Wrecked Palace

by Catherine Cowles

  I chuckled. “Maybe just a little.”

  Kenna released me but kept hold of my shoulders. “How about I let you live your life and just support you along the way?”

  I squeezed her arms. “You already do.”

  And I would be forever grateful for the support of these friends who were more like sisters.

  7

  Griffin

  “S-s-so cold, Griffin.”

  I held Beth tighter against me, the salt in the air stinging the cut on my face. “It’s okay, Little Bit. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  It was a total and complete lie. But I had nothing to give my sister other than hopeful untruths. I’d heard somewhere that you could live at least a week without water. I was holding on to that fact. But something else was wrong with Beth. She’d been wheezing from the moment I pulled her into the life raft. I’d thought it was hysteria. The knowledge that we hadn’t been able to find our parents in the wreckage of the boat. But now I knew it was more.

  “So tired.”

  “No! You can’t sleep. Not yet.” I was scared that if Beth’s eyes closed, they’d never open again.

  “Hurts when I breathe.”

  Fuck. It had to be something with her lungs. Maybe one was collapsed? A friend on my soccer team had that happen. He’d had to have it reinflated at the hospital, and it was pretty damn serious.

  The beat of my heart seemed to rattle against my ribs in a desperate plea for help. But I had no radio. No idea where we were. Not even a damn compass to point me in the right direction. All I had were my silent prayers.

  “Love you, Griff.”

  Emotion burned the back of my throat. “Don’t talk like that. I bet we’re not that far from Hawaii. The coast guard is probably looking for us. Mom got off a mayday call before the boat started taking on water.”

  But between then and now, a storm had blown us God knew where. The sailboat had flipped, and Mom and Dad were gone. The ocean was miraculously quiet now. Too quiet. The silence ate away at my sanity. I held Beth’s hand a little tighter. “Just hold on. Help’s coming.”

  Her cracked lips curved the slightest bit. “Such a good big brother. Even played dolls with me when I begged.”

  “Hey. You promised never to bring that up. It’s our secret.”

  Beth blinked against the sun. “I don’t think the fish are going to tell.”

  I chuckled in spite of everything. “If word gets back to my team, I know who I’m going to blame.” My team. School. College visits. Junior prom. It all seemed like a ridiculous world away. I’d been so caught up in all of it. And now, all I cared about was getting Beth and myself to safety.

  Beth’s wheezing intensified, and I leaned over her prone body. “Little Bit, just breathe. Slow and steady. Follow me.”

  I tried to show her how, but it seemed impossible for Beth to follow. Her breaths had a rattling, wet sound now. She coughed, and blood sprayed the air. Panic gripped my chest and squeezed, the grip brutal. “Beth. Just hold on. Help’s coming. Please hold on. Do it for me.”

  But she said nothing. Her body seized, her eyes wide. And then…silence. Only the lapping of the water against the life raft.

  “Beth?”

  There was nothing. No one. I was completely alone.

  I shot up in bed, sweat dripping down my face. I threw back the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed, trying to catch my breath. It had been a while since I’d had a dream that lasted that long. Usually, they were vicious snapshots, just enough to ruin any shot at uninterrupted sleep. But this one had been the full movie. From the storm through the aftermath. The only piece missing was the hysterical state I’d been in by the time the Coast Guard finally found me.

  I pushed up from the bed, my movements shaky. I padded to the bathroom on autopilot, turning the shower on cold. I shucked the t-shirt and boxers stuck to my skin with sweat and stepped into the stall. The jolt of the ice-cold water was just the ticket. I let the spray beat down on me, cooling my overheated skin. Slowly, I increased the temperature, hoping the water would wash away the remnants of the dream. It never did, but that didn’t stop me from trying.

  Eventually, I turned off the spray. Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed a towel. Quickly drying, I donned clothes for the day. It was only 3:30 a.m., but I knew there was no more sleep in my future. I wouldn’t risk meeting the ghosts that lay in wait there.

