Chapter 1
June 5th
"Finally!" Elizabeth breathed as she stuck her torso out of the window, breathing in the humid summer air. Her long brown hair blew around her face, catching in her strawberry lip gloss. She swept it away with her perfectly polished finger. It was finally that time of year, summer. The long nine months that she spends in her all-girl boarding school was getting to her. This year had been particularly difficult for her. While she had many friends as a freshman and sophomore, this year they'd dropped her for the "chic girls."
Everyone started making new friends and ditching the old ones. You'd think that all the old ones would gravitate together and start forming their own cliques and they did, but Elizabeth was left alone. She spent most of her time in her AP writing and her AP music classes. Her days consisted of going through the motions of her first classes and as soon as she got to lunch, she'd grab her tray, leave the cafeteria, and book it down the music room where she'd eat alone and write songs. After that, she'd go to her classes and as soon as school was over, she'd drive home, go upstairs, and play the guitar. It was lonely at times, but it was all she needed. Her family was fabulously wealthy and one would think that would earn her popularity, but it didn't. Her father owned a long chain of five star hotels and one would think that would also earn her popularity, but it didn't.
But it was summer now, and her summers have been spent in Allagash, Maine. Here the summer temperatures sometimes reached the hundreds, just the way Elizabeth likes it. But when she's not here, she's in Dubuque Iowa, which has some of the harshest winters in the United States. She's always pleased when she can ditch her cold winter and fall clothes and slip into some skimpy shorts and a spaghetti strapped tank. Even though she's an unpopular loner in Dubuque, she's wildly popular in Allagash. Over the 16 summers she's been coming to Allagash, she's made great friends. Her and her three best friends are constantly out till the early morning hours. Though the parties surprisingly don't involve any alcohol and when they do, the four girls never touch their lips to any, and always leave at modest times.
They stay in the master suite at one of the hotels her father owns in Allagash. Behind it, Elizabeth and her family keep some horses in a large barn. They have over three-hundred acres to roam and run. One of her favorite things to do, when she's not busy with her friends, is ride her oldest horse, Lilly, to a creak a few miles away. She has a hammock up there and a guitar stashed in a hallowed out tree. She writes and plays songs for hours.
"Elli, get yourself back in this car!" her mother's voice scolded. Elli has always been her nickname.
She did as she was told and pulled her thin body back into the car and down to her seat. She re-buckled and rolled up the window. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"I know you're excited, but I don't need you falling out of the car…you have enough accidents as it is." She chuckled quietly.
Elli smiled and looked out the window. She's never been very coordinated and constantly trips on her own two feet. Her mother always jokes about it, usually saying she's too dangerous for her own good.
Elli loves to sing. She sings all the songs she writes and keeps them in a special binder that she takes with her to Allagash every summer. She then plays them for her friends in the barn behind the hotel. Then the sign appeared. "Welcome to Allagash!" it said. She wriggled in her seat as they passed rows and rows of trees. And then the giant, white hotel appeared. The Tanner resort was its name. They pulled in drove around the culdesac and stopped at the doors. It looked more like a mansion than a hotel. Two extremely hansom men dressed in black pants and blue vests, Thomas and Drake, ran down the steps and opened her door.
"Welcome back, ." the brunette greeted.
"Thanks, Thomas." she smiled and took his hand. He helped her out of the car.
Her father was walking down the steps after them. "Ah, two of my favorite girls!" he cried, spreading his arms.
"Daddy!" Elli cried, running into his open arms.
"Hey, sweetheart." He squeezed her. "So…is Laura coming?"
Her heart immediately sank. Laura was Elizabeth's older sister. She was a senior this year and was also the most popular girl at their boarding school. Everyday her sister taunted her, calling her dumb, ugly, friendless and all her beautiful friends laughed. But instead of starting an argument with her father, Elizabeth stomped up the steps. She traipsed threw the marble lobby, her designer flip-flops making loud smacking noises on her heals. She strode over to the large check in desk and set down her purse. This year, her father had finally agreed to reserve the second largest room in the hotel for her friends. Elizabeth had to stay in her own room because there weren't enough beds in the suite. She was perfectly fine with that, after all, they could still have sleepovers.
"Oh shoot!" a voice snapped behind the desk. She peered over the desk to see who it was.
"Hello?" she called.
