Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
SUMMER
“ W hy do you want to go to this party so badly?” I ask Dani as we drive back to the house after class.
“Because we get to wear one of those creepy masks all night.” Dani says it without shame and with a devilish smile. Shame, however, rises from the pits of my stomach and blooms in my chest.
We cruise through the windy roads of our town as we pass giant brick houses, rows and rows of homes of people who seem to be thriving here, despite the endless fall and dreary weather. Opulence is evident, with luxury vehicles parked in each driveway.
I fiddle with the party invite, running my hand along the devilish face with eyes that seem to jump out of the picture—eyes that haunt my dreams and seep into my soul.
Shadowface is everywhere.
I grab the overhead handle to keep my balance because Dani drives so erratically. She always drives like a maniac and seems to thrive off fear and danger. Always forcing me on the scariest rollercoasters and cliff diving, doing whatever she can to get a thrill. It’s a wonder I’m not dead already just by driving with her or spending the summer in Europe with her.
“So we have to go worship him and dance around? I don’t really want to wear a mask all night. It’s weird memorializing him, given what he is.”
She seems utterly unconcerned. “That’s exactly why I’m going. It will be so exciting hooking up with a stranger.”
My stomach tingles, but not in a bad way…more like the way when you’re doing something naughty and don’t want to get caught.
“Ugh. Dani, gross. I would never fuck someone when I don’t know what they look like.”
Even though that’s exactly what I did…at least, I think. I’m still not convinced that night was real, but I remember his flesh as I dug my nails into his skin.
Two years ago… That night was two years ago, and I haven’t seen him since.
My nameless monster who tormented my nightmares for years before he finally had sex with me. Every few months, I’d sense him lurking in the corner. Watching. Waiting. Protecting.
I never once saw his face.
She turns her attention away from the road and gives me the most obnoxious smile. “I’ll bet Lincoln and Xander will be there.”
I press my lips together. “Lincoln is our TA. Why would he be there?”
“Ahem… PhD student. Emphasize the student , Summer. And he gave you eyes, I saw it. And he’s not that old; he’s only two years older than you.”
I don’t argue with that; he did give me eyes. Something passed between us when he walked by me and in class. Recognition maybe? My father must have spoken about me to him. My last name is also apparent. He would have seen it on the class roster and potentially made the connection.
“Fine. But Xander seems like he’s taken. Or did you miss that?”
A distant expression flashes over her eyes, and a hint of something predatory flickers in them. “From my perspective, that girl doesn’t own anyone. He was watching me the entire time she was kneeling in front of him. He doesn’t seem interested in her.”
I don’t argue with that, either. When Dani sets her sights on someone, men don’t stand a chance.
I cross my arms in one last act of defiance. “I seem to be the only person in this town bothered by the fact that some creep sent a photo of a nearly naked dead girl to everyone. Why does that not upset you?”
Her hand finds mine on the console. “Shadowface is part of this town, Summer. Don’t fight him; just have fun for once. And girl, you need to get laid. Now quit looking at that invitation like you’re going to throw up on it. We’re going to that party. At least it’s not for a week and a half, so you have lots of time to mentally prepare yourself.”
A spark of heat settles into my veins and starts to build in places it shouldn’t, so I clench my legs together to make it go away. I don’t say anything as desire pulses inside me the rest of the ride home.
We finally pull up on our street and she parks the car in front of our house, pulling the keys out of the ignition. A small Mini Cooper is parked in front of us with heart-shaped bumper stickers on the back. I already don’t like her.
“Relax, Summer. Don’t be so uptight. This party is a tradition, and students have kept it going for years. It’s obviously non-sanctioned, but the university can’t do shit about people getting together in the woods. Apparently, it gets wild, and I’m not missing it.”
The real reason Dani wanted to come to this school is because the parties are epic. We heard everything about them growing up.
I can’t help the nagging sense that something about this is different.
Someone is watching me. Whoever was messing with me last night could identify my exact outfit as I laid in my room. But she’s probably right; whoever Shadowface was, it was a different time. Over twenty years later, the game has changed, and whoever did it wouldn’t get away with it today. Not with wi-fi and surveillance cameras everywhere.
That was a different era. Now we just have mass shootings. Same sick fucks, different method of madness.
I sense Dani’s intense gaze on my cheek. “Are you going to be okay? You haven’t had a chance to process everything about your father.”
I give her a heavy smile and let out a sigh. “I’m trying, I really am. I’ll be fine.”
