Ten years gone

Ten years long

Another child taken

Another child gone

Shari Davenport watched the bus leave her behind at the centre of Sachem Bay, longing to hop back on and escape back to New York all over again.

But she was here for a reason. For Gracie. And blood ties meant everything to her.

Shari stopped in the diner for coffee - luckily it must have opened in the ten years Shari had been gone, so she felt comfortable there, with the lack of unwanted nostalgia. She ordered a cappuccino, they gave her it in a foam cup and she slid into a booth in the corner to read her book in private.

She didn't even get to stir her sugar when a voice interrupted her from the first page.

"You're Shari Davenport, ain't you?" An old woman said.

Shari raised her eyebrows. "How'd you know me?"

The elderly woman grinned and slid into the booth with her. "Look at that fire red hair of yours! You're a Davenport girl if I've ever seen one! I'm Winnie McFarlane, short for Winnifred."

Winnifred. Poor soul with a name like that. Shari thought guiltily.

She didn't need to ask Winnie how she knew her first name. For there was only two Davenport girls. And one of them was dead.

"You're here for Gracie, aren't you." Winnie said with a sure nod, as if she already knew the answer.

"I am." Shari replied, finally taking a sip of her coffee.

Winnie was almost squealing in excitement. "As soon as I heard the news, I knew you'd come. Everyone knew."

Shari had to suppress an eye-roll. "Of course, she's my niece."

Mrs McFarlane gave Shari a sure tap on the arm. "Don't you beat about the bush, Miss Davenport. You sent that Thing into hiding, for a good ten years too!"

The word thing sent shivers burning up Shari's spine.

"I didn't do shit. This ignorant fucking town didn't do what it's supposed to." Shari retorted, losing her temper momentarily.

Winnie McFarlane looked taken aback, but unlike most old folk in Sachem Bay, she shook it off. "I believe in you, Shari. Not everyone knows the truth about what lurks deep in this town, but I do."

Shari's anger quickly changed to a warm appreciation for the old woman, as she slid out of the booth and staggered back to her own, retreating into the The Sachem Daily.

Shari gave a sigh and stared out of the window, thinking about the events of ten years ago. What she went through with her brother Scotty, Prue Harris (apparently she was married as Rivers now), Logan Ledger, Diana Jet and Tobias Wainwright.

It all seemed an eternity away.

Shari's mind wandered, trying to distract herself and thought about how she would get to the place she would be staying:

Sachem Bay Boarding House by Secular Woods, East Side.

She shoved the book in her bag, deciding she would start it later, picked up her foam cup, which was mostly still full and made her way for the exit.

The coffee almost flew out of her hand.

"Woah, whatcha-" The guy that almost walked straight into her froze. He had blue eyes, thick brows and a shaven head, just enough hair to see - and he suited it.

Shari steadied her coffee cup and froze. "Logan?"

Logan Ledger grinned. "Shari freaking Davenport. Damn girl it's been... what... like a decade?"

"Just about. You haven't changed at all!"

Logan smirked and opened the exit door again. "Where're you heading? Let me drive you."

Shari sighed in relief. "Thank God you offered, I had no idea where I was going, it's been so long."

Logan flashed her a grin as he led her to his Jaguar - the same retro one he had in high school.

"Wow... still keeping this old junk going, huh?"

Logan glared at his old friend accusingly. "Old junk my ass. Old bad boy is more like it."

Shari rolled her eyes as she slid into the passenger seat.

Shari's heart sank as he jumped in and offered her a stick of gum, which she politely refused.

It seemed like not even a day had passed between them.

***

To Shari's surprise, the boarding house was quite far out into Secular Woods. It was upon the East Side, where after half a mile or so from the boarding house, the river would open up into Secular Falls, the paradise Shari would go when she needed to escape reality. Down where the water flow was louder than her cries and the rocks her harder than her yells. The waterfall and the rocks and the grass and summer breeze was the only place Shari ever could truly be herself.

She promised herself she'd take a trip there whilst she was in town.

However, Shari knew had made other promises - promises she had to keep. One being returning to Sachem Bay to help, for she was one of the few that knew the truth. She also promised to visit Mom. A promise she'd struggle with, but follow through with nonetheless. And the promise to get Gracie back - she refused to let her niece suffer the same fate as her dead twin sister.

She waved off Logan and set forward towards the boarding house. It looked dark, even in the sunlight, the wood a dull maroon colour yet the windows were large enough that surely enough the light would make up for it on the inside. The garden wasn't necessarily fixed - it was if the woods were the garden all in itself; as if the house was intruding on the grass of Secular Woods, not really belonging. The double doors lay out before Shari and she knocked, the echo bellowed throughout the inside and soon enough, she heard the sound of footsteps.

The doors opened with a groan, revealing an aged but seemingly trusting face.

"Mrs Devereux, I'm Shari Davenport. We spoke on the phone?"

Lorelei Devereux's face lit up. "Ah, wonderful, yes, do come in."

