Afraid (4 page)

“Please bear with us.” Mr. Carlson's voice was shaking slightly. “There's been an accident backstage. Our star, Tammy Peters, has broken her leg.”

There was another murmur from the audience, and Donna exchanged worried looks with Steve. What had happened? And exactly
how
had Tammy broken her leg?

Mr. Carlson held up his hands for silence. “If you'll give us five minutes, our production will continue. Miss Rondelle Green, Tammy's understudy, will play the lead.”

There was a smattering of polite applause and Mr. Carlson left the stage. The loudspeakers began to play some soothing classical music, and Steve pulled Donna to her feet. “Let's go, Donna. We've got to find out what happened!”

As they rounded the corner of the school, they saw the flashing red lights of the ambulance. It was just backing away, and Steve ran to catch it.

“What hospital?” Donna heard him shout. And then he ran back to her side again. “They're taking her to County General. Come on. My car's this way.”

As she ran to keep up with Steve's long strides, Donna felt her heart pounding hard. It wasn't from the exertion. Donna's heart was pounding in fear. They had to get the red shoes away from Tammy before something even more horrible happened!

S
teve drove directly to the hospital, but they arrived too late to see Tammy. Her doctor told them that she was being taken to a private hospital, several hundred miles away.

“Will she be all right?” Steve looked worried.

“Yes. She's in stable condition and her vital signs are good.” The doctor gave Steve a comforting pat on the shoulder. “But we took an X ray and several bones in Tammy's leg are shattered. It's the worst break I've seen in a long time, and we're not equipped to handle it here. They're going to have to do a series of complicated surgeries to repair the bones before she can walk normally again.”

Donna felt terribly sorry for Tammy. “How long will Tammy have to stay in the hospital?”

“It'll be quite a while. I talked to the head surgeon by telephone. After the surgeries, she'll need several months of physical therapy. They're going to have to teach her to walk, all over again.”

“But will Tammy be able to graduate with us?” Steve started to frown.

“I wouldn't count on that. But the surgeon said that they have tutors on the staff. Tammy can keep up with her studies and they'll have her ready for college in the fall.”

Donna took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how to ask, but they had to know. “Did Tammy take her shoes with her?”

“Shoes?” The doctor looked completely puzzled.

Steve nodded. “They were red, and she wore them in the play.”

“I see.” The doctor smiled. “They were part of her costume and you're here to collect them?”

“That's right.” Donna nodded. She was glad she didn't have to explain about Magical Footwear and the curse of the red shoes.

“Tammy wasn't wearing any shoes when I examined her, but you can check with the paramedics at the emergency room. They may have removed them.”

It took several minutes to find the team of paramedics who'd brought Tammy to the hospital. The driver didn't remember the shoes at all, but his partner did.

“She was wearing shoes. I think they were orange, or red.”

Steve nodded. “That's right. They were part of her costume for the play.”

“I removed them when we put her on the stretcher. There's a lot of swelling with leg injuries and it's a standard precaution.”

“A precaution?” Steve looked puzzled.

“If the shoes were too tight, we'd have to cut them off. It's easier and safer to remove them before the swelling starts.”

“What did you do with them?” Donna held her breath and hoped that he remembered.

“I put them on the table in her dressing room. They're probably still there.”

“Thank you.” Donna grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him toward the door. “Let's go, Steve. We've got to find the red shoes before someone else decides to wear them!”

 

Rondelle Green was so happy she felt like she was floating on a cloud of pure joy. She'd never thought she'd get to play the lead in the fall play, but thanks to Tammy's broken leg, she'd just received a standing ovation. It had been a night of incredibly good luck for her. Rondelle had finally gotten a chance to show what a good actress she was.

Tammy's red shoes were still on the dressing table where the paramedics had left them. Rondelle smiled as she reached out to stroke the satin. She was sure the shoes weren't cursed, and they certainly weren't to blame for Tammy's accident. If anything was to blame, it was Tammy's almost legendary temper.

Mr. Carlson had told them all what had happened. The dressing room door had stuck, and Tammy had been so angry, she'd kicked it. But Tammy had kicked much too hard. She'd hit the door with so much force, she'd shattered the bones in her leg.

The red shoes were beautiful. When Rondelle picked them up, they felt warm, almost as if they were alive. Rondelle giggled. Of course she was imagining things, but she just couldn't resist trying them on.

She slipped on one shoe and then the other. They seemed to fit her perfectly. She was just admiring the way they looked, when there was a knock on her dressing room door.

