by Lois Kay
“I… I had a nightmare.” She swallowed. “But this was the first one in a long time. Usually, I can keep them away…. because I… I pretend they’re not there.”
Jody bit her lip, not wanting to interrupt Alice now she had reached out to grab the literal and figurative hand. But Alice’s simple words and the defeated tone of her voice filled her with an immense sadness. Alice was about the same age as Fiona. Teenage girls should go to school, hang out with their friends, enjoy their freedom and youth, not fighting demons and nightmares. Not running away from something in their past.
“It’s….dark,” Alice continued. “And I am… alone in this…place. I don’t know what place it is, but…it’s dark. I’m scared and try to get away, and I fall on something soft, and I smell blood and smoke like there’s fire.” Alice looked up and shot Jody an apologetic glance. “I think that…it’s a….body I fall on,” she stammered, struggling to get the words out. “I try to move, but I can’t. My…my legs won’t move. And then…there’s this small light and at first it feels good to see it because it’s so dark. And the light comes closer and then it turns into eyes.” Alice shivered.
Jody’s hand gave Alice’s a reassuring squeeze, and after taking a deep breath, Alice bravely continued.
“The scariest parts are the…eyes and the hands,” she whispered, and Jody could feel the slender hand begin to tremble.
Jody didn’t want to scare Alice away, but it was evident the frightened girl desperately needed support and comfort. Knowing she was taking the risk of frightening Alice, Jody went with her instincts. She scooted closer and wrapped her free arm around Alice’s shoulder. She wasn’t surprised that Alice’s body stiffened, and for a moment Jody was afraid she had gone too fast, too soon. But then Alice relaxed, and Jody let out a relieved sigh.
“It’s…the eyes are so…. dead almost, so without anything. And they look at me, and no matter what I try I can’t get away and—.” Alice’s voice rose a few octaves, and Jody pulled her a little closer, mumbling words of comfort.
“And then the hand comes….out of nowhere, suddenly it’s just…there and it…it tries to choke me.” Alice sniffed, tightening her grip on Jody’s hand. “First it…. touches my cheek…. real soft, but…. then it wraps around my throat and starts to choke me. And then I hear this voice. It’s a man’s voice, and he says I can run, but he will always find me. That’s when… I …. usually I scream then and wake up.”
Alice let out a shuddering breath and hung her head. It had been a very long time since she had a conversation with anyone about anything and now all the energy was drained from her body, leaving her cold, tired, sad, and feeling very lonely. Again, the tears threatened to fall, and Alice didn’t understand why she couldn’t control her emotions anymore. It was frightening. Her almost Spartan way of dealing with her feelings had kept her alive and sane for a long time.
“How long have you been having this dream, Alice?” Jody kept her voice calm and gentle.
“You mean, when did it start?” Alice soft voice sounded close to her shoulder.
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” Jody answered, her voice equally soft.
Alice wanted to shrug and say she honestly couldn’t remember when the dreams had started to invade her nights, but suddenly she realized the answer to Jody’s question could matter a lot. “I… am… not sure,” she hesitated, feeling awkward and inept for not being able to answer such a simple question.
It was like Jody could feel her distress, and she gently rubbed Alice’s back. Alice leaned into the touch, which produced a knowing smile on Jody’s face. She continued rubbing her hand across Alice’s back in a soothing, circular motion. Suddenly Jody could feel Alice’s body tense. She shot up straight and looked at her with eyes, full of wonder. Their gazes locked and Jody could see surprise, hope, and pain radiating from Alice’s clear eyes, that seemed colorless in the light of the moon.
Alice was stunned. She could almost taste the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She could hear the faint echoes of a memory in the back of her mind, and for a moment it was within her grasp. “After I… had the…accident,” her voice sounded almost dreamlike, and Jody held her breath. “I fell, during the night. There was a fire…and smoke and I fell. I—.” Her eyes went wide with horror, and she grabbed Jody’s hand between her own, not realizing how painful her vice-like grip was. Her lips started to tremble, and Jody saw the tears roll down her face, which had lost all color. “The hands…. he tried to choke me and… I fell…. and… I hit my head.”
