Chapter 4: David

The tips of Carol's shoes brushed the porch floor as she swung back and forth on the porch swing.

She lifted her hand and placed it against her chest where she had earlier felt the pain. After a moment she began to feel the soft beating of her heart below her hand.

"Still ticking," she muttered, lowering her hand.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the contacts until she found her mother's number. Her thumb hovered, hesitant above the call button.

"Call her," she told herself. "She needs to know. It's not right for me not to tell her."

But she wasn't able to push the bright green call button.

She let the phone fall into her lap and lower her head into her hands.

"How many times am I going to do this?" she asked herself

Lifting her head, she looked across from her at a small garden. The flowers had been planted in a spiral pattern around a stone walkway that lead to a stone bench under a willow tree. The thin branches were covered with tiny, green leaves and slowly brush across the bench as they were gently pushed by the wind.

Carol lifted her phone back up to her ear and before she could let her nerves get to her, she pushed the call button. It rang once, then again, after the fifth ring she realized no one was going to pick up.

She was about to hang up when she heard her mother's voice say, "hello?"

"Hi mom, it's Carol-" she began to say when her mother continued, "ha, ha, I got you! You just said hello to a voice mail."

"That wasn't funny," Carol said through her teeth.

"If you still want to talk to me, leave a name and number after the beep."

Carol coughed. "Um mom, it's me. Carol...I just....I know this isn't the best way to say this....Should do it in person. But...I can't-"

She coughed trying to get the knot out of her throat. "I...um. I'm...."

There was a loud beep as the message end.

Carol sighed and shut her eyes while she listened to the continues beep.

That stupid voice message was the first time she had heard her mother's voice in over three years.

"Mom-" Carol said to the dead phone, "I'm...dying."

Something unwind within her as she said those words and she found it easier to continue on.

"I don't know how long I have-"

She leaned back in the swing pushing herself all the way back so that the swing touched the wall of the house.

"The doctors...well they think I only have a year-if I'm careful. This trip I'm taking with Julie and May is a really bad idea," she admitted. "It's the type of strain the doctor warned me not to do.... but you know me. I want to see the."

Carol started to laugh at herself, realizing how weird she was being.

"Look at me. I'm a nutter."

She turned off the phone and pocketed it.

"It's not like it would have changed anything between us," she told herself, but she found her eyes begin to water. Squeezing them shut, she grabbed the bridge of her nose.

"Come on, hold it together," she told herself. "No more tears. It's just a waste of time."

She wiped away the few tears that had manage to escape from beneath her eyelid and pushed herself off the swing.

Walking to the front of the house she saw Julie through the living room window. The notebook was back in Julie's hand as she looked over the room again. She saw Carol and waved. Carol returned the wave but remained outside not wanting to risk having another episode.

Glancing down the driveway she saw May getting out of a cab. There was a new book in her hand.

"Hi," Carol called going down to meet her. "What do you have there?"

May held it up her new book so Carol could read the title.

"'The Photocopy of Margret's F Pendle Dairy'," Carol read out loud.

"There was an antique shop near the train station. I was more interested in that then touring some old house" May explained.

"Another witchcraft book?" Julie asked making Carol jump not realizing Julie had followed her down the driveway.

Julie took May's book and opened it to read the dedication.

"You are seriously into this magic stuff?" Julie asked curiously.

"I am," May said getting defensive.

"Wasn't Margret the witch's in that story you told me?" Carol asked Julie suddenly remembering

"She was. She even owned my house before my aunt. Or was the name Martha? No, it was Margret. Do you think they are the same?" Julie asked May.

"Maybe."

"We have some of Margret's dairies. Do you want them?" Julie offered. "No wait, I can't give them to you. Teddy would kill me. They are really expensive, but I think it would be okay for you to read them. Do you want to?"

"Yes!" May immediately.

Julie continued to flip through the pages of the book. "Can you cast any spells?" she asked.

"No," May shook her head, "not yet."

"Not yet? You mean you will eventually be able to?"

