Past Midnight

by Mara Purnhagen

  Both Mom and Dad sat in the van staring at the place we’d call home for the next ten months. It was so new the front yard hadn’t been seeded yet. We’d be the first people to live in it. That thought alone made me smile.

  “Who’s got the keys?” I asked from the backseat. I couldn’t wait to look around and claim my bedroom.

  I nearly skipped to the front door while my parents slowly followed. Dad tossed me the keys and I stepped inside. Sunlight poured in from the bare windows.

  “Smells like new carpet,” I said happily.

  “Smells like cheap carpet,” Dad grumbled behind me.

  Mom looked around at the taupe walls and white trim and brown doors. “This place has absolutely no personality,” she announced. “I bet the interior of every house on this street looks exactly the same.”

  “That would make sense,” Dad said. “All of the exteriors look exactly the same.”

  I wasn’t going to allow their sour mood to affect my jubilant one. I ran upstairs, peeking into each of the three bedrooms until I decided on a room overlooking the backyard. It was smaller than the master, but it had more windows and a decent closet. I sat on the pristine carpet, leaned back on my arms and closed my eyes. This would be my room for at least one full school year. I couldn’t believe my luck—or Annalise’s ultimatum.

  After her second experience at the Courtyard Café, Annalise retreated to her campus apartment and refused to speak to our parents for a few days. They seemed upset by her reaction, but they were too busy examining video footage and planning their next investigation to really do anything about it. They weren’t prepared when Annalise showed up at their hotel room demanding a family meeting.

  “Family meetings” were rare for us. Usually it meant my parents were going to announce the next city we’d be living in. My dad tried to take control right away.

  “I know we need to discuss certain things,” he began, “but I’d like to set a few ground rules first.”

  Annalise stopped him. “I have only one ground rule. You need to listen to me without interrupting for five minutes. Then you can say whatever you want.”

  My sister had never been so assertive. She meant business, and my parents knew it. They nodded and Annalise took a deep breath. She told them that she had always participated in their projects enthusiastically, but she would no longer do so unless they agreed to a few new conditions.

  “What kind of conditions?” Mom asked warily.

  Annalise reminded her of the five-minute rule, and Mom pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key.

  “First, I’m taking a year off from helping with any of your research.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dad stiffen. I had overheard enough conversations during the past few days to know that he wanted to focus completely on the findings from the Courtyard Café, which had produced readings beyond their expectations. Instead of compiling all of the Charleston locations into one television special, he planned to dedicate a full hour just to the restaurant—and Annalise. He wanted to go back, and he needed her to go with him.

  “Second, I will return to that place only in my own time, when I feel that I’m ready.” Annalise looked directly at Dad when she said this. He sighed.

  “Third, I want the three of you to stay in one place this year. Same town, same house, same school for Charlotte.”

  I don’t know who was more surprised by the third condition: me or my parents. Annalise and I hadn’t discussed “changing things” since our conversation in Charleston, which I thought was merely my sister venting. I honestly didn’t think she would take action.

  Before anyone could respond to her request, Annalise held up her hand.

  “I know that may sound strange. But I have my reasons, if you’ll just hear me out.”

  She went on to explain that college had proved to her how important it was to have some stability in her life. She had loved traveling when we were kids, but part of her always wanted to stay in one place longer, to make friends and join teams and just generally be a part of something.

  “You were part of something,” Dad protested. “You were a part of our crew.”

  “Are you saying we’ve been terrible parents?” asked Mom, her brow furrowed with worry.

  “I’m saying that I want Charlotte to have a chance at something a little more normal.” She smiled at me. “And no, I don’t think you’re terrible parents.”

  Mom and Dad were obviously perplexed. Dad said he had always thought traveling was the best education you could get.

  Mom turned to me. “Is this what you want, Charlotte? Are you unhappy?”

  It was strange how quickly the conversation had turned. I fidgeted nervously.

