Page 34 of Monsters

Chapter 13

THEN

“Mom,” I yelled while drying the last glass and stacking it carefully on the shelf. There was no answer because the television was too loud in the other room and both my parents were cackling away to the fifteen millionth re-run of I love Lucy like it was the first time they had seen it. It was the episode where she complained endlessly about being a housewife, and her husband had heard it all before and predicted everything she was about to say. Another belly laugh erupted from the living room, and I couldn’t help but smile along with her. My mother’s laugh was infectious. Lucas always saw my mom as a second mother, and she often referred to him as the son she never had. Sometimes she’d even go as far as saying she would settle for him becoming a son-in-law someday as long as he became a son of some kind.

“Mom,” I called again, hooking the tea-towel over the oven handle.

“Yes, Gem?” she sang back, through a smile.

“Did you sign the permission note for the field trip?”

“Yes, darling. I already put it in your backpack, along with your letter to Mrs. Henderson and your book order.”

Bending down, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”

I could feel her smiling as the roundness of her cheek moved against mine. She turned to me slightly and whispered in my ear, “Have you asked your father about going camping again on the weekend?”

“I heard that,” my father’s playfully stern voice sounded, his eyes locked on the TV. “The answer is yes. As long as Lucas is also going.”

“Of course, he’s going.” This time I moved over and kissed my father’s cheek. “Goodnight,” I said to both of them. “Love you.”

“Love you,” they replied in unison. Excited to be going back to the cabin, I took the stairs two at a time. I was already showered, fatigue claiming me. Crawling into bed, I watched the breeze gently blow the chiffon curtains. They danced hauntingly, and the graceful movement of the fabric lulled me to sleep. That was until the shouting started. It was faint at first, and I wondered for a moment whether it had been a figment of my dreams. I listened hard, staring into the darkness.

Nothing.

When my eyes once again grew heavy, the enraged voices cut through the night.

They came from next door.

The Carter house.

Flinging the bed sheets off, I padded over to the window, searching the adjacent room for any sign of Lucas.

His bedroom was dark, yet with the soft silver glow of the moon, I could just make out a moving figure.

“Lucas!” I gently called. The figure continued moving, unresponsive to my voice. “Lucas!” I called again. This time, whoever it was stopped what they were doing and stepped toward the window.

His face was marred with sadness. The Lucas I knew and loved was slipping away.

Pressing his fingers to his lips, he signaled for me to remain quiet. Nodding, I penned a note to send across.

He waited silent and still until the peg reached him, the cat bell dinging along the way. I watched as he read the note and quickly replied. Beneath us, the shouting continued. I could hear Lucas’s mom, her voice strained and hurt. The other voice belonged to a man I didn’t know. He was irate, possibly drunk and didn’t hold back on cussing.

My heart pounded in my chest as the note made its journey back. Unfolding the thick textured paper I’d chosen from the stationery shop, I read his message, his writing lacking its normal neatness under mine.

Are you ok?

Can you meet me on the roof?

Scrunching the note, I met his pained eyes and nodded. He took a step back, disappearing from the window and melting into darkness. Treading quietly on the floorboards despite hearing my parents howling with laughter beneath me, I crept through the upstairs hall to the study. Only a few inches shy of the study’s window was the thick branch of an oak tree that sat deeply rooted on our side of the drive. Bum on the window sill, I swung my legs until my feet touched the smooth bark of the oak. I wasn’t scared to climb it, I’d done the very same thing since I was a child. Using the top branch for balance, I walked the length of the tree like a gymnast, skirting around the trunk when it came time. Once on the other side, I could step right out onto the Carter’s porch roof where I would meet Lucas. He was already waiting, hand extended to pull me up to the highest peak of the roof. That was always the hardest part due to the steep incline, and impossible to do on my own. He heaved me up until I was sitting next to him staring out over the sleepy neighborhood. The only noise emanated from below.

I took Lucas’s hand in mind and held it tight. It was unusually cold and clammy. My concerned gaze met only with his profile. He wouldn’t turn and look at me. Instead, he kept his steady stare glued on nothing in particular. His mind was elsewhere, lost to the darkness.

In that moment, I realized Lucas Carter’s life was forever changing. Changing for the worse.

“Who’s that with your mom?” I asked gently, my thumb rhythmically gliding over his.

In the moonlight, I could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

---