Last Dance (14 page)

“I’ve never been so glad to see a ghost!”

She smiled faintly, her form translucent and hard to make out, as she had less energy away from the pavilion. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her—she had just possessed my body a short while ago. But I sensed she was on my side and wanted to help.

“Get me out of here!” I said anxiously.

She lifted her hand and pointed toward a dark, dusty corner of the basement where boxes were stacked nearly to the ceiling.

“What do you mean? Do you want me to look in the boxes?”

With a shake of her head, she floated up and over the boxes. She crooked her finger, gesturing for me follow—so I did.

She ducked behind the boxes, then popped back up, motioning for me to come with her. While I moved the boxes aside, she hovered overhead. I could see a dusty hole behind the boxes. Her glow showered light so I could see clearly. There were more boxes, but these were smaller and easier for me to move aside. When I was done, I found myself facing a wood-paneled wall.

“Now what?” I cried anxiously.

Chloe swept over to the wall and then vanished.

“Come back!” I called, reaching out and touching the wood.

When the wood wobbled, I realized it wasn’t solid, but a large sheet of plywood propped against the wall. I shoved it aside and glimpsed a shadowy face. My scream cut off when I recognized the face—my own! Light from outside reflected my own image in a grimy window.

The latch on the window had been broken a long time ago. Had this been Chloe’s escape route? Now over fifty years later, it was my escape route, too.

After tugging and banging on the window, I pried it open. Cold, rainy air rushed in and I gasped with relief. I quickly scrambled through the window and found myself in a narrow alley.

Now which way? I wondered, pushing my damp hair from my face. The rain had eased to sprinkles, but I was still soggy and cold. I stood there, unsure which way to go—until I saw a glowing shape to my right like a ghostly beacon offering guidance.

This narrow passage ended at the sidewalk. Hearing the sound of a door closing, I looked at the museum entrance and covered my mouth so I wouldn’t scream. A chubby bald man was stepping out of the door. I gasped.

He whirled toward me and shouted, “YOU!”

Blood pulsed through me and gave life with fear. When I started to run, I heard him yell for me to stop. But I kept running, following a glowing light that I knew was Chloe. Everything blurred as I moved, but instead of heading back for the celebration, I turned up a hilly trail, higher and higher. I didn’t hear Kasper behind me and hoped I’d lost him.

I slowed at the top of the hill, startled to find myself in a familiar rocky clearing. I heard clomping footsteps and turned back to see Kasper. His face blazed with rage, and he lifted his hands to aim a gun at me.

He was totally insane and I was going to be totally dead. Ohmygod! I knew I was going to die. This was my fate, like Chloe’s. Only no one would celebrate my death, few would even mourn me. No! I couldn’t just give up. There had to be a way out, but what? I was trapped between a cliff and a killer.

Then something in the air changed; energy shimmered like a glowing tornado. The glow slowed and settled into a ghostly shape.

“Chloe!” I screamed. “Help! Stop James!”

James?
she whispered in a tone haunted with pain. But her expression was confused and I realized she didn’t recognize Kasper. It made sense, I suppose, since he’d changed so much, while Chloe had stayed the same.

Shivering, I glanced at Kasper. The gun fell from his hand and he stared at Chloe. “I can see you!” he cried in shock. “After all these years—I never saw you before—I was never completely sure …” His words trailed off and his face went as pale as death.

The other times Chloe appeared she was misty and hard to see. But being here, in the place of her death, made her glow with blinding energy. She shimmered so bright my eyes ached. But I couldn’t turn away, caught up in her powerful emotions.

She hovered high off the ground, dry grass swayed in her wind and bits of twigs and rocks skittered across my feet. I didn’t move as something even more amazing happened. As I watched Kasper-James, he changed. He grew taller, his wrinkled face smoothed, softening, and his saggy flesh thinned, and golden hair spread across his bald head. The illusion only lasted for a moment.

James.
Chloe reached shimmering fingers towards him.
I’ve been waiting.

“Don’t hurt me! Stay away!” His eyes widened with fear. “It wasn’t my fault.”

She hovered on the air, her essence so bright my eyes stung.
Why did you leave me? I waited
…
so lonely.

