Believe

Chapter Two:

The next day dawned bright and clear. I got up at eight-thirty on the dot. I changed into my clothes for the day, a pair of old jeans and a red t-shirt, and pulled by hair back into a ponytail. Today I would be exploring.  I trotted down my staircase and open the door, surprised to find my mom on the other side.


         “Gabby!” Exclaimed my mom and gave me a hug. I returned the hug full force and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She looked at me surprised for a moment before she continued. “Eleanor says breakfast is going to be at nine today because we all got a late start. You are in a good mood this morning.”


         I nodded and smiled at her. I was feeling better than I had in months. Maybe it was the excitement of moving or maybe it was the fact that I was away from the place where my dad had died. I did not know, but I was glad that I was not feeling so depressed. I still was not happy, but I was better then I normally was.


         “What do you think of the house? I had really hoped you would not mind sharing a house with other people. I know that it is a little awkward, but Eleanor and Wallace do their best to make us feel at home.” My mom tousled my hair a little as we started to walk toward the stairs.


         “Mom,” I complained as I laughed a little and tried to put my hair back into a semi-normal state. “The house is beautiful, I like it a lot. I still wish you would have told me that we would be living with someone, but I will admit, it isn’t that bad. Yet…mom…I heard them talking last night.”


         “Hmm?” My mom said distractedly as she traipsed down the hallway.


         “I heard them talking last night. All of them. They were talking about me and you not knowing about me.”I caught up with my mom and caught her arm to slow her down. “They said something about me not knowing about myself. It was really weird. Maybe we should get a background check on them or something.”


         “Gabby,” my mom laughed lightly. “You were probably dreaming. The McCready’s are very nice people. I am sure it’s just your nerves.”


         “Mom,” I looked around uncertainly, making sure they weren’t overhearing us. Of course, they probably had the whole house bugged. “I know I wasn’t dreaming.”


         “Sweetie, don’t worry about it. It was nothing, I am sure.” My mom kissed me on the top of the head and continued toward the down the hallway.“I know that not telling you we would be living with other people was a bad decision on my part, I’m sorry. I really should have told you. I will try not to do that to you ever again.”


         We both jumped as we heard the dining room door slam. We looked down the stairs to see the same boy I had seen last night picking up his keys and head out the door. He did not even look back at my mom and me.


         “That’s strange,” my mom said, still staring at the door. “He always ate with the rest of us when I was here last. He has skipped two family meals now. He has been acting pretty strange. He was so polite when I met him.”


         “At least you got to meet everybody,” I grumbled as we continued down the stairs. “I haven’t even met him.”


         “You will dear,” my mom pulled open the door to the dining room. “Have you noticed that you have talked more in the past few days then you have since the accident?”


         I stopped short of my chair when my mother said that. She was right. I had talked a lot since I had gotten here. I instantly felt bad about it, like somehow I was forgetting my dad by talking to everybody. I knew that was not the case, my dad would have wanted me to be happy, but that did not stop me from feeling bad.


         My bad mood was lifted a little when I saw Eleanor come out of the kitchen with a pile of waffles in one hand and in the other some syrup.


         “Good morning, Eleanor.” I sat down quickly and looked up at her as she put a waffle on my plate.


         “Hello Gabby, dear,.” She laughed. Her laugh tinkled like a bell and her eyes lit up with humor.


         I dug into the waffles hungrily. For some reason, all the suspicions I had went away as soon as I saw her. I almost forgot about the weird conversation I had heard last night, almost.


         “What are you planning to do today, Gabby?” She used the same nickname for me my mom did, strangely, it did not bother me.


         “I was thinking about exploring a little outside, it looks like a nice day.”  I said in between bites of waffle.


         “Are you sure you wouldn’t much rather stay inside and relax for a day, school does start tomorrow.”  Eleanor reminded me. I looked up at her face; but I could not read her expression.


         “Gabby always loves a little adventure, she can’t stay still for very long,” my mom smiled at me and went back to her food. I looked at Eleanor curiously. Why couldn’t I go explore outside?


         “There is supposed to be a pretty big storm coming. It will cool off pretty quickly. I don‘t think it would be safe to wander around after three-o-clock.” said Wallace gruffly, looking down at his food. I jumped slightly. I had not even heard him come in. I was sure they were trying to pressure me to stay indoors. I looked longingly out the window and I knew there was not enough in the house to keep me preoccupied.


