Cuts like a knife Read online

  Cuts like a knife

  Prologue

  The simple noises of nature become hushed as Billie steps into the clearing. Two blue jays resume their squawking when the fear of danger is past. Unaware of the small living creatures around her that she has disturbed, she glances thoughtfully at the spot that had been her childhood hangout. Smiling fondly at the rocks and grooves that have served as chairs, and hearing the steady harmony of the waterfall, she wonders how it could all look the same when so much has changed. Her lovely features wrinkle into a frown when she sees the cross, a reminder of happy childhood times gone by. Two simple sticks bound by twine signify the tragedy that has changed so many lives. Would everyone remember the pact made so long ago? Has their friendship really meant something, enough to bring them all together again?

  After picking some wildflowers, she goes to the makeshift cross and kneels down to place the fragrant bouquet of blossoms. A long familiar howl reaches her from the mountains above, sending a shiver deep into her bones despite the hot summer sun and bringing a wistful smile to her face.

  Twigs snapping underfoot signal another arrival. Billie watches as Kelly enters the clearing.

  “It’s amazing how clear my memories are when I’m here. I still can’t believe she was murdered like that,” Kelly says sadly, nodding toward the cross. “We’ve been through so much together.”

  “I try to focus on the good times.”

  Together they laugh and cry over the memories as the long-ago echoes of children’s voices whisper to them from the past.

  CHAPTER 1

  Angel Falls, 1983

  Six friends gathered together at the bottom of a trail surrounded by a patch of yellow wildflowers that extended for a half mile. The race was on.

  Trent pulled the bill of his baseball cap over the back of his blond hair. His hands were clenched at his sides as he grinned at Brody, displaying a chipped front tooth. "Eat my dust, old man. It’s your call."

  "It’s only in your dreams, pal." Brody dragged his fingers through his thick black hair and took a deep breath. "Go!" The two of them took off with legs flying, leaving the others behind.

  Trent was first into the clearing. "Yes!" He yelled out to Brody who followed close behind. "I'm the best." With hips swaying in a funky dance, he chanted, "You know it. You know it."

  Brody took a few deep breaths and watched his friend's performance with amusement. He had two years on Trent, but ever since they were kids, Brody had always finished last, if only by a few paces. Trent’s speed was amazing. At fourteen, he was already faster and better in sports than most of the seniors in high school.

  Brody knew from experience that a victory speech always followed the dance. He wasn't disappointed.

  "Well, pal. I must be dreaming." Trent used his hand as a microphone. "How does it feel for a sophomore to be whipped by a mere boy in eighth grade? You know, you look a little flushed. Maybe you should take a nap. It'll be awhile before everyone catches up. I'll wake you up when they get here."

  Brody ignored him, as usual, and looked around at the scenery. Since there was no road to this spot, they were spared having to share it. Today was one of many beautiful days in Angel Falls. Winter had faded to spring, and the air was fresh and clean, giving a short reprieve from the recent rains. The sun was out, and there were wispy clouds hovering high in the mountains above.

  In the winter, the air was brisk and snow would cap the top of the mountains above the clouds. Rumor had it that angels live in the clouds just below the peak for which the small town of Angel Falls was named.

  The constant drumming sound of the waterfall crashing down into the swimming hole relaxed him. It was Nature’s gift. He looked to Devil’s rock. All he had to do was climb to the top and the awesome view of crystal blue water plummeting downwards would greet him. Devil's Rock was about 15 feet high and surrounded by pine trees and other smaller shrubbery. Grooves in the rock allowed him to climb up to the flat top and sit across from the waterfall where a pool of water swirled and eddied, beckoning him to take the plunge. With the sun beating down on his shoulders, and the sweat beading on his forehead from the recent exertion he now felt anxious to shed his clothes and go for a swim.

