Water Town

by Laurel Veil

  24.

  More Than Friends

  The next morning, I woke to find I was alone. I reached for my phone. Toni had texted that she would be busy all day doing chores for her foster mom.

  I felt bad for her, but I felt sorry for myself as well. I’d wanted to mope with her today. Now I had no idea what I was going to do. At least I didn’t have to work. It would’ve been good to be busy, but I didn’t want to run into Dane. I wasn’t ready to deal with him. Not yet.

  I got dressed and went to see Miss Betty. I could tell she was glad to see me, but I could also tell she wasn’t feeling well.

  I made her sit down and helped her put her feet up on an ottoman.

  “Here’s a fresh cup of coffee, Miss Betty.”

  She smiled sheepishly. “I’m plumb embarrassed just sitting here while you’re working and waiting on me.”

  “Please, don’t be. I want to help you. I’m glad I can.”

  “Well thank ya, honey. I do appreciate it.”

  I tidied up a bit. There wasn’t much to do at all, so then I sat down, and we visited. It wasn’t too long before Miss Betty was yawning. “Excuse me. It seems I’m a little more tired these days.”

  “Are you comfortable in your chair?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “OK, then.” I took her coffee cup to the kitchen and rinsed it. Before I made it back with a quilt, she had already dozed off. I gently covered her and left.

  I was pretty hungry, so I decided I would go to the place Toni and I had first met, The Lunch Box.

  As I was waiting for the lane to clear, so I could turn into the parking lot, I saw Toni across the street at the frozen yogurt shop. I was thrilled at my luck. And, just as I was wondering why she hadn’t called me, Jimmy walked out with two cups of yogurt. What the…? I guessed they’d made up. I decided not to stop at The Lunch Box. If they saw me, I might get stuck being a third wheel. Before I got completely past the yogurt shop, Jade and Dane stepped out and sat next to Toni and Jimmy.

  I began to get tunnel vision. I wasn’t even sure how I was still driving. Toni had never had to help her foster mom this morning. She’d been with Jimmy the entire time. And what was she doing hanging out with Jade? That had me just as upset as the fact that Dane was with Jade. What the hell?

  I drove to the boardwalk, found a parking spot and sobbed. When my eyes were finally too swollen to produce any more tears, I decided I would walk up and down the boardwalk and then the beach until I was ready to drop dead. Just as I went to open the door, my phone dinged, and I secretly hoped it was Dane. I wanted him to tell me it was all a big misunderstanding, and another part of me hoped it was him just so I could ignore him. When I looked down, I didn’t recognize the number, but there was a picture. The caption read: Bon Jour from Paris. I enlarged the photo. It was a picture of my dad. This was obviously Rachel. She knew I didn’t like her, and she was just getting a jab in. What a bitch. I blocked her number and deleted the photo.

  Could anything else go wrong? I wondered as I window-shopped. I kept glancing at my phone, and couldn’t believe neither Toni nor Dane were trying to reach me. Unbelievable. My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten a thing all day.

  “Ron. Hey, Ron!”

  My heart skipped a beat. Was it Dane? Ugh, why did I care?

  “I thought that was you.”

  “Hey, Nick,” I said. “It’s good to see you.” I was surprised when I realized I really meant it. I’d never minded being alone—when I wasn’t being pestered by ghosts—but I just didn’t want to be alone right now. I could feel Miss Betty and my dad slipping away the way my mom had. And now, Dane and Toni were next in line.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Actually, I’m starving,” I said.

  He bent his arm so I could put mine through it, and I did. “Someone as beautiful as you should not be eating alone.” He smiled. “Where to?”

  “Surprise me.”

  We wound up eating on the patio of a casual seafood restaurant, enjoying a nice breeze and a view of the ocean.

  Nick was funny, which made him easy to talk to. I enjoyed his company so much, I kept trying to force myself to like him as more than just a friend. But when I imagined kissing him, I just didn’t feel anything.

  A carousel of memories of Dane continuously went round and round in my mind—him handing me the sand dollar; him in his sunglasses, the wind blowing his hair around as he drove me to pick up the couch; how he’d swooped me off my feet on the beach that day; the good time we’d had fixing up the beach house; how he’d pulled me to my feet when I tripped and then held me; him kissing me—my first kiss—and telling me not to see Nick again. My chest tightened. He was so thoughtful, and always helping me. I looked around, hoping I would see him in the crowd, wishing he would see me with Nick and become consumed with jealousy.

  “I said, do you want some dessert?” said Nick.

  “Oh, uh, no thank you. I’m stuffed.”

  Nick grinned.

  “What?”

  “What are you thinking about? Or should I say who?”

  “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He chuckled. “Right. You’ve been scouring the crowd and your mind is a million miles away—or maybe it’s just down the road.” His expression said he knew he was right, so I shouldn’t even try denying it.

