Chapter 15
Sadie is halfway through sorting her clothes and hanging them in the ridiculously vast wardrobe when the front doorbell rings.
She frowns. She wonders if Dad’s come back and forgotten his keys. Not that he needs his keys. Not with these weird-ass bracelets they have to wear. But her dad would probably forget about that too.
She walks across to the window and peers out, but she can’t see who’s at the door because of the slight overhang of the porch. She considers not answering. Pretending that the house is empty. But then, maybe it’s a delivery or something important.
She pads down the stairs and walks across to the front door. She squints through the peephole. A slim, blonde figure clad in a Nirvana vest and ripped denim shorts stands outside. Ellis. O-kay. Unexpected.
‘Hang on.’ She unlocks the door.
Ellis looks up as the door opens. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi,’ Sadie says. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Nice greeting.’
‘Sorry, I just wasn’t really expecting to see you again.’
‘Oh, why?’
‘Well, for a start, I made you walk around a cemetery looking for a dead kid’s grave yesterday.’
Ellis shrugs. ‘I got twenty bucks out of it.’
Sadie squints at her suspiciously. ‘So, is your dad paying you to be here now?’
‘You are cynical.’
‘Realistic.’
Ellis grins. ‘Okay, my dad is not paying me. I’m here of my own free will. A group of us are meeting up at the diner. I thought you might like to come along?’
Sadie blinks. An invitation to meet Ellis’s friends. Also unexpected.
‘We-ell, I’ve got to sort through my clothes and unpack boxes—’
‘Fine. If you’re too busy—’
‘No. Any excuse to put that off for another day.’ Sadie holds the door open wider. ‘You want to come up while I get changed?’
‘Sure.’
Ellis trails in behind her and up the stairs. When Sadie pushes open the door to her room, Ellis lets out small gasp: ‘Whoah!
Sadie turns. ‘Yeah, it’s all a bit … Sleeping Beauty, right?’
‘Are you waiting for your prince to come?’
Sadie watches her. ‘Princes aren’t really my thing.’
‘Right …’ A pause. ‘Me neither.’
Interesting. ‘I’m going to redecorate when I get a chance.’
Ellis looks around. ‘It’s huge, though. Way bigger than my room.’
‘It’s bigger than our whole house back home,’ Sadie says.
‘In the UK?’
‘Yeah.’
The size makes her small stack of boxes look even more pathetic. In fact, everything about this house and Serenity just reinforces how unsuited Dad and her are to living here. They’re not tanned, wholesome Americans. They’re pale, cynical Brits. The two just don’t go.
‘You miss it?’ Ellis asks.
‘Yes … but also no.’ Sadie flops on to the bed. ‘There were lots of things I hated at home. Lots of times I’d rather have lived somewhere else. I’m just not sure I’d have chosen here.’
‘Well, pity those of us who didn’t have a choice.’
‘You don’t love living in the perfect town?’
Ellis shakes her head. ‘Perfection isn’t always so perfect, believe me.’ She takes a step forward and almost trips over Zelda’s box, which is poking out from under the bed. ‘Shit. Sorry.’
Sadie leaps up and grabs the box. ‘It’s okay.’
Even though it kind of isn’t.
‘It’s not breakable, is it?’
Sadie rests the box on her lap. ‘No, not really. It’s just my cat.’
‘Your cat?’ Ellis frowns. ‘Your cat is pretty quiet.’
‘I should hope so. She’s dead.’
‘You keep your dead cat in a box?’
‘Yeah, well, she’s a skeleton. Not like a decaying corpse.’
‘Oh, well, that’s okay, then.’
‘Want to see?’
Ellis holds up a hand. ‘No. I’m good, thanks.’
Sadie grins, enjoying her discomfort.
Ellis stares at her. ‘You know, you are … seriously, I mean, seriously freaky.’
‘Thanks.’ Sadie puts the box to one side and grabs a vintage flowered sundress from the pile of clothes on her bed. ‘Keep an eye on my cat.’ She stands and heads for the en suite. ‘She doesn’t bite … well, not any more.’
The Downtown Diner looks like it jived straight out of a 1950s movie set.
Pure theme-park pastiche. It’s set on the corner of the street and curves around in pastel hues of turquoise and bubble-gum pink, with silver edging around the windows, doors and roof.
Lights at either corner of the building create the impression of a car bumper.
A sign outside shows a picture of a rosy-cheeked waitress holding up a plate of burger and fries, grinning cheerily.
Beneath the picture is another sign: ‘Welcome. No cell phones.’
‘No phones,’ Sadie says. ‘They really are going hard on the retro vibe.’
Ellis glances at the sign. ‘Oh, that’s not just here. Cell phones are banned in public spaces.’
‘You’re kidding?’
‘Nope.’
And now Sadie thinks about it, she hasn’t seen anyone chatting on their phone as they walk around or staring at their screen, mindlessly doomscrolling.
‘But how do you take photos or get in touch if you’re running late or, y’know, kill time?’
‘Camera use is allowed, sparingly. There are free public phones, and you can use your cell in an emergency.’ Ellis shrugs. ‘It’s not a big deal.’
But it is a big deal, Sadie thinks. I mean, no phones.
‘It’s not as bad as the curfew,’ Ellis continues.
‘The what now?’
‘Man, you’re fresh out of the box. Curfew, ten thirty every night. To stop people – i.e. us – hanging around the streets.’
Sadie shakes her head. ‘This place is like the worst parent in the world – no phones, no staying up late.’