Rondelle frowned. It was probably her best friend, Alice Mayfield, coming to congratulate her on her performance. Alice loved to gossip, and Rondelle didn't want to be accused of wearing Tammy's shoes without her permission. She slid her feet under the dressing table, where they couldn't be seen, and put a smile on her face. “Come in.”

But when the door opened, it wasn't Alice. It was Mr. Carlson and Mr. Michaels. Both of them were smiling and Rondelle smiled back. “Did I do all right, Mr. Carlson?”

“You did a fine job, Rondelle.”

“Wonderful!” Mr. Michaels nodded. “It takes a real trouper to come in at a moment's notice and take over someone else's part.”

Rondelle blushed. She'd just received a compliment from Mr. Michaels!

“Would you like to read for me, Rondelle?” Mr. Michaels looked very serious. “I may have a small part in my movie for you.”

Rondelle was so shocked, her mouth dropped open. Everyone had thought that Mr. Michaels would offer Tammy a part, but now he was interested in her!

“It won't take long.” Mr. Michaels smiled at her kindly as he handed her several pages from a script. “And there's no reason to be nervous. You'll be reading for the part of Betsy. She's a bubbly, energetic high school student, the younger sister of the lead. Just take a few moments to go over your lines and I'll cue you.”

Rondelle's hands were shaking as she read over the lines. Mr. Michaels had said there was no need to be nervous, but he didn't know how important this was. She simply had to get the part! It was the chance of a lifetime!

“Ready?”

Rondelle nodded, even though she'd never been good at cold readings. She took a deep breath, prayed that her voice wouldn't shake, and then she read her first line.

The next five minutes were a blur. Mr. Michaels cued her, and Rondelle delivered her lines. Even to Rondelle's critical ears, the reading went very well. Her voice was clear, her gestures were perfect, and she seemed to sense exactly what emotion Mr. Michaels wanted her to portray. When they were finished, Rondelle stood there in the middle of the dressing room, waiting to hear what Mr. Michaels would say.

“Didn't I tell you she was good?” Mr. Carlson looked very proud.

“You were right.” Mr. Michaels smiled as he turned to Rondelle. “Well, Rondelle . . . you're a very talented young lady, and you have the part. I'll be contacting you when I come back in December.”

“Thank you, Mr. Michaels.” Rondelle was so excited, she wanted to hug him. “I'll do my best, I promise.”

Mr. Michaels smiled. “I'm sure you will. I'll call your parents in the next week or so and we'll work out the details of your contract.”

Rondelle managed to contain herself until Mr. Michaels and Mr. Carlson had left. Then she hugged herself and twirled around, beside herself with joy. Mr. Michaels had said she was talented, and he'd given her a part in a major movie!

As she twirled around, Rondelle caught a glimpse of the red shoes. They seemed to glow from the overhead lights, and she began to frown slightly. She knew she'd read much better than usual. Had the red shoes given her new talent?

Rondelle had seen the flyer the new girl had written. Anyone who wore the red shoes would be blessed with incredible talent, but there was a terrible price to pay. She would also have very bad luck.

“Oh, sure!” Rondelle laughed. Mr. Michaels had been impressed with her performance in the play, and she hadn't worn the red shoes on stage. They had nothing to do with the part he'd given her in his movie, nothing at all.

But the red shoes were very pretty, and wearing them made her feel special. Rondelle didn't want to leave them here, where the janitor would probably throw them away. What was to stop her from keeping them? Tammy couldn't use them in the hospital and Mr. Carlson had said it would be months before she could walk again. There was really no reason why Rondelle shouldn't have them as a souvenir of this wonderful night. Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone that she had them. She didn't want to be accused of stealing Tammy's expensive shoes. She'd just take them home to wear in the privacy of her room, and no one would ever know.

 

“There's a light inside. Somebody must be here.” Steve hammered on the theater door again.

“It's Mr. Parks.” Donna peered through the glass. “He heard you, Steve. He's coming.”

The janitor grumbled as he unlocked the door, but when he saw Donna, he smiled. Most of the students didn't even bother to talk to him, but Donna always said hello.

“Hi, Donna. Did you forget something?”

“Yes, Mr. Parks. Is it all right if we go backstage? It'll just take us a minute.”

“Sure, go ahead.” The janitor turned to Steve. Steve was another friendly student, and he'd watched a couple of football games. “How's your girlfriend? I heard they took her to the hospital.”

Steve nodded. “Tammy shattered the bones in her leg. She's going to be all right, but she won't be coming back to school this year. And she's not my girlfriend, Mr. Parks. We broke up before the play tonight.”

