Stranger Danger by Maren Stoffels

Author:Maren Stoffels [Stoffels, Maren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2023-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

“Nova?”

I push down the door handle and see her lying on the bed, with her back to the door. Her suitcase is open beside her, but she hasn’t started packing yet.

“Fuck off,” she snarls.

“I’m sorry,” I say, carefully sitting down on the corner of the mattress.

“What for?” comes her muffled voice.

“A thousand things. I should never have given you those pills. You’re absolutely right. And I should have been honest with you about Reid, but he thought it was better to keep it secret.”

“I’m your best friend.” Nova turns around, her face wet with tears. “Does that mean nothing to you?”

“It means everything! I was terrified just now. When you were lying there bleeding on the couch, I felt so guilty.”

Nova just stares at me. What if she doesn’t forgive me? I try to imagine a life without Nova, but I can’t. She’s always there. We are each other’s shadows, conjoined twins with no blood ties.

“So it’s Robin,” Nova says quietly.

“Yes.” I’m whispering too. Is Nova thinking about that Monday after the school dance? We waited for Robin at the entrance, but she didn’t turn up. That afternoon we went to her house, but no one came to the door. The curtains were closed; there was no sign of life. She didn’t show her face in the days that followed either. Reid eventually told our class that she wasn’t coming back.

“What now?” asks Nova.

“I sent a message asking her if she’ll talk to us, but she hasn’t answered.” I can hear now how lame it sounds. If I were Robin, I wouldn’t answer either.

I point at Nova’s hand. “Did that receiver really give you a shock?”

“It was like touching an electric fence.” Nova makes a face.

“But how did she manage to do that?”

“No idea, but she was a huge nerd. Maybe she found a tutorial on the internet?” I look around. “Do you think this place belongs to her family or something?”

“No,” says Nova. “I just think she got here before us. That meant she had all the time she needed to prepare.”

I picture Robin scurrying around the house. Was that when she punctured the mountain bike’s tire and left the first-aid kit? It’s a logical explanation. The owner isn’t going to check the bike tires every time. They automatically get complaints when something isn’t working one hundred percent.

“Maybe she slept in this bed….” Nova winces as she looks at the mattress. “I want to go home.”

“Me too,” I say.

“Where’s Vin?”

“Downstairs. He’s really worried about you.”

“Good.”

“You need to talk with him, Nova. Just ask him what’s going on.”

“I’m scared of the answer.” Nova groans quietly as she shifts position.

“Is it really painful?”

“Robin’s miracle pills don’t work.”

“Want me to get you an extra Tylenol? I have some in my toiletry bag.”

“No, I don’t want to be here on my own.” Nova closes her eyes, and another tear escapes from the corner of her eye. “Shit, Lotus, if it really is Robin, then…”

She doesn’t finish her sentence, but I know what she wants to say.

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