Chapter 2: Just a City Boy
Terrence's long journey on the many buses to Scarlet Hollow was almost complete. Had there not been such a strange compelling feeling pushing him forward, he may have gave up on account of how sketchy it all felt. The feeling also kept him spacey enough that he was able to ignore the stranger next to him. Until he snapped out to see how close he was.
"Anyways, as I was saying…" The Stranger continued, Terrence turning with a forced neutral expression. "I was up in Maryland looking around for work, but mostly messing around because I was a dumb teen."
Terrence did his best to let most of the conversation pass by, partially listening just enough to respond. The story went something along the lines of this fellow had been pushing joggers into the harbor, and it petrified Terrence to no end. What made things even worse, was that somehow one of those joggers he pushed into the water somehow became his girlfriend. Who he was now saying made him so mad that he thought about killing her.
"You ever get so mad you just wanna like, kill somebody?!"
"No… not really." Terrence said quietly, hoping that would be the end of it.
"Eh, you're young. You'll get it when someone breaks your heart someday. It changes a person. Makes 'em think things they never thought they could." The Stranger continued on.
As much as Terrence didn't want to think about that, what he said was technically something Terrence agreed with. He'd never really been in love before, and his sexuality made casual relationships something that wasn't really possible.
The Stranger was unrelenting, mentioning now he was on his way to meet the same woman who he was talking about being so mad that he could have killed. Not only that, she was pregnant with his child, and he even brought up the idea of ditching and taking the bus elsewhere. Unable to let that go, Terrence pressed to see if he could make it work, content to lecture the Stranger like one of his students.
This caused the Stranger to change the subject to him.
"Anyways. where'd you say you were headed?"
He thought about the pull he felt towards the letter Tabitha had sent him. Pictures of her he saw on Facebook. An estate described by his mother, seen only in a hazy movie that played across his mind like a drive-in theater.
"Home, I think. I've never been but I've felt it like a call in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember. Some things can only be put off for so long." Terrence said cryptically, almost as if he were zoned out again. The Stranger grew quiet for one uncomfortable moment that he had not felt an entirety of the bus trip.
"Oh you must be talking about Scarlet Hollow. Or the Holler as they call it in the mountains." The Stranger chuckled, breaking free of the brief discomfort that Terrence had brought him.
He spoke a bit more, but Terrence had already begun to focus more on the feelings of discomfort that came when he had these strange epiphanies. He hardly noticed the offering of the dripping boiled peanuts, absentmindedly taking them with a quiet thanks as the Stranger departed.
Terrence closed his eyes trying to rest until he reached Scarlet Hollow. When the bus pulled into its final stop, he stood by as it sped away. The only thing to pull him from what was a groggy stupor, was the sour-faced woman who quickly approached him.
"Hey Terrence…" She muttered, almost as if unsure he was actually there. Terrence snapped to attention, her familiar visage sending a pang through his heart. They were so much alike, he and Tabitha. They could practically look like siblings to any other person. He had to remember why he was here though, and forced a neutral expression, as he felt the warm smile that naturally made its way to his face was not appropriate.
"I'm really sorry for your loss, Tabitha."
"Yes. Great. Thank you." She replied, a tone with which felt reserved of her true feelings. From her expression however, Terrence believed she was almost unnerved by his presence here. He needed to find a way to get through if he wanted to reach a level of comfort with her. He thought to say something else, but she quickly continued.
"Let's get back to the Estate, I don't want to spend any more time down here than I have to."
Without much argument, Terrence followed her to her relic of a BMW and climbed inside. He would be harder pressed to break the ice than he thought. It wouldn't be long before they were moving up the forested slope of a road. No civilization but car and road before them.
He could see the tension, so palpable that he was surprised it was not actually physical.
"How're you holding up?" He asked, genuine if a little nervous in delivery.
"Fine." She returned coldly.
"You know, you can talk to me right? I went through something similar when my mom passed."
Tabitha's face hardened a bit more at Vivian's mention.
"I'm sorry, I know that's probably not what you're looking to hear right now." Terrence quickly apologized, fearful for even a second of being misinterpreted.
"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Really." Tabitha said, letting the words exit out on a sharp exhale of breath.
"I can't believe we actually never met before this."
"You have your mom to thank for that. Or had. I guess."
This car conversation continued to grow more awkward the longer it continued. There was a sharp feeling to her words that reminded Terrence of how his mother spoke about Pearlanne. He worried the apple had likely not fallen too far from the tree for both of them.
No. He couldn't let them become like their parents. They were a new generation, and Terrence wouldn't hold some grudge that their parents tried to impart on them.
