Buried in Sunshine (15 page)

Ethan swallows his food and allows himself a
moment before he says, “She’s mostly at home. She’s actually
wheelchair bound, has been that way ever since I was very little.
She was in a car accident a long time ago.”

This bit of information makes Emma feel even
worse about the affair that her mother and Ethan’s father was
conducting. Not only did Brian Metcalfe plan on leaving a son, but
a disabled wife as well—this made him seem all the more a monster
to her, and the more of a monster he became the more scared Emma
was of ultimately confronting him. Then, her mind flashed back to
an early conversation—when that clone version of herself led her
back into his office, he mentioned wanting to leave early because
he had dinner plans with his wife two hours north… “Does she ever
get out?”

“She sits in the garden—my father made her a
beautiful garden. It has a waterfall and all these amazing climbing
ivy plants that cover parts of a concrete walkway that he built
himself for her. Although with the heat, she hasn’t been out
there—but yeah, that is about the extent of her getting out of the
house. She does not like to travel or be in a car at all.”

“I can understand the feeling,” Emma whispers,
as she adds this bit of information to the growing pile of things
that she does not understand—does this mean Ethan’s father is
having another affair? Was this just who he was—was that why Emma’s
mother never got together with him. Perhaps she was just one of
many… “I have spent a lot of time in the house. When I was
depressed, it was all I would do.”

“She definitely has some… depression issues,”
Ethan says as he set down his fork and placed a hand over his eyes
as he let out a heavy sigh. “It wasn’t really an accident. She was
driving down south in Illinois, I think to visit friends—she ended
up crossing over the median on the highway and hitting a car head
on, killing two people—she was drunk at the time. I don’t remember
it much, but she went away for a while when I really little. I
don’t think she’s ever really recovered—not that what she did was
something she should forget. I just, feel bad for her
sometimes.”

“I think…” Emma begins; she remembers the flash
of memory of erratic lights and her ex-boyfriend being struck from
behind as he is jogging. “My ex was killed by a drunk driver.”

“I’m sorry,” Ethan says as he shakes his head.
“I wanted to just say, accident—I mean always do. I’m always
covering for her. Although, not for her sake. I guess I’m just kind
of ashamed. I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s okay,” Emma says as she attempts to shrug
off the unpleasant feeling that the memory brings to her. “I mean,
it was a little over three years ago. I don’t really remember it
much. I think I have kind of nearly completely blocked it out.”

“That’s when you stopped going out of the
house?” Ethan asks and then pauses. “I mean, if you don’t mind me
asking. Is that what caused you to be…?”

“Become what I am now?”

“I don’t mean anything negative. I think I’d
just like to understand my mother better,” Ethan says as he nods.
“I like who you are—from what I know about you. I mean I don’t know
a lot. However, I like what I do know.”

“Even with me being kind of crazy?” Emma asks
with a laugh.

“You’re not crazy,” Ethan says. “Everyone’s just
a little unique.”

“Do you or your father hold anything against
your mother—for doing what she did?” Emma asks. Perhaps this was
part of the puzzle for the reason why Ethan’s father was having an
affair, and possibly still is having one.

“She beats herself up enough over it,” Ethan
says as his lips narrow and he begins to nod his head slowly as
though the thought has crossed his mind many times. “Plus with her
being wheelchair bound, she’ll never walk again—I know that her
actions destroyed two lives, so I don’t know that it’s a fair trade
off. I don’t know what fair is really. I guess the short answer is
no, for my part. My father, he doesn’t bring it up…ever. He takes
care of her though, so there has to be love there, right? I mean,
otherwise he would have left her.”

“Yeah…” Emma replies quietly, although; she has
information to the contrary. Brian Metcalfe becomes a little less
monster and a little more human in her mind—however, still overly
intimidating. However, the idea that he would just abandon his son
to linger in the burden of his mother’s depression is still
sickening to Emma. “It was that loss that pushed me into becoming
someone else for a while—then one day I woke up, and I didn’t have
to be that depressed person anymore.”

“I don’t think she’ll ever recover—she’s been
punishing herself since 1993.”

