I could feel his warmth through our gloves, and I was grateful for it. He let go of my hand and stood up. The back of his pants were wet from sitting in the snow that I hadn’t wiped away. The sight heaved us from our intense one-way conversation and into a small fit of laughter. I’d spent summers and weekends here years before, and the one thing I could always count on was Alex’s ability to listen and make me laugh when I needed it most. It was going to be hard when he left to go back to New York, but I would be able to handle it. What choice did I have?
On the way back in, Alex told me he would take me to and from work and that he would probably spend the day there with me since he and Mr. Knope were close. That was a pleasant surprise, though I wondered if Mia would act same way she did around Mike, the delivery driver, or the way she did around Brett. I would be training on the register, so I told Alex that for the most part he should hang low until I got the hang of it. I didn’t like being distracted around money, especially when it was someone else’s.
Upstairs in my bathroom, I swallowed a yellow pill, cursing myself for staying up so late studying after talking with Alex. It was almost two a.m. and I’d promised Alex I’d ride over with him to Stan’s Garage in the morning to pick up his car. After showering, I braided my hair, hoping the normally lifeless jet black strands would turn into waves or something other than what they were. Sleep came quick and deep in the form of a dream. It was odd how vivid my dreams had become. They actually felt more like memories.
***
A much younger version of my mother, face unlined and smooth, sat in a wooden chair with me at her knees, playing with a doll. The doll seemed familiar with its blazing red hair and freckles. The name Becky came to mind. I wondered if that was the name I’d given the doll as a child. My mother shifted uncomfortably in her chair as the man in front of her cleared his throat. The room was large, well-lit, and behind the man plaques and certifications cluttered the wall, probably giving those who entered a sense of hope in his intellect.
“Mrs. Monroe, I think we may have a slight problem with Ella,” he said in a concerned voice. His brow furrowed, causing his eyebrows to look like a large black caterpillar on the top of his face. “Ella has been saying some very disturbing things to the other students, and I think we need to address this now before it goes any further.” He looked at my mother and gauged her reaction carefully.
“What do you mean?” My mother looked down at me with alarm, her soft face lined with worry, aging her at least ten years. She placed a hand on the top of my head, and I looked up at her.
Her eyes were sad, and even as a child, I’d known something was wrong. I felt myself frown. I reached up to her to touch and comfort her.
My mother smiled and looked back at the doctor. “What is going on with Ella?” She seemed calmer as a result of my touch.
The doctor shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He informed my mother I’d told another student her father was going to die.
My mother’s eyes widened into two big orbs centered with blue-green shine. She took my hand and squeezed it lightly, but this time I didn't look up at her.
“See, Mrs. Monroe, Ella not only predicted that—" he was cut short by my mother.
She moved closer to the edge of her chair as though she could change the words he was speaking by getting closer to him. I could feel the concern and fear rolling off of her in waves that heated the air. I sat silently, staring at the red-headed doll, wishing I could escape.
“Predicted? What in the world do you mean by predicted, Mr. Davidson?” My mother seemed to awaken with fear and a hint of anger.
Mr. Davidson smiled uneasily, hoping to lessen the blow and calm my mother down a bit. “Well, Mrs. Monroe, not only did she predict that Miss Mellon’s father would die, she also predicted the date and time.” He saw the confusion on my mother’s face. “We are sure that it is merely a coincidence, but it still has a few of the staff concerned, and of course the Mellons want the situation attended to.” His fat, round face was covered in a thin sheen of nervous sweat. He kept his hands busy by twisting his wedding band around on his finger.
My mother sat back in her chair, defeated. She let out an aggravated sigh. “What do you suggest we do, Mr. Davidson?” She looked at me.
When I looked into her green-blue eyes, I could see the fear and defeat take over. In that moment, I decided I would never tell anyone else about the dreams I’d had, no matter how important they seemed.
***
“You look like hell,” Alex joked, taking in my puffy face and eyes.
I was sure the dark circles around my eyes spoke volumes about my lack of sleep, and maybe Alex would let me off of the hook and sleep in—but he didn't.
“But your hair looks cool.” He peeked at me over the counter, smiling like a square-jawed bandit.
Of course, I blushed. I felt silly and couldn’t think of anything to say.
“So, we’ll head out to Stan’s, and then if he is done, we’ll go to Knope’s. My dad is gonna drop us off at the garage, so we need to leave in ten minutes.” He shoveled some grainy cereal into his mouth.
I bit back my early-morning-not-enough-sleep attitude and smiled at Alex while I buttered a muffin. Even if I had gotten enough sleep last night, I still wouldn’t have wanted to get up so early. Stan’s Garage was in Elmwood City. Eric wanted to leave early because his forty-five-minute commute to work would be stretched to an hour and fifteen minutes. Alex told me Cedar Grove had once had a mechanic, but he moved, along with Jerry’s Auto Store, so the closest car repair place was Stan’s.
“Why did you leave your car there instead of at the house?” It seemed odd for him to have left it thirty minutes away instead of in the shed.
“It was leaking oil everywhere. My mom told me to get rid of it, but I couldn’t; you know, it being my first car and all.” Alex took his bowl to the sink and walked back to me.
