Rebel Princess - Book 2 (The Hope Saga) Read online

  “This person has malevolent intentions against you, far beyond a few unwanted pots of flowers. He’s obviously following you around, and that kind of predatory behavior is dangerous and unacceptable, especially in such close quarters. Every single move he makes is calculated and determined, and we’ve got no idea what he’ll do next. This situation needs to be dealt with immediately, and I intend to tell Ted that this very minute,” she said, then stormed off.

  Chapter 5

  As I walked to the dining room, Brett pulled me aside.

  I kissed his lips and smiled, but I could tell something wasn’t right; he simply wasn’t his normal, cheery self. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “A note.”

  “A note?”

  “Yeah. Seems your secret admirer is trying to get to me now. A little red note was slipped under my door.”

  I swallowed hard. “Can I see it?”

  “I ripped it up.”

  “Why, Brett? It was evidence. We coulda shown it to Mr. Tams.”

  “Sorry. I just…it made me so mad. Anyway, what would Tams do about it? You know as well as I do how useless he is.”

  “Well, what did the note say?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

  His lips pressed into grim lines. “The gist of it was that you and I are basically on our way over a cliff, and only he can save you. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what it meant.”

  “I got another note last night too,” I said. “It said I’m marked for death and that only he can save me.”

  “What!? Why didn’t you tell me?” he said.

  “It was so late. Anyway, my aunt went down and chewed Mr. Tams a new one for dragging his feet on this.”

  “Sky, this guy’s nuts, whoever he is. We have to be careful.”

  “Yeah, it isn’t exactly sane to go snooping around a girl’s room when she’s sleeping. This time, he even got in my dresser and rearranged my stuff and—”

  “And you didn’t hear him?”

  “Not until he was already back in the living room. I’m a heavy sleeper. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know that, but how would he? Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless he knows you pretty well.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’re right!” I looked around the crowded room. “Then again, it could be anyone in here.”

  “Don’t be so stubborn, Sky. You just don’t wanna admit that it might be someone you’re close to.”

  “I realize that, and I’m not ruling it out. It’s just…well, we’ve gotta keep all options open until we get more clues. I just can’t figure out why he’s saying we’re doomed though.”

  “I think you need to learn to keep your opinions to yourself, baby,” he said softly. “Those notes were a warning.”

  “You mean my opinions about our elected government?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I don’t think it’s that. I mean, you’re not the rebellious type, and that note you got was a warning to you too. It has to be about something else.”

  “He’s just talking off the wall. Maybe he’s been down here too long and is going sea crazy.”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s why we need out of here and—”

  “There you go again,” he whispered, shaking his head and putting his finger up to shush me.

  “What?”

  “Complaining about being locked up down here.”

  I blew out a breath. “Do you enjoy being a prisoner, Brett?”

  “Sky, we have to play by their rules.”

  “I know, but I won’t let them make a fool outta me in the process, and you shouldn’t either.”

  “You don’t trust them. I get it.” He ran a hand through my hair and gazed deeply into my eyes. “But I’m trying to protect you.”

  “You can protect me anytime,” I said, brushing my lips gently across his.

  Chapter 6

  “Hey, Brett said you were looking for me earlier,” I said, walking into Rachel’s room.

  “Yeah.”

  “So…here I am. What’s up?”

  “Well, it seems we’re all getting fan mail now,” she said.

  “Huh?”

  “Apparently, I’m dying too.” She handed me a red notecard.

  I cocked a brow and read the note: “Rachel, I’m afraid you’re in the club too. You and Brett will drive over the cliff, but Sky will be saved.”

  “What in the heck is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

  “It’s gotta be some kind of metaphor, symbolism or something.”

  “It’s a bunch of cryptic crap, if you ask me. We don’t have cars or cliffs down here.”

  “It just means we’re all marked for death, but who’d wanna kill all three of us?”

  “The strangler?”

