Edge of Darkness Box Set

by Margaret McHeyzer

  “I’ll be out in a few.”

  “Good, ‘cause I’m hungry.”

  Bang, bang.

  Quickly finishing washing myself and rinse hair, I get out of the shower, towel dry and get changed into my pajamas. Wrapping a towel around my head, I find my family sitting around eating dinner.

  Mom’s laughing, and Dad’s chuckling while he helps himself to another piece of pizza although he’s already holding one.

  “Hey, slow down or there’ll be nothing left for me,” I say as I pull the chair out, fold one leg up under me, and sit.

  “Quick, don’t let Dakota get any.” Dad lunges forward to pick up the pizza box, quickly smashing the lid shut and dragging the box over to him.

  “Very funny, ha ha.” I fold my arms in front of my chest and stare at Dad, giving him my best ever death stare. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

  “Gotta pay the piper.” Dad looks at me with raised eyebrows and holds the pizza box closer to his chest.

  “And the price would be what?”

  I slowly unfold my hands, and place them on the table getting ready to leap over and grab the box. Just as Dad shoves the rest of the piece he’s holding into his mouth, I lunge, and he moves the pizza box, resulting in me not getting the damn pizza.

  “Ha, you’ll have to try harder, kiddo.” He chuckles. “Told ya there’s a fee if you want to eat.”

  I look over to my sister, who’s smiling while she’s eating, and Mom, who’s getting glasses and a bottle of soda for us all. I’m darn hungry, so I sigh and sit back down. “What’s the price?” I grumble.

  Dad sticks his cheek out, points to it, and closes his eyes.

  He wants a kiss.

  Standing, I wet my lips so they’re saturated, and plant a huge, sloppy kiss on his cheek. The moment my wet lips make contact, Dad lets out an “Ewww,” but doesn’t move away. I reach out, quickly grab the box and move to sit. “See, it wasn’t that bad.”

  Smiling, I open the box and grab a piece of pizza.

  Mom returns and places the glasses down in front of us, and pours us all a drink. “I was thinking, is it okay if next week sometime we have a cookout with a couple of my friends?” I ask while devouring the pizza.

  “Who’ll be coming over?” Mom asks.

  “Sophie, and Reece, and Sam can ask Taylor.”

  “Yeah, Mom, can we?” Sam’s eyes pop wide open as she sits forward on her chair, eagerly looking at Mom.

  “Why don’t you ask them to come over during the week, that way I’ll still be home and I can cook while you kids use the pool?”

  Smiling at Dad I look over to Sam, who’s so excited she’s almost bouncing out of her seat. I nod to her, and wait for her to agree; but I don’t think I’m going to get too much out of her, she’s way too excited to say anything. “Thanks, Dad. That’ll be great.”

  “Who did you say you’re inviting?” Mom sits back down and relaxes back into her chair.

  “Sophie and Reece. And I’m pretty sure Sam will want Taylor here.” I look to Sam who’s nodding like one of those cartoon characters.

  “I see no problem with that. Do you?” Mom asks Dad.

  “Nope. Get ’em over and enjoy the pool while the weather’s nice.”

  Sam jumps up off the chair and hugs Mom, then Dad. “Thank you,” she says and gives Dad a kiss before turning to give one to Mom. “What food can we have?”

  “S’mores,” Dad pipes up and adds. “We brought the graham crackers and marshmallows camping with us, and we didn’t get to have any. We have to have s’mores.”

  “Not too many for you, darling,” Mom says as she reaches out and squeezes Dad’s hand.

  Dad’s chest deflates as his shoulders slump. Mom’s the best caregiver in the world, she really looks out for Dad and his health. “Maybe, I’ll have just three or four.”

  “More like two.”

  Dad groans and rolls his eyes. “Urgh,” he mumbles again. “Fine, I’ll have two.”

  Mom smiles triumphantly to herself and Dad catches my eye. He nods his head as his eyes widen, he’s silently asking me to help by sneaking more s’mores to him.

  “Hey, after dinner can we play the whisper challenge?” Sam asks.

  “Oh gosh. Last time we played that, my nose was running because I was laughing so hard,” Mom says.

