Truth or Dare . ., page 8
A girl with gleaming red hair—a bright spot of color in the dark and dreary cemetery.
CHAPTER 14
Is it Sara? Is it Sara? Abby was only vaguely aware of Jake’s hand gripping hers tightly.
Abby tried to remember how to talk, how to breathe, but those ordinary abilities seemed lost to her as the girl turned to face them, standing in a beam of moonlight. And Abby knew, all of a sudden, with brilliant clarity:
It wasn’t Sara.
The realization hit Jake at the same moment; Abby could tell from the way he sighed and from the way his shoulders fell, the tension in them replaced by a great relief.
The resemblance was uncanny, though. The girl had Sara’s long red hair, and her creamy skin, and even her glowing green eyes. But her nose was narrower and her chin pointier; all around, the girl seemed somehow sharper and more angular.
And far more alive. That was certain.
Jake spoke first. “Who are you?” he asked, and his voice was harsh. Angry.
“My name is Samantha,” she said in a clipped English accent. “Hello.”
“Hello?” Jake asked. “Hello? You’re going to have to do better than ‘hello.’ Because you have a lot of explaining to do.”
Abby placed her hand gently on Jake’s arm. Then she turned to face the stranger. “Who are you?” she asked. “I mean, really—who are you?”
Samantha sighed. “I’m Sara’s cousin,” she replied. “I live in London with my mum. But she’s on special assignment for her work, traveling through Africa, so I’ve come to live with my aunt Stacy and uncle Steven for six weeks.”
“Sara’s parents?” asked Abby. Next to her, Jake nodded.
“I was so excited,” Samantha said. “I’d never been to America before. I was going to go to a new school and make new friends and everything. And Mum told me that Aunt Stacy and Uncle Steven couldn’t wait for me to arrive. They hadn’t seen me in years and their house had been too quiet since . . .”
Samantha looked down at Sara’s grave. Then she cleared her throat and continued speaking. “But at the airport I could tell everything had gone wrong already. Aunt Stacy burst into tears the moment she saw me.”
“Because you look so much like Sara?” Abby guessed.
Samantha nodded in response. “I was supposed to go to school here. Your school. But by suppertime Uncle Steven told me that wouldn’t be possible. He said it would upset the students too much to see me, so I’d have to be homeschooled. They didn’t even think I should leave the house. Suddenly I was to be like a prisoner in their home for six weeks, with nowhere to go and nothing to do except schoolwork all by myself, and I couldn’t even reach my mum to tell her how awful it was. All my dreams for my visit were ruined. And every time she saw me, Aunt Stacy started to cry. It’s been horrible.
“I started spending all my time in Sara’s room, with the door closed,” Samantha continued. “Just to spare my poor aunt Stacy the sight of me. And I did something bad. I started reading Sara’s diary. And her e-mails. I learned all about her school and her friends and her boyfriend. She did all the things I might have done here if only I didn’t look so much like her,” she added bitterly.
“So you went through all of Sara’s stuff,” Jake finally spoke up. “And then what? You wanted to, like, take over her life?”
“You have to understand. I haven’t seen Sara since we were, like, three years old,” Samantha replied, visibly upset with herself. “So of course I was sad to hear that she died, but I didn’t know her. I didn’t even know anything about her until I started living in her room. Aunt Stacy and Uncle Steven hadn’t changed a thing about it. Even Sara’s e-mail account was still active. And it wasn’t hard to guess her e-mail password—JAKE.”
Samantha turned to Jake. “I know I never should have done it,” she said. “But I read all the e-mails you sent her. You were always so sweet and funny and really lovely to her. Nothing like the boys at home. I wanted to meet you more than anything. Because I thought if you’d liked Sara, maybe you might like me as well.”
Abby spoke quickly, before Jake could respond. “I don’t understand. If you were stuck in Sara’s room, how did you even know about me or that Jake and I were . . .”