         “I’ll explore the house a little and go out after I am done. Is that okay?” I asked. I was curious to see what the rest of house looked like anyway.


         “That‘s fine. When you do go out, please make sure to stay away from the east end of the property. There is a deep ravine hidden by the foliage, I don’t want you to getting hurt.” She smiled at me in a grandmotherly way and went back to eating her breakfast.


         “I won’t go east,” I promised quickly, polishing off the last of my waffle. “I’m going to look around the house, what time is lunch?”


          “Oh, I‘d say around twelve thirty or one.” Eleanor looked at Wallace and smiled at me. “Have fun, dear.”


         I got up from the table and headed to the parlor. I tried to think of all the places I had been in the house. I had been to my room, my mother’s room, the parlor, kitchen and dining room. I was pretty sure that was it. I looked around. Where should I go first? I spotted a door to the right of me. I headed toward it, getting an excited feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had always wanted a house with secret passage way, maybe Eleanor and Wallace’s house had some. I went through the door quickly and looked around. It looked like just a normal family room. It had a couch that faced toward a television and an armchair. There was nothing very secretive about it.


         I wondered around most of the house not encountering anything strange besides the fact most of the doors were locked. I was curious to see what was inside those rooms, but I did not want to get on Eleanor’s bad side by breaking into one of her rooms. I decided that it was time for me to go outside. I ran quickly to my mom’s room to tell her I was going out and then hurried outdoors.


         I breathed in, taking in the smell and sight of my new home. It was nothing like my old home. Everything here smelled like fresh rain and was a bright green. I heard a few birds chirping and the dull roar of the ocean in the distance. I could not decide where to go first so I decided to head toward the direction of the driveway.


         After I had finish looking over there I went to the west. I found nothing in either spots. Just tree upon tree and little paths were animals where obviously running. I was starting to get a little disappointed. I could find nothing that helped validate my suspicions of the McCready’s. Maybe I was reading into something that was not there. I laughed a little at the thought. There was defiantly something going on, and it was extremely weird.


I went in quickly for a bite to eat and then headed back out again, I still had the North to explore. I was surprised to find a path at the edge of the woods. It was rather large path, I thought it was possibly a deer path. I started to change my mind as I saw how well traveled the path was. I had been hunting with my dad and I knew deer paths did not look like the one I was following. The path seemed to stretch out endlessly in front of me, but I followed it. I wanted to see where it led and why it was so well traveled. It was densely wooded on either side of me and the sun was almost totally blotted out. All of the sudden the trees started to thin, I quickened my pace. I was positive I was close to the end.


         My jaw dropped as I came to the edge of the tree line. There, stretched out in front of me, was the same beach from my dream. Everything was exactly the same, from the smooth rocks to the waves crashing against the small amount of sand on the beach. I sat down in the middle of the path looking around at the all too familiar surroundings.


         I felt like hyperventilating, how could this all be possible? It was just a dream, right? How could I have possibly dreamt a real place? I got up slowly; it was obvious that this was a real place. I could touch, see, smell, feel, and even taste that it was real; but it was all too bizarre. It had to be a coincidence, there was no other explanation. I was sure that there was some difference between the beach from my dream and this one. There had to be. I knew I had to leave the beach. I was getting way too freaked out.


         I hurried back up the path at two times the pace I had gone down it. I did not feel all the way safe until I reached the McCready’s yard again. I started toward the house and then stopped. There was no need for me to be so freaked out. I had wanted adventure, and I had gotten it, just not in the form I had been anticipating. I took a deep breath and looked at my watch. It read that it was two-o-clock. I did not really relish the idea of going back inside and sitting, I looked to the east and thought for a moment.


         There had to be some reason that Eleanor did not want me to go east. There could be a ravine, that was true, but there could also be something more. I was not sure what was over there, but I decided I would take my chances with the ravine and started east. The woods were the same as the woods in all the other directions. It was lush, green, and had birds chirping up in the trees. So far nothing unusual, but no ravine either. I had promised myself that I would be careful for my mother’s sake when I started east, but I forget to remember that promises did not always keep someone safe.          


