Chapter 11

Pinky Promise

The weather in Hope's Creek that afternoon was perfect for a walk through the woods with a mysterious outcast like AJ Lee. It was notably hotter than it had been in the afternoon, but it didn't seem to bother the girls; in fact, they were both enjoying it, even though they didn't say this out loud. The summer heat make them feel alive, it filled them with energy. It was just the two of them, there was nobody around to bother them, which was great if you'd ask AJ. She only wanted to show her big secret to Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn alone.

It was so strange, but… somewhere deep inside, for the very first time, she had allowed herself to put some amount of trust in someone from around her age. Perhaps age didn't even matter here; this girl was the first person she felt trust towards to in general. She trusted her even more than her own mother, or any other few family members she still had, the only one she had ever met in person being her aunt Lucille, who was probably the only family member who hadn't been estranged enough to at least visit them around either her or her mom's birthday. She seemed nice despite being a tiny bit distant, but actual trust wasn't really there. No, Kaitlyn had done much more for her than she ever did. She had been kind enough to stand up to Carmella when no-one else did. AJ was convinced that things might've ended way differently if Kaitlyn hadn't been in the school cafeteria at that moment. But it was not only that. Despite the fact that she had only really got to know her for barely a day, she wanted to give her some of her own clothes. Fancy-looking clothes that her mother paid for. AJ remembered burning with envy when she saw girls dressed in those kinds of clothes in the very few fashion magazines she had read throughout her early teenage years, knowing that neither she nor her mother would ever have that much money to buy one of those petticoats, blouses, skirts, shoes or dresses. One piece of clothing that would come close to being 'fancy' was a sleeveless black dress that had been given to her by Aunt Lucille on her eleventh birthday, but that was about it. Then Kaitlyn Bonin came along and now she had a whole backpack full of beautiful clothes. It was so hard to believe that someone who barely knew her was willing to do something so… incredibly kind to her. This kindness was nearly foreign to her. Did Kaitlyn even really know who she really was? Did she know that she was the daughter of the local drug addict? She trusted her enough to show her that one spot in the woods she loved to visit the most, but telling her about her home life felt a bit harder than that.

It would probably have to wait for later. Maybe.

During the whole time they had been walking through the woods, Kaitlyn constantly kept wondering about what her friend wanted to show her. She had asked this a couple times, but each time AJ replied with: 'You'll see!' or 'Not gonna spoil it!' By the time they had crossed the bridge that connected the two hills, the girl had the feeling that AJ's surprise may have been hiding deeper in the woods than she originally thought. They had left the bridge behind them for quite some time, but even now, Kaitlyn could still faintly hear the splashing caused by the current. This, combined with the warm sunlight, the tweeting of the birds, the occasional rustling of leafs from the trees whenever a breeze rolled through the woods, gave her the feeling of how summer should be like. Peaceful, lively, beautiful. Just perfect.

That feeling of tranquility suddenly took a backseat when Kaitlyn glanced at AJ's sun-kissed arms, which were warmed up by a ray of sunlight; they were covered in numerous hideous, angry, rough bruises. All of them colored in such a deep hue of blue that they almost looked like they were black. Kaitlyn's eyes slightly widened with shock. Dear God, what happened to her? There were so many of them, all of them were fresh, like it had happened only yesterday.

'How did you get those bruises?' she promptly asked, pointing at her arms.

Shit! It was that one question AJ had hoped not to hear from her. Damn it, she knew she should've put on that jacket before heading to the school. The petite girl quickly blinked her eyes, thinking of what she should say. Speaking the truth wasn't one of the options. Her situation at home had to remain a secret, she shouldn't know it. Not only would it be incredibly hard, but also embarrassing in some kind of way. Hundreds of possible lies rushed through AJ's head, but she couldn't pick any of them. It sucked having to lie to the girl who had been kind and trusting enough to give her some of her clothes, but still… she just couldn't do it. She had to come up with something, fast; hopefully those few seconds of silence wouldn't be enough to raise any suspicion.

