Darkness Calls [SHELVED]

Darkness Calls [Chapter 7]

Amma and Piper’s home wasn’t that far from uncle’s. But then again, nothing in Willowbrooke was too far from each other that it would take more than an hours’ travel. Compared to uncle’s, the house was small, but gave off an air of warmth and coziness. A waist-high wrought iron fence, decorated with sharp points to discourage would-be home invaders from jumping it, separated the lawn from the street. I jumped it anyway, carefully gripping the parts that wouldn’t leave me with permanent stigmatisms as I heaved myself over. Tupperwares in tow, I walked over to the porch and looked through the windows. All the lights were closed.

Uncle and Amma’s conversation must have ended.

I tried to call Piper's cell but it just went to voice mail. I couldn’t risk shouting and waking up Amma, too. It was sad to think that I would ever not want to see her after everything she’d done for me but what she and uncle were talking about...I didn’t think I was ready to confront either of them about it yet. With my phone’s LCD as my only light source, I scoured the lawn for a bunch of pebbles. Big enough to make a noticeable sound when thrown against a window, but small enough not to break it at the slightest touch. I located where I remembered Piper’s room to be and hoped that she was as resistant to change as my uncle’s wardrobe choice.

I flung one of the pebbles, using what I hoped was an appropriate amount of energy to prevent me from having to pay damages. The first one hit the wood next to the window. The second one soared a bit too high and landed on the roof. I froze as it tumbled down to the gutter that lined the roof and made a clanking sound. I waited several beats until the echo faded and, when I was sure that Amma wasn’t running around inside with a shotgun (the image was disturbingly apt), flung a third pebble. This one hit the window with a loud clack. I threw several more, eventually making a game of it as I tried to hit just one spot on the glass. After the eighth pebble, my phone started vibrating.

Guess who it was.

“Piper? Get down here. I need to talk to you.”

A voice that was definitely not Piper’s replied, “Child, it is almost midnight. Piper has already gone to bed.”

I froze, glancing at my phone before placing it back against my ear. “Amma?”

“Dinah, is that you chucking rocks at my house?” she asked, weariness evident in her voice.

“Uhh...no,” I lied, dropping the remaining pebbles and kicking them away. One of them hit the wood of the porch with a deafening thud. I flinched. “Damned...fowls.”

I heard Amma sigh. “What is it, honey?”

“I came to return the Tupperwares you gave us food in,” I said. It was technically true. “I was worried they might clutter the kitchen. Not that we’re not grateful.”

She was silent for several beats. “Wait there.” There was the sound of a door unlocking. Lights started turning on in the living room. Amma opened the front door wearing a plain white night gown and rollers in her hair. Her gaze was guarded, her arms crossed in a stance meant to be defensive. I walked over to her and handed over the food containers that were now scraped clean. She accepted them, nodding her head ever so slightly. “Thank you, child. Is there anything else?”

I pondered that for a moment. “Yeah. Is Piper okay?”

Her eyes softened at that, the weariness showing through. She gave me a tired smile. “She’ll be fine. Don’t you worry too much about her, sweetie. She’s stronger than she looks.”

“So, she isn’t right now?” I asked, picking up on the future tense.

“Piper,” Amma breathed, “has always been a very sensitive young woman. It’s a gift and a curse. I guess we’ll see how it’s going to turn out this time.”