Ghost Island (6 page)

CHAPTER 10

Ms. Gates didn’t bother to answer me, but I could tell by her expression she hadn’t seriously considered anything I said. For the first time since my mom disappeared, and my dad was arrested, my life was spinning out of control again. Thanks to Emily’s manipulations, Ms. Gates thought I was cruel. Make that
acted cruelly
. Grace didn’t want to talk to me. The dream people hanging out in the theater were ghosts, but what kind of ghosts? What did they want from us? Caitlin/Felicia had said she finally had what she wanted. I still couldn’t figure it out, but I did feel like I was getting closer.

I wondered if Aaron knew what was happening, and if that was why he had tried to keep me from going down to the ground floor. Why did I see him only when I was dreaming? Could he be just a more human form of what Caitlin was, one of those c
lu
stered in the theater of the casino? No, that was impossible. He had held me in his arms. I so wanted to believe he was a real person, the way he was when we were together, his lips close to mine, his hand warm on my back. But what if he wasn’t?

The old couple, Peggy and Norm, had shown up in a dream, and they were real, weren’t they? They appeared to be. A plan began to take shape in my head. Yes, in order to find out how human Aaron was, I first needed to find out how human Peggy and Norm were. Peggy had told me where they lived.
“
Descanso
Street, Miss.
One block from the beach.”
If
Descanso
Street existed, I would find it, and I would find them, storm or no storm.

Ms. Gates and I joined the others in the main room. Everyone tried to pretend we were comfortable in this contained space. Emily sat at one end of the table and Grace at the other. Charles pulled his chair close to Grace’s. She leaned against him, and a lock of her auburn hair fell against his shoulder. I thought how right they looked together, and that led me straight to thinking about Aaron. Make that worrying. Whatever the truth was, I needed to find it out before I let myself believe and hope.

Johnny gulped from a large glass of iced tea, as if it would restore the energy he’d lost to whatever he’d been doing last night. Alcohol, I guessed, but something else mixed in. In the foster homes, I had seen kids like him, lost souls, as my mom used to call them. Lost souls, she explained, had been damaged by life, regardless of how many material possessions they had. When I asked her what they lacked, she said, “Love, I guess,” and gone back to grading papers.

“TV’s not working,” Emily announced. “Nothing’s working. Anyone care to play a game of cards?”

Grace giggled and whispered something to Charles.

“I asked you if you wanted to play some cards.” Emily smiled into his eyes.

“I’m good,” he said.

Grace glanced from Emily to me with a smirk she didn’t try to hide.

I knew Ms. Gates was watching my every move, so I looked away, out the window. Palm trees bent over from the hammering rain. They reminded me of prize fighters going down for the count, trying to find their balance. I had watched boxing from the time I could watch anything back when I lived in my own house, with my own parents, and my dad who used to grin at me and pat the space next to him on the sofa.

Where had that memory come from?
My dad, the high school football coach, with his shaved head, his bleached-out baseball cap, his grin, and that soft, warm place beside him on the sofa.
He couldn’t have done what they said he did and what my brother Drew and the judge and jury believed. He was too gentle to harm anyone, least of all my mom.

I walked over and pulled out the chair on the other side of Grace.

“Let me guess,” she said. “You want to have another soul-searching conversation.”

“Worse.”

“I can’t think of anything worse.”

“Sure you can.” I glanced at the window and the weather it was trying to hold back.

“You want me to go somewhere with you in this storm? That sounds like you.”

“That’s it,” I said. “Remember that old couple we saw at the concert?”

“I remember the woman.”

“That’s because the husband went ahead,” I told her. “I need to find them.”

“You must be out of your mind. Why would I agree to something that insane?”

“Because I’m going to go out there anyway, and I’m afraid to do it by myself.”

“You?
Afraid?
That will be the day.”

“After what I saw when I got your scarf back last night, I’d rather not go anywhere alone.”

“Stop it right there.” She glanced over at Charles. Deep in conversation with Johnny, he didn’t seem interested in what we were discussing. “Does it have something to do with my sister?” she whispered.

“You’re still dreaming about her, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “Yes, and she is major pissed, because of you.”