Carol glanced up at Julie wondering if she was being serious.

"Maybe," May answered slowly unsure of herself.

"Is it real magic? Or this just sleight of hand?" Julie continue to ask questions.

She paused on a page of a recipes of eternal youth potion.

"No, it's real magic."

"If it's real then why isn't more people doing magic?" Julie pointed out.

"Some are but it is mistaken as slight hand," May tried to explain.

"Probably is slight of hand," Carol thought but kept it to herself.

"That doesn't make sense," Julie said. "If magic were real then I would think everyone would know about it. Even if a few thought it was slight hand there would be even more knowing it's magic because they would be doing it."

May was lost for words for a moment. Julie had a problem of talking too fast, leaving people behind to try to catch up.

"It's kind of-well basically the reason why there isn't a lot of people doing magic is because the way has been forgotten because of the church and idiots persecuting them," May answered weakly. "A lot information was lost, and cults were destroyed. People were too afraid to keep practicing-" May trailed off and ended with a shrug.

"Do you know how it's done?" Julie asked.

May shook her head sadly. "No, I-I can't do any magic. Yet."

"That's too bad," Julie said handing back her book. "Come on, time to go."

She beckoned to them as she headed for the cab that was waiting for them.

"I got a text from Teddy," Julie told them, "he said he sent one of the workers to pick us up. They are waiting for us back at the station."

The girls piled into the cab and after fifteen minutes were once again back at the station where a black car waited for them.

"Hi Billy," Julie called excited running over to the car.

Carol was pulling out her suitcase when May tapped her on the shoulder.

"Does he look familiar?" she asked gesturing to the guy Julie was hugging.

Carol set the suitcase down before looking over at Billy. He was on the skinny side but was about six feet tall almost towering over Julie who was only 5' 3". His eyes were soft blue and his hair was dyed black with the only the tips remain the original blond color.

Carol lower her brow thoughtful.

"He kind of does," she admitted.

"How was the trip?" Billy asked Julie and Carol noted the slightest hint of an accent in his voice.

"It was fine. The train was late," Julie told him. "Carol, May, this is Billy."

Billy shook hands with each of them.

"I guess you wouldn't recognize him," Julie told them when they finish introducing themselves.

"You do look familiar but I don't know why," Carol admitted.

Billy looked her equally confused.

"Me neither," he said turning to Julie for help.

Julie looked at them surprise, "I'm the only one that does? Come on guys. It was at that cafe on third street? It was May's birthday."

"I sort of remember something," Billy said scratching his nose. "You had pigtails then with pink bows?"

May just glared at him and didn't respond. Carol laughed and nodded, "I remember her birthday and those bows but still don't recall a Billy."

"He served the cake," Julie told her.

"You were the waiter," May said finally remembering. "And you had that weird sister."

"Te, right?" Carol said still trying recall the day.

"It's actually Tess but they did not have any s for her name tag," Billy laughed.

Julie phone buzzed loudly, and she quickly pulled it out of her purse.

"Teddy wants me to remind you not to forget to buy some more nails and four-by-four," Julie told him looking up from her phone.

"I already got it," Billy assured her holding up a plastic bag. "Shall we go?"

"Yes!" Julie nearly shouted with eagerness. "I can't wait to see the house!"

Billy helped Carol put her suitcase into the trunk then set Julie's on top. May kept her knapsacks with her.

"Sorry. I would have cleaned out the back seats if I knew more people were coming. But Teddy said that Julie was coming alone," Billy explained"

"It will be okay," May told him getting into the car. She brushed the trash off her seat on to the floor.

Billy stuck his head in, "the seat belt doesn't work there."

"I'll manage," May muttered back to reading her book.

"It's illegal not to wear your seat-belt," Julie told her.

"We going to a house on a hill, through a forest, I doubt we are going to meet any cops," she told her turning the page.

Billy shrugged and stepped back, letting Carol and Julie get in.

The girls brushed the trash off and buckled up as Billy got behind the wheel. May pressed herself against the door either to give Carol more room or just want to be far away from everyone as she read.