Alice’s body started to shake violently, and Jody wrapped both arms around her, providing her with all the support she could give, hoping Alice hadn’t remembered something she wasn’t ready for yet.
Alice hid her face against Jody’s shoulder and held on for dear life. “He tried to kill me,” she gasped before her body collapsed and went limp.
“Oh, no, Alice.” Jody lowered Alice down on the bed and ran toward the door, yanking it open. She stepped into the hallway and threw open the door to Fiona’s room. “Fi, get Sam,” she urged, knowing her sister was not asleep yet. “There’s something wrong with Alice.”
*
At first, it had been such a pleasant dream. Jody was holding her hand, and they were both running down a hill. The sweet smell of sun-warmed grass filled her nose, and the cool breeze ruffled her hair. In the distance, she could see the creek that was winding its way through the valley. The clear, cold water looked inviting, and she ran faster. But then Jody’s hand slipped away from hers, and she tried to turn her head to look around, but her speed increased, and she practically flew down the hill. Without Jody’s hand, she felt lost, and she wanted to stop, but she was going too fast. Her right leg started to ache, and when she glanced down, she saw mangled bones and blood. The need to stop running became urgent, but still, it was like an invisible force was pushing her forward, closer to the water. She wanted to call out to Jody, but no matter how hard she tried, there was no sound. She knew she was leaving Jody behind, but she couldn’t stop, no matter how hard she tried. Suddenly, her ears picked up a sound.
“Sam! Sam!”
With a grunt of pain, she tried to move her head to look back, but again she failed. With growing frustration, she decided to just let herself fall, when she heard the voice again.
“Sam! Wake up, Sam.”
Taking in a lung full of air, Sam shot upright to look straight into the worried eyes of Fiona. Immediately, she reached out to touch the familiar body next to her, but Jody wasn’t there. Instantly, Sam remembered the previous evening, and she could feel the panic constrict her chest. “Where’s Jody?” she breathed.
“Sam, there’s something wrong with Alice,” Fiona hurried to explain. “Jody sent me to get you.”
For a moment, Sam was so profoundly relieved, that she felt dizzy. But when she saw the distress on Fiona’s face, she quickly swung her legs out of bed. Immediately she grabbed the right one and groaned in pain.
“Are you alright?” Fiona asked, reaching out to grab Sam’s arm and prevent her from toppling over.
“I will be, Fi, thanks,” Sam answered. “My leg has been bothering me all day, I guess it’s just stiff now. If you could hand me my shorts, I’ll come with you.”
For the second time that evening Fiona felt her cheeks grow warm. She realized how happy she was that Jody and Sam had decided to at least wear a t-shirt. If she had found them in bed naked, she would have died on the spot. Knowing Jody had a love life was one thing. Being confronted with it was something entirely different.
“Of course, you understand we usually sleep in the buff,” Sam could not help teasing the embarrassed teenager. “But since we have guests —.”
“Um…I’ll wait for you outside,” Fiona mumbled, handing Sam the requested shorts and making a beeline for the door.
With a soft chuckle, Sam stepped into her shorts and pulled them up. She followed Fiona out the door, and as fast as her leg would allow her to, she walked
toward Alice’s bedroom, Fiona in tow. As soon as she stepped inside the room, Sam’s eyes fell on Jody, who looked at her with worried eyes. The limp body of Alice was lying on the bed. Her face was unnaturally pale, and even in the dim light, Sam noticed the perspiration on her forehead. “What happened?” she asked, ignoring the pain in her leg and stepping closer to the bed.
“Fiona woke me up because Alice was crying. I got up to see if I could do anything for her and we talked for a while. She told me about a nightmare she had, and when I asked her if she could remember when that dream first started, she remembered something. She told me about it, and it was pretty…intense, but then she… I don’t know, I think she fainted,” Jody said with a slightly trembling voice.
Sam put a hand on Jody’s shoulder. She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that it was four-thirty in the morning. Too early to call a doctor, unless it was an emergency, which it did not appear to be. “Maybe we should ask Trish what to do,” Sam suggested. “I have no experience with a situation like this, honey. I don’t want to run the risk of making matters worse.”
