Is She for Real?

by P. J. Night

  As she walked down her front path, Bethany had to admit it was a beautiful evening. Maybe her parents and Dr. Coppola were right. Maybe all she needed was some fresh air. She twirled the ring on her finger and breathed deeply. He wouldn’t have given me this ring if he didn’t really like me, she told herself as she started down the sidewalk to the Carlsons’ house, which had a huge porch that spanned the front and sides of the house. A wraparound porch, her mother called it.

  The Carlsons’ place was all lit up from the inside, and Bethany had a great view from the sidewalk. It looked so cozy in there. First she noticed Lissa and Lily at the dining room table. They were eating, maybe, or playing a board game or something. And on the side porch …

  On the side porch … on the side porch …

  Bethany swallowed hard.

  On the side porch stood Nate and Olivia, talking to each other. Nate was moving his hands and arms in a very animated way, and Olivia looked like she was laughing.

  Bethany felt light-headed. What was going on between the two of them? Was Olivia Nate’s new girlfriend? She ran home, got back into bed, and cried herself to sleep.

  Well, it turned out the fresh air certainly hadn’t helped.

  As Bethany was sobbing herself to sleep, Lissa, Olivia, and Lily lay in the dark in their sleeping bags.

  Soon they would be eighth graders! Life is good, Lissa thought as she listened to her friends chat softly. The only bummer was that Bethany couldn’t be there, and they didn’t really understand why. What exactly was she sick with? Her text message had been so vague: SICK AT HOME, SORRY WILL MISS SLEEPOVER …

  They had texted back: WHAT’S THE MATTER? But she had not responded.

  “Seriously,” Lily was saying. “She’s been acting even stranger lately.”

  Olivia snorted. “It’s because she’s in love!” she crowed, a touch of disdain in her voice.

  “No, really,” Lily said. “It seems like more than that. She used to be so energetic and happy, and now she’s all dark and gloomy. And she seems so insecure about Nate. She wasn’t like that when we first met her. Remember our first sleepover, when she talked about her last boyfriend, she was all, like ‘whatever’ about him?”

  “That’s true,” Lissa chimed in. “Nate said something to me about it, actually.”

  “He did?” Lily and Olivia said at the same time.

  “Yeah,” Lissa said, feeling slightly guilty for betraying her brother’s confidence. Not so guilty, though, that she didn’t continue. “He said she’s been acting really weird. Which is funny coming from him. He’s basically the weirdest person I know!” Lily and Olivia laughed, and Lissa went on.

  “He said she’s been acting really jealous, like she thinks he’s going to start going out with someone else, even when he’s with his guy friends. Like even when he goes fishing off the pier, she gets really mad at him. How bizarre is that?”

  Olivia sighed. “That’s so silly. He totally likes her, and she’s so pretty and smart and funny. She has no reason to think he’s not into her anymore.”

  “I agree,” Lissa said. “But he says she’s totally serious about thinking he likes someone else. That and him going fishing off the pier make her get all crazy with him.”

  “Maybe she thinks he’ll fall in and get eaten by the fish,” Olivia said, and they all cackled with laughter at the thought. Then there was a long silence.

  “Kidding aside … are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Lily asked mysteriously.

  “It depends,” Olivia said. “What are you thinking?”

  “I know it’s a mad crazy theory, but have you noticed that the way she’s changing totally matches Lady Warwick?” Lily said.

  Lissa and Olivia began howling with laughter, which Lily did not appreciate. She waited patiently for her friends to stop laughing.

  “Okay, Miss Ghost Story, do tell us your mad crazy theory,” Lissa said, which sent them all into peals of laughter again. This time Lily joined in. But then she got herself together and spoke while Lissa and Olivia were still gasping for breath.

  “You really wanna know? Okay, doubters,” Lily said in a serious tone. “First, she lookslike Lady Warwick. Her hair is darker and less curly, and it’s parted in the middle now.”

  Lissa and Olivia stopped laughing. That was true.

