Gifted

by Campbell, Jamie

  Chapter 9

  “You two are becoming regulars,” Brenda commented when she saw Charlie and Blair waiting outside the library at opening time. They smiled as they walked past, almost embarrassed about the amount of visits they had made to the small library.

  “This would be so much easier if Cate had a computer at home. It’s the twenty-first century, how can you possibly live without a computer?” Blair whispered.

  “Cate’s a bit of a technophobe. She’s never like ‘gadgets’ as she calls them. She’s obviously never heard about eBay, that would make her change her mind.”

  They sat in front of the computer and waited for it to boot up. When deciding what to do that day while lying in bed that morning, their sore arms had told them it wouldn’t be anything too physical. Instead of painting or cleaning, they decided to do some more research. The only lead they had to follow up was Ethan Lester. It was yet another name they had stumbled upon. They weren’t particularly interested in him, however, it was all they had. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

  Once the computer screen was blinking for a command, Charlie typed Ethan’s name into the search engine. There were a total of three articles about him. They scanned through each one in turn.

  The first article was about the new rookies in the Pickerton Police Department. He was named as one of the new recruits. It stated he was a true local and looking forward to serving his community. He, along with one other person, had added to the local force bringing the total up to five officers. They served not only Pickerton but all the surrounding small communities. Charlie imagined there wouldn’t have been much crime around in the nineteenth century, but you never know. The area may have been a hub for the underhanded and criminal minded.

  The second article was about Ethan being promoted. In almost record time, he had been promoted to Chief of the department. He was only twenty-seven years old, the youngest chief in the country. The article was a little cynical, the writer obviously wasn’t a huge fan in the Ethan club. It stated that the sudden early retirement of both the current Chief and Deputy didn’t have anything to do with the promotion, of course. They went on to say there was currently a lack of police officers in the county and they were recruiting now if anyone was interested. ‘Serve the community that serves you,’ it ended with.

  The third article was more interesting. It explained at one stage in the eighteen-hundreds the farm land in the area was being purchased by a redeveloper from America. They were looking at subdividing the large parcels of land into smaller farm allotments. The crusader against the developments was none other than Mr Ethan Lester. He, and a number of other locals, were fighting the applications.

  One of the farms in particular, named Red Hen Estate, was the main target of the redevelopment. Ethan and his group campaigned day and night until the application was finally rejected by the council. They had given in purely because of the backlash it was causing.

  “So Ethan wasn’t just a pretty face. He cared about the environment too,” Charlie commented.

  “Looks like it. Have you heard of Red Hen Estate?”

  “I have. It’s next to Sage Manor. We drive past it on the way home. It’s not exactly signposted but I’ve heard Cate talk about it before.”

  “It’s still there thanks to Ethan Lester. I guess we have him to thank for all the open farm land in the area. Can you imagine what it would look like now if they’d gone ahead with the redevelopment?”

  “I doubt it would be as nice as it is now. I mean, there has been redevelopment since, but only in the last hundred years. It could have been a lot worse if they’d started earlier.”

  They closed the articles and thanked Brenda. As they were leaving, Blair’s mobile phone started ringing in his pocket.

  “It’s Mum,” he said, looking at the caller ID before answering. “Hi Mum.”

  They continued walking while Blair was talking. His voice had become serious which worried Charlie. She wished she could hear the other side of the conversation. By the time they were at the car, Blair was hanging up.

  Charlie took a look at his face. With concern she asked: “Is everything okay?”

  “Dad’s sick. Mum’s really worried about him. I’m sorry to do this but I’ve got to go home. She needs me there.”

  “Of course. If your family needs you, then you should be there for them.”

  “Thanks for understanding. I need to get away as soon as I can. Dad’s in hospital. They’re running tests on him to find out what’s wrong. Apparently he’s in a lot of pain.”

  They climbed into the car and sped off back to the house. All thoughts of the Reign family were now gone, replaced with concern over Blair’s father.

  As soon as they arrived, Blair went upstairs and packed his overnight bag. Within the hour he had loaded his car and kissed Charlie goodbye. She offered to go with him but he had declined. There was nothing she could do for him so she was best left in the house with Cate. It was something he preferred to do alone.

  Thoughts of Blair and his family played on Charlie’s mind all afternoon. She helped Rahni read a book and then helped Cate with dinner but it wouldn’t keep her mind from worrying for too long. She thought about calling him after she had washed the dinner plates, but she didn’t want to bother him. Instead, she sat down with Cate and Rahni in front of the television and tried to focus on the TV show. It was a police drama but she couldn’t concentrate on the storyline enough to keep up with all the twists and turns.

  It was almost ten o’clock when she was trying to decide whether she should quit and go to bed or keep trying to follow the show. Rahni was asleep on the lounge beside her, looking as peaceful as a sleeping porcelain doll. Cate was trying to stay awake to see the end of the show. The only sounds that could be heard emanated from the television set. There was no wind outside to rustle the tree branches, nor any animals heard in the distance. It was just a peaceful summer night.

