by Ryan Field
Avenir’s team wound up winning that night. Larson was a good player, and they worked the basketball court well together. But when Avenir realized it was after eight o’clock, he grabbed his coat and his gym bag and left the high school without even bothering to shower first. He tapped Larson on the shoulder and said, “I’ll see you later at the party. I’ve got to get home and make sure things are ready.” If he drove fast, he’d have just enough time to shower and dress before the guests arrived. This was one of those times when he wished that some of the vampire legends were true, the ones that said vampires didn’t perspire and they didn’t have to shower. The only difference between Avenir and any mortal man was that when he perspired there was no odor. His entire body was odorless.
When he went home and took his shower, he realized that Mavis had forgotten to bring his black tuxedo up to his room. It was probably still hanging in the center hall closet, along with the rest of his dry cleaning. So he pulled on a pair of white boxer shorts and jogged down to get it himself. The center hall was empty; he heard voices in the dining room and the kitchen. He figured that if he ran down the steps fast and pulled his formal out of the closet, no one would see him in his underwear.
But just as he opened the closet door, the front doors opened wide and Sienna walked into the hall. She was carrying Latte in one arm and bottle of champagne in the other. Her coat was over her arm, and she was wearing a short winter-white dress and light beige leather pumps. Her long blond hair looked fuller and she wore lip gloss and eye makeup. She looked so beautiful, he stopped moving and gaped at her.
When she saw Avenir standing there in his underwear, her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped. She looked down at his hairy legs and joked, “If I’d known there were going to be good-looking male strippers at this party I would have brought plenty of singles for tips.” There was a huge basket on a table beside the front doors. It was filled with black and white New Year’s Eve party hats, masks, and noise-makers. The women’s hats and masks were lined with glitter and rhinestones and feathers. The men’s were plain. She lifted a black cardboard top hat and placed it on his head. Then she said, “That’s better.”
He put his hands on his hips and smiled. The black top hat tilted to the side.” Very funny,” he said. “I was playing basketball with Larson and the guys and I got back late. I just jumped out of the shower.” He looked at the closet and said, “And Mavis forgot to bring my tux upstairs.”
She smiled. “Well then, you’d better get moving. It’s almost nine and the other guests will be here soon.”
He opened the closet and pulled out his formal. “Will you help Mavis greet everyone?” he asked. Then he turned to the stairs and said, “Make yourself at home. I’ll be right down. I’d get dressed right here in the hall, but my shoes and socks are upstairs.”
Someone standing behind him coughed a few times. Avenir turned around fast and the black hat tipped to the side a little more. There was a young woman with long brown hair standing next to the grandfather clock. She was holding a silver tray in her right palm. She cleared her throat and said, “I was just bringing this tray of canapés into the drawing room.” Then she opened her eyes wider and stared at his large chest muscles. Her head went up and down, then she looked into his eyes and smiled.
Sienna gave him a light push and said, “Go upstairs and get ready. I’ll take care of this.” She bit the inside of her mouth and pulled the hat off his head. Then she looked the young woman in eye, pointed to the drawing room, and said, “You can stop staring and put the tray down in there, sweetie. The show is over.” He voice rose, with an acerbic tone she didn’t use often.
He raced back to his room with a smile on his face. This was the first time it had actually occurred to him that Sienna had a jealous streak, and that she might not like other women staring at him in his underwear.
In less than fifteen minutes, he was dressed and in the drawing room. Some of the guests had already arrived. The former mayor of Glendale Harbor and his wife were talking to Sienna near the fireplace in the drawing room. And Grace and her date, the chief of police, Kevin, were sitting on one of the white sofas sipping champagne. He looked around and smiled. The music was low. Avenir had hired two pianists to play all evening so there would never be a lull. And the floral arrangements were perfect. There were white roses everywhere, and the bouquet on the baby grand piano in the drawing room was so large it covered most of the window behind the piano.
When Robert and Karla arrived, he greeted them at the door. “Welcome to Oceanview,” he said. “I heard you stopped by yesterday when I was out.”
Karla forced a smile. “Yes,” she said. “Your assistant was very kind.”
Mavis had told him about the visit, and she’d mentioned the terrified look on Karla’s face. Now she was smiling, but she stared at the grandfather clock with fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around. I would have taken you on a tour.”
Robert shook his hand and said, “We’ll do it again, I’m sure.”
Avenir smiled. “Yes, and soon.” He was smiling because Robert and Karla had no idea they were going on a grand tour of the house that very night. Avenir had a feeling that this would be a New Year’s Eve they’d never forget.
Not long after that, Larson and Jaydin arrived. They were both wearing white dinner jackets and they were holding hands. When they stood at the entrance of the drawing room, Grace walked over and kissed them both on the cheek. Avenir was talking to Kevin near the piano. He saw Robert and Karla standing in front of the fireplace. Robert whispered something into Karla’s ear, then she turned to look at Jaydin and Larson. And when Karla saw that they were holding hands, she had to reach for the back of a chair to keep from falling over.
