Inner Demons

1. Lead The Way

Something startled me from my sleep. I sat straight up in bed and rubbed my eyes. The house was quiet and dark. I listened.

A small rock rebounded off the window. I crawled out of bed and tiptoed across the cold wood floor. Who the hell was throwing rocks at my room at two in the morning on a school night?

Down below, I saw the silhouettes of three girls. I laughed softly and shook my head. Of course. I lifted the window and whispered down to them. "What are you doing here? Are you guys insane?"

Giggles below, then a loud, "Shhhh!"

"Get your booty down here," Lark said.

"It's two in the morning," I protested.

"Don't argue," Brooke called up to me. She adjusted the large black bag on her shoulder. "It's what we always do before the first practice, so get some clothes on and get your butt down here."

I rolled my eyes and closed the window. Ten minutes later, I was outside, bundled up in a sweatsuit. "Okay, here I am. What's this all about anyway? It better be worth showing up at school tomorrow with circles under my eyes," I said. I wasn't really upset, though. It was kind of fun to sneak out in the middle of the night for some super-secret tradition.

"About time you got down here." Allison hooked her arm around mine and pulled me toward the overgrown garden. "Did you have any trouble getting out of the house?"

"Nope, I wasn't locked in tonight," I said, then bit my lip. I realized it probably wasn't a good idea to advertise the fact that the bedroom doors at Shadowford had locks on the outside.

"Locked in?" Lark raised her eyebrows.

"Well, not literally," I said. Attempting to laugh it off. "I just meant that no one was up keeping watch."

"Oh," Lark said. "That's good. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble. Most of the parents know about the ritual so they don't usually care, but then again, we're used to doing this in the middle of the summer before school starts."

"And it usually involves a whole class of rookies," Brooke said. She led us through the garden, past Ella Mae and Jackson's house, and out into the darkness beyond. I'd never even been this far back behind the house before.

"So, what are we doing, anyway?"

"You'll see," Allison said in a sing-song voice. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Brooke asked.

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Good," Lark said. "There's nothing to be nervous about, anyway. You'll catch on quickly."

"I'm more nervous about my first game coming up in a couple of weeks."

"At least your first game will be an away game. My first game was at home, and it was completely nerve-wracking. The whole town was there." Allison stepped over a fallen branch and held my hand to guide me over. "Your first game will be a piece of cake. Andrew County is what? Over an hour away? There won't be nearly as many people there from Peachville, so there won't be much pressure on you."

"I love away games," Brooke said. "The bus rides are always fun."

"You just like to scout out the cute boys from the other towns," Lark teased.

"I don't know, she's been getting pretty friendly with Foster lately," Allison said.

Even in the dark, I could tell Brooke was blushing. Her smile stretched from ear to ear. I bit my lip and kept my mouth closed. Why did no one else seem to think it was strange that Brooke was crushing on Tori's boyfriend only a month after her death? It nagged at me. When she was alive, she was their best friend, and now it was as if no one even remembered her.

"Homecoming is coming up in just a month. Has Drake asked you yet?" Lark asked.

"To the game?" I said.

"No, to the dance, silly."

"What kind of dance?" In my mind, I was picturing a bowl of punch, some streamers, and a bunch of kids sitting on the bleachers looking bored.

"Kind of like prom, I guess," Allison said, "but slightly less formal."

My stomach tightened. Where was I going to get the money to buy a fancy dress? "When is it?"

"Four weeks," Brooke said. "The game is on Friday night and the dance is Saturday night."

"Do you think Foster is going to ask you?"

"I don't know, but he better ask me soon or I'll have to find someone else. I'm on the Senior Court this year and there's no way I'm going without a date."

Lark punched Brooke in the arm teasingly. "You could probably have any guy you wanted."

"Except for Drake," Brooke said, flashing a smile my way.

Yes, Drake and I had been pretty exclusive the past few weeks. Ever since the whole Agnes thing he'd been glued to my side like a private bodyguard. In some ways, I loved the attention. On the other hand, sometimes I wondered if Drake really liked me or if he just felt that he should be dating a cheerleader. All he ever talked about was himself and football. So far, it wasn't the most thrilling relationship of my life.

"I take it he hasn't mentioned the dance to you yet?" Allison asked.

"Not yet," I said. "Don't worry. He'll ask. It's still early."

I didn't say anything, but I kind of hoped he wouldn't ask. There was no way I could afford a dress at this point. Not without a job, and where in the world would I find the time for that? As of tomorrow, I'd have cheerleading practice every single day after school.

"Maybe next Saturday we can all go dress shopping."

I stumbled over a tree stump. Crap.

"You in, Harper?" Allison asked.

Before I had a chance to answer, Brooke stopped and held up her hand for us to be quiet.

The night air was crisp and wind blew my hair back from my face. We had come to the edge of the property. In front of us, thick woods spread out as far as I could see, dark and mysterious. I shivered. Where, exactly, were they taking me?

"Come on, unless you're too scared," Brooke said.

To be honest, I was a little scared. I glanced at my watch. Two-twenty in the morning. I glanced longingly back toward Shadowford. I wanted to be back in my warm bed. But wasn't this what I'd always wanted? To be a part of something special? What was wrong with me?

I drew in a sharp, cold breath.

"Lead the way."