Chapter 18 #2
Her pretty green eyes blink up to mine, and when they meet, the pull is as strong as ever. I want to tell her all the things on my mind right now, but the front door opens, and music spills out around us.
“Hey, you two,” Heather yells from the entrance. “Get in here! It’s a party!”
I look over to where Haddy is standing beside her waving, and I thread our fingers, leading Gina to the house.
The disco ball turns, sending sparkles of light bouncing off the floors, the windows, and the glasses of champagne. My teammates filter in, including Donovan and a guy who isn’t on the team.
They’re being very casual, but knowing what I know, I wonder if they might be more than friends.
When we got back on the ice after Halloween, I apologized to him for my jealous outburst. He only laughed and told me not to worry about it. I was embarrassed, being the new guy and all, but after a few hours of scrimmage, we were back to normal.
Then we kicked the Seattle Beavers’ asses, and all was right with the world.
So far, we’re running undefeated, but the season’s only getting started. We still have Edmonton to play… and Detroit and Winnipeg and Toronto.
More guests pour into the house as the night wears on, and Gina never leaves my side. A handful of guests do the Hustle, with my daughter right in the middle of them, and we all laugh at how good she is.
She’s been running nonstop since she got home from school, but I can see in her eyes, she’s on the verge of a crash. I need to get her to bed before she has a meltdown and starts crying. It still happens, even at seven.
Heather is with her friends, which means I’m on Daddy duty, until Haddy walks up to us with Lucy on her shoulder. They’re wearing matching mini-dresses in a tiny floral pattern. Haddy has a band around her forehead, and so does a sleeping Lucy.
“We’re taking off now,” she shouts above the music. “We can take Maddie and the dogs with us if you’d like to party a little longer.”
I look down at Gina, and her nose wrinkles adorably. “I hardly ever stay out late.”
She’s so cute, I turn to Haddy. “If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate it. I think Mads is going to crash pretty hard.”
“Don’t worry about a thing.” Haddy waves her hand. “Glad to help move things along.”
Gina narrows her eyes at her cousin, giving her a little pinch, but Haddy only laughs, patting her baby’s back and calling to my daughter.
Maddie staggers over to where we’re standing, her stuffed zebra in her arms, and I take a knee. “I think it’s time for Spanky and LB to go to bed. Would you go with Aunt Haddy and help her?”
My daughter puts her hands on my shoulders and nods slowly.
“Zander’s so tired. He’s been dancing a lot.” Her eyes start to close, and she leans forward, falling on me in a hug.
I can’t help a chuckle. “Sure you can walk down the block?”
“I got her.” Gavin bends down and scoops her up. “We’ll take care of the dancing queen.”
“Thanks, man.” I hold out my hand for a fist bump.
“No problem. It’s good practice.”
We say our goodnights, and they leave. Then, I turn to look at my lady. Her glasses are gone, and her eyes are so bright. I want to call it a night myself and take her to my room, but Heather dances up to us.
“Did Maddie go home with the Knights?” she asks, looking all around.
“Yeah, I’ll need you to pick her up tomorrow. We’re hitting the road early.”
“I’ll pick her up.” Gina puts her hand in the crook of my arm. “We’re closer.”
“If you don’t mind?”
“I don’t.” Her nose wrinkles, and I notice my sister is holding a crystal bowl of shiny dark chocolates. “What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s special chocolate Meredith’s boyfriend brought from Russia.”
“Russian chocolate?” Gina’s eyes widen. “They’re so pretty. What do they taste like?”
She takes a few squares and pops them into her mouth. Heather’s jaw drops, and she holds up a hand. “Wait…”
“I’ll try some.” I take a few squares as well, popping them into my mouth.
“No!” Heather catches my wrist, but I’ve already eaten the small squares.
“They taste odd.” My nose wrinkles, and I try to make out the flavor. “It’s like chocolate, but what is that? Dirt?”
“I think it tastes like…” Gina’s brow furrows as well. “You’re right. That’s definitely dirt. What kind of chocolate is this?”
My sister’s face is lined with worry. She doesn’t answer right away, instead, she takes a square and eats it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I glance at Gina, and her eyes go wide.
“Oh, no…” Gina puts her hands over her mouth. “Was that…?”
Heather presses her lips together, nodding slowly. “I tried to stop you.”
“Stop us from what?” I look from one to the other. “What is it?”
“It’s psychedelic mushroom chocolate,” Heather shouts over the song ‘Brick House.’ “I was trying to warn you, but you beat me to it.”
“How much did I take?” I look at the dish she’s holding, feeling queasy.
“It’s about a gram and a half per square. How many did you eat?”
“Two.” Gina and I both say at the same time.