  I shook my head. “Uh-uh. That’s not his m.o. He only kills girls.”

  “Well, maybe he wants to expand his horizons.”

  “No guys have been murdered, Rachel—only girls.”

  “Yet.”

  “Hmm. Maybe you’re right. Maybe my stalker is our strangler. But the strangler didn’t leave flowers and notes for anyone else, and he clearly wants to save me from something.”

  “Yeah, from his delusions of you going over a cliff.”

  “If it’s not a literal cliff, I wonder what he wants to save me from.”

  “Maybe the government has marked you for death, and they want Brett and me just because we’re friends with you. How’s that for a government conspiracy? Gee, I’m sounding more and more like you every day.”

  “So I run my mouth and you guys have to pay the price? I guess that’s one way to convince people to keep their opinions to themselves.”

  “Yeah, but it really isn’t fair.”

  “Brett thinks the guy’s just crazy. Maybe he is nuts, or maybe there’s something to what he’s saying.”

  “Well, if this alleged car is going off a cliff, why can’t he give Brett and me a parachute too?”

  “You know as well as I do why he wouldn’t wanna save Brett.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I’m not your boyfriend. Why can’t he save me too?”

  “If I ever meet him, I’ll try to remember to ask,” I said with a half-smile, trying to lighten the tension.

  “We know one thing,” Rachel said.

  “What’s that?”

  “He wants to save you from some horrible fate that all three of us are facing. Here,” she said, handing me a notebook.

  I looked at her in puzzlement. “What’s this for?”

  “I’m playing detective, trying to find your stalker, so I wrote a list of all the men in your life.”

  “A whole list, huh?” I said with a smirk. “You make it sound like I’m a madam or something.”

  “Very funny. Just look at it, would ya?”

  I studied the list, then looked up at her. “Mr. Jarus? He’s, like, seventy years old.”

  She shrugged. “I wrote down everyone I could think of, then went back and eliminated the obvious ones. Look at the names with stars next to them.”

  “Brett’s dad? Seriously? ”

  “He does have access to all the master keys in Asha because he’s the head of security.”

  “Brett could easily steal his dad’s keys. Surprised he didn’t make your crazy list.”

  “Brett already has you. So why would he stalk you?”

  “At least he’s not on the list.”

  “We have to look at everyone. Nobody can escape scrutiny.”

  “No,” I insisted, shaking my head. “None of these guys would do it. They’re not the stalker type.”

  “Look, whoever sneaked into your room knows you’re a heavy sleeper. No one would have dared do something so risky without knowing that. It’s an inside job.”

  I bit my lip, pondering the names staring back at me. “Why does Daryl have so many stars next to his name?”

  “Because he’s my prime suspect.”
r />   “Daryl?” I laughed. “That’s a joke, right?”

  “Nope. He…fits the bill.”

  I raised a brow. “Why?”

  “Well, he’s a security guard, for one thing, and he has access to the master keys. Besides that, he knows you well, and he knows it would take a hurricane to wake you up.”

  I crossed my arms. “Now I’m beginning to think you’re crazy!”

  She tapped her chin. “Am I?”

  “Yes. Daryl wouldn’t do that to me. He isn’t jealous of Brett or anything. In fact, he’s told me more than once that he thinks we make a good couple.”

  “Maybe he’s just a great actor. Maybe on the inside, he’s got a huge crush on you.”

  “No, he wouldn’t snap pictures of me in my sleep and sneak around folding my underwear. As far as I know, he doesn’t even own a Polaroid.”

  “He could’ve gotten his hands on one.”

  “No, Rachel. It isn’t him.”

  Her face suddenly gleamed, as if she’d just come up with the best idea of all time. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “Let me guess. You wanna search his room for a camera?”

  “And flowers too! If it’s him, he has to be growing them, and I just so happen to know he’s busy guarding the south side of the city right now. He’ll be on duty till five p.m.” She reached into her pocket. “I also happen to have these,” she said.

