Dark Realms (8 page)

I stared at her in
disbelief. “Oh, my God mom, we
just
got into town!”

“Yeah, but I agree with Nathan that there’s
nothing wrong with making new friends; especially friends who are
in law enforcement,” she replied with a straight face.

“Well, I guess,” I answered, staring into
the darkness. Obviously, she was beginning to get a handle on her
fears and I should have been relieved, but instead, it only made
me… uneasy.

Chapter Two

When we finally made it to the cabin, my jaw
literally dropped.

“What do you think?” asked mom as she parked
the car next to Nathan’s.

“Wow. It’s amazing,” I replied, opening the
car door. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“It is. I saw pictures but wanted to
surprise you,” she said, getting out of the car.

This was no average lakeside cabin; it
looked like something you’d see on a “Top Ten List” of some
luxurious getaways.

“This must be worth millions. I can’t
believe we’re staying here,” I said, unable to wipe the grin from
my face. I felt like someone had just shouted “Move that bus!” and
we were looking at our new dream home.

“Yes, it’s quite extraordinary,” she said,
staring up at the cabin. “I’m still in shock that we get to stay
here, too. Ernie is a lifesaver.”

“He’s more like Santa Claus,” I replied,
feeling giddy. I couldn’t wait to check out the inside. It was
possible that Shore Lake wasn’t going to suck quite as much as I
thought.

She reached back into the car and pulled out
her cell phone. “I’d better call him once we’ve unpacked the
groceries. Let him know we’ve made it and how thrilled we are.” Her
eyes became misty. “You know, I just can’t thank him enough for
everything he’s done.”

I agreed with her there. This place was
beyond words. Heck, everything about it screamed money, too, from
the expensive cedar wood frame to the thick-plated enormous glass
windows; it reminded me of a mountainside chateau in Europe.

“Impressive, huh?” she said.

“Yeah.”

Especially with its two-tiered deck that
someone had built on north side of the cabin, and a massive porch
that wrapped around the entire main floor. There was even a gazebo
with a hot tub next to a courtyard which contained a large grill
and several pieces of outdoor furniture for entertaining.
Unfortunately, we had nobody to entertain.

“Wow,” said Nathan as he got out of the car
and walked over to us. He was also staring in amazement at the
cabin. “How in the world did you score such an awesome place?”

Mom smiled. “Ernie.”

“Look, there’s the boathouse.” I pointed
down towards the lake. Even that place looked like it was larger
than some of the homes in our old neighborhood.

“Cool,” said Nathan, nodding in approval. “I
hope the weather is nice tomorrow, so that we can take the boat
out,” he started walking towards the dock. “I wonder what kind of
boat they have?”

“Check later,” said mom, grabbing her purse.
“We need to get this stuff inside.”

He sighed and turned around. “Okay. It’s
probably too dark to see anything now anyway.”

She took the keys out of her purse and began
walking towards the cabin. “You know, I’m really surprised that
there isn’t some kind of alarm on the cabin. I mean, this place is
vacant most of the time.” She sighed. “I hope when we get inside,
nothing is missing.”

“Everyone must trust each other in these
parts,” I said, following her up the steps to the front door.

“Apparently,” she answered, putting the key
into the lock. When we stepped inside, she flipped on the lights
and my breath caught in my throat.

“Wow…” said Nathan. “This place is…
tight.”

“It’s amazing,” she said, taking a step
back. “I’m just, speechless.”

“Can we step inside of the doorway, people?”
I said, swatting at a mosquito. “Before the bugs enter before we
do?”

“Oh, sorry,” she chuckled.

We entered what had to be called the “great
room.” It was enormous and had a large soapstone fireplace with a
bearskin rug lying near it, which was kind of hokey to me but it
certainly added to the affect. Plush burgundy colored leather
furniture with hand-carved wooden end tables sat across from the
fireplace, and I imagined myself in the chair-and-a-half, reading a
book next to a crackling fire.