It took fifteen minutes for them to drive through the town and on to a dirt path that lead through the forest. The car bounced up and down as it went over the rock cover path and fallen branches. Low hanging branches slapped the top of the roof and the window shield.

May was thrown to the floor as they went over another bump and Billy pulled over so she could move to the front seat.

"Hi," Billy said giving her a wide grin as she strapped herself in.

"I'm going to read," May said holding her bag between her legs to keep it from rolling over the floor.

"We are going to have to smooth out this road," Julie muttered after attempting to write down a reminder to herself in her notepad but end up making a scribbling line.

"Teddy already making plans to," Billy told her. "but he wants to secure the catacombs first."

Julie agreed with her brother decision and then bent down to pull a book out of her bag and handed it to Carol.

"It's my aunt's book if you want to read more about Caroline," she told her.

Carol took the book but was unable to read it as the car continued to be jostle. She heard the 'thunk' 'thunk, of the car's wheels going over the bridge and twisted in her seat to look out the back window. There was a small wooden bridge across a slow-moving river.

The book slid off her lap after they went over another bump and on to the floor. The book had opened up to almost the last page and as Carol picked it up she read the first paragraph.

The towns had only one source of water. A little river that ran through the woods. It would normally overflow during times of heavy rain and flood Evergreen. But eventually the people learned to be prepared for the flooding by digging ditches to overt the flood waters. But when the sickness was at its peak there was not enough people well enough to dig the ditches. The rain was far worse that year than any of the others.

The river rose and flooded Evergreen, destroying many homes and killing several of the towns' folks. The town never recovered from the flood or sickness and eventually became a ghost town.

After another thirty minutes, they drove up a gravel path to a house resting a little too close to the edge of the cliff.

Julie rolled down the window and stuck her head out so she could see the house better.

"It's gorgeous!" she cried excited.

Billy parked the car in front of one of the roman columns that held up the low roof of the porch. Julie was already out of the car before he had put it in park.

Smiling gleefully, she turned to Carol who was just coming out of the car.

"Welcome to the Burgen's home," she said happily spreading her arms out in a welcoming gestured.

Carol stepped out of the car taking her first view of the Burgen's house.

Its age showed clearly through the cover of fresh paint with an impression of heaviness of the years it had stood resilient on the edge of the cliff.

Movement on the roof drew her eye as the sun reflecting off something metal.

"Who is on the roof?" Carol asked Julie.

"I don't know. It is probable one of the construction workers. There are some holes in the roof above the attic," Julie told her as May came around the car to join them. "They need to get them patched up before it starts raining. But enough about the roof! What do you think about the house?"

Julie eagerly waited for their reply her hands clasps in front of her still wearing her large grin.

"It's breathtaking," Carol told her. "Especially the view."

May simply agree with Carol making Julie's grin grow bigger. She looped her arm into Carol's and pulled her to the house. As they walked up the stone pathway, Billy reverse the car drove to the small garage built separate from the house.

"I'll be right back," Julie said letting go of Carol's arm to run over to speak to the gardener trimming the rose bush.

Instead of waiting, Carol continue to walk around the house, amazed by its size. May followed with mildly interested.

"Why do you think they built it so big?" Carol asked her cousin.

"The real question is, why on the edge of a cliff?"

Carol looked where May was pointing and saw the sudden drop where the ground vanished, and the sky stretched onward.

She swallowed feeling a bit nauseous as she realized how high up they were.

"Careful," she cautioned May as she walked towards the edge.

There were the beginnings of a railing being built with a warning sign pinned to the metal pole. There was depiction of a stick man falling off the cliff with the words dangerous above it. May ignored the sign and walked past it to look down at the ocean below.

"Wow," she whistled and beckoned for Carol to join her.

"No way," Carol said immediately.

"Come on. It's safe."

Carol swallowed again and took a hesitant step forward. She only went past the sign but grasp the top of it as she looked over.

