The Perfect Candy

Chapter 8: The Dark Places

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Eleanor had always thought it was ridiculously common to describe two people as 'night and day' or 'polar opposites'. People were different. Period. When it came to her and her sister, beyond their physical similarities, there wasn't much the two saw eye to eye on. It was easy to miss their resemblance if you didn't know to look for them because Eleanor was vain and Candice was not. Makeup was something Candice simply didn't concern herself with more often than not, but after the mall incident, Eleanor suspected that was about to change.

After the tears the afternoon before, Candice had retreated into her room, and she hadn't come back out. Eleanor had managed to keep their mom from getting suspicious when Candice didn't come out for dinner, but she herself had been up late into the night, unable to shut off her thoughts. Candice hadn't tried to explain away what had happened the day before, and Eleanor knew it wouldn't do any good to try to coax out the truth. She'd never seen her sister so broken and it ate at her.

Sunday morning came around and their mom had gone to work, but aside from a trip to the bathroom, Candice hadn't even come out to eat. Eleanor waited until noon before snatching up her keys, casting one last considering look at her sister's bedroom door and getting into her car. Just because she wasn't going to interrogate her sister, didn't mean she couldn't get answers.

Candice and her friends had been meeting up every Sunday afternoon for the past four years. Her sister said it was their group study session, and Eleanor had enjoyed mocking her over it. Today, however, Eleanor planned to use it to her advantage. She heard the doorbell ringing somewhere within the house for a second time even as she heard Faith's angry shouts.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" The door was yanked open as Faith appeared on the other side, "What do you wa—Ellie?"

Eleanor pushed passed Faith, stepping into the house just as Jay rounded the corner, coming out of their kitchen. She offered them both a cool smile, "Aren't you going to ask me how I'm doing? It's been a while."

Faith's expression was wary as her eyes flickered back towards the door. "Where's Candy?"

The smile died on Eleanor's face and her gaze turned murderous as it swept from Jay to Faith. "There was an incident yesterday and she's not coming."

"Something happened to Candy?" Hope's voice floated down the stairs, concern clinging to its edge. "Is she okay?"

"Candy?" Cyn parroted, coming down the stairs behind Hope. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'm here to find out."

***

            The window curtains were drawn closed, and the room was shrouded in darkness. It was darkness that Candice desired, and she didn't have the energy to care about anything passed her bedroom door. Breathing hurt, her entire body ached and she felt sick with a bitter anger that felt foreign to her. She never wanted to leave the hole she'd buried herself in the night before. Her comforter was pulled up tight over her, only her mouth and nose visible.

            When she'd woken up this morning, she'd thought about her friends and how she'd be expected over at Faith's that afternoon. Though none of the four of them had ever missed one of their weekly Sunday hang-out sessions, she couldn't bring herself to care so she'd shut off her phone, set it on the nightstand beside her bed, and rolled to give it her back.

            When she closed her eyes, she could swear she felt the water on her face, stealing her breath, and fingernails digging into her arms as she struggled to get free. Her chest felt tight, her throat constricted, and she just wished it were over.