Chapter Eleven

“You’re not mad?” Lulu whirled around so she could teeter backward up the hill toward 693 Hourton Lane.

Queenie shook her head with a soft sigh. “No.”

“Because you can be mad at me, I just—” Lulu choked on her own words as she fluttered about like a molting chicken.

“I’m not mad, I’ve been thinking it over.” Queenie put up her hands in defeat as Lulu came to a full stop.

The two were frozen in time and place on the sidewalk, cut off from the world as the entire road emptied. No cars moved through town, no busses whizzed by, and more importantly, no Jeeps waited for them in the parking lot. Frankie left before Queenie exited the building. Tonya disappeared into the nurse’s office. No one spoke the rest of the day; the whole school was on lock down as students were ushered by councilors and staff back and forth from rooms. Officers eventually flooded the school. The world felt tilted around her, as people acted like a brawl in the lunchroom was merely a food fight gone bad.

“You’re the only person who remembers what happened like it actually happened.” Queenie pressed her lips into a tight line. Even when they inspected the gash on her arm, they warned her of the dangers of a food fight. Even when she tried to press the issue, no one listened. After a long time of trying, she stopped. The students were convinced, the police didn’t ask the right questions, the teachers were irritated. Had the whole town gone mad?

“What do you mean?” Lulu tucked her arms against her stomach.

“In the lunchroom, what happened today?” Queenie tossed her arms to her side.

“People went bonkers and attacked each other. Tonya came at you with a knife?” Lulu eyed Queenie with question.

“Exactly. Do you want to know what I was told happened by another student?” Queenie pulled her backpack open at her side. She lifted out a notebook and flipped it open. “Matthew said that Frankie threw nachos across the lunchroom in a food fight. Leia said Marty told her Josh started the food fight. Theo said he broke his arm last night on a skateboard. Katie and Jessica both said that Tonya broke a tooth when she slipped on cheese in the lunchroom. The cops said it was a messy food fight.”

“So they’re lying?” Lulu stumbled back a step.

“Everyone? In the whole school?” Queenie shut the notebook. Tucking it away, she brushed past Lulu.

“That does seem a bit far-fetched. Well, then they’re all delusional?” Lulu dropped her arms as she bound forward to be by Queenie’s side.

The two continued to trudge up the side of the road. Queenie glared back toward the town; her frown deepened. Without Frankie or Tonya to come and grab her, she wasn’t sure how she would go see her grandmother. She could ask Walter, but she didn’t want to impose.

“Something is going on in Harperville. First people completely forget days, things that have happened, even I lost days and I keep remembering things incorrectly. Then they all turn explosive like they’ve lost all their marbles.” Queenie shut down as she avoided her looming house. Madness, it was absolute madness. There had been no warning. “Maybe we’re the crazy ones?”

“No, we’re not!” Lulu snatched up Queenie’s arm. “You’re not.”

“Thanks for that,” Queenie breathed.

“I mean it, what happened today, truly happened. You’re not crazy.” Lulu tugged Queenie closer, clutching her arms tenderly. She slithered her hands downward till she clutched Queenie’s hands.

Queenie held still, peering at the way her fingers intertwined with Lulu’s. She should be livid. Lulu talked to a cop about her. She told him about what Queenie saw without her permission! However, the more she saw it from Lulu’s side, the more she understood. There was a murder! Those bodies were real; they were real people that died. After the brawl in the lunchroom, the news of the murder investigation flooded the school. Everyone talked about the cultists, that it was Queenie who saw them. Dread washed over her body. A grimy cold chill ran down her arms and lingered in her fingers. Lulu dipped her knees an inch in order to catch Queenie’s eyes.

“Queenie?” Lulu squeezed Queenie’s palms.

Snatched back from her internal abyss, Queenie peered up at Lulu. The necklace warmed against her collar bone just underneath her clothing. Queenie took a step toward the houses. “Sorry, we should get home.”

“We don’t have to,” Lulu murmured.

“Where would we go?” Queenie stopped as Lulu tugged her away from the sidewalk and toward a long path of creaky wooden stairs and stones that jutted out of sandy earth. The first glimpse of the hill on Hourton Lane, all sharp, jagged rocks the color of salt and pepper. Grooves had formed from years of sea water spraying against the shore. The air smelt clean here. For a moment, she thought of Detective Levi, how he would come to her house to get the video. She wanted nothing to do with those videos, with dead bodies and delusional students with knives. She wanted to forget all of that.

