We Are Us ✔

10. The Reveal

I press my jacket tighter on my torso as I walk closer to Campbell's house. Autumn won't arrive until next month but the wind is already pretty chilly. But that's the least I care about at the moment.

Slowing down my pace as I reach the driveway, I look up at the building in front of me. Mary's house looks worse within this distance. The wall barely shows its original color; it's either white, yellow, or cream, but the uneven shades scream the need to be repainted. One of the porch railings is missing, and the wooden floors have definitely seen better days.

The steps creak as I carefully trudge to the porch, prompting me to grab the nearest post in case they break under my feet. I glance inside through the front window, but there is no sign of living creatures, nor any sound coming from the house. Seeing the Honda Civic being parked in the driveway, the owners must be here right now, and I still remember how noisy they are. Are they all asleep? Or are they home at all?

Pushing back the questions to the back of my mind, I take a deep breath and push the red button next to the door. The ringing bell screams inside the house, splitting the stillness of late afternoon in Mary's residence. In the next few seconds, I hear a wham, followed by hasty footsteps. It goes quiet for several seconds before the same footsteps approach the front door.

A pale woman with dirty blond curls comes into view once the door is pulled open. I've never seen her, but from the uneasy glint in her eyes, I know she recognizes the girl who is now standing before her.

"Hi, Mrs. Campbell. I'm sorry for showing up without notice." My eyes sweep the view behind her shoulder but there is not much to make out since she holds the door ajar. "I'm just wondering if I can talk to Mary?"

"She's at work."

"Oh. I came to Golden Thrill but they said she went home."

If Mrs. Campbell is surprised, she doesn't show it. "Then I don't know where she is. I will let her know you popped by when she's back." With that, the woman closes the door in front of my nose, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

What the heck just happened? Why is she so rude? What is her problem? Wait, is my presence not welcomed for some reason? But why? Or does she think I'm the person who rang Mary in her workplace, just like her colleague thought this morning? Is Mary's mom lying then? Is Mary actually home?

With the speculations swarming in my head, I turn around and slowly make my way out of Campbell's porch. I take a glance over my shoulder, feeling as if I'm being watched, but the window is as empty as when I came in. Still busy thinking about what I'm going to do next, I resume walking back to Damien's jeep. I'm contemplating going back and sneaking around the house to see if Mary is there. But what if I get caught?

"She's not home?" Damien asks when I jump back on the passenger seat.

"Yeah." I shift my gaze to Mary's house. "I have a suspicion that she's home even though her mom said she wasn't."

"What are you going to do then?"

I shrug. The thought of not being able to find Mary in time gives me shivers. I must find her. "Do you mind if we wait here a bit?"

"Are we going to spy on her house?"

Before I can reply to him, a soft thud from the back window prompts us to crane our necks to see the source of the sound. To my surprise, Mary is standing next to the jeep's backdoor, looking jittery, her eyes darting back and forth between her house and us.

"Can you let me in, please?" she asks in an urgent tone.

Damien, who just recovered from his surprise, scrambles from his seat, turns around, and reaches out to the door lock. Mary opens the door right after he pulls up the lock button and hops in. She keeps her head low while she keeps checking the empty street.