  “It would be really nice if we could stay somewhere for a year,” I said. “I think I’d like that.”

  Over the next few days, my parents seemed to forget about their research as they tried to come up with a plan that would make us all happy. They found a small town about two hours north of Charleston with a good school system. They planned trips to nearby cities with locations they could easily drive to. All that was left was to buy a house. That’s when I stepped in.

  “I have one condition of my own,” I told them. They were looking up homes for sale online, and every picture on the screen showed some kind of dark Victorian. They weren’t thrilled when I told them I wanted to live in a new house, but in the end, they agreed.

  “We’re doing this for you,” Dad said with a shrug. “Might as well go all the way.”

  Mom smiled. “We’re doing this for all of us,” she said, touching Dad’s hand. “We want everyone on our team to be happy.”

  That was how I ended up sitting on the clean, brand-new floor of my clean, brand-new bedroom at the beginning of August. I was enjoying the empty space and the sun on my face when Mom came upstairs.

  “I see you’ve claimed a room,” she said, sitting down next to me.

  “Isn’t it perfect?” I asked. “I’ve always wanted something like this.”

  “Well, I’m glad. This house may not have much personality, but it certainly has a lot of light.”

  “I could sunbathe right here,” I joked.

  Mom patted my knee. “Enjoy. Then come downstairs. We have a lot of unpacking to do.”

  I groaned. Unpacking was the worst part about moving, especially since my parents always insisted we do it ourselves. They didn’t trust anyone with their expensive equipment. Instead of putting it off, I decided to get the hard labor over with and followed Mom downstairs. Outside, Dad was surveying the open back of the moving truck.

  “Do we have more stuff than before, or does it just seem that way?” he asked.

  “Just seems that way,” I said. “Hand me a box.”

  Over the next few hours I made a thousand trips up and down the stairs. My legs were feeling sore and I was ready for a break. I was happy, though, that my room now held a bed and a dresser, as well as a dozen different cardboard boxes marked with my name. I noticed one of the boxes was smaller than the others and was labeled in my sister’s handwriting. I knelt down next to it and peeled off the thin brown packing tape. On top of everything was a single sheet of notebook paper.

  Dear Charlotte,

  I hope you’re having fun settling into the new house (ha ha—I know how much you love to unpack). I just wanted to let you know how great it was to spend the summer with you. I’ve enclosed some things I thought you might need this year. Have a great time at school, and see you soon!

  Love, Annalise.

  I folded the note in half and smiled. It had been difficult leaving Annalise behind in Charleston. I had given her a wordless hug before getting into the car, but I refused to look out the window as she waved us off. Even though this would be her second year away at college, I still had not gotten used to the emptiness that came with her absence from my daily life. And now, after having spent the summer with her, I knew it would take me a while to readjust.

  I sif
ted through the box and found a new alarm clock, some notebooks, a pack of multicolored pens and, at the very bottom, Annalise’s pink sweater. I lifted it out and held it for a moment.

  “Charlotte! We need your help!” Mom called from downstairs.

  “Coming!” I yelled back.

  “Charlotte.”

  I spun around. It sounded like Mom had whispered my name from right behind me, but no one was there.

  “I need something to eat,” I mumbled. My stomach was obviously impairing my brain. I set Annalise’s sweater on top of the nearest box.

  “There’s no residual energy in a new house,” I said out loud. I waited, as if I might get a response. Nothing. I turned and went downstairs.

  “Oh, good.” Mom motioned me over to the truck. “I don’t need to remind you to be careful with this,” she said as she gingerly placed a TV monitor in my arms.

  “Living room?” I asked, drooping under the weight of the monitor.

  “Next to the others,” Mom confirmed.

  We never really had a living room in any of our houses. My parents converted the largest room of each home into their office, which meant pushing long tables against the walls and filling every square inch with equipment and computers. The dining room held the sofa and TV, and we ate our meals in the kitchen.

