Chapter 17

Charlotte

Juan woke me the next morning by shaking me gently, and I pulled the sheets over my face. She opened the curtains to let in the sunlight.

“It’s 10 a.m.,” Juan told me. “Everyone else is already awake.”

I groaned and shoved the blanket away. “I hate mornings.”

“I know,” Juan said. “Lucas is making breakfast for us.”

“I’ll be there,” I said.

Juan went downstairs to keep everyone company. I got dressed, then headed downstairs. I greeted everyone and breathed in the delicious smell of bacon and eggs. The table was already set.

I poured myself juice and then I served myself toast and eggs. Everyone was cheerful and talking. I felt groggy, as if I was still half asleep. I tried to be as polite as possible.

After breakfast, Lucas suggested that we go hiking. Abigail said she was going to stay home with Emma and Hanna. Since I did not love the outdoors, I jumped at the opportunity to stay in the house.

“I will keep you and the children company.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to walk with us?” Ned asked. “This really is a beautiful area.”

“You know our daughter better than that,” Andrea said before I could reply. “She hates hiking.”

“Charlotte is kind of like an indoor cat,” Juan said.

I could not think of a better comparison. I did like staying indoors. I hated getting dirty. I preferred my own company, and I wanted a lot of love and attention, but on my terms.

“You are welcome to stay with me,” Abigail said.

Ned, Lucas, Juan, and Andrea filled a backpack with apples, power bars, and water bottles before they went hiking. It was not too warm outside, and I estimated they would be gone for quite some time.

“Would you like something to drink?” Abigail asked.

“Tea would be nice,” I said.

“You sound like an English girl,” Abigail teased as we went to the kitchen.

“Grandma May taught me how to drink tea.”

Abigail smiled. “She has always loved it. When I was a child, she used to read my tea leaves.”

“Really?” I asked. “She reads mine too!”

“It’s one of the few things we bonded over,” Abigail said, “and weirdly, she was sometimes accurate.”

“She has a gift,” I said.

Abigail laughed. “You don’t really believe in that stuff, do you? It’s just one big guessing game.”

I shrugged, and my aunt handed me a warm teacup. “Then she guesses very well indeed.”

Abigail must have noticed the tightness in my voice, because she said, “Forgive me. I just don’t believe in superstitions.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “You get to choose what you want to believe.”

Abigail nodded. “Absolutely. I choose to believe in working hard, earning money, and my family. I believe in things that I can see and touch.”

I looked down. Just because one couldn’t see or touch something didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

Juan couldn’t see or touch the Red-eyed Lady, but she was there. I couldn’t see or touch love, but it was there, and I could feel it.

I didn’t want to voice my opinion because, if Abigail was anything like Mom, we’d get into an argument.

“I can tell your opinion differs from mine,” Abigail said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“I love my mother,” Abigail stated, “but don’t let her fill your mind with too much nonsense.”

“Are you two close?” I asked.

“No,” Abigail said. “Just like Andrea, I don’t have the best relationship with her. We were both much closer to our father.”

“Why is that?”

“He never scared us,” Abigail said. “May used to see things in the dark and tell us to be cautious. She moved us around from house to house. We grew up rather unstable.”

“Don’t you think she had a good reason for doing it?”

“No, I think she is just a little unstable. Our family has a history of mental illness. Did you know that?”

“I did not . . . ” I shuddered.

“Oh yes,” Abigail said. “We have had suicides in the family. We have had delusional and depressed people.”

“Grandma May is none of those things.”

“You are very loyal, to stand up for her like this.”

“Go see for yourself,” I said. “She is doing well, and there is nothing wrong with her mind. She just gets very lonely.”

“I know Dad’s death was hard on her. They were married for a very long time.”

“I can’t imagine what it feels like to lose someone that you love.”

I felt guilty for not visiting Grandma May more often. I felt sad when I realized I was the family member who visited her the most. It was as if everyone else had forgotten her.

“It’s a horrible feeling,” Abigail said. “It’s a hole that never gets filled.”

“Do you think you will feel the same way when Grandma May dies?”

Abigail looked away, and a few seconds passed before she answered. “She has not been in my life for so long . . . ”

“Why not?”

“We just argued a lot when I was younger.”

“I’m sure she would love to spend time with Emma and Hanna. They are her grandkids, after all.”

Abigail looked at me with a guilty expression. “She has never even met them.”

“How come?”

“I don’t want her to scare my children the way she scared us. I don’t want her filling their heads with ghosts and nonsense.”

Emma or Hanna could be gifted. A child like that needed someone in their life who could also see ghosts. They needed someone who would understand. Grandma May was the perfect person for this.

“Then why don’t you ask her not to do it?”

“She only listens to herself.” Abigail sighed. “It’s sad, but it is what it is.”

“I think you are making a mistake,” I said gently. “She loves you very much, and you are going to miss her when she is gone. She might not have been the best mother, but she is an outstanding grandmother.

“She bakes Juan and me cookies. She knits for us. She’s always there when we need someone to talk to.”

Abigail gave me a sad smile. I should not say anything more.

We started talking about Emma and Hanna. Abigail was passionate when it came to her family. She bragged about her children and spoke highly of her husband.

***

When everyone returned from their hike, they were tired and hungry. They told me that I had missed out, but failed to convince me. We all sat on the porch and played card games until the sun set.

Abigail made delicious pizza for dinner, and I ate too much. Afterward, we sat in front of the television.

Lucas told Abigail that she had to buy a cover for the swimming pool so that he could close it. Apparently the old one was broken.

We relaxed in the living room where they had a fireplace that would be nice when the winter came. We watched a movie, and Abigail put the girls to bed before it was too late, then she turned the television’s volume down.

