Paranormal Public
by
Maddy Edwards
Copyright © 2011 by Maddy Edwards
This novel is a work of fiction in which names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is completely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written consent of the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter One
“Charlotte, did you make dinner?” My stepdad’s voice floated up to me from downstairs. I clicked my computer to sleep. I had made dinner. He was just too lazy to check the fridge before he asked me where it was. I wanted to yell that back to him, but I didn’t. I knew better; there were consequences for defiance. I took my time in answering, though. When he yelled again I called back that it was in the fridge. He asked what I had made. Again, I wanted to tell him to look for himself. I didn’t.
It was important to stay calm. My stepdad knew that. I was sure that’s why he pushed my buttons, not just because he was naturally a terrible person.
After I told him I had made lasagna, I slammed my door closed. My room didn’t feel like mine anymore, but it was still better than the rest of the house. I had already started packing my suitcases for college, even though I wasn’t leaving for another week and a half. Somehow, it felt more real if I packed. I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. My stepdad had informed me that my room would become storage once I was gone, meaning that after I left I couldn’t come back. That was fine. There was nothing to come back for anyway.
I had made sure to pack as many things of my mother’s as I could fit. My stepdad wouldn’t miss them, and anyhow, he and my little brother still had a lot of her stuff. I had her jewelry and her pictures. Stuff guys didn’t care about.
There was a tap on my door.
“Come in, Ricky,” I called, surveying my suitcases. It was getting to the point where they weren’t all going to fit in the car.
Ricky was my ten-year-old brother. Now that I was leaving, every time I saw him I got nostalgic. Seeing him reminded me of the things he and I shared, and the things we didn’t. We didn’t look anything alike; I was short and thin, he was tall and still had some baby fat. My hair was a soft brown, while his was a straw blond that flopped into his eyes every time he moved his head. He already needed glasses, while I could see fine. The only thing we had in common was our eyes. We both had our mom’s gray eyes. We shared that she had died.
“Hi,” he said, opening the door. Ricky was ten and already more mature than I was. He did everything he could to keep me from fighting with his dad. Despite his best efforts, though, he usually failed.
“How was the park?” I asked.
Ricky wandered into my room, tidying up as he went. Sometimes he reminded me of a little old man with blond hair.
“Fine,” he said. “We threw water balloons at passing cars.”
“Wonderful supervision that day camp of yours has,” I remarked.
“Right?”
“What’s up?” I asked. I had been worried about who would take care of Ricky once I went to school, and I had caved and told him so a few days ago. He laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch and hit his head. I told him it would serve him right if he got hurt laughing at me, and he retorted that he already took good care of himself. If I had been a good cook, he said, he might have been worried, but since I was awful he would be much happier when his dad started ordering takeout every night. As a mature eighteen-year-old I decided against sticking my tongue out at him. Instead I threw a pillow.
“Think you’ll be home for Thanksgiving?” he asked. He wasn’t looking at me.
I couldn’t tell him I’d rather vomit in my prom dress, so I just said, “Yeah, there’s a decent chance.”
When Ricky didn’t say anything, I looked up from my packing. His right arm was crossed over his left in front of his chest. “With so much practice, how are you still such a terrible liar?”
“I promise I’ll write you whenever I can,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “It’s good you’re going. You’ll be a lot happier.”
I blushed. I did feel bad that I hated his dad. I just hoped he understood all my reasons.
“Yeah, but I will miss you,” I told him. Ricky stopped wandering around and walked towards my door. “Where are you going?” I demanded.
“You’re getting all girlie on me,” he said. “I’m leaving before I catch anything.”
“You can’t catch cooties, Ricky. That’s something teachers made up so you’d behave in school.”
Ricky looked at me. His face was grave. “No, it isn’t.”
I wondered what else I could get packed in the hour before I had to go to work. I just hoped nothing odd happened tonight; I had broken enough mugs for a lifetime. If I broke any more, Mr. Jefferson might fire me.
“Charlotte, get down here,” my stepdad cried. So much for avoiding him before it was time to go. I stomped past Ricky’s room, which was twice as big as mine. After my mom died, my stepdad had insisted that Ricky and I trade, saying that he was going to be home longer, so it made sense for him to have the bigger room.
I headed downstairs to find my dad and little brother sitting at the kitchen table. There were plates, forks, and knives set out, because I had set them out, but I didn’t see the lasagna. My stepdad didn’t even look at me. I couldn’t remember the last time he had asked me how my day was, and it had been years since he worried about where I was or if I was getting into trouble. If I had ever gotten arrested, it was my firm belief that he wouldn’t have bothered to bail me out of jail.
