Chapter Six
Bonnie stared uncomfortably at her second cousin Phil. She knew how difficult this whole situation should be for him considering the fact that he had recently lost his sister.
The hushed comments about how Poppy had gotten better before passing away made her fell even more depressed. She learned about how Poppy's mother had come home to find that her daughter had died while she and her second husband had been out for dinner. And Bonnie could sense an unresolved guilt about how she hadn't been there to see her daughter through.
But Phil just sat there, making no comment and simply staring at the wall. Something wasn't right.
And when someone made a hushed comment about how Bonnie was looking tired, he met her eyes and smiled apologetically. She smiled back at him and jerked her head towards the sliding door that led out onto the balcony.
With effort, Bonnie climbed to her feet and ignored her mother's comments about how she should be resting. Phil closed the door behind them and rested his arms on the railing next to her. He settled his old high school football jacket around her shoulders.
"How are you holding up?" he asked softly.
Bonnie smiled self-mockingly. "I'd be better if everyone would simply start letting me live in the time I have left."
He lifted an eyebrow questioningly.
"I'm so damned bored I considered taking up cross-stitch."
Phil laughed shortly and squeezed her hand. "You seem to be doing okay."
Bonnie said a little shyly, "Well, I was visited by a friend last night who is behaving exactly as I want everyone else to."
"Your mom didn't mention anything about a late night visitor," Phil said after a frown.
Bonnie hummed and hawed, finally decided to tell him. "She doesn't know. No one does and I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself."
"Fine by me. Anything to make my favourite second-cousin smile."
"I'm glad you came down from Los Angeles. And I am sorry about Poppy." Bonnie smiled in memory. "Remember when the family rented out that cabin on the lake and we ambushed you on the dock."
"How can I forget? You do realize how damn cold that water was, don't you?"
"Of course. That was why we did it."
He laughed and said, "If Poppy were here, I'm sure she'd know what to say to make you feel better."
"Your mom looks tired," Bonnie added, envisioning her mother after her own death.
Phil sighed and turned his back to the backyard, facing into the house. "It's been a rough four years."
"You look like you survived the maelstrom," Bonnie said, tentatively.
"I know that wherever Poppy is she is happy."
Bonnie turned to stare at him questioningly. Her own psychic senses told her the same, but she asked anyways. "How are you so sure?"
Phil winked at her conspiratorially.
A voice interrupted before she could ask him what he meant. "Bonnie," her mother called from the doorway, "don't you think it might be better to come inside and sit down?"
Phil rolled his eyes and fought back a smile.
"No, mom. I don't think wind is going to kill me."
"I'm just trying to be-"
Bonnie softened her voice and tried to make up for her harsh response. "I know, mom. Don't worry about me. I'm stronger that I look."
Her mother forced a smile, and closed the door.
"Do you want to go for a ride?" Phil asked abruptly.
"I honestly don't think my mom is going to agree to that."
"Who says we have to tell her anything? And besides, there is something I want to show you."
Bonnie grinned and followed him down the deck stairs, around the paved walkway to the front of the house. He opened the passenger door for her and closed it behind him. He then rushed around to open his door and gunned the engine.
Bonnie could hear her mom calling but before her guilt took hold, Phil slammed the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Her mom rushed around the corner and waved her hands to get their attention.
"Drive," Bonnie said, pulling her curled hair out of a messy ponytail.
"Yes, ma'am."
Phil shifted the car into first gear and drove down the street.
********
Bonnie hadn't been to the old high school in years. The building was closed for the summer and only one other car was parked in the lot. An Integra.
Phil parked the car in front of the building and turned off the engine. Bonnie opened the door, and breathed in cool, brisk air. She closed her eyes and savoured the sensation. A rustle of leaves caught her attention and she turned to stare at the base of an old tree that lined the parking lot. She looked up the into the autumn foliage and saw . . .
Phil's voice drew interrupted her line of thought and she rushed over to him. Well, as fast as she could anyways.
"Is there an easy way into this place?" he asked while pulling on the locked doors.
Bonnie crossed her arms and stared at him. "Why, may I ask dear cousin?"
He smiled, lifting his eyebrows up and down a few times.
She sighed, resigning herself to pure disaster. "The window that leads into the basement of the gym has a faulty lock on it. We can climb in through there."
He followed her around the side of the school and opened up the window. He went in first and helped her inside.
It was pitch black and Phil stumbled around a little, cursing when he fell over some boxes but eventually poor, artificial light illuminated the room. Bonnie stared uncomfortably toward the old Halloween decorations from a certain druid sacrificial scene she had the unfortunate honour of participating in.
Then again, it also the beginning of a wonder and horror beyond her wildest dreams.
"Hey Bonnie, where the hell is the science lab?" Phil asked, while they wondered the dimly lit corridors.
She eyed him. "Planning to concoct a miracle cure?"
Phil shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe."
Bonnie led him towards the classroom until she heard voices. And felt a presence she once believed gone from her reach.
She ran around the corner, flinging open the door.
Poppy was sitting next to a boy around seventeen. He was handsome with dark brown hair. He spun around in a defensive crouch when the door slammed into the wall but recovered quickly once he realized Phil and Bonnie were hardly a threat.
Poppy hadn't aged a day since her sixteenth birthday.
She had a type of impish beauty that was mildly frightening. But that didn't stop Bonnie from releasing a kind of strangled squeal that Poppy imitated, despite the obvious shrillness that made her companion cringe.
They flung themselves into each other's arms, laughing and crying at the same time.
