by Wendy Wang
“Is someone else here?” Tom asked warily as he pulled in beside her car on the concrete pad.
“My ex-husband,” Charlie said softly.
As she and Tom got out of his car, Scott emerged. The security lit up the yard, casting an eerie glow to the little white cottage
“What the actual fuck, Charlie! You’re suing me?” Scott snarled and waved a set of papers at her.
“Scott, you need to calm down.” Charlie kept her voice calm and steady. “I won't talk to you like this.”
“Charlie? Who’s your friend?” Tom stepped close, his elbow brushing against her. He slipped his hand into hers. There was something wary in his voice. She gave his hand a squeeze to reassure him.
“I'm her goddamned husband. Who are you?” Scott didn't hesitate to get right into Tom's face. Charlie's heart thudded against her rib cage. It had been a long time since she'd seen Scott be so ugly. Charlie moved between the two men.
“Scott,” Charlie dropped her voice but kept it firm. “You need to go home. Now.” She locked her gaze on his. “If you want to discuss this civilly then give me a call tomorrow and I will meet you in a public place.”
“A public –” Scott’s eyes darkened and the lines in his forehead and around his eyes grew deep. “Are you fucking him?” Scott asked in a flat icy tone that made her bones ache. Charlie’s stomach coiled into a tight knot. Scott shifted his gaze to Tom. “Are you fucking my wife?”
“You and I must have a different understanding of what divorced means,” Tom said calmly. He side stepped Charlie and moved closer to Scott. While Scott may have been short compared to Tom’s tall slender figure, he also had a black belt in karate, was well muscled, and knew how to use his fists, something Charlie had learned early in their marriage. If Scott decided to strike out at Tom, she didn’t know how well Tom could defend himself. Tom took a step forward, almost chest to chest with Scott. A smile played on his lips. “Charlie has asked you to leave. You should do as she asks.”
Scott ignored Tom and directed his words to Charlie. “I warned you what would happen if you challenged me. You should have listened to me.”
Charlie’s body went numb. What had she done? “Scott.”
“Make this go away or I will make sure that you never see your son again. Do you understand me?”
Charlie’s voice shook and tears threatened to blind her. “Get out of here!” She pointed to his car. “Before I call my uncle Jack.”
Scott narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw making the lines of his face even sharper than they already were. “I hope fucking him is worth it, because you will never see Evan again.”
Tom lunged at Scott and Charlie grabbed hold of his arm by his elbow pulling him back.
“No! It's what he wants!” she said, looking into his eyes. “He’s just trying to control me. That’s all.”
Tom's whole body shook. His hands curled into fists and the well-defined muscles of his arms bulged. Rage rolled off him and washed through her. The sensations made her stomach roil, and she stepped back from them and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She fumbled with the phone a second before finally finding the right number.
“I need you. Scott's here at the cottage.” Charlie fought the tremor in her voice. In less than a minute of ending the call, the screen door of her uncle’s house screeched and all six-foot-four of Jack Holloway emerged from the main house. In one hand, he carried his hunting rifle. Jen and Lisa trailed close behind him and the three dark figures hurried across the expansive yard
Scott took one glance and backed away toward his car. Her uncle hated Scott and although she knew Jack would never actually shoot him, he was not above scaring the crap out of him. Scott scrambled into his car. The electric locks clicked and the brake lights pumped red just before the engine roared to life. Scott peeled out of the space. His tires ground against the gravel, kicking up dust and stone in their wake. He sped off and as soon as his car lights disappeared Charlie doubled over feeling dizzy and sick. Tom put his arm across her back and knelt next to her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
The vice-like grip of the adrenaline pumping through her body squeezed Charlie’s chest, making it impossible to breathe. One phrase echoed through her head: What have I done?
Tom held his hand out for her and she grabbed onto it, grasping it tightly. With his other hand, he rubbed gentle circles in the center of her back. Softly he said, “I'm here, Charlie, you're not alone.”
“What the hell happened?” Jack said as he approached.