'Uh… I-I…' Just then, she went for the vaguest answer she could possibly think of. 'It's nothing, really.' AJ answered while trying her best to make her voice sound calm. 'Trust me, it's no big deal. I can be such a freaking klutz, you know. It happens to me all the time.' That last part pretty much revealed the truth unintentionally; while AJ wanted to bite her tongue clean off at that moment, she hoped Kaitlyn wouldn't look further into this and take this as an answer. No other question came out of her mouth for the following seconds and she decided to take this as a good sign. The petite girl felt a feeling of lousiness pooling in the pits of her stomach and chest that surprised her. Normally she had no problem with hiding her big secret from the rest because her home situation was none of their business, but Kaitlyn… it was different. Was it because she was pretty much the only person in this miserable town to treat her like a human being? Whatever it was, it made AJ feel guilty… and there had only been very few times during her life that she had felt like this.

Just then, when she looked to her left, she saw the thicket that she had walked through many times before. Thank goodness; not only were they almost there, but she also hoped the thought of the surprise getting closer would take Kaitlyn's mind off the bruises and her vague answer.

'Oh! Through here!' AJ exclaimed. 'Come, follow me! We're getting close!'

The curiosity indeed managed to take her mind off the truth behind the bruises, just like the petite girl had predicted. Kaitlyn immediately couldn't help but wonder what was hiding behind the thicket. Without saying anything but filled with wonder nonetheless, the taller girl followed her new friend, trailing off the path they had been walking on and entering the thicket. The small leafs of the bushes tickled her hands when she spread some of the greenery apart in order to get through with more ease, sharp branches often pricked her legs and through the material of her skirt and t-shirt, but didn't prick deep enough to cause any real pain or wounds. Kaitlyn ignored all of that. Not once did she look away from AJ, who was in front of her and leading her through the thicket. It looked like she had done this before, judging by the way she was moving through the bushes with so much ease. Kaitlyn had no idea where she was taking her, since even though she had been visiting the woods for as long as she could remember, she never thought of going through the thicket.

For once, she had gone of the path and taken a whole new route, all thanks to AJ Lee.

AJ was the first girl to make it through the greenery after they had been walking through it for several minutes. As soon as she got out, she brushed off some tiny leafs from her dungarees and looked back at Kaitlyn with a small smile on her face. She pointed at something behind her. 'Here we are!' she said with a hint of pride in her voice.

She couldn't get a very clear view on whatever the surprise was since she was still behind her, but it didn't last too long before she managed to catch up with AJ. And just when she was about to step out of the thicket, she finally managed to get a good look at what her new friend had wanted to show her all this time… and honestly, it wasn't anything that Kaitlyn had ever expected, to be honest. From a hidden fairy den to some mysterious, alien creature that couldn't be found anywhere in any book in this world (oh the joy of the imaginative mind of a young girl in her early teens), she had never thought of this being the big surprise. And it definitely put a smile on her face.

It was a small hut, build in front of one of the many trees around them, sheltered by the branches high above it. Even though it looked small at first glance, but if you looked again, you would realize that it was actually big enough for two people to fit in. The main frame was formed by the three rows of long, thick branches, two long vertical and a shorter horizontal one that connected the two other rows together, firmly put in the ground and sawed off at the top. The thickness of the branches was strong enough to fully support a large, metal, corrugated sheet, which must've acted like the roof of the hut. The sheet was covered with rusty spots, possibly due to being exposed to the elements for who knows how long. Upon closer inspection when she walked towards it, Kaitlyn saw that the bottom had been covered with a large, blue piece of tarp. The edges of said tarp were covered with small amounts of earth and tiny leafs. Even though AJ didn't say anything, one gesture to the make-shift hut was enough to let Kaitlyn know that it was okay to peek inside it. The girl knelt down in order to get a better view. It became clear that the tarp was acting as the floor, as it protected all the stuff inside from getting dirtied by the ground. The inside of the hut was nothing short of amazingly cozy. The tarp was barely visible thanks to the amounts of colorful sheets that had been put on it; everywhere you looked, you saw bright colors and cartoonish prints. There was a dark blue sleeping bag with white, small stars printed on the smooth fabric that looked perfectly thick enough to protect someone from the cold, put on top of a rather cheap-looking inflatable bed. A total amount of five pillows could be seen, two of which were light yellow, the other ones were soft pink, green and blue. A pile of magazines for young teen girls with an interest for the latest fashion, music and attractive male actors or singers mixed with some comic books had been neatly stacked on top of each other in the far right corner of the hut. Kaitlyn wasn't sure the portable radio next to it would receive that much of a good signal here in the woods. It looked like two plush creatures had already made this hut their home; a soft pink, tattered rabbit was taking a nap on the sleeping back while a plush lion made sure no unwelcomed invaders would enter this cozy little place; small leafs were stuck in its fluffy mane. A flashlight was lying next to the inflatable bed. Always handy.

