Two weeks ago



Something was wrong. The tingle at the base of Ellie’s spine told her so, long before she heard the sound of footsteps on the cement behind her. The bright fall sunshine crackled with danger. Something was very, very wrong.

Ellie’s hands began to shake. She wrapped them around the straps of her backpack and walked a little faster. Her home was only a few blocks away. She could make it a few blocks, couldn’t she?

There. Another footstep. Whoever was behind her had sped up too. Ellie took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder. The woman behind Ellie smiled. Ellie’s arms went limp, and her backpack thudded to the sidewalk. For a brief second, her blood froze in her veins. Then, she ran.

The air around her seemed to thicken, holding her back. She pushed through it, desperate to get away from the monster behind her. She ran as fast as she could, blind to everything around her. If Ellie didn’t get away, she knew she was dead. She could hear the woman running behind her, the light footfalls on the cement, the rustle of her black leather coat. The woman was toying with her, like a cat with a mouse.

There. There was her house. Her heart thudded fast and thick, struggling against waves of hot, sticky panic. Ellie’s legs trembled underneath her, and her stomach pitched. She had to make it. She put on one last burst of speed, jumped the three porch steps, and hammered on the door.

Ellie’s mom pulled open the door. “Goodness, Ellie! Did you lose your key?”

Ellie pushed her inside, kicked the door shut, and turned the dead bolt. She stared at the woman on the other side of the glass. She was still smiling. And every one of her teeth was as sharp and pointed as a dagger.






Chapter One



Today was like every other day of Ellie’s life except for two things: one, it was her sixteenth birthday and two, she was being stalked. Ellie gnawed on a thumbnail, the sharp, rusty flavor of blood filling her mouth. She had never been a nail biter, but she was now. It seemed to help the constant panic fluttering in her chest. She glanced at the window, a shiver snaking down her back. She knew the woman was out there, waiting.

“Eleanora Lyons.” Mr. Smith, Ellie’s history teacher, called her name. Ellie slid out of her desk, her too-pale legs flashing like sticks of chalk under her swirly skirt, a fact that would have bothered her two weeks ago. Now, it no longer seemed important. She took her test from him, not even bothering to cover the big red A+ with her fingers, like she would have before.

“Freak.” Chris, the quarterback of the football team, fake coughed the word.

Ellie sighed and then glanced at his paper, which had a D inked across the top.

She sat down in her seat, almost too tired to deal with him. Almost. “At least I’m a freak that can manage to remember basic facts.”

Chris frowned and flexed his big, beefy fingers. “Watch yourself, nerd-girl. You don’t want to tick me off.”

Ellie ignored him. She used to wonder why they picked on her, running all the possible reasons through her mind. Maybe it was because she ruined the grade curve, or maybe it was because her skin was so pale you could see her veins through it, when the other girls were all shades of gold. Maybe it was because she had a monster following her like a puppy dog. Somehow, Ellie couldn’t bring herself to care anymore.

The bell shrilled through the room. She shot to her feet and then crashed to the floor, courtesy of the backpack strap that had wound itself around her leg. Apparently, panic made her a bit of a klutz. Laughter echoed behind her as she stumbled to her locker, stuffed a bunch of books into her bag, and sprinted down the hall. She had to make it outside while there was still a crowd of kids milling around.

The sunshine dazzled her eyes, and she blinked frantically, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. She didn’t see the woman, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there.

As she started the jog toward home, dead, dry leaves rustled under her feet sounding like creepy voices whispering at her.

“Come on, Ellie, get a grip.” She took a deep breath, crouched down, and pretended to check the strap on her sandal. She glanced behind her. The woman let Ellie see her for just a second, before disappearing. A shiver prickled her skin, and she began to run.

When she’d gotten home that first day the woman had followed her, Ellie had broken down in sobs on the living room floor. Her mom and dad’s reaction had only freaked her out more; it was as if they had been expecting it. When Ellie demanded they call the police, her mom had said that there was nothing they could do. She had seemed so defeated. She refused to tell Ellie what was wrong, or who the people were. All she would say was that the strangers wouldn’t hurt her. Somehow, Ellie knew she couldn’t believe her. She was on her own.

She ran the last two blocks and dashed up the steps to the house.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” she called as she tossed her backpack on the floor. She peered through the glass in the door. Even though there was no one out there, she still flipped the dead bolt.

“We’re in the kitchen, honey.”

Ellie followed her mom’s voice, and the scent of birthday cake, to the back of the house. Her dad pulled her into a hug so hard that her breath left in one large whoosh, along with some of her anxiety. “Happy birthday, Eleanora!”

“Thanks. Can I have some cake?” she asked. Chocolate made everything better.

Her mom laughed. “Sure, why not? It’s your sweet sixteen, isn’t it? But you know the rule.” She rummaged in a drawer and pulled out a package of birthday candles.

“Oh, Mom. Do we have to?”

“Yes! It wouldn’t be a birthday without a birthday wish!” Her mom opened the box of candles, poked them into the thick, dark frosting, and scratched the match across the back of the matchbook.

Ellie stared at the flames dancing across the dark frosting and closed her eyes. She could wish for the woman to stop following her. Or for friends. Or for a boyfriend. Somehow, it didn’t seem important anymore. She opened her eyes without making a wish. With one large huff, she blew out every candle.

Her mom sliced a large piece of chocolate layer cake and slid it onto a plate. “How was school?”

Ellie shrugged. “The same as always. Can I go eat this in my room?”

“Sure, honey.” Her mom brushed her hand over Ellie’s head. Ellie grabbed her plate of cake and stopped in front of the hallway bookcase. Maybe a good book would help take her mind off things. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when she heard her Dad say her name, she moved a little closer to the kitchen door.

“Do you think we should tell Ellie now?” her mom said.

Her dad sighed. “No, let’s wait until tomorrow. Let’s give her one more day as a kid. She’ll have to grow up soon enough.”

Ellie crept down the hallway and into her bedroom. She knew she had been right. They knew much more than they were letting on.