Fright Night 1985
Twisted Fate
Chapter Three
by
~GaGa4FrightNight~
~Vendehla~
Thea sat behind the desk within the Literature classroom. She sat silent, the sound of the wall clock's ticking seemingly loud. In her hands she held the old parchment letter, yet she hadn't unfolded it. Her hazel eyes studied the yellowed paper as her fingertips touched the slightly crumbled and broken red wax seal. The paper itself was impressively authentic in it's aged appearance and how strange to find such parchment hidden within the pages of a Shakespeare Reader. Should she read it?
She carefully set the letter against the desktop then slowly she unfolded it. Her eyes firstly scanned the fine script, a penmanship just as impressively aged as the letter's appearance. How strange, she thought, that a young man such as Charley Brewster having something that seemed honestly dated, old, and quite beautiful to look at.
Her eyes dared and she started to read the few paged letter. She found no difficulty to read the dialect scribed in the letter, found the wording quite lovely. Yet, the context of the letter began to create a tension across the expression of her eyes. Names, not just the name of the boy's, that were written were familiar, oddly familiar to a point that it seemed unbelievable. But what was most unbelievable was the mention of her very own name. And one name in particular seemed to emerge more than the others, Lord Dandridge. She frowned in question.
Her eyes continued, read thoroughly what was written seemingly centuries ago to a boy in 1985. She lifted away the first page and started to read the second. The tale, nothing near Shakespeare, was woven within those finely and perfectly scribed words.
The mention of the woman with her name who disappeared, her brow tensed. The mention of that Lord Dandridge's embrace of the Darkness, her eyes oddly saddened. Each following description of fantastical events caused her expression to shift and change. Her right hand lifted and unconsciously she started to chew on fingernail. What type of fantasy was it she read? But if it were fantasy then why were there so many details, names, and scenarios that read so familiar to her?
"Ms. Bellamy," a stern voice spoke up.
Thea tore her attention from the letter and looked to the stern expression of the high school principle's. She forced a smile then rose up from her seat, "Mr. Norton."
Mr. Norton entered the classroom and paused a few feet from the sweet faced substitute teacher. "Ms. Bellamy," he said with his voice still stern, his arms in from of him and both gripped a file folder, "We have a problem."
Thea tilted her head in question then asked, "What might that be, Sir?"
Mr. Norton stepped to the desk and tossed the empty file folder atop the desk. He pointed at the folder, the tab labeled with the substitute's name. "We have no information to put in that file," he announced and continued to point at the folder with his eyes sternly fixed on Thea, "Oddly, Ms. Bellamy, we cannot confirm any information you've given us."
"What?" Thea asked in surprise, "There has to be a mistake, I haven't falsified any information I've given."
"Ms. Bellamy," Mr. Norton only raised his stern voice slightly, "We unfortunately hired you at a last minutes notice because Mrs. Allan went into labor earlier than the actual due date which put us in a bind." he tucked his hands behind his back, "From what we received upon checking your resume, was exactly what is that folder." he gestured to the folder, "Nothing."
"That's impossible." Thea protested, "Had you checked my previous employment in England?"
"Yes," Mr. Norton replied, "We checked but found that your previous employment hasn't existed in over three hundred years which is quite strange."
"What?" Thea shook her head, confused, "I don't understand. This makes no sense."
"Ms. Bellamy, I'm sorry," Mr. Norton got down to the business at hand, "You're terminated for falsifying your background information. Clean our your desk. Turn in your key. And good night." He turned and left the room without another word spoken.
Thea slowly sat down, her legs felt weakened by the shock of what just happened. Her eyes shifted and looked to the letter.
Charley returned home, this time he steered away from snooping the neighbor's basement. He continued with the plan to survive which meant no late night spying through binoculars to only escalate his life into a living nightmare. Yes, he refused to play that role again. He had no desire to face that nightmare, witness bared fangs prepared to penetrate a woman's neck. Survival, that's what he had to focus on.
So far, he hadn't given Dandridge a reason to invade his life. Yet, there was that troubling tidbit in the letter where it was written that Dandridge blamed him for Thea's disappearance. Surely, he thought, how could he be blamed when he damn well told no one to look when Yolanda exploded into oblivion. He thought he had done them all a damned good deed. He helped take out Yolanda which in turn should've, if Thea hadn't time jumped, saved Dandridge from an immortal curse and prevented the vampire from accidentally killing Thea. Why did he have to be blamed? And why hadn't damned Aiden told Dandridge about the visions that showed what was supposed to happen?
