Chapter One
I didn’t discover the plot to murder me until it was too late. I never saw it coming. It started with the need to leave New York for Lee, Texas. Leaving my home, my summertime youth, my closet, our upper west side apartment, my friends, and boyfriend made me angry. My heart filled up with an intense ache. It hurt so much in my chest. I couldn’t help but cry the whole way to the airport. I knew I upset my mom. I felt her eyes on me the entire day and saw the tears that escaped her eyes. She felt miserable for me and I knew I shouldn’t be so selfish, but I couldn’t help it. I was in mourning, too.
I was in denial after daddy pulled me aside to tell me the terrible news, we were going to my mother’s hometown for the summer to help her mysterious father bury his wife, my grandmother. My dead grandmother was as much of a mystery to me as my grandfather. My mother never talked about her parents, let alone her life before she met my father. Daddy said she didn’t get along with her parents and once she graduated high school, she left and never returned.
“Never?” I asked him that day. I felt full of doubt when he first told me.
“Never.” The dark look in his eyes haunted me. “She never wanted to return. Regina, your mother’s parents are religious fanatics who disapproved of everything she did. They looked down on her and judged every decision she made as if they were the Universe. The town is tiny, and the people are snotty and judgmental. Plus, everything closes at dusk. Lee is never a place I would want to live.”
I shuddered at the thought. Daddy sounded so firm and serious. I become scared of the man I would meet. My mother’s father. I was curious about him, but I let my imagination run away with me. I pictured him as seven feet tall and towered over me. He had menacing red eyes and thin red lips. His judging eyes would mistake me for a sinner and I would spend the whole summer running from this wild, religious freak.
I let out a deep breath while I waited for the plane to board. The plane was right outside the window, getting ready to whisk me away. My family and I would soon board into the first-class section. Then the plane would take off, and take me away from New York and every wonderful moment I longed to have. I felt my stomach turn. I knew I was going to throw up and ran into the nearest bathroom.
I felt something terrible waited for me in Lee and I was scared.
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I washed my face with cold water and took deep breaths after my anxiety attack passed. The lights flickered as I washed my hands. Why was I panicking so badly? I know I’m leaving my home, but I can live with that. It’s only for the summer, not forever.
“So why can’t I breathe? Why can’t I stop shaking?” I asked my reflection.
I took more deep breaths and tried to get hold of myself. The dingy light turquoise tiles on the walls made my stomach turn. I moaned as my head spun. The room smelled bad which didn’t help my nausea. My blonde hair looked grossly pale and unwashed under the low lights. My blue eyes did nothing to hide the fear behind them. Everyone says I’m such a pretty girl, but the person staring back at me in the mirror was scared and far from pretty.
“Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to be okay.” I told myself over and over. I repeated the mantra in my head and felt better with every deep breath. Eventually, the room stopped spinning.
“Flight seven fifty-five for Austin Texas now boarding first class and handicapped passengers at gate seven. Boarding for flight seven fifty-five, Austin Texas, first class and handicapped passengers, gate seven,” the announcement said.
That was me.
Before I left the bathroom, I gave myself a hard look in the mirror and repeated, “I am going to do this because I am strong. My mother needs me. I’m going to find an adventure in Lee and return to New York where I belong.”
I stared into the mirror for another minute. The smell was not so bad now that I breathed it in for so long. I gazed at my tall, slim figure in the mirror. I didn’t want to leave this stinky bathroom now, but I felt silly about my anxiety. I looked myself firmly in the eye and walked out of the restroom.
My pep talk didn’t work. The moment I opened the restroom door, I felt like running anywhere but towards that plane. I felt my feet grow roots into the floor. My sweet father saw my hesitation and immediately came to my aid. I was happy mom boarded the plane and didn’t see my anxiety. Her happiness was the only reason I agreed to go.
“G? Are you okay?” my father’s voice called out with concern.
I laughed internally. My father was such a worrywart when it came to me. Plus, his nickname for me, G, was such a lame attempt to be cool in front of me and my friends, but I loved him for it.
“Yes, daddy. Just not feeling well. I don’t think breakfast sat well with me,” I lied.
“Well, do you think you’re ready? We can board.”
I opened my mouth to speak when the feeling of doom and vomit rose like a tidal wave intent on destroying me. I felt the heat in my cheeks and my breath quicken. I resisted the urge to dig my fingernails into the ground, refuse to go, and scream like a child in order to get my way. Never before had I felt such emotions of panic. I sat down heavily into the chair beside me.
“Regina, please don’t do this to your mother. We’ve talked about this before. It’s only for two months while we help grandpa George sort out the funeral and estate. He has no one to help him and nowhere to go. We have to make sure he has a home and someone to take care of him.” His face filled with fear. My parents were afraid I would not get on the plane for Texas.
“I know. I just needed a moment. I’m ready. Let’s get going,” I lied as I forced a smile. I successfully pushed the anxiety down and boarded the plane that would take me to my summer adventure.
Had I known the horrors that awaited me in Lee, I never would’ve boarded the plane.