party. The others had been riding me about your motives, and then you showed up with Justin and he shot off his mouth. I reacted.”

  “And this is my reaction. I’ll be any way I choose.”

  “Is that so?” he said quietly.

  “Yeah.”

  “Even though I was trying to protect you?”

  “Even though.”

  “Ali,” he barked.

  “Cole.” He was the bear in the cage, and I was the little kid with the stick. He might be under lock and key, but in no way was he subdued. He was a warrior. Too young for the army, but leading his own anyway. He fought, and he killed. And here I was, purposely provoking him.

  While he would beat up anyone else for such a thing, I knew he wouldn’t harm me. He wouldn’t even let his friends yell at me. But pain wasn’t just physical, and I wasn’t sure he knew that. He’d wounded me with his rejection, whether it had been for my own good or not, when I’d only just begun to heal from other wounds.