You Could Have Saved Her, Page 4

  My legs burned, muscles protesting every movement as the trail continued to incline. I couldn’t hear the footsteps behind me over the sound of my own racing pulse and breathing in my ears. When I saw the trails start to level off and what looked like a campfire up above me, I almost cried tears of relief. So close. I was almost there. If I could just keep going, I would be safely tucked into the crowd and out of the reach of whoever was following me.

  The outline of bodies appeared in the flickering light of the fire as I got closer, and I gasped when I recognized two of them as Jaelyn and Zoe. Zoe made it. When the two girls looked my way, they waved, then paused, looking at me in shock. I could only imagine what they saw, my face beet red, me running like my life depended on it, and my breathing labored.

  “Calla? What’s going on? Are you okay?” Jaelyn asked as they rushed toward me.

  I waved them away. “No, you guys have to go, I’m being followed!”

  They froze, eyes shifting to look behind me before they shared a glance. I tried to yell at them to run, but I couldn’t get it out past my starved lungs. My legs gave out just as I reached them, and I collapsed to the ground.

  “There’s no one behind you,” Zoe said gently.

  Turning to look, I realized they were right. “Maybe they were scared off by the light,” I gasped through panted breaths.

  “Are you sure you didn’t just hear an animal or something?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “I swear someone was there,” I insisted. “It wasn’t an animal; it was a person. They spoke to me.”

  They shared another look, and I wanted to scream. Why wouldn’t they believe me? There was definitely someone chasing after me through the woods. They had even spoken to me, hadn’t they? Stop! Now I was even beginning to doubt myself.

  “Maybe your mind was playing tricks on you,” Jaelyn suggested. “It can be creepy walking alone in the dark. I should have stayed with you.”

  “I’m not crazy! You have to believe me!”

  Zoe raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. “We’re not saying anything like that. It’s just that after what happened to that girl, we’re all a little shaken up. Maybe you didn’t hear exactly what you thought you heard.”

  I thought back to the voice in the woods. There was no way it was the wind, but pressing the point didn’t feel productive in this moment.

  “No, you’re probably right. Maybe I was just freaked out,” I said, forcing a smile.

  “Yeah, after the note from the bathroom, it makes sense that your nerves would be in overdrive,” Jaelyn piped in.

  I nodded. It would make sense if my heart wasn’t still racing in my chest, that terrifying voice still echoing in my head.

  “I’m glad you made it,” Zoe said, changing the subject, for which I was grateful. “They are just about to start the karaoke competition.”

  Karaoke? I thought this was a college party. Lily and I had been to a number of parties since we started going to University, but none of them had ever included a karaoke competition. Picturing grown men singing Britney Spears into a microphone made me smile and chuckle. Zoe looked at me with one raised brow.

  “Sorry, just thought of something funny,” I explained.

  Jaelyn laughed. “I know right. Watching college students sing karaoke cracked me up too. I thought they were joking when they first announced it, but everyone seemed so excited about it that I couldn’t help but laugh.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “It’s a huge tradition at the fraternity. The winner is voted on by the crowd, and whoever wins gets to basically order the rest of the members around until the next one. The best part is that it’s not like a normal competition. The best singer isn’t always the winner,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Jaelyn added. “It’s usually whoever can make the most people laugh. My cousin told me one guy actually did a pole dance like he was a stripper. Of course, I thought he was joking. My cousin likes to tease me a lot.”

  “Oh, you’re talking about Jackson. That’s a true story actually. The student council found out about it a few weeks later, and he was put on probation for inappropriate conduct,” Zoe snickered. “That’s why they can’t have the competition on campus anymore.”

  “Really?” Jaelyn’s eyes widened, brows raised in my direction.

  I nodded and shrugged. “It’s not really that uncommon actually.” Though it surprised me that neither Lily nor I heard of that happening. It could be because we didn’t live on campus, but I still thought that something like that would have spread pretty quickly. Now I wish we’d decided to live in one of the dorms to begin with, but it was too late to be thinking of things like that. Lily was gone. She wouldn’t even answer my calls or respond to my multitude of messages and emails.

  On the other side of the massive campfire, was the illusive cabin Jaelyn and Zoe had promised me. I still couldn’t figure out why we were the only ones who hiked up the damn trail, but I was definitely going to ask if there was another way back down. At the very least, I would wait until the lift reopened in the morning. On the porch of the cabin, a group of guys were setting up a large television with speakers on either side and a few microphones on stands. They moved with practiced movements, and the equipment was ready to go in a matter of minutes.

  “Welcome everyone to the annual cabin party. Unfortunately, we aren’t allowed to host our monthly karaoke competition at the fraternity house anymore, but there’s no one here to stop us now! We are going to get started in about ten minutes, so make sure you grab a drink from the kitchen and settle in for a night of singing and laughter!”

  The crowd cheered as the blonde frat guy left the makeshift stage. I didn’t know his name, but I remembered him from some of my classes freshman year. I think he was the same age as me. It made me wonder if I had missed out on the real college experience. Everyone here seemed to know each other and really enjoy themselves, whereas I spent so much of my time sitting in our apartment curled up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn and a book. If Lily hadn’t dragged me out to some of the parties, I would have been content to just hang out by myself every weekend.

