Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > MASQUERADE
Chapter 2
17 ReviewsThe mask comes off...
Chapter 2
Thank you all so much for rating and reviewing!! It means so much to me that you take the time to share your thoughts. I hope you like this story because I’m having a lot of fun writing it. I’m not sure which story I’m going to write after this one but I know it will be longer. I’m tossing around a few ideas in my head but ‘Solitary’ is going to have to wait because it’s too heavy for me to write at this time. But I’ll come up with something for you soon. Thank you!! Halloween is coming!! It’s almost here!!
Savannah tucked the twins into bed later that night, kissed them on their full, rosy cheeks and turned out the lights except for the nightlight they requested. She saved her tears for the bottom of the stairs where Savannah sat down and cried for a while before pulling herself together again. She was going to miss those little ones very much but she had not expected it to hit her so hard and suddenly.
While she changed back into her regular comfortable clothes, Savannah thought about the new family she would be helping and the endless possibilities that opportunity would come with. It was all part of her fresh start in life and the new job might be just what she needed. Knowing that Gerard’s niece and nephew had lost their parents as well, gave her a sense of empathetic purpose in helping them. She was also eager to get to know Gerard, even if he was a bit older than her. She was eighteen years old and in charge of herself. Savannah felt like she was grown enough to do as she pleased.
She stared in the mirror, happy to be back in clothes that reminded her more of herself. It was fun to dress up and try on a new personality where she was flirty and bold…but it was also relieving to look out of her own eyes and simply be the sweet good girl she had always been. Savannah let her hair back down and stuffed her costume back into its bag.
The Johnsons called around eleven and checked in, saying they would be late and making sure Savannah did not mind. Of course she didn’t. She settled onto the couch for a night of horror movies that every channel seemed to be playing for the weekend before Halloween. Curling up under a blanket, Savannah hung on every scream as she zoned out in front of the television, eating assorted candy from the bowl that had not quite emptied while they were gone. By the time the Johnsons stumbled in around three though, the bowl was empty, her stomach was full and a fourth victim in the movie was currently having her insides turned out. She set the bowl in the sink, running some water in it while she greeted the parents. After an abbreviated goodbye, Savannah offered to watch the twins while the Johnsons packed for their move and took a short but stellar letter of recommendation home with her.
Walking through the dark streets, Savannah wished she had taken Mr. Johnson up on his offer to drive her home. She had reasoned that he had been drinking a bit and there was no need to make him go back out onto the road now that he was home. The house was only a few blocks away but her imagination was running away with her as she sped up.
The streets were desolate and abandoned. She had thought teenagers would still be out but, since the actual holiday was not until Monday, it was a quiet night. It was easier to convince children to pretend that the weekend night was Halloween. Teenagers knew better and would not settle for less than the holiday they waited all year for. As youth grew up over time, pretending became lying, and yet the magic of Halloween was still believed, though only on its true night. For tonight, perhaps the streets were safer than Halloween as the teenagers had not bothered to come out and the young children had all finally gone to bed. As she walked home, the hollow notes from the last horror movie Savannah watched kept her moving full speed ahead.
The call came the following afternoon and although she had slept late, the time between waking and the call coming in was spent anxiously awaiting the ring of her cellphone. “Hello?”
“Savannah,” smiled the warm voice on the other end. “It’s Gerard. How are you today?”
She beamed, trying to contain herself so it would not show through the phone. “I’m good thanks. How are you?”
“I’m hanging in there,” he said with a drone voice.
She giggled. “Well that sounded convincing,” she said sarcastically.
Gerard laughed. “Sorry. I’m a little stressed out but I’m getting by. The kids seemed to have come down with something overnight. Maybe all the running around last night, people passing out candy when they’re sick and stuff. I don’t know. But they seem to have the same thing with mild fever, sore throats and neither one can keep much down.”
“Oh that’s awful,” Savannah said, furrowing her brow with concern. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she offered hopefully.
He smiled, “Chicken soup delivered. STAT.” He liked the sound of her laugh through the phone. Gerard shook his head, “No, thank you though. I started them on medicine and they’ll probably only be contagious for the first 24 hours. But…” he trailed off. “If you wouldn’t mind jumping right in, I could really use your help tomorrow night. I wouldn’t rush ya like this but I’ve got a deadline I can’t miss and I’m splitting myself in three directions right now.”
“Well we can’t have that,” she smiled. “I’d be happy to help tomorrow.”
Gerard breathed a sigh of relief right into the phone. “Savannah? You’re a lifesaver,” he smiled. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ll text you directions for…say…6:30?”
“Sure,” she smiled. “I look forward to seeing you then.”
“Me too,” he grinned. “Thanks, Savannah.”
She hung up the phone and lay back on her comfy couch with a smile that could not be contained. Running upstairs and tearing through her closet, Savannah tried to find something suitable for the new job but also attractive for her new boss. Knowing she would be taking care of two young sick children, Savannah opted for a pair of jeans, but made them comfortably tight. She picked out a red tank top and looked in the mirror. It was a bit too revealing, even for the last warm night of the season and only a second impression. Savannah pulled a long, thin, black scarf on, winding it once around her neck and letting the two strands hang down to cover some of the cleavage she was still trying to convince herself to reveal. The safe accessory made her look more comfortably casual than accessibly available and she was happy with the more modest yet fun look she had put together. She hung everything up in the bathroom for the following evening, satisfied with her decision.
Savannah amused herself in the mean time by watching the endless marathon of horror movies and scaring herself silly. She barely slept a wink that night thinking of both the frightening monsters from the television and the handsome man from the night before. When Gerard texted her directions the next day and she did not recognize the street, she immediately entered the address into her GPS to see where it was. The estimated time of arrival was thirty-five minutes and Savannah was surprised to see how far it was. She had simply assumed Gerard and the children lived close by since they were trick or treating in the Tower Gardens neighborhood. Although, she had also assumed the children were his so she supposed it would be better to stop filling in all the blanks herself and find out more through questions instead.
She dressed quickly without much time to prepare now that she had to drive there, ran a comb through her long blonde hair and checked her make-up one last time before running out the door into the late evening. She set a bowl of candy out on her stoop just in case any older kids ventured out on the real Halloween it had finally come to be. If older children came and there were no treats, she did not want to be on the receiving end of their tricks.
Following the directions on her GPS, Savannah turned down the dead end road to her destination to find only the docks at the old abandoned marina. Even the warehouses behind it no longer shipped or received goods anymore. She double checked the address sent to her phone and matched it to the place she now stood alone. A chill ran through her as she looked ahead through the windshield at the silhouetted figure moving towards her as the fading, blazing sun reflected off the water in the background, blinding her view. She leaned her head out the window as the figure ducked his head, holding his hand up to see past her headlights.
“Gerard?” she called hopefully.
“Savannah!” he laughed, lowering his hand as she turned off her lights. He approached her more quickly with a smile. “I didn’t know what kind of car you drove and I couldn’t be sure you weren’t a teenager coming to stir up trouble in the abandoned lot.”
She laughed and grabbed her purse from the seat, rolling up her window and locking the door as she stepped from the car. “No trouble here,” she smiled. “I thought you were the trouble coming to find me,” Savannah laughed.
