As Twilight Falls(5)
Author: Amanda Ashley

And with that cryptic remark, he took his leave.

Chapter 4

Kadie followed Darrick to the door, stood on the porch watching him as he walked away. “Wait!”

He turned slowly to face her.

“I’m hungry.”

A wry smile twisted his lips. “Sorry. I should have thought of that. Come on, I’ll take you to dinner.”

Kadie grabbed her jacket, then followed him down the street. There were more people out tonight—a middle-aged woman walking her dog, a young couple strolling hand in hand, a tall, blond man who stood out from the others. Kadie stared at him, trying to decide why he looked different from everyone else. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it occurred to her that Darrick had that same indefinable something.

She looked up at him, trying to decide what it was.

“Here we are,” Darrick said.

Drawing her gaze from his face, she saw that they were in front of the restaurant.

He went inside and she followed him, sliding into the booth he chose, reading the menu he handed her.

“Order whatever you like,” he said.

She glanced at the menu, then frowned. “There aren’t any prices.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Feeling like she had fallen down the rabbit hole, Kadie stared at Darrick. Nothing in this place made sense. She was Alice and he was the Cheshire cat, speaking in riddles.

She ordered a Caesar salad, shrimp and rice, and a glass of lemonade. “Aren’t you eating?”

“Not now.”

“Did you mean it when you said I couldn’t leave here?”

He nodded. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it. I don’t want to stay here. I have a life, a job that I love, a family. . . .” She fought back tears of frustration as she thought of her little sister, anxiously waiting for her to return. “I have to go home.”

“You are home, Kadie. The house is yours.”

“What do you mean, it’s mine?”

“Just that. It’s yours for as long as you’re here.”

“How can you give it to me? You said it wasn’t yours. That the people who lived there left in a hurry.”

“So I did.”

“Why would you give me a house?”

He shrugged. “You need a place to stay. Do with it whatever you wish. Buy whatever you need. Groceries, clothing, furniture for the house. Just charge it all to me.”

“I have money of my own.”

“Your checks and credit cards are no good here.”

“I have some cash.”

“It’s no good here, either.”

She had to be dreaming, Kadie thought. Whoever heard of a town where your money was no good? And if they didn’t use checks, cash, or credit cards, what kind of currency did they use? And why was Darrick willing to buy her a house and pay her bills? She was certain it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart.

Did he expect her to be his mistress? She took a deep breath, hoping to calm the sudden flutter of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. “What do you want in return for . . . for keeping me?”

“Only what you’re willing to give.” It wasn’t an out-and-out lie, but it was close.

Kadie glared at him, her eyes narrowed. “I’m not willing to give you anything.”

He didn’t reply, just sat there, watching her through hooded eyes. He didn’t move, didn’t blink. It was eerie, almost as if he wasn’t human, but a statue.

She felt a rush of hysteria rise inside her. Maybe she wasn’t dreaming. Maybe she was dead. Maybe he was the devil and this was hell.

When the waitress brought her dinner, Kadie pushed it away, her appetite gone.

“Kadie, you should eat something.” His gaze held hers. “You’re hungry and thirsty. You need to eat to keep your strength up.”

Overcome by a strange lassitude, she picked up her fork. She didn’t really feel like eating, but the food was suddenly irresistible, and she ate every bite.

The next thing she knew, she was outside, walking toward her house with no memory of leaving the restaurant.

Darrick walked her home. “Good night, Kadie,” he said quietly. “Just one more thing. Now that the house is yours, be careful who you invite inside.”

And with that enigmatic message, he left her standing on the porch.

Kadie stared after him a moment before going inside. She locked the door behind her, then stood there, wondering what to do with the rest of the night. It was too early to go to bed.

In the living room, she glanced at the clock over the mantel, surprised to find it was almost midnight.

That couldn’t be right, she thought. They had gone to dinner around six. It certainly hadn’t taken her six hours to eat, but a look at her watch confirmed the time. She didn’t know how it was possible, but sometime between dinner and returning home, she had lost six hours. How could that be? She recalled feeling a little disoriented during dinner, eating when she wasn’t hungry, but she didn’t remember anything after that. Had she fainted?

Worrying about it had her tossing and turning all night long. It was near dawn when she fell into a troubled sleep populated by white rabbits and Cheshire cats and a frightened Alice who ran through the night, fleeing from an unseen terror with bloodstained fangs and hell-red eyes.

In the morning, Kadie stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked pale, the bags under her eyes mute evidence of a mostly sleepless night. She didn’t usually remember her dreams, but she remembered the nightmare she’d had. She had never dreamed about monsters before. But maybe it wasn’t so unusual, considering her bizarre circumstances.

There was nothing to eat in the house. With her stomach growling, she dressed quickly, grabbed her handbag, and headed for the grocery store.

She bought the necessities—coffee, milk, bread, eggs, butter, sugar, flour, salt and pepper, as well as some fruit, mayonnaise, blueberry jam, and ice cream. Thinking ahead to dinner, she added a package of chicken legs and a box of stuffing.

The woman at the register smiled as she rang up Kadie’s groceries. “You must be Kadie Andrews,” she said. “I’m Maricela Romero, but my friends call me Marti.”

Kadie nodded, surprised by the woman’s friendly welcome. She guessed Marti to be in her late twenties, with glossy black hair, brown eyes, and a figure Kadie couldn’t help envying.

“Welcome to town. I hope you’ll learn to like it here. If you get lonesome, some of us meet at the library Wednesday mornings at ten thirty. We have coffee and doughnuts and talk about books and things. Sometimes we go out to lunch. You should come.”