“Thanks for letting me use it, Alex,” I said gratefully. “I mean, it’s not a long walk to Knope’s, but it is a cold one.” I bit into my blueberry muffin. It was warm and buttery, and I was glad I hadn’t chosen the bowl of grainy stuff Alex had offered.
“Yeah, it’s no problem. I know that girl was found in the Elmwoods, but I still don’t want you walking around out there by yourself.” He grabbed his wallet off the counter and shoved it in his back pocket.
Before I could say anything, Eric walked around the corner, fully jacketed and ready to go. “She was found in the Elmwoods, but they are not sure where she was murdered,” he said.
I knew that from Brett, but I hadn’t told Eric.
“I called Charlie last night to see if he knew anything, and he filled me in on a few things. Alex, I want you to stay close with Ella today. No one knows who this person is or what their motive for killing Anna was, so just pay attention,” Eric said as he made his way over to the coffee pot. “On a better note, I want you all to be packed and ready to leave for Stony Bridge by six a.m. on Friday. It’s gonna take an hour to get to the lodge.”
I was so busy thinking about the Anna situation, I didn’t realize Eric and Alex were already heading for the door while I stood over the sink, daydreaming.
“Ella!” Alex called. “Let’s go.” He disappeared out the door.
I grabbed my coat, scarf, and gloves, and headed out the door after them, shoving them on as best as I could. We were the only people at Stan’s, so I thought we would be in and out, but of course I was wrong. By time we left, I only had an hour before I was supposed to arrive at work. Alex sped down the road, struggling to get comfortable in the driver’s seat. The little Acura Integra seemed not to like that he’d grown since the last time he’d driven it. The wheels skidded and slid across the road while Alex smiled and moved to the music, and I held on for dear life. The trees whizzed by us so fast I thought I would be sick, but just as I was about to turn away, I saw a flash of black move alongside us farther out in the woods. I blinked and checked again, seeing nothing but a bit o
f green and tons of white.
“Did you see that?” I asked, raising my voice over the music. I hoped Alex had seen the figure racing to keep up with the car, but at the same time, I prayed he was keeping his eyes on the road since we were going seventy miles an hour. Alex ignored me or didn't hear because he just danced and swayed to the music.
“Alex, I think you should slow down!” I yelped. The music was so loud he still didn’t hear me, so I reached over and turned it off. Alex looked over at me, surprised and puzzled. His face almost made me laugh, but my fear overpowered it. “Dude, slow down.”
“Fine, but you’re probably gonna be late for work.” He tapped the brakes.
“At least I’ll make it there alive,” I joked. Alex’s Acura was a manual, and I was going to have trouble driving it. My dad tried to teach me once, but that disaster ended up costing him almost two grand in damages. I hoped Alex and I wouldn’t have that same problem since I had been driving since I was sixteen.
“Don’t worry about my driving skills, kid,” he teased. “You just pay attention so you can drive this thing when I’m gone.”
I hated when he called me kid; he wasn’t even a year older than me. I peeked out the window again to see if I noticed anything unusual. “When are you leaving?” I tried not to sound too upset. The reality of Alex leaving soon pushed the concern of the dark figure out of my mind. Besides, it was probably just a deer.
“Tuesday night.” He glanced at me with inquisitive eyes. “Why are you thinking about me leaving already? I just got here,” he said with mock sadness.
“I miss the old times, you know? I want things to be like that again.” Warm summer nights with my parents and everyone else were memories that I wished could be reality again.
“Things will never be the same, Ella. That’s just the way it is.”
I wanted to be upset and tell him he couldn’t understand my need for the impossible, but I couldn’t. He and Eric were right. Things would never be the same and moving on was best, but it was easier said than done.
Chapter 17
* * *
“It is said that he and his men will smell of fire and ash; they have sold their souls to the devil for eternal life and will leave nothing but destruction in their wake.” —Grandpa Grey
* * *
Before I could reply to Alex, my cell phone jingled and I reached into my pocket to check it. I had a missed call and a text message. The missed call was from Sarah, and the text was from Mia.
“Sheriff is here to question everyone.”
I told Alex the sheriff would be at the store questioning everyone. I wondered if he’d want to speak with me even though I’d just started working there. I asked her what they wanted with me since I’d only been there a few hours yesterday.
“Nothing, Duh!”
Her parents really needed to teach her some freaking manners. I asked Alex if he knew her, and he told me he didn’t. The only person from Elmwood City he knew well was Jaime, and she’d moved to California with her dad years ago. I typed back that I was just wondering and there was no need to get testy. I was feeling a little weird with all that was going on, and I wondered if the police would question me about Kale or if they even knew about him. I’m sure they had searched the cemetery, but did they find anything? Had he left anything behind that would lead them to me?
“Whatever. Charlie is cutting your hours for the day.”
“Why? Thanksgiving is Thursday.” I wasn’t too upset about it, but I wondered what was happening. I needed to get some reading done, and I wanted to hang out with Alex after work today, anyway.
“No business. People are nervous about the murder, even here in Cedar, but you still need to come in for two hours to train on register.”
“OK, Alex is coming too.”
