Twist Read online

  On my way to a seat by the window, Mr. Cooper said, “Beatrice, I see you’re getting along well at”—he held his fingers up and made quotes—“the Sage.”

  A splash of heat filled my face. I’d never hugged and kissed a boy like that, especially one I hardly knew, and never in front of a teacher. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cooper.” I didn’t know what else to say so I spilled out the truth. “I got caught up in the moment.”

  Mr. Cooper’s face relaxed and he looked at me with compassionate eyes—not with a pitying look, but in a genuine way. “Well, just be careful.” And then he paced the front of the room while he taught the class about socialism and Karl Marx.

  I was almost interested when he began talking about how the U.S. government, or, in his words, “the powers that be,” believe democracy is for everyone. “We always want to flex our muscles, but what happens to these countries when we pull out?”

  I was thinking about Luke, so I didn’t hear all of the countries Mr. Cooper mentioned, but he said something about Vietnam and Iran that eventually led to a conversation about nine-eleven.

  When the class ended, Mr. Cooper said, “If you need anything, Beatrice, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  I thanked him, but as I walked away I couldn’t help wondering if he had it, too. Was he susceptible to that unnameable trance thing that I didn’t want to call a “spell”? That power I seemed to have over boys at times?

  Don’t be silly. Mr. Cooper’s just being nice.

  Right then, sucker girl slammed into me. Only she didn’t have that candy in her hand anymore. She whipped her hair around and it caught me in the eye. I moved away and she stayed on me—literally in my space. “What do you want?” I asked.

  “I want you to go back to where you came from, granola girl,” she hissed in my ear.

  I turned in the opposite direction and she followed me.

  I stopped and asked again, “What do you want?”

  “Stay away from my boyfriend,” she said.

  But when she put her hand on my arm, I jerked away from her. “Don’t touch me. What’s your problem?”

  “Right now, you are,” she said.

  Just then, a girl with a huge barrette in her hair came up behind her. “I have your back, Erica.”

  “What, you can’t handle your own business?” I snapped. I stepped so close to her that my nose was less than a quarter of an inch away from her nose. Something my dad taught me years ago: never back down.

  “Look at Miss Skinny Bones. She’s got spunk,” the barrette head yelled.

  A group of kids surrounded us. “Leave her alone, Erica,” a guy said.

  “Yeah, that’s not cool. She’s new,” another kid yelled. And within seconds the entire group, which was mostly boys, turned on Erica.

  “This isn’t over, waif.” Erica spun on her toes and her jewelry clanked as she stomped away.

  “She’s such a drama queen,” someone said.

  And then Murphy pulled me along as the crowd disbursed. “Ignore her. She’s always had a thing for Luke. He doesn’t even talk to her anymore.”

  I started to respond but he stepped up his pace and left me standing there. “Talk to you later. I can’t be late for Biology.” Within seconds the bell sounded and everyone but me hurried to class.

  Chapter 4

  My next teacher, Mrs. Evans didn’t even care that I was late for English and I was so not into Shakespeare, so I mentally slipped away and attended my own little pity party.

  Why did Dad leave when Mom got sick? I needed him.

  Why didn’t I spend more time with Mom during her two years of bliss? She needed me.

  Poor Aunt Charlotte, she only saw her sister during the worst time. No bliss, period.

  Why didn’t Mom tell me she was going to die and that the two years was only a pause? I think she knew.

  What did Dad really do to make the FBI Most Wanted list?

  Why haven’t they caught him?

  Will I ever see Dad again? I hope he’s careful. He’s not a bad person. He just made some bad decisions.

  I hate—

  “Ms. Malcolm?” my teacher said and the sudden silence seemed awfully loud.

  “Yes?” I responded vaguely.

  “Answer the question,” Mrs. Evans’ hand rested on the white board and the entire class stared at me.

  At my other school, I’d gotten excellent grades and would have never responded as I did to Mrs. Evans. “I don’t know,” I said.

  I guess my honesty paid off because Mrs. Evans moved on to the next student, who said something about Shakespeare and male actors playing women’s roles during that era. But I couldn’t pay attention, instead I thought about lunch, and how long it would take me to find that oak tree. I definitely needed to call Amilee and tell her about Luke. She wasn’t going to believe me.

  Two more classes until Luke time, now that was something I could wrap my mind around. Finally, the bell sounded, and I was the first one out the door, wishing my next class would hold my interest. But that wasn’t to be; more torture, of the mathematical kind this time. Tick, tick, tick . . .

  Aha—the oak tree, right outside the cafeteria. Sweet beautiful Luke stood there with his friends. I dug a fingernail into my skin to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Want to go off campus with us for lunch?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I answered, as my insides bubbled.

  Luke grabbed my hand and led me to Simon’s car and I felt as if we’d always been together—all of us. I sat in the middle of the back seat, leaning on Luke, who had his arm around me. The boys chatted about kids at school and treated me as if they’d known me forever.

  “Let’s blow off the day,” Luke suggested. “I only have two more classes and one of them is study hall.”

  Simon said, “I have a chemistry test next period. You can use my car, but you need to remember to come back and pick me up this time.” He wagged his finger at Luke.

