Wicked Lies

by Michelle Areaux

  We continued to formulate different theories, but none of them seemed to give us the answers we needed.

  As we put the items back where we'd found them, I couldn’t help but think about the pictures. This once beautiful and happy girl had turned angry and deadly. Could losing the love of her life have turned her into a wicked monster? Was she trying to destroy the lives of those that continued to happily live on? Even though I'd uncovered a huge piece of evidence in my case, I felt like I was no closer to finding an answer to the mystery. Something about that last picture unsettled me. Something was wrong.

  As I went to bed that night, I couldn’t stop thinking that we were wrong, that the real answers were locked away and never meant to be uncovered. Fortunately, I was stubborn and never backed away from a challenge.

  Chapter Ten

  After a month of being in Kentucky, I quickly realized that the little temper tantrum I’d thrown after learning of my vacation to Kentucky had been a little unnecessary. Sure, I was totally freaked out at the thought of leaving my friends and my new home again, but Kentucky was really starting to grow on me. The picturesque farms and the slow, peaceful life of Southern charm was refreshing. Back home in Salem and even in California, I’d enjoyed a fast-paced life and big city adventures, but sitting on the back porch at night and looking up into the near pitch black night sky, it was really something to be able to see all the stars and galaxies.

  Now that the Fourth of July was only a day away, I knew we had to plan something fun. Uncle Johnny, who seemed super excited about planning a big picnic, had stocked up on a ton of fireworks. I laughed when he and Noah had ventured out the other day to get a few items for the party, but returned with about a million sparklers, bottle rockets, and other fireworks that would soon light up the sky with colorful balls of fire.

  "Do you all think we have enough fireworks?" I asked, trying to contain my laughter. The dining room table and floor had become the fireworks station as had the formal table and most of the floor, which were covered in the many, many bags full of the items.

  I peeked into one of the bags that had toppled over into the kitchen as Uncle Johnny inspected his haul.

  "I think we should have enough," he stated, his face beginning to show signs of worry. "Why? Do you think I should go get more?" he looked at us as he mentally calculated how many he had in stock. Max, who had been sleeping in the center of the dining room, placed his head lazily back on the bag he had been using as a pillow. He huffed once, warning us that our conversation was disturbing his sleep.

  Aunt Morgan appeared and quickly stepped in to stop the conversation from going any further. "No!" she almost shouted as she kicked the bag back into the dining room.

  "Johnny, you and Noah went a little overboard. I think we have enough fireworks here to light up the sky for days," she joked.

  Uncle Johnny shook his head and waved Aunt Morgan’s comment away.

  "You just wait and see. Everyone will be impressed with the show I put on. Then you’ll look back and regret ever making fun of me," Uncle Johnny teased as he pretended to pout and look wounded. I loved watching their sweet banter. It was obvious they loved each other, even though they were both flawed.

  Aunt Morgan offered him a quick kiss on the cheek, and nodded her head, silently agreeing with him, even though I could tell she still thought his plans were ludicrous.

  "Wow, your uncle really takes this holiday seriously," Lucy noted as she sat on the living room sofa watching television. A light rain had been falling most of the day, preventing us from enjoying any outdoor activities, and she’d been glued to the television all day, watching a marathon of The Luxurious Lifestyles of Women reruns.

  Noah, who had slept most of the day, stumbled down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When he noticed what was playing on the television, he shook his head and laughed as he walked by Lucy and met me in the kitchen.

  One thing I loved about Aunt Morgan’s house was how open it was. You could stand in the kitchen and see right through to the living room, dining room, and straight to the front door. When she purchased the home, she had it renovated so that it had more of a modern floor plan, but still retained the charm and character of an old farmhouse.

  Noah gave me a quick kiss and walked toward the pantry where he found a box of strawberry- flavored Pop-Tarts and took a bite. Still chewing, he looked outside to where the rain had begun to let up, and the sun was beginning to peek through the dark gray clouds.

