Amber Eyes

by Mariana Reuter

  The poor kid had produced tons of first class negative energy while he fought to stay afloat before he drowned. All of it got trapped in the pond and probably would remain there forever. Every night, the energy recreated an image of the events that happened in the pond, which the town folks mistook for ghosts. It created an image of the dead kid, and even of the living people—like the kid’s parents or his relatives. That was the reason why living people had been seen near the pond at nights when they had really been at their homes watching TV.

  All those people I’d just seen must have been some sort negative energy. Negative energy taking the form of alive and dead folks. Negative energy trapped in this home, surfacing and recreating past events. Mom had told me my dad had passed away because of an accident. Now I thought I knew what kind of accident it’d been, and why she seldom spoke of it. The idea made my blood run cold.

  I’d just learned Mom’s little secret, but I didn’t know what to do with it. Part of me already hated Mom for pushing him and part of me forgave her because it’d been an accident. They’d also talked about me, but I couldn’t grasp that part. Had she hinted I was the cop’s child? It made no sense. Mom had had many boyfriends, but only after my dad’s death. She’d remained a loyal wife while married to him, hadn’t she?

  No. It didn’t mattered if she remained a loyal wife or not. Deep inside me, intuition told me Aaron Zimmerman was my dad. Woman intuition, which it’s never mistaken.

  My cell phone’s chime made me scream. In the absolute silence that had descended on the house, the phone’s ringtone felt as out of place as a clown telling jokes at a funeral. With clumsy fingers, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and almost dropped it—I was sure the battery had died around noon. On its screen, it read: Laura.

  The phone’s continuous ringing was like coarse sandpaper to my nerves. My first impulse was to throw the damned phone down the stairs so it would break beyond repair. I fidgeted with it in my fingers, feeling its vibration through my hands and wrists. Should I answer? For what purpose? She wouldn’t talk again; she’d only mock me. Besides, how could I ever talk to her, or look at her in the eyes after what I knew now: that committed murder? I’d killed Yago. She’d turned me into her. That’s what she’d done. We were both cold blood murderers.

  Hate burst inside me. I would never, ever, forgive Mom… Laura. I wouldn’t call her Mom anymore. Moreover, I’d answer the phone and blame her for what she’d done. I’d scream at her for putting me in a position where murder turned into the only option. Courage built up inside me. I’d skin her alive. I pressed the phone’s green key and barked, “Mom? Is that you?”

  Silence.

  Her muteness only encouraged my boldness. “Mom, talk to me or don’t call me again. Period. I want nothing to do with you. You have so much to explain about my father, and about a certain cop.”

  “You don’t have to be so rude, darling…”

  Omigod! I shivered and felt cold all over my body, like my skin was made of ice. It was not Laura’s voice. It was his voice.

  “Cat got your tongue, Alexandra? Don’t you know who am I?”

  My heart started to beat loudly. A lump in my throat barely allowed me to whisper, “Yago?”

  A cackle came out of the phone. “Bingo, darling!”

  I had to hold to the stairway’s banister because suddenly my legs couldn’t support me anymore. I collapsed in slow motion and ended up kneeling on the landing. I passed the cell phone from one hand to the other, from one ear to the other.

  “But… you’re… dead,” I babbled gnashing my teeth, fascinated and terrified. Either he was dead and this call came from the afterworld, or alive, and then I had nothing to worry about anymore.

  “That’s what you’d like, but lemme disappoint you. I’m alive and kicking.”

  The ton of guilt under which I’d been buried since several days ago vanished in the air. “Omigod, that’s wonderful!”

  I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. I dropped the cell phone and covered my mouth with my two hands, trying to control myself. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Spasms traveled all my muscles and I shivered like an epileptic, holding my stomach. Tears of happiness sprung from my eyes.

  “Alexandra, are you still there?” Yago’s electronic voice came out the cell phone, a living reminder that I’d nothing to fear anymore. The police would stop looking for me. They’d never arrest me. I’d never go to jail. I only had to wait until this stupid camp would end and go directly to Jenny’s home and move in with her. I wasn’t like my mother!

