“Guys, I’m going to check out the upstairs,” I said, climbing the staircase, two steps at a time. I could barely contain my excitement now that I knew we were actually staying at such a glamorous place.
“Pick out a bedroom!” she called as I made it to the top of the stairs. “I don’t care which; I hear they’re all pretty nice.”
“Will do!” I hollered back.
There were several bedrooms on the upper level, all spacious and each having their own bathroom. I chose one with a queen-sized pillow-top bed and a small balcony with an awesome view of the lake.
“So, what do you think?” asked my mom from the doorway, a few minutes later.
“Oh, my God, I love it!” I squealed. “I feel like we’re on vacation somewhere. I wish we could stay here forever.”
“I know, it’s pretty breathtaking. I don’t know about this one, but my bedroom has its own Jacuzzi and a closet so big, I could park the car in it. I’m going to check out yours.”
While she did that, I walked over to the balcony door and opened it, enjoying the cool air on my cheek. It was dark outside, but the reflection of the moon on the water made the lake seem so peaceful. I imagined myself lying on some kind of canoe or boat, staring up at the moon with the waves rocking me to sleep. “I just can’t believe this place. If we’re dreaming, I never want to wake up.”
She stepped next to me and linked her arm through mine. “Don’t worry, it’s real.”
My stomach began to growl and I patted it. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I’m getting there myself. Let’s go see if Nathan did what I asked and brought the groceries inside. I’ll make us something to eat.”
“Okay.”
We went back downstairs and I helped mom put the rest of the groceries away in the fridge, which actually looked like the wooden cupboards surrounding it.
She took out a frying pan from one of the boxes in the kitchen and smiled. “Who wants homemade sliders? It might be ghetto here, but I’m not about to give those up.”
“Yeah, I’ll take as many as you can make,” replied Nathan as he entered the kitchen. “I’m going to pass out if I don’t get something to eat soon.”
“I’m surprised you’re still walking,” I said.
“Me too,” he said, opening up the refrigerator. He grabbed a jar of pickles and untwisted the cap. Before he could get his fingers inside of the jar, mom stopped him.
“Here,” she said, handing him a fork. “Don’t use your fingers.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Oh, thanks.”
“So,” she said as she began preparing dinner, “is this place incredible or what?”
“Not too shabby,” said Nathan between bites of his pickle. “And it’s so quiet, I feel like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Mom nodded. “The next cabin is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here, but you’d never know it’s so peaceful.”
“Yeah, you did good, mom,” I said, cutting the onions for our burgers. “I just can’t wait until tomorrow when we get to see it all in the daylight.”
Nathan nodded. “Yeah, I’d really like to take the boat out on the lake tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
“Sure,” she answered
He wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sweet.”
She opened the fridge and grabbed the cheese. “I think that would be good for all of us to get out on that lake. I haven’t been able to work on my tan all summer.”
I snorted; my mom was as white as a ghost and typically burned and peeled, but never really tanned. My brother and I were the opposite, fortunately, even though you’d never know it this year. I just hadn’t had the time to get any sun, especially after the “incident.”
After dinner, I helped her with the dishes and then decided to check out the whirlpool tub in my bathroom.
“I’m taking a long, relaxing bath and then going to bed,” I said as we neared the staircase. It had been a long drive and I was so exhausted, I didn’t even feel like unpacking anything just yet.
“Okay,” she replied, kissing the top of my head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
A moving company had dropped off our belongings earlier in the day and I found some of my own boxes very quickly. After carrying them to my room, I grabbed a towel and the fluffy white robe my mom had given me for Christmas last year. As I was about to walk into my bathroom to start the tub, there was a soft knock.
“Yeah?”
My brother opened the door. “Hey, I’m sorry about snapping at you earlier. You were right,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I was being a little bit of an asshole.”
“Don’t worry, I’m used to it.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “You were kind of a bitch too, you know.”
I gasped. “I’ll show you bitch,” I replied, throwing my hairbrush at him. It missed and hit the wall next to the door.
“Better work on your aim,” he replied with a smirk.
I picked up my curling iron and raised it in the air. “Leave before I give you ringlets! I swear to God, I’ll make you pretty!”
He brushed his bangs away from his eyes. “Can you include a bow? I’d look even prettier with a bow.”
I broke down and started laughing. “You are such a freak.”
“No need to be jealous. You’re my twin and kind of a freak, too.”
“Lucky me.”
He smiled. “Night, Nik. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay, goodnight.”
After he left, I grabbed my things and stepped into the black and white marbled bathroom, locking the door behind me. When I turned back around, I smiled.
Amazing.
There was even a large panoramic window surrounding the Jacuzzi with a view of the lake. Although it was dark and I couldn’t see much of anything outside, I imagined during the day, it was incredible.
I walked over to the large square tub and turned on the water. I sat on the edge and watched it rise slowly, wondering how many gallons I’d be using before it covered the jets entirely. It was enormous, even larger than the pool we’d had as kids. Hell, the entire bathroom was fit for a celebrity and I was going to use it for the next year or two? I decided to kiss Ernie myself the next time I saw him.
