He grumbled sarcastically, draping his discarded T-shirt over his eyes. “Have a good sleep,” Rain said. She drew in a calming breath and ordered herself to relax. Everything was fine. Their conversation had flowed easily; they were just two old friends catching up.
Then why was she staring at his profile? Her eyes had been drawn to his chiseled nose and strong mouth. She forced her gaze back down to the book on her lap. The words on the page beckoned, but her mind refused to process them. It was too busy remembering the first time his lips had sought hers out in a heated rush of teenage passion.
The attraction between them had been building throughout senior year, although she had refused to acknowledge it. But the clarity of hindsight gave new meaning to every private look, every intimate touch they had shared up until that December. And then it was New Year’s Eve, and she, Jason, A.J., Brandy, Allie and her date had gathered at Brandy’s house with the knowledge that their activities would be unsupervised for the entire evening.
When the countdown began, the two couples had sat on the couches, and Jason had wrapped his arm around Rain as they stood in the background, eyes on the television. The ball dropped, and she smiled up at him; he dipped his head and caught her by surprise with a lingering kiss. Her lips responded tentatively, the forbidden kiss sending her pulse skittering even as her body arched up to meet his. He pulled her closer, his mouth moving over hers possessively, his tongue parting her willing lips.
His hands sank into her hair as she twisted her fingers into his shirt. She returned his kiss with a hunger she didn’t recognize. Then his palms slid down her arms and encircled her wrists, and suddenly he was leading her into the darkened dining room. “We’ll get some drink refills,” he called out over his shoulder in a rough voice.
Distant alarm bells jangled in the back of her mind as he pulled her through the wide entryway and backed her slowly into the wall. Just because she had chosen to ring in the New Year with her friends instead of Rick and his football buddies didn’t mean she was allowed to be kissing Jason.
But when he crushed his lips to hers again, her arms twined eagerly around his neck. His strong hands skimmed her sides, settling under her sweater on the bare skin of her waist. Carefully-hidden desire broke free somewhere deep inside her, flooding her veins with heat.
“Oh.” A.J. stopped short as he entered the room from the door to the kitchen. “Sorry, guys.”
Jason broke the kiss, turning his head toward his friend as he eased himself back from Rain. “What’s up?” he asked, his words clipped.
“I, ah, I thought you were going to bring in a new bottle of champagne. I’ll check the fridge.”
Rain ducked out from between Jason’s arms and slid toward the other entryway once A.J. had retreated to the kitchen. She twisted her hands self-consciously as her flushed cheeks grew warmer.
“It’s late,” she said, drawing in a ragged breath. “I need to leave—Allie has to be home by 12:30.”
“I’ll drive you home.”
“No. My parents think I’m on a double date with Allie and her date. And Rick,” she finished, staring hard at the floor. “If they see your car, they’ll know we’ve been hanging out over here.”
Lying in bed later that night, she had berated herself for behaving so recklessly. She prayed they hadn’t made an irreversible mistake. It wasn’t just their friendship on the line—if Rick found out, Jason was in serious trouble. She knew his karate training would give him the advantage in any fair fight. But Rick had the loyalty of the entire football team.
It won’t happen again, she vowed. And she really tried to keep her vow, carefully avoiding situations which might leave her alone with Jason. But then Brandy disappeared, and everything changed.
The thought of Brandy pulled her from the memories with a heavy sigh. Their 24-hour grace period was almost over. Two more hours, and it was time to reopen the door to their past.
****
Rain noticed an uncomfortable tension building while the four of them were still on the beach; by 4:00, as she waited on the porch, her nerves were trembling with apprehension. She didn’t want to ruin the festive atmosphere with a discussion of the tragedies of their past. But she came here to help Brandy’s mother find some closure, and she was determined to do her best.
A.J. was the last to show up, emerging from the house through the sliding glass door, a beer in his hand. “Okay, I’m here for the not-so-happy hour.”
His comment was met with somber silence. Finally they all looked expectantly at Rain.
She twisted her fingers as she chose her words. “I know this is a difficult subject. But I promised Mrs. Pierce we would talk about Brandy, and the possibility that she is trying to communicate with us. That said, I don’t think I’m in charge or anything. Anyone can jump in with thoughts.” She looked around hopefully.
