Part II-
Recap: Victoria Winters was hired by the mysterious Mrs. Stoddard to work as a governess for her in Collinsport, Maine. She meets a strange man by the name of Burke Devlin on the way. She is forced to stay at a hotel the night she arrives in Collinsport, and meets Maggie Evans, working as a waitress in the hotel's café. That night, she has a disturbing dream, in which she sees a face, but can't remember whose face it is…
Quentin had finally finished packing his things. The train would leave tomorrow, and he really should have been sleeping, ready to get an early start- but he was otherwise occupied.
Carolyn… He hadn't seen her in four years. He gazed longingly at the picture on his desk. She was so beautiful.
A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Come on in," he said.
Willie Loomis entered the room, carrying another box. "Hey, Quentin. Are you all packed yet?" He set the box down and started adding what was left of his belongings.
"Just about," Quentin discreetly placed the photo of Carolyn into his pocket. "Can you believe that we graduated?"
Willie sat down on his packed box, crossing his arms. "Not really. I mean, you were fine, graduating valedictorian and all… even after all those parties we went to!" He laughed. "Ah, It'll be good to see Collinsport again. Remember when you, me, and Carolyn used to play in the woods by the old house?"
Quentin chuckled. "How could I forget? We've been together a long time, Willie. And it was providence that we got put into the same dorm too- but I'm sure Mrs. Stoddard had something to do with that."
"I hope she's alright. Such a nice lady- I'd hate to think anything is going wrong for her."
"Carolyn just got back, so I'm sure she's fine."
"Speaking of Carolyn… Quentin, I feel bad about not telling you this sooner, but we've written back and forth to each other every week. And now, I think I finally have the guts to ask her to marry me."
Quentin sat in stunned silence for a long time. Willie and Carolyn! He put on a fake smile, and luckily Willie bought it. "That's great Willie! I'm really happy for you! Really!"
"What a strange dream," Maggie commented as Victoria drank her coffee. "What do you think it means?"
Victoria smiled. "Do you actually believe in dreams having messages?"
"Well, maybe not. But it's fun to think about, anyway."
That face… she just couldn't get it out of her head- but at the same time, she couldn't remember who's face it was. She thought she had it, and then the image would fade away.
"Well, I'm going to go get dressed, and then try to get a taxi to take me to Collinwood."
"Oh! I forgot to tell you. Mrs. Stoddard called the hotel this morning. She's sending her brother Roger down to come pick you up."
Victoria blinked. "How did she know I was staying here? I was originally planning to go there last night."
"This is the only hotel in Collinsport, and she probably figured you weren't going to get to Collinwood. Well, it was nice meeting you, Vicky. I hope I see you again sometime. If you're ever in town, stop by for a cup of coffee."
Victoria loaded her suitcase and headed down to the lobby, and found a somber gray-haired man standing by the reception desk. "Are you Victoria Winters?" He inquired in a stern voice.
"Yes," she put down her suitcase and stepped forward to shake his hand. "You must be Mr. Collins,"
"Mrs. Stoddard is very eager to meet you, so lets get you to Collinwood. We can talk later." Roger picked up her luggage and walked her out to his car.
The ride home was quiet. It was apparent that Mr. Collins wasn't intent on talking, so Victoria looked out the window at the barren trees. Collinsport would be a beautiful place in the spring. It hadn't snowed this winter, so the ground was dry and brown. There didn't seem to be any color in this place.
Eventually, they pulled up to the immense estate, which was much bigger than expected. She noted an old, and in much need of repair house set off in the trees. "That's the old house," Mr. Collins noted. "It was built by the Collins family when the settlers first came to Maine."
The drive to get to the actual home was at least a mile, Victoria estimated. It was so far from town- at least 40 minuets, and it was an isolated location.
The entryway was well lit and warm. Mrs. Stoddard walked gracefully out of the sitting room and with a slight bow towards Victoria, introduced herself. "I'm Mrs. Stoddard. I suppose you have many questions, so Roger will take your things to your room, and we can talk more in the sitting room."
They walked into the room through the two oak doors and discovered a pretty blond girl in her 20s looking out the window at the gray sky. "Carolyn, I didn't even hear you get up," Mrs. Stoddard exclaimed.
The girl turned around, and gazed inquisitively at Victoria. "This is Victoria Winters, she's going to be David's new governess," Mrs. Stoddard explained.
Victoria stepped forward, smiling warmly. "It's nice to meet you, Carolyn,"
"Finally! I was getting so sick of watching David," the girl began to walk out of the room. "I'm sure you have a lot to discuss, so I'll leave you two alone. If you would like, Victoria, we could go to town tonight after David goes to bed,"
"I would like that!" Victoria was starting to feel at home.
After they were settled, Mrs. Stoddard explained what Victoria's duties would be. "David needs to be watched constantly. You will also help him with his studies, and make sure he gets fresh air and eats properly. He likes to sneak out of the house, so make sure you keep an eye fixed on him."
Victoria nodded, and then asked, "Can I meet David?"
"Who's this, Aunt Elizabeth?" A small boy popped up from behind a couch.
"David! Why were you hiding in here?" Mrs. Stoddard said crossly, but not unkindly.
"I was playing hide-and-seek with Sarah, but then Carolyn walked in here, and then you two started talking. I guess Sarah left,"
Victoria looked at Mrs. Stoddard quizzically. "Sarah is David's imaginary friend," she answered.
"She isn't imaginary," David interjected. "Now who is this?" He walked up to Victoria and held his hand out to be shook.
"My name is Vicky Winters, I'm going to be your new governess. I hope we can be good friends, David." She took his hand, smiling warmly.
"A friend?" David looked puzzled. "I never had a friend before- besides Sarah." He paused. "Do you like cars, Miss Winters?"
"Yes, but I don't know too much about them," Vicky replied.
"I have a lot of model cars in my room. Would you like me to show them to you?"
Victoria looked at Mrs. Stoddard, who nodded, and David led her up to his room. Mrs. Stoddard got up, and walked to the window, gazing out into the endless expanse of gray that was the sky. "Have I done the right thing?" She asked herself softly.
"This is a very impressive collection," Vicky said as the little boy showed her his collection. "Now, who is Sarah?"
David lazily pushed a car across his desk. "She plays with me when I'm lonely," he looked at Victoria desperately. "She isn't imaginary," he looked like he might cry. "You do believe me, don't you Miss Winters?"
She thought a moment, not knowing what to say. "I believe you, David," she said.
They sat there for a few moments in silence. Presently, David looked seriously at Victoria. "Would you like me to show you where I first met Sarah? It's my special place, and you can't tell anyone about it. But since you're my friend, I'll show it to you."
Dr. Julia Hoffman put the last of her paperwork into the file cabinet, gathered up her bag and coat, and shut off the lights. It had been such a long day. And now she had to go check up on David Collins, the poor boy. Lately he had been having hallucinations about seeing a little girl named Sarah. She didn't blame him, being stuck in that house since his whole life; he never had an opportunity to make friends, and so he made one up.
She began to walk to her car, a brilliant full moon shining down. Suddenly, a red convertible zoomed past her, sending papers flying out of her bag. She shouted after them, and raced after her papers. As she picked them out, she spied a photograph lying on the road. When she looked at it, she realized she knew the person pictured. It was Carolyn Stoddard.
"Where did this come from," she wondered aloud. "I'm sure Mrs. Stoddard will like to know as well…"