  I blinked at her in awe. “Wow. Swiping keys now? Sneaking into somebody’s room to look for clues? Maybe I am wearing off on you,” I said with a grin.

  She flipped her hair back and met my gaze. “That’s what friends are for,” she said.

  “And you’re the best one a girl could have, Rach,” I said.

  “I’ve gotta get these keys back to him before he notices they’re missing.”

  “All right. Let’s do this thing.”

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  As we walked down the corridor, we continued discussing who my stalker might be. I still found it hard to believe that a friend could be doing such a thing to me, scaring and harassing me that way, but we did have to rule Daryl out; he knew a lot about me, and he had access to all of our living quarters any hour of the day or night. He also knew I was grounded and that Brett wouldn’t be allowed over and that my aunt and cousins would be gone at the movie. On top of that, Daryl was aware of the anniversary of my mom’s death, and he could very well assume that I’d be depressed and would go to bed early that night. All things considered, there was plenty of reason to suspect him, even if I didn’t want to believe it.

  I looked both ways. “The coast is clear.”

  Rachel pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. Nervously, we both slipped into the living room.

  I shut the door and locked it and began to look around at the clothes strewn all over the floor. As I stood there, I had to gag at the stench of sweat and filth.

  “Oh my gosh! I knew boys are usually messy, but this guy’s a slob,” Rachel said.

  “Ya think, Einstein?” I asked, plugging my nose.

  “I can’t believe they chose him as a diamond. Aren’t diamonds supposed to shine?”

  Those chosen as diamonds didn’t have to go to the surface on their eighteenth birthday and were granted the opportunity to stay below for an extra five years. Since Daryl was twenty, he had three years left before he would go to the top with the others.

  “Yeah, but he’s a great guy…even if he does need to hire a maid.”

  “A maid? This guy needs to rent a flame-thrower,” she said, scrunching up her nose as she glanced down at a pile of slimy, sweat-stained socks. “I don’t see any flowers,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, nothing would grow in here but mold,” I said.

  Rachel laughed. “Let’s check his room.”

  “I can’t wait,” I said. “If his living room is this bad, I can only imagine what horrors we’ll find in there.” I walked down the short hallway to his room and opened the door. “No flowers in here either,” I said.

  “Hmm. Well, since we’re here, let’s search for other clues.”

  His bedroom was just as messy as the living room, only blankets were thrown into the mix of dirty laundry. Rachel opened his dresser drawers and rummaged through them, but we didn’t see any hints of foul play. I actually felt bad for breaking into my friend’s room. I searched through his desk for any red notecards, but there were none. We rifled through his closet, looking for a Polaroid camera, but all we found were a bunch of storage containers full of junk.

  Rachel glanced around. “Okay, so I was wrong. I guess we can officially eliminate him as a suspect.”

  “Ya know, he probably would have let us search the place if we’d just asked him,” I said. “He obviously has nothing to hide, other than this giant man-mess.”

  “Well, we didn’t know that, and we have a long list to check out.”

  Suddenly, the front door creaked open.

  “He’s back!” Rachel said in a startled whisper. “He must’ve gotten his hands on the master keys since I have his.”

  “Quick! Under the bed.”

  She shook her head and pinched her nose between her fingers, then stuck one finger in her mouth as if she might vomit.

  I gave her a gentle kick and nudged her under the box spring.

  Footsteps echoed.

  My heart began to thunder in my chest. How will we explain what we’re doing here? It’s trespassing! If he reports this to Mr. Tams, I’m gonna be in a whole world of trouble—maybe solitary for a month!

  The footsteps drew closer.

  Please don’t let him see me!

  “What the heck!?” he shouted.

  I peeked out, and my heart dropped when I noticed that Rachel had absentmindedly left the top dresser drawer open. Crap!

  He flung open his closet, looked around for a moment, then headed to the living room.