“It was an accident. You were angry, shouting that I had betrayed you, then rushing at me so fast, I jumped aside and you fell. I didn’t mean for you to die—and I was so scared. I knew they’d blame me.”

“You did betray her,” I said, accusing. “You can’t hide from her anymore. But you can help me show her how to find peace on the other side.”

He ignored me, putting his hands in front of his face protectively as he backed up. “Don’t hurt me—keep away!”

But Chloe swirled closer, a brilliant glowing vision.
James–don’t leave me–come to me
. Her silvery shape glistened like tears. Caramel hair flowed around her like dark rain as she reached for James.

“Keep away!” he ordered, turning to run.

But quick as lightning, she flashed past me to block his way. Electricity crackled, sparking around Chloe, until her essence shone as fiery as a burning sunset.

I waited and waited,
Chloe murmured.
For you.

She swept ominously closer to him. I struggled to find the words to help her, to free her of her pain and help her find peace on the other side. But things happened too fast.

Chloe kept coming after James. He backed up, and would have collided with me if I hadn’t flung myself sideways. I landed hard on the muddy ground. My head hit something hard, a bush or log, and for a moment I laid there dazed.

When my head cleared and I wiped mud from my eyes, I saw Chloe and James close to the cliff. Misty rain swirled with Chloe as she advanced toward James. His face paled with terror and he didn’t seem to realize he was backing closer to the edge.

“Watch out!” I shouted to him.

But he didn’t seem to hear and stepped back blindly. Slipping, stumbling, his arms flailing in the air as he disappeared. His hollow scream seemed to echo forever.

Chloe hovered in the air over the cliff, her essence fading until I could only see a faint shimmer of caramel brown. I heard her murmur,
Wait for me, James.

Then all was silent, except for the soft pattering of raindrops and my own soft sobs.

With a heavy heart, I turned away to find Dominic.

“So Kasper was actually James? And he went crazy with grief and fell off the cliff? That’s so tragic! And to think I slept through it all!” Thorn exclaimed the next morning as I folded clothes into my suitcase. It had been past midnight when I returned last night. I’d been too stunned to talk, leaving the tragedy for others to sort out, numb as Dominic led me away.

I hadn’t wanted to leave, but Dominic insisted. “There’s no good to come from telling the truth.” And I knew he was right. Kasper—AKA James—was beyond my help.

“It all seems like a bad dream,” I now admitted to Thorn.

“At least they’re together,” Thorn said, sitting cross-legged on her unmade bed.

“Yeah. Chloe got what she wanted.” I sighed, sadness mingled with closure. I sensed that finally—fifty-four years after her death—Chloe was at peace.

“So I guess this will end the Chloe Celebrations,” Thorn was saying. “My aunt will be glad. But there’s something she won’t be happy about.”

“What?” I shut my suitcase and eyed her curiously.

“I’ve decided to fess up. It’s time I let her see the real me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally.” Thorn pulled out a plastic makeup bag and black wig from her suitcase. “Watch out world, Thorn is back. My aunt will have to get used to the real me.”

“Great!” I applauded, then added with a wistful sigh, “If only I had your courage. Then I’d stand up to my mother and tell her I’m going to my sisters’ birthday party whether she likes it or not.”

“You survived a lot last night,” Thorn said as she slipped on dagger-shaped earrings. “I am so glad I don’t see ghosts. I think you’re like the bravest person I know.”

For the first time that morning, I smiled. Maybe I was brave when I had to be. I couldn’t run from my problems—including my mother.

* * *

A half-hour later, I was hanging up the phone when Thorn came back with the widest smile I’d ever seen on her face. “You’re never gonna guess what my aunt said when she saw me!”

I imagined what an old-fashioned woman would think of Thorn’s pale, striking black-and-white makeup, black leather, and multiple piercings. “Did she scream?” I asked.

“No. She just asked what I wanted for breakfast.”

“No way!”

“Not one word about my black hair and Goth look. When I asked why she wasn’t surprised, she said that she already knew. Apparently my mother showed her pictures. And Aunt Deb never even let on.”

“Well that’s good, isn’t it? She doesn’t mind and you don’t have to be fake.”

“Yeah—and that’s not all,” Thorn added. “Aunt Deb rolled down her waistband and showed me her pierced belly button.”

