Ali and Chloe Forever (Book 1)

Chapter 11: Dead Girls Don't Visit Their Own Grave

Chloe danced to the pulsing electronic beat that weaves through the room. The blurry mass of people at the Valentine's Day dance seemed to collide beautifully with each other. She closed her eyes and glided across the dance floor. Then the music stopped.

Chloe opened her eyes and came face to face with four cinder-block walls. A blond girl in an orange jumpsuit sat at a table with a blurred-out person, maybe a psychiatrist. The blond girl took a Dixie cup full of her pills and swallowed them down.

Chloe turned and ran down the hall. But when she came into the first room that got her attention, she saw the blond girl again. This time, she was on a bed, and leather straps tied her down, restraining her. Freaky moans echoed through the hall outside the room.

Chloe turned to leave, but the girl called her back. "Wait," she said.

Chloe turned back to face the girl. Her face looked like they had burn scars on them, but the scars looked as though they'd been treated. Her skin looked better, too. And it was at that moment Chloe recognized who the girl was.

Ali.

Feeling afraid, Chloe looked toward a window. The woods were very visible through the glass. If she could get out of the room and then outside, she'd be safe.

But then she saw the bed was empty.

Chloe's eyes moved around the room. When she saw the doorway, a shadow shifted on the wall, as though someone was trying not to be seen. Don't go out of the room, she thought. But she began moving toward the door. When she peered out into the hall, a girl wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt and jeans had her back turned to Chloe.

The girl knelt down in front of a large frame of Chloe's second grade school picture. "Soon enough, I'm coming to get you all," she said.

She stood and turned to face Chloe. It was Ali again. Chloe turned and ran down the hall. When she was almost to the end, a hand caught her arm. Then she was pulled back into the room with a fast motion.

Chloe glanced at the window again, the dark woods staring back at her. She turned to the door in an attempt to escape, but Ali was standing in the doorway, her body pressed firmly against the door.

"Don't run away," Ali said.

Suddenly, Ali lunged forward and outstretched her arms. Chloe moved out of the way, but Ali caught her, pulling her back with surprising strength. "Chloe, no. It's not safe out there."

Chloe tried to get free, but Ali was holding her hard by the shoulders. "Let me go, Ali. I'm not safe with you."

Ali's eyes softened. "Yes, you are. You've always been safe with me."

Chloe blinked, and they were no longer in the room that had to be part of the psych ward in prison. Now they were in the living room of a house in the Poconos. Chloe sat on the floor while Ali stood near a wicker chair.

Ali dropped to her knees in front of Chloe and took her hands. "I did this for you. Don't you see? You've always been safe with me."

Chloe tried to pull away again, but Ali pulled her closer, gently this time. "Everything I do is for you. Please don't run away. It's not safe out there."

Chloe still tried to get free, but Ali inched closer, putting her arms around Chloe. "You're safe, Chloe. You don't have to be afraid of me. You're safe with me."

Chloe stopped resisting and let Ali hold her. "Chloe," Ali said. "I'm not a monster. I'm not crazy. Wake up. You have to wake up."

Chloe felt herself drifting away from the sight of the living room inside the cabin. "Chloe. Wake up," Ali said.