sun was already shining over the ocean. Kate hoped that her parents hadn’t found out that she was missing yet; she hoped that her father was still tucked safely in bed, that he would be feeling better this morning. Kate was wrong to hope.
Aaron sat on the front porch with a cup of coffee, waiting for Kate. He stood up when she came in to view, but waited to speak to her until she was close enough to hear him speak at a normal volume. “Where have you been?” he asked. His voice was soft and filled with genuine concern for her safety. Kate instantly felt a surge of guilt for worrying him; he cared so much for her, and she couldn’t even leave a note.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I was out with Adriana and Rico. I lost track of the time, and before we knew it the sun was rising. I’m sorry,” she said as she walked up the front steps. Kate bit her lip as she looked down at her dad. He looked better this morning, more like his old self.
Aaron sighed. “As long as you’re safe,” he said lovingly. “Your safety is all that matters to me.” He held his arm out and Kate leaned in for a big hug.
“Thank you for understanding, Dad. I love you so much,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“I love you too, honey. Now come inside. Breakfast is on the table.” Aaron got up after taking another sip of his steaming coffee. He turned around and stepped into the cozy beach house, holding the door open for Kate.
Kate grabbed the door and followed her father inside. The overwhelming scent of a nice breakfast made the house smell wonderful. There were eggs and bacon, along with biscuits and honey, on the table. Kate poured herself a glass of milk before sitting in between her parents. She watched as the two interacted, pleased to see that things were getting easier between them; they were even laughing and joking today. Her mom seemed genuinely happy, and Kate was surprised to see that her mother was dressed for work.
“What are you doing, Mom? Today is Sunday. I thought we’d all hang out.”
“I was called in to work this morning,” Blaire grumbled, her voice rough with annoyance. “There’s an emergency at the office and they need my help.”
“What? Why do they need your help? Can’t the workers who were hired to work weekends deal with it? Isn’t that their job?”
Blaire shook her head sadly. “No, baby, they can’t. They need a marine biologist to do this one. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I guess this means that you can have your father, daughter day in peace, though. That’s something to look forward to,” she said with a smile.
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“I could have to stay overnight if this issue is as big as they’re claiming. I’m hoping they’re being overdramatic. Cross your fingers for me,” Blaire said as she stood up. She pulled down her grey shirt and pushed her curls behind her ears. Kate saw that she wore long silver earrings that almost reached her shoulders.
“Wait, what? You’re leaving right now?” Kate asked as she glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Her mom didn’t leave that early on a normal day.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” Blaire said. She leaned down and kissed the top of Kate’s head before she left, her silver earrings chiming as the individual strands tangled and untangled themselves. Kate watched her disappear, anxious for some strange reason.
Upset that her mother had to work, Kate ate her breakfast in silence. Afterwards, she went upstairs to shower and get dressed for her father, daughter day. As she dressed, she realized that she was kind of excited to hang out with her dad again. Maybe she could even figure out what her talisman was. Maybe he would somehow, inadvertently, tell her what it was that tied her to this world.
A little while later, Kate walked downstairs in jean shorts and a black t-shirt. Her necklace rested against her skin, on the inside of the shirt. She was afraid that it would catch the light in the small living room and shine; she told her dad everything, but she wasn’t willing to share this secret. He wasn’t ready to learn about demons and possessions; Kate wasn’t ready to expose him to it. If she did, she’d have to tell him the whole story, and that wasn’t going to happen; she had to protect him like he protected her.
When Kate stepped into the living room, she sat down next to her dad and snuggled in to watch a movie. “I think I’d like something exciting,” she said as her dad flicked through the plethora of movie channels.
“I think I know what you’re looking for,” Aaron said with a smile. He found the action movies, and they ended up picking one of the classics. After hitting play, they settled down. Aaron was excited by the movie, and he leaned forward, eager to follow the plot; Kate couldn’t really enjoy the film because she was so tired. She did watch some of it, but after a half hour her eyes began to flutter and she ended up falling into a deep sleep. She was so tired that she didn’t even hear the sounds that took place around her.
