Rebekah - Chapter 2

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2. Teeth



Whenever I saw Malachi after that day he’d catch my eye, wearing that same smile he’d had in physics. I started avoiding going places I knew he’d be, and Riley seemed more than happy to keep as much distance between us and him as possible.

I tried asking him why he disliked Malachi so much, but he just shrugged and mumbled some excuse about a bad feeling, but I was certain it was something more than that. Sometimes when we sat down for lunch I would see him scanning the canteen and I knew he was looking for Malachi. I would have commented on it to him but I found myself doing the same embarrassingly often. Worst of all was that each time I found myself staring at him, he would unfailingly look up to meet my gaze, and my cheeks would colour at his considering stare and slight smile.

I amused myself with the fact that Rachel Dawson hadn’t given up on trying to drag him into her social group, repeatedly inviting him to sit with her at lunchtimes, but he seemed to prefer to sit alone. It occurred to me that she probably would have given up long before if he’d just acted like all the other boys in our year level--tripping over themselves to be noticed by her--but I was sure he knew that from the way he laughed behind her back each time she stalked off after being turned down.

On a Monday as I was getting ready for school a few weeks later, waiting for Riley to knock on my door so we could walk to school together, the phone rang and I answered, expecting Riley, ready to give me some excuse for why he was late. I was right, but didn’t guess what he was going to tell me. Apparently his big brother Matthew was dragging him across the country again for another week long field trip.

I hung up the phone, silently fuming as I threw my lunch into my schoolbag and strode out the door to walk to school alone. I hated being at school without Riley – it was only just bearable when he was there. I sullenly contemplated sitting alone at lunch and recess for five days and knew that I was scowling. I dragged my feet as I walked to the end of my street, already dreading first period maths without Riley to pull me through it.

Waiting for a car to pass so I could cross the street, I heard footsteps behind me and spun around grinning, somehow expecting to see Riley, ready to tell me that he’d decided not to leave me at school all alone after all. The grin fell from my face as I saw Malachi a couple of meters behind me, that small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth again. I pouted, realising that Riley wasn’t coming to my rescue, and turned back to cross the road.

I heard musical laughter behind me and repressed a shiver, quickening my pace as I turned into the next street on my way to school. The weeks since I’d first spoken to Malachi had done nothing positive for my opinion of him.

Suddenly he was striding along next to me, hands casually stuffed into his pockets and eyes on the path ahead, as if I didn’t exist. I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at my feet as I plodded along; if he was going to ignore me then I’d just ignore him right back. I deliberately walked slower than I would have if I was alone, forcing him to shorten his long strides in order to keep pace with me.

We walked in silence for two blocks ignoring each other before I cracked suddenly, already angry because of Riley leaving me alone again.

“What do you want?” I snapped, stopping to face him.

He stopped in time with me, his smile stretching to fill his face as he turned his green eyes to stare into mine, and irritatingly, I felt my pulse quicken as I was once again struck forcibly by his perfectly angular features.

“Just to talk to you, Bekah,” he replied, his voice liquid velvet. My voice stuck in my throat as I searched for a suitably sarcastic retort, but ended up settling on turning away from him and continuing up the street towards school.

He kept his stride in time with mine and we walked along in uncomfortable silence. I tilted my head to look at him and was aggravated to see that he was grinning. We walked another block to the end of the street in silence before I found my voice.

“Why?” I asked, stopping again. He turned towards me, his eyes thoughtful.

“I’m not sure,” he replied, holding my gaze. “There’s something about you...” he trailed off, considering me, and I found myself wishing he’d keep talking, just so I could listen to his voice. He smiled down at me and I couldn’t help returning his smile, the laughter in his eyes catching.

I pulled my eyes from his and looked down at my feet, embarrassed by his searching gaze. I heard his musical chuckle and my head snapped back up to see his grin splitting his face in two.

“I’m nothing special,” I mumbled, my cheeks flushing.

“Forgive me if I don’t take your word on that one,” he replied, his voice tinkling with repressed laughter, and I felt him place his hand on my arm. Once again I had that strange feeling, as if an electric charge had run through my body, running from his fingertips and into my arm.

I jerked away from his touch; his hand felt strange on my skin; somehow the same temperature as the cool morning air surrounding us. I saw his smile falter and suddenly I was sorry for pulling away from him, and I was overcome with a strange urge to comfort him.

I smiled reluctantly at him, and when his face lifted in response I felt my heart pound. We stood grinning at each other for what seemed like hours before the sound of the school bell rang in the distance, and suddenly I was pulled back to reality.

