“I got mad and I couldn’t control myself,” Jennifer told her as she got up from the floor. She paused for a second. She remembered locking her door and the key was inside the room. Puzzled to how her mom entered her room, before she even asked, Cindy dangled a spare key in her face.
“Where did you get that? You lied to me. You said you weren’t making an extra key and you lied.”
“This is the exact reason I did this. I can’t trust you to be alone, not now after everything has happened to you. You’re not stable enough to handle your emotions. Last time I left you alone, you ran away.”
Jennifer's face turned fiery red. She huffed and tossed another piece of glass in the trashcan, managing to slice the tip end of her pinky finger. “Damn it,” she snarled. “See what you make me do, Mother, when you get me mad?”
She stormed into her room, her mom right behind her.
“I’m going to make you an appointment with your doctor this week to see about getting you on some kind of anti-depressant pills. Your violent behavior cannot continue.”
Jennifer rolled over on her back. She gazed up at her mom standing over her and glared at her. “Why don’t you leave me alone? I don’t need to hear your nagging right now,” she told her, swiping strands of hair away from her wet eyes.
“Fine, you just sit here all cooped up in this room and I’ll go on living. But someday, you’ll grow up and start acting your age.”
Ignoring her mom, Jennifer rolled back over on her side and heard the door slam behind her.
***
Jennifer’s eyes opened the minute the Sunday morning sun crawled through the window. Peeling back the covers, she sat up, dangling her legs off the side of the tall four-poster bed. She stretched like a contented cat just as a glint of light coming from the bathroom caught her attention. I know I shut that night-light off last night, she thought, perplexed. Scampering through the room, she pushed the door open and stood looking toward the bathtub.
“Claire…is that you?” she called, moving excitedly into the prism of light flickering back and forth.
Waving her hand around to see if it were just a reflection, sure enough, a piece of glass she missed inside the bathtub shimmered from the sunlight pouring through the bathroom window. Bending down to pick it up, Jennifer tossed it in the trash and hurried back into her room to find something to wear. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants from the dresser drawer, slid them over her hips, and went to the closet to pick out a top. Rummaging through the clothes, she came across Claire’s purple tee shirt with the initials CRB on the back. She dropped it like it burned her. Jennifer staggered away from the closet, momentarily stunned. She remembered the clean shirts in her chest of drawers and snatched one out. Finding a pair of socks and her tennis shoes, she hurried out of the room and headed for the kitchen.
“Good morning, babe. How’d you sleep last night?” her dad asked, sipping on his hot cup of coffee.
“Not so well, Daddy. I woke up several times during the night and now I feel so fatigued,” she told him, getting a glass of orange juice.
“Well, maybe you should just rest today. After all, Jen, you’ve gone through plenty of hell lately.”
She knew her dad meant well and that he only wanted to help. Maybe he was right; maybe she needed to rest and worry about the rest later. But that burning need to finish off the Watson’s army of black souls wouldn’t let her rest. She needed to do this for herself and for other innocent children that may become part of that world someday. Even though Maddie Ann went back to Hell, her family still owned the cemetery.
“Before I decide to go somewhere today, I'll be sure to tell you and Mom,” she said, taking a seat at the table. She hadn’t really given a thought about leaving the house today. Where could she possibly go to rest and relax besides the comfort of her own room? The park no longer served her purposes . That hangout no longer existed for her without the girls. After their deaths, she couldn’t venture back there.
“Do you want to tell me what happened inside that cemetery?”
Just the mention of that place brought hot tears to her eyes. “Daddy, I’m worn out and I’m not up to talking about it right now. Can you respect that?” she asked, wiping a tear from her face. Like she needed anymore guilt added to what already lived inside her. Jennifer needed loads of rest and some time to clear her mind. She didn’t need her parents breathing down her neck about this and that and every little hiccup she had.
“Sure, sweetheart. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to talk about it. We’ll talk later.”
Fifteen miserable minutes passed and Jennifer and Steve still sat around the table drinking their beverages. Steve read the paper as Jen picked at her nails. Neither one said a word. She preferred the quietness and relaxation before her mother woke. As if thoughts of her mother conjured the devil, Cindy ventured downstairs and walked in the kitchen.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. You get enough rest, old woman?” Steve teased.
Jennifer didn’t utter a sound. She pushed back from the table and stood to her feet.
“Hey, honey, do you feel better today?” her mom asked, walking to the sink.
“Dad, can I borrow your car? I just remembered something I need to do,” Jennifer said, brushing past her mother and ignoring her altogether.
“Are you going to say anything to me?”
“Good morning, Mom. And yes, I feel much better today,” she said reluctantly, picking her purse up off the counter.
“Where are you headed? Don't you think it'd be better if you stayed home and rested today? You have a lot of explaining to do, Jenny.”
Damn it. She knew the moment Cindy got up she’d ask millions of questions.