         I kept heading due east, keeping my head down, and looking for the ravine edge. I had gone about a good ten minutes and was just beginning to think that the ravine was something Eleanor had made up, when all of the sudden my foot gave way beneath me. I slowly put one foot behind the other in hopes that if I walked carefully enough that the rest if the ledge would not give way. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side, I felt myself start to fall and I braced myself for the impact. I did not even bother to scream, I knew that no one was around to hear me.


         Instead of feeling a jolt and pain from the bottom, I felt something tug from the top. Someone had grabbed my arm. I opened my eyes and looked up and saw the green eyes of someone who could only be Euan.


         “Come on” he pulled my arm and I felt myself start to lift out of the ravine. “Put your feet on the wall and try to climb.”


          He held his other hand out to me. I took it and started walking up the side of the ravine. When my feet finally touched stable ground I stumbled backwards, almost falling back down into the deep gorge. Euan grabbed me around my waist and pulled me in close to him, moving me a safe distance away from the ravine edge. I heard him inhale once before I pushed away from him, my whole body tingling.


         “T-thanks,” I stuttered still shaken by my close encounter with the ravine floor.


         “Didn’t you think of screaming?” His eyes, which had been filled with pure panic earlier, turned hard as he looked at me.


         He was the most handsome boy I had ever seen. It seemed that his grandparents’ good looks had been passed on to him. He had brown hair that was slightly tousled and the most stunning eyes I had ever seen. Everything about him was perfect. His nose, teeth, body build, height, was exactly what ever girl dreamed of dating and what every guy wanted to look like. I realized that he was waiting for an answer, I shook myself mentally.          


“I didn’t think that there was anyone around to hear me.” I said a bit defensively “Where did you come from anyway?”


         “Someone at the house would have heard you.” Euan said, totally disregarding my question. “They could have at least found your body.”


         I could tell he was angry, but I did not understand why. I had distinctly heard him say he was going to avoid me at all costs, what made him change his mind? I was slightly bewildered at his turn in moods, but I still felt my temper rising. How could he say he wants to avoid me, then go save my life, then act as if he shouldn’t have saved me at all?


         “Thank you for putting that lovely thought into my head.” I snapped forgetting all pretenses of manners. “What is your problem?”


         “I have no problem.” He fumed. “I should be asking you what your problem is! What were you thinking?” Euan looked at me then at the ravine.


         “I was just trying to get a good look at my new home.” I shot angrily back at Euan.


         “Didn’t my grandmother tell you not to come this way? Seriously, do you have a problem with listening to people or do you just have a death wish?”


         “Yes that is exactly right. I have a death wish.” I said sarcastically. Why did he want to pick on me? I had done nothing to him! “You know what? I don’t have to take this from you! Just leave me alone! What have I done to you?”


         “One, you have deliberately disobeyed my grandmother, showing that you are disrespectful to my family. Two, you almost fell to your death and didn’t even think of trying to scream to save yourself and at least allowing your mother of the comfort of knowing where her daughter’s body was.” Euan looked at me angrily, green eyes flashing in the light.


         “You didn’t have to save me,” I said coldly.


         “Why wouldn’t I have saved you?” Euan looked puzzled, but angry. “I don’t want to see anyone die, even if they wish to be dead.”


          I felt my anger flood through the rest of my body like a cold river as Euan’s word sunk in. “You think I am suicidal? I would never even think about doing that. My father died, Euan! I have room to be depressed but I would never commit suicide.”


         Euan did not seem to have an answer to that, he just stared at me. I felt myself burning up. What an asshole! He had no right to talk to me like that. A little voice in the back of my head said that I had no right to talk to him the way I had either, we did not even know each other. I told that little voice to shut up; it didn’t understand the pain that he had inflicted. My anger was out of control. I knew that I should rein in back in, but couldn’t make myself do it.


          I threw my arms down that, up until that point, had been crossed across my chest.  As soon as I threw my arms down a strong gust of wind blew throughout the forest with enough force it almost pushed me backwards.


         “You wanted to avoid me at all costs, remember?” I gritted my teeth as I said each word.


         “How did you know I said that?” Euan asked his jaw still clenched tight with anger, but his eyes held surprise. I knew that I had caught him off guard.


         “I heard you and your psychopathic grandparents talking last night!” The wind howled furiously and tossed my hair around my face.


         “Then you understand?” Euan’s face flooded with relief and a little joy. It was as if I had just told him where to find buried treasure or something.


