by Wendy Wang
It took Charlie a minute to figure out what was going on. This is a dream.
Charlie walked around the three girls standing in front of her. They were so young — much younger than the woman she spoke with just the other day.
Yes. A dream. Charlie moved in closer so she could hear them a little better.
“God dammit, Haley. You didn't have to kidnap me.” The girl standing in front of Haley and Emma folded her arms across her chest. She wore a white t-shirt and pink plaid pajama bottoms. “You could've just asked me.”
She was pretty but not quite on the same level as Haley and Emma, who could be only categorized as homecoming queen pretty. There was a shrewd practicality in her expression and the way she held her body. Brianna gave off a don’t-mess-with-me vibe that Charlie imagined was the real reason the Mu Theta’s wanted to get rid of her.
“Well, what would be the fun in that?” Haley teased.
“Brianna, just lighten up,” Emma scolded. “You want to be a Mu Theta?”
Brianna clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. “You know I do,” she said but didn’t sound very convincing.
“Good. This is the last test. If you pass, then you are Mu Theta and we’ll be sisters forever.”
“You could've at least let me put on some freaking clothes.” Brianna grumbled. “I'm gonna look like an idiot in my pajamas.”
“Don't you worry about it,” Haley said. “Nobody's gonna see you here.”
“Except maybe the ghosts.” Emma smirked and shifted her gaze to the house behind them.
Brianna followed Emma’s gaze and her heavy dark brows tugged together. “Where the hell are we?”
“Are you up for it?” Haley asked, ignoring her question.
“You want me to go in there?” Brianna pointed to the dilapidated front porch. Most of the windows were broken and, like giant black eyes, they stared out blankly at the night.
“Yes. You have to spend the rest of the night there.” Emma smiled her beauty queen smile.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Brianna scoffed. “No fucking way. You guys are crazy.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “So, are you saying you want out then?”
Brianna blew a breath out between her clenched teeth. A cold cloudy puff formed. “No,” she said. “You know I don’t. You know I need the Mu Thetas.”
“Right,” Emma said. “Being a Mu Theta can open a lot of doors.”
“Yes, it can,” Brianna said flatly. “And I’ve already put in weeks of work. I know what you’re doing.” She turned and stared at the house. A soft groan echoed from somewhere inside. Brianna folded her arms across her chest and set her jaw. “All I have to do is spend the night?”
“Yes,” Haley said. “Just be careful going upstairs. The floorboards are pretty rotted in places.”
“Why the hell would I go upstairs?” Brianna sounded indignant.
“Have you never heard of Alice Brighton?” Emma said.
“No, why would I?”
“Alice Brighton is a tragic figure in the history of Mu Theta Chi. I thought you had done your homework, Brianna.”
“If you can't even bother to learn the history of our great sorority, why on earth would you think we would accept you?” Emma chimed in.
Brianna raised her hands. “Now wait a minute, just wait a minute. I don't remember anything about anyone named Alice Brighton in any of the literature I read.”
“She was the daughter of the original founder of MTC,” Haley said.
“In fact, I would dare say that she is the whole reason why we even have a sorority,” Emma said.
“What happened to her?”
“She died,” Emma said.
“In this house,” Haley said. “In 1917.”
“It was tragic. She was waiting for her fiancé to come back from the war.” Emma shook her head. “But, he died too. When she got word of his death she went up to the attic of this house and hanged herself.”
Brianna's expression shifted from curiosity to horror.
“Tragic, really. Which is why her mother founded the first chapter of MTC in the state so that girls just like her daughter would have a place to make friends and be with people who would support them in good times and bad.”
“I thought the Jeffersons started Mu Theta,” Brianna said.
“Well, they did start the whole sorority, but the Brightons are the ones who brought it to South Carolina.”
“Oh-kay.” Doubt flashed across Brianna’s face and crinkles appeared around her dark eyes.
