by Joy Elbel
Even after the many horrors I suffered there, I was never so happy to see my room. The coldness that was stalking me was still somewhere in the tunnels below so I took a few seconds to rest and catch my breath. I doubled over from the pain in my side, sending my chin into a violent fit of throbbing. Straightening slowly, I pressed on. Zach would be waiting for me—I had to believe it.
The house seemed calm as I descended the steps to the second floor. I called his name hopefully. “Zach! Zach I’m coming!” But there was no response. He must still be on his way. Maybe less time passed than it seemed.
As I approached the grand staircase, I felt a chill creeping up behind me. I exhaled slowly and the frigid mist of my breath drifted out of my mouth. She found me. I turned slowly to see a trail of ice crystals crawling down the banister toward my hand. The wall was frosty white and the ice began to extend down the wall and across the carpeting at my feet. I launched myself down the stairs as a deafening crash unleashed in front of me.
The stained glass window imploded, a shower of tinted glass rained down striking me on my arms as I shielded my face just in time. The biting sting of shards embedding in my arms was excruciating. Afraid to move forward, I retreated up the steps and into the frozen hallway. There was only one other way out. I had to make it to the ballroom and down the spiral staircase to the conservatory.
Blood trickled from every wound as my heart pumped wildly in my effort to escape. My feet thundered down the hallway as the storm raging outside paled in comparison to the tempest brewing inside. Streaks of lightning illuminated the darkened hallway followed by thunder that was matched only by the beating of my heart. I slid onto the wooden floor of the ballroom nearly sending myself head first into the mirrors. My strength was weakening and I gave a panicked scream as one by one, each mirror exploded as I passed.
The metal frame of the spiral staircase turned a glacial white before my eyes. My hands were wet with a mixture of sweat and blood—I couldn’t touch the metal because I was afraid my flesh would stick to it. The staircase swayed and pitched as I rambled down the steps as quickly as possible. Once at the bottom, the framework holding it in place gave way with a sickening screech and the entire structure crashed to the floor, echoing in time with the rumble of thunder outside. I rolled out of its path just in time and landed at the feet of the marble angel statue—the statue bearing the likeness of Scarlet Baker.
As I looked up at the statue, the stone wings began to move, folding downward and reaching for me. The eyes glazed over with a cascading pool of blood that began to pour down the perfectly carved face. As the first droplets struck me, I crawled away and dragged myself upright. Just as I turned the handle on the door, there was another explosion as the glass panels of the conservatory erupted into a sprinkling of glass hailing down on me from all sides. Thousands of tiny remnants hit me, stinging my entire body. I had to get outside where it was safe! I crawled through one of the panels slicing my leg on a piece of glass that hung jaggedly in the metal frame.
I tumbled out onto the grass, gripping my leg in agony. The pain seared through to the bone and I was sure I couldn’t walk on it any more. But I was outside now, and I was safe. Wasn’t I? I cried out his name, desperate to have him with me.
“Zach! Zach!” I screamed over and over again until my voice gave out. He didn’t come back for me which meant something bad must have happened to Rachel. There was no other explanation for it. Lonely, afraid and in pain, I cried there in the wet grass, rain flooding over me. Since Zach wasn’t coming back for me, I would have to find help on my own.
The pain in my leg increased exponentially with every passing moment as rain water seeped into the bloody gash and bearing weight on it became next to impossible. I spotted a fallen tree limb that I could use as a crutch so I crawled a few feet across the lawn to grab it. Using it to stabilize my weight, I got to my feet slowly and hobbled toward the path leading to the road. My plan was simple—get to the main road and flag down the first car I saw. I saw a horror movie once where the heroine was in a situation similar to mine and the driver of that car was a serial killer. Why did I have to think of things like that at the worst possible time?
As I neared the path, a horrible sound ripped through the night, loud enough to drown out the thunder and the torrential rain. I’d never heard a noise like that in my life. Where was it even coming from? I was right in front of the fountain when I saw what was causing that noise and my heart nearly froze in the grip of fear. I watched in disbelief as I saw the line of oak trees closest to the driveway being wrenched out of the ground and flung across the road one by one.
