I was struggling to get any sleep at all these days. Three days had passed since Shauna’s disappearance and there had been no word from Josh Roper since last night when he came to tell us about the tyre tracks from the skid-mark outside Shauna’s house. The wheels belonged to the truck of Gerrard Knox, the very same one that had dove into Damariscotta River.
Word came out later how someone had broken into the Police Station late the night before Matt disappeared and stole the wheels along with a pair of boots and an ash tray. Someone was making it look like Ivy’s grandfather was behind the abductions. Ivy couldn’t walk about town now without being badgered by the gossip predators of Damariscotta and Newcastle.
Eventually I began to doze in and out of sleep, it didn’t last long. The disturbing dreams I started to have were interrupted by a tapping on the window. I turned over to see a couple of stones hit it. Matt! Is he home?
No! Seething with bitter disappointment I throw my window wide to scream down at one Tyler Hastings.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I only just heard about Shauna. I haven’t been paying much attention to the news lately. Can I come up?”
“No you most certainly cannot.”
“Please, Reese. Won’t you let me…”
“If you so much as climb an inch I will scream bloody murder till I’m blue in the face.”
“Well, turning blue won’t be hard for you considering you’re a cross-species.” He blurts.
I gasp with indignation. “Good night, Tyler!”
After closing my window and curtains, I snuggle back down into bed doing my best to ignore Tyler’s hurtful retort. Sleep continues to evade me for a while longer until Ivy bursts into my room an hour later.
“You got to deal with the douchebag outside my window.”
“What?”
“Tyler’s throwing stones. I can’t sleep as it is, Reese.”
“Me neither.” I sigh. “All right, I’ll deal with him… again.”
Ivy curls up in my bed as I make my way downstairs, picking up the baseball bat in the closet as I go. The clock atop the fireplace tells me it’s nearly three in the morning and my irate mood grows. Glowering at the figure beneath Ivy’s bedroom window, through the glass pane of our front door, I open it wide and holler out into the darkness.
“Are you crazy?!”
“Why won’t you talk to me?” he asks, crossing the distance between us.
“You know why. You need to apologise to Shauna.”
“I might not have that chance now.”
“You can’t think like that.”
“That’s all I’ve been able to think about since I heard the news. Look, I’m not proud of my recent behaviour. Ever since my parents…”
“No. Don’t you dare try to rub the blame off on them just because they split up. You need to take full responsibility for this Tyler.”
“You don’t understand; Shauna threw herself at me.”
“Oh, so you have no control then? You could’ve said no.”
“She needed me, Reese. I wish I could take it all back but I can’t. I can’t even make things right with her. I don’t know why I did what I did but… I’m sorry.”
“Well, it makes no difference by telling me this.”
He sighs, “I know. But she’s not here. I need to say it to someone.”
“We can’t just give up on her, Ty.”
“Do you think it’s him?”
“Who?”
“Gerrard.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Someone’s gone to a great deal of trouble to make it look like him.”
“Do you think they’re alive?”
“God, Ty! I can’t think like that. If I do…” I grimace. Matt is alive! Shauna is alive!
“I get it.”
“Go home, Ty. I’ve hardly slept these past few days and your showing up at three in the morning hardly improves my situation.”
“I’m sorry.”
I sigh, “Just go home.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Of course I am, you idiot. Go home.”
“Okay, good night.”
As I close the door I regret shouting at him. What if something were to happen to him too? I would be angry with myself if these were the last words I said to him. He was across the street when I opened the door again.
“Ty?”
“Yeah?” he called with a hopeful tone to his voice.
I don’t quite know what to say to him, I’m still angry. “Stay away from black vans, okay?”
“Oh… okay, Reese.”
“Take care.”
“You too.” He sighs, turning his back to me as he climbs into his truck.
About six hours later Harry hammers on both mine and Ivy’s doors. He dashes into my room and switches the TV onto the news channel as I reluctantly rise from my sleep.
“You’ve got to see this.” He says, sounding anxious. I can’t see his face in the semi-darkness – I’m not sure if this is going to be good news or bad news.
“What is it?” Ivy cries, stumbling in after Harry. “Have they found them?”
“No.” Harry groans. “Just watch.”
The camera is focused on a street near Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, the image switches to an old white house. It’s not too familiar to either of us really and we’re puzzled as to why Harry is showing us this. Then the camera zooms in on the black front door where the knocker holds another red rose. It’s a calling card, just like Josh said.
“Whose house is that?” Ivy asks.
Before Harry can answer, in the bottom right corner of my screen appears a photograph of our old high school principal. Other than the rose in the knocker all they could find was a boot print and cigarette ash. And, of course, the prints match Gerrard’s boots. Either he’s, unlikely, begging for attention or someone is trying to frame him. I can imagine the elderly man will be infuriated when he finds out.
