by Kari Chaplin
Finally, I abruptly sat up. The scream still caught in my throat, trying to escape, I gasped for air. My mind was slow to escape the horror. Searching the room, I looked for any sign that it wasn’t a dream. It felt so real. I sat in bed, trying to convince myself that it was only a dream. It was not real, I thought. Clearing the lump from my sore throat, I reached for a cup of water on my nightstand. I had forgotten to grab the water before going to bed. I slapped a hand to my forehead.
“You don’t have water,” a velvety voice said through the night.
I jerked. The voice wasn’t mine; a voice that had no right to be in my room. I pulled my comforter up to my neck and frantically scoured my surroundings. In the moonlit corner, I saw him—the star of my dreams. I screamed as loud as I could manage, crying and throwing whatever I could grab at him. I leapt to the door; he caught me in midair. I pounded his chest as hard as I could, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“You definitely have a set of lungs, don’t you?” he said, covering my mouth with his hand. He held me tighter. My heart threatened to burst. My breath was ragged and strained. He threw me onto my bed and straddled me. I struggled to free myself. I tried unsuccessfully to scream through his hand still concealing my mouth. “I will snap your neck in half,” he said with a calm demeanor.
“What do you want from me?” My words were muffled by his hand. I continued to struggle under his hold. I barely budged under his terrorizing grip, but I kicked and screamed harder. I imagined rape and mutilation were not far from his plans. I did not want to go out like that.
“Vanessa, wake up… Vessi.” Shannon shook me.
My eyes darted around my room. “Is he still here?” I shrieked.
“Who,” she asked, shaking her head. “Do you still have weird dreams?” Her eyes were full of fake sincerity. “Let’s get you some chamomile tea. That used to calm you down when we were kids.”
She helped me out of bed and into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if that was a nightmare or real. “Was someone in my room?” I asked after we sat down to hot tea.
“No, Ves, you had a nightmare.”
I stared at her for a moment in shock, trying to fight the fogginess in my head. “Are you sure?”
“Um, yeah.”
”B--but it seemed so real. I could smell him and feel him.” I was confused, angry and exhausted. He was there. I know it was real. He smelled of cinnamon and cloves with a hint of rain. It couldn’t have been just a dream. Maybe he left before Shannon could get there? Panic quickly crept back. “It couldn’t have been a dream. He was there.” I shuddered. He was standing in the corner by the dresser. That’s where he usually stands in my room, but this time was different. His eyes were black. The look in them was pure evil. He had never scared me before. It was like he wanted to hurt me, but why? My thoughts continued, but because of the blank look on Shannon’s face, I didn’t bother expressing those thoughts out loud.
“Who?”
I looked at her with a ‘duh’ look on my face. “The star in all of my dreams.” She took a sip from the tea. “His eyes were deep black with a sliver of purple.”
“Oh, you still have those dreams?” She didn’t lift her eyes from her cup.
“What else would I be talking about?”
“Pick from the hat.” She used her cup as a prop. “You’ve always had weird dreams.”
“Not always.”
Shannon stayed with me so I could try to go back to sleep.
After what felt like an eternity, I was dreaming a pleasant dream.
A girl was sitting on a red and white picnic blanket with the man from the previous nightmare. The girl didn’t physically look like me, but somehow, I knew she was me from a different time. The girl wore a simple, white cotton dress. A thin, brown belt was tied around her waist. He wore a light-yellow button up shirt. The top four buttons were unbuttoned. His pants were made of plain, white cotton like her dress.
Sitting in a familiar field, the couple was surrounded by deep purple azaleas and my favorite, Queen of the Night orchids. The orchids leisurely bloomed into beautiful white petals. Their dreamy fragrance lifted high into the heavens. The sweet, floral scent overwhelmed my senses. The flowers seemed to take on a life of their own; swaying back and forth, as if breathing. The atmosphere was calm and carefree. The two talked about nothing and laughed. He had one arm snuggled around her hips. Leaning into her, he whispered into her ear. She giggled and teasingly pulled away with flushed cheeks. He picked a flower and softly ran it down her arm as he kissed her neck, measurably moving his lips toward her chin. A slight moan escaped, simultaneously from their lips.