When it was bedtime, everyone hugged each other goodnight and went to their rooms, tired from the long walk.

***

I was dreaming a beautiful dream. Dimitri was with me and we were sitting by the water on the pier. I was looking into his eyes, and he gazed into mine. He looked at me as if I was the only girl in the world.

In this dream, his intentions were clear. I was not friend-zoned. He would never friend zone me... I sat cross-legged and faced him. He had both of his hands on my legs and a goofy smile on his face. He leaned in.

And then he pulled my legs!

I was falling... I was falling!

My eyes snapped open as I woke quickly. I had fallen off my bed and onto the floor. I had never done so before. I slowly got up and rubbed my sore shoulder—I had landed on it.

I slowly climbed back in and pulled the covers over myself.

Then an invisible hand grabbed my cover and pulled it off me in a quick, violent movement. I pulled my legs toward my chest and looked around the room. I did not see the Red-eyed Lady.

“Where are you?” I managed to say.

~Be brave.~

My heart was beating frantically. Was the lady trying to hurt me? Could she hurt me?

The Red-eyed Lady appeared—right beside me. Her face was inches away from mine and I looked into those bloodshot eyes.

I could not help it—I fled. I did not want to take the lady to my family, so I ran downstairs. I looked back and noticed that the Red-eyed Lady was chasing me like a cat would a mouse.

I wanted to run toward the kitchen, but the lady disappeared, then reappeared right in front of me and blocked my way. My only other option was the living room. I did just that.

Once I was in the living room, I noticed the open door. That was not normal. Then I looked around, but I could not see the Red-eyed Lady. What sadistic game was the ghost playing?

I went to the door, with the intention of closing it. The pool’s light was on, and for a moment I thought I saw something in it. I was not wearing my glasses, thus I had to go closer to identify the object.

My niece was at the bottom of the pool.

“Help! Someone help!” I cried.

I dived in and pulled the little girl’s limp body from the water. I laid her down, on her back, next to the pool.

I had taken a medical aid course a year ago when I’d wanted to join the school’s first aid team. That required that I attended sports events. I quickly realized that I hated it, and quit.

One good thing that came from the course was I knew how to give CPR, and I did my best to revive the girl.

Abigail and Lucas were next on the scene because their bedroom was the closest. Abigail began crying when she saw Hanna. She wanted to rush to her daughter, but Lucas stopped her.

“Let Charlotte finish,” he said.

I did not look at them. I focused on my niece and only my niece.

Juan, Ned, and Andrea arrived.

“What’s going on?” Juan asked. “Oh no!”

The next moment Hanna spat out water. I turned her on her side as the little girl coughed and coughed. When she stopped coughing, I leaned back.

Her parents rushed forward and embraced her. I could not tell who was crying the loudest. I was shaking, but not crying with them.

If I had panicked, if I had cried, I would never have been able to think clearly and save her.

I was dripping wet, and the cold air made me shiver. Once Lucas and Abigail stopped embracing their daughter, we went inside.

Lucas gave me a towel that I wrapped around myself, and Andrea made something warm to drink. I went upstairs and dressed in warm, dry clothes, then met everyone in the living room.

Abigail had changed Hanna’s wet clothes. Ned closed and locked the door that led to the pool while Andrea gave everyone their drinks.

“What happened?” Ned asked.

“I could not sleep and came downstairs. I wanted to make a drink, but I saw the door was open. I wanted to close it when I saw Hanna . . . ”

Of course, I was not going to tell them that I woke up because a ghost had pulled me out of my bed. I was not going to tell them that I had run away from the ghost, and that was why I had ended up outside.

They’d think I was crazy.

“We must have forgotten to close the door.” Abigail looked at me with gratitude. “I don’t even have the words to thank you.”

I was not the only one responsible for saving the little girl’s life. If the Red-eyed Lady had not chased me downstairs, I would never have found my niece.

Was it a coincidence or had the ghost chased me here on purpose?

“You are a heroine,” Lucas added. “Thank you so much.”

~Heroine~. Like in my story books . . .

“It was a scary coincidence,” I said.

My hands were shaking. Juan reached out to hold me. It was comforting to have my sister there with me.

“From now on, we have to be more careful,” Abigail said. “This could have ruined us as a family.”

“It just shows us how fast accidents happen,” Andrea said.

***

The next day, everyone was up early. No one had slept well and we all had bags under our eyes. We drank coffee together and decided it was time to go home. I did not have to pack, because I had never unpacked.

Juan, Ned, and Andrea gathered their belongings while I played with Hanna, who had taken a liking to me.

Abigail sat down on the sofa and watched us play, and I wondered if she was thinking about the swimming lessons she had mentioned earlier. It was certainly important that both of my nieces learn to swim as soon as possible.

Abigail had a distant expression, and I tried to imagine how scared she had been when Hanna almost died.

“I’m still shaking,” she mumbled.

“As am I,” I said. “We got very lucky.”

Hanna turned away from me so that she could search for another doll in her treasure chest. Abigail looked right into my eyes.

“I don’t know if we simply got lucky. You’re a special girl, Charlotte. Very open-minded and intuitive.”

“That reminds me a bit of Grandma May,” I said.

“My mother . . . ” Abigail mumbled.

Hanna found her doll and returned to me. She crawled onto my lap and began telling me why she favored this doll.

“It’s almost time to go!” Ned called.

“Okay!” I replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Abigail dial a number. She held the phone to her ear for a while, which made me think that no one would answer, but then she said, “Hello, Mom.”

My eyes widened, and I wondered if I had heard right. Had she really, after all this time, called Grandma? If so, I had something to do with this, and my heart swelled with pride.

“Everything is fine,” Abigail said. “Listen, I think it is time you met your granddaughters, Emma and Hanna.”