Page 117 of Dare To Live

A smile tugs up one side of my mouth.

Me: Understood.

I ask my cell the time. The recorded voice replies, telling me it’s eight fifty-one pm.

“Set an alarm for eleven forty-five,” I instruct it, as I walk into the dorm building.

I have no idea what Arabella is thinking or why she’s picked now to send out a challenge so similar to the one I sent her all those years ago, but I’m not going to ignore it.

Maybe she just wants to torment me with reminders of the things I did to her when we were kids here. Maybe it’s her way of punishing me for whatever she’s decided I need punishing for or maybe … maybe it’s her way of reaching out.

I unlock the door to my room and walk inside. For the first time since arriving, a heavy weight isn’t pressing down on me. I feel almost light as I grab a towel, toiletries and go into the bathroom to take a shower.

***

The light from the moon makes the path to the bench visible enough to not need a flashlight. As I jog toward it, I’m taken back to that night a little over ten years ago. Arabella was fucking insane for meeting me, a stranger, out here and trusting I wouldn’t hurt her. I make a mental note to ask what she was thinking, why she would do something so incredibly stupid, and laugh quietly at the anger I feel for how eighteen-year-old me treated her.

If I ever have a son, I’ll kill them for treating a girl the way I treated her. I was raised better than that, and so will any child of mine.

The bench comes into view, and I slow to a walk. There’s a small black box sitting in the center, and as I come to a stop, my cell chimes with an incoming message.

Ari: Take off your shirt and face the trees for thirty seconds. I’ll text you when the time is up.

I don’t reply, just place my cell on the bench and reach back to pull the shirt over my head and drop it beside the box. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I grit my teeth against the cold and face the trees.

I can see my breath in the air in front of my face, and a wry smile pulls up my lips. It hadn’t been much warmer when I played these games with her, and she never complained so nor would I.

A twig snaps nearby. So, she is here somewhere.

I wonder if she’s found the same hiding place I used to use. It gives a perfect vantage point of the bench, while leaving the viewer invisible.

A quiet ding tells me thirty seconds are up. I turn and scoop up my cell.

Ari: Leave your shirt off and open the box. Instructions are inside.

I set down my cell, pick up the box and pop off the lid. A laugh escapes me when I discover the blindfold inside, and a folded piece of paper. I take both out.

Put on the blindfold and face the trees. Red or green. Say your choice out loud.

“Green.”

I reach back to tie the blindfold in place and wait. All I can hear is my heart thrumming in my ears, the soft sound of my breathing. My heartbeat picks up.

Was this how she felt, standing here, blind in the dark? Waiting for someone to speak, to approach.

Something warm touches my ribs, and I can’t hold back a flinch. Another touch close to my nipple. Lips, warm and soft.

What if it’s not Arabella? The thought slams into my brain.

“Ari?”

The lips gliding over my chest lift away. “Ari isn’t here tonight.”

Hearing her voice is enough to release the tension holding my muscles taut.

“Then what should I call you?”

Her lips return to my chest, pressing soft butterfly kisses to my skin. “You can call me Hellcat.”

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