Marked by Destiny

by C.M. Owens

  “What about the parents? Could they have…?”

  I’d learned from my mother’s boyfriend, Matt, who’s a cop, that parents were usually the first suspects.

  “Don’t know for sure. The parents all had alibis and appeared to be genuinely upset.”

  I sat down on my bed. “Wow, that’s freaky.”

  “Tell me about it. Anyway, I’m sure it’s all over the news right now.”

  I grabbed the remote control for my television.

  “Wait, finish your homework first. I’ll keep an eye on the news and let you know what I find out.”

  “Okay.”

  She picked up my dirty clothes hamper. “Just remember to keep an eye on your brother, okay?”

  “I will.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she said, and left the room.

  Chapter Two

  There hadn’t been any new information regarding the missing kids, and I’d all but forgotten about it until the next morning, when our mom pleaded with me to pick up Ben after school.

  “I don’t want him walking home alone,” she said.

  “Fine.”

  “What’s the big deal?” asked Ben between bites of his Cocoa Pops. “I always walk with Steve and Jacob.” He turned to me. “Can you give them rides, too?”

  “Yes, he can,” said mom, wrapping her dark brown hair into a ponytail, which made her look more like a college student than a woman of thirty-eight.

  I groaned. “Seriously?”

  Ben’s friends were slobs – always farting and picking their noses when they were over. Once I saw Steve eating a booger and almost hurled.

  “It’s a good idea,” she said. “Don’t you agree?”

  I knew I wasn’t going to win that argument so I just agreed.

  “Thank you,” she said, kissing the top of my head. “Now, Ben, are you ready for school?”

  “Almost,” he said and then stared at her in horror. “You’re not actually going to drive me to school now, are you?”

  “Yes.”

  He sighed. “Fine, drop me off in the back, though. I’ll never hear the end of it if one of the guys catches me getting a ride from my mom.”

  She pretended to pout. “My little guy doesn’t want to be seen around mommy anymore?”

  “I’m going to be ten next week. I’m not a little guy. Sheesh.”

  I stood up and grabbed my backpack. “I’m outta here. Wait for me by the parking lot right after school, little guy.”

  “Whatever, butt-face.”

  Mom shook her head. “Boys.”

  ***

  After school, I dropped off Ben’s friends at their homes as quickly as possible and then we headed to ours.

  “Did you ever notice that Mr. O’Darby is never seen in the daylight?” said Ben as we pulled into our driveway.

  I glanced into my rearview mirror at O’Darby’s house and gave a sinister laugh. “Maybe he’s actually a vampire.”

  “That’s not funny,” he mumbled.

  I stared at him. “You’re seriously that freaked out about the guy?”

  He shrugged. “He’s strange.”

  “Have you actually ever met him?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I think we should do something about that.”

  He looked at me in horror. “No way.”

  I opened the door to my ’72 Impala and got out. “Come on, Ben. Let’s go over and properly introduce ourselves to the neighbor.”

  He shook his head vehemently. “You can, I’m not.”

  I shut my door, walked around to the passenger side, and opened his. “I’m serious. The only way to beat your fears is to face them. We are going across the street to meet the Leprechaun.”

  “No.”

  I bent down onto my knee. “Tell you what, we’ll go across the street and ask to borrow some sugar. You stand behind me and just watch. You don’t even have to say a word.”

  After a few seconds of silence, he nodded. “Fine.”

  I smiled. “Good. Let’s go.”

  Ben got out of the car and followed me to the edge of our yard. We both stopped at the curb and looked at Mr. O’Darby’s house.

  “What a shit-hole,” I said, staring at the dilapidated structure. Most of the homes on our street were old, large, but fairly maintained. This one had paint peeling on all sides, moss growing across fogged glass windows, and pretty much reminded me of the house from the movie “Psycho”, the creepy one behind the “Bates Motel.”

  “Maybe we should just forget it. He might not even be home,” said Ben.

  I nudged him. “We’ll soon find out. Come on.”

  We walked across the street, and this time my pulse began to pick up. Ben’s paranoia was getting contagious.

  Little brothers.

  Ignoring the knot in my stomach, I stepped onto the rickety old porch and raised my hand to knock, when Ben stopped me.

  “Don’t do it,” he pleaded, grabbing my arm. “Please.”

  “Would you stop being such a wuss?”

  His lip began to tremble. “I can’t help it. I don’t think we should be on his property.”

  I sighed. “Ben, it’s fine. You know I would never put you in any kind of danger.”

  “Not on purpose, I get that, but this is different,” he said, backing away. “I’m leaving.” Then he ran down the steps and back across the street.

  “Can I help you?” asked a soft voice.

  I whipped my head around and locked eyes with a girl standing behind the screen door. She was about my age, with long red hair, large almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. She was so hot, I could barely breathe.

  I smiled weakly. “Uh…hi.”

  She smiled back and my throat went dry. I wouldn’t have thought anyone could have gotten prettier.

  Until that smile.

  “Sorry,” I said, finding my voice. “My name is Trent and I, uh, live across the street and was wondering if you had any sugar I could borrow?”

