The Shadow Sisters

[E1] Chapter 32 - Marie Shadow

Marie continued along the trail. The deeper that they delved, the deeper that she sank into that hypnotic feeling.

It reminded her of trips to Shrove Beach when she was younger. Growing up, Hannah had always been the thrill seeker, apart from when it came to the water, then the roles were reversed. Hannah had preferred to obey the rule of remaining in the shallows. She was understandably fearful of the power of the waves and of the mystery of what lurked beneath.

Where as Marie had always loved the ocean, the salt, the spray, the unmitigated freedom. She was the one who pushed the limits. She was the one who strayed further and further until the water dragged her forward, controlling her limbs.

That was, until that faithful day, where the waves had come fiercer and pulled her out too far. She'd lost control. She'd kicked and screamed as the water pressed around her.

It was her father who pulled her out. Somehow he'd been able to make it out to her quickly and make it back. She still didn't quite understand how.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she'd pleaded.

"Don't you ever do that again," he'd bellowed, throwing a finger in her face. It was the only time she could remember him being so angry with her. He pulled her into a hug.

It never gave her a phobia. She still loved the water.

But that's what it felt like now, going down this trail, like she was being dragged out too far by a powerful wave, without anyone to save her.

There were uglier sensations too. There was a pressure in her jaw and behind her eyes; the strain built with every step. Right now, it was nowhere near unbearable, but there was a worry that if it were to escalate, then eventually it might just pop her head like a balloon.

She felt like she was hiding this all aptly enough, but she must have been a worse actor than she realised, because Ryan kept on asking if she was alright.

She'd just wave him away and insist that all she needed to do was to get out of here. "Once I get to the overlook, I'll be fine."

"We're almost there," Ryan assured her, at least a dozen times.

So she continued to drift with the tide.

Finally, the path was lost from beneath their feet as they came onto grassy grounds. Ahead, on the crest of a hill, stood a slanted, rotted cabin.

Marie massaged the bridge of her nose, to where the pressure had temporarily migrated, giving her eyes a break. "What's this?" she said.

"Just an old house," Ryan said. "It's a shortcut to get us there quicker than the main trail. Shaves off a good fifteen minutes."

"And we have to pass through that house?"

"Yes."

"Can't we just go around it?"

Ryan seemed flummoxed at the suggestion. His cheeks inflated. Then he pointed. "Only if you fancy a climb. Those fences run about twenty metres to either side. When you get around them, you're either onto a bank and stream on one side or wet marsh on the other. It's just a lot simpler to pass through the house itself."

"I don't want to trespass though."

"It's abandoned. Nobody has lived there for decades."

It was all so flimsy to Marie. Surely they could go a bit further to cut around the marsh? But instead of raising the idea for a compromise, she decided to be direct. She wrapped her arms around her body to steel her resolve. "Just tell me the truth, Ryan."

Ryan looked at her. Then he closed his eyes. "Okay, so maybe this is a place I used to hang out with my friends. It's got a lot of memories for me. I always wanted to bring a girl here as sort of a tribute to my younger self." He squeezed her hand and his expression became suggestive. "Plus, it gives us some time alone, in shelter."