Chapter Fifteen Scarlett
It turned out trying to track down a distant family member wasn’t too hard.
There are a lot of people online that claim they are related to my family in some way, but it’s pretty easy to sniff out the fakes.
Especially because my dad takes those accusations very seriously and he has a literal family tree printed out that dates back hundreds of years.
It’s a little creepy when I think about how often he updates it and is always checking around to see if we have any extra cousins, but I also think it’s sweet how much he cares about his family.
How he wants to make sure he can be there for the ones we don’t see often.
Over Thanksgiving break, I snuck into my dad’s office with Kennedy so I could find the list of contacts he has for our family in the US. It’s not technically cheating because I didn’t ask for his help, so I didn’t feel too bad about contacting his half-sister that lives a few towns over.
I hadn’t heard much of Marie until I looked through my dad’s folder.
According to his notes, they haven’t spoken in years, which means I’m hoping she can be classed as a distant family member.
All my other distant family members are in Italy, and I don’t exactly feel like going on an international flight in the middle of the semester.
Besides, I also needed Evan to be on board with this, and something tells me spending an entire day travelling with him would not be a good idea.
Even travelling with him now is pissing me off.
Since I picked him up twenty minutes ago, he has not been able to stop talking.
I’m trying to focus on the road and decipher some of the cryptic texts Marie has sent over the last few days, but he’s not making it easy to concentrate.
I’m assuming she’s being pretty vague with what happened between her and the rest of my dad’s family to keep me on my toes, and it’s working.
My dad has only mentioned her a handful of times over the years, and it’s never been anything to remember.
I’m itching to speak to her, to potentially uncover some new history about my family that I don’t already know.
“So, what did your aunt do to get exiled from the family?” Evan asks, fiddling with his pair of gloves.
He’s been alternating between wearing them and keeping them in his pockets for the last twenty minutes and I wish he could just make up his mind already.
I don’t need to see his piano fingers right now.
“Do you think she killed someone?” Evan questions, and before I can answer him with an obvious no, he answers the question himself.
“I doubt she’d stay so close by if she did.
Your parents would not have let that slide.
But what could she have done that was so bad she’d be shunned? ”
“You know, it’s almost like that’s the thing we’re trying to find out,” I say, huffing out an impatient breath.
He scoffs. “So you have no clue? Like, at all?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t exactly be sharing all of my family’s secrets with you.”
“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, to help me interview-prep and make sure she doesn’t turn out to be an ax-murderer.”
“So you do think she’s a murderer?” I cut Evan a glance, and he lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “I really wouldn’t have thought I’d be your top pick for a knight in shining armor.”
“Neither did I,” I mumble before pushing my shoulders back and staring at the road, indicating to take the next exit. “But it’s going to be great,” I add cheerfully. “I’m sure she’ll love the company at least.”
“Are you telling me that or yourself?”
“Both.”
I pull off onto the side road that Marie told me to take, right by the woods. The whole area is covered in a light fog, the clouds dark and gray like it could rain any minute. There’s clearly not much civilization around here apart from the gas station we just passed and a motel.
I put the car in park as I double-check the instructions Marie sent to me for where to park the car.
Marie:Park at the opening of the woods. The car will be safe there. You’ll find a path that will lead you here, but if you end up where the stream meets the river, you’ve gone too far.
Evan leans over to look at my screen. “Very suspicious instructions and a nondescript location. This sounds like the beginning of every horror movie ever.”
I glare at him, clicking my phone off and shoving it into my pocket. I open the glovebox, pulling out my scarf and gloves. “Let me guess, you’re not a huge fan of horror movies?”
“No, but I bet you are.”
I grin. “Yep.” I slip on my gloves one by one, tucking my scarf into my coat. “Plus, Marie’s a seventy-year-old woman living alone, she’s got to be careful. She can’t really be that scary.”
Evan hums, opening the door. “If we get attacked, I’m using you as a human shield.”
I snort, getting out of the car. “How chivalrous.”
Evan tries to give me a sarcastic smile, but I can tell he’s nervous. He waits for me to walk beside him, checking his surroundings multiple times before he starts up the path.
