Chapter 3: “Jason”
Carol picked Amber up from her apartment and drove to the downtown mall. They agreed to meet Tommy, Jason, and Mike for what they though about the recent happenings. They met in the food-court at the table next to the fountain.
“So, what’s new for you two?” Tommy asked as he turned the chair around and sat down.
“What’s with the dresses?” Jason asked.
“We’re taking them back.” Amber said.
“Aren’t you going with me?” Jason asked.
Amber glared at Jason. “We are going to exchange them.”
“We decided we should go against our color code since two of us are missing.” Carol said.
Amber looked excited. “Hey, guys, honest opinion, which would look better in white and which would look better in black?”
“I think Carol would look better in white.” Mike said.
Tommy hit Mike. “When’d you get to know so much about how girls should look?”
Mike shrugged. “I am fourteen, Tommy.” He said.
“Thanks, Mikey!” Amber said enthusiastically. She stood up and pulled Carol up. She pulled Carol over to the dress store.
They stayed quite a while in the dress store until the two picked out the perfect dresses. Carol’s dress was a white sleeveless dress with a gold ribbon at the waist; it hung loosely to the floor. She picked out a pair of gold shoes with about a high heel of about an inch. The shoes exposed the toes, having an inch wide band over the top of her foot, and a small strand going around the ankle connecting to a loop that snapped together at the front of her ankles. Amber’s dress was black. It was exactly like Carol’s except it had silver instead of gold. She found the same type of shoes in silver.
They headed back to talk to the guys. After the girls told the guys about their dresses, and they talked a bit more about the current events, they decided to leave.
Carol and Amber decided that Amber would stay at Carol’s house for the night to ease both of their nerves. They stopped by Amber’s apartment and allowed her to put her dress up and grab a few necessities for the night.
They went into Carol’s house and headed for Carol’s room. Carol carefully placed her new dress into her closet and shut it.
“You seem depressed about the dress, why?” Amber asked.
Carol walked to her desk and sat down. “We’re having fun, and enjoying ourselves when we don’t know where our friends are.”
“You want to know something I learned?” Amber asked.
“What?” Carol asked.
Amber sat down on Carol’s bed. “When my parents died I was upset, but I soon figured out that no matter how upset I was, they were gone. If they wanted to come back, they would if they could, and if they couldn’t, then I couldn’t do anything.”
“That is unusual logic.” Carol said.
Amber waved her finger. “But it’s true! Searching for answers or vengeance will get you nowhere.”
“You’re going to cook me breakfast in the morning, aren’t you?” Carol asked.
“Yes madam.” Amber stood up and bowed. “I am your lowly subject.”
Carol threw a stuffed animal at Amber. “Don’t be silly.”
Amber walked over to Carol. “What’s that?” She pointed to the letter.
Carol turned her chair around. “I don’t know yet.” She said. The letter was addressed to Carol, but had no return address.
Amber picked it up. “Can I open it? Maybe it’s a love letter.”
“Get real, Amber.” Carol said. “It’s probably from my Grandmother; she forgets to write the return address.”
Amber ripped one end off the envelope and pulled out the folded paper within. She looked at the outside of the paper. “Purple ink…?”
“What!” Carol jumped up and snatched the folded paper from Amber.
“Unfold it.” Amber commanded.
Carol was afraid to open the paper. Last time she unfolded a piece of paper with her name on it, one of her friends was nowhere to be found.
Amber took the paper away and opened it. She stared at the name blankly. “Jason….”
“It’s too late.” Carol said. “If only I had opened it this morning, I could have warned him. Damn it!”
“This is Alison’s handwriting.” Amber noted. “It seems that she struggled to write it.
“Alison’s?” Carol asked. She remembered where she received the first envelope—in Alison’s room. “She’s been trying to warn me. But why me?”
Amber shrugged. “Beats me.”
Carol stood and walked to her bed. “I’m going to sleep now. Let’s forget about it. We’ll hear about it in the morning.”
“Yeah.” Amber agreed.
Both the girls went to sleep and were awoken in the morning by Carol’s mother.
“Carol!” Her mom yelled.
“What?” Carol asked.
“Come see!” Her mother yelled again.
Carol crawled out of bed.
“Wake me tomorrow.” Amber muttered as she pulled a blanket over her head.
“You owe me breakfast.” Carol said. She slowly walked out of the room and walked to the living room.
Her parents had the TV on the news station.
“The strange occurrence at the Ray’s home is an absolute mystery.” Spoke the newscaster. “The reason how the house was burnt down baffles the police. The whereabouts of both Amelia Ray and her son Jason Ray are currently unknown.”
“Their house burnt?” Carol straightened up. “Why? How?” Carol realized that her questions would remain unanswered. She moped back to her room to find Amber snoring away.
“Amber.” Carol called.
“What?” Amber asked, while she was still half-asleep.
Carol sat at her desk. “Jason’s house burnt down last night.”
Amber sat up. “Burnt?”
Amber and Carol talked for a while before deciding to go to Tommy’s house. They went to Carol’s car and drove to Tommy’s house, which was only two blocks from Jason’s burnt house.