“Scott was here. He threatened her.” Tom explained as her uncle and two cousins surrounded them.
Jen knelt beside her. “Charlie, honey, what’s going on?”
“Can’t breathe,” Charlie choked out.
“Come on, let’s get her inside.” Jack said pointing to the front door of the cottage.
Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stand up but her body wouldn’t comply. Tears burned the back of her throat. She was going to lose Evan. She should have just kept her mouth shut.
“Charlie, honey,” Jen’s gentle voice cut through the thick haze. Jen slipped something cool and smooth into Charlie’s palm. A sense of warm, calm spread up her arm, moving through her chest. Charlie squeezed the small flat stone tighter, absorbing its energy. Her shoulders and chest relaxed enough for her to gulp in a deep breath. She closed her eyes breathing in slower.
“I am okay,” Charlie whispered, mostly trying to reassure herself. “I’m okay.” She looked up at the concerned faces of her family and Tom. Her heart wrenched again, but it didn’t take her breath away this time. “I’m sorry, Tom, but you need to go.”
Tom's eyes widened and he looked shocked, but thankfully not hurt. “He can't keep your son from you. “
“Was that the threat?” Lisa’s mouth twisted into a disgusted smirk, and she put her hands on her slim hips.
“I went to see a lawyer about renegotiating our custody agreement. Scott was served with papers today.”
“And he threatened that you would not see your son again because of me,” Tom said.
“No. This is not because of you,” Charlie said softly. “Not really. He’s angry at me, because I’m challenging him. But,” Charlie paused, not wanting to say the words. “But you being here didn’t help.”
Jen's mouth fell open and she pressed her hand against her lips. Jack's hands tightened around the rifle in his hands.
“Son of a bitch,” Jack muttered.
“He can't do that. If he tries to keep Evan from you, he’ll be in breach of your agreement,” Lisa said. “That in itself should be enough to get a judge to at least consider changing custody.”
“He’s already threatened to paint me as crazy, I don’t need him throw slut into the mix.” Charlie sniffled and turned her face away, wiping the wetness from her cheeks with the heel of her hand. “I'm sorry, Tom. I had a really good time and I really like you.”
“It's all right, Charlie,” Tom said. “Really. I understand.” He leaned in close and kissed her on the cheek. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and she felt him slip away. The car door slammed and his engine come to life, the sound of the tires driving across the gravel.
Jen slipped her arm around Charlie's waist. “Come on, sweetie, let's go in the house.” Jen helped her to her feet and guided her back toward the main house. “I'll make you some tea. We'll figure out how to fix this.”
Charlie glanced over her shoulder toward Tom’s car one last time. His red taillights grew smaller as he drove away, then finally disappeared on to the main road. “How?” Charlie asked. “Y’all don’t know Scott the way I do. Once he sets his mind to something it’s like he has tunnel vision and it’s all he can see or think about. Especially if he feels like he’s right or deserving.”
“Entitled son of a –” Lisa muttered but didn’t finish her thought out loud.
Chapter 15
Charlie felt the warmth of the sun and turned her face toward
the light, closing her eyes, letting it wash over her. She took a deep breath. The pleasant scent of pine straw filled her senses, and pine needles crunched beneath her bare feet. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on the path where she had first encountered Trini Dolan.
Charlie glanced around, looking for the girl, but the spirit was nowhere to be found. In the distance, the high joyous cries of children's laughter bounced off the trees, which was strange. Trini had been anything but joyful when they’d last met. Charlie turned in a full-circle searching for the source. Tall pines stretched for as far as her eyes could see. Scrubby brush and fan-like ferns filled the spaces between the rough gray-barked trunks. Twenty yards away, between two trees, a child appeared, her red hair unmistakable.
“Trini!” Charlie called.
The girl moved away from Charlie but turned briefly and motioned for her to follow her. Charlie glanced around. The path she was on led back to safety. It beckoned her to follow it. Charlie shifted her gaze back to Trini, who was now even further away. Something wild raced through the underbrush, and Charlie’s arms broke into goose bumps. Trini disappeared among the trees.
