Radio Waves of the Macabre [On Hiatus]

Chapter 17 - Belief (Part 4)

Tess opened her eyes and looked up through her tears and over her mother's shoulder. Uncle Don's face had exploded a vibrant red and Tess wondered if he might literally explode as well, like one of those cartoons where the smoke comes billowing out of the character's ears. Of course he didn't. He just yelled.

"You search the whole dang Creek looking for her, you frighten a family that's been through enough already, you come to our house and you do this to your sister," Don gestured to aunt Melynda as he said this; "to my wife, and all you can say is it's okay. It's not okay and you know it."

Mom's hand tightened on her shoulder and for a moment Tess thought her mom might realize that Uncle Don was right. Tess's whole body tensed waiting, waiting for the punishment that she surely deserved. As she tensed her mother squeezed her close, then slowly began to loosen her grip.

Uncle Eddie had walked over to Uncle Don now and seemed to be saying something to him, but he was whispering too softly for Tess to hear over the blood drumming in her ears. Uncle Eddie wouldn't be mad; he never was. But Uncle Don, Aunt Melynda, Jimmy, what about them?

She looked then and saw Jimmy reclining on the wicker loveseat by the back screen opposite of her. He had an earbud hanging out of one ear and sat there transfixed for a moment. His eyes locked with hers and he nodded with an odd smirk then a slight shrug of his shoulder as if to say 'what can you do?' Then he stuck the earbud back in and turned, looking out the screen and away from the mess Tess had made.

Aunt Melynda just stared, unblinking, completely focused on Tess.

"Don't try to calm me," Don said, responding to Eddie's unheard whispers. "You scare Melynda with this nonsense, you work her up, and then what? I have to drag the whole family out, the whole..." Uncle Don paused then, swallowing something back, then starting again. "I had to drag Jimmy out and follow her here because Melynda had to know what happened. She had to see that girl home safe, and I'm what, supposed to be fine that her punishment is nothing more than a hug and some assurances. After what that brat just drug this family through --"

Before Uncle Eddie could say a word, mom had let go and stood, her back rigid and unbreakable. Though Tess had always known to do as mom said, she couldn't imagine that there had ever been such an imposing figure before, and especially not from a woman that stood barely an inch over five foot.