Chapter 4: Like Night, And… Twilight

Centralia, Washington; is a fucking depressing place.

The moment I passed into it's borders, I knew I was in trouble. The place was gorgeous. All green, and postcard-y. Yuck. I had to go to McDonald's to detox from the shiny scenery.

And even the damn Mickey D's was clean!

That's so WRONG!

All I could do was sit there; numbly eating a one-dollar cheeseburger. I wallowed in my inferiority complex. I stared out the window.

"Why are you so useless! You can't do anything I tell you! Why can't you be more like Violet? You're worthless!"

"Aunt Karen- please!"

Metal glinted in the sunlight.

"NO! DON'T!"

Shaking off the thought, I thumbed through the travel brochure, sipping my orange juice.

Many elements of Centralia's history can still be found today in the brick and stone of the 12-block Historic Downtown District recently recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Cobblestone streets, wide sidewalks, vintage lighting and benches greet downtown visitors. Historic murals and buildings highlight a walking tour of the area, starting with the 1912 Centralia Union Station that recently underwent a $4.8 million restoration.

Blah-blah-blah. In summation: Centralia's pretty- you should live here!

And they sure as hell made good on their promise. I bet the ghetto was spiffy, too.

Yuck.

I got up, tossed the brochure in the trash, and left.

I had a destination. The Carver family residence- Seminary Hill Road.

After about forty-five minutes of soft cussing, I came to a farmhouse.

I'm in the Twilight Zone- it's the only feasible answer.

Oh, well.

I walked up to the front porch, and knocked on the door. No answer.

I stood there for a minute. "Hey- anybody home?" I called.

Still no answer.

Rolling my eyes- I knew I was nuts!- I started to turn and leave.

Halfway down the stairs, I heard the door open, and a young, female voice said, "Hello?"

I turned to see a girl in her late teens standing in the doorway. Pretty little thing, too. Chocolate brown hair fell in a straight curtain to her waist, and she had wide, brown eyes.

And a pink, butterfly shaped birthmark at the base of her throat.

I smiled engagingly at her. "Hi, my name's Lucy Gomez. I'm looking for Delia Carver- might she be home?"

She looked at me quizzically. "That's my mom. Do you know her?"

I thought of about a thousand perfectly good lies, but then I decided, fuck it. "Actually," I started, "I was hoping that I could talk to your mom in regards to a man named Garrett Daniels…"

Her eyes widened slightly. "She's not home yet, but she should be soon."

Awkwardly, she added. "You want to come in, and wait?"

I smiled again. "Sure. Thanks."

She led me through the front door.

I took one look at the house, and damn near whistled in admiration.

Everything was so fancy. The house looked like some rustic masterpiece out of a magazine. However, I noticed a plasma screen television hanging off of one wall, and a state-of-the-art home office in one corner.

I just had to ask. "I know that this is probably in poor taste, but since I can only manage a studio apartment- I gotta ask. What's you mother do for a living?"

She smiled gently at me. "It's okay. You're not the first to ask. Mom's a toxicologist at Providence-Centralia Hospital."

This time I did whistle. "Impressive."

She smiled, and nodded shyly.

She led me into the Dining Room, and had me sit at the cherry-wood table. She went to the fridge, "Can I offer you a coke?" she asked.

"Sure."

Procuring two frosty cans, she came to the table, and took a seat across from mine.

We sat in a tense silence. Then:

"So, you got a name, kid?" I prodded…rather bluntly.

She blushed faintly. "Leah Carver."

"That's pretty."

"Thanks."

Silence again.

Suddenly, I heard someone barreling down the stairs.

"Leah!" bellowed the voice. "Who the hell was that?"

Leah grimaced. Within moments, I understood why.

A girl turned into the room- a girl who appeared to be the dark half of Miss Leah, here. They were identical.

I was a tad shocked. This was my first set of twins- sue me!

However, unlike Leah, this one wore her hair in a tasteful Mohawk that reminded me of that girl from that model show…. Naima! That was it!

Along with her Naima-hair, the girl seemed to have a preference for black. Black wife-beater, black jeans, black studded belt, and black boots. A black choker sparkled a bit at her neck, and there was no birthmark.

"Anna," chided Leah gently. "Don't be rude when we have guests!"

The bitchy-looking one- Anna- just snorted at her sister. "Like that'll ever happen."

I smiled. I couldn't help it. Leah's a sweet kid, but I really liked this one.

She turned to me. In a very Simpson-esque tone, she said. "I'm Anna Carver- who the hell are you?"

I smirked. "Lucy Gomez."

An anxious look on her face, Leah hissed to Anna, "She wants to talk to mom about Garrett Daniels."

Anna goggled at Leah, but recovered quickly. She turned to me. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but I heard a car pull into the driveway. Within minutes, a door opened, and a woman yelled, "Anna Evelyn Carver! I thought I told you no friends over for another-"

She made it into the dining room.

"Hello." I chirped.

She was a lovely redheaded woman in her mid-thirties. She had a very striking air to her- like she'd seen it all- and hadn't been very impressed. She was wearing a brown suit with a green blouse. She also looked as though she was hell on wheels- and used to doing things her way.

In the same blunt tone as her scarier daughter, she asked, "Who might you be?"

I smiled; trying to be as non-threatening as possible. "My name is Lucy Gomez, and I wanted to talk to you about a man named Garrett Daniels-"

She cut me off, turning to the twins. "Upstairs- now!"

Squirming, Leah obeyed; though she had to practically drag Anna away.

"So, do you-" I started. Doctor Carver held up a hand, cutting me off.

We sat in silence for a minute. I suddenly heard the distinct sound of a door shutting.

"Anna!" Warned Carver.

Above me, the door slammed shut this time.

Doctor Carver chuckled. "Always knew that that one would be a handful. She's just pissed off that I got one up on her. She hates that."

She looked at me, "How do you know about Garrett?"

I told her the whole thing; the nap, the party…Jorge…

She listened intently, and nodded whenever I paused.

"And that's why I came after you." I finished.

She smiled wistfully. "Garrett… I only knew that pain in the ass for about a day, but I still find myself missing him sometimes. Especially when I look at the girls…" She sighed.

It took me a minute to register what she had just implied. "Wait… you and this guy had kids together?"

She laughed. "God, no! I'm the adoptive mother. Garrett, his wife, and their son- they all passed away when the girls were still babies. He charged me with taking care of those two little wenches." Wenches seemed to be an affectionate term for the twins. I smirked at that.

"Forgive me, but then, why do they have your name?"

"See, I'm not biologically related to them. Like I said, I only knew Garrett for one day. Plus, I was a twenty-year-old college student. There was no way in hell the government would've let me keep them…"

"Unless you pawned them off as yours." I finished.

"Exactly."

"So, what exactly did happen between you and this guy, Doctor Carver?"

"Where are you staying?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"At the King Oscar Motel."

She made a face. "Oh, hell no. Go back to the hotel, get your stuff, and come over here."

I just blinked at her; not getting it.

She grinned, and there was a hint of something younger in her- and terribly mischievous.

"Welcome to Hotel Carver!"

:AUTHOR'S NOTES: God, that was such a filler chapter. Also, I figured, if I didn't end it there- it might never end! I have decided that this story could be a stepping stone to an official sequel to Garrett's story.

All information on Centralia was acquired off the Internet. If I messed anything up- I'm sorry. I couldn't find much about the real estate and what was where. So, if you're from there- and I screwed up- My apoligies.

R & R People- I NEED REVIEWS. Lol.

:NEXT TIME: Luce gets to know the Carver family better- and learns more about a certain specter that won't leave her alone…