“Naw,” he shook his head. “Our place is over on Ridge Island,” he said, pointing off into the far distance beyond the choppy channel. “Usually the ferry will come by when we request since it’s off the main route but it stops running at five.” He watched Savannah’s wary eyes as they approached the small boat tied to the dock. “You’re not afraid of water, are you?” he worried.
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m a decent swimmer if I need to be,” Savannah nodded.
He smiled, “You won’t need to be, Savannah. My boat’s safe. I take the kids out on it all the time. Besides, you wouldn’t want to swim in the ocean at these depths. Sharks have been known to troll these waters from time to time.” Her eyes got wide with fear as he laughed. “Sorry. That wasn’t very reassuring of me, was it.”
She gave him a playful shove and bit her lip, hoping that was not out of line. He was going to be her boss in a sense after all. He did not seem to mind though, stepping down into the boat and reaching up to take her hand. Gerard helped her down and gave her a life preserver with a smile to put her more at ease. He sat at the bow, pulling the line to the motor as it fired up and he sat high on the rim across from her, steering them across the water towards the small island she could barely see.
Savannah watched Gerard for most of the way as he sat with his back to the island and looked over his shoulder to see where he was going. He was even more handsome in the fading sunlight and she could take in all of his features now that she could fully see him. He turned back to check on her and see how she was holding up in the bumpy ride over choppy waters, catching her watching him as he grinned.
Savannah looked quickly away, soaking in the breathtaking view as the fuzzy image in the distance took shape the closer they got. Ridge Island was a tiny spot of a place, bobbing out of the water like a forested sandbar and apparently how it earned its name as it jutted up from the ocean. The trees were tall and with all the woods, she could not even see the house he lived in. It looked like a calm oasis though; a quiet seclusion away from the world. The sun seemed to light the trees on fire as they glowed in their golds and reds, dancing like flames in the wind. It was beautiful really. She wondered if it would look the same once the sun went down and the city lights were far away, leaving no supplementary light sources.
“What do you think?” he asked, chewing his lip as though nervous for her reaction.
She smiled, “It’s beautiful. Perfect for an Artist.”
He grinned, pleased with both her approval and her keeping his passionate occupation in mind. “It really is,” Gerard nodded. “Not the best place to raise two kids,” he sighed. “But I didn’t know that would become the plan when I bought the place. Back then, I had only myself to think about.” He shrugged, speaking up over the loud hum of the motor. “But at least I don’t have to worry about crime or strangers or anything like that,” he laughed. “The kids are safe and there’s plenty of nature for them to enjoy. Only thing I have to worry about here is keeping them out of the water and from getting lost in the woods. There’re hundreds of paths on the island. Not many animals though. Just a few deer, foxes, raccoons, birds…that sort. I give the kids whistles every time they go out to play though. Just in case they get lost or scared,” he nodded protectively. “I’ve got one too in case I need to call them in.”
“That’s a great idea,” she called out over the rumble of the motor.
He nodded. “I try. We’ll be getting a place on the mainland soon when I get enough money together. I don’t want them out here for a harsh winter. If anything ever happened, it would be too hard to get back,” he sighed. “It keeps me up most nights just thinking about it.”
Savannah smiled comfortingly as she cocked her head. “You love them very much. I can tell.”
“I do,” he smiled. “It’s hard, but I love a good challenge.” Gerard looked back over his shoulder as he careened the boat toward the shore and slowing as they approached. The waves carried them in the last of the way to the shore where they lapped at the land and eroded the surface. “We’re here,” he smiled as the waves launched them onto the land. He jumped out and pulled the boat, with Savannah in it, farther up into a secured position. He extended his hand to her again and helped her out into the dry caked soil beyond the ocean’s reach. “Sensible shoes,” he smiled, noting her tennis shoes. “Wise choice.”
She laughed, stepping over the side of the boat and onto dry land. “Anytime kids are involved, sensible shoes are always a wise choice.”
He smiled and nodded, leading her up the man-made path to the woods. “You won’t have to worry about running after them tonight,” he shrugged regretfully. “Their fevers are higher today and they haven’t left their beds since Saturday night.”
“That’s alright. I know plenty of games that don’t require moving around,” she smiled.
He laughed, “They love games as much as I do. I offered to play board games with them while they rested but they just wanted to sleep. That’s how I know they’re sick,” he joked.
“Poor things,” Savannah sighed.
He nodded, as they made their way up the path through the trees that were as old as the island itself. “I feel bad leaving them all alone but I had no other way to get you here. I’ve had so much on my mind with my deadline and all I wasn’t even thinking about the ferry times. Hopefully they just slept the whole time. I left them notes on their bedroom doors in case they woke,” he said, knowing it did not excuse him leaving.
Offering a bit of solace she said, “I’m sure they’re fine. Really.” Gerard smiled with gratitude as they continued along the path. She could see pumpkins scattered throughout the woods but as the last of the sunlight went down and the darkness of the trees blocked out the dying light, it was hard to see if they were carved or not. “Lots of pumpkins,” she smiled. “Do they grow here?”
“I wish!” he laughed. “Could’ve saved me a fortune. No,” he shook his head. “I bought em all for the kids. Some of em are mine though,” he smiled. “They love Art. Hopefully they take after me in that way,” he blushed. “But really, carving the pumpkins keeps them busy while I work. And it gives us something to do together too. But no, they don’t grow here. The soil’s too rocky. Only thing that can grow here is trees. And for a while, children,” he smiled sweetly.
Savannah liked Gerard more and more as he revealed himself to her. He was thoughtful and kind, struggling as someone thrust in over their head and forced into responsibility. She could relate to all of those things. Perhaps in time Gerard, his niece and nephew would become like her new family as the Johnsons had been for so long. “Oh, I brought my references,” she said, her train of thought leading her to the reminder as she hoped she would not have to explain how she had come to it.
Gerard smiled as he led her deeper into the woods. “Savannah, do you really think I’d bring you all the way out here if I didn’t have faith in you already?”
She giggled. “No. I suppose not.”
“I’ll take them anyway when we get inside,” he grinned. “I don’t think you could fit any kind of ax into that little purse but I’m not taking any chances with my family,” he laughed.
“Good man,” she chided.
The house came into full view as a break in the trees opened up into the small clearing where it stood, protected on all sides by the woods. It was a two level log cabin of the highest caliber; not like the old homes of history’s past. The house was well put together with a balcony running all the way around the top floor and a wrap- around porch beneath it to boot. Lit jack o’ lanterns lined each of the five steps up to the porch, some with designer patterns by a skilled Artist, obviously Gerard’s. Others had the usual triangle eyes and zig-zagged mouths that children often create. There was a homey feel to the place instantly and Savannah fell in love with the place Gerard had made for himself, and now the two small children.
“Oh,” he said halfway up the stairs as he stopped and turned to face her. “I nearly forgot…Happy Halloween, Savannah,” Gerard grinned.
“Happy Halloween, Gerard,” she smiled up at him, following him up to the porch.