“Hot or not?”
I ignored her last text. It was her attitude that bothered me, not that fact she was really hot and Alex would probably drool all over her.
“You finished typing?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed.
“Yeah, my hours have been cut for the day, so we only have to stay for two hours.”
“Hours cut? I can’t believe that. It’s two days until Thanksgiving and no one is shopping? Knope must be taking a financial hit,” Alex said as we cruised down the road at a much safer pace.
“I didn’t think of that.” I hoped Mr. Knope wasn’t in too much trouble. When we pulled up to the store, Alex told me he needed some new gloves and would meet me in the store in a minute. I was okay with that until I saw the sheriff’s car outside the store. I didn’t mention my apprehension to Alex because I didn’t think he would understand. He didn’t know about Kale and the mausoleum. Despite the warm air in the store, I felt cold and alone, a feeling that was all too familiar. Mia was at the register reading a Cosmo when I walked up to her to say hi.
“Jeez! You scared me. Make some damn noise when you walk, Ella!”
I stamped down my anger when I saw the look of fear and surprise on her face. I guess this murder could even scare the Wicked Witch of the West.
“Sorry. Are they in the back?” I craned my neck to see if I could see through the windows in the double doors leading to the back. Mia settled back down and starting flipping through her magazine again before answering me. The air was thick and smelled funny. I sniffed, trying to identify the smell.
“Yeah, they have been here for thirty minutes.” She muttered something under her breath about lip gloss as I walked to the back to put away my things.
The back felt different, colder, and I noticed the scent I couldn’t place was stronger in the back. I felt like a dog as I started sniffing around the room looking for the scent. It reminded me of burnt paper. I shrugged it off as someone burning leaves. I made sure my cell was in my pocket before I left for the floor, then remembered the missed call from Sarah. It would have to wait until my shift was over. She had left a message, and if it was important, she’d call again.
Back out on the sales floor, Alex hadn’t arrived yet and Mia was still reading her magazine, not paying a bit of attention to me or my useless small talk. Without customers in the store, I wasn’t able to train on the register, so I decided to walk around the store and get acquainted with where I would be stocking all the items. Ten minutes later, Alex walked in the store, and I was relieved and annoyed. Mia noticed him before I did and made sure to greet him with the biggest, rosiest, perkiest, and most annoying smile I had ever seen. She sauntered over to him and giggled. The girl actually giggled.
“Hey, you must be Alex,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand. Alex, the big, dumb, incredibly cute guy that he was, blushed and took her hand and gently shook it, but when he started to pull away, Mia held on tight, moving his hand to her face to inspect his class ring. “Nice, Cedar Grove Prep.”
Alex had gone to the only prep school in Cedar to better his chances at college and it had worked. He was really smart, but it seemed he was going to fall for Mia’s ditzy hot-chick routine. I walked over to where the two stood hand in hand. Alex looked up at me guiltily and a little embarrassed, but quickly recovered.
“Hey, my mom wants you to call her. She says she has some news about OT,” he said.
I knew OT meant Ocean Trace, and I was curious what the call was about. I was glad he used our code word for Ocean Trace. I didn't want Mia knowing I had spent time in a mental hospital.
“Okay, I’ll call her now since there’s no one in the store.”
Mia smacked her lips.
That, combined with the fact she still had her pink nail-polished hands wrapped around Alex’s hand, made me roll my eyes. “What, Mia?” I didn’t try very hard to hide my annoyance.
“You can’t use your phone out here. I usually go in the bathroom where I won’t be disturbed.” She turned her attention back to Alex. “So, why haven’t I seen you around here?”
I hurried to the bathroom to call Sarah. I knew she was home because her Thanksgivi
ng vacation started today, so I called the landline at the house; she picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, you didn’t answer your phone,” she said, sounding a little upset.
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what I was apologizing for. Sarah sounded a little panicked, and it had me worried.
“Well, I called to tell you that Dr. Lithe called to reschedule your appointment for the first.”
I wondered why he had rescheduled. I mean, I hadn’t told anyone about the visions that I’d had, and I’d been acting as normal as one could in my shoes. Why was she so worried about me missing an appointment?
“That’s okay. We can just go another time,” I said, trying not to choke on the smell of burnt paper and ash that suddenly filled the room. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but I could smell it as if it were right under my nose. Just like when I was in the backroom.
“I know. That isn’t the problem,” she said softly, gearing up for the main event. “There was a fire in the file rooms in Ocean Trace.”
I could see why she was upset. The file rooms were located close to some of the patient rooms. The scent of smoke and ash was now overpowering and it took all that I could not to retch. An unfamiliar voice resonated from the other side of the door, and I leaned against it for balance and privacy. I could still hear Sarah talking, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. My knees started to buckle, and I felt like I was going to faint. The last thing I wanted was to be found by Mia or Alex on the bathroom floor. The voice on the other side of the door receded and disappeared, and the burning scent seemed to go with it. Little by little I pulled myself up from the crouching position I’d slid into and cleared my throat. Sarah was still talking, and I didn't think she realized I hadn’t heard a word.
“…everything, Ella, they said all of it,” she finished.
Few Are Angels Page 13