Forget it all, push it down, like we always do.

And so, she smiled and broke for the shoreline. Lulu held her hand affectionately as they booked it for the beach. Rain drizzled miles out to sea; the clouds eased and lightened with every step they took toward the sea. For a long moment, she contemplated how long she could stand the temperature of the sea. The crisp saltwater scent cleared her senses as they ditched bags along the last stretch of the wooden path and even dropped their shoes off. Queenie enjoyed the grainy feel of cold sand and smooth rocks under her feet.

Tears welled up in her vision as she stood just at the edge of the beach. One hand resting in Lulu’s, the other touched the soft breeze.

Lulu squeezed her palm. “You’re crying?”

“That’s just who I am. A dramatic crybaby— No, I’m not! I’m allowed to feel things.” Queenie felt a quick snap within her skull as the voice came out of her mouth, not just a whisper in her ear. She blinked hard as the water calmed before her. The rain clouds cleared from her vision and left an endless sea.

“We could escape all of it,” Lulu murmured into Queenie’s ear, her body warmth tucked against Queenie’s side. “We could push out to sea and never see this town again. Right now.”

Queenie eased the tension in her body. She faced Lulu. Her bright green gems flashed bright with kindness—a softness Queenie never saw in her own eyes. How she wanted to follow them out to sea, to just forget it all.

Run away. Happily ever after.

But reality sat at the back of her skull with a firm grip on her spinal cord, a constant reminder. “I can’t.”

“I understand,” Lulu pouted, slumping her shoulders. She slithered backward a breath.

You could be happy...finally happy.

“I want to, but it’s just not realistic.” Queenie inhaled sharply as a cold reality sank back into her system. She could walk the beach with Lulu, ride out to sea on a rowboat, ignore all her problems, but it was not a fix. “I can’t run from everything just because it’s tough or it’s a lot.”

Lulu blinked slowly as she straightened up before Queenie. “Wow, that sounded—”

“Don’t give me too much credit,” Queenie chuckled, “I was very much tempted just then to follow you into the ocean and live on dreams.”

Lulu slid up close to Queenie. “Just let me know, say the word, we leave.”

The air sucked out of Queenie’s lungs as Lulu pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Her body melted into Lulu’s warm arms; the scent of seaweed and wet sandalwood filled her nose. They strolled, entangled with one arm around the other, barefooted and warm.

For what felt like days, they wandered through misty sea spray. The rain traveled closer to shore and darkened the horizon. The clear skies and calm sea tainted back to a vengeful froth within moments. The illusion of what Queenie wanted left behind. It took hours to return home and as they clambered up the backside of the cliff; they barely dislodged hands. The cliff was harder to clamber up now that Queenie left the path untouched. Weeds and pockets of sand clumped in places where cleaned steps and footholds used to be. She was sweaty and covered in mist by the time they reached the lower levels of their porches.

There, hoisted up by Lulu’s arms, half flopped over the railing, she found her mother. Kelsi sat on the steps behind the house, fury etched into her features.

“I’ve been trying to call you all day!” Kelsi barked. Queenie’s heart sank as she shuffled to her side. Lulu found her own footing and clambered up into her own porch. “And don’t think I won’t talk to your parents, young lady.”

“Whoa, we took a walk, it was a long day—” Lulu was cut off sharply.

“Go inside, I’m not talking to you.” Kelsi lurched to her feet. Queenie’s mouth dropped open.

“Mom,” She squeaked.

“We will continue this conversation inside.” Kelsi broiled from the inside out, nose pinched and reddened.

Queenie peeked at Lulu, her voice cut short by the swift tug from her mother. In a flurry of clothing and hands, Queenie was flung through open storm doors and into the dining room.

Detective Levi sat at the table, an apologetic expression on his face. “Hey Queenie.”

“Quiet! You don’t get to speak.” Kelsi slammed the storm doors closed behind her.

“Ma’am, that’s not really necessary,” Levi pressed, professionally as possible.

Kelsi was not allowing anyone to speak. She forced Queenie to sit at the table. Detective Levi spared an even sorrier glance to Queenie as Kelsi snatched up her own chair and sat between the two.

“I want to know why you are harassing my family? Please understand my lawyer will be in touch with you and your superior for this breach of privacy.” Kelsi accentuated her words with pointed moitions.

