Chapter Five
Alissa marched to school in fury, gripping the picture in her hand tightly. It was getting crumpled up but she didn't care. She was too angry to care.
She knew now that it had to be Natalie that was doing all this. Who else could have possibly gotten a picture of her and Jeremy. Only Natalie and Ty were close enough to her to be able to steal a photograph right out from under her nose. Vincent was dead, she was sure of that, so it couldn't be him.
"Natalie," she said. She stepped right up next to her at her locker.
"Oh, hi Alissa," Natalie said, not turning around. She was too guilty to even look her in the eye.
"I don't know why you are doing this, but I'm sick of it," Alissa spat.
"What? What are you talking about?" Natalie turned to face her. She scowled at Alissa.
"This." Alissa shoved the crumpled picture in Natalie's face. Natalie backed up and stared at the picture. She didn't show any recognition in her eyes. She just stared at it.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Don't give me that, you know what it is," Alissa said furiously. She wasn't going to let Natalie get out of this. She was sick of being pushed around by her supposed friend and it was time for it all to end.
"Alissa, I didn't do that, I promise you," she said.
Alissa faltered a bit. Natalie looked genuine. She gave Alissa a strange look and slammed her locker shut.
"I'm mean, but not that mean," she said. She walked off down the hall, her long black swaying back and forth over her shoulders. All Alissa could do was stare after her in wonder. Now she was more confused than ever. Natalie was acting so weird but would she really try to scare Alissa like this? She was so sure before but now she had no idea what was going on. Not a single, solitary clue.
Alissa skipped lunch and went out to the bleachers to sit and think. She couldn't get her mind off the notes and the picture. She was afraid of whoever was sending them because they knew exactly the way Vincent used to do it. If it wasn't him, then it had to be someone close to her. Natalie insisted the picture wasn't from her and Ty would never do that.
Alissa sighed and leaned back against the rough wooden planks that served as benches. She listened to the wind blow through the trees and the faint sound of a basketball on the outdoor courts a few yards away. She covered her face with her hands and tears started to gather in her eyes. She swallowed repeatedly to fight back the confusion and fear that threatened to spill over her wall of protection. But she couldn't do it anymore; she was terrified.
She knew she had to something drastic of this might never end.
First she needed to rule Vincent out as a suspect. She needed to know they he was really dead and he couldn't be stalking her anymore.
She decided that she would go to the cemetery Vincent was supposed to be buried in and look around. She didn't know what she was expecting to find there but she had to do something. She could have asked Ty to go with her but at this point it was still possible that he was sending the notes. She couldn't let him know that she actually thought it might be Vincent, risen from the grave.
So, instead of attending her afternoon classes, she hopped on a bus and headed down to the cemetery. The gates were locked but she found a large hole that went to the other side. An animal must have dug it. So, she wriggled in the dirt into the cemetery. Her clothes were filthy but she didn't care. It was worth it.
She had to go up and down the rows of gravestones to find the right one. It took longer than she thought it would and it was starting to get dark by the time she finally found the right one. She knew her mother would be wondering where she was but she couldn't leave now, not after all this.
The grave sight was surprisingly neat and well kept. She was half expecting the ground to be dug up and the casket to be open and empty in the ground. She didn't know if that was what she wanted to see.
The gravestone read: Vincent Marx, loving son and brother. Will be dearly missed.
Alissa ran her fingers over the engraved marble and wondered what Vincent's family was like. Did they know he was a crazy stalker? Did they care?
Shadows fell over the words on the marble rapidly and Alissa realized she didn't want to be in the cemetery at night. She ran through the rows of gravestones, almost expecting rotten hands to shoot out of the earth and grab her ankles.
But she made it to the gates and got back under through the hole. She looked back through the gates and felt oddly safe with the wrought iron gates between her and the dead air that filled the cemetery. As if gates could keep a ghost away from her.
She walked back home and decided on the way that she was going to pay Vincent's family a visit. Maybe they could help her in some way. How, she didn't know, but she had to try everything.
"Alissa!" her mother cried when she walked in the door. "Is Jeremy with you?"
"No, why? Where is her?" Alissa asked.
