by ID Johnson
“Oh, my goodness. What is it, Cassidy?” Lucy was asking. “You can’t keep secrets like that from me.”
“I won’t for long,” I promised. “It’s probably nothing.” The words came out of my mouth as this large man began to saunter toward my front door. It was definitely something.
I was just about to tell her I had to go when I heard her mother’s voice in the background shouting that she needed to get off of the phone. Lucy made a sound like a frustrated water buffalo. “I gotta go.”
“Okay. Maybe we can get together this weekend?”
“We better, or else you’re spilling over Skype, girl.”
“Okay,” I said again. “Talk to you later.”
Lucy hung up, and I stopped staring out the window at two empty motorcycles. Frustrated, I sat down at my desk. I felt like I needed to get some of this information down on paper so I could see it and start piecing a few things together. I pulled out an old notebook I sometimes used as a journal and wrote the following:
“Cadence said she was going to the Eidolon Festival at 3:00 AM the night before Thanksgiving. Who was going with her? Drew, Jack, Sidney, Taylor, Jon, and Kash. Leaving from Drew’s house.
“Wednesday night, Cadence arrived home around 4:30. Heard a man in her room. Aaron? Footsteps on the roof. He went out her bedroom window in a flash. Sports car out front with purple-haired woman. Cadence is gone. My parents said she went to my grandma’s house to rest because Drew was hurt.
“Thursday morning, Aaron shows up at our house. Parents say Drew has died. Cadence is at my grandma’s house. Aaron used to work with my grandma—and maybe my grandpa?? Another dude is downstairs now. Tall guy, broad shoulders, unruly hair. Who is this person? Why did my mom say the word ‘Transformation’? What is up with my sister?”
I sat for a few minutes, trying to decide if I’d missed anything. Then, I remembered another snippet from the conversation downstairs and wrote, “Who is Jamie and what process does he use to do whatever he does?”
Another few moments passed by while I pondered my notes. I couldn’t think of anything else, so I slipped the notebook back into a stack of books where it was very unlikely anyone would ever find it. Just as I was about to plunk myself on the bed, I heard footsteps on the stairs and prayed it was one of my parents and not a strange man dressed in black.
There was a light rapping on my door, and I knew from the familiar sound it was my mom. “Come in,” I said, standing and taking a few steps toward the door.
Mom looked a little older now than she had just the day before. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the events of earlier that morning or the discussion she’d just had with the fellows downstairs. But she forced a smile as she entered the room and took a seat on my bed, gesturing for me to join her. “How are you, honey?”
I sat down beside her, and my mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I’m okay,” I said, though my voice sounded weak. “Just confused.” I realized I’d been so preoccupied with worry over my sister that I hadn’t really given much thought to what had happened to poor Drew yet.
As if reading my mind, Mom said, “Cadence will be fine, honey. It’s just going to take her a little while to… adjust to this. Life without Drew.” She added that last sentence quickly, as if there could be something else she’d need to adjust to.
I nodded but didn’t say anything yet. There were so many questions swirling around in my head, but I didn’t feel like my parents wanted me to know as much as they did. Why else would they have sent me out of the room so they could talk to Mr. Suspicious? I didn’t understand all of the secrets. It wasn’t like my parents not to tell me what was going on.
My mom’s voice cut through my thoughts. “There is someone downstairs I’d like for you to meet.”
I looked up at her then, thinking it must be Weird Guy Number Two. “Who?” was all I could manage.
“He’s a doctor, Cassidy, and he was there last night, er, this morning when they brought Drew into the hospital. I think he can help answer some of your questions.”
My eyebrows knit together. “He’s a doctor?” My mom didn’t know I’d seen the burly man pull up on a motorcycle. Granted, I was looking down at him from two stories above, but he didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever seen before.
She nodded. “Yes. Why don’t you come downstairs and have a little chat with him? He’s really nice. I think you’ll like him. His name is Dr. Elliott Sanderson.”
Chapter 6
I was a little relieved to hear that my dad was talking to Aaron outside when I came down the stairs with my mother. There was just something about the intensity of his eyes that made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their voices seemed lighter than they had a few minutes ago when the stranger had first arrived.
My mom led me into the living room, and I followed as if I’d never been to this particular part of our home before, each step feeling a bit like a death sentence. Dr. Sanderson unfolded himself from my mother’s recliner as we approached, and I had a hard time taking in how someone so large could occupy the same space as my dainty mother.
“Cassidy, honey, this is Dr. Sanderson.”
He extended his large hand to me, and I let it envelop mine. There was something hauntingly familiar about his green eyes. It was like I’d seen them before, frequently, and while I was certain I would remember meeting him, I couldn’t place him. I smiled, though, finally feeling comfortable.
“Hey, there, kid,” he said, his voice even more of a boom than my father’s. “You can call me Elliott.” His smile was friendly, and I was instantly put at ease.
