Dark Mountain

  “I guess I’m okay now.”

  “You’d better lie down for a while,” Dad said. He and Karen helped her stand up. Holding her by the arms, they walked her toward the lounge chair. Her legs were trembling and weak.

  When she was stretched out on the cushion, Dad bent over her. He stroked her forehead, smoothing aside wet strands of hair. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She nodded. “I guess I shouldn’t have gone in after all.”

  “You just pushed it too hard.”

  “I guess so. Hey, thanks for pulling me out.”

  He pressed his lips together tightly, and nodded. His eyes were red and wet. He patted her cheek. “Take a little nap now. I’ll wake you up in time for Nick.”

  “Let me know at four, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Karen gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and smiled down at her. Then she and Dad walked toward their recliners, talking quietly.

  Julie shut her eyes against the sunlight. She flexed her leg muscles, and felt them tremble. Then she relaxed. She was drained of energy. The heat was a comforting blanket. She tried to think about what had happened to her, but her mind strayed. She was stretched out on a hot granite slab by the lake, Nick’s body wet against her, his lips caressing her mouth.

  A hand shook her awake. “It’s just past four,” Dad said.

  “Thanks,” she murmured. She lay motionless for a little while after he left. She felt groggy, and weighted down by the heat of the sun. Then thoughts of Nick’s arrival pushed away her weariness. She sat up, sweat trickling down her body, small puddles spilling from the hollows of her throat and her navel. She looked for her thongs. They were still at the shallow end of the pool where she’d left them. Clutching her towel, she raced over the burning concrete to the house.

  Benny, seated in the den, looked up from his book as she slid open the door and entered. He wrinkled his nose to hold his glasses up. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Sure. Dad tell you about it?”

  “Yeah. I was in the john when it happened. Wish I’d seen it.”

  “Too bad. It was quite a spectacle—your sister nearly drowning. You’d better keep on your toes so you don’t miss any more fun.”

  “I just meant maybe I could’ve helped.”

  “Sure.” Chilled by the air-conditioning, she wrapped herself in the towel. “Where’s Tanya?”

  “I think she’s in her room studying.”

  Julie left the den and went to Tanya’s bedroom. She found the older girl at the desk, bent over her big volume of Shakespeare. “How do you feel?”

  “Not bad.”

  Tanya shook her head. “Can’t believe it. Both legs seized up on you?”

  “Dad says I was pushing it.”

  “Benny thinks it’s the curse.”

  “What else is new?”

  “He’s in there, boning up on remedies.”

  “Looking for a hex remover?”

  “Something like that.”

  “It’s just a lot of bull.”

  “You still think so?” Tanya asked.

  “Hell, I’ve had leg cramps before. But since there does seem to be an epidemic of accident proneness going around, I was just wondering…” She sighed, wondering how to proceed. Tanya waited, eyebrows raised. “Nick’s coming over pretty soon, and I’ve gotta get cleaned up. I need to take a quick shower. Did you hear about Karen falling in her tub last night?”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, she almost drowned, but her roommate got to her just in time.”

  “There is an epidemic.”

  “I’ll say. Anyway, I was wondering if you’d mind taking a little break from your Shakespeare and kind of keeping an eye on me while I shower.”

  Tanya frowned up at her. “You really are worried.”

  “Well, I’m still a little shaky on my feet. I guess it’s kind of ridiculous. I mean, I’m not spooked or anything. I just thought, to be on the safe side…” She stopped fumbling with words as Tanya set her pen down on the open book and pushed her chair back. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

  “No, that’s all right. You can take your time. I’m pretty Shakespeared out.”

  “I really appreciate it.” With a grin, she added, “I’ll do the same for you sometime.”

  “Hey, forget it. There’s no curse on me.” She made a playful scowl. “You don’t suppose it’s contagious?”

  “You’d have to ask Benny about that.”

  In her own bedroom, Julie tossed her damp pool towel onto her bed. She grabbed her robe, and hurried down the hallway to the bathroom. Tanya was already there, waiting on the toilet seat. “Maybe you’ve had your run of bad luck for the day.”