As he opened the door, the interior took Savannah’s breath away. The main room was cozy with soft light and bright pictures all around. The drapes were a crimson and black fusion that matched the cushy sofa and arm chair. A glass coffee table with wrought iron legs twisted beneath it in front of a pristine stone fireplace. It was a modern beauty tucked inside a charmingly rustic exterior and Savannah instantly fell in love with the design.
“This is beautiful!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth as soon as she realized how loud she had been. She looked up to the second floor where the interior balcony overlooked the living room and listened for any stirring upstairs.
Gerard laughed and shook his head. “I think they could sleep through anything right now,” he said, though he lowered his voice some. “I’m just gonna run up and check on them if you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” she smiled. He was so polite and sweet. They were good qualities in a person. “Do you want me to come?” She had not gotten to talk to either child on Saturday night. All she knew was that Tommy was seven, Jenny was five, and the children had been orphaned when their mother, Gerard’s sister, had died in a house fire.
“They’re probably still asleep. I’ll only be a minute. Make yourself at home, Savannah,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
She sat down and crossed her legs, folding her hands over her knee. Shifting position, Savannah leaned back and spread her arms out across the arm and back cushions. She did not want to seem inviting; she did not know him yet after all. But she did not want to appear closed off either. Savannah felt silly for putting so much thought into something so simple as how she should sit. She tried a few more positions anyway before finally retreating from the couch altogether and fingering through the books on the shelf. There were Art History books, novels, costume design books and sonnets. One thick, leather spine drew Savannah’s attention as she plucked it from its wedged place in the row. It was a Family Photo Album.
Looking over her shoulder, Savannah flipped through the pages, sneaking glances at the memories of the man she was just getting to know. The children were only in few of them and she wondered how much a part of Gerard’s life they had been before his sister died. The grown siblings themselves must have been close for her to will her children to Gerard. The children looked happy though with their doting uncle in younger days. There were no pictures of their mother though. There was another young man in many of the pictures with Gerard and the children, who might have been another sibling of his. She wondered why he had not been offered the children instead of Gerard. A sudden guilt came over Savannah as she thought of how she would feel if Gerard were in her home, looking through her memories of happier times and assuming things about the people in them. She closed the album and replaced it on the shelf.
Gerard surprised her as she turned around and he was standing right in front of her. “You are making yourself at home, aren’t you,” he mused with a smile.
“Oh, God,” she frowned. “I’m so sorry,” Savannah said, shaking her head and scolding herself.
He did not seem to be upset by it at all though; merely, amused. “I want you to feel at home here. If you like it, maybe you’ll consider taking a full time position,” he offered. “I have a lot of work and very little time,” he sighed. “I don’t want the kids to feel lonely or ignored. I know how that feels myself,” he whispered.
He was so close to her she could smell the charcoal from one of his drawings as his hand swept through his dark hair. Savannah said gently, “I know how it feels to be isolated and alone. I can’t imagine what it was like way out here before the kids came though. It must have been hard.”
He nodded. “Sometimes. Other times it’s been a blessing,” he shrugged. “There are so many people out in the world you have to protect yourself from. Out here though, there’s no competition; no escape from truth; no need for a mask like everywhere else.”
She could see the wronged youth somewhere inside Gerard’s eyes as he looked at her; a hurt little boy who had exiled himself to the small island to be alone with his Art. She could not imagine how hard it must have been when life on the outside world claimed his sister. He had been forced to open his world to let his niece and nephew into it. Perhaps it had opened his heart in a way as well.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she offered. “If people never took their masks down, no one would ever know who they really were. This world doesn’t have room for the double personalities of people with masks. It’s overcrowded already,” she smiled. Frowning, she added, “It’s also missing too many good people.”
“More and more every day,” he sighed. He smiled at her and shook his head. “This conversation just got heavy. Can I get you something to drink?” he offered. “Soda, water, juice? I don’t keep anything stronger because of the kids,” he apologized.
Savannah grinned. “I couldn’t anyway. I’m working,” she said with a nod to confirm her acceptance of the position. “Juice would be great though.”
He excused himself to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later. “Orange juice okay?” he asked.
“It’s great, thanks.”
He shrugged, sipping from his own glass. “It’s orange. That’s festively Halloween-like,” he laughed.
“Sure,” she said, as they clinked their glasses together.
He sat down on the couch beside her. “So you like the place?”
“I do,” she said, looking around at all the tender touches. “And I love what you’ve done with it. For a place in the middle of nowhere, it still looks and feels like home. It’s…warm,” she smiled.
Gerard beamed with pride. “Thank you. Very much,” he nodded. “The winters are cold though, with the breeze off the water in every direction; shakes the trees and makes a lot of noise as the old branches bend and sway. I hope it won’t frighten the kids this year.”
“I thought they came to you six months ago? Weren’t they here for the winter?” she asked.
He nodded. “We had a pretty mild winter last year though. I think we’re gonna get hit hard this year to make up for it. And really, they were in such a state of shock, I don’t think they noticed anything beyond themselves. We were all dazed last winter,” he said softly.
Savannah felt like everything she said seemed to bring up bad memories for him. “Well, those old trees should make for some good fires to keep warm this year,” she smiled.
Gerard shook his head with a smile. “Something about building a fire in a house made of wood just doesn’t sit well with me,” he laughed.
“Of course,” she reasoned, slapping her palm against her forehead. Thinking about it further she added, “And I’m sure the children don’t want anything to do with fires anyway.” He looked at her, curiously unaware. “Because of how your sister died,” she added regretfully, having brought it up yet again.
He nodded with realization. “I did tell you about that then, huh? I’ve had to tell the story to so many people, it’s hard for me to keep track anymore. Doctors, teachers, therapists,” he said, running down the list. “I’ve tried to give the kids back a normal life…but it’s still a new life that has to be started over,” he sighed. “The more I can tell the story for them, the less they have to relive it.”
Gently, Savannah pressed, “Maybe they need to talk about it. I know after I lost my parents, I didn’t want to talk about it. But when my Aunt put me into therapy, it really helped.”
“I think it helps them too,” he said. “I only tell the counselors the background of it all in the beginning. It’s up to the kids to take it from there,” he said with a hopeful look as he glanced up to the second floor. “Man,” he sighed. “I wish they weren’t sick and you could spend some real time with them. I’m monopolizing you,” he grinned.
She laughed, “I’m the one monopolizing you! You should be working and here you are entertaining me when you should be spending time with on your Art,” she said guiltily.
He shook his head. “Savannah, I’m not entertaining you. I’m getting to know you,” he smiled. “That’s an Art-form all in itself.”
She blushed and reached for her purse, checking her cellphone. “We’ve been here a while now and your deadline’s only getting closer,” she reminded him. Looking over the faceplate of her phone she noticed, “I don’t have a signal.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, there’s no reception way out here. I’ve got a landline if you need one though,” he offered.
“No,” Savannah smiled. “Just an observation.” She looked up to the second floor’s balcony. “Want me to check on the kids?”
He shook his head, “Nah. They were sound asleep when we got back. Hopefully they can sleep right through this flu. I hate that they’re missing Halloween,” he sighed. “It’s their favorite holiday as much as it is mine. I told them I’d light up all the pumpkins in the woods we set out and take a walk later if they felt up to it though. It’s one of the last really warm nights of the season and the fresh air would probably do them good.” He smiled, “I was going to fill some of the pumpkins with candy and let them trick or treat through the woods. Silly I guess,” Gerard shrugged.
