My phone buzzes in my pocket and I silence it. It's the second time John has called but I can't face him, not after I lied to him. By now, he probably knows the truth and is calling to tell me off. I can handle him yelling at me, but if he gets emotional... I shake the thought off.
The waves crash loud against the shore. Saltwater mists the dozens of college kids drinking from red solo cups and chatting. I shiver as the breeze nips at the back of my neck and find Liam in the crowd. He was supposed to host the Eco event at his house before he was attacked but he changed it to the beach at the last second. I can't help but wonder why he chose to invite so many people to the same beach where those fishermen died. We're only a handful of miles from the docks where it happened but Jamie hasn't mentioned being suspicious, so I tell myself I'm being paranoid.
"Everything okay?"
I jump at Jamie's voice. I'm not sure when she came back with a red solo cup of punch because I've been too busy watching Liam on the other side of the bonfire, blatantly avoiding my eyes.
"John keeps calling," I admit.
She sighs and sinks down in the sand next to me. "I can't believe he wanted you to go to the other side of the country." She takes a long sip of the punch and I wonder if someone spiked it yet. "You shouldn't feel bad about not wanting to uproot your entire life because a couple fishermen died at the docks."
I smile but force down a scoff. "I don't have much of a life to uproot." My voice is quiet.
She nudges me. "Come on, don't be like that. You've got school, friends, Aurora, the Eco club."
I hold my breath in my chest. I want to tell her everything; that I'm not enrolled in school, I never cared about the eco club, and I couldn't go around humans until months ago.
Instead, I settle on something between pathetic and flirty. "I didn't want to leave you here." I can't look at her, can't keep my hands still. "Not after what happened with your friends and everything going on at the docks." As an afterthought, I add, "Besides, Liam was attacked outside the building we were sitting in, and they still haven't found the person who did it."
She's smiling when I find the courage to meet her eyes. "You're going to protect me from the spooky shit going on in Bolton County?"
I let out a single breathless laugh, fix my eyes on the soda can clenched in my sweaty palm again. "I do watch a lot of horror movies."
"That's sweet of you," Jamie says but her voice is soft and when I meet her eyes something shifts in the air between us. The same shift I felt in Aurora's kitchen. Her lips part to say something but instead she presses them together and furrows her brow.
I clear my throat. "I'm going to see how Liam is hanging in there," I tell her as I push away from the log.
She smiles thinly and clutches her cup between two hands like she's trying to warm them around a mug of coffee. "I'll be here." She keeps her voice light but the change in her tone is obvious.
The sand pulls at my feet, making my steps clumsy as I try my best to get close to Liam without him noticing. Before I can close the distance between us a high voice says, "Looks like you're doing better around people."
Faith. I wait a moment before I face her, trying to breathe through frustration before I turn and smile. I nod and take a drink of my warm Pepsi. "I'm doing much better, thank you."
She takes a step closer. I fight the urge to move away from her. "How does this work for you exactly?" she whispers.
I let out a sigh. "I'm not really sure."
She stares at me, obviously dissatisfied with my answer as she crosses her arms over her chest. I'm about to end the conversation and continue toward Liam when I remember Faith's mother and her not-so-discreet threat toward Aurora. I won't be the reason Aurora's blood supply is cut off.
"I think it's easier to be around people because I've been spending more time around humans." I keep my voice low and pull Faith away from the crowd, closer to the waves breaking against the sand. "It's been easier to be around Jamie because we spend a lot of time together but..." I glance around to make sure no one's approaching us. "If this party were being held in a room with no windows, I don't think I could stay."
A satisfied smile spreads across her face. "Interesting." I hate the way she's looking at me, like I'm a science project. "So," she taps her finger against her lips, "being around me right now... This is difficult for you?"
I shrug. "Kind of? We're outside and there's a lot of other smells besides you but the voice in my head never stops. I'm constantly thinking about letting go and draining everyone within a five-mile radius."
