CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
"Crystal, come on, we have to get going now."
Crystal strolled into the living room as she pulled a backpack onto her back. She looked behind her as Christian walked behind her, holding onto her jacket. "Isn't Daddy coming with us?"
Kristin smiled and smoothed back her daughter's hair. "I already told you, sweetie. Your father is meeting us there tomorrow. And we have to get going now or else we'll miss our check in time." She leaned down and gave her a knowing look. "And you know how your father gets when we don't get somewhere on time." Crystal giggled as she looked over at her father, whose irritated glance was perfectly mixed with amusement so that neither could tell what he would say next.
Finally, he shrugged and said, "I'm sorry that I like to be punctual," and handed his daughter her coat, which she quickly shrugged into.
"And I'm sure it's killing you that you can't be at the conference until tomorrow," Kristin added with a bright grin. "But no, you have to make that deadline." She continued to playfully berate her husband as she walked around the living room, gathering her things. "Which always makes you crazy and grumpy. Deadlines are so limiting and binding when people need to be free of constructional limitations."
"Have you always been such a hippie or am I just noticing it?"
Crystal laughed again before turning to her Dad and giving him a big hug around the wait. "Bye, Dad!"
"Bye Cryssie, I'll see you tomorrow." Christian then went over to his wife and gave her a kiss. "I should be there in the morning; I don't have a lot more that I need to do. Drive safely."
"I will." Kristin smiled and gave him another kiss. "I love you, honey. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned back to her nine-year-old daughter and took her hand. "C'mon, let's go before your father remembers that his deadline is within the next hour." With that, the two hurried out of the house with their bags and packed up their car.
Climbing into the passenger seat, Crystal leaned over and waved to her father as he stood in the doorway of the house, watching them leave. Kristin beeped the car horn twice before backing out of the driveway and heading out onto the road.
The roads were as dark as the sky, headlights cutting through the darkness like beacons of hope. Crystal sat in the passenger seat, watching in fascination as the leaf-bare trees became illuminated and passed by in the darkness over and over again, trying to keep her eyes on the foliage as they whizzed by, before disappearing into darkness once more. When that became boring for her, she turned to her mother and watched as she gently bopped back and forth, singing to the pop song on the radio.
"Mom, what's this conference for again?" She asked.
"Your father is getting an award for his accomplishments in his field," Kristin explained. "And he's giving a speech on what he learned."
"Boring," Crystal declared.
"I know you think science is boring but your father really likes it, and we'll get to stay in a really fancy hotel with a good pool and room service." She reached out and tickled Crystal on the ribs and stomach, causing her to squirm and twist away, shrieks of laughter cascading from her mouth. "So that'll be fun."
"I guess."
With nothing to do more than sing to the radio or sleep, Crystal brought her hand up to rest on the car door and closed her eyes resting her cheek in her palm. She had only been asleep for a few minutes, or else, it felt like that until she felt something strange with the car. It was the same feeling she got when sleeping on the way back home and approached the house; the feeling where you know you're about to be back in comfort. This time, however, he felt nothing but fear rumble through her stomach.
And she didn't know why until she was suddenly jolted awake as the car swerved to the side.
"Mom?" She asked.
The confused call for her mother was out of her mouth only seconds before the car swerved in the other direction. Then there was a loud explosion from behind her that made Crystal jump and scream loudly. She didn't get the chance to close her eyes, blocking herself from the horror that unfolded in front of her; the car shot into the air and rolled over and over.
Everything went black.
Renee smiled as she let go of her baby's hands and watched as he toddled across the carpet. Sydney made it a few steps before teetering back and forth, falling to the ground. A few feet away from her, Julius laughed and leaned forward to pick up his baby brother just as Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, and Noah raced through the room, waving foam swords over their heads.
"No running in the house," Renee said to them, despite knowing it wouldn't make a difference. As Patrick and Noah leapt up onto the couch and started to jump up and down, whacking each other over the head with their swords, Rhuben sat down on the ground next to her eldest brother.
"Can he walk yet, Mummy?" She asked her.
Renee smiled, laughing to herself as Riley leaned over her back, wrapping her arms around her shoulders with a cherubic smile that would never come again after that night. Renee reached up and patted her eldest daughter's hand. "Not yet, Rhuben. I think he may still have a while to go before he can make one lap across the living room."