I stood back up and opened the new vanilla-scented spa bath gift set my mom had given me. I then lit the candle that came with it and placed it near the tub. When the water was high enough, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, turned off the lights, and removed my shirt and jeans.
“Oh, yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about,” I whispered, groaning in pleasure as I sunk into the warm bath. I laid my head against the bath pillow and closed my eyes. I imagined it couldn’t possibly get any better, but then remembered I’d forgotten my iPod. If this was Heaven, then listening to the music could only take me to another level of bliss.
As I stood up to grab a towel, my eyes were drawn towards a movement near the right side of the window that I was now facing. My heart stopped as a set of fiery-red eyes stared back at me. When I finally found my voice, I screamed in horror, and whatever it was, quickly shot away.
“Mom!” I shrieked, trying not to slip on the wet floor. I grabbed my robe and skidded out of the bathroom as quickly as possible.
“What is it?” she cried, bursting through the door, also wearing her yellow terrycloth robe.
Trembling, I pointed towards the bathroom. “Mom,” I choked, “someone was watching me in the window! They saw me naked!”
Her eyes widened and she reached for the softball bat sticking out of one of my boxes. With my heart pounding in my chest, I followed her into the bathroom, half expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. She kept the light switch off and moved towards the window.
“Do you see anything?” I whispered over her shoulder.
Sighing, she turned to me and lowered the bat. “No.”
I looked back towards the darkness, and a shiver ran down my spine. I tu
rned back to her. “Are you sure?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Yes, I’m sure. I also don’t see how anyone could be watching you from this height, Nikki.”
“Mom, something was watching me. I’m not lying.”
She touched my cheek. “Baby, it’s been a long day and we’re in the middle of the woods. You probably saw a bird flying by – or maybe even a bat. Don’t be frightened.”
My bedroom was several feet from the ground, and truthfully, I really wasn’t sure what I’d seen. Obviously, it had to be some kind of animal. “I guess that’s possible.”
She held out a hand to me. “Come here and see for yourself. Look how far up we really are.”
Of course, when I looked back outside, common sense told me that we were too high for any person to be looking in.
I closed my eyes. “Yeah, okay, maybe it was just a stupid bat or something.”
“Honey, you’re obviously very tired. Why don’t you go to bed and get a good night’s sleep? I’ll bet that tomorrow, you’ll be laughing about this.”
“Is everything okay in here?” asked Nathan, standing in the doorway in his blue flannel pajama pants.
“Everything’s fine,” she answered with another reassuring smile. “Nikki just saw a bird or something outside and it scared the hell out of her.”
Nathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? You know, I thought I saw something out there, too, when I was in my room watching TV. It freaked the shit out of me.”
I turned to see her reaction.
“What?” she asked, staring at both of us, amused. “Come on… it’s some kind of bird. You know, there’s no possible way a living person could stand outside of your bedroom windows and look in. Unless Spider-man is vacationing in Montana and has decided to scale this particular cabin to check us out. You two are wigging out over nothing.”
“Still, I think we should take a look outside,” said Nathan as he turned and walked away.
“Wait!” my mom hollered. She picked up the bat and charged after him. “Don’t go out there without this!”
And she thought I was being paranoid?
I followed them both downstairs and watched as he switched on the outdoor lights and threw open the front door.
“Be careful!” I hollered, staying back. There was no way I was going out into that unknown darkness, harmless bird or not.
My mom hesitantly followed Nathan outside while I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to remain calm under the circumstances.
This is crazy, I thought, when they closed the door behind them. I wondered if it really was some kind of large bird checking both of us out. Maybe an owl or eagle?
But with red eyes?
Owls were nocturnal so I imagined it was possible, although, I was a city girl and didn’t know the first thing about birds, other than they pooped, a lot, whenever they felt like it.
I chewed on my lower lip and stared towards the dark windows, suddenly wondering if someone or something was watching me from the other side.
Oh, my God… close the blinds, idiot!
I leaped towards the windows, moving the wooden blinds over the four large plated windows as quickly as possible. Once they were all covered, I took a step back and began breathing again.
While I waited for my mom and brother to return, I couldn’t help it, I began to pace as the anxiety quickly built up again. I was definitely wigging out just like she’d said. I started imaging things like Sasquatches and aliens, freaking myself out until I felt like I was almost to the point of hyperventilating.
Jesus, Nikki, chill the hell out.
Frustrated, I went back over to the sofa and sat down, tapping my foot nervously. Seconds later, my brother stormed through the front door, followed by my mom, whose face was as pale as the moon. He picked up the phone and started dialing.
My stomach tightened when I noticed the strange look on Nathan’s face. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Nathan raised his hand to silence me and then began speaking, his voice strangled. “Hello? Yes, I’d like to report a dead body.”
Chapter Three
Three hours later, the dead body, which they’d found near the dock, was examined, bagged, and finally taken away.