My fight was over. How could I compete with such a powerful force? The answer to that question was I couldn’t. I fought so hard to leave the house—to escape to what I thought was safety. I never imagined that Scarlet could touch me outside of the house. But now I could see I was wrong. I sat down on the edge of the fountain, defeated. I would never see Zach again. What would my death do to him? I prayed that Rachel was okay—he couldn’t lose both of us in one night. There was so much I wanted to say—if I only had a piece of paper and a pen to write a hurried goodbye. But I didn’t. There was one last thing I could offer him though. I would die with the hope that he would move on with his life and find happiness with someone else. I wanted that for him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my entire life.
I didn’t know how it would come, but when death crept up behind me I recognized it instantly. A frigid chill swirled around the fountain and I watched as each rose petal turned black. The dead petals blew off and into the fountain, swirling in the water and releasing the sickeningly sweet smell of decay. The spray of the water froze instantly in mid-air, each tiny crystal of ice falling like hail into the pool below.
A vicious blow to the chest drove me into the water and directly to the bottom. The irony of it all. I cheated death on the bridge that day with Lee. I should have drowned—I knew that. Now, I would drown in three feet of water in my own front yard. I tried to fight, but it was hopeless. Scarlet pinned me to the floor of the pool and no amount of struggling could free me. But even as my lungs burned, the fear left me. I stared up through the water and I was taken by the beauty of it—the beauty of the rain as it pelted down breaking the surface. I smiled and everything faded into white.
38. While You Were Drowning
As the door to the basement closed behind me, I hesitated. I hated to leave Ruby alone in the mansion, but I had to make sure Rachel was okay. Choosing between the two of them was a no-win situation. Rachel was my twin sister—if she needed help, I wanted to be there for her. But the connection I had with Ruby was just as strong. Now that we were together, I never wanted to live without her. If only Ruby would have asked me to stay with her, I would have. She was so strong willed and independent and sometimes that frustrated me. But on the other hand, it was one of the biggest reasons why I loved her. That and the fact that she made me feel special in a way that no one else ever did. I wouldn’t be gone long and Ruby insisted she would be fine. I pulled my hand back from the door. I would find Rachel and then come back for Ruby.
The amount of debris on the road had nearly doubled since our drive to Rosewood. The wind was much calmer but I still had to drive carefully. The last thing I needed was to puncture a tire on the way. Changing a flat would be no problem except for the fact that I didn’t have a spare. I kept meaning to get one—really I did—but now I had to start saving as much money as I possibly could to put toward the apartment we planned to get when I turned eighteen. I knew she had more money than I did, but I wanted to at least be able to pay my half of the expenses.
I maneuvered the car along the road trying to pay attention to what I was doing, but all I could think about was her. Her smile, her laugh, the way she smelled. I never did thank Rachel properly for steering her toward that Midnight Kiss perfume—that scent drove me crazy, but in a damn good way. When I held her close and drank it in, I almost wasn’t such a good boy anymore.
It was probably a good thing that I couldn’t kiss her because I knew I wouldn’t want to stop there. I glanced over at the passenger seat—empty except for the red satin pajamas she handed me on my way out. God, she was going to look hot in those! But if Mom and Dad thought the storm was bad enough, they would definitely come home and ruin our plans to spend the night together. I would have to convince them to stay even if I had to drive down there myself and do it in person. Assuming that Rachel was okay, of course. I wanted her to be okay for so many reasons, but I couldn’t deny that wanting to spend the night with Ruby was definitely one of them. Did that make me a bad brother?
As I pulled into the driveway of our house, I was relieved to see that we still had a house. But not so relieved to see that Mom’s beloved crab apple tree was now half way inside our kitchen window. Dammit! I couldn’t let her know—not tonight anyway. I could pull it out and throw some plastic up there until morning. Nothing was going to come between me and Ruby tonight—nothing except for those satin pajamas, of course.