  “I sure hope so,” Julie said. She crouched and ran water into the tub. When it felt right, she turned the shower on and slid the glass door shut. She took off her bikini, blushing slightly as Tanya watched.

  “Think you got enough sun today?”

  “Too much, probably. Hope I don’t peel.”

  “Put some lotion on, afterward.”

  She nodded. She pulled the door partway open, tested the water with her hand, then carefully stepped into the tub. A foot slipped. She clung to the door.

  “Christ, be careful!”

  “I’m all right.” Then she was standing in the tub with the door shut, the spray hot on her back. Through the frosted glass, Tanya was a vague, blurred shape. “Hope you know CPR,” Julie called.

  She couldn’t quite hear Tanya’s reply over the noise of the shower.

  “You know, maybe I’d better take a fall, just to make this look good. I’m gonna feel like a jerk if nothing happens.”

  She turned slowly, enjoying the feel of the water as it splashed her body and streamed down. There was no stinging sensation, so she knew she wasn’t badly sunburned. Her tanned skin had a glossy look, a slight reddish hue. Even her breasts looked rosy, but that was from the shower, not the sun. If she could find more time to sunbathe naked…In a way, though, she rather liked the contrast, the white places surrounded by bronze skin.

  Remembering her promise to be quick, she ducked her head under the nozzle. When her hair was soaked, she shampooed it. She rinsed out the suds, then used a soapy washcloth on her face and ears. “So far so good,” she called.

  Hearing no answer, she peered through the glass. Her heart suddenly thumped hard. Her stomach knotted. She tugged open the door. Blinking water from her eyes, she stared through the stream at the vacant seat of the toilet.

  “What’s wrong?” Tanya asked.

  Through the thick drifting steam, she saw her cousin near the closed bathroom door. Naked. Standing on her head.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Relaxing.”

  “Good Christ.”

  “It’s very pleasant. You should try it sometime.”

  Julie laughed. “Sure thing,” she said; and shut the door. She soaped herself down, rinsed, and turned off the water. As she stepped onto the bathmat, Tanya’s legs dropped forward. She landed lightly on the balls of her feet and stood up. Julie reached for her towel. “Gee, I always knew you were level-headed. I guess that comes from standing on it.”

  Tanya came forward, feeling the top of her head with both hands. Her body was slim, like Julie’s, but her breasts were much larger and swayed slightly as she walked. “It’s not flat,” she said.

  “Level. Nothing about you is flat.”

  “Let me by, smart-ass.”

  Julie shuffled sideways to make room, and Tanya knelt by the tub. She turned the faucets on.

  “You’re gonna take a shower?”

  “A bath, actually.”

  “Gee, I thought you just stripped to show off your boobs.”

  “Magnificent, huh?”

  “Want to trade?”

  Tanya stoppered the drain, then looked over her shoulder. Her eyes settled on Julie’s breasts. Julie resisted an urge to hide them behind the towel. “As a matter of fa
ct, I wouldn’t mind. I’d throw all my bras away.”

  “Come on, mine aren’t that bad.”

  Tanya laughed. “What do you want? I told you I’d trade.”

  “I wear bras.”

  “Ah, but that’s for decorum, not necessity.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “If I had a set like yours, you wouldn’t catch me dead in a bra. Especially in summer. And on dates. I tell you, you wouldn’t believe the troubles I’ve had on dates. The thing’s always in the way. Guys get frustrated fooling with the hooks and I have to unfasten it. It takes a Houdini to get out of the shoulder straps without taking off your blouse, which you might not want to do if you’re messing around at a drive-in or something, so you end up half the time with the cups in your face. It’s a colossal drag.”

  Smiling, Julie said, “I wouldn’t know about that.”

  “Really? You mean you’ve never—”

  “Never. You’re looking at pristine tits.” Except for…She suddenly saw the man on top of her, felt the tight squeeze of his hand. The memory of it made a cold, hard place in her stomach. She realized, vaguely, that Tanya was laughing at her quip.