“Do you think it’s him?” Ivy asks, in a whisper.
“No.” said Harry. “If your grandfather is capable of kidnapping, I doubt he’d do such a sloppy job of it.”
“So you think someone is trying to frame him?”
“I’m not sure, maybe he or she thinks the police are closing in on them. What would you do? Keep doing as you do or distract them?”
“Option B.” Ivy and I say in union.
At that precise moment the kidnappings are wiped from all our minds. Someone has started singing out on the Cove.
Harry and Ivy make way as I bolt for the stairs, practically flying down them I stop to pull my bathrobe tight around me and pull on a pair of old dirty sneakers. I find that Harry has already unlocked the back door and I speed out to Huston Cove with Harry and Ivy not too far behind me.
Isla ceases her Siren song at the sight of me bolting passed the dock, straight into the water where she meets me in the relatively shallow part of the river. I am sobbing as I wrap my arms around her as she does the same. The water is bitingly cold but I neither notice nor care as I half stand half float in Isla’s arms. At last, one of my loved one’s returns to me.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. There’s been a lot to deal with.”
“Where the hell have you been? Coralia said you’d be here a couple of days ago.”
“I’m sorry, we’ve been at war with the other tribe and there are more on their way. I just had to come see you whilst I had the chance.”
“What’s going on?” Ivy came barrelling through the water. “Where have you been?”
“We’re in full out war. I only came up now because I had to let you know that I won’t be back for a while.”
“Isla, I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
“No, it’s not! They hurt our King, he’s on his deathbed now. Believe me, if you hadn’t made the first move any one of us would have eventually.”
“How much longer will the war last?” Ivy asked, hugging herself to keep warm.
“Until either one of us has been eradicated. There’s no way we can bargain for peace now.”
“Isla, don’t go back. Stay here at Huston Cove.”
“Reese, with my King ill and unfit of ruling the throne, I’m the one in charge. I need to lead the troops. If the King dies, I’ll be named Queen.”
“If you win, if you’re named Queen, will you ever be able to return here?”
She slowly shook her head, “Not even to collect you on your birthday – that is, if you choose to enter the water again.”
“Isla…”
“I’ve got to go.” She said, a horn sounded in the distance. “Take care of yourself.”
“Isla, don’t go!”
Isla dove backwards, without another word, and made her way home leaving Ivy and I stunned and silent watching the ripples her tail made grow further and further away.
Treading the water we made our way back inside, Harry put the fire on for us whilst we changed into warm dry clothes then we sat down drinking tea in silence. I could tell that Harry wanted to say something to us but no words of solace ever breached his lips. Instead, he stared into the depths of the fire with us, remaining quiet until we each dragged ourselves off to bed.
That night I felt the weight of each of my missing friends. First Matt then Shauna, now Isla. It was a wonder that either Harry or Isla slept through my loud racking sobs. I couldn’t sleep a wink.
Two weeks passed and there was still no sign of the kidnapper although they had been busy. The day before Tyler and I were to take our trip to visit our new college, a distraught Blake Linley appeared at my door.
“They’ve taken Carmen!” she shrieked, hurling herself at me.
Isla pounced between us, thinking that Blake might hurt me but stood back in shock horror as Blake flung her arms around me in a bone breaking hug.
“Blake, what the hell?”
“They took Carmen!” she shrieked again.
“What’s going on?” Harry asked, appearing in the back door.
“The kidnapper – the one who took Matt and the Principal, they took Carmen!”
“Where’s your Mom?” I asked, leading Blake to an armchair.
“She’s away with her new fiancée. They were supposed to be back last night but their flight got cancelled because of the weather. I went to the airport this morning to pick them up, I didn’t get a message from her till I got home and when I got there, there was a red rose on the knocker and the front door was lying open. I can’t get hold of my Mom. Her cell is off and I don’t have his cell number!”
“Have you got in touch with the police?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, I spoke to some guy called Josh. He said that I wasn’t to stay there by myself and he asked if I had any family in town and I said you.”
“You’re staying here?” I asked shocked.
“Yes, please.” She gulped.
“Oh, great.” Ivy muttered.
“I’ll go get the pull out bed down from the attic.” Harry grumbled.
They both left me to comfort my ex-step-sister as she came to pieces on my shoulder. Once she cried all the tears she had welled up inside, I left her alone on the couch to retrieve her bags from the back of her car. When I returned, Blake was passed out on the sofa.
I hesitantly pulled a blanket over her and left a glass of water on the table at the side of the sofa before beating a hasty retreat to my room with her bags.