Old Friends New Lovers

[silvertongue217]

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Alex turned his eyes one green and one blue assessing the woman who had become his mother. He could see how much the entire issue was bothering her, they didnt talk often of his past once he came to be in their care and he always got the sense that she wanted to forget it and pretend it hadnt happened.

That his parents had never happened

The old scar on his back throbbed the one memory from his childhood he couldnt bury. Ever since he received the phone call from the attorney it had been acting up throbbing and bothering him. He pointedly ignored it instead putting down the bundle of clothes he was carrying and going over to her.

"I have to" He said taking her hands and kissing them "I cant say im happy about it or even want to do it.... but like it or not this is my inheritance even if I decide to burn it all to the grounds I need to go face it"

"You always were smarter than you let on" She said sighing and giving him a warm albiet worried smile "Still I dont like this they have no idea who killed them?"

"At this time no" Alex said turning and shrugging his shoulders "They think it was some one poaching or some thing in the forest either that or one of the drug dealers they..... well they owed"

"Drug dealers" She said shuddering at the thought "Are you S-"

"Mom" Alex said more firmly this time as he ran a hand through his short brown hair

"I have to go"

.......................

TWO DAYS LATER

The road was bumpier than he remembered

It jostled him threatening to throw him out of the car at any moment. He pushed down on the pedal forcing the car to keep going. The high powered headlights cut across the trees casting odd shadows and deep coves of darkness as he followed the trail. Thankfully the road required his full concentration and so he didnt dwell on where he was going.

And what awaited him

But all to soon it came to a stop, the trail/road gave way revealing a broken down cabin that hit him like a ton of bricks. Memories rose up most of them horrid except the ones of HER.

The ones of Jenny

He pulled to a stop and leaned back idly pulling at the simple black shirt stretched across his large frame. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to go in there and face his parents one last time?

"Times like this I wish you were here Jen" He murmured looking over at the lake and sighing "You always had a way of bolstering me"

He made a mental note to go over to the abandoned camp grounds later to properly pay his respects. Even if the body had never been found and the camp was still empty there were found memories there.

The few he had of his childhood

He finally opened the door and stepped down from his truck. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one side as he went to the front door. He found the key where the lawyer left it and within seconds he was opening the door to his past.

It stank

He crinkled his nose in disgust, the smell of drugs and beer hitting him hard. As a kid the scent was so familiar it ceased to bother him but for the young man who strived so hard to never be around that stuff it was like poisonous gas. He waved it away and before he did any thing else moved around the place opening the windows and kicking on the air trying to move the stink out as much as possible.

Once he could breath he went out onto the deck over looking the lake. He shucked his coat leaning on the railing and taking it in. His eyes drifted over to the old camp grounds squinting as he tried to make out the details of their old stomping grounds.

 

[Goldenbraid]

She sat there looking across the lake with binoculars, watching for any movement around the old cabin.

He just had to return. He had to show up or it would greatly disappoint her.

He had been her only friend, and the only one in her life outside of her mother she cared for, never teasing or making fun of her scrawny build or odd likes…. and her great fear. Though odd for someone whose mother ran a summer camp, Jenny couldn’t swim… she had been afraid of the water…. she could dip her toes off the dock and such, but not get in the water. Maybe it was ironic fate that it was the lake that ended her fun with Alex.

Four girls had cornered her on the dock, thinking her not going into the lake odd and such, and they pushed her in telling her it was time to go for a swim…. But she couldn’t. As she flounder and called for them to help her, the girls watched her and called out snide comments, but as she continued to struggle they fell silent and then fled, leaving her. She choked on a scream as she sank into the water, as it filled her lungs cutting off her breath, as it surrounded her and seemed to pull her down into its depths, and finally as total blackness closed in around her. She felt lost in the inky blackness where nothing seemed to exist, and as her struggles seemed to have no effect she had been ready to give up…… that’s when she heard it. Alex’s voice calling her name through the endless dark, somehow it’s sound filling her with a warmth, and she started to fight to get to it, following it’s echo through the blackness.

When she woke she was laying on the shore, miles from the camp, her clothes were near rags looking like they were rotting away, and her body was covered in mud and clinging plants…. she choked as she spit up water and felt her lungs fill with air. She still wondered how long she’d been there, for when she finally made it back after a long walk in the woods and such, the camp was empty, and looked near abandoned….. the only comforting thing was a carving of Alex’s she found left on the dock like he had left it for her.

After cleaning up she had quickly learned of the event she had somehow missed…. The fact all thought her dead, having drowned…. The fact her mother had lost her mind and killed those she thought responsible, being taken away….. and that worst of all that Alex was gone. It broke her heart, and made her feel lost and alone again.