“Oh, Sam, I feel so bad about it.” Jody had tears in her eyes. “I wish I hadn’t asked her about it. Maybe it was too much.”
“But she told you about it, didn’t she?” Sam asked gently, pulling Jody in for a one-armed hug.
Jody nodded and rested her head against Sam’s stomach.
“I am no psychiatrist, but I think that’s a good sign,” Sam continued. “Let’s get Trish and see what she says. I’ll put on some shoes and get her. I don’t want to call and wake up Lucy as well. She looked exhausted.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Jody whispered, gently pushing away a strand of damp hair from Alice’s forehead.
“I’ll be right back,” Sam promised, brushing past Fiona who was standing in the doorway.
Fiona looked from Jody to the disappearing form of Sam and back again. Confusion was written all over her face. “Sam is going to do what?” she asked.
“Get Trishia,” Jody answered absentmindedly.
“Okay,” Fiona drawled. “Did I miss something? Did the aliens finally come to take over your bodies? Or is there something going on I don’t know about?”
Jody’s eyes widened in shock, and mentally she kicked herself. They had agreed not to tell Fiona and Alice about the murder on the beach and how it could affect them all. Fiona didn’t know yet that Trishia and Lucy were staying at the guesthouse and she was not supposed to find out the reason why they were there. Not until they had more information.
“Um…Trishia and Lucy are staying at the guesthouse,” Jody answered, racking her brain to come up with a good explanation.
“Why?” Fiona asked. “I saw them leave last night. What’s up, Jo?”
“Well,” Jody started, and then she paused to buy herself some time. “They ran into some trouble and —.”
“What kind of trouble?” Fiona asked, stepping closer. She crouched down next to Jody and sent her a quizzical look.
Inwardly Jody groaned and avoided Fiona’s eyes. “They had planned to go to Trishia’s place, but there was a…um…there was a leak, I think.”
“What kind of leak?” Fiona inquired with a frown.
“Water!” Jody blurted out. “The apartment on the top floor, one of its water pipes burst, and everything flooded.”
“Why didn’t they go to Lucy’s?”
Jody bit her lip and let out a heartfelt sigh. Why did Fiona have to be so smart and determined in the middle of the night?
“I don’t know, Fi, maybe you should ask them that yourself. It was late, and I was tired, and right now I have other things on my mind,” Jody answered, her voice reflecting her fatigue.
“I’m sorry, Jo,” Fiona mumbled.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Jody answered, wrapping an arm around Fiona’s shoulders and pulling her close. “I am, too. I’m tired and worried about Alice.”
Fiona nodded in understanding and rested her head against Jody’s shoulder, something she would never do if any of her other siblings were around. She had a reputation to live up to as an independent, opinionated teenager. But every now and then, when Jody pulled her in for a hug, Fiona didn’t ridicule it. She simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth and love that was coming her way.
Despite her worries, Jody smiled when she looked down at the dark head that was resting against her shoulder. She kissed Fiona’s temple and gave her a playful squeeze. “Are you doing okay?” she asked.
A pair of green eyes that were so much like Lucy’s looked up at her and Fiona nodded.
“Could you do me a favor? Trishia and Sam will be back soon, would you please put the kettle on? I’m sure everybody could use a cup of tea. “
Fiona nodded again and got back to her feet, casting a look at Alice who still had not opened her eyes. She knew Jody had not been telling her the truth about Trishia’s presence in the guesthouse, but she realized her sister would have an excellent reason for that. Jody never lied. But Fiona decided to keep her ears and eyes open to find out exactly what was going on. When she had one foot in the hallway, Jody’s voice stopped her.
“I know you saw straight through that water leak story, Fi. I… don’t want to lie to you, so I’ll just tell you that there’s a perfectly good reason for Trishia to be here. I’ll tell you more as soon as I can, alright?”
“Thanks, Jo,” Fiona answered softly. “Does that mean I’m not allowed to eavesdrop?” she added with a smile.
“Yes, young lady, that’s exactly right.”
*
Sam hurried down the path that led to the guest house, closely followed by an enthusiastic dog, who was running around her in a wide circle, hoping his favorite human had decided to play with him.
