Part IV

Recap: David takes Victoria to see his 'special place', and he and she accidentally get locked in the ancient Collins' mausoleum. Dr. Hoffman arrives at Collinwood, and witnesses another of Elizabeth and Roger's quarrels. Roger discovers Victoria and David are missing, and everyone present and Carolyn go to look for them. Meanwhile, the strange and unearthly girl Sarah frees Victoria and David, and then promptly runs away. David and Victoria begin to head back to Collinwood.

Victoria and David hurried to back to the house, the lights a welcomed site in the deceitful darkness. "I hope they aren't too worried, David!" Victoria had started talking to herself to keep her nerves at bay. "I shouldn't have just wondered off with you! Especially without telling anyone!"

"Miss Winters, slow down!" David, as any ten-year-old boy would, had been incessantly whining about the cold, the dark, and running so far, but Victoria scarcely noticed, nor cared. She simply wanted to get back to the house.

"David, you must never go back there alone!" She scolded her young companion. "What if the gate had closed, and Sarah hadn't come? They might never have found you!"

"But Miss Winters, you were with me and we still got locked in!"

Elizabeth and Carolyn returned with heavy hearts to the warmth of the Collins' home. "I hope David and Miss Winters are alright," Mrs. Stoddard rubbed her hands nervously together.

"This isn't the first time David has run off, mother," Carolyn reminded her. "He'll come back as soon as he gets hungry."

"But what if he's been hurt?" Elizabeth paced over to the tea tray, and poured herself a glass of brandy.

Carolyn did the same, but eyed her mother with a distasteful look. "You really have been drinking a lot lately," her tone was cold. "I don't want to see what happened to father happen to you,"

"Carolyn! Just because I've had a couple drinks in the past few days doesn't make me a drunk! And this isn't the time to be talking about me. David is still lost"

"You know, you haven't asked me once how school was," the young woman turned her face away from her mother, looking out the big window. "I'll have you know I graduated valedictorian of my class." Here she let out a bitter laugh. "You didn't even come to my graduation…"

Dr. Hoffman began the long drive back to the house. It was so dark, and she was getting so tired… She jerked back to attention as one of her wheels going off the road into the gravel of the shoulder rumbled the car. I really should pull over, she thought. No, Collinwood is just a little further. I'm sure Mrs. Stoddard won't mind putting me up for the night.

A low howl made Julia's blood freeze. It was just a wolf, but on such a dark night, where the clouds completely covered the moon and there was no other sound to be heard, it became a sound of something nightmarish. Julia, stop letting your imagination run wild! She told herself. You hear wolves all the time and they have never disturbed you before!

Then again, she had never heard one on a pitch-black night driving on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere before.

Suddenly headlights from behind temporarily blinded her. She glanced in her rear-view, and discovered- it was the car from earlier! No mistaking it. There was no way two people in Collinsport could have that car.

Quentin grunted in irritation. "Stupid old bag," he said as he gestured at the car in front of them.

Willie chuckled. "Quentin, she's going the speed limit. Maybe it'll teach you to be a safe driver."

The driver simply grunted again, and shifted gears, gliding into the left lane. "Quentin, it's no-passing here!" Willie tensed.

"Willie, since when are you so concerned about obeying traffic laws? If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who said 'Laws only count when people can see you breaking them'?" He began to pick up speed, passing the car previously in front of him, then glided back into the right lane.

"Maybe I did say that," Willie protested, "but it's way too dark out! Anything could happen on a night like this! And I would prefer to get back to Carolyn in one piece!"

Carolyn again. Quentin tightened his grip on the steering wheel, teeth clenched. He still couldn't believe Willie – Willie who in high school couldn't get a girlfriend – was going to be asking Carolyn, only the most beautiful girl Quentin had ever seen, to marry him. Willy!

"Something wrong, Quentin?" Willy asked.

"Nothing. Just… thinking. By the way, make sure you brush your teeth when we get to Collinwood; your breath smells like you drank a gallon of alcohol."

Willie laughed. "I did drink a gallon of alcohol! God, it's good to be back in Collinsport. I had forgotten how much I missed the Blue Whale!"

Victoria and David opened the door, barely heaving it closed, while they tried desperately to catch their breath, swords digging into their sides. Elizabeth and Carolyn got up immediately from the sitting room when they heard the commotion. "David!" Mrs. Stoddard ran to him, hugging him tightly.

Carolyn eyed Victoria suspiciously. "What happened?" she inquired.

Before Victoria could respond, David answered. "I was taking Miss Winters on a tour of the grounds, and we got lost in the woods by the Old House… and then it got dark, so I couldn't find my way back. But we eventually did."

Carolyn raised an eyebrow at her younger cousin. "Uncle Roger was checking the woods by the Old House. How could you have missed him?" Why am I being this way, she wondered. It's because I hate this- coming back home and not having anyone care that you came back. That's why.

Mrs. Stoddard shot Carolyn a cool star, and began to usher Victoria and David into the sitting room. "Come and get warmed up by the fire. You two must be freezing! Carolyn, go make boil some water for hot cocoa."

Carolyn coolly walked out of the room, her hair swooshing behind her. This is ridiculous! David runs away- this isn't the first time! And he's always come back… -and the whole house has to go out searching for him! I haven't even heard a 'Welcome back, Carolyn!'

Victoria sat down, graciously receiving the blanket, which Elizabeth draped over her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Stoddard! I should have asked you before taking David out! This is all my fault, please don't punish him!"

The older woman smiled, and replied calmly, "We're just glad you're both home safely. I'm sure you're exhausted, so why don't you go upstairs and get some rest after Carolyn brings the cocoa?"

David stared in disbelief. Even though his aunt never really got cross with him, she still defiantly did not condone running away- and she let him know it! But Miss winters had taken all the blame, and she didn't even give her a lecture! David knew he was going to like her.