  “That was so much fun. Hell yeah we can play it,” Dad adds. “I’m going to try and make your mother pee herself laughing this time.” Dad looks so pleased with himself.

  We finish dinner quickly and get ready for the whisper challenge. Dad has his turn with the headphones first, and I blast a real chick song through my iPod making Dad wince when he hears the music. He yells, “Can’t you pick a better song? Chick music hurts my head.”

  We’re all laughing, because we know how much Dad hates modern music, but even more so at the fact he’s yelling. I shake my head at him.

  Tonight’s theme is movies and movie characters. Dad has to guess my movie character first. “Scooby Doo,” I say.

  Dad’s watching my mouth intently and squints at me. “Again,” he yells.

  “Scooby Doo.”

  “Scabby.”

  I laugh. “Scooby Doo.”

  “I did a poo.”

  Sam loses it, laughs so much she half rolls off the sofa. “Scooby Doo.”

  “I am blue.”

  “Your father’s a Smurf,” Mom says and laughs.

  “Scooby Doo.” Dad shakes his head. His eyes following my mouth with so much concentration. “Scooby Doo.”

  “The man flew.”

  “Scooby Doo.” Tears are springing to my eyes, and I’m finding it so hard to contain the laughter which is bubbling away inside me.

  “Soccer balls curfew.”

  I look to Sam and smack my hand on my forehead. None of what he’s guessed are movies or characters. “Scooby Doo.”

  “007.”

  “Scooby Doo.”

  “Adele rules.”

  “Scooby Doo.” I can feel myself becoming more frustrated with every time I repeat the character.

  Dad puckers his lips while I’m saying ‘Scooby Doo’ and the way his lips form an almost perfect O, makes me burst into laughter. “Oh I think I’ve got it,” he yells over the music. “Chewbacca.” That’s all it takes from Dad and we’re all in hysterics. “Judging by all the laughing, I don’t think Chewbacca is right,” he hollers even louder.

  Mom shoots up off the sofa and runs down the hallway. Sam is doubled over, clutching her stomach with tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks, and I’m laughing so hard my cheeks are hurting and I can’t say anything.

  The song finishes and Dad takes off the headphones. Our rules are if it hasn’t been guessed in the length of a song, you lose the round. “What the hell were you saying?” he asks me in seriousness.

  “Scooby Doo,” I say clutching my side because I’m laughing so much I now have a stitch.

  “Really?” Dad’s face has no emotion. “Scooby Doo?” I nod at him. Mom comes back, her face flushed from laughing so much. “Hmmm.” Dad stands and gives the headphones over to Mom, who’s still laughing.

  The remainder of the night is spent with us laughing hysterically. By the time I head to bed, my cheeks are sore, my sides are aching, and I can’t help but still laugh at all the wrong answers . . . and the shouting.

  Closing my eyes, I’m taken away to dreamland. Thank goodness, dreamland warmly accepts me and shows me images of pure happiness.

  Chapter 24

  “Can I help?” I ask Mom while she prepares the food for the cookout. We planned it for two nights after we got back from our camping trip-slash-disaster.

  “Sure, want to make the salad?”

  “Yep.” I slide in behind the large island bench in the kitchen, and start working around Mom who’s peeling potatoes. “What are we eating?” I look around the food on the kitchen counter, hoping it’ll give me some hints as to what’s for dinner.

  “Salad.” She pointedly
looks down at the ingredients I’m getting out of the fridge. I roll my eyes, but smile. “Hamburgers, potato salad.”

  “Yum,” I interrupt her to say.

  “Hot dogs, steak, and watermelon.”

  “Mom, there’s only seven of us, why so much?”

  “There’s no such thing as too much, Dakota. We can head down to the local church and give them what’s left over. They run a homeless kitchen, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.”

  I shrug my shoulders. I suppose she has a point. Mom has always said, better for us to give food away than not have enough. She’s thrown a few parties, and there’s always way too much food left over, so she packs it up and takes it to the local church.

  “We should make extra anyway, so we can take them some food.” I chop the lettuce for the salad, and out of my peripheral vision I notice Mom stop what she’s doing.

  “That’s really thoughtful, honey. I’m proud of you for thinking of others.” She leans over and kisses my cheek. “Then we’re also having chicken and corn on the cob.” She heads over to the fridge and takes the chicken and corn out.