  “You’re on your own, dude.” Murphy and Tate both shook their heads.

  Luke turned to me.

  “Absolutely, I’m in,” I said. “My classes are boring. Let’s go do something fun.”

  After we ate greasy tacos—everyone laughed when I threw out the nearly shredded lunch bag of kale salad that I’d been carrying around all morning—Luke and I dropped the boys off at school and headed to the beach.

  “Tell me about you,” I said, as we headed down the coast.

  “What do you want to know?” Luke asked.

  “Anything.” I leaned my head against his arm and then I popped up and said, “No, wait! Tell me something nobody else knows. Something unique.”

  He gave me a mischievous look from the corner of his eye. “I’m almost seventeen and about to graduate from high school early. I have one of the highest IQs in the district, but nobody knows that.”

  “Really?”

  He laughed. “You asked me. Now you question my answer?”

  “Because you’re so handsome. IQ and looks don’t go together,” I said. “Besides, I get the feeling that somebody else knows that.”

  “You’re right! More than just looks, ladies and gentlemen, Beatrice has brains, too.”

  He pulled into a lot near the pier and parked the car facing the ocean. We stared at the water and I could have sat there forever, mesmerized by the waves—and by him.

  “My parents, teachers, and the counselor know,” he said. “Some of my friends suspect I’m a brainiac. But that’s about it.”

  “Lucas Drake, tell me something nobody knows,” I insisted.

  His eyes rolled up, as if he was searching his brain for a trinket of information. “I can’t tell you everything. But I can tell you that I’m a horrible sleeper. I stay up late and wake up early. I’m addicted to a news show called Greed, and I think I snore.”

  “You don’t know if you snore?”

  “No.”

  “Well, why don’t you test it?”

 
“Because I don’t care if I snore.”

  I laughed. “I think I get it.”

  “Get what?”

  “You!” I said.

  “Your turn.” He leaned into me and touched the tip of my nose with his own. “Fess up! What’s your biggest secret?”

  “Well, that’s different than things people don’t know about me.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  “Because it’s a secret, and I can’t share that yet,” I teased.

  “I bet this happens to you a lot.” He looked out at the rolling waves, but he had a big smile on his face.

  “What happens to me a lot?”

  “Boys liking you. There’s something about you, Bea. I know I said it before, but it’s true.”

  I grabbed his face, turned him to me, and we kissed. He stroked my cheeks with his warm hands and his lips tickled my neck. Tingles zipped through my stomach and shimmied across my skin. “I’ve never done this,” I said breathlessly.

  “Done what?” he mumbled as he kissed my earlobe and all over my face. After some awkward shuffling, he pulled me into the backseat on top of him.

  “We just met,” I said.

  “I know,” he responded. “I’m crazy about you, Bea.”

  “You don’t know me,” I said as he pulled my jacket and then my T-shirts off and lightly touched my skin. My entire body got goose bumps, even on the inside!

  But suddenly, he stopped, and his eyes met mine. “I feel like I’ve known you forever. How can that be?”

  “Something you say to all your girls . . .” I answered in a playful way, though it was hard to keep my voice steady.

  “No, this is like a force. Beatrice Malcolm, force of one!”

  I put my face into his neck and he put his arms around me. I didn’t want this moment to end. I’d never felt more alive in my life. Together we pulled his shirt off, bumping against the window and front seat. But once my bare body touched his warm chest, the cells across my skin ignited and my heart sang.

  I was so swept up in being near Luke and the wonderment of his touch, that I closed my eyes and felt my body moving in unison with his. When we melded together as one it hurt for a few seconds so I clung to him closer than I’d ever been to anyone. Once the pain faded, a thousand fireflies fluttered from the center of my being and spiraled throughout my body. I felt as if I were releasing this incredible feeling to Luke through our connection that went far beyond the physical sensation of the moment. Then our fleshly appetites grew with such intensity that I didn’t realize we’d moved to a position where my face and breasts were mashed up against the window until we were finished. I was grateful no one was around.

  Luke squeezed me as if he’d never let me go and held me gently in his lap. Lightly running his hands up and down my body

  But what had gotten into me? I’d never even gone past first base before and here I was making love to a boy I’d just met.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I didn’t want to open my mouth and answer for fear this would never happen again. “You’re my firs—”

  “Shh.” He put his finger on my lips. “I know. It’s okay. You were wonderful.”

  “You seem so experienced for a high school boy . . .” I couldn’t believe what I’d just done with a guy I barely knew. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life.”

  “Well, it can be our little secret,” he said.

  My mood shifted to what I’d begun to call my “dark cloud” moments. I was having one.

  Had he just manipulated me? Was he ever going to talk to me again? Or would I just be his booty call? No dating. No getting to know you—nothing. This wasn’t love at first sight. I let him have his way with me, and yet I was an active participant! I pulled away from him and began sifting through our clothes. Within minutes, we were sitting in the backseat, fully dressed. When he put his arm around me, I leaned away.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing. We should just get back to school. We’ll be late.”

  “Late for what? We’re not going back, remember?” He rubbed my shoulders and leaned over to kiss me. I turned my head. “What’s wrong?” he asked again.