“Not now, boy,” Sam told Kurt, scratching behind his ear, which made him grunt in pleasure. “We can play later today.” She had reached the guest house that was completely dark and turned to the German Shepherd. “Kurt, down,” she pointed toward the ground. The dog obediently sat down and looked up at his human with dark, trusting eyes. “Good boy,” Sam praised him. He was such a joy to train. He was smart and eager to learn. “Kurt, guard.” Immediately, he sniffed the air, panting from the excitement of the important command. His intelligent eyes stared down the road, and Sam knew that not even a mouse would escape his attention. “Good boy,” she praised him again, opening the screen door and softly knocking on the door. She almost jumped when the door was instantly yanked open, and she looked into another pair of intelligent, alert eyes. But this time they were of the human kind.
“Holy cow, woman.” Sam put her hand on her chest. “You scared the heck out of me.”
“Sorry,” Trishia mumbled sheepishly. “But I saw you when you walked by the window, and I didn’t want Lucy to wake up. What’s up?”
“That’s exactly why I came down and not call. It’s Alice,” Sam told her. “Apparently, she had a nightmare and Jody went to see her. They talked, and Alice remembered something. Jody said it was intense and she passed out. We were wondering what to do about it.”
“Did she tell Jody what she remembered?” Trishia asked. “Really?”
“Yes.” Sam rubbed her tired eyes. “So, what do we do now? Call a doctor? Bring her to the emergency room? Get a psychiatrist up here? What? I’d love to help the poor girl, Trish, but it’s not like we have any experience with something like this.”
“I know, and I’ll come up to the house with you to have a look. If needed, there’s a psychologist I could give a call, but I’d better check it out first.” Trishia wanted to close the door behind her and follow Sam, but she hesitated.
“What?” Sam asked impatiently. She was filled with nervous energy and wanted to return to Jody as fast as she could.
“Lucy is asleep, but I don’t want her to wake up and be alone here.” Trishia bit her bottom lip and stepped back into the house. “Go ahead, Sam. I’ll be coming up in a few minutes. I’ll wake up Lucy and tell her where
I’ll be going.”
“I can leave Kurt here,” Sam offered.
“Thanks, Sam,” Trishia smiled. “If Lucy decides to come along I’ll take him back up.”
“Great, see you soon, Trish.” Sam hurried back toward the house, after giving Kurt the command to stay. The dog softly whimpered, but he obediently stayed where he was, staring after his human with sad, brown eyes.
Trishia felt she didn’t have the time to wake Lucy gently. She flipped the light switch and instantly, the bedroom was basked in a sea of light. Kneeling next to the bed she brushed away hair that had fallen across Lucy’s face and smiled when she saw dark eyelashes flutter. Positioning herself between the source of light and Lucy, Trishia leaned in to kiss a cheek and slowly a pair of sleepy eyes appeared. “Morning, beautiful,” Trishia whispered.
“Morning?” Lucy mumbled, casting a look in the direction of the window. “Are you sure about that? Looks pretty dark to me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Trishia said. “But Sam just came down to tell me there’s something wrong with Alice and I need to go and check it out. Kurt’s outside, and I’ll leave him here if I need to, but I’d really like you to come with me.”
Lucy yawned. “Alright.” She threw back the covers, revealing a tank top and a pair of black lace panties.
Trishia swallowed hard and tried very hard not to touch the exposed skin that was so close to her itching hands.
“Is this whole…situation…going to affect our love life in a very negative way?” Lucy asked, noticing the barely hidden desire in Trishia’s eyes. “Cause if it is, I won’t be happy. I had such great plans for us last night and look what happened. I slept alone, and you sat in that chair all night, keeping watch. Don’t deny it, Trish,” Lucy said, raising a hand to stop Trishia from talking. “You didn’t sleep a wink. If you keep that up, you’ll get sick.”
“It’s not the first time I have stayed up more than twenty-four hours,” Trishia answered. Worry and guilt fought for dominance every time she thought about dragging Lucy and her family into a potentially dangerous situation. “I’ll be fine, I—.”