'Wow…' Kaitlyn said with a soft voice. 'No way! This is so freaking cool!'

'This is what I like to call: Casa La AJ!' her friend said, still with that same hint of pride in her voice. 'You can get inside if you want to!'

That's exactly what Kaitlyn did. She carefully crawled inside, hoping she wouldn't dirty the sheets with earth while getting in. The fabric of the sheets didn't really do much to muffle the crunching of the tarp as she moved forward, but it felt so soft on her hands and knees. Once she got fully inside, she turned her body and sat down. The top of her head grazed against the metal sheet as she did so, but thankfully there was enough space to fully sit upright. Now sitting inside the hut, Kaitlyn knew she absolutely loved this place. It was so warm, so cozy… just perfect! AJ went inside as well and lied down on the inflatable bed. 'So, what do you think?' she asked. 'Do you like it?'

'Heck yeah I do!' Kaitlyn replied. 'I had no idea about this, and I visit the woods almost every day during the summer! This is great! You really did a good job on this! Where did you get all this stuff?'

'Just some stuff that I took from my place. Minus the tarp, radio and the roof though, those I nabbed from the alleyway behind the hardware store. I have been working on this hut since the spring and I can finally say it's exactly how I want it to be. I don't know, but it's so much fun to bring something here each time, whether it's big or small, as long as it makes this place feel more like a home, you know? It feels satisfying. Check out what I got a couple days ago!'

Her hand disappeared inside the sleeping bag and a few seconds later, she retrieved a fairly new-looking walkman, with the thin headphones dangling from a wire that was attached to the device. A small smile could be seen on AJ's face when she showed it to Kaitlyn. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the petite girl had made it perfectly clear that this device belonged to her by writing her name on the hard plastic with a black, permanent marker.

'Cool!' Kaitlyn said.

'I know, right? And do you want to know the best part?' AJ's smile suddenly had something mischievous. 'I didn't even have to pay for this.'

'What do you mean?'

The petite girl chuckled. 'I found it lying near the bus stop near our school. And hey, if you don't bother being careful with your toys, well, then I'll take it, simple as that. I don't know who it belonged to at first, but I gotta say, whoever it was had a pretty good taste in music.' She pointed at the cassette tape inside, which could be seen through the transparent plastic part of the walkman. 'It's rock'n'roll. The tape doesn't say which band it is, but I'm digging it. If I have enough money, I should buy some other tapes. Listening to the same one over and over again can get so old.'

'Yeah, I know what you mean.' Kaitlyn replied. 'I could look in my room when I get home if I still have some cassette tapes for you, if you want. They fit in my radio, so I guess they could fit in your walkman as well.'

'Really?' AJ couldn't help but chuckle. 'Wow, thanks! That would be awesome!'

Just then, in the corner of her eye, Kaitlyn suddenly spotted something peeking from underneath one of the pillows. It was a small, carton, blue box, with the lid opened. At first this seemed insignificant enough, but what had been printed on the front of the box made all the blood inside the girl's body rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. It was the image of a condom. She was this close to gasping out loud, but managed to keep her mouth shut. Why the hell would there be condoms here?! Kaitlyn didn't dare to say this out loud, because she was afraid she would somehow insult her by doing this. Hopefully she didn't see her reddened cheeks… but then again, if she would ask about this, Kaitlyn could simply chalk it up to the summer heat. Sounded believable, right? As awkward as seeing the opened pack of condoms was, it strangely didn't take much of the coziness away that this hut had.