  Mom and I work together in the kitchen, seamlessly helping each other while chopping, and cooking. “There’s so much food,” I sigh while looking at everything we’ve prepared.

  “How about we halve everything? Package half in containers and put it in the fridge and if we run out, all we have to do is grab it from the fridge. Then if there’s anything left at the end of the night I can take it down to the church.”

  “Good idea, Mom.” We spend the next ten minutes separating all the food. Once it’s all done, we store it all in the fridge. “Do you need any more help?”

  “Nope, everything’s done.”

  “Okay.” Leaving Mom I go out the back where Dad and Sam are cleaning the grill. “It’s been a hot day today, I’m sure you all will be in the pool.”

  “I’m going to put my swimsuit on and jump in,” Sam yells over her shoulder as she runs inside.

  “What about you, sweetheart. You going to put your suit on?” Dad asks while cleaning the grill.

  Suddenly I shudder with the thought of exposing my body so much. I’ve been living in shorts and t-shirts, not wanting to put on anything that’s too revealing. Instantly my body tortures me by churning my stomach as fine goosebumps pebble my skin. “Ah . . . yeah,” I say, my voice crackling.

  Dad stops cleaning the grill, and walks over to where I’m standing at the large outdoor table. He hugs me without even knowing why my voice broke. “You okay?” he asks. He kisses the top of my head and tightens his hug. He moves back his arm now draping over my shoulder. “You seem down, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s all good,” I reply immediately. The sadness in my voice is obvious. I look to Dad who squints at me. “Really, I’m great,” I add eagerly. Shut up, Dakota.

  The panic intensifies, and sweat beads on my neck. Dad’s holding me in his regard and he’s got hard ‘Dad eyes’ happening. Those are the ones where you’re sure he can read your mind, but he doesn’t want to say anything in case he’s mistaken and it turns out to be ‘time-of-the-month’ business.

  “Okay then. Well I’ll get back to cleaning the grill.” He lets go of me, kisses my hair once more and heads back to the grill.

  I go to find Sam, because she has one-piece swimsuits, whereas I only have bikinis. Knocking on the door, I can hear her giggling in her room. “Hang on,” she says. She comes to the door and opens it. Her eyes take me in, she frowns and takes a step back. “I gotta go, I’ll see you when you get here.” She hangs up and tosses her phone on her bed. “What’s wrong? I know that look. You’re stressing about something.”

  “Am I really so obvious?” Cold fingers of dread pinch my throat, because if Sam can see it, then that means Dad was able to, too. Sam tilts her head and lifts her eyebrows at me. “Right.” I close the door behind me. “You know me the best out of everyone.”

  “Ah-ha. So what’s wrong?”

  “I’ve got a problem.”

  “Well, duh. You’re clearly not as pretty as me. I’d say that’s a huge problem.” I laugh at her, because I know she’s only trying to lift the intensity I brought in with me. “Huge problem.” She extends her arms to show me in size how big the problem is.

  “Other than that glaringly obvious fact.” I roll my eyes, but smile. She calms me. She has a special gift of knowing when I’m about to freak out, so she adjusts her tone to soothe and calm me. “You should get into counseling,” I randomly say.

  “What? That’s your problem?” Sam screws her nose up and looks at me as if I’ve grown three extra heads.

  Chuckling I become sidetracked by my thoughts. “Hang on.” I put my hand up to halt her saying anything else. “First, I need a one-piece and I was hoping I can borrow one of yours?” I put my hands together like I’m praying and I batt my eye lids at her. “Pretty please?” Then I give her the hugest cheesiest grin I can.

  “Yeah, cool. Here.” She walks over to her chest of drawers, opens the fourth drawer and throws me a one-piece. “Why?” She turns and looks at me.

  “I only have bikinis, and I don’t want to . . .” my voice trembles with fear. “Wear it,” I almost whisper. “Because . . .” Knotting my hands together I look down to my toes, too ashamed to hold Sam’s gaze.

  “It’s cool. It’ll suit you better anyway.” Looking up to Sam, her features have softened and I can see by how wide her eyes are, she’s sympathetic toward me, but doesn’t want to say anything.

