Happily Never After (19 page)

“It is a good idea but I’ll need to run it by
the guy who’s going to be doing it. He might not want any outsiders
there.”

“I’m not an outsider. She’s my mom.”

“You’re right and I’ll tell him I agree. I’ll
let you know tomorrow or the next day.”

Anna turned to leave but stopped. She looked
over her shoulder and flashed me a sad smile. “Thanks Quinn. I’m
glad I could talk to you about this.”

Now I just needed to convince Travis when we
met with him in a couple days.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jason asked me to meet him a couple blocks
from where the movie was filming. He wanted to explore the
surrounding neighborhood and take in the unique Savannah
architecture.

The afternoon was sweltering. I passed a few
sweating tourists strolling the area with their cameras and street
maps. They looked miserable in the heat and humidity and I gave an
encouraging smile to a mother who looked like she might drop at any
second.

Lost in memories of vacations, I reached the
square where we were meeting. Jason was already there but he was
laughing with a gorgeous blond.

Frozen in place, I watched them. My instincts
told me to walk away, to leave and pretend I didn’t see them
together, but that felt a bit excessive. I didn’t have any special
hold or claim on Jason. Jealousy wasn't what kept me rooted to my
spot; it was curiosity.

He was an entirely different person, so
carefree and relaxed. We didn’t get much opportunity to laugh since
we put a lot of focus was on my problems. I felt guilty and wanted
to show him he could have fun with me, that I could be lighthearted
when I wasn’t being haunted by a hundred-and-fifty-year-old
ghost.

The girl made me curious, too. She didn’t put
up a wall the way I did. Granted, I had grown better since the ball
but I was still wary of trusting him. Or maybe I was wary of
trusting myself with him. I hadn’t quite figured that one out yet.
Her laughter drifted back to me and it sounded familiar. Then, when
she turned her face, disbelief washed over me.

It was Anna.

A heavy ball grew in the center of my
stomach. It wasn’t that Jason was talking to another girl, which
I’m certain he did every day. And it wasn’t because Anna was at
least attempting to be civil to me lately. I think it had to do
with the fact that even after all the time we’d spent together, I
didn’t know much about Jason. And I wanted to. We kissed and talked
as much as we could but there was more to him than that.

I decided to make a conscious effort to learn
more about him. If I wanted to start living my life, here was my
opportunity. Life was about taking chances. Besides, I really
didn’t like the idea of him with another girl regardless of who she
was. It made me want to fight for him.

They stood up and Anna ran her hand down his
arm before walking away. He watched after her and shook his head.
Then Jason searched the grassy area and saw me.

I waved as I made my way toward him, a little
embarrassed that he'd caught me watching him.

“That girl you were talking to is one of my
stepsisters.”

He narrowed his eyes and dropped his chin to
his chest. “Crap, Quinn, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“Where did you run into her?”

“She cornered me about a block away and kept
talking about that stupid pageant. I couldn’t get rid of her.”

I shrugged my shoulder halfheartedly. “Anna
hasn’t been that bad lately. Suzie’s still a first class witch but
Anna has reached out to me a couple times. She’s worried about her
mama and doesn’t really have anyone to talk to about it. She’s
involved now anyway. I need to get used to it. Be thankful it
wasn’t Suzie you ran into.”

“You’re scaring me,” he joked.

Not wanting to talk about Anna anymore, I
changed the subject. “So what did you want to do today? See more of
the neighborhoods, right?”

“I did, but I think we should drive out to
the ocean instead.” He held up a set of car keys. “I have wheels
for the day. Do you have time?”

I smiled. I had always loved the beach but
didn’t get to visit much. As close as Savannah was to the ocean, it
was a shame not to take advantage of it.

“For the chance to go to the beach with you,
I’ll risk it. We can go out to Tybee Island. There are beautiful
beaches, forts and even a lighthouse. If no one is home, I’d love
to stop at my house and grab my camera.”

Jason beamed. “No problem. Let’s go.”

