The Mate Deal

Chapter 26

That morning at ten o’clock we woke up and went down to breakfast and to say goodbye to the Kings.  I felt so guilty when I hugged Edith and I thought about how she didn’t know that this farewell was permanent.  I felt bad, knowing it would break her heart if I died.

And it would be even more painful so if she found out I really hadn’t, and I’d let her grieve for me.

The kids all swarmed around me before we walked out the door and they all tried to hug me at once, but it ended up as more of a dog pile when they tackled me to the floor.  “Bye Steph,” they all yelled.

“See you in a month, right,” Ricky asked.

“Yeah,” I lied.  I wouldn’t be able to see them for the holidays, though.  I nearly started to cry I would really miss this family when this was all over.

“Kids, let go of her,” Edith laughed.  “I’ll see you for Christmas,” she laughed when the kids made room for her to hug me goodbye yet again.

I nearly cried, but as an actress, I know how to shield my emotions if it were so important as it was then.  When the Kings finally let us go, it was already past eleven o’clock.  We walked out the front door and got in the car and Matt drove away.

We went to Old Ms. Fanny’s house and got out to wait for Tyce.  He was there within two minutes in his old black sedan and I smiled as I crossed the driveway over to him.  We hugged and kissed once when he was out of his car and then headed to the front door of the small unkempt one story house.

Everyone who knew of the house knew that it wasn’t locked up, so it was easy to get in.  a lot of people have come in for Halloween to smoke weed or get drunk.  The thrill of drugs in a haunted house must have been intriguing to some.  There were still stamped out cigarette butts all over the gray carpeted floors from the previous October.

It smelled of old smoke and dust.  When light streamed in the windows you could see dust floating everywhere, a heavier mist of particles than the normal dust cloud.

I looked at Tyce.  “You got the gasoline,” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s in the trunk of the car.”  He had been in charge of bringing any supplies we would need to bring to set the house ablaze.

“Well go get it,” Matt said without attempting to make it sound like he was glad Tyce was there.  Hesitantly, Tyce left my side and did as told, leaving to get the red gallon-sized jug of gasoline and a box of matches.

“Let’s light a fire,” he said in an almost joking way to try and lighten the mood.

This is illegal, I reminded myself.  And then I grabbed the gas and opened the top.

“So here’s the plan,” I said.  “We light this on fire, you wait two minutes and then call nine-one-one.  I want you two to cry, or be in hysterics or something,” I told Matt and Renee.  “It will take about ten minutes for the fire fighters to get here.  By then, Tyce and I will be gone, and if I really was in there, my body would have been burned up to ashes.”

They nodded and I began pouring the clear, strong smelling liquid all over the carpet.  Tyce and Matt must have decided that Matt should be the one to light the match, so when everyone was evacuated from the house, Matt kept the door open, lit the match, and when the small flame was created, he threw it.

There was an instant explosion of blazing fire.

“Remember, you thought I got out alright, but you were wrong.  By the time you got out, it was too late.  The fire was started mysteriously, but might have involved those cigarette butts we saw in there.  Unlikely, but possible.”  I shouted at Renee, and then I hugged her and began to cry.