“It’s ok, you don’t have to do that. I will call them now,” Rachel said, trying to evade him again.

“Thanks for stopping by,” the man said with a smile. “Tell your family we say hello!”

“Will do!” Rachel said. “Bye now!”

She quickly exited through the sliding glass door of the kitchen and into the back yard. She didn’t quite know where to go from there. She knew her family had moved but she didn’t know where they had gone. She couldn’t believe they would move and not tell her, but in their defense, they thought she had died. Which saddened her, too. She didn’t realize they thought she was dead. She was shocked. What would they do if they ever saw her again? She thought to herself.

She then remembered the phone number, and took it out of her pants pocket and unfolded the piece of paper. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was the exact same phone number that she had when she lived in Pennsylvania. It couldn’t be, she thought to herself as she looked again at the phone number. It was the same.

Could they have bought back our old house and moved back in? Did they realize they made a mistake by moving to New York? What about my dad’s new job? Is he working back at his old company? What about Marc, is he back at our old school?

So many questions were swarming around in Rachel’s head. She couldn’t believe that they’d moved. She was still in shock by the whole thing. Then, her mind went back to Benji and the kaleidoscope. She had forgotten for a moment why she even went back to Bedford in the first place. Now, she knew it would be even harder for her to find it. She didn’t know what to do. She felt at a loss.

Chapter 12

Rob drove his blue Audi all the way to Syracuse from the party that night. He didn’t want to wait any longer to find Sarah. He knew she would have the answers to finding Rachel. He knew she would be able to tell him her whereabouts.

As he pulled up to the campus, it was raining. His windshield wipers were on so fast, he could barely see the road in front of him. He stopped short at a crosswalk, almost hitting a group of coeds, crossing the street.

Rob rolled down his window and said, “Hey, where you guys headed?”

He had a good feeling this group knew where the cool parties were that night and he assumed that Sarah would be at a party. He remembered her from high school, always doing the “it” thing and always hanging with the popular crowd.

“We’re going to the Sammy party,” one girl said, smiling.

“Where you headed sexy?” another girl asked.

Rob looked back at her without flinching. This wasn’t the first time he’d been hit on before in this manner, it was fairly common for him. Girls’ couldn’t seem to keep their hands off him these days.

“I’m looking for someone,” Rob said.

“Who, maybe we can help?” the girl asked.

“Sarah Woods. Do you know here? She’s a freshman,” Rob said.

“You mean S-Dawg?” the girl said with a laugh.

“Uh..?” Rob said.

“Of course we know her. We’re rushing the same sorority together!” the girl replied.

“Well, where is she?” Rob asked in a hurry. “I have to find her!”

“What’s the rush Dude?” the girl said. “Come hang out with us!”

“I really need to find her. Please tell me where she is,” Rob said.

The girl took out her cell and started to text her. “I’m texting her, hold on.”

“Will she be at the party? If so, I’ll just meet you girls there,” Rob asked impatiently.

“I don’t know. Last I heard she wasn’t feeling well, but I don’t know really,” the girl said.

The girl looked down at her buzzing phone and said, “She’s at her dorm getting ready.”

“What dorm?” Rob asked.

“She’s in Brewster,” the girl said, still smiling and batting her eye lashes.

“Brewster? Where’s that?” Rob asked.

“Just go down that road and make a left and you will see it right there. You can’t miss it,” the girl answered.

“Thanks so much, see you later,” Rob said.

“I hope so!” the girl said seductively.

Rob speed away towards Brewster Hall, in hopes of finding Sarah there so that he could talk to her and find Rachel. He was desperate and needed to see her right away. He craved for her and missed her like he had never missed anyone before.

He pulled into a parking spot outside the dorm, got out of the car and headed into Brewster Hall. It was an all-freshman dorm and it was evident. He saw packs of freshman walking in groups up and down the hallways of their dorms. As he passed some of the rooms, the doors were all open and there were girls inside getting ready; doing their makeup, and blow-drying their hair in their bathrobes. He passed some guys rooms with their doors open and saw them playing XBOX and drinking beers. How Rob longed for the college experience, but he’d been turned right before he applied last year, and never got around to it. His life was turned upside down and he didn’t get the chance to experience college.

