“I can’t believe it.”
When I had woken up that morning, my thoughts were, as usual, with Jack. My mind was filled with the kiss and the flashes. Then I saw the plain white wall free from Roxy’s belongings, and it had all come flooding back like a tsunami. I spent another hour sobbing before I decided to call Scott.
“Are you sure she’s gone for good? Maybe she’ll be back. Roxy loves drama.”
“Look.” I angled the webcam to show Roxy’s empty side of the room. “She’s packed up all her stuff. She’s gone.”
“Have you tried calling her?” If he hadn’t been on a Zoom call, I’d have smacked him.
“Yes, of course I’ve tried calling her. She’s not picking up. First it rang a few times, and now it’s going straight to voicemail.”
“She probably has a dead battery.” He took out his phone and called her. When it went to voicemail, he left her a message asking her to call him.
“You still haven’t said what you argued about. Was it really that bad?”
“I told her my concerns about Barnaby.”
Scott groaned. “Eliza, nooo. Of course she lost her mind. You accused her beloved, precious dream-man of not only cheating on her but being a date rapist.”
“That is not what I said.”
“I’m sure. But in her head, that’s exactly what you said. She’s probably staying with him. Let’s see.” He started tapping on his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Barnaby.”
“No!” I screeched flapping my arms at him wildly. “I don’t want him to know.”
“Eliza, do you seriously think she didn’t tell him? I think he already knows.”
I hesitated. He had a point. “Okay, but don’t let him know we’re talking.”
Scott motioned, zipping his lips and throwing away the key. I fiddled with the cuff of my hoodie and waited.
“Hey, Barnaby, it’s Scott, Roxy’s friend.” Scott listened for a moment, then cast me a glance. “I was just wondering if you were with Roxy,” he asked, and put the phone on speaker. “I’ve been trying to get hold of her.”
“I spoke to her yesterday. I think she’s gone away for a few days.” Barnaby’s posh voice sounded tinny over the phone line.
Scott and I exchanged a look.
“Really? Do you know where?” Scott asked.
“No, I’m afraid not, mate. Erm, it’s kind of embarrassing really. We… we actually broke up last night,” Barnaby said.
They broke up? Scott and I locked eyes.
“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?” Scott pulled a face, and I chewed on my thumb.
“It wasn’t my choice. But I’ll let her explain it to you once she gets back.”
“So she is coming back…” Scott ventured.
“As far I know,” Barnaby said casually, but my mind was racing. Had Roxy confronted him? If they broke up, why did she leave the dorm?
They said goodbye, and Scott let out a long breath when he ended the call.
“I’m sweating like I was just part of an undercover sting operation.” He wiped his brow. “Do you think they broke up because of what you said? He didn’t seem mad.”
“I don’t know. He said it was her choice, but if she believed me, then why would she leave?” I wondered out loud, although I had a fairly good idea. “I also don’t believe a word that comes out of Barnaby’s mouth. We can’t believe his side of the story.”
Scott held up his hands. “I get it. But to me, what he said makes sense. They’ve broken up, and Roxy’s cleared off somewhere to lick her wounds. I’m sure it will be fine. She probably just needs some space. Try and chill out.”
I rubbed my forehead. I had no idea what to think about any of it.
“What if it’s my fault she’s left?” I said quietly, voicing one of the fears that lurked deep inside me. The only one I could confide in Scott about.
“She didn’t leave university because you had a disagreement about her boyfriend, Eliza. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll call when she calms down.”
I tugged at my hoodie sleeve. I knew exactly why she left. She couldn’t handle what I told her. Did she confront Barnaby and find something out that spooked her? Or did she just not want to live with someone she thought had lost their marbles?
Not knowing what else to do, I got ready and went to class, although I was so distracted I didn’t take in a word. And we had a surprise test, which I failed miserably. My course tutor was going to be hauling me in to see her any day now.
When I got home, I held my breath as I let myself in. A tiny part of me had hoped Roxy would be back. Disappointment pressed down on me when I was greeted by the same empty room. I tried her phone again in the desperate hope she’d pick up.
“Your call has been forwarded to a voice messaging service.”
I gritted my teeth, my hatred for the voicemail woman growing.
“Hi Rox, it’s Eliza… again. I know you’re upset. Sorry to keep on calling like this, but I’m worried. If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine. Just let me know you’re okay. With everything that’s going on around here… please, let me know you’re alright.”
I hung up and threw myself onto my bed.
I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew the room was dark. I flicked on my lamp and checked my phone. The clock read 20.52 p.m., and my heart stuttered at the notification on the screen. A message from Roxy. My breath frozen in my lungs, I slid my finger across the glass and tapped play on the voice note.
“Eliza, it’s me. I just want to let you know I’m okay. Just need some time. Please leave me alone and don’t call again. I’ll talk to you when I’m ready.”