She was even more upset to find her mother was gone, killing herself shortly after being locked up….. her mother had always hated being confined, preferring the open spaces, and why she ran a summer camp.

She wasn’t sure how long she moped around the old camp site…. honestly in her depressed mood the nights were just a slightly darker gray to the days….. her only cherished possession the carving from Alex. Then it donned on her one day, maybe if she found why left or where he went, she could convince him to come back.

It didn’t take her long to find out that they had caught up with his parents and that he had been removed and place in a foster home….. oh how she glared at their place across the lake for their being the reason her friend had left….. then one night fate helped as his parents got killed while she had apparently been asleep or something!

This was great as it would bring him back, but she realized she couldn’t just pop out and see him…. she was thought dead….. and the shock could hurt him, so she’d have to carefully give him hints and such to let him know she was still alive.

That was why her constant watching of the place for signs of his return…. suddenly rewarded by the sight of a truck pulling up the cabin.

Yes! Alex was back!

She cheered and ran back up the dock to start her plan……

 

[silvertongue217]

It was time to get to work

His parents had not been known as being "clean" people, hell they hadnt been known as being any thing but degenerates. Sure enough Alex only had to walk into the living room to find the first of the many messes he would have to take care of.

"Should just burn this place" Alex murmured grabbing one of the large trash bags he brought with him and sighing. He knew in his heart that cleaning this stuff up would bring him the peace and closure two therapists hadnt helped him reach.

But it was still a mess

"Well might as well take advantage" Alex said putting the bag down for now and turning to the kitchen. There was nothing in the way of "food" in their but it didnt lake long to find their stash of beers. His parents bought a decent enough brand so he cracked one open pulling out his Ipod and the mini stero system he brought and hooking it up.

Soon he was cleaning while smooth jazz played in the background and bolstered him. He didnt worry about the carpet or the stains only the clutter and trash that served to coat the rug. He filled two trash bags before he finally decided to call it quits for the night.

He pushed them by the door and spent another half hour disinfecting the coach before he crashed on it. He downed the last of the beer and tipped his head back closing his eyes and sighing as he heard the frogs on the pond begin their nightime song.

"Man does this bring back memories" Alex said keeping his eyes closed as he stretched out on the couch "I miss you Jenn still do"

 

[Goldenbraid]

Jenny stood on the dock, preparing one of the camp canoes for a trip across the lake.

Finally she was going to get to see Alex again after so long….. not that it had been a totally wasted time, she thought glancing at her reflection in the water. For where there had been the image of a scrawny scarecrow of a girl now stood a slim young woman with a decent bit of curve, and though her hair was still a mouse brown, it wasn’t frizzy and flyaway anymore, instead it had a full shiny look now. It was good anyway, for she thought giggling, if she’d become a voluptuous thing with blonde or deeper brown hair Alex wouldn’t recognize her…… no, it was just enough to make her look like an improved Jenny.

As she climbed in the canoe and started to paddle across the lake, she thought of the other change too…. her know attitude towards the water. Before she’d been afraid of it, going near it only when needed and felt like its depths held creatures and dangers just waiting to pull her in if they could get to her. But now she felt a calming peace looking at its surface, its soft lapping against the dock the whispered promise of a comforting embrace of a loved one….. in fact she felt attached to it, growing lost and confused if away from it for too long, so spent most of her waking hours sitting on the dock with her feet dipped in it or at least near it.

She giggled to herself at how a near death experience can change one’s opinion on things.

She quietly pulled the canoe ashore as the frogs and such started their moonlight serenade, oddly swearing she heard Alex’s voice calling her name again, even though a drifting whisper, and carefully approached the cabin.

She moved along as silently as possible, risking a glance in by raising her sight just high enough to peek in the window, seeing Alex stretched out on the couch, and having to fight the urge to run in and hug him tight…. that wasn’t the plan. She opened the bag she had with her, sprinkling blossoms from her favorite flower all along the outside of the windows where their fragrance would drift in.

“Dream sweet dreams of me and you.” She whispered softly.

Passing the door she spotted the garbage bags, smiling as Alex was always good at cleaning but never finished the get rid of the bags thing before quitting, so slid them out quietly and trotted them down to where the truck could pick them up on the day it came by.

Holding in her amusement, she hurried back to the canoe and paddled back across the lake…….

 

[silvertongue217]

The scent woke him up

Alex jerked his eyes groggily cracking open as he cracked his neck. He spent a few seconds peering into the darkness trying to figure out where he was. The scent hit him and suddenly he was back the memories of where he was hitting him like a ton of bricks.

His parents house

He sighed looking around outside it was pitch black creating a mirror of him sitting on the couch. He blinked memories of sitting on the couch as a kid and using his flash light to send message in morse code to Jenny coming back to him. They would trade message throughout the night over the lake, some times it was random, some times it was plans, but it always always ended the same way.