"He's missing."
Alissa marched to school in fury, gripping the picture in her hand tightly. It was getting crumpled up but she didn't care. She was too angry to care.
She knew now that it had to be Natalie that was doing all this. Who else could have possibly gotten a picture of her and Jeremy. Only Natalie and Ty were close enough to her to be able to steal a photograph right out from under her nose. Vincent was dead, she was sure of that, so it couldn't be him.
"Natalie," she said. She stepped right up next to her at her locker.
"Oh, hi Alissa," Natalie said, not turning around. She was too guilty to even look her in the eye.
"I don't know why you are doing this, but I'm sick of it," Alissa spat.
"What? What are you talking about?" Natalie turned to face her. She scowled at Alissa.
"This." Alissa shoved the crumpled picture in Natalie's face. Natalie backed up and stared at the picture. She didn't show any recognition in her eyes. She just stared at it.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Don't give me that, you know what it is," Alissa said furiously. She wasn't going to let Natalie get out of this. She was sick of being pushed around by her supposed friend and it was time for it all to end.
"Alissa, I didn't do that, I promise you," she said.
Alissa faltered a bit. Natalie looked genuine. She gave Alissa a strange look and slammed her locker shut.
"I'm mean, but not that mean," she said. She walked off down the hall, her long black swaying back and forth over her shoulders. All Alissa could do was stare after her in wonder. Now she was more confused than ever. Natalie was acting so weird but would she really try to scare Alissa like this? She was so sure before but now she had no idea what was going on. Not a single, solitary clue.
Alissa skipped lunch and went out to the bleachers to sit and think. She couldn't get her mind off the notes and the picture. She was afraid of whoever was sending them because they knew exactly the way Vincent used to do it. If it wasn't him, then it had to be someone close to her. Natalie insisted the picture wasn't from her and Ty would never do that.
Alissa sighed and leaned back against the rough wooden planks that served as benches. She listened to the wind blow through the trees and the faint sound of a basketball on the outdoor courts a few yards away. She covered her face with her hands and tears started to gather in her eyes. She swallowed repeatedly to fight back the confusion and fear that threatened to spill over her wall of protection. But she couldn't do it anymore; she was terrified.
She knew she had to something drastic of this might never end.
First she needed to rule Vincent out as a suspect. She needed to know they he was really dead and he couldn't be stalking her anymore.
She decided that she would go to the cemetery Vincent was supposed to be buried in and look around. She didn't know what she was expecting to find there but she had to do something. She could have asked Ty to go with her but at this point it was still possible that he was sending the notes. She couldn't let him know that she actually thought it might be Vincent, risen from the grave.
So, instead of attending her afternoon classes, she hopped on a bus and headed down to the cemetery. The gates were locked but she found a large hole that went to the other side. An animal must have dug it. So, she wriggled in the dirt into the cemetery. Her clothes were filthy but she didn't care. It was worth it.
She had to go up and down the rows of gravestones to find the right one. It took longer than she thought it would and it was starting to get dark by the time she finally found the right one. She knew her mother would be wondering where she was but she couldn't leave now, not after all this.
The grave sight was surprisingly neat and well kept. She was half expecting the ground to be dug up and the casket to be open and empty in the ground. She didn't know if that was what she wanted to see.
The gravestone read: Vincent Marx, loving son and brother. Will be dearly missed.
Alissa ran her fingers over the engraved marble and wondered what Vincent's family was like. Did they know he was a crazy stalker? Did they care?
Shadows fell over the words on the marble rapidly and Alissa realized she didn't want to be in the cemetery at night. She ran through the rows of gravestones, almost expecting rotten hands to shoot out of the earth and grab her ankles.
But she made it to the gates and got back under through the hole. She looked back through the gates and felt oddly safe with the wrought iron gates between her and the dead air that filled the cemetery. As if gates could keep a ghost away from her.
She walked back home and decided on the way that she was going to pay Vincent's family a visit. Maybe they could help her in some way. How, she didn't know, but she had to try everything.
"Alissa!" her mother cried when she walked in the door. "Is Jeremy with you?"
"No, why? Where is her?" Alissa asked.
"He's missing."