  I picked the cell phone from the floor. I was the happiest girl on Earth. “Yes, I’m here. I’m so glad you’re alive!”

  He laughed a harsh cackle. When he spoke, menace lingered in his voice. “You owe me one. You almost murdered me.”

  “I owe you one? And what about you? You wanted to do me dirty things.” Something struck me as odd. “Why do you have Mom’s cell phone?”

  He cackled again, and this time, it chilled my blood. The previous relief started to fade out. “It was in the trailer, princess. Didn’t you notice she left it behind? She never took it with her. She wanted nothing to do with you; you’ll never hear from her again. It’s only you and me now. I’ve been trying to contact you for a few days now, but this phone is a piece of crap. Dirty things you say? You don’t know what I have in mind. You’ll pay for what you did to me.”

  “No. You will pay. I’ll tell the cops everything.”

  “The cops? Ha! I’m the only one who can save you now. The damned cops are looking for you all around the country, don’t you know? You assaulted me, assaulted old Mrs. Olsen, and stole my money. That’s a pretty nice list of offenses. Could well place you in jail for the rest of your life, don’t you think, baby girl?” His tone changed from menacing to cajoling, just as it’d been that night. “But I can help you if you wish.”

  I wiped the tears on my cheeks with my palm. My face should have been a dirty mess. “I’m far away…”

  “Of course, you are. You had to run. I’d have run if I were you. I’m sure you thought you got me, but the devil looks after his own. You almost killed me, almost. You destroyed my face. After the stitches come out, I’ll be scarred for life…”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The empty mansion echoed my words. I licked my lips. I wanted to hang up.

  “If you didn’t mean to hurt me, darling, then tell me what you call smashing a TV on my face? Everything is a huge mess and the police are investigating. The social security took the twins in custody. You’ll pay for that. Either I get what I wanted that night, or you’ll go to jail.”

  His statement stole my breath. He still wanted to have sex with me. I jumped to my feet with one hand to my chest. I paced the landing.

  I am safe. He doesn’t know I’m here, and whatever I might have done, it’s nothing compared to murder.

  I wondered whether I should run away again. I still had money. How about fleeing to Mexico? I could start a new life in Tijuana. I’ve heard you don’t even need a passport.

  “Darling, are you still there?” Yago asked. “I wanna cut a deal with you. I can be your witness and even convince Mrs. Olsen to withdraw her charges.”

  “I didn’t assault Mrs. Olsen!”

  He laughed. “She thinks otherwise. Of course, she didn’t know I was lying badly wounded inside and never expected your attack. Am I wrong?” He cackled again.

  I gulped. I didn’t know where this conversation would take us, and whether it was worth having it. All I could sense was some underlying danger. “When she climbed the steps to the trailer I pulled her down because I didn’t want her to go inside…”

  “Of course you wanted to stop her.” He started to cackle as if what we were discussing was funny. “She was about to discover your little crime.”

  No. It hadn’t been like that. However, if everybody believed so, I really was in trouble. “No, Yago! She fell backwards and hit her head on the ground. It was an accident!�
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  An accident like Laura’s pushing Dad out of the window. Omigod! What would have happened if Mrs. Olsen would have died?

  “Sure it was,” Yago said in his cajoling tone. “I believe you. Told you I’m on your side. But I’m not sure if a jury would believe you. Smashing a TV in a dude’s face is still a serious crime. They’ll give you 20 years, give or take.”

  “Nobody knows where I am,” I shouted. “They’ll never get me.”

  “That’s not exactly correct. Lemme tell you a secret: I know exactly where you are.”

  My hair bristled. “You’re… kiddin’.”

  “Oh, I’m not,” he cackled again, as if very amused. “Tell me if I’m wrong, darling: you’re in a place called Magnolia Hall, in Abbeville, standing at the top of a huge stairway.”

  Omigod! He was somewhere inside the mansion. I felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees—like being outside right after it’d snowed. I glanced everywhere. Where was he? Why wasn’t he in a hospital? Okay, I’d been stupid enough to leave every clue I was coming to Abbeville but—then I realized it; I’d told him. If he had Laura’s phone, last night the one who called had been him when I thought it’d been Laura. I’d told him where I was and with whom. How stupid! Always a loser, just like Daniel claimed.