She cocked her head with a grin. “Not at all. I think it’s sweet actually.”
“I guess,” he said. “At least they got to go door to door on Saturday. Since we’re the only ones out here, we had to drive to a real neighborhood. But I found you so I guess it was a good plan,” he smiled.
“The best,” Savannah blushed.
He tucked his dark hair behind his ear and smiled that lopsided smirk she was starting to adore. “How about I go light those pumpkins and we’ll see if the kids are up to it? Then I’ll get to work for my deadline.”
“Sure,” she nodded. “Do you want help out there? There were so many just from what I could see coming up.”
He shook his head. “No, I got it. Only light out there is the moon right now and I don’t want you falling over a tree root or anything. I’ll light up the woods and then we can go,” he smiled.
“Alright,” she agreed.
Savannah watched him take his cigarettes and lighter as he headed out into the dark Halloween night. She settled back on the couch and drank her orange juice, loving the sweet taste. She thought of all the times she had fought with her mother over the kind of juice she always bought. Savannah did not like the stringy pulp in the kind her mother always got. It always looked to her like she was drinking a pumpkin and the skin peel was floating around inside. She had fought her mother over so many silly things back then. She had not realized her mother would not be there one day to argue such frivolous things. She finished the juice and nodded her head sleepily.
Staring down into the empty glass with blurring eyes, Savannah reached inside, tracing her finger over the small white crystals that had collected in the bottom. She held it up to her nose and smelled only orange juice. With a touch to her tongue, Savannah’s face puckered from the bitter cut of the sour taste. Her eyes became glassy, like looking through water as her body felt heavier by the second. Savannah’s mind started to wander as she thought about what those white traces could be. As the drugs took affect, taking over her body, she began to realize the danger she was in.
Thoughts of the predicament she had put herself in began to race through her head like her pulse through her body. She had met a complete stranger only two nights before. She had given him her phone number knowing hardly anything about him. She had come out to the middle of nowhere with him, to a place with no cellphone service, and no one knew where she was. She had taken a drink from him she had not seen prepared. She had no way off that island she had come freely to without any regard for her safety.
Savannah thought back over the millions of mistakes she had made so easily. She had broken every single rule for the attention of a handsome man. But handsome men did not drug girls. They could have anyone they wanted, she reasoned. As the drugs flushed through her system faster, she realized he already had gotten exactly what he wanted. Gerard had picked her out off the street. He had wanted her. And now he had her.
All those times she had warned the twins about strangers and Savannah had walked right into every single trap. Her dizzy head settled as she thought of the twins. The kids. The reason she had trusted Gerard so much in the first place. If she woke them up, they could help her get back to the boat and she could take them away!
Savannah stumbled off the couch and hit the floor with a thud she was thankful Gerard was too far away to hear. Pulling herself up, she held onto every piece of furniture between herself and the staircase. She forced herself up each step, hanging onto the railing as her body weighed down with heaviness and tightened with fear. She pulled herself along the banister when she finally reached the top of the stairs and saw notes on two closed doors, knowing they must be the ones Gerard had mentioned earlier. At least there was one thing he had told the truth about.
She fell against the first door and gripped the handle in her sweaty palm, slipping over it as she tried to turn it. Finally she twisted it as the door swung open and her heavy body followed against it. The door hit the wall behind it inside the room to reveal something worse than the fear that already gripped her. No child was inside that little room. There was nothing inside that room at all. It was bare as the day it was built!
Savannah groaned with sickness as she forced her way along the door, back out into the hallway to the adjacent door with Gerard’s note on it. Her blurry eyes made out the message for Jenny and she threw the door open into the empty darkness of another room. Savannah cried out in horror as she stumbled backwards, bumping into the door behind her that swung open and allowed her to fall straight back to the hardwood floor. This room was not empty. In fact, it was full.
She pulled her hurt body up the post of the canopy bed to a standing position. The light from the living room only illuminated part of the room from its balcony view but it was enough to see the girl’s room. Everything was pink and lacey right down to the bedspread and curtains. A vanity sat against the wall with a cushioned stool and make-up and perfumes lined the glass top, reflecting in the mirror that hung in front of it where Savannah saw her own frightened face.
She no longer cared about helping the children as there were none to find and save. She did not care whose room this was and Savannah only wanted to get out; out of the room, the house and danger. She wanted to get off the island and away from the man she knew nothing about.
She dragged her tired body to the door, her adrenaline pumping so hard she found new will. As she stared at the door she had crashed through though, Savannah saw the nameplate clearly. ‘Savannah’ it read. She reached out her trembling finger to touch it, finding the fresh paint still wet. Now she cared whose room it was. Gerard had made it for her! As the paint smeared away it revealed something underneath. Savannah wiped more of it to reveal dried letters beneath it that the new paint covered. It read ‘Kimberly’. She was not the first girl to be brought to this place and as Savannah looked at the multiple layers of paint that lined the edge, she realized there had been more than one girl before her!
What did he want with her? It really did not matter. He had Savannah now. He was not going to let her go. He had brought her there, not for a job; not for the children she had thought to be his. Gerard had taken her and she had helped him willingly as a participant in her own abduction every step of the way. He was going to keep her there on that island forever; or until he was done with her and the next girl’s name was painted over hers.
This was the man her mother had warned her about!
How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she have been so naïve? Savannah stopped trying to reason as everything in her body told her to run. Where she would go did not matter so long as Gerard could not find her when he came back. She would make her way through the woods, following the path they had come up and find her way to the water and the boat that had brought them there.
Savannah ran out into the hall and looked down the tall staircase, blinded by the rush of light from the rest of the house as vertigo took over and the stairs spun before her. A split second later, she was the one spinning. Savannah spun, fell, bounced and tumbled down the entire flight of stairs. Her body ached and her heart clenched with fear as she raised her head off the hard floor to the boots, legs, belt, chest and finally the smirk on Gerard’s face as he towered over her.
“So you know then,” he grinned. “I guess that saves me the explanation,” Gerard mused, cocking his head to see her terrified eyes. “Goodnight, Savannah,” he smirked.
Her head hit the floor. Her eyes plunged her into darkness. Her heavy body lost all feeling and finally went completely numb. Savannah could hear the scraping sound clearly though. Her eyes fluttered, fighting the sleep-hold that was trying to claim her. She saw where the noise was coming from and it was worse than she had imagined. Gerard was dragging her numb body across the hardwood floor, deeper inside the house to a place she had not been…and may never leave again.
Curious, kittens? There will be explanations to everything in the final chapter. It will all make sense except for why he picked /her/. Maybe it was because she was one of the few babysitters dressed for Halloween that night. Maybe it was just because she was there. He has explanations for all of his lies but the method behind his madness is a harder one to crack. Sometimes there is no reason for a madman to act out his evil. Sometimes, a victim is born simply because they don’t see the devil behind the mask. Sometimes the mask is the real face they did not know they should have looked behind. Things are going to get scary sexy in the final chapter. I hope you’ll come back to read it. Xoxo Harley
Thank you all so much for rating and reviewing!! It means so much to me that you take the time to share your thoughts. I hope you like this story because I’m having a lot of fun writing it. I’m not sure which story I’m going to write after this one but I know it will be longer. I’m tossing around a few ideas in my head but ‘Solitary’ is going to have to wait because it’s too heavy for me to write at this time. But I’ll come up with something for you soon. Thank you!! Halloween is coming!! It’s almost here!!
