“Yeah, right,” I said with a dubious look at the branch, which seemed miles above my head. Gym was so not my favorite subject. Whenever I tried to climb a rope or rock wall, I usually stumbled and earned snorts of laughter from my classmates.
“You can do it,” Eli encouraged. “I’ll give you a hand up.”
“You can’t lift me. I’m too heavy.”
“Heavy? At what—110 pounds?”
“I weigh more than … oh yeah … I guess not anymore.”
“So stop stalling and give me your hand. I may not have muscles like Chad, but I’m stronger than I look.” To prove this, he reached down and hoisted me up to the branch beside him.
Unfortunately we still had a long way to go.
The next step was even harder — climbing up to a higher branch. I didn’t see any footholds and had to hug the tree, digging my fingers into the rough bark and pushing myself up with my rubber-soled sandals. Somehow I made it without losing my towel. Then I balanced precariously on a shockingly narrow branch, arms straight out like an acrobat, my knees slightly bent.
“Don’t look down,” Eli whispered.
“Uh … too late.” Damn, it was a long way down.
“Come on, Amber,” he urged. “You can do this.”
“I’m trying.”
I focused ahead to the top of the wall, where I wanted to go. I crossed slowly over the arched branch that connected the tree to the wall. My legs shook, leaves rustled, and I was afraid the branch was going to snap in two or I’d slip and fall. But that didn’t happen. Even more surprising, despite all the strenuous climbing, I wasn’t even out of breath.
Lucky for exercise-hater me, Leah loved working out.
“Follow me down the ladder,” Eli said as he scrambled down like he was part monkey.
I was about to climb down, too, until I heard frantic barking. Two dark creatures burst from around a corner. Guard dogs. German Shepherds with bristling gray-brown fur and large sharp teeth — aiming toward Eli.
“Watch out!” I shouted, but it was too late.
The dogs sprang at Eli and attacked — with doggy kisses. They slurped his face and wagged their tails.
“Hey, girls! Is this what you want?” Eli reached into his pocket and tossed them doggy treats. The treats must have tasted as good as chocolate because I would swear the dogs smiled as they chomped.
“Wow,” I said from my perch high on the cement wall.
“What can I say?” Eli shrugged. “Dogs love me. If your father was kind to them, they’d love him too.”
“Mr. Montgomery is not my father,” I snapped. “And I happen to love dogs.”
“Sorry, Amber. Momentary Leah lapse — won’t happen again. Climb onto the ladder.”
I hesitated on top of the wall, looking down at the faraway ground. The dogs didn’t scare me but this body shivered at the sight of them, as if the cells retained some memory of Leah. I remembered Angie saying Leah didn’t like dogs.
“Don’t just stand there, Amber. Climb!” Eli called. “Grab the next rung and lower your foot. Yeah, that’s right.”
As I took another step down, there was the sharp slam of a door and a shout.
Angie had returned!
She waved her fist and shouted Leah’s name. Her dark hair flew around her furious face as she ran after me. I didn’t think she’d actually try to climb the tree to get over the wall, but I wasn’t taking any chances and reached out for the ladder.
My legs wobbled. As I grabbed a metal rung to steady myself, the towel slipped off my shoulders. I wanted to grab for it but couldn’t risk letting go of the ladder. Instead, I watched the towel sail down to the pool side of the fence, snagging on a branch and dangling like a pale ghost.
Holding tight to the ladder, I didn’t want to let go. I flashed back to the cemetery, when I’d landed in the nettles. The ground here seemed so far away. My vision blurred. I imagined myself falling through the air like the towel …
Then Eli was climbing back up, offering me his hand.
“Thanks,” I said, leaning close to Eli and liking it.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Very.” And I meant this in many ways.
Eli may not have his brother’s athletic physique, but his arms were strong and secure. My skin tingled and warmed where his fingers touched. He smiled at me. I smiled back. I could get used to this, I thought. His face flamed as he caught my gaze and he pulled away. I held onto his hand and squeezed to let him know I liked what was going on with us. We did some more smiling at each other. More of this later, I silently messaged with a small nod. He nodded back.
For the first time in days I soared with hope. Everything was going to work out. Soon I’d reunite with my real body, save Leah, and discover if I was just feeling gratitude for Eli or something real. And if it was real, Eli and I would be spending a lot more quality time together.
I had so much to live for.
19
Walking down the street in a skimpy, every-curve-revealed swimsuit was an attention grabber. Despite misconceptions about sunny California, bikinis before summer are not common. And a busty figure like Leah’s was hard to ignore. When I passed a woman watering her garden, her hose trailed off and sprayed a car tire while her mouth puckered with disapproval.
On the next street, a paunchy, balding man backing his sports car out of a driveway smiled appreciatively. This was such a nice change from the puckered woman that I smiled back. But the smile died fast when we passed a house with a basketball hoop and some college-aged guys, shooting hoops, made obscene hoots and wolf whistles.
“Assholes. Ignore it,” Eli said, glowering at them.
“This is all so weird,” I admitted. “Should I be flattered or insulted?”
“There’s nothing flattering about those guys disrespecting you. I don’t know how Chad puts up with it. Guys are always that way with Leah.”
“It’s okay.” But I wasn’t sure. I walked faster, wrapping my arms around myself. I used to envy the pretty girls who attracted this kind of attention. But being reduced to a body, not a person, was embarrassing. Still, the analytical part of me flared with curiosity, so I asked, “When guys call out to Leah, how does she usually respond?”
“Different ways,” Eli answered. “I’ve seen her flirt back and blow kisses. Once she lifted her top for a quick flash. But another time she freaked out and chased after the guys, swearing she was going to kill them. Chad and I had to pull her back, and a few minutes later she was smiling like nothing had happened.”
So Leah had a dark side? Not a big surprise, considering her suicide attempt. Everything I’d learned about her so far proved she’d been troubled. I wanted to know more, to understand her motivations. It was like I watched from outside this body, studying and learning. For my own survival, I needed to discover Leah’s secrets.
“Only one more block,” Eli said apologetically. “Sorry I don’t have a car to drive you around. Chad would never make you walk anywhere. He’s had some kind of vehicle ever since he got his permit — several cars, and now a motorcycle. He thinks I’m nuts to refuse Dad’s offer of a new car from his dealership.”
“So why did you refuse?”
“I wanted to save up and earn my first car on my own. Not a handout my father chose for me. Besides, I knew the offer was a bribe to join the family business and work for him selling cars — which I’d hate. Still, a car would sure come in handy now.”
“That’s okay. I don’t have my own car, either.”
“Sure you do … oh, that’s Leah’s car.”
“I would have borrowed it if Mr. Montgomery hadn’t taken the keys.”
“Well, I know where Dad keeps his keys, so we can borrow one of his cars. He always has a few extra in our garage. We’re almost to my house.”