Kiss Of Death (Are You Afraid Of The Dark)

1

Rachel grabbed onto Gavin's warm hand, pulling him closer to her. He let out a soft laugh, spinning her around and around. The forest around them slowly faded from view as she stared up into his beautiful eyes. She wished she could stay in his embrace forever. It was the only place that she felt truly at home. It was the only place that she felt truly happy. Nowhere else did she feel so at peace. 

"Rachel," Gavin whispered into her ear. She shivered at the intimate touch. There was something about the way he said her name that made her knees go weak. She was still surprised that he had chosen her to be his girlfriend. "Rachel."

"Yes?"

He smiled at her as he brushed her brown hair out of her face. His hand cupped her cheek; she leaned into his gentle touch. "What are you planning for spring break?"

"What?" Rachel frowned at him. "Spring break? What are you talking about?"

"Are you even listening to me?" Gavin's face morphed into the man she hated most. A top hat rose above his head, casting dark shadows across his face. She knew who it was, though. "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," Mr. Tophat said with a shake of his head. "Did you really think you could get away from me so easily? You weren't listening to me when I said that you will remember me for the rest of your life."

A scream was building up in Rachel's throat, but there was something stopping her from letting it out. There was no way she could make any sound with that horrid man standing so very close to her. They were a breath apart from each other. 

"I will haunt you for the rest of your life, Rachel," Mr. Tophat said with that terrifying grin of his. "You will never forget me. You are never getting rid of me. I will always be with you, Rachel!"

Rachel used all of her strength to push him away from her. Fear gripped her heart as he stumbled on a tree root. Time seemed to slow down as he fell backward onto the broken tree behind him. His screams echoed around Rachel as something shook her body. Maybe it was her. Maybe it was something else. She wasn't sure. She didn't want to be sure.

Reality seeped back into her eyes. The sounds of her classmates filtered back into her ears as she remembered where she was actually at: the lunch room at school. With a quickly glance around her, Rachel realized that all of her friends were staring at her. They all were completely silent. Her cheeks flooded with embarrassment as she said, "What? I wasn't really paying attention."

"We could tell," Gavin said. There was a worried look in his eyes as he gazed at her. His hand was still in hers from when she was still paying attention to their conversation. "All we wanted to know was what your plans are for spring break."

Rachel blinked. She had heard that in her daydream, so she knew that some part of her subconscious was listening to what was going on around them. That was good to know. At least she hadn't zoned out totally.

"My mom can't afford to take off work for spring break," Rachel explained to her friends quickly. "So, we're staying here."

"That's what I told you guys," Gavin said, resting his arm across her shoulder. He hugged her closer to him. She couldn't really focus on him, though. The image of Mr. Tophat was still present in her mind. "Akiko didn't believe when I told them what you're doing over spring break."

"I didn't say that I didn't believe you," Akiko said, pointing an accusing finger at Gavin. Her tray was already empty while Rachel's was still full of food that she had barely touched since lunch started fifteen minutes ago. "I just said that Rachel needed to tell us so we can make sure it's what she is actually doing."

"That is exactly what she said," Graham said with a quick nod. His shaggy hair fell into his face, so he hastily pushed the light strands away with his left hand. "I got your back, Akiko."