The Voice sounded strangely like Anna's. Anna is one of the three best friends that Elli looks forward to seeing each summer. She has beautiful blond hair and goes to church every Sunday. Suddenly, the girl flew up from behind the counter. Her long black hair had dark blue streaks in it. She had lip rings, eyebrow rings, nose rings and ear rings. Her dark eye makeup was quite scary…this was not Anna. Elli's eyes widened as she looked over the girls piercings. Then she looked down at the girl's name tag.
"Oh...my god…" was all she could say.
This was Anna…but a new…unimproved Anna. Elli looked up at the girl, she wasn't smiling, instead she was giving Elli a look of shear annoyance. "H-Hi…Anna," She murmured.
"What do you want? Daddy's little princess can't find her room?" she mocked, making a pouting face.
"Anna?" she hissed.
Anna rolled her eyes and handed Elli the room key. "Just go."
Elli couldn't believe her yes. She wanted to say more, but Anna turned around and went into the back room. Before she knew it, there was loud screamo music coming from the walls. She turned around and headed for the elevator. As she punched in the number of her floor, she felt a sadness come over her. Anna was one of her best friends…and now she…wasn't Anna anymore. What could have possibly happened to her over the school year that caused her to go from the girl who goes to church to the one that vandalizes it?
Elli hadn't been here since the summer of 2007. Her parents had her stay with her Aunt and Uncle last summer because of what happened in 2007. Anna must have made her changes over the course of that summer and over the next.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened up. Another elevator opened up beside and Thomas stepped out, rolling two suit cases and carrying a third under his arm. These were all of Elli's things.
"Let me take that!" Elli smiled, grabbing one of the suit cases.
"It's really no problem," Thomas smiled at her. He had beautiful the silky hair that all the girls love. He was basically the beach god that all the girls dreamed about. She followed him to her room and handed him the key when they arrived there. "Here you are," he opened the door.
The suite was just as she remembered it. Huge canopy bed, giant bathroom, a theater screen sized TV on the left wall. The farthest wall, the one looking over the beach, was made completely of glass. She ran to it and opened the curtains and then ran to the other wall. This one had a window that also looked over the beach; she opened it and breathed in the fresh air. "Finally," she whispered.
She turned around to thank Thomas, but he'd gone. She immediately went to the drawers and opened them all up. She unpacked all of her clothes and put away her music. She moseyed on into the bathroom to see if she needed to fix her hair. The long brown curls she put in that morning had already fallen out. Her hair was back to its silky straightness. She reapplied some makeup and changed into a bikini. She put her shorts and tank back on over it. She ran to the elevator and quickly pushed the buttons. Before she knew it, the elevator had stopped and the doors opened. She ran out and through the hotel doors. It was time to start this magnificent summer.
As she walked down the street, she began to hear the loud noise coming from the beach. She giggled to herself, knowing that all of her friends were waiting for her down by the pier. Her footsteps became quicker and eventually she was running toward the beach. As she got to the end, she could see the loud crowd standing by the water. She walked further until she was at the edge of the crowd.
"Elli!" someone screamed.
She smiled and waved at everyone. Suddenly two of her remaining best friends bolted out of the crowd. "Elli!" Her friends Shannon and Amber were screaming.
Elli ran into their open arms and they all hugged. "Oh I missed you guys!" Elli hollered over the loud noise.
"Well guess what? This summer is going to be epic!" Amber smiled, pushing her short auburn hair out of her eyes.
"Definitely." Shannon agreed.
The girls chatted and caught up for a few minutes. After, they led Elli around to say hello to everyone that had missed her. They all walked down to the edge of the beach and stood in the water. Elli turned to the other girls. "Race you to the raft!" she shouted, taking of her shirt and wriggling out of her Hollister shorts. She tossed off her Gucci flip-flops and ran onto the dock. When she looked back, the other girls were right behind her, slipping out of their clothes and starting to run. She stopped at the end of the dock and stood there. She waited as her friends caught up.
"What are you waiting for? I thought we were racing?" Amber huffed.
"Let's jump together." Elli smiled.
They all grinned with excitement. Their best friend was back for the summer. They'd missed her terribly.
They all joined hands and smiled at each other. "On three,"Shannon commanded. "One,"
"Two," Amber laughed.
"Three!" Elli screamed.
The three girls leaped off the dock and into the warm water. When the three of them surfaced, the splashing began. But Elli was a faster swimmer and she started swimming to the raft. When she finally reached it, she climbed up and laid flat on her back. The hot sun was beating down on her pale body. Her friends joined her minutes later, all lying on their backs as well.