  “I’m going to go get a drink. Do you guys want anything?” Zoe asked. Jaelyn shook her head, but I offered to go with her. Not only was I still out of breath and dying of thirst, but I was in serious need of a bathroom.

  The cabin was filled with even more people than were standing outside which didn’t seem possible. I had to weave my way through bodies and even take the long way around the room just to make it to the other side. The kitchen was on the opposite side of the cabin from the entrance, and it took me at least ten minutes to get there. When I finally made it to the sink, I sighed in relief. Grabbing one of the plastic cups from the counter, I filled it with water from the tap. There were bottles and pitchers everywhere, but considering I had no idea what was in them, I figured it was safer this way.

  After downing my third cup, I filled it once more and began my new objective of finding the bathroom. There didn’t seem to be one near the kitchen, but the stairs leading to the second floor were only a few feet away, and there had to be one up there, right? At least I wouldn’t have to wade through a sea of people with a full cup of water while trying not to pee on myself.

  The second floor appeared less occupied, and it was easier to maneuver my way around without bumping into someone every two seconds. Not one to bother other people, I began searching for a room with a toilet. That’s all I needed. It didn’t even have to be a full bathroom, just half was fine. The first door I opened was a bedroom. It had two closets, but not a bathroom. The second door was a utility closet. The third door was locked, but from the sounds coming from the other side, that was probably a good thing. The next two doors were both fruitless. When I came to the last door at the end of the hall, I sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening and opened the door.

  “Yes!” I shouted, as I ran inside and locked the door behind me.

  Hurrying to the toilet, I sighed as my b
ladder emptied. I’d never had to go to the bathroom so bad in my life. Outside, I heard the music start up as some guy sang to ‘Like a Virgin’ by Madonna. Laughing, I finished up and turned to wash my hands when there was a knock on the door.

  “Someone’s in here,” I said, lifting the handle on the faucet.

  There was another knock, this time more insistent, and I called out again, louder this time.

  “I’ll be out in a minute!”

  Washing my hands, I jumped when the person banged on the door, making it shake under the force of the blow.

  “I said I’m almost done! I’m just washing my hands!”

  The banging intensified, and I backed away from the door. Whoever it was, was trying really hard to get inside, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to let them in. I didn’t care how bad you had to go, there was no logical reason for someone to be pounding on the door when someone was clearly inside. The knob twisted, and I was grateful I’d remembered to lock the door in my haste. When it didn’t open, the door began to shake violently and creaked under the pressure.

  My heart rate sped up, and I swallowed hard around the panic in my throat. The banging suddenly stopped, and I held my breath, waiting for what was going to happen next. When I didn’t hear anything after a few minutes, I creeped closer to the door, making sure to step lightly so my shoes didn’t make a sound on the tiled floor.

  Shadows under the door moved, then disappeared, followed by the sound of retreating steps, and I sighed. Whoever it was appeared to be leaving, but I didn’t immediately open the door. Instead, I waited, making sure they didn’t come back before slowly reaching down to unlock the door. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open.

  The hall was completely empty, but I could still hear the music outside and the murmurs of voices downstairs. How did no one hear the banging and my screaming? As I walked down to the first floor, I expected someone to ask what was going on upstairs, but not a single person even looked in my direction, too occupied with their own conversations to care about my presence. It felt like I was losing my mind.

  Not bothering to stop and talk to anyone, I hurried back outside to find Jaelyn and Zoe. They were still in the same spot, cheering for whoever was currently on stage singing. When they saw me, they smiled and waved. I forced myself to smile back, not wanting them to think I couldn’t even handle a trip to the bathroom by myself.

  “Hey, what took you so long?” Jaelyn asked. “Three people have already gone. You missed some of the best ones.”

  “Long line for the restroom. I could still hear them though,” I said, and she nodded. It was a perfectly logical excuse unlike a crazy person trying to break down the door while I was inside.

  Four more guys from the fraternity performed before they decided to take a break so people could refill their drinks or whatever they wanted to do, and turned on some music. The crowd booed, but with the promise to resume in an hour, everyone returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened.

  “How many more are left?” I asked, my heart rate finally returning to a normal pace.

  “I’m not sure,” Zoe said. “I think probably around ten maybe. Something like that. Not every member of the fraternity participates.”

  Nodding, I laughed as Jaelyn started doing some sort of chicken dance to the rap music, and Zoe rolled her eyes. We shared a glance and smiled before joining in. What fun was life if you couldn’t do silly things without fear of ridicule? We danced like that until our laughter became too much to continue without doubling over.

  FOUR

  Well, if it isn’t the loser squad.”

  My laughter suddenly died as the annoying voice of Veronica Pearce appeared next to us. She was one of the most obnoxious girls I’d ever met, and she absolutely seemed to despise me and Lily. When we first started going to school at the university two years ago, a boy who turned out to be Veronica’s boyfriend invited Lily to go with him to a party. Instead of getting mad at her boyfriend for asking another girl on a date, she got mad at Lily for trying to steal him away from her. She ended up hating me by association. The fact that we were identical probably didn’t help matters.