  She folded her arms under her chest and stared at me with amusement. “Sugar? What do you need sugar for?”

  “Cookies?”

  She threw her head back and laughed, a sound so nice that it made my heart skip a beat. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I just really wasn’t expecting that.”

  Honestly, I thought her comment was borderline strange. Besides Kool-Aid, I didn’t know of many things, besides cookies, that you’d need to borrow sugar for.

  She opened the screen door and stepped back. “Come on in. My dad’s not home, so I can loan you as much as you need.”

  I stared in awe at the most intense green eyes I’d ever seen. “Thanks,” I said.

  She smiled and nodded. “The house is kind of a mess, actually. Why don’t you wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  She turned and I couldn’t help but stare at the way her butt filled out the jeans she was wearing.

  How come I’d never seen her before?

  Sighing, I took a few more steps down the hallway and glanced into what appeared to be their living room. Or it would be. The furniture was covered in plastic, stacks of books were piled on top of coffee and end tables, and brown packing boxes took up almost every remaining space.

  “We’re still unpacking,” she said, coming up behind me.

  I turned around. “Oh, sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

  She shrugged and handed me a bowl of sugar. “It’s okay.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “I hope it’s enough,” she said. “I forgot to ask you how much you needed.”

  I smiled. “This is plenty.”

  “I’m Shannon, by the way,” she said, holding out her hand.

  I wrapped my hand around hers and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “What’s it like?” she asked, pulling her hand back.

  I raised an eyebrow. “What’s what like?”

  “Going to school?
”

  “What do you mean? Don’t you go?”

  She looked down at her feet and so did I. Her toes were painted pink with green stripes. “No,” she said.

  “Are you home-schooled?”

  “Yes, I guess you could say that.”

  “Oh.”

  “I just wish…”

  “What?” I asked.

  Our eyes met again but this time, hers was filled with fear. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the door. “Oh, no. You have to leave. He’s coming.”

  “Who? Your dad?”

  “Quickly,” she said pushing me towards the front door. “He mustn’t see you.”

  I opened up the screen door and turned to thank her again, but she’d already closed the inside door.

  Strange family.

  I shook my head and walked back across the street.

  Chapter Three

  “Trent met the girl of his dreams today,” said Ben with a smirk when mom stepped into the kitchen later that night.

  I scowled at him. “Shut up.”

  She set a bag of groceries on the counter and turned to me, her lips curled up in a smile. “Is that so?”

  I shrugged. “She’s not the girl of my dreams. She’s O’Darby’s daughter, Shannon.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “He has a daughter?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t he mention her when you talked to him?”

  “I only spoke to him once,” she said, taking the groceries out of the bag. “When I ‘welcomed’ him to the neighborhood. He really wasn’t much for conversation.”

  “He didn’t even mention her?” I asked.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Trent’s in love,” sang Ben.

  I went over and put him in a headlock.

  “Mom!” hollered Ben.

  “Trent, leave your brother be.”

  I released him. “Quit being such a little shit.”

  “Language, Trent,” said mom, putting a jar of peanut butter into the cupboard.

  “Mom, did you hear about those missing kids?” asked Ben.

  She sighed. “Yes, how did you find out?”

  “It’s been on the news all night,” I said.

  “I figured it would be,” she answered.

  Ben started asking more questions about the missing kids and I decided to let her deal with it. He’d already berated me with questions earlier.

  “I’ll be upstairs,” I said, leaving the kitchen.

  “It’s almost time for bed!” she hollered as I walked away.

  I went to my room, shut the door, and grabbed the binoculars. Then I kneeled down next to my window, which also faced O’Darby’s house, and looked through them.

  I smiled. “Oh…Shannon. Sweet…”

  It was odd that I’d never noticed her before, although I’d also never made it a habit to go spying on anyone, especially with binoculars. Tonight, I had a clear view of what must have been her bedroom and I could see her walking around in a miniscule tank-top and shorts. I watched her dance around for several seconds until she disappeared out of view. Frowning, I waited, wishing I could get just one more glimpse of her hot bod.

  Come on, Shannon.

  She was so pretty and I hadn’t had a girlfriend for several months. My last one, Mandy, had moved out of town and we still talked on the phone, but it wasn’t the same. I missed everything that went with having a girlfriend, especially the kissing. I wondered if Shannon was a good kisser.

  Her bedroom light flickered out and I sighed, that was that.

  As I was about to put the binoculars away, a flash of light lit up her room.

  “Weird,” I whispered, raising them back up to my eyes.

  The frightening image that greeted me stopped my heart cold. An angry face stared back at me from her bedroom window, with eyes glowing a bright orange color, and a mouth that was twisted into an angry scowl.

  Mr. O’ Darby?

  I dropped the binoculars and backed away from the window, a cold chill running down my spine. I was in trouble – he’d caught me spying on his daughter and was obviously upset. Would he come over and tell my mother? And what the hell was wrong with his eyes?

  A soft knock on the door startled me.

  “Trent?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why is your light off?” she said, flicking it on.

  Still shaken, I didn’t quite know what to say.