“No. There's someone I need to talk to. I won't be long.” For her to go anywhere by herself from the time she was ten years old, she had to leave a long list of phone numbers where she might be. Was she seventeen or seven, for Pete's sake? Pulling out a pad of paper from the junk drawer, Jenny jotted down a couple of numbers and handed it to her mom as she took the keys from her dad's outstretched hand. She gave a fake grin and walked to the garage door. “I’ll be back before dinner, but if you need me any earlier, call my cell phone,” she said and stepped out the door.
Jennifer knew where she wanted to go. She just didn’t feel it her parents’ business to know. If she wanted to risk her life by going back to Old Creek Cemetery, she had that prerogative, right? It was her choice. Sliding behind the wheel, she started her dad's BMW and backed out of the drive, heading to her as-yet undecided destination. Driving down the expressway and then weaving her way through the old neighborhoods, even though she said she’d never go back to the park, a wee small voice kept nagging her that's exactly where she needed to go.
I must be crazy for doing this, but I’ll go…I’ll go for the last time, she said, not at all happy about it. Five minutes later, she turned into the parking lot of the park. The first thing that shook her nerves was the sight of The Rock. It jutted forth from the side of the hill, looking like an enormous muffin left there by giants. Jennifer pulled up by the old oak tree and turned off the car. She didn’t move at first; she just sat there absorbing the solitude. I can’t do this. Why did I come here, she wondered. She had no other choice but to face reality.
Jennifer unhooked the seat belt and opened the car door, her heart pounding. Slowly, she eased her way out and walked lightly down the dirt path. She didn't hear a sound in the quiet early morning air, so she kept going. The swings, slide, and merry-go-round sat empty. No laughter from children rang out as when she visited in the past. Everywhere she looked seemed so desolate in the late November sunshine. Her eyes watered the closer she got to The Rock. Claire, Kari, Lisa, Tina, and Liz weren't sitting on top this time, goofing around like little kids. Even the birds had stilled their chittering.
Looking off in the distance, the woods Jennifer loved so much had lost fall color, the bare branches silhouetted against the rising sun behind them. What wa
s this place? Surely not the lush green sanctuary where she used to play. Not the place that restored her soul. Inching her way a little closer, Jenny reached out and pressed her hand against the hard stone at the base of The Rock. Gently caressing the surface, she felt something etched in the granite. It caught her attention and she reared back to better see. She brushed away dirt and leaves and traced her finger down each of the names etched in stone, like finger-sculpted signatures.
CLAIRE
JENNY
KARI
TINA
LISA
LIZ
Claire must have done this, Jenny thought, weeping bitter tears. But when?
She stood there in a daze. She quivered and her stomach knotted. Did she make the right decision coming here? While the bright sun beat down on her, Jennifer climbed The Rock. She moved quickly to the center depression and sat down. Crossing her legs, she rested her hands in her lap and slouched, dejected, missing her friends more than ever.
For long moments she stared across the field, lost in thought. She imagined the girls standing at the base of the woods, smiling and waving at her. Jennifer waved back as her mouth curved softly. So engrossed in her imagination, she didn’t hear the sounds of crackling twigs and rustling leaves coming from behind her. Suddenly, a hand slammed against her back and shoved her forward. Her eyes widened, and her body stiffened like a board. Did it matter if she screamed? After all, she was the only one in the park.
She heard a whisper. “Jennifer…”
She said nothing, nodding in abject fear. Her body trembled and all she could sense was a horrible being standing behind her, breathing heavy fetid stench all over her.
“I saw you gripping the gates last night and the look you had in your eyes drove me wild. What was it Jenny? Fear or revenge? Or a little of both, hmmm?” the voice asked purring and spitting in her ear. “I’ve always loved the scared look you get and the way you tremble when I’m near.”
She winced. She knew who it was. It was Mitch Styles. Oh god…it can’t be, she thought. He came back for her, as she knew he would someday.
“Please, just leave me alone. Maddie Ann promised I didn’t have to go back to the cemetery, so why are you here?” she asked, shaking like a leaf.
“They should have done away with you a longtime ago. But soon, you’ll get what you deserve, you little bitch.” The sound of his voice, eerie and filled with hate, crawled up her spine.
“Just leave me alone, Mitch. You had your fun, remember? Or did you forget? Five of my friends are dead. But I know one thing you don’t know,” she said, whirling around. “Your Aunty Maddie Ann is in Hell where she belongs, and I will do whatever it takes to see you join her.”
“Yeah, you wish, Jenny. You can’t do anything to me and you know it. I have you wrapped around my little finger. Oh, and by the way, just because you’re going off to college does not mean this is over. It just means you’ve made this interesting for us. Remember this, Jenny, there's always someone watching you from the other side,” he said. “You’ll be surprised at what we have in store for you this time. I can’t wait to see the look on your face. Take it easy, but if I were you, I’d look over my shoulder.”
She gasped. Her body shook even harder. Part of the trembling stemmed from anger, but the other part from dread of her past coming back to revisit her once more. It wasn’t over and she knew it. This was her future. Like it or not, the Watsons wanted her. They branded her the moment she stepped foot in the cemetery. But they also wanted her because she was a Wellington, except she had no idea her father belonged to that family.
