Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Jesus, I hate this bed.”  Starr shifted into a sitting position on the mattress that served as a trundle bed.  She moved her head back and forth until she heard it crack and then stretched out her shoulders.     

“Morning,” Howie smiled down at her from where he was sitting on the bed Kristine had vacated hours earlier.  “Guess I don’t need to ask you if you slept well.” 

“I think it’s stuffed with rocks,”  Starr stood up and kicked the mattress back under the bed.  “You guys could just wake me up and let me nap on the sofa for the rest of the morning.  It can’t be that exciting for you up here by yourself.” 

“What could be better?”  Howie teased. 

“There’s some books in my bag somewhere,”  Starr rummaged around through the yellow duffle bag, pulling out a set of clothes for the day and setting it aside.  “Here they are!” 

“White Oleander, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Fahrenheit 451?”  Howie shook his head with a smile.  “So chicklet, Japanese prostitute, and something I had to read in high school?” 

“Don’t know much about Japanese culture, do you?”  Starr shook her head.  “Geisha means artist.  They weren’t supposed to sleep around, they were supposed to be masters at the art of conversation, dancing, singing, and stuff like that.” 

“I think I’ll pass on these for now,” Howie handed the books back to her.  “There is something I wouldn’t mind reading though.”

“What’s that?”  Starr asked. 

“Could I read your story?” 

Starr looked away, toying with the zipper on her bag.  “No one has ever really read this one,” She answered finally.  “I mean, the girls have read bits and pieces but not all of it and nothing in order.  I don’t think they could even tell you what it’s about and even if they could I don’t think it would really interest you just because it’s really really girly and-“

Howie smiled reassuringly at her.  “You don’t have to say yes.  If you’re not comfortable with someone reading it, then it’s no big deal.  It’s just that you’re always writing in it and I’m curious.  I read a little over your shoulder and really liked it.” 

Starr blushed, staring down at her bag.  “You’d think I’m just another stupid lovesick girl after you’re done.” 

“Since when is being lovesick stupid?” 

“I think I want you to read it,” She said after another pause.  “Just-not yet.  I mean, I barely know you at all and even though you seem like a really nice guy, there are four really nice girls out there that I still haven’t let read it all and I’ve known them forever.” 

“Just whenever you’re ready,” Howie stood up.  “I’ll be right outside the door while you change.  Just make a whole lot of noise if something happens,” He closed the door softly behind him. 

Starr held her t-shirt in front of her, staring down at a spot on the floor.  No one had ever asked to read her story.  There were other things she had written that she passed around to the girls, lighthearted spoofs that they all enjoyed.  This story was more to her, this story was a record of every emotional roller coaster she had encountered transposed into a love story that might not even end up with a happy ending. 

The girls knew how much it meant to her, how much time she put into it.  She offered bits of it up to them for judgement and then went back inside herself to pour out another ten pages.  It was just something she did, like how Cassy played her sports and Jedia got her straight As. 

She shook her head and changed quickly.  The last thing she needed was for Howie to burst back in the room to find her half naked because he thought something was wrong.  She yanked her brush through her curls a few times, taming them into obedience for the time being. 

“Okay?”  Howie asked as she opened the door. 

“I’m fine.”  She forced a smile for him.  “What’s for breakfast?”

Kevin and Brian headed down the trail to the road.  Alana had drawn them a map to the general store from the road.  Since the killer already knew where they were, there wasn’t any point in trying to stay hidden.  Without the zigzagging along the trails, it would be a simple three-hour hike.  “So we need all kinds of canned stuff, milk, juice, frozen foods, cheese, cereal, rice, crackers, whatever meat products we can find,” Brian shifted the large duffle bag over his shoulders. 

“Don’t forget about toilet paper, napkins, bread and sandwich stuff,” Kevin said. 

“Three miles isn’t bad.”

“No, it’s easy compared to a few days ago,” Kevin agreed easily.  “Easier than figuring out who this asshole is.” 

“Kristine and Jedia were trying to come up with a list of people they had pissed off over the years.  There were 14 ex-boyfriends, a handful of ex friends, and a ton of others.  It’s not as easy as they had originally thought.”

“Cassy is still convinced it’s a guy doing it,”  Kevin pointed out. 

“We don’t have any proof for that though, just her reading between the lines,” Brian replied. 

“I want to agree with her though.  I can’t imagine a girl being that blood thirsty or strong enough to kill two adults without anyone hearing anything.” 

“Even if we assume it’s a guy, that still doesn’t cut down the list too far.” 

