Page 161 of Ominous: Part 1
Then I hear it. A thud. A loud crash.
I spring open my eyes, ripping my earphones out and tossing them to the table, staring in the darkness, my chest heaving. The music from my ear buds plays softly in the background, and as I scan the aisles, I see nothing flickering in the pale orange light.
My chest heaves.
Am Ihearingthings?
I close my eyes shut tight, my fingers gripping the table as I try to combat the terror.
I shouldn’t have done this, play with my mind when it’s already so fragile sometimes. But I’m okay.I’m okay.
If I didn’t have an overactive imagination, I’d probably be a shitty writer.
I’m fine.
Until… someone grabs me.
I jump up, eyes flying open, blinking in the darkness. I don’t really think, I just throw an elbow into a body behind me as my chair clatters to the polished floor. But hands grab my upper arms from behind, squeezing painfully, and I’m jerked backward into a hard chest, my socks sliding against the floor.
I twist in a strong grip, opening my mouth to scream, seeing no one ahead of me, only rows and rows of silent books. No ghosts have come to save me, either.
Before a sound leaves my mouth, a hand comes over it, and the release of my arm gives me more leverage. I thrust my hand behind me, searching for a weak point, eyes, a mouth, anything, at the same time I open my own mouth to bite my attacker. My canines sink into their palm, and I hear a loud hiss as my heart thuds painfully in my chest.
Whoever it is shoves me forward, yanking their hand from my teeth.
I spin around, my hips colliding with the table.
Dominic is holding a hand over his eye, glowering at me.
I don’t speak, my chest heaving as silence is pulled tight between us. He has no books, dressed in a black track jacket and fitted sweats, I caught the scent of chlorine on my mouth, now that I can think, I remember it. He must’ve come from the pool.
“A seance? Summoning demons?” He drops his hand and glances at the black book on the table, and at the same time his eyes move to the notebook behind me, I shift on my feet. Just a little, enough to get his attention and block my scrawl from view as I catch my breath.
If you act like your secrets matter, anyone who steals one has power over you.
If I close the book, he’ll know I don’t want him to read it.
I refuse to do it. I act more subtle. I don’t show him how freaked out I am right now, either. And how, some strange part of me is relieved it’s someone actually here.I wasn’t hallucinating.
I have to swallow a few times to ensure my voice won’t shake, then I say, “Yeah, looks like the summons worked.” I eye him from head to toe and see how he tries to fight his smile as I cross my arms, waiting for his move. I think of Sebastian, and if Dom doesn’t start talking in three seconds, I’m getting my ass out of here.
“God, you’re such a bitch.” He laughs as he says it, and it doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t mind being a bitch. If it means I put down boundaries and, occasionally, as long as Eli isn’t around, respect myself, then so be it. “If I want his attention, I should just be a little meaner to him, huh?”
Speaking of the devil. I roll my eyes, thinking of Eli’s texts on my phone. The way he looked as if he’d tear Dom’s throat out when Dom made me scream.
My pulse starts to fly again.
“I gotta go.” I turn my back to Dominic and carefully close my notebook, taking my time so it doesn’t seem important to me. I snatch up my checkered bag from the floor, drop in my writing, book, pens, then I scoop up my earbuds from the table and put those away, too. I push my feet into my boots, then zip up my backpack, sling it over my shoulder, and grab my phone, glancing at my texts.
Another from Eli. One from Amanda. Two from Seb, but he hasn’t called, so he must not be here yet. The preview isn’t visible on any of my texts because I never want anyone in my family to read them over my shoulder.
I hear the floor creak behind me as I swipe up to unlock my phone, and before I can read more than one line of Eli’s most recent text—of course the thing displayed first,Baby girl, I’m coming for you—Dom speaks in my ear, causing a shiver to slide down my spine.
I ignore Eli’s words, dismiss them as empty, even though a part of me knows he doesn’t say things like that for shits and giggles.
“Did you know we used to come down here with Winslet sometimes, in the night?” Dom’s breath is warm, coasting over my piercings, and I smell alcohol. My stomach flips.
Is he drunk at school? What is he doing here? Waiting forher?