“They say you can still hear her weeping.” Haley shifted her gaze to the third story window. Charlie glanced up into the dark hole half-expecting to see a spirit standing there, but it was just an empty window. “If you hear her crying tonight don't be scared. Okay?” A smile played at the corners of Emma’s lips.
“Don’t worry about me, honey.” Brianna scowled and marched up the creaky wooden stairs. She turned around. “I'll see you when you get back.”
Haley grinned, her blue eyes full of malicious mischief. “You actually have to go inside the house, Brianna.”
Brianna stood there for a moment, glaring at them. Charlie let herself slip into Brianna’s thoughts for a moment.
God, she hated these girls sometimes. If her mother hadn't been a member when she went to school, she never would have considered joining. The connections that her mother had made through Mu Theta Chi had helped her get a job after Brianna's father left them. They weren’t poor but they weren't rich either, and her mother had sung their praises from the time Brianna was a small girl. Even going so far as to refer to her sorority sisters as her saviors.
Brianna certainly didn't see Haley and Emma as saviors — more like two mean girls who didn't quite like her and couldn't quite get rid of her as easily as they would like. They were trying to make her quit. But that’s where they had underestimated her because she never quit. She had her future all mapped out, and she wasn’t about to let these two fashion dolls get in her way. She took a deep breath, put her hand on the crystal doorknob, and pushed open the front door. The rusty hinges squealed, setting her teeth on edge. She stepped inside and looked around the once-grand foyer. The silk paper was cracked and peeling in places, and vines had grown up through the floor. It was 80 degrees outside but that didn't stop a shiver from skittering down her spine. Brianna turned back around to face them. “Happy now?”
Haley grinned wider. She held up one hand and wiggled her fingers in a condescending little wave. “We'll see you at 6 AM.”
“If you survive the night,” Emma laughed. The maniacal tone sent a fresh shiver through Brianna. She watched as the two girls climbed into Haley's BMW and peeled off, spitting dirt and gravel in their wake.
“Dammit,” Brianna muttered. She had no idea where she was, but by the brightness of the stars in the sky she was too far from the city to just hoof it
She gritted her teeth. They were not going to win this stupid game. She let herself take in her surroundings. Grayish mold covered the walls. Cobwebs hung in every corner and shadows crept up the plaster melding into the long swollen water stains. As if the walls had been crying. Brianna rubbed her upper arm to chase away the goose bumps.
“It's just an old house, Bree. There is nothing here that can hurt you.” The sound of her own voice comforted her. She folded her arms across her chest hugging them tight to her body. An icy blast of air blew across the back of her neck and every hair stood on end. Something was watching her. The staccato beats of her heart grew faster in her chest, and she turned slowly in a circle looking for the source. The sound of a woman crying echoed throughout the first floor. Brianna tightened her jaw. They were totally screwing with her.
“Very funny, Haley!”
The crying grew louder, focusing behind her. They probably had a fucking tape recorder with that noise on it. Brianna turned to face it. Her heart slammed into the back of her throat. Standing — no floating — in the doorway of the old parlor was a very pale translucen
t young woman. Her face etched with pain.
“Have you seen my Bartholomew?” the young woman asked.
Brianna shook her head and opened her mouth to say something but the words died on her lips.
“Papa said he’s not coming home. But he promised me he would. Even in death.”
She didn't know why they were doing this. Did they really hate her this much?
“You’re not real,” Brianna muttered and took a step backward. The girl disappeared. After several moments, Brianna’s heartbeat returned to normal. There had to be some sort of projector in the house. It was the only explanation. “You bitches are not gonna win!” She curled her hand into a fist and raised it, her face toward the ceiling. “Did you hear me? You are not going to beat me!”
The door slammed behind her making her jump. Brianna's eyes tried to look everywhere at once. So, that was the game, huh? Scare Brianna shitless. She gritted her teeth. “Fuck you!”
