Breach Point: A Supernatural Thriller

Chapter 7

"I'm glad you think so," Clara said, nibbling on the shortbread. "I have absolutely no idea what I'll be doing there except that it has to do with erosion, so I tried to pick an outfit that was dressy but not too formal."

"Good thinking," Aunt Maureen said. "So just in case your new boss asks you to take a stroll along the beach collecting sand in a bucket..."

"...I'll be prepared," Clara finished. They both laughed.

"Yes you will," Aunt Maureen said. "But if you want to save some wear and tear on those shiny new shoes, I'd still be happy to drive you in."

Clara shook her head, finishing the last bits of the shortbread before speaking. "Thanks, but I really do want to walk to work. It'll make me feel more like someone who has a real job," she said.

"Which you do," Aunt Maureen said. She grabbed the plate before Clara could stop her and placed it in the sink. As she rinsed off the crumbs, Aunt Maureen asked, "Have you given your mother a call yet?"

Clara frowned and said, "No," and left it at that.

"Well, I know you've been busy getting settled in here, but I'm sure she'll want to hear how your first day went." Aunt Maureen's tone was just short of condescending.

"When I'm ready, I'll call her," Clara said, immediately regretting both her words and her tone. Aunt Maureen turned the water off and the room suddenly became very quiet.

Clara walked over to Aunt Maureen. "I'm sorry," she said. "She just... she doesn't make things easy..."

"She never did," Aunt Maureen said. "When we were growing up, she always made up all these rules for me to follow. Rules for playing, rules for eating – your mother even had rules for how I could breathe when we were going to sleep."

"Oh, I know about her rules," Clara said. Aunt Maureen laughed, holding a hand on Clara's shoulder. Clara felt instantly better about her snippy outburst. She grabbed her backpack from the chair and tossed it over her shoulder. "Well," she said, "I'd better get going."

"Wonderful, dear," Aunt Maureen said, sitting down at the computer and turning it back on. Clara wondered what her aunt would do all day. She figured she'd learn more about Aunt Maureen's routines as the summer went on.

"I've got some research to do," Aunt Maureen said, as if answering the question Clara hadn't asked out loud. "I'm working on a few pieces showing the skyline and I want to get it right." She opened her browser.

Clara swung the front door open, but Aunt Maureen's comment sparked her memory from the day before. She wondered how much she should say about Nicholas and meeting the group at the Giant Brine.

"Oh," Clara said, "I was going to tell you last night if you were awake. I met this group of people yesterday and they said they know you. They used to work at the Breach Point Castle a long time ago."

"Really. And who was this?" Aunt Maureen didn't turn away from her computer screen as she looked through photos of the local beach and its landmarks. Clara thought Aunt Maureen seemed suddenly tense – which would be really out of character for her. Or maybe she was just imagining it.

"It was a bunch of people," Clara said. "The older one was named Kevin, and I met his nephew Nicholas, too--"

"Oh, Kevin Gilmartin," Aunt Maureen said. "I do remember him. Don't think I've ever met the nephew, but I've seen his work at some of the craft shows. He's an excellent artist."

"Yes, he is," Clara said, adjusting her backpack.

Aunt Maureen turned around. Clara noticed her eyebrows were tight as she asked, "And how did you wind up meeting this group?"

"They were in a restaurant where I grabbed something to eat," Clara said, though she felt it wasn't really true to say that she ate there. That made it sound like she'd ordered food and sat down by herself and just happened to interact with the group. But it felt close enough to the truth not to quibble.

"They were talking about their reunion for the Castle at the town festival," Clara answered.

"I see," said Aunt Maureen. "That should be exciting. Are you planning to go?"

"I am," Clara said – almost adding "if it's okay with you" but holding herself back before it could make its way out. Aunt Maureen had made it clear that while she was responsible for Clara during her stay, she wasn't going to watch over her every move. Aunts are different from parents – and that was a good thing.

"I invited someone from home to come with me," Clara added. "My friend Lilianne."

"Well that's fine with me," Aunt Maureen said. "She's welcome to stay for the weekend as long as she doesn't mind sleeping on the couch – unless you'd want to trade with her."

"Lilianne wouldn't care either way," Clara said. And after a pause, she asked, "Aunt Maureen – did I ever go inside the Breach Point Castle?"

"No," Aunt Maureen answered. "You only saw it from the beach."

"Really? I don't even remember that much," Clara said. "And from the way everyone was describing it, it wasn't the kind of place you could forget."

Aunt Maureen turned back to her computer, scrolling past vintage photos of Breach Point's amusement pier. She zoomed into a generic shot of the sun setting over the ocean. "Well, you were very young," she said, "And you were an extremely skittish little girl. You probably purged the memory from your mind." She laughed.

Clara suddenly felt uneasy. Aunt Maureen sounded like she was trying to seem upbeat. It was unnatural.

"The group who worked there told me about the fire," Clara said, pushing herself. "About the firefighter who got hurt in it, and about that boy--"

"It was terrible," Aunt Maureen interrupted. "A terrible fire... probably the worst thing that ever happened in this town. Terrible... just terrible..." she continued, adding nothing and sounding devoid of real emotion. "Well, dear, you'd better get going. I can't wait to hear all about your big day."

Clara felt dismissed. It was "normal" Aunt Maureen again, except it wasn't. It was forced. But she was in danger of being late, so she let it drop.

"Yes. I'll see you after work," Clara said, stepping into the crisp outdoors. Just before she pulled the door closed, she took one more look inside and saw Aunt Maureen scroll back up to the old photo of the pier. She just stared at it.

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- Steve