Dark Realms by Kristen Middleton Page B

replied.
    “Of course not, you bottomless pit,” she
said. “But we’re also having potatoes, pasta salad, and corn on the
cob. So pace yourself tonight, if you can.”
    He snorted. “That’s it? No dessert?”
    “Cheesecake,” she said. “But let’s make sure
our guest gets a piece before you get your mitts on it.”
    “You should have made two, and then you
wouldn’t have to worry about it,” he joked.
    She raised her finger. “I’m not going to
worry about it because you’re going to wait until everyone else has
had a piece before you devour the rest.”
    “Okay, I can live with that.”
    “You look nice,” I told her. She was wearing
a lilac colored blouse and a new white skirt I’d never seen
before.
    “Thanks,” she smiled. “So, how was your trip
into town?”
    “It started out a little strange but got
better,” I answered.
    “What do you mean?”
    Nathan interrupted. “Oh, she applied for a
job at the local diner and some waitress slipped her a note with an
ominous warning.”
    “What?”
    I showed her the piece of
paper and she shrugged. “That is pretty odd. Maybe she knew the deceased girl? Who
knows, she may think there was foul play involved.”
    “Maybe there was,” I said.
    She frowned. “The sheriff didn’t seem to
think so. We’ll ask him about it again when he gets here.”
    “Okay,” I said, putting the note away. I
didn’t think he’d tell us much, however. Having a father for a cop
taught me that they weren’t keen on divulging information like
that.
    “So, did you guys make it to Duncan’s boat
shop?”
    “Yeah,” said Nathan. “And his dad is hiring
for shop help, so I filled out an application.”
    Her eyes widened. “Wow, that means both of
you might have jobs before the end of the summer? That’s
amazing!”
    “Yeah, I know. I need money and a car,
badly,” I said.
    “If you get a job, I’ll help you find a car
and you can pay me back in installments. But, don’t expect anything
fancy,” she said.
    “Seriously? Thanks, mom,” I replied,
throwing my arms around her. I’d never owned my own car before,
although I had my license. I started thinking about all of the
possibilities and became giddy.
    “You bet. I know it’s tough not having a
car; especially, now that you’ll be a senior.”
    As I pulled away, my eyes caught a movement
in the woods. At first, I thought it was a deer or some other wild
animal, but then in a blur, it shot up into the trees. I wasn’t
sure, but I could have sworn its eyes were glowing, too. Just like
the so-called “Peeping Tom.”
    “Something’s in the woods,” I whispered
hoarsely.
    “What?” asked my mother.
    Nathan stepped off the deck and began
walking slowly towards the trees.
    “What the hell are you doing?” barked
mom.
    He raised his hand. “Calm down. It’s
probably just a deer or something.”
    I pointed up towards the top of the trees.
“It flew up there, and I doubt it was a reindeer.”
    My mom released a heavy sigh. “Then it was
just a bird. Don’t scare me like that.”
    I shook my head, vehemently. “No, it wasn’t
a bird.”
    Nathan walked back onto the deck. “Of course
it was a bird. Or maybe a flying squirrel.”
    I put my hands on my waist. “It wasn’t a
small animal, okay? It was big! Bigger than you,” I told him.
    “The shadow probably looked a lot larger
than the animal. When it’s dark like this, your eyes can play
tricks on you. Think about it, nothing my size would be able to fly
up into a tree,” he said. “It’s not possible.”
    “I know what I saw,” I snapped, glaring at
him, “and it was big. I’m going into the cabin. This place is
really starting to give me the creeps.”
    “It’s been a long day,” said my mom, as I
opened the patio door. “Caleb should be here in another hour. If
you’re hungry, Nikki, eat some of that pasta salad I made. It’s in
the refrigerator. Oh, and put these steaks in there too, will
you?”
    She handed them to me