Four
The morning came too soon, ripping me from such pleasantries. I enjoyed a moment of blessed relaxation as I remembered the quiet couple in the field. I wanted that fantasy to be my reality.
A rapping came from my bedroom door. “Sis, are you up? Breakfast is ready.”
Ugh, breakfast, I forgot, I thought as I pulled my plush comforter over my head. Actually, I forgot they were here at all. “Comin’.”
“We are at the table waiting.”
I reluctantly joined Shannon and Jake. “Morning,” I whispered, filling my plate.
“Good morning,” they replied.
The next few minutes were encased in awkward silence.
“Vessi, how have you been?” Shannon asked.
“Good. You?” The tension in the air was thick.
“I have been good, really good.”
“Good, good.”
“Yeah. It is.” Shannon shoved a strawberry into her already full mouth.
Placing my fork on the table, I asked one of the many questions cluttering my curiosity. “Where have you been all these years?”
“New Orleans.”
My face turned to stone. “Oh? Didn’t you like it?”
“It was okay.” Short answers as usual. I would have to pry harder.
“Why come back?”
“I really wanted to come back home.” Her face softened; her tone more sincere.
I looked much like Shannon except I was about thirty pounds lighter. We had the same rounded face and pale skin with rosy cheeks. We had almost the same natural hair color, sandy-blonde, but mine had dark red tones that were brought out by the sun. She dyed her locks a different color every few weeks. I was happy with my hair and would never change it. Besides, people spend a small fortune trying to get this color. Why would I want to give that up for a bottle of formaldehyde?
“Why,” I pressed.
“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed being here.”
“I see.” I could read between the lines. She missed Mom.
“I thought I could get a job and help you out with bills. I can’t imagine working at the Night Owl brings the money rolling in.”
“I do just fine,” I retorted. Staring her down, I added, “Besides, Myra is moving in with me next week.” That last statement was a little white lie, but I knew Myra would have no problem going along with it.
Staring back, her expression was sad and regretful. “Look, I know I was wrong leaving you like that.”
“Oh, yeah?” The staring war was getting intense, but I wasn’t going to lose to my sister.
“I’ve been seeing a counselor.” Her cocky head tilt told me that she wasn’t going to give up easily, either.
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes, it is.”
I didn’t say anything in response, but she could see the doubt in my face. I wasn't convinced, or maybe I didn’t care. My sister tended to say one thing then do another. She was famous for that.
“I actually have been working on my issues. I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed.” I found it hard to believe her, little lone conjure up sympathy. Shannon had no qualms about lying. She seemed sincere, but she was famous for her manipulation techniques. She made believing her extremely difficult.
“Why’ve you been seeing a counselor?” I was very confused, not only because she saw a counselor,
but also because she was admitting it. Shannon never admitted to fault, shame or guilt. Not that talking to a professional is a problem in my book, but she had always thought it was a pointless waste of time and money.
“I came to a realization that I do tend to run from problems.” She threw up a hand to stop my sarcasm over the obvious. “I was so ashamed of myself that I couldn’t bring myself to contact you.” Her voice was soft. “I went into a deep depression. When I met Jake, he helped me realize what I was doing to myself and you. He saw me through the hard times; and when I was ready to put things right in my life, he helped me through that, too.” She gazed at him with adoring, love sick eyes. She continued telling me how sorry she was and how much she had changed, but I couldn’t buy into it. Maybe it was more like I wouldn’t buy into it.
“I see,” I replied. I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want from me?”
“I want forgiveness. I would like you to try to understand. Most of all, I want a relationship with you. I realize that I’ll have to earn that back.” She nodded her head. “I get that.”
