It's Only Skin Deep

Chapter 11: Different By Daylight

November 9th, 12:26 a.m.

It was well past midnight when I finally pulled into my driveway. I was supposed to be home by 11:30. A single light burned through the living room window. My parents were going to kill me. Getting out of my car, I tried to shut the door as quietly as I could. I was in sneak mode.

A dark shadow moved across the porch when I turned back towards the house. My heart shot into my throat.

It's just the wind moving the trees. Nothing to be afraid of. I tried to console myself.

I felt the presence of someone behind me. I whipped my head around to find Salem not even a foot from me. "Freaking Christ, Salem!" I cursed as my hands flew to my chest to keep my pounding heart from breaking free. "It's not okay to keep sneaking up on a person like that! My heart can only take so much in one night!" I whisper yelled.

One side of his lip twitched. "I had to tell you something."

"Well out with it," I said after he failed to elaborate, "Since you already gave me a heart attack... again."

He got out with it, "Georgia was at the Chambers' house."

My lips parted in confusion. Georgia was there? "How had we missed her?" I spoke my thoughts aloud.

"She had been moved prior to the party," he explained.

"But where is she now?" was what I was wondering. We had found where she had been. There had to have been some kind of clue left by the skin-walker.

"I don't know." His face hardened, almost as if he were mad at himself for not figuring the puzzle out faster.

I needed to get inside before my parents really buried me underneath the house. "Well, uhm, text me if you find anything else." That was my attempt at ending the conversation.He nodded in acceptance that he would text me with any found information. I turned away, actually ending the conversation, and jumped up the front steps.

"Karina," he called out to me. When I glanced back he quickly said, "Be safe," before he was gone, disappearing into the night.

I realized with a small smile as I climbed the rest of the way into the house that that was the first time Salem had said my name.

***

November 11th, 7:33 a.m.

"Are you coming with us to study at the library tonight?" Hannah's voice and eyes were hopeful, "Allison and Charlie are coming." She was really getting excited about the study groups.

I had to deny her offer though. "I can't," I said sadly, "I'm grounded." No going anywhere with friends for two weeks. I'm lucky that's all my parents did.

Hannah's face fell, "Why?"

"I broke curfew the night of Lauren's party." I explained solemnly. Allison took her normal seat beside me and across from Hannah. She greeted us.

Hannah didn't waste any time outing me, "Karina's grounded so she can't come to the library with us!" She sat back in her chair, pouting.

Allison's gaze shot to me. "This is why we shouldn't go to parties." She was trying to guilt trip me. Well, I wasn't going to fall for it. I had to go to that party.

My notification sound went off. I had a text. It was from Salem. '3:00, the parking lot.' He wanted me to meet him after school in the parking lot. Had he found more information on where Essex had Georgia?

The bell to go to class rang. The three of us left the table and started heading toward class. We all, including Georgia, were all in the same Literature class first thing in the morning.

After Salem's message, I would be waiting all day for that final bell so I could find out what information he had found.

***

November 11th, 2:59 p.m.

School was officially over for the day and I headed towards the parking lot with jitters in my stomach. I hoped that Salem had good news to share with me.

He was leaning against the side of a black jeep. He had on a midnight blue pullover sweater and a gray ball cap pulled low over his eyes, obscuring his features.

I said goodbye to my friends and shifted my bookbag to the opposite shoulder. It was finally time to get the information that had been gnawing at me all day. "Hey," I greeted him when I reached his jeep.

His amber eyes scanned the parking lot filled with other students behind me. He jerked his chin in the direction of the passenger seat, "Get in." That's it. Only those two words and no explanation.

I listened. My seatbelt clicked into place as he got in the driver's side and started the jeep. The engine roared to life.

"Where are we going?" I questioned as we were pulling out of the school. My shoulders slumped when I remembered that my car was still parked in the parking lot and that I would have to be brought back it.

He answered simply as he always did, "To the Venator Camp." We were going back to the camp of hunters which also served as his home? Salem checked the rearview mirror. "There's someone you have to meet." he stated in that serious tone of his.

My curiosity ran wild with different scenarios of what was to come. Was I going to meet a mother? A father? Maybe a lover? I cringed at that option. Hopefully not a lover...

We pulled onto a dirt road just outside of the jeep as we drove deeper and deeper into wilderness. After a few minutes the dirt road dead ended into a lake. The rippling bluish green water reflected back at me. And although beautiful, it was not the Venator camp.

Salem got out of the jeep before I could question him about our whereabouts. He pulled an extremely large tree branch further into the woods, revealing a hidden path that was worn down with many tire tracks. It had to be the actual way to Salem's home.

He hoped back in the jeep and pulled us through onto the once hidden path. After Salem hadconcealed the way again with the branch we were on our again.

The colorful patch work of tents dotting a field came into view. The camp was much more lively underneath the warming rays of the sun. People of all shapes and sizes bustled around the small village of tents. There was even small parking lot of sorts where Salem parked the jeep.

A group of five people dressed in all black were climbing into a huge truck beside where we were parked. One of the three men, who had perfectly styled blonde hair, knocked on the driver's side window.

"Where've you been all afternoon Salem?" he more or less demanded to know while sounding like he was starting an interrogation.

Salem looked straight ahead with a calmly practiced expression. "I was tracking." his voice was a carefully crafted monotone. Nothing could phase him.

The blonde made a sound in the back of his throat. He leaned into the window, looking around Salem and at me. Oh crap... "Who's this little beauty?" No, no, no, no, no... "A new recruit maybe?" Look away... please... "Or just a good time between the sheets?" What the hell!? Let me at him!

Salem was out of the car in a flash, pushing the rude man out of the way with the door. He sent me a smirk before I dashed out of the jeep after Salem. I slammed the car door a little too harshly behind me.

I barely stopped myself from running into Salem's back when he stopped in front of a bright red tent. A very petite girl with long brown locks came out of the tent. "Oh, Salem..." she sounded happy to see him until she took in the slight change in his body language, "Was it Ethan again?"

She sounded like a concerned girlfriend... Was she his lover?!

***************

A/N

Soooo..... WAS SHE????? You know what? I don't even know, hehe lol of course I do *insert derp face here*

Yep I'll let myself out now.....

BYE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Song: Sick Boy by The Chainsmokers

~Alexis :3