“Sorry! It’s Hannah St. Charles.”
“St. Charles? What is that? British?”
Tremaine wrapped her arm around Hannah’s, alerting her that it was time to go, “Okay, thanks, Mom!” then she muttered, “let’s go,” to Hannah. The blonde waved Josey off.
Upstairs, they settled into Tremaine’s loft. Tremaine turned on the radio from her stereo. Even though Hannah was very likable, and she seemed like the kind of person one could talk to about any topic, she didn’t know anything about her.
“Now, down to business.” Hannah said, “What did the note say that he left with the casserole?”
“It said he worked the night shift,” Tremaine said. “Which means, if he works a night shift, he’ll be steppin’ out in the next hour or so.”
The curtains to the balcony door were currently closed. Hannah stood and peeked out the balcony. The blonde squinted through the glaring sunset, “It looks so dead.”
“He must be sleeping,” Tremaine suggested. There was silence between the two, as Hannah continued to look at the windows. She seemed rather determined to find out who was in the other apartment.
“So, uh,” Tremaine broke the silence, “what are your folks like?”
“Hm?” Hannah turned away from the glass, perplexed, “Do you mean my family?”
“Yeah,” Tremaine said.
“Well,” Hannah leaned against the half wall by the spiral stairs, “my parents are older. Like, much older. All my brothers are adults. They were in college and high school when I was born.”
“What does your family do?”
Hannah returned to looking at the tower. She watched for any sign of the creature. She turned back to Tremaine, “One brother works as a nurse… well, a midwife. That’s René. My oldest brother works… uh, he does a lot of researching on legends and teaching about legends and stuff. And marketing. He runs the website thing Miss Vargas showed you. It’s really popular.”
Tremaine bit down inside of her lip. She put two and two together and realized that Hannah was probably only concerned with what was in the tower and not getting to know each other. She was still walking on fragile glass regarding her new social life on the island; she didn’t want to ruin it by accusing Hannah of using her to find out what “legend” existed in the tower her family rented out. She brought it up lightly, “So you must really want to know what creature lives up there?”
“Yeah,” Hannah gave a small laugh. “I mean, not now. Like, it’s still kind of light out.”
“We should break in at midnight to see what’s in there,” Tremaine smirked, remembering the time she snuck into Robbi’s house to ruin her wardrobe.
“Yeah!”
“Oh!” Tremaine snapped her head up. She already broke into her cousin’s house not to long ago, sweating all the way. She didn’t want to do it again, “I was just messin’ around, ya know.”
“But what if we did?” Hannah walked closer, “We could totally bust down that weak wooden door and see what’s up there.”
“Are you nuts?” Tremaine laughed as she said it, “I-I would get in so much trouble if I broke in.”
“He hasn’t even greeted you guys. Your parents are his landlord,” Hannah argued. “Don’t you think that’s kind of suspicious? Like, it’s shady as hell.”
“Well, he left us a casserole,” Tremaine said, “Maybe he’s… just deformed or something. Or physically scarred.”
“Or something that’s not suppose to live around humans,” Hannah’s smile dropped, and she glared at the tower. She then laughed and shook her head, “You know what, forget it. I don’t want you to feel unsafe.”
Tremaine swallowed, feeling awkward, “Do you want to watch that movie?”
“Sure.”
Tremaine made sure her parents stayed out of the living room for the night so she and Hannah could have time to themselves. They chatted throughout the movie they put, becoming bored with it once it hit the one-hour mark. They fell asleep during a late night talk show, both leaning against the opposite sides of the couch.
Tremaine woke up to someone shaking her. She groaned, “What?”
“Let’s make a bet," Hannah whispered.
Tremaine reached over and turned on the lamp on the side table. She rubbed her eyes, messing up her eyeliner, “A bet? I don’t… I don’t have a lot of my own money.” It was a complete lie. She had been saving up her allowance from the video store since she was nine. There was well over a thousand dollars in her savings account.