I was lucky. The house was empty, at least of
the living. I stopped long enough to leave a note for Marietta
saying I’d be gone all day to Tybee Island with Abby and her mom.
She might not like it, neither would Catherine for that matter, but
I was grasping life by the horns. Spending a day at the beach with
Jason would be worth the consequences when I got home.

Jason’s car was a Ford Mustang convertible; a
car I thought he looked perfect in. As we joined US-80 East, I
leaned my head back and enjoyed the sun on my face and the wind in
my hair. I turned towards Jason and lifted my camera to snap a
quick, unguarded photo of him driving.

“Hey careful now, that picture could be worth
a lot of money one day.” He said as he shot me a quick grin.

“Please, you have your trusty disguise on
today. I doubt anyone would believe it’s you. Besides, maybe this
movie will be the peak of your career.”

The sound of his laughter warmed my insides.
This was turning out to be such a different day than I imagined. I
felt light and free. Worries about Catherine and the other things
going on in my life were already trying to invade my happy space,
but I didn’t let them. Today was about me.

“There will be a turn coming up on your left
for Fort Pulaski. It’s a really cool fort that was used to defend
the city during the War.”

“That sounds awesome. I love you say the
‘War’, like it was the only war fought.”

“It was to those who live in the South.”

I pointed out the turn-off and Jason crossed
over a bridge into the Fort Pulaski Historical Monument. The old
stone fort was surrounded by a water-filled moat and the sides
still showed the deep gouges and pockmarks from Yankee fire.

“Dylan would’ve loved this place. He was in
that stage where he read about war and built models of battleships.
In fact, he wanted to go on a family vacation to see each
battlefield in the U.S.” Jason shook his head. I loved hearing him
talk about his brother. The more he opened up, the more pieces I
acquired of Dylan's memory.

We spent about an hour wandering the grounds.
Old places like the fort were a hazard for me most times, too many
ghosts. I kept my walls up as much as I could but one snuck
through.

We were standing in the middle of the fort,
on the green surrounded by the high walls. I felt a prickling
sensation and turned to look. Up on the wall, staring out at the
sea, stood an officer of the Confederate Army. He was still as
stone and I got the feeling he'd never stopped watching and
guarding the grounds since the war. He lingered until right before
I got back in the car and we continued on to Tybee Island. I
understood how he felt about protecting his turf and his sense of
duty. It’s how I felt about my house.

The small community on Tybee Island sat on
the edge of the ocean, nestled among the marshes. Mama and Daddy
used to bring me out to see the baby turtles hatching right in the
sandy beaches. We’d walk out on the long wooden pier and Daddy
would try to catch fish. I held the memory close to my heart.

Hours passed as we explored the area hand in
hand. The pier, the lighthouse, even the old museum all felt new to
me when seeing them with Jason. He snapped a couple pictures of me
and I hardly recognized the girl I saw when I held the camera and
flipped through them.

It was one of the best days I could remember
in a very long time.

The sun was sinking and the tide was going
out as we walked through the surf away from the crowds. Everything
else in the world felt so far away. All my problems, all the stress
was a distant worry.

“What were your parents like?” Jason
asked.

“They were wonderful. I used to think I was
the luckiest girl alive. We did so much together. This was one of
our favorite places to visit, actually. Mama was a historian so she
filled my head with these amazing stories about the past.”

“I think you get some of that from her.”

“Thank you. Daddy was a big man. At least he
felt that way to me. He was larger than life, ya know? He always
had a smile on his face or a joke to tell. He lost a little of that
spark when Mama died but he rarely let me see it. I still miss them
both every day.” I took a deep breath, not letting the sadness and
shadows of the past intrude on today.

“I remember once we came out here to watch
the turtles hatch. I must have been six or seven and we drove here
in the morning because Mama had an event she was helping with for
the Historical Society. We got to the beach across the island and
the little turtles had just broken through their shells. They were
so cute and tiny as they struggled up out of the nest and made
their way to the beach. There was one egg though that didn’t hatch
and I wouldn’t leave until it did. So we sat there all day and
waited. Not long after the sun set, it broke open and the little
guy made the trek to the water by himself. Mama missed the event
she’d planned and never complained once. As a little girl I didn’t
think much of it but now I understand what that meant.”