  “Where are you?” I shouted, not in the phone but into the darkness around me.

  The darkness didn’t answer me though, but Yago’s voice coming out of the phone. “You guessed right, sweetheart, I’m close to you now. It was difficult to flee from that hospital because the cops kept an eye on me, but I managed to do it. I’m sure your dirty dike brain is super proud because you finally managed to pass for a boy, but you’ll never fool me. Remember, in small towns like this one, strangers are always noticed, especially when they break into other people’s houses and loot the place.”

  He couldn’t be talking about my breaking into Grandma’s house, was he? “I stole nothing from my grandma’s! Only the clothes, but she was giving them away anyway.”

  “Oops! Then it might have been me,” Yago cackled. “I might have borrowed some jewelry. Fortunately, I won’t have to give any explanations but you. You were the one who talked to a neighbor who can easily recognize you when the cops ask.”

  He had to be kidding. He hadn’t really broken into my Grandma’s home, stolen jewelry, and planned to blame it on me, had he? Never mind. What I had to focus on was on his presence inside this house. I tiptoed down the stairs, moving away from the starlight pouring in through the window. My plan was to make no sudden movements until I reached the staircase’s foot. Then I would sprint. The main hall was too dark. He wouldn’t see me.

  “Baby, are you still there?” This time, his voice didn’t come out of the phone. It thundered everywhere within the mansion. My heartbeat skyrocketed.

  When I reached the last step, I glanced left and right, trying to breach the scary-movie darkness. He was nowhere to be seen—at least not downstairs. If he was in fact recovering from some sort of surgery, I had a good chance of outrunning him. Once outside, I could easily hide in the tall grass before I reached the forest.

  I counted to three and then sprinted at top speed, aiming directly at the open space left by the missing door. My bare feet ached as they slammed the parquet while I dashed. I passed by the dead chandelier’s corpse and bolted even faster. The exit stood in front of me within reach—I’d almost made it. I could see the faint starlight seeping inside. Faster, I needed to run faster and I’d be free.

  Before I could react, the harsh silhouette of a tall man jumped into the empty space of the missing door. Omigod! I crashed against him so hard I bounced back and fell on the floor on my butt. I looked up. His massive figure seemed to be as tall as the absent door and he loomed over me. The sound of my own heartbeat thrashed my ears.

  “Don’t touch me!” I shouted, crawling backwards as fast as I could. I tried to stand up but my muddy feet slipped on the parquet and I landed again on my buttocks.

  “Cool down,” his cajoling voice said. “It’s me.”

  Yago’s gorilla-like hand grabbed my arm and I felt my bones crushing under his grip. The pain traveled up to my neck like the sting of a thousand bees all at once. His brutal yank lifted me to my feet as if I were a rag doll.

  I struggled, trying to shake myself free. “Leave me alone!”

  “Come with me.”

  I tried to run the opposite way, but he dragged me toward him until he wrapped his arms around me. He locked his hands behind me and firmly held me. “Come with me.”

  I clenched my hands into fists and started to beat his chest with all my strength. “Let me go! Let me go!”

  But he was already dragging me outside where I was sure he would start ripping my clothes off in no time.

  July 4, 00:33 am

  As he dragged me outside, Yago craned his neck as much as possible to avoid my blows. I wouldn’t stop until he released me.

  “Stop,” he said in his half-friendly, half-sarcastic tone. “It’s me. You’re safe.”

  “Let me go! I hate you. Let me go!”

  “You can’t go back inside, it’s dangerous.”

  We were out on the porch. The night’s minty air hit me while Yago dragged me further, until he thrust my back against one of the massive columns, trapping me between the column and his body. He attempted to hold my hands, but I beat him as hard as I could. “Leave me alone, let me go! Don’t touch me, Yago!”

  “Justin, it’s me, Edward. Come on!”

  Yago wouldn’t fool me. He wanted me to stop resisting, but I planned to fight. No more tricks. He couldn’t be Edward because Edward was sleeping in his tent far away from here.

  I grabbed his hair with both hands and pulled as hard as I could. “Let me go! Let me go!”