Donna drew in her breath sharply. That was news to her!

Mr. Parks looked just as shocked as Donna, but he recovered quickly. “Well, Steve . . . I'm sorry Tammy got hurt, but I'm not sorry you two broke up. What you need is a girl like Donna. She's perfect.”

“You're right.” Steve turned to wink at Donna. “Donna is perfect.”

Somehow, Donna managed to wink back. She knew that Mr. Parks had been teasing, but it was still a little embarrassing. As they walked past the silent rows of seats, Donna's mind was whirling with unasked questions. Had Steve been the one to break up with Tammy? Or had Tammy broken off with him? And was he simply being polite, or did he really think that she was the perfect girl for him?

 

It didn't take Donna long to write another page for her article. She described Tammy's awful accident and then she put down her pen. They'd gone to the star's dressing room to search for the red shoes, but they hadn't been on the dressing table where the paramedic had said he'd placed them. Donna and Steve had looked in every nook and cranny of the dressing room, but the shoes were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they'd disappeared into thin air.

Steve had suggested that Rondelle might have them since she'd used the dressing room after Tammy. They'd gone to the wrap party to talk to her, but Rondelle had told them she hadn't seen the red shoes.

Something about the way Rondelle had avoided their eyes made Donna doubt her word. The pretty redhead had been very nervous, and that could have been a sign of guilt. But when they'd checked, they'd found out that Rondelle had worn her own shoes in the play. The red shoes had vanished, and no one at the wrap party had known where they were.

 

Donna closed her notebook and rubbed her eyes. It was almost midnight and it had been a long day. She switched off the lights, got into bed, and stared up into the darkness. What was Steve doing right now? Was he in his bed, staring up at the darkness, just like her?

She reached out and pulled up the shade just a bit, so she could see Steve's window. It was dark and that told her nothing. He could be sleeping. It was after midnight and he had football practice every Saturday morning. Or perhaps he'd gone out again, after he'd dropped her off at home.

Even though the night air was cold, Donna raised her window a couple of inches. Then she got back in bed and fell asleep, wondering if the cursed red shoes were out there somewhere, preparing to claim their second victim.

T
he house was dark when Rondelle got home, and she took off her shoes to tiptoe up the stairs. When she'd told her parents about Mr. Michaels and the part she'd landed in his movie, they'd given her permission to stay late at the wrap party.

Rondelle grinned as she walked past her parents' bedroom. Her father was snoring loudly. Dad wouldn't try any of the special pillows or the mouthpiece that was supposed to help him stop snoring. And even though Rondelle and her sister had tape-recorded his snores one night, he still claimed he didn't snore!

Her father's snoring was one of the reasons Rondelle closed her bedroom door. Who could sleep through all those deep, irregular snorts and rumbles? Rondelle's little sister, Janie, was the second reason why Rondelle closed her door. Janie was a snoop and she loved to go through Rondelle's things. There was no privacy with a little sister like Janie, and even though Rondelle had begged her parents to put a lock on her bedroom door, they'd just told her to be patient until Janie grew out of it

At least she wouldn't have to worry about her privacy tomorrow. Rondelle smiled happily. Her parents and Janie were going away, to visit her aunt and uncle. Since Aunt Pat and Uncle Roy lived four hours away, they were leaving early on Saturday morning. And they weren't coming back until Sunday afternoon !

For the first time in her life, Rondelle had convinced her parents that she could be trusted to stay by herself overnight. Of course she'd obey
most
of their rules. She'd be on restriction until she was an old lady if she didn't. She wouldn't have boys in the house, she'd do all her homework before they got back on Sunday, and she'd clean her room while they were gone. But there was one rule that Rondelle planned to break. She had a date with Craig Ellison tomorrow night and she was going to stay until the party was over, even if it lasted all night!

Rondelle was excited about her date with Craig. He was incredibly handsome, and he drove a fire-engine red 1955 Thunderbird. His father had completely restored it and put it up on blocks the day Craig was born, and he'd given it to Craig on the first day of his senior year.

Her luck had been absolutely fantastic tonight! Rondelle flicked on her stereo and smiled when her favorite song came on. She'd been wanting to date Craig since junior high, and tonight he'd asked her to be his date for the party.