The only emotion she owns any longer is anger.

“Sorry, I meant to call and tell you I wasn’t home yet.” Queenie shifted in her seat.

He flashed her a kind grimace. “No worries, kiddo.”

He’s just being nice.

“Excuse me, you will not talk to my daughter, you will explain yourself to me.” Kelsi squeezed Queenie’s arm.

Queenie swallowed spit as the pain broke through the fog of her brain. A long moment of happiness was broken open by reality.

We should have gone with Lulu.

“Ma’am, your daughter is a witness to a homicide. I just need to ask her a few more questions and see the evidence she found.” Levi patted down the air patiently. Warm brown eyes scanned over the two women as he pulled out his notepad and placed it upon the table. “I understand now that you are uncomfortable with me interviewing her separately; I am more than happy to do so with you present.”

“I’m not,” Queenie blurted out.

Kelsi nearly broke her neck with the swiftness she snapped her head in Queenie’s direction. Anger bubbled within her stomach as they stared each other down. Kelsi broke eye contact first. Queenie pushed to her feet and wrenched her wrist out of her mother’s hand.

“I might still be a minor, but I don’t need a babysitter. I can answer a few stupid questions.” Queenie pointed at the hallway.

“Fine.” Kelsi stood, unable to look her daughter in the eye.

Queenie stumbled back into her seat as her mother stormed through the kitchen. In a few sharp movements, Kelsi unpacked her things and locked herself away in her room.

Finally...Stay gone...

There was a long pause, where Levi and Queenie waited for Kelsi to change her mind and return. She didn’t. Queenie loosened up slightly before she faced Levi. “Sorry, about that.” She swallowed.

“I don’t have a frame of reference to butt into household dramatics, but I feel like that was a bit explosive for a concerned mother and daughter interaction?” Levi leaned against the table, his arms crossed over the top. His wanted her to explain, but Queenie didn’t.

Instead she situated herself upon the chair. Her phone beeped with a text message; she hesitated to grab it. Then she plopped it on the table and exhaled with relief to see Lulu’s name pop up on the screen.

“You two are all right, I suspect?” He motioned at her screen with his chin.

“You’re a damn good detective.” Queenie unlocked the screen. Lulu only sent that she was going back to get their bags and shoes. Queenie forgot they left them. Then she locked her phone and slid it away from either of the two at the table.

“Thank you, I think so too.” Levi flipped open his notebook.

“I hope you have a good lawyer.” Queenie peeked at the hallway. She expected to find her mother looming. But they were still alone.

“Why?” Levi pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket.

“My mother.” Queenie sat back in her chair with a huff.

“I am not quite sure the legality of what your mother has pulled, but rest assured, my job is not at risk. We’re here to talk about what happened.” Levi tapped his pen against the paper.

“Today or at the cove?” Queenie cocked her head to the side. “The food fight you broke up?”

“Is that what you think happened?” Levi analyzed her suspiciously.

“Is that what you think happened?” Queenie kicked a leg up and over the other.

“What I think happened was a massive fight that spiraled out of control, but that’s not really my department.” Levi plopped the pen down against the paper. Levi pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose and slowly worked them in a circle toward his forehead. He pinched his eyes shut. His next words were whispered, but Queenie heard every one of them. “I’m not even sure if what I saw was real.”

“That makes two of us,” Queenie murmured. She studied him intently as Levi whirled backward. “Something weird is happening, but like you said, I have no frame of reference for it.”

What could you even compare this to?

“Right.” Levi swallowed.

Because nothing is real...

“And even with the men at Rainbow Cove, I have no answers for you.” Queenie clapped her palms against her thighs.

And they were never there...

“We are in the same boat,” Levi grumbled as he picked up his pen. “But, just for laughs, walk me through what happened.”

And you were dreaming...

“Sure, let me go get my GoPro real quick, so you can see what I’m talking about.”

And Queenie stood up from the table. Whispers from voices disjointed from her skull swam around her. She shuffled through the dark of the house toward her room, unable to feel anything but cold emptiness. The anger aimed at her mother bottomed out and fell from her body. Warm affection held for Lulu just moments earlier disappeared into the shadows. Queenie was left surrounded by her demons as she ignored the shifting of the abyss around her. Her hands around the GoPro, she ignored the glisten of the eye just beneath the collar of her shirt. The darkness that enveloped around her. The tilt of the world shifted.