Kiss Of Death (Are You Afraid Of The Dark)

11

The rest of the day was spent watching movies at Louise's vacant, quiet house. Rachel vetoed this idea, but her newfound friends overrode her vote, saying that they needed to relax a little if they were going to continue to follow through with finding her missing friends. Even Graham and Gavin voted for a movie day, which was weird. Weren't they worried about Louise, Adam, and Akiko? Weren't they worried that they might disappear off of the face of the planet soon enough? Or was it just her who was worried beyond belief?

All the lights were off in Louise's living room, and the darkness outside seeped into the building as the TV flashed in front of her. An old horror film was playing on the screen, one that she hadn't seen before. She wished she could have enjoyed it, but she was looking over the envelopes and photos by lamplight at the back of the room by herself. Her eyes were watering painfully, and the words were crossing on the page, but she wanted to figure out what the writing in the lipstick said. 

The red lipstick was starting to smudge across the white background. Rachel softly cursed underneath her breath, dropping the papers onto her lap and leaning her head back. She screwed her eyes shut, hating that they burned worse than a fire. Everything about this wasn't turning out the way she had planned. No one else wanted to help her try to figure it out. And now her eyes were messing with her, and the words were smudging. What else could go wrong?

"Rachel?" Her eyes flashed open to see Quinton standing in front of her. She didn't realize that he stayed here, and her heart started thudding in her chest. He gave her a quick smile, motioning over his shoulder. "I think I'm going to head out. My mom is wondering where I'm at."

For some reason, she gently set the papers on the small table, standing up. Dusting off her hands, she offered him a smile. "I'll walk you out."

"Thanks."

The two of them headed toward the front door together, and Rachel could feel eyes on her back. She didn't bother turning around, though. She didn't want to see Gavin looking upset that she was walking this boy out. She knew what Gavin was thinking. He was probably thinking that Rachel liked Quinton. That wasn't the truth. Quinton was the new kid, and she felt bad for him. Sure, he was cute, but that didn't mean that she would like him. 

Rachel shook her head, trying to dispel the terrible thoughts. She didn't want to think about Gavin thinking those things. He was her first boyfriend, and she really, really liked him. He knew that she was afraid of Mr. Tophat. He knew about some of her deepest thoughts. He knew who she really was deep down. That was what mattered. Not that she was befriending this new kid. He didn't matter to her like Gavin did.

"Thank you for driving us to and from Washington," Rachel said once they made it outside. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as a chilly breeze blew through her clothes. Darkness surrounded her and Quinton, scaring her slightly. She didn't like being alone at night like this in a strange part of town. "Even if it didn't help us at all."

"You're welcome." Rachel hadn't realized just how close Quinton had been standing next to her until he spoke. It seemed like he was inches away from her, but she couldn't sense him anywhere. "I'm glad I got to learn about your secret society, especially after you lied to me the other night."

She nervously laughed. "You do realize that I had to keep it a secret? That's what constitutes a secret society and all."

"Lying to people isn't a good thing, Rachel. Trust me. I know."

"It's not the worst thing you can do."

"Hmm, I don't know about that. Sin is sin, no matter how large or small it is."

Rachel didn't know what else to say. Quinton remained silent, too, and it dragged on and on. She turned her gaze to the sky, his words sitting heavy on her heart. Was he right? Probably. Did she want him to be right? No. She didn't want to listen to Quinton anymore, to be in his presence any longer. There was something about him that scared her and being in the dark with him wasn't helping that feeling.