I immediately called her back, letting out a growl at the sound of the voicemail woman.
Next, I rang Scott.
“I got a voice note,” I blurted out the second he answered.
“From Roxy?”
“Yes, from Roxy.”
“What did she say?”
“That she’s okay. She just needs some time, and for me to leave her alone.”
“See? I told you. How did she sound?”
I thought it over. “Okay. Irritated I guess.”
“There you go. Do you feel better?”
“Not better, but I’m glad nothing bad happened to her.”
“Give her some time. She’ll come back, and you two can make up. Hopefully they’ll find the bastard who’s spiking people and lock him up so we can all get on with our lives,” Scott said gently.
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I agreed with Scott and said goodnight.
That was that then. Of course I was happy she hadn’t been kidnapped, and I couldn’t deny her reluctance to talk to me. After what happened with Amy, I should have known better.
With a sigh I glanced around our room. It looked strange with one empty side, especially as my side had gotten so messy. I got up and began to tidy. I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair and went to hang it up when something slid out of the pocket and onto the floor. A small bottle rolled across the floor. The spider repellent I’d gotten from my dad for Roxy. At least I wouldn’t have to pretend I didn’t mind the little critters anymore. The room was getting this stuff sprayed everywhere. As I knelt down and scooped up the bottle, an object caught my eye. Something had fallen under Roxy’s bed. I scooted closer to get a better look, and my blood ran cold.
Milton, her stuffed dog, stared back at me.
* * *
“Maybe she couldn’t find it?” Scott suggested. “You said yourself she packed up and left in a hurry.”
I poured an extra sugar in my coffee. After last night I needed the extra energy. I’d tossed and turned for hours, and when I finally did fall asleep I’d been plagued with nightmares.
“No way. Roxy adores Milton. She would never leave without him, wherever she’s gone. Something isn’t right.” Roxy hadn’t answered Scott’s calls either, but Scott had no idea about the truth, and he wasn’t convinced Barnaby was behind the spikings, so he didn’t get it. I, on the other hand, was adamant there had been foul play. “I should talk to Barnaby.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. “Are you crazy? You absolutely should not talk to Barnaby.”
“Why not?”
He looked like he wanted to strangle me. “He already told us his story, so by ‘talk’ you mean confront and accuse. And if he’s guilty like you think he is, then you don’t let on that you know. It’s classic true crime.”
“Then what do I do? I can’t go to the police without any evidence. I need to do something. I have a bad feeling in my gut.”
“Eliza, I don’t think you are thinking clearly about this. What exactly is it you believe he’s done to Roxy? Killed her and buried her in the forest? Making it look like she’s left uni might seem like a genius plan, but it can only last until the holidays when she doesn’t go home.”
“She said he was going to take her to France for the holidays.”
“Eliza!”
I slumped back in my chair. I wanted so badly to explain to him the truth about why things weren’t as they seemed and the reason I thought there was something fishy about Barnaby, but I didn’t dare tell Scott. After Roxy’s reaction, I couldn’t. The last thing I needed was another friend turning their back on me.
“If you are really that worried, I think you should tell the police. Evidence or not, they can at least contact her parents and make sure she’s really there.”
I nodded. Maybe I should tell the police. I should also tell Jack, although after the other night I’d been too scared to find out whether he was taking my calls either.
After coffee, I left Scott and went to sit by the fountain. I took out my phone and hesitated. My finger hovered over the screen. Was I really going to do this? If Barnaby was an alien, the police wouldn’t be able to help. Not doing anything didn’t seem right either. Before I talked myself out of it, I dialled nine nine nine and asked to be connected to the police. With my heart in my mouth, I said, “I’d like to report a missing person please.”
* * *
I felt better once it was done. I had raised my concerns. The police had listened and taken a statement. I think because of the spiking incidents, as well as the fact that Deji and the others were still missing, they took it more seriously than perhaps they would have otherwise. At the very least they said they would check whether Roxy had returned home.
When I got back to the dorm, I reached top of the stairs and was surprised to find Jack waiting outside my door.
“Hey,” he said when he saw me.
“Hi, how long have you been waiting out here?”
“Long enough to become a person of interest to the girls across the hall. And I’m pretty certain the tall girl with glasses didn’t need to pass by four times.”
I smiled. “Clarissa is so nosy. I’m sure you must have been tempted to just let yourself in, so thanks for waiting out here.” I unlocked the door, and he followed me inside.
“What happened here?” he asked, taking in Roxy’s empty side of the room.
“Remember how I told you I had an argument with my roommate? Well, she ‘left,’” I said, making air quotes.
Jack frowned. “You don’t think she really left?”
“Not of her own will.” I explained what happened on bonfire night and how I told Roxy my concerns about Barnaby.
“She didn’t believe you?”
