"Sweet! I can't believe my idol turned out to be my dad! Does this mean he can stay for dinner, mom? After all, he did come to ask you on a date."
"Well, I don't know, I mean..."
"Oh, come on Cherry. You've kept him from me for nine years, let me at least get to know my son, and catch up with you. You did promise me a date."
"Fine, I give, you can stay for dinner. You both all right with subs? I can go pick them up while you two catch up."
"Sure. Are you fine with that kid?"
"Yes! I love subs. Meatball for me, mom."
"I know, I know, with extra sauce and provolone. How about you, Zack, still an Italian guy with ranch dressing and Swiss?"
"You still know me so well; I have to admit that makes me happy." Zack reached into his pocket to grab his wallet and pulled out a crisp fifty-dollar bill. "Here, I'll pay."
"There is no need, I can more than cover it, plus, my food here is free."
"Would you stop that?" He frowned at her. "I get it, you're a strong independent woman who survived this long without me, but I still like to pay for our dates."
"Who said anything about this being a date?"
"Me, I'm counting this as a family date whether you like it or not."
"Fine." Charlotte snatched the cash out from his hand, and turned with a huff. "I'll be back in a jiffy. Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of."
"I won't. Grab chips and drinks too."
"And don't forget the cookies, mom."
Rolling her eyes, Charlotte strolled down the hallway. An enormous weight had been lifted off her chest. Charles was right after all. She was exaggerating the exchange that would take place, and now she felt less guilty about the secret she kept for so many years. Walking out of the hotel with a smile, she scattered the six crows which were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for her and continued to the small sub shop a five-minute walk away to pick up their orders.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You know how sometimes you tell yourself that you have a choice, but really you don't have a choice? Just because there are alternatives doesn't mean they apply to you.”—Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave
R eturning to the room, Charlotte found Zack and Kevin sitting at the table having a grand old time chatting. They seemed to be discussing Zack's time in high school and how he had met her, which did little to amuse her. She was glad to see they got along so well together, almost as if they had known each other this whole time, but she didn't want her son to learn much about her life prior to having him. Sitting down in a chair between the two of them, she distributed their meals, unwrapped her sandwich, and bit into it as she continued to observe their conversation. Laughing, Kevin went for his food while Zack grabbed hold of his drink, leaned back in his chair, and looked over at her while playing with his straw.
"So, our son tells me you guys have been living in hotels for well over a year now."
"Yes, unfortunately." Charlotte put down her food, and leaned back into her chair. "That's what happens when you leave an abusive relationship on a medic's salary in Seattle. But now that we are here, I can find a place to rent once I finally get a day off."
"Why not come stay with me instead? I have two extra bedrooms at the house I'm renting, and I will be here for a while. This place is full of secrets waiting to be discovered, so I'd say I'll be here at least a month, if not longer. It will get you out of the hotel and give me time to bond with my son. And you never know, you might convince me to stay here, or I might convince you to move."
"I don't know about that..." she glanced over at Zack and her heart panged. New possibilities were open to her now that the truth had come out, but caution still lingered in the back of her mind. "I'm not sure that would be the best idea given our past and everything."
"Come on mom, don't be like this. Think about me. I'm so bored with no homework while I wait for you, and dad can show me around and teach me things instead of me sitting here playing video games all day. Plus," Kevin poked at his sandwich, "we can finally stop living on takeout. You'd have a kitchen, and you can start cooking again. I miss your cooking, and I bet dad has never tasted how good it is."
"Actually, I have on many occasions, but that's a story for another day. What do you say, Cherry? It's not like I bite."
"Pretty please." Kevin glanced up at her with pleading eyes and brought his hands together up to his face. "With a cherry on top."
"Oh fine, I guess it will get me to stop worrying about you, and with separate rooms, nothing should be an issue. We can pack our bags after dinner, and I'll go check us out, so we can go live with your dad for a bit. After all, I guess there is no harm in giving it a try."
"Yes! You're the best mom ever."
"You won't regret it, babe, I promise you."
"Yeah... I sure hope I won't."
Sitting at the table, looking over the two men in her life, the surrounding air grow heavier. A nagging foreboding stirred deep in her gut, like an itch she could not scratch, making her squirm in her seat. Somehow, and she didn't know how, she knew that Kevin and Zack were in danger, and she recalled the words the pigman spoke to her: go there, find answers, or die. In the dream she was not sure what it meant, but now the warning felt more pungent, resonating deep in her soul as she finally deciphered its urgency. If they stayed on the island without figuring out its secrets, they would all perish in a few days' time. Choking down her food, Charlotte excused herself to go check out of the hotel while her stomach continued to twist with this new revelation.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“The past beats inside me like a second heart.”—John Banville, The Sea
T he drive over to Zack's rental was not long. The two-story, navy-blue Gambrel house was a short distance away from the station. As the Land Rover pulled into the gravel driveway Charlotte's eyes trailed past the enclosed porch with the white latticed windows and landed on the balcony above. On the navy, Chippendale railing sat six crows, one for each of the posts. She paid no attention to them, instead her eyes focused on the red door leading out onto the platform. Beyond the door lay long-forgotten memories which were now being dredged up, swirling like murky waters in her mind. Happiness came over her, followed by dread, and the pang of sadness. Startled by this strange cocktail of emotions the house elicited from her, she let out a small gasp.