“Because of me?
All I’ve tried to do is help you.”

“She said I betrayed her by speaking to another. You’re the only one I told,
Livia
. Somehow, she found that out.”

“What do you think Felicia is?” I tried to make it sound like an ordinary question.

“What the hell have I been telling you? She’s my sister. For some stupid-ass reason, I can only see her when I’m dreaming, okay? And thanks to you, I’ve lost my only hope of connecting with her again.”

“In your dream,” I asked, “was she wearing a yellow tunic and a cameo on a ribbon around her neck?”

She jumped from her chair, motioned for me to follow her, and moved to the windows. “Tell me how you know about her.”

“Because I saw her too.”

“You’re making that up.”

“Grace, she was wearing your scarf.”

She looked at me as if hoping for any outcome but the only possible one. “You’re not lying, are you?”

“You know I’m not. Whatever that girl you think of as your sister really is, I know where to find her. She’s calling herself Caitlin now.”

“Don’t get all creepy on me here,
Livia
,” she said. “Don’t try to tell me my sister isn’t real.”

“All I’m saying is the girl you’re seeing in your dream...” I squeezed her arm the way Ms. Gates had squeezed mine and hoped that would help soften what I was going to say next.

“Her name is Felicia. She’s my sister.”

“No, Grace. She’s some kind of...” I struggled to find the right word.
“Some kind of apparition.”

She jerked away from me. “You have totally lost it.”

“Have I?” I grabbed her scarf from her shoulders and held a handful of it up to her. “How else can you explain this? You told me you lost this in the rain.”

“Why would she have it?
How?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, for some reason, those people in the dreams want something from us, and not just our clothes.”

“You may see people. All I saw was my
sister,
and all she wanted...”

“What? What did she want?” I asked.

“Back off, will you? I’m still trying to figure this out.”

“Fine,” I said. “Figure it out. But start by telling me what makes you believe that she’s your sister.”

“That’s what she told me.” She grasped my hand. “You think Felicia’s dead, and I’m seeing her ghost, don’t you?”

“I don’t think you’re seeing Felicia at all,” I said, “but I know whatever that girl is, she isn’t a dream. She’s in that theater, and she’s there all the time.”

“Then I need to go there too.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” I said. “First, though, we need to go somewhere else. Are you in?”

“Ms. Gates will never allow it.”

“She’s a chaperone,” I told her, as if that should explain it all. “Since when do we have to ask her permission?”

She nodded, and for the first time, a genuine smile lit her face. “It’s a good thing you don’t live in Seattle,” she said. “We’d be dangerous together.”

CHAPTER 11

Grace and I would have been dangerous together, and we probably would have had a lot of fun. Until she found out more about
who
I really was, of course. Although she could tolerate a token charity case from a foster home, I doubted her tolerance would stretch to a kid with a convicted murderer for a dad.

At times, I still couldn’t believe what had happened, couldn’t believe I had lost my mom, my dad, and then my brother Drew. The loss of Drew was, in some ways, the most ironic. He had testified against my dad, and I had been a witness in Dad’s defense. After that, there was no way we could go back to even a civil relationship.

At first, Grace hadn’t wanted to go to Norm and Peggy’s house. Finally I was able to convince her they were the only ones who could let us into the theater. When she still hesitated, I reminded her that I had seen them in the dreams too. I didn’t mention my confusion about whether or not they were human. We would discover that truth soon enough.

“They better not live too far from here,” she said.

“
Descanso
Street,” I said, and echoed Peggy’s words.
“One block from the beach.”

“Do they know where my sister is?”

“They might.” I didn’t have a c
lu
e what Peggy and Norm knew or didn’t know. “They take care of the theater and probably spend a lot of time there.”

“Then let’s go talk to them,” she said.

I couldn’t believe she had agreed to go with me, and I wasn’t about to wait until she changed her mind.

“Ms. Gates has been watching us,” I said. “Let’s pretend we’re going to the bathroom.”

We moved away from the others then hurried down the long hall toward the door.

