Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers (22 page)

“Ouch.” Regina was startled when she realized that she was being pelted by small colorful objects. She looked down into her lap to see colorful pieces of Bubble Gum and Tootsie Rolls that were being tossed off of one of the passing floats. Her eyes caught her mother’s as they were both reveling in the little joys, but her mood darkened quickly when she peered over her mother’s shoulder and into the mass of people farther down the sidewalk. A hooded monk stood no more than twenty feet away and with one alluring hand motion it summoned her.

T
he monk’s head was lowered and his face was shadowed by an oversized hood. The draped figure was short, small in frame and its bulky taupe gown covered it completely. When Regina lifted from her chair to get a closer look, the figure beckoned to her once again, then turned and fled into the alleyway, the bottom of his gown billowing behind him in the wind.

Regina’s father grabbed her hand.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” a distracted Regina told her father as she moved up the street, compelled to the covert character.

“OK, you want me to walk you?” Mr. Dean asked with concern.

Regina declined with a headshake, never looking back.

“Hurry back,” her father told her as she walked toward the port-a-potties that lay just ahead of her.

The chaotic cluster of noises that was wailing all around her faded into a distant murmuring and Regina could hear herself breathing hard as she came to the corner where the monk had stood only seconds before. Down the alley, she could barely see the door of Clark’s swinging to a close with just enough time for the swell of the brown gown to slip inside. She looked around at the streets whose unconventional activity now made her feel like she was inside a funhouse. Her head was spinning and she rested against the brick wall for a moment before leaning forward and placing her hands on her knees trying to catch the breath that now eluded her.

“What the hell?” she whispered to herself when her eyes fell to the ground. Regina dipped to pick up the photograph. Regina ran her fingers along the jagged edge of the photo where it had been torn. Nikki smiled awkwardly at her from the picture, but Glen was now gone, ripped away.

Initially, logic discouraged her from following the cloaked creature, but in the end it was the same logic that changed her mind and made her decide to pursue the stranger. Because in this hour, in this place, nothing made sense, but she reasoned that in a world where nothing made sense, everything made sense and just inside of that door at the end of that dark alley were some answers that she needed.

Regina jogged down the alley, her boots thudding on the concrete.

She stopped in front of the door where she contemplated the consequences of crossing this point of no return.

Running away was a viable option, but then what, she wondered. How much longer could she run? She couldn’t. Despite what may happen, she just wanted the running to be over and end the treadmill hell. Regina swung open the metal door and stepped into the gloomy showroom.

“Hello? Mr. Clark?” Regina spoke out.

Silence; nothing but stiff, throat-clogging silence.

Regina walked the room cautiously.

“I know you’re in here,” she said to the stranger.

“I just want to know what you know. You want me or want to tell me something, so here I am.” Regina waited for an answer that never came.

In the light of day, Mr. Clark’s angel sculptures were serene, they offered a certain peace, but in the obscurity of the shade of night, they were different creatures altogether. In the dimly lit rooms of the store, these angels appeared to be sorrowful mourners. The same cold stone hands that reached out to save one in the golden sunlight of high noon now reached out to pull one to a place of uncertainty. Regina had expected a confrontation, a fight and she had prepared herself for such, but this quiet, this deadly stillness was making her more frightened than any animalistic brawl.

Her attention was drawn to an angel that stood backlighted at the far end of the store, the statue’s intricately detailed wings were partly outstretched. One of her arms was reaching for something
that stood in front of her, her fingers were spread and her mouth was open, narrowly, as if she were trying desperately to warn her subject. Regina walked closer to the sculpture so that she could be in the light with it; she peered up into the upstairs corridors of the open showroom. Regina heard a rustling in a corner near the storefront window that faced the crowded street, and then turned her back on the angel whose outstretched hand brushed against her shoulder. Effortlessly, she slipped out of the grasp of the angel and ran toward the noise, throwing her hands on the glass counter and lifting herself to see if there was anyone on the floor of the other side.

Nothing.