“Some wounds take longer to heal…”

“Are you healed?”

“I’m getting there,” Emma says as she smiles
confidently and nods once. “I am by no means a normal girl, but—I’m
finding that there are a lot of people like me. Different
circumstances, of course, but a lot of people are I guess…damaged.
I just think that I would worry that no one would accept me—or like
me because of how different I am.”

“I would accept you,” Ethan quickly replies. “I
mean I know how it is; being around my mother so much—and you
haven’t done anything wrong. So of course I’d like you, for being
you…and different.”

“That’s really sweet Ethan,” Emma says as she
feels her cheeks grow red and begins to laugh. “So you go after
crazy girls then?”

“Only ones I’ve admired from a distance for a
while,” Ethan admits. “I saw you standing by my father at your
mother’s funeral. He used to tell me stories about how well you
were doing—just small things really. I mean I hate to bring up
another bad memory for you, but when I saw you that day…I wanted to
get to know you. I just never was presented with the
opportunity.”

“Until I walked in that day,” Emma says as she
nervously bites her bottom lip.

“Exactly…” Ethan says as he looks to Emma. “I
didn’t know I’d have to wait over a year, but I enjoy your
company…I loved our little adventure. So all in all, I’d say it was
a worthwhile wait.”

“The tunnel…”

“Have you been back down there?” Ethan says as
he changes the subject as an awkward tone fills his voice. “Really
interesting stuff…”

“Not yet,” Emma says. “I don’t really want to go
in alone…although I do want to go back.”

“I’m free tonight,” Ethan volunteers.

“Well,” Emma begins as she places her hands upon
the table and gestures out a tunnel, “I was thinking—that we found
the room at that crossroad.”

“The hidden room…?” Ethan asks as he follows
Emma’s hands against the table with his eyes.

“I figured that at one time it just looked like
a brick wall,” Emma continues. “I thought that, maybe, if there was
one room broken down like that—that there could be one that is
still intact.”

“It is definitely a possibility,” Ethan says as
he nods. “I’m interested. I’ve got all my gear in the truck—would
you like to go back to your place?”

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Emma says
jokingly as she laughs once more. “And yes, I would like to have
you with me on this little…adventure.”

*

Back at Emma’s house on Old Pine Hollow Road,
Emma and Ethan stand beside his truck as he pulls a crowbar from
one of the metal compartments. The night sky is hazy and the sounds
of crickets fill the air in an almost obtrusive manner. The moon is
partially blocked by a semi-translucent cloud.

“Do you ever find it creepy?” Ethan asks as he
shoves a flashlight into his pocket. “Living out here all
alone?”

“I never really did,” Emma replies as she wipes
a bead of sweat from the back of her neck. The air is heavy with
humidity and it makes it difficult to breathe. “I mean, I’ve always
found that the only thing that there really is to be afraid of is
people.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Ethan says as he nods.
“Like a sauna out here—let’s head in?”

“Right,” Emma says as she leads the way up the
short cement staircase. She reaches into her purse and retrieves
her keys. After a little resistance, the old door creaks open.

“I could fix that,” Ethan says as he eyes the
rusty hinges of the door as he passes into the house.

“There are a few things I had planned on
fixing,” Emma says as she remembers the mental list of home
improvements she had planned—that was before she was told that the
end was near.

“Planned?”

“It doesn’t seem important anymore,” Emma
replies. She then attempts to cover up the fact that she means
something entirely different. “I mean, I’m not here that much—I
don’t want to be a shut in.”

“Got it,” Ethan says as he allows the door to
creak shut behind him. “It gives the house character anyway.”

Emma pauses by the basement door. She is
reluctant to enter—reluctant to discover what may lie behind the
brick hallway.

“Would you like me to lead?” Ethan asks, as he
brushes past Emma and places his hand upon the ornate doorknob. “I
know you don’t necessarily like the basement.”

“I would,” Emma answers as a strange shiver, not
unpleasant in any way, rushes over her as she feels the brief
contact of their skin. “I’d appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Ethan says as he opens the door
and heads down the stairs.

