to be her own, not even caring that she was getting the floor sopping wet all the way through the downstairs. She turned the knob on that had a big H in the middle and cussed again as brown water came out at first.
She waited a few seconds and then as soon as the water turned clear she jumped in. Who would have thought that the pool water would have been so cold? It was Louisiana for Christ’s sake! Nothing was cold in Louisiana especially not in August! The steaming hot bath water felt so good. She reached for her shampoo then realized that she had left everything on the bed. She also realized that she still had her clothes on.
She stepped back out of the bathtub and stripped off her clothes then grabbed her soap, towel, shampoo, and razor. She was just getting settled back in the tub when she had that strange feeling that she was being watched.
“Not cool!” She said out loud. “Some things are private. Go away!”
Then as if her invisible friend had heard her she felt the presence leave just as quickly as it had come.
“Thank you.” She knew that this time she was only talking to herself.
So she had had a nice long nap, a freakishly cold swim in her pool, and a very soothing hot bath (once she was alone). She was now starving and remembered that there was still no food in her house. She wondered if there was any place still opened that would deliver for her. She doubted that they would come out that far even if there were. She decided on another granola, and to visit the supermarket in the morning. She was also going to have to make a phone call to the cable company. There was no way she was going to make it through another day without television.
When she came out of the kitchen with an ice cold diet Pepsi (the refrigerator was working great) she noticed that her bags were no longer in the living room. She was going to be really pissed if she found them outside the front door again.
She looked out the door and didn’t see them.
“Alright, what have you done with my ba gs? I am starving and there is a granola bar just waiting for me in one of them!”
No answer of course.
“Fine.” She started to head back to her room when she noticed that there was a light on in one of the upstairs rooms. “So, that’s where you are.” She said.
She started to climb the stairs when all of a sudden the light that she had seen on just seconds before had switched to off. She felt a sudden gush of freezing cold air and then felt herself flying up against the wall behind her. The force almost knocked her out and it took a moment for her to realize what had happened.
She tried to gather herself before speaking. When she opened her mouth to speak someone else spoke instead. It was a man’s voice. A very gruff voice that should have chilled her to the bone, instead made her head spin and released a feeling that she had never before in her life felt. She wanted to hear more of it.
“You are not welcome here!” She thought the voice said but although she knew it was right in front of her it sounded as though it was a million miles away..
Although she saw no one, she could feel his hands on her arms… very strong hands.
“I’m sorry. I won’t go upstairs if that is what you want. I bought this house. I need this house. I will share it with you!I know that it was yours first but I just can’t leave. I have nowhere else to go. You have to understand that, and it is so beautiful here.” She felt tears welling up in her eyes now. They were sad tears, tears of pain, tears of humiliation, and tears from a feeling that she couldn’t explain all boiled into one. Tears of anything and everything but fear.
“You are not welcome here!” The voice said again, louder this time, with a slight Irish accent, and more annoyed it seemed. She swore she could picture teeth being clinched together and she felt his grip tighten in anger as he spoke. He let go of her when she grimaced, and she felt him move away from her.
“What is your name? Mine is Drew. Drew Taylor.” She said, rubbing her