  “Well, guess who just called me,” she said.

  “Who?”

  Her lips thinned. “Jake.”

  Jake was Ben’s father. Our mother had been married twice – my dad had died when I was only five and then she’d met Jake a couple of years later. Thankfully, they weren’t together anymore because he was a real jerk – used to push mom around, couldn’t hold a job, and drank like a fish. I couldn’t stand him.

  “What did he want?”

  “He wants to take Ben on his birthday next week.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, now that he’s rich, I guess he thinks he can do whatever he wants.”

  Jake had lucked out and inherited an undisclosed amount of money from one of his great-uncles, after divorcing mom. He now owned a mansion bigger than the local grocery store, drove around in a flashy Mercedes, and had remarried a girl young enough to be his daughter.

  “You’re not going to let him, are you?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Ben is always asking about his father, and Jake hasn’t ever volunteered to take him.”

  “That’s just it,” I said. “Why does he want to do this?”

  “Maybe he feels guilty about shutting Ben out of his life.”

  “He should,” I said. “Anyway, I thought we were going to take Ben to a movie on his birthday.”

  “I know, but we can always do that. I think it might be good for Jake to see his son. Especially now that Jake has actually quit drinking.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. He’s still a jerk. He lives in the same town as us and basically ignores the fact that he has a kid.”

  “I know,” she said, “but he’s still Ben’s father and has a right to see his son.”

  “So you’re going to let him?”

  “More than likely, but I’ll talk to Ben and see what he wants to do.”

  Wanting to change the subject, I asked her about work. “So, did you hear anything more about those missing kids?”

  “Yeah, actually, I did. Something strange – both kids were taken on their tenth birthday.”

  My jaw dropped. “What?”

  She nodded. “I know. It’s weird.”

  “What if something happens to Ben? He’s turning ten.”

  “Listen, kids turn ten every day in Iowa. Ben will be fine.”

  “Have they been investigating other cities, to see if there were similar kidnappings?” This was just too creepy, even for me.

  “Yes. But I don’t know if they’ve found anything. Matt only gives me bits and pieces of what’s happening. He doesn’t want to get into trouble at the station.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “Well, get ready for bed,” she said. “It’s getting late.”

  “Like I’m going to be able to sleep.”

  “Your grades depend on it.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  ***

  Ben was ecstatic when he heard the news the next morning at breakfast.

  “I wonder what he’ll buy me?” he asked, bubbling with excitement. “Dad’s rich now, isn’t he?”

  “Don’t expect a lot,” said mom. “He may be rich, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to shower you with gifts.”

  “He should,” I muttered. “He owes him.”

  She gave me a warning look.

  “I gotta go,” I said, standing up. “Thank God it’s Friday.”

  “Don’t forget to pick your brother up from school.”

  “Okay. Same place, Ben?”

  “Sure,” he answered.

  ***

>   Thankfully, Ben’s friends had to stay after school and he was my only passenger.

  “Can we stop at McDonald’s?” he asked. “I’m so craving a cheeseburger.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty hungry myself.”

  We pulled through the drive-thru and I ordered three for myself and two for him, along with fries.

  “Good thing I’m working this weekend,” I said, pulling into our driveway. “I’m almost broke and need to buy your gift.”

  “You haven’t bought it yet?”

  “Actually, I did. Happy Birthday – enjoy your burgers,” I joked.

  “Ha ha…”

  I got out of the car and stared across the street. Shannon’s house was quiet, and for some inexplicable reason, I knew she was alone.

  “Here,” I said, handing him his burgers and fries. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked, watching me as I walked away.

  “Don’t worry about it. Go inside and wait for me.”

  “Fine.”

  I knocked on Shannon’s door, and seconds later, she answered.

  “Hi, Trent,” she said, smiling brightly. Today her red hair was pulled back in a green bow and she wore white shorts and a green T-shirt that said “Kiss me, I’m Irish.”

  I raised the bag of food. “Hungry?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “What’s in there?”

  “McDonald’s.” I looked at her incredulously. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had McDonald’s before?”

  “I’ve never had McDonald’s before,” she said, smiling.

  “Oh, then you’ve been missing out. Here,” I said, pulling out a cheeseburger. “Try this.”

  She unwrapped it and inhaled. “Oh my God, this smells heavenly.”

  “Go ahead,” I said.

  She opened her mouth and bit into it. “Oh, Trent,” she gushed. “This is…amazing.”

  I smiled and watched as she inhaled the burger. “Here,” I said, handing her the French fries, too. “You can have all of them.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Just try one.”

  I watched as she slipped one into her mouth and began chewing. “These are so good!” she squealed, grabbing more. “I’ve never had anything so delicious!”

  “Seriously?”

  She nodded. “No. I do all of the cooking, and believe me, I’ve never had anything so yummy. What was that meat and bread combination called again?”

  I stared at her incredulously. “It was a cheeseburger. Haven’t you ever had a cheeseburger before?”

  “No. We usually eat stew, potatoes, or ham. I had pizza once,” she closed her eyes and sighed, dreamily. “Man, it was amazing.”