“You don’t have to bet any money.” Hannah said, “It’ll just be me.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“I’ll give you fifty dollars… tonight… if you can open the door to the tower.”
“No way!”
“You said your tenant worked the night shift, right?” Hannah mentioned, “So chances are, he’s probably not here right now. It’s two in the morning. There’s a huge chance he’s out and about at this very moment.”
“Nuh-uh. Not for Ulysses S. Grant.”
“Seventy?”
Tremaine hesitated, and then shook her head.
“Ninety? No,” Hannah said, “A hundred.”
“A hundred dollars?” If she’s willing to give of that much to do something somewhat illegal, Tremaine thought, she must really want to see what’s in there. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t done it before. Tremaine wanted to deny the money but then again, she owed a lot to Hannah. She was the only local her age who went out of her way and made her feel at home. She was able to introduce her to so many classmates, so Tremaine wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable and unsure. Tremaine wanted to stay friends with Hannah, and if she had to take an expensive bet, so be it. She nodded, “Okay.”
Hannah made a fist and brought it down, “Yes!”
“Wait here,” Tremaine got up from the couch. “I’ll get the master key.” Tremaine crept quietly into the kitchen, knowing her parent’s room was just right off of it. She found the key on one of the hooks by the house phone and slipped it into her pocket. She went back to the living room and motioned for Hannah to follow her. Hannah jumped up and giddily obeyed.
Hannah used the light of her phone to see where they were walking on the porch. Tremaine’s stomach churned as they approached the door.
“Quiet now,” Hannah reminded. Tremaine didn’t think the advice was necessary since she was nearly shaking with anticipation. She took out the key, and silently unlocked the door. It took a minute to open it fully without noise. Tremaine stared into the darkness. Hannah sent her phone forward shining her screen into the room. “You, my friend, just won yourself a hundred dollars.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah, o-okay,” Tremaine shook a little. “Now, let’s go.”
“Ha, no way!” Hannah whispered, “Come on, let’s tour upstairs.”
Tremaine furiously shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“I’ll give you two hundred dollars if you do,” Hannah urged and reached inside her pocket. She showed Tremaine her wallet full of bills, “I assure you, I’m not lying.”
Jesus, this girl is privileged, Tremaine thought when she saw the money. Tremaine took a deep intake of air and clung to Hannah’s arm as they ventured in. There was nothing in the entirely brick first floor except a set of stairs.
Hannah took the lead, with Tremaine following behind. It took them a solid ten minutes to silently make it up the wooden stairs and to the upper floor. Hannah gave a small laugh as they were approaching the tower’s main living space. Tremaine shot her a glare, but she doubted Hannah noticed in the darkness.
Hannah was the first to make it to the top, with Tremaine still on the stairs and only halfway in the room. They looked around. The starry sky gave them dim lighting. The entrance was in the middle of the room. To their left was a living room and kitchen, and to their right was a desk, a bathroom, and a set of balcony doors. There was no ceiling, just like Tremaine's loft. Cobwebs hung from the wooden rafters.
“Okay, Ha
nnah, I won the bet, now-”
“Tremaine, come on!” Hannah urged, “You don’t win unless you fully come up here.”
Tremaine sighed and walked up the remaining steps. She held her arms out to showcase her presence, “I did it.”
“Congrats!”
“You’re freakin’ nuts, ya know.”
“Very,” Hannah said, “And I’ll…” Hannah paused, “Do you hear that?”
“Hannah. Stop playing.”
“No, seriously. Listen.”
Both girls fell silent as they listened. There was a low growling sound coming from the corner where the kitchen was. Hannah hurriedly went to the flashlight application on her phone and shined it over to the corner. Between the small refrigerator and electric stove was an aged fireplace. Dark smoke was rising out of it.
“Is something on fire?” Tremaine asked.
“I don’t know.”
Hannah went closer as Tremaine hung back. She reached out as far as she could with her light. The smoke that floated up to the high ceiling and above the rafters was turning and coiling itself around the beams like a poisonous snake. Tremaine froze in place, watching in horror. The light on the smoke was shaking as Hannah trembled. The smoke gained a body as it was no longer transparent.
