Vanish (Book One)

by Sonny Daise

Chapter 12: Attempt

  After what seemed like hours with the boring conversation going on in front of me, we arrived at the cabin. It was bare, but still somehow homey; there was no carpet, it was all wood floors. A blue couch, two chairs, and a black table sat in the living room. One small plush rug lay in front of a beautiful fireplace. Elizabeth walked over to a big wooden cabinet. She pulled out a stack of blankets, then opened another cabinet underneath. It was full of pillows; she grabbed two and left it open for us to help ourselves.

  “Okay.” She looked over at Lily hanging on Dante. “I’m taking the big room, so Lily can stay in there with me,” she glanced over at Lily.

  “Aw mom,” she whined.

  “Don’t even try,” she grabbed her arm. “There’s one other small room and the couch pulls out. I’m sure you guys can handle it. Behave.” She smiled, and then led Lily down the hall. Annabelle had already fallen asleep in one of the chairs.

  “Is she okay?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Dante answered.

  “You can take the other room,” Cooper said to Dante.

  “I don’t think so,” Dante replied.

  “Okay, then what should we do?” Cooper asked.

  “Hmm… I’ve got it,” Dante answered with sarcasm. “How about you take the other room.”

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  “Where’s the bathroom?” Dante asked.

  “Down the hall first door on the left.”

  “Thanks,” Dante said as he walked away.

  “Does that guy have a thing for you or something? He seems kind of possessive,” Cooper asked.

  “I don’t really know anymore. I thought he did, he says he does, but I don’t know he’s just been so different lately. He can be kind of… mean.”

  “Oh, no offence but he seems kind of… crazy,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah he can seem like that sometimes, but he really is a good guy.”

  “So, after all this is over do you think I’ll ever see you again?”

  “I don’t know,”

  “I think I will,” he whispered, as he moved closer.

  “Yeah, I don’t really know.” I backed up into the wall, before I knew it, he was right up against me, pinning me to the wall. His arms blocked any chance of escape. I tried to find the words, any words to get me out of the situation.

  “Ahem.” My hero. Dante stood in the doorway, staring daggers at Cooper.

  Cooper leaned in, and whispered “goodnight,” chills went down my spine.

  “Night,” I replied.

  I wished I could just find Grace and lock myself away. I didn’t know why all of a sudden I had some sort of appeal. Maybe it was the whole being locked away for months thing. Or maybe I just gave off the vibe that I needed someone. It wasn't intentional. Either way, I wanted away from all the madness. I didn’t know how to deal with one guy being all over me, forget two.

  Dante made a fire and sat on the rug in front of the fireplace. Sensing he wasn’t happy with me—though I didn’t do a thing—I sat on the couch.

  I thought back to Grace’s house; the door just appeared when I imagined it. That had happened before, in my dreams, but that was different. I picked up a lock of my hair and imagined it black. Nothing happened. I looked over at Dante; he stared into the fire, not moving. When I looked back at the strand of hair between my fingers, it started to darken from the ends up. I gasped so sharp that it stung my throat. I looked over at Dante; he still didn’t move. Instead of the light-brown—maybe even dirty-blonde—hair that covered his head, I thought of his dark-brown hair that fell in front of his perfect eyes. I imagined him as he used to be, and sure-enough seconds later he was that person again, on the outside anyway. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “Dante,” I said under my breath.

  “What,” he mumbled as if he couldn’t care less.

  “It wasn’t what it looked like,” I tried to explain.

  “You don’t have to explain to me.”

  “No, I want to. Nothing happened.”

  “Then what do you call the way you were looking at him? The way you almost fell over when you first met him?” he said, never looking away from the flame.

  “Okay, fine, you want me to say it? Yes, he is cute, I guess, but he’s not you.” I waited for his reply, nothing. “Look at me,” I pleaded.

  “What happened to you?” he asked, when he looked back.

  “I don’t know. I just imagined it and—”

  “Wow,” he said in awe. “What else can you do?”

  “Look in the mirror,” I insisted. He went from amazement to terror. “I promise I didn’t do anything bad.”

  He ran to the bathroom; he stayed in there for a few minutes. When he walked back in I couldn’t quite name the look on his face.

  “Why?” He asked.

  “I missed the way you were,” I whispered.

  “That’s a bit shallow don’t you think?”

  “I miss the way we were, the way everything was. I was just thinking about everything, and I imagined it, and it happened,” I said so fast I couldn’t stop to breathe.

  “Alright, alright,” he said, laughing. “How did we turn this upside down so fast?” he asked, now serious.

  “What do you mean?” I wondered.

  “I never even got a chance to ask you, if you wanted to be…”

  “If I wanted to be what?” I moved to the end of the couch, near the fireplace.

  “I never got to ask if you wanted to be my girlfriend.”

  God was this awkward. I’ve wanted to hear those words from him since we met, but now it was so embarrassing.

  “Did you—did you still want to ask me that?” I could feel my face flushing.

  “Yeah, I do, but I’m still worried about your dream,” he admitted.

  “Let’s just see what happens, with the dream I mean.” I yawned.

  “You need to get some sleep.” He got up and grabbed a pillow and blanket from the stack Elizabeth left. “Do you want me to pull out the couch?”