We both looked towards the school, and I heard my disappointed sigh echoed by his own, and I started hurrying down the street, feeling unreasonably sad at my time with this boy being cut short.

As we walked I wondered at my change of heart; only half an hour earlier I’d felt a deep dislike for this boy, and now, after a few words from him I wanted to comfort him when I had accidentally hurt his feelings. I was annoyed at myself for being so easily swayed, and I tried to make myself focus on the reason’s I’d disliked him in the first place, but I couldn’t remember any.

When we got to school I lingered on the steps into the building, reluctant to leave Malachi. I turned to him and saw him staring down towards the side of the school, his expression anxious. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but I didn’t get the chance.

“Bekah, you need to get away from here,” he said in a low voice, his tone urgent. I stared at him in shock, my mouth still hanging open.

“What?” I asked slowly, carefully. I definitely liked Malachi more than I had yesterday, but I wasn’t sure yet how much I trusted him. I still had a strange feeling in my gut, as if I should be terrified by him.

I watched him as he paced back and forth in front of me; he seemed to be trying to look in every direction at once now, his eyes wide as he surveyed the school around us. I followed his gaze, but couldn’t see anything at all.

“Malachi, what’s going on?” I stepped towards him, reaching my arm out to grab his, but he moved out of my reach.

“You have to leave,” he said urgently. “You can’t be here for this.” He stopped looking around for a moment to stare at me. Suddenly his face collapsed, and I took another step towards him, shocked by the pain in his expression.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered, standing in front of him now, trying to hold his gaze with my own. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head between his palms.

“They’re coming,” he groaned, his eyes squeezed shut. “It’s too late.” I stared down at him, a knot of worry forming in my stomach.

I knelt down, taking Malachi’s shoulders between my hands. His head whipped up and I let go of his shoulders, falling backwards away from him. I pushed myself to my feet, fear gripping my middle as I stared into Malachi’s face, his eyes wild and unseeing, behind a milky white film, the pupils so large they completely obscured his irises. His lips were pulled back over his teeth, his jaw clenched, and a low moan escaped his throat.

“They’re too strong. I can’t stop them,” he groaned, falling forward onto his hands.

I stood over him, my mind blank, feeling entirely out of my depth. I wondered desperately if I should call an ambulance; maybe he was having some sort of fit.

I paced back and forth in front of Malachi, still on his hands and knees. Suddenly in a swift movement I barely saw, he was standing, facing away from me. For a fleeting second I wondered if I’d imagined his fit.

The strain in his voice was obvious though, and I knew I hadn’t imagined his pain. “Run, Bekah. As fast as you can.”

He rested his weight onto his back foot and stood waiting, but for what, I had no idea. I wondered helplessly if he was going insane, surely this wasn’t the behaviour of a sane person. I stood behind him, watching as he stood waiting, his muscles locked.

“Malachi...” I started, but stopped abruptly as a low growling sound filled the air, pushing everything else from my mind. I’d never heard a sound more terrifying, and something instinctual froze my muscles in place.

Suddenly I realised that the sound was coming from in front of me, from Malachi, and I forced my legs to carry me a step backwards, away from him. He was clearly insane. Slowly he turned his head to look at me, and I choked back a scream.

His eyes were entirely black now, absent of any colour or tone, as if the light didn’t hit them at all. His lips were parted over his teeth, and his two canines extended down past his bottom lip, a trickle of blood glistened where they cut into his skin. I stumbled backwards, trying to tear my eyes from his face, terror gripping my body.

“RUN!” he roared, rage distorting his features. My legs obeyed him now, and I sprinted across the gravel and onto the sidewalk, the ground flying below my feet as I tried to put as much distance between myself and that... creature.

When I couldn’t run anymore, I fell to my knees on the footpath and wrapped my arms around my torso in an attempt to control the shaking that rocked my frame.

The image of Malachi’s face filled my mind, and I shuddered, forcing down the sobs that threatened to incapacitate me.

I don’t know how long I stayed there, locked in that position, but my mobile buzzed as it vibrated in my pocket, and I was pulled forcibly back to reality. I fumbled it out of my jeans and saw Riley’s name on the caller ID. I answered quickly, fighting to control my voice.

“Riley,” I choked, biting back tears.