  Slipping on the work boots that waited just outside my door, I headed down the stairs and towards my office. It was one of the first rooms I’d completed on the entry level. Expansive windows would let the light pour in once the sun was up. I had so many memories of visiting with my father while he sat behind a desk in this space. That desk had been damaged beyond repair, but I still had it out in the shop, unable to part with it.

  I eased down into the chair behind the new desk that I’d bought. It didn’t seem to fit the room as well, but then again, nothing would. I tapped on the desktop keyboard, and the screen came to life. Keying in the password, I clicked on an icon on the bottom of the screen. Instantly, eight camera views popped up. I took a moment to study each one. Nothing out of the ordinary. Only a little nocturnal critter scampering across one of the views of the back of the property.

  I hit a key, and another eight views popped up. Nothing out of the norm coming up here either. I was well aware that my obsession with the security of the farmhouse was bordering on unhealthy. I could hear the shrink my uncle had forced me to see in my head. “It’s understandable to have safety concerns. Just don’t let them dictate your life.”

  I’d tried to go on like normal for a while. I’d applied to college. I’d even attended for two years. But nothing would ever be normal again. The press had hounded me, so eager for the inside scoop of what had happened during the week the Lockwood family was lost at sea. They were desperate for an account from the sole survivor.

  And everyone around me had been eager to make a buck. A Coast Guard official had snuck photos of my bruised and battered body and of my sister’s dead one. Tabloids had splashed them across their covers. America’s Favorite Family Destroyed.

  Classmates at the new school I’d been forced to attend when I moved in with my uncle cashed in, as well. Most of what they’d given the news outlets had been out and out lies. That I was doing drugs. That I’d knifed a teacher. Each tale had gotten more and more ridiculous.

  I’d thought college would be a fresh start. And for a while, it was. I’d chosen a small school in the northeast. I’d met a girl. And for the first time, life had felt worth living again. But that had all come crashing down, too.

  After that, I’d only wanted to disappear. I’d gotten pretty good at it, too. I grew a beard. Paid for everything in cash. I bought a new car and drove all over the country. I’d stay in a place for a few months, sometimes longer, but never more than a year. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was subconsciously making my way back to Anchor. Slowly but surely heading west.

  By the time Sheriff Raines had gotten in touch with me about the farmhouse, I was ready to be home. And Anchor would always be more of a home than the modern monstrosity of a house in Marin. The farmhouse on Anchor had been the heart and soul of our family. Restoring it meant bringing my family back to life in the only way I could.

  I exited out of my security software and tried to force old memories from my mind. I clicked on my email icon. There were at least a dozen messages since I’d checked it a few days ago. I groaned, seeing my lawyer’s name. Opening the message, my chest constricted. The house in Marin had sold. It was the last piece I’d been holding onto for no real reason. And now, it was gone. There was an ache at the news, but no true pain. It wasn’t like I ever wanted to return there. My home was on Anchor now.

  I moved onto another email, this one from an unknown sender. I guarded my email and phone number like they were nuclear launch codes, never giving out either unless absolutely necessary. Skimming the first few lines of the email, my jaw hardened.
r />   Mr. Lockwood,

  This is Marcy Roberts with Celebrity Weekly. I’ve been trying to reach you for some time. I would love to do an in-depth feature on you and your family in honor of the twenty-year anniversary of their passing. Please call me at the number below.

  I quickly blocked the email address and reported it as spam. What was with the fascination with other people’s pain? Did it make someone feel better about their own lives to focus on others’ tragedies? Or was it simply the car-wreck phenomenon—people couldn’t help but watch and stare?

  The whys of it all didn’t matter. I wanted nothing to do with having my family’s name splashed across print and screen. I had enough reminders with my nightmares.

  8

  Caelyn

  “Are you sure you want to go?” I asked Will as I loaded a bunch of the meals into a cooler.

  “I’m sure. We can all go to the beach afterwards.”