Black limbs outstretched from its core and steadied its claws on the rafters. The end of the smoke fixed itself into a slimy looking tail, and the other end transformed into a lizard-looking head. The thing had no visible eyes, but it sure as hell had a mouth. It opened its mouth to the girls, gurgling a growl that gained momentum in sound. Hannah jumped, and both girls ran down the stairs.
Tremaine fought the urge to scream as they were still in the tower. Hannah slammed the tower door shut, and then swung open the door to Tremaine’s house. They rushed in. Hannah quickly brought back the door and shut it quietly.
Tremaine made sure all of the windows were locked, and then closed the curtains. She returned the master key to the kitchen hook. Hannah entered the living room, sitting down in the armchair. She hugged herself, and then burst out in a fit of laughter. She muted herself with her hand, trying to be quiet. Tremaine turned around and glared, “Why… why are you laughing!?”
“Quiet,” Hannah waved her hand and whispered. “You’ll wake your parents.”
“We gotta call the police,” Tremaine ran a hand through her brown hair, “Whatever that thing is, it’s… it’s illegal or something!”
“Oh, Tremaine,” Hannah quieted her laughter. “That wasn’t an animal. That wasn’t a human.”
“Obviously!” hissed Tremaine. “We gotta… I gotta tell my folks.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Hannah said, “My brothers… they work with this kind of stuff. They’ll know what to do.”
“I should tell my parents,” Tremaine said, almost to herself.
Hannah shrugged, “Listen, I… I’ve told people about this before, and they’ll laugh in your face.” Hannah came over to the couch and sat next to Tremaine, “If you want to, go ahead.” Hannah noticed Tremaine wasn’t answering, just sitting and staring down at her knees. Hannah reached into her pocket and gave Tremaine two hundred dollars.
Tremaine held the money in her hands. The money seemed too easy like it was a trick. Tremaine looked up to Hannah, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Hannah smiled. “I’ve been dying to see what was up in that tower for ages. Thanks for showing me.”
“I would say ‘no problem’, but I don’t think that’s appropriate considering what I’ve just seen,” Tremaine swallowed. “How are we suppose to get to sleep after that?”
Hannah leaned back in the couch, “Think of it like waking up from a bad dream. Not real at all.”
Tremaine took her advice and relaxed. She turned on the television, only getting paid programming and reruns of sitcoms. The dull shows were calming and made the experience seem not so real. Tremaine looked out of the window one last time before deciding to try to fall asleep.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Hannah threw on her clothes from yesterday and pulled her tangled blonde hair back into a short ponytail. With an empty wallet and her duffel bag, she walked down to the video store with Tremaine.
“Thanks for walking me out,” Hannah mentioned.
“No problem,” Tremaine said as they scaled the stairs, “It’s the least I could do after you gave up that two hundred dollars.”
“Yeah, about that,” Hannah stopped Tremaine on the stairs. “You better not tell your parents about it. You don’t want to worry them, okay? I feel like your parents would try to enter the house after what you tell them about the smoke thing and… try to take matters into their own hands. I don’t want them to get hurt.”
“Sure, sure,” Tremaine said. They made it to the bottom, and Tremaine opened the door to the area behind the counter, “I won’t.”
“Perfect,” Hannah smiled. “I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
“Okay, cool,” Tremaine said as Hannah left.
The blonde waved at Tremaine’s mother and exited through the main doors of the store. Josey turned to Tremaine and said, “Did you guys stay up late?”
“Uh, kind of,” Tremaine said. “Until, like, two-thirty.”
“Were you guys just watching movies?”
“Uh-huh,” Tremaine could hear her voice shaking.
Josey raised an eyebrow, “I heard a lot of commotion around that time you said.”
“We were just scared… it was a jump scare movie,” Tremaine rambled on, “Ya know; The one where something scary flashes on the television and there’s a big sound.”
“Oh,” Josey turned back to the computer. “I never liked those movies.”