  “Untouched by human hands, huh? Well, a bra can do that for you, if that’s what you want.”

  “I’ve just never gone out with a guy I cared enough about.”

  “That’ll change. Let me tell you.”

  “I guess.”

  “You can bet on it,” Tanya said, and climbed into the tub.

  Still upset by the shock of remembering the attack, Julie quickly finished drying herself. She put on her robe. “Thanks for, you know, sticking around.”

  “Any time. It was a kick. Pristine tits.”

  Julie left the hot, steamy bathroom. The corridor felt cool. In her bedroom, she shut the door. She opened her robe. Stepping close to the full-length mirror, she stared at her left breast. The pale skin was stippled with goose bumps; the darker flesh was puckered around the jut of her nipple. It looked little different from her right breast. She stroked them both. The touch of her fingers felt the same on each. She remembered the burning hurt. There might even have been a bruise, though she hadn’t noticed one before. Her breast looked fine now.

  Hardly pristine, though.

  Slightly used.

  She shut her robe and glanced at the alarm clock by her bed. Four thirty-five. “Gads,” she muttered. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she blow-dried and brushed her hair. The lock chopped off an inch short across her brow looked bad. “Bitch,” she muttered, and got up to find scissors. Her sore legs reminded her of the near miss in the pool. Maybe you’ve had your run of bad luck for the day. If anything should happen to spoil the date…Nick, at least, didn’t have the curse on him. The old bitch didn’t get his hair or blood. What the hell am I thinking? There is no curse!

  Sitting down with the scissors, she did her best to even out the sweep of hair. Try not to poke your eye out, she thought.

  By the time she finished with her hair, the clock showed ten before five. She flung her robe onto the bed, took a pair of fresh, pink panties from her drawer, and stepped into them. She pulled out a bra and started to put it on. You wouldn’t catch me dead…Guys get frustrated…It’s a colossal drag. Heart pounding fast, she plucked the bra off and hurried to her closet. Her hands trembled as she removed her blouse from the hanger. She put it on, held it shut, and looked down. Through the shiny, bright yellow fabric, her dark nipples were clearly visible. “No way,” she said. Not in front of everyone. Even if it were just Nick, she doubted that she would dare.

  By five o’clock, she was ready. She gave herself a final check in front of the mirror, approving of the cheery, fresh way she looked in the yellow blouse, the skirt of forest green, and sandals. Her choker of thin gold chain was a nice touch. The bra was the right touch: the lacy pattern of its cups, instead of her nipples, showed through the clinging blouse. “Decorum,” she said. She grinned at herself and left her room.

  Benny was no longer in the den. Through the sliding glass door she saw him outside, sitting with Karen at the table. They were both staring in the same direction, their faces rigid.

  Julie tugged the door open and stepped outside. The heat of the afternoon enveloped her. Her father, a few yards away, squirted fuel into the barbecue.

  “My God, be careful,” Karen warned him.

  “Never fear. I’ve done this a thousand times.”

  “Famous last words,” Julie said.

  Dad noticed her, and smiled. “Say, you look terrific.”

  “Thanks.”

  He took a book of matches from the pocket of his blue Aloha shirt. “If you go up in flames,” Julie said, “it’ll ruin your pretty shirt.”

  “Always the wise guy.”

  “Let me light it,” Karen said. She started to get up, but Benny reached out and grabbed her hand.

  “Don’t,” he told her.

  “This is ridiculous.” Dad tore a match loose.

  Julie walked quickly to his side.

  “Stand back, honey.”

  “See, you are worried.”

  “You people are driving me crazy. What are we gonna do, stop eating? If I don’t get the fire started before long—”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Julie said. “Let’s wait for Nick.”

  “Yeah!” Benny blurted. “He’s okay. Nothing’ll go wrong if he lights it.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake.”

  “Let’s wait for him,” Karen said.