The large mass of water, too blue to see through, rippling slowly like a lazy beast. Halfhearted it splash against the cliff side, pulling bits of dirt and rock back into its water.

Carol felt her stomach drop but forced herself to keep looking down at the ocean. There was a stone stairway carved into the cliff side leading down to a small mass of land below them. A simple chain link blocked off the stairway with another sign stressing not to go beyond this point because the stairs were wet and slippery.

Carol stomach did another dive as she pictured slipping on one of those steps and falling over the rail. The waters bulging upwards in the form of another wave for you to fall in. The heaviness of the water dragging you down. Coldness your only company as you sank beneath it. Water pouring down your throat, filling your lungs. Drowning.

Carol felt sick and quickly stepped away from the edge. But it was too late.

Her stomach clenched and her body stiffened and then she heaved into the small growth of weeds by the sign.

"Are you okay?" May cried stepping towards her.

Carol coughed and spat out some bile. Her throat felt raw and it took a few tries before she was able to talk.

"Yes," she told May. "I just...physic myself out."

She shrugged and smile at May, trying to hide how freaked out she really was.

"Why does this keep happening?" she thought in a panic. "Is this some sort of weird new symptom?"

She tried hard to hide her feelings and told May, "you know I'm terrified of heights." She hoped her cousin would buy the lie. She hadn't told May about her failing heart and didn't want to either.

May stared at her then started to laugh. "You know that is really pathetic," she chuckled.

"Yes, I know," Carol muttered, "I can't help it."

She glanced at her heart monitor when May wasn't looking to make sure her heartbeat was steady. Relived to see it was, Carol pulled her sleeve back over the monitor to hid it from sight.

"So, what do you really think of the place?" May asked gesturing to the house.

"It really does looks amazing," Carol declared, "but you are right, who builds their home this close to a cliff's edge? You can practically swan dive from that balcony into the ocean."

She pointed to one of the balconies on the second floor that overlooked the ocean.

"I think any dive from that height will be a death sentence," May commented.

Carol shuddered at the thought and then asked, "what do you think of it?"

"It's alright but I will be surprise if anyone actually check in with the drive being so 'bumpy'."

"Julie did say that they were going smooth out the road," Carol pointed out.

"But where is everyone going to park?" May added. "In the grass?"

Carol looked around and realize May was right. There was no parking lot, just grass and the small shed that was used for a garage.

"They are not done building yet and I'm sure Teddy already knows about the parking issue."

May shrugged. Carol was about suggested they go find Julie when someone yelled at them, "Hey! You are not supposed to be over there!"

Carol and May both looked around startle and saw one of the hired help walking towards them. His bright yellow hard hat caught the sunlight shining it into Carol's eyes. She squinted. There was something strangely familiar about him. He was taller than her and as she watched him approach, she realized he was walking with a slight limp, favoring his left leg.

Then she recognized him the same time May did.

"No way," May growled. "Is that David?"

Carol felt her stomach drop once more as she stared at David trying to deny what she was seeing. But as he got closer, it only confirmed it.

David stopped a few feet from them. "Sorry ladies, you are not allowed to be this close to the edge," he said clearly annoyed. "Until we finish putting up the safety rail it is not safe."

"He doesn't recognize us," Carol realized.

She quickly grabbed May by the arm and tried to pull her away before David did realize who they were.

"We'll leave," she told him avoiding eye contact.

As she dragged May past him, David annoyances turned in confusion. Carol could see recognition slowly began to creep into his eyes.

She doubled her footsteps making May winced in pain from how tightly she was holding on to her arm.

"Carol?" David called but she did not stop. She didn't stop or let go of May until they were back at the front porch.

"Is he following?" she asked nervously.

May shook her head, "no, he's just standing where you left him."

Carol let go of May's arm and started to tug on her finger in frantic panic.

"That was so-awkward," she said still shaking.

"What is he doing here? I thought he was in jail," May asked again angrily. "Did Julie invite him?"

Carol squeezed her hands into a fist to try to stop the trembling.