"What's wrong?"
"This will sound strange, but..." she turned to glance at Zack, "I remember this place. It's hazy, almost like a distant memory which I locked up tight and tucked away in the corners of my mind, but it's becoming clear with me being here."
"Is this your memory or an ancestral memory?"
"Mine, I think. Maybe my family vacationed here one time or something."
"That could be it," Zack shut off the engine of his SUV, "although I find it unlikely given how much your mother hates the state of Maine. I mean, she pitched a fit when I asked you to come to Bar Harbor with me and my family the summer after we met. Remember, I thought it was because she didn't want us doing things together and didn't trust my folks, but then you assured me it was because she didn't want you setting foot in the state for some unknown reason."
"Of course, I almost forgot," Charlotte giggled at the memory of Zack's horror-stricken face when he thought her mother figured out their secret. "It's the reason I am yet to tell her Kevin, and I moved here. I'm afraid I'll give her a heart attack. She always turned white as a sheet whenever Maine was brought up, almost like some horrible thing happened to her here, one she did not wish to recall. And you want to know something else that's strange?"
"What?"
"For some odd reason, I picture this place a lighter color, a silvery-gray I want to say."
"Well, anything is possible, after all, the new owner recently redone it. I was told this place had sat abandoned for twenty-five years before someone bought it. So, if you visited it at some point, you would have had to be a year old, or younger."
"Really, that's fascinating, I didn't th
ink babies could have memories."
"Why not? It's more like we have memories from when we were little, we just can't recall them because there are few feelings attached to them."
"I guess you're right." Charlotte hopped out of the car and looked over her shoulder at the enclosed porch at the back. "Why do you think someone would abandon this place? It's gorgeous."
"No clue. Maybe it was bankruptcy, storm damage, death of the owner. The possibilities are limitless." Zack got out, shut the door, and put his arm around Kevin. "You guys want to go have a look around? I know you always had an affinity for Dutch Colonials, Cherry."
"Why, Zack, did you rent this place because it reminded you of me?"
"Maybe... let's just go in, so I can give you a tour of the place."
"Fine. Lead the way."
Showing them through the front door of the house, Zack pointed to his study with all his equipment thrown about to the left. His notes and maps sprawled out along the stately mahogany desk, almost burying the paper-thin silver laptop glowing under the mound of paperwork. Straight ahead, beyond the modern interpretation of colonial furniture, nestled in the yellow walls sat a white fireplace, with a painting of a Fluyt caught in a raging storm. Charlotte always loved naval history, ever since reading Moby Dick, and she guessed the painting was of the ill-fated Sophie Schreur, which was thought to be lost at sea with all one-hundred souls on board. Still admiring the picture, she barely heard what Zack said until Kevin grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her along towards the stairs beyond which lay a modern kitchen and an attached dining room.
The boy pulled her up the steps to a narrow hallway on the second floor. Behind her, another set of stairs led to the attic. More nautical paintings of sailing vessels falling victim to giant squids or other sea monsters decorated the Oxford blue walls. Before her were three steps leading to an elevated platform with double doors, she guessed lead to the master bedroom. Another two doors were on either side of her, and all of them were closed. She wanted to ask which room she should put her stuff in, and Zack, who always seemed to read her mind, smiled, and looked down at her before he guided her to the left.
"All right, so my room is straight ahead. It has the door which leads out onto the balcony. Cherry, you can take the one right next to it on the left. The door to the right has the bathroom you will share with Kevin, unless of course, you'd rather use the one in the master bedroom."
"No, no, I'm fine with the one on the right."
"Where is my room?"
"Yours is right down that small hallway, it's called the bunk room."
"Bunk room?"
"Come on, I'll show you. Something tells me you're going to love it."
Zack guided Kevin to a door hidden in the small alcove, and Charlotte followed behind them into a generously sized room. It had two closets with a white desk and chair on the left and to the right was a white twin over queen bunk bed. Straight ahead, raised slightly above the rest of the room, was a sitting area with two powder blue chairs, a white coffee table, and two matching bookshelves on either side. A large picture window behind the chairs looked over onto the gravel driveway where the Land Rover was parked, and two more windows flanked the bed, glancing over the back yard. Kevin's eyes lit up, and he ran around inspecting the room, eventually dropping his bag in the sitting area, and running over to the bed.
"Sweet! I always wanted a bunk bed."
"Well, now you got one. At least while you live here. And you know what else?"
"What?"
"You can sleep in any bunk you want."
"Yes..." Kevin jumped up and down. "I'll sleep on the top."