This town holds a piece of him, a side I’m unfamiliar with. My scholarship letter was like a sign from him for me to follow in his footsteps, and I had to seize the moment. After a year of community college upgrading, I was supposed to transfer to a completely different school on the opposite side of the country. This was a last-minute decision. The fact Dani was transferring here was just icing on the cake.
She places a consoling hand on my arm. “You said that last week, but you really don’t seem okay.”
Darkness flickers inside me, planting its deep roots, simmering like hot coals. I’m not sure I’ll ever see the world in rose color again. I had to watch my father die over the course of three days. And I sensed…nothing. The same emptiness inside I had for years. I only ever seem to feel alive when I’m dreaming.
In fact, the only real emotion I’ve experienced in years was the arousal last night from the mysterious messenger and the anticipation that my nameless monster was coming back to me.
I force a tear, since I’m good at displaying fake emotion for the sake of others. It seems to put people at ease. “People lose parents, Dani. It’s a part of the cycle of life. I just lost one early. I’ll be alright.”
My eyes draw back to the Mini Cooper, trying to avoid her stare, hoping she can’t tell I’m faking.
“Come on,” Dani says, reading my mind. “Time to go meet Misty. And you need to be nice to her.”
I stick out my tongue at Dani before following her inside.
I’ll attempt to be pleasant. I’m not sure why I am the way I am, letting very few people in. I have the perfect life; I had parents who loved each other. I grew up in a nice house in the quiet suburbs, where people left the doors unlocked and the windows open at night.
It’s like I’m battling internal demons, except I’m uncertain what caused them. I can’t pinpoint what the problem is. I’m a perfectly put together puzzle, except the last piece is missing, so the entire thing is soiled.
Without that missing piece, I’m soiled.
Our tiny house still smells of used boxes as we walk in as we’ve been taking our time unpacking. I startle when I see Misty, at how similar she is to me, her hair not quite as white, but still a shimmering blonde.
She’s pretty…not beautiful. But pretty.
She’s bent over, grabbing something from a box. Her eyes light up when she sees us, and I try to repress my immediate sense of jealousy. Of course she has to be blonde and well put together. I put on a fake smile, the one I’ve eloquently practiced my whole life.
“You must be Misty!” Dani hugs her, and I can already see her driving a wedge between us. Dani looks right at me. “Summer and I have been looking forward to having you here.”
We have not looked forward to her moving in, Dani has. The house isn’t big enough, but Dani likes to take in strays.
I smile sweetly. “Super excited. We get to share a bathroom.” Dani, of course, has the master bedroom with an ensuite since she’s paying more.
I took the loft bedroom, which means Misty and I will share the main bathroom, and I’m not happy about it.
Misty looks over at me and frowns. “Thank you for letting me stay here. There is literally no place to rent at all in this town, and the dorms were all full by the time I decided to come here.”
“No problem at all,” Dani assures her. “Right, Summer?” Dani responded to a last-minute plea for a roommate and offered our spare room. So here we are…
“Right.”
“I saw you in psychology,” Misty says, parting her perfect heart-shaped lips. I take in her appearance, evaluating her. She’s pretty, just not as pretty as me. Her frame is more boxy than curvy. She shifts uncomfortably, noticing me looking at everything but her eyes.
“Oh man,” Dani says, “that course is going to be brutal.”
She darts her gaze uncomfortably. “It’s going to be interesting. Dr. Garcia is fascinating, and did you see the TA?”
Dani gives me a wink and I ignore it.
He smiled at me, Dani. Relax.
“What did you think of that photo?” Misty asks.
Dani grabs our leftover take out Chinese food from last night and takes a bite. “Creepy as fuck,” she says, chewing with her mouth open. “But we’re going to that party on the twenty-first if you want to come?”
Misty’s eyes widen. “Yeah, I’ll go to that.”
I walk to the fridge and grab a bottle of water, avoiding all of Misty’s annoying boxes, and my phone lights up on the counter beside me.
Dani looks at me and smiles. “See now you have to go, Summer. Misty’s coming, too.”
I glance down at the phone and swipe open the message. My world dims and I can barely register Dani’s voice. This time, there is no mistaking it…
It’s a similar photo as the one sent to the class, but it’s zoomed out and there is no mask on her head. And this time there is no mistaking the arched ceilings above me.
It’s a photo of me sleeping in my bed, my breasts hanging out, the blanket hanging off my hips. My heart nearly bursts out of my chest. It was taken in this house…the one I’ve lived in for less than a week. Dani and I only moved in on Saturday.
“Are you okay, Summer?” Dani and Misty stop their conversation and both stare at me.
My breath catches in my throat. “Yeah,” I lie. “I’m going to go study.”
I excuse myself and burst into my bedroom and immediately slam my window shut.