Rondelle tossed her clothes on a chair, and got ready for bed. She was just turning back the covers when she remembered the red shoes. Steve and that new girl Donna had asked about them at the wrap party, and she'd lied and said she hadn't seen them. No one could know that she had them, and that meant she didn't dare leave them in her room. Even if she hid them under the mattress or high on the closet shelf, Janie would be bound to find them. She had to think of a hiding place that her little sister would never discover.

The attic. The moment she thought of it, Rondelle grabbed the flashlight she kept by her bed. She didn't like the idea of going up to the attic at night, but it couldn't be helped. Janie hated the attic and she never went up there. She said it gave her the creeps. It also gave Rondelle the creeps, but it was the one place her sister wouldn't snoop.

Rondelle wrapped the red shoes in her oldest sweatshirt, and tiptoed up the stairs. Her flashlight didn't shed much light, but she knew exactly where to hide them. There was a freestanding, antique wooden closet against the back wall, and it was the one place her little sister would never dare to look. Janie was terrified of the old-fashioned wardrobe.

Rondelle moved a moth-eaten fur coat, and hid the red shoes in the very back. Even if her sister outgrew her fear of the attic, she'd never find them there. The red shoes were her secret. No one would ever find them in the back of the wardrobe. And no one would ever know that she'd lied about taking them.

 

Her alarm clock rang at seven o'clock, and Rondelle almost shut it off and went back to sleep. But the moment she remembered what day it was, she jumped out of bed with a smile on her face. Janie and her parents were leaving. It wouldn't look right if she didn't get up to say good-bye.

It took ages for them to get ready to leave. Rondelle stifled a yawn as her father rechecked the map. She helped her mother make sandwiches to take along on the trip, answered Janie's questions about what she was going to do while they were gone, and helped them carry their luggage to the car.

“Okay. Let's hit the road.” Rondelle's father smiled and gave her a hug. There were hugs and kisses all around, along with last-minute instructions for Rondelle, and then they drove away.

Rondelle sat down on the front porch swing and waited five minutes, just to be sure. Then she went inside and locked the door. She was free! And now she could do anything she wanted!

She wandered around the house for a few minutes, exploring her options. But there wasn't really anything that Rondelle wanted to do. The house seemed strange with everyone gone. She'd never noticed the way the floorboards creaked, or how the furnace boomed when the heat kicked in. It wasn't exactly frightening. After all, it was morning and the sun was shining brightly. But it was strange to be in the silent house all alone.

Rondelle checked the front door again, to make sure it was locked, and then she climbed the steps to her room. She hadn't bothered to make her bed and the rumpled blankets looked very inviting. Perhaps she'd stretch out for a minute and close her eyes. She hadn't had much sleep last night.

What if Craig called and she was asleep? Rondelle frowned slightly, but her phone was right next to her bed and she was sure she'd wake up if it rang. She'd just catch a quick nap so she'd have plenty of energy to be the life of the party tonight.

 

It was two-thirty in the afternoon when Rondelle woke up, and Craig hadn't called. He'd probably gone out to the lake to make last minute preparations, and he'd call when he got back to town.

Rondelle smiled in anticipation. The Ellisons' cabin was a perfect place to hold a party. There was a huge stone fireplace and a massive family room that was great for dancing. Rondelle could hardly wait. Craig's party was always the biggest event of the year—everyone in school was always invited.

But what if her parents found out she'd gone without asking permission? She knew she was taking a chance, but she really didn't think they'd call the house to check on her. Even if they did, she could always make up some kind of excuse.

As the minutes ticked by and the phone didn't ring, Rondelle decided to start getting ready. She had a slinky red dress that she'd bought last year on sale and she'd never worn it before.

Rondelle slipped on the dress and glanced in the mirror. She looked great! The dress clung to her like a second skin and Craig was bound to be impressed. This might be her first date with him, but Rondelle was sure it wouldn't be her last. She'd take her red leather shoulder bag, it would match the dress perfectly, but which pair of shoes should she wear?

Rondelle tried on every pair of shoes in her closet, but nothing looked right with the red dress. She even raided her mother's closet, but she didn't find anything she could use. That was when she remembered the red shoes. Could she get away with wearing them? They weren't really that unusual, and she could always say that she'd bought them at the mall.

The afternoon sun was beginning to dim as Rondelle raced up the stairs to the attic. Since there were only two high narrow vents at either side of the attic to let in air and light, it was already quite dark. Rondelle shivered as she stepped carefully across the loose boards. She'd never been afraid of the attic before, but today she felt uneasy.