“No. That’s what we argued about. And when I got back all her stuff was gone. At first it looked like she moved out, but she left her stuffed toy behind, and she never would have gone without it. I think something bad has happened. I just reported it to the police.”
Jack nodded slowly. “Eliza, you should have told me all this.”
“I was going to, but…”
His eyes finally met mine, and my stomach gave a little flip at their burning intensity. “That’s why I came. I thought we should talk about… what happened.”
“The kiss.”
“Our kiss, yeah, and the fireworks… I mean the other fireworks.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his discomfort. “It was pretty explosive.” Understatement of the year. My nerve endings heated up when I thought back to his lips on mine.
“It was.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If all of it is true, then now is your best chance to walk away and be normal.”
I had so many issues with that sentence that I decided to start at the beginning.
“If?” Jack looked blank. “You still don’t believe me?”
“Come on, gimme a break. I’ve had a lot to take in.”
Our conversation echoed the one we’d had in Silver Leaf Forest, after the time freeze at the bank. Except now our roles were reversed, which made me laugh. “Yeah, I can see how something like this would be difficult to believe for a half alien, half human with magic powers.”
He scowled. “They’re not magic powers.”
I smiled. “You said that before.”
“I guess it will take a while to get my head around. But I couldn’t leave things like that. When I saw all those memories, I freaked out. I guess I was overwhelmed because I didn’t just see them; I felt them. Right here.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “And it was the most amazing and intense thing I’ve ever felt. Then when Rick messaged and brought me back to reality, I panicked.” He paced up and down the middle of the room. I bit back a smile. It was such a Jack move. “I reacted like an idiot.”
“The situation wasn’t normal. Who knows how you’re supposed to react?”
“Not by running away.”
I stood up and took his hand. “You came back.” His smile did funny things to my insides. “Do you want to talk about what you saw?”
“It was a lot.” He sat down next to me on the bed and tussled his hair. “So I broke up with you to try to protect you from anyone discovering that you had Conscientia hidden inside your head?”
“Yes. But mainly because your feelings for me made you freak out.”
A faint smile ghosted his lips. “Huh. Sounds like me.” I returned his smile. “And in the end you sacrificed yourself and saved Earth?”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“That sounds like you.”
“How would you know?” I asked softly.
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I can just tell.” I didn’t know how to take that, and I couldn’t decipher the look on his face. “Eliza,” he whispered. The sound of my name on his lips melted my insides.
I wasn’t sure who moved first, but when our lips met my pulse soared.
“The flash thing doesn’t happen every time,” I murmured in between kisses.
He gave me my favourite lopsided smile. “This is good too.”
Yeah.
His lips were back on mine. I lay back on the bed, grabbing his shirt and taking him with me. We kissed until we were breathless and my lips felt puffy.
My hands slipped underneath his T-shirt, savouring his smooth, firm skin beneath my fingertips. Our lips parted briefly as he shrugged his shirt off.
He leaned over me, his body covering mine. I ran my nails down his back.
It all seemed the same, his weight on top of me, his silky hair, his soft firm lips. Then why did it feel like I was cheating on Jack with his twin brother? The moment the thought entered my mind, it expanded to fill my head like a balloon.
I slid my hands up his chest and gave him a gentle but firm push.
“Hold on.”
Jack drew back, his chest heaving.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry… I just… things are moving too fast and I—” Jack sprang up from the bed like he had been electrocuted.
He held up a hand. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea. That wasn’t my intention. I just…” What? What was I doing?
He pulled his T-shirt back on. “You didn’t. It’s…” He trailed off and blew out a breath. “Let’s take a breather. And a shower. Separately,” he added quickly. His lips curved into a half smile. “A cold one.”
He lifted his gaze to mine. His eyes were warm, with no trace of any anger or hurt.
“I’m not saying I don’t want this… I don’t mean to mess you about. My head is wrecked.”
He ran his hand down my arm and took my hand. “I don’t want anything that you’re not one hundred percent into.”
I squeezed his hand. I loved him. What was wrong with me?
“I should go.”
“You don’t have to.”
He watched me for a moment, his eyes glittering. Ensnared in his gaze, I could scarcely breathe.
“It’s probably for the best,” Jack said eventually. He got up and put on his jacket. “Call me if you need anything. Don’t go anywhere near Barnaby.”
I pressed my lips together. It wasn’t like I was planning on it, but I didn’t want to make any promises I might not be able to keep.
“I’m serious, Eliza.”
“How can I sit here and do nothing? I know Roxy wouldn’t have left without Milton.”
“Leave things to us. We’ll sort it.” The door closed with a soft click, and I sank down on the rumpled covers of my bed.
What was I doing? I’d spent weeks dreaming and wishing for Jack. I finally had him, and I freaked out and pushed him away. What was my problem? Why was my head so screwed up? Once again, Jack couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and I didn’t blame him. I’d be lucky if he came anywhere near me again.