The Story of Crystal Lakes (pt 5)

Grace found her daughter Daniela furtively looking at the screen of her laptop. “How’s your boyfriend, D?” 1

Daniela jumped a mile. “W-what are you talking about?” The blush that crept over her cheeks explained everything.2

“It’s alright,” Grace laughed. “I won’t embarrass you… too much.” She laughed again. “So, what’s his name?”3

Daniela’s face softened, something that had been happening less and less frequently lately. “His name’s Joey.” She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself. “Can me and him go out tonight?”4

Grace thought about it. What harm could it do? “Of course you can. Now get off to school.”5

“Bye Mum,” Daniela said, with a grin that told Grace clearly that she had done the right thing. Or, at least, that she’d done the right thing by Daniela.6

“Bye, Dani,” she called, feeling that she had just lost something she’d always taken for granted- her daughter staying a little kid.7

*8

“So,” Kari smiled at Crystal. “What’s up?”9

“Nothing,” replied Crystal honestly. “Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Jackson?”10

Kari giggled. “Thousands of times. Most people think he’s actually my real dad.” She cleared her throat. “Elysha truly hates it.”11

Jealousy appeared to be something Elysha was very efficient in. Not that Crystal hadn’t known that already.12

“You’ve heard a lot about me, haven’t you?” Crystal guessed. She could sense how awkward this was for Kari. 13

Kari nodded fervently. “It’s the only vaguely interesting thing she has to say.”14

Crystal sighed. She felt it was only fair to explain. “I was so, so young, Kari. My life had a long road to go along, and I didn’t even know if I was controlling how fast or where I was going. I felt that Jackson had the control over my life, and the only I way I could feel I had the control was to let him go. It broke my heart, to say nothing of my mind. After I left, I had nowhere to go. My whole life had been in Crystal Lakes. I only had $300 in the bank, the rest of it was in the Crystal Lakes Depository Bank. Then, one night when I was feeling particularly down, helpless and pathetic, I met Donna in a coffee shop. She offered me a place to stay, and most importantly, she offered me friendship. Donna is impossibly valuable to me, and Jackson will always have a place in my heart and most certainly in my memories.”15

“Do you still love my dad?” Kari asked. It was the natural question.16

Suddenly Crystal remembered who she was talking to. She shook her head self–consciously. “It was a long time ago, Kari, and I’ve moved on from then. Me and your dad haven’t spoken in seven years.” It was probably better not to mention yesterday’s kiss.17

“So maybe it’s time you started speaking again,” Kari suggested perceptively. 18

“Maybe it is,” Crystal agreed. Maybe being abandoned by your parents and being adopted gave you wisdom beyond your years.19

Suddenly they pulled into a narrow driveway and Crystal found herself being thrown sharply sideways. “This is Belle’s place.” 20

Crystal was confused. “But… next door is Donna’s house. I’ve never seen it before, but I know the address,” she told Kari, nodding towards the modest one story villa next to Belle’s. 21

“Cool,” Kari laughed. “You go get her and I’ll attempt to get Belle out of there.”22

So Crystal walked to Donna’s front door apprehensively and knocked. “Ohayo gozaimasu,” she called tentatively in Japanese- both spoke the language from when they had stayed in Japan a few years previously where they had made lots of money teaching English to Japanese businessmen. 23

“Good morning to you too,” said Donna, her short blond hair shining in the mid-morning sun. “Is that our ride?” she asked, pointing to Kari’s car.24

“Sure is,” smiled Crystal, hugging her friend. “Sâ ikô.”25

(Let’s go.)26

*27

Rachael stared, feeling numb, at their plasma TV screen telling her the shocking news that a few miles away a body had been found by a passing hitchhiker. The body had been ditched at the edge of the forest and the face of the deceased was now on the screen. Even before the picture had come up, Rachael had known what was going to happen, and who the body’s identity was.28

Rachael and Jay’s former roommate.29

She walked over to the phone and rung triple-zero.30

“Police, fire or ambulance,” an uninterested, effeminate voice said when the phone was finally picked up. (To Rachael the time it took had seemed like a lifetime.)31

“Police, p-p-please,” Rachael stuttered, tears choking up her throat. “I can identify a dead body.”32

*33

When the four women arrived at the Lounge, Crystal was instantly charmed by the little coffeehouse. Next door to it on the left side was a club, and on the right side, there was a French-sounding restaurant. 34

“This place has a massive nightclub district,” Kari explained. This place is right on the edge of it. The Lounge is pretty popular.”35

Noticing Crystal’s stricken face, Kari made a face at her. “Everyone already knows you’re back anyway, thanks to a certain girl not a million miles away from here ringing everyone last night and told them.”36

“Hey, if I didn’t tell people stuff, I’d be out of business,” Belle laughed, and the others joined in. 37

Crystal entered the Lounge with a certain amount of trepidation. 38

“Good morning,” said an Italian-accented voice from Crystal’s right. “Welcome to the Lounge.”39

Crystal turned to look at the owner of the voice, and had a feeling she knew exactly who it was that had the full head of white hair and was wearing all black. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”40

The elderly woman looked up. “I’m afraid not. My name’s Alice Gannaway. My husband Oliver and I run this place.”41

“Crystal Depp,” Crystal smiled. “Long time no see, Alice.”42

Alice froze. She turned around again and looked Crystal full in the face, as if she was scanning her to check if she was lying. 43

“But how beautiful you are!” exclaimed Alice, her Italian accent now more obvious than before. “When I saw you last, you were just the young girl, and now… Beautiful! Still too thin, though, I say.”44

Crystal blushed at Alice’s European exuberance. “Thanks, Alice.”45

“Take a seat,” Alice commanded. “Everything in here is on the house for my favourite young girl and her friends.”46

“Thankyou,” Crystal smiled again. So far, so good, she thought to herself. Everyone so far (except for Elysha) had been happy to see her back. Crystal then spied something very familiar to her in the display cabinet. “Could it be… is that one of your famous choc chip cookies, Mrs G?”47

Alice nodded, the familiar nickname clearly bringing back a torrent of memories. “You used to eat a dozen a day and still be thin as the stick. A miracle of nature, you were.”48

“I don’t doubt it,” Crystal heard someone say from behind her. She turned around, not sure what or who to expect. 49

And there was Will.50

*51

“Lucy?” Nick called to her, his voice trembling. 52

“Yeah?” What’s up?” she asked, putting her arms around his neck.53

“Daniel’s dead.”54

The realization hit Lucy like a ton of bricks to the face. It wasn’t that he was dead; she’d been almost certain that he would be. It was that he had been found so very ridiculously quickly. What if the police found out she had done it? What would happen to her life?55

Her shock and fear must have shown on her face, though, because Nick pulled her close to him and kissed her. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.”56

But will it?, she thought to herself. If the police find me, my life will be over. 57

“Do they have any idea who or what killed him?” 58

It was her last, desperate hope.59

Nick nodded, and Lucy’s heart stopped. “He was attacked by somebody. The police are almost certain it was foul play. Whoever it was must have been pretty damn vicious, because he was completely dead. There was no hope of saving him.”60

Lucy shuddered. “That’s horrible!” Horrible for me. “I hope they find the person who killed him.” 61

“Do you still want to go ahead with the wedding? You’re looking a bit funny.” Nick asked her.62

“Of course,” said Lucy, reeling. Act natural. “Let’s do it in honour of his memory.” 63

“Right then,” Nick said. “For Daniel.” He hugged her tightly.64