Larson smiled at his mother, but she tightened her lips, lifted her chin, and turned her head fast. Robert turned his back to them. Sienna had told Avenir that they hadn’t spoken to their son since the night of the Christmas Festival.
So Avenir crossed to where they were standing and hugged them both. “Welcome to Oceanview,” he said. Then he hugged Larson again and said, “You have no idea how good it feels to have a cousin. For a long time, I grew up believing that I didn’t have any living relatives. And now I actually have a cousin to hang out with, and play basketball with. It’s so random.” Avenir wasn’t sure about this new term, random, but he’d heard a few of the younger guys using and he wanted to sound current.
Larson smiled, then he shot his mother and father a mean look. He looked into Jaydin’s eyes and said, “I guess I was lucky. I didn’t know any relatives growing up either, but I did have Jaydin and Sienna. They were always there.” Then he looked across the room at his mother and father again and frowned.
At midnight, everyone gathered around the piano and sang “Auld Lang Syne.” They wore their cardboard hats and their feathered masks, and blew their whistles and noise-makers. Mavis watched them toss bags of confetti into the air, then she watched it fall all over the room. She shook her head and frowned, probably thinking that she’d be finding confetti all over the room for the next six months.
Avenir pulled Sienna into his body and kissed her on the lips in front of everyone. Almost everyone knew they were seeing each other, but no one knew how serious it was. “I love you, baby. Happy new year,” he said. “Are you sure you want to go through with this tonight?” He’d been planning something special for the party, and he wanted to make sure he wasn’t pushing her into something she couldn’t handle.
She looked into his eyes and said, “I’m ready. I’m not afraid.” She straightened her back and said, “I need to know the truth.”
Latte came up to her side and rubbed his head on her ankle. She picked him up and kissed the top of his little white head. “Happy new year, sweetie,” she said.
At two o’clock, the party began to dwindle and people started going home. Robert and Karla wanted to leave, but Avenir pulled them aside and said, “I have something special planned, and I don’t thin
k you want to miss it. It’s only for a few special people.”
They smiled and looked at each other. Robert said to Karla, “Ah well, this sounds important, and I don’t want to miss it. After all, I am the mayor and the new president of the Chamber of Commerce.”
Avenir smiled and patted Robert on the back. “You don’t want to miss this,” he said. He’d heard that Robert had been elected as the new Chamber president. He’d also heard that Robert had paid off several Chamber members to vote for him.
When there were only ten guests left, Avenir walked to the middle of the drawing room and said, “If you’ll all follow me up to the west wing, I have something very special planned. It’s kind of a parlor game, and I think it’s going to be very interesting.”
Latte jumped up on the arm of the sofa and sat with is back straight. He stared at Avenir and meowed a few times. Avenir bent down to pet his head and said, “Of course you can come, little guy. We are all going up to the west wing right now.”
Robert and Karla were next to the piano. They were alone, because they were still avoiding Jaydin and Larson. Robert cleared his throat and said. “You want us to go up to the west wing tonight?” His voice sounded timid and shaky.
Avenir faced him directly. “Yes,” he said. “Is that okay?”
There was a troubled look on Robert’s face. But he smiled and said, “I’m ready.” He looked as if he still wanted to leave, but Avenir had purposely invited the former mayor of Glendale Harbor to stay for his little game. Avenir knew that Robert would never do anything that would make the former mayor question him. And that’s because the former mayor didn’t like him, and he couldn’t be bought with Robert’s money.
“If you’ll all follow me now,” Avenir said, “I’ll take you up to a very special room in the west wing.”
Avenir and Sienna went first. Jaydin and Larson followed them. Grace and Kevin were in front of the former mayor and his wife, and Robert and Karla were the next to the last ones in line. Mavis was last; she wasn’t about to miss this for the world. She picked up Latte and carried him in her arms.
When they reached the top of the steps, Avenir turned right and headed to the west wing. At the entrance to the west wing, there was a table with silver candlesticks, white candles, and a few lighters. Avenir turned back and said, “Everyone, please take a candle and light it. There’s no electricity in the west wing, and I don’t want anyone falling and getting hurt.” He’d had the entire west wing cleaned and dusted that week, but the wiring was old and there wasn’t enough time to replace it.
Grace giggled and leaned into Kevin’s strong arm. “This is spooky. It reminds me more of Halloween than New Year’s Eve.”
When everyone had a candle, they crossed into the west wing. Avenir walked down the long hallway and led them to the last door on the right, Adriana’s room. He and Sienna stepped to the side and Avenir said, “Everyone, please go into this room and stand near the window.”
Robert hesitated. “What is this?” he said. “I’m not sure I like this at all.”
Avenir smiled. “It’s only a game, cousin.”
The former mayor turned and said, “Oh c’mon, LaFramboise, this is fun. My wife and I haven’t had this much fun at a party in years. Stop complaining and get in there.”
Everyone went inside. Robert and Karla went in last. She kept trying to cling to his right arm, and he kept pushing her away from his body.
When they were all standing in front of the window, Sienna took a seat in front of the fireplace, below the portrait of Adriana. Avenir reached for her hand and looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded yes and squeezed his hand.