“Well,” said Sheriff Caleb Smith, who was standing on the porch. “It looks like it’s the teenage girl who’s been missing for a few weeks, Tina Johnson.”
“What happened to her?” I asked, staring at him. He was taller than I’d thought, standing well over six-foot, had dark hair that hung just below his collar, and an almost perfectly chiseled face, except for his nose, which was a little large. I had to admit, though, for a guy in his thirties, he was handsome.
My mother, who was staring up at him as if he was Superman, cleared her throat. “Before you answer that, would you like to come in and have a cup of coffee, Sheriff?”
He grinned widely and stepped inside. “Thanks; don’t worry about the coffee, though. I really need to be leaving soon.”
“So, was she murdered?” asked Nathan, still freaked out about finding her bloated body sticking out of the water. He’d described it so many times to me that I could see the image in my head, as if I’d actually been there.
The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t think so. She had a history of drinking and left a party pretty intoxicated at the time she went missing. She may have simply fallen into the water and drowned. There will be an autopsy, however, so we’ll know more later.”
Nathan, who watched a lot of C.S.I. shows on television, crossed his arms over his chest. “So, there were no witnesses? Nobody at the party actually saw her leave?”
The sheriff put his hand on the wall and leaned against it. “No. That particular party got a little out of hand and we ended up arresting a few minors for intoxication that night. It was an ugly mess.”
“Goodness,” said mom. “What a horrible thing for her parents. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for them.”
He nodded, looking very somber. “Just like us, they’ve been frantically searching for her all over this town and the next ones over. Well,” he sighed, “at least they have some closure now.”
“How tragic; I can’t possibly imagine how I’d cope in their situation,” she said.
He nodded. “I agree.”
“Sherriff, are you sure you wouldn’t like a cup of coffee? It’ll just take a minute to brew.”
“No, Anne, but thanks again for the offer.” He straightened up and patted his pockets, as if searching for his keys. “I’d better get going; my daughter’s expecting me home soon.”
“You have children?” she asked.
He smiled proudly. “A daughter, Celeste. She just graduated.”
“Oh, you’re a single parent?” she asked, smiling as if she’d just won big on a lottery scratch-off.
Ugh, could she look any more thrilled?
He nodded. “Yes, been single for quite a few years now, in fact.”
“Being a single parent is difficult with normal hours,” she replied quickly. “I could only imagine what you’re going through, with such crazy ones.”
“It’s not too bad. It’s just Celeste, and she’s… fairly manageable. You… you have twins. That must be quite a handful.”
“Not really. They’re pretty good kids.”
He smiled. “Good, then they won’t have to see much of me.”
Mom burst out laughing as if he’d said the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“Oh, hell, I’m just kidding. Most of the other kids around here are pretty well-behaved, as well.”
“Good, then I can relax when these two start meeting other kids in town and go out at night.”
He tilted his head and leaned forward. “I wouldn’t go that far. They are still teenagers”.
“So very true,” she sighed. “Well, thanks for making it out here so quickly. We were all pretty shaken up.”
His lips thinned. “I’m sure. What a horrible experience for your first night in Shore Lak
e, too. I’m sorry you had to go through this.”
“So are we,” she said, frowning. “It was certainly an eventful evening. Crazy, huh?”
“I’d say.” He put his hat on. “I’d better get going. I hope the next time we meet it’s under much better circumstances.”
My mom followed him to the door. “Me, too. Goodnight, Sheriff.”
“Caleb,” he said softly, looking down at her.
Her cheeks turned pink. “Goodnight, Caleb.”
It was actually early morning but mom and Caleb didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy staring at each other with their lonely middle-aged hormones.
“Goodbye, Sheriff,” called Nathan from the couch with a shit-eating grin. Like me, he’d been studying them quietly, and from the look on his face, he also knew they were into each other.
“Yeah, see you,” I added with a wave, hoping he’d just leave, already.
Caleb smiled once more with his gleaming white teeth and then finally walked out the front door.
“He’s such a nice man,” said mom, looking into space with a stupid grin. “It’s so refreshing to know this town has a great guy like him patrolling the streets.”
“Oh, you hardly know him,” I snapped, getting off of the sofa. “He might not really be that nice. It could be an act.”
Both my mom and brother stared at me in surprise.
I raised my chin. “Sorry, but it’s true.”
She shook her head. “Oh for Heaven’s sake, Nikki, don’t be so quick to judge other people.”
I started walking up the steps to my bedroom, ready to fall into that soft pillow-top. “Whatever, I’m going to bed.”
“She’s just being a crab-ass,” said Nathan.
“I heard that!” I hollered.
I knew it was true, though. It had been a long day and I was ready to sleep for the next two.
Chapter Four
I slept until almost eleven the next morning. Mom was already up, drinking coffee and working on her computer, when I padded downstairs in my bare feet.
“Morning,” I said, pouring some coffee for myself. Normally, I wasn’t a coffee drinker, but I really needed something stronger than orange juice to perk me up. Especially after the last few hours.
Toxic (Venom Series) Book Three Page 25
