Caitlyn tried again unsuccessfully to touch Peyton. She jumped as if feeling her touch.
It was starting to happen, Caitlyn knew instinctively. A surge of joy mixed with despair crept through her. Already she felt a kindred spirit with the girl who came to Shadow Bay--with good reason. Peyton Delaney would give Caitlyn back the life she had longed to reclaim and, in the process, Peyton's own life would be saved from the real danger she faced.
CHAPTER THREE
Peyton stood barefoot outside as the shutters rattled and tree branches banged against the house in the howling wind. It was eerily dark and rain pelted her like daggers, soaking Peyton's nightgown. She sensed danger all around her as if being pursued by hungry wolves.
Though her feet felt like they were stuck in quicksand, Peyton managed to lift them and move toward the house.
She put her hand to the cold, wet, doorknob, twisting till it opened.
Peyton felt like she was sleepwalking across the plank flooring and past antique furnishings that were unfamiliar to her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, almost afraid to go up, as if something or someone were preventing her.
Then she heard voices. A man and woman were arguing heatedly. It sounded like her mother and stepfather. And yet it didn't. Peyton felt compelled to investigate, even if part of her was reluctant to do so.
Reaching the second floor, Peyton moved almost zombie-like down the long hallway. The combative voices were nonstop and louder as she drew near the bedroom.
The door was only slightly ajar. Light filtered out and onto Peyton. She tried to peek through the slit, but couldn't see anything. After taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
Standing at the foot of the bed was a man Peyton didn't recognize. He was around her stepfather's height and build, wearing what looked to be outdated clothing.
The man turned her way and Peyton saw his menacing dark eyes. But it was as if he never saw her. She gazed at the bed. A woman was lying there, partially wrapped in a blanket. Fear distorted her face like a grotesque mask. Peyton thought she bore a strong resemblance to her mother, yet was somehow different.
"Mom? Is that you?"
The woman reacted, looking through frightened eyes, but said nothing.
From her periphery, Peyton became aware of someone else in the room. Another man, half-dressed, was standing there.
Peyton didn't pretend to be clueless to the scenario before her. Obviously two men were interested in one woman. The mystery was why were all three in her parents' bedroom?
She faced the other man and Peyton saw that he now held a shotgun, as though it had appeared out of thin air. And it was pointed at the man wearing only pants.
She shuddered when the sound of a gun going off echoed throughout the room. He was shot in the chest and literally lifted into the air and flung against the wall like a mannequin.
The man now aimed the shotgun at the woman. Panic stricken, as if this would somehow mean the death of her mother, Peyton screamed and lunged at the man. Only she seemed to be moving in painfully slow motion and, before reaching him, the gun went off.
Peyton, heart pounding, turned toward the bed, terrified of what she might see...
* * *
There was something heavy holding Peyton down preventing her from breaking free. Through the sound of her screams, she heard her name being called:
"Peyton, Peyton, honey, wake up..."
Forcing her eyes open, she looked into her mother's worried face.
"Mom--" Peyton's throat felt dry and her body was drenched with perspiration.
"Yes, it's me, sweetheart."
She looked beyond her mother and saw Vance.
"That must've been one bad nightmare, girl," he said. "Your wailing was enough to raise the dead."
"Nightmare?" Peyton was still trying to come to grips with reality.
"That's all it was," Melody said soothingly. "First night in a new house jitters."
Peyton sighed, sitting up. Just a stupid dream. She was relieved and embarrassed at the same time. It was a dream unlike any she'd ever had before.
And one she hoped to never have again.
"Sorry. Guess I was really spooked." The images were still as vivid in her head as if Peyton were watching in person.
Melody kissed her cheek. "The good thing is, now that you've gotten it out of your system, you'll probably sleep like a baby from here on out."
Peyton smiled at the thought, masking the uneasy feeling that there was something more to the sinister dream.
When alone again, Peyton could imagine Vance actually shooting her mother and another man for whatever reason and getting away with it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Peyton woke up to sunshine flooding her room. She had all but forgotten the nightmare that had paralyzed her with fear and total helplessness. She washed her face and got ready for a morning jog.
Downstairs, she found her mother in the kitchen making breakfast.
"You're up," Melody said.
"Yeah." Peyton yawned.
"No more bad dreams?"
"Not that I can remember."
"That's good to hear. Not sure any of us could take many more nights like that." Her mother's brow furrowed. "Whatever was going on, it really spooked you."
Peyton grabbed a piece of toast and bit off a corner. "I dreamt about someone shooting a woman who looked a lot like you in this very house. A man was shot, too, but it wasn't Vance."
Melody cocked a brow. "Oh, dear. That's awful." She filled her mug with coffee. "At least it wasn't real."
Thank goodness for that. Peyton went to the refrigerator and took out a fruit drink. "Where's Vance?" She had noted from her window that his car was gone.
"He went to the office to meet the people he'll be working with."
Peyton gulped down some of the tangerine drink. "Won't you be lonely here without your friends? I know I will!"
Not counting Bry, who may turn out to be more than a friend, if things went her way.