He prepared for his evening with Amy, his mom returned home from work a little while before. He continued to rummage about all his text books, the reader was missing along with the letter. He grumbled and groaned, dumped the entire contents of his book bag onto the bed. No reader or letter then it dawned on him.
"Ah shit," he moaned and slapped his hand against his forehead, "I dropped it, dammit." Yes, he realized when he dropped his books in Lit class, the reader and the letter within it was left on the floor. His eyes grew wide, likely Thea had picked it up. What if she read the letter? Wait, he thought, perhaps if she had then she would remember.
"Charley!" Judy's voice called through the house.
Charley snapped from his concerns and stepped to his bedroom door and opened it. "Yeah, Mom?!" he called back.
"Charley, would you come here for a minute, please!" Judy called back.
"Yeah!" he shouted then stepped out of his room. He checked his digital wrist watch, twenty after six.
He reached the stairs then something strange came over him. He shook his head. No, he thought, that's not supposed to happen until tomorrow night but, he hoped, it wouldn't happen at all. He continued down the stairs but once at the bottom that strange sense again struck him.
A knock sounded on the front door.
Charley snapped from that somewhat eerie sense and looked to the door. Had Amy showed up early?
Charley stepped off the last step and yelled out his mom, "I'll get it, it's probably Amy!" He stepped towards the door and caught glimpse of something unexpected or unwanted from a quick glance through the living room entryway. He froze and eyes widened.
Another knock.
"Charley, answer the door!" Judy called from the living room.
Charley blinked, his hand slowly reached for the doorknob but his eyes couldn't shift from the evidence that everything he knew had completely twisted around. His heart pounded nearly uncontrollably, breaths erratic. His eyes shifted and aimed at the door. Should he let Amy in? What would happen if he opened the door and led her straight into that nightmare?
Judy stepped into the entryway with a hand on her hip and Bloody Mary in the other hand. "Charley, are you going to open the door or not?" she questioned her son.
Charley shakily nodded, his hand gripped the doorknob just as another knock sounded from the other side of the door. His hand slowly turned the knob, the door clicked then very slowly he cracked the door open. His eyes immediately frowned.
"Charley, who is it?" Judy asked as she stepped further into the foray, "Well?"
"Ah," Charley said with his mouth gaped, "Um."
Judy rolled her eyes and marched up to the door, "I swear, Charley, you've been acting really strange lately." she complained, had no idea what had happened and might happen to her son, "And we have a guest in the living room too." She grabbed the door and opened it the rest of the way. She frowned.
"Hello," Thea sang to the two individuals before her. She hugged the Shakespeare reader against her chest and offered her left hand, "You must be Mrs. Brewster, Charley's mother." she sweetly sang, "I'm Ms. Bellamy," she paused, her smile forced, then basically lied, "Charley's substitute Literature teacher."
"Oh, hello!" Judy sang and awkwardly shook Thea's hand, unusual to shake with the left hand.
Charley's eyes shifted and looked passed his mother, peered into the living room.
Seated in the wing back chair within the Brewster living room was Jerry Dandridge. He sat seemingly relaxed in the chair but his body stiffened at the sound of a very familiar voice. A voice he hadn't heard in three-hundred and fifty-seven years. A voice he had hoped he would again hear upon waiting all those years, over three centuries he waited. His eyes stared forward, seemingly void of expression. The wait was nearly over.
Charley again looked forward at Thea who continued, as typical of her nature, to smile. "Um, hi," he mumbled.
Judy smiled, glanced at her son's strange expression which had become quite common as of lately then looked back to the thirty something woman just on the other side of the threshold. "What can we do for you, Ms. Bellamy?" she asked, since her son seemed quite rude.
Thea reached out the reader to Charley and explained to Judy, "Your son dropped this in class today and I thought I would bring it to him." she waited for Charley to take the reader, "Two scenes are assigned to be read." she gestured for Charley to take the reader with her eyes.
"Oh," Charley finally blinked then quickly grabbed the reader, "Ah, thanks."
"Ms. Bellamy, thank you so much." Judy politely thanked the woman, "Are you new to town?"
Thea nodded, "Yes, I moved here recently to acquire the substitute position." Yet, oddly, it seemed that wasn't the truth. But, she couldn't truly say why she was there. Everything seemed nearly a blank but why?
"Oh, well, that's interesting." Judy commented then somewhat pointed next door, "We just had a new neighbor move in just days ago." she stepped back, opened the door wider, "Would you like to come in? I could introduce you." she smiled, "Two new people in town, why not meet, hmm?"