  "Looks like it’s going to stop raining soon. How about we go fishing down at the pond before I have to help Johnny set up for tomorrow?" Noah asked.

  I could tell he was being polite. The question was simply a formality. He was already dressed in a pair of dingy shorts and a ripped tee shirt. His boots– normally reserved for wearing when he worked on the docks–were already on his feet. Noah was dressed for the part, he just needed to get me to agree to go with him. Honestly, I would have gone with him, anyway. I still didn’t understand why Noah felt like he had to beg or trick me into agreeing to do things with him. I loved anytime I could get with him, even if it meant I had to touch disgusting fish to do it, but that’s our little secret.

  "Sure, I guess we could do that," I said, trying to sound a little defeated. I wasn’t just going to jump in and let him know he could win me over that easily. Sometimes, a girl likes to be chased.

  "Awesome," Noah stated, cheerfully shoving the last bite of Pop-Tart into his mouth. "Let me go get the fishing poles Johnny said I could borrow, and I’ll meet you on the back porch."

  Noah ran out of the room before I had the chance to respond. I laughed, rushed up the stairs, and changed into an old pair of jean shorts and a dark gray t-shirt. I found a pair of boots my mom had purchased for me, which was, coincidentally, for moments just like this. I had thought were hideous at the time, but now I made a mental note to thank her later.

  When I got back downstairs, I stopped by Lucy who was still immersed in the show. "Don’t even think about asking me to go fishing with you two," she grumbled, never taking her eyes off the television.

  I laughed and kept walking. "Don’t worry–I wouldn’t dream of it," I replied, and gave her a wave before walking out the back door where Noah was already waiting for me, carrying two fishing poles and a large, white bucket.

  We walked through the thick grass down to the pond, our feet squishing under the dampness from the earlier showers, which, thankfully, had been more of a mist than a downpour. When we reached the pond, I stood there, awkwardly awaiting instructions from Noah. It was no secret I wasn’t exactly fond of fishing or anything that required me to get extremely dirty or touch disgusting creatures, for that matter.

  He handed me a long, black, fishing rod and then set his down on the ground next to the bank of the water. He began digging through the mud, collecting worms, and placing them in the bucket.

  I watched, disgusted by the slimy, wiggly creatures, cringing at each new brown blob as it writhed in the bucket.

  Noah glanced up at me, noticed my disgusted frown, smirked, and held one of them in the air, shaking it like he was getting ready to throw it at me.

  I took a step back, I threw my fishing pole down and clenched my fists. "Noah, I love you, but if you come near me with one of those disgusting things, I’ll knock you out, cold," I said, glaring at him as he laughed uncontrollably.

  "Oh, stop being a baby. It’s just an innocent, little worm," he taunted, standing and taking a step closer to me. His hair bounced as he jumped around me, laughing, and showing off that smile of his. I hated how that smile drew me so instantly to him, as if it were magical.

  I drew back my fist, to let him know I was serious. "Noah, I’m warning you," I growled through clenched teeth. Even though I was fuming on the outside, I was trying not to laugh as I did find humor in the situation. I wanted Noah to believe I was seriously angry, even if I thought he was being cute.

  At last, Noah held up his hands in defeat, dropped the worm
in the bucket, and stepped away from it. "Okay, I quit. I’ll just put the worms I found on the hooks then we can fish," He said as he stooped to grab our fishing poles.

  I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and watched him bait the hook and cast out my line. I fanned myself, thankful I had tied my hair into a high bun, so it would be off my neck. Noah handed me the pole, and I stood next to him, waiting to see if any fish would bite. Even though I thought fishing was boring, I’d never say that to Noah, but it was difficult to deny there wasn’t some enjoyment at the leisure of the activity–it was so peaceful standing out by the pond, alone with Noah.

  For a moment, I glanced around the area. The last time I’d been in this spot I’d seen that pair of icy blue eyes that were currently haunting my dreams. I was sure it was the same eyes that had rocked my car on the Ferris wheel and had almost drowned me. The last thing I wanted right now was for another girl to show up and ruin my alone time with my boyfriend, even if that girl was dead.