After a long pause, Jason came to her rescue. “You’re in charge of this part, but we’re here to support you. You helped set this whole thing up, and you spoke with Mrs. Pierce, and you knew Brandy best. With the exception of A.J., I mean.” He nodded toward his friend.
“Okay then, so no pressure.” Rain blew out a breath and tucked her long side bangs behind her ear. “Obviously, when Brandy disappeared, we were all questioned extensively, on more than one occasion. I don’t think anyone has any new information after all this time.” She looked around at each of their faces. Allie looked at her encouragingly, and A.J. looked at the floor, his face filled with sadness. Jason just waited patiently.
“I didn’t think so. But at the time, all the questions made us start to doubt each other, and ourselves, even. So if anyone thinks of something new, no matter how small, just mention it. That’s why we’re here.” Rain shifted nervously on the porch swing and waited for someone else to speak.
“Well, let’s not forget the dreams,” Jason added, and Rain gave him a small smile of gratitude. “We’ve all been dreaming about Brandy and being here at the lake house. Maybe it’s coincidence, but I think we were all having these dreams before Mrs. Pierce contacted us. I know I was.”
Rain and Allie nodded their heads in confirmation and turned to A.J. He shrugged, his face grim. “I had the dreams before I got the letter, dreams about all of us coming here. But there’s a difference for me. I don’t think a week has gone by since she’s been gone that I haven’t dreamed about her. So for me, it’s nothing new.”
“Oh, A.J., I’m so sorry.” Rain was tempted to go to him, but his body language warned her that a hug would not be welcomed. Instead, she forged ahead. “So, the dreams have been a somewhat new occurrence for the rest of us. And they all pretty much involve this house. Now that we’re here, maybe something will happen.”
Allie shuddered. “You mean something supernatural, right? I just can’t believe that she’s alive after all this time. She would have come to see her mom when she got sick, no matter what their history.”
“I think so too,” Rain agreed. “I also can’t believe she wouldn’t have contacted one of us eventually. So, if she’s…passed on, then maybe she needs to tell us something.”
“Then why wouldn’t she just tell us?” burst out A.J., his voice laden with emotion. “Do you honestly think she’s playing games from beyond the grave?”
Rain shook her head. “No, it’s not a game, and I don’t think it’s that easy. If it was that easy, every murder victim in the world could just tell someone the identity of their killer. But maybe she can’t rest in peace until we know, and her mom knows, what happened. I’ve been doing some research—”
“Wait, what have you been researching? How to communicate with the dead?” A.J. seemed agitated by the entire subject, and Rain reminded herself how in love they had been when Brandy vanished. Nothing had been the same for A.J. that year. He had skipped prom and all the senior week activities, sinking into a depression that none of them could penetrate.
Jason jumped to her defense again. “All right, let’s stay calm. Whether we believe in this kind of thing or not, Rain is just trying to help. Which is what we all asked her to do.”
Rain nodded gratefully. “I’ve just done a little reading, and formed some opinions. It’s not an exact science, so all I can do is explain my theory. I think, if there’s something Brandy needs us to know, she needs some help to be able to tell us. Think about it, the message or whatever would have to travel through space or time or something else that we can’t even imagine. Maybe we all need to be together to create more energy.” She waited for the laughter, but it didn’t come.
Finally Allie spoke up. “You mean, all of us being together might give her…more strength?”
“Yes!” Rain pushed herself off the swing and walked toward the screen, looking out at the lake. Then she spun around. “We all loved her, and she loved us. We were all so close. And now, we’re all somewhere familiar, somewhere she’s been. Maybe all of that together will allow her to tell us what happened, somehow.”
A.J. scowled. “I think you’re getting carried away, Rain. Brandy did love us all, and she would want us to be happy. She wouldn’t want us to dwell on something sad. And if there is some kind of life after death, which for the record I don’t believe, then her mom will be with her soon. Sorry, but it’s true.”
“Maybe I am getting carried away. Either way, all we can do is what we’re doing. I’m not going to hold a séance or anything.”
Allie picked up on Rain’s attempt to lighten the mood and chimed in. “Darn, because I brought my Ouija board and everything.”
