Amber Eyes

by Mariana Reuter

  I slowly inched the cell phone to my ear. I whispered, “Mom? Laura?” Silence. There wasn’t a single sound on the line. “Mom, please answer me!”

  More silence. Then, some breathing. She was listening. The very… bitch. She was there. I could hear her heavy breathing.

  I blurted, not even stopping to breathe, “Mom, I did as you said. You didn’t come back, so I searched for my grandma. I’m in Abbeville, but she’s not in town. I’m now camping with this bunch of Boy Scouts I met. I’m in this place called Magnolia Hall in Abbeville.” I stopped completely out of air. I could swear I’d just heard a gasp. “Mom? Laura?”

  The line remained silent but still open—I could still hear her heavy breathing. Was she making love to her new boyfriend while she called me? Was she drunk? I wanted to pull my hair out. “Mom, talk to me. Where are you? Yago did things to me. He touched my boobs and wanted me to take off my clothes so I ran away from home. I smashed the TV on him and killed him. The police are looking for me. Mom, I really need you. Jenny is out of town and I can’t contact her. Can you come here and take me home?”

  Click.

  Omigod! All of a sudden, my strength abandoned me and I had to lean on the nearest tree or I would have collapsed. The cell phone slipped from my numb hand, hitting my foot. My mouth was dry like cotton balls. The few things I could distinguish in the darkness turned blurry all at once and tears ran down my cheeks. I stamped my foot on the ground and some mud splashed me.

  I’d just made my last attempt to approach my mom. I’d told her everything because I wanted her to react and to recognize I needed her. I wanted to trigger whatever maternal love was still left within her, but the loser in me couldn’t trigger any maternal love at all. What annoyed me the most was that I still cared for her. I’d thought I’d erased her from my mind but I hadn’t. If she didn’t care anymore, why should I? Why was I still expecting her to recognize that girls need their mothers? Because I was twice a loser. Frustration was driving my tears, not despair.

  I needed badly to stop being a loser and vowed to start now. I squeezed my eyes shut. Justin could not return back to the camp with swollen eyes and streaked cheeks. Daniel would mock me, and the rest of them would ask what on Earth had happened. Supposedly, I only came to pee, so, why the tears then? Okay, I could hide the red, swollen eyes behind the sunglasses, but I couldn’t hide the streaked cheeks or the trembling voice. Boys don’t cry, even when they’re desperate. I wiped my eyes and cheeks with a hand and slowly counted to ten. Then I raised my head and stared at the sky. Beyond the crowded tree tops, the sky’s blackness was splashed by zillions of stars. A cricket chirped nearby. A large bird crossed the air uttering a loud cry. I hugged myself and shivered. The night had suddenly turned cold.

  I had to be positive. Things weren’t really that bad. I’d learned many things already, and it’d been fun. I’d learned how to climb a rock wall. I’d grilled my steak on a campfire. So far, nobody had guessed I was a girl, which was saving me from some extremely embarrassing explanations… and maybe from getting gangbanged. Okay, that was me being melodramatic. They were Boy Scouts, which presumably forbade them from that type of behavior.

  I sighed. The guys must be wondering what on earth had happened to me, taking so much time. I looked around me. Where was I? I’d been wandering since I dropped the phone, and I was not sure whether I’d walked toward or away from the campsite. The cell phone was back in my hand, but I couldn’t recall when I’d picked it up.

  I gazed at the muddy trail in front of me. Then I spun and checked the trail behind me. In both directions, it seemed to be an endless tunnel under the trees.

  “Where am I?” I said aloud.

  Note so self: Next time, leave a trail of bread crumbs like Hansel and Gretel.

  I wasn’t sure which direction I should follow. Edward had mentioned earlier that the property covered about 200 acres. Anybody could wander such a large estate for days without finding their way. The hair at the nape of my neck bristled at the idea. I tried to retrace my steps. The first intersection couldn’t be far away. I was supposed to make a right there.

  A rat crossed my path and I yelped. Something was wrong. I should already have reached the intersection. Had I taken the wrong direction? I shivered and hugged myself, rubbing my arms. Then I froze. I’d just heard footsteps.