Charley wasn't sure what to do or say. Should he prevent Thea and Dandridge from seeing one another. But what excuse could he give? His eyes stared at Thea.
"Oh, I don't want to be a bother." Thea politely said though in ways she wished she could have a word with the young man Charley concerning the letter she shamefully read, "You have company and I just simply wanted to make sure Charley was able to read the assignment. Shakespeare is quite difficult at times." Also, since she no longer was the boy's substitute she wanted to make certain the reader was returned to him.
"Oh, it's no bother, Ms. Bellamy." Judy sang and took another step back then encouraged Thea to enter with a wave of her hand, "Please, come in for a minute. It's the least we could do since you were so sweet enough to bring Charley his reader."
Thea nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Mrs. Brewster." she stepped over the threshold then between Charley and Judy, "I'll only stay a moment. I have homework myself." Yes, homework which entailed to figure out what was happening, why it seemed she oddly had no past. Everything became so unclear and troublesome and the letter again tucked in Charley's reader had heightened her confusion.
Judy closed the door then stepped passed Thea and moved through the living room entryway.
Thea looked to Charley with a smile but he simply stared at her with wide eyes filled with nervousness. "Charley," she spoke with a whisper, "I would like to speak with you."
"Huh?" Charley mumbled, "Ah, about what?" His eyes nervously alternated from looking at Thea then through the living room entryway.
Thea took a step closer to the boy and again whispered, "It concerns the letter I found in your reader, Charley."
Charley stopped his frantic eyeballing of both directions and froze with his eyes locked with Thea's. Did she remember something?
"But I'm guessing now isn't the time." Thea commented then somewhat sighed, "Perhaps later, hmm?" She again smiled.
Charley nodded with short bobs of his head.
"Oh, Ms. Bellamy!" Judy's voice called from the living room.
Thea held her smile and gave Charley an agreeing nod in return. She took a breath then turned and faced the entryway. She stepped forward.
Charley stood with his entire body stiff and rigid, every damned muscle seemed to have tightened with his joints locked. His eyes widely watched Thea step through the entryway. "Oh, gah," he quietly groaned and repeated, "Oh, gah."
Judy stood before the chair where the new neighbor sat comfortably. She smiled wide, pleased having such a handsome new neighbor in her very living room. Proudly she sang the introduction, "Ms. Bellamy and..." she frowned, Charley still stood in the foray, "Charley," she scolded her son again with a hand on her hip, "Don't be rude and come in here."
Charley painfully swallowed another huge lump that built in middle of his dry throat. "Oh..." his voice somewhat squeaked, "Okay, Mom." He pried one foot off the floor and brought it forward then the other. His legs felt wobbly, knees nearly too loose as he approached the entryway. He quickly grabbed hold of the entryway framing with one hand as the other sweatily gripped the reader. His eyes were wide, filled with uncertainty but mostly fear. There he was, his mind screamed, god damned Jerry Dandridge!
Judy shook her head, disapproved of her son's strange behavior then again she sang the grand introduction, "Ms. Bellamy and Charley," her eyes shifted and looked down at the stunning new neighbor, a glimmer of immediate awe, "This is our new neighbor, Mr. Dandridge."
Thea's eyes quickly frowned, the name she just heard was also written in that peculiar letter of Charley's.
Charley quickly looked to Thea, maybe she would remember.
Jerry Dandridge dropped his right hand down against the chair arm then he leaned forward. His eyes immediately saw and recognized the face he never had the opportunity to immortalize in a painted portrait. His dark eyes again, for the first time in centuries, saw the face of an angel, his angel. His full lips formed a smile with that light crook. He pushed up and rose gracefully from the chair, his eyes focused to take in every detail of the face he refused to forget. Yet, what he searched for the most was recognition within her frowned eyes.
"Mr. Dandridge," Judy sang though she suddenly felt awkward by the manner her new high hopes for courtship looked to the fairly pretty substitute teacher, "This is my son Charley and this is his teacher Ms. Bellamy."
Dandridge really paid no mind to the boy cringing against the entryway, gave a quick nod without relinquishing his focus on her. "Charley," he swiftly greeted. He would deal with the boy later.
Thea continued to frown, her hazel eyes oddly locked with Dandridge's. The man before her, something inside her tried to convince her she knew him and that he was in deed the Lord Dandridge mentioned in Charley's letter. Yet, she thought, it was impossible. Nothing made sense but there seemed nothing of logic was available to give sense.