  Charlie made up her mind to go to bed. She was apprehensive about sleeping in the room alone but didn’t want to admit her fear to her sister. Instead, she summoned up the courage to walk upstairs alone. Just as she was about to announce her intention, the lights went off. The room was cast into darkness, save for the light beaming from the television. The screen had gone to static, but it was still on.

  “Great, the lights have gone again,” Cate said with exasperation.

  “But the TV is still on,” Charlie observed.

  “Good point. What do we do now?”

  The quietness of the house was shaken by the sound of the telephone ringing in the foyer. Cate cautiously got up and went to answer it, feeling her way through the room. The noise had awoken Rahni from her slumber. She was attempting to sit up and rub her eyes so they would adjust to the eerie light of the room.

  “Hello?” Cate said into the telephone receiver. “Hello? Anyone there?” She waited for a few moments before hanging up. “Must have been a wrong number.”

  “That happened the other day too,” Charlie remembered. “Was there nothing on the line? As if someone was there but they weren’t speaking or even breathing?”

  “Exactly. It was just like the line was dead. We have bigger problems though, what should we do about the lights?”

  “Well, we know it’s not the electricity, so there’s no use going out to the meter box.”

  “I’ll get some candles. Can you come with me?” Cate asked sheepishly. She didn’t like admitting that she was afraid to do something too. Charlie stood up, Rahni following suit. The trio walked into the kitchen and fumbled around in the dark for the pantry. They could hear the static from the television, the flickering of the screen was dancing light around the living room.

  Cate felt her hand grasp around the emergency candles. The box of matches was sitting on top. She pulled them out and they shuffled back into the living room. Cate lit three candles and melted a small amount of wax onto the plates that she had picked up to secure them. She gave one to Charlie and put o
ne on the end table beside her.

  “Do you think we should try the electricity box? Just to make sure it isn’t something to do with that? It worked for Blair before,” Charlie asked.

  “I guess. There’s not much else we can do. You’ve got to come outside with me though. I can’t go out there alone.”

  They stood again and picked up a candle each, Rahni staying close to her mother’s side. They passed through the foyer. Charlie jumped, dropping her candle on the floor. The small ceramic plate smashed apart as it hit the stone tiles. She clutched her hands to her chest and leant against the wall, trying to get her breath back.

  “What happened?” Cate bent to pick up the candle, relighting it with her own.

  “I saw something. In the window. There was a face, a shadow, or something. It scared me half to death.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t just our reflection?”

  “Definitely not. It was a male figure. It just burst out of the window like it was coming towards me.” She took the candle back from Cate, her hand shaking. “Let’s just get outside to the meter box. The sooner the lights are back on, the better.”

  They slowly opened the heavy door and took a look outside. It was completely dark, the moon was being shielded by heavy clouds in the sky. They huddled together and stepped onto the porch. They took one step at a time, all their senses alert to any slight sound or movement around them. They eventually found the electricity box and pulled the door open. They did exactly what Blair had said the previous night and flicked the switches a few times. Closing the door again, they carefully walked back to the front of the house.

  Their hearts sank, the lights were still out. The curtains of the living room glowed a pale white from the television screen. It didn’t look real. They went back to the electricity box to try again. Maybe a few more flicks would shock the wiring back into working again. They had just closed the door again when they heard a loud bang. The noise echoed around them. It made all three girls jump and huddle together even closer.

  “What the hell was that?” Charlie whispered.

  “I have no idea. I don’t think I want to know,” Cate replied.

  Rahni gripped the edge of her mother’s nightgown. “Mummy, I’m scared. Can we go back inside?”

  Cate placed a protective hand on her head. “I think that’s the best place for us. Let’s go.”

  They went around to the front door. On the way, they noticed the lights hadn’t magically come back on. The switch trick obviously only worked for Blair. They climbed the few steps of the porch before stopping, looking towards the door. It was closed.

  “We left that open,” Cate whispered.

  “That must have been the noise we heard. How could it just close like that? There isn’t a breath of wind around tonight.”

  “I have no idea.” She walked towards the door and tried the handle. “It’s locked.”

  “No way!”

  “Way. We’re going to have to find another way in.”

  “But it can’t be locked! You have to physically turn the big brass latch on the back of the door for it to lock. Just slamming it won’t do it.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s now locked,” Charlie insisted, a tinge of panic in her voice.

  They circled the house trying all the outside doors. There were only three of them and all were locked securely tight. They went back to stand outside the window of the kitchen. Very carefully, they rattled the old window, trying to make it come off its track. After a time it shook loose and they managed to open it enough to pass Rahni through. It had taken a lot of convincing to get her to oblige. Cate had promised her everything under the sun to seal the deal. They gave her instructions to run and open the door as fast as she could. As soon as they had lifted her through the window, she jumped down off the bench and ran towards the front door. They did the same on the outside after seeing her little dark head run around the corner.