"He didn't go to jail," she told May, "he went to the St. Catherine asylum to get help. And I don't think Julie would invite him without telling me he was here."

"Invite who?" Julie asked coming up the stairs.

She was carrying a pair of garden clippers in her hand and few roses in the other hand.

"Why is-" May started to ask why David was there when Carol elbowed her.

"It's nothing Julie," she said quickly. "Can we see the inside of the house now?"

"Oh yes! I can't wait for you guys to see the décor that me and Lizzy choose," Julie said happily and eagerly moved forward to open the front door.

May gave Carol a questioning glance.

"I don't want any problems," Carol begged her. "No, drama, please."

May scowled, "if he is staying here, you are not going to be able to avoid bring it up. Or avoid him."

"Please, just not now," Carol begged glancing over at Julie.

May continue to scowl but follow Julie into the house without a word.

They entered a wide hallway with a grand stairway taking up most of the room.

Julie paused in front of the reception desk near the door. She wrote a quick note on the pad before telling May and Carol to feel free to take whatever they want from the kitchen. She gestured to a door to the right but lead them to the room on the left.

There was several sofas and easy chairs with flower pattern fabric. Several open brochures and Teddy's notebook were left on the coffee table. A grandfather clock ticked in the corner close to the other door leading to a second hallway.

Julie lead the way through the second hallway and pointed to one of the doors they past.

"That is Teddy's office," she said. "And down there-is the ballroom."

"There's a ballroom?" Carol repeated astonished.

Julie nodded as she knocked on Teddy's door.

"Ted? We're here," she called while opening the door to a deserted room. "Oh, I guess Teddy is somewhere else."

Carol looked over Julie's shoulder into the room. Of course, there was a desk with a high back chair behind it. The desk was covered with books and folders. A lamp protruded from a pile of folders that looked like they had collapsed over the desk. The two bookcases were equally as messy with even more books crammed in every available place. Little trinkets and pictures were placed just as haphazard.

Carol saw a picture on the desk of Teddy and his two sisters, Julie and Lizzy, in front of the Burgen's house. There was another picture of Teddy with his sisters, but this time Carol, May, and David were in it. It was taken almost a decade ago when they were kids. Their faces were all frozen in laughter as they attempted to form a human pyramid only for the camera to capture them as they collapsed on to each other.

Carol smiled when she saw the picture and pointed it out to May. May's face softened in reminiscing smile as she saw the picture.

"Good times," she said, and Carol agreed with her.

They were about to leave when Carol's noticed a chest-like-box on the window still. It was about a foot tall and wide with deep rusted brown color. Patterns of leaves, roses, and birds covered all four sides.

"What is that?" she asked, walking across the room to have a closer look.

"That is a mystery," Julie told her as picked up the box and held it out for Carol to take.

It was heavier than what Carol was expecting, and she nearly dropped it.

"Careful," Julie cried grabbing a hold of the box before it fell to the floor.

"Sorry."

May came over, also curious about the box as Julie set it down on the desk on top of a pile of thick books.

At a closer view Carol could see the top of the box had a string of roses etched into it. Time had smoothed away most of the carvings, but Carol could still make out the steams of the roses reaching out to each other and wrapping around their company.

"We found it in the catacombs," Julie told them.

She reached over and turned the box around to a picture of a bird perched on a branch. A snake was slithering to it, hidden in the roses until ready to strike. These roses were not wrapped around each other like the ones on the lid but instead kept separate.

Julie pushed one of the roses' petals and Carol saw it sink into the box like a button.

"Each petal is a button," Julie told them. "And Lizzy thinks that if we push the buttons in the right order, it will open the box."

"There are a lot of petals," May said looking over the box.

"I know!" Julie sighed frustrated.

"And you don't know what's in it?" Carol asked.

"Or if there's anything in it," May added.

Julie shook her head. "Yes, to both of you."

Still looking a little annoyed, Julie set the box back on the window.

"Come on. There is more to see," Julie told them getting back some of her earlier excitement.

