Past Midnight

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My parents had been off at a nearby historical society in an attempt to gather information about local landmarks. I had no idea when they were coming back, but I really didn’t want Avery around asking them any questions. They’d have no problem revealing everything to her, and I wasn’t ready for that. So far, she saw me as a normal, slightly messy girl who trusted her fashion sense and liked pepperoni pizza. It was too soon to ask her to accept me as some sort of teenaged Ghostbuster, as well.

I was able to get Avery to leave before my parents came home, but I knew it wasn’t something I could keep up for too long. Eventually, she would run into them and the truth would come out. We’d been living in the house for three weeks, though, and so far, so good. Shane had been driving the “Doubt” van and kept it parked at his new apartment across town, and my parents were fully occupied with editing their Charleston footage.

Avery and I talked a little more about school the next day. After we hung up I yawned, my eyelids feeling heavy. Part of me wanted to remain on the floor and fall asleep right where I was, but I knew I should get up, wash my face and curl up under the warm covers.

“Too cold,” I mumbled.

A second later, I felt a warm sensation, almost as if someone was lowering a blanket onto me.

“Charlotte.” It was just a whisper, faint and far away. I was drifting in that hazy space between asleep and awake, but I felt tugged toward sleep and had the sense that I was sinking slowly. I felt cool grass beneath me, and I could smell jasmine in the air. I was back at the park in Charleston where Annalise and I had eaten lunch a few weeks before, near the same tree where the dark-haired girl in my dreams liked to read. I felt as if I was waiting for the girl to arrive. In fact, I felt sure that she would arrive at any moment, that I should stay exactly where I was.

“Charlotte?”

I opened my eyes. Mom was standing over me, looking down. I sat up, confused.

“I fell asleep,” I mumbled.

“You were talking.” Mom reached down and helped pull me up.

“What did I say?”

“I’m not sure. It was more like whispering.” Mom cocked her head to one side. “You okay?”

“Just tired. I’m going to bed now.” I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. When I returned, Mom had picked up the last of my dirty clothes, including Annalise’s pink sweater.

“I’ll take these downstairs for you,” she said. She leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Sleep well. See you in the morning.”

I got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. It was a hard and dreamless sleep, and when I woke up early the next morning, I felt more rested than I had in weeks. I had the vague impression that something odd had occurred the night before, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Had I been dreaming?

As I showered, I decided that everything was fine. I’d experienced some strange sensations, but I was living in a new place and that was bound to happen. Maybe I was just extra sensitive to temperature in the South. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I wouldn’t let myself dwell on it. Besides, I had more important things to focus on.

It was time to introduce Charlotte Silver, Average Ordinary Girl, to the rest of the senior class.

five

Avery wasn’t kidding when she said seven-thirty sharp. I was just peeling a banana when I heard two quick honks of a car in the driveway. I glanced at the kitchen clock: 7:29.

“That’s my cue,” I said to Mom. She was still in her bathrobe, sitting at the kitchen counter and sipping a cup of coffee.

“Good luck, hon. Have a great day.”

I gathered up my backpack and left the house just as Avery honked once more. I slid into the passenger seat and smiled.

“A little impatient, aren’t we?”

She pulled out of the driveway. “Sorry. I hate being late, is all.”

I settled into my seat. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

My parents and I had driven past the school once, and it was no more than ten minutes from our house. Even if there was morning traffic, we would get to school with about half an hour to spare.

“You still need to pick up your schedule,” Avery reminded me. She had received hers in the mail the week before, but since I registered so late, I had to stop by the main office to pick up mine.

Avery chatted about some of her friends. “They’re really nice,” she said. “You’ll like them.”

“Are they all cheerleaders?”

She glanced at me. “Yes. But don’t worry. We’re not cliquey or snobby or anything. You’ll fit right in.”

“So they won’t try to recruit me? I’m highly uncoordinated. I can barely clap in rhythm.”

Avery grinned. “You may want to work on that. But no recruiting, I promise. We will not try to bring you over to the dark side.”

I noticed that, once again, we were taking a shortcut that was anything but short. In fact, it seemed like Avery never took the main road if she could avoid it, even if it meant driving miles out of her way. I asked her about it once after we took the long way to pick up medicine from Dante’s vet.

“I don’t like heavy traffic,” she had said with a shrug. “And I want to be careful with my new car.”

We arrived at school, and Avery turned into the section reserved for seniors. About half a dozen girls stood in one corner. When they saw Avery’s car, they all waved happily, then parted like a wave. They had been blocking off a specific space, I realized, to make sure that no one else could park there.

We stepped out of the car and were greeted by a chorus of hellos. Some of the girls offered Avery quick hugs. They complimented her clothes and said how great it was to see her. I hung back, waiting to be introduced.

“This is Charlotte,” Avery said finally. “She just moved here from Charleston.”

The girls smiled and looked at me closely. I smiled in return, suddenly self-conscious. They were sizing me up, I thought, judging whether or not I would be accepted into their circle. I was sure Avery had told them about me, but how much?

“Do you cheer?” asked one. I wasn’t sure who had spoken. All the girls had long, light-colored hair and perfect tans.

“Uh, no. Sorry, I don’t cheer.”

Avery laughed. “But we’ll overlook that one little personality flaw, won’t we?” she asked, and the other girls giggled at the joke.

“Any friend of Avery’s is a friend of ours,” said a girl to my left, and the others nodded and murmured their agreement. I relaxed a little. Avery suggested we go to the main office to pick up my class schedule, and we all walked as one big group across the parking lot and into the school.

We attracted more than a little attention as we made our way through the wide, crowded hallways. The girls pointed out to me where the cafeteria was and chatted about who they had for English and math. When we got to the office, they formed a semicircle behind me as I waited for the secretary to locate my schedule.

“Your locker number and combination are here,” said the frowning woman as she pointed to the bottom of my schedule. Then she noticed Avery, and something in her face softened.

“How are you, dear?” she asked. Genuine concern filled her voice.

“Fine, thanks,” Avery replied brightly. Then she nudged me and we left.

The girls passed around my schedule, comparing it with their own. “She’s in B lunch!” exclaimed one.

Avery smiled. “That means we all have lunch together.”

When we reached the senior hallway, Avery checked my locker number. “Callie, would you mind showing Charlotte to her locker?”

The tallest girl in the group reached for my schedule. She looked down at the number, then up at Avery. Something passed between them, but I wasn’t sure what it was. “Of course,” she said. “We’ll catch up with you later.”