“Hey,” a voice called, and we both jerked around. Charles had followed us, make that followed Grace. “You’re not really going out in that, are you?” he asked.

“Why not?” she said in that pseudo-snooty tone I had come to realize was the way she flirted. “It’s just water.”

“Where are you heading?”

“What difference does it make?”

He gave her a lazy grin. “Listen, I’m as bored in there as you are. Whatever you two are planning, I promise it will be more fun if you let me come along.”

“No plan,” I said.
“Just back to our rooms.
Sorry, Charles.”

“But can’t I...”

“You heard
Livia
.” Grace reached for the door. “Why don’t you go play cards with Emily?”

She let the door snap closed behind us, and we stepped into the downpour.

Grace pulled the rescued scarf around her hair. “You sure you want to do this?” she asked.

I handed her my umbrella. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“And you really did see Felicia?”

“She said her name was something else—Caitlin—but I described her to you. I couldn’t have done that if I hadn’t seen her.”

“I guess I screwed up again, then, by believing what she said.” She touched my arm. “I’m sorry,
Livia
. I mean that. I was just so worried that I wouldn’t see Felicia again that I exploded before I thought about it.”

“Don’t apologize,” I said. “She got the reaction she wanted from you in that last dream. I don’t think she’ll try to hide from you. She wants to be seen.”

We made our way down the hill and onto a
path,
both of us crouched under my black umbrella. The rain seemed to let up, or maybe I was just getting used to it. Impulsive as this impromptu mission was, it had given us a chance to talk, and I felt better knowing why Grace had been so angry. Caitlin, the blond girl in her dream, had tried to turn her against me.

Descanso
really did exist. It was located between Catalina and
Claressa
avenues, right off Tremont.

“How will we know which one is their house?” Grace asked.

Good question. “We’ll have to look in the windows,” I said.

“Do you want to go to jail?” She went to the curbside mailbox, a rustic black metal rectangle on a wrought-iron base. Rain poured down and over the umbrella, but she flashed me a victorious smile. “They have last names and first initials. Who are we looking for?”

I was embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know Peggy and Norm’s last name.

“I’ll look,” I said. “You get out of the rain.” I was soaking wet in no time, but the fourth mailbox gave me what I needed.
“Fleming, N & P.”

I looked up at a small home with horseshoe-shaped adobe tiles lining the roof. Rain streamed from them over a rectangular window and its wrought-iron balcony.

“Is this it?” Grace peered at me from under my umbrella.

“I think so,” I said in a voice braver than I felt.

A small curved entry offered safety from the weather. We scrambled to it and stood one doorbell away from the couple I was seeking.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Grace said. “It’s still pretty early in the morning. So do we just ring the bell or what?”

To my right was a window with its shade partially open. I squinted and stared inside, right into Aaron’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Grace grabbed my arm.

“Look.” I peeked in again to be sure I’d really seen what I thought I had.

Aaron sat on a chair beside Norm, who was facing him on a floral slip-covered sofa. Behind them, in the kitchen, Peggy stood talking into an old-fashioned wall phone.

Aaron wore a black sweater that made his hair look like streaks of bronze. I watched as he lifted a large white coffee cup to his lips, put it down on the wood table beside his chair, and said something I couldn’t hear.

Grace pressed her face against the glass. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Aaron,” I said, and moved closer to her.
“The guy with the hair.
Come on, he’s the only person in the room under eighty.”

“I can’t see anything. The windows are fogged up. Can’t we just go inside?”

“Sure.” I was frustrated that she couldn’t see what I had, but she was right. All I could make out now was a smoky haze. “Let’s just knock,” I said, and rapped on the door so hard my knuckles burned.

It swung open, and we were face-to-face with Peggy. Her white hair was out of the bun and scattered around her face.

“Well, good morning,” she said. “Please come inside. I just heard from Daniel, our friend who drives the shore boat. The storm is supposed to get worse.”

“Thanks.” I suddenly felt guilty. “I hope we aren’t interrupting you.”

“Not at all.
We were just having some cocoa and apple muffins. I’m concerned about the storm, though. Come in, please. Who’s your pretty friend? I recognize her from the theater.”

