Out of the Darkness

177

I glanced over at her, and saw her face grimace with pain. She sighed and kept telling her story. "It was just lying in the dust on the floor. Eventually, the police claimed that Chad had either kidnapped her or they had run off together. I knew it wasn't true. Stacia wouldn't run off. Chad wasn't very smart but he wasn't a bad guy. I felt, in my soul, that it had something to do with the house. I tried to figure it out for years. I tried to remove the doll, but something always stopped me. I heard about others going crazy when they were allowed to take the dolls. Weird things kept happening when it was set for demolition. Things that made it impossible to demolish. I knew that the house had something to do with her disappearance, hers and Chad's. So, after I graduated, and made a name for myself in the historical architecture world, I came back here. The house was still standing and still causing problems. I did what I could to make it impossible for others to go inside. Or, at least, I thought that I did. Apparently, I need to speak with Robert about his little side operations..." I cracked a grin, and caught Sam's eye in the rearview mirror. "Don't be too hard on him. I can be very convincing when I need to be," he replied, from the back. "Yes, well...he needs to know that it's not okay for him to do that," she said. "That's the story though. I never saw my best friend again. I have lived all of these years, with her always in the back of my mind, wondering what actually happened to her. I thought I was going crazy when I saw the doll. It just looked so much like her, I knew that it couldn't be a coincidence. But you mentioned someone named Lilith that is putting Stacia in danger. What is that about?" I took a deep breath and considered my options on what I should tell Christine about Lilith. Sam stayed quiet, and let me make the decision. "I don't think I can tell you much about that," I finally answered. "The less you know, the less danger you will be in. If, or when, we figure things out, and Anna is safe, then I'll tell you everything. Lilith isn't...human. I think that she used to be, but now, not so much. She's very old and very dangerous." She pressed her lips together, for a moment, then sighed. "Okay...if that's what you think is best. You boys have figure out more in a short time span, than I have in a few decades. Please don't forget that I can be an asset, however. I have some connections, including ones that are knowledgeable in the Wiccan world." I looked at her in surprise. "Really?" I asked. She gave me a small grin and nodded. "When I told you that I did everything that I could think of to try and find her, I wasn't kidding. I might not have made any progress but I tried my damndest."  I glanced down at my arm for a second, then back to her. "You might be able to help us with more than just Anna's memories," I replied. She smiled and nodded. The rest of the way back to our home was spent with Christine telling us a few stories of her childhood days with Anna. Stacia, I mean. I wondered if I would be able to refer to her as Stacia. Anna had just become so natural to me. She might not even remember that name, so it wasn't something that I needed to worry about right now. I felt apprehension growing inside of me, the closer I got to the house. Was this the right thing to do? Or was I putting all of us, Christine included, in more danger? It seemed like I wasn't really able to make the best choice for any of us anymore. When I put the car in park, I just sat there for a moment, while Sam climbed out and opened the door for Christine. "Colby, you coming?" he asked. I sighed, and nodded. "Yeah." I climbed out of the car, just in time to hear a peal of laughter ring out from the backyard. The girls must still be in the pool. Sam and Christine were walking ahead of me, with Sam making her laugh. I kept my pace slower, thinking about every possibility that we could be hit with, once we entered our home. How was Anna going to react? I didn't have to wait too much longer to find out. Sam opened the door, and held it for Christine to enter first. "You have a beautiful home. Much larger than my apartment," she giggled. "I wouldn't know what to do with so much room, now that my kids are grown and on their own. It's just me and my husband, Kris. We were highschool sweethearts, you know. Most of those don't last. Oh, listen to me just talking away. I'm sorry. When I get nervous, I don't know how to shut up." "It's no problem, Christine. Let's get you settled in the living room. Sam can sit with you, while I go get Anna. Would you like anything to drink?" I asked her. "Bottled water, if you have it. I am a little parched," she replied. With the way she was constantly speaking, I had no doubt of that. I chuckled to myself, but I think it was more out of reflex. I was just as  nervous as she was, I think. We had no idea how this would go. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold water from the fridge for her. After I delivered it, I headed out the back door. I heard music so loud that I could almost swear that I felt the beat in the ground below my feet. I could see the girls, still just Kat and Anna, like they had said. i was thankful for the little things. Neither of them saw me coming. They were preoccupied with dancing in the water, and acting silly. As I watched them, Anna splashed Katrina, then started laughing when Kat shrieked "THAT WENT UP MA NOOOSE, ANNA! PAYBACK IS A BITCH!" I laughed quietly, until Anna turned to face me, when she ducked away from Kat. She had previously had her back to me, so I had all but forgotten how much she affected me in that damned bikini.  The water glided over her porcelain skin, and the suit did nothing to support her...attributes. I was transfixed, in awe of her beauty. Christine's words flitted through my mind, as I watched her. How did she not know how beautiful she was?