Darkness That Dwells Within The Magnolias

Chapter 8

                                                     ~Asteria~

"Get the fuck out here right now Rafe!" A shrill voice rings from outside the wall. I shoot up, blinking around the unfamiliar room, then remember the night, our conversations. My eyes land on a family photo that's taped to the wall across from me, Sarah and her family smiling with a stunning background of an oak tree behind them. I stretch and crawl across the bed and stare at the photo, Sarah is on the right, and Rafe on the farthest left.

It looks to be a few years old, Rafe's caramel blonde hair is grown out with bangs that curl around his thick brows, but there's a sickly look to him that makes my heart squeeze. His face is paler, more gaunt, his whole body so thin and red rings his frigid eyes giving him this far away dead look. I shiver and glance at the middle aged man in the center, Ward, who smiles warmly at the camera. A blonde younger woman is under his arm, but nothing is too outstanding about her appearance. Finally a younger girl in her early teens with long dark hair and round glasses kneels in the center, and I assume that has to be her younger sister, Wheezie.

What a strange name.

"Rafe!" A woman's voice screams, and snaps my attention back to what woke me up in the first place. I scramble out of the bed and stumble to the large french patio doors and pull the white curtain back to peer out the window. A woman who seems to be around my age paces around my car and the front of the home, a wild look of fury in her gaze. Her chocolate brown, pencil straight hair falls just past her shoulders, and her deeply tanned skin glows warmly in the sun's morning rays. Her face is striking, a sharp nose and full lips with thick liner around her eyes. Her green cardigan flaps in the wind around her, and my eyes trail down to her black tanktop and white shorts that hardly cover the tops of her thighs. I squint to better see, but the banister that surrounds the patio blocks the majority of her body, but something strikes me as unnatural about her.

She's beautiful, but in a Hollywood way covered in expensive makeup and designer clothes like everyone on this island. Her body is thin, almost rail-thin and unhealthy looking, like she regularly gorges on food, and immediately runs to the bathroom afterwards with regret. Her eyes roam over the house and land directly on me, and widen in shock. I clench the curtain tighter and fling myself backwards, my heart pounding in my chest.

I haven't even been awake for five fucking minutes, and my heart is already working on overdrive.

I turn and yank off Sarah's shirt and quickly pull on my bra and underwear, stepping into my leggings from yesterday and I eye the shirt and jacket I wore, but notice the holes in the sleeve from falling at the graveyard last night. I dive into Sarah's drawers and pull on a loose fitting long sleeved red button up and fly out of the room. I stop at Rafe's door and knock loudly,

"He-Hey Rafe, I think someone is here looking for you." I call through the door, but it remains motionless. I knock again even louder,

"Rafe! Someone is here, please get up." I try again, but nothing. I suck in a sharp breath and squeeze my eyes shut and swing his door open. I tumble into the room and slowly pry an eye open, afraid he's naked in bed and I rudely just disregarded his personal space. The bed is empty, and I open both eyes and gaze around the beautiful space. The room is beyond enormous, the giant bed on the far right has white sheer curtains that drape around it for privacy, with a dark stained wooden bed frame that makes the white as bright as fresh snow. A blue blanket is crumpled and bundled on the floor next to the bed, and the entire flooring is dark hardwood. The left wall is nothing but the floor to ceiling glass doors that open up to the patio, and white dressers and a large round dark table sits in the furthest corner of the room. It's simple, but romantic and charming. Three doors are closed around the room, and I listen hard for a shower, or any noise, but only silence.