A woman’s wails echoed from above and Brianna’s breathing quickened. Slowly she moved toward the staircase. She peered up through the stairwell that coiled through the center of the house all the way up to the third floor. She could see the sky in places where the roof had rotted away and fallen in. Bright stars twinkled against the indigo sky. Something shimmered from the corner of her eye, and she caught movement and whispering. Only there was nothing ghostly about it. They were trying to scare her. There was no such thing as ghosts. Brianna set her jaw. She would catch them in the act, confront them and be done with this shit. Brianna marched over to the stairs. She scanned them for signs of weakness. The wood looked graying old but it didn't look rotted. She took her first step and then another. The floorboards didn't feel spongy or loose.
“I hear you, you fucking bitches,” she said under her breath. Footsteps above her head made her stop in her tracks. She waited until her heart calmed down before beginning her ascent again. “I’m gonna catch you,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have messed with this Jersey girl.” Wailing echoed around her. They thought they could scare her. She would fucking show them what being scared was all about.
“Oh Alice,” Brianna called. “Why don’t come out and play with me.”
A woman dressed in an old-fashioned white dress with pale grayish make-up leaned over the banister. She was too solid to be anything other than Jessica Ellery. So, they were all in on it, huh?
“Leave me alone,” she wailed and then stepped away from the bannister.
“Oh no you don’t,” Brianna muttered and started to run up the steps. Her ears burned, the first sign she was in-your-face pissed. She didn’t know what she was going to do once she caught up with Jessica and Haley and whoever else was up there fucking with her, but once she did, she was gonna make sure they were sorry for this little stunt.
“Come out, come out wherever you are, Alice.” She growled out the last word. She came to the second-floor landing and bent over the bannister and looked up. Something caught her eye in the empty room right off the landing.
Brianna looked around for some sort of weapon. A loose spindle that had cracked would do. She worked it out of the bannister and held the pointed end out like a sword. She made her way toward the darkened room. “Come talk to me. We’ll have a girl’s night. Braid each other’s hair, paint each other’s toes. Tell each other our secrets.”
Someone giggled behind her and Brianna turned quickly, trying to catch them in the act. Something heavy landed on her shoulders and chest. Brianna screamed, beating at it with her spindle. Whatever it was felt rough and ropey beneath her fingers. She ran out of the room and hit the bannister. The empty place where the loose spindle had been cracked. The sound it made reminded her of when she was a kid. Her grandfather had worked in the forestry service and she had gone with him one day to watch as he cut down dead hemlock trees that had been killed.
“What killed them, Pops?” He’d hoisted her on his shoulder. “A bug, Bree. A nasty, invasive bug.” The rangers had used chainsaws to cut the tall trees down but some of the trees still cracked under their own weight. A sharp, thunderous sound that made her little girl’s bones ache.
The bannister’s cracking sounded like those trees, and for a brief second, she was free falling, just like the trees did once the crack was over.
“Oh my god!” someone screamed above her. She wasn’t sure if it was Haley or Emma or Jessica. When she landed on the floor, a sharp pain pierced her chest. All the color drained from the world and shadow people hovered above her. Whispering. Still whispering, only their whispers were no longer laced with teasing, only fear.
“What are we gonna do?” someone asked just before she sank into the dark.
Chapter 13
Charlie awoke with a horrible ache in her chest. She sat straight up in bed, pressing her hand against her sternum, gulping in air. Sunlight flooded through the window, and she blinked against the harsh light. It took a minute to orient herself. It had only been a dream. Several deep slow breaths later, she scrubbed her eyes with her palms, trying to erase the images in her head. She needed to text Jason to let him know but dreaded the big question. The only question that really mattered to him – where’s the body now? The body. With all the evidence. Her phone chirped announcing a new text. Maybe he was going to beat her to the punch this morning with a text.
Meet for coffee at the café? My treat. :-)
Tom.
Her mouth curved into a smile almost against her will. She glanced at the clock. It was 7:07 AM. Did she want to see him? She’d thought about him a couple of times since their last meeting but had batted them away quickly. She had no time for romance. It didn’t matter how handsome he was. Still... she did enjoy his company. Quickly she texted him back.