  The sound of laughter caught Brody’s attention and he turned to see Billie and Kelly jog into the small clearing between the meadow and the rock. Billie was wearing the usual attire, a long baggy T-shirt that hung to her knees always comfort first. Her light brown hair was streaked with blond and pulled back in a ponytail, and her eyes were the coolest color of aqua, but he would never tell her that. Complementing her wasn’t half as fun as teasing. As if she felt his eyes on her, Billie glanced over. When their eyes met, Brody smiled causing her to frown slightly. For some reason everything he did seemed to annoy her, even when he wasn't going out of his way to do so.

  "That's a pretty dress. An outfit like that can really turn a guy on." Brody let his gaze wander over her baggy shirt and he smiled lazily. Then he took the towel from around his shoulders and wiped his forehead before leaning nonchalantly against the rock to await her comeback. She was glaring at him so he sent her a wink to push her over the edge.

  "Go sit on a tack, Brody." She stuck her fist in the air but Brody just laughed. "Don't even start,” she continued, “I don't want to have to hurt you."

  "You tried that before when you were ten and sprained your thumb, or don't you remember. I didn't feel a thing." Actually the brat had nailed him square in the jaw. It hurt to chew for two days. Instead of being mad, he had ended up admiring her spunk. He remembered how the tears welled up in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. The next day she’d had a splint on her thumb and enough humor to laugh about it.

  "This time I was planning on aiming a lot lower, where it's not so hard."

  "Could be, but that would all depend on you." Brody chuckled when Billie turned away with pink cheeks. It felt good to have the last word. Now she would ignore him for a few minutes; then forget the whole thing.

  Billie could kick herself for letting him get to her.Just once she would like to see Brody get embarrassed. He was always so laid back and in control. It must be nice to have it all. There was the big house on the ranch. Girls chased after him without the slightest effort on his part. Well, not this girl, she was proud to say.

  Although, even she had to admit his black hair and those dark eyes looked real fine. Not like Trent, the blue-eyed golden boy. Brody’s allure lay in that unshakable confidence of his and, of course, the nice bod didn’t hurt. She wouldn't mind having his Indian heritage either. It was like having a tan all year round. Too bad he was such a big jerk. Of course, he only irritated her. Everybody else thought he was the coolest.

  "This is Earth to Billie." Kelly waved her hand in front of Billie's face. "What's the matter? You know he's only teasing." Kelly placed her hand on Billie's shoulder as she lifted up one foot to get a pebble out of her sandal. "I think you actually get off on bugging each other." She waited for her friend’s face to relax into a smile before heading over to the bottom of the rock where Brody and Trent were now sitting.

  After considering what Kelly had said, Billie realized she was right. Kelly also had a strange knack for reading people. It was true, Billie thought. When Brody wasn't around, she did miss him. There was just some sort of thing, for lack of a better word, between them that she couldn't explain.

  With her anger now forgotten, Billie watched the guys smile as Kelly approached and felt a small tug of envy. Her looks were wholesome and pleasant like her personality. The spattering of freckles that spilled over her nose and those green eyes which offered comfort and friendship fit perfectly with a smile that touched everyone who knew her. Even Sierra felt the sting of jealousy, although it w
as hard to imagine why, since Sierra was absolutely gorgeous.

  As if on cue, Sierra came into view with Brad close by. Her body had already started to develop and she enjoyed flaunting it in tight clothes. Like Brody, she also had “dark” looks, but Sierra described herself as having ebony hair, dark chocolate eyes and bronze skin. It was a little over the top, but Billie had to admit the description fit.

  And then there was Brad. He always looked so serious, that was, until he smiled. Then his whole face would light up, offering two dimples and crinkles around hazel eyes. Billie noticed his short brown hair was combed perfectly in place and his shorts were wrinkle free. He wasn't a total babe like Trent and Brody, but when he flashed those dimples, he was definitely cute. Someone she could relax around. As opposed to Brody, Brad made her feel comfortable.

  Sierra “sashayed”, a walk she had just recently acquired, past to the rock. Billie was trying not to laugh as she surveyed the dramatic sway of her hips, when she noticed Brad, who had stopped beside her.