Charley kept quiet, well, more like he was completely speechless. His eyes reluctantly shifted to Dandridge who was solely focused on Thea, not focused on making him have the urge to crap his pants. He recognized that expression over Dandridge's damned good looks. In the original happenings, he saw that same expression the moment Dandridge laid eyes on Amy. But this was different, he told himself, Thea was Thea, she wasn't some lookalike. Things had to change for the better, he hoped, now that Dandridge truly found what he was looking for.
Dandridge's eyes shifted down the moment he caught glimpse of Thea lift her left hand. There it was, a smile subtly formed over his lips, the gold band with the emerald setting.
"Hello," Thea forced herself to speak and managed to create a smile. She offered her left hand, "Nice to meet you," she momentarily paused then said his name, "Mr. Dandridge."
Dandridge's eyes focused on the ring on Thea's finger and finally spoke, "Please, call me Jerry." Yes, please, he thought, for she always called him by his informal nickname. He reached with his right hand, the other two present in the room seemed to fade. His hand took hold of hers, for over three hundred years he clung to the memory of how it felt to touch her and finally, again, he touched her. He lifted her hand, the traits of the former gentleman she once knew, and leaned forward.
Thea's eyes widened with surprise then that unconscious instinctual habit triggered her to bring a right hand fingertip to her lips. Unconsciously she nervously chewed on her fingernail as her eyes watched her hand be brought to this man's lips then felt a kiss be pressed directly against the ring on her finger. Her eyes frowned, she realized she had no remembrance where the ring came from or who gave it to her.
Judy somewhat grimaced, felt sort of disappointed how the attractive new neighbor so damned suavely kissed the substitute's hand.
Dandridge's eyes looked into Thea's. Again he searched in the depths of her large hazel eyes for any sign of recognition. "Charmed," he softly sang. His lips again smiled as he released her hand. There she was chewing on her fingernail as she always did in moments of nervousness. Throughout those long centuries, there were a few he discovered that appeared to be her but they weren't. He knew nearly the instant he saw those deceptive familiar faces that they weren't who he searched those centuries for. But who stood before him now, she was most definitely the one he sought.
Thea finally blinked and quickly realized she did her bad habit. Quickly she lowered her hand then looked to Charley's mother. "Um," she spoke up, "I have to be going, Mrs. Brewster." She reluctantly looked to the man in front of her and politely said, "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Dandridge." She avoided speaking his informal name. She again looked to Judy, "Have a good night." She started to turn but stopped the moment he spoke.
"Ms. Bellamy," Dandridge spoke up, was far from ready to watch her walk out.
Thea forced a smile, her head turned and eyes looked to his, "Yes?" Why did she have the sense she knew him?
"Can I ask where you got your lovely ring?" Dandridge asked, an effort to possibly receive a type of recognition.
Thea lifted her left hand and looked for a moment at the ring. Her eyes lifted as her thumb slightly rubbed against the gold band of the emerald ring. She slowly shook her head and confessed, "I can't remember." She turned and looked to Charley then stepped up to him and requested, "Charley, would you mind walking me out? I want to speak with you for just minute, okay?"
Charley shifted his eyes to his mom who nodded that it was okay but his eyes quickly looked to Dandridge. There it was, the expression he dreaded seeing again, Dandridge's face became stern with a slight snarl about the top lip. He nervously swallowed and looked to Thea. "Ah," he mumbled, "Ah, sure."
"Thank you, Charley." Thea politely said then again spoke Mrs. Brewster, "And a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Brewster." She didn't dare look to Dandridge.
How could she not remember? Dandridge grumbled in thought. All the effort he made to find her, survived centuries in silent torment without her, but she looked to him without any sign she knew who he was. Yet, he lowly growled in his mind, Charley remembered every damned thing but Thea didn't.
Dandridge's dark eyes watched closely as Thea vanished with Charley into the foray. His jaw clenched then flexed.
"Mr. Dandridge," Judy spoke up, saw Dandridge's focus still somewhat on the substitute teacher then she repeated, "Mr. Dandridge."
Dandridge snapped from his frustrated thoughts and looked to Charley's mother. "Yes?" he asked.
Judy attempted a smile, "Would you like me to freshen up your drink?"
Dandridge's eyes glanced to the drink in his hand, only quarter gone. He lifted the glass and sang, "Please."
"No problem," Judy chimed then took the glass and sashayed from the living room then into the dining room.
Dandridge's head darted and eyes looked to the nearest window. He marched toward the window.
Charley nervously stepped down off the porch with Thea then walked the short walkway. "Um, yeah," he mumbled a bit, "What can I do for ya, Ms. Bellamy?"