This is a dream—follow her. Nothing can hurt you here.
Charlie stepped off the path, following the girl deeper into the woods. “Trini, wait!”
Charlie broke into a run, scanning the trees for any sign of the girl. Ferns and small branches grabbed at her legs, snagging her pants.
Charlie stopped in her tracks. “Trini! Show yourself or I’m going back!” She waited for the child to answer. A crow cawed overhead, mocking her. Charlie glared at the large glossy blackbird staring down at her from a high branch.
“Come on!” Trini appeared beside her. Charlie’s heart slammed into her throat and she cried out. “Don’t do that,” Charlie scolded.
The girl paid no attention to her words and took off again. A cacophony of giggles echoed on the breeze, and the hair on the back of Charlie’s neck stood up.
“Show yourself!” Charlie demanded. A small girl with long blonde hair popped up about ten feet away from her. A young black girl with her hair worn in three neat twists stood up on the other side of the blonde. Another girl giggled behind her, and Charlie turned to see Macy Givens standing ten feet behind her. More giggles wafted through the trees, and Charlie counted five more girls, all standing in the ferns, surrounding her. Something touched the center of Charlie's back sending a shiver crawling across her shoulders. She turned quickly to find Trini. The girl’s faded blue eyes pleaded. “You can't forget about us.”
“Who are all these girls?” Charlie said.
“They’re me. And I’m them.”
“Did the man across the street from you take you? Hurt you?” Charlie didn't want to say kill you. The thought alone sounded so harsh inside her head. A loud piercing foghorn sounded and Charlie winced, bringing her hands over her ears. The girls looked toward it.
“We have to go.” Trini headed toward the sound, then stopped a moment, and threw a glance over her shoulder at Charlie. “Don’t forget about us.” She continued toward the other girls.
“Wait — stop!” Charlie called after them. But each one disappeared into the shadows between the pines. She took off in their direction, trying to find where they were going and what the horn meant.
“Trini! Macey!” The forest around her grew dark. Something cold scraped across the skin of her shoulders and she turned to find the reaper staring down at her. Only he didn’t look quite the same as he had before. This time, he wore a mask of Scott’s face.
“I told you not to challenge me,” he said, sounding too much like Scott. He raised his scythe and Charlie opened her mouth to scream but nothing would come out.
Charlie's eyes flew open and she sat up straight in her bed. Her eyes tried to look everywhere at once, and it took her a few minutes to calm down enough to remember where she was. A sunny yellow and white quilt covered her legs and lacy eyelet curtains let the early morning light flood into the room. She was at her uncle’s house in one of the spare bedrooms. Jen had insisted that she stay the night. Charlie blew out a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. She rubbed her eyes and her stomach twisted into a knot and growled. The slight scent of cinnamon and the sound of voices wafted up the stairs and through the hallway. Charlie threw her legs over the side of the bed and touched her feet to the cold floor. She slipped off the oversized t-shirt her cousin had given her and put her dress back on, raking her fingers through her long blonde hair and twisting it up into a messy bun with a ponytail holder from her purse.
Ruby’s high-pitched little-girl voice became louder as Charlie reached the kitchen. “Hannah said that fairies are stupid,” Ruby said, sounding disgusted by the very notion. Charlie stood in the door watching the mother and daughter, reminiscing. She had always loved her time in the kitchen with Evan. The girl was a miniature Jen with long dark hair and wide blue eyes. She wore a pink t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.
“Why did she say that?” Jen took a piece of French toast out of the cast iron skillet and put it on a plate with a couple pieces of bacon.
“‘Cause her mother told us they aren’t real. I think.” Ruby sat at the long kitchen table in the center of the large kitchen. She leaned her head against her hand and her elbow resting on the yellow quilted placemat.
Jen put the plate in front of the child. “Here you go, baby. Well, her mother shouldn’t have said that.”