'So… do you come here a lot?' Kaitlyn asked.

'Oh yeah, I definitely do.' AJ replied, nodding her head. 'I always come here when things at home-'

Fuck!

The petite girl quickly shut her mouth and covered it with her hand when she realized about what she was going to slip out, but it was already too late. Far too late. Why did she do that?! What the fuck was wrong with her?! How could she be that stupid to blurt that out?! She had seen her reaction, there was no way she could talk her way out of this. Her own brain had fucked her over, Jesus Christ. To make matters worse, she could feel her cheeks burning with shame. Fuck, fuck, fuck…

'What's wrong?' Kaitlyn asked. This was it, AJ thought. No matter how much she was going to try to talk her way out of this, because her reaction to her own slip-up already said enough. AJ saw the genuinely concerned look in Kaitlyn's eyes. 'What do you mean? Don't you feel comfortable at home? Really, it's okay, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm your friend now, remember?'

Friend. Calling her this made the girl hope that AJ would finally tell her the truth. She had already thought her answer back in the woods was incredibly strange and seeing this reaction pretty much confirmed her worries. There was something AJ was hiding from her… why was she so afraid of telling whatever was bothering her? Whatever it was, Kaitlyn wanted to help her.

Silence fell in the small hut; it was only the rustling of leafs that could be heard.

After a couple of uncomfortably silent seconds, AJ let out a sigh. Fine then; she guessed the truth would have to come out at one point anyway.

'My mom is addicted to heroin.' she said. There, it was out, at least some part of it. She saw Kaitlyn blinking her eyes one time in surprise. 'She has been addicted for years. It all pretty much began after my dad left. I think he left us when I was around… uh… three, four years old. It was around that age, either way. I barely have any memories of him, other than hearing him and my mom shouting when I was watching TV. I have never heard from him since. Ever. No phone calls, no letters, not even a birthday card on any of my birthdays. I think he wanted to banish us out of his life when he left, the fucking prick. Either way, like I said, all of this shit happened soon when he walked out on us. I guess my mom couldn't either deal with the pressure of being a single mother, cope with the fact that my dad left, or both. At first she would only smoke weed. She wouldn't get aggressive or anything, but when she was high, she could only lie down on the couch for hours with this weird look in her eyes and talk bullshit. Hell, sometimes she would be so high that she would forget to cook dinner or clean the house. But at the time I turned seven or eight, she moved on to the heroin. It's been like that ever since. You see this?' AJ paused to point at her left arm. 'This is what happens when you tick her off. All because of those goddamn drugs. I can't remember how many times I thought I would die whenever she would beat the shit out of me for whatever reason. The days where she's high are the worst, and she's high several days a week. I can't stand being at home, I fucking hate it. I hate living with my mom. That's why I decided to build this hut. I have no other family in this town to turn to. And when you're alone, you only have yourself to rely on. This hut is literally the only place where I can feel safe. If something would happen to this hut, I would have no place to go. This is my safe haven, you know? You are literally the first person I trust enough to show this. People in town have been treating me like trash because they know about my mom's drug use plus the fact that I don't go to school every day like their own precious kiddies, so they think I'm just as much of a scumbag like her. Fuck them! Fuck them all!'

There, the beans had been spilled. During this whole confession, AJ had been staring down at her feet; but because doing this made telling her story much easier. She couldn't imagine something more embarrassing than bursting into tears and crying like some baby right in front of someone who she had got to known recently. Now it was a matter of how she was going to react. Something told her that as soon as she would look up, she was going to see one of two expressions: sympathy or disgust. If it would be the latter, she would probably demand her clothes back, walk away and never talk to her again, because if your mother is the local drug addict, nobody would want anything to do with you, right? Well, this had been proven right to most kids who lived in this town, so why would Kaitlyn be any different? She had been nice to her because she didn't know about her background, which had to be it. This confession could have very well killed this blooming friendship in the blink of an eye. Just when she had finally decided to trust her… goddamn it. Telling her all of this had to be the worst idea ever. With a dry mouth, AJ looked up to stare at Kaitlyn's face.

