Chapter 11
"How come you're not at the meeting?"
Lauren quirked her brows at her cousin. "I'm the baby of the family. They never listen to what I have to say."
"Mom would listen. Wouldn't she, Grandma?"
Pilar smiled at the adoration for Sheridan shining clearly in her granddaughter's crystal blue eyes. "Yes. She most certainly would."
"Where are you taking us?"
"My goodness! You do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Lauren teased. "I bet you get that from your father."
Danielle grinned. "How did you know?"
"Just a hunch," Lauren shrugged.
The smile on Danielle's face grew even wider as she recognized the sound of crashing waves.
Lauren's pace slowed. And she covered Danielle's eyes with her hands. "No peeking," she warned.
Pilar's hair whipped in the air around her wildly. "Miss Lauren.not so close to the."
"Pilar! Don't you trust me?" Lauren laughed lightly. "Okay.on the count of three.open your eyes."
Danielle opened her blue eyes to one of the most spectacular sights she had ever seen. "Wow! I didn't know."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lauren sighed. Stepping closer to the edge.
Pilar panicked at the sound of loose rocks falling. "Mija! Not so close to the edge."
"Grandma," Danielle chided. "Don't worry so much. Lauren won't let anything happen to me. Will you?"
"Sure won't. But she's right. You have to be careful out here. It's an awful long way down. I wouldn't want to make the mistake of getting too close. Maybe we should go back now."
"Aww," Danielle whined. "Do we have to?"
"We have to," Lauren said with a frown. "Come on," she said. Tugging on Danielle's hand.
"Wait," Danielle said. Stopping in her tracks a few minutes later. "My bracelet's gone. I have to go back to get it. Please."
Lauren looked to Pilar. And relented when she nodded her head in approval. "Hurry back."
"I will," Danielle called.
"Did anybody ever tell you that your face would stick that way if you didn't smile once in a while?" Lauren teased. "Pilar? What's wrong? Pilar?"
Pilar clutched the necklace at her neck. "I don't know. I can't shake this feeling. Something terrible is going to happen. Dios Mio! Danielle! We have to stop her!"
Lauren didn't ask any questions.
The rocks crunched under their feet as they ran.
The sound of Danielle's screams made them both sick with fear.
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Sheridan's glass crashed to the ground.
Adam winced as it shattered. The stupid woman.
"Sheridan? What is it? Are you alright?" Luis questioned.
Chad knelt and began picking up the slivers with his hands.
"No. No, I'm not alright. Luis.I feel so cold. So cold. Why? What's happening?"
"NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!"
"That sounds like."
"Danielle! Luis! It's our daughter."
Amanda looked stricken at the words. No. Not again. "Adam.call 9-1-1."
Tears escaped Sheridan's pretty blue eyes as her heart filled with fear.
Luis couldn't let his own fright show. He held her hand tightly. Everything had to be alright.
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Matthew bounced the ball off the tree again and again. Boredly. He wanted to go home.
Tessa knelt in the grass. Staining her pristine white dress. And stared ahead.
She doesn't scare me. She doesn't scare me, Matthew repeated. Brown eyes screwed shut. She doesn't scare me. "Ow!" he cried when the ball bounced back. Hard. And thudded against his skull. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he wiped them away. He couldn't let Uncle Miguel think he was a baby.
Tessa stood up slowly. And held her head in her hands. A look of pain on her face.
"Tessa? Tessa? Are you okay?"
Images of blood and surf assaulted Tessa's senses. And a golden chain glinted in the sunshine.
"Tessa! Aunt Paloma! Uncle Miguel! Help! Something's wrong with Tessa!"
"NO! NO! DON'T!"
"Tessa! Oh my god! Tessa! Talk to me."
Charity cried helplessly as Miguel shook their daughter by the shoulders. Trying to get her to come out of the trance she was in.
Matthew whimpered. Burying his face in his aunt Paloma's neck. His hot tears soaking through her shirt.
"NO!"
Tessa fell limp in her father's arms.