“You’re telling me,” Ruby quipped. Charlie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the precocious girl. That child definitely had being a Payne down. One day it would get her in trouble. Ruby grabbed the bottle of syrup on the table and upended it. Jen turned her back for just a second to put another piece of French toast into the pan.
“Whoa.” Charlie stepped in quickly and gently took the bottle out of the girl’s hands before she emptied it onto her plate. “I think you’re good on the syrup, Rubes. Unless you’re planning on swimming in it later.”
Jen glanced back at her daughter and sighed. “Ruby.”
Ruby pulled a piece of drenched bacon from the plate and popped it in her mouth, not seeming to care about the disapproving adults. Sticky syrup dribbled down her chin. Charlie grabbed a paper towel, wet it in the sink with some warm water and handed it to the girl.
“Wipe,” Charlie said.
Ruby stuck her tongue out trying to lick the sweet stickiness from her chin, but couldn’t get it all. She looked up at Charlie sheepishly and did as she was told.
“Thanks,” Jen said.
Charlie shrugged and sidled up next to her cousin by the stove. “Hey, it takes a village. Where’s Jack?”
“He’s having breakfast with one of his fishing buddies this morning and then they’re gonna go out in his friend’s new boat.”
“Smells good.” Charlie grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate and chomped on it. “Can I have a piece?”
“Of course,” Jen said. “Get a plate, this one’s yours.”
Charlie opened the cabinet and pulled out two plates, one for her and one for Jen. She watched as Jen plopped two pieces of golden brown French toast on the plate and topped it with a couple of slices of bacon.
“Here ya go,” Jen said in a chipper tone. Charlie marveled at her cousin’s ability to be so positive most of the time. Sometimes Charlie was sure she’d walk into the kitchen and find her cousin dancing around, singing to a bunch of little animated forest animals and birds, like she was Snow White. Charlie took a seat next to Ruby and poured a drizzle of syrup over her French toast. Jen served herself and sat across the table from Charlie.
“Did you sleep okay?” Jen asked dousing her toast in syrup. Charlie smiled. Like mother, like daughter.
“So-so.” Charlie cut into her breakfast and took a bite.
“Bad dreams?” Jen asked before taking a bite of bacon. Charlie gave Ruby a sideways glance. “It’s okay. Sometimes Ruby has bad dreams too. Don’t you, babe?”
�
��Uh-huh,” Ruby nodded as she chewed.
“Not bad exactly, I guess. More like weird,” Charlie said.
“Can I be excused?” Ruby asked. Jen glanced at her daughter’s empty plate.
“May I,” Jen corrected.
Ruby sighed. “May I be excused?”
“Yes. You may.” Jen smiled. Ruby jumped up, put her plate in the sink and ran out of the kitchen, her shoes clacking as they went.
“Is she wearing tap shoes?” Charlie asked.
“Yes, she’s taking tap lessons at Miss Fancy’s.”
“Miss Fancy’ School of Dance,” Charlie said with real nostalgia in her voice. “Is she still alive?”
“She is.”
“She was old when we took lessons there,” Charlie said chuckling.
“Well, that's what you get when you make deals with the devil,” Jen quipped.
Charlie laughed. “Does she have class this morning?”
Jen shook her head. “Nope.” Charlie gave Jen a puzzled look and Jen shrugged. “She likes the sound they make.”
Charlie laughed. “Well, let me know when they have a recital. I’d love to come.”
“I will make sure you’re invited.”
“You don't have to work today?”
“I do not.” Jen said, sounding happy and sad at the same time. “We hired a weekend manager.”
“That's great.”
“Yes, it is,” Jen agreed between syrup-drenched bites. “This is the first day off I’ve had in maybe six months.”
“Well, you certainly deserve it,” Charlie said.
Jen looked up from eating, her fork hanging in mid-air. “So, you had weird dreams? Another reaper dream?”
Charlie sighed. “Sort of. It started out about this missing girl’s case. But it morphed into a reaper dream. Only this time he had Scott’s face.”
“Oh honey,” Jen said. “This one’s gotten under your skin, huh?”