33
AVERY
The trail is gorgeous. Nowhere is as beautiful as New Hampshire in the dawning light. I’m gliding along on fresh snow and work up a sweat by the time I reach the crumbling stone cabin from the 1800s. It’s Shane’s favorite destination on the trail. He showed me the spot on my first visit here.
The distant sound of skis swooshing through snow makes me smile. Someone else is up early and on the trails. There’s a cabin about a mile from ours that belongs to a sweet young family of four. We sometimes bump into them on winter weekends.
I sit on the stones to rest. The approaching figure races through the trees. He’s tall. Probably the dad then.
No, the man’s dressed in head-to-toe black with goggles. It’s not the kind of outfit I’ve ever seen the cheerful dad wear. It’s not Shane, either. Too skinny. A scarf covers the man’s lower face up to where his goggles hit, so I can’t tell how old he is. From the way he moves, he’s probably twenties or thirties. He’s fit.
When he spots me, he slows down.
I smile, but only for a moment. The way he stares at me is intense, and he doesn’t wave or say hello like someone would who’s casually passing.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand. Shane’s words come back to me. “If something feels wrong, assume it is.”
I keep my eyes on him, but I slide my hand into my coat’s zipper pocket. Without looking down, I locate the knife with my fingers. I disengage the safety by feel and slip the knife out, keeping it concealed by my coat.
The skier stops a few feet away. He raises his goggles, and his eyes are familiar.
Who is he?
When he pulls his scarf down, I finally recognize him. It’s Daniel.
“Hi, Avery.”
My heart beats a thudding rhythm in my chest. What’s he doing in our woods? He shouldn’t be.
“Hey, Daniel. What are you doing here?”
“It was time.” He looks around. “I can’t believe we’re out here alone. I thought it was going to be so difficult to arrange. I had this elaborate plan…but then you made it easy.”
My boots are free of the skis. His aren’t. Can I knock him down and get past him? Outrun him back to the cabin and the car? No, not unless he’s injured.
He bites the end of a glove and pulls it off. Then repeats the move with other. When he unzips his jacket, my heart slams against my ribs. Why is he undressing?
“I was going to make it special. But you’ve been playing cum-dumpster for your psycho stepbrother,” he sneers. “So, you’ll be right at home here in the dirt.”
So vile, the words suck the air from my lungs. My heart hammers in my chest, and the world starts to blur around the edges.
Don’t. Don’t you dare pass out!
Other than taking sucking breaths, my body remains still as my mind races. No matter what disgusting things he says, I can’t let it distract me.
Daniel speaks again, but I don’t hear him. For a second, my own thoughts drown everything else out.
What would Shane tell me to do in this moment? Give Daniel time to completely undress? Or strike before that? He’ll be able to maneuver better out of his ski clothes, but he’ll also have less protection.
Shane’s voice comes rushing back, calm, consistent, firm.
Wait for your moment, Avery.
Wait for your moment.
“Why do this, Daniel?” My voice doesn’t crack. A small victory.
He looks at me like I’m ridiculous. “Did you think you could just ignore me?” Scoffing, with a sharp shake of his head, he says, “I’d have broken you already if not for him. Todd was right; Moran’s a thug. Like a dog with a bone, he didn’t leave you alone for a second. Not at the party, not on campus, not even in his own house. Fucking frustrating. Until you left.” His sinister smile makes him look like a maniac. “Thank you for doing that.”