  It was only seconds before they were reunited back at the front door. Cate bent down and picked up her daughter in a hug. The three of them walked into the living room, careful not to step on the remains of the broken plate. Charlie switched off the television, claiming it was only scaring them and pointing out that you couldn’t watch it anyway. It was off the station and making a crackling, buzzing noise. When switched off, the house went back to complete silence. The only sound that could be heard was their own footsteps and heavy breaths.

  Cate looked at her daughter and saw the fear in her eyes. It was reflected in Charlie’s too. Looking around at the dark house, she thought of what they could do to calm down. “Who wants some hot chocolate?”

  The two nodded and followed her into the kitchen. She sat Rahni on the bench top next to the stove while she poured milk into a saucepan. Charlie placed three mugs on the counter and spooned some chocolate cocoa power into each one. Cate lit the gas stove and stirred the milk as it heated. Neither of them moved more than two steps away from each other.

  Charlie stared out the window while she was waiting. A few twinkling lights could be seen in the far distance. Other than that, all she could see was her own reflection. She shuddered at the memory of seeing the man in the window earlier. One minute he was there, the next he was rushing at her as if he would burst through the window at any second. She turned around and faced the room again, paranoid the face would appear again.

  The three didn’t speak while they watched Cate pour the warm milk into the waiting mugs. The silence was broken by a sharp tap at the window. Cate jumped, spilling some of the milk onto the counter. Charlie spun around and faced the window again. She couldn’t see anything, not even the man’s face. She could feel her heart racing from the shock the noise sent through her body.

  “I think we should drink these in bed and then try to get some sleep. There’s nothing else we can do tonight,” Cate suggested. Charlie agreed and they walked cautiously up the stairs. The candlelight making the room flicker about them with each step.

  Something out of the corner of her eye made Charlie look up at the ceiling. The light was only just strong enough to allow her to see what had caught her attention. The chandelier that hung proudly over the staircase was gently swaying as if caught in an invisible breeze. It rocked, side to side, back and forth. She quickened her pace.

  “I’m sleeping with you tonight,” Charlie said as they turned down the corridor towards Cate’s room.

  “Me too,” Rahni echoed.

  “Sounds good to me,” Cate responded, clutching her daughter’s hand tight.

  They entered the red room that Cate used as her master bedroom. It held a four poster bed with a matching red floral doona cover. They carefully placed the candles on the bedside tables, making sure they couldn’t touch anything else and cause a fire. Snuggling up under the covers, the trio lay there staring at the ceiling.

  “Did you hear that?” Cate whispered. From behind the closed door, a soft knocking sound could be heard. Rahni buried her head under the doona and clutched her mother’s side.

  “What do you think it is?” Charlie whispered back.

  “I don’t know, but it’s getting louder.”

  The knocking continued. Sometimes it was loud like it was just on the other side of the bedroom wall. At other times it was so faint it was barely audible. Had their hearing not been in a heightened state of awareness, they wouldn’t have noticed some of the knocks.

  “It sounds like it’s downstairs too,” Charlie muttered, terrified about what she was hearing. Each rap was a short knock, sometimes two or three in quick succession. It kept moving. One minute it was right outside the door, the next it was down the corridor or underneath the floorboards.

  “Oh my God, look at the candle,” Cate nodded her head towards the candle resting on the bedside table, Charlie following her line of sight. The flame was almost a metre tall. A thin sliver of orange fire danced in a long, straight line. They watched it, mesmerised by the flame. They had never seen anything like it
before, a candle could not possibly support a flame that tall. It seemed to stay like that for many minutes before slowly shrinking down to its regular size again.

  For a moment, the lights flickered on again. The room became aglow with the yellow light emanating from the lamps around the room. It only lasted a few seconds before being cast into darkness again. They glanced at the candle, paranoid it would shoot up again. It was burning innocently on the table as if nothing had happened.

  Charlie could hear something apart from the knocking. When she realised what it was, her eyes grew wide with fear.

  “I hear footsteps,” she whispered.

  Cate strained to hear. At first she could only distinguish the knocking sound but then it became obvious what Charlie was talking about. Going up and down the corridor were heavy footsteps, pacing like an expectant father outside a delivery room. They would walk with a steady rhythm from one end before turning and returning back down to the other end. She thought they sounded like a man’s footsteps, like he was wearing heavy boots. A woman’s soft shoes or heels wouldn’t be making the loud steps.

  Each time the footsteps approached the door, they would hold their breath. At any moment they expected the feet to stop right outside where they were sheltered and turn the door handle. The red room was one of the very few rooms in the house that didn’t have a lock on it. It left them feeling exposed and vulnerable to whatever the hell was walking around the house. Their minds raced with all the possibilities about what it could be.

  Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to tell herself it wasn’t happening. If she could just wake herself up from the nightmare, then she would be back beside Blair in her own bed. He would rub her back and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Then she would cuddle up to his side and fall back asleep as if nothing had happened. No matter how hard she tried though, it didn’t happen. It wasn’t one of her nightmares, it was really happening.