Evan’s quiet beside me, and I honestly don’t even know what to say. As much as I hate to admit it, I am a little scared. Just a bit spooked about the woods and the way the sun is already setting so early in the evening. That’s all.
I love horror movies because they’re not real.
You get that same thrill and excitement that pulses through your body without the real threat of fear.
I love the way my pulse races when I watch a film, and the adrenaline that runs through me when me and the girls pretend to scare each other afterward.
But having that in real life is terrifying.
It feels like we walk for miles, but we eventually reach a cabin-style house exactly where Marie said it would be.
It’s a little smaller than I thought, but it looks cozy.
Moss and vines snake up the sides of the house, and a well-kept small garden encaged by a fence greets us when we open the squeaky gate.
I step up to the door, taking another look around our surroundings. It’s so quiet here. So still. There’s not even any indication that someone lives here beside the smoke coming out of the chimney.
I knock loudly three times, stepping back slightly and glancing at Evan.
He’s got his head tilted to the sky, his Adam’s apple bopping with a swallow.
I don’t know why I’m only just realizing that he .
. . has a neck? It’s long and thick, and it leads to a strong, perfect jaw.
Slight stubble that I hadn’t noticed before casts a shadow on his neck and I give myself ten seconds to look before I realize how ridiculous it is to even be looking at him.
“Hey,” I say, trying to get his attention. “You good?”
He nods, turning to look at me. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Stop being nervous, or you’ll make me nervous.”
He nods again. Twice. Three times.
He swallows and faces the door.
He needs to chill the fuck out before I start freaking out. This is fine. Normal, even. Just a casual catch-up with my estranged aunt in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere. Completely fine.
The door swings open and a rush of heat meets us before my aunt comes into view.
She’s a frail woman, probably about five-two.
She has dark-brown hair like I do, but hers flows right down her back.
She’s wearing a peach muumuu, fluffy slippers, and a silver chain with a cross on it hangs over her clothes.
Brown eyes meet mine. Or I think they meet mine. It seems like she’s looking at Evan and I at the same time, and I can’t remember if my dad ever mentioned anything about her losing her sight.
“Hi, Aunt Marie,” I say slowly, still testing the waters that this is the right mysterious house in the woods and not some other lady’s place.
Marie taps the side of her head twice like she’s knocking her eyes back into place.
“Hello, yes, hi. Sorry. That’s just my lazy eye being extra lazy today.
” I chuckle awkwardly, and this time both her eyes meet mine.
They’re warm in an unexpected way. Like a campfire you want to be cozied up next to.
It relaxes my shoulders a bit, and I smile.
“I’m Scarlett. It’s nice to meet you in person.
” I hold out my hand to her, which is probably a dumb idea.
We’re family, technically. We should probably hug.
But she doesn’t take my hand or offer me a hug.
She simply . . . looks at me. I clear my throat, gesturing to Evan instead. “This is Evan, my, uh, friend.”
The word feels weird on my tongue, but not entirely foreign. Evan and I are . . . becoming friends? I think. Evan’s chest puffs out proudly and he stands a little taller. He goes for the handshake again, but Marie either doesn’t see or doesn’t care.
“Come on in. It’s cold outside,” she says, opening the door wider and letting us in.
The house resembles every cottage I’ve seen in fairy tales and children’s stories.
It’s snug and comfortable, with an earthy, woody smell that carries throughout the house.
Every wall is full of pictures, a mixture of scenic shots and family photos that I recognize.
There’s a slight chaos about it, like Marie has too much stuff to fit in the small place, but she makes it work. It’s wonderful.
She leads us into the living room, where there’s only one couch and an armchair, so Evan and I take the couch and Marie takes the chair. She holds a cushion across her stomach, gripping it tightly as she leans over like she wants to get a better look at the two of us.
She surveys my face, and I suddenly feel very out of place.
Should I have dressed up more for the occasion?
Should I look more professional rather than college-student-who-would-rather-be-at-home-in-her-PJs vibe?
I mean, I am only wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, but I feel like I’m being scrutinized for not trying harder to impress her.
“Evan?” Marie calls, still looking at me.
Evan leans forward. “Yes, ma’am.”