He released her hand and turned to face them. He lifted his arm to Adriana’s portrait and said, “This is a portrait of Adriana Laperouse Harrington. She lived here many years ago, and this was her room.” He held the candle up higher so they could see Adriana’s face. “As you can see, she and Sienna Harrington look like twins. And that’s because Adriana was Sienna’s great-grandmother.”
Robert sighed. “What kind of game is this? What does this have to do with anything?” He sounded bored, but his right eye was twitching and he didn’t know where to put his hands.
The former mayor turned. “Would you be quiet and let him finish?”
Karla pressed her palm to her chest and said, “Well, I never.”
And the former mayor’s wife shouted, “You be quiet, too.” She was an older woman with blue hair and a long strand of white pearls. She hadn’t said much all night. And she wasn’t known to raise her voice in public.
Avenir sat down on a stool beside Sienna’s chair. He looked into her eyes and said, “I’m going to play a little game of hypnosis now. I’ve been practicing the art of hypnotism for many years, and tonight I’m going to try to unlock something that’s been buried in Sienna’s mind for many years. Sienna was with her mother the day her mother died. And we believe this room is significant to her mother’s death.”
Karla looked at Robert and said, “What is he doing?”
Robert clenched his fists and said, “I don’t know, but I’m getting out of here right now. I’ve had enough.”
Avenir gave Kevin a look. And Kevin said. “I think you should stay. And I’m suggesting this as the chief of police.” Then he left Grace’s side and crossed to the doorway. He stood there, with his large arms folded across his chest and his legs spread wide, blocking it so no one could leave.
Grace’s eyebrows went up and her mouth dropped. Jaydin looked at Larson and shrugged his shoulders. Then Latte jumped out of Mavis’ arms and ran to Sienna’s side. He sat on the floor beside her and pressed his body to her leg.
Avenir pulled a long chain from his pocket. There was a bright red medallion on the end. He didn’t actually need it, because he could hypnotize anyone just by looking into their eyes, but he wanted it for effect. He rested his other hand on Sienna’s shoulder and asked, “Are you ready?”
She looked into his eyes and nodded yes. “I trust you,” she said.
Karla took a deep breath and backed into the heavy velvet draperies. But Mavis was leaning forward and smiling.
Avenir lifted the medallion and looked into Sienna’s eyes. He swung it back and forth and said, “I’m going to count back from ten, and when I reach zero, you’ll be in my complete control. You’ll do anything I say, and you’ll remember everything that ever happened to you.” Then he started to count. But it was unnecessary; because he already knew that she was under his spell. He had the ability to put anyone into a hypnotic trance within seconds.
When he was finished counting, he snapped his fingers and said, “Close your eyes.”
Her eyelids went down and she lowered her head.
He put the medallion on a table next to her chair and started asking questions. He didn’t want to waste any time. “Were you with your mother when she died?”
Sienna hesitated, then she nodded yes.
“How old were you?”
“Five,” she said. Her voice was soft, but there was a high-pitched, childlike quality.
“I’m going to bring you back to the day your mother died. When I snap my fingers, you’re going to be five years old again.”
When he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, her body jerked twice, and then it relaxed. “How old are you?”
“Five,” she said. Her right palm went up and she spread her fingers apart.
“Can you tell me what happened on the day your mother died?”
Her face scrunched and her eyelids vibrated. Then she moaned a few times and said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know it’s hard,” he said. “But it’s important that you tell me what happened.”
She was silent for a moment, and then she said, “My mommy wasn’t feeling well. She told me that my stepfather, Robert, was giving her something to make her sleepy. She was afraid he was poisoning her. So she told me that she was hiding the painting her father
gave her, and that she was hiding her will behind the painting. She thought he was trying to hurt her, and she didn’t want him to get her money if she died.”
Robert sighed and said, “This is preposterous. I’m leaving.” But when he crossed to the doorway, Kevin spread his legs wider and refused to let him leave.
Larson looked at his father with a raised eyebrow and said, “I think you should stay and listen. I’m curious now, too. I’ve always wondered why a woman like Sienna’s mother would leave her children with nothing.”
Robert looked at his son, then he looked at Jaydin. He frowned and said, “You disgust me. You both disgust me.”
Mavis said, “Quiet everyone. Let him finish.”
Avenir touched Sienna’s hand and smiled. “You’re safe here. Nothing can harm you. What happened to the painting and your mother’s will? Where did she put it?”
Sienna thought for a moment. “On the day she was killed,” she said, “She hid the painting in the old house no one lived in anymore, Oceanview. She took me there to show me where she was going to hide it in case anything happened to her. I didn’t want to go. I was afraid.”
“What happened next?” Avenir asked. He didn’t want to prolong this. He knew this was a physically and emotionally draining process.
“She took me to the old house,” Sienna said. “We went upstairs to a bedroom. There was a picture of her grandmother over the fireplace. She gave me a coloring book and crayons and she took the picture down. She took it all apart and put the other painting behind it while I was coloring. Then she put a piece of paper behind the painting with a note. I don’t know what the note said.”