She whipped around to see the person that she was sure stood behind her, but again she was alone.

“I’m here!” she yelled, fear giving way to frustration.

“Tell me what you want.” Regina changed her tone, trying to speak calmly as she walked back toward the statue hoping her adjustment of inflection would convince the person to reveal him or herself in a manner as peaceful as her voice. She was back at the other end of the room before she heard a quick movement behind her and felt powerful hands thrust into her back, sending her reeling into the arms of the same stone angel that had tried to warn her. All of the wind came swooshing out of her in a terrifying screech. She hit the floor hard and grunted at the weight of the monk plunging down on top of her. The cloaked figure wrenched Regina onto her back with a jerk so powerful Regina thought she heard a snap in her neck. Hard fists pounded into Regina’s chest. Straight black hair tumbled out from below the hood and the only thing that Regina could see was the occasional sparkle of the rich dark eyes as they caught in the faint light of the room.

“Lola, no! Please!” Regina managed to choke out between strikes of the fists. She was unable to breathe, but not just because of the beating that was raining down on her thin frame, but because it was Lola who sat on top of her, screaming and flailing in a furious rage. Regina was still unable to see the face of her attacker in the blackness of the store, but she knew it was Lola. Regina did
her best to shelter herself from the attack, but she could not bear to fight this person that she had once loved so dearly, this person that had succumbed to unspeakable, unfair tragedy. Regina curled and protected her body as best she could with the mad woman on top of her when a kaleidoscope of color filled her eyes and she saw an array of metal- and glass-ornamented crucifixes that had tumbled to the ground when both girls had fallen to the floor. Lola was in such frenzy that Regina’s strategy had gone unnoticed as she lifted one of the heavy metal crucifixes and bashed it against the side of the hooded figure’s face, causing her to go flying sideways to the ground. Regina had only a moment because within seconds the damned monk was scrabbling back to her feet. Regina hit the girl once more and dashed for the door. Lola was the last person she wanted to hurt, but she had to stop her. The dead girl was so close upon her that Regina could hear Lola’s breathless cries behind her. Regina slipped out of the door with the crucifix still in her hand. She stood in the cold alley rooted against the door, her chest heaving as the wild animal, formerly known as Lola, pounded on the other side of the door screeching. Regina looked to the sky and closed her eyes tightly, praying for the strength to be able to keep the deadly spirit contained.

“Help,” she yelled out to the people she saw passing on the street at either end of the long alley, but the excitement of the night, the anxious voices and thundering sounds kept her from being heard. Lola was now taking a running start toward the door and banging it with her entire body, but Regina figured the banshee’s strategy and altered hers to match. Regina timed the blows to the door and began anticipating the exact second of Lola’s collisions with the door; Regina threw her weight into the door on the opposite side at the exact same time, each time. Seconds passed sluggishly and it seemed like hours when the banging finally stopped and she listened to the nothingness. With her next breath, she took her chance and dashed up the alley toward the street, where she could see people walking, talking, and eating. Only a little bit farther, she told herself as she heard the door clank against the brick wall as it blew open clamorously. Regina screamed as she
saw the monk burst into the alley with such force that she ran into the next building hitting it hard. Regina tried to run faster, but she was beaten and could muster no burst of energy. She pushed her trudging body along and the bright lights of the street drifted closer with every labored step until she reached the goal, running directly into the arms of Barron Forte.

“Barron,” she yelled as her limp body crumpled in his arms.

“Whoa,” he said, bending to catch her.

She took a breath and gathered the little power that she had left and pulled him a step back to the mouth of the alleyway, where nothing moved and everything was quiet. The hooded monk was gone and seemed to have never even been there.

Barron looked up and around the alleyway before returning his gaze to an awed Regina who still carried the crucifix in her hand.