  “Ouch! Justin, it’s me, Edward. Stop it!” Yago grabbed my wrists so hard he hurt me. He pulled until I released his hair. “Can’t you recognize me? You’re safe with me.”

  Yago took me by the shoulders and shook me. Several jolts back and forth that made my head bob like my neck was a spring, and I got dizzy. He stopped and locked his eyes with mine.

  “Look at me, Justin. Tell me who I am.”

  For some moments nothing made sense. He was Yago, of course, but he didn’t look like Yago. Not at all. He looked like Edward, with disheveled hair and wearing a sweat shirt and sweat pants. I narrowed my eyes.

  The starlight hit his face, a face half darkened by stubble. Espresso brown eyes that gazed at me in concern, framed by frowning, thick eyebrows. Trembling thin lips pursed in a concerned grimace. Expectant features eager to hear the answer they wanted, rather than the answer they got.

  Several longer moments elapsed.

  Propelled by a spring, I hugged Edward and sighed as deep I as could, exhaling my terrified bewilderment. He was Edward of course. How could I ever mistook him for Yago? Confusion and fear had blinded me, but not anymore. Edward hugged me back, this time not with a tough grip but a friendly, reassuring hug. “It’s okay, Justin. Everything’s over, pal.”

  My next sigh led me into sobs. I couldn’t help it.

  “What on earth terrified you so much inside this house?” Edward whispered. He didn’t sound upset but caring. “You shouldn’t have come. I told you guys this place is off limits. You should always obey me, it’s for your safety.”

  I couldn’t answer him. I only nodded. Truth was in his words.

  “It was good I realized you left the campsite and followed you, but I got lost. How could you find your way so easily in the forest? And don’t come again with that crap about telekinetic powers.” Edward caressed my hair, pressing my head gently into his chest. His arms around me protected me from any danger. I closed my eyes and recalled how everybody in his Scout Patrol followed his advice and instructions, and how he was never wrong. Edward was strong, and smart and resourceful, and the right person to shelter me. My sobs started to fade.

  “It’s okay, Justin. It’s okay.”<
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  My sobs ended like they had begun, with a deep sigh. I raised my face and fixed my eyes on Edward’s. He held his breath, but he didn’t break our eye contact. Instead, he stared at me until I thought I might need to slap my fingers in front of his face. It turned unnecessary when he murmured, “How can your eyes both call me and dismiss me?”

  I had no answer. I wasn’t even aware that my eyes were capable of such thing. He talked in whispers, as if fearful somebody could eavesdrop. “I told Daniel he didn’t want to see your eyes. But who would? They cast a spell. Anybody would fall in love with you only because of your eyes.” Edward shut his own eyes, pressing them with two fingers. “Don’t pay attention to me, I’m talking nonsense.”

  He stared at me again and blushed. His face turned bright red and his eyes sparkled. I took a hand to his cheek. It felt hot. I caressed his cheek.

  “You scared me,” I whispered. For some reason, it felt odd to raise my voice. Silence surrounded us except for the almost inaudible whoosh of the soft, minty breeze. I could almost hear the starlight.

  Edward took a trembling hand to my cheek and he caressed my face. “Sorry if I scared you. That wasn’t my intention. You were hysterical.”

  I nodded. I’d been. But it didn’t matter now. All that mattered was his palm on my cheek, feeling around with his thumb. A strong hand and seasoned fingers that knew how to caress and sooth my emotions. I felt safe.

  “Your skin is soft, Justin, like a girl’s.” He seemed to be a little surprised as if he’d expected otherwise. His thumb then stroked my lower lip, softly running the tip over it. A shiver traveled up my back and my lip quivered. What would come next? I parted my lips a bit. A kiss. It’d be awesome if he’d kiss me. Lord knew, I needed it.

  Edward suddenly withdrew his hand as if my cheek were caustic. “No.”

  Two thick sweat drops ran down his face. He raised his head and stared at the sky beyond the porch’s ceiling and sighed. I followed his lead and gazed upwards too. It was a splendid moonless night. Millions… no, billions of stars shone in the sky, filling the night with a fantastic, ghostly glow.