Unbreakable (2 page)

“I'm starving,” Mindy said, “but Tami and I want to go to the street fair in Old James Town. It's sort of a Halloween festival. They've got rides, a haunted house, palm readers, and fortune-tellers. They even have a band playing in the town square.”

And the boy who was staying in the cabin next door was going, too, Chase thought, remembering that Eric had mentioned it last night when he came over to chat while they'd been in the hot tub. Chase didn't particularly care for Eric. Or the way he'd stared at Mindy and Tami in their bathing suits. Sure, Chase had appreciated Tami, but there was a difference between appreciating and gawking. Eric had gawked. Thankfully, he'd seemed more interested in Mindy than Tami. Though Chase didn't particularly like the dude staring at his sister, either. Baxter hadn't been thrilled about it, either. Baxter, their black Lab, normally liked everyone. But he'd growled at the kid.

Chase had decided to go with the motto: If Baxter didn't like you, Chase didn't like you.

Not that Mindy seemed to mind Eric's rude stares. Heck, what did he know? Maybe girls liked to be gawked at.

Chase listened as his sister continued to sell the festival to their parents. He seriously doubted that Mindy would tell them about Eric going to the festival. His parents had a thing about Mindy not dating until she was sixteen. Mindy, however, had a thing about boys.

His mom looked at her watch. “We could stop by for an hour, but we have skiing lessons at one.”

“I don't want to do the skiing lessons,” Mindy whined. “We did that yesterday. Why can't you just drop us off and let us stay the day? You and Dad can pick us up after skiing. Pleeeeeasssse?”

Chase stared down at the magazine he still held, hoping his mom said no. He'd already had the perfect day planned. They'd spend four hours skiing, take Baxter for a walk at the park a mile from the cabin, and then come back and go to the hot tub. He really wanted to see if Tami rubbed her foot against his again. If she did, this time he wasn't going to move his leg.

“I …” His mom hesitated.

Chase glanced up.
Say no. Say no.

“Sorry,” his mom continued. “I'm not comfortable with you two alone at a street fair all day.”

“Mom,” Mindy whined. “I'm fifteen, not five!”

“Why don't we compromise,” his dad joined in. “Take Chase with you and I think you three will be fine.”

He could live with that compromise, Chase thought. He'd lose skiing, and Baxter would lose out on his walk, but going to the festival with Tami could be fun. And they could do the hot tub when they came back. Yup. Chase liked the sound of that. And what he liked more was the fact that his dad gave him the role of taking care of his sister instead of the other way around.

As much as he liked it, Mindy didn't. She rolled her eyes. “I don't want to babysit.”

Chase scowled. “Didn't you hear him? I'm the one babysitting you.” He almost said something about Eric being there just to get even for her bitchiness. But right before he tattled, he closed his mouth. Just because his sister was a shit didn't mean he had to be one.

“It's so unfair,” Mindy snapped. “I'm older and you're always acting as if—”

“He's bigger and twice your weight,” Dad said, pointing out that Mindy had inherited her height gene from Mom. “And bad things are less likely to happen with three of you together.”

Mindy let out a huff of disappointment. “But—”

“It's the deal breaker as far as I'm concerned.” Dad gave Mindy a stern look and then looked at their mom. “What do you say, hon? You okay if all three go?”

His mom paused. “I guess if Chase goes with you, it would be fine.” She looked at Chase. “Do you mind going with your sister? Or were you set on going skiing?”

He hesitated, glancing at Mindy for a pregnant pause, hoping she appreciated that he could refuse, and all her plans would be flushed down the toilet.

Not that he would flush them. If it took putting up with Mindy to be with Tami, he'd do it in a snap. But his sister didn't have to know that. He hoped she didn't know it. The less power she held over him the better.

“Nah, I'll go,” Chase finally said.

“Great,” said Tami, and she actually reached over and gave his arm a soft squeeze. Her touch sent tiny currents of something really sweet through his body and had him remembering how it felt when her foot had brushed up against his. Blinking, he gazed into her face. She smiled so big that her dark brown eyes crinkled. Was she really that happy he was going?