He turned his back on her as if to leave, then he appeared to remember something. She shrank at the devious grin on Mitch’s face as he whirled to face her once more. “By the way, Jennifer, I want you to ask your daddy something for me. Ask him if he ever heard of a guy named Channing. Seeing how he’s from this neck of the woods, he’d know about the residents around here. Of course, this man is getting old by now, but it’s worth a shot, hmmm? Your daddy knows more than he's telling.”
Jennifer noticed how cold and soulless his eyes appeared. You could honestly see a demon cavorting and having a grand old time inside him. It roared like the devil himself. In so many ways, he resembled Maddie Ann's evilness. Her stench crawled all over him. “I don’t have to ask him anything. He’s not part of this, just me. Maddie Ann wanted only me, nobody else. You leave my parents out this, you scum bag,” she yelled at him, shaking with rage.
Mitch grinned at her indignant stomp. “Oh, Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer! You are so naive. When are you ever going to get some smarts?” he asked, tapping the side of his head. “If you haven’t figured out why Maddie Ann spared your life yet, then you’re not ever going to figure it out until someone shows you. And trust me, that will happen all soon, but at least if you knew more, it wouldn't go so badly for you. Ask your dad about Channing. I won’t lie to you anymore, because at this point there’s no sense. I can see your death, and it’s horrible. I just hope that when the time comes, you’ll accept it and just let it pass.”
Shocked and scared, Jenny scampered off The Rock so fast, a sharp stone grazed her thigh, opening up a gash. It stung like fire, but it didn’t slow her pace. She hit the dirt and ran so hard; she nearly smacked the glass out of the car door. Her face in the window looked drained, pasty, and she couldn’t breathe. She fumbled with the door handle and finally it opened. Jumping in behind the wheel, she dug for the keys in her pocket, shoved them in the ignition, and started the car. Backing out, she took off, racing across the parking lot, but before she turned onto the street, she heard his voice echo in her ears one last time.
“You’re mine, Jenny,” he said, laughing like a maniac.
She never looked back, only ahead. Her heart felt as though it wanted out of her chest, as hard as it pounded. Her spine throbbed, shooting the pain up into the back of her neck. Her ears started ringing as she broke out in a cold sweat. Jennifer thought about what Mitch said. Not the part about her death, but the mention of her father. It didn’t make any sense. Who cared about some old man named Channing?
Trying to keep focused on the highway; she turned into her neighborhood and drove slowly all the way to her house with a huge sense of relief. Pulling up in the driveway, she saw her dad sitting out on the front porch smoking a pipe. This was the perfect time to have a talk without her mother interrupting.
“Hey, Daddy, why are you out here?” she asked, scooting his leg over to take a seat beside him on the swing. “Where’s mom?”
“I needed the fresh air and a smoke. Your mom’s in there making some elaborate Sunday homecoming dinner,” he said, wrapping his arm around her.
“Cool. I’m glad mom’s feeling better today. Last night, I thought she’d gone mad.” Jennifer zipped her coat and snuggled against her dad. “I did something I’m not proud of.”
Steve glanced over at her, his hand blocking the sun out of his eyes. “What’s that?”
“I kind of pushed mom to her limit. I didn’t mean to upset her.”
Steve nodded. “Yeah…maybe I have yelled at her far too much myself. I’ve got information that might help her, but I can’t bring myself to tell her because it’ll just turn into another heated discussion,” he said, gazing down at the board floor. “She's so full of questions and recriminations. I'm tired of getting blamed for everything that goes on around here.”
Jennifer looked up at him. She wondered if now was the time to tell him about what Mitch said, or stay quiet and let her dad continue to ramble. She sensed he had something important on his mind. She kept quiet.
“I mean, if your mother only realized there is another world out there just waiting for us to explore, and we could live so well off, maybe she’d reconsider,” he added.
“Whoa, Daddy, what are you talking about? I’m confused now,” she said, raking her dark hair back from her eyes.
“You wouldn’t understand, and I can’t tell you. Since this whole thing started
with Old Creek Cemetery, you don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to bellow out what I know. I can’t though, because I’m afraid to face what’s ahead of me if I do. I’m afraid of what might happen to our lives, and I can’t bear the thought of it. Besides, we just got you back, and I don’t want to lose you again.”
Her mind reeled. What in the world did her dad mean by all this? Something about his impromptu rambling felt rather strange, and she needed time to figure this out. “Maybe we should go inside and see if mom needs our help,” she said, standing to her feet.
“Nah. She's elbow-deep in ground beef and I doubt she’d let you help.”
Jennifer held her face in her hands. Her eyes ached, throbbing from a migraine. She had so many worries; she didn’t know which ones to figure out first.
“Wait, Jen, sit back down so we can finish our discussion,” he said, taking her by the arm.
Maddie Ann s Playground Page 49