Graveyard, Backyard

Chapter 19 - Amulet

"Claire, come on in!" my dad called out from the car.

He might be wondering what in the world I was doing staring at the huge signboard for minutes. Because I wasn't one of those girls who get absorbed in glittering and bright things. I'm am not one of those who's all bright, florescent colors. I'm just like the dull, cold colors.

Whoa, wait!

Why was I acting like a tragic old dude who got betrayed in love? I looked at the board and then back to my dad. I couldn't believe what I just read. What was Ander Booth - alright, his grave- doing in my dream? I thought about all the conversations I had about the restaurant with anyone in my family-which were none. I might have not carefully listened but my subconscious could have picked the name, anything could have happened.

"Claire!" my dad came out of the car and walked towards me.

This was labyrinth. You feel like you're getting out, you're near the exit but in reality you are getting far away from it.

"Hey Dad!" I said when I walked towards him. "I'm hungry."

"You wanna go in?" he pointed towards 'Sands & Witches'.

"No!" I almost shouted. "Someplace which is er..less fancy."

We ended up getting a yummy sandwich from a decent place near the hotel. Dad asked about the places I saw in Havendell to which I replied "Mom & Jake!" and he just laughed. How much I missed this simple normal conversations!

We went to our respective rooms after that and called off the day. The next day we went to have our breakfast at the same place we went last night.

"Your mom may be suffering from clinical depression." dad spoke all of a sudden. "Our marriage was over a long time ago but.. but I couldn't leave Juliet."

I stared my dad. I was tongue tied.

"I'm not in love with Juliet, but I care for her. That's why we took this far. Jake.. he thinks I left your mom because she's.. ill."

"Wait, Jake knows this? Dad, why are you telling me now?"

"I have to tell you my side of story." dad explained. "We were young. We thought we'd get married and live happily ever after. Juliet was depressed at that time and I thought I could mend her heart."

"Mom was suffering from depression this long?" why all the hidden cards of my life are opening up one after another. For God's sake, I'm a teen and I expect a normal teenage life!

"After your mom's twin sister died, she.."

"Mom's twin sister?!" I shouted and everyone around us stared me in disgust. "I thought Aunt Holly was mom's only sister."

"She had a twin sister, Claire. She ran away and she came to Havendell and she.. she was killed here."

Havendell? Oh no!

"That's why your mom is acting weird again. She's remembering all that stuff again. I thought she was well now, I should've never left her, I should've never left you guys-"

"Dad" I interrupted "What was her name?"

'Rebecca' someone whispered in my ear.

"Rebecca," my dad said "She died when she was..17."

'17' someone whispered again.

"Excuse me," an old woman, a very old woman interrupted our conversation "You dropped this."

She handed me a necklace with a fish pendant. Or it was a weird eye pendant.

"Sorry, this does not belong to me." I said and returned back the beautiful necklace.

"Claire, we'll talk later. We need to reach Rivera before it gets dark." my dad said as he stood up and paid the bill.

"You live in the house by lake." it wasn't a question. The old lady merely whispered when I was about to follow dad. I was appalled. I just nodded my head once.

"Keep this." she took my palm and shoved the necklace back to me. "You'll need it." and with that she turned and went out of the restaurant. I was going after her when dad called out,

"Hey, you're coming or what?"

I went in dad's direction instead. My mind was, again flooded with questions. Why didn't I know my mother had a twin sister! And she was killed. She was killed when she was 17. She was 17. And so was Kathy and Kasie's babysitter Emily. Will said I have to leave my house before I turned 17. Was this some kind of unlucky number or such thing?

But the important question was who was that old lady and how she knew I lived in the house by lake. She might be living in the neighborhood, who knows. I stared at the pendant she gave me. It looked like a fish at first but it was an eye. Like the Egyptian alphabet eye.

"Where are you, Claire?" dad snapped his fingers near my face.

I shrugged and walked towards our car. We had already checked out of the hotel and put our bags in the car. We were ready to hit the road and head home.

Dad was unusually quiet. I had charged my phone this time because I can't bear traveling for so long. I was going to read something. I tried to read and shuffle between the eBooks but I was feeling uncomfortable. Something was bothering me.

'You can't leave me, Claire.' I heard those whispers again. His voice awakes the fire inside me. Nothing terrified me like his whispers. Nothing. His voice is sweet and attracting. One would sleep due to such a soothing voice and this is even more horrific.

'You are mine.'

I screamed. I screamed like my life depends on it. I curled my legs up and pressed my palms to my ears. I don't want to hear his voice. I don't want to ever feel his words inside me. I knew it was in my imagination, my wildest craziest imagination. But I was so afraid of it.

"Claire!!" I heard my dad calling.

"Dad.." my voice was hoarse and I was barely able to form words. I opened my eyes and saw he wasn't on the driver's seat. I jerked my neck to the other side and saw he was standing outside. He was holding the door for me.

"You OK?" he asked with concern. "We're home."

I bolted out of the car. I was home and I was safe. I signed with relief. But we reached Rivera this quickly? Or was I sleeping all the way? Reality wasn't terrifying enough so now my sleep did the same. I rolled my eyes and groaned due to the slight pain in my head.

"Hey, you dropped this." dad handed me the necklace which might have accidentally fell from my back pocket. I thought to drop it and leave it there.

But I kept it.