  “No, I’m good here,” I sighed and drifted away. I concentrated on the dream Dante said I had. I didn’t remember it, not at all. But I figured maybe if I thought about it, I would dream it again. Maybe I could figure out how to change it.

  In my dream, I was standing in front of a large staircase in a huge mansion. There were flowers on every table, and at least one magnificent picture on each beautiful wall. The carpet was plush, white and flowed into each room. I felt someone’s eyes on me, but I didn’t turn. My hair was still the black it turned in reality. I walked up the red, velvety stairs.

  “Grace?” I heard Dante call once. Then I heard him scream. I ran up the stairs to find him lying on the floor, bloody.

  “What happened?” I begged with desperation. “Oh my god,” I sobbed.

  “Watch out,” he tried to yell, but only moaned. I felt the blade run across my back. I imagined the floor where the man was standing turning to quicksand, he couldn’t move. I got close enough to grab the knife and slashed it across his throat. I ran back over to Dante, but he was dead. I laid next to him for what seemed like an eternity.

  I woke up drenched in tears. Dante’s fingers were laced through mine.

  “You saw,” I sniffled. He brought his hand to my face and wiped away the tears.

  “Yes, but at least you didn’t die this time.” He smiled, his dimples sunk into his cheeks.

  “You just saw yourself die,” I said, baffled. “And I had this hair, and you—you looked like you do now,” I rambled.

  “Yeah.”

  “So why didn’t you freak out when you saw my hair? Or did my dream just change?” I sat up.

  “I did, but I didn’t show it. It was the same dream the only difference was that you didn’t die. I can’t see your whole dream. The background was black I couldn’t tell where we were. We weren’t here were we?” he asked.

  “No, we were in a mansion looking for Grace,” I sighed. “But I thi
nk I can prevent everything. I just have to stay with you.”

  “So now I need my girlfriend to protect me?” He muttered.

  “So, I’m your girlfriend?” I asked, ignoring the rest of the remark, as I lay over his lap and looked up at him.

  “Do you want to be?” he questioned.

  “Yes,” I answered, not being able to take the awkwardness anymore. I sat up and leaned forward to kiss him. I couldn’t pay attention to anything but his lips on mine and his hands running up and down my back. He stopped, and I heard a door creak. Cooper was looking over at us.

  “Don’t mind me. I’m just getting something to drink.” He was upset; it was obvious, but I didn’t feel bad. After all, he just met me a few hours ago. I felt the need to say something. Explain that I was sorry if he thought I led him on at all, but that it wasn’t going to happen. I thought it over, and felt no need to defend my feelings for Dante and lack thereof for him. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, looking at me and glimpsing at Dante for an instant.

  “That guy bugs me,” Dante huffed.

  “Cut him some slack, kind of like Lily,” I reminded him. “It has to be tough living in the middle of nowhere.”

  I grabbed his arm and put it around me. We stayed there until morning, without speaking a word. What was there to talk about now? Grace, we would find her. Everything would be okay. Us, it was what it was, and soon it would be better than that, if we lived.

  Soon, it was morning and Elizabeth, and Lily came out of their room; Lily kept her eyes glued on Dante switching between his face and his hand in mine.

  “Good morning,” Elizabeth exclaimed with joy.

  “Good morning,” Dante and I replied together. She looked over at us.

  “What did you guys do?” she asked. For a second, I forgot.

  “Oh, the hair?” She nodded. “I don’t know I just imagined it and it changed.” I shrugged.

  “Oh cool,” She complimented.

  Annabelle still lay in the chair she plummeted into when we first arrived. I felt terrible that I hadn’t noticed that sooner, she should have been up hours ago.

  “I think something’s really wrong with Annabelle,” I said, concerned.

  “I’ll try to wake her up.” Elizabeth rushed over. She was trying to stay calm, but I could tell she was worried. I could see why, now that I got a closer look her lips were blue, and she was pale. She shook her, but she didn’t wake up.

  “Is she?” I asked, horrified.

  “No,” she said as she felt her pulse, when she dropped Annabelle’s arm back down, a bottle of pills fell out of her pocket and rolled to the floor.

  We all exchanged worried glances, then she started coughing. Everyone relaxed a little, relieved sighs filled the room. She opened her eyes looking dazed.

  “What were you thinking?” Elizabeth snapped.

  “I don’t know,” she cried. “I ruined everything. I killed somebody.”

  “You didn’t ruin everything,” I assured her.

  “And the man you killed was a serial killer,” Elizabeth added.

  “I didn’t know any of that before I did it though,” she responded. Then she looked at me. “What did you do to your hair?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said, angry now. “Don’t ever do anything that stupid again.”

  “I’m sorry,” she cried. I walked over and gave her a hug.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Alright let’s give her some space; I’ll make you something to eat.”

  “I can’t believe her,” I whispered to Dante as we sat on the couch together.

  “I feel like I'm responsible, I’ve said some horrible things to her. It really didn’t have much to do with her though, except when she killed the guy, but even then.”

  “I know,” I said as I put my hand on his back. Cooper came out of his room, not looking in our direction.

  “Do you know anything yet? Where the girl is, I mean,” Elizabeth asked.

  “Yeah, she’s not too far away,” Cooper said.