Everything else seemed fine so I got back in the car to go make sure Rachel was okay. Why did I insist she go to work tonight? She wanted to blow it off since it was her last day there anyway. I gave her this great speech about responsibility and following through on her commitments and she gave in and went. Honestly though, I just wanted more time alone with Ruby. Wow—did that make me a horrible brother or what?
Halfway to the main road, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her little yellow car make the turn. Now that I knew she was okay, I could go back for Ruby. Our parents trusted me more than they did Rachel, so when I got back I would try to reach them and lie through my teeth that everything was alright and that they didn’t need to come home early. Sure, they would be mad at me when they saw the damage, but I would find a way to talk my way out of it. “I didn’t want to ruin your night—you guys do so much for us that you deserve time alone together.” Mom would gush over what a wonderful son I was and all would be forgiven. Yeah, it was sneaky but goal number one was falling asleep with Ruby in my arms. Actually, that was goal number two since my real goal number one was out of the question until at least next summer. But I was okay with that. Her safety was way more important to me. Really though, was I the first guy in history to be cock blocked by a ghost?
Rachel pulled her car alongside mine. “Hey! Where are you going? Where’s Ruby?”
“Rosewood. That’s where she is now. I left to come find you. What are you doing home so soon?”
“That stupid idiot Jeffrey wouldn’t close the Shack down even after the tornado warning. We didn’t have a single customer but he refused to close the doors. So as soon as I knew it was safe, I threw my name tag at him and stormed out. What were you guys doing at Rosewood?”
I held up Ruby’s pajamas proudly. “She forgot something. And being the gentleman that I am I couldn’t say no to her.”
“Gentleman my ass. She told you what she forgot and you jumped at the chance, didn’t you?!” Rachel said laughing.
It was good to hear her laugh because it meant that she was okay. “Something like that.”
“It’s probably a good thing I came home early then. I’m starting to think somebody needs to babysit you two.”
“You’re wrong. I can keep my hands to myself. I’ve been a good boy.” Barely. And it certainly didn’t help knowing that Ruby was just as anxious to be with me as I was to be with her.
Rachel looked back toward the house and saw the tree in the kitchen window. “Oh no! Mom’s gonna be so mad! That’s her favorite tree!”
“Yeah, tell me about it. And Dad’s not going to enjoy replacing that window, either. Just do me a favor—if you talk to them before I do, don’t tell them about it. I don’t want them coming home tonight.” I figured Rachel would have something smart to say about that but I was ready for it. I wanted to spend the night with my girlfriend and I was prepared to defend myself for it.
“I know, I won’t. But we have to get that tree out of the window and put some plastic up or something. The longer we let it go, the more chance there is that the kitchen will be damaged, too. I don’t even want to think about how much water there must be on the floor already. Mom loved that tree, but she loves that kitchen more.”
She was right. It would only take me a few minutes to haul that tree onto the ground and then Rachel could start cleaning up while I picked up Ruby. I owed Mom and Dad that much considering I would be lying to them later for my own selfish gain. Ruby was fine when I left her, I was sure she would still be fine when I got back. It was my natural instinct to want to protect her, but I had to give her room to breathe. She was the kind of girl who wanted to do things for herself—I couldn’t be with her every moment of her life even though I sure wanted to be.
“Okay, okay! I’ll turn around and get that tree out—but that’s it. After that I’m going to get Ruby. You can start cleaning up and I’ll help you when I get back.”
“It’s a deal. Meet you at the house.” Rachel put the car in gear and as soon as she was out of my way I made a U-turn and followed her.
Cold rain was pelting from the sky as I got under the tree and pushed as hard as I could. It was heavier than I expected, barely moving an inch as I shoved it with everything I had. My feet slipped on the ground and I fell flat on my ass into a mud puddle.
“Ha ha ha!” Rachel laughed. “What’s wrong Hercules?”