May and Carol followed her out of the office and past another room. Carol glanced in through the partially open door. The room was twice as big as Teddy's office with bookcases full of books that stretched across all three walls.

Carol stopped, staring in awe at all the bookcases that almost touched the ceiling. Four comfortable chairs were spread across the room with a light at each.

Carol pulled herself away from the library and followed Julie and May through the double doors. She entered a large empty room with marble flooring and long rectangle windows that ran along the walls giving a wide-open view of the forest outside.

May walked over to one of the windows to look out at the forest while Carol stared up at the chandelier above her. It was a golden and bronze sort of color with crystals dangling from it that caught the light and reflected in tiny dots around her.

"Are you going to have costume balls?" May asked Julie. Her voice magnified by the large expanse and echoed quietly back from across the room.

"Yes. I was thinking something along the lines of dressing up as some of the town's murderers or victims," Julie told her. She spoke in an usual lower tone to keep her voice from booming everywhere. "I wanted to have it every weekend, but Teddy said that would be impossible."

At the mention of a ballroom dance Carol begin to picture the room filled with people twirling about with their partner. Women and men dressed up in fancy customs and wearing masks.

The chandelier shuddered like something had pulled on it. Carol looked up at it confused as it shuddered again.

"The only other rooms down here are the swimming pool and the tennis room," Julie told May. "The pool is finally working. We had a deer die in it the other day."

"How did that happen?" May asked.

Carol was hardly listening to them as she watched the chandelier.

"I don't know. One of the windows were left open, but I don't think a deer could fit through it," Julie said. "Unless it was a contortionist. Can deer be contortions?"

"No, I don't think so," May said slowly.

"I think they are," Julie continued. "The way they seem to go straight as a plank when they jump."

May laughed then saw Julie wasn't.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulous.

"It's just a thought," Julie told her with a shrug.

Carol deiced it would be best to stepped back as the chandelier moved again.

She just made it out of the shadow it was casting when the chandelier gave one last tremble and came down.

She saw a mess of twinkling lights as it fell past her.

Blinded by the light, Carol could only hear a loud crashing sound, like hundreds of glass dishes falling to the floor.

Something smacked into her, knocking her back. Instinct took over and her arms moved up to protect her face as tiny bits of crystal flew into the air and cut her.

She hit the polished floor, sliding back an inch across its surface. Her face and hands stung from where she had been cut. The back of her head throbbed. She opened her eyes and saw the chandler in pieces in front of her. If she had not moved-

May was suddenly was in front of her. Her tennis shoes crushing the scattered glass beneath it.

"Careful," Carol mutter dazed as she pushed herself up.

"Are you okay?" May asked grabbing her arm to help her up.

"I think so. Just a few scratches," she told her. She could feel May's hand trembling as she pulled her.

Her heart was beating fast against her chest and she quickly looked down at the heart monitor. She turned her back to May, not wanting her to see it.

At that moment Teddy came running in with David right behind him.

"What happened?" Teddy demanded of Julie.

"It just fell and nearly squished Carol," she told him. Julie eyes were wide and her face was flushed with both fear and panic.

David walked over to the shattered chandelier, avoiding eye contact with Carol who stared at the floor.

"David?" Julie said surprised to see him standing there. "What are you doing here? I thought you were locked up in rehab."

"I got out," David said distracted as he examined the chandelier.

"Are you okay?" Teddy asked Carol with concerned.

"I think so," Carol repeated slowly but then started to feel how much pain she really was in. "I could use an aspirin though and something to wipe the glass and blood off."

"Did they let you out?" Julie asked David suspiciously.

David looked up at her for a moment and Julie shrunk back. He didn't answer her question but went back to examining the chandelier. Julie side stepped over to Teddy.

"Is he on the run?" she whispered to her brother.

"Julie, David was discharged. Now drop it," Teddy snapped at her.

Carol took a peeked at David and saw his face was flushed red.