“What is it?” he asked. Regina pointed a shaking finger, but could do little more. “I just saw your parents and they told me that you had come this way to use the bathroom. Regina? Regina?” Barron spoke, but Regina could not take her eyes from the alley. Barron wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in close. He was warm as he kissed her on the side of her forehead and she could hold it no longer. It was rising in Regina’s throat like warm sewage, bubbling and choking her with foul odors and tastes until it sat densely in her mouth just behind her perfect rows of teeth and there was nowhere left for it to go, but out.

“We killed Lola.”

“W
hat?” Barron spewed the word like vomit. His face contorted in confused horror. “Lola?” he asked. Her shame-filled eyes shifted to the ground before finding Barron again and there was no need for Regina to repeat the name.

“We killed her and now she’s back and she wants to hurt me,” Regina said, her body shuddering with earthquake vibrations.

“Calm down, just calm down. Let’s get out of here.” Barron rubbed her shoulders delicately before escorting her through the crowd. Before Regina had a chance to protest, Barron herded her into his truck.

“I’ll tell your parents that you’re not feeling well or something,” he said before he disappeared back into the mass of people. When Barron returned to the car neither of them said a word. Regina felt a sickness growing inside of her. Barron maneuvered the vehicle up and down the detoured streets until he pulled up in front of the local bar.

“I’m going to need a drink for this.” He sighed. Regina pushed her door open. The crunching of the rocks in the gravel parking lot was loud under her feet, giving everyone forewarning that a murderer was coming their way. The bar was a sad hodgepodge of a few rambunctious bikers gathered around a pool table, rough-edged housewives enjoying a couple of beers for girls’ night while their teenage sons did God knows what and an older couple at the bar that had probably been drinking together since they were teens. Regina and Barron sat at the far end of the bar where they were sure not to encounter any unsolicited disturbances. Barron ordered two shots of tequila and they both slammed them down upon arrival. After that, he ordered bourbon and Coke and Regina ordered a glass of wine. The drinks were placed in front of them and Barron took a long swig before he was able to speak again.

“So …” His statement lingered in the air, taunting her. Regina took a gluttonous swallow of her wine, almost finishing it in a single swig. With a lackadaisical hand motion to the bartender, she ordered another. Her empty gaze met Barron’s eyes briefly, and then traveled to one of the bottles on the shelf behind the bar. Regina stared into the brown liquid inside the bottle and allowed her mind to go to a place she rarely allowed it anymore. She refrained from thinking too much because she was sure that if she did her mouth would lock up and she would be unable to get a word out. Regina opened her mouth and let the words crawl out like disgusting insects that had been slowly gnawing away at her intestines for the past eight years.

“We did see Lola the night of the party. Natalie, Nikki, and I left Mitchell’s party early because we had been drinking and we all wanted to sober up a bit before we had to be home. Nikki thought we should drive by the library to see if Lola was still there. I remember the night being so clear. It was cool and my window was down so the breeze could hit my face. The music was loud and Nikki and Natalie were laughing about something that happened at the party. When we got to the library, Lola was walking out between the tall lamps that lined the cement. Nikki slowed the car at the curb and Lola ran up, she was so happy to see us. She was wearing a bright jade-colored maxi dress that dragged the ground and she had pulled her hair up into a tousled ponytail, the way she always did when she was studying or thinking hard and her tote bag was slung across the back of her shoulder.

“Hey!” Lola gushed as she bent down by the passenger window. Regina could see in her eyes that she wanted all of the juicy details of the party.

“Hello, beautiful,” Regina responded, with maudlin greetings following immediately from Natalie and Nikki.

“How was the party?”

“I’m not telling you! You should have had your butt there,” Regina teased her. “God, I wish I could have gone. My parents are so upset with my grade. Where are you guys going?” Lola asked.

“Just driving around before we head home, wanna ride?” Nikki asked. Lola peered down the street questioningly, knowing that she should get home.

“Don’t be such a party pooper!” Natalie said with a sigh from the backseat. “C’mon,” Nikki urged. Lola bit her lip.

“All right! You twisted my arm.” Lola sang. All of the girls began giggling wildly and Regina got out of the car to let up the seat.