‘Tell me about it.’ Ellis smiles and pushes open the door. ‘C’mon. Wait till you see inside here. It’s so wholesome you’ll puke.’
The smell of fries, grease and coffee hits Sadie’s nostrils.
It’s not unpleasant. In fact, something about it feels kind of homely.
In front of her, a huge chrome bar gleams under bright spotlights.
Pink bar stools perch along it, most occupied by teens and couples drinking coffees and huge frothy milkshakes.
Booths line the windows, complete with chequered vinyl tablecloths and turquoise seats.
Waitresses in fifties-style gingham dresses and white aprons, hair curled à la Doris Day, bustle busily around.
One of the girls has the same bubble-gum-pink hair as the decor.
Sadie half expects Marty McFly to burst in, clutching a skateboard.
‘Shit,’ she mutters. ‘This is very …’
Ellis smirks. ‘I know, right.’ She stares around and suddenly raises her arm in a wave.
‘Over here,’ she says to Sadie.
Sadie follows her across the diner. The clientele is young and straight-looking.
Chinos and polo tops for the men, shorts and Gap T-shirts for the girls.
She feels a creeping itch at the back of her neck – eyes watching her.
The newbie. The Brit. The weirdo. She pulls her shoulders back, walks a little straighter. Suck it up, bitches, she thinks.
Ellis leads her to a booth in a far corner close to an old jukebox. It’s playing a song Sadie vaguely recognizes.
‘All I Have to Do is Dream.’
‘Hey!’ Ellis greets the two teenagers at the table – a girl and a boy. The girl is curvy with dark skin, brown ringlets and nose ring. She wears a loose shirt and cycling shorts. The boy is lanky with longish, sandy-coloured hair, dressed in an oversized baseball shirt and baggy jeans.
‘This is Sadie,’ Ellie introduces. ‘She’s the one I told you about.’ She turns. ‘Sadie, this is Ramona and Dax.’
‘Hey.’ Ramona raises a hand. Her nails are long and decorated with tiny diamante jewels on purple polish.
Sadie raises a hand in return. ‘Nice to meet you.’
Ramona’s face lights up. ‘Oh man, that accent.’ She catches herself. ‘Is it really crass and American to say that?’
‘Totally,’ Ellis and Dax say at the same time.
Ramona grins and pats the seat next to her. ‘Come, sit, new girl.’
Sadie slides into the booth, and Ellis sits down beside Dax.
‘So,’ Ramona says. ‘What do you think of this place so far?’
‘Well …’ Sadie pauses. ‘It’s …’
‘Fucked up, right?’ Dax grins.
Sadie laughs. ‘Yeah. It’s weird. I mean, no offence, but I don’t get how people live here—’
‘They don’t know any different,’ Dax says.
‘And they never leave,’ Ramona adds.
Sadie suddenly remembers Fred the security guard: ‘Once you’re here, you’re here to stay.’
‘Well, they must leave for work and stuff?’ she says.
‘Most people work here,’ Dax says. ‘Kids go to college here and end up getting a job here.’
‘Because who would want to leave perfect Serenity Falls?’ Ramona says with a heavy dash of sarcasm.
Ellis shakes her head and pulls a finger across her throat. Ramona frowns, then turns.
The waitress with the pink hair is approaching their table. She doesn’t look much older than they are. Up close, Sadie can see that her eyes are red and a little swollen like she’s been crying.
‘What can I get you guys?’ She smiles, but it looks forced.
‘I’ll get a chocolate milkshake,’ Ellis says.
Sadie hasn’t looked at the menu, but says: ‘Err, yeah. Same, please.’
The waitress – Lou, her name badge reads – nods. ‘Cool.’ She glances at Sadie. ‘I hope the Scooby-Doo gang aren’t boring you?’
Dax holds his hand up. ‘Hey, we’re right here.’
Lou stares at him. ‘Yeah. I know.’
‘We’re good,’ Sadie assures her.
Lou nods, looking unconvinced. ‘Okay. Well, don’t let them suck you into their crazy conspiracy theories.’
‘They’re not crazy if they’re true,’ Dax says.
‘Sure, Shaggy.’
Ramona scowls. ‘I guess you don’t care what happened to Frankie?’
Lou’s face snaps shut. ‘Of course I care, but I also care about my job. You know I can’t talk about that shit here.’
She gives Ramona a hard look, then turns on her heel and walks swiftly back towards the kitchen.
Sadie frowns. ‘Frankie? As in the guy who drowned in our pool?’
Ellis nods. ‘Frankie worked here. Lou and him were pretty tight.’
‘She looked really upset.’
‘Yeah.’ Ramona pauses, then adds, ‘You know Frankie wasn’t even supposed to be at your house that day?’
‘How come?’
‘All the mascots have their own costumes,’ Dax says. ‘Frankie wore Lenny the Leopard because he was skinny. A guy called Chris always wore Arnie because it’s a heavy costume and he’s a big guy.’
‘Then why was Frankie wearing it?’
Ramona arches an eyebrow. ‘Good question. For some reason, they swapped.’
Sadie considers this. ‘That’s pretty crap luck’
‘Or maybe luck has nothing to do with it.’
Sadie stares at Ramona. There’s something else going on here. An undercurrent.
‘So, what are you saying, exactly?’
Ramona and Ellis glance at each other. It’s Dax who speaks up:
‘Maybe Frankie’s death wasn’t an accident.’