Watery Graves (20 page)

“Please don’t tell anyone. I’ve been living here. I have nowhere else to go.”

“Jed’s outside.”

“I’ve seen him.”

“He scares me,” Emmy said.

“I hate him,” the girl in black replied.

“We’re trapped.” Emmy crawled over to the window, peering out the other corner. “He’s out in the street just staring at the place.”

“We’re not trapped,” the girl in black said. “Trust me.”

“But he’s out there.”

“Here’s what we are going to do.” The girl in black led Emmy towards the back door
, unlocked it and took the key. “All you have to do is walk, not run, back out onto the street.”

“But he’s standing there.”

“Shh. Listen to me. I know this guy. Walk, never run. Walk straight past him as if he’s not there. If he talks to you don’t respond. Make like he’s invisible. I will be with you all the way. You will see me come out of a yard a few doors down. I will walk across the street from you the whole way.”

“Where will you take me?”

“To town. Isn’t that where you need to go? Back to your family.”

“I was lost. I was heading back home using the river.”

The girl in black shook her head. “Your family would worry. I’ll take you to them.”

Emmy stepped out into the light. The girl in black nudged her down the steps, lock
ed the door and placed the key in her pocket. The key seemed to be in its rightful place.

“Remember, what I said. Walk
, don’t run. Pretend he’s not there. I will be with you all the way.”

Emmy swallowed any protest. She nodded. At the corner of the house she took a deep breath. The girl in black had disappeared. She was alone. The house was now locked up, and Jed was still out front waiting for her. There seemed no other choice.

Emmy walked calmly down the side of the house and into the street. She saw Jed there but pretended to be more interested in the houses in the neighbourhood.

He took a step back.

It made her smile. He wasn’t expecting her to be brave like that. It began to dawn on her exactly what the girl in black was saying.

“Hey girl,” she heard him say as she walked on.

She heard him behind her.

It took all she had not to quicken her pace. She fixed her gaze on the end of the street. The girl in black moved like a shadow into her line of vision, nodding her approval but walking on. Emmy followed her, quite a distance behind.

By the time the girl in black entered the cobbled street alleys of the village, Emmy knew with certainty that Jed was no longer on their trail.

*

Emmy followed her through town into alleyways that seemed more familiar, until she could take over and lead her to the stall.

Kristian was alone. He finished serving a lady shimmering in make
-up and jewellery. “Here she is,” he said, smiling at Emmy. “How was the movie?”

“Ordinary
.” Emmy grinned, playing with the tomatoes in the boxed display.

He leant over the stand and pulled her head forward, so he could kiss her on the forehead
. “I’m proud of you.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” she asked.

“Library.”

“I might go meet up with him there then.”

“Really?”

“Is that okay?”

“Course it is.”

“Could I have one of these quiches?”

“You hungry?”

“For a friend who might like it for tea. A kind of a thank
-you.”

“A friend?”

“Lots of questions, Kristian.”

“Well, you are full of surprises today, Em.”

He handed her a quiche. The girl in black had been watching them from the gateway to the square. Emmy held it up to her. The girl nodded.

Darting in and out of people, Emmy gave up caring who was staring at her and who wasn’t. She handed the quiche to the girl
. “That’s for dinner tonight.”

The girl in black seemed teary. Her lips were pressed tight. She took the quiche and turned away. Emmy followed her all the way to the library steps. She wondered how she got lost in the first place. It seemed so easy to get there. One right turn. Fear is bad for the brain
. Everything gets scrambled.

Inside the library Emmy scanned the aisles. She couldn’t find Sebastian. He’d taken off again for sure. There was no point in her staying there if he wasn’t there to hear about all that had happened that day. She was about to leave when she spotted the same girls who were in the library before. She went back to the aisle she was in and blindly grabbed a book.

“Hey,” she heard one of the girls say.

Then another stood up and strode over to her. She grabbed Emmy by the hand and led her into the group, pulling up another chair for her to sit.

“Interesting reading?” one of the girls said.

Emmy looked down at the book in her hands,
Female Erotica.
The cover photo was dramatic enough for her to drop the book.

One of the girls picked it up and put it behind them. “Emmy, I’m Sarah. And this is Codie and Leah.”

“Hi,” said Codie.

“Hi,” said Leah.

Emmy caught sight of Sebastian in one of the aisles. “Hi. I don’t usually read books like that. Just so you know.” Emmy grimaced.

“Don’t worry about that,” Codie said. “We’ve seen you around the town square lately and wanted to say hi.
And here you are just walking in the library.”

“It’s the first time I’ve been in here.”

“We meet here every Saturday. Share our stuff.”

Emmy spotted Sebastian again. He’d seen her. He was peering over an open book making funny faces. She did everything she could to pretend she couldn’t see him but it was  hard.
“Share stuff?” she asked.

“We write,” another girl explained. “Codie writes song lyrics. I write poems that she makes into song lyrics and Leah writes short stories.”

“Sometimes we swap around a bit. I’ve written some short stories too,” Codie said.

“Really? And you meet here and show each other what you’ve done.”