"So…What's up with…Anna?" Elli asked quietly.
The two others exchanged glances. "She kind of just…spiraled downward after you left that summer."
"What do you mean?"
"She went crazy…she thought she couldn't handle you leaving again." Amber whispered.
It was silent for a few moments. Elli was still curious as to what happened with Anna.
"She tried to…hurt herself." Shannon murmured.
"What?" Elli shot up. "What do you mean she tried to hurt herself?"
"It's…a long story. But after the event…her parents sent her to a mental ward thing. We weren't allowed to visit her and she's now dropped out of high school."
"When she came back, we tried to reconnect with her but she didn't want anything to do with us."
Elli felt the tears come to her eyes. They stung and the lump in her throat was causing an unbearable ache. Soon the tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was gasping in sobs. Amber and Shannon began to hug and rub small circles on her back.
"What's wrong?" Amber asked.
"It's all my fault." Elli choked out.
"No it's not!" Shannon argued quickly. "It's not your fault at all."
"Yeah, Shannon's right. Elli, you can't please everyone and it's not your fault that you have to leave at the end of the summer."
"I know…I hate leaving though." Elli cried.
"We do too."
Shannon and Amber exchanged glances. Then they each nodded and stood up.
"But right now you're here. And guess what?" Shannon said sternly.
"What?" Elli whispered.
"We are going shopping, our treat." Amber smiled.
"No, guys I don't know…"
"We are, and when's the last time you had a boyfriend?" Shannon questioned.
Elli shrugged. "A few years ago, I don't know."
"Well that's another thing we're going to get you."
The two girls smiled at their friend. This was sure to be a great summer. They all stood up and jumped back into the water. As they swam, Elli began to let the guilt fade away and allow herself to enjoy the time she was going to have with her friends. The girls splashed and kicked while they stroked to the shore. When they finally were able to stand, they crawled back onto the dock and wrung out their hair. The sun was even hotter than before. They walked down the dock and back to their clothes that were lying where they'd left them. They all re-dressed and slipped on their flip-flops and began walking onto the sand.
"So where should we hit?" Amber asked.
"Why don't we just hang out?" Elli asked.
"Why? I thought you loved shopping?" Shannon asked.
"Well I thought we could get you guys set up in your suites!" Elli shouted excitedly.
"No way!" They squealed.
"Way!" She smiled.
"What are we waiting for?" Shannon squeaked.
The three friends darted off the beach and onto the gravel road. Their flip-flops weren't protecting their feet and they soon had to stop. Rocks kept getting kicked up into their shoes, causing immense pain went their heels touched down. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath.
"This way," Shannon huffed.
She started walking off the trail and toward the woods. There was a small hose that was typically used for washing off from the beach. She turned it on and felt the water. "It's super cold!" she shouted.
The other girls shrugged and stepped toward her. She began to drink from the hose. As her friends walked closer, Shannon slowly removed the hose from her lips and placed her thumb over the opening, then she pointed it in Elli's and Amber's direction.
"No!" The girls shrieked.
They laughed and sprayed each other with the hose, each taking turns.
About an hour or so later, the girls marched up the marble steps and into the grand hotel. They laughed as they heard the sound of water dripping from their soaking bodies. Amber's short auburn hair clung to her cheeks. She shook her head back and forth like a dog, soaking the others. They giggled and did the same with their hair. Shannon shook her long golden hair.
"Girls!" Elli's mother called.
"Hello Mrs. Tanner!" Amber and Shannon singsonged.
"Hello girls, oh you have grown over the year!" She smiled, placing her hand on her chest. She turned to Elli and gave her a serious look. "Now, Elizabeth, the guests will begin to arrive and I expect you to clean up."
Elli nodded and smiled at her mother. "Let's go see your suite." She commanded.
The girls all nodded and walked politely to the elevator. "Oh and Elizabeth?" Elli's mother called.
She turned. "Yes mother?"
"I want you to be ready for the welcome back summer dinner tonight."
"Absolutely." Elli answered.
"Amber, Shannon?" Her mother called again.
"Yes, Mrs. Tanner?" They answered.
"I'd like for you girls to join us as well."
They all smiled and nodded. The girls proceeded into the elevator and watched as Elizabeth pressed the button.
"So what's the suite look like?" Amber asked.