I couldn’t say anything. On one hand, she was my sister. On the other, I could only be burned so many times.
“Vessi, I don’t mean to intrude, but she has changed for the better. All she is asking for is a chance to prove that to you. What do you say?” Jake certainly did intrude. He didn’t know Shannon like I did. I had known my sister for twenty-two years. He had known her for, like, maybe five.
“Maybe we should talk about this in private, Shannon,” I suggested, but not sure she took the hint.
“Sure, I guess,” she said, obviously clueless.
We let the subject go and finished breakfast in silence.
“I’ll wash the dishes. I’m sure you have things to do before work,” Shannon said, breaking the silence.
I was talked into working another double shift, which meant I’d be at work from two that afternoon until three in the morning. I wasn’t looking forward to it. Luckily, Myra was going to be right by my side.
“Yeah, thanks,” I said more sarcastically than I intended. “Well, I wasn’t expecting company, so I don’t have many groceries. Since I have to work the last-minute double, I won’t have time to go to the store.
“I’ll get the groceries. That’s the least I could do since we sort of dropped in on you like this.”
“Okay, thanks. Oh, Rob’s comin’ by sometime today to fix my bathroom faucet,” I said as I ran out the door. I really don’t think I had ever run out of the house as fast as I did that morning. I couldn’t stick around much longer without going off on my sister. I was really upset at her thinking she can just come back after disappearing for five years. I’ll make her pay.
It took me no time at all to reach Myra’s house. I slid open my phone and called her. “Hey, Myra, I’m pullin’ up in your driveway. Hurry the hell up.”
Less than a minute later, she hopped into my car. She was always ready when I called. It was like we had a twin connection, causing us to be a target for small town gossip.
“Hey, what’s up?” she greeted me as she tossed her purse into the back seat. She looked at me for a second, and then asked, “Did you dream about the guy again?”
“Yeah, it was more like a nightmare. Hey, how do you get rid of unwanted guests?”
Her smile turned devious. “Ghosts? Stalkers? What are we talkin’ about here?” She giggled.
Myra was a light-hearted and fun country girl who trusted way too easily. I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She was the sister I never had, or rather the sister I actually wanted.
“Hey, I don’t think you’re taking me very seriously,” I laughed.
“Who’s the visitor?”
“You’ll never guess, not in a million years.” I let out a harsh laugh under my breath.
“You’re right, I won’t. Now, who is it?” She playfully nudged my shoulder.
“Shannon and her boyfriend, Jake, were there when I got home last night.”
Myra’s eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open. After a few seconds, she asked, “Seriously?”
“Yeah, she wants to make amends. I guess she’s been seeing a counselor, and her boyfriend has helped her through her ‘rough’ times. Blah, blah, blah,” I said, making quotation marks in the air.
“Bummer,” she replied. “Is she staying at the house?”
“I guess so. I didn’t seem to have a choice. I should’ve changed the locks.”
“You can always stay with me, ya know.”
“Thanks, I might have to take you up on that. It’s fine for now.”
“Well, the offer is always open.”
“If the subject comes up, you’re movin’ in with me next week.”
Since she didn’t have any suggestions to get rid of unwanted house guests, we randomly talked about nothing as we ran our few errands and before heading to work.
“Well, here we go; the start of another day,” I sarcastically announced as we parked behind the wooden sign that read, ‘The Night Owl.'
The sign was still the original, except with a modern upgrade. It was made from the same rustic wood with the same letters carved into it from the turn of the 19th century, but now the letters glowed at night with modern day technology. Joe painted the letters of the sign with glow-in-the-dark paint. He kept the bar as close to the early days as possible. Hence, the paint versus a lit-up sign, but it worked.
“Yeah, well, the sooner we get in, the sooner the day will end.” Leave it to Myra to see the positive. She was always ready for anything. “Let’s go.” Myra hopped out of the car with the biggest grin plastered on her face and grabbed her bag. I followed suit, minus the smile.