"We have a first aid kit in the kitchen and some aspirin," Teddy told her getting up to lead her there himself. May following close behind her.

Julie stayed with David in the ballroom wanting to know why the chandelier had fallen.

"It looks like something ripped it out of the ceiling," Carol heard David tell Julie.

"Carol, I can't tell you enough how sorry I am," Teddy told her. "I help put the chandelier up myself and I thought it was secured."

"Don't worry about it," she told him quickly. "I saw it swaying and I tried to get out of the way. I was just too slow."

In honesty nearly being killed by a falling chandelier had not been the worst thing that happen to her today. "A very close second," Carol thought glancing over her shoulder seeing David still hunched over as he picked up large pieces of glass shards.

Christy was washing dishes when Carol and Teddy walked in. She didn't bother to pull out her earphones but grabbed the first aid kit from the cupboard and held it out to Carol.

"Thanks" Carol said taking the kit.

Christy didn't answer but also handed her a wet washcloth before going back to the dishes.

Carol wiped the blood off her face using the reflective surface of the metal toaster to see the cuts.

"It doesn't look too bad," Ted told her as May handed her the alcohol wipes.

The cuts were small and didn't require any band-aids. It sting though when she applied the alcohol wipe.

"I'm glad I moved," Carol said shuddering to think if she had continued to stand there.

Teddy agreed and then asked, "you probably want to change your clothes. Did Julie show you guys your rooms yet?"

"No," May told him looking over Carol's face to make sure she didn't miss any cuts.

Teddy led them back out of the kitchen and up to the second floor. He showed May her room first. It was well furnished with a queen size bed, with a double door closet, and a nightstand by the bed.

May toss her knapsacks down on the bed and opened one of the drawers of the dresser.

Further down the hall was Carol's room.

There was also a queen size bed made from dark oak wood with a silk canvas. A small dresser in the corner made with the same kind of wood that was polished so well that you didn't need the mirror above it to see your reflection.

The carpet was a strange purple color that your feet could disappear into.

A double glass door led out to the balcony that overlooked the ocean below.

"Wow," Carol breathed.

Teddy coughed uncomfortably. "Uh, Carol about David. He needed a job-"

"It's okay" Carol said quickly not wanting to talk about her ex.

"I didn't know you were coming. Julie told me she would be alone," Teddy explained.

"It was sort of a last-minute decision. But it is okay Ted. We are only going to be here for one more day. I think I can manage."

She licked her lips uncertain and begin to pull on her finger.

"Is he-" she stuttered. "Is David...better?"

Teddy nodded, "I wouldn't have let him work here if he wasn't. If you want, I can give him the next few days off-"

"No, don't do that," Carol said quickly. "I don't want to cause any trouble for him. As long as he is...better. And wont...you know."

Teddy nodded, understanding to what she meant. "He won't and I promise you, David will leave you alone."

"Thanks," Carol said.

Teddy nodded and was about to leave the room when Carol stopped him.

"Wait a minute," she told him grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "You were going to leave without saying hello?"

Teddy laughed and squeezed her tight making her gasp for air, "sorry, I have a lot on my mind."

Carol chuckled shoving him playfully away. "You are lucky that I am too happy to see you to be mad."

Teddy smiled his lop side grin revealing the three missing teeth he lost when he and David weren't on such good terms with each other. But beside the missing teeth Teddy looked alright. He was in his late twenties, average height with blue eyes and mousy brown hair. He used to be covered in freckles, but they had faded when he entered his teen.

"Are you still writing?" Carol asked him.

"Sort of," Teddy admitted. "I am trying to finish my aunt's last book."

"Is it any good?"

"It's good but it's boring to write. I am defiantly not a none-fiction writer. It's almost soul crushing."

"You poor thing," Carol laughed. "What about that fantasy novel of yours?"

"No," Teddy said with a shudder and then laughed. "That was awful. Bad writing, terrible plot-"

"I don't think it was that bad," Carol interrupted him. "It did need some work and your main character was weak, but I think it would have been a great story."