“So in other words, it’s no use guessing until we can get some more clues about this person.”  Kevin finished.  “It’s an equation with too many numbers missing.”

“Don’t use that one around the girls,” Brian said with a laugh.  “Cassy wouldn’t understand it and Starr would have to out metaphor you.”

“So why are you?  You’ve never dated the cute, dumb ones.  You’ve always left them for Nick.”

“Doesn’t hurt that she’s got some killer legs,” Brian grinned.  “I don’t know, Kev.  At first she was just fun to flirt with but now, well, I don’t want to see myself without her.  She just fits with me.  She’s into the sports, she loves joking around and laughing, and she’s not the clingy type.  She said she’s cool with me having to spend so much time and attention with the fans, that it’s part of my job.”

“What someone says and what they actually do are two different things,” Kevin reminded him. 

“But here’s the kicker.  I know for sure she’s not just after the money.  Her family is pretty damn well off, probably better than our families even after everything we give them.  She doesn’t care about getting famous either.  Kev, this is the first time I’ve ever felt like a girl liked me and only me...nothing else about my life.”

“Do you think the other girls would be like that?”  Kevin asked. 

Brian thought for a moment as they entered the main area in the town.  “Alana would use us for everything we had, even if she did love one of us.  Starr and Jedia don’t act like they’d want the spotlight at all.”

“And Kristine?”  Kevin asked.

“I dunno,” Brian shrugged.  “I just think she’s hiding something.  I don’t trust her like I do the rest of them.” 

“Really?  Why not?”   

“She doesn’t act like she has anything wrong with her.  She’s never angry, she doesn’t cry.  Think about it, after they found Alana’s parents even Starr and Cassy were crying.  Kristine just stood there and then acted like she was okay not even an hour later.” 

“People deal with pain differently,” Kevin protested. 

“It just doesn’t seem like she’s emotionally healthy.  I’d never be able to date a girl like that.”
“Out of all them I’d think you’d say that about Starr.” 

“She’s just quiet and really independent,” Brian pushed open the shop door.  “I knew a girl like her in high school.  She was a really nice person once she warmed up to you but it took awhile to get to that point.” 

“I just think you’re being a bit too hard on Kristine.”  Kevin started jamming cans and boxes into the duffel bag.”

Brian stuffed packages of paper towels and toilet paper into the smallest bag.  “Why does it matter so much?  Don’t tell me you’re interested in her.” 

“She an interesting girl, “Kevin busied himself looking for meats and cheeses with the latest expiration dates. 

Brian hooted.  “Oh man, Kev.  Some girls have a pimp daddy but you’d have to be her pimp-grandpa!”

“Brian,” Kevin warned. 

“Oh man Kev, I just can’t believe you’ve got the hots for a girl almost half your age.” 

“Can you go check back in the freezer for any fresh stock he may have gotten in before he died?”  Kevin started fitting boxes of cereal and rice into his last bag.  Brian gave him a quick salute and disappeared into the back room. 

They left about twenty minutes later after rearranging the goods in their bags.  The trip back up the road was slower with the five bags of groceries.  “Look, I’m sorry for ragging on you like that,” Brian broke their silence.  “I just don’t like the idea of you going after a girl who’s hiding that much.  How do you know she doesn’t have any ulterior motives?’

“How do you know Cassy doesn’t?”  Kevin asked, “How can you be completely sure she’s not just trying to lead you on?”

“Because she’s open with me, she’s honest with me.  Plus, she’s a terrible liar.  She can’t even lie about whether or not her ankle hurts or if she needs my help about something.  She starts blinking and getting shifty eyes every time.  If she can’t lie about the little stupid stuff, there’s no way she’d be able to lie about anything bigger than that.” 

Brian smiled, thinking about the previous night.  Cassy had been shaken up by the murders of Alana’s parents just like the other girls but she was more relaxed, more collected.  “When this is all over, are you guys going to take off right away?”  She asked, snuggling closer to him. 

“I think that’s what Nick and AJ are hoping for.”  Brian replied, running his fingers through her hair, loving the thickness.  The dark brown color made his skin look pale, even with his rich summer tan. 
“What about you?”  She asked. 

“Cassy, I don’t plan on leaving you like that.  What do you want me to do?”

“Move up here to be with me.”  Her lips pursed into a pout.  Brian had to lean down to kiss her.

“You know I can’t do that.  I need to be down in Florida.  I want you to come down there with me.” 

“What about my college?”  Cassy asked.  “I’ve got two years to go.”

“If you really want to stay up here, we’ll find a way to work it out until you’re out.  If you want to go down to Florida with me, we’ll find a school for you to transfer to and you can stay with me.  I’ve got a decent sized place and it’s only me and my dog right now.”