  Noah moved his fishing pole around in the water, so the line would sway to attract the fish "Hey, are you okay? You look distracted," Noah asked. The murky brown, muddy water ripples around his line.

  "Yeah, I’m fine," I replied, smiling. "I guess I’m still a little freaked out by everything. I mean, this is where I first saw those blue eyes. I just hope I can figure out this mystery soon," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

  "Don’t worry about any of that, babe," Noah said. He leaned down and kissed me on top of my head. "Just enjoy the time we have together, right now. There’ll be plenty of time later to worry about ghosts and crazy eyes. Plus, this is where we first hung out when we came to Kentucky. I think this spot is kind of special because of it," he added, allowing his charm to wash over me.

  I knew he was right. I needed to stop worrying so much and just enjoy my time with him. I also needed to recognize that this spot could prove to be a positive place for us, so I took his advice and spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing with my boyfriend, like proper high school kids. We didn’t catch any fish that evening, but I didn’t care. Noah and I had a blast just goofing off, pretending our lives were not full of wicked disasters.

  Once the darkness had begun to overtake the sky, Noah and I made our way back to the house. After a long shower to clean away the mud and dirt I’d picked up on the short journey from the house to the pond, I went to bed, dreaming of what a simple life with Noah might be like.

  "Sadie, hurry up," Aunt Morgan called frantically from downstairs. I’d only been up for about thirty minutes, and I was already being yelled at. I checked the clock on my nightstand and it read nine in the morning. I couldn’t imagine why they were so busy this early. Turns out, Aunt Morgan and Uncle Johnny had decided to take a few days off to honor one of their favorite holidays.

  I dressed and rushed down the stairs to find Aunt Morgan, Uncle Johnny, Noah, and a very angry Lucy organizing the fireworks that had once been stored in the dining room. The bags were spread out in the living room and they were putting the fireworks into groups based on size and danger level.

  "Sadie, we really need your help,” Uncle Johnny said, his voice panicked. I was both agitated and amused by his obsession with the fireworks. He was like a small kid in a candy store around them. "We still have to plan which ones we’ll light first and which ones we’ll save for the finale show," he said as he observed the piles spread around the room.

  "Johnny, why don’t you and Noah stay in here and get this all organized. You two seem to have a system in place and we don’t want to impose and mess anything up. Lucy, Sadie, and I will set up the chairs and picnic tables in the backyard for the party tonight." Aunt Morgan said this as she was already heading toward the back door.

  I could tell she was going to do her plan regardless of what Uncle Johnny might say and laughed to myself as I thought about how much she and I really did have in common.

  "Sure," Uncle Johnny mumbled without looking up. He was already giving Noah more directions as Noah stood there, listening intently.

  We escaped quickly, before he could assign us any more jobs. Noah hadn’t even realized we were gone, even though I tried to wave goodbye. Actually, I wasn’t even sure if he knew I’d even ever been there. I’d never seen him so hyped over something the way he was over these silly fireworks and the show they’d planned to put on for the neighbors. According to Aunt Morgan, all of their friends and neighbors within a ten-mile radius attended their yearly Fourth of July party. I guess it was kind of a big deal.

  "Uncle Johnny really likes this holiday," I said as we began setting up the folding chairs and cleaning off the picnic tables.

  Aunt Morgan laughed and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face as she placed a stack of two hundred paper plates and red Solo cups on one of the long tables, we’d set up for the buffet line.

  "Y’all just wait until tonight. First, he’ll grill about a million hamburgers and hot dogs. Then he’ll eat so much he’ll just about burst. To end the evening, he’ll begin setting off those crazy fireworks." She sighed, smiled, and continued as she wiped down the tables Lucy and I had placed around the yard. "He has a process, and I’ll never admit this to him, but it’s really pretty incredible." She smiled again as she said this.

  I could tell she admired her husband and loved his quirky side, which was something I could definitely relate to. Noah could be silly at times, and it was that part of his personality that I loved the most.