Now, I tried to keep myself from growling in frustration. “Don’t break anything while you’re getting dinner,” my stepdad said. “I don’t want to wait for you to remake it.”
My stepdad was very familiar with me breaking dishes; he had to replace entire sets every couple of years. Not that it was hard for him, since he owned the discount store in town. I grabbed the lasagna and brought it to the table. I was about to serve him a portion when he covered his plate with his hand. He still didn’t look at me.
It took every ounce of control I had not to dump the lasagna on his head. Instead I took the platter to the microwave. Once it was ready I served both of them and started to leave the room.
“What are you doing tonight?” asked Ricky.
“Working,” I said as I went back to the kitchen.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” he called after me. I could hear the hurt in his voice. He liked it when all three of us sat at the table, even though my stepdad and I could barely be polite to each other.
“I already ate,” I called bac
k. We both knew it was a lie, but the alternative, eating with them, wasn’t an option.
“Charlotte, Ricky’s going to play at Harry’s house tonight, so you can drop him on your way to work,” my stepdad said. I didn’t bother answering. Harry was Ricky’s best friend. His house was not on my way to work, but my stepdad didn’t care. Now that I was leaving he could treat me any way he wanted.
Without my meaning to break it, the dish in my hand shattered and the shards went clattering to the floor. I stared at the one broken piece still in my hand. I guess I had gotten angry, but I hadn’t meant to break anything. My stepdad, used to my breaking stuff, called, “If you break one more thing before you leave you’re paying for it. That better be cleaned up by the time you have to do the dishes.”
I threw the last piece of broken plate down on the floor – hard – and went to grab the broom.
Later, on the way to Harry’s, Ricky linked his fingers through mine. “Seriously, are you going to come back and visit?” he asked.
My stomach rolled. I hated lying to Ricky, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. “Yeah, of course,” I said. “All the time. I’m sure college won’t be that big of a deal.” I was not going to admit it, but I was scared to death of college and how big of a deal it was going to be. I would be living on my own for the first time with a group of other kids who would be living on their own for the first time. I was nervous and excited and scared all at once. But I would miss Ricky.
“You’re lying,” said Ricky.
“Well, maybe,” I said, “but I’ll miss you too.”
Ricky shook his head and sighed. “You’re going to be too busy for me.”
“Ricky,” I said, halting. “Don’t be silly. You look like a little old man. I’ll never be too busy for you.”
“Mom would want you to come home,” Ricky pointed out. I started walking again, faster. “She wouldn’t want you to be mean.”
“Ricky,” I cried, “I’m not mean. It’s complicated.”
“That’s such a girl thing to say,” said Ricky. Then, abruptly changing the subject, he said, “Are you going to be alright getting home tonight? Without dad?” Ricky understood my problem. Unlike the friend I had told about it, Ricky hadn’t laughed at me. Plus, he was more of an adult in our relationship than I was. Minus his inability to cook.
“I’ll be fine,” I lied again.
“Can’t you tell the truth once before we get to Harry’s?” Ricky demanded. “We also need to talk about you dating at college.”
I yelped. “Ricky! What are you talking about?”
Ricky removed his glasses and dusted off the lenses. “I know how guys are. You need to be careful. And my dad isn’t going to tell you that.”
“Ricky,” I said, “you’re ten.”
“You say that like it means something,” said Ricky, sticking the glasses back on his nose.
I rolled my eyes. We were almost at Harry’s.
“Look, you avoided dating all through high school or it avoided you,” he said. I couldn’t help making a strangled noise, but he continued: “It would just be smart if you continued to do so in college,” Ricky finished.
I glared down at my little brother. “I’ll date if I want to.” There was no way I was going to tell Ricky that I had been harboring ideas of getting a boyfriend in college. He was right. I hadn’t dated in high school. I had kissed a couple of boys in middle school, but then my mother had died and I just hadn’t been interested. I was hoping college would be a fresh start.
“So,” said Ricky, “no dating. Or I’ll have to knock some heads together.”
“Sure thing, Ricky,” I said.
“Lie number three,” he said, and trudged off to Harry’s.
I got to the coffee shop a little bit late. I had walked fast after I’d left Ricky at Harry’s, partly because of my little problem, but I was still late.
Mr. Jefferson waved to me as I came dashing in. The shop was busy, as it always was before eight o’clock. A couple of my friends were sitting in the corner, and I waved to them as I went behind the counter. I didn’t have time to look and see who else was there before I had to start serving.
Mr. Jefferson came over as I was setting out more mugs. “Alright?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s busy tonight.”
Mr. Jefferson shook his head. “Lots of parents taking their kids out for one last meal before they ship them off to college. Kids don’t know it, but the parents are all going to throw a big party once we’ve gotten rid of you all.” He was grinning.