“Bekah!” he shouted, and relief at hearing his voice flooded through me, I suddenly felt safer. “Where the hell are you?” He asked urgently, anxiousness heavy in his tone. My heart began to speed up again at edge to his voice, and I fought back a fresh wave of hysteria.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, unable to make myself speak any louder, a part of me was waiting for Malachi to jump out at me, teeth bared and ready to attack.

“You have to get out of town, Bekah,” Riley said, his voice uncertain. I could hear other people speaking urgently in the background.

“What?” I asked, the echo in his voice of Malachi constricting my breathing again. The sobs I’d been holding back forced themselves to the surface, shaking my body.

“Bekah?” I could hear a second edge to his voice now, sharper than the first. He was afraid. “Where are you?” he asked again, forcefully. “What’s happened?”

“Malachi,” I managed between my sobs. I heard a sharp intake of breath over the phone, and the low sound of Riley speaking to someone in the background.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked, his voice hard.

“No,” I whispered, dragging air into my lungs, pushing the sobs back down. “There’s something wrong with him, Riley.” The image of his face flashed across my vision, and a shudder shook my body, the memory of the rage on his face clear in my mind. “I got away from him, I ran until I couldn’t anymore. I was so scared, Riley.” My voice cracked and I could feel the panic rising in my chest, gripping at my throat.

Riley was silent on the other end of the phone, but I could still hear people speaking in the background. I sat on the ground with my knees pulled into my chest, waiting for him to say something.

“I’m coming to get you,” he said eventually, worry clear in his voice. “Don’t move. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise.” I continued pressing the phone to my ear, but he’d hung up. I didn’t bother wondering how he would find me; I just knew that he would.

My breathing slowed almost back to normal and my heart rate steadied, Riley’s promise ringing in my ears. I shut my eyes tight and stayed where I was, afraid to move in case Riley couldn’t find me.

After only a few minutes, I heard running footsteps behind me and for a moment I couldn’t breathe, imagining Malachi coming for me, his eyes black as night. Then I heard Riley’s soothing voice and I felt completely safe; I knew he would never let anyone hurt me.

I felt arms wrap securely around my frame, and then Riley was carrying me, whispering reassurances in my ear. I buried my head in his shoulder, trying to control my shaking, but it didn’t seem that important, now that Riley was with me.

I didn’t ask where he was taking me, but after a while when my sobs had subsided I looked up, seeing two unfamiliar figures walking in front of us, a man and a woman, heads together as they spoke in low, urgent voices. I wondered who these strangers were, but only momentarily as I looked around us and saw that we were walking down my street, towards my house.

I struggled slightly in Riley’s arms, indicating to him that I wanted to walk on my own, I wasn’t sure if I could manage speaking yet, but I felt certain that I could handle walking. Riley looked into my eyes before he set me on my feet, concern creasing his brow.

He wrapped his fingers through mine as we walked, seeming reluctant to let me go. I squeezed his hand, glad for his touch, now more than ever before. We walked in silence to my house, the only sound the low whispering coming from the two figures in front of us. Standing on my doorstep, Riley spoke in a hushed voice, as if he was afraid of being overheard.

“Go inside and pack some clothes,” he murmured, holding both my hands in his own, gripping them tightly.

“What?” I stammered, shock constricting my chest at the thought of being anywhere but curled up my bed, hidden from the world. When he’d said before that I’d have to leave, I hadn’t realised he’d meant so soon.

“It’s not safe for you here,” he said, his voice soothing. “You need to leave for a while.” I felt my knees buckle underneath me and was dimly aware of Riley supporting my weight, concern filling his face. My mind raced at the implications of what he’d said, but I didn’t think to argue with him; I knew in my heart that he would never ask me to do something like this unless it was the only option, and that was all the reason I needed.

“Will you stay with me?” I whimpered, staring up at him, suddenly fearful of his answer; the thought of going away on my own was suffocating.

“Of course,” he replied, cupping my cheek in his hand, holding my gaze. “I’m always going to take care of you.” Relief flounoded through me; the knowledge that Riley would be with me made leaving my home and my family suddenly seem possible, and I knew that as long as I had Riley with me I could do anything.

I smiled weakly up at him, my lip trembling as I thought about what I’d say to my parents; an image of my mother’s face pushing itself unbidden into my head, making my eyes sting. Riley wrapped his arms around my frame, pulling me into his chest.

“It won’t be for long,” he whispered, stroking my hair.

I sighed heavily, forcing thoughts of my parents to the back of my mind. Pulling myself from Riley’s arms I turned away from him, walking alone into my house.

Please continue on with "Rebekah - Chapter 3"