Thea turned and faced young Charley. She crossed her left arm just under her bust and again started that unconscious habit. "Well, Charley, I was curious about that letter." she spoke up and reluctantly looked to Charley's somewhat troubled expression, "I apologize but, yes, I read it and found it quite strange."
"Um, okay." Charley said.
"Is the letter genuine or is it a fake?" Thea asked, the more her eyes focused on Charley the more he too became familiar other than just a student she met the previous day.
Charley again mumbled, "Huh? A what?"
"Charley, why is my name in that letter?" Thea quickly pointed at the reader then returned to chew on that index fingernail, "My name and yours is in that letter and why is that?" then she remembered whom she just met, "Also, the man we both just met, his name is in that letter."
"Um, Ms. Bellamy," Charley, again, could only mumble, "Well," he huffed, "Well, you might not believe me if I told you."
"Well, I would appreciate that you tell me the truth." Thea commented, "There are things that aren't making a bit of sense as of today."
"Yeah, I know what ya mean." Charley agreed, understood how crazy things had become, even more so than it originally happened.
"Charley," Thea spoke up a bit more, "Today I was terminated as the substitute Literature teacher because they claim that none of my references exist or existed centuries ago. And," she felt almost embarrassed, "Well, and besides our names, I recognized the names Tayte and Aiden as well."
Charley truly didn't know what he should or shouldn't tell her. He opened his mouth but his eyes caught glimpse of Dandridge at the window with the curtain slightly drawn. His eyes aimed at the window, watched the curtain fall into the place and Dandridge was gone.
Thea frowned and looked to the window Charley's stared at. "What's wrong?" she asked, saw nothing out of the ordinary then looked back to him.
Charley swallowed. What was he to do? What sacrifices might he have to commit in order to survive another run-in with his ultimate boogieman? He looked to Thea's concerned expression. "Ms. Bellamy," he spoke nearly with a whisper and leaned closer to her. His hand lifted and from the reader he pulled out the letter then handed offered it to her then he encouraged, "Read it again, please."
"Why?" Thea questioned, glanced at the letter.
"Please, Ms. Bellamy," Charley continued to whisper, "Read it as many times as it takes until you figure it out on your own."
"Figure out what?" Thea again questioned the young man, "What is it I need to figure out?"
Charley literally shoved the letter in her hand, "Just read it again."
"But," Thea went to speak again.
"Good night, Ms. Bellamy," Charley interrupted her, "I gotta read those scenes and I'm sorry you got fired." He turned, decided he'd call Amy and cancel their study session because Dandridge had access to his house and he had no idea the vampire's next move.
"But," Thea spoke up with her hand gripping the letter. She watched the young man hurry into the house. She continued to frown, confused why Charley refused to answer any questions. Her eyes lowered as she turned around. Why did he want her to read the letter again? And what would reading it again do or reveal?
Again Thea started to nervously chew on her fingernail as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Her eyes steadily frowned as they stared at the letter in her hand. Her head lifted and eyes shifted side to side looking down both ends of Oak Street. Her head slightly ached, a troubling confusion seemed to come over her. She shifted on her feet one direction then shifted towards the other. "Where..." she softly whispered under a tense breath, "I..."
Her eyes looked down then her fingers unfolded the letter. She stepped to the nearest lamppost and quickly her eyes studied the words she had already read once.
Charley darted for the stairs, didn't dare look into the living room but the moment he stepped onto the first step he froze. He slowly turned his head, felt that knot again tense in his gut. His eyes flinched wider for staring back at him was Dandridge.
Dandridge grinned as he leaned an arm against the entryway. "Charley." he spoke to the young man he remembered quite clearly having entered his life all those centuries ago.
Charley swallowed, desperate to get upstairs to call Amy.
"See ya," Dandridge spoke, his grin faded into an intensely threatening sneer, "Soon."
Charley quickly broke eye contact with Dandridge and hurried up the stars, tripped halfway up. He pushed himself back up and stumbled into the hallway then raced for his bedroom door.
Dandridge had watched Charley's fearful retreat. He again grinned then huffed an amused laugh. He turned and reentered the living room just as Judy returned with a fresh Blood Mary.
(Author)
Woot! I'm having more fun than I thought writing this one! I actually got all pins and needles when Dandridge and Thea came face to face for the first after she vanished! So, what's happening now? So, is Dandridge gonna pay Charley a late night visit, hmm? Yeah, he's gotta! Oh, and what's happening with Thea? Oh, and when is everyone else gonna get involved? Well, patience is the key here! Ye with much patience shall reap rewards aplenty!
FRIGHT NIGHT FOREVA!