  I started to protest anyway, then stopped and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I told you before, I don’t mind being used.” He raised his brows. “Not by you. So, what happened?”

  I took a moment and briefly explained.

  “Well, you don’t know how much I wish I could tell you Dane’s a punk, but… I can’t. I’ve known him a while. He’s a pretty good guy. The fact that he takes so much shit from Jade practically makes him a saint.”

  “So he’s always had this weird relationship—” I almost choked on the word, “with her?”

  “Yeah. Her step-dad is pathetic. He’s knocked her and her mom around. Her mom won’t leave him though, because they don’t have anywhere to go.”

  “That’s terrible.” I still didn’t like her, but I felt guilty for it now.

  “Yeah, and ever since her sister died, Jade’s only gotten worse.”

  I gasped. “Her sister died?”

  “That’s why she’s so fascinated with ghosts and ghost-hunting now. I think she’s hoping she’ll make contact with her sister.”

  “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “The rumor is your uncle had a private conversation with her step-dad, so even though he still may be mean, at least he’s not beating on them.”

  “Nick!”

  Nick and I both looked up to see a cute girl with strawberry-blond hair waving at him from the boardwalk.

  “Hey, Madison,” Nick said as she made her way to our table.

  I could tell she liked him by the way she looked at him and I was surprised to feel, though it was small, a little jealous.

  “Did you hear?” she asked.

  “What is it now?” asked Nick. He sounded bored.

  “Jade is pregnant!”

  I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

  “And Dane…”

  Everything turned black except for the circle of light that was around Madison’s face.

  “is the…”

  I was so lightheaded, I was going to faint. I felt like I had just been punched in the gut.

  “father.”

  Nick reached for me when I stood up from the table, but I walked away as quickly as my numb legs would take me and let myself get lost in the crowd.

  I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.

  I barely knew him, but I was falling in love with him. I felt so betrayed.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket when I felt it vibrate with an incoming text. It was from Nick. Not my boyfriend. Not my best friend. Nick was the only one reaching out to me. Just… wow.

  His text read: Do
n’t listen to Madi! She gossips.

  Where r u?

  I was beginning to think Nick was my only true friend. I knew it was wrong, but I shoved my phone back into my pocket without responding anyway, and continued feeling sorry for myself.

  ***

  As the sun began to set, I made my way back into town. My feet were killing me, so I sat down on a park bench and rested them for a while.

  I watched as a couple girls my age walked by, whispering secrets and laughing. I suddenly whipped my phone out and called Toni. I couldn’t wait to tell her I’d seen her palling around with Jade and Dane. With every ring, I grew angrier. I was going to let her have it!

  “Hello?” came a raspy smoker’s voice. I knew that voice. It was Toni’s foster mom.

  “H—Hi,” I stuttered nervously. “I was trying to reach Toni.”

  “She’s in big trouble and will not have access to this phone for a while!” she snapped. I could hear the spittle flying from her lips. “She ran out early this morning when she decided she didn’t like the chores I had for her to do. Ingrate! Everyone needs to do their part around here! Do you know where she is?”

  “No, ma’am. I—”

  “It was lucky for her that boy happened to drive by when he did. I was this close to yanking her sorry ass back in this house and taking a much-needed switch to her backside. That’s what’s wrong with kids today. No discipline. I’m sure she’s off with him somewhere doing who knows—”

  I ended the call. My poor friend. She’d just gone through hell, and had her phone taken from her—she couldn’t call me. I was grateful that Jimmy’d showed up when he had. When did I get so self-absorbed?

  I was about to get up when a red bird landed on the bench next to me. I gasped. It stayed only a moment, then flew to a limb. I followed it with my eyes as it went from perch to perch, until it landed on a fence—the fence that ran the perimeter of Thorton Mansion.

  I watched in amazement as it flew toward the mansion. I thought for a moment I’d lost sight of it, until I heard it pecking on the highest window. I jumped up without hesitating and took hold of the same limb Toni and I used to escape the other night. Luckily, no one was coming and I inched my way over onto the property.

  I couldn’t believe what I was doing, but I couldn’t make myself stop. I knew I had to follow that bird.

  When I finally reached the side of the house, I froze in my tracks and wondered what I was supposed to do now? What was I even doing? Did I have a death wish because Dane had been ripped from my life?

  I held my breath when the front door opened, flattened my body up against the brick and listened. Footsteps walked towards the gate. I heard it squeak open and clank shut, then watched as Edmond walked down the sidewalk and out of sight.

  I didn’t know how long I had, but I was going inside and finding the other side of the window the bird was tapping on.

  I sneaked around to the back of the house and went up the steps onto the flagstone patio. There was a long row of French doors in front of me. I checked every handle, and the last one was unlocked. I prayed the alarm wasn’t set, if there was one, and pushed the door open.

