Page 39 of Where Daisies Breathe (Star Meadows #2)

AVA

THE PAST…

“ C lover!” I shout over the music booming from a car stereo.

I’m not even sure which vehicle it is—there’s a ton parked in the area near the park.

It’s crazy that the police haven’t shown up yet with how loud the party is, but Star Meadows can be suspiciously sleepy sometimes.

I often wonder if the cops simply look the other way, covering their eyes with their blood-stained hands.

“Clover!” I call out again, my voice slightly slurred from the drinks I had.

Twigs crunch under my boots as I approach the edge of the forest. I’ve looked everywhere else. Maybe she left? She does that sometimes?—

Fingers wrap around my arm.

Even in the drunk haze my mind is in, I still spin around.

Ellis quickly holds up his hands. “Aves, it’s just me. Sorry I scared you.”

“It’s okay.” I relax. “I’m just being weird.”

Ellis isn’t someone I fear at all. He’s always been nice to me.

“What’re you doing out here by yourself?” he wonders as he glances behind me at the woods.

“Looking for Clover,” I explain. “We were supposed to do a shot, but then she wandered off and I haven’t seen her in a while. I’ve checked all the cars, but I still can’t find her.”

“And you were going to wander in the woods?” he asks dubiously.

My lips part, then shut. Was I? I honestly don’t know. It doesn’t sound like something I’d do, but I often make out-of-character choices when I’m drunk.

“I don’t know,” I answer with a shrug.

He remains silent for a beat. “Have you tried texting her?”

“No...” I feel stupid for having to respond that way. “I just… I don’t know. You know she doesn’t usually respond to texts when she’s at parties.”

“I know. She’s probably hooking up with someone.”

“True,” I sigh. “Sorry, I think I’m a little drunk.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m drunk too.” He offers me his hand. “You should stay by me. I don’t like the idea of you wandering around by yourself, especially so close to the woods.”

I easily place my hand in his—he’s the only person I do that with.

We return to where the orange glow of the fire bleeds into the darkness. The throng of people is thick and humming with energy. Ellis leads me over to where a series of drinks are and pulls us to a stop.

“You said Clover was supposed to do a shot with you?” he asks, glancing at me.

I nod, tucking a strand of my hair out of my face. I’m dressed in baggy jeans and a crop top, and the curls Clover put in my hair earlier have turned into waves.

“How about we do one instead?” he suggests, reaching for two cups. “And then we can do another with Clover later.”

“Sure.” I watch as he pours vodka into two glasses, then hands me one.

We clink our glasses, giggle, then down the drinks. I’m numb enough that I barely feel the burn. Ellis’ eyes are glazed over, too, and are super focused on me.

“You have some vodka on your lip,” he whispers, reaching out and placing a hand on my cheek.

I think he’s going to wipe it away, but instead he leans in and presses his lips to mine. My eyelids lower as he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, then kisses me briefly before leaning away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he says softly while skimming his fingertips along my cheekbone.

I smile, probably looking like a total idiot. But Ellis just kissed me. Ellis. Sweet Ellis. Gorgeous Ellis.

He smiles too, then we start making our way around the party, chatting with people, and occasionally he kisses me again.

The night sky is a blur of starlight, and blurry rays pierce down from the moon.

For a while, everything is perfect. But the longer the night goes on without me seeing Clover, the more my worry stirs.

Girls go missing in Star Meadows, and then the next day they’re found dead. Or just never found at all.

I could’ve been one of those girls that day in the woods had I not found my way out of the trees.

I’m not the only one who escaped, either.

Camilla is at the party right now and every so often we cross paths. Usually, she speaks to me for a minute or two, but tonight, she’s been avoiding me.

Every time her eyes find mine, I start to wave, but she looks away. If we get near each other, she stumbles in the other direction. I feel like we’re in a dance where I know none of the steps. It’s starting to unnerve me.

“Are you okay?” Ellis asks, drawing me back to reality.

I blink at him. “Huh?”

“You’ve been dazing off.” He gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m getting worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” My brain is so flooded with alcohol that I’m unsure if that’s a lie or not. “I think I just need some water. And then I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I wiggle my hand from his grip. “I’ll be right back.”

I walk toward the restrooms located near the park's gate.

“I’ll walk with you.” Ellis jogs after me, his footsteps lethargic.

“You don’t have to,” I insist, but he continues to follow me.

Once he reaches me, he threads our fingers together. The gravel crunches under our shoes as we hike across the parking area toward the restrooms. The noise of the party dwindles the farther away we get, and I find it easier to breathe then.

“So, about that kiss,” Ellis starts to say, but then trips over his own feet.

I grip onto his hand, and he manages to regain his balance.