“One day I couldn’t take it any longer,” Samantha explained. “I simply had to get out of that house. Uncle Steven was out, and Aunt Stacy was asleep, so I pinned my hair under a cap and put on my sunglasses and snuck out! I took Sara’s bike out of the garage and just rode down the street, feeling the sun, breathing the fresh air, and then I came to a bunch of shops, and I went into one—a grocery store, it was. And—you were there, Abby. You and your friend . . . the blond one . . .”
“Leah,” Abby said.
“And you both seemed so happy, and I wished so much that I was going to your sleepover party that night.” Samantha covered her face with her hands. “What I did next . . . I’m so embarrassed. I followed your mum’s car home, Abby. I thought that maybe even if I couldn’t really attend your party, I could still listen to all the fun you and your friends would have.”
Abby suddenly remembered something. “Were you in the woods early in the evening?” she asked.
Samantha nodded miserably. “I heard you call out, but I couldn’t answer, of course. And then once the sleepover started, I sat by the basement window. And then I overheard you talking about Jake and I ran back home. By the time I got back to Uncle Steven’s house, I was so angry and so jealous. Because if Jake started to go out with you, what chance was there for me?”
“So you texted me,” Abby continued for her. “In the middle of the night, from your own phone. That’s why I didn’t recognize the number.”
“I just wanted to frighten you enough that you’d stay away from Jake,” Samantha admitted. “But then I was hanging around outside the school a few days later and I saw you walking home with him and I followed you. I heard every word you said. You’d be surprised how easily you can follow someone and never be noticed. Neither of you ever even knew I was there!”
Samantha paused. “Well, that’s not quite right, actually. Because I followed you all the way to your house, Abby, and later I even peeked in your window. You looked so happy, modeling that beautiful top in the mirror, and I was so angry! And then you nearly saw me. When you ran out of your room I climbed in the window, ripped your top, and put that note in your drawer. I don’t know what happened to me. I’ve never done anything like that, never. It all got so out of hand. I’m so sorry, Abby. I’ll buy you a new top. I promise.”
Abby was so shocked by all of Samantha’s confessions that she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Jake, though, didn’t have that problem at all. He glared at Samantha.
“You’re terrible,” he said, and the quiet anger in his words made them sound even harsher. “You go through Sara’s personal, private things, you follow people around, and you do all that terrible stuff to Abby? You break into her house and you destroy her shirt? You send those nasty, awful messages to scare her? What’s wrong with you?”
“Jake,” Abby spoke up, but he was too angry to stop now.
“If you didn’t look just like Sara, I never would have believed you were related to her,” he continued loudly. “You thought you could take over her life, but you were so wrong. You could never be as sweet and nice as Sara, and that was what really made her beautiful. That was the real reason why everybody liked her so much.”
“Jake, stop,” Abby said firmly.
But Jake’s words hovered in the air even after he finished speaking, almost echoing off the gravestones around them. A single tear slipped down Samantha’s face as she nodded.
“You’re right,” Samantha said. “It’s all true, and I deserve it. I was so lonely—I can’t begin to tell you how lonely I was—it’s not an excuse, but it is an explanation, and I am so, so sorry. I wish I could go back in time and undo it all.”
Abby thought suddenly of what it must have been like for Samantha—thousands of miles away from her home and family and friends, stuck in a dead girl’s room, surrounded by what remained of the dead girl’s life. It sounded like a nightmare. Abby wondered how she would have handled it. If it would have made her do things that were otherwise unthinkable.
“Hey,” Abby said as Samantha self-consciously wiped away another tear. “Listen, I forgive you. Try not to—don’t be upset. It’s over.”
“Abby—,” Jake began.
But Abby turned to him and cut him off before he could say anything else. “What do you think Sara would do right now? Wouldn’t she forgive Samantha, Jake?” she asked in a quiet voice, and in Jake’s eyes, Abby saw that he agreed.
Abby gave Samantha a small, sincere smile. “Would you—would you like to hang out sometime?” she asked, with just a touch of hesitation. “I, um, might have a sleepover at my house next weekend. Do you want to come? You could meet some of my friends, and my mom can talk to your aunt and uncle and make sure it’s okay for you to stay over. If you want.”