"You sound so much like her. We don't have to become like them, you know? We can choose to be different."
"She chose to leave."
It seemed the barrier between them would not easily be broken by a few words. It didn't matter, Terrence was intent to prove how much he wanted to be here, and to be a part of Tabitha's life. Terrence decided to change the subject with a very brief talk of plans about the funeral, before silently staring out the window as they proceeded up the path.
When they reached the crumbling Scarlet Estate he could hardly believe his eyes at the sight of its magnificence. Decrepit though it was, the history and design oozed a visage that commanded the eye. He couldn't help but feel like he'd seen it before, and recalled how much his mother despised it on the very few occasions she did speak on it.
The two Scarlets' entered quietly, dust stirring within the place as they did. Even being in the foyer of this building sent chills throughout Terrence's body. Tabitha splayed her arms wide as if offering up the space to Terrence's attention.
"Welcome to our family's humble estate. Unfortunately, due to the current state of the house only a few rooms will be safely accessible during your stay. I wouldn't go wandering anywhere else if you value your limbs… the floor has been known to give out."
Tabitha continued her spiel about the building a short while longer, before turning to see Terrence's eyes move about the space in nearly childlike wonder.
"It's beautiful." He said, all he could muster as he took in the space.
"Haunting, but in a very beautiful way." Terrence thought to himself. He could easily imagine his mother sitting in the chairs, or ascending the staircase. It was enough to bring a tear to his eye, if it weren't for Tabitha standing testily just a couple of feet away.
"It is. The Estate was the prize jewel of this region for a long time. It's quite a magnificent piece of architecture, even now." Tabitha boasted, still no excitement in her voice. It at least made Terrence feel a bit closer to her, knowing they agreed on something.
She continued, talking of the cleaner who came on Wednesdays, as she showed him the kitchen. He could still hear wind whistling through the house as she explained what he could and could not touch within the kitchen. There was PB for him to make if he so wished, but her ice cream and macaroni and cheese were off limits. As silly as it sounded, part of it warmed his heart to hear about the things Tabitha liked.
"This is so nice. It's so much bigger than what I'm used to. Is that a kitchen island?" Terrence said, his voice a mix of curiosity and wonder. Tabitha had to struggle to hide the surprise on her face at his reaction. Deciding enough time was spent in the room, Tabitha moved over to guide him towards the bathroom. As… unclean as the facilities were, it did not dissuade the fact that Terrence had been on a bus for hours. Afterwards she showed him his room. A room that overwhelmed Terrence with the sense of death. More than one person had died in this very bedroom. He gulped, but tried to push the intrusive feeling far from his mind.
He commented on how it was much larger than the rooms he was used to in the city, to which Tabitha began to talk about the furniture's history. It was interesting, and Terrence was happy to see that Tabitha appeared to be proud of the Estate. As unnerving as it could be, that unavoidable feeling that this was home crept in.
"I should get settled."
"I'll take you back down to your things then."
The two ventured back to the foyer to retrieve Terrence's belongings. As he gathered them, Tabitha cleared her throat.
"That concludes our tour, I'm afraid I must return to my duties. So you'll have to entertain yourself for the rest of the day. Don't expect to see much of me."
That same pang of guilt and sadness crept its way into Terrence's heart. He'd hoped having gotten here a week in advance, that his cousin and he could really bond.
"You know we don't have to inherit our parent's bad blood. We can start fresh now that it's just us-"
"God, yes, okay. We're not our are some things in life we can choose." She said, repeating his earlier statement, with a slight annoyance. She gave him a glance, as if measuring his emotions the best she could before continuing.
"Fine, whatever. If Ichooseto say that much, will you stop bringing it up every time we have a conversation?" She asked, her voice snapping harder than she meant. It suddenly dawned on her that her cousin had only just arrived, and all he wished was for her to get closer.
Maybe deep down… she wanted that too.
"Okay. I'm sorry I've been… testy since you've gotten here. You've been an… acceptable guest. I'm just under a lot of pressure right now. Please… just stay out of my hair until later, okay? I have work to do."
That opened up a short conversation about what type of work Tabitha did. She briefly informed him of the fact that the Scarlet's owned the town coal mine, which was still active, and being ran by her. Terrence was curious, and claimed he understood her position.
"Alright… I won't keep you. But we should spend some time together when you come back." Terrence said, unable to keep the soft smile that breached his face. Tabitha looked down as she replied.
"We'll see. There's a lot that needs to get done this week."