  Dad shook his head. Somehow, he looked both dismayed and amused. “You want us to sit around here like four loonies waiting for the Great Uncursed One to arrive and light the charcoal? Is that the picture?”

  “Yep,” Julie said.

  Benny nodded.

  “We don’t have to sit around like loonies,” Karen explained. “We could sit around like sensible people.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Dad said. But he tossed the unlighted match onto the charcoal, and returned with Julie to the table.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  “We’d better get going,” Julie said. “It’s a twenty-minute drive to the theater, and there might be a line.” As she started to get up, Nick pushed back his own chair and stood.

  He thanked Julie’s father for the dinner.

  “Any time,” Scott said. “I’m glad you could make it. Maybe, if your mother is feeling up to it, you can all come over tomorrow.”

  “That’d be great.”

  “You can bring your suits. We’ll make a day of it.”

  “I’ll check when I get home.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll give your dad a call to night.”

  Nick made his good-byes to the others. Scott walked alongside him toward the gate. “You two are sure you wouldn’t rather stay here?”

  “Dad.”

  “We’ve got some spare trunks around, Nick.”

  “We can swim all we want tomorrow,” Julie said. “To night we want to go to the movies. You said I could.”

  “I know. And I won’t stand in the way. I was simply offering a suggestion.”

  “I wouldn’t mind staying,” Nick said.

  “We’ve got a date,” she told him, looking hurt. She frowned at Scott. “Besides, I’d like to know what’s so safe about this place. If you’re worried about the curse—which you keep claiming you don’t believe in anyway—it can get me here just as easily as somewhere else. This is where I almost drowned, you know.”

  “I realize that.”

  “We’ll be very careful,” Nick assured him.

  “Besides,” Julie added, “Nick’ll be driving, and he’ll be with me the whole time, and he’s the Great Uncursed One, as you put it so nicely.”

  Scott smiled, but he still looked uneasy.

  “I won’t let her out of my sight, I promise.”

  Scott gave him a pat on the back. “Okay. What time does the movie let out?”

  “It’s a double feature,” Julie said. “The second s
how’s over at about ten thirty.”

  “I’ll expect you around eleven, then.”

  “Dad!” Julie looked appalled. “What if we want to go someplace afterward?”

  “I think you’d better come straight home.”

  “For God’s sake.”

  “I mean it, Julie. I don’t know what’s going on—if it’s just been a lot of bad luck or what—but I think we all need to be especially careful until things settle down a bit. So eleven o’clock, or you can stay home. That’s final.”

  “Thanks,” she muttered.

  “I’ll have her back by eleven,” Nick said.

  “Fine. Well, have a good time, you two.”

  “Sure thing,” Julie muttered, and pulled open the gate.

  Nick followed her down the walkway alongside the house. “I’m sorry about all that,” she said, looking back at him.

  “It’s all right. Your dad’s just worried. I guess everyone is. Man, I had no idea all this stuff’s been going on. It was bad enough, what happened to Mom and Rose, but Karen and then Benny and then you…”

  “It’s looking kind of hairy, isn’t it.”

  “Maybe we should stay here.”

  Julie grinned. “Scared to be out with me?”

  “Naw.” He stepped up beside her as they cut across the front lawn.

  Julie spotted the red Mustang at the curb. Her eyebrows raised. “Not too shabby.”

  He opened the passenger door for Julie, then went to the other side and climbed in. The heat inside the closed-up car was stifling. He turned the ignition. As the engine kicked over with a throaty grumble, he pressed switches to lower the windows. It didn’t help much until he pulled away from the curb. Then a mild breeze came in, pushing the hot air out. He glanced at Julie. She was fastening her safety harness, her head turned down, her golden hair blowing slightly.

  “You sure look nice,” he said.

  The buckle snapped into place. She raised her head and smiled. “Thank you. So do you. We sort of match.”

  “Yeah.” His yellow knit shirt was not as bright as her blouse, his slacks a lighter shade of green than her skirt. His gaze lingered on her knees.

  “You’d better watch where you’re going,” she said.