Darkest Dawn. Katlyn Duncan

breath whooshed out of me, replacing my jittery nerves with a growling stomach. I glanced at the kitchen. The waitress filed her nails by the kitchen doors. I assumed she was only waiting on me, as it seemed like everyone else already had their meal.

      My mind wandered back to the note. I wasn’t a naive sixteen-year-old girl who frequently followed requests made in unsigned, mysterious notes. The information promised in the letter meant it couldn’t be from some random person. He or she knew my past with Willows Lake.

      My cell buzzed from my pocket. Another text from Dad.

       Off to the hotel. You alive?

      I quickly texted back. I’m not sure I could handle speaking to him at the moment. He would call if I didn’t respond. Yeah. Sleeping. Love you.

       You too, pumpkin.

      I smiled to myself, missing him already. Hating that I’d lied to him. Soon I’d be able to prove to him that I was right all those years ago. And I could finally move on with my life.

      I thought the waitress had returned but I glanced up at someone else.

      A guy held a steaming plate topped with my hamburger and a pile of french fries. He was cute. I’d even venture to say gorgeous. His big chocolate eyes were bright for this time of night. And he had thick brown hair that would make any girl want to run her fingers through it to see how soft it really was. His grease-stained apron was probably white once, and attached was a name tag that read “Jake”. When he slid into the booth across from me, my skin exploded with goose bumps. My mind went to the stun gun in my bag. Looks and a smile like his didn’t always mean good intentions.

      “I almost didn’t recognize you,” he said, his voice was deep and he still smiled. “I thought you would come around back?”

      I glanced around the room. Was this the person who sent for me? Weren’t we supposed to meet tomorrow? I pressed my back into the booth, my body rigid. He was closer to my age than my mom’s. He would have been young when Mom’s accident happened. I scanned the room, looking for anyone who was watching us. I came to the quick conclusion that this guy must be the calm and trusting face for me to meet prior to whoever sent me. Tingles shot up my skin and not for the first time did I think this had been a bad idea. Or possibly that I might end dead in a ditch in this pathetic town.

      I knew that note backward and forward. It had a specific meeting point and time. I decided to test him. “We aren’t doing this tomorrow?”

      He slid the plate in front of me. The bacon-scented steam wafted up my nose. This guy knew how to distract me. “This conversation should be private, not at school.”

      There must have been a change in plans since I got the letter. And he was right—I didn’t want to discuss the strange circumstances surrounding Mom’s death around anyone else.

      He was staring at me.

      “What?” The accusation came out short, but I was annoyed, tired, and very hungry.

      And he had the nerve to smile at me again. “Sorry. Your eyes—”

      I narrowed them. The genetic defect heterochromia iridium, which made my left eye a dark green with my right eye pale blue, had made me stick out as different. One of the reasons I was able to get over other people’s stares was because Mom had the same trait. “What about them?”

      He shrugged slightly and slid from the booth. I followed him with my gaze. “It’s not something I see a lot. They really look amazing.”

      “Thanks,” I mumbled, unsure if he was making fun of me. I could normally read guys, but this one was setting off warning bells that I had the urge to ignore. Was he flirting with me? I wasn’t sure that it was the time or place. I needed answers.

      I started to get up from the booth but he held a hand up. “Eat first. You look hungry. Come by the kitchen after.”

      I followed his retreat to the kitchen but he didn’t look back at me. As much as I wanted to know everything right then and there, my stomach persisted. And I obeyed.

      Whether it was because I was starving or the need for information burned inside of me, I ate the burger in under two minutes. I gulped down the rest of the water and grabbed my bag. I slipped my stun gun into my jacket pocket. I’d never make the same mistake twice. I slapped a few bucks for the tip on the table and went to the double doors of the kitchen. The waitress hadn’t stopped me, even when she went to collect my plate and money.

      I pushed open the door and was met with the tinny sound of an AC/DC song. An older man was at the sink, bobbing his head to the music. His voice was off-key but he seemed to be enjoying himself, especially when he broke out an air guitar solo.

      Jake came into the kitchen, wielding a mop as a microphone and singing the lyrics to the song in a spot-on Brian Johnson impersonation. My hand shot to my mouth as I stifled a laugh.

      Both guys looked at me and I froze in place.

      “It appears we have an audience,” said the older man. He turned down the music.

      Jake raked his hand through his hair a few times, not meeting my eyes. “That was quick.”

      “I couldn’t wait.”

      He gave me another disarming smile. My stomach twisted. Damn him. He didn’t seem like the serial killer type, but I’d seen enough crime shows to know that most didn’t. I glanced out the pass through window into the dining area. He couldn’t kill me with witnesses present, right?

      “Pop, can I—?”

      His dad turned the music up. “Don’t be long,” he called over it and winked at me. “These dishes won’t dry themselves.”

      Jake indicated for me to follow him. He led us through a back door into the cool night. The heavy door closed behind us.

       There go the witnesses.

      We stood on a set of cement stairs. A small overhang protected us from the rain that had picked up since I’d last been outside. Cold air swept under my jacket and I shivered. I inspected our surroundings, hoping this wasn’t a trick. A large garbage bin and several smaller ones were our only company.

      Jake’s body was close to mine and I kept my hand at my side, feeling for the stun gun.

      He moved away from me, clasping his hands around the metal railing opposite from the one I dug my back into. I tightened my grip on the strap of my bag.

      The mixed emotions of relief and nervousness were etched on his face. “Sorry. I can’t think in there sometimes.” He leaned his head back, studying the overhang. “I know this isn’t the place to do this, but I couldn’t wait.”

      Now we were getting somewhere. “Tell me.” My voice was terse and strained, but I didn’t want him to move until he told me why I’d been brought here.

      He smiled to himself, almost shy. “I tried to think of the perfect place to do this. Then realized there isn’t a perfect place.” His smile was gone, replaced with a serious expression that struck me like lightning.

      He moved closer and I clutched my bag tighter. My chest bloomed with anticipation of what he was about to tell me. His smile was back, but this time it quirked the side of his mouth. His eyes moved over my face, a wake of awareness touching everywhere—my cheeks, nose, eyes—and finally his eyes settled on my suddenly dry lips.

      “It took me way too long to say it. But I think you’re incredible.” His fingers gently brushed against my cheek.

      I flinched. My body froze even though alarm bells rang in my ears. It was so wrong, yet my body remained still.

      “And beautiful.”

      My legs turned to jelly and I leaned even more into the railing.

      His fingers traced over my cheek. “I don’t think you should ever hide those eyes.”

      Before