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Jenna got in and closed her door. I did the same, but before I could close the door. David stepped on the accelerator, and the door slammed closed behind me.. I fell forward onto Luke, who laughed. Jenna screamed as we shot off down the street and turned the corner so sharply the wheels squealed.

Luke sat up and reached over to put his arm around me and pull me closer.

"The way David drives. I better hold on to you," he said.

Jenna looked back and flashed a smile at me. Her eves were lit with excitement. David continued to accelerate when he turned onto a main highway. I could see we were going close to ninety miles an hour. I had never gone this fast in an automobile. My heart was pounding.

"Slow down." Jenna told David after she looked back at us again. "You've got the poor girl terrified. Don't worry," she told me. "David is used to driving fast."

"The problem is, he does everything too fast," Luke quipped, and they all laughed.

"How would you know that?" Jenna fired back at him. It was David's time to laugh.

"Don't you remember, Jenna? You told me," Luke countered, and they all laughed again.

Teasing and insulting each other was obviously their idea of

"Stop looking so worried, April," Jenna told me.

"Give her something to calm her down," David told Jenna, and jerked his head in my direction.

"Oh, sure," she said. "Here." She handed me a bag with an open bottle in it. "Take some of this."

"What is it?" I asked, without taking it.

"Just some good vodka. It'll warm you up and make you feel good."

"I don't drink," I said.

"Nobody drinks." Luke said. "but once in a while, it helps. No big deal. Go on, take a swig," he urged.

"You're not afraid of some vodka, are you. Scooter?" David taunted.

"No," I said. "I'm just not used to drinking."

Jenna held it out and smiled. "Get used to it," she suggested.

They were all watching to see what I would do. and I realized it was some sort of test. One sip can't hurt. I thought. I closed my hands around the bottle and brought the neck of it to my lips to take a very quick taste. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything delicious to me, either.

"That's not a drink. Take a real drink," Luke said, putting his hand under the bottom of the bottle and lifting it so I would bring it to my lips again.

I did, and he held it there while I swallowed and swallowed until I started to gag.

"Great!" Jenna cried.

"Good work. Scooter," David added.

Luke smiled and took a long drink from the bottle himself. "Good stuff. Where's it from, your daddy's private stash. David?"

"Matter of fact, it is," he said. "I poured it into that bottle and poured some water into his. He mixes it, anyway, so he won't know the difference," David said.

We were continuing down the highway and passed what I knew to be the exit for the mall. I looked back and nudged Jenna.

"I thought we were going to the mall."

"Yes, David," Jenna said. "I thought we were going to the "Later," he said. "I got a nice surprise for us."

"Oh, great." she squealed, and turned to me. "I love surprises, don't you. April?"


Tags: V.C. Andrews Shadows Horror