Chapter 2
The shivering wouldn’t stop. It ravaged the length of her body in rivulets of hot and cold so severe, it was worse than the time she’d had the flu and had to be admitted to the hospital. Every inch of her hurt with a viciousness that felt stifling and unbearable. She couldn’t breathe and the world kept going in and out of focus.
Somehow, by some miracle, she found herself at home. Its emptiness seemed to howl around her in a cruel sort of silence. Puddles of light and shadow spilled across every room in a filmy dark gold. The previous night’s supper, something cheesy and creamy, lingered through the space, yet despite the fact that she was starving, the scent made her queasy. Her insides roiled and gave her just enough warning to get her sprinting for the bathroom.
Dear God, this can’t be happening.
Partially wheezing and partially sobbing, she huddled down next to the toilet with her legs drawn and her clammy face mashed into her raised knees. Her body heaved with every struggled breath until she was certain she’d pass out from lack of oxygen.
Somewhere deep in the house, hinges squeaked. A floorboard creaked. Any other time, the sounds wouldn’t have filled her with unimaginable dread, but in that moment, it only made her want to cry harder.
“Juliette?” The raspy voice soaked up the silence. “Juliette, are you home?”
Pulling herself together and scrubbing away all lingering signs of her weakness, Juliette twisted her face into a smile and stepped out of the washroom.
“Hello Mrs. Tompkins! Did I wake you?”
As small and frail as a child, Abagail Tompkins stood barely at five feet with fine, white hair that hung in straggles around her withered face. Her blue eyes had faded to gray, but still sparkled in a way that always made Juliette envious. She stood in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, clad in her floral housecoat and pink slippers.
Mrs. Tompkins rented the one bedroom in-law suite in the basement. It worked out for both of them, because Mrs. Tompkins was on a fixed budget that barely covered the cost of a matchbox and Juliette needed someone to be home with Vi when she couldn’t be.
“I was up,” the woman croaked. “Joint pains,” she explained with a miserable shrug. “But how are you?” She looked Juliette over. “You’re not at work today?”
The arcade.
Juliette wanted to swear and kick something, but that would only concern Mrs. Tompkins all the more.
“I’m going in a few minutes. I came home to change.” She paused before adding. “I’ll be working a triple shift tonight. Do you think—?”
Mrs. Tompkins put gnarled hands up. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll make my chicken casserole and make sure Little Miss does her homework.”
Grateful not to have to worry about at least one thing, Juliette smiled. “Thank you.” She started for the stairway. “Let Vi know that I put you in charge and she has to listen.”
Thin lips pursed and Mrs. Tompkins huffed. “I raised five children and six grandchildren. I know how to put down the law.”
Laughing, Juliette climbed the rest of the way to the top. The moment she was out of ear and eye shot, her smile dissolved. Her shoulders drooped. She stumbled into her bedroom and shut the door.
She knew she needed to call Wanda at the arcade and let her know she would be late, but there was a lack of energy to do anything. Normally, each day was done with a sort of numbness that didn’t end until she was face flat across the sheets. But that protective veil had been ripped away and Juliette was exhausted and yet, oddly, highly alert. Her mind was a tangled knot of everything and anything she could possibly do to get Arlo his money. There was still seven hours before she had to see him and she knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until she’d tried everything.
She could get an extra two hundred from her overdraft protection at the bank. It was a risk, because the bank had already warned her they would shut her accounts down if she did that again. But what choice did she have? It was either her bank account or her sister. There really was no other option. Still, that left her five thousand, three hundred unaccounted for and nothing short of selling the house was getting her that. Even if that was an option, seven hours wasn’t enough time to do it.
Pacing, she slid sweaty fingers back through her hair and fisted, ripping out strands from their roots, but not caring. Below, she could hear Mrs. Tompkins puttering around the kitchen. Cupboards opened and closed. Dishes rattled. She heard the beep of the oven being preheated. Then the quiet hum of some lullaby song Mrs. Tompkins always hummed while cooking.
Juliette dropped down on the edge of her bed and stared absently at her dresser. Most of the drawers were empty whereas once, they barely closed. She had sold most of her high end, brand named stuff and lived off thrifty jeans and t-shirts, much to Vi eternal disgrace. But they were cheap and practical. She withdrew a fresh pair of pants and a top and stripped quickly out of her sweat drenched clothes. She combed out her hair and refastened it in a ponytail before grabbing her purse and hurrying downstairs.
“Mrs. Tompkins, I have to run to the bank, but I’ll be right back.”
She heard all right, dear just before she shut the front door behind her and bounded down the front steps.
The bank was around the corner from the house, a white building lined with sheets of glass that were tinted a green-blue against the sun. Juliette went to the teller first to cash the check before making a straight line for the machines. Her fingers shook as she inserted her card.
The two hundred dollars went into the envelope along with the five hundred from the hotel. It was stuffed back into her purse before she left the building and made her way home.
“I don’t want your stupid casserole!” was the first thing Juliette heard when she stepped back into the house. “I’m going out with my friends.”
Dropping her purse down on the table next to the door, Juliette followed the shrill sound of her sister’s screeching and found the blonde looming over the island while Mrs. Tompkins diced chicken into neat cubes on the cutting board.
“Your sister put me in charge,” Mrs. Tompkins said evenly. “That means I want you at that table doing your homework.”
“You haggard old c—”
“Hey!” Outrage crackled down the length of Juliette’s spine as she barged into the room. “What’s the matter with you?”
At sixteen, Vi was the exact build and height as Juliette. They shared everything right down to the dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. The only thing that differed was their attitude. But even that, Juliette had once shared. Vi was exactly how Juliette used to be, shallow, self-centered, and engrossed in the knowledge that nothing bad could possibly ever happen to her. In a lot of ways, Vi was the way she was because Juliette refused to open her eyes to their situation. She knew Vi knew enough, but if she knew the full extent, she never let on. Juliette was fine with that. She had already grown up too fast for the both of them.
“Why do I have to listen to her?” Vi demanded, waving a thin arm in Mrs. Tompkins’ss direction. “She’s nobody.”
“She’s family,” Juliette countered sharply. “And you better watch your tone.”
Vi’s pert little nose wrinkled in a clear show of disgust. “She’s not my family and I don’t have to do shit.” She swatted a strand of hair off her shoulder with a dismissive flick of her wrist. “I’m going out with my friends. I need money.”
Juliette shook her head. “I don’t have money and you’re not going anywhere.”
“Are you serious right now?” The deafening volume of Vi’s shriek nearly made Juliette wince. “Oh my God, you are trying to ruin my life!”
“I’m trying to get you to finish your schooling,” Juliette countered calmly. “You need to graduate, Vi.”
“Ugh! I have a life and I have friends and I don’t need you—”