“Hey, gals.” Joe held the door open for us. His relaxed business attire consisted of blue jeans and a T-shirt. He never cared what we wore to work as long as it covered the bare essentials. Joe wasn’t the type to hide in the office. He worked alongside everyone. The reason most of us put up with this industry was because we loved him.
“Thanks, Joe,” we replied in unison.
“Vessi, let me know if that guy comes back in,” Brad said as I walked past the girls giggling at the bar. He was never without bartender groupies.
“Will do,” I replied, tapping the bar as I walked past.
Business was hopping; therefore, time flew. I only forgot a few orders, and no one grabbed my ass. Best of all, there was no sign of Psycho Guy. The night was good.
“Okay, team, gather ‘round,” Joe said. “It’s time for our nightly meeting.”
The employees groaned as they gathered, like every night.
“Despite what many of you have heard, we are not closing. So, rest easy. We’re stronger than ever. In fact, I’ve hired a new barback. That means Jon will have some help. Jon, your job will remain the same as always. The new bar back will be kind of like your assistant. The difference is you stay behind the bar. The new guy will help you and help the girls out. Plus, you will actually get some much-needed time off.”
“Yes,” Jon, our current bar back of about seven years, hissed in a very pleased tone as he nodded his head. Jon was tall and lanky. Sort of cute, I guess. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He always wore ‘wife beater’ tops that showed off the tattoos on his upper arm. One arm had ‘Semper Fi’. His other arm bore the name of his daughter, Sophie Rayne, and ‘Rest in peace, my sweet baby’ in tiny script under her birth and death dates. She was only three. No one in town ever knew for sure what happened to cause her death. It remained an unsolved mystery.
“He will not be doing it for you, but helping you out,” Joe continued. “I’m sure after tonight you all can appreciate some extra help.”
“Oh, I hope he is to die for,” Myra leaned into me and whispered.
“I hope he isn’t. That’s the last thing you need right now,” I whispered back.
“He'll start tomorrow night. I expect you all to be welcoming and sweet as candy to him,” Joe finished.
“I wond
er who he is,” I heard the other waitresses whisper.
“You will all meet him tomorrow night. Well, not you, Vessi, um, you will have tomorrow night off.” Joe’s eyebrows lifted in an amused way, hoping he had surprised me.
“Really? Why?” I asked, shocked.
Joe waved his hands like a cheerleader. “Surprise!” he yelled excitedly. “Mandy is working for you, unless, of course, you need to work.”
“No, no, that’s fine. How are you going to get her to actually show up? Don’t promise and then not deliver,” I teased Joe.
“Oh, I have my ways,” he returned my harassment.
“Thanks, Joe.” I was a little disappointed because I really didn’t want to hang with my sister and her boyfriend. This is going to suck, I thought. I wouldn’t let Joe know that.
“No problem, kid. Okay, get out of here you guys. I appreciate your hard work. Look for a bonus in your mailbox next week.” He regularly handed out gifts. He felt the way to show appreciation was money. I had to admit; he was quite right.
“Um, Joe, can we combine the decoration teams and just have everyone come in on one day instead of two. We’ll get it done in a fraction of the time and everyone will still have a day off,” I offered.
“Ok, enlighten me,” Joe replied.
“Since Sundays are prep days, we could get it done before the deliveries start showing up and be done with it.”
Joe took a few seconds to think about my proposal. He asked if anyone had any objections, which they did by moaning and groaning. That didn’t count since they moaned and groaned over everything.
“Okay, Vessi, we can do that. Okay, everyone, come in at eight on Sunday morning. I'll change the schedule and repost it. Donuts and coffee will be provided. Have a great day.” Most of the staff was halfway out the door before he finished his goodbyes.
Five
After driving Myra home, I headed to my house. I wasn’t looking forward to facing my sister. Maybe she’ll be in bed. Normal people are in bed at this hour, I thought. Of course, my sister had never been normal by any definition of the word.