The Victim (Book #1)

Chapter 20

I surged up and took a deep breath, feeling the air fill my lungs and let out a laugh. I looked around for Caleb suddenly, panicking until he too popped up onto the surface. He started to swim away from me towards a small dock that couldn't be seen from the cliff and I climbed up onto it with him. The other guys cheered as he we hoisted ourselves up and we all laughed as Damon and Trenton pushed each other back into the water. The breeze came then without warning and a massive chill shot up my spine in the cold. I looked down at the shirt stuck tightly to my chest and flat stomach, and the shorts that now looked black, due to absorbing all the water.

The guys didn't think to bring any towels so as we walked back up, my ponytail sent a continuous drip down my back every couple of seconds. We passed hikers and families on camping trips as we wandered through parking lots and streets until we got back on the familiar path. The trail was mostly grassy or pure gravel, and I thanked God once we reached the girls once again.

"You're kind of a badass." Camille said randomly, walking over to me. I thanked her in response and pulled on Caleb's jacket again.

"Anyone could have done it." Tricia said in a bored tone.

"Didn't see you out there, Trish." Valerie said as she walked over to me and laced her hand with mine. Tricia scoffed and walked over to congratulate the guys.

After pulling on our shoes, we made the hike back to the car and said our goodbyes.

"See you at school!" Valerie said to me, as she and the others waved bye. I waved back before getting in the backseat.

"Can we please turn the heat on?" I begged Damon immediately. He smiled and turned it on full blast as we backed up and drove back down the way we came.

"That didn't go as badly as you thought it would, did it?" Brooklyn asked cockily, leaning back towards me. His curly hair was stuck down on his forehead, drenched almost into straightness but stubbornly refusing.

"It wasn't the worst thing in the world." I wryly admitted.

"Ha! Maybe you should just trust us always and not worry so much Maya." Caleb teased.

"I'm sure that would cure all the problems in my life, huh?" I asked sardonically as we drove.

"Hey guys?" Damon interrupted in a weird voice. It sounded sort of strained, and although the others continued looking out their windows, I turned to him directly.

"What's up?" I asked, ready. My muscles clenched and I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. Something about my childhood had made me hypersensitive to the world around me, and what was coming. 90% of the time it was unnecessary.

"I don't think it's anything bad." He said oddly. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel despite his words, and his eyes were stuck on the mirror pointed behind us.

I waited, giving him the room to speak. Brooklyn said, "You okay?"

"The car behind us left the park at the same time as us and hasn't left my tail, once. He even took the same exit as us!" He said, eyes back on the road ahead of us.

Caleb swiveled around in his seat, but Damon yelled at him saying "Eyes on the front! I don't want him to know that I've noticed." It took everything for us not to face the back and see what was happening, but we listened.

Brooklyn took a deep breath and gave a reassuring smile back to Caleb and me, saying, "Are you sure he doesn't just happen to be going near the same place as us?"

Damon let out a small breath and said "I don't think so, Brooks. He hasn't switched from the lane that I'm in, even when I've moved."

"Okay. Well..." he trailed off uncertainly and I stepped up.

"Can you read the license plate number? Or see anything about the car?" I asked, seriously.

"It's a Toyota, maybe a Corolla? But I can't read the plate. I can't even really tell what color it is from here." Damon answered.

"Okay. At the next turn, put on your right blinker but turn left." I instructed.

"Are you sure?" Damon questioned.

"I saw it on a show. If the guy behind you turns on his blinker the same direction but follows you, you know you're being followed. And even if you are, he probably wouldn't risk following when everyone behind him can see that he was copying you." I explained.

He pulled up to the next turn and the clicking sound from his right blinker began. When the light turned green, however, he shot one lane over and made a sharp left. Thankfully, no one was in the lane next to us. Brooklyn risked a glance behind us, but nobody was there anymore. He breathed out heavily and said "See? Just a coincidence."

Caleb did a celebratory dance as we continued home, but Damon and I kept shooting glances back in the mirror anyway. If there was a car following us before, he was gone now.

We pulled up into the driveway as the clock turned to 8 and rushed inside to enjoy whatever delicacy Charlotte had prepared. A steaming hot lasagna awaited us at the table, and Dominic got up from his football game to enjoy it with us.

Charlotte fussed over the boys and I when she heard about the jump into the lake, but I think she was secretly pleased that I went out with the boys and met some of their friends. Nobody mentioned the car behind us, so I didn't either.

Dominic leaned over to me and gave me a nudge with his shoulder. "How did you like the guy's friends?"

"Most of them were really sweet!" I said truthfully. "Valerie is my favorite, I think."

Brooklyn smiled arrogantly and took a bow as Damon fired little pieces of broccoli at his head. Caleb jumped up to try to catch them in his mouth and Charlotte clapped her hands over her face, muttering something about raising heathens.

I took a shower after dinner that night and changed into fluffy pants and a soft shirt.

When I got to bed, I forgot all about the morning and the nerves I felt at night. All I remembered was the spectacular feeling of falling, and trusting that no matter where I fell, I'd be alright.