Pulling her hand back, she looked back at his parents. “I've been wanting to have my palm read for years.” She pushed her dark hair over one shoulder and he watched as it cascaded across her back. For some crazy reason he wondered if it was as soft as it appeared. “I love festivals.”

Okay, so maybe it wasn't spending the day with him that had her so happy. But it didn't stop him from being thrilled at the idea of hanging with her for the next few hours—of maybe scoring a few more smiles and soft touches. Especially when tomorrow morning they would be flying home and their weekend would be over. That would mean it might be like two weeks before he saw her again. That would completely suck.

His chest felt heavy from the thought. She did that thing again with her hair, pulling it up and letting it fall on her shoulders. He studied her profile, a small nose, full lips that looked soft and always shiny. Large brown eyes, slightly slanted, with thick dark lashes.

He tucked his hands into his jeans pockets and tried to push the tug on his emotions away. While Chase really liked girls, he hated thinking of himself as one of those guys who got all sappy-eyed and started tossing around the L word. But for the life of him, it felt as if it was where he was heading. And he wasn't sure he could stop it.

He glanced back at Tami, who was still smiling. Still the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

He wasn't sure he wanted to stop it.

November 1, 8 a.m.

Breaking News: Update

An emergency crew has decided to brave the weather and embark on a rescue mission, hoping to find survivors of the wreckage of the Cessna 210 carrying Dr. Tallman and four other passengers.

Despite the deteriorating weather conditions, the emergency rescue crew is gathering supplies and is expected to depart on the rescue mission in the next few hours. Dr. Tallman's plane fell off radar twenty minutes after leaving Jasper Regional Airport yesterday at 4 p.m. “There are five people out there who could be alive,” says Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer Tom Phillips. “Three are just teenagers. If they are alive, I'm sure they are desperate for help. If they are not, we need to bring closure to the families. It only seems right that we try to get to them as soon as possible.”

Sheriff Ted Carter released this in his latest statement: “While two SAR helicopters have flown over the wreckage this morning, visibility is still low, and unfortunately no signs of life have been reported.” Tom Phillips also told the media, “While under normal weather conditions the hike up the Jasper range could take up to three hours, with these weather conditions it could take twice as long.”

Family and friends of the Tallmans flew in last night after being notified that the plane went missing. “I want to know my daughter is still alive. I have to believe she is,” says Cary Collins, father of fifteen-year-old Tami Collins. The Faith Tabernacle church in Jasper has opened its doors to the family and is holding an open service for any of the townspeople who would like to stop in and pray for the Tallman family and Tami Collins's safe return.

 

October 31, 11 a.m.

Chase's parents dropped them off at the corner of First Street and Walnut Avenue with instructions to meet them back at the same corner in four hours. The first thing Mindy wanted to do was go to the square where the biggest crowd hung out to listen to the band play.

Chase's stomach had other plans, and he would've loved to have snagged a hot dog from one of the concession stands. They'd passed at least three and the smell had called his name. All the blood they'd drawn for the study was probably increasing his appetite, he thought, but he didn't argue with Mindy.

Didn't argue even when he knew it wasn't the music that Mindy wanted.

She wanted to find Eric. The thought hit then that his parents had expected him to watch out for his sister. And damn it, he knew his parents would say that meant keeping her away from sixteen-year-olds who leered at her. Then again, weren't his parents being a tad ridiculous about the whole no-dating-until-sixteen rule? Hell, most of the girls in his class were already dating.

They walked the town square—snaking through the crowds, separating groups of friends—Mindy in the front and leading at a breakneck pace. She accidentally bumped into a guy wearing a black robe with a knife sticking out of his chest. And his sister, so intent in her search for a certain blond dude, didn't even notice. There must have been a costume contest happening because a good third of the attendees were dressed like creatures of the dark.