“That’s not so bad.” Heather puts the bowl in a drawer and closes it. “You’re going to feel it, though. Maybe you should go to your room until it wears off?”
“How long will that take?”
“Four hours.” Her nose wrinkles, and she gives me a resigned smile. “Just go with it. Relax. Don’t fight it.”
“What’s going to happen?” I look around the room of guests all dancing like we’re in Studio 54. “Am I going to jump off the roof?”
“It’s not acid,” Heather laughs. “The lights will be more vivid… colors more colorful. It’s a pretty harmless trip, although sometimes people have visions. I’ll keep an eye on you.”
“How soon does it start?”
“You’ll know when it starts. You’ll feel really relaxed and happy.”
Great. This is just great. “I have to play tomorrow.”
“Good news.” Heather leans close. “There’s no hangover.”
Reaching out, I take Gina’s hand, pulling her close. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Should we go to my room?”
“We’d better.” Gina has a frustrated expression. “I have done this before, and I spent four hours puking my guts up.”
“Oh, shit.” Heather didn’t say that could happen.
I frown, trying to find my sister in the sea of dancers I don’t recognize. She’s over with Ryan and Meredith and Meredith’s tall boyfriend, who supplied the drugs.
Gina wraps her arms around my waist, and we walk away from the music into my bedroom. The lights are on in the bathroom, and as we enter, the music seems to float in the air around us like a visible current.
It curls and drifts in shiny ribbons, looping around my back and under my arms, lifting me off the floor, higher and higher.
A soft haze fills the space around me, and I’m surrounded by mist or clouds. I’ve lost track of Gina, and I consider going to find her. I need to make sure she’s safe, even if she is more experienced than I am.
I start to search, but my attention is caught by a large rectangular space to my right. It’s an open door, and soft golden beams shine through it. I know in my gut it’s a portal to another dimension, and apprehension tightens my shoulders.
I don’t want to do this. I don’t believe in the supernatural. I raise my hands to push it away, but I keep moving closer to the light, or wait… Is the light moving closer to me?
“Owen?” A female voice I recognize tightens my throat.
My stomach drops, and tears spill onto my cheeks. Sorry, anxiety, fear all strangle me, but I manage to find my voice.
“Angie?” It’s a hoarse whisper.
A petite blonde with big brown eyes so much like my daughter’s walks through the doorway to stand in front of me. She’s surrounded by golden light, and a peaceful smile is on her face. She seems to be drifting rather than walking.
I swallow again, and this time my voice is clearer, just above a whisper. “How is this happening?”
My hands are still raised, palms out, as if I’ll hold the vision back, but as she draws closer, I try to touch her. She’s like a hologram.
“Owen.” Her voice is soothing.
I slide my fingers through glittering air. “Is this real?”
“I wanted to see you.”
My heart beats faster, and it’s difficult to inhale. “Why?”
“To tell you I’m at peace.”
“You are?”
She nods slowly.
My throat knots, and more tears spill onto my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Angie. I’m so sorry I didn’t help you.”
Her head tilts to the side, and she blinks slowly. “You helped me.”
“Not when you needed it.”
All the words I want to say jumble in my head. I think of all the things I’ve held onto, all the things I wished I could tell her if I ever got the chance.
Slowly, she lifts her hand. “Stop blaming yourself.”
“I should’ve known you were so tired.” A heave jerks my chest, and I drop my chin. “I should’ve known…”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“It does matter,” I groan. “Maddie will never know you.”
She doesn’t answer. She only begins to drift away in the shimmering golden light. I think I hear the sound of sparkling water or tinkling glass. It’s like high-pitched wind chimes.
Her eyes hold mine, lingering as if she’s waiting for me to regain control.
“Maddie knows you,” she says gently. “Take care of her. Take care of you, and let me go.”
My legs are weak, and I lower to my knees. My entire body is drained, and I put my hands in front of me on the rug, moving all the way down to lie on my side.
The vision expands as if I’m in a movie theater, and she’s on an IMAX screen, looking down at me with large, doe-eyes.
The light around her grows brighter until I have to squint, then I can’t see her anymore.
It’s blinding white, slowly fading, growing dimmer and dimmer until the room is completely dark.
The house is quiet.
I’m lying on the floor in my bedroom, hidden between my bed and the wall. I’m alone, flat on my back, staring at the ceiling.
I touch my face. My cheeks are damp, but my chest is calm. I sit up slowly, a little shakily. My mouth is completely dry, and I hold onto the side of the bed to help me stand.
Gina is there, lying in the center with her arms and legs spread wide like a starfish.
I reach over to touch her hand, and I can tell she’s only sleeping.
Leaving her, I go to the door and open it to see the party is over.
Everyone’s gone, and my sister is lying on the couch also asleep, a crystal ball cuddled to her chest.