I laugh. “Dude, tripping over your own feet is more my thing, not yours,” I tease.

He chuckles. “Yeah, I’m a little drunk.” He stares at me. “And a little distracted.”

My head tilts to the side as I steady him. “With what?”

“I…” He hesitates. “I want to kiss you again. Is that okay? I feel like I should’ve asked when I did it the first time. I just got distracted.”

I stupidly nod, then, realizing he probably can’t see me through the darkness, add, “You can kiss me again.”

A moment later, his lips find mine in the darkness. I startle, and he pulls back slightly.

“Do you want me to stop?” he checks.

“No… I just couldn’t see anything, so you surprised me,” I tell him quietly. “You don’t need to stop.”

A short flicker of a pause, and then his lips touch mine again.

For a heart-slamming moment, we remain standing, unmoving, frozen in some sort of peaceful bubble filled with nothing but us.

Then he parts my lips with his tongue and begins to kiss me.

He cups my cheek with his hand, his skin searing hot.

He tastes like vodka and cigarettes, and it feels so good, even more than the first kiss, which was wonderful.

We stay that way for a while, kissing and touching, and honestly, I’m not sure I would’ve stopped had it not been for the random drunk guy who comes running over.

“Fuck, I’ve got to piss,” he curses as he jogs by us.

He stumbles, though, and slams into me, his shoulder bumping into mine with enough force to send me tripping to the side.

“Watch where you’re going,” Ellis chews the guy out while reaching for my hand. “Aves, are you all right?”

“Yeah.” But with the moment ruined, I’m reminded that the reason I wandered out into the darkness was to pee.

“Hey, Ellis, bro, is that you?” the drunk guy stupidly asks.

“Yeah… who the heck are you?” Ellis replies with a heavy amount of annoyance.

“It’s Kale, man,” the guy prattles on.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom really quickly,” I whisper to Ellis, then start forward.

He holds onto my hand until he absolutely has to let go, trailing his fingers across my palm and to my fingertips before finally the connection breaks.

My heart is a fluttering mess of drunkenness that’s high on kisses as I powerwalk through the darkness. I move less cautiously than I typically do, not paying attention to my surroundings, even with the forest nearby. But I’m too distracted by Ellis. And kissing. And touching.

But that all shatters the instant I step foot into the bathroom. The air is chilly and smells awful, but it always does. It’s quiet—almost too quiet. Usually, the bathrooms are buzzing with noise. The silence is a bit alarming.

Goosebumps sprout across my flesh as I round the corner while digging my phone out of my pocket. I want to text Clover again and see if she’ll answer. I want to make sure she’s okay. I want to tell her about Ellis and me kissing. She’ll be ecstatic for me. I know she will?—

I slam to a halt, nearly tripping over the person lying in the middle of the bathroom floor. It takes me a moment for my brain to process what I’m seeing.

Clover is sprawled across the floor, her blonde hair looking nearly white against the dirty floor.

Her lips are parted, her eyes are open, and her leg is twisted in a way that it looks as if she fell to the floor, not laid down.

She has dirt all over her hands and fingernails, and leaves and twigs are in her hair.

Her dress and legs are also covered in mud, like someone dragged her through the woods.

“Clover,” I drop my phone as I kneel down beside her. “Hey, are you okay?”

She doesn’t blink. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t breathe.

She’s dead.

Oh my god, she’s dead.

I remain unmoving, suspended in a state of shock. But then her chest rises and crashes as she gasps for air.

I snap out of my trance and feel for a pulse. It’s weak, but it exists, which means she still does.

“I’m going to get you help,” I tell her as I pick up my phone from off the floor to call for an ambulance.

As I’m putting the phone up to my ear, Clover snags hold of my wrists.

“My clutch,” she rasps. “Aves, my clutch. You have to find it…” She trails off, her head bobbing to the side.

Tears spill from my eyes. “Clover,” I cry, my shoulders heaving.

“Hello, this is an emergency operator. How may I help you?” the operator answers.

“My friend… She’s dying,” I whisper. “Please, send?—”

The farthest stall door flies open, and a person wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled over their head barrels out. Panic flares through me, and I start to scramble to my feet, worried they’re about to harm me.

But they don’t even so much as glance in my direction, the thick boots hammering against the concrete as they sprint out of the bathroom.

“Hello?” the operator says.

“I…” I turn back to Clover, my gaze flowing over her arms, along the marks that resemble pinpricks, and then at the blood on the floor underneath her.

Was she stabbed?

Is she really dead?

“Please send help,” I beg the operator as I clutch onto Clover’s cold hand. “Please, my best friend, she’s dying. I think someone just tried to kill her.”