  I craned my neck, gazing everywhere and listening carefully. Footsteps, indeed. A cold surge traveled my body. Somebody was right behind me!

  I spun as fast as a tornado, but nobody was there. I did two 360’s only to discover darkness. Goose bumps spread all over my skin, and I rubbed my arms once more. I could swear I’d just heard footsteps. I clenched and opened my fists many times, feeling numbness crawling beneath my skin. Frozen to that spot, I glanced right and left, pursing my lips.

  The footsteps sounded again to my left. They came from behind the bushes and the thicket that flanked the dirt path I’d been walking. There should be a byway behind them. I could clearly hear how leaves and branches crushed under somebody’s feet.

  “Guys?”

  The footsteps stopped.

  “Guys?” I tilted my body forward, opening my eyes as wide as possible.

  I could see nothing beyond five or six feet away. I wiped my hands on my shirt and clenched and opened my fists a coupla more times. I had to be walking in the wrong direction. That had to be the reason why I hadn’t reached the intersection yet. I set off marching the opposite way. After 10 steps, the sound of footsteps returned—a person crushing dry leaves in their stride. Was somebody following me? I stopped and turned toward the place where the sound came from.

  “It’s not funny, guys!”

  The sound of footsteps stopped.

  “Not funny at all, Daniel!”

  Silence. Freakin’ scary. If it was Edward, or Daniel, or any of the guys, it would had been a stupid practical joke, but if it was somebody else…

  I strode fast and, almost immediately, the sound of the footsteps returned, striding equally fast. Omigod! Somebody was actually following me. It had to be the troll. Bet the perv had been watching me all day, waiting until he could catch me alone. He realized since the very first that I was not a guy but a girl and kept it to himself. Just like Yago. Nooo!

  I bolted, running for my life. The footsteps galloped behind me as I dashed. I slipped on the mud but managed to keep my balance and continue running. In the dark, I could barely guess my way. All I could do was to race, following the mud trail wherever it might take me.

  Suddenly, my foot hit something. I stumbled, landing sprawled on a soft bed of putrid leaves. I tasted a mix of mud and God-only-knows-what-else and it made me retch. My arms and clothes were wet, and so was my face, but I couldn’t afford to lose half of a second worrying about it. I jumped to my feet, spat, and bolted again, running like hell.

  I could almost feel the troll’s breath on my neck. I turned back but nobody was behind me, and I couldn’t see anything in the dark. Where was he? Whatever! I kept racing. I leapt over a large rock, then over a puddle, and then I tripped but managed to keep running. The footsteps were right behind me. This time, the troll’s panting was almost on my neck. He breathed hard like the perv he was. I turned my head but, once again, only thin air and darkness stood behind me. However, the footsteps sounded clear. He’d get me in no time.

  I had to stop. I couldn’t run anymore. I needed a rest, but I couldn’t rest. I couldn’t stop, not even to breathe. If I did, the troll would get me, and he would touch me like Yago did with his greasy, hot hands. Augh! I accelerated even more. The dirt trail bent right, but that was wrong. The trails I’d followed before were all straight with no bends. Whatever! I should be on the right trail because our campfire was visible far away through the thicket. I needed to run even faster, so I made an extra effort. With each stride, each of my sneakers sank in the spongy mud and slipped, but a second later I was not touching the ground anymore but literately flying, like the ground had given me lift. Ano
ther stride, another slip, another lift and I was airborne once more even higher, repeating the cycle once, twice, 1,000 times, devouring feet, yards, and maybe even miles as the trees flew by my sides. The experience was exhilarating as much as it was frightening.

  Why wasn’t I reaching the campsite? I should have already reached it by now. My heartbeat was so strong, it boomed inside my skull, sending one single message: Run, Alexandra, run! Run for your life. Once I reached the campsite, I’d be safe. The troll wouldn’t dare confront five teenagers standing up for one of their buddies. My legs ached. I could barely breathe. My hands and arms were so numb I couldn’t feel them anymore. Only one little extra effort and…

  I screamed. The troll was standing 30 feet in front of me, blocking the dirt trail. His dark towering silhouette was even darker than his surroundings. He stood tall with his arms akimbo, and his eyes glittered like a devil’s. I tried to brake, but it was impossible. The ground was muddy and slippery, and I was running too fast. All I could do was to raise my arms to protect myself, turn my face sideways, and close my eyes.