         “Of course I don’t understand! I have no idea what you are talking about! I wouldn’t be so angry if I knew what was going on!” I yelled and the small control that I had on my anger broke. Everything that had bottled up since my dad died came flooding out.


         The wind went wild. It was like the winds that always came with the tornadoes back home. I was vaguely aware that Euan was calling out my name and telling me to stop and trying to get across the small space that separated us. The wind was howling in my ears and I could see the trees bending so much that they were on the verge of breaking. Then all of the sudden…everything went black.


         I woke up but could not open my eyes. I felt myself being carried and my heart speed up a bit when I felt the tingles moving across my body. I wanted to sit up and demand to be put down, but I could not move.


         “What have you done, Euan?” I heard the voice of Eleanor say.


         “It wasn’t me. It was her! I think she has backlash.” I heard Euan’s voice rumble against my left ear. I assumed it was him carrying me. “Didn’t you hear the wind?”


         “We heard it. That was her?” Eleanor sounded slightly surprised. “I wouldn’t have thought she’d be able to… well, that doesn’t matter. I’ll believe you for now. The real problem is what we are going to tell her mother. Take her up to her room. Can you carry her that far?” I thought Eleanor was trying to be stern, but seemed to give up on her last sentence.


         I heard Euan laugh a little, “Don’t worry I am perfectly alright.”


         “Okay, be careful with her.” I heard Eleanor’s voice say right above me.


         Then we were moving again. I felt myself be moving up the stairs and doors opening and closing. I felt myself being laid down in my bed and covered up. I started to go back into the dark I had been in earlier when I heard Euan brush my check and softly say, “Gabriella.”


         


         I woke up and looked at the ceiling. I had the worst headache imaginable. It hurt to turn my head, but I did it anyway and looked at the clock. It said that it was eight-thirty. I let out a small groan as I turned my head to look back up at the ceiling.


         “Gabby?” A small, tentative voice from my window seat asked. I looked quickly to see who was there and instantly regretted it as pain fogged my vision for a minute.  When I regained my vision I saw that my mother and Eleanor were sitting on the window seat, Eleanor with a tray of food and my mother with her hands clamped firmly on her lap.


         “You are awake! I thought you wouldn’t be up until the morning but Eleanor said that you would wake up.” My mom came to my bedside and took my hand, giving it a loving squeeze.


         “What happened?” I asked groggily sitting up slowly in my bed. Eleanor then left her spot on the window seat and sat on the edge of my bed. I eyed her nervously, wondering how much Euan had told her.


         “Euan said that the wind picked up because of the storm and a branch fell from a nearby tree and hit you in the head.” Eleanor said all of this while setting the tray she had been holding onto my lap. After that task was done she eyed me sternly. “You are lucky Euan was there or we would have never found you.”


         Her speech made me want to believe what she said was true, but I knew it wasn’t. Something else had happened, but what?  I looked down at the tray and my stomach grumbled. On the tray there was a bowl of warm chicken noodle soup and a mug of some brown liquid.


         “It is tea, honey,” said my mom noticing how I stared at the cup. “Eleanor says that it will help with headaches and make you sleep well tonight.”


         I said nothing, just picked up the spoon and started to eat the soup. It was the best chicken noodle I had ever tasted. I quickly shoveled the rest of it into my mouth. I picked up the cup after my soup was gone and took a drink.


         “Belch,” I shivered. It tasted bitter and seemed to suck all the moisture out of my mouth.


         “I know it tastes disgusting, but it will help. Trust me.” Eleanor looked down at me and smiled, waiting for me to take another drink.


         I sighed and drank down as much as possible in one big gulp. I thankfully got it all down in three gulps. I started feeling drowsy as soon as I was done with the tea.


         “You will sleep very well tonight.” Eleanor took the tray away and patted me on the head. “I will wake you up at seven; breakfast will be at seven-thirty. School starts at eight-fifteen.”


         “Goodnight sweetheart,” said my mom kissing me lightly on the forehead.


         My mom turned off my light as she went out the door. In the darkness I was even drowsier then before, but that didn’t stop the panic from welling up inside me. My mom left for work at five because she had to do the six a.m. news, that meant I would be with the McCready’s for about three hours all by myself. What if they really were serial killers? It was about then that I could nit fight my drooping eyelids anymore and I fell into a peaceful unconsciousness.