  “Is she doing that on purpose or did she hurt herself?” He nodded towards Sierra and his eyes crinkled in humor.

  Billie returned his smile with a sly one of her own. "What took you so long? Did you bump your head on a flower and get lost?"

  "Sierra didn't feel like running up the hill and wanted someone to walk with her." Leaning over, he whispered confidentially. "It was a total bummer."

  "Yeah, I bet. That line would work better if you weren't still drooling," she said easily, and fell in step with him as they headed towards the others.

  Everyone climbed to the top and started to strip down to their bathing suits for a jump into the swimming hole. This was the first sunny day after a long, cold winter. Billie rushed so she could be the first one in. Sierra was the beautiful one; Kelly was the sweet one, so she prided herself on being fearless. Brody called it being reckless, but that remark just fueled the fire. Then there was the little problem with her figure, or lack thereof, in a bikini. It never bothered her before, but since Kelly and Sierra had sprouted tits, her flat chest was a constant source of embarrassment. Puberty sucked!

  With a rebel yell, Billie leaped into the depths below. As the water closed over her head the word reckless came to mind, right before the word hypothermia.

  "Come on in, you slackers, the water's perfect!" It took an effort to hide the shiver in her voice. There was no reason for her to suffer alone. Treading water helped her get used to the biting cold, or she was completely numb. It was hard to tell.

  Kelly walked to the edge. With wary eyes, she watched Billie for a moment before joining her. After jumping in, she came up with wide eyes that narrowed as she spied Billie grinning at her discomfort. She had fallen for it and now she would enjoy watching everyone doing the same, Kelly decided. Without a word, she swam to the shore and climbed to a rock to let the sun bake the chill out of her bones.

  The water hole was about the length of a large swimming pool and fish could be seen darting in and out of the rocks below. A small cave hid behind the waterfall, but everywhere else the rocks were too steep to climb, shielding this side of the mountain from casual discovery.

  Brody, along with Brad and Trent, observed Sierra slowly remove her short, clinging dress. Instead of tossing it over her head, she took it off one button at a time. When exactly had she filled out like that, Brody wondered? It was obvious she knew the guys were checking her out and wanted to exploit the moment. It caught his attention. It was even a pretty good show, but a little too practiced for his taste. Turning slightly, she caught his casual glance and smiled before bending over to take off her shoes. The show was over.

  "The guys in high school are going to love you," he drawled before he nonchalantly did a front flip into the water. He went under and felt as if he had jumped into an ice chest.

  When Brody didn't come right up, Billie glanced around nervously. Suddenly, she felt something swim by her and just as suddenly she felt her bathing suit bottom pulled to her knees. Wishing desperately for a one piece suit, Billie went under water to untangle her bottoms and cover herself. "You're a pervert. Why am I not surprised?"

  "Lighten up, Chubby Cheeks, that was for the remark about the water being so warm." A splash in Billie's face and he was off with strong, easy strokes.

  "My cheeks are not chubby."

  "The ones I just saw are," he said with a careless smile and continued to swim to the bank. Brody perched on a small rock to watch the others take their turn.

  Brad was just walking over to the edge but remembered he had on his new tennis shoes. While bending over to pull them off, Trent gave him a slight shove knocking him off balance. With arms flailing, he tried in vain to get his balance and then succumbed to the water below.

  "Dammit, Trent, I didn't want my shoes to get wet," he yelled up at the rocks. "Holy shit! This is freezing."

  Trent stood up there flexing his muscles, looking comical in his baggy cut-offs. "I'm king of this rock and you just got evicted, pal." He started to say more, then let out a startled cry. He came toppling down a few inches from Brad. Surfacing a few seconds later, they both looked up at Sierra, who was smiling down at them in triumph.

  "Everyone knows it's the queen who rules." She laughed, a low throaty sound that she had been practicing, and sat down, hanging her feet over the edge of the rock. With a sly look, she checked out Brody. Brad and Trent were at that gawky stage between adolescence and manhood, but Brody was tall and slender with muscles. Just last year, he had even started to grow hair on his chest. God, she couldn’t wait to get older, Sierra thought, not bothering to conceal a predatory smile.