It didn't express disgust, not for one bit; her face expressed nothing more but genuine sympathy.

'Oh my God…' she said with a soft voice. 'That's awful, I really had no idea… I'm so sorry, AJ. I'm so sorry that all of that had to happen to you! It's so unfair how they treat you, it makes me so mad!'

Despite the immense relief that welled up in her body, AJ chuckled and shook her head. 'Don't be.' she replied. 'It's okay, really. I'm used to it by now.'

'Is there really anyone you can turn to?'

'No...'

'You're wrong about that.' And then, just before the petite girl could react, Kaitlyn had wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in for a comforting hug. This sudden act of kindness caused AJ to briefly flinch and blink her eyes in surprise. This was not something she was used to. When had been the last time someone had given her a hug? Possibly her mother, since she couldn't remember any other kid ever embracing her. Her mother must've been sober when she did this, because hugging was the last thing she thought of when she went absolutely berserk on her daughter. But the last time she had been sober felt like it had been ages ago… 'Because now you do have someone.' her friend said.

She had to be kidding her… AJ had no idea about how she should respond.

A few seconds passed before Kaitlyn's gentle grip loosened and the hug was broken. With a small smile on her face, AJ patted her on her shoulder. 'Thanks.' she said. 'I, uh… I really appreciate it.'

'If nobody wants to be friends with you just because of your mom, then I will gladly be your friend.' Kaitlyn answered. 'What the hell do they know? They don't know how you really are. I think you are the coolest person I have ever met!'

This made the petite girl briefly laugh. 'Come on now, are you serious?'

'Uh, yeah! You are different than the other girls at school, that the thing what makes you so cool! You should be proud of that.'

A snigger escaped past AJ's lips. 'I don't think anyone has ever told me that before. I just hope for you that hanging out with me won't get you in trouble. Because really, what if people start knocking on your parents' door, screaming in horror about their perfect daughter hanging out with that horrible Lee girl, oh dear goodness, their precious baby, forever ruined!'

Now it was Kaitlyn who was chuckling. 'I'm not worried about that at all! Hell, I don't think they would even hear the doorbell over their own yelling…'

'What do you mean?'

She had trusted her enough to confess her own horrendous home situation to her… now it only seemed fair to cough up hers as well. Kaitlyn had been hiding it for way too long, too afraid that her parents would find out about her telling how things really were behind closed doors in one way or another. She had never even told it to Liv… It would feel so good to talk about it with someone.

'My parents fight. A lot. And it's not the average fight that happens in every marriage, no… all hell breaks loose when it happens. There's no holding them back. It gets so bad that they call each other the worst names imaginable and start throwing stuff at each other. Believe me, being stuck in a house with them all day after a fight ends is the worst. There's this… constant negative atmosphere around them the whole time. It's so tense, I can't stand it. I almost never enjoy being at home, all because of my parents. I remember being afraid of them getting a divorce, but now that I think about it, I think it's the best option for them. They can't stand each other. I'm not sure about it, but I guess the only reason why they haven't divorced yet is because they want to show everyone how much of a perfect family we are. Ha… perfect, my ass. If being perfect means that I have to fight almost every day with my husband and force myself to stay with him for the sake of my reputation, then I'd rather be as imperfect as possible.'

'Really…?' It seemed like this story had caught AJ completely by surprise. 'Damn… Honestly, Kaitlyn… I would've never thought of that. I mean… I know you live in that rich neighborhood. You live in a fancy house, you have parents who must have a well-paying job, a big room… You have the life every kid wishes for! I seriously thought your life was nothing else but perfect!'

'Oh believe me… it's not.'

AJ didn't want to say this out loud, but somehow, hearing about Kaitlyn's life at home felt comforting… at least now she knew she wasn't the only girl in town who absolutely hated being at home. Kaitlyn Bonin, out of all people…

'Hey… would you mind if I would come here whenever I can't stand being at home?' Kaitlyn suddenly asked. 'I don't have any other family in Hope's Creek either, and I'd much rather sit here for hours than listening to my parents non-stop yelling at each other and breaking stuff while they're at it.'

