It Begins by Richie Tankersley Cusick Page B

out for the event—the whole town and a whole lot more. The place was packed with people in the mood for fun. Lines were already long at the concession stands, and the air throbbed with loud music and the wild rumble of rides, the carousel calliope, and barkers hawking games of various skills and staminas. Lucy could smell food from every direction—hot dogs, doughnuts, cotton candy, barbecue. For the first time in hours she actually realized how hungry she was; she’d barely eaten anything since yesterday.
    She bought a greasy hamburger and a watered-down Coke and ate while she walked. It had been years since she’d been to anything like a carnival, and it brought back happy memories of her childhood, of her and Mom off together on their special adventures. Despite the tasteless food and poignant memories, she actually began to feel better. And despite thepain and embarrassment of her entire day, she felt herself almost smile.
    She tossed her trash into a bin and kept walking, squeezing her way in and out through the crowds. The night was chilly, the breeze sharp but not unbearable in her flannel shirt and oversized parka. She was glad she’d opted to leave her purse at home tonight—with her money and ID tucked tightly into the pocket of her jeans, she felt a lot safer.
Safer … that’s funny.
For some reason, the irony of that nearly brought another smile to her face.
    She paused at a booth selling candy apples. She bought one and bit through the hard, sticky sweetness, and then she headed back into the crowd.
    The slow, shivery prickle at the back of her neck had nothing to do with the cold.
    Lucy stopped, and three people ran into her from behind. She felt a sharp burst of pain as her upper lip split between the candy apple and her two front teeth.
    Mumbling apologies, she worked her way over to a booth and stood with her back to the wall. She could feel the blood swelling from thecut, and she wiped it carelessly with the back of her hand. Her eyes roamed anxiously over the teeming mobs of people.
    Someone’s following me. I feel it.
    Just like last night … when she’d run from those footsteps … when she’d run from one nightmare, straight into another …
    She didn’t see anything suspicious, of course—in that solid mass of faces, how
would
she? And after all that had happened in the last two days, Lucy wasn’t even sure how much she could trust her own instincts anymore.
    She dabbed at the blood on her lip.
    She took another survey of the crowd.
    You’re imagining things. Enough’s enough. Pull yourself together, for crying out loud.
    She was almost past the carousel when she saw him.
    He was moving quickly, shoving his way toward her through the mob, and as she recognized his face, Lucy instantly turned and headed the opposite way.
    “Lucy!” she heard him yell, but she didn’t answer, didn’t even acknowledge him, just kept walking.
    “Lucy! Wait! We’ve got to talk!”
    She thought she could outrun him, but Byron caught up with her easily, grabbing her arm and forcing her around. Dropping her apple, Lucy twisted furiously from his grasp.
    “Haven’t you done enough already?” she exploded.
    The look he gave her was grim, his voice low and urgent. “Come on, we can’t talk here—”
    “You’ve had your fun, okay? Now leave me alone!”
    “Fun? What
fun
? What is this—?”
    “Those frat guys playing jokes at the cemetery—and you were there, too—that’s how you knew I’d come back! Well, are you proud of yourself?”
    “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, but please, just listen to me—”
    “I’ve listened to you enough. Now I’m going.”
    With one smooth movement, Byron caught her shoulders and steered her over to a booth. Then, pinning her flat against the wall, he leaned down over her, his black eyes narrowed.
    “There are things you need to understand.”
    “No,
you
need to understand!” Lucy tried to break free, but he only held her tighter.