Page 11 of Dark Wishes

I turn, expecting to see... something, but it’s empty.

“You’re done?” he asks gruffly.

“Yeah.” I tap the box in my palm. “Let’s get out of here, you’re making me really paranoid.”

“Youshouldbe paranoid.” Jamison flips around, striding up the aisle to the front checkout. Eyeing his broad back, I approach the register. There’s someone already buying something; I glance at the array of candy and other spontaneous purchase items.

Next to the Reeses and KitKats are some tiny packages.Of course, every good pharmacy keeps condoms up front.I make a face at the boxes with their purple and gold letters.I can’t believe how close Jamison and I came to hooking up.

“Next!” The clerk, a young black woman with kind eyes and purple braces, motions me forward. I put the toner on the counter; she flicks her eyes down. “That’s all? You don’t need anything else?”

“Huh?” I ask stupidly. She’s moved on to grinning at Jamison. My face begins to sizzle—she saw me eyeing the condoms. “Oh, no,” I babble, “you’ve got it all wrong!”

She shrugs, ringing me up. “I didn’t say anything. I was just making sure you didn’t forget anything you might want.”

“I don’t wantthat,”I say with a stern frown.

Jamison chuckles in the depths of his throat. My heart thumps wilder; I pay for the toner, grabbing it so quick I almost drop it before stuffing it in my backpack. The lady calls out some sort of pleasant farewell, but I’m too focused on getting out of the store to listen.

The doors split apart for me as I cross the welcome mat. Outside, the sun is gone. Lights from every window of the busy area keep the world easy to see. I’m expecting Jamison on my tail, but when I turn, he isn’t there.Weird. What’s he doing?I start to head back inside, but Jamison half-runs towards me, and I jump back, thinking he might make contact.

“What’s that face for?” he asks.

I wave at the glass doors. “What were you doing in there?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You didn’t follow me out.”

“Of course I did. I’m here.” He stares at me like I’m an idiot.

“No,” I scowl, poking his arm, “you were in there longer than me.”

His grin is all teeth. “Counting the seconds we’re apart? And I thought you were getting sick of my hovering.”

Flustered by his teasing, I march up the sidewalk, back towards the steep hill. Jamison follows at my side, his shadow stretching long across the street. The top of its shape brushes the yellow painted lines. Occasionally a car drives past, the headlights erasing his shadow. But it always returns. Blacker and sharper than before, the rising moon giving it power.

I watch how it sweeps along the asphalt; that’s easier than looking athim.Jamison is too quick with his comebacks... too flirty. Our kitchen encounter has emboldened him.

We’re halfway up the hill when my calves begin to cramp. My pace slows down considerably. Jamison, noticing he’s a few steps ahead, stops to wait. “You alright?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course,” I pant.

His grin boils my blood. “You were the one who said you wanted to get some fresh air.”

“I did. I’m fine,” I insist.

My breathing is heavy; it blocks out the noise around me. The low rumble of the cars at the bottom of the hill vanishes away. All I can do is focus on Jamison’s infuriating smug face as I force my tired legs to reach him. His lips drag down at the corners. The humor in his eyes seeps away.

A warning tickles the base of my skull; I turn, seeing a figure approaching me rapidly from behind. I don’t get a good look at his face, but the switchblade in his fist is as bright as a star in the sky.

“Give me your backpack,” he snarls. “Do it right now, got it?”

My body turns to clay—a hundred thoughts hit at once.I have ten grand in here. I can’t hand that over!Dammit, why didn’t I leave my backpack at the house? I only needed my wallet.Stupid, stupid, stupid!I clutch my backpack protectively. “No, I can’t!”

The man’s face contorts like a balloon deflating, the shape constricting, pinching his features. He adjusts the blade, preparing to lurch at me.

Black leather fills my vision like a massive dragon spreading its wings. Jamison sweeps me against his side; I cling to his arm on impulse. He wraps his fingers around my shoulder, the other arm extending towards the mugger.

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