Chase offered an apologetic shrug when Mindy stormed through a group of friends, some sporting pale skin and fake fangs, others wearing werewolf masks.

You didn't want to piss off a park full of werewolves or vampires. Once or twice, he glanced at Tami at his side and she just shrugged as if she'd realized how crazed his sister was as well.

They'd made three or four treks—he'd lost count—around the square, without one glimpse of the boob-gawking Eric.

After the third time walking through the same group of creatures, who were looking pissed at his sister's lack of manners, Chase finally took her by the arm and tried to get her to see reason. “Mindy. He's not here. Let's go grab something to eat.”

She frowned, obviously unhappy, and looked about ready to toss some ugly insult his way. But he kind of understood that she wasn't as upset at him as she was disappointed at being stood up by the guy she had a major crush on. He remembered hearing the jerk tell Mindy several times that he'd be at the festival and for her to please show up and find him.

“We can come back later and see if he's here,” Chase offered, noting the hurt in her eyes. Hurt that he recognized as rejection. Sort of how he'd felt when Susie Muller had told him he didn't know how to kiss.

“I'm kind of hungry, too,” Tami said, moving in beside him, chasing all thoughts of Susie from his mind.

The warmth of Tami's shoulder against his had him wondering if the brush was accidental or if maybe … just maybe, she liked touching him as much as he liked her touching him.

“Fine,” his sister said, but the pain in her expression and her rejected posture had him forgetting about Tami for a second and disliking Eric even more.

If the guy stood his sister up, he'd better not show his ugly face back at the cabin before they left tomorrow, because Chase would tell him what he thought. Then he might get Baxter after his butt.

***

They all ordered hot dogs—two for him and one for each of the girls—with extra mustard and one order of nachos. Since his dad had slipped Chase three twenties before getting out of the car, he picked up the bill. He kind of liked paying for Tami. It made it almost feel like a date. Of course, if it were a date, she might be holding his hand and he might be trying to figure out how to sneak a kiss. But not wanting to be disappointed, he tried not to think about it too much.

They sat at an empty picnic table set out for the festival. Tami, who'd borrowed Mindy's phone because hers had lost juice, was trying to call her parents, but for some reason couldn't get the call to go through. He studied her under his lashes, noticing little things. Like the shape of her lips or the way she messed with her hair.

“We must have a bad connection here,” she said and set the phone down.

She had chosen to sit beside him and not beside Mindy. Was he over-reading her every move? Or was it possible she had a thing for him, too?

A group of vampires … several of the ones they'd charged past in their search for Eric, sat at the picnic table next to them.

Mindy, as if seeing them for the first time, stared and then shuddered. She leaned down and spoke in a whisper. “They're freaky, don't you think?”

Chase looked at the group of teens. They must have lost their werewolf friends, because these were all dressed in black, probably doused with some kind of white powder to make them appear extra pale, and wore fake fangs. One of the guys had a few drops of fake blood running down his chin and one girl had what looked like bite marks on her neck.

“There has to be some costume contest going on,” Chase said. Not that these guys were going to win, Chase thought. “Did you see that zombie with the skin hanging off his face? He almost looked real.”

“They're still freaky,” Mindy said, and cut her eyes back to the table of vampires.

“You've been reading too many novels,” Chase said and took his first bite of hot dog. The spicy mustard filled his taste buds and reminded him how hungry he really was. But even starved, he stopped himself from poking the whole thing in his mouth, the way he might have done if he was just with his guy friends. The last thing he wanted to do was look like a pig in front of the girl of his dreams.

“No,” Mindy said, and scooped up a chip dripping with cheese and sliced jalapeños. “It's not the books. I've been reading too many of Dad's reports.”

Chase picked up his soda. “Reports?”

“His medical reports,” she said. “I went by his work a couple of weeks ago and he was with a patient so I went and waited for him in his office.” She leaned in and spoke quietly. “There was a file open on his desk and it was about some virus that made people crave blood. Human blood.”

Tami almost choked on a nacho. “So you're saying that vampires actually exist?”