With that she left without another word. Terrence offered a weak wave he was sure she didn't see at the speed she left. He was left alone now in the sprawling and dilapidated estate. Terrence took the time to unpack his things, having a close encounter with a possum in the dresser. He feared for a moment, but quickly realized the small creature was no threat, opting to put his things in the dresser above. He explored his room, sufficiently creeped out by the doll and his old ancestors staring down from their portraits.
He made a PB , actively avoiding touching what Tabitha instructed him not to as he went about. Tabitha's cat Frou-Frou, whom he had met earlier, watched with what he hoped was not malice. Terrence lived with a cat named Truck back home, and he knew how to respect such a creature as he moved about the space. He hoped his sitter was taking good care of Truck back home, despite how much of a hassle he is.
After a short walk about the garden, Terrence decided it was time to venture to town. He hiked back down the beautiful sights of nature bringing a small bit of warmth and comfort to him. He didn't have the space for too many plants in his apartment, so this was a rare sight for him to take in.
He thought about every moment he'd already had with his cousin as he looked out at the orangish fields. He knew it was going to be difficult to bridge such a gap, but felt like he had made a good enough first impression. He walked into town, lost in thought as grass turned to asphalt. The only thing that shook him from the wanderings of his mind was the sudden barking of a dog. If you could call the sound of the pug Gretchen barking.
The dog's owner ran up stammering some apologies as she quickly retrieved her. Rubbing the back of her head with embarrassment, she apologized once more.
"Sorry about that, Gretchen can be very slippery when she wants to be- she loves to get loose and cause havoc." The dog owner explained. Terrence took in the mothman t-shirt and letterman jacket with a look of comfort. Her demeanor, the dog, and her nerdy attire was enough to put him at ease.
Not to mention what were the cutest dimples he'd ever seen. But he was more than accustomed to shoving down thoughts like that when they sparked. He decided to bravely ask more about the dog that had run to him so casually.
"I am in love with this dog, and wish to know everything there is to know about her." Terrence said, his bright smile shining the first time since he arrived in this town. The owner's sudden shilling of her dog and smile that matched his only served to endear him to her further.
She yapped for a while before asking about the new stranger she saw before her. She asked if he was here for the Scarlet funeral. As if he wasn't the spitting image of Tabby.
They introduced themselves to each other. There was a moment Stella remembered where Tabitha briefly told her about her cousin. Stella also recalled how much Pearlanne referred to her sister and her son as strange.
Stella couldn't wholly disagree. As cute as Terrence was, there was a haunting look at the mismatched heterochromatic eyes that looked back at her. He could swear one eye looked like Tabitha's glaring back at her, just with a softer gaze. The other seemed fixated on some far off point that clearly wasn't in his view. She elected to ignore it in favor of befriending her old "pal's" cousin.
"I think everyone in town knows about Tabby's cousin in one way or the other, so don't be too surprised if people act… familiar."
She could see the anxiety press onto Terrence's face for a brief moment. The man really wore his heart on his sleeve, the polar opposite of his cousin. Terrence's eyebrow raised as he thought about Stella's statement.
"Did you say Tabby? I can't imagine her going by something so…"
"Cute? She did back when I knew her. It's been… awhile though. I hope she's okay. How is she holding up?"
Terrence looked distant for a moment, his expression still soft, if a bit sad.
"I don't know how she's doing. The real Tabitha is buried under whatever icy front she's putting on. Whoever she is, I don't think many people get to actually see that person."
Stella knew all too well what Terrence meant by that. Returning the same sentiment.
"She's always been a little… rough around the edges- to be honest, it's always been hard to tell if that's just the way she is or if she's been putting on an act her whole life."
Memories flooded Stella's mind of the lonely girl up in the large decrepit estate. The "studying" sessions they got to have when they were in school. And how it all ended when Tabitha graduated. The Senior year she spent without her. The growing apart.
Stella shook her head.
"I'm glad you're here. You being in town will probably do her some good, even if she doesn't think so herself."
She told him a little about her history with Tabitha, at his request. Terrence was very surprised to learn that Tabitha could actually smile, if Stella's stories were to be believed.
"I was just on my way to the diner for coffee if you wanna join me Terry, my treat."
Terrence froze up a moment at her shortening his name. Normally it upset him a great deal more, hearing the name his mother used to refer to him as. But there was something about the way Stella said it, it reminded him of her. A caring kind of voice he was never quite accustomed to hearing, especially back in Seattle. He shook his head, making no effort to dissuade the nickname.
"Your treat? How could I decline?" Terrence said, giving her a smile that was welcoming, likened to a campfire.
A plan was already forming in Stella's mind, she was grinning ear to ear as Terrence followed behind her. She may have some help on her investigation tonight after all.