“Why don’t you have a seat, honey. I’ve got to go check on the turkey.” My mom patted my arm reassuringly, but I was perfectly fine sitting here with this man I’d just met, though if she’d said she was leaving me alone with Aaron, I might’ve latched on to her like a joey and refused to budge.
“How are you?” he asked as we both sat. He reclaimed Mom’s chair, and I sat adjacent to him on the couch. “Been a hectic day, huh?”
“I guess you could say that.” I had no problem whatsoever staring contently into his eyes as we spoke.
“Well, I’m here to let you know that your sister, Cadence, is perfectly fine. She’s a little upset right now, but she’ll be better soon. There’s no reason to worry about your sister, Cadence.”
Each word was calm and carefully measured, and there was just something about his tone that set me at ease completely. A flood of relief washed over me, and I found myself repeating what he’d just said. “Cadence is perfectly fine. There’s no reason to worry about my sister, Cadence.”
“That’s right,” he nodded. “And I wanted to tell you about the accident with Drew as well. I was at the hospital when she came in. I am a doctor, so it’s perfectly acceptable that I would be there. Drew fell while rock climbing, and she cut her neck on a rock. Drew died. It’s very sad that she died, and we will miss her. But these things happen.”
I listened intently to every word that he said and nodded along. “Drew died. It’s sad, but these things happened.” A wave of tranquility spread throughout my mind, filling up every space, and spreading through my body.
“That’s right.” Elliott nodded, that small, reassuring smile still on his face. “There’s no reason for you to continue to ask questions about what happened with your sister or Drew. You understand everything now. You understand that your sister will have a new job and new work associates, and that’s perfectly acceptable. There’s no reason to ask any more questions about your sister or her new job.”
My head bobbed up and down like a cork floating on rough seas. “My sister has a new job. There’s no reason to ask any more questions.”
Elliott sat back in his chair, exhaling deeply, a satisfied smile on his face. I smiled, too. Everything was back to normal, and it was Thanksgiving. “Thank you,” I said, and I’m sure if I could see my face, I’d be embarrassed at the sappiness of my expression.
I didn’t hear my mom enter the room until she started talking. “All done?” she asked.
Normally, I would’ve jumped at the sudden sound of an unexpected voice behind me, but I felt pretty mellow. I just smiled as Elliott pulled himself from the chair. “All done.” His smile had somehow morphed into something a little more mischievous, but I felt perfectly content not asking him what that look was supposed to mean. After all, he was looking at my mom, not me.
“I think I’ll be heading out,” he said, and my mom beamed at him like she might if he’d just stopped by to drop off the cure to cancer—if she happened to have cancer.
“Okay,” my mom said, walking alongside him to the door. “It was lovely to finally meet you.”
“You, too,” he said, shaking her hand, and I wondered how long ago my mom had heard about him but hadn’t met him, and from whom, but then I remembered that it didn’t matter and there was no need to ask questions.
Elliott stepped outside, and a few minutes later, my dad opened the door, calling, “Have a safe trip!”
I wanted to rush to the door to tell Elliott to have a safe trip, too, but I didn’t know where he was going, and I had no idea why I felt compelled to go and tell him to be careful, so I sat on the couch, smiling like an idiot.
“You okay, Cass?” my dad asked.
I looked up at him, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I’m fine, Dad.”
“Hmmm,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. He looked at my mom, and she shrugged, too. “I wonder if the football game is on yet.” He stepped over to his recliner and picked up the remote. My mom headed back toward the kitchen, and the scent of baking turkey wafted through the air. I could go help her, but I didn’t really feel like bothering. I could also go call Lucy and tell her what I’d just found out. Turns out she was right—Drew really did fall and cut her neck open. It really was too bad, but these things happen.
I continued to stare at the wall as my dad muttered something about the game not being on yet. I was happy to finally have some answers. There was no reason to continue to worry about my sister. In fact, I felt silly for ever worrying about her in the first place. Shaking my head, I grabbed a throw pillow and made myself comfortable on the couch, pulling my stockinged feet up and tucking them behind me as I closed my eyes and drifted into oblivion.
Chapter 7
Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, even though it was so odd to me that my sister wasn’t there. I really wished she could’ve been, but I understood that Cadence needed to rest. I wanted to know more about her new job, but I also realized there was no reason to ask about it. Everything was just fine.
After I helped my mom clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher, I decided to head upstairs. I doubted Lucy or Em would have called since I’d already talked to one and the other would be busy trying to avoid her family. Emma really hated crowds of any kind, even if they were related to her, and I was pretty sure the meal this year was supposed to be at her house. I did think maybe Milo or Wes would’ve called, though. They both lived just down the street from Jack Cook, and it was possible they might’ve seen him. They might want to know what was going on, and I’d be happy to explain to them that it was an accident and nothing to worry about.
