Follow Me Home

It was not until the guests had eaten, drank and gossiped until I thought their lips would fall off, when they finally began to leave. And of course, I stood in the foyer, politely waving and kissing the cheeks of each inebriated adult about to drive home that I was finally able to slip my feet out of my shoes. The granite was cold on my bare feet and I quickly scurried up the stairs and into my bedroom before my mother could snatch me up.

The kitten was curled into a furry ball in the center of my bed, peacefully purring as she dreamt. I entered my closet, stepping out of my dress and putting on the nearest clothes I could find. Grabbing a pair of sneakers, I went downstairs, creeping around various waiters and staff who were cleaning and leaving. I grabbed my car keys from the kitchen and exiting through the back door.

The car which I was currently driving was a birthday gift from my parents last year. To them, it was an apology for missing my birthday, but for me it was the final straw. The last bit of freedom being handed to me, making me officially self sufficient. A vehicle, meaning I no longer needed to ask friends for rides. But also an escape from life-Jinx and I used to talk about leaving town: getting in the car and just driving until we found a place to go. It was weird to think that the police were involved in our separation, yet it seemed like just yesterday he was sitting next to me in the car.

Of course, I had never left town, although I had found my own little way to. A few blocks away there was an old abandoned house, just a little out of the way. It was a beat up victorian home, not suitable for any permanent stay, but I had taken to it none the less. With a lot of work, the house would be my dream home-a wrap around porch would be perfect for cool summer nights, enough bedrooms for a growing family and enough land for kids to play on, far away from the road. I let my mind wander as I stopped the car and got out, crossing the street and entering the lines of trees.

To any stranger, the path would be difficult to follow, but it was laid out so simply to me I could get there in my sleep. I had stumbled across it during a long run, and since then it had been my own sanctuary-a place I shared not even with Jinx. It was so deep into the pines that no one could come across it by accident and at the rare chance some kids did, I imagine they'd fear it was haunted and leave.

I admit I was a little frightened at first: It's a textbook abandoned house, tall and pointy with broken windows and missing shingles. The inside is no better, although I've been doing my best to clean the place up. The front door is boarded up, but a side door provides an entrance into a large empty room. It would make a nice living room, I think, ignoring the missing ceiling in the corner. Next to this room was a kitchen, originally painted with graffiti and filled with broken furniture. From there, the other rooms were blocked off by piles of wood and debris.

But I stayed in the main room, sitting on the floor by the door with my head in my hands. Mostly I just sat here, thinking about things. Today my thoughts were occupied with the mess my life had become in such a short while-So bad, in fact that I had a babysitter to watch over me. What excuse would I tell the kids at school?

After about an hour I stood up and headed back to my car. The muscles in my legs ached to run but I was wearing jeans, so I headed home defeated.

When I parked the car, the catering company was still packing up to leave. A few musicians bustled about, along with some crew to clean up. It seemed the same as I had left it.

"Oh Carolina," My mother said, barely looking at me. "Run upstairs and change."

I didn't respond, but followed her instructions and climbed the stairs. Partly frustrated that my absence passed unnoticed, I collapsed on my bed, face first in a pillow. There was a crunch as my abdomen crushed a piece of paper that had been sitting on the bed, folded and awaiting my arrival. I sat up to read it.

Something they taught me in school-to notice when someone goes missing. You may want to announce you're departures from now on, they'll be accompanied.

Agent Cooper

PS-I chose the spare bedroom closest to yours

I leaned back against my pillow and took a deep breath, suddenly wondering if I had made the right decisions during our earlier conversation. Maybe I should have taken a friendlier approach.

I let out a huff, crumpling up the note and throwing it as hard as I could, where it landed a few feet away from the bed. Aggravated, I sat up and unleashed my rage on the bed pillows behind me-throwing them in each direction until they were scattered across the room. When I was finished, the kitten sat up with a start, leaped off the bed and took a seat on top of a fluffy white pillow in the middle of the floor. Content, she curled up in a ball and let out a purr.

It was then I decided that Agent Cooper was no friend of mine.