"It's beautiful. Lace and frill everywhere, it's very feminine. I think you'll love it." She smiled.
The doors opened and they all stepped out. Elli led them down the hall and to their suite, which was right next door to hers. She took out a long key and slid it into the small hole. She turned it both ways and unlocked the door. She opened it and motioned for them to go in.
"I'll let you two get settled in, meet me in my room in fifteen." Elli closed their door and slid a copy of her key under their door. She then walked next door to hers. She twisted her key in the lock and walked into her fabulous suite.
She grabbed some gym shorts and a tank from Abercrombie. She padded into the bathroom and turned on the hot shower. She slipped off her wet clothes and stepped in. She jumped at the hot water but then relaxed. As she shampooed and conditioned, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Whatever happened back in Iowa was behind her. Next year she'd be a senior and would be perfecting her music. Then the following fall, she'd be off to Julliard to get started.
When everything was said and done, she'd move back here and live comfortably with her friends. But that was the future, and the more she thought about it, the more scared she became. But it was time to focus on this moment…tonight. Tonight was the welcome back summer dinner and dance. Her parent's threw the bash every year, but they'd always made Elli stay in her suite. But this year she'd attend and she'd have the time of her life. Since Laura hadn't showed up yet, that meant she must not be coming and that would mean all the more attention for Elli.
She turned off the water and grabbed a towel. She wrapped herself in it and dried off. She put on her clothes and went back into the other room. Since she and her friends would be attending the dinner this year, she'd give them both mani-pettis.
"Hey!" Two voices shouted.
Her friends skipped through the door and leaped onto her bed. They'd already showered and had silk robes on. "Hey," Elli greeted. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "I thought I'd give you guy's manicures and pedicures?"
"Yes!" Shannon and Amber squealed.
Elizabeth painted their nails. The girls gossiped and caught up from the long nearly two years that they'd been apart. Amber and Shannon both had boyfriends. They both had already called them and invited them to the dinner tonight. They felt bad that Elli didn't have a boyfriend, but Elli kept assuring them that it didn't bother her. It did bother her, but she didn't want to ruin their fun, it wasn't their fault that she was unwanted by a boy. Over summers they'd tried to hook Elli up with guys from Allagash but she was so close to all of them that it just felt…odd. The ones she did like, always turned her down in rude and humiliating ways. She was friends with all the boys here and they all felt like brothers. Eventually, the girls gave up on the institution and had stayed single. It wasn't that hard, Shannon and Amber were late bloomers and weren't the prettiest girls in the bunch. Elli couldn't exactly blame the guys; she was a late bloomer as well. But over time, she and her friends had bloomed and bloomed beautifully.
Amber, who last year had long, frizzy, red hair, wasn't chubby anymore. She lost weight and her cheek bones were more pronounced. Her green eyes were now accented with gold eye shadow and black eyeliner. Her hair was now cut into a short, chic look and was darker. Her hair was stick straight, even after her hair was dry.
Shannon's shoulder length hair grew out over the nine months. IT was now down to her butt and curled beautifully at the ends. She had bright blue eyes and a white smile. Her friends were absolutely gorgeous and it was no wonder why they had boyfriends. Elli sighed and stood up. She'd finished their nails and was feeling hesitant to finish getting ready.
"What's wrong?" Amber asked.
She shrugged. "Nothing…"
"That's not nothing, that's the face you had when Johnny broke up with you a few years ago…" Shannon observed.
"You know what, I don't care that I don't have a date. I don't need a guy to be happy, and guess what? All those guys that turned me down, they're going to be sorry they did."
"Absolutely, that's the spirit!" Amber smiled.
"I'm going to need your help…" Elli sighed. "I have no idea what to do…"
Her friends smiled at her and left the room. They returned moments later with flat irons, curling irons, makeup and a series of products.
"Ta-da!" The girls shouted proudly. Elli tried to turn around to see what they'd done to her, but Shannon stopped her.
"Wait till we're gone, kay?" she smiled sweetly.
Elli smiled and then sighed. "Fine."
Her friends shuffled out the door to get ready themselves. Elli took a deep breath and turned around. She smiled at her reflection. Her friends did an awesome job with her hair and makeup. Her long brown hair was pulled up and had only a few curled strands of hair dangling. Her eyes were done in a smokey way and her lips had a deep red lipstick on. She looked as though she'd gained three years, perfect. She got up to go get her dress. The girls must have peaked at some point, because her lips matched her dress.