I laughed.
“Naw,” he said. “I think most of the parents will miss their kids something terrible.” He said “most,” not “all.” I wondered if he had been thinking of me. My stepdad couldn’t wait to get rid of me. All the evidence I needed was that I couldn’t even keep my room. If I wanted to come home I would probably have to sleep on the couch.
I kept an eye on everyone who came in and out. Lots of kids I had just graduated with were still around. I had mixed feelings about finishing high school. We all had the same questions: What will college be like? Will it be better or worse than high school, or just different? I didn’t like not knowing my future, but I couldn’t wait to get out of that house. I sighed. And placed another mug on the counter.
Chapter Two
I sat dejectedly looking out the window. I had no idea how I was going to get home, which was silly, because I only lived about three blocks away. But for the past two weeks I had been afraid to walk home alone, especially after dark.
The couple of times I had been out late and the sun had already gone down, I’d had my stepdad pick me up. It had worked fine, except that tonight he had poker and my shift at the coffee shop had ended an hour late. It was now almost ten o’clock.
“Charlotte, what are you still doing here?” Mr. Jefferson asked as he came out of the back. I saw him and smiled. He reminded me of Santa Claus, all white beard and pot belly. “We did good business today. It’s always good in the summer,” he said, happily rubbing his hands together.
“Just deciding how I’m getting home,” I told him. But he wouldn’t give me a ride. He slept above the coffee shop and I’m not even sure he had a car. But I was tempted to ask him to at least walk me part of the way.
“Charlotte, you’re eighteen years old. You should be able to find your way home by now,” he joked.
I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know.”
Despite his encouragement, I still didn’t move. When he realized I wasn’t going anywhere he walked around the counter and sat on the bench next to me.
“Everything all right?” he asked. I’d been working for him for a year now and he knew me pretty well.
“Yeah, fine,” I said. There was no way I could tell him what was wrong. He’d just think I was crazy. I had tried to tell one of my friends a couple of days ago and she had laughed at me. Of course, I might laugh too if one of my friends told me that a massive black dog with red eyes was following her around and that now whenever she went outside at night, a thick mist would swirl around her. When I told her about that happening to me, my friend laughed so hard she fell out of her chair, then teased me about being afraid of the dark.
“Not looking forward to college starting?” he asked.
“No, definitely not,” I grumbled. “It should be illegal to have classes while the sun is out. School should be a rainy day activity.”
Mr. Jefferson chuckled.
“I’m sure you’ll do well this year,” he told me kindly. “It’s a great, exciting step in your life.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said. He was right, but the easiest thing to worry about was the unknown. “I guess I should head home now.”
Mr. Jefferson had been my last hope. I knew there wasn’t anything else for it. I’d have to walk alone.
With my hand on the doorknob I turned to Mr. Jefferson and asked, “Have you ever come across an animal you knew was evil?”
Mr. Jefferson looked sur
prised. “There are some pretty bad animals out there, Char,” he said. “Plus, unfortunately some get rabies and are sick.”
Rabies. Hmm, that was something I hadn’t thought of. Maybe the dog had rabies. I wondered if that would give it red eyes. Somehow I didn’t think so. “Thanks again,” I said.
Mr. Jefferson, not noticing my apprehension as anything unusual, told me to have a good night.
I took a deep breath and told myself I was being silly. I was eighteen years old and nothing ever happened in this town. I couldn’t still be afraid of things that went bump in the night. It was just a stupid dog, and of course there was mist. I lived in Maine and there were a million lakes and the ocean. Just because the mist seemed to swirl around me until I almost couldn’t see anything was irrelevant. Right? Yeah, sure.
I opened the front door and listened to the welcome bell jingle as I stepped outside. It was odd to feel so scared in a place where I’d spent so much of my life. Since it was late – past eight o’clock is late around here – all the other shops along Main Street were closed. I could hear a car coming in the distance, but it would just speed past.
For a moment I stood still, uncertain. Since I only lived three blocks away, all I had to do was walk down Main Street and then turn right into the residential area. It was literally a five-minute walk.
But I couldn’t move. At this moment I hated where I lived as passionately as I’d ever hated anything. I’d be fine as long as I was on Main Street, but my street had no street lamps.
“This sucks,” I muttered. Every part of my body was tense, so I pulled my phone out of my bag and held it in my hand, ready to call for help if I had to.
Part of me felt like I was being ridiculous, because I’d grown up in this town and literally the worst thing that had ever happened was some stolen garden tools. Then again, there was a first time for everything, and another part of me felt sure there was a boogieman right around the corner who was about to leap out at me.
Paranormal Public (Paranormal Public Series) Page 1
