Chapter 21

Charlotte

It was Thursday night when Ned entered the house with a smile. Andrea’s cooking filled the kitchen with a delicious smell that made my stomach rumble.

Juan and I were sitting at the kitchen table, keeping my mother company.

“Hello darling, hello daughters,” he said, and greeted Andrea with a kiss. “That smells fantastic.”

“You are in a good mood,” she remarked.

“I am,” he said. “I picked up the keys for the vacation house.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “It’s going to be great!”

I offered a smile, and Juan laughed at me because she knew me well enough to tell when I was faking it. I wasn’t in the mood for a vacation in the middle of nowhere.

I also reminded myself that we weren’t going nowhere – we were going to the area where the Red-eyed Lady had been killed. To the area I swore I would never go again.

Ned helped us set the table. We ate dinner together, and Ned told us that we would leave for vacation tomorrow afternoon.

“I’m excited!” Juan said. “May I invite some friends over during the day?”

My father had said it was a family vacation, but Juan looked at him with big, cute eyes. She was pushing her luck, and she knew it.

“Which friends?”

“Audrey and Debbie,” Juan said. “They will be close by—on Audrey’s ranch.”

“We don’t have a place for them to sleep,” Ned told her, “and I only booked for four people.”

“They only want to spend Saturday with us,” Juan said. “Please, Dad. They will bring their own food and drinks.”

Andrea looked at Ned. “The more the merrier, right?”

Ned sighed. “Fine, but you will not be drinking any alcoholic beverages.”

“You are the best!” Juan kissed him on the cheek.

Juan washed the dishes that night, and I dried them before I put them away. Then we went upstairs to pack our bags.

I packed slowly and accepted that I didn’t have much in the way of outdoor clothes. I liked tight, stylish jeans, classy jackets, and elegant shirts.

When everyone else fell asleep, I was still awake and had just finished packing.

“Do you ever close this window?”

I jumped at Dimitri’s voice and turned around. He was sitting on the windowsill, smiling at me. It was not his usual naughty-boy smile but a calm, gentle smile.

“I like the fresh air,” I admitted. “You are very good at sneaking up on me.”

“I don’t mean to sneak up on you,” Dimitri said. He didn’t look like he regretted it. I had come to the conclusion that he enjoyed scaring me.

I had not seen him since Halloween. We had not spoken about the kiss, although I could not stop thinking about it. Had it been as big a deal to him as it had been for me?

He sat there on the windowsill and made no attempt to kiss or hug me. I reminded myself that touch was not his love language.

“I’ve not seen you in a while,” I said. I was not angry or irritated. I just felt a little bit disappointed and neglected.

A guilty look crossed Dimitri’s face. “I know. It’s been a rough week.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

I zipped my suitcase and put it in front of the door. Then I sat down on my bed, and Amore came to lie at my side. Dimitri slowly climbed off the windowsill and sat down by my desk.

“I don’t like venting,” he said.

“You don’t like opening up either.”

“I’ve gotten better at that,” he said. He took a breath. “On Halloween—when we were out enjoying ourselves—my stepfather fell down the stairs. He hit his head really hard and passed out.

“Ethan found him. Out of everyone who could have found him, it had to be Ethan. My poor little brother thought he was dead.”

“Oh no . . .” I said.

“He went to my mother. She was too drunk to understand what he was saying. She chased him away without offering any aid.” Dimitri shook his head as he told the story. “Ethan then called an ambulance.”

“Is your stepfather alright?”

“He is fine,” Dimitri said. “It’s Ethan I am worried about. He is dealing with so many things. No child should have to go through the things he is going through.”

There was nothing more to say, so we sat in silence for a while. I pitied both of the Collins boys. Dimitri was also a damaged person, yet he never let the damage turn him mean. He had good intentions and a pure heart.

“You are always welcome to visit me if you need to get away,” I offered.

He smiled at me. “Thank you, but I can’t leave my brother.”

“Bring him with you,” I said. “I’m sure he would like a change of scenery.”

“I’m sure he would,” Dimitri agreed. He looked at my suitcase. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” I said. “We are going to one of your stepfather’s vacation homes. I was wondering—did you leave me a brochure with his details on?”

Dimitri shook his head. “I did not. Why do you ask?”

“I found one in my room.” My stomach turned, and I had the sudden urge to run to the toilet, puke, and then scream in fear and frustration.

“Maybe it arrived in the mail,” Dimitri suggested.