Kate was in her familiar ivory gown. She was standing in her parents’ bedroom, watching her sick father cough. She couldn’t understand, for the life of her, why she was standing here. This moment had already passed; her father was much better right now. Still, Kate waited and watched. When nothing changed, she grew upset, wondering how this was going to help her conscience. Eventually, after getting sick of watching her father’s continuous suffering, she turned to leave.
“You are mine,” said a familiar voice. It was deep and rough, as if the speaker used it far too much.
Kate jerked around, seeing only her father in the room.
“You cannot take me,” her father said. “I won’t let you take me.” His face contorted in pain and he tried reaching for his throat, scratching at it like it was the cause of all of it.
Kate stepped back, confused. Was her father going crazy? Was he insane? A million worries fluttered through Kate’s head; a million diagnoses, including schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, followed. What she learned next paralyzed her with fear. She had been so unprepared.
“You are mine. I will take you, I swear it,” the familiar voice said again. The voice came from her father’s mouth. No, this could not be happening. But it did; it already happened because this was in the past.
Kate stepped back, her heart pounding. The sound seemed louder than the voices coming from her father. One of the voices was his, but the other voice, the other voice was Erik’s. He was inside her father, part of him. Erik had possessed her father.
Suddenly, all of it clicked, sliding together to complete the whole picture like one of those puzzles that has to be rearranged to make sense. That was why her father had been sick that long. He’d been fighting so hard to expel Erik from his body, to push him out. But there had been no one to save him. No one knew what was wrong. No one saw what was happening right in front of them. And now, Kate was alone in the living room with Erik. This was what she was meant to see through the telescope; she understood all of it now.
Kate stepped forward, trying to ease her father’s pain, knowing that he couldn’t see her or sense her presence. No wonder why he had been acting weird, snapping at her mother for no reason; it hadn’t been her father at all. A hundred questions burst through Kate’s mind at this newest realization. Why did Erik want to spend a day with Kate when he wasn’t even her father? And then the worst question of all: why had he gotten rid of Blaire?
25
Kate was jolted awake when water soaked her shirt and hair. She began to move but realized that she was stuck. She looked down and saw that she was tied to a metal chair. Rough twine and heavy metal chains cut into her arms, clawing at the tender skin of her arms. The metal was cold against Kate’s bare skin, and she began shivering because of the temperature and the fear that was crawling through her veins. She sat for a moment before she thought to look up. Her father sat in front of her, an empty bucket in his hands, a sneer spreading across his features. But he wasn’t really her father.
Unable to look into his eyes, Kate looked around. She was in her living room. All of the furniture was pushed against the walls, leaving a huge space in the middle of the dark, mahoga
ny floor. Erik was circling her like a wild beast closing in on his prey. His smile was that of a crazed maniac’s, his eyes no different than those of a rabid dog. She could almost see the thick drool dripping from his snarl.
Kate stared at her father; she was afraid of him. She was afraid of him more than she would ever be of Erik alone. She looked down, afraid of looking him in the eyes, afraid of looking into her father’s eyes, knowing that he wasn’t the one staring back at her, knowing that he would never stare back at her. Kate knew that she had to be brave, though. She knew that she had to face her father, no Erik, and she had to appear strong and unafraid of him. She couldn’t let him know her weaknesses; she couldn’t let him know how much power he had over her.
Erik began laughing Aaron’s laugh, and Kate looked up into her father’s brown eyes. She wasn’t certain how she would pull it off, how she would convince him that she was brave, but she couldn’t do it if they didn’t speak at all. “Erik,” she said calmly.
Erik smiled down at her, his lips pulled into something that resembled a grimace. “When did you figure it out, Kate? Did your little dreams tell you?”
Kate sighed and shook her head. “I should have known,” she admitted. “You treated my mother so badly that day. My father would