"But its beauty," Julius said, turning Sydney around so that he was sitting on his lap, yet holding him far enough away so the drool falling from his mouth wouldn't land on him. "He's done three more steps today than this arvo."
"Does this mean we can take him to the beach soon?" Riley asked. She started to bounce up and down on her toes in visible delight. "I think he'll want to get in the water this time! Soon we can teach him to surf!"
"I think it'll be a bit longer before we can do that, Cherry," Reed said as he walked into the living room from the kitchen, holding a camera up to his eye. Patrick and Noah jumped down from the couch and hurried over to their father, latching their arms around his legs and sitting down on his feet. "But we can go to the beach for sure." He turned to the side and put the camera onto the coffee table before leaning down and picking up his six-year old twin boys into his arms. "What do you think? You want to go to the beach tomorrow?" He asked them.
"Yes!" Patrick shouted into Reed's face, causing him to smile and jerk his head back.
"I want to build a sandcastle," Noah added with a bright smile.
"Well, we should make sure we have all of the stuff then." Julius handed Sydney back over to their mother before getting to his feet. "C'mon, let's check the closet." Riley and Rhuben immediately followed their brother and seeing them leave, Patrick and Noah shimmied out of their father's grasp and raced after them as well. Soon the sound of thudding footsteps raced up the stairs, accompanied by shouting and laughter.
In his mother's arms, Sydney cooed and stood up, putting his arms around his mother's neck, reaching up a hand and gently tugging at his ear. Renee sighed as she stood up, holding Sydney to her chest. "Looks like your son is tired," she commented to Reed.
"Sorry?" He gave her a funny look "Since when is he my child, I thought he was ours?"
Giving her husband a knowing look, Renee moved Sydney aside and revealed a dark spot on the front of her shirt. "Since he thought I was toilet." Reed laughed loudly and took Sydney from her arms. "Please change him and put him to bet, he's tugging on his ear again."
"No worries. It'll give you some time to rest."
"In this house? Rest is a myth."
Reed smiled and kissed his wife on the forehead before following his five children up the stairs. He looked over and laughed when he saw his kids at the hall closet, pulling out piles of towels and beach toys as they went. Turning into the baby's room he placed Sydney on the changing table and quickly changed his diaper before going over to his crib and lying him down. Sydney looked up at his father with his big blue eyes and smiled, dimples appearing in his cheeks, before he yawned, eyelids closing.
Reed turned on the baby monitor and closed the door behind him before going back down to the living room. He laughed when he spotted his wife already curled up on the couch, her head resting on a pillow. "You look aggro, Renee."
"Thank you for pointing that out, Jack," Renee mumbled in reply, her eyes still closed. "I just need a few minutes rest and then I'll be good to go."
Reed didn't get a chance to respond, an explosion drowned out his voice.
Zack pouted as he sat on the end of his bed, gently kicking his feet back and forth. Cody, who sat on his own bed, hugged his blanket to his chest as he whimpered quietly. Rolling his eyes, Zack laid down on his side, turning his back on his brother. It wasn't that he didn't want to comfort him, he was upset too, but it was nothing to cry over. They were just moving again.
Again.
How many times were they going to move? When was going to be the last time? Why Seattle? Sure, their grandparents lived there, but they only went to their grandparents' house when they were in the area; when their Mom had something to do. Then they would go wherever else she was needed. Over and over again.
"It'll be fine," his Mom had said as she smoothed back his hair off his forehead. "We're going to be living with Grandma and Grandpa now. Actually living there. This is the last place we're going to move to, I promise."
"But I don't want to move there," Cody complained. "The house is scary, Mommy." He hugged blankie tighter to his chest and turned his blue-green eyes up to his mother, silently begging her not to let them pick up and move away again.
Zack quietly watched their mother as she let out a light sigh and turned away, a troubling expression on her face. He didn't want to move as much as Cody didn't want to move, they were only nine years old and barely made any roots anywhere. He could see on his mother's face they didn't have a choice.
As Zack laid down in his bed, staring at the wall and listening to Cody's whimpers, he tried to keep tears from falling out of his own eyes. He didn't want to go back there as much as Cody didn't want to. Whether or not it was a ghost, he knew there was something in that house.
Something that was trying to get to him and Cody.
And it scared him to death.