Page 23 of Monsters

Chapter 9

THEN

“Truth or dare?”

I smiled and so did Lucas. He knew I would always choose truth because when you were in the company of two boys, the dares were physical and often impossible for me to accomplish. We paused at a stream before I could answer and watched the heavy flow of water gush down from the nearby mountain. It had been raining fairly consistently at night, and the creek bed was now swelling. The water was now a good yard deep, and the current was strong.

“Here,” Lucas offered his hand, and I accepted. He took the lead and the three of us, with Mason behind me, felt our way carefully over the raised boulders that acted as stepping stones.

“Be careful, Gem, the next one is—”

“Shit!” I squealed feeling my foot slide right over the moss-covered rock. My ankle twisted and Lucas’s grip loosened while my free arm flailed, desperately searching for something. Anything. Behind me, Mason cursed, his arms hooking under mine, cheeks grazing as he attempted to steady me. I inhaled his heady scent. Mason was the only teenager I knew who wore cologne and there wasn’t a time I hadn’t smelled it before I saw him coming. It was sweet, yet masculine.

“Jesus, Gem,” Mason grunted. “Watch your step.”

“She knows,” Lucas interjected before I could respond.

“If she knew, she wouldn’t have almost cracked her head open on the boulder.”

I was hoisted upright, Lucas pulling while Mason heaved. We all stared down at the angry gushing water surrounding us.

“Sorry,” was all I could offer.

“We’re not far away,” Lucas said, eager to change the subject. “We need to keep going before…” he pointed skyward, “… it gets dark.”

Taking greater care, we conquered the last few boulders and continued the journey through the thick woods.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Mason reminded us of the game.

“I choose truth.”

“I don’t think we could handle giving you a dare. It’s too far to carry your clumsy ass home.” For the typically hostile brother, Mason was considerably more relaxed. More so than I’d ever seen him, especially considering everything that had been happening at home. He almost made it easy to like him. When he was in a sociable mood, it was fun to be in his company. When he snapped, and that fun turned to spite? I couldn’t get far enough away.

“Who was your first kiss?” Lucas, who was still leading up front, asked without turning around.

Despite no one being able to see my face, my cheeks heated. The Carter brothers had never, at any stage, attended the same school as me, so there was a portion of my life they’d never seen, and that included possible boyfriends.

“Pick another question,” I said, keeping my tone light.

“Nah ah,” Mason refused.

“Please.”

Lucas turned for a brief moment to catch my eyes before turning back. “What’s wrong, Gem?”

“Nothing… I just can’t answer that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Mason baited.

I heaved in frustration. “I can’t answer it because I’ve never kissed anyone.”

Lucas came to an abrupt standstill causing me to collide with his back.

Behind me, Mason laughed.

Inwardly, I cringed.

Lucas turned and gave a small smile. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Gem,” he said quietly, eyes softening, fingers gently touching mine.

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