“This is Grace,” I said, and we stepped inside.

The house smelled of chocolate, cinnamon, and the pinecones in a copper planter by the fireplace.

Peggy put out her hand.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Grace.
I don’t know what happened to Norm. He must have gone out back to cover the vegetables in the garden. This is the nastiest storm I can remember for many years.”

She led us inside then stopped to straighten a droopy plant in an Asian print jar of black and red.

“Lucky bamboo.”
She tugged at its yellow leaves as if the gesture could make a difference. “What can I get for you girls to drink?
Some cocoa?
A cup of tea?”

“Nothing, thanks,” I said. “We’re fine.”

“Do have some cocoa. I made it from scratch as soon as I got up.
Figured I had better do it before the power went.”

“Sounds great.”
Grace said, and Peggy handed her a mug with a colorful map of Avalon printed on it.

I looked down beside the table where I had seen Aaron place his cup moments before. It was still there.
Still warm.

“What are you doing?” Peggy asked.

“This cup,” I said.

“It’s Aaron’s.”

“Where is he?”

She shrugged and looked confused. “He probably went out with Norm.”

“Would it be all right if we joined them?” I asked.

“Oh, no.
You stay here.” Color flooded her pale cheeks. “I don’t want you girls out there in this weather.”

I didn’t listen and walked past her, through the bungalow of a house, to the back door. The porch light was still on and probably had been all night. Its dazzling white brilliance il
lu
minated the drenched backyard.

“I don’t get it. He was just here.” I had seen him only seconds before. He couldn’t have gone that far. I opened the door and ran out into the rain. “Aaron, are you there? Aaron?”

No answer, only the rattling of the trees and the thunder growing louder by the moment. Through dense dripping foliage, I spotted a small wooden shed. I started toward it, my teeth chattering from the cold.

It flickered before me in a disjointed burst of light.

“
Livia
,” Grace shouted from the door. “Get your ass back in here. You’re going to be electrocuted.”

I ran back just as lightning struck again.

“Geez, thank god you’re okay.” She hugged me.

“I’m soaking wet.”

“What did you expect?” Grace said. “You’re
lu
cky you didn’t get struck by lightning.”

Peggy held a large faded turquoise beach towel. She paused as if trying to decide which one of us needed it more, and then handed it to me. “Here you go. I usually hang my towels out to dry, but I haven’t been able to do that for a few days. I’m afraid this is my only clean one.”

“There’s no one out there,” I told her. “What kind of game are you playing?”

“No game,” she said. “Our property is larger than it looks, and the storm appears to be even worse now. You girls need to stay here until it passes.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Grace sipped her cocoa. “I don’t know about you,
Livia
, but I’m tired. Let’s hang around here until it lets up.”

“No,” I said. “I need to talk to Aaron. I know he was here just a few minutes ago. Come on, Peggy. Tell me where he is?”

“He could have gone back to the casino. You know how hard he works.”

“Then let’s go there,” I said. “Let’s all go to the theater.”

“Not today. They’ve had some problems down there.”

As she spoke, lightning struck in the backyard, and thunder shuttered the tiny house.

Grace shrieked and grabbed my arm, the way she had on the boat that first night. I took the lightning as a challenge. It was trying to stop me, and I wouldn’t be stopped, not today.

“I am going to the theater,” I shouted back at the storm.

The house shook again. Lightning shot through the sky.

“Please, Miss.” Peggy took my arm. “Perhaps you shouldn’t be so, well, insistent.”

“Are you going to let me into the theater, or am I going to have to break into it?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” She frowned and glanced at Grace.

“But if Aaron’s there,” I said, “why can’t we go there too?”

“He is, but he’s staying upstairs, not in the theater. He has no choice until this storm passes. Besides, he’s used to the disruptions.”

“What disruptions?”

“The workers hammering and slamming things around.
Aaron knows how to stay away from the theater until the construction crew has gone.”

“I’m going to find him,” I said, “with or without you.”

“Well, I guess I can’t stop you.” Peggy gazed through the kitchen window into the backyard, then back at me again. “Please, be careful, though. It really isn’t safe.”