“Pierced!” I choked out in delight.

“With a tiny diamond. She said that even middle-aged ladies like to rebel a little.”

“So next she’ll be going Goth, too,” I teased.

“I hope not, that would be too weird.” Thorn glanced at the phone and asked more seriously, “So how did the call to your mom go?”

“Okay. I guess.” I kept my expression calm, although inside I was still intimidated and anxious. “Mom isn’t happy, but that’s her problem. I’m going to the party so my sisters won’t be disappointed. I’m doing this for Amy and Ashley.”

“Good for you,” she said with a pat on my shoulder. I just nodded, knowing that I still had a battle ahead with my mother. But I’d deal with that later.

French toast was delicious, and it was cool to have the real Thorn back.

While we were washing and drying dishes afterward, there was a sharp honk from outside. Thorn raced to the front window and peered out. Following her, I saw a bright yellow jeep pulling in the driveway.

“My jeep!” she cried joyously, then tossed her washrag down and sped outside.

Another vehicle pulled in behind the jeep—Dominic’s battered white truck. Goat, Dominic’s mechanic friend, stepped out of the jeep and handed over the keys to Thorn.

The jeep gleamed like new. Thorn caressed her hand over the smooth canvas, and I was pleased that you couldn’t even tell where it had been punctured.

After Thorn hugged and thanked Dominic, she asked him if he would drive me out to Peaceful Pines since she wanted to spend more time with her aunt. Dominic gave me an uncertain look. “As long as Sabine is okay with it,” he said cautiously.

“Sounds great,” I said, surprised at how much the idea of going with him pleased me. Of course, that’s just because he’d been so much help and I knew he cared about Nona. It had nothing to do with the kiss. He hadn’t mentioned it, and neither had I—as if we’d silently agreed to pretend it never happened. We were friends, nothing more. And I needed all the friends I could get. My life was sure to change soon—and not in a good way. Evan was probably already planning his revenge.

Dominic dropped his friend off at the auto shop, then we drove through Pine Peaks on our way to Peaceful Pines Resort. As we passed the heart of town, I asked Dominic to slow down. Then I stared with a heavy heart at the Chloe Museum. The curtains were drawn, there were no lights, and on the door was a large CLOSED sign.

Dominic glanced at me curiously, but said nothing, and I was grateful. Being so close to him made me self-conscious. Like I wondered if my hair was messy or if my makeup was bad or if my jeans fit right. I looked down at my lap and realized I was wringing my hands. To give my hands something to do, I asked Dominic to borrow his phone so I could call Nona.

Only it wasn’t Nona who answered. Penny-Love was there, helping with the love business again. I braced myself, feeling bad for letting her down with the dance. But instead of chewing me out, she was excited about a new guy she met while setting up decorations, he was from the art club and volunteered to help out at the last minute.

“So thanks to you, I have a new guy!”

I told her it was great, and fought the urge to ask about Josh. I knew Penny-Love would tell me exactly what he did at the dance. But I found myself reluctant to know. As if suspecting him of dancing with other girls made me feel less guilty.

Still there was one thing I had to know. “Was Evan at the dance?” I asked.

“Evan Marshall? Sure, he was there. He had a new girlfriend, too, kind of skinny with bad teeth. I didn’t talk to her, but heard she was from San Jose. Isn’t that where your family lives? Maybe you know her?”

“No!” I said too sharply. “It’s a huge city.”

“Yeah, I figured that.”

“So did Evan say anything odd …” I hesitated, “About me?”

“No. Why would he or anyone else? You’re like the most normal person I know.”

She laughed, and after swallowing the lump in my throat, I laughed, too.

My reputation was safe … for now.

Minutes later, we arrived in Peaceful Pines Retirement Resort.

As we stepped out of the truck, I noticed an elderly couple heading towards a white sedan. I was surprised to recognize Teddy and Cathy, dressed in formal clothes, their arms linked cozily. When Cathy spotted me, she rushed over to give me a hug.

“Thank you, dear,” she whispered.

“For what?” I asked.

“For getting that old fool to face the past instead of pretending it never happened.” She tilted her head toward Teddy who waited by the sedan. “Last night he took me to the celebration and this morning he’s invited me to church.”

“But all we did was talk about Chloe.”