  “Thank you.” I take a deep breath, giving me enough time to gather myself and step out of the prison my mind’s been caught in. “I think you should go to college and learn to be a counselor. You’re so strong, Sam. And you have a way about you that makes me feel like I’m not so lost.”

  “Lost?” Sam squints her eyes and rubs her hand over her face. “What do you mean?”

  “Since, that night.” I pause for a moment, again gathering strength. “Since that night, you make me want to try to push past it so I can maybe be normal again one day.”

  “I’ve done that?” Sam puts her hand to her chest, covering at her heart.

  “You have. It’s like you know what I’m feeling, and you can adapt to it, make me take a moment and step back, keep me from spiraling out of control.” I may have the strength to tell her this, but I’m also nervous about how she’ll react. “You’re so mature, and so level-headed.”

  Sam’s face breaks out in a broad smile, her eyes sparkle with so much joy. “Thank you,” she timidly says.

  We stand in her room for a few seconds, and it turns uncomfortable. Sam’s not really into compliments. She shuffles on the spot, avoiding me. “Well, I better go get ready before everyone gets here.”

  “’K.”

  I walk out and into my room to get changed while thinking about Sam and everything she means to me. She’s my stability, my rock, keeping me sane when I start to drift toward the edge of darkness.

  Taylor and Sophie are here already, and we’re all in the pool hanging out. “Your sister is so sweet,” Sophie says as we sit on one of the steps in the shallow end.

  “Yeah, she’s cool.”

  “Tell me about you and Levi. I heard a few rumors the last few days of school, but I think they’re all a load of shit.” Sophie’s dark gray eyes hold their own secrets. She looks to the left, breaking our connection. “Not like it’s any of my business.” She looks up to the sky and squints.

  “What did you hear?” I may as well know everything people are saying, it’ll tell me how many untruths Levi is sprouting.

  “He’s angry at you because you’ve been sleeping around behind his back. And, that you kept saying no to him, but you’re happy to open your legs to anyone else.” I cringe when she relays all the crappy gossip she’s heard. “I don’t think that’s true. Actually, I know it’s not.”

  I shrug although my stomach is all bunched up, and my pulse is racing crazily through my veins. “Then why did yo
u ask?”

  “I wanted to see your reaction, and hear your response.”

  She now turns to look at me. “You weren’t even looking at me. You had your eyes glued to anywhere but me.”

  A smile pulls at one end of her mouth. “I can see it in your eyes, Dakota. What’s being said is either an exaggeration of the truth, or they’re being horrible and just saying shit. Either way, I can see you’re nervous and upset about what people are saying.”

  Swallowing hard, I slump my shoulders and look down at my legs which are floating aimlessly in front of me in the water. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to defend yourself to me. Matter-of-fact, I don’t think you should have to defend yourself to anyone. Whatever you do has nothing to do with anyone else.”

  “Problem is, I haven’t done anything.” My blood pumps quickly through me, while my vision clouds with angry red spots.

  “According to all those pictures floating around, you did do someone.”

  “That’s bullshit,” I angrily retort. “I didn’t know what was . . .” I clap both my hands to my mouth realizing I’d said way too much. I drop my hands and close my eyes, putting up an instant barrier and closing Sophie out. It takes me a few minutes, but when I finally open my eyes Sophie’s looking at me with a calm and soft expression. “I . . .”

  “It’s okay, Dakota, I get it.” The hair on my arms stands as I watch Sophie’s eyelids flutter before her face pales, and her slender shoulders shudder. “I get it.” A tear escapes from her eye and she quickly moves to wipe it away.

  “Shit,” I mumble and move to hug her. Sophie purses her lips together and shakes her head. “Please, don’t,” she begs. “I don’t want to relive it. I need to forget.”

  “Does anyone else know?” Her head moves in small shakes. “Not even your mom?”

  Her head snaps up to me, and her eyes beg and plead for me to stop asking her questions. “Does yours?” Our conversation may not have been verbalized, but we both understand the other’s been through something traumatic.

  Deflated, I simply shake my head too. “Sam does though.” I look over to Sam flicking water at Taylor, who retaliates by swimming over and dunking her under before picking her up and throwing her a few feet away from him.