Cami stared blankly at the in-ground swimming pool. Leena Davidson may have been in jail for attempted murder, but she was still alive. Natalie was gone. Because of Leena, Natalie had lost her life before it had even started.
She laid her hand onto her abdomen. Natalie wasn’t there.
Although Cami had been told by her mother that the doctors didn’t know what had caused her miscarriage, she did—Leena Davidson.
She could hear laughter coming from inside the Caldarelli’s home. At least someone was happy. She clearly wasn’t. Her mother, Kaci, Marissa, and River had tried to talk to her but she didn’t want to talk. All she wanted was her daughter back, but sadly Natalie wasn’t coming back.
Cami slowly brought herself to a standing position and dipped her foot into the pool. The water was freezing cold. If Natalie was with her now, she wouldn’t be outside in the chilly, winter weather. It was thirty-three degrees outside but it really felt much colder because of the strong wind.
She walked over to her tote and pulled out the pink baby blanket that was supposed to be her daughter’s.
The wind blew and she heard thunder in the distance. A storm was coming.
Meanwhile, Skylar and Kaci were in the kitchen eating s’mores, drinking a cold, tall glass of milk, and catching up on homework.
She had been to the Caldarelli estate on numerous occasions, but the decorative craftsmanship and the overall beauty of the home never ceased to amaze her. His home was a 15,000 square foot mansion with many bedrooms and bathrooms, and it also boasted a guest house on the property. Each bedroom was oversized with walk-in closets and each bathroom had a whirlpool tub and a separate shower, a ceramic tile floor, and a small walk-in closet for linens. Her favorite room in the house was the kitchen because she loved to eat desserts and pastries. The Caldarelli kitchen featured custom made mahogany cabinets with pull out shelves and state of the art Viking and Subzero appliances. The marble countertops looked exquisite and the tiled flooring looked so clean that she could practically eat off of it. Well, maybe not that clean but it was clean nonetheless.
“My mother designed the entire layout of the kitchen and the décor,” Skylar said, as if reading her mind. He blushed when he noticed that her eyes were on him. “Or at least that’s what she tells people.”
She set her pencil inside her textbook and bit her bottom lip. He could sense her mild discomfort.
“Is something wrong?”
Kaci looked towards the door as if expecting someone to enter. Then, she turned her attention back to him. “I’m surprised that your parents are okay with me being here.”
“Why?”
“I just…thought…that they would blame me for you nearly getting killed…since…I was the one who Leena was after.”
“My parents don’t blame you for anything.” He didn’t dare tell her that his mother had blamed her at the hospital for him nearly losing his life. She yelled at Skylar repeatedly and forbade him from seeing Kaci. He explained to her that it was Leena’s fault but at the time, Mariah wasn’t up for reasoning. Her mind had been plagued with a severe case of the “what if’s.” What if Kaci hadn’t been there? What if Leena hadn’t tried to run her over? What if she would’ve let Skylar stay home for the day? What’s done is done and cannot be changed. After she calmed down, Skylar told his mother that he was still going to hang out with Kaci whether she liked it or not because she was his best friend and he loved her. But of course he didn’t tell her the last part.
Kaci sighed. “I know that she hates me.”
“Kaci…”
“I heard what she said and…” She averted her eyes. “I’m so, so sorry, Skylar.” He put a reassuring hand on top of hers and gave a slight squeeze and stared at her until she finally made eye contact with him.
“It’s not your fault.”
“But if…”
“Besides, Leena didn’t like me to begin with.”
“Did you ever do anything to her?”
“Nope, she just doesn’t like me.”
“I never did or even spoke to her until she started bothering my sister and she hates both of us. Kelly’s just as bad if not worse.” She took a bite of her graham crackers. “She doesn’t like anyone in our class unless they’re her friend. I just hope Leena gets a lot of jail time.” And so did he.
“This is a special weather bulletin,” the TV announcer said. Skylar and Kaci turned to face the television. “The deadly storm that produced several tornadoes and made its way through Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas is quickly moving into our viewing area,” Meteorologist John Hill reported.
Skylar turned up the volume.
“These storms are known to produce heavy rain, wind, and tornadoes. They’re now moving…” The screen went black.
“Try another channel,” Kaci said.
He reached for the remote but the other weather channels were discussing weather everywhere else but Hattiesburg. The lights began to flicker on and off; a loud pang of thunder sounded as it struck something in the distance causing Kaci to nearly jump out of the chair. Thunder and lightning scared her. If she were home, she would’ve gotten into bed with Cami and pulled the comforter over her head. But instead, she was with Skylar in the kitchen, and there wasn’t a comforter in sight.
“You scared?” he teased.
“Of course not. I’m not scared of anything,” she said bravely.
He wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, right.”
The loud sound of thunder mixed with several quick flashes of lightening and a down pour of rain caused both friends to jump. “Now who’s scared?” she joked.
“Not me,” he retorted.
Kaci chuckled as she stood up from the chair. “I’m going to check on Cami.”
“Alright.”
“I know it’s raining, but I want to make sure that she’s okay.”
Skylar pointed to the wall near the laundry room. “Take my mother’s umbrella.”
“Thanks and Skylar…”
“What?”
“…Don’t get too scared without me.”
He grinned. “I’m not the one who’s scared Little Miss Jumpy.”
“Whatever, I’ll be back.”
You better, he thought to himself.
He turned his attention back to the television and turned to the local news station but it was still off the air. He flipped through several more channels before turning the television on a 24/7 movie channel.
He needed to finish his homework assignments and that would be impossible with the television on unless Kaci was there. Whether the TV was on or off, she could always keep him on the right track—most of the time. On the other hand, it was storming outside and the weather was going to hold his attention a lot more than his homework could. He closed his English and science textbooks and layered three milk chocolate squares between his marshmallows and graham crackers. Then, he let his taste buds run wild as they tasted the delicious chocolate and marshmallow goodness. He wiped the crumbs away with the back of his hand, and then grabbed his glass of milk and brought it to his lips.
Before he could take a sip, a bloodcurdling scream filled his ears. The glass slipped from his grasp and crashed onto the floor. He leaped to his feet and headed to the backyard all the while forgetting that he had a broken leg. He witnessed both of his parents pull Cami out of the in-ground swimming pool with a crying and screaming Kaci standing nearby.
“Oh, my God!” his mother said, with one hand resting on her hip and the other clamped to her mouth.
“Call 911!” his father shouted as he performed CPR on Cami.
Skylar pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed 911, but Kaci snatched it out of his hand. “This is 911. What’s your emergency?” the 911 operator asked.
“My sister,” she panted. She tried to get her breathing under control, but she couldn’t get the image of Cami’s lifeless body out of her head.
“Ma’am, calm down…”
“I found my sister’s dead body i
n the swimming pool.”
~ ~ ~
LifeAfterNatalieLifeAfterNatalie***To my readers: I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please consider leaving an honest review at your favorite e-book retailer. If you’re anxious to know more about Cami or any other characters, please read the next page for a preview of the sequel, Life After Natalie.
Valenciya
Life After Natalie
A Crossroads Trilogy Novel
Book 2
Valenciya Lyons
Cami's Decision Page 40