The old woman shuffled aside, beckoning Shari over the threshold and into the spacious lobby. Down a few steps, the lounge held a large fireplace, set in the wall, unlit (it was May after all). In there, the furniture was retro, classy and velvet, giving Shari vibes of the 1920s. Bookshelves stacked around the lobby and continued through the lounge, yet no television.

Lorelei noticed this observation with a smile: "Ah, yep, no TV. There is one in your room. I, however, have no interest."

Shari smiled. "I'm not one for TV either. I do notice you have plenty of books."

Lorelei looked pleased at this remark, pulling her new lodger nearer to the shelves. "From Shakespeare to Dickens, from Chaucer to Steinbeck, from Einstein to Amelia Earhart - even down to the roots of Sachem Bay. My book collection is the best. Of course, if you're looking for Twilight, you'll have to visit the public library for that..."

Shari held back her laugh at the very thought of Lorelei Devereux settling into a Twilight book.

"Hey, do you know of any taxi companies you would recommend using during my stay? With us being so far out..."

"Do you not have your car with you, dear? I'm assuming you drive, that is."

Shari shook her head. "It's in New York, this was a last minute emergency."

Lorelei thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. "Remind me in the morning to show you. I have an old truck in my garage. I don't drive anymore and it's just sitting there, wasting away. How about you use it, just while you're here in Sachem Bay?"

Shari's heart sank in appreciation. "Wow - really? Are you sure?"

Lorelei nodded. I don't see why not. You're staying here with me, and better to get use out of it than let it rot."

"Thank you so much, that is so generous of you!" Said Shari gratefully.

Without another word, Lorelei signalled to move forward, in which she walked across the lobby and led her down a corridor to the bottom of a wide double staircase. They trudged up it together, Shari pulled at her bag which seemed to be getting heavier from the minute they ascended from the ground floor. They skipped the first floor and carried on up the double staircase to the second floor. And eventually, her room was there.

"I hope you'll find comfort here in the boarding house. If you need me, I'm here for anything."

"Thank you, Mrs Devereux."

She smiled. "Call me Lorelei."

Shari gave her a sure nod and turned to enter her new room.

"Oh, and Shari dear... I'm sorry about Gracie. I will meditate for her safety tonight."

"Thank you."

She retreated to her room.

It was later that night when Shari saw them. She was patting her hair down with a towel, sat on the double bed when she heard the whispers. At first, she thought it was the wind in the trees, but she knew trees couldn't giggle.

She had sat on the edge of the bed in her night shorts and t-shirt, watching the sun set over the horizon, just like she used to do. The birds retreated to the trees and beyond the skyline, seeking sanctuary for the night - lucky them.

By the time the moon was high, glistening upon every leave in Secular Woods, the night had grown peaceful and it seemed Shari could appreciate the small town she grew up in once again.

They forget, they all forget and revel in their ignorance. Jenny Cooper's voice invaded her inner thoughts and Shari's jaw clenched. She wouldn't forget. Never. Sadie deserved better than that.

And as she gazed into the mystery of the trees, she saw them. First she saw the couple, whispering to each other from underneath the trees, barely visible under the moonlight.

Shari moved forwards, onto the balcony to see what ever the reason was to be out by the boarding house at this time. Were they also boarding here?

She watched them mutter to one another, but they didn't seem to notice her. One was a woman, in a long floral dress and bonnet. She was beautiful; she had smooth young skin, eyebrows groomed perfectly and soft plump lips. The man wore a long tailored suit with his top-hat placed in his hand and a whip in the other. He was less pleasant to the eye, wrinkles gathered around his eyes and lips, a goatee sprouting from under his chin with tints of grey diluting into the brown. They seemed to be entranced in a conversation of private urgency - Shari couldn't help but want to know what.

And then she saw another.

It was an old man, cleaning his glasses, humming to himself. He was a thin old man, with a gentle face; big grew bushy brows sat on his head, matching the colour of his fading hair. He wore a brown scratchy looking jumper, baggy black trousers and a pair of brown shoes. His fingernails were groomed and tidy but yet were a faint yellow, presumably from smoking.

"Hey there!" Shari called out. "Are you residents here too? I'm Shari!"

The couple looked up to Shari in offence, almost as if she was absurd for interrupting them.

They stared at her, not making a sound - except for the old man, he continued to hum in a low and dim manner.

Shari stood awkwardly as they glared into her.

"I'm sorry, it's just - it's be nice to have a few people to speak to around this big house." Shari said, with a friendly smile.

The old man stopped humming instantaneously. He looked confused.

The woman pressed her finger to her mouth and a gentle, "shhh," came from her lips.

And the three of them disappeared into the trees of Secular Woods.

Then, a feeling of foreboding rushed over Shari and all of a sudden, she felt like she was losing Sadie all over again, feeling the presence of something evil. Heart pounding, Shari retreated back into her bedroom and locked the windows and balcony door. She crawled onto her bed, wrapping herself in her duvet.

It seemed Sachem Bay's skeletons were still out of the closet.

As she lay in the duvet, Shari thought about how she would have to reply to all of her confused friends from New York tomorrow. And then she would set out to find her brother Scott and with that, get Gracie back.

Even on her birthday, the town didn't seem so inviting anymore.