  Since I thought he was on his way out, I slowly extended my hand, accidently tipping a box over. The contents spilled out, and I tried to stuff everything quietly back in. As I did, I saw it: a Polaroid of me sleeping, dressed in the same clothes I’d been wearing when I’d found the Polaroids all over our place, when I’d found my underwear and clothes reorganized. It was Daryl, I thought, and a chill shot down my spine. It was frightening, but even more than that, I was furious. I’d considered Daryl a good friend, but now I just felt like pummeling him into the ground.

  Footsteps approached again, and before I could scoot back under the bed, I found myself looking down the barrel of a gun.

  Chapter 7

  “Get outta there!” he shouted.

  I had to wonder if Daryl would kill me, now that I knew he was my psycho stalker. Can I get out of this, sweet-talk him somehow? Will that work, or will he just kill me right on the spot? A droplet of sweat rolled down my face as I contemplated what to do . “Don’t shoot!” I finally said.

  “What the…? Sky?”

  I crawled out and lifted my arms in the air. “Yeah…and Rachel too.”

  She crawled out and stood next to me, her eyes wide. She shot me a terrified look, obviously wondering—like I was—if Daryl would actually hurt us.

  He put the gun down. “What are you two doing here, and how’d you get in my room?”

  “You’ve got some nerve, Daryl,” I spat.

  “Huh? Me? From the looks of it, you two are the ones snooping through my stuff.”

  “Yeah, you!”

  “I could arrest you for trespassing, for breaking and entering.”

  “We didn’t break. We just sorta…entered. But anyway, what do you want for your silence?” I asked.

  “Answers!”

  “I just wanted to see what your room looks like,” Rachel fibbed, batting her eyes. “You never invite us over, and I wanted to see why.”

  “You’re a horrible liar, Rachel. Now why the hell are you really in my room?”

  I stepped forward. “Why don’t you first tell me why the hell w
ere you in mine?”

  “What? Oh, I get what this is all about. You put me on your little stalker list, didn’t you? You came here to check me out.”

  “I thought you were clean,” I said.

  “I am!”

  I shook my head. “No, you’re not!” I said vehemently, then tossed the photograph at him. “If you’re such a saint, why do you have this?” He stared at it as I continued. “I think this picture explains everything very clearly. You’re my stalker.”

  His jaw dropped. “I’m your what?”

  “I found that in a box under your bed,” I snapped.

  His eyes widened, and he seemed shocked and confused. “It’s not mine. I’ve never seen that before.”

  “Then how did it get there?” Rachel asked.

  He huffed. “I dunno, but I swear it’s not mine. Somebody must’ve planted it.”

  “C’mon, Daryl. Why would anyone bother?” I asked. “How would anyone know I’d accidently find it? There was a one-in-a-million chance.”

  He blew out a long breath. “Look, I know it looks bad. I get that, but it really wasn’t me.”

  I swallowed hard, trying to calm my nerves. “Then how did the freaking picture get under your bed?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’m sure gonna find out.”

  “We’re sorry we broke in, but we had to know,” Rachel said.

  “Just get out,” he said, staring at the floor, then looking back up at me with a hurt expression in his eyes.

  I gazed back at him. “Daryl, if you have feelings for me, you coulda just told me. We were friends. How could you do this to me? Stalking me like that, scaring me to death, is just…inexcusable.”

  “You know what’s really inexcusable, Sky? Not trusting me and breaking into my room.”

  “Yeah, but look what we found. Evidence that you’re Sky’s stalker,” Rachel chimed in.

  “Are you gonna report me to Mr. Tams? I’ll lose everything if you do. They’ll kick me off guard duty. I’ll probably lose my diamond status and have to go to the surface immediately. My mom needs me here. She’s got six kids to take care of, and she’s sick. What will she do without me?”

  Rachel shifted her stance. “You shoulda thought about that before breaking into Sky’s room and playing around in her underwear drawer.”