Pitch Black by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781576835326
Publisher: The Navigators
Published: 2009-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

fourteen

AFTER I HEAR GRANDMA GO OUT—I ASSUME TO HER MOTOR HOME—I slip out to the kitchen and get the cordless phone and then go back into my bedroom. Then I call Seth.

“Hey,” he says. “How’s it going?”

I sigh. “You know, not so great.”

“Yeah, I hear ya.”

“Anyway, I wanted to see what you guys were planning tonight.”

“Does this mean you’re still in?”

“Maybe.”

Long pause. He’s questioning my trustworthiness.

“It’s like this, Seth,” I explain. “I have to go to youth group tonight—”

“Youth group?” he sounds incredulous. “Seriously? You’re going to youth group?”

“It has to do with Jason—”

“Jason?”

“Yeah. You know that Jason was pretty involved in youth group. Anyway, the pastor, Marcus Nickerson, has some kind of message—something to do with Jason that he thinks I should hear. So I agreed.”

“Oh.” I can hear the disappointment in his voice.

“Hey, do you want to come?” I ask suddenly. “I mean, if it has to do with Jason—”

“No thanks, Morgan. I tried that scene once. Didn’t work for me.”

“Yeah, whatever. The truth is, I’m not real thrilled to be going myself. But I agreed.”

“So does this mean you’re out?”

“No,” I tell him. “That’s why I’m calling. I wanted to know if I could meet up with you guys later.”

Another long pause.

“Grace isn’t sure that we can trust you,” he finally says.

“I know . . .” I say slowly. “And I don’t blame her. But really, I’m sorry about what happened today. And if it makes you feel any better, I’m probably going to be the one who takes most of the heat, considering what Grace told the detective. Who knows, they may have surveillance watching me right now.” I stand up and peer out my window, but I don’t notice anything unusual.

Seth kind of laughs. “Well, okay. How about if you call Grace’s cell phone after you get done with youth group.” The way he says “youth group” sounds like he’s describing something really disgusting and I can’t help but think maybe he’s right. Then he gives me Grace’s number, which I write down on the palm of my hand, just to be safe. Then we hang up.

It’s five o’clock, but I feel so exhausted that I think maybe I can actually sleep. So I lie down and before I know it Carlie is standing in my bedroom, shaking me by the shoulder and telling me it’s time to get up.

“Huh?”

She smiles. “Come on, lazybones, you promised me you’d go to youth group tonight.”

Somehow I manage to drag myself out of sleep and bed, and I climb into Carlie’s car and listen to her chatter about mostly nothing as she drives. And I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.

As we walk toward the church, I check my palm to be sure that Grace’s number is still there. Although faded, it’s legible. For some reason it feels like that phone number might be my lifeline. Or maybe it’s my deathline. Who knows?

I insist on sitting in the back of the room, and fortunately Carlie doesn’t argue. I guess she realizes that I’m only just barely here anyway.

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