Discombobulate

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"I came home while I was trying to calm myself down. I thought they were hallucinations. I saw Jennifer again and she told me to check the car. She didn't say what I would find. If I find something, I'll be shocked. I keep my car clean."

She debated on turning the camera off or leaving it rolling. Within a few seconds, she decided to take it along. She made sure Dupe wasn't around before she exited the cabin via the front door.

"I'll take you with me. Maybe I'll realize I'm hallucinating. There's no bigger meaning to this. I've lost track of how many hours I've been up. I'll have to figure it out after this."

Her feet thumped down the wooden stairs. The smell of wet earth was overwhelming. The rain had come to a halt. The overhead grey clouds threatened to release more water at any moment.

Denise climbed into the driver's seat. She always left her car unlocked. She slammed the door shut behind her. She placed the camera on the dashboard facing her.

"I don't know where to look. Jennifer didn't give specific directions. She never told me what I was looking for either. I guess I'll look around and hope I find something."

She started by leaning over to the glove box. She pressed it open and started peering around the inside. The car handbook was in it along with a small traveling-size pack of tissues and hand sanitizer.

She shoved the compartment closed and glanced back at the camera. "Just as I suspected, there's nothing in there."

With one swoop, she grabbed the camera and left the car. She went around back and opened the trunk. Besides a small bag filled with jumper cables, it was empty.

She was becoming frantic. What was Jennifer trying to tell her? She slammed the trunk, placed the camera on the roof of the car, and threw the back door open.

The floor was spotless. The backseat had been filled with boxes a week ago. She unpacked them and took them inside her house. Desperately, she shoved her right hand under the passenger seat. She slid her hand around trying to grasp something other than the carpet.

She pushed herself further into the car. She swept her hand underneath the back seats. Once again, there was nothing to grab. She shifted herself to the right and placed her hand under the driver's seat. A sense of defeat was creeping upon her.

In a last desperate attempt to find something, she shimmed back out of the car. Her hand moved back under the passenger's seat. Her whole arm was almost under the seat. Her fingers brushed against a hard surface. She slid the object toward her and grabbed onto it.

She yanked it out to come face to face with a small book. The cover was a charcoal shade of black with nothing on it. She backed out of the car and made sure she was in view of the camera before she opened it.

The first page was littered with small doodles. Purple flowers, hearts, and butterflies filled the page. Two words were in the middle of the page written in black ink. Denise almost dropped the book when she read them.

Jennifer's Journal

A mirage of thoughts ran through her head. Had she been hallucinating or was she seeing ghosts? Did ghosts exist? She hadn't been a believer in the paranormal until this point.

"Do you see this?" She shoved the doodled page towards the camera. "This was an empty book I bought for Jennifer. I bought a pack of gel pens to go with it. She mentioned she wanted to start writing."

She never specified what she wanted to write. Going through Jennifer's private thoughts was an invasion of privacy. However, Jennifer had clearly wanted Denise to find it. Why else had it been in her car? She was meant to find it.

"I'm going to go inside and read this. I'll fill you in on the details later." She stopped recording and hurried back inside.

She slammed the cabin door shut. The clouds let loose and the floodgates opened. Rain hit the forest in every direction. Denise shoved the camera to the far end of the counter. She slid into one of the seats and began reading. The first entry was marked for the first week of July.

It's been quiet without Denise around. I miss her. She's been gone for two days and I already feel like I'm losing my mind. We've been separated before, but not like this. It's never been this long.

I found this journal when I was cleaning my room. Denise got it for me a month ago. I accidentally misplaced it and forgot about it until yesterday.

I'm writing this in the back of her car. I could easily write this in my room or in the park. I could go to Opal's, but I'm already there five days a week. Denise always leaves her car unlocked. I figured this would be the perfect place.

I don't have to worry about Mom walking in and asking what I'm writing. I don't have to worry about anyone bothering me. I'm slid down in the back seat. I'm in my own world here. It's cramped, but I can manage.

I think I'll keep this out here. I have five weeks until Denise comes back. That's enough time to make multiple entries and I have time to find a new hiding place. I love Mom, but she's always snooping in my stuff. She doesn't think I know, but I do.

I've been working my ass off at Opal's. I'm not sure if I want to go to college yet or not. I need to make up my mind. I'm almost twenty and I don't have my license. Remind me to nag Denise when she comes back. She owes me Starbucks for leaving for five weeks.

I'm supposed to help Mom clean up around the house. I'm sure I'll come up with an excuse before I go inside. Recently, she wants to know my whereabouts. She's becoming a pain in my ass.

I need to go before she gets into her car and goes looking for me. She's done it before. Within the past few weeks, it has picked up. She always wants to know where Denise and I are. I've chalked it up to her having a midlife crisis.

Jennifer

Denise had no idea her sister had been climbing into her car to write. Their mom had been increasingly paranoid a couple of weeks before Denise left. She always wanted to know where they were going and when they'd be back.

She brushed off her mom's behavior. Both of her kids always had been around. All three had been around each other for years. Denise figured her mom was worried about her book tour. It was five weeks without them seeing each other.

Susan had a bad habit of snooping through her kids' belongings. Denise accepted it because she had nothing to hide. Jennifer was opposed to the idea. She stashed her important things in a small metal safe with a heavy-duty lock on it.

When she caught her mom trying to pick the lock, she told her off. Susan apologized and swore she'd never do it again. Denise and Jennifer knew better. Jennifer added a chain and another lock around the safe for good measure.

Luckily, Susan had kept her promise. She never touched it again. It never stopped her from continuing to snoop through the rest of the room. It was one of her faults.

Before Denise could move on to the second entry, her phone rang. She looked at the clock and realized it was Ellen. It was two minutes after noon.

She left the journal open, answered the phone, and left to get her laptop.