"How come you're not at the meeting?"
Lauren quirked her brows at her cousin. "I'm the baby of the family. They never listen to what I have to say."
"Mom would listen. Wouldn't she, Grandma?"
Pilar smiled at the adoration for Sheridan shining clearly in her granddaughter's crystal blue eyes. "Yes. She most certainly would."
"Where are you taking us?"
"My goodness! You do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Lauren teased. "I bet you get that from your father."
Danielle grinned. "How did you know?"
"Just a hunch," Lauren shrugged.
The smile on Danielle's face grew even wider as she recognized the sound of crashing waves.
Lauren's pace slowed. And she covered Danielle's eyes with her hands. "No peeking," she warned.
Pilar's hair whipped in the air around her wildly. "Miss Lauren.not so close to the."
"Pilar! Don't you trust me?" Lauren laughed lightly. "Okay.on the count of three.open your eyes."
Danielle opened her blue eyes to one of the most spectacular sights she had ever seen. "Wow! I didn't know."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lauren sighed. Stepping closer to the edge.
Pilar panicked at the sound of loose rocks falling. "Mija! Not so close to the edge."
"Grandma," Danielle chided. "Don't worry so much. Lauren won't let anything happen to me. Will you?"
"Sure won't. But she's right. You have to be careful out here. It's an awful long way down. I wouldn't want to make the mistake of getting too close. Maybe we should go back now."
"Aww," Danielle whined. "Do we have to?"
"We have to," Lauren said with a frown. "Come on," she said. Tugging on Danielle's hand.
"Wait," Danielle said. Stopping in her tracks a few minutes later. "My bracelet's gone. I have to go back to get it. Please."
Lauren looked to Pilar. And relented when she nodded her head in approval. "Hurry back."
"I will," Danielle called.
"Did anybody ever tell you that your face would stick that way if you didn't smile once in a while?" Lauren teased. "Pilar? What's wrong? Pilar?"
Pilar clutched the necklace at her neck. "I don't know. I can't shake this feeling. Something terrible is going to happen. Dios Mio! Danielle! We have to stop her!"
Lauren didn't ask any questions.
The rocks crunched under their feet as they ran.
The sound of Danielle's screams made them both sick with fear.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Sheridan's glass crashed to the ground.
Adam winced as it shattered. The stupid woman.
"Sheridan? What is it? Are you alright?" Luis questioned.
Chad knelt and began picking up the slivers with his hands.
"No. No, I'm not alright. Luis.I feel so cold. So cold. Why? What's happening?"
"NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!"
"That sounds like."
"Danielle! Luis! It's our daughter."
Amanda looked stricken at the words. No. Not again. "Adam.call 9-1-1."
Tears escaped Sheridan's pretty blue eyes as her heart filled with fear.
Luis couldn't let his own fright show. He held her hand tightly. Everything had to be alright.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Matthew bounced the ball off the tree again and again. Boredly. He wanted to go home.
Tessa knelt in the grass. Staining her pristine white dress. And stared ahead.
She doesn't scare me. She doesn't scare me, Matthew repeated. Brown eyes screwed shut. She doesn't scare me. "Ow!" he cried when the ball bounced back. Hard. And thudded against his skull. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he wiped them away. He couldn't let Uncle Miguel think he was a baby.
Tessa stood up slowly. And held her head in her hands. A look of pain on her face.
"Tessa? Tessa? Are you okay?"
Images of blood and surf assaulted Tessa's senses. And a golden chain glinted in the sunshine.
"Tessa! Aunt Paloma! Uncle Miguel! Help! Something's wrong with Tessa!"
"NO! NO! DON'T!"
"Tessa! Oh my god! Tessa! Talk to me."
Charity cried helplessly as Miguel shook their daughter by the shoulders. Trying to get her to come out of the trance she was in.
Matthew whimpered. Burying his face in his aunt Paloma's neck. His hot tears soaking through her shirt.
"NO!"
Tessa fell limp in her father's arms.