“Maybe, but the mail never makes its way to my room.”

Dimitri clearly did not know what to say. I was glad I did not freak him out the way I freaked out most people. If he hadn’t left the brochures, it must have been the Red-eyed Lady... Why did she want me to go there?

Dimitri had encouraged me to embrace my gift. All my life, I had been running from it. I had ignored it and hoped it would go away. With Dimitri I felt special. He never treated me like I was some freak.

Maybe I had to push aside my fear and walk into the vacation home like I’d walked on stage on Halloween. The elderly ghost at Halloween hadn’t been that scary, and I had faced him.

I could face the Red-eyed Lady too... maybe...

Dimitri had gone quiet, openly admiring me.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s cute how your thoughts sometimes carry you away. What were you thinking about?”

“You...” I said as my face grew warm.

“Me?” Dimitri asked.

“Yes, you, and the way you make me feel.”

I expected him to come closer and embrace me, but he remained seated at the desk. His one hand rested on the notebook, and his eyes were downcast.

“I’ve grown rather attached to you,” he confessed.

I was not sure if he meant it in a romantic way. He said it a bit hesitantly—as if he was scared to share his feelings with me.

“Are you sleeping in my bed tonight?” It was an innocent question. I had no hidden intentions. I just wanted to lie close to the boy I liked and fall asleep.

“I wish I could,” Dimitri said, “but I promised Ethan I would not come home too late.”

“Oh . . . ” I said softly.

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri said.

“That’s alright,” I managed to say.

“If I draw you a Christmas rose, will you feel better?”

A jolt of happiness went through me. “Absolutely.”

I watched him as he worked. This was when I enjoyed watching him the most because I could see his passion. People glowed differently when they did something they loved.

My eyes began to close. I fell asleep, and as always, woke to an empty room. Amore woke at the same time I did.

I went to my desk and admired the flower. Then I got dressed, went to school, and came home directly afterward. We loaded our bags into Ned’s car.

Amore ran outside in a desperate attempt to join us. “This time you are coming with us,” I told her.

I scooped up the little dog and put her on the back seat. Amore snorted and jumped up and down. She was so happy she was not being left behind.

“That’s the level of happiness that I aspire to,” Juan said.

The vacation house was a forty-five minute drive away. We put the music on softly and spoke. Ned told us that he had a promotion at work. This was great news, and we congratulated him. I told everyone about Halloween, the contest I won, and how much fun I had with Dimitri.

“It really is time that we meet this boy!” Andrea said. “He sounds lovely.”

“He just has a lot going on at home, with his sick younger brother, but I will introduce you as soon as I can.”

Juan did not say anything about Halloween, and I wondered how much my sister could remember. After Halloween, she had slept for a full day.

Ned turned onto a gravel road, and I realized it was the same one that had led to the pumpkin farm. I held Amore tightly in my arms and fell silent.

A little hill lay ahead of us—it was the hill where the Red-eyed Lady had been strangled to death.

We reached a gate, close to the hill, and turned in.

I was surprised to see that there was a house on the other side of the hill. The place had a big porch, with many windows and flowers in pot plants, surrounded by trees with yellow, brown, and orange leaves.

A dam was situated a walking distance from it, and I figured the water would be cold. Two quad bikes were parked in a shed next to the house.

“We are here!” Ned said.

My family got out of the car. I was last. The first thing I noticed was a big, rectangular flower bed in front of the house. It was filled with pink and purple cosmos.

I thought I might faint. Those were the same flowers the Red-eyed Lady had drawn in my notebook. The same flowers that symbolized my death.

“Charlotte, please take your bag inside,” Ned said, as he unloaded the bags from the car.

Andrea unlocked the door, and we went inside. I carried my bag, but kept my eyes on the cosmos for as long as possible.

Once inside, I turned my back on the flowers and felt the familiar feeling of fear creep over me like a spider.

~Just breathe. They’re just flowers . . .~

I tried to distract myself by observing the house’s interior. It had wooden furniture and it was clean.

It was decorated beautifully with glass vases on the counters and paintings of animals, like bears and rabbits, on the walls. The house was not huge – it only had two bedrooms.

Andrea and Ned unpacked their things in the main bedroom. Juan and I shared a room that had two single beds. It had a view of the flowers in front of the house that swayed back and forth in the wind.

Juan unpacked immediately, and I fell down on my bed. I had chosen the bed furthest from the window. Amore sniffed the room and stayed as close to me as she possibly could.