I snatched a fistful of mud and flung it at her, barely missing her head. “Get over here and help me, Princess.”
She braced herself under the tree and I took my spot next to her. “On the count of three, give it all you’ve got. One, two, three!”
She doesn’t look strong, but I knew Rachel was no princess. So when the tree didn’t give with both of us trying to heave it, it was time for more drastic measures. I would have to get the chainsaw and cut it out. It would be more time than I planned on spending on the project, but there was no way I would leave Rachel alone with a power tool. I consoled myself with thoughts of a warm shower and snuggling in bed with Ruby after it was all over.
I dug the chainsaw out of the tool shed and returned to the tree, analyzing my next move. I decided on the best place to cut and fired up the motor with determination. Rachel stood back as wet wood chips flew in all directions. A few minutes later the tree was free of the window and I cut off the roar of the saw. As the motor whined to a stop, I saw a black blur out of the corner of my eye streaking in from the left. It wasn’t until it came to rest on the fallen branches right in front of me that I realized what it was. It was a crow, the largest black bird I’d ever seen. Crazy as it sounded, I knew that it was the same crow I saw that day at the mausoleum. The same crow that got my attention just in time to save Ruby from smashing down onto the steps head first. She was in danger, I could feel it.
Tossing the chainsaw into the mud, I grabbed Rachel by the hand. “Something’s wrong. We have to get to Ruby. Now.”
Rachel stared at me dumbly. “What? How do you know?”
There was no time to explain. “I just do. We have to get to the mansion fast. Her life could depend on it.”
I checked the clock in the car as we started to drive. I’d been gone about forty-five minutes—way longer than I had expected to be when I left Ruby alone. A lot could happen in forty-five minutes, especially in that house. But whatever it was must have just happened, I convinced myself. The crow showed up just in time before, wanting me to save her. I had to trust that it was doing the same this time.
I drove as fast as I could, but it still seemed to take forever. I was never so scared in all my life. I never knew how powerful love was until I met her. That day in the diner, I thought I was just being a nice guy by returning a lost charm to a stranger. But the minute I touched her, everything changed. I felt an electrical charge surge up my arm and straight into my heart. Before she even turned around, before I even saw how beautiful she was, I knew I had to get to know her. And when I felt that second spark, I kn
ow she did, too. When she turned and ran, I almost ran after her. But I didn’t and I kicked myself for days because of it.
How could I let the girl of my dreams slip away so easily? When I found her again at the shelter, I knew I’d gotten a second chance. Boyfriend or not, I had a connection with Ruby that I couldn’t deny. I would wait for her forever if I had to. She had me so crazy that I almost kissed her while I bandaged her hand that night. She was sitting on the toilet—what was I thinking? I was thinking about her, nothing but her and how she made me feel.
But it wasn’t until the day I saw her half naked in the bathroom at the shelter that I realized how bad I really had it. There was a gorgeous girl in lacy black underwear standing right in front of me. Hormonally, everything was normal—I thought I was going to pop my zipper right then and there. But emotionally, something strange happened. I wanted to close my eyes—I didn’t want to see her like that, at least not yet. I wanted to know her—know everything about her. I wanted to share my deepest secrets with her and listen as she shared hers. I was hopelessly in love with Ruby Matthews. I was in love with a girl who was in love with someone else.
I never pictured myself as the kind of guy who would go after another guy’s girl, but that’s exactly who I became. I thought about her, even dreamed about her—mostly PG rated. Except for that one dream…oh, that amazingly scandalous dream! Long distance relationships weren’t easy though, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. But when I thought he was hurting her physically—I almost lost it. How could anyone hurt someone so beautiful and warm hearted? But that was a question I would have to ask myself later, after I foolishly broke up with her. The look on her face as I laughed at her while she cried…well it still haunts me. I could never let my own pain cause that cruel kind of hurt again. I just couldn’t understand how she could reject a love so pure for one so destructive.