“Pretty nerdy I know. But it keeps us going,” Sarah said.

“It works for us,” Leah added.

“We’re thinking about getting together and writing a novel one day. All of us taking on a different character and writing chapters.”

“I’d love to read something like that,” Emmy said.

“What brings you to the library?” Leah asked

“Ah – um - I was looking for – um -  I was just walking past. I went to a movie.”

“What’d you see?”

“
Pink Serenity.
”

“Oh was it good? I’ve heard so much about it.”

“I loved it,” Emmy said.

Sebastian walked past with an armload of books
. “Hey girls?”

They all looked at her. “Is that Sebastian?”

Emmy looked over at him. He was at the computers with a librarian. She was showing him how to borrow. He held up a book,
Friends with Benefits.

“He’s so embarrassing” Emmy winced.

“Invite him over,” the girls said.

“He looks busy right now. When he’s finished,” Emmy said.

But when Sebastian finished, he loaded his books in the complimentary library bag, waved to them and headed for the exit.

Chapter Thirty Five

At the lookout, Emmy pulled the checked blanket from the hollow tree trunk and unfolded it in the shade of a mountain pine. Water rushed over the rocks below. She lay back and watched the sunlight play among the leaves above.

It was her place to think.

But she wasn’t alone for long. Libby stepped out from the line of pine trees and pulled a couple of cushions out of a bag, joining Emmy.

“Hi,” Libby said.

“Hi,” Emmy copied.

“Are you here to read?”

“I’m thinking.”

Libby nodded, as though it made all the sense in the world. “Thinking,” she said.

Emmy felt she wanted to cry. She was sitting right beside her best friend and didn’t know what to say. Time and again, she and Sebastian seemed to have lost the ability to talk about what was important, too. She seemed to be the common denominator. Something was very wrong.

“I don’t like Jed, Libby.”

“Well, I think I do.”

It was Emmy’s turn to nod.

“Is this about me taking you to the movie today? I’m sorry.”

“Did you want to go there because you knew Jed would be there?”

“No,” Libby said, but she was nodding her head yes.

“He’s creepy, Lib. He touches me and watches me and follows me.”

“He told me he saw you after the movie Em. He was worried about you. He wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Emmy sat silently with that explanation. “I don’t know if I believe that.”

“Are you sure you just aren’t a bit jealous that Jed and I are together now?”

“You really like him.”

“I do.”

“He’s creepy.”

“He told me about what happened with you at the party. He feels really bad. He was drunk. I feel really bad.”

“You feel really bad?”

“He wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t made it so hard for him. He liked me and I couldn’t make up my mind.”

“It was really creepy Libby. I don’t know what you see in him.”

“Maybe we need to all go out together. You and Sebastian. Me and Jed. You can see what he’s like with me.”

“I don’t know Lib.” Emmy fiddled with the cover on her book, looking up when Libby sighed.

“Not
Heidi
again, Em.”

“I love it.”

Libby rolled her eyes “Tell me, what’s so good about that story? There must be something in it that makes you read it over and over again.”

“It’s the whole story. Heidi has freedom in the mountains and she’s sent to a suffocating house in Frankfurt where she’s supposed to go to school. She’s so unhappy she looks as sick as her friend Clara in the end. I can’t imagine what it would be like to leave here and live in a city.”

“And let me guess. They go back to the mountains.”

“And Peter and Heidi help Clara to walk. It’s the good food and fresh air, and it’s safe. Who would live anywhere else?”

“Em,” Libby said, turning away and bending the spine back on her own novel, settling in to read. “Mercy Falls isn’t that bad. Think of it as a cute little town. It’s not Frankfurt.”

Emmy thumbed through the worn pages, counting what was left in the chapter. She nestled into the blanket on her side, propping the book open on the ground with one hand. With the other, she lazily traced the pattern on the back of Libby’s t-shirt. She smiled when Libby gave up reading, knowing that she was enjoying her touch.

The river’s turbulence lulled them both to sleep.

*

Emmy woke to distant yelling, “Libby!” It was a boy’s voice. She sat up, trying to place where she was.

Libby was at the ledge. She cupped her hands and called, “I’ll meet you at the footbridge
!” As she headed for the pathway through the trees, she turned back to Emmy. “Come on, Em. Be happy for me. I like him. I know he likes me. I’m sure of it.”

Emmy scrambled to her feet, and peered over the ledge. She spotted the red shirt first and realised the guy was Jed.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Don’t wait for me.”

“No Libby. You can’t.”

“I can and I’m going to.”

“Not with him. He’s not a good person.”

Libby shook her head. “Just be excited for me. You’ve got Sebastian. Wouldn’t it be great if I had someone, too? It’s not a competition.”

Emmy took a step back
. “Competition?”

“I didn’t think you were like the girls in Mercy Falls. It’s okay if other people have boyfriends, you know. You don’t have to be the only one.”

“But you don’t have to have a boyfriend just because I do. Not Jed. He’s no good.”

“Jeez Emmy, I never took you to be the jealous type. First you hate my friends and now you don’t want me to have a boyfriend.” Libby turned her back on her, and strode towards the gap in the trees.