"That's what texting, instant messaging, e-mail, snail mail and the phone are for. Besides, I have my web design business, Vance, and you to keep me company. And I'm sure I'll find friends among our neighbors as well."
"Too bad dad can't be here with us." Peyton immediately regretted her words. Wishing for something that would never happen wasn't very smart or healthy.
"He is here with us, honey," Melody insisted. "We can't see him, but your father's spirit will always be here watching over us like a loving and devoted angel who wants our lives to move forward."
"I know."
Peyton realized there was no turning back the hands of time, as much as she may have wanted to. Her mother was entitled to be happy, even if it had to be with someone other than Peyton's father.
In the meantime, Peyton had to focus on finding her own happiness in Shadow Bay.
Bryant Neville came to mind.
* * *
Peyton jogged along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. She saw the cottage where Bryant and Luke lived. No sign of Bryant or his dog. She was disappointed and hoped to bump into them on the way back.
Peyton had just rounded the block when she spotted Bryant walking his dog. Excitement coursed through her and she decided that maybe they wanted some company.
"Hey, Bry," she called out, catching up to them.
He looked at her with surprise. "Hey! What's up?"
"Nothing other than my morning run. Well, more like a power walk in this case."
"Let me guess--you ran track back in San Diego?"
"Yup, sure did. It was either that or piano lessons."
Bryant laughed, producing dimples in his cheeks. "Sounds like you made the right choice."
"Who's your not so little friend here?"
"This is Hugh," Bryant replied, petting the dog's head.
"Hi, Hugh."
He jumped up playfully, practically knocking Peyton off her feet.
"Guess he likes me."
"No dou
bt about it." Bryant grinned.
Peyton resisted the urge to continue running as planned, preferring to spend the time with her new neighbor and his dog.
"So do you have a summer job? Or do you just work with your dad?" She hoped he didn't take her questions the wrong way.
"Yes and no." Bryant rubbed his nose. "When I'm not helping out my dad, I have a part-time job at a department store. I stock shelves, tag items, and basically do anything they need me to."
"Cool. Last summer, and just before we moved here, I worked at a local mall. The pay wasn't much, but I got to buy lots of nice clothes at a discount."
"Yeah, and probably check out all the guys passing by, right?" He grinned.
"More like the other way around," she teased.
"Hey, I believe it! You're definitely worth checking out."
Peyton blushed. The truth was, most of the guys she knew were too into sports or themselves to pay attention to her.
Bryant stopped to let Hugh do his thing near some bushes.
Afterwards, they headed back.
"How was your first night in the new house?" Bryant asked nonchalantly.
Peyton looked at him as though he could read her mind. Or maybe her dreams.
"It was a bit scary, to tell you the truth--after I went to sleep."
"Nightmare, huh?"
"You could say that." Peyton couldn't believe she was telling him about it. Not exactly the way to get a guy to like you. What if it was a big turn off?
"I'm not surprised," Bryant said. "I've had a few myself since we moved here, but I never told anyone."
You haven't told anyone until now. "Please don't tell me you think the house and cottage are haunted?"
He chuckled. "Only if you believe in evil spirits. I don't. Not yet anyway."
"Neither do I!"
"Then maybe it's something in the water," he suggested.
She batted her eyes. "Yeah, right. Heard that one before."
"No, really. Most of it comes from the bay. With the runoff from the sewage treatment plant and contaminants, well, you just never know what it might be doing to our bodies and minds..."
"Eww, that's gross!" Peyton wrinkled her nose at the mere thought of ingesting polluted water.
"Don't worry," Bryant said, laughing. "The water's not that bad, really. Once your body gets used to it, the mind usually follows, along with hopefully some peaceful nights of sleep."
Peyton was sure he was teasing, making her like him all the more for having a sense of humor. And he had helped turn her attention away from one bad dream.
She took out her cell phone, figuring this was as good a time as any to videotape him and his dog, if Bryant didn't mind. "I told my friends back home I'd show them who my new friends are. Right now, it's you and Hugh," she said honestly.
Bryant grinned. "Go right ahead." He bent down next to his dog. "We're happy to star in your video and say hello to your friends in San Diego."
Peyton laughed, as Bryant seemed to have fun playing to his audience and getting Hugh to cooperate.
She sent the video to Erica and wasn't surprised that Bryant made a favorable impression on her.
"He's a catch," she said in their FaceTime chat that evening.
"Tell me something I don't know," Peyton responded.
"The dog's a cutie, too."
"Yeah, Hugh's great," Peyton agreed.
"Looks like they feel the same way about you," Erica told her.
"Seems that way." Peyton refused to jump to conclusions, but things certainly seemed to be moving in the right direction where it concerned Bryant.
* * *
A week later, convinced that Bryant was exaggerating about the contaminated bay, Peyton went for a swim. She had to admit it was nice to have a bay practically in your backyard. Wasn't the same as being right on top of the ocean like in San Diego, but definitely trumped the typical boring swimming pool.
The water was chilly, but pleasant. Peyton, who had been swimming since she was five, tried the breaststroke for a while, then the backstroke and butterfly. She went under the water, enjoying being surrounded by it, before coming back up for air. Beginning to tire, she started to swim back to shore.
