Chapter 9
Nine
VIOLET
The sun is so bright my eyesight wavers. My chest constricts with anxiety.
I have to be able to see, or I could easily get hurt. There's no room for mistakes or being distracted on these hikes. Maybe if I were on a common path with other people, I wouldn't have to be so diligent, but that's not what I like to do.
Darkness sweeps across my vision, forcing me to pause my steps. If I can't get my shit under control, I'll need to turn around.
A flicker of something draws my attention to a divot in the cliff above me. Glancing up, I freeze at the familiar face.
Nate is smiling at me, but it's too large to be natural. His eyes are also too wide, and his long blond hair hangs from his face as he looks down at me.
"Nate?" I call out, wondering if he can hear me.
Not even a single twitch or acknowledgment of my words. Is he okay? Chills race across my arms as the creepiness settles in.
"Are—" Pebbles tumble down the rock face a few feet in front of me, drawing my attention. I gasp when Ellis wavers in front of me. He's sitting on the edge of the cliff, kicking his legs back and forth like death isn't a sure thing if he falls.
"Ellis, get away from there!" I shout, stepping forward only for my knees to wobble. The chills turn into nausea as my head swims. Like a statue, Ellis freezes with wide eyes and a flat mouth pointed at me.
"E-Ellis?" I hesitate, not sure I want to spook him even though he's scaring me. Glancing up, I see Nate with his head still dangling over the edge. He, too, is like a statue.
My heart, which was already beating too fast for hiking on a cliff, pounds painfully against my ribcage. What's going on? Why are they acting like this? Can they hear me? Are they messing with me? This isn't a safe way to spook me, though. Someone could seriously get hurt.
A heavy breath fans the back of my neck. "AH!" I screech and bolt a few steps forward and away from whoever is behind me. Unable to decide who the bigger threat is right now, I twist toward the unknown and put Ellis at my back.
Jamie stands there with his hands up in surrender, looking worried. No matter that I ran from him, he still walks toward me. His mouth opens and moves, as if forming words.
No sound comes out, though, creeping me out even more. He doesn't seem to notice or care that I can't hear him; he just keeps talking.
"Stop!" I yell, and all he does is silently talk faster. With Nate above Jamie, still looking wrong and weird, I have zero trust in the man coming toward me. "Jamie, stop!"
Eyes wide, he rushes to me faster and mouths what looks like, "Violet, stop!"
He's mocking me. Ears ringing, the last of my balance takes a nosedive when the back of my legs run into Ellis. He doesn't catch me as I fall. I don't know if anyone even reaches for me because the sun shuts down, and I'm falling into a black pit of darkness.
"AH!" My throat scratches and burns with the ferocity of my scream. Hot on the heels of that pain, my ribs twinge and feel like they're trying to break themselves in half as I sit up at lightning speed.
"Shh, V." Mom. "Lie down slowly," she coos, and I finally notice her outline hovering over the bed.
Her soft hands help me lower without aggravating my wounds further. She continues to mumble things, offer me water and meds, and pet the top of my head. When I feel her touch disappear, I panic and beg her to stay.
"Of course," she soothes and curls up next to me in bed. I feel like I'm not really here, but no matter how much I want to stay awake and process the messed-up dream I just had, the pain meds Mom had me swallow a few minutes ago, and the total exhaustion from the past few days drag me back under.
I really, really hope I don't dream about them again.