  “Second, she’s acting just like Lady Warwick did with Lord Warwick, all convinced he’s having an affair, and all mad that he’s going fishing with his friends.”

  “I’m so sick of all this talk about fishing!” Olivia interrupted her. “What does the fishing have to do with it?”

  “Haven’t you read the story framed by the stairs here?” Lily asked her. “Lady Warwick didn’t like Lord Warwick going on long fishing voyages. She worried when he was out at sea.”

  “Sometimes I wish Nate would go out to sea for a while,” Lissa said, trying to get everyone laughing again and off this creepy topic, but the others were silent.

  Lily continued. “And the story says she was beautiful and intense. Well, we know Bethany’s beautiful. And when we met her, she seemed totally normal. But now I think the best word to describe her is definitely in … tense,” she said slowly, drawing out the word.

  And then, as if on cue, they heard it.

  The wind rattling the window. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Tap, tap, tap.

  “It’s her! It’s Lady Warwick!” Lily cried, and all three girls screamed in terror.

  Mr. Carlson came running in, looking half-alarmed and half-annoyed.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, a little out of breath from his sprint.

  “We heard tapping at the window,” Lissa said, still feeling the fear move through her whole body. “I’m sure it was Nate trying to scare us,” she added quickly. She hadn’t used that “tattling” tone on her brother in a while and felt sort of immature for doing so now. Still, it was the only thing that could explain what they’d heard.

  “You think so, huh?” her dad said. “I’m pretty sure he’s in bed reading. Well, let’s get him in here and find out.” He turned and left the room.

  “It had to have been him,” Lissa told her friends, who had calmed down a little but were still out of breath from screaming so loud and hard. Soon Mr. Carlson returned with a sleepy Nate, who was shuffling behind him and looking very grumpy.

  “I was half-asleep,” he snapped groggily. “Thanks a lot for blaming me for being total scaredy-cats,” he added.

  “Nate, I’m sorry we got you up, but we had to be sure it wasn’t you,” Mr. Carlson said.

  “Why don’t you all go wander around in the graveyard together and search for Lady Warwick’s ghost, since you seem so convinced it was her,” Nate said with true disdain. “And since you’re such scaredies, you can hold hands out there in a row to protect yourself from the big spooky ghost.”

  “That’s enough, Nate. It wasn’t too long ago you got spooked by little noises in the night too. You can go back to bed now,” Mr. Carlson said.

  Bethany wasn’t sleeping well that night either. She kept dreaming she was lost in the woods by herself. Then she’d wake up and hope the dream wouldn’t continue. But it always did.

  A loud tapping sound woke her up, and sure enough, she was standing up in some sort of field in her pajamas.

  Another sleepwalking incident.

  Bethany looked at her own hand and saw that she herself was using the ring to make the tapping sound on some sort of metal plaque that was affixed to a large rock in the middle of a small field.

  The plaque read LORD ELIJAH WARWICK AND LADY ALICE WARWICK, FOUNDERS OF OLD WARWICK SETTLEMENT, LIVED HERE 1659–1662.

  Now she knew where she was. She remembered Mr. Parmalee saying that Lord and Lady Warwick’s original home was just a few blocks from the graveyard. It was the site of Lord Warwick’s home that he had burned to the ground after burying Lady Warwick alive. She hadn’t walked too far. It was just a few blocks past Nate and Lissa’s house, but she hadn’t been there bef
ore. What was she doing there now?

  Bethany walked home, crept inside silently without waking her parents, and got back in bed. She took off the ring and put it on her night table. Then she slept a dreamless sleep.

  In the morning Lissa, Lily, and Olivia were all mortified by their screaming the night before. They could barely look at Nate as they sheepishly ate their waffles.

  Lissa’s parents didn’t say anything about it. But Nate spoke right up.

  “In the interest of full disclosure, I have something to tell you all,” he said. Sometimes he sounded like a real politician, Lissa thought. Everyone looked at him.

  “It obviously wasn’t me last night, but it was me that first time, when Bethany was here,” he said. He seemed proud of himself for his honesty.