  After all of the equipment had been safely stored in the living room/office, I returned to the truck, determined to get everything cleared out before dinner. As I was pulling out a floor lamp from the back of the truck, I spotted a girl about my age standing across the street. My first thought was to wonder how she had managed to put a guinea pig on a leash, but when I looked more closely I saw that she was walking a very tiny dog. She waved, so I set the lamp down on the sidewalk and crossed the empty street to say hi.

  “Moving in?” she asked. Her microscopic dog began to bark wildly. It was more of a high-pitched squeak, a sound like something a rabid mouse would make.

  “Yeah. Hi, I’m Charlotte.”

  “I’m Avery. And this—” she motioned to her pet “—this is Dante. Shh, Dante.”

  “What kind of dog is he?”

  “A very naughty one. Dante!” She smiled at me apologetically. “He’s normally friendly. And quiet.” She scooped him up and cradled him in her arms. He stopped barking, but his eyes remained on me. I’d never seen a dog so protective of its owner.

  “So, where are you moving from?” Avery asked. Her light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a blue T-shirt with “Vikings” across the front.

  “We just came from Charleston,” I said.

  “Oh! I have friends who go to college down there.”

  “My sister goes to school there! I wonder if she knows any of them?”

  Avery nodded. “Maybe. It’s a small school.” She looked around. “Just like this is a small town. In fact, nearly half of last year’s senior class is going to Charleston.” She frowned as if she’d remembered something, then changed the subject.

  We chatted for a while. She pointed out her house at the bottom of the hill and we talked about school, where we would both be seniors.

  “Do you play any sports?” she asked.

  “No. You?”

  Avery pointed to her T-shirt. “I’m a cheerleader. Go Vikings.”

  I smiled. “Is this a big sports town?”

  “Kind of. Our football team’s good. They went to State last year. Although this year…” Her voice trailed off and she looked down at Dante, who was keeping up a low growl as he stared at me.

  “So where’s the best place for pizza around here?” I asked, deciding to change the subject this time. “My parents said I could pick dinner tonight.”

  “That’s easy. There’s this little place downtown called Giuseppe’s. Best pizza around, I swear.”

  “Do they deliver?” After a long day of unpacking, I was craving a hot slice of pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese.

  “No, but I’ll go with you to pick it up,” Avery offered. “I have a car.”

  I was thrilled. Not only was Avery nice, but she lived right on my street and had her own car. If we became friends, we could drive to school together and I wouldn’t be forced to ride the dreaded bus. My parents owned two vehicles: a silver BMW that I wasn’t allowed to go near, and a large black van with the word “Doubt” painted across the side in tall silver letters. I couldn’t imagine pulling up to school in the van, so it was either catch a ride with someone or endure the school bus.

  We agreed to meet an hour later. Dante squirmed in Avery’s arms as she walked home, growling and trying to get one final, fierce look at me.

  “I don’t like that dog,” I muttered. As soon as I said it, I felt a sharp, cold breeze against my face. It lasted only half a second, but it was so intense I put a hand to my cheek. Then Dad hollered at me to get the lamp off the sidewalk and into the house.

  “I met a girl from my new school,” I told him after I’d plugged the lamp into an outlet in the dining room. He was pushing a sofa against the wall. “We’re going to get pizza later.”

  Mom came into the room carrying a fake fern. “You’ve made a friend already? That’s wonderful.”

  I shrugged. “She’s not a friend yet. But we’ll both be seniors, so that’s something.”

  “Bring me back a sausage, bacon and pepperoni,” Dad grunted.

  “Three-pig pizza. Got it.”

  Mom rolled her eyes. “I’ll take a vegetarian with extra mushrooms.”