  I crashed against him and it felt like crashing against a brick wall. It hurt. I bounced back and fell to the ground. My butt landed in a cold mud puddle and I hit my head on the ground. Blackness took me.

  July 3, 00:06 am

  When I opened my eyes, I still lay in the mud puddle. My back and butt were soaked, and so was my hair. Darkness surrounded me, and somebody was kneeling beside me. He held my shoulders and shook me. “Kid! Wake up.”

  His voice was deep like one of those opera singers on Mom’s CDs. It was the troll. A shiver ran through my body. I screamed and crawled backwards as fast as I could. “Don’t touch me! Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”

  The troll got to his feet and backed off some steps. “Take… take it easy, pal. I’m… a friend.”

  A friend my foot. His supposedly-friendly voice wouldn’t deceive me. I was not gonna let a perv touch me ever again. I knew he’d been the one who’d followed me earlier. I crawled backwards a bit more. The troll produced a flashlight and aimed the beam at himself. He was not the troll but a teenager: as tall as Edward, with long legs wrapped in blue jeans, and staring at me with round, wide open eyes. His face looked ashen and he blinked fast as if somebody had scared the hell out of him. He looked a year or two Edward’s junior.

  “Are… are you okay?” he asked. “Sorry if I scared you.”

  He was not the troll. I was safe. I sighed. I felt weak and a little dizzy. As I sat up, everything seemed to revolve around me, like in a merry-go-round. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a hand to my forehead. Not only my head, but also my body ached. “I don’t think I’m okay. Ohhh!”

  “Sorry, t’was my bad,” the teenager said. “You came running like crazy and I was in your way. I should have moved. You crashed against me and hit your head.”

  I took a hand to the back of my head. Yes, there was a lump there.

  “Why were you running like that?” he asked.

  In hindsight, the entire thing seemed foolish. I’d freaked out because of the dark, imagining trolls and pervs were running after me. How pathetic!

  “Something stupid.” I felt my face hot. Lucky for me it was dark. “I thought somebody was following me, like. I got scared.”

  Then I recalled my sunglasses had been hanging from my t-shirt’s neck and I feared they might have broken. My heart beat fast. Those sunglasses were precious to my life, and I couldn’t afford to lose them. My hand flew to my chest and I found them. They didn’t seem broken. I sighed in relief and put them on. Everything turned darker, but I preferred it that way. I feel safer with the glasses on.

  The teenager approached and kneeled beside me. I cringed so he again pointed the flashlight beam at himself. “You have nothing to fear here. This is private property. Did you know? How did you get in?”

  Talking about trespassing on private property made me wonder how he had gotten in.

  I massaged my head. The merry-go-round still rotated but slower. “Of course I know. I came with a group of Boy Scouts. We have permission from the owner, a Mr.…” It was something starting with ‘D’. I had it in the tip of my tongue. “DuPont or Dumont.”

  “I see… but we weren’t informed. Dumont should have informed us. He usually sends us a note every time he gives special permissions. Boy Scout troops camp here all the time.”

  Us? I wondered who he meant by ‘us’ and what on Earth he was doing here—besides stupidly blocking my way and almost killing me.

  I squinted to focus. He had chestnut eyes. “What’s your name?”

  “Aaron. And yours?”

  “Justin.” This time, my secret identity easily flowed out of my mouth. Justin had become a second skin in barely 24 hours. I wondered if it represented a sort of mental transition towards transsexuality. “Are you camping too?”

  He displayed a large grin and his face turned rosy. “No, I live here. Don’t you know?”

  My understanding was nobody lived on the estate besides the troll. Aaron might be the troll’s grandson and lived with him—the very reason why he kept saying they had not been informed. The troll also claimed nobody had told him about us.

  “No, I didn’t. I’m not from Abbeville.” I said. “I came to visit my grandmother. Where do you live?”

  “It’s a short walking distance from here.” Aaron pointed with his arm to his right. “You’re not familiar with the estate, are you?”