  The look didn’t go unnoticed. Brody felt it and didn’t like it one bit. He had enough of that in school. If he smiled at a girl in the hallway, the next day he would find a note in his locker with her phone number on it. Or one of her friends would come over, full of giggles, and tell him how her friend really liked him. They didn’t even know him. As far as he was concerned, the guy should go after the girl. “God, you sound like a conceited ass,” he chided himself quietly.

  Billie pulled herself out of the water and stood over Brody. With relish, she shook her hair and sent a spray of cold water over his warmed skin. “Oops.” She plopped down next to him with an impish grin.

  “I’m touched that you singled me out. Couldn’t stay away?”

  “Give it up, Romeo. Kelly’s asleep and the guys climbed up to make goo-goo eyes at Sierra. You were my last choice.”

  Brody had to laugh. Leave it to Billie to put a guy’s ego back in place. “Whatever you say,” he shrugged as if in disbelief.

  “Trust me.” She rolled her eyes. “You know, you’re amazing.”

  “I know.” His expression dead pan, he leaned back with his arms crossed behind his head.

  She smirked at his audacity. “I mean, it amazes me that you can lift that big head of yours off the pillow every morning.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t keep it on my pillow.” Flashing a smile loaded with innuendo, he winked.

  Billie couldn’t help it, she had to laugh. “You got me on that one.”

  Three hours later, a purple hue colored the sky. Dark clouds hovered in the distance, putting an end to any hopes of another sunny day. With regret, the six friends said their good-byes. Tomorrow was a school day, and it was time to go home to resume the studies put off for a weekend of fun.

  Chapter 2

  On the following morning, light was just filtering through the fog when Billie dashed through her front door and sprinted down the street to Kelly's house; she was late again. Thunder bellowed in the distance just as a cool breeze filtered through her unzipped jacket, causing her to shiver. “I guess it’s too much to wish for another sunny day”, she said to herself. When she reached the top of the small incline between her house and Kelly's, she saw Kelly and Sierra also wrapped tightly in big down jackets, jeans and boots, waiting impatiently for her at the end of Kelly's driveway.

  "Come on," yelled Sier
ra. "We're going to miss the bus."

  Looking past them to the end of the street, Billie noted Trent and Brad already waiting at the stop. With a sigh, she pushed her head down against the cold air and ran to her waiting friends. Just as she reached them, Trent let out a loud mock laugh and waved in their direction.

  "Damn, I'm sorry, guys," sighed Billie when the bus closed its doors behind Trent and Brad's laughing faces. They were a block away from the bus stop, but about a mile away from school.

  "It's cool. You didn't do it on purpose," Sierra offered, trying to make Billie feel better. "At least we get to miss math. We'll have to make sure we walk really slowly and maybe we can miss history too."

  "You guys are forgetting something," said Kelly, as they trudged on towards school, "Today's the big math final. We've studied for it all week. Remember, no remakes."

  "Well, actually you guys studied," Sierra said. "I kind of just listened to my radio while I had my book open in my lap. It's no sweat off my back. Since I plan on marrying a rich man, I won’t need an education, just my bod."

  "Yeah, that’s right! I hear there’s a big demand for dumb brunettes.” Billie rolled her eyes. “Sierra, if you don't watch it, you're going to have to take eighth grade over again. If something happens and we manage to get to school on time, I'll let you see my answers." It wouldn't be the first time Billie let Sierra cheat off her tests.

  Lightening lit up the sky, and an onslaught of rain drenched their hair.

  "We can't walk to school in this weather. We'll catch" Before Kelly could finish, Brody came to a screeching halt behind them in the red Camaro his dad got him for his sixteenth birthday two months ago.

  "Hey, you guys look all wet," he laughed out his window. Then to Billie, "Not a good look for you." He chuckled again when she stood glaring at him while her friends hopped in his warm car.