As they passed the house, they both stopped and looked before continuing to drive.
They reached Tommy’s house to find both Tommy and Mike sitting on the porch.
“Hey.” Tommy said in a dull tone.
“You two don’t seem as upset.” Mike noted.
Amber walked up and sat on the railing next to Tommy. “We got over it last night. Carol received another note.”
Tommy looked up. “I figured. So, I wonder, whose next?”
Carol hung her head down. “I don’t feel well, I’m going to go home.”
Amber jumped down. “Let me get my stuff from your car. Hey, Tommy, do you think your parents will allow me to stay at your house until this is over?”
“I’m sure they won’t care.” Mike said. “I’ll share a room with Tommy, and you can have mine.”
Carol brought Amber her bag from the car. “See you later.” Carol said before she walked to her car.
As she drove home, she noticed the new emptiness of the streets. School was canceled till Monday, but she figured that some would stay out for a while. She looked at Jason’s house again as she passed. When she drove by Litanya’s house, she noticed that police were still there. When she passed Alison’s house, she saw something near the curb, and stopped.
She stepped out of her car and walked to the curb. She ignored the police tape. Carol knelt down to pick up something she was searching for—the purple pen. It was leaking from a crack on the side.
Carol returned to her car and continued home. She entered her house with an eerie feeling. Her parents were at work now; they both worked late, but got up early in the morning, or plainly never slept. She slowly walked to her room and sat the broken pen on a tray that sat on her desk.
Carol walked to her bed and laid face down on the bed. She began to try. She tried to think of what Amber said, but she couldn’t help it. She d
idn’t stop until a hand was placed on her head. Fright ran over her.
“Don’t scream, brat.” The familiar voice said.
Carol rolled away and faced Jade. “Jade! You freak! You’ll scare the life out of someone! Normal people don’t pull a stupid stunt!” She yelled.
“Now, I said not to scream.” Jade said calmly.
Carol sat up on her bed and looked at the man who stood next to her bed. “Hey, how’d you get in here?”
“The door, like any normal person.” Jade said.
Carol glared at him. “You are the one, aren’t you?”
“No.” He said as he walked to her desk.
Carol didn’t believe him, and certainly didn’t trust him. “Then explain yourself.”
“My brother is behind the kidnappings and murders.” He said.
“Your brother?” Carol was stumped, but still didn’t believe him.
Jade didn’t say anything.
“Why are you in my room?” Carol asked seriously wanting an answer.
Jade stayed silent.
Carol crossed her arms. “Fine, don’t tell me.”
“I’m here to tell you to be careful.” Jade said. “Oliver wanted me to, or I wouldn’t have.”
“The cat?” Carol asked. “What? Does it talk or something?”
Jade shook his head. “No…Oliver shares my emotions.”
“Surprise, the guy has emotions!” Carol said sarcastically.
Jade walked to the door. “You might want to pull the curtains closed. If I can see in, what else could?”
“What!” Carol jumped up till she stood on her bed. “What do you mean? Pervert!”
“I am not.” Jade said. “I have never watched you or your friend change clothes before. And if I were out to kill you, Carol, I certainly would have done it by now. Don’t give him notice.”
Jade walked out of her room. “Good-bye.”
Carol was stumped and didn’t know what to say. She heard the front door open and close. She stood on her bed for a minute before she heard a tapping on her door. She went to the window and opened her curtains.
Jade waved from the other side of the window then turned to walk away.
Carol was angry now. She REALLY didn’t like that guy. She pulled the curtains shut and pulled safety pens out of a drawer to pin the curtains closed.
“The nerve of that guy!” Carol hastily pinned the curtain closed. “How dare he look into a girl’s room? His brother, my butt! I still think he’s behind everything.” She poked herself with a pin. “Damn it!”
Carol threw the box down. She kicked the box before it hit the floor causing it to break against the wall.
That night Carol changed clothes quickly and lay down in her bed. She wasn’t sleepy at all, and she lay there thinking. After a few minutes she began to hear a tapping at her window. Carol felt a shiver run up her spine. Was it Jade? She was too frightened to move. He told her not to pay any attention to him. Him who?
The tapping continued, but Carol didn’t move. She hoped whatever was out there, would think she wasn’t there.
“Carol…?” A voice called from outside the window. The voice was female. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
Carol thought it might be Amber, but Amber wouldn’t do this, not after their agreement not to walk outside at night.
“Carol?” The voice seemed to be singing. It sounded like Litanya.
Carol remembered that Litanya was in the choir, but still she didn’t move. If it were Litanya, she would NEVER do this. She pretended that she didn’t hear it and eventually it stopped.
Carol lay in the bed staring at the ceiling, and remained still. She couldn’t help thinking about her friends, and how all of them disappeared. They all vanished with little clues to their whereabouts. First was Alison—Carol’s best friend. Second was Litanya—a nice tomboy, which transferred a year ago. Then there was Jason—a town punk, but a sweetheart to his friends.
Carol began to cry. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
At Tommy’s house during that day Carol and Mike watched Mike’s tapes. Carol seemed engrossed in a couple of the movies she watched, before they eventually called it a night.