Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

He wore a black fleece with the hood up and jeans. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear his breathing—he was upset about not being able to find me.
    “ Aimee, come out, come out, wherever you are,” he spoke, as if he were disguising his voice. A noise like a bird squawking rang out into the forest. Then it happened again. He cussed and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “Hello.” he answered abruptly still sounding horse as he spoke.
    “ Yeah, fine. I don’t care. Okay good. See you then.” He hung up the phone and looked around the forest more intensely.
    When he turned his face to me I could see he was wearing sunglasses. He was white. I could see his lips very clearly; I would never forget them. They were thin lips, not my favorite kind. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell anything else about him.
    “ Aimee, I know you want to play cat and mouse, but we’re running out of time.” His voice sounded impatient, no matter how hard he was trying to sound calm. I knew in my heart, he was the one who had drugged me, and he wanted to finish what he had started. The idea of him touching me while I had been drugged, made me sick. I swallowed the bile back as I sat, ever calm, against my tree hidden in the brush.
    I was starting to feel much attachment to the tree as I sat there hiding. It was keeping me safe.
    He crept around the bushes a bit longer and then he stopped moving. I couldn’t see or hear him. I knew what he was doing, he was sitting somewhere like me. He was trying to wait me out. But I was the girl who sat on the concrete for hours on end. It was not a game he would win.
    My breaths were shallow and my heartbeat stayed steady to keep my senses heightened and alert. I didn’t hear a sound from the forest, which also told me he was still here.
    The birds were not chirping because a predator was in the woods. I was thirsty, I was hungry, my back was cramping up, and my legs were numb, but I sat very still, like a statue and listened.
    There was no sound, no creeping about, no breathing, no nothing, but I still didn’t move.
    Then, like the angels were singing to me, I heard the greatest sound in the world.
    “ God damned, Aimee! I had to walk home from friggin’ school. What the hell is taking you so long? Where are you?”
    I wanted to jump up and shout that I was over by the tree house, but I knew the evil one was still in this forest somewhere. I hadn’t heard him leave, had I? I was starting to doubt myself as I panicked knowing my salvation was across the forest, and he would leave soon.
    I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Shane with the sound off completely. The text hit his phone. His text tone was unmistakable—it was Ralph Wiggum, "My cat’s breath smells like cat food." He had gotten it as his text ringtone when we were sitting in the restaurant, after my sister left with Blake.
    He started to walk through the forest, obeying my text message perfectly, until he reached my exact location.
    I could see him looking around, his blue hoodie hovered directly above me.
    I still felt terrified, as I reached my hand from the bushes and Shane grabbed it. He pulled me from my spot. As I stood, my legs buckled and I started to cry.
    “ It’s okay, I got you now.” He picked me up and carried me from the woods. I looked back at the forest seeing nothing, but I noticed a very quick pace in Shane’s steps.
    “ I’m getting tired of carrying you out of these woods, missy.” He was joking but I continued to sob into his shoulder. I felt safe, even if I was scared senseless.
    Shane brought me into the house and sat me on the bar stool in the kitchen. He poured me a glass of lemonade and handed me a tissue. I wiped my eyes and told him exactly what had happened. His eyes widened as I told the tale and his face grew very angry. I could see he was putting his own conclusions together.
    “ This guy goes to our school—how else would he have seen you take my truck? Aimee, he was invited to MY house and drugged MY friends and you.” He paced and ranted shaking his hands and shouting. He separated me from his friends, I wasn’t one of his friends? I tried to be polite and sip the lemonade but I gagged and put it down. I guessed it would be joining the ranks with the veggie burger.
    Finally, he called my dad and told him to come and pick me up at his house for our trip to Portland.
    I sipped the hot tea he made me, instead of the lemonade, after he noticed I couldn’t drink it. He