Darkest Dawn. Katlyn Duncan

something shuffled behind her. She paused, her hand hovering over the lock. Her skin heated as she turned around again.

      Max knew not to mess with her. “Coach?”

      She quickly spun the combination again and reached in her bag for her clothes. She didn’t even bother to get halfway dry before shoving on her underwear, shirt, and jeans.

      A shuffling sound made her stop. She held her breath as it moved closer and closer. It started at the entrance to the locker room. “Hello?”

      Again, nothing.

      Her teeth started to chatter and she pressed her lips together to stifle the noise. She was going to kill Max if she was pranking her. A large shadow moved across the space. Her instincts propelled her legs in the other direction. She tucked her bag against her body and sprinted toward Coach’s office. “Coach!” The office was dark and the door was locked. She was alone with whatever shadow-thing she’d seen. She ran down the back hallway and pushed through the door to the natatorium. A body lay facedown on the surface of the pool and she screamed.

      The body moved, his head popping up from the surface.

      Relief surged through her as she recognized the face. “Kael?” What was Kael Theron doing at school? She walked closer to the edge.

      His head dipped below the surface again and he swam to the side of the pool.

      Bri backed away when his hands touched the tile by her feet. He hopped from the water and towered over her. Droplets of water streamed down the taut muscles of his chest. His normally sandy blond hair was a few shades darker from the water. He only wore a pair of swim trunks.

      She steadied her eyes on his. “You gave me a frickin’ heart attack.”

      The corner of his mouth lifted in an amused smile. Her heart flip-flopped. Kael was a few years older and the steady subject of Willows Lake’s constant stream of gossip. Being the reclusive son of the craziest and wealthiest man in town would do that. It didn’t help that they lived on the outskirts of town on the lake in a secluded mansion. A place she always thought looked enchanted and straight out of a fairy tale.

      He held her gaze. “I didn’t realize anyone was still here.”

      She’d become accustomed to people looking at her eyes but with her green contact firmly in place, his stare wasn’t about the genetic deformity. It struck down to her core. “I was the only one left in there.” She hoped. She thought of the sound she’d heard before freaking out. It had probably been her imagination. In any case she stepped away from the door to the locker room.

      His eyes narrowed briefly as if he was judging her truth. “Why are you here so late?”

      She thought of Max and how much she wanted to strangle her for leaving before she was out of the shower. “We just finished up practice. I’m headed out to meet Max.”

      “Max?”

      “Maxine,” she clarified. “My friend.”

      His chin lifted. “I see.”

      She skirted past him, keeping her eyes on the slick floor. The sound of his wet feet followed. She turned her head. He tugged on his jeans and shoved a dry shirt over his head.

      “How’s your dad?” Abbey visited Mr. Theron a couple of days a week, even though he had numerous caregivers. For some reason he had requested her to keep him company when he first got sick.

      “Same,” Kael said in a clipped tone. One that she recognized as annoyance. It was the same tone that she used whenever someone asked about where her dad was. Not that she had any idea who he was. Or that she cared.

      “My mom will be back to see him in a few days.” She filled the awkward silence.

      He shook his head. “He doesn’t even know she’s there half the time.”

      “She likes spending time with him.”

      He snorted. “His ability to make people feel guilty deserves an Oscar.”

      Kael made it seem like illness was something his dad enjoyed. Although she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was kidding—not that his situation was anything to joke about. Instead, she changed the subject. “You like to swim?” She immediately regretted asking. Obviously he did. For some reason he always put her on edge and not always in a negative way.

      A secret smile touched his lips. “I do. It relaxes me.”

      She quirked her lips. “Me too.”

      He raked a hand through his hair, slicking it back. “I’m glad it was you here instead of the coach.”

      Bri flushed. “Why?”

      He pressed his lips together briefly before speaking. “Let’s just say I don’t exactly have permission to be here.”

      “I won’t tell anyone as long as you keep me screaming like a banshee to yourself.”

      He winked at her. “Deal.”

      Her breath caught in her throat.

      They hovered by the door, but Bri reached for it first.

      “Wait.” His hand slammed into it. It came close enough to her face that she could make out each individual hair on his arm.

      She whirled around realizing how close his body was to hers. His breathing was labored.

      “Are you okay?”

      “Yes,” he said firmly.

      If it wasn’t for Mom and her stories from Mr. Theron, she might have been afraid of his outburst. Most people in town were. He was portrayed as a “lost soul” by his father.

      “I need to meet my friend,” she prompted, pointing at his arm.

      “Be careful okay?” His jaw clenched. “Make sure you go straight home.”

      “Okay,” Bri said, dragging the word out. Why was he being so weird?

      He removed his hand from the door. “Some might take advantage of a girl who’s home alone.”

      Bri hesitated but Kael didn’t meet her eye.

      She grabbed the handle and pulled, the cool hallway air blasting over her face. She pushed the door open for Kael as black spots filled her vision.

      “Brianna?”

      She turned around, looking up at Kael. His eyes were pulled down at the corners with worry.

      She took a deep breath, recovering quickly. “I’m fine. I need to eat something.” Her phone buzzed from her backpack. She’d had it on silent since the morning, as she didn’t want to give any teachers an excuse to take it away. She pulled out her phone. Several texts from Mom littered the screen. She’d arrived at the conference and would call later.

      She exhaled deeply and tossed a quick wave to Kael before leaving the natatorium. The door closed behind her and she took a few more deep breaths before heading down the hallway, letting go of the strangest ten minutes of her life. Her nerves must have had the better of her. She’d probably heard Kael splashing around in the pool, which had freaked her out since Coach rarely let anyone in the natatorium unsupervised. With Mr. Theron’s clout in town, Bri doubted Coach could say anything to stop Kael though. And since she’d nearly passed out in the shower, her eyes had probably being playing tricks on her.

      The room whirled around her again and she leaned against the wall for support. She took out a granola bar from her bag—she always had food handy, especially after the amount of calories she burned at practice. She unwrapped it and took a few bites until she felt somewhat normal.

      She turned the corner and stopped.

      She blinked a few times but the image at the end of the hallway didn’t go away. Brianna Taylor couldn’t take her eyes off a mirror image of herself standing at the opposite end of the hallway. The only difference was that the mirror