Samantha’s eyes were bright with surprise. “R-really?” she asked.
“Well, sure, why not?” Abby asked. “After all, you already know where I live.”
There was a moment of silence, and suddenly Abby and Samantha laughed, just a little. Even Jake cracked a smile.
“Come on,” Abby said with a last glance at Sara’s grave, so silent and cold in the moonlight. “Let’s get out of here.”
EPILOGUE
Nearly a week later, Abby found herself back in her basement, surrounded by sleeping bags, a plate of double-chocolate brownies, and her best friends. But this time, there was a new face in the group: someone who looked a little familiar, sounded a little different, and was slowly, shyly, getting to know everyone.
Samantha.
“What do you guys think?” asked Chloe as she lugged her enormous makeup kit over to the table. “Makeover time?”
“Only if we’re absolutely, positively not going outside again tonight,” Leah said firmly. She was sitting on the couch scratching Eddie’s belly. The cat was purring so loudly that she was having trouble hearing her friends’ chatter. “I swear I heard Toby call me Octo-Girl in gym this morning.”
“No, what he said was, ‘Watch out, girl!’” Nora laughed. “Because you were totally in the way!”
“Hey, I can’t make any promises we won’t go outside,” Chloe said, her eyes twinkling. “I mean, maybe we’ll play Truth or Dare later. And anything can happen during Truth or Dare.”
“No, no,” Abby spoke up, shaking her head. “I think we’ve played enough Truth or Dare for a while.”
“What’s the matter, Abby?” Leah asked with a giggle. “Are you worried somebody’s going to ask all about your big date with Jake tomorrow?”
Abby grinned as the rest of the girls shrieked with excitement. “Nope,” she replied. “That’s not a secret. I’ll tell you guys whatever you want to know.”
“Well, here’s what I want to know,” Nora said loudly. “Everything!”
“Yeah!” cried Chloe as she plunked down next to Abby. “What are you going to wear?”
Abby caught Samantha’s eye and smiled. “Samantha and I went shopping yesterday after school,” she began, “and I got this great top. It’s pale blue, and it has a skinny black belt. I love it.”
“It looks so gorgeous on you,” Samantha spoke up, and the two girls exchanged a grin.
“So what are you and Jake going to do, anyway?” asked Chloe.
“We’re going to the movies,” Abby said. “And then I think we’re going to get ice cream after. You know, at the place down the street from the movie theater.”
Leah sighed. “That sounds so awesome.”
“Want to come?” Abby asked, her eyes twinkling.
“You know I can’t.” Leah giggled. “Because Max and I are going out for pizza!”
“What?!” screamed Chloe and Nora at the same time, and everyone cracked up.
“He just asked me this afternoon!” Leah said excitedly. “I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t even think of anything to say, so I finally just nodded!”
“What are you going to do if that happens on your date tomorrow?” asked Nora.
Leah suddenly got serious. “Well, I already made a list of things we could talk about,” she said. “I’m not, like, going to bring it with me or anything. But hopefully writing them down will help me remember them later!”
“You’ll be fine,” Abby said. “And if you get really stuck, just text me! We could all meet up for ice cream or something, especially since Max and Jake are best friends too.”
“Well, obviously makeovers for you two are a top priority,” Chloe announced. “We want you guys to look really great tomorrow night.” She patted the floor in front of her. “Leah, you’re up.”
Leah scrambled across the room and sat cross-legged in front of Chloe. She closed her eyes as Nora reached for a container of lavender eye shadow. “I think this color will look amazing next to your pretty blue eyes,” Chloe said.
“Want to try those French braids again, Nora?” Abby asked. “But maybe just one this time?”
“Sure,” Nora said as she grabbed a hairbrush.
“Hey, Samantha,” Abby continued. “Can I do your hair?”