Bonnie stared uncomfortably at her second cousin Phil. She knew how difficult this whole situation should be for him considering the fact that he had recently lost his sister.
The hushed comments about how Poppy had gotten better before passing away made her fell even more depressed. She learned about how Poppy's mother had come home to find that her daughter had died while she and her second husband had been out for dinner. And Bonnie could sense an unresolved guilt about how she hadn't been there to see her daughter through.
But Phil just sat there, making no comment and simply staring at the wall. Something wasn't right.
And when someone made a hushed comment about how Bonnie was looking tired, he met her eyes and smiled apologetically. She smiled back at him and jerked her head towards the sliding door that led out onto the balcony.
With effort, Bonnie climbed to her feet and ignored her mother's comments about how she should be resting. Phil closed the door behind them and rested his arms on the railing next to her. He settled his old high school football jacket around her shoulders.
"How are you holding up?" he asked softly.
Bonnie smiled self-mockingly. "I'd be better if everyone would simply start letting me live in the time I have left."
He lifted an eyebrow questioningly.
"I'm so damned bored I considered taking up cross-stitch."
Phil laughed shortly and squeezed her hand. "You seem to be doing okay."
Bonnie said a little shyly, "Well, I was visited by a friend last night who is behaving exactly as I want everyone else to."
"Your mom didn't mention anything about a late night visitor," Phil said after a frown.
Bonnie hummed and hawed, finally decided to tell him. "She doesn't know. No one does and I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself."
"Fine by me. Anything to make my favourite second-cousin smile."
"I'm glad you came down from Los Angeles. And I am sorry about Poppy." Bonnie smiled in memory. "Remember when the family rented out that cabin on the lake and we ambushed you on the dock."
"How can I forget? You do realize how damn cold that water was, don't you?"
"Of course. That was why we did it."
He laughed and said, "If Poppy were here, I'm sure she'd know what to say to make you feel better."
"Your mom looks tired," Bonnie added, envisioning her mother after her own death.
Phil sighed and turned his back to the backyard, facing into the house. "It's been a rough four years."
"You look like you survived the maelstrom," Bonnie said, tentatively.
"I know that wherever Poppy is she is happy."
Bonnie turned to stare at him questioningly. Her own psychic senses told her the same, but she asked anyways. "How are you so sure?"
Phil winked at her conspiratorially.
A voice interrupted before she could ask him what he meant. "Bonnie," her mother called from the doorway, "don't you think it might be better to come inside and sit down?"
Phil rolled his eyes and fought back a smile.
"No, mom. I don't think wind is going to kill me."
"I'm just trying to be-"
Bonnie softened her voice and tried to make up for her harsh response. "I know, mom. Don't worry about me. I'm stronger that I look."
Her mother forced a smile, and closed the door.
"Do you want to go for a ride?" Phil asked abruptly.
"I honestly don't think my mom is going to agree to that."
"Who says we have to tell her anything? And besides, there is something I want to show you."
Bonnie grinned and followed him down the deck stairs, around the paved walkway to the front of the house. He opened the passenger door for her and closed it behind him. He then rushed around to open his door and gunned the engine.
Bonnie could hear her mom calling but before her guilt took hold, Phil slammed the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Her mom rushed around the corner and waved her hands to get their attention.
"Drive," Bonnie said, pulling her curled hair out of a messy ponytail.
"Yes, ma'am."
Phil shifted the car into first gear and drove down the street.
********
Bonnie hadn't been to the old high school in years. The building was closed for the summer and only one other car was parked in the lot. An Integra.
Phil parked the car in front of the building and turned off the engine. Bonnie opened the door, and breathed in cool, brisk air. She closed her eyes and savoured the sensation. A rustle of leaves caught her attention and she turned to stare at the base of an old tree that lined the parking lot. She looked up the into the autumn foliage and saw . . .
Phil's voice drew interrupted her line of thought and she rushed over to him. Well, as fast as she could anyways.
"Is there an easy way into this place?" he asked while pulling on the locked doors.
Bonnie crossed her arms and stared at him. "Why, may I ask dear cousin?"
He smiled, lifting his eyebrows up and down a few times.
She sighed, resigning herself to pure disaster. "The window that leads into the basement of the gym has a faulty lock on it. We can climb in through there."
He followed her around the side of the school and opened up the window. He went in first and helped her inside.
It was pitch black and Phil stumbled around a little, cursing when he fell over some boxes but eventually poor, artificial light illuminated the room. Bonnie stared uncomfortably toward the old Halloween decorations from a certain druid sacrificial scene she had the unfortunate honour of participating in.
Then again, it also the beginning of a wonder and horror beyond her wildest dreams.
"Hey Bonnie, where the hell is the science lab?" Phil asked, while they wondered the dimly lit corridors.
She eyed him. "Planning to concoct a miracle cure?"
Phil shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe."
Bonnie led him towards the classroom until she heard voices. And felt a presence she once believed gone from her reach.
She ran around the corner, flinging open the door.
Poppy was sitting next to a boy around seventeen. He was handsome with dark brown hair. He spun around in a defensive crouch when the door slammed into the wall but recovered quickly once he realized Phil and Bonnie were hardly a threat.
Poppy hadn't aged a day since her sixteenth birthday.
She had a type of impish beauty that was mildly frightening. But that didn't stop Bonnie from releasing a kind of strangled squeal that Poppy imitated, despite the obvious shrillness that made her companion cringe.
They flung themselves into each other's arms, laughing and crying at the same time.