Hunter

Chapter Two - Jewellery Is A Girl's Best Friend

Andrea was strange.

All week, she had been kind to me, and she didn't talk about the party once. I couldn't figure out what on earth she was up to, acting like my best friend one day, and wanting to kill me the next. She confused me more than my math class did, and that was saying a lot.

"Hayley!" Dee screamed in my ear.

"What?" I swatted at her as she vied for my attention.

"You're not listening to me! I said, which necklace?" I looked at her options.

"Neither. Here, let me grab one for you." I dropped what I was doing and walked into the bathroom, spotting the necklace that went perfectly with her outfit.

As I was stepping out, I slipped on a puddle. My heart jumped in my chest, arms flailing around like a defunct windmill. Just as I was about to plummet to the ground, the water dried up, and I felt like a sudden flurry of air had kept me up for a moment longer than I could account for. As I regained my balance, panting in the middle of the bathroom, I searched for an explanation.

"Hayley! Are you okay..." Dee stormed in, staring at the ground where I was supposed to have fallen, but hadn't. She looked back up at me.

"Are you?" My eyebrow raised steadily as I assessed her concerned features.

"Uh, yeah." She looked embarrassed. Strange.

"Well... here's the necklace." She grabbed it and put in on without question.

"Come on, let's go."

"Maybe I should change my necklace." I had never taken it off before.

"No," Dee rushed out. I glanced back at her, her expression forced. Okay... that was odd. I felt a frown crease my forehead.

"Don't ever take it off," Dee commanded. "It's perfect for all occasions." She beamed at me, and I shrugged off her odd behaviour as she looped her arm through mine.

* Ω *

As soon as we got to the party, we were awed by the picturesque scene. Andrea's house was just at the edge of town, meeting with the lake, perfect for a summer party. Dee and I were taking in the scene when Jasper came up behind us for a group hug.

"You guys look better when you're not sweating and panting on a track." Dee was ready to tease back when Andrea materialized out of thin air.

"Wow, you look... decent!" So we were dealing with bitch Andrea. "Maybe you should dress like this every day!" I rolled my eyes, and just as I was about to give her a piece of my mind, she interrupted. Lucky for her. "Come, Hayley, I want to show you something."

I followed as she dragged me into her enormous manor, trailing into a room with three large crates on tables, all with large mirrors behind them. She positioned me before one and pried it open, fiddling with the locks and opening several compartments. Jewelry flooded everywhere.

"You've done your shopping over the years," I mused.

"This room contains the finest jewelry in the entire country. You should try some on; you look dazzling today, so why not wear the jewelry to match?" She was teasing me. Part of me knew not to listen to her, to say no and go back to the party, but the other part of me was a little girl waiting to try on all those trinkets.

"No--"

"Come on, Hayle: this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Are you sure you don't want to?" Damn... She was so convincing! Those green eyes sealed the deal with a deep stare.

"Okay, what do I try on first?"

"Something to match your dazzling green eyes--"

"My eyes are blue--"

"and your beautiful hair." She rummaged through her chest. "Here, try this."

The necklace floated to her hand as she reached for it. Sure that I was seeing things, I blinked a couple of times before brushing off the incident as a figment of my imagination. With her hands on my shoulders, she turned me to face the mirror and unclipped my charm necklace, replacing it with hers, her cold, hard fingers touching my neck.

"Isn't it just perfect? Now come on, we have to get back to the party." Wait! I wanted to try on more! All those boxes of jewellery and she let me try on just one?

She pulled me out of the room before I could protest, and back to the lake where music was blasting throughout the house, and people were dancing, having a great time. As soon as I spotted Deirdre, a murderous glare was aimed at my chest. I looked down, noticing how she was boring a hole through the necklace that Andrea had given me. Uh oh. She paced towards me and ripped it off of my neck, storming back towards the house.

Following close behind her, I could hear her complain about people who couldn't follow orders to save their lives. As she was about to march into the house, Andrea stepped in her path, causing Dee to ram straight into her. Dee stumbled slightly, but Andrea didn't budge.

"Where are you going?" Andrea questioned, her hostility returning.

"We brought you a little something," Dee yelled as she chucked the necklace at her. "We want Hayley's necklace back. Right now."

"I was just about to give it back." She threw it at Dee who caught it out of the air easily. Andrea strode away, leaving me alone with my livid little friend. Deirdre examined the necklace, checking for all three charms, before tossing it at me.

"Hayley, listen to me carefully. Never, ever in your life should you even think about taking that necklace off."

"Why?" I demanded. There was something she wasn't telling me.

"Because I said so."

"That's not a good enough answer for me."

"Hayley--"

"Tell me, or I won't put the necklace back on."

"You're being irrational."

That hit a nerve.

"I'm being irrational? You're the one who's hiding something from me. Now, tell me before I cause a scene, and you know I will." Dee glared at me, and I glared back. I told her long ago that as long as she was shorter than me, she would never intimidate me, and I was not lying. 

She reluctantly acquiesced to my demands.

"Let me get Jasper," she mumbled, her teeth gritted together.