“You haven’t even known me a month and you’re asking me to move in with you?”  Cassy’s pout turned into an expression of surprise. 

“Something inside my heart tells me that you’re it for me,” Brian smiled.  “You can smack me if I’m freaking you out but it’s the truth.  I can’t imagine my life without you in it after this.  Cassy-baby, you’re everything I could have ever dreamed for in my perfect girl.”

“Brian…” Cassy sniffed and buried her face against his chest, “I love you.”

They kissed, separated, and kissed again.  “Brian.”  She whispered, running her fingers over the waistband of his boxers. 

He took her hand and brought it up to his lips.  “No.”

“No?”  She pulled her hands away, her face dropping. 

“Cassy, you’re the woman I want to be with forever.  When I make love to you, it’s going to be something more than a quick spur-of-the-moment thing.  I want to give you the roses, light the candles, and love you so completely and I don’t think I can do that with two people in the living room, two in the basement and four more upstairs.  You’re worth more to me than that.”

“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard but it just makes me want you so much more,” Cassy moaned softly. 

“Brian?”  Kevin said, “Are you okay?” 

“Better than that,” Brian grinned.  “Why do you ask?”

“You don’t feel it?” 

“Feel what?”  Brian stopped short, listening to the sounds of the woods, inhaling the fresh pine scent and- “Kevin, what is that?”

“So you did notice it,” Kevin set his lips in a grim line. 

“It smells...almost metallic,” Brian scanned the area quickly. 

“Up there,” Kevin pointed to a partially visible camper up the road.  “Maybe they’ll know what’s going on.”

“Or at least be able to tell us where to find a phone,” Brian said as they picked up their pace. 

“Oh no!”  Kevin exclaimed, dropping the bags at his feet. 

Brian knelt down on the ground, holding his hand over his mouth.  Blood dripped from under the camper door to form a large puddle underneath it.  There were two bodies at the picnic table, glasses in front of them.  Kevin left his cousin long enough to take a closer look at the bodies and the dark contents of their glasses.  “More blood,” He said grimly.  “What kind of a sick fuck are we dealing with?”  There were bodies in chairs, lying on the ground, hanging out of the camper, and propped up against trees. 

“Read the back of the camper,” Brian choked.  “This would explain why the construction on Alana’s cabin wasn’t finished.”

“The entire construction crew?”  Kevin raked his hand through his hair, “What won’t he do?” 

“Kevin, there’s another one of those notes on the door,” Brian bent over, throwing up into the grass. 

Kevin tore the piece of paper down and read it to Brian. 

How do you like my still life work?  Well, I guess it would be called still death work now but it was a way to pass the afternoon.  What’s the point in killing people if you can’t enjoy the end results?

I had almost forgotten about these guys, but I figured it would be better not to leave anyone else around here to figure out what’s going on.  I’m a good boy though, I clean up my messes after I’m done with them.  That old shop keeper is in a ditch now, didn’t you wonder what happened to him? 

I don’t suggest leaving your house much more.  There are sites with young children running around.  You may be able to stomach these bodies but what about a little girl’s body on your porch?  I don’t like it when you don’t follow my rules and if you don’t follow my rules, there will be consequences as you can plainly see. 

Kevin helped Brian to his feet.  “Let me see if they have anything worth taking inside.  If we can’t leave, we’re going to need more than what we took from the store.  With 10 people in the house, how long do you think 20 rolls of toilet paper will last?” 

“Stealing from dead people again?”  Brian shook his head.  “This isn’t right, Kevin.” 

“Nothing about this situation is but I’m not going to let us starve or run out of basics while he’s laughing in the woods.”  Kevin forced himself to ignore the bodies in the cabin as he took more bags and stuffed them with all the food and paper supplies from the cupboards and fridge. 

Brian backed up to the edge of the campsite before clasping his hands together.  “Dear Lord, we ask your blessing on these poor departed souls, that you’ll take them lovingly into your arms and hold them there for the rest of time.  We pray that the evil that committed these crimes will soon feel your wrath and that justice will be served so this blood wasn’t spilled in vain.  Dearest Lord, we also pray for perseverance, enlightenment, and understand through the dark days that lie ahead.  Please be with us and all of your children.  In your name I pray, Amen.” 

Brian crossed himself as Kevin came out of the camper holding five more large bags.  “Let’s go,” Kevin said, giving the graveyard behind them one final mourning glance. 