  “I’m thinking we did this backward. Shouldn’t we . . . date or something?”

  “Come here.” Luke held me close. “That was beautiful. Beatrice Malcolm, don’t get distant on me now!” He tried to tickle me. “No pouting in my car.”

  “Your car?” I chuckled.

  “See, you’re in there, I knew it. Come back to me, little Bea. Where are you?” he asked in a goofy voice. And once he made me laugh, I felt better. We got out of the car and walked on the sand near the edge of the water, daring the waves to move closer.

  “You make me feel so alive,” he said.

  And I responded by grabbing his hand. We spoke very little, but my mind was whirling—a dark blizzard of thoughts. Eventually, he led us toward the parking lot, and he kissed me as he opened the car door.

  I wasn’t sure if I’d see Luke again, and then gradually, not seeing him became my desire. I didn’t want to see Lucas Drake ever again. My dark swinging mood tree was on a rampage. I was grateful when we delivered the car to Simon at precisely 3:10 p.m. and Uncle George showed up—out of nowhere—to give me a ride home.

  Luke hugged me when we said good-bye and I hardly responded—just a light pat on his back. I didn’t even wave as I got into Uncle George’s car and we drove away.

  Chapter 5

  I tried my best to forget about what I’d just done with Luke and how rude I had been when I left him standing on the curb. But my focus switched to Uncle George. He’d never picked me up at school. How odd that he chose that moment to show up?

  “You don’t have to watch over me,” I said.

  Uncle George didn’t say anything as he drove. We’d been on the road a while when I realized we were in a neighborhood I’d never seen before.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “I have to run a quick errand.”

  I could tell he didn’t want to talk. His lips were closed in a tight line and he shifted his eyes around. So I played with the radio and tried to relax. I thought maybe Luke did want to be my boyfriend . . . Maybe I should have been nicer to him.

  When we merged onto the highway, Uncle George looked even more stressed, but he drove on without saying a word. And then after what felt like an eternity, he parked in front of a dumpy diner. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  “I need a cup of coffee. C’mon.”

  He found a table in the corner and ordered a slice of pie with his java. When the server left, he whispered, “Go down that hall toward the restroom. Don’t question me, just do it.” He sat back and then tilted his head in that direction. “Now,” he said, with an air of finality.

  I opened my mouth, but before I could ask him for a reason, he shook his head no and glared at me. The inside of my skull felt as though it were being raked. He’d never remotely acted this way before. So I headed in the direction Uncle George told me to go. I tapped on the door to the women’s room, and then I heard a whistle from outside the back door. My heart nearly stopped when a man wearing a hoodie popped his head into the restaurant.

  “Dad?”

  “Shh.” My father put his finger up to his lips.

  I hugged him and cried. Then in one swift move, he pushed me away, holding me at arm’s length and looking at me as if I might evaporate. He pointed toward a black SUV behind the diner, grabbed hold of my hand, and led me outside. We jumped in the back and the car immediately jerked forward, toppling us into each other. Dad reacted quicker than me when he pulled the seatbelt around my body and snapped it in place.

  The guy in the front passenger seat held a phone up to his ear. “All clear. Package delivered, we’re out.” Then he snapped the phone shut and turned to my Dad. “Ted, flawless extraction.”

  Dad gestured with his head and a window between the driver
’s seat and the backseat slowly rose, leaving the two of us in privacy. I hadn’t seen him for months. Where he’d once had a dusting of gray, his whole head now was covered with it. I was about to say something about the short beard and nicely trimmed mustache when he pulled the fake hair off of his face!

  “We don’t have much time,” he said. He threw off his hoodie and revealed a black suit jacket and tie. “Before I leave, I want to talk to you about Lucas Drake.”

  “What?”

  Luke was the last thing I thought my dad would even know about. “Dad, where have you been? And what’s going on with the FBI? And this disguise, you—”

  “I’m being sought by every law enforcement agency in the country, but I can’t explain it all in the few minutes we have.” He took hold of my hands.

  “What are you talking about? Just take me with you,” I said.

  “It’s far too dangerous. You’re safer with George and Charlotte.” He tapped on the window and the guy in the front tapped back.

  “What’s going on, Dad?” I heard a shrill tone in my voice that didn’t sound like me.

  “When your mom got sick, I couldn’t just let her die. I made a deal with the government.”

  “What? What kind of deal?”

  The window slid down a fraction and the passenger-seat man said, “Two minutes out.” Then the window went up again.

  “What does the government have to do with Mom’s sickness?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Let’s just say they withheld access to a potential cure.”

  “You don’t make sense.” I felt tears coming. “You didn’t even go to her funeral. You’re a criminal!” I shrieked. “Why didn’t you just steal the cure?”

  “That’s what they claim I did.” He clamped his fists together in his lap.

  The vehicle came to a stop in a rural area. Dad said, “This kid who claims to be Lucas Drake. What do you know about him?”

  “What does he have to do with this?” I asked.

  Dad frowned.

  “Dad, you have to tell me more!”

  “I’m not sure if he has anything to do with this. I don’t like him being near my little girl.”