“We should go hiking before it gets dark,” Juan said.

“We’ll get lost,” I answered.

“We won’t.” My sister rolled her eyes. “We can always climb to the top of that hill.”

I did not want to climb that hill. What if I found Mia Brooks’s body there? What if it had been eaten by birds and ants, and only scraps remained?

“You look as if you want to puke,” Juan said. “Come on, it’s not even a rough hike!”

“Why do you need me to come with you?”

“Because I don’t have anyone else to take with me,” Juan grumbled.

“Ask Mom or Dad,” I tried.

“They are tired and want to relax. Come on. You can even bring Amore.”

“She is unfit and fat,” I pointed out. “She won’t even make it halfway up the hill.”

“Then carry her,” Juan said. “Being outdoors will be good for her.”

I groaned again.

“We did not come all this way so that you could sit in the house,” Juan said.

“I am happy in the house.”

“Please?”

“Fine. I’ll go.”

I put on my gray-and-green hiking boots, the only outdoor shoes I owned. My father had bought them for me a year ago, and I had never worn them. They were reliable, but not something I’d wear to school.

Juan was already wearing appropriate hiking clothes. We went to the kitchen, where we filled our bottles with water, and Amore trotted behind me.

“Are both of you going hiking?” Ned asked, his eyes widened slightly.

“Yes,” Juan said. “Amore is also coming with.”

“Where is her leash?” I asked.

“In the car,” Andrea answered, “but I don’t think you will need it.”

“She shouldn’t run away,” Juan agreed.

I followed my sister outside. There were plenty of clouds in the sky that cast their shadows on the ground. It was a quiet and peaceful place. The dam would make a beautiful painting.

Juan took the lead, and Amore trotted to keep up. When we reached the foot of the hill, she was out of breath, so I picked her up.

“Can we turn back now?” I asked.

“Of course not,” Juan said. “I want to see the view from up there!”

I saw the hill as a mountain . . . an obstacle. I had to climb . . . I had to overcome . . .

~Be brave.~

My sister ascended the hill easily. She was not out of breath and had not taken a sip of water yet. I drank my water, and the bottle was almost empty.

I climbed the hill slowly and cautiously. It was much less scary during the day, but I was still fearful. I looked around but could not see a blond woman lying between the rocks. There was no foul smell, either.

The murderer must have moved the body and hidden the evidence.

I reached the top of the hill. This was where the man had slapped Mia around. I looked down the hill. I had hidden between the bushes on this side.

“It’s a beautiful view,” Juan smiled.

“It does not compare to city lights.”

“Wait until you see the stars,” Juan said. “They are stunning!”

We hiked down, back to the house. My legs were burning, and I was hungry. But more importantly, I was relieved that nothing bad had happened.

Why had the Red-eyed Lady wanted me to come here? Did she want me to feel even more guilty than I already did?

We had a barbecue that night and sat on the porch together while Ned cooked the meat and Andrea made a salad.

“Just look at those stars,” Ned said.

I walked with my father so that the porch roof did not block our view. There were millions of stars and their lights were beautiful. They shone down on us like tiny beacons of hope.

It was a cold night, and we all wore jackets. It was extra cold because the house was built so close to the water.

We enjoyed dinner and decided not to go to sleep too late, so we washed the dishes and went to bed. I changed into my night clothes and noticed the curtains were open.

“Please close that,” I asked my sister.

“Why? There is no one here,” Juan said.

My sister did not close the curtains. Instead, she climbed into bed. “It’s so nice here. I love how peaceful it is and how fresh the air smells.”

I did not answer her. I looked through the window and tensed. Outside, by the cosmos, stood the Red-eyed Lady. She looked in my eyes and pointed down—at the cosmos.

“What are you looking at?” Juan turned in her bed so that she could gaze out of the window. Of course, she could not see the Red-eyed Lady.

“I thought I saw a bat,” I said.

“Oh.” Juan switched off the bed-light and my eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark.

“Can we leave that on?” I asked.

“Do we have to?” Juan groaned.

“Forget I asked,” I said.

An owl was hooting. The wind howled outside like an angry wolf. I got into bed and looked out the window one last time.

The Red-eyed Lady did not move. Her hair was not blowing in the wind the way a live person’s hair would.

She stood in the middle of the flowers. Instead of crushing them beneath her feet, the petals went right through her.

She looked at me and pointed down again. I turned my back to the window.