“What’s a good color for a dress when the girl has green eyes?”  Starr tapped her pen against her lower lip and gazed up at Howie and Kristine.  The other five were sitting in front of the television watching Alana and Nick going head to head in Bubble Bobble. 

“Maybe a lighter green?”  Kristine suggested.  “Jedia always looks good when she wears it.”

“Jedia’s also a blonde,” Starr pointed out.  “The girl in this is a redhead and I don’t want her hair to class with the dress too badly.”

“Can’t go wrong with the basic black.”  Howie said, turning the page in Fahrenheit 451.  He had given in and accepted the book after they realized the only other books in the house were Mrs. Johns romance novels. 

“Starr, do you want to go a round?”  Alana called from the living room.  “You might as well play this game since you suck at the other ones.” 

“I’ll be back in a while,” Starr set her notebook down on the wicker sofa.  “Do you want to come watch?”

“It’s nicer in here.”  Kristine gazed out the window over the field behind the house.  “I don’t really like video games.”

“Well pass but thanks,” Howie smiled as Starr turned and walked barefoot out of the room. 

Kristine waited for the video game music to start back up again.  “You like her, don’t you?”  She asked. 

“I like all you girls,” Howie shrugged, lounging back. 

“You know what I mean.”

“Does it really matter?” 

“It does to you,” She pointed out.  “I’ve seen the way you keep looking at her, even if no one else has.”

“She wants AJ.”

“He doesn’t want her,” Kristine reminded him. 

“I’m not going to go after another girl who’ll just date me to get to another one of the guys.  It’s not worth it.” 

“So it’s happened before?”  Kristine hugged a pillow to her chest. 

“She was a really sweet girl.  We had a good time when we were together.”

“Sweet girls don’t date guys to get to their friends.”

“I don’t want to say anything bad about her.  It’s over and done with and bashing her won’t change anything.”  Howie stared down into the pages but Kristine knew he wasn’t reading anymore. 

“You don’t have to say anything bad.  What she did speaks for itself.  Starr wouldn’t do that to you.  If she didn’t want you, she couldn’t fake it for any reason.  I don’t think she would even if she could do it, she doesn’t play those kind of games.”

“There really isn’t any reason for me to tell her.  She looks at AJ like he’s the only guy in the room, she looks at me the same way she looks at you girls.  Why rock the boat if it’s not going to move it anywhere?” 

“Then you need to come up with an excuse for when she notices.  She’s not stupid,” Kristine hid her sly smile behind the pillow. 

“Notices what?”  Howie asked. 

“You staring at her ass every time she leaves the room,” Kristine giggled at the shocked look in Howie’s eyes. 

“It really is a nice ass though,” Howie protested.  “That girl is all legs.  I don’t understand why she keeps acting like she’s not an attractive girl.”

“She doesn’t like the way she’s built,” Kristine explained.  Her weight matches her height, even if she is a little overweight it doesn’t show.  She just sees an overweight girl with small boobs and no abs.” 

“Huge breasts are overrated, no offense.” 

“None taken,” Kristine looked down at her own chest.  “I’d trade with her any day.”

“I think her body is fine,” Howie admitted.  “I’m not into the whole anorexic model look and I love girls with longer legs.”

“It doesn’t bother you when you’re dating a girl taller than you?” 

“Never had any problems with it before,” Howie grinned.  “Besides, height doesn’t matter when-“

“LA LA LA!”  Kristine sang out, covering her ears. 

“Innocent you’re not,” Howie chuckled. 

“Look,” Kristine set the pillow down.  “AJ and Alana are making up.  They’re back to cuddling, kissing, holding hands and everything else they should have done before the drunken sex.  She needs him right now, more than anything.  Her entire world has been flipped upside down and she needs someone that’s going to love her completely while she’s trying to work everything out.  I wouldn’t put it past her to fall in love with him now and deny everything that’s happened in the past week.”

“She won’t think about Starr, will she?” 

“You can’t fault her for that.  Starr won’t come out and say she’s interested in AJ because she won’t interfere with a friend’s crush.  As long as there’s even the remote possibility that Alana is into AJ, Starr won’t do a damn thing about it.  She’s like you in that sense I guess.” 

“Alana wasn’t interested in him before though,” Howie said. 

“So she said,” Kristine shrugged.  “I don’t know exactly what goes through Alana’s mind.  All I do know is that she’s never tried to get rid of a guy like she did with AJ.  Most of the time she’ll ignore them until they get the hint and leave.  She went out of her way to hurt him in the worse way she could and I have to wonder if it’s because she was afraid of what she did feel for him.  Plus, AJ still cared about her and that’s enough to keep Starr away.” 

