In the Fire's Shadow

8. The Manor - Tom

After another hour in the office with Charlotte, just listening to her story, I felt lost. I needed to find out if her timeline coincided with Adara's. There might've been a way to catch Casum; to really make things stick, to really make him pay.

I made it home, but of course, Dara was nowhere to be found. I tried calling, but every attempt to reach her was sent directly to voice mail.

Always moving, always burning...

Frustrated with her inability to just sit still, and wait, I left.

I was going to her place; to just push my way in and force her to talk to me. It was not how I normally handled things with her, but after yesterday I couldn't go back to "normal".

Where I thought I was going, was not where I ended up...

I ended up at The Manor.

It was past 10, so I left my car parked on the street in case my dad was already asleep. The driveway was a half a mile and had been perfectly resurfaced. As I walked up the remodeled entrance, I was blown away by how beautiful it was now.

Dad must have spent a fortune fixing up the old family estate. After our Great Aunt Perla died, he inherited it and was determined to bring it into the 21st century.

The soft white stone contrasted against the healthy grass growing through the design of the permeable pavers. Along the edges of the driveway and scattered through the lawn were full grown, lush trees. The night was quiet, but there was still a soft breeze blowing through them.

I was halfway up the drive and stopped to admire the house. The dark violet paneling, that had been its surface for the past 84 years had been stripped away and replaced with a clean gray stucco exterior. All the trims, dormers, vents, gables, railing and columns were a crisp white and the roof was covered in dark charcoal shingles. The evening and garden lighting gave the ancient house a romantic and modern aura.

I felt somewhat guilty, having never seen it till now. Growing up, I had spent every summer here with Aunt Perla; it's how I met Adara.

It dawned on me, just then, why I hadn't been back. Gusman House, or what was left of it, was next door. The landmark of my deepest sorrow and shame.

"Well, well, well..." a voice called to me from a darkened portion of the lawn, beneath a willow's branches.

I let my eyes adjust and lying in one of the hammocks was Caroline.

I laughed.

"You scared me, you twerp."

Caroline responded in a torrent of giggles. "Well, that was the point, you big turd blossom!"

She jumped from the hammock, ran towards me and jumped on my back.

Same old Caroline.

"Ugh! You're too heavy, and you smell! Get off me!" I yelled and laughed at the same time. I was still in my suit, and she smelled like she'd been playing with dogs, that hadn't been bathed in weeks.

She laughed louder and squeezed me tighter.

"Never..." She had said it jokingly, but I heard the soft maternal tone mixed in.

Caroline rested her head against mine and I smiled. "I missed you, brother," she said gently.

I wound my hands behind her knees to hike her up higher on my back and began walking again.

"I missed you, too, Care."

We reached the porch and she hopped down.

"So, I thought you were in Bosnia or something...?"