Savannah tucked the twins into bed later that night, kissed them on their full, rosy cheeks and turned out the lights except for the nightlight they requested. She saved her tears for the bottom of the stairs where Savannah sat down and cried for a while before pulling herself together again. She was going to miss those little ones very much but she had not expected it to hit her so hard and suddenly.
While she changed back into her regular comfortable clothes, Savannah thought about the new family she would be helping and the endless possibilities that opportunity would come with. It was all part of her fresh start in life and the new job might be just what she needed. Knowing that Gerard’s niece and nephew had lost their parents as well, gave her a sense of empathetic purpose in helping them. She was also eager to get to know Gerard, even if he was a bit older than her. She was eighteen years old and in charge of herself. Savannah felt like she was grown enough to do as she pleased.
She stared in the mirror, happy to be back in clothes that reminded her more of herself. It was fun to dress up and try on a new personality where she was flirty and bold…but it was also relieving to look out of her own eyes and simply be the sweet good girl she had always been. Savannah let her hair back down and stuffed her costume back into its bag.
The Johnsons called around eleven and checked in, saying they would be late and making sure Savannah did not mind. Of course she didn’t. She settled onto the couch for a night of horror movies that every channel seemed to be playing for the weekend before Halloween. Curling up under a blanket, Savannah hung on every scream as she zoned out in front of the television, eating assorted candy from the bowl that had not quite emptied while they were gone. By the time the Johnsons stumbled in around three though, the bowl was empty, her stomach was full and a fourth victim in the movie was currently having her insides turned out. She set the bowl in the sink, running some water in it while she greeted the parents. After an abbreviated goodbye, Savannah offered to watch the twins while the Johnsons packed for their move and took a short but stellar letter of recommendation home with her.
Walking through the dark streets, Savannah wished she had taken Mr. Johnson up on his offer to drive her home. She had reasoned that he had been drinking a bit and there was no need to make him go back out onto the road now that he was home. The house was only a few blocks away but her imagination was running away with her as she sped up.
The streets were desolate and abandoned. She had thought teenagers would still be out but, since the actual holiday was not until Monday, it was a quiet night. It was easier to convince children to pretend that the weekend night was Halloween. Teenagers knew better and would not settle for less than the holiday they waited all year for. As youth grew up over time, pretending became lying, and yet the magic of Halloween was still believed, though only on its true night. For tonight, perhaps the streets were safer than Halloween as the teenagers had not bothered to come out and the young children had all finally gone to bed. As she walked home, the hollow notes from the last horror movie Savannah watched kept her moving full speed ahead.
The call came the following afternoon and although she had slept late, the time between waking and the call coming in was spent anxiously awaiting the ring of her cellphone. “Hello?”
“Savannah,” smiled the warm voice on the other end. “It’s Gerard. How are you today?”
She beamed, trying to contain herself so it would not show through the phone. “I’m good thanks. How are you?”
“I’m hanging in there,” he said with a drone voice.
She giggled. “Well that sounded convincing,” she said sarcastically.
Gerard laughed. “Sorry. I’m a little stressed out but I’m getting by. The kids seemed to have come down with something overnight. Maybe all the running around last night, people passing out candy when they’re sick and stuff. I don’t know. But they seem to have the same thing with mild fever, sore throats and neither one can keep much down.”
“Oh that’s awful,” Savannah said, furrowing her brow with concern. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she offered hopefully.
He smiled, “Chicken soup delivered. STAT.” He liked the sound of her laugh through the phone. Gerard shook his head, “No, thank you though. I started them on medicine and they’ll probably only be contagious for the first 24 hours. But…” he trailed off. “If you wouldn’t mind jumping right in, I could really use your help tomorrow night. I wouldn’t rush ya like this but I’ve got a deadline I can’t miss and I’m splitting myself in three directions right now.”
“Well we can’t have that,” she smiled. “I’d be happy to help tomorrow.”
Gerard breathed a sigh of relief right into the phone. “Savannah? You’re a lifesaver,” he smiled. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ll text you directions for…say…6:30?”
“Sure,” she smiled. “I look forward to seeing you then.”
“Me too,” he grinned. “Thanks, Savannah.”
She hung up the phone and lay back on her comfy couch with a smile that could not be contained. Running upstairs and tearing through her closet, Savannah tried to find something suitable for the new job but also attractive for her new boss. Knowing she would be taking care of two young sick children, Savannah opted for a pair of jeans, but made them comfortably tight. She picked out a red tank top and looked in the mirror. It was a bit too revealing, even for the last warm night of the season and only a second impression. Savannah pulled a long, thin, black scarf on, winding it once around her neck and letting the two strands hang down to cover some of the cleavage she was still trying to convince herself to reveal. The safe accessory made her look more comfortably casual than accessibly available and she was happy with the more modest yet fun look she had put together. She hung everything up in the bathroom for the following evening, satisfied with her decision.
Savannah amused herself in the mean time by watching the endless marathon of horror movies and scaring herself silly. She barely slept a wink that night thinking of both the frightening monsters from the television and the handsome man from the night before. When Gerard texted her directions the next day and she did not recognize the street, she immediately entered the address into her GPS to see where it was. The estimated time of arrival was thirty-five minutes and Savannah was surprised to see how far it was. She had simply assumed Gerard and the children lived close by since they were trick or treating in the Tower Gardens neighborhood. Although, she had also assumed the children were his so she supposed it would be better to stop filling in all the blanks herself and find out more through questions instead.
She dressed quickly without much time to prepare now that she had to drive there, ran a comb through her long blonde hair and checked her make-up one last time before running out the door into the late evening. She set a bowl of candy out on her stoop just in case any older kids ventured out on the real Halloween it had finally come to be. If older children came and there were no treats, she did not want to be on the receiving end of their tricks.
Following the directions on her GPS, Savannah turned down the dead end road to her destination to find only the docks at the old abandoned marina. Even the warehouses behind it no longer shipped or received goods anymore. She double checked the address sent to her phone and matched it to the place she now stood alone. A chill ran through her as she looked ahead through the windshield at the silhouetted figure moving towards her as the fading, blazing sun reflected off the water in the background, blinding her view. She leaned her head out the window as the figure ducked his head, holding his hand up to see past her headlights.
“Gerard?” she called hopefully.
“Savannah!” he laughed, lowering his hand as she turned off her lights. He approached her more quickly with a smile. “I didn’t know what kind of car you drove and I couldn’t be sure you weren’t a teenager coming to stir up trouble in the abandoned lot.”
She laughed and grabbed her purse from the seat, rolling up her window and locking the door as she stepped from the car. “No trouble here,” she smiled. “I thought you were the trouble coming to find me,” Savannah laughed.