“Wow, I just love those light fixtures,”
gushed mom, staring at the dozens of rustic chandeliers that made
the place glow with warmth. She walked over to a row of intricately
carved shelves and touched the amber colored wood. “And all of this
lovely hand-carved woodwork, the leather furniture, and… oh God,
what isn’t there to love about this place? Next time I see Ernie,
I’m going to plant a huge kiss on his little bald head.”

“You should,” said Nathan. He raised his
voice a few octaves and put a hand on his hip. “And give him a big
sloppy one from me, too.”

“Oh, so you’re finally warming up to us
being here?” she asked.

He grinned. “Mom, seriously, if you’re
happy, then I’m happy.”

She walked over to Nathan and threw her arms
around him. “I swear, I have the two best kids in the world.”

“Love you, too, mom,” he answered, patting
her gently on the back. “And don’t worry, everything will work out.
Even… even with Deanna. Seriously.”

“Good, I’m glad you feel that way,” she
replied, releasing him. “I just want everything to work out for you
and your sister.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it will,” he
replied.

“Guys, I’m going to check out the upstairs,”
I said, climbing the staircase, two steps at a time. I could barely
contain my excitement now that I knew we were actually staying at
such a glamorous place.

“Pick out a bedroom!” she called as I made
it to the top of the stairs. “I don’t care which; I hear they’re
all pretty nice.”

“Will do!” I hollered back.

There were several bedrooms on the upper
level, all spacious and each having their own bathroom. I chose one
with a queen-sized pillow-top bed and a small balcony with an
awesome view of the lake.

“So, what do you think?” asked my mom from
the doorway, a few minutes later.

“Oh, my God, I love it!” I squealed. “I feel
like we’re on vacation somewhere. I wish we could stay here
forever.”

“I know, it’s pretty breathtaking. I don’t
know about this one, but my bedroom has its own Jacuzzi and a
closet so big, I could park the car in it. I’m going to check out
yours.”

While she did that, I walked over to the
balcony door and opened it, enjoying the cool air on my cheek. It
was dark outside, but the reflection of the moon on the water made
the lake seem so peaceful. I imagined myself lying on some kind of
canoe or boat, staring up at the moon with the waves rocking me to
sleep. “I just can’t believe this place. If we’re dreaming, I never
want to wake up.”

She stepped next to me and linked her arm
through mine. “Don’t worry, it’s real.”

My stomach began to growl and I patted it.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“Yeah, I’m getting there myself. Let’s go
see if Nathan did what I asked and brought the groceries inside.
I’ll make us something to eat.”

“Okay.”

We went back downstairs and I helped mom put
the rest of the groceries away in the fridge, which actually looked
like the wooden cupboards surrounding it.

She took out a frying pan from one of the
boxes in the kitchen and smiled. “Who wants homemade sliders? It
might be ghetto here, but I’m not about to give those up.”

“Yeah, I’ll take as many as you can make,”
replied Nathan as he entered the kitchen. “I’m going to pass out if
I don’t get something to eat soon.”

“I’m surprised you’re still walking,” I
said.

“Me too,” he said, opening up the
refrigerator. He grabbed a jar of pickles and untwisted the cap.
Before he could get his fingers inside of the jar, mom stopped
him.

“Here,” she said, handing him a fork. “Don’t
use your fingers.”

He grinned sheepishly. “Oh, thanks.”

“So,” she said as she began preparing
dinner, “is this place incredible or what?”

“Not too shabby,” said Nathan between bites
of his pickle. “And it’s so quiet, I feel like we’re in the middle
of nowhere.”

Mom nodded. “The next cabin is just a hop,
skip, and a jump from here, but you’d never know it’s so
peaceful.”

“Yeah, you did good, mom,” I said, cutting
the onions for our burgers. “I just can’t wait until tomorrow when
we get to see it all in the daylight.”

Nathan nodded. “Yeah, I’d really like to
take the boat out on the lake tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

“Sure,” she answered

He wiped his hands on his jeans.
“Sweet.”

She opened the fridge and grabbed the
cheese. “I think that would be good for all of us to get out on
that lake. I haven’t been able to work on my tan all summer.”