“Which he hasn’t done for over fifty years. I think he’s finally forgiven Chloe—and me. When he held my hand, I got all funny inside like I was sixteen again. Who knows? We might even go steady.” She giggled, then waved and hurried back to Teddy.

Dominic was giving me a curious look. “What was that about?”

“Young love,” I told him with a smile. “They make a cute couple, don’t you think?”

He arched his brows, clearly not sure if I was teasing or serious, and that was fine with me. Then we entered the resort and made our way to Eleanor Baskers’s cottage.

And this time when I knocked, the door opened. A friendly-looking woman with thick blue-framed glasses and a colorful tiny braid woven in her medium-length brown hair stood there. When she smiled, I noticed a gap in her front teeth.

Her eyes widened and she exclaimed. “You!”

I looked around, wondering if someone was standing behind me. But her gaze fixed on me, leaving no doubt I was the object of her surprise.

“Uh … do you know me?”

“Not yet, but I’ve been expecting you,” she said mysteriously. Without even asking our names or what we were doing there, she ushered us inside her home.

The first thing I noticed about her warm home were the cows. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of glass, porcelain, stuffed, wood, and plastic cows filed on shelves. There was even a cow-shaped coffee table. And when I sat on a black-and-white couch, my elbow brushed against a pillow that mooed.

“After we talk, I’ll take you on the complete tour of my collection,” she told us with a proud smile. “I have a case of Elsie memorabilia in a back room, including several purple cows like that old poem.”

“Poem?” I repeated.

But Dominic nodded and quoted, “I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one, but I can tell you anyhow—”

“I’d rather see than be one!” Eleanor chimed in, laughing. “How in the world did you know that old poem?”

“He reads a lot,” I said wryly. “Practically lives at the library.”

Eleanor smiled approvingly, then she sat down in a chair across from the couch and grew serious. “Now we need to discuss my dream.”

“Your dream?” I questioned.

“Last night I had the most bizarre dream, and you were in it.”

“But you don’t even know me.”

“That’s what makes it so unusual. A woman with thick black hair and rather exotic features, like she was Egyptian or Indian, was sitting on the edge of my bed. It felt more real than any dream I’ve ever had before.”

“Opal,” I whispered, warmed inside. She hadn’t deserted me after all.

“Yes, Opal. That’s what she called herself. She held a photo album and opened it to show me pictures of a young blond girl.”

“Me?”

“Yes.” Eleanor nodded. “And she told me to expect you today. I thought it was a weird dream until I opened my door just now.”

“What else did she say?” I asked eagerly.

“That I was to tell you a story about my great-grandmother. I’d almost forgotten the story, but now it’s crystal clear in my mind. About how my great-grandmother Martha took in four neighbor girls when their mother died. She wanted to raise the girls and keep them together, but they were taken from her and adopted separately.”

“Agnes and her daughters!” My pulse quickened. “That’s what I came to find out. Agnes was my ancestor and it’s urgent I find a family book of remedies that’s been lost for a long time. Do you know anything about it?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t.”

“What about the sisters? Any idea what happened to them?”

“Now there I can help you.” Mrs. Baskers scooted her chair closer. “About a year after the girls were sent away, Martha had a knock at her door, and there stood a dour-faced woman with a small girl. The little girl was the youngest of the four sisters, and the family who’d taken her didn’t want her anymore.”

“The poor girl. What happened?”

“She stayed.” Eleanor smiled. “And grew up to become my grandmother.”

“So you’re—we’re related?” I jumped, almost knocking over a cow-shaped coat rack.

“Very distant cousins. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about our mutual relatives. The four sisters weren’t ever reunited.”

I sighed, my hopes sinking.

“But I have a record of their adopted names. After my dream, I searched out the records and wrote the names down.” She pulled out a small paper from the pocket of her skirt and handed it to me.

Dominic was watching quietly, taking this all in, not saying anything but his blue eyes shone with interest.

“Wow!” I exclaimed, only glancing at the names. Impulsively, I gave my new distant cousin a hug. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome. The woman in my dream asked me to give you something else.” She stood up and walked over to a fireplace mantel. Pushing aside a glass statue of a cow jumping over a moon, she lifted up a small envelope. Then she returned and handed the envelope to me.