“There's absolutely nothing up here to hurt you.” Rondelle spoke out loud. And then she gave an embarrassed laugh because she'd been talking to herself. Perhaps she'd done it because she was all alone. Their neighbor, a widower in his eighties, talked to himself all the time. When she walked by his house and his windows were open, Rondelle could hear him carrying on imaginary conversations with the pictures he'd hung on the walls.

As she stepped further into the attic, Rondelle shivered. The wind whistled through the vents, and since the attic wasn't heated, it was cold! As she stood in front of the wardrobe, Rondelle could almost understand why Janie was so afraid. Its claw feet looked real in the dim light, and the carvings of leaves and branches on the doors seemed to reach out to try to grab her!

“It's just my imagination.” Rondelle spoke out loud again. She reached inside, and then she almost screamed as her fingers brushed a spiderweb. Just what she needed! Now she'd have to take another shower before Craig came to pick her up!

The red shoes were right where she'd left them, tucked in the very back of the wardrobe. Rondelle unwrapped them and sat down on an old steamer trunk to try them on. They were very comfortable, almost as if they'd been made especially for her, and she stood up and twirled, careful not to bump into any of the old furniture. The red shoes were perfect! She could dance in them all night.

There was an old oval mirror against the wall, and Rondelle checked her reflection. Her image was wavy and covered with cobwebs, but she could see that the red shoes matched her dress.

“Great!” Rondelle clapped her hands in delight But just as she'd turned to head for the door, she heard a sound like gunshot.

“What was that?!” Rondelle whirled around and frowned as she realized what had happened. The old oval mirror had cracked in half, from the top to the very bottom. Could it have been the change in temperature? It had been warm and sunny today, but now that night was falling, it was turning very cold.

Rondelle shrugged. It didn't really matter. The mirror was so old, the silver was peeling away from the glass, and the wooden stand was broken. If her mother decided to use it downstairs, she'd have to get it repaired anyway. But there was something strange about the mirror, something that drew Rondelle closer to peer directly into its depths.

On the right side of the crack, her image was beautiful, just the way it had been before. But on the left, where the silver was starting to peel away, she looked like something out of a nightmare.

“Nooooo!” Rondelle's voice was a terrified whisper as she stared at her gruesome reflection. Her left leg looked broken, as if someone had chopped it with an axe. The bone actually seemed to be sticking up through her pale, gray-colored skin. Her left arm was wrenched from its socket, hanging uselessly at her side, and the fingers on her left hand looked like claws with long yellow fingernails curling in to scratch at her palms.

Rondelle blinked, trying to banish the awful sight. But when she looked in the mirror again, nothing had changed. On the left side of the mirror, her dress was tattered, with bits of soil clinging to its folds. She looked as if she'd been exhumed from a grave!

Rondelle swallowed hard and tried not to panic. The light was dim. She was imagining things. But she screamed a scream of pure unadulterated terror as she caught sight of her face!

In the left side of the mirror, her flesh hung loosely from her skull and bits of shiny white bone were visible. Her eye was gone and a hollow socket was in its place. On the left side, her lips were swollen and purple, grinning around broken and jagged teeth.

As Rondelle stood there, paralyzed with terror, a cold gust of wind blew through the attic. It smelled of decay, a sickeningly sweet, putrid odor that made Rondelle gag and start to cough. She wrenched her eyes away from the awful sight, and forced her feet to move. One step. Two steps. And then she was running to the attic door, tripping and stumbling in her haste to escape the awful apparition she'd seen.

She was only a few steps from the door when there was another burst of wind. It was cold and bitter, and it whipped Rondelle's hair into her eyes. She staggered to a stop, blinded by the stinging pain. Then came a loud bang that made Rondelle jump in fear, and the attic door flew shut.

Rondelle raced for the door. She had to get out of there! Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the knob and twisted hard. But as Rondelle pulled on the knob, desperately trying to escape, it came off in her hand!

Frantically, Rondelle tried to reattach it. She knew how. The doorknob in her bedroom was the same type, and it came off every month or so. But in her haste to get out of the attic, Rondelle pushed the knob back in place much too hard.

There was a hollow thump from the other side of the door, and Rondelle cried out in dismay. The outside knob had fallen to the floor of the landing and the latch wouldn't work unless both knobs were in place. She was trapped in the attic, with no way out!

She hammered at the door and screamed for her parents. They had to come and rescue her! She pounded until her knuckles were battered and bleeding, and then she remembered. Her parents and Janie were gone.

Rondelle sank to the cold, wooden floor, whimpering in terror. The last light of day was fading fast, and she was trapped in the attic. There was no way out, and not one single person knew where she was!