With an I love you

He shook his head pushing himself up and off the couch. He walked over staring at his reflection for a few more minutes before he closed the blinds. Once they were locked he moved going to find one of the bedrooms and get a proper sleep before he caught the scent once more.

"What is that?" Alex murmured shaking his head and pushing his fingers through his hair. He turned sniffing the air once more, some thing about it seemed familiar to him yet he couldnt place it. So instead he followed it moving towards the porch. He opened the door flicking on the porch light and illuminating a small circle around him of light.

"What the" Alex said noting the flower blossoms all over the porch and window "who did-"

Alex paused his eyes widening, the garbage bags he filled up before he fell asleep were gone and no where in sight. He turned moving around the deck trying to see if they had slipped through or a racoon had tried to take off with it.

But he couldnt find them

A shiver passed across Alex's neck, suddenly he felt like he was being watched.

"Is some one there?!" Alex called out into the forest "This is private property if you dont leave I will arrest you!"

But no one answered

Alex sighed finally shaking his head, he slammed the door locking it and moving to make sure all the other rooms and windows were secured. Once he was sure he finally crashed throwing himself on the couch as he struggled to calm down and sleep.

 

[Goldenbraid]

Jenny heard Alex calling as she made it back to the dock, turning to see lights on and what looked like him standing outside flashing a light about, but she couldn’t quite make out what he had said. She stepped back onto the dock, seeing Alex go back in again and the lights finally go out, grinning.

Must have found her little surprise, and started his remembering of her.

She happily dashed up the dock, and headed to the cabin she’d taken over for herself, jumping into the bunk she slept on, and pulling the blanket over her. I’m going to get Alex back, she thought with joy as she drifted off to sleep with the sound of the water lapping gently on the shore outside the window……

 

[silvertongue217]

The Next Day

Alex woke up early determined to keep to his usual routine. A part of him was afraid (even though he would never admit it) of the house he was in of his parents bad influence seeping into him. It was dumb he knew that but even so he was determined to show he was the person he had become and not them.

So he got dressed in track shorts and after plugging in his Ipod went for his run. He picked his way through the forest his head low as he let his body take him wherever it wanted to go. He let the music of his playlist pump through him blotting every thing out as he circled the lake.

Once he needed a break he stopped slowling down and huffing it was then that he finally decided to look up his eyes widening in surprise as he took in his surroundings.

The camp

"Wow" Alex said shaking his head taking one hesitant step forward. He was on the edge of the property right near some of the abandoned huts. Now that he was closer he could tell that no one had been around or near it in quite some time. The grass was overgrown snaking up and licking at the bottom of the wooden huts and areas. In some places it had even started to grow through taking over the wood and claiming it with an almost hungry aggressive fevor.

"I cant believe this is what its become" Alex said shaking his head and sighing "If only you were here Jenny"

 

[Goldenbraid]

When Jenny woke the next morning, she wasted no time in hurrying out and watching across the lake for signs of Alex, but all seemed quiet and still. She started to worry he’d left again already but quickly spotted he truck still parked there, breathing a sigh of relief. Must be sleeping late, she thought smiling, poor Alex.

She went about her normal morning activities, always glancing at the cabin to see if he’d waken but always seeing no movement, beginning to wonder if he was more tired and worn than she thought, deciding she’d go look when she got the chance.

She was just starting to exit the showers, after a nice long one, making plans to row over maybe and check on Alex, when she spotted him standing at the far edge of the camp, looking around.

Oh god, he was right here, right now!

She was so tempted to just run over to him and throw her arms about his neck, but resisted, instead peeking out around the shower rooms entrance at him, watching him carefully, for she still wasn’t sure if the news she was alive wouldn’t be too much a shock for him…… besides she only had a towel on.

Now what? Did she hide or try to sneak back to her cabin?

She glanced out, thinking it would be challenging to get to her stuff with him here, as he was standing just one cabin down from the one she was using along the lake edge…….

 

[silvertongue217]

Alex sighed looking around one more time and oblivious to what was happening a mere few feet away from him.

"I miss you Jen" He called out loudly "Wherever you are I hope your happy you and your mom"

He turned and after pushing his headphones back in he continued his run. He pushed himself singing softly under his breath as he disappeared into the forest. It took him thirty minutes to get back to the cabin. By then it was lunch time and so he decided to run into town and get some thing.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

Alex came back hopping out of his truck and balancing the pizza he had bought. He balanced it in the palm of his hand fishing his keys out with the other as he glanced up at the house. He shivered not sure why he suddenly so chilled. He paused turning to look around in the forest and wondering if some one was out there.

"Hello?" He asked narrowing his eyes trying to discern some thing from the shadows of the tree. Hearing nothing he shrugged and turn stepping back inside.