FALL (DIMENSION Series #1)

CHAPTER 34

"No," Isabelle moaned. She was still crouching close to the ground, and now she was rocking back and forth. If I didn't know differently, I would have thought she'd entered some kind of trance.

      "Isabelle," Charlie said and held out his hand to her. She looked up eventually and took it, and he pulled her up to a standing position.

      "Are you all right?" He asked as he leaned into her, squinting at her face. She shook her head violently. And watching her I realized that I was still shaking as well.

      "Why did they have to take him?" Isabelle asked and I could hear the panic in her voice. And something else as well—fear. Who are THEY? I wondered. And WHERE did they take him?

      Charlie shrugged.

      "I guess we'll find out when he returns," Charlie said.

      "If  he returns this time," Isabelle said and the resignation in her voice scared me. The situation was clearly more serious than I thought. But I still didn't get it. It sounded like Derek had been taken against his will. Like he'd been kidnapped. But why? Why would anyone kidnap a high school kid? It couldn't be for the ransom, because it was clear that Charlie didn't have much money.

      I remembered the first time I saw Derek and how I'd been struck by his handsomeness. And how I also knew right away that he was cool and that there was a dangerous element to him. Could he have gotten in with the wrong crowd? Was he being taken by people because he owed them something?

      Isabelle was sobbing now. Charlie put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. He seemed too distraught to offer more support. It was a strange sight. I was used to seeing Isabelle Bree sauntering all over school. Always being watched and admired by others because she was so cool and pretty and popular. I'd never seen any vulnerability in her. She seemed to fit in with every group. It clearly was something she had in common with Derek. I'd always considered them part of the beautiful crowd that seemed to have easier lives.

      Watching Isabelle in this state made me wonder what else she might have in common with Derek. I knew they were friends, but what if there was more to the story? Again I thought of the day I'd seen them conversing at school when her slender fingers had encircled his wrist. What if there was something between them? That certainly seemed to be the case.

     But Derek had called it friendship and I hadn't gotten the sense that he'd had romantic feelings for her. But he'd also said that she was different, that she was like him. And I still didn't know what he'd meant by it. Maybe Isabelle was a kind of soulmate? What couldn't be denied was that she certainly knew more about his whereabouts than I did. She also knew Charlie. And it was clear they'd been through an event like this before. I was worried about Derek—very worried—but in the midst of my fear I couldn't help but feel envious of Isabelle. Derek had clearly told her some things that he'd never told me. And showed her slices of his life that I knew nothing about.

     "We must be able to do something," Isabelle said. She was looking at Charlie through her tears, her eyes seemed to be imploring him for help.

     Charlie shrugged and looked defeated.

     "You know we can't go there," Charlie replied.

     "We can't just leave him to his own devices," Isabelle continued, and her voice seemed to be getting more confident. "Can't you contact Dario?"

     I watched Charlie shake his head and bit down on my lip. Who the hell was Dario? It was an unusual name and not one I'd heard before.

     "We could see if they'd take me," Isabelle offered. "We could try to find the cinders."

     What was Isabelle talking about? What could small pieces of burnt-out wood have to do with Derek's disappearance? And why was she offering herself as some kind of substitute in a situation that clearly was very dangerous.

     "You're assuming there'd be traces," Charlie said.

     "The cinders would be there, they'd show us the way," Isabelle continued.

     My head was spinning. What were they talking about? It sounded like Derek's disappearance was tied into some bizarre ritual. One that involved cinders. And even more disturbing—a ritual Isabelle and Charlie seemed to be acquainted with.

     "You know they wouldn't take you unless they couldn't use him," Charlie said. "And even if they did. There's no guarantee you could bring him back. You could get stuck over there as well."

     I leaned back against the tree trunk behind me. It was all I could do to remain in the moment. For the first time I had the sense that I'd gotten in too deeply into something I didn't understand. And now I was in over my head. I'd had a sense of things since the start. Derek's strangeness and the way his eyes got darker whenever it seemed like the essence of him was taking flight. I knew from the beginning that our acquaintance wouldn't be a conventional one. But now I understood why he'd warned me and had tried to keep his distance. Clearly things were even stranger than I'd thought.

     "We have to try," Isabelle said. "They might consider an exchange."

     Charlie sighed.

     "You know he's the one they want." Charlie stared up at the sky. "He's the one they come for every time. It's amazing that he's been able to hold them off for so long."

     Isabelle nodded.

    "He's amazing," she said softly. And I felt another stab of jealousy for the admiration she'd just expressed and the tenderness she clearly felt for Derek.

      "Where could he have been when they found him this time?" Isabelle asked.

     "No idea," Charlie said. "He's been out a lot lately. Going to different places from what I gather."

      "Off exploring?" Isabelle asked.

      "Exploring something or someone," Charlie shrugged and looked away. Leaning back harder against the tree, I blushed. They didn't know about me, clearly. Not that I expected them to know. But they clearly had no idea that Derek had been to see a girl. And again I wondered if Derek's late night visit to me had somehow triggered his disappearance.

     I couldn't stand the thought. I pressed my hand to my forehead and closed my eyes. I don't know how long I stayed like that—lost in milling thoughts of Derek. I was startled into returning to reality when I felt something on my shoulder. A hand was touching my shoulder!

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NEXT NEW CHAPTER—WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

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