Frozen to the spot, Emmy clenched her jaw. “It’s not like that. Really.”

“I’m going,” Libby called back over her shoulder.

When Libby stopped and turned back around, Emmy saw a coldness in her eyes she’d never seen before. “I’m going.”

Emmy s
ank down onto the rug. She chewed on a fingernail. Then, in agitation, she shuffled to the ledge on her knees. Jed was nowhere to be seen, but over on the opposite bank, the girl in black sat at the water’s edge. She was everywhere; everywhere where she was needed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Libby on the footbridge, running along it, then pulling herself into a more sedate walk. It was hard to watch her disappear into the trees. By the time Emmy looked back the girl in black had vanished.

*

The white water beat at the rocks below. Emmy dangled her legs over the edge, alert for any sign of Libby in the forest. At one point, she thought she saw a flash of red in the trees. Standing only altered the shape of the shadows. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was her imagination.

There was no denying it. She had to do something.

Emmy climbed down the steep rocky slope to the shoreline, and scrambled over rocks in the direction of the footbridge. The water levels had risen and engulfed the path she usually took. Submerged rocks roughened the surface.

Again, a flash of red caught her eye on the opposite bank. She stopped, her eyes straining for a sign of life in the shadows.

“
Libby!” she shouted.

But all she could hear was the rush over the rocks at her feet.

Emmy walked a couple more paces.

There was a high
-pitched scream.

“
Libby!” she shouted again.

Nothing.

She questioned whether it was all in her imagination.

Emmy kicked
off her shoes, and stood at the water’s edge, sensing a sickness in her stomach. The river was turbulent. The footbridge was too far away. Her gut told her to stay away from the water.

A figure burst from out of the trees on the other bank. It was her friend. 

“Libby!” Emmy shouted, but the river drowned her out.

Emmy watched as Libby waded into the shallows, terror scarring her face. A flash of red rose out of the trees behind her friend, dashing into the water after her. Libby dived in and began to stroke. The torrents dragged her downstream.

At the edge of the river, he ripped off his red shirt and threw it down, hurling himself into the water after Libby.

Stumbling over submerged rocks, Emmy crashed into the water, vaguely aware of the scrapes and blood. Fear camouflaged all pain. Under the churning water, she couldn’t see the shapes of the underwater spirits. She wanted them there. She needed them to give her the power to reach Libby.

As her arms stroked and legs kicked she tried to keep her head above water. It slapped her face. She choked more than breathed. Struggling to stay afloat, she lost sight of Libby. The torrents gripped them both. Emmy was swirling downstream, farther than she’d ever been. In the middle, Jed was treading water, chest and arms, angry and tense. He was high above the turbulence. He was going to see them both drown.

When he started swimming, Emmy followed his line of sight. Just downstream from her Libby clung to a rock, screaming words that Emmy couldn’t make out over the raging waters.

Wild strokes brought her closer to her best friend. “Li…” She tried to call out but took in a mouthful of water.  She vomited. It cleared her lungs.  But she snorted water up her nose, searing her throat. Coughing she tried desperately to lie back in a float, to catch her breath. In that moment of surrender, the river pushed her closer to her friend. Fury kept Emmy on top of the water. Tired limbs pumped when she felt herself sink.

Jed made it to the rock before she did. She flipped over and dived under water. When she came up for a breath, she caught glimpses of him pounding Libby’s fingers and trying to peel them off the rock. One hand slid over Libby’s head. He was pushing her under.

Emmy pumped her legs, lifting herself out of the water just as Jed had done. She opened her mouth and screamed.

Startled, Jed and Libby turned towards her. It’s exactly what she wanted. She had stopped him. Now, he had a witness.

A tree trunk slammed into the back of Emmy’s head. One of its branches twisted its gnarled joints through her shirt and dragged her under. Emmy’s hand brushed Libby’s leg under water, just before her head thumped into the base of the rock. 

Emmy’s world turned white.

She felt light, as if the water had become air and was carrying her in a soft breeze. Safe, free from the log, free from the river, looking down over it, Emmy saw Libby floating downstream, gripping the log. Jed remained perched high on the rock, frantically scanning the raging waters.

Lost in curiosity, Emmy watched them. Dead. Jed thinks we’re dead, Emmy thought.

She watched Libby drift around a bend. Emmy prayed she would hold on. The log got closer and closer to the rocky edge. With a bump, it pulled to a stop. Libby flopped against some rocks. The log rolled, bringing Emmy’s own limp body up out of the water to come face to face with her friend.

There was a scream. Emmy pawed at her body, but it wasn’t there. Just empty space. She was a part of the air. Her body was down on the shore being ripped off the log. Libby dragged her over rocks onto the grass.

In a desperate attempt to get to Libby she tried to dive down. She wanted to sit with her, wrap her arms around her in comfort, to tell her she wasn’t dead. The river had been cruel, but the only way back was to become one with the battered body that had been spat out onto its shore. It was her body. The only body she had known. Behind her was warmth, a strong pull. There was a bright world, and shadowy figures gathering. She was being called
home.