I snorted; my mom was as white as a ghost
and typically burned and peeled, but never really tanned. My
brother and I were the opposite, fortunately, even though you’d
never know it this year. I just hadn’t had the time to get any sun,
especially after the “incident.”

After dinner, I helped her with the dishes
and then decided to check out the whirlpool tub in my bathroom.

“I’m taking a long, relaxing bath and then
going to bed,” I said as we neared the staircase. It had been a
long drive and I was so exhausted, I didn’t even feel like
unpacking anything just yet.

“Okay,” she replied, kissing the top of my
head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

A moving company had dropped off our
belongings earlier in the day and I found some of my own boxes very
quickly. After carrying them to my room, I grabbed a towel and the
fluffy white robe my mom had given me for Christmas last year. As I
was about to walk into my bathroom to start the tub, there was a
soft knock.

“Yeah?”

My brother opened the door. “Hey, I’m sorry
about snapping at you earlier. You were right,” he said with a
sheepish grin. “I was being a little bit of an asshole.”

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “You
were kind of a bitch too, you know.”

I gasped. “I’ll show you bitch,” I replied,
throwing my hairbrush at him. It missed and hit the wall next to
the door.

“Better work on your aim,” he replied with a
smirk.

I picked up my curling iron and raised it in
the air. “Leave before I give you ringlets! I swear to God, I’ll
make you pretty!”

He brushed his bangs away from his eyes.
“Can you include a bow? I’d look even prettier with a bow.”

I broke down and started laughing. “You are
such a freak.”

“No need to be jealous. You’re my twin and
kind of a freak, too.”

“Lucky me.”

He smiled. “Night, Nik. I’ll see you in the
morning.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

After he left, I grabbed my things and
stepped into the black and white marbled bathroom, locking the door
behind me. When I turned back around, I smiled.

Amazing.

There was even a large panoramic window
surrounding the Jacuzzi with a view of the lake. Although it was
dark and I couldn’t see much of anything outside, I imagined during
the day, it was incredible.

I walked over to the large
square tub and turned on the water. I sat on the edge and watched
it rise slowly, wondering how many gallons I’d be using before it
covered the jets entirely. It was enormous, even larger than the
pool we’d had as kids. Hell, the entire bathroom was fit for a
celebrity and I was going to use it for the next year or two? I
decided to kiss Ernie myself the next time I saw
him
.

I stood back up and opened the new
vanilla-scented spa bath gift set my mom had given me. I then lit
the candle that came with it and placed it near the tub. When the
water was high enough, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail,
turned off the lights, and removed my shirt and jeans.

“Oh, yeah, now that’s what I’m talking
about,” I whispered, groaning in pleasure as I sunk into the warm
bath. I laid my head against the bath pillow and closed my eyes. I
imagined it couldn’t possibly get any better, but then remembered
I’d forgotten my iPod. If this was Heaven, then listening to the
music could only take me to another level of bliss.

As I stood up to grab a towel, my eyes were
drawn towards a movement near the right side of the window that I
was now facing. My heart stopped as a set of fiery-red eyes stared
back at me. When I finally found my voice, I screamed in horror,
and whatever it was, quickly shot away.

“Mom!” I shrieked, trying not to slip on the
wet floor. I grabbed my robe and skidded out of the bathroom as
quickly as possible.

“What is it?” she cried, bursting through
the door, also wearing her yellow terrycloth robe.

Trembling, I pointed towards the bathroom.
“Mom,” I choked, “someone was watching me in the window! They saw
me naked!”

Her eyes widened and she reached for the
softball bat sticking out of one of my boxes. With my heart
pounding in my chest, I followed her into the bathroom, half
expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. She kept the light
switch off and moved towards the window.

“Do you see anything?” I whispered over her
shoulder.

Sighing, she turned to me and lowered the
bat. “No.”

I looked back towards the darkness, and a
shiver ran down my spine. I turned back to her. “Are you sure?”

Her forehead wrinkled. “Yes, I’m sure. I
also don’t see how anyone could be watching you from this height,
Nikki.”

“Mom, something was
watching me
.
I’m
not lying
.
”