“Naw,” he shook his head. “Our place is over on Ridge Island,” he said, pointing off into the far distance beyond the choppy channel. “Usually the ferry will come by when we request since it’s off the main route but it stops running at five.” He watched Savannah’s wary eyes as they approached the small boat tied to the dock. “You’re not afraid of water, are you?” he worried.
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m a decent swimmer if I need to be,” Savannah nodded.
He smiled, “You won’t need to be, Savannah. My boat’s safe. I take the kids out on it all the time. Besides, you wouldn’t want to swim in the ocean at these depths. Sharks have been known to troll these waters from time to time.” Her eyes got wide with fear as he laughed. “Sorry. That wasn’t very reassuring of me, was it.”
She gave him a playful shove and bit her lip, hoping that was not out of line. He was going to be her boss in a sense after all. He did not seem to mind though, stepping down into the boat and reaching up to take her hand. Gerard helped her down and gave her a life preserver with a smile to put her more at ease. He sat at the bow, pulling the line to the motor as it fired up and he sat high on the rim across from her, steering them across the water towards the small island she could barely see.
Savannah watched Gerard for most of the way as he sat with his back to the island and looked over his shoulder to see where he was going. He was even more handsome in the fading sunlight and she could take in all of his features now that she could fully see him. He turned back to check on her and see how she was holding up in the bumpy ride over choppy waters, catching her watching him as he grinned.
Savannah looked quickly away, soaking in the breathtaking view as the fuzzy image in the distance took shape the closer they got. Ridge Island was a tiny spot of a place, bobbing out of the water like a forested sandbar and apparently how it earned its name as it jutted up from the ocean. The trees were tall and with all the woods, she could not even see the house he lived in. It looked like a calm oasis though; a quiet seclusion away from the world. The sun seemed to light the trees on fire as they glowed in their golds and reds, dancing like flames in the wind. It was beautiful really. She wondered if it would look the same once the sun went down and the city lights were far away, leaving no supplementary light sources.
“What do you think?” he asked, chewing his lip as though nervous for her reaction.
She smiled, “It’s beautiful. Perfect for an Artist.”
He grinned, pleased with both her approval and her keeping his passionate occupation in mind. “It really is,” Gerard nodded. “Not the best place to raise two kids,” he sighed. “But I didn’t know that would become the plan when I bought the place. Back then, I had only myself to think about.” He shrugged, speaking up over the loud hum of the motor. “But at least I don’t have to worry about crime or strangers or anything like that,” he laughed. “The kids are safe and there’s plenty of nature for them to enjoy. Only thing I have to worry about here is keeping them out of the water and from getting lost in the woods. There’re hundreds of paths on the island. Not many animals though. Just a few deer, foxes, raccoons, birds…that sort. I give the kids whistles every time they go out to play though. Just in case they get lost or scared,” he nodded protectively. “I’ve got one too in case I need to call them in.”
“That’s a great idea,” she called out over the rumble of the motor.
He nodded. “I try. We’ll be getting a place on the mainland soon when I get enough money together. I don’t want them out here for a harsh winter. If anything ever happened, it would be too hard to get back,” he sighed. “It keeps me up most nights just thinking about it.”
Savannah smiled comfortingly as she cocked her head. “You love them very much. I can tell.”
“I do,” he smiled. “It’s hard, but I love a good challenge.” Gerard looked back over his shoulder as he careened the boat toward the shore and slowing as they approached. The waves carried them in the last of the way to the shore where they lapped at the land and eroded the surface. “We’re here,” he smiled as the waves launched them onto the land. He jumped out and pulled the boat, with Savannah in it, farther up into a secured position. He extended his hand to her again and helped her out into the dry caked soil beyond the ocean’s reach. “Sensible shoes,” he smiled, noting her tennis shoes. “Wise choice.”
She laughed, stepping over the side of the boat and onto dry land. “Anytime kids are involved, sensible shoes are always a wise choice.”
He smiled and nodded, leading her up the man-made path to the woods. “You won’t have to worry about running after them tonight,” he shrugged regretfully. “Their fevers are higher today and they haven’t left their beds since Saturday night.”
“That’s alright. I know plenty of games that don’t require moving around,” she smiled.
He laughed, “They love games as much as I do. I offered to play board games with them while they rested but they just wanted to sleep. That’s how I know they’re sick,” he joked.
“Poor things,” Savannah sighed.
He nodded, as they made their way up the path through the trees that were as old as the island itself. “I feel bad leaving them all alone but I had no other way to get you here. I’ve had so much on my mind with my deadline and all I wasn’t even thinking about the ferry times. Hopefully they just slept the whole time. I left them notes on their bedroom doors in case they woke,” he said, knowing it did not excuse him leaving.
Offering a bit of solace she said, “I’m sure they’re fine. Really.” Gerard smiled with gratitude as they continued along the path. She could see pumpkins scattered throughout the woods but as the last of the sunlight went down and the darkness of the trees blocked out the dying light, it was hard to see if they were carved or not. “Lots of pumpkins,” she smiled. “Do they grow here?”
“I wish!” he laughed. “Could’ve saved me a fortune. No,” he shook his head. “I bought em all for the kids. Some of em are mine though,” he smiled. “They love Art. Hopefully they take after me in that way,” he blushed. “But really, carving the pumpkins keeps them busy while I work. And it gives us something to do together too. But no, they don’t grow here. The soil’s too rocky. Only thing that can grow here is trees. And for a while, children,” he smiled sweetly.
Savannah liked Gerard more and more as he revealed himself to her. He was thoughtful and kind, struggling as someone thrust in over their head and forced into responsibility. She could relate to all of those things. Perhaps in time Gerard, his niece and nephew would become like her new family as the Johnsons had been for so long. “Oh, I brought my references,” she said, her train of thought leading her to the reminder as she hoped she would not have to explain how she had come to it.
Gerard smiled as he led her deeper into the woods. “Savannah, do you really think I’d bring you all the way out here if I didn’t have faith in you already?”
She giggled. “No. I suppose not.”
“I’ll take them anyway when we get inside,” he grinned. “I don’t think you could fit any kind of ax into that little purse but I’m not taking any chances with my family,” he laughed.
“Good man,” she chided.
The house came into full view as a break in the trees opened up into the small clearing where it stood, protected on all sides by the woods. It was a two level log cabin of the highest caliber; not like the old homes of history’s past. The house was well put together with a balcony running all the way around the top floor and a wrap- around porch beneath it to boot. Lit jack o’ lanterns lined each of the five steps up to the porch, some with designer patterns by a skilled Artist, obviously Gerard’s. Others had the usual triangle eyes and zig-zagged mouths that children often create. There was a homey feel to the place instantly and Savannah fell in love with the place Gerard had made for himself, and now the two small children.
“Oh,” he said halfway up the stairs as he stopped and turned to face her. “I nearly forgot…Happy Halloween, Savannah,” Gerard grinned.
“Happy Halloween, Gerard,” she smiled up at him, following him up to the porch.