  Once all of the tables and chairs had been set up, we hung decorative lanterns with red, white, and blue stars from the porch railing. We used silver table linens to make the food look like a showpiece. Pleased with our design, we rushed back inside the house to the kitchen where we spent the next three hours baking chocolate and lemon cakes, apple and blueberry pies, and making delicious pasta and potato salads. We also set out all of the hamburger and hot dog buns.

  Just as we finished cooking and cleaning up the mess we’d created in the process, I heard cars pulling into the driveway. Lucy began to quickly take out the dishes of food. Aunt Morgan and I followed closely behind, arms full of desserts. We only had a few minutes to change our clothes and make ourselves look presentable.

  Both Lucy and I laughed at one another when we found flour in her ponytail and she found vanilla frosting on my elbow. We giggled and went back to our holiday-themed backyard where the party was in full swing. There must have been fifty people scattered all around the backyard, talking and offering their compliments on the food and lovely decorations. Uncle Johnny and Aunt Morgan introduced us to several of their friends, but I couldn’t keep all of their names in order.

  "So, Tim is married to Alice, but their daughter, Sydney, brought her friend, Anne?" I asked, trying to make sure I didn’t get any of their names wrong. "Or was it Tim who is married to Sydney and their daughter is Anne who brought her friend, Alice?" I bit my lip as I struggled to keep the new information organized.

  Morgan laughed as she watched me struggle to decipher the family dynamics. "Sadie, just be polite and charming like you always are. Everyone’s excited to meet my amazing niece and her friends." She reached her arms out and pulled me in for a soft embrace.

  As we hugged, I was grateful for this moment with my extended family. The weather was absolutely perfect, with the sun setting in the evening sky and a light breeze floating in the air, wafting the heavenly scents of our buffet table on it. I was thankful the heavy heat had subsided, almost as if it had anticipated the firestorm we were planning.

  The food truly was amazing, and I was blown away by my Uncle Johnny’s grilling skills. The hamburgers were perfectly cooked, and the hot dogs had perfect grill-mark indentations. After treating myself to a hamburger and a hot dog, a spoonful of both the pasta and potato salads and then rewarding myself with a huge piece of chocolate cake, I finally decided to stop eating before my stomach burst.

  Once everyone had had their fill of food, Uncle Johnny turned the grill off and began t
o set up his fireworks display. Seeing this, the crowd gathered around, everyone finding a seat or a spot to stand and watch the show. With Noah’s help, Uncle Johnny began lighting the smaller fireworks. One by one they soared high into the darkened sky and exploded, streaking the black canvas with a beautiful array of reds, greens, and purples.

  As each colorful bomb exploded, everyone oohed and awed over the light show. Lucy and I sat next to Aunt Morgan where we had a perfect view of both Uncle Johnny and the clear, black sky. I had to hand it to him–Uncle Johnny really did put on a fantastic show. I understood why all of those people continued to come, year after year. The tradition was one I knew I’d remember forever.

  With the next wave of fireworks being prepared, Noah ran over to me and knelt down next to my chair. "What do you think?" he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face as he watched me closely. It was cute how excited he was.

  "I think you two did an awesome job," I praised, leaning over and softly kissing his cheek. I patted him on the back, then reached over and gave him a drink of the lemonade I’d been sipping.

  "Thanks, babe," he said, and then he took a huge gulp of my drink. A light mist of sweat had appeared over his brow from the heat of the fireworks and his growing excitement. "I was going to stick around and help your uncle with the rest of the show, but I think I’d rather just sit back here with you. This is his big night, and I don’t want to take any of that away from him."

  My heart flooded with a strong sense of gratitude and love as I was reminded that this sweet and thoughtful guy was all mine. I got up, put the drink I’d been holding on the seat of the chair, stood next to Noah, and leaned in close to him so that we were almost one. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, locking them in place as I snuggled into his embrace, and he pulled me tighter against his hard chest, so I could feel his heart beating rapidly through his shirt. My own heart was just as jumpy as his.