  Of course I wasn’t. It should have been obvious. “No. I got lost, like. I can’t find our campsite.”

  “I can show you the way. I know every inch of this place by heart.” Aaron got to his feet and offered me a hand. “Where’s your camp?”

  “I dunno.” I couldn’t think straight. “Somewhere.” I pressed my eyes with my thumb and middle finger. Then I raised my head, took his hand—it was icy—and allowed him to haul me to my feet. I scanned our gloomy surroundings and grimaced. “We camped near a tall rock wall. We climbed it earlier today.” I took a hand to my head again. Now the lump was throbbing.

  “I know which rock wall you’re talking about. There’s a clearing nearby. I can take you there if you wish.”

  Cool. Exactly what I needed—somebody showing me the way out of that maze of stupid trees, stupid trails, and stupid darkness.

  “But… don’t you want to clean up first?” he asked. “My home’s nearby. You can clean up there. You’re covered in mud.”

  Bet I was. Twice, I’d fallen in the mud. Some water and soap would be very welcomed, not to mention I wasn’t sure whether Edward and the Boy Scouts had brought any soap. Actually, I wasn’t sure whether guys ever washed themselves when camping. Most likely not.

  “Yeah, thanks. I do need to wash up. But… do you live with the keeper?” If I had to go to the troll’s shack, I’d rather walk straight back to the campsite.

  Aaron chuckled. “With the keeper? Of course not! Follow me. I’ll take you home and then back to your campsite. Lemme help you. You’re wobbling.”

  I was, but nobody was gonna touch me again. I cringed away from him. “No!”

  “Okay, okay.” Aaron raised his arms and showed his hands. “I only wanted to help you.”

  “I’m cool. Thanks.”

  I followed him down the muddy trail. The more we advanced, the more the glow I’d noticed before increased, but it couldn’t be the Boy Scout’s campfire as I’d thought at first. A large whitewashed house, looking a lot like the White House in Washington, D.C., stood at the center of an enormous open area under the stars. The house mirrored itself in a square fountain in front of it, and was surrounded by nice well-trimmed lawns. All of the mansion’s first floor windows were dark, but there was light in a coupla windows on the upper floor. Those had been the lights I’d spotted from within the forest.

  I couldn’t believe what I saw. This was not a normal house. No way. Only celebrities and presidents of the United States lived in such places. “Do you live there, no kiddin’?�
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  “Yes, why not?” Aaron shrugged his shoulders. “My father’s company owns it.”

  We crossed the opening, reached the mansion and walked onto its porch. The entrance to the house was a pair of towering wooden doors. They opened to a dark, outsized hall with a grand stairway at its far end, and a large window at the top of the staircase. The sky and stars were visible through it.

  Aaron signaled me to come inside, and I ventured a few steps into the hall, gazing everywhere and blinking fast. Even in the semidarkness, I could make out the most lavish place I’d ever seen. No kiddin’. Not that I’d been in many posh homes—of course not—but this place was freakin’ awesome. I’d only seen such homes in movies and TV shows: wooden floors, super fancy furniture, large mirrors fitted into the walls, and a painted ceiling with angels and demons. Plus, a chandelier the size of a car hanging from the ceiling.

  Funny thing, once again I had this certainty I’d seen that very hall somewhere else. A double door stood to my right, and I would have sworn there was a large dining room behind it. I spun, admiring the hall with my mouth half open. “Wow, Aaron! Cool place you have.”

  Aaron took a finger to his lips. “Shhh. My room’s upstairs. Follow me, and don’t make a sound.”

  “Are your folks at home?” I climbed the stairway, keeping Aaron’s fast pace. A red runner on the stairs sucked up the sound of our footsteps.

  “Yes, they’re in their bedroom. No need to call them. Mom would freak out if she knew I’d been out in the woods.”

  Two large hallways opened right and left at the top of the stairway. They were so heavily carpeted my feet sank up to my ankles. We took the hallway to the right. Many doors lined up on both sides of it, and there were more mirrors fitted on the walls and chandeliers hanging every now and then. The walls were wood-paneled and decorated with large pictures of people dressed like in Gone with the Wind. Everything was in sheer silence.