Still, she could tough it out for one more hour. Probably.
She wandered over to a long, tall window between two matching paintings of ballerinas and leaned her forehead against the cool surface as she looked out at the night sky. A flicker of movement outside the window caught Laurel’s eye. A dark shape, barely illuminated by the glow from inside the house, moved again. She focused on it, trying to make out what it was. Could it be an animal? A dog, maybe? It seemed too big for that. It was standing halfway in the shadow of a large tree that kept her from discerning more than an outline. Then it lifted its head, and the dim beam illuminated a pale, deformed face with grotesque clarity. Laurel threw herself back from the pane, her chest tight and her breathing rapid. After slowly counting to ten she peeked around the sill again.
It was gone.
Its absence was almost as formidable as its presence, as if a hole in the light itself sat empty where the monster had been.
Did I imagine it? Her hands were still shaking as she pictured the mismatched face—one eye more than an inch lower than the other, a twisted snarl of a mouth, an impossibly crooked nose. No, she’d seen it.
Fear clutched at her chest. She had to find David.
Forcing herself to remain composed, Laurel moved from room to room, looking. Panic welled up inside her as she seemed to find everyone but him. Finally, she spotted him in the corner of the kitchen with a snack in one hand and a cup in the other, talking with a bunch of guys. She walked up to him, feigning calmness. “Can I talk to you?” she asked with a tight smile, leading him a few feet away from the crowd. She leaned in close to his ear. “There’s a troll outside,” she said, her voice shaky.
David’s smile disappeared. “Are you sure? I mean, we’ve both been pretty jumpy. But we haven’t seen an actual troll in months.”
Laurel shook her head almost convulsively. “No, I saw it. It’s not a mistake. It’s here for me. Ah!” She groaned softly. “How could I be so stupid?”
“Wait, wait,” David said, his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t know that it’s here for you. Why would they attack you now, all of a sudden? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does. Jamison told me this would happen. And it has!” Her hands shook, and words kept spilling out of her mouth as her fear grew. “I’ve been so careful, and the one night I let my guard down, they’re there. Just like Jamison said. They must have been watching—waiting for me to forget my kit. I’m the fly, David. I’m the stupid, stupid fly!”
“What fly? Laurel, you’ve got to calm down. You’re not making any sense. You don’t have your kit?”
“No! I don’t! That’s the problem. I threw a couple of basics in my purse and I meant to bring my backpack and leave it in your car, but I totally forgot.”
“Okay,” David said, pulling her farther from the crowd. “Let’s just think about this for a moment. What have you got on you?”
“I have two monastuolo serums. They put trolls to sleep.”
“Perfect, then we should be fine.”
Laurel shook her head. “They only work in an enclosed space and they don’t work instantly. It’s for escape scenarios, not like this. If a troll got in the house, half of these kids would be dead before the serum even started to work.”
David took a deep breath. “So what do we do?”
“They want me, but they’ll kill everyone else in a heartbeat if they think it will do any good. We have to lure him away, and we have to do it fast.”
“Lure him where?”
“My house,” Laurel said, hating the idea. “My house is safe. It’s warded against trolls, and the sentries are there. It’s the safest place in the world for us right now.”
“But—”
“David, we don’t have time to argue.”
David set his jaw. “Okay. I trust you. Let’s get out of here.” He pulled his keys from his pocket.
“I’m driving.”
“Believe me, Laurel, I’m feeling very sober.”
“I don’t care. Give me your keys.”
“Fine. What do I tell Chelsea?”
“I’m feeling sick. Something I ate. She knows my stomach’s weird.”
“Okay.”
They spotted Chelsea and Ryan, dancing to a slow song. Chelsea’s head rested on Ryan’s shoulder, and he held her tight against his chest.
“Let’s just go,” Laurel said. “I don’t want to interrupt this.”
David hesitated. “You know Chelsea. She’ll worry if we’re just gone.” He turned to look at Laurel. “She might even stop by your house on her way home from the party to check on you.”
“You’re right. I’ll go tell her.”
Laurel felt bad butting in, but there was nothing else to be done. She apologized profusely and assured Chelsea three times that she didn’t need anything but to go home and rest.
Chelsea smiled and threw her arms around Laurel. “Thanks so much for coming. I’ll see you guys later.”
Hugging Chelsea back, Laurel desperately hoped she could get the trolls to follow her. She would regret this night for the rest of her life if anything happened to Chelsea—or any of the other people at the party.
David took Laurel’s hand and they headed toward the kitchen. “The side door is closest to my car,” David said, pointing, “but it’s still going to be a bit of a run.”