  “You mean Bethany’s first sleepover?” Lissa asked.

  “Yes.” Nate looked like he couldn’t figure out whether to grin proudly or duck his head sheepishly. He was doing a bit of both.

  “I was out there with a branch,” he confessed. “And once I heard how loud you were all screaming, I stopped.”

  “Okay, Nate.” Mr. Carlson sighed. “Your honesty lessens your punishment. Of course, you are still punished. Your morning is going to consist of weeding the garden with your parents.”

  Nate headed outside with his parents, and Lissa turned to her friends. “I feel really badly for talking about Bethany last night,” she said quietly. Remembering their first sleepover had reminded Lissa of how close they had all grown since then.

  “Me too,” said Olivia. And Lily nodded in agreement.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but we wouldn’t be good friends if we didn’t try to help her. I was thinking … maybe we can have a do-over sleepover tonight, if she’s feeling better. But before that, we can do Sandy Lady this afternoon. Really kick the summer off right!”

  “Awesome idea!” Lily said.

  “I’m in, of course!” Olivia added.

  Feeling better, Lissa texted Bethany to ask how she was feeling and to find out if she could do Sandy Lady later that day, and then come over for a do-over sleepover.

  Bethany woke to the sound of Lissa’s text coming in. She read it and smiled.

  Getting out of bed, she pulled on her favorite green summer tank top, which was the exact color of beach glass, and her favorite jeans shorts. Seeing her ring sitting on her nightstand, she picked it up and put it on her finger. It’s time to tell Mom and Dad that Nate is my boyfriend, she thought happily.

  Then she went downstairs with a slight spring in her step. She poured herself a big bowl of granola and sat with her parents and Aunt Mimi as they finished their coffee.

  “It’s nice to see you eating bigger portions,” her mom said. “You’ve been eating like a bird lately.”

  “I think I’m all better,” Bethany said, pouring milk to cover the granola. There was a bowl of blueberries on the table, and she added a big scoop of those, too.

  “Good thing,” her dad said. “Just in time for the first real day of the summer. The Carlsons have invited us to go antiquing with them today. Will you be hanging out with Nate and Lissa today?”

  Bethany smiled around her spoon. “Yes, Lissa just texted me about coming over. Oh, and Lissa, Lily, and Olivia are going to initiate me into their Sandy Lady Club.”

  “Do tell,” her mom said.

  “They bury each other in sand,” Bethany explained. “They dig a big hole and take turns completely burying each other. Except their heads, of course. They do it at the beginning of every summer, to mark the start of the season.”

  “Sounds fun,” her mom said. “You’ll need a good shower afterward.”

  “I know,” Bethany said happily. “Lissa, Olivia, and Lily have been doing it every summer since fifth grade, and this year they’re including me.”

  “You know, I’m so proud of you for making the best of this move,” her dad said. “We thought it would be so hard to move in the middle of the school year, but you’ve made such good friends.”

  Her mom grinned. “And even a special friend,” she added slyly. “Did he give you that ring you’ve been wearing?”

  So much for me thinking Mom wouldn’t notice it, Bethany thought. But as she looked at her mom’s smiling face, she realized her mom didn’t seem to mind.

  “He did give it to me,” she confirmed.

  “It looks expensive,” her dad said, leaning over the table for a better look. Bethany quickly pulled her hand away.

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s just costume!” her mother said. “I can’t imagine the Carlsons would allow him to give her something real!”

  Bethany kept her head down and smiled a secret smile as she looked at her beloved ring.

  But by the time she’d packed her bag for the beach and the sleepover, Bethany’s mood had begun to plummet. She felt the sickness start creeping through her body, though she didn’t say anything to her parents about it. She was starting to realize that maybe it was in her head, after all. Maybe she was nervous about seeing Nate? She had been so excited that same morning, but now she was filled with dread. Why do I keep feeling like this? she thought. Enough with the dread!

  She headed over to Lissa and Nate’s, trying hard to ignore the sinking feeling inside. But by the time she arrived, the paranoid, depressed feeling she’d had when she was so sick yesterday had returned. Just in time for Nate to open the door.

