My phone beeped as Kat hung up on me. Well that was rude. And what did she mean by “something terribly wrong”? I started for my car automatically, but then realized I wouldn’t need it. I couldn’t drive to the place, I had to walk. Buttoning my coat, I took a few paces toward the trees at the edge of the property, then turned back and grabbed a crow bar from the trunk of the car. I’d no idea what was going on, so I’d at least try to be prepared.
Probably the only reason I thought of grabbing a weapon was that I’d seen too many movies where people stupidly walk into a suspicious situation empty handed and then end up in the back of a white van with their hands tied. The claw-like branches of the trees in the misty dusk did give my backyard a horror movie-feel to it.
After I located the hiking path, I walked along the smooth dirt while texting my parents. I told them I was going for a walk and I might not be back by the time they got home. I texted my brother Justin, too, saying if I wasn’t back around ten-ish to look for me at the Forsythia Fort. He was the only one in the family who knew where that was.
After seeing my breath puff out in little clouds and mix with the damp mist for a few minutes, I started to jog. No one was around to question a teenager in a puffy coat running around with a crowbar, and it was cold, so why not? I had about a mile to go to reach the place. As it got darker and the house lights faded, I realized what an idiot I was for not thinking to bring a flashlight. Then I thought maybe that wasn’t so bad, as it would be harder on someone if they were following me.
I halted, listening for any footsteps that would alert me if I was being tailed. There were none, obviously. I was taking this situation way more seriously than it should be taken. Kat and Jenna weren’t drug addicts, they didn’t get drunk, they didn’t have any creepy friends that I knew about, and their parents weren’t abusive. They weren’t normal – Kat had an unnatural obsession for chocolate tootsie roll pops, and Jenna was always swinging her foot in rhythm as if she wanted to dance to her own life’s soundtrack – but those weren’t exactly criminal tendencies. The only thing we ever did that was against the law was say that we were under thirteen when buying movie tickets. They were cheaper that way. And we couldn’t even do that anymore, because we looked too old.
I walked on, trying not to trip on tufts of half-dead grass, protruding rocks, or tree roots that became more frequent the deeper into the trees I went. It was too dark to run anymore, as I neared the hideout, the Forsythia Fort, and I wanted to be quiet. Giving my position away too early could be disastrous. There was no telling who might be keeping watch.
I could just make out a dark blob up ahead where the Forsythia bushes and tree trunks made a thick ring. In the center was where we would always meet when we were little. We would pretend we were runaway orphans, using grass seed and berries mixed together as “bread”. Water with flower petals in a cracked earthen jar was “soup”, and our beds were piles of dried pine needles. That was before we got to be boring teenagers. Once we reached middle school, the only thing we did was sit and talk.
I reached the edge of the bushes, peering into the branches that were still covered with wilted leaves. I couldn’t detect any sound or light coming from inside. I stood still, keeping my breathing quiet while considering my options. I could a) venture inside, making lots of noise and putting myself into a vulnerable position. b) call out, revealing my presence to possible threats. c) try to find a tree to climb and look down into the space. Maybe I would see something better that way. Or I could d) stand there debating all night and freeze to death. I chose e) Scream like a tortured soul in Hell because something wet just touched my hand.
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!”
If I’d had to use the bathroom, I would have done it right then. My crowbar whipped around as I spun, but it hit only air.
“Chrissy? Is that you?” Jenna called, from inside the bushes. She sounded more squeaky than usual.
“What are you screaming about? You scared me to death.” From the husky tone of her voice, I could tell Kat had been crying. “I already have enough to be scared about as it is. Get in here so we can talk.”
I about melted into a puddle of relief as I heard the twins and saw the vague outline of Jen’s French poodle Flufflepuff wagging her tail next to me. When the dog licked my hand again, I pet her on the head instead of trying to brain her.
As I struggled through the clinging branches of the bush, the relief was ripped away, replaced by a growing resentment and suspicion.
“Okay,” I said once I reached the clearing. “What was so important that you had to make me come out here in the dark and freezing cold to hear it?”
I looked back and forth between the two almost-identical figures huddled together on the ground. Neither was wearing a coat. At first I couldn’t tell who was who, but then I made out Jenna’s slippered foot twitching in the air. It moved faster than usual.
Jenna looked at Kat, who sat very still, hugging her knees.
“What happened was - ” Kat began, but her voice broke. She tried again. “I mean, I was kind of – Well, it was an - ” Burying her face in her arms, she started to sob. “You tell her! I c-can’t get it out.”
I started to roll my tongue around my mouth, a habit I had when I got nervous. Kat was always saying something. It was usually getting her to shut up that was the problem. Too much sugar from those tootsie roll pops, probably.
Her sister took a deep breath. “What she’s trying to say is, sheaccidentallyburntthehousedownwhenshetriedtotoastabagel.”
“The stupid fire extinguisher wouldn’t work,” Kat mumbled through her sweater. “Now it’s gone…all gone…”
“Mom and Dad went away for the weekend,” Jenna added. Her foot bounced higher than ever. “I don’t think they know yet.”
I looked at the two shivering, frazzled girls on the ground in front of me. Then I looked at my hand, which still gripped my weapon. A laugh escaped me before I could swallow it back.
“What part of that is funny to you?” Kat demanded.
“Nothing! I’m sorry, it’s just that I was expecting – never mind.” I was just a 21st century girl with an overdose of imagination.