This event was a big deal. It was a ball gown and black tie event. You dressed up or you were booted out. So her family bought her a four-thousand dollar dress for the occasion. After the dinner, it almost became a summer prom for the teens.
She pulled out her red, strapless dress and admired it. It was a floor length gown that was a deep red. The torso was fitted to accentuate any type of curve you have. The bottom flared out with a series of red flowers bunching up areas, but not in a tacky way. She slipped off her robe and shorts, along with her tank top. Then she pulled up the dress and zipped up the back. As she admired what it did to her figure, she heard a knock at her door.
She pulled up the front and ran over to the door to see who it was. She peered through the whole and felt her shoulders drop. She opened the door and folded her arms.
"Hi sissy!" her sister Laura yelled. She went in to hug Elli, but Elli leaned out of the way. Her sister looked puzzled.
Elli rolled her eyes and walked back over to her vanity. She picked up some powder and began to dab it on her chest.
"What the hell is your problem?" her sister snapped.
"What are you doing here?" Elli hissed.
Laura strutted into the room and put her suit case on the bed. "Setting up in my room."
"Oh no you're not! This is my room." Elli snapped back.
"Wanna bet?" Laura questioned with an attitude. "Actually, you're right, this isn't technically my room. My room is the one next door, but there's a bunch of screaming girls in there, so I'm taking yours." She tapped her foot.
Elli took a deep breath and looked back in the mirror. Her face was as red as her dress. She grabbed her phone and dialed her father.
"Who are you calling?" Laura asked.
Elli held up a finger.
"Hello, this is the Tanner Grand Hotel, how may I assist you?" her father's professional voice answered.
"Daddy, Laura's here and she's trying to kick me out of my room." She answered.
"Elizabeth?" he asked.
"Yes, now can you please come up here and straighten this out?"
He sighed. "I have a lot to do…"
"I know, and I'm extremely sorry to bother you, but this is important, and it will only take a moment." She pleaded.
"Fine, I'll be up in a few minutes." He sighed.
"Thanks,"
They hung up and Elli slammed the phone on the desk. She turned to Laura and walked over to her suitcase. "You're not staying in this room." She hissed, putting her clothes back in the suitcase.
"Yes I am!" Laura hissed. She gave Elli a shove. Elli fell backwards and tripped on her dress. She fell to the floor and hit her head on the chair.
She looked up at her sister, completely in shock. She touched the back over head and then looked at her fingers. There was red covering them. Then the throbbing pain came. Elli couldn't find the strength in her legs to stand up, she rolled over and grabbed on to the chair. She pulled herself up and stood.
Laura stood across the room, a shocked look on her face. Elli waited for her sister to apologize and rush to her side, but she didn't. Laura stepped toward her, a look coming across her face that said 'If you tell dad I'll hurt you even worse next time.' Elli backed up to the glass wall. She pressed her body to it and looked out. Laura took another step toward her and another…until eventually; she was standing right in front of Elli. Elli's breathing picked up and her heart pounded. Her head throbbed but she wasn't paying attention to that.
Laura lifted a hand but put it down as soon as she heard a room key going into the door. She jumped back and landed on the canopy bed. Elli continued to breathe heavily until she got light headed. She looked over at her father who had an odd expression on his face.
"What happened in here?" Their father bellowed.
Elli looked down at her body. A stream of blood was running down her chest and into the middle of her dress. Elli looked frantically over at her sister who sat calmly on the bed, her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap. Laura looked at Elli again, the same look came across her face that was there before. Elli swallowed hard and looked at her dad.
"I-I tripped…" she stammered. She wasn't about to tell him that her sister pushed her into the chair. Something told her that if she did, her sister really would hurt her or...worse.
"You tripped?" her father questioned.
Elli nodded slowly.
"Well…let's have a look at that cut." He muttered.
Her father walked swiftly over to her. Elli turned around so he could see. "I'm going to go get your Alana, she'll know how to take care of this," he stated.
He turned from Elli. "Laura stay here and watch her." He ordered. Their father left the room.
Laura walked over to Elli and smiled. "Watch it sis, or this will be the least painful thing that happens to you." And with that, Laura strolled out of the room, leaving Elli all alone.
Her vision began to get blurry and before she knew it, she slid down the glass wall, leaving a long streak of blood as she fell to the floor.