I’m on the top of a mountain with only the sisters inside as company, but I’m not alone.
I feel it in my bones.
Someone’s watching me as I collect firewood. Someone’s out there.
“Papa Rich?” I call out, wondering if he and Scarecrow never left.
Maybe this is a test. They tell us they are leaving to see what I’ll do. Will I escape? Will I take the sisters with me? Will I try to burn down the chapel like I burned down Hallelujah Junction?
Are they waiting in the woods, watching my every move?
They did leave easily enough. They didn’t even warn me or make threats. They simply left… or did they?
“What are you doing out here?” Holly asks. “It’s getting dark.”
“I think someone’s out there. Watching.”
She looks toward the woods. “What makes you think that?”
“I thought I heard something. And it’s just a feeling I get.”
She studies the dense trees for several moments, then reaches for the pile of wood in my arms and takes some. “We really need to get inside. It could be a mountain lion or a bear stalking us.”
As we head back to the chapel, I look over my shoulder and swear I see movement in the distance. “Do you think Papa Rich and Scarecrow really left?”
She pauses her steps for a moment but then continues on. “Why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I just get the feeling it was a person out there.”
“They left,” she states simply.
“I know it might sound crazy, but I really feel like there was a person out there.”
“Did you see a person?”
“No.”
“Well then….” She opens the door to the chapel and ends the discussion as we enter inside.
I spend the rest of the day uneasy. The incident in the woods didn’t sit well with me, and Holly and Violet’s reaction to my feeling as if someone is out there doesn’t sit right either. It’s almost as if they know someone is out there. That they are in on a secret that I don’t know.
Did Papa Rich and Scarecrow tell them they were going to test me?
Are they in on the plan to catch me trying to escape?
I’ve never been good at reading people. I never had practice. And by my most recent experience with Louisa Davenport, with Christopher’s good friend attacking, his ex-girlfriend, and the media circus… I don’t exactly trust anyone.
Although something inside me tells me I can trust the sisters, which makes their actions odd to me. What do they know that I don’t?
“So, what did Scarecrow tell you about me?” I ask, wondering if my voice sounds as suspicious as I feel.
Violet looks up from her masonry that she’s nearly completed. Her head tilts slightly as if she’s reading me, but no doubt she’s just as out of practice as I am due to her living situation. “He told us that you burned down your home with a man who was your husband. That you fled to live in the evil world. He said you were tempted by the devil and couldn’t resist.”
“Did they say anything to you when they left?” I question.
Violet shakes her head and returns her attention to her chimney. “Scarecrow doesn’t say much to me.”
I look at Holly, who shrugs. “His usual,” she says. “He warns that I better keep the homestead up, that I better watch over all, and that I better pray to God he returns to find things in order.” She walks over to the table and pulls some mushrooms we had collected earlier out of a bag to add to the stew we’re making. “He didn’t ask me to spy on you, or to test you, or to make sure you don’t burn down the chapel. I know that’s what you’re getting at.” She does look up from cutting then. “And even if he did, we wouldn’t. We like you, Ember. You’re on the same team as us. Trust in that.”
“It’s hard to trust anyone anymore,” I admit.
“Scarecrow did say your husband was a bad man,” Violet says.
“No,” I nearly spit out. “Christopher is his name, and he’s far from a bad man. He’s a genuine, kind, and gentle man. He’s a protector, caring, and loving. He’s not bad.”
“Then why did he try to kill your father?” Violet asks. Her tone isn’t accusing but simply curious.
“We didn’t try to kill him when we started the fire. We just wanted a way out. Christopher was being held captive. We were chained together and knew we couldn’t get far without authorities coming to us. Papa Rich was away… or at least we thought he was.” I take a deep breath and say the truth, even though it hurts to. “Papa Rich is the bad man. He’s always been the bad man.” I look at Holly and then back to Violet. “But so is Scarecrow. You both know this.”
“Scarecrow is no worse than our father,” Holly says, which makes me sad for both girls.
They’ve never known happiness and comfort. At least I got that for a short time with Christopher. Even though my life was chaos in New York, and there were so many times I was unhappy… I did have happy moments. I did have times of love and affection. I had hope. I had so much hope.
Holly and Violet, however… they’ve only had darkness.
“Why did you leave him?” Violet asks. “Christopher. If he’s such a good man, why come back to… this?”
“For him,” I admit. “It wasn’t fair for me to stay. He didn’t ask for me. He didn’t deserve to have his nightmare continue. I did what was best, regardless of how hard it was.”
“I’m sorry,” Violet says as she stands to approach me. I think she’s coming to hug me but stops midway as if she’s gone too far as it is. “But I’m glad you’re here. We can make a home. We can have a family. I promise.”
I hear Holly sigh, and I turn to face her as she says, “Let’s just focus on surviving the storm. One day at a time, remember? That’s how we live. One day at a time.”
10
Ember
The pounding of the door causes all of us to jump. We stare at each other wide-eyed, uncertain what to do.
Feeling as if I should be the one to defend us, if need be, I pick up a fire stoker and place my finger on my lips to tell the girls to remain quiet.
Another knock and a rattle of the door that we fortunately have locked has us all jumping again.
I hesitate at first but then pad over to the door, unsure of who could possibly be on the other side. I hold the poker high enough that I can bring it down on someone’s head if I need to. Or maybe I should have it in a position so I can stab them…
Or maybe we should just hide and hope no one enters.
Another knock. This one louder.
Is it the person I could have sworn was watching us? Was he just biding his time to catch us when we’re least expecting it? But why knock on the door? Why not just force his way in?
And then I hear a muffled voice on the other side. “Open up! Ember! Are you in there? Ember!”
Another knock and then the rattle of the handle.
“Christopher?” I open the door, cautiously, unsure.
Snow swirls around him, the tip of his nose red from the cold, and he’s bundled up so much that if I didn’t have a close relationship with the man, I may not have been able to recognize him.