He saw a girl coming out of the bathroom on the third floor and said, “Do you know where Sarah Wood’s room is?”

“Sarah who?” the girl asked.

“Sarah Wood,” Rob said again.

“Um..no, sorry. Don’t know her,” the girl replied.

“K, thanks,” Rob said as he walked away.

Then, he saw another girl towards the end of the hall opening her dorm room with her key.

“Excuse me,” Rob said. “Do you know where Sarah Wood’s room is?”

“Yeah, she’s on floor 4,” she said.

“What room?” Rob asked.

“She’s the one next to the water fountain,” the girl said.

“Thanks!” Rob said as he ran to the stairwell.

He ran up the steps, skipping multiple steps with each stride. He couldn’t wait to get to her room. He just had to find that water fountain then he would know which room was hers.

“Hey, Cutie,” a girl said who was about to enter the Women’s bathroom on the fourth floor.

Rob looked around and didn’t see anyone else on the floor and then said, “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” the girl said flirtatiously.

“Um..I don’t know,” Rob said.

The girl walked over to Rob and started touching his hair. “You’ve got sexy hair,” she said.

Rob pushed her hand off of his head and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”

“Do you want to get to know me?” the girl said, exposing more of his skin under the towel that was wrapped around her body.

“I actually have to…” Rob started to say and then he found himself being drug into the women’s bathroom unwillingly by this girl. She started kissing his neck and his body and trying to take off his clothes. She was one of the more aggressive girls he’d ever met. Even more so than Arielle. He couldn’t believe it. Part of him wanted to go along with this and score some action, but the other part couldn’t get his mind off of Rachel. He couldn’t let himself do it. He had to leave, but she wouldn’t let him.

She continued to pull him into the bathroom stall and dropped her towel. She put her body right into his face and he didn’t know what to do. Her scent overtook him and he craved her blood. He desperately wanted to feed but knew he shouldn’t. He knew if he turned this girl, then Syracuse University could really be in for it. He couldn’t resist.

With one quick bite in her neck, this girl lay on the floor dripping blood onto the tiles, gasping for breath.

Rob quickly left the scene and continued his search for Sarah’s room. He quickly came upon the water fountain and then knew her room was near. He looked at the doors around it, both were shut. He then looked closely at the pictures and names on the doors and found her name in a bright orange smiley face. He assumed the RA probably made it. He knocked softly on the door, trying not to draw attention to himself. After all he didn’t want anyone to peg him as the “killer” in the women’s bathroom. Not that he killed her or anything, it’s just that it would look to the average person that she was dead—until she gathered her strength and woke.

A girl came to the door, but it wasn’t Sarah.

“Can I help you?” the girl asked.

“Is Sarah here?” Rob asked.

“Yeah, she’s here,” the girl said as she opened the door wide so that he could see Sarah inside.

“Come in,” Sarah said from across the room.

As Rob entered the small L shaped dorm room, his eye immediately went to the walls which were adorned with Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus posters. Their bedspreads were magenta with white lace and polka dots and they had a big shag carpet in the middle of their beds. He’d never seen anything quite like this before. He felt as if he’d stepped into a bubble gum pop world.

“Wait, what are you doing here?” Sarah asked, as she caught a glimpse of Rob in her mirror.

“I came to see you,” Rob said.

“Aren’t you that guy from AHS?” Sarah said, looking a bit confused.

“Yes! Rob. Remember me?”

“Um..I remember your face, I’m just trying to place it…” Rachel said.

“Your sister. Does that ring a bell?” Rob said.

“Oh, you’re the guy that dated my sister for like a minute, right?” Sarah asked, in a valley girl voice.

“I guess so. But it was more than a minute,” Rob said feeling angry at that comment.

“Yeah, whatever,” Sarah said, turning back to her mirror to put on her makeup. “What do you want with me anyway?”

“Well, I need to talk to you, it’s about your sister,” Rob said.

“Rachel?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Rob said.

“Why? Why must you bring her up?” Sarah said, looking upset.