But before she could reach it, Peyton suddenly felt herself being pulled under. Startled, she held her breath and looked around, not sure what--or who--grabbed her ankles and yanked her down forcefully. Were there actually sharks in Shadow Bay?
There was only murky water.
Maybe I blacked out or something for an instant.
Peyton's eyes widened when she suddenly found herself staring into the face of a girl around her age and size. She had long dark hair and blue unblinking eyes. Her lips were discolored and pursed into something resembling a grimace. She was wearing what looked to Peyton like some kind of retro print swimsuit.
Where had she come from? I never saw anyone in the bay. Had the girl been swimming under the water the whole time and could hold her breath like forever?
A frail arm suddenly shot out from the girl's side and a wrinkled finger pointed at Peyton threateningly. She jerked backwards, wanting to get away from the girl as quickly as possible.
Peyton swam up to the surface, petrified and feeling lightheaded. She was sure the girl would try to reach out and pull her down again, leaving Peyton to drown.
She sprang out of the water, trying to catch her breath. Using every ounce of strength she had, Peyton sought the refuge of the shore. As her arms and legs flailed desperately, she could think of nothing but escaping her scary pursuer.
When she reached land, Peyton ran and ran, afraid to look back.
* * *
"Calm down, Peyton," Vance said, trying to understand. He and Melody surrounded her. "You're telling us that a girl was in the bay...and pulled you under?"
Peyton shivered beneath the towel wrapped around her. "Yeah, that's what happened," she stammered.
"Why would she do that?" he asked skeptically.
"How do I know?" Peyton raised her voice, wondering the same thing herself. "Maybe she was high on drugs or something. Definitely looked like she was out of it!"
"And she didn't follow you out of the water?" Melody asked.
"Well, I didn't exactly wait around to find out, Mom."
Peyton could taste bay water and began to think about runoff from the sewage treatment plant that Bryant had mentioned. It made her feel queasy. She suddenly wondered if the girl had actually been in trouble and did not mean her any harm.
Maybe she'd been overcome by the nasty water and was delirious till I came along?
"Someone has to help her!" Peyton blurted out.
Vance looked at Melody and back to Peyton. "I thought you said she was trying to--"
"I'm not sure exactly what she was trying to do," Peyton cut in. "Maybe I should have stuck around a bit longer to find out."
"Well...was she drowning?"
"Yes. No. I don't know." Peyton batted her lashes wildly. "I only know that I saw her in the water and she was just weird...and motionless, till her creepy arm moved toward me. So I think she was still alive--"
"My goodness." Melody looked at her husband. "We have to do something!"
"All right," he said. "Show us exactly where you were before you got out of the water."
Peyton didn't want to go back out there and face that eerie girl again. What if she really was out to get her? But Peyton didn't want to have the girl's death on her conscience either.
* * *
An hour later, a diver from the Sheriff's department came up from the bay. He approached the group that included Peyton, her parents, and the sheriff named Dan Hagen.
"There was no one there, Dan," the diver insisted. "I couldn't find anyone."
"Are you sure?"
"Not unless she was a ghost and hiding from me," he said humorlessly.
The sheriff's brow creased. "Sorry to put you through the trouble, Cody."
"Yeah, so am I." He shot Peyton an icy look and walked towa
rds some onlookers who had begun to gather.
"Well, maybe she swam away," Peyton suggested, knowing full well how lame that sounded even to her. The girl in the water seemed too listless to go very far by herself.
"And maybe that overactive imagination you brought from California doesn't work too well in Shadow Bay," Dan snorted angrily.
Peyton refused to back down. "I was not imagining her--no matter what you think! I wouldn't make up something like that just for you to make me out to be some spoiled rotten teenager looking for attention."
Melody came to her daughter's defense. "Sheriff, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. Your diver may not have spotted the girl, but it doesn't mean she wasn't there...or might not still be--"
He scratched his receding hairline. "Anything's possible, I suppose. But it ain't very likely that some mysterious girl tried to drown your daughter, then fled or drowned herself. Not when there's no evidence to support it."
Vance did not argue the point. "Look, I'm sorry for dragging you out here, Sheriff. But it seemed like the right thing to do at the time."
"It was," he said, softening his tone. "Better safe than sorry, I guess."
His expression clearly suggested otherwise to Peyton. She wondered if it could have been some sort of optical illusion or maybe it was just her own distorted reflection she saw in the water.
No, that made no sense. There definitely was a girl in the water, whether anyone chose to believe Peyton or not.
But who was she? And why was the girl after her?
CHAPTER FIVE
"You're giving me goose bumps, Peyton," Erica said to her in a video call that night.
"How do you think I felt?" Peyton was sitting in her room. She had just told Erica about the girl in the bay and how everyone else seemed to think it was her imagination, if not an outright lie.
"You really believe she was trying to kill you?"
"It sure seemed like it. I mean, she did pull me under."
"So why didn't she go after you once you bolted?"
"I don't know. Maybe I caught her off guard with my ability to swim fast."
Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery Page 2