Her expression takes on a new note of adoration. "That must be so hard. Constantly keeping yourself from what you want."
"Um—"
"I wonder how good it must feel when you finally give in and let your inner animal free." She's taking slow steps closer. I move back without thinking about it, feel a wave crash against the back of my heel and fill my shoe.
"I um—"
Faith flips her hair over her shoulder, like she wants me to see the vein in her neck pulsing under pale skin. "I haven't forgotten about your promise to me," she continues, her voice low.
"Faith, I can't. I'm not...I can't do that without killing you." My voice sounds weak, helpless and if she keeps moving toward me, I'm going to find myself waist-deep in the ocean.
I take her shoulders in my hands and stop her, but she doesn't look upset. Instead, her lips pull into a smile at one side.
"I need to talk to someone. I'll see you around."
It's obvious she wasn't expecting me to stand my ground because instead of stopping me, she freezes, her expression somewhere between annoyed teenager and pouty child. I glance over my shoulder and find her standing in the same spot as before, looking out at the ocean. I tell myself I'll talk to her again once my temper cools down and make my way through the crowd, holding my breath the whole way until I'm within arm's length of Liam. I clamp a hand on his shoulder and ask how he's doing but when he faces me, his eyes go wide, and I feel my heart stop beating in my chest.
I didn't think this through. What if he makes a scene again like he did in the hospital? But this time we're surrounded by the Bolton County Climate Crew and Liam isn't the type to embarrass himself in front of his peers.
"Hey, Gwen." His voice shakes with fake enthusiasm. He grabs a napkin from the snack table and dabs at his forehead. "Good to see you again."
"You feeling okay?" I ask again, eyeing the balled-up napkin in his fist. "Are you running a fever?"
He shakes his head. "Oh! No, no. Not at all." He takes a second too long to think of an excuse before he points at the red solo cup in his hand. "Alcohol makes me hot. Runs in my family. Not quite allergic but definitely intolerant." He bursts into loud laughter and nudges my shoulder.
"I see. Well, anyway," I start. "We dropped by to see you in the hospital a little while back and you seemed really upset about seeing us and—"
"Oh, that!" He nudges my shoulder again. "I hardly even remember. Those doctors had me on so many painkillers I couldn't see straight. I was probably having another one of those daytime nightmares." My eyes narrow but before I can open my mouth to ask what he's talking about he slaps my shoulder again. "I really do need to get back to the party, Gwen. Thanks for stopping by. We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Liam." I grab his arm before he can leave.
His smile only falters a second before he adjusts it. "What's up?"
"Are you okay? You can tell me what's going on. I might be able to help," I offer. "Did you see who attacked you that day?"
He wags his head hard. "No idea, to be honest." He dabs at his forehead with the napkin again. "Super weird coincidence. I'm sure it was a junkie who left town already." He shrugs out of my grip. "Good to see you again, Gwen."
My phone buzzes, and before I can take a second to analyze Liam's behavior, I'm pulling it from my pocket and letting out an aggressive, "What's up, John?"
"Gwen, goddamnit! Why did I get you this damn phone if you ain't gonna pick it up?" He's shouting so loud I have to pull the phone away from my ear. "Aurora told me you're at a school party on the beach. Are you still there?"
"John," I sigh.
"Are you still there, Gwen?" he repeats.
"Yes."
"Leave. Now," he orders.
"John, what the fuck is going on?" I'm walking without thinking, making my way further down the beach and away from the crowd of people who can potentially overhear.
He lets out a heavy sigh. "Don't ask me how I know. We can discuss that later but... The blood suckers who killed the fishermen are on their way to that party. I need you to get out of there before they show up." But somewhere in the middle of his sentence, I stopped listening because something at the party is off. The energy feels wrong. Quiet. And as I make my way back toward the crowd, I hear it. The sound of unfamiliar voices, the awkward silence that follows, the fear everyone is swallowing.
I swallow hard. "It's too late, John." And before he can protest, I'm running back to the crowd.