Andrea's touch

2: An invitation

Andrea slammed the car door shut after herself and immediately locked all the doors. With her head against the steering wheel she hunched over and stared blankly at her knees.

Of course, Just when she was getting comfortable something like this had to happen. What was the universe good at if not keeping her on her psychic toes?

With a bitter laugh she started the car and drove the forty minute drive back to the city, all the while keeping an eye on the wobbly bicycle rack strapped to the trunk. She first stopped by the office and dropped off the donations, recording all of her earnings including a one thousand dollar check from Mrs Leathwhite. Once at home, Andrea took a long hot shower, letting the water soothe her restless mind. When she stepped out, her skin was an angry red color. Wisps of steam danced on her skin.

After slipping on an old sweatshirt and workout shorts, Andrea sat on her bed, balancing her laptop on her legs. She dove straight into the recent missing persons reports, scouring the FBI website and local listings in search of any resemblance to the girl she had seen in the white pajamas. Hours passed as she meticulously sifted through the faces of strangers, but each one fell short of the haunting image etched in her mind. With a defeated sigh, she closed her laptop, resigning herself to yet another dead end.

Slumping against the pillows, she repeated, "5 Lakelair Avenue. Jack Leathwhite. Barbara Leathwhite..."

If she thought about the facts, and everything she knew for certain, three names was all she had. Although she trusted her visions, there were times when their meaning eluded her. Like the time she had mistakenly interpreted a vision of her childhood friend Connor hunting down people in an abandoned factory with a machine gun, as him being some kind of deranged killer. Andrea discovered the truth a month later when she was forced to attend his birthday party; a video game party, where the guests got their own consoles and stalked through an abandoned warehouse assassinating civilians. It was a painful reminder of the consequences of misinterpretation, especially considering the rift it had caused in their friendship.

But this time felt different. The clarity of her vision, the raw intensity of the emotions she experienced as she witnessed the woman's desperate flight through the woods—it was undeniable. A woman had been murdered on the small island across from 5 Lakelair Avenue, hunted down like prey in that small patch of woods.

The most obvious suspect was Jack Leathwhite. Andrea was certain of it. Yet, the absence of a matching missing person report withered away her confidence.

"Oh, you're back!" Jenna suddenly burst through the door, holding a paper bag filled with groceries.

"Hey," Andrea waved back. The two girls became roommates through mutual family friends. Although they weren't close yet, they were slowly getting used to each other. It wasn't a bad start for two girl with completely opposite personalities.

Andrea got up and walked to the kitchen to help Jenna with her groceries, which mostly comprised of vitamins, raw juices, nut milks and vegan meats. Jenna was a model and although she wasn't vegan, she said that eating like one helped her maintain her weight.

"So... my friend who lives just outside the city is throwing a party tomorrow night," Jenna eyed Andrea expectantly as she twisted open a bottle of ginger and beetroot kombucha. A mischievous smile lit up her gorgeous face.

Andrea silently put away the impossible mince, thinking about how she could refuse.

"Please, I don't want to go alone. Plus Harvey is an introvert like you, so you guys will definitely get along." Jenna wheedled by tugging on Andrea's sleeve.

"That's not how that works." Andrea opened a cupboard and added the new pill boxes to Jenna's collection of supplements.

"Come on, it's gonna be a beautiful, super chill party on the lake. Not that many people are coming..."

Andrea paused, not many suburbs outside the city had lakes. "What's the address?"

"The party's in Wilburg, at 4 Lakelair Avenue. Not too far from here," Jenna's eyes were full of anticipation seeing that Andrea wasn't flat out rejecting her, like she usually did.

A bitter taste filled Andrea's mouth as she forced a smile, her mind already bracing for the inevitable.

She didn't want to get involved with Jack Leathwhite and the island behind 5 Lakelair avenue, but she couldn't ignore what she had seen either. When else would she get the chance to legitimately get close to the property without alarming Jack Leathwhite?

Andrea's fists clenched into tight balls, "Okay, I'll go."