As he opened the door, the interior took Savannah’s breath away. The main room was cozy with soft light and bright pictures all around. The drapes were a crimson and black fusion that matched the cushy sofa and arm chair. A glass coffee table with wrought iron legs twisted beneath it in front of a pristine stone fireplace. It was a modern beauty tucked inside a charmingly rustic exterior and Savannah instantly fell in love with the design.
“This is beautiful!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth as soon as she realized how loud she had been. She looked up to the second floor where the interior balcony overlooked the living room and listened for any stirring upstairs.
Gerard laughed and shook his head. “I think they could sleep through anything right now,” he said, though he lowered his voice some. “I’m just gonna run up and check on them if you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” she smiled. He was so polite and sweet. They were good qualities in a person. “Do you want me to come?” She had not gotten to talk to either child on Saturday night. All she knew was that Tommy was seven, Jenny was five, and the children had been orphaned when their mother, Gerard’s sister, had died in a house fire.
“They’re probably still asleep. I’ll only be a minute. Make yourself at home, Savannah,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
She sat down and crossed her legs, folding her hands over her knee. Shifting position, Savannah leaned back and spread her arms out across the arm and back cushions. She did not want to seem inviting; she did not know him yet after all. But she did not want to appear closed off either. Savannah felt silly for putting so much thought into something so simple as how she should sit. She tried a few more positions anyway before finally retreating from the couch altogether and fingering through the books on the shelf. There were Art History books, novels, costume design books and sonnets. One thick, leather spine drew Savannah’s attention as she plucked it from its wedged place in the row. It was a Family Photo Album.
Looking over her shoulder, Savannah flipped through the pages, sneaking glances at the memories of the man she was just getting to know. The children were only in few of them and she wondered how much a part of Gerard’s life they had been before his sister died. The grown siblings themselves must have been close for her to will her children to Gerard. The children looked happy though with their doting uncle in younger days. There were no pictures of their mother though. There was another young man in many of the pictures with Gerard and the children, who might have been another sibling of his. She wondered why he had not been offered the children instead of Gerard. A sudden guilt came over Savannah as she thought of how she would feel if Gerard were in her home, looking through her memories of happier times and assuming things about the people in them. She closed the album and replaced it on the shelf.
Gerard surprised her as she turned around and he was standing right in front of her. “You are making yourself at home, aren’t you,” he mused with a smile.
“Oh, God,” she frowned. “I’m so sorry,” Savannah said, shaking her head and scolding herself.
He did not seem to be upset by it at all though; merely, amused. “I want you to feel at home here. If you like it, maybe you’ll consider taking a full time position,” he offered. “I have a lot of work and very little time,” he sighed. “I don’t want the kids to feel lonely or ignored. I know how that feels myself,” he whispered.
He was so close to her she could smell the charcoal from one of his drawings as his hand swept through his dark hair. Savannah said gently, “I know how it feels to be isolated and alone. I can’t imagine what it was like way out here before the kids came though. It must have been hard.”
He nodded. “Sometimes. Other times it’s been a blessing,” he shrugged. “There are so many people out in the world you have to protect yourself from. Out here though, there’s no competition; no escape from truth; no need for a mask like everywhere else.”
She could see the wronged youth somewhere inside Gerard’s eyes as he looked at her; a hurt little boy who had exiled himself to the small island to be alone with his Art. She could not imagine how hard it must have been when life on the outside world claimed his sister. He had been forced to open his world to let his niece and nephew into it. Perhaps it had opened his heart in a way as well.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she offered. “If people never took their masks down, no one would ever know who they really were. This world doesn’t have room for the double personalities of people with masks. It’s overcrowded already,” she smiled. Frowning, she added, “It’s also missing too many good people.”
“More and more every day,” he sighed. He smiled at her and shook his head. “This conversation just got heavy. Can I get you something to drink?” he offered. “Soda, water, juice? I don’t keep anything stronger because of the kids,” he apologized.
Savannah grinned. “I couldn’t anyway. I’m working,” she said with a nod to confirm her acceptance of the position. “Juice would be great though.”
He excused himself to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later. “Orange juice okay?” he asked.
“It’s great, thanks.”
He shrugged, sipping from his own glass. “It’s orange. That’s festively Halloween-like,” he laughed.
“Sure,” she said, as they clinked their glasses together.
He sat down on the couch beside her. “So you like the place?”
“I do,” she said, looking around at all the tender touches. “And I love what you’ve done with it. For a place in the middle of nowhere, it still looks and feels like home. It’s…warm,” she smiled.
Gerard beamed with pride. “Thank you. Very much,” he nodded. “The winters are cold though, with the breeze off the water in every direction; shakes the trees and makes a lot of noise as the old branches bend and sway. I hope it won’t frighten the kids this year.”
“I thought they came to you six months ago? Weren’t they here for the winter?” she asked.
He nodded. “We had a pretty mild winter last year though. I think we’re gonna get hit hard this year to make up for it. And really, they were in such a state of shock, I don’t think they noticed anything beyond themselves. We were all dazed last winter,” he said softly.
Savannah felt like everything she said seemed to bring up bad memories for him. “Well, those old trees should make for some good fires to keep warm this year,” she smiled.
Gerard shook his head with a smile. “Something about building a fire in a house made of wood just doesn’t sit well with me,” he laughed.
“Of course,” she reasoned, slapping her palm against her forehead. Thinking about it further she added, “And I’m sure the children don’t want anything to do with fires anyway.” He looked at her, curiously unaware. “Because of how your sister died,” she added regretfully, having brought it up yet again.
He nodded with realization. “I did tell you about that then, huh? I’ve had to tell the story to so many people, it’s hard for me to keep track anymore. Doctors, teachers, therapists,” he said, running down the list. “I’ve tried to give the kids back a normal life…but it’s still a new life that has to be started over,” he sighed. “The more I can tell the story for them, the less they have to relive it.”
Gently, Savannah pressed, “Maybe they need to talk about it. I know after I lost my parents, I didn’t want to talk about it. But when my Aunt put me into therapy, it really helped.”
“I think it helps them too,” he said. “I only tell the counselors the background of it all in the beginning. It’s up to the kids to take it from there,” he said with a hopeful look as he glanced up to the second floor. “Man,” he sighed. “I wish they weren’t sick and you could spend some real time with them. I’m monopolizing you,” he grinned.
She laughed, “I’m the one monopolizing you! You should be working and here you are entertaining me when you should be spending time with on your Art,” she said guiltily.
He shook his head. “Savannah, I’m not entertaining you. I’m getting to know you,” he smiled. “That’s an Art-form all in itself.”
She blushed and reached for her purse, checking her cellphone. “We’ve been here a while now and your deadline’s only getting closer,” she reminded him. Looking over the faceplate of her phone she noticed, “I don’t have a signal.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, there’s no reception way out here. I’ve got a landline if you need one though,” he offered.
“No,” Savannah smiled. “Just an observation.” She looked up to the second floor’s balcony. “Want me to check on the kids?”
He shook his head, “Nah. They were sound asleep when we got back. Hopefully they can sleep right through this flu. I hate that they’re missing Halloween,” he sighed. “It’s their favorite holiday as much as it is mine. I told them I’d light up all the pumpkins in the woods we set out and take a walk later if they felt up to it though. It’s one of the last really warm nights of the season and the fresh air would probably do them good.” He smiled, “I was going to fill some of the pumpkins with candy and let them trick or treat through the woods. Silly I guess,” Gerard shrugged.
