DRAKE

Drake watched Tonya head across the cemetery toward the Village.

“Aren’t you coming?” asked Priya.

He shook his head. “I’m going with Tonya.”

He let Priya go in the opposite direction and strode after Tonya. As he caught up, Drake couldn’t help admiring Tonya’s long, shiny hair, and hourglass figure.

“Are you following me?”

He drew even with her in two long strides. “I hope you don’t mind me coming along?”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, but her crumpled brow said otherwise.

“Do you smell that?” Acrid odors wafted toward him on the breeze.

Tonya stopped in his path. “Maybe I should go alone. My aunt is kind of a special person. I shouldn’t just walk into her place with a stranger.”

“Isn’t it a store?”

“She has an apartment upstairs, but she’s disappeared. I might have to go through her stuff looking for clues to where she went.”

“I get it. It’s personal.”

“Don’t be offended.”

“It’s fine. What do you want me to do, wait in the shop downstairs?”

“You should go back. Look at you, without a jacket. Your lips are turning blue.”

“Really?” Drake put a hand to his lips. He watched her eyes linger on them a little too long and smiled. “I feel fine.” He stifled a shiver. There was no way he was going back now. Something weird was going on and he wasn’t going to let her walk into danger alone.

Drake picked up the pace. “What’s that burning smell?” What if the store were on fire?

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“Coming with me is a bad idea,” said Tonya.

The night they met, Tonya had seemed excited about Priya’s installation and the Ninja’s film plans, at least she did until she bolted.

“What’s really wrong, Tonya? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“Why did you leave the Ninja meeting so fast? Did we offend you?”

“No. Everything’s fine. You should go back to class.”

He looked at her, standing arms akimbo, her frown set. Clearly something was bothering her.

“You’re private. I respect that, but I’d like to keep you company.”

He waited for her to put him off again but finally she said, “Okay.”

Near the center of the cemetery stood an old church with broken windows. To the north he spotted glimpses of the Lake through pines and leafless trees. Tonya was headed west, past crumbling marble angels and monuments, at a pace that meant no fooling.

She didn’t slow until they reached a small break in the fence. Across a meadow he glimpsed a two-story log building. The Herbal Healing Shop looked like an old-time settler’s cabin, although there was nothing historical about the cluster of emergency vehicles flashing their lights in the parking lot. One firefighter stood talking to a police constable while other firefighters rolled up firehose.

“What happened?” Instinctively, Drake rushed forward, but Tonya pulled him back.

She took his hands and looked him in the eye. “Promise you won’t touch anything, and let me go in first.”

Without waiting for an answer, she raced across the field.

Suddenly, Tonya stopped and covered her ears, crouching in pain. Drake didn’t hear anything unusual.

He caught up and offered her a hand. “What’s wrong?”

Tonya stayed limp, her eyes glassy. Drake pulled her to her feet and propped her against his shoulder, draping her arm around his back for support. They were so close he could see right into her unseeing eyes. “What’s wrong?”

She pointed away from the store. Tears rolled down her face and she started to thrash. Was she having a seizure?

As he walked her away from the store, her movements calmed, and she pulled away. Putting one arm on his shoulder, she walked steadily until they were back in the cemetery. She sat down with her back to a small tree.

“Are you okay?” Drake crouched in front of her.

“Yes,” she answered through gritted teeth, her eyes focused again.

“I’m taking you back. One of the ambulance people should check you out.”

“No!” Leaping to her feet, she hurried toward the chapel, hands clamped over her ears.

Drake hurried after her. “What’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone!”

Drake let her put some distance between them. What was wrong with her? Her breakdown near the shop, her glassy eyes, and the look of pain on her face . . . If Tonya was ill, why wouldn’t she accept help? Drake followed her at a respectful distance, determined to make sure she was okay.