Page 81 of Broken Bonds

Upon the death of her mother, Annabelle and her brother inherited the hotel, which quickly became neglected and fell into a state of disrepair.

When the town began to suffer and experience a decrease in its prosperity, Annabelle’s sanity was affected, and she soon lost her grasp on reality. Cut off from the world with no plumbing or electricity, Annabelle stopped bathing and taking care of the buildings. Locals began to call her “Dirty Annie” because when she was often out, she’d be seen in filthy clothing, her hair unkempt and tangled. She’d stopped bathing and rotten food and garbage became the norm around the store and hotel. Many assumed it was her way of rebelling now that she was finally free of her mother’s harsh rule. The residents of the town have recounted memories of her strolling down Main Street with a shotgun on her shoulder, always prepared to protect the town against any person who dared to threaten it.

Not long after, Annabelle and her brother were sent to a mental institution until a family friend convinced authorities both siblings were harmless and they were released. Her brother died not long after, and Annabelle passed in a nursing home in 1960.

Since her death many have claimed to have seen her still roaming the streets. Some sources say a group of children were playing in the hotel when all of the doors and windows slammed shut and the temperature dropped. The children never went back. On another instance, a visitor claims to have seen a young woman in a white dress standing in one of the windows of the hotel.

Legend says Annabelle is still there to protect the hotel from trespassers and vandals. Current part-time residents say they know “Dirty Annie” will protect their town, though they’re unsure how far she’d go.

I pull away and look back up at the building, shivers running down my spine.

Did one of the curtains just move?

“Um, maybe let’s move on to the next stop…” I say, getting an eerie vibe the longer I stare at the hotel.

“Scared?” Jillian asks, and when I glance back over at her, she’s smirking at me with her arms crossed.

I roll my eyes and grab her arm, dragging her away from the creepy hotel.

“Of course not,” I scoff.

Even I don’t believe me.

We continue our exploration, checking out a saloon, the courthouse/jail, a church, and the post office once we leave the hotel behind. There’s also a General Store that looks like it would be full of old goodies, but unfortunately, it’s only open during the summer months. On our way back to the car, we observe a few of the private residences that are scattered about, leaving me feeling nostalgic.

I wish I could have seen this place when it was lively and full of activity.

Climbing back in the car after our self-guided tour, the sun is high in the sky, and I'm starving, so we return to the interstate and look for a sign that will take us to a place to eat. After a short search, we manage to find a burger place and get our food to go. Since it’s still kind of early in the day, we want to keep driving to see if we can make it to one more town before it gets late. Our burgers are perfect, and the fries are extra salty like they should be, but nowhere near as good as the ones at Pop’s Diner.

Thinking of the diner makes me think of Forde, and I get a little blue when I imagine him with a tortured expression twisting his features. I miss him. It’s only been a couple of days since everything happened but knowing that the last time we were together went so badly has my heart yearning to see him. To assure him it wasn’t his fault and that I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at myself.

I really need to talk to him when I get back. I just don’t know what I’ll say.

“Hey Jilly?” I say, turning the radio down and shifting in my seat to look at my best friend.

“What’s up?” she asks as she stuffs a fry in her mouth.

I look down at my lap. She was right, of course. That I’d spill my guts eventually. All she had to do was wait me out. I sigh.

“I did something with Forde, and I don’t regret it, which has left me being eaten alive by the guilt,” I blurt out, squeezing my eyes closed.

I hear her cough and choke on whatever she’d just taken a bite of, and the car jerks when her foot accidentally hits the brakes. Horns blare as the other cars on the interstate fly by us, and my hands go straight for the ‘oh shit’ handle above the door. My eyes fly back open when the car is righted, and she’s no longer gasping for air.

“Fucking excuse me?” she coughs, glancing over at me with wide eyes, making me wince.

“Wait, wait, wait,” she says, shaking her head and waving a hand around. “Forde.Alpha in Link’s pack, Forde?”

I pick at my nails and shrug.

“Yeah, that would be the one,” I murmur.

“Holy shit. Tell me what happened!” she demands.

So, I do. Just like Shelby, I tell her about mine and Forde’s day together, my voice getting a bit of a tremor in it when I tell her about how I kicked him out after I came down and panicked. I feel better once I’ve told Jillian about it, and I’m glad I got that off my chest, even if she gets upset with me.

She’s quiet after, and I can see her mind working when I look at her.

“Wow. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Rams, I’m just surprised is all. I never expected… Hell, I don’t know.”

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