The Doorway

Chapter 2: Odd Things Start Happening (Skylar)

“Uh…I’ll get that.”

I stuck my head under the table like an idiot, feeling around the floor for my poor, fallen, fork.

“I really don’t know.  It’s been abandoned for years, way before my brother and I showed up in Black Rock. It was already over- grown with plants when we got here. I just wished they’d knock the damn thing down already, it’s such an eye sore.”

I bounced up, slamming the fork on the table in a failed attempt to appear as natural as possible while in shock. You can probably imagine the bizarre stares from my brother and Aunt.

“I um…found the fork.”

“That’s uh…great Skylar...” Alex said, blinking his large brown eyes exactly twice before turning his attention back to his plate of waffles.

No one lived in the house.

The girl…she couldn’t have been real.

I decided to just stick with that, to put my mind at ease, which, in all honestly was a bit difficult.

My brain works very closely to the way flies swarm a rotting corpse, or bees flee their hive when it’s cut from a branch, frantically, quickly, and without a whole lot of order. I’m pretty much scatter-brained.

                “Good morning. I’m assuming the two of you are my children that were supposed to arrive yesterday.”

We all turned in the direction of the voice, and I watched as my Aunts’ face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Eli! You’re awake! Please sit down, I prepared breakfast for everybody.”

Everyone always told me I looked like my mother so I was quite surprised at how much I resembled my father.  He was tall, with long dark hair, and dark eyes, extremely dark eyes. I mean, I’ve never seen eyes that black; they were insanely shadowy , and great with a type of sadness that makes your heart ache for whoever they belonged to, the type of pain they held…it just made you want to reach out, and take the man in your arms like he was a little lost boy.  Everything about his facial features screamed chiseled, and intense, yet relaxed and…lonely. You could see it in his eyes, in his soul, he was so, so lonely.

“Hmm, well you’re certainly showing off for the kids. Last time you made breakfast was when I was twelve and you were only being nice because you killed my hamster. Heartless bitch doesn’t know how to care for anything alive. Thank God you don’t have children; you’d probably starve them too. “He sounded playful in a very dark, kind of smug way.

Ebony rolled her eyes. “I’d rather be a heartless bitch, than a sad drunk. Now sit your sloppy ass down and eat.”

I heard Alex stifle a laugh from across the table, and I couldn’t help but think how idiotic he sounded, watching two adults bicker like teenagers wasn’t all that amusing, I mean, if anything I felt like I was watching Alex and I in 30 years. It was kind of creepy.

“Um…is there a local library around here?” I asked, not making eye contact with anyone else at the table.

“Yes, I believe there is. It’s a bit far away, because honestly there’s not a whole lot around here, but I’d be happy to drive you.” Dad, or well, Eli replied. His eyes were blood shot and he was clearly nursing a bad hangover.

“Um…I don’t know. You see I’m really independent; I like to do things myself. Can I just borrow the car? ”

“Oh, okay, fine. It’s pretty over-cast though so just be careful when you’re driving back.”