She wandered over to a long, tall window between two matching paintings of ballerinas and leaned her forehead against the cool surface as she looked out at the night sky. A flicker of movement outside the window caught Laurel’s eye. A dark shape, barely illuminated by the glow from inside the house, moved again. She focused on it, trying to make out what it was. Could it be an animal? A dog, maybe? It seemed too big for that. It was standing halfway in the shadow of a large tree that kept her from discerning more than an outline. Then it lifted its head, and the dim beam illuminated a pale, deformed face with grotesque clarity. Laurel threw herself back from the pane, her chest tight and her breathing rapid. After slowly counting to ten she peeked around the sill again.
It was gone.
Its absence was almost as formidable as its presence, as if a hole in the light itself sat empty where the monster had been.
Did I imagine it? Her hands were still shaking as she pictured the mismatched face—one eye more than an inch lower than the other, a twisted snarl of a mouth, an impossibly crooked nose. No, she’d seen it.
Fear clutched at her chest. She had to find David.
Forcing herself to remain composed, Laurel moved from room to room, looking. Panic welled up inside her as she seemed to find everyone but him. Finally, she spotted him in the corner of the kitchen with a snack in one hand and a cup in the other, talking with a bunch of guys. She walked up to him, feigning calmness. “Can I talk to you?” she asked with a tight smile, leading him a few feet away from the crowd. She leaned in close to his ear. “There’s a troll outside,” she said, her voice shaky.
David’s smile disappeared. “Are you sure? I mean, we’ve both been pretty jumpy. But we haven’t seen an actual troll in months.”
Laurel shook her head almost convulsively. “No, I saw it. It’s not a mistake. It’s here for me. Ah!” She groaned softly. “How could I be so stupid?”
“Wait, wait,” David said, his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t know that it’s here for you. Why would they attack you now, all of a sudden? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does. Jamison told me this would happen. And it has!” Her hands shook, and words kept spilling out of her mouth as her fear grew. “I’ve been so careful, and the one night I let my guard down, they’re there. Just like Jamison said. They must have been watching—waiting for me to forget my kit. I’m the fly, David. I’m the stupid, stupid fly!”
“What fly? Laurel, you’ve got to calm down. You’re not making any sense. You don’t have your kit?”
“No! I don’t! That’s the problem. I threw a couple of basics in my purse and I meant to bring my backpack and leave it in your car, but I totally forgot.”
“Okay,” David said, pulling her farther from the crowd. “Let’s just think about this for a moment. What have you got on you?”
“I have two monastuolo serums. They put trolls to sleep.”
“Perfect, then we should be fine.”
Laurel shook her head. “They only work in an enclosed space and they don’t work instantly. It’s for escape scenarios, not like this. If a troll got in the house, half of these kids would be dead before the serum even started to work.”
David took a deep breath. “So what do we do?”
“They want me, but they’ll kill everyone else in a heartbeat if they think it will do any good. We have to lure him away, and we have to do it fast.”
“Lure him where?”
“My house,” Laurel said, hating the idea. “My house is safe. It’s warded against trolls, and the sentries are there. It’s the safest place in the world for us right now.”
“But—”
“David, we don’t have time to argue.”
David set his jaw. “Okay. I trust you. Let’s get out of here.” He pulled his keys from his pocket.
“I’m driving.”
“Believe me, Laurel, I’m feeling very sober.”
“I don’t care. Give me your keys.”
“Fine. What do I tell Chelsea?”
“I’m feeling sick. Something I ate. She knows my stomach’s weird.”
“Okay.”
They spotted Chelsea and Ryan, dancing to a slow song. Chelsea’s head rested on Ryan’s shoulder, and he held her tight against his chest.
“Let’s just go,” Laurel said. “I don’t want to interrupt this.”
David hesitated. “You know Chelsea. She’ll worry if we’re just gone.” He turned to look at Laurel. “She might even stop by your house on her way home from the party to check on you.”
“You’re right. I’ll go tell her.”
Laurel felt bad butting in, but there was nothing else to be done. She apologized profusely and assured Chelsea three times that she didn’t need anything but to go home and rest.
Chelsea smiled and threw her arms around Laurel. “Thanks so much for coming. I’ll see you guys later.”
Hugging Chelsea back, Laurel desperately hoped she could get the trolls to follow her. She would regret this night for the rest of her life if anything happened to Chelsea—or any of the other people at the party.
David took Laurel’s hand and they headed toward the kitchen. “The side door is closest to my car,” David said, pointing, “but it’s still going to be a bit of a run.”