Sure enough, I had missed calls from both of them. I made myself comfortable on my bed and decided to call Milo first. He’s a brainiac, sort of like Emma, except without the social awkwardness and disdain of most other people. I didn’t get ahold of him, so I left a message and called Wes. I don’t know that there exist in the whole world two other best friends who are such opposites as Wes and Milo, except for maybe Lucy and Emma. Wes is a jock and not too bright, but he has a heart of gold. He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, Cassidy,” he said, and I was pretty sure he was chewing on something. Knowing him it was probably a slice of his mom’s pumpkin pie. “What’s going on?”
“Not too much,” I said, wondering how my attitude had changed so drastically since this morning. “Just returning your call.”
“Oh, yeah. I was just wondering how your sister is. I heard about Drew. They were pretty good friends, right? So terrible.” I heard a clunk of silverware against china. “She okay?” His mouth was full now, and I could hardly understand what he was saying, so I was glad the question was a short one.
“She’s fine,” I said with a shrug. “I mean… she’s upset I guess. She’s at my grandma’s house right now. But… what happened to Drew was just awful. These things happen, though, Wes. People fall down rock climbing, slash their necks open, and die. It’s sad, but the sooner life gets back to normal, the better off we will all be.”
The phone was silent for a very long time, and I thought maybe we’d gotten disconnected. I was just about to call Wes’s name when he said, “Cassidy? Are you feeling okay? Do you really mean that?” There was no food in his mouth this time, and every word was crystal clear.
I readjusted on the bed. “Sure. What do you mean?”
“Cassidy, a girl died. And she’s not even that much older than us. How can you be so… insensitive?”
“Insensitive?” I could hear the offense in my own voice. “What are you talking about? I’m not being insensitive, I’m just being honest. That’s all.”
“Dude, you just said ‘these things happen’ and ‘the sooner life gets back to normal, the better off we will all be.’ I don’t think Drew’s family’s gonna be getting back to normal anytime soon.”
I listened to him replay my own words and realized they didn’t sound very nice. Nor did they sound like something I would say. Yet, that’s exactly how I felt. It didn’t make any sense…. “I’m sorry, Wes,” I said, trying to figure out what was going on in my own head. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, I really don’t. I talked to the doctor that was there with Drew last night, and that’s the way he put it, so I guess that’s why it came out so clinical when I said. I didn’t mean anything by it. I am sorry Drew is dead.”
“Could you be any more blunt?” I could hear that he wasn’t quite willing to accept my excuse in the tone of his voice. “You talked to the doctor? That’s so weird. Did you have to go to the hospital or something?”
“No,” I replied, shrugging. “He came here.” Why wouldn’t he come here to pay me a visit? Doctors could do that—right?
“Oookay. Well, I just wanted to check on your sister. I’m glad she’s okay. I hope she comes back soon.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say. Everything that came out of my mouth sounded foreign. “Guess I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
“Oh, no. Didn’t you hear? They cancelled school for Monday. Because of the funeral.”
“They did?” I was shocked. We didn’t even close school when there was a foot of snow on the ground. My first instinct was to declare this was “cool,” but remembering what Wes had just said about me being insensitive, I said, “I see,” Instead.
“All right, Cass. Talk to you soon.”
I disconnected the call and stared at my phone for a few moments. Wes was acting weird. That was the only explanation for why he would think I was acting weird. I wasn’t acting weird. Was I?
By Saturday morning, I was completely resolved to the fact that Drew’s death really wasn’t that big of a deal. I know—I sound like a horrible person. But I realized later that this really wasn’t my fault. I had basically gone back to life as normal, and even though all of my friends thought I must have suffered a severe blow to the head to be so nonchalant about my sister’s friend dying and Cadence being MIA, I was okay with it.
Most Saturday mornings, my dad makes pancak
es, and this one wasn’t any different, except we were out of chocolate chips. It was disappointing, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying a nice breakfast. My parents still wore worried looks, but I think they were just missing Cadence. At least, that’s what I told myself—the fact that my sister typically wasn’t home even on weekends anymore since she’d started college didn’t cross my mind as we sat around the dining room table making smiley faces with fruit on top of our flapjacks.
A knock at the door interrupted what would’ve been a pretty good buck-toothed rabbit face my dad was constructing on a short stack. “I’ll get it,” my mom said, pulling herself away from blueberry eyes. I could tell by the way she looked at my dad that she was reluctant to see who had come calling. They exchanged nervous glances.
Something twisted inside of me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Have you ever had something really terrible going on in your life, and for a few moments you lose track of it, like it’s not consciously on your mind, but then it starts to creep in, and before it even registers in your brain, your stomach starts to hurt, like a sharp knife has been plummeted in from the side, a sneak attack? It was like that. I looked at my dad and he offered a small smile before he, too, pushed back his chair. “Go ahead and eat, Cass. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I nodded, and he exited the dining room, heading to the adjoining living room. There was no door between the two rooms, just a doorway, and I could hear my mother’s voice as she opened the front door, though I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
The voice that replied to her sent shivers down my spine. That Aaron guy was here again. Whatever he wanted, it couldn’t be good….