“Oh, of course,” Samantha said quickly. She sat down in front of Abby, and as she did, Abby smelled that exotic floral scent again. Suddenly she remembered where it was from, and her eyes lit up with recognition.
“Are you wearing Sara’s perfume, Samantha?” Abby asked.
The room got very quiet as everyone looked at Samantha.
She shook her head. “No, this is my perfume,” she said. But then she realized something. “Oh! We gave a bottle of this perfume to Sara every year for Christmas! Did she like it?”
Abby nodded, with the hint of a smile on her face. “She loved it. She wore it all the time. Once I asked where she got it, because I wanted to buy some, but she told me that it wasn’t available here.”
“It’s not,” Samantha said. “We buy it from a small perfumery in London. They make all the fragrances there.” She paused. “I could send you a bottle, if you like. When I go back home.”
“That’s okay,” Abby replied. “I think I’ll try to find my own fragrance.” She started running her fingers through Samantha’s long red hair, the silky tresses slipping through her hands like water. “Your hair is so beautiful. I only wish my hair was this shiny!”
“Thank you,” Samantha said, and Abby could tell from her voice that Samantha was smiling.
“Where did you cut it, anyway?” asked Abby. “It’s all so straight and even. You can’t even tell that you cut some off.”
There was a pause.
“Cut some off?” Samantha finally asked in a puzzled voice.
“Yeah, when you left that lock of hair in my dresser drawer,” Abby said. “With the note?”
“I put a note in there—for Jake,” Samantha said. “But that was all.”
“Wait a minute,” Abby said as her hands fell away from Samantha’s hair. “Are you saying that you didn’t put a lock of hair under the note? Long red hair, tied with a purple ribbon?”
“Absolutely not!” Samantha announced as she turned around to face Abby. “I’d never cut off my hair. I haven’t had it cut since I was four years old.”
Abby’s eyes grew wide as she stared at Samantha. “But if you didn’t leave me a lock of red hair,” she said slowly, “then who did?”
Emily bolted out the front door before her mom could say anything more. She glanced up and down the block. House after house looked pretty much the same. The soft glow of streetlights and porch lights revealed muted colored siding, sliding glass doors leading onto decks, nicely mowed lawns, landscaped gardens, and blacktop driveways.
And then there was the Strig’s house.
Looking across the street Emily saw the ramshackle old place. The last few flakes of paint on the original wooden clapboard danced in the wind. The sun-bleached shutters dangled on rusty nails. Most of the windows were broken, and those that weren’t were boarded up. Green moss spread across the roof. The front lawn had died long ago, and even the weeds seemed to be struggling to survive.
Emily realized that her mom was right. The place looked as if no one had lived there for years. But she knew better. A family with two kids was living there. And they liked her. They wanted to hang out with her and she liked hanging out with them. They had a lot of cool stuff in their house. And that was good enough for Emily.
She walked across the crunchy brown lawn and stepped up onto the Strig’s porch. Ancient floorboards creaked as she approached the front door. Emily was about to knock when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch, spun around, and found herself face-to-face with Drew Strig.
Drew was taller than Emily, and very thin. His face was pale. His jet-black hair sprang out in every direction and looked as if it hadn’t had even a chance meeting with a hairbrush in years. His black T-shirt and jeans looked slightly too small for his body.
“You scared me!” Emily exclaimed and started to laugh. “I didn’t hear you step onto the porch.”
“Sorry about that,” Drew said. “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it over tonight.”
“Yeah, my mom gave me a hard time,” Emily explained. “You know, the usual. ‘It’s so late. Why are you always going over there?’”
“Maybe she doesn’t like us,” said a voice from above.
Looking up, Emily spotted Drew’s sister, Vicky, sitting on a branch in an old gnarled tree that spread out across the front yard and overhung the tattered porch. Vicky looked very different from her brother. Her hair was pure white, but not old-lady white, more like glowing platinum. It hung down to her shoulders in perfectly straight strands extending from the part in the middle of her head. Her skin was the same color as her hair, and her thin lips had an odd purplish tint to them.