  A chime rang out—was it an alarm? It stopped almost as soon as it began. It must’ve just been a door sensor, so I exhaled. And then a new thought entered my mind. What if there was a silent alarm going off? What would my uncle think when he discovered I had broken into the mansion?

  A noise made my heart skip, and I realized I’d never considered there could be someone else in the house. I was going to get shot! “H—Hello? I was just hoping I could get a tour of the mansion.” I grimaced at my lame excuse.

  Just then, Edmond’s dog came around the corner, yapping when it saw me. I got down on my knees and held out my hands. “Here boy,” I said gently. “It’s OK.” When he got close enough to sniff my hand, I picked him up, patted his head, and placed him in the crate that was in the kitchen, by the back staircase. I raced up the wooden steps as quickly as I could.

  The second floor smelled even mustier than the first floor had. The atmosphere was heavy and still, like no one had passed through it in years. It was a fug of humidity and mildew, and it was hard to breath.

  I prayed I wouldn’t see the ghostly man from long ago, and began frantically opening every door I came to as I searched for the staircase to the attic.

  The door near the end of the hall, was locked. That had to be it; it was the last one. With a trembling hand, I reached up and slid the small, brass bar over, opened the door, and switched on a light. A steep, narrow staircase loomed down at me from a single door.

  I ascended each dusty, worn step thoughtfully, so I wouldn’t fall. When I reached the top, I saw another brass lock. As I reached for it, a tapping sound made me flinch. I almost lost my balance.

  I looked down the steep staircase, so grateful I hadn’t fallen. A tumble like that probably would’ve killed me. But what if it just knocked me unconscious instead, and Edmond came back and found me? What would I have said? How would I have explained myself? My stomach ached. I needed to hurry up and get out of there.

  The tapping sound came again. I bet it was the red bird! I was definitely in the right place. I twisted the knob, and… slowly… opened… the door.

  25.

  Reunited

  I had expected to see cobwebbed-covered antiques and filth, but instead I saw a child’s bedroom—a girl’s. It smelled of rose petals, it was clean and the walls were white. There were dolls and toys everywhere. I was so taken aback by its perfection, I almost forgot I needed to hurry up and leave.

  Feeling like an idiot for having wasted so much time and risked getting in so much trouble, I turned to go.

  Frantic tapping at the window made me jump and turn back around. That was when I saw her huddled in the corner, her face buried in a teddy bear.

  “I—I’m so sorry. I—” I tried desperately to explain myself, but stopped. The little girl was afraid, but suddenly I didn’t think I was the one who had her so upset.

  I stepped gingerly toward her and got down on my knees so I wouldn’t tower over her and frighten her any more than she already was.

  “Hi, I’m Ronnie. Are you OK?”

  She finally looked up with frightened eyes.

  How could it be? “Are you… Sophie?”

  She nodded and brushed a tear away.

  “You don’t belong here, do you?” I said.

  Her bottom lip quivered as it tried to turn under. “I wanna go home.”

  I nodded. “Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll take you home, sweetie.” I held out my arms and she came to me, the tears she’d been holding back now running down her cheeks. “I want my mommy.”

  I held her tightly for a moment. “Yes, honey. I’ll take you to your mommy right now. Come on though, we have to hurry.”

  Just as we reached the last step of the back staircase, I heard the front door open. I looked down at Sophie and she looked up at me with terror in her eyes. Without saying a word, I told her not to make a sound. I knew she knew not to without me having to warn her.

  We could hear his footsteps coming towards the kitchen. We didn’t have time to make it to the door. I pulled Sophie, and we ducked into the utility room and held our breath.

  With trembling hands, I pulled my cell from my back pocket and made sure it was on silent. I wanted to call 911, but I couldn’t risk being heard, so with clumsy fingers, I attempted to text my uncle.

  Help emergency thorton mansion

  I prayed Edmond wouldn’t let the dog out. It would come running straight for us and give away our hiding spot.

  When we heard his footsteps heading up the stairs, we hesitated only a second before running to the door and into the yard.

  I pulled Sophie along, coaxing her to run faster as we reached the corner of the property near the fence. I hoisted her up into the tree. “It’s going to be OK, now. Scooch across the limb some. I’ll follow you in a sec. I’m going to call 911.”

  We both lo
oked in horror when we heard the front door rip open. I pulled myself up into the tree so I could follow Sophie across the limb, but suddenly felt a strong yank on my right leg. I looked down in horror and saw Edmond’s face twisted with anger. I tried to pull free and kick him in the head.

  He’d almost pulled me down when I heard a siren, and then he took off running. I waved. “Uncle Bill!” I jumped down as he leaped from his squad car and ran to me.