  I studied my not-so-little brother. Will didn’t seem like he was judging or worried, but he did seem determined to accompany me to Griffin’s for my first delivery. “What’s this all about?”

  Will leaned a hip against the counter. “What you said the other night. It got to me. I know what it’s like to have people judge me because of my past, to talk about me behind my back. I shouldn’t have turned around and done the same to Griffin. It’s not like they say anything really bad. Mostly that it’s weird how he stays at his house by himself all the time. But I’d like a chance to get to know him a little better for myself.”

  I pulled Will into a hard hug. “You know you’re the best kid in the history of kids, right?”

  “You’re suffocating me.”

  I released him on a laugh. “Suffocating you with love.”

  Will groaned and shook his head. “So, can I come with you?”

  I glanced out the kitchen to the living room where Ava and Mia were coloring. “We’ll all have to go. I don’t have anyone else to watch the girls.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on them when we get out there, make sure they don’t get into trouble.”

  I closed my eyes for a brief moment, picturing Mia swinging from some sort of machinery. “Girls.” They looked up from their drawing. “Can you be on your best behavior when I drop off the food at Mr. Griffin’s?”

  Ava nodded, and Mia beamed. “We’re going to visit the giant?”

  Will choked on a laugh, but I fought the curse that wanted to surface. “Please don’t call him a giant.”

  Her little brows pulled together. “Why not?”

  “It might hurt his feelings.”

  “I don’t want to hurt his feelings.” She looked down at her paper. “I’m gonna bring him this drawing. He’ll like that.”

  I gave her a wobbly smile. “I’m sure he will.” Though I had no idea what Griffin would do with a drawing of a rainbow and a unicorn that looked more like a colorful blob.

  I turned the wheel of my SUV to round the curve of the island road that led to Griffin’s house. I hadn’t realized it, but he must drive past my home every time he went into town. I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew that the little, sunny yellow house was mine.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror. Ava looked out at the rolling landscape around us, but Mia stared intently at her drawing as if searching for imperfections. I swallowed down my chuckle and returned my eyes to the road. Everyone knew where the farmhouse was. There had been countless parties there when I was in high school, but I’d never been to one. More of the hard-partying crowd had frequented them. I had been more of a bonfire-at-the-beach kind of girl.

  I pulled to a stop at the electronic gate. There was a keypad and what looked like an intercom with a small camera mounted above it.

  “He’s not messing around,” Will remarked.

  “A lot of people invaded his home while he was away. It makes sense.” I could only imagine what a betrayal that must have been.

  “That sucks.”

  “Big time.” I searched for the right button, finding it under what looked like a speaker. I pressed it, and a buzzer sounded.

  Griffin’s rough voice came across the line. “Hey, Caelyn. Just follow the main road up to the house.”

  “Okay.” My palms dampened as the gates swung open. I felt like I was about to go on a first date. Ridiculous. This was a job. A kindness Griffin had given. Nothing else.

  “Coooooool. How’d Mr. Griffin know it was you, Cae Cae? Is he magic?” Mia asked.

  Will snorted. “There’s a camera.”

  Mia sent a scowl in her brother’s direction. “He could still be magic.”

  I eased my SUV up the drive and towards the farmhouse. “You’re right. He could have all sorts of magic. We wouldn’t know.”

  Mia beamed, twisting her paper in the air as if it were dancing. “Then he’s gonna loooooooove my magical unicorn.”

  I bit my lip. Poor Griffin had no idea what he was in for. Hopefully, an overly energetic seven-year-old wasn’t a fireable offense. I pulled to a stop at the apex of the circular driveway, parking in front of the massive house that had seen better days. The paint was peeling, and a couple of the shutters dangled from one hinge.

  Will let out a low whistle. “This place is almost as big as The Gables.”

  He wasn’t wrong. The estate Harriet had left Kenna was larger, but not by much. There was something about the farmhouse, though. A sad song that seemed to pull at me. A bone-deep knowledge of what the house could be.