  “Hello, milady,” he said with a smile. “Glad you’re feeling better.”

  If you only knew, Bethany thought. Before she could stop herself, she said coldly, “Why didn’t you come see me when I was sick?” She hadn’t even realized she was so upset about this until she said it.

  “Um, actually, I did,” Nate said, looking a little hurt. “I brought you a scone. Your parents said you were asleep. Didn’t they tell you? Didn’t they give you the scone?”

  “No, they didn’t,” Bethany shot back. “Where were you, anyway? Off on a fishing voyage?” She sounded so angry that she barely recognized her own voice.

  “What?” Nate said, confused. “You know what? You’re acting a little weird.”

  Here it comes, thought Bethany. He’s going to tell me he’s met someone else.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I haven’t been sleeping too well.” Couldn’t she just hit the reverse button and make this conversation go differently?

  Nate was staring at the ground, so Bethany continued.

  “I’ve been sleepwalking, and it’s really freaking me out,” she said. “Last night I wound up at the old Warwick house with the plaque. I don’t know how I got there.”

  “Really?” Nate looked right at her. Well, she certainly had his attention now. “That’s really weird,” he said. “Sorry that happened to you.” But then something in Nate seemed to shift.

  “It’s just kind of frustrating,” he went on, looking down again. “You used to be different. Now it just seems like you’re mad at me all the time. You’re acting kind of crazy.”

  Bethany thought she couldn’t feel any worse than she had yesterday, but she suddenly reached a new low. That’s it, he’s breaking up with me, she thought over and over as she twirled the ring. He’s going to ask for the ring back, I just know it.

  “Do you want the ring back?” she asked softly. She could hear her heart beating in her ears.

  “No, milady, I certainly don’t,” Nate said. He sounded pretty sure of himself, but Bethany was still wild with fear inside.

  “I just want you to stop acting so weird,” he added. “You have no reason to be acting like this.”

  He likes someone else, Bethany thought. Someone who doesn’t act so strange. He says he doesn’t want the ring back, but I’m sure he doesn’t want to be with me anymore. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Just leave and go on a fishing voyage like you always do!”

  Nate gave her a long, hard, look. “Are you for real, Bethany?” he blurted out in anger.

  She stared back at hi
m in stunned silence.

  But then he seemed to gain control over his emotions. He took a deep breath and in a much calmer voice said, “Actually, I did plan to go fishing with my friends today. Not on a voyage. Just to the pier, with Justin and Russ. Your friends are upstairs waiting for you.” And with that, he walked away, leaving the front door open for her to come in and meet up with Lissa, Lily, and Olivia.

  Bethany stood there for a minute before entering, trying to recover from the horrible exchange. She wanted to pull herself together before seeing her friends. She didn’t want them to think she was crazy too, like Nate obviously did. Then she would have no boyfriend and no friends. She really had to watch it. The ring is still on my finger, she tried to reassure herself. Which means we’re still officially together.

  “It really is cool having your backyard be a beach,” Olivia was saying to Lissa as they walked onto the sand. They stopped near the crooked tree, which, Lissa explained to Bethany, was hundreds of years old and was always the site of the Sandy Lady ritual.

  “Cool!” Bethany said, trying to act normally. She thought she’d done a pretty good job so far with her friends, who didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong.

  Then suddenly Lily said something to Bethany that made her freeze inside. “Look at me,” she said in a serious voice.

  Bethany looked at Lily, forcing herself to meet her friend’s eyes. Lily looked hard back at Bethany, staring into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity. She’s going to tell me I’m crazy, Bethany thought.

  “Your eyes look totally green,” Lily said.

  “What?” Bethany said. Now all three girls were examining Bethany’s eyes.

  “It’s true,” Lissa said. “Your eyes are bright green! Maybe it’s the green shirt.”

  “Or the new summer sun!” Olivia said happily, oblivious to the fact that Bethany was feeling just the opposite of sunny.