“You were lucky,” Jason said as he squeezed
my hand.

“Being here, I feel closer to them or if not
them, at least closer to the memories of our family. What about
your parents?”

He stared straight ahead. “I’ve had two sets
of parents. The ones I had before Dylan died were amazing. Mom was
involved in everything, drove us to every practice and game, baked
cookies when we had friends over. My dad was the kind of father
who’d take you out back and teach you how to throw a football or
how to punch. We did a lot of camping and hiking and skiing. Our
family was a unit. My friends joked about how we were one of those
tight TV sitcom families. It made me feel good.

“After Dylan died, it all changed. They
started disappearing. Their forgiveness never felt complete and
they looked right through me, like I wasn’t there. Dylan died that
day but so did our family. I knew I needed to get out of there as
soon as I could so, I did. We still don’t talk much.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder and said, “I
guess I’m not the only one who has had to live with ghosts.”

“I never thought of it that way but you’re
right. Ghosts or zombies, my parents acted like the living dead.
Neither one of them recovered. I miss having them in my life, but
at the same time, I’m thankful I do have some wonderful memories.
Maybe it will change someday. I keep telling myself that time heals
but the longer it goes by, the more I consider myself an
orphan.”

“Have you told them this?”

He sighed heavily. “No, but I should. I love
them with all my heart and want them to be there for me. I’ll think
about going to see them soon. If anything, I’ll know I gave it my
all.”

We walked more in silence. It amazed me how
similar we were. There probably weren’t many people in Jason’s life
that he could really talk to.

Jason drew me down beside him as he sat in
the sand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

It felt so right, sitting with him, watching
the sun kiss the ocean and turn the sky a kaleidoscope of pinks,
purples and oranges. I raised my camera and took a bunch of
pictures as the fiery globe sank further and further into the
horizon.

Finally, it disappeared and I sent out a
little wish that the peace of this day would stick with me through
what was to come.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Something felt off in the house tonight.

I should have known the high of spending my
day with Jason wouldn’t last. The minute I stepped in the house I
felt suffocated. Reminding myself it would all be over soon usually
helped, but it didn’t. Now I was worried about the house being too
still and quiet.

As I walked up the huge staircase I couldn’t
help but be nervous. Catherine seemed to come at me when I least
expected it or had my guard down. The closer my birthday got, the
more time I spent looking over my shoulder.

Near Marietta’s room I heard voices.

The door was partly closed but no light came
from inside. I paused to listen. Cold air drifted out of the room
so I knew Catherine was in there as well. Standing as still as I
could, I strained to hear what they were saying.

“Why can’t you leave me alone?”

It was Marietta. Her voice sounded hoarse and
pleading, beaten down. It pulled at something inside of me. I
wanted to rush in and help. I imagined her huddled in the dark
talking to shadows, sort of like Gollum in Lord of the Rings.

I never imagined the shadows would talk back
to her.

“We’re not done yet.”

Catherine. I knew her voice as if it was my
own. It was dainty, feminine, and accented strongly. The echo
beneath it chilled me every time she spoke. It was dark and
sinister, a complete contrast to the soft Southern voice. It gave
the voice depth, making it come alive.

Marietta whimpered and said, “I’ve done
everything you asked of me.”

I leaned closer. How Marietta ended up with
Catherine inside her and controlling her was one mystery I needed
to solve.

“Yes, you have.” The voice drawled out, as if
contemplating the answer. “I’ve been pleased with your cooperation.
I can feel myself getting stronger every day. Soon I’ll be able to
complete my plan.”

“Then, please, let me go. You
promised...”

Catherine snarled, “I’m well aware of what I
promised but you’re stuck with me until I’ve taken care of that sad
little stepdaughter of yours. She has something I want.”