  The front door swung open, and Griffin appeared. He wore jeans that hugged his muscular thighs and a t-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders. His close-cropped hair only accentuated the angular planes of his face. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

  “He’s totally a magic giant,” Mia whispered.

  “Don’t say that, remember?” Ava chided.

  Mia threw up her hands. “I know.”

  “All right, girls. Best behavior.” I met their eyes in the rearview mirror, and they both nodded. I sent up a silent prayer that we’d make it through this food handoff without any major disasters.

  I climbed out of the SUV, stopping at the passenger door behind me to pull it open and help Mia out of her booster seat. As soon as she was down, she ran towards Griffin.

  “Mia,” I called, but it was too late.

  She came to a skidding halt in front of Griffin and held out her drawing. “I made this for you. It’s an apology drawing. Sorry if I called you a giant, and it hurt your feelings. But I still think you’re a giant and you have magic. But that’s cool. You should be proud of that. Cae Cae always tells me that it’s the things that are different about us that are the most special.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath, frozen to my spot. Griffin’s mouth curved, and my lungs released. He squatted down so that he was at eye-level with her. “Can I tell you a secret?” Mia nodded silently. “I am a giant.”

  She smiled so widely I worried her face would crack in two. “See?”

  Griffin leaned in a little closer. “And I have magic, too.” He made a quick motion behind her ear and pulled out a quarter, depositing it in her open palm.

  Mia let out a shriek that would’ve sent all dogs in a hundred-yard radius running. “Did you see? Did you see? Mr. Griffin is magic!” She looked back to him. “Do I get to keep it?”

  His blue eyes twinkled. “It came out of your ear.”

  “I’m gonna put it in my unicorn piggy bank.”

  “A saver. I like it.”

  She slid the quarter into her pocket. “I’m saving up for some mats so I can practice more tumbling at home.”

  Griffin straightened from his crouch. “Tumbling, huh?”

  “Yup. I’m gonna go to the Olympics one day.”

  “I believe it.”

  My heart gave a painful squeeze. At Mia’s hope. At Griffin’s sweet encouragement. It was all too much. Tears stung my eyes as I tried to force them back.

  “Don’t cry now,” Will whispered.

  “I can’t help it. It�
��s so freaking sweet.”

  Will shook his head and looked heavenward. “You need to get plugs in your tear ducts or something.”

  It wasn’t a bad idea. I cried at everything. Sad tears. Happy tears. Overwhelmed tears. Angry tears. It was as if whenever I had an emotional overload—which was often—the release valve was my eyeballs.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Griffin was suddenly in front of me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I swear. It was just sweet. You and Mia.”

  Griffin’s forehead wrinkled. “It was sweet?”

  Will stepped closer. “Don’t even try to understand it. She cries at the drop of a hat. The other night, she was full-on sobbing at a humane society commercial.”

  I turned to Will. “That song gets me every time.”

  Griffin let out a choked laugh. “She has a point there.”

  My cheeks heated as I looked back at Griffin. “Sorry about the mass delivery service, but nobody wanted to stay home.”

  “It’s no problem.” He looked around at the kids before turning back to me. “You can bring them whenever you need to.”

  Mia’s fist shot into the air. “Yes! I want more magic.”

  “You might have opened a can of worms with that one,” I whispered. Mia’s zest for life was unparalleled, and when she discovered something she liked, she was all in. My gaze traveled back to Ava, who still hovered near the car. My other girl was more cautious. She needed time to test the waters before diving in.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Griffin said. “I can handle a few magic tricks. It’ll give me an excuse to brush up on my skills.”

  Even though there was warmth in Griffin’s expression, there was also an underlying pain in his eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was somehow related to his family. If his dad had taught him those tricks. Why was it that the good ones were lost too soon, but the bad ones seemed to hang around far past their expiration dates? “She’d love that.”

  Will straightened next to me. “You’ve got a great place here.”