That produced a few weak smiles. Rain took a deep breath of relief and swung her arms in front of her body a few times to release the tension. “So, meeting adjourned? I have a dinner to prepare.”
A.J. shot up, announcing, “I know I’m ready for another appetizer.” He made a beeline for the refrigerator and opened another bottle of beer. Allie draped her arm around Rain as they followed him to the kitchen.
“I’ll head into town and pick out a movie for tonight,” said Jason. “Nothing with ghosts, I promise.”
Chapter 6
“Rain. Rain, wake up!” a voice hissed in the darkness. The sound of her name pierced her consciousness, and Rain struggled against the nightmare that held her captive. Brandy was trying to reach her, to talk to her. But there was something between them; a thick fog silenced her words. And now, somehow, Brandy had broken the barrier.
“Brandy?” Rain moaned. She sat up finally, and the wisps of the dream began breaking apart, floating away. Her door was open, a strip of light illuminating a figure. A figure that wasn’t Brandy.
“What? No, sweetie, it’s me. Are you all right?” Allie entered her room hesitantly.
“Sorry. Um, bad dream. What is it? What’s the matter?” Her mind had suddenly registered the fact that one wasn’t usually woken up in the middle of the night for good things.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up, but, I was on my way to the bathroom, and I noticed something. I just want you to come take a look.”
Rain nodded and got out of bed. She followed Allie unquestioningly into the great room. Allie led her over to the window to the left of the sliding glass door that looked out into the porch.
“Do you see?” Allie gestured toward the wooden bench hanging from the ceiling. It was swinging to and fro, as though someone were sitting on it, rocking it gently.
Rain nodded again and watched. There had to be an explanation other than what her mind was trying to suggest. “It must be the wind.”
“I thought of that, but look at the chimes. Nothing else is moving. The lake is totally calm. Our towels are completely still.”
Allie was right. The decorative wind chimes hanging over the table on the porch were motionless, as were the beach towels outside on the small clothesline. “Should we wake the guys?” Rain whispered. She was sure they would come up with a logical explanation, if there was one.
“I thought of that, too. But I feel like A.J.’s ready to bolt on the whole thing as it is. I don’t want to subject him to more discussions about ghosts right now. Not if you want him to come back here this summer, anyway.”
“You’re right. Jason would just tell A.J. as well. I don’t think he’s completely on board with the idea of Brandy communicating with us either. We’ll keep it to ourselves for now.” Rain tucked her arm around her friend.
“For now,” Allie echoed, leaning into Rain’s embrace. “I just needed someone else to see it.”
“You were right to wake me. Should we…should we go out there?” Rain shivered at the thought. The nights were cool, but a different kind of coldness seemed to be seeping through the closed window.
“I’m truly terrified. But I want to help…so, okay. Let’s do it.” Allie took a shuddering breath and reached for Rain’s hand. They started toward the slider.
And the swing stopped. It didn’t slow down gradually to a halt. It just stopped. Allie took her hand off the door handle and looked at Rain. Her face shone with surprised relief. “It stopped,” she said, unnecessarily.
“Yes. Okay, that was weird. I think we’ve had enough for one night.”
Rain embraced Allie and raised her voice, directing her next statement over Allie’s shoulder toward the porch swing. “Brandy, we’re here for you. We’ll try and help.” She gripped Allie tighter and waited.
No response. Rain tried to arrange her features into a brave smile before she released Allie and whispered, “See you in the morning.” She resisted a hysterical urge to call out, “You too, Brandy,” as she returned to her bedroom.
In the darkness of her room, Rain huddled under the covers, shaking from both fear and frustration. What did Brandy need to tell them? Rain searched her memory for some clue she could have overlooked. She had already relived the day they discovered Brandy was missing too many times to count. But she allowed her mind to travel back once again, the familiar scene playing out behind her eyelids in sharp detail.
Brandy hadn’t shown up for school that February morning, and Rain had paused on her way to third period to chat with A.J. She leaned against the neighboring locker, pulling out her cell phone as he worked his combination. “Have you heard from Brandy at all?” she asked. “She wasn’t in class this morning.”