“There still isn’t any reason for me to say anything right now,” Howie folded down the corner of the page and set the book on the coffee table.  “Do you want to start getting dinner ready?  Kevin and Brian should be back soon and they’ll probably be hungry.”

“Howie, talk to one of your friends about it before you give up on her.  I really think you could be good for her and I’d hate to see you two miss that chance.” 

“We’ll see,” Howie waited for Kristine to start out of the room before following behind her. 

“So Starr was right and it was a guy,” Jedia said after reading the note. 

“So they say,” Kevin dried another plate and stacked it back in the cupboard. 

“Well, thanks to you two, we’re not going to starve,” Cassy gripped Brian’s hand tightly. 

“As long as we use everything sparingly, we should have enough toilet paper for about two weeks and enough food for longer than that,” Brian said, trying to sound cheerful. 

Alana leaned back against AJ’s chest, staring down at the green paper on the table.  Four notes now and all they were able to guess was that the psycho was a guy.  Fucking brilliant detectives they were.  Sherlock Holmes would have been shot fifty times in the back if he had taken as long as they were. 

AJ hugged her softly.  “What are you thinking about?”  He whispered. 

“Tomorrow is the 4th of July,” Alana replied softly, still staring at the paper.  “We were going to watch the fireworks over the lake.  They always try to outdo the last year.” 

“There will be other years to watch it,” AJ squeezed her shoulders. 

“I guess I’m just tired,” Alana glanced down at her watch.  “It’s only 8.  I feel like I’m back in elementary school going to bed this early.”

“We can play Tetris until you pass out,” AJ offered. 

Alana shook her head.  “I think I’d rather just watch a movie or something.” 

“Disney it is,” AJ smiled, taking her hand and leading her back into the living room. 

“Do you want to watch it with them?”  Nick asked Jedia. 

She shook her head.  “I want to kick your ass in air hockey again.” 

Nick grinned and kissed her.  “You got lucky last time, that’s all.” 

“We’ll see about that!”  Jedia grabbed his hand and dragged him back down into the basement.  “Come on Cassy!  We can play pool, girls against guys.” 

“Can you help me down the stairs?”  Cassy asked Brian.  She wrapped her arms around him, hopping her way to the basement stairs. 

“They’re cute together,” Starr commented from where she was sitting.  “I never though I’d see Jedia with a guy like Nick.”

“I never though I’d hear Jedia swear,” Kristine laughed.  “Nick has mellowed out a lot because of her too.” 

“I’m going to take Maddy outside for awhile,” Starr looked over at Howie and Kevin.  “Will one of you come out with me?” 

“I want some air too,” Kristine put in quickly, seeing Kevin about to volunteer.  “Why don’t we all go out?” 

Howie picked up the frisbee from the box on the porch and tossed it out for Maddy to chase.  He didn’t expect both Starr and the dog to go running for it.  “You found her other sport if you want to count it as one,” Kristine said, sitting down on the steps next to Kevin. 

Starr wrestled the frisbee away from Maddy and sent it sailing back to Howie.  “I used to do this all of the time in junior high,” she said.  “I had a friend a little younger than my sister and we could play for hours.” 

“She doesn’t get it,” Kevin muttered from where he was sitting. 

“You noticed it too?”  Kristine asked. 

“I’ve known Howie for years,” Kevin replied simply, watching the two of them playing with a barking dog running between the two of them.  Kristine had to smile, if only this was just a regular vacation, things would be nearly perfect. 

If only...

Alana jerked awake with a start, looking around the room.  She was in a bed, not on the couch.  She was also naked, something she was used to but not lately. 

Where...oh, that’s right.  She and AJ had tried making out on the couch but ended up on the floor too many times.  The only available bed was her parent’s and her hormones were dominating over her sorrow. 

She looked around at the wallpaper, at the framed photos of her and her two sisters.  She saw her parent’s wedding photo framed by her mother’s side of the bed and waited for the tears to come. 
She knew she shouldn’t be in there, she knew she shouldn’t be comfortable there.  She should be crying again, she should be searching for her clothes, waking AJ up and insisting they move back down to the sofa to sleep. 

She shouldn’t be sinking back down into the bed.  Would her parents really approve? 

Well, not about the sex but she had a strange feeling her mother would want them to stay in the upstairs bedroom closer to the rest of their group. 

The red numbers on the clock changed to 12:01.  “Happy Fourth of July.”  She murmured into the darkness. 

Pain exploded through her head, she saw red and white explosions. 

AJ...help me, she thought before the darkness took her.