Page 4 of Winter’s Teeth

When Officer Reynolds turned back to me, I was numb all over again, clutching the shock blanket fiercely around my hunched shoulders.

“How about you describe the man you rescued a bit more in detail.” The disbelief was plain in his voice. I called about a body found in the creek, and now there was no body. They probably thought I’d made it up. “And how about we take you to the hospital for a checkup.”

“I’m fine,” I said brusquely, starting to slide off the edge of the ambulance.

“Easy there. We still have some questions.”

“I know. I’ll answer them, but I don’t need a doctor.”

“How about we take the precaution anyway?”

My lower lip quivered as I peered up at Officer Reynolds. He tried to be calm. He tried to be kind, but what he really thought was so obvious, I wanted to cry.

“I know you don’t believe me,” I said, inhaling raggedly. “But...fine. I’ll let a doctor check me out.”

“I didn’t say that,” Reynolds intoned. He sucked in his stomach, puffing out his chest. The man was old enough to be my father, and I felt thoroughly berated. “We just have to get all the facts and make sure you’re alright. Taking a swim in water this cold isn’t good for anybody.”

“Sure...” I tugged the blanket higher around my shoulders.

“You can ride with me. I’ll have another officer bring your car.”

More like another officer can search my car for drugs or hallucinogens...

As I climbed into the backseat of Officer Reynold’s police SUV, I turned my face to the window. Like a sacrificial table of scraggly fingers, the rocks loomed dark against the frothing white water, almost angry I had taken away their fresh kill.

I closed my eyes and laid my temple against the window. “I’m really going to need therapy,” I whispered to no one.

Chapter 2

They never found the man from the creek.

In the end, none of the officers believed me, and I was given a doctor’s referral for a psychiatrist.

I trudged back to my dorm on the slushy sidewalks weaving through campus, fully expecting to slip back into normal life. Like none of it ever happened.

But it had happened. I was sure of it, even if no one else was.

My roommate—Karissa Zheng—was fast asleep when I turned the key in the lock and crept into the dark dorm. Good, I thought to myself. Better she’s asleep so I don’t have to tell her what happened today.

It gave me time to get my story straight and figure out what I wanted to say to her the next day. If she even asked... Part of me hoped she didn’t, because nothing was going to come of it. No one would follow up with me if they didn’t think the guy I pulled from the creek existed in the first place.

This was Riss though. She brought her mathlete trophies to college and had her limited edition, embossed encyclopedias on full display above her bed. She would know I’d been gone all day and would probably ask first thing in the morning, then pick my response apart like plucking a dead bird. No feather or clue left intact.

I had to prepare and get my story straight as soon as possible.

After a soul-nourishing shower under water hot enough to leave scalding marks on my back, I crawled under the covers and listened to the lowing wind, letting it lull me to sleep and chase away memories of ice water and demon eyes.

***

GRAY-WASH LIGHT FILTERED in through the slotted blinds while my phone’s pre-alarm trilled. I rolled over with a groan, emerging from my cocoon of quilts to shut it off. Another would go off shortly, so I was in no hurry to move another muscle, save for my eyes that blinked blearily to take in the other side of the room.

Riss was already gone with her bed made up neatly and three throw pillows arranged perfectly. She was most likely hunkered down in the library for undisturbed time to do whatever Riss did, probably with her nose glued to an article on her screen, reading up on the news in a country I never heard of.

As much as I didn’t want to talk about everything that happened yesterday (specifically because I couldn’t deal with her screeching at me for getting half-naked with a stranger, even if it was the medically appropriate thing to do), I did long for her opinion. Her concern.

Riss would believe me even though the officers didn’t, and she would drive me batty trying to get to the bottom of it.

Before my alarm could ring again, I shut it off and slid out of bed like a rock. Heavy limbs carried me to the mirror hanging over my desk where I brushed through my tangle of waist-long waves. The sun-kissed dirty blonde from summer faded, leaving the locks a light bark color. To combat the dry weather that turned my hair into a poodle poof, I added a few drops of oils to tame the frizz.