'Sure, be my guest!' AJ replied with a grin. 'But you gotta promise me one thing…'

'And that is?'

The grin disappeared from the petite girl's face. 'Don't tell anybody about this place. And I seriously mean: anybody! This will be our secret hideout and our secret hideout alone. Like I said earlier, you are the only one I trust enough to show you this place, because I can't trust anyone else. This place means so much to me… hopefully it will to you as well.' Then she lifted up her hand, bending four fingers into a loose fist; her pinky stood up straight.

'Pinky promise?' she asked.

There was no need to think about that twice. A big smile was present on Kaitlyn's face as her pinky met hers, immediately hooking around each other upon contact and sealing not only this promise… but somehow, also their friendship, at least, that's how it felt to her. Having AJ sharing this big secret with her and thus earning her trust and friendship felt like the biggest honor ever to her. It finally looked like she had let down the last row of bricks that were once part of of her walls that she must've surrounded her for God knows how long. All because she had been the first person ever to treat her like a friend… and now that she thought about it; it could be most likely that she could be AJ's first ever friend. That meant so much to her.

'Pinky promise.' Kaitlyn replied.

It was just the two of them. Two young girls, both in the earliest stage of the big change that was puberty, smiling from ear to ear, knowing that something truly special had been formed between them. Sitting in their hideout and not speaking a word as their pinkies remained hooked for a little while, plus the fact that they were surrounded by the lush greenery of the woods, made this moment one that they would never forget, as it was one that represented nothing else but peace and happiness. What they had now was something nobody could take away, because it was theirs and theirs alone.

It felt like tranquility spread throughout the entire woods… however, in roughly more than 24 hours, all of that changed in the most grotesque, shocking way possible.

One day after AJ Lee and Kaitlyn Bonin had officially become best friends, a seven-year old boy and his five-year old brother thought there would still be some time left to play with their plastic toy boats down the river before they had to head home, where their mother would be waiting for them with dinner. The sun had barely begun to set when the siblings arrived at the riverbank of a shallow part of the river while holding their toy boats in their arms. They hastily took off their shoes and sock before dipping their feet into the cold but refreshing water, both of them letting out a little shriek while doing so. The bottoms of their boats soon touched the water as well and soon their imagination was kicked into full gear. Splashing, laughter and energetic talking soon was heard in the area as the siblings played with their boats, allowing the toys to briefly flow with the river's currents before quickly picking them up, smashing them into the water repeatedly and taunting each other whenever one of their boat's 'bombs' hit the other. It all seemed like everything was fine… until it wasn't.

Just as the older sibling picked up his toy boat after letting it flow down the river for a few seconds, something fleshy and long brushed past his right leg. A fish, he thought as he looked down. But from the moment he laid eyes upon what was in the water, his smile instantly dropped as his eyes widened with horror. His little brother, alarmed by the loud, ear-piercing scream that escaped from his mouth, soon started screaming too when he saw it too. Both of them got out of the river like it was filled to the brim with ferocious piranhas, leaving their socks and shoes behind as they ran for their dear lives. It was only at home where they stopped screaming and told their mother with hysterically hitching breaths about what they had seen. In less than half an hour, the police officer that had been sent to search the area called for back-up with a horrified look on his face. Soon after this, the whole place was swarming with cops.

The severed arm that had brushed against the boy's leg was still there when the police officer found it, caught behind a rock, unable to travel further with the currents. It didn't last long before they found out who the arm belonged to. About a hundred meters away, a gruesome discovery was made, a sight that made everyone's stomach churn.

Lying in the shallowest part of the river was the naked, mutilated body of Alicia Fox. It was nearly impossible to exactly tell how many stab wounds she had over her entire body; it could very well be dozens, no, maybe hundreds. Not a drop of blood was left inside, which explained why the water around her didn't color red; she had literally bled dry. It was hard to hard how many times she had been stabbed, but one thing was for sure: she had been stabbed so many times that the river's gentle currents were strong enough to pull off her entire left arm.