"You think so?" Teddy said thoughtfully. "I don't know, maybe I will take another look at it. But right now, I have to go figure out why the chandelier fell."

"I hope it isn't too broken. It did look pretty hanging in the ballroom,"

"I'll see if its savable," Teddy promised before he left the room.

Carol flopped down on the bed as the door closed and kicked off her shoes.

"Wow what a day," she muttered and then glanced over at the clock. "Or at least the last five hours."

She rolled over on to her side and looked out the balcony window. From this angel she only could see the railing and the darkening sky. There were dark shapes of clouds in the horizon. Probable the rain Julie had mention.

She found herself wondering if it was possible for her to avoid any contact with David for the rest of her stay here.

Getting off the bed she opened the balcony doors and stepped out on the small balcony. The smell of sea salt assaulted her nose causing her to sneeze.

Sniffing, she walked over to the railing determined to look over and down at the ocean. She only felt slightly dizzy from the height which confused her once again why she had felt sick before. And why did she have that weird experiences the Dunches house? And then chandelier nearly fall on top of her! She always been a strong atheist with no care for ghosts or jinx, but either she had the worst luck or maybe something supernatural was trying to kill her.

Still no answers came to her and she only became more worried with frustration creeping in.

Clapping her hands together she said out loud, "no more."

Smiling boldly at the setting sun she declared, "no more tears! No more feeling sorry for yourself. No more waist time about things you cannot solve. I don't have the time for it. And I'm going to enjoy whatever amount of time I have left!"

With that declaration Carol turned and returned to her room.

Dinner was a lonely one, with both Julie and Teddy busy with helping David clean up the broken chandelier and then locked themselves in Teddy's office to review some papers their lawyers had faxed over.

May wasn't hungry and stayed in her room. So, Carol being the only that was famished, ate alone in the kitchen.

When the grandfather clock's bells began to chime the eleventh hour everyone had pretty much turned in with plans of getting up early to a busy planned day. Except Carol, who found herself laying on the bed covers staring at the ceiling pentagon pattern.

The clock ticked softly counting time away. Carol listened to the ticks of each passing second. Each wasted a moment of her life, just lying there making tiny pentagon monsters out of the ceiling.

A person should sleep at least eight hours. Or at least that what her doctor told her. Out of a twenty-four hours that was sixteen hours awake. 960 minutes of being awake. 57,600 in seconds. Compare that to the eight hours of being asleep. Only 480 minutes. No more than 28,880 seconds of peaceful rest.

Carol shoved off the covers frustrated and got out of bed.

The floor was cold and chilled her bare feet. It was summer but the night was strangely cold and unfortunately, the heater wasn't working.

Carol was too restless to search for her slippers in her suitcase and put socks on instead.

A lamp had been left on at the reception desk. Two moths fluttered around the bulb.

Carol pushed open the door to the dining room. A long rectangle table stretched across the room ending at an ivory fireplace that dominated most of the wall.

A painting hung above the mantle of the fireplace of a woman in her early twenties with raven black hair and sharp brown eyes.

Carol walked along the length of the table glancing into the adjoining dining room. Windows lined the walls so there was more glass then walls. Heavy green drapes were tied back with thick cords. There were numerous of smaller, round tables in this room with place mats matching the drapes.

Carol went into the kitchen and poured herself some water. She looked out the window above the sink to the front yard. It was pitch black except for a thin patch lit up by the porch light. Carol put her cup in the sink and went back to the hall.

She was pondering the idea of taking a walk outside but would defiantly need to get her jacket. She reached the stairs when she saw the light had been left on in the living room. Curious of who else was up, she went to the room, but it was empty.

"Someone must have forgotten to turn off this light too," she said to herself.

There were books scattered over the coffee table and a notebook opened on top of the stack. Carol sat down on the couch and picked up one of the books but seeing the words Records written across it she set the book back down. Glancing down at the open notebook, she almost immediately saw the name Caroline written several times on the first page.

"What's this?" Carol asked picking up the notebook.