"I figured that much." Charlotte smiled at his excitement, knowing full well that now the only bed he'd ever want would be a bunk bed like this one. "Why not get ready for bed so you can test it out?"
"Do I have to, mom? I was hoping I could talk to dad more."
"No, your mother is right. You can settle down and read a book or play your games. I think she and I need some time to catch up and discuss things further. I promise you that tomorrow I will be all yours as soon as you return home from school."
"Oh fine." The boy ran over and hugged his father. "I guess maybe it will give you guys a chance to work things out, so I don't have to live with another Bret." Kevin shuddered at the thought of the man before muttering to himself. "I doubt you could get much worse than that guy."
Zack said good night to his son and said he was going downstairs to prepare tea because he knew how much Charlotte enjoyed a cup at the end of the day. She watched her son run into the bathroom before she made her way into her room to put down her bags. The room with its full-sized bed and two latticed windows overlooking the street held a familiarity to it, triggering in her the strange slew of emotions. Setting her bag down by the striped chair near the window, she glanced through the sheet of white curtains and a strange sense of dread set in deep in her stomach, and her heart twisted in her chest. She was suddenly afraid—afraid of losing Kevin and Zack—and no matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the feeling that she may never see them again.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I know that's what people say—you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, you’ll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”—Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
P utting away her things and saying goodnight to Kevin, Charlotte made her way down the stairs to sit on the porch swing overlooking a small row of shops. The still air outside was calm, yet oppressive, and the chirruping of crickets in a nearby hedge sounded threatening. Deep in her gut, something told her terrible things were coming her way. Shivering despite the warm evening, she folded her arms around herself as Zack came out to join her. Placing the two steaming cups of tea on a nearby table, he sat down beside her, putting his arm across the back of the swing.
"So," he looked at her with a serene expression and a soft smile, "did you name him Kevin because I always said that's what I wanted to call my son if I ever had one?"
"Yes. I guess a part of me always dreamed things would return to normal between us and that we would be a family. And also, another part of me just wanted to hang on to you in any way it could, even if reality told me I'd never see you again."
"Yeah, I guess I know what that's like." Zack went silent for a moment and glanced down into his lap before he spoke again. "Kevin told me all about Bret and how he treated you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it's not your fault."
"Maybe it is. I was the one who left you, so I can't help but feel responsible for what you've been through."
"You were not responsible for the choices I made; those are on me. I don't need you blaming yourself for my poor decisions."
"All right, fine, I'll let you be the martyr of this story, but just this once." He looked up at her with an infectious smirk. "So, aside from having my kid and giving up your dreams, how else have you been the last ten years."
"I've been surviving, I guess, but when you make as many mistakes as I do, that's about all you can do." Charlotte continued to gaze into his eyes, and her heart fluttered again. "And what of you? How did you go from wanting to be a journalist to being a so-called paranormal expert?"
"Funny story, really. After I graduated UCLA with honors, I moved to New York with this stupid idea that I was going to land a job working for the Times, but they laughed me out of there and told me to gain more experience first. I spent the next year looking for a job with no luck, all the while working odd jobs to pay for a little shit hole apartment in Brooklyn I lived in. And it was in that apartment that I had a creepy experience of stumbling on a ghost of a young woman in white, watching me while I slept. At first, it freaked me out, but then I decided to figure out why she was haunting the place. Turns out they used my place as a sick house during the typhoid outbreak in eighteen ninety-nine, and she was one of the people who died from it. It
intrigued me so much that I tracked down other people who had an encounter with her and wrote a book about it."
"Ah, yes, White Lady of Crown Heights."
"You read it?"
"I couldn't resist after seeing your name on it. I didn't think it was real though."
"Well, now you know it was." He glanced back down at the folded hands in his lap. "The rest is history, I guess. I realized I found my calling and went on to track down more stories of the paranormal and published more and more books. Then I got a few TV show deals, and my career really took off."
"Yes, you've done well for yourself. I'm proud of you, Zack." Charlotte looked out onto the empty street before turning back to him. "And is it true what they say, do you really own that famous haunted house on Ocean Drive now?"
"Yeah, it's true." Zack chucked. "Though it's anything but little, or haunted. You should come check it out. Both you and Kevin can come live with me, you know, we can be a family like you always wanted."
"I don't know Zack," Charlotte's heart leaped into her throat, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not Cherry? I missed you, you know." Zack leaned in closer to her face, making her body grow hot. "I've never stopped loving you. And despite all my success, I have never felt emptier in my life because you were not in it."
"And I feel the same, I do. But it's just... Kevin has only now got you in his life, and I know he dreams of having his parents together. I don't want to get his hopes up if things don't work out between us. Not to mention we are different people from who we were in high school. We need to spend some time getting reacquainted before we decide to jump into things."
"All right. We'll take it slow then. We still have at least a month to spend together, and I'll leave my offer on the table. Just know that I am not leaving this island without the two of you. I'll stay here for the rest of my life if I have to."
"Thank you... I think."
"Don't mention it. Although I want you to know I never did date anyone after you."
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