Emma follows behind closely. They navigate the
passageways. Once more Emma pauses at the stone slab and feels that
overwhelming sense of uneasiness within her.

“You alright back there?”

“Yep,” Emma says as she continues on, walking
straight into Ethan and almost causing him to fall over. “…Shit,
sorry.”

Ethan laughs as he places his arms on Emma’s
shoulders and steadies them both. “Something odd about this room…
isn’t there?”

“I don’t like it,” Emma says as her smile
disappears from her face. “I always think that they slaughtered
animals here. I don’t know if that’s right. It’s just the stone
slab right in the middle of the room and the drain at the
bottom.”

“I hate to say it,” Ethan says as he looks
around the room. “You’re probably right though. They probably
prepared meat here—if you look on the far wall there it looks like
there used to be chains or hooks that would hang on that long
beam.”

“I would rather not.”

“I’m sorry,” Ethan says as he shakes his head
and lets out an uncomfortable laugh. “I’m sometimes
pretty—oblivious. I mean, I get stuck on the facts and I don’t
realize that I’m making you uncomfortable.”

“It is fine,” Emma says as she nudges against
Ethan to continue onward. “You’re just lucky you’re cute—so you can
get away with it.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“I umm…” Emma replies, realizing that she has
just said something completely out of character. Of course she
thinks he is cute—she figures any girl would. She would just have
never vocalized such a statement. Perhaps, this is more of her old
self coming back. “I suppose I do.”

“That’s a wonderful compliment—“Ethan says as he
nervously runs his hand through his hair. “I really didn’t expect
it. You are absolutely beautiful, by the way. In case you were
curious what I thought.”

“I don’t think so,” Emma says as she briefly
shakes her head—she doesn’t see it. She used to think Alexis was
pretty, she thinks that Elizabeth is pretty; however she has a hard
time accepting that she is attractive, even though both Alexis and
Elizabeth are reflections of herself. “But I do appreciate it?”

“I think so,” Ethan says reassuringly then
follows up with a sarcastic laugh. “That’s all that matters
right?”

“Sure,” Emma says as she smiles.

“What hack did you hire to do this job?” Ethan
says as he points his flashlight to the giant hole in the brick
wall. “I’d get your money back.”

“He made a pretty big mess,” Emma says as she
steps over a few bricks and follows Ethan into the hidden hallway.
“Luckily, I never paid.”

“Good move,” Ethan says as a wide grin spreads
across his face.

Emma presses her hand against the warm brick as
she navigates her way down the dark hall, always just one step
behind Ethan—her safety blanket. The hallway was dry—all the water
from the rain the previous night had evaporated. The bricks were
dry and rough against her hand. Emma watched intently as Ethan
manipulated the flashlight against each passing section of
wall.

“I’d imagine it wouldn’t be easy to spot,” Ethan
says as he pauses and places his hand against the brick. “At least
a good room to hide in wouldn’t be…”

“Is there any way to tell?”

Ethan brings the crowbar up and begins to knock
it against the wall. The sound echoes so loudly down the hallway
that it is impossible to distinguish whether or not the walls are
hollow or not. “Smart…”

“What is?”

“If you try and find the false wall by noise
alone, the hallway is so long that its echoes would cover up any
sign of a hollow wall,” Ethan answers as he continues along the
cement path.

“So it’s impossible then?”

Ethan continues to walk onward, all the while
tapping his crowbar against the wall lightly. With his free hand he
searches out any possible imperfections. “Not at all…”

“Did you find something?”

“I believe so,” Ethan says as he points the
flashlight down to a small groove in a dark brown brick. “You can’t
just put a doorknob on this kind of thing, so you’d need a way to
get it open without being obvious…”

“The room is behind here?” Emma says as she
presses up against the wall.

“I’d imagine some kind of tool would be needed,”
Ethan says as he nods and slides the flat end of the crowbar into
the groove. With a slight push forward a click sound is heard. The
room opens up with a low grumble and dust fills the air.

“This is it,” Emma says in astonishment.
Elizabeth was right—there was a second room.

“Now what kind of treasure have we found here?”
Ethan asks as he shines the flashlight and attempts to blow the
dust away.