  “What do you want, Veronica?” I asked with a sigh.

  She grimaced. “I don’t want anything from you. There’s nothing in this world that you could offer me that I would ever consider taking, especially not if you touched it with your grubby hands” she said, and Jaelyn gasped.

  Jaelyn reached out and slapped Veronica right across the cheek. Zoe and I stared at the pair with wide eyes, jaws dropped. Veronica’s eyes looked at her with so much rage and hate that I was surprised she didn’t rear back and slam her fist into Jaelyn’s face. Instead, she spun on her heel and began walking in the other direction.

  “Oh,” Veronica said with a pause, looking back at me. “I heard about your mom. Such a shame really. Don’t you feel any guilt at all for letting her die? It looks like your sister had the right idea by leaving. I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I walked out of a burning house without even trying to save my family.”

  My heart leapt to my throat, and I swallowed hard, biting back tears and frustration. Fists clenched at my sides, I fought the urge to slam one into her jaw. I should have known she would be here and that she would know about the fire. It was only a matter of time before someone brought it up, I just wish it hadn’t been her. She would stop at nothing to make sure I was put in my place.

  “Calla, are you okay?” Zoe asked with concern in her eyes.

  Jaelyn was seething, her fists clenched at her sides, jaw tight. I appreciated that she cared enough to get angry on my behalf, but I didn’t want her to do anything that might cause more problems for me or her down the road.

  “I’m fine,” I said, unable to keep my voice from shaking. “What’s wrong, Veronica? Do you have nothing better to do than show how much of an asshole you are?”

  Veronica leaned forward and whispered into my ear. “I may be an asshole, but at least I’m not alone.” Heat filled my face as fire raced through my veins. Smirking, she gestured for her friends to follow and walked away.

  “Calla-“

  “I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Jaelyn hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “Just say the word, and we’ll make her life hell,” Zoe added with a sly grin as she rubbed her hands together.

  “No, it’s fine, really. I don’t want to start a war with Veronica,” I said, thinking back to the girl in the bathroom. She might be a bitch, but she wouldn’t go so far as to do something like that... would she?

  “Fine,” Zoe sighed. “But I can’t make any promises if she tries anything.”

  The party continued on well into the morning, and the karaoke competition didn’t end until just before sunrise. Sometime around five in the morning, when I was barely keeping my eyes open, let alone standing on my own two feet, there was an announcement that the party was being moved to the ridge - wherever that was.

  Jaelyn hauled me up from my prone position, forcing me to follow the crowd up yet another trail. Luckily, this one didn’t appear to have quite a steep incline, and I was able to keep up without struggling. Zoe laughed as I dragged my feet behind me, threatening to fall asleep standing up. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one as several people stayed behind at the cabin, too exhausted to move. A night of partying can do that to you.

  My legs somehow managed to carry me to the top without shaking, and I was able to push myself a little faster the closer we got to our destination. When the front of the group stopped moving, I sighed happily that I’d made it.

  “Why are we up here again?” I asked, having realized no one told me why we had to hike up the trail so early in the morning.

  “Just watch,” Zoe said, shushing me.

  I was about to ask what she meant when someone started counting down at the front of the group. Jaelyn grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the front, and I barely managed to hold onto Zoe as we w
eaved our way through. When we arrived at the front, Jaelyn squealed, clapping her hands together, and I noticed the sky was getting lighter.

  A few seconds later, the sun lifted over the horizon, filling the sky with colors of orange, red and pink that faded into purple then blue as it spread farther into the sky. It was beautiful. My heart ached as I realized that Lily would have loved this if she was here. This party was definitely her scene, but she was also a photographer and an artist. She loved drawing and painting, and this would have been an amazing inspiration for her. She got her talent from our mother, and the thought of neither of them seeing this right now filled me with anguish.

  Sweat trickled down my neck and back by the time we made it back to the main campground, and I stopped in the public restrooms to splash some water on my face before we started heading back to the campus. Jaelyn and I discussed staying longer so we could get some sleep before making the long drive, but so many other people had the same idea that there wasn’t really any place for us to sleep, so we decided to go ahead.

  I was super grateful that the lift was on by the time we left, and I didn’t have to cross that terrifying bridge again, but the tiny, enclosed box was suffocating. I was covered in sweat without even having to exert myself. Drenching a paper towel, I rubbed it across my face and the back of my neck, trying to cool down while also waking myself up.

  Since Jaelyn seemed to have more energy, she was going to take the first shift driving, but if she got too tired, we were going to switch. I figured the best way to help would be to stay awake with her so we could talk. Not wanting to stay too long in the restroom - I hadn’t had much luck with them lately - I grabbed my stuff and rushed out.

  “Ready to go?” she asked as I threw my bag into the trunk and settled into the passenger seat.

  I nodded. “Yep, let’s get out of here.”

  She smiled, pulling out of the parking lot. When we reached a point where we had cell service, the tight knot I had in my chest finally loosened.