She cocked her head with a grin. “Not at all. I think it’s sweet actually.”
“I guess,” he said. “At least they got to go door to door on Saturday. Since we’re the only ones out here, we had to drive to a real neighborhood. But I found you so I guess it was a good plan,” he smiled.
“The best,” Savannah blushed.
He tucked his dark hair behind his ear and smiled that lopsided smirk she was starting to adore. “How about I go light those pumpkins and we’ll see if the kids are up to it? Then I’ll get to work for my deadline.”
“Sure,” she nodded. “Do you want help out there? There were so many just from what I could see coming up.”
He shook his head. “No, I got it. Only light out there is the moon right now and I don’t want you falling over a tree root or anything. I’ll light up the woods and then we can go,” he smiled.
“Alright,” she agreed.
Savannah watched him take his cigarettes and lighter as he headed out into the dark Halloween night. She settled back on the couch and drank her orange juice, loving the sweet taste. She thought of all the times she had fought with her mother over the kind of juice she always bought. Savannah did not like the stringy pulp in the kind her mother always got. It always looked to her like she was drinking a pumpkin and the skin peel was floating around inside. She had fought her mother over so many silly things back then. She had not realized her mother would not be there one day to argue such frivolous things. She finished the juice and nodded her head sleepily.
Staring down into the empty glass with blurring eyes, Savannah reached inside, tracing her finger over the small white crystals that had collected in the bottom. She held it up to her nose and smelled only orange juice. With a touch to her tongue, Savannah’s face puckered from the bitter cut of the sour taste. Her eyes became glassy, like looking through water as her body felt heavier by the second. Savannah’s mind started to wander as she thought about what those white traces could be. As the drugs took affect, taking over her body, she began to realize the danger she was in.
Thoughts of the predicament she had put herself in began to race through her head like her pulse through her body. She had met a complete stranger only two nights before. She had given him her phone number knowing hardly anything about him. She had come out to the middle of nowhere with him, to a place with no cellphone service, and no one knew where she was. She had taken a drink from him she had not seen prepared. She had no way off that island she had come freely to without any regard for her safety.
Savannah thought back over the millions of mistakes she had made so easily. She had broken every single rule for the attention of a handsome man. But handsome men did not drug girls. They could have anyone they wanted, she reasoned. As the drugs flushed through her system faster, she realized he already had gotten exactly what he wanted. Gerard had picked her out off the street. He had wanted her. And now he had her.
All those times she had warned the twins about strangers and Savannah had walked right into every single trap. Her dizzy head settled as she thought of the twins. The kids. The reason she had trusted Gerard so much in the first place. If she woke them up, they could help her get back to the boat and she could take them away!
Savannah stumbled off the couch and hit the floor with a thud she was thankful Gerard was too far away to hear. Pulling herself up, she held onto every piece of furniture between herself and the staircase. She forced herself up each step, hanging onto the railing as her body weighed down with heaviness and tightened with fear. She pulled herself along the banister when she finally reached the top of the stairs and saw notes on two closed doors, knowing they must be the ones Gerard had mentioned earlier. At least there was one thing he had told the truth about.
She fell against the first door and gripped the handle in her sweaty palm, slipping over it as she tried to turn it. Finally she twisted it as the door swung open and her heavy body followed against it. The door hit the wall behind it inside the room to reveal something worse than the fear that already gripped her. No child was inside that little room. There was nothing inside that room at all. It was bare as the day it was built!
Savannah groaned with sickness as she forced her way along the door, back out into the hallway to the adjacent door with Gerard’s note on it. Her blurry eyes made out the message for Jenny and she threw the door open into the empty darkness of another room. Savannah cried out in horror as she stumbled backwards, bumping into the door behind her that swung open and allowed her to fall straight back to the hardwood floor. This room was not empty. In fact, it was full.
She pulled her hurt body up the post of the canopy bed to a standing position. The light from the living room only illuminated part of the room from its balcony view but it was enough to see the girl’s room. Everything was pink and lacey right down to the bedspread and curtains. A vanity sat against the wall with a cushioned stool and make-up and perfumes lined the glass top, reflecting in the mirror that hung in front of it where Savannah saw her own frightened face.
She no longer cared about helping the children as there were none to find and save. She did not care whose room this was and Savannah only wanted to get out; out of the room, the house and danger. She wanted to get off the island and away from the man she knew nothing about.
She dragged her tired body to the door, her adrenaline pumping so hard she found new will. As she stared at the door she had crashed through though, Savannah saw the nameplate clearly. ‘Savannah’ it read. She reached out her trembling finger to touch it, finding the fresh paint still wet. Now she cared whose room it was. Gerard had made it for her! As the paint smeared away it revealed something underneath. Savannah wiped more of it to reveal dried letters beneath it that the new paint covered. It read ‘Kimberly’. She was not the first girl to be brought to this place and as Savannah looked at the multiple layers of paint that lined the edge, she realized there had been more than one girl before her!
What did he want with her? It really did not matter. He had Savannah now. He was not going to let her go. He had brought her there, not for a job; not for the children she had thought to be his. Gerard had taken her and she had helped him willingly as a participant in her own abduction every step of the way. He was going to keep her there on that island forever; or until he was done with her and the next girl’s name was painted over hers.
This was the man her mother had warned her about!
How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she have been so naïve? Savannah stopped trying to reason as everything in her body told her to run. Where she would go did not matter so long as Gerard could not find her when he came back. She would make her way through the woods, following the path they had come up and find her way to the water and the boat that had brought them there.
Savannah ran out into the hall and looked down the tall staircase, blinded by the rush of light from the rest of the house as vertigo took over and the stairs spun before her. A split second later, she was the one spinning. Savannah spun, fell, bounced and tumbled down the entire flight of stairs. Her body ached and her heart clenched with fear as she raised her head off the hard floor to the boots, legs, belt, chest and finally the smirk on Gerard’s face as he towered over her.
“So you know then,” he grinned. “I guess that saves me the explanation,” Gerard mused, cocking his head to see her terrified eyes. “Goodnight, Savannah,” he smirked.
Her head hit the floor. Her eyes plunged her into darkness. Her heavy body lost all feeling and finally went completely numb. Savannah could hear the scraping sound clearly though. Her eyes fluttered, fighting the sleep-hold that was trying to claim her. She saw where the noise was coming from and it was worse than she had imagined. Gerard was dragging her numb body across the hardwood floor, deeper inside the house to a place she had not been…and may never leave again.
Curious, kittens? There will be explanations to everything in the final chapter. It will all make sense except for why he picked /her/. Maybe it was because she was one of the few babysitters dressed for Halloween that night. Maybe it was just because she was there. He has explanations for all of his lies but the method behind his madness is a harder one to crack. Sometimes there is no reason for a madman to act out his evil. Sometimes, a victim is born simply because they don’t see the devil behind the mask. Sometimes the mask is the real face they did not know they should have looked behind. Things are going to get scary sexy in the final chapter. I hope you’ll come back to read it. Xoxo Harley
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