“Well… uh, I’m just going to exercise.” Tremaine went back upstairs and changed into a pair of leggings, tennis shoes, and a slim leather jacket. She grabbed her gloves and then put on a pair of earmuffs. She cautiously went outside, her eyes darting from her path to the tower.
Down in her yard, she practiced her boxing skills. She forgot about the tower momentarily, putting all of her concentration into the punching bag swinging from the back of the stairs. Ten minutes into her exercise, she was breathing heavily from the cold air that invaded her lungs. She sat down on the stairs, bending her head forward and into her hands.
When her lungs were warm again, she raised her head. In the grass was a small sheet of paper. Spotting the text on it, she went over to the slip. She took off her boxing gloves and picked it up. She read the sheet, thinking it was just a paper from a fortune cookie.
WHY DID YOU COME IN MY HOUSE?
Tremaine looked down to the ground, finding a pen. She ripped the piece of paper in half, making it disappear. Tremaine ran into the back entrance of the video store, shaking. She forgot that her father’s office was right off the back entrance of the store. He turned around in his desk chair when he heard the sound of the door. “Tremaine? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I-I… uh…” she tried to think of a plausible excuse, “I thought I saw a pit-bull run across the yard.”
“How did you see that?” Danny chuckled, “Our fence is six feet tall.”
“Well, I… uh…” Tremaine said, “I’m going to go upstairs.”
“Okay,” Danny said unsurely, and then turned back to his work.
Tremaine kept waiting out that morning to see if she would get more messages. She never did. It was noon when she finally decided carry on with the day, instead of worrying about harmless little notes.
When afternoon came, so did another note. She found it on her loft balcony when she stepped outside. Her heart stopped as she picked it up and read it.
WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME IF YOU WANTED TO MEET WITH ME SO BAD?
She looked up at the tower and noticed the curtains were still closed. She rolled her eyes and took the pen left by the note in her hand. She scribbled something below it, “Because you’re a freakin’ monster, that’s why!” and when she removed the tip of the
pen from the paper, it faded into thin air along with the pen. Tremaine shook her and went in her room to change.
She thought if she hung around the house, that she would keep getting more notes. She remembered the time she went to Catholic school. A priest came in and talked about the dangers of Ouija boards and summoning demons. She remembered the class chuckling. She did as well, but his warning intrigued her. “Talking with a demon, giving him your focus… it’s bad news.”
Was she talking with a demon with the notes? That smoke creature hanging out on the rafters sure looked like a demon, yet it wasn't the same figure she saw on the balcony the other night. She shook her head and went down to the backyard to ride her bike around the town.
Tremaine found a park by the grocery store. It wasn’t crowded, due to it being the middle of winter. A few people were walking their dogs. Tremaine found a tree to lean against on the outskirts of the park overlooking the soccer field. She sat down, texted a few people, and then went to the online journal in her browser. Instead of focusing on the creatures she didn’t know about, she lazily read over the entries about vampires, werewolves, and witches.
When was nearly finished reading, she found a slip in her lap. She clenched her stomach and shakily reached for the piece of paper.
THAT’S NOT FAIR.
She assumed it was a delayed response from when she wrote back. She looked to her side, and there was another pen sitting by her thigh. She ripped it into small bits and littered it in the grass. The pieces of paper faded away. She picked up her phone and rode her bike back home.
She had made it past the rest of the day without finding another note. When she woke up that Monday morning, she expected to find a barrage of unanswered notes, but none came. It left her feeling paranoid. She constantly checked all of her textbooks, her teen magazines, her notebooks, and even looked in her boxing gloves. She checked outside her balcony and down by the outdoor stairwell.
She stopped in the kitchen to grab a granola bar and leave. She knew her mother would notice something was up, no matter how much foundation she put under her eyes or how nice she fixed her hair. Josey was leaning over a cup of coffee while she reread her issue for Vogue. Her father was already ready for work, dressed in his usual attire of a t-shirt and jeans, and with his curly hair combed back.
Samhain Island (Episode One) Page 4