  I could hardly wait until Avery arrived. I went upstairs and took off my sweaty T-shirt, then debated for a while on what to wear. The sun was setting and my room was feeling cooler, so I decided to put on Annalise’s pink sweater. It wasn’t on the box where I’d left it, though. Instead, it had been folded and placed on my bed. I was annoyed that Mom had come in my room, even if it was just to fold a sweater. It was as if she was silently scolding me to keep things neat.

  The doorbell rang and I bounded down the stairs. Mom got to the door first. “Hello, I’m Karen Silver,” she said, her voice sounding exactly as it did on her TV specials.

  “Avery Macintosh. I live down the street.”

  “We’ll be back in an hour,” I told Mom as I brushed past her.

  “Have fun. Drive safe!”

  I was embarrassed, but Avery nodded seriously. “I’m a very safe driver, Mrs. Silver. You don’t have to worry.”

  Avery’s car was an adorable green Mini Cooper. “I love it!” I said. “Is it new?”

  We got in. “It was a present for my sixteenth birthday, future graduation and next three Christmases combined.” Avery checked her rearview mirror, then looked over at me. “And I meant what I said—I’m a safe driver, so buckle up.” She said it with a smile, but I could tell she wasn’t joking around.

  “Absolutely,” I said, clicking the belt into place.

  The drive took longer than I thought it would. Avery seemed to take a lot of deserted back roads instead of the main street that led downtown, but I told myself that I just didn’t know the town or its shortcuts yet. When we finally arrived at Giuseppe’s, I was starving. We slid into a corner booth and ordered a large cheese and pepperoni, and I placed a carryout order for my parents.

  I looked around. “This is a neat place.” It was tiny, with stone walls and arches that made it feel as if we were sitting inside a warm, well-lit cave. I breathed in the scent of garlic and a slightly woodsy aroma.

  “They have an actual brick oven,” Avery said. “That’s what makes it so good. I come here all the time with people from school.”

  “Are you ready for school?” I asked her.

  “Not really. Schedules come out next week, and I’m hoping I made the yearbook staff.”

  “I’m just hoping all my credits will transfer and I won’t get stuck taking gym.”

  Avery sipped her drink. “So why’d you guys move here?”

  I gave my standard response. “My parents’ jobs.”

  The answer seemed to s
uffice, and Avery didn’t ask anything else about it. She talked about our school, Lincoln High, and which teachers to avoid. “Seriously, if you get Abrams for math, try to get your schedule changed. All he does is yell.”

  Our pizza arrived and I was happy to discover that it was absolutely the best I’d ever had. “And I’ve been to Italy,” I told Avery, “so I know what I’m talking about.”

  Avery put down her drink. “Really? That’s so exciting! When were you there?”

  I immediately wished I hadn’t said anything. I didn’t want her to think I was bragging, and I certainly didn’t want my parents’ career to come up. “It was a few years ago. We went there on vacation.”

  “I’ve always wanted to travel abroad,” Avery said. “My boyfriend went to Rome with his family last Christmas. He said it was amazing.”

  “What’s your boyfriend’s name?”

  “Adam. He was a senior last year.”

  “So he’s away at college now?”

  “He got into Michigan.”

  I picked up my pizza. “That’s far. But you can see him when he comes home to visit at holidays and stuff, right?”

  Avery hesitated. “His family moved out of state a couple of months ago.”

  Her voice sounded heavier, and I realized her relationship with Adam was a difficult subject for her. I tried to think of something to say, but she beat me to it.

  “What about you? Did you leave someone behind when you moved?”

  “I wish.” Moving around so much had meant that my love life was constantly interrupted. Even when I did date a guy, it never lasted more than a few weeks, and I didn’t bother to keep in touch after my family left a place. What was the point? Eventually, I’d have to hear about how he’d met someone else, and I hated the idea of being so easily replaced.

  Avery and I chatted and ate. I was just starting to feel really comfortable with our conversation when her cell phone rang. She pulled the phone out of her purse and checked the number.

  “Sorry, it’s my mom,” she said. “I have to answer it.”