The Beast Across The Lake

Chapter 8

                                       

Read the entire book now on
Patreon.com/Bynadine
Or buy on Amazon

https://www.amazon.ca/Beast-Across-Lake-Nadine-Alliye-ebook/dp/B0CNPMPBZD/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1700779153&refinements=p_27%3ANadine++Alliye&s=digital-text&sr=1-6&text=Nadine++Alliye

Don't forget to comment and vote if you enjoyed :) Updates twice a week, enjoy!

*****

Isabella

Just as luck would have had it, his locker was right across from the janitors closet. He was in the middle of putting his books inside when he noticed us both creeping out briskly. A knowing look crossed his face and I suddenly felt as if I could crawl under a desk and stay there forever. Our eyes were locked together and in that moment, I could catch every expression that traveled through his face. I felt exposed, almost as if my every thought was out on display. To my surprise, Caleb did not seem to find this so entertaining. He proffered us a look of mild disgust and slammed the locker door before darting off.

"What the fuck is his problem," Holden mumbled while fixing his hair and I watched Caleb's back disappear.

"Do you think he's gonna tell a teacher?"

"Who cares, it's our word against his, and he's new."

Caleb did not show up to chemistry class and I found myself wondering if I was still supposed to meet him today at five.
Don't be ridiculous, this doesn't change anything.

I could not help but replay the expression on Caleb's face. He seemed to think so low of me all of the sudden, like I grew talons and fangs-like I disgusted him. Needless to say, I could not focus for the majority of the class and decided that I would just reread whatever chapter we had supposedly gone over. When the bell rang, I took my time getting to my car. In the distance, I could see the football team gathering for their second meeting. I debated ditching Caleb and staying here with Holden instead. I decided against it and texted Holden to have a good practice before getting into my car and beginning the drive to Lost Reserve.
The rain that had begun to topple once again, and during this time of the year, it was not unusual for the sun to begin its departure as early as now. As I neared Lost Reserve Lake, I ransacked my memories for nearby suburbs or any indication of housing nearby. I had gotten to the place where Matt, Kyla, Holden and I had parked the other night, less than a quarter mile out from the cliff. On one side were boulders leading downhill towards the water and on the other was the beginning of the thick matted forest. I wondered if Caleb was new and so he had mixed up the names of his neighborhood, I recalled Holden telling me to be careful because he may be strange. An unsettled feeling grew in my gut the longer I waited. It was still early and so I had gotten a head start on my chemistry homework.
An hour later, the sun was disappearing much too rapidly in the midst of all the towering pine trees. The time on my phone had now read that it was ten minutes past five. I decided to give him another five minutes or I'd drive off. I had now finished my homework, relieved that I was somewhat caught up. I heard my phone ding and saw that it was a text from Kyla.

'Movies tomorrow with the boys in town?'

I did not hesitate to respond with,' yes!'

The door to the driver side was suddenly flung open. I screamed out and pushed myself further into the seat before realizing that it was none other than Caleb.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" I snapped at the unaffected boy.

"Let's go," he merely said. He was straddling his bike, helmet still on and another one hanging on his wrist.

"Let's go where?"

"Leave your car here and hop on."

I had never been on a motorcycle before, my father had owned one years ago but mom hadn't let me go near it.

"You leave your bike here and we'll take my car-"

"You can't get to my house by car."

For a moment I stared at him with a look of perplexity. There was a part of me that wanted to give in, I trusted that whilst I was on the back of the bike with him, that I would be safe. Then there was the analytical side of me that viewed this situation with a birds-eye point of view.

This is ridiculous, I couldn't help but think.

"Where do you live, Caleb?"

"You'll like it, I promise, but you have to trust me."

I wished that I could look into his eyes while he said this. The rain began to plummet once again but he stood there waiting for me.

"Crap," I mumbled to myself. I grabbed the rolled up cardboard and my backpack, slung both over my shoulders and hopped out of the car. I used the metal step on the bike to hoist myself up and shrugged on the helmet that he'd given me.

"Ready?" he yelled out to compete with the deafening rain.

"Yes!" I wrapped my arms around his solid torso and pressed my chin against his back. I couldn't help but think, if only Holden were to see me now, he's probably lose his shit

We raced through clearing and headed straight towards the forest. I buried my face even deeper into the nape of his neck while he soared through hundreds of trees that were running downhill. I had hardly time to register which was the tree that Holden and I had sex on but I imagined we had ditched it a while back.  The woods were only getting steeper and I couldn't help but think that they eventually must lead to the water. Harsh wet winds crawled under my helmet and make impact with every slither of bare skin. It was freezing cold when we were soaring at this speed. The forest was bumpy, countless times I was sure that we were going to topple off and be thrown at nearby trunks. Caleb was a professional however, he landed every jump gracefully. I held even tighter when I caught sight of a pile of branches that struck out from the ground.

Surely he wasn't going to-

But Caleb did. He sped up and drove through the hill of branches sending us flying amongst the middle of the trees. I hid my face into his back to shield it from hanging branches and leaves. We landed seconds later and my chest had traveled down to my ankles. The combination of the wild and the thrill released a pleasure in the freedom of it all. I wanted to both stop and keep going for hours. I could see the water in the distance but Caleb made no indication to stop. I tapped at his shoulder and screamed out," Caleb, stop! What are you doing?"
He did not spare me a knowing glance nor a response, suddenly he jerked the bike so that it was going right instead. Underneath the depth of the downhill were pavement stairs hidden within the plant life. We raced down the stairs that led to the pavement path that had much less trees. The ground was now solid and steady, he was going much slower, and I could finally breathe. I could not tell where we were but it seemed to be a hidden park with a driveway that led to another clearing of trees. I could make out a home, made of ancient wood and timber. It was the cabin that Matt had pointed out that night on the cliff, the one that had been vacant for years.
Caleb must live in the cabin across from Lost Lake Cliff.