What time? I have to be at work at 11 a.m. today
Three dots appeared almost immediately, making her even happier.
As soon as possible. :-)
She brushed her fingers across her lips and smiled.
Okay. I'll meet you there in 30 minutes. I’m gonna want more than coffee though. She hesitated. Did that sound too sexual? Her face burst into flames at the thought of kissing Tom Sharon. Oh god – she was a fifteen-year-old girl after all. She pressed the backspace key and tried again. Okay. I’ll meet you there in 30 minutes. I’m gonna want breakfast though. There. That was better. She pressed the send button. The three dots appeared followed closely by his response.
See you then.
She jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed. Tardiness was one of her biggest pet peeves and she had barely given herself enough time. Once ready, she jogged out to her car and peeled away, the dream almost completely forgotten by the time she turned onto the road heading toward town.
Charlie ignored the smug grin on Jen's face and scanned the menu in her hand. Tom on the other hand engaged her cousin, much to Charlie's chagrin.
“Tell me about these peanut butter and jelly muffins.” Tom pointed to the menu. “What sort of jelly?”
“Strawberry. They're really delicious. They're one of my most popular muffin flavors.”
“Can I substitute it for the blueberry on the Thursday scramble?”
“Yes, you can.” Jen grinned, with her pen paused against her order pad. “Is that what you'd like?”
“Yes, I think I’ll live dangerously.” He winked at Jen and closed the menu. Jen picked it up and tucked it under her arm. “I'll have the Thursday scramble with bacon and a peanut butter and jelly muffin.”
“Charlie?” Jen shifted her attention to her cousin and wrote something on the pad while she waited. “I don't know why you look at the menu at all. I know exactly what you're going to order.”
“Really?” Tom folded his hands together placing his elbows and forearms on the table. The corners of his mouth curved into an intrigued smile. “Tell me?”
“She’s going to order the banana pancakes with the chicken sausage,” Jen said. “Very predictable. At least when it comes to her food.”
Charlie l
aughed and her cheeks heated with embarrassment. “Is that your way of telling him I'm picky?”
“You said it, not me.” Jen lifted one hand to her mouth and bent toward Tom, pretending to shield Charlie from hearing her words. “But she really is very picky.”
Charlie frowned and shut the menu. “Fine. I'll have the banana pancakes with chicken sausage since you know so much.”
“See?” Jen's right eyebrow quirked, she turned over her order pad and showed it to Tom. “Told you. Predictable.”
Tom’s gaze shifted between the two women. Amusement glittered in his eyes, and he was clearly enjoying the cousinly banter. Charlie gave Jen a pointed look. Jen winked at her, enjoying this way too much.
“All right, I'll get this in. Y'all just let me know if there's anything I can get for you.” Jen walked away.
“I like your cousin. She seems really nice.” Tom smiled and Charlie felt a flutter in her belly.
“She’s nosy and opinionated. But it’s sort of in our genes so —” Charlie shrugged and traced a finger around the top of her tea glass. “What about you? Do you have any family here that drives you crazy?”
“I don't know about crazy. I have a brother, Gabriel, and a sister, Joy. We all run the family business together.”
“I imagine that's quite interesting.” Charlie placed her arms on the table and leaned forward a little. She could not get over how beautiful he was. She had known handsome men. Her ex-husband Scott could've been mistaken for a Ralph Lauren model, but there was something about Tom that struck her as almost angelic.
“Running a funeral home or working with my brother and sister?”
“Either. Both.”
“I don't know about interesting. But it's definitely meaningful. At least to me it is.”
“I imagine you couldn't do your job and it not be meaningful. You're offering people comfort in their worst possible moment. That's noble. I mean except for the whole funeral home markup thing.” She chuckled, teasing him.
“It is a business. I mean do you charge for your services?”
