Dissolve (8 page)

“That was nice of you Noah. I guess I was more worn out than I expected. Thanks,” I gestured.

“Noah and I were just speculating on conspiracy theories. We were trying to figure out why. This is a totally bizarre situation. Do you think maybe we are some genetically modified science experiment?” Nessa asked me.

“At this point, I think anything is possible,” I told her.

The pain of losing Tom still haunted my dreams. There was so much blood and I was covered in it. Doubt lingered everyday though I tried not to let on. Nessa has been so great to me and I didn’t want to rock the boat. Still, I wanted to know why he had to die. Loving someone that much and having them so violently ripped away was devastating.

I turned my thoughts back to the current conversation and piped up. “Do we get to go to the beach today? I am dying for some fun in the sun.”

“Hell yeah, we are. I can’t wait for you to get dressed so we can head out,” Nessa gestured at the swim suit she wore just below her cover up.

“Rock on,” I said enthusiastically as I headed for the bathroom to quickly change.

I tossed on the black bikini that Nessa picked out for me and wrapped the sarong around my waist that she added. I looked even paler in contrast with my auburn hair and grimaced. Then I slid on my foam flip flops and grabbed my sunglasses. “I am all ready to go here,” I announced.

We wasted no time locking up and jumping into the mustang, excitement in the air. Adrenaline coursed through my core and I smiled as we drove out to the beach. The windows were down and I could feel the warm salty air against my skin. I felt as if I could float away on the warm breeze and I sighed in contentment.

Before I was able to stop myself, my particles began to loosen and I felt the current of warm air pulling at me. I drifted off on the breeze and floated, weightless. I was basking in the warmth and letting the air pull me in swirling patterns off the ocean.

My first bit of awareness was piqued by a voice, distant at first. I pulled away from it, content for now. The voice was insistent though. It was calling for me over and over. Soon I was aware that it was my name on the wind, Cora, Cora. I shattered out of the comfort of the open air like tiny pieces of glass and reformed with a snap, swirling into my solid form.

When I looked around, I realized I was on the side of the highway naked. Mortified, I ran to the familiar purple car that pulled up next to me and thrust myself into the front seat. I hastily tossed on my bathing suit in some sort of haphazard manor. I didn’t even stop to take a breath until I was dressed.

Noah was sitting in the back and I could tell he was trying not to laugh at my expense. I hauled around and punched him in the arm. I got an “Ouch” as a retort and I loosened up just a little. By this time, Nessa had made it back into the driver’s seat and was scowling at me.

“Damn it Cora, we could have been exposed!” You can’t take joyrides like that. What if someone saw you?” Nessa lectured.

“And you, Noah; stop it with the dirty thoughts. She just lost her fiancé so don’t even think about it. Do we understand each other?”

My cheeks reddened and I felt my ears heat, as Noah gave Nessa a respectful “Yes, I understand.”

Fuming, Nessa turned the car back on with a rumble and pulled back onto the highway towards the public beach. The remainder of the ride was tense and no one said a thing until Nessa put the car in park and we grabbed our towels.

“Race you to the beach,” I said playfully before laughing and running towards the shoreline.

It was Noah who caught up to me first. Nessa trailed behind and looked peeved. I dropped my towel and ran towards the water, wet sand clinging to my toes as the tide splashed over me.

I looked back to see Nessa lying out her towel and plugging in her IPod. Noah was sitting at the edge, playing in the wet sand. I just shook my head and dove under the water and rejoice in the cool salty water washing over me. The ocean was so much bigger than any one of us. It gave me goose bumps to even think about its vast expanse.

After a while, I looked back to check on Noah and Nessa. Nessa was clearly enjoying herself, getting a bronze tan. Noah was apparently building a sandcastle just like a little kid would do. It was hard to think that a mere twenty four hours ago we just met him. He had grown so comfortable as if he had always been with us.

I broke away from my thoughts and headed toward the beach to comb for seashells. I found brightly colored broken shells of pinks, oranges and tans. I thought of it like a treasure hunt, looking for that perfect shell. It took nearly thirty minutes before I managed to find a whole seashell of tan and white. Pleased with my find, I returned to where Nessa is lying out.

I lay my towel next to her, water dripping and sat. She pulled out an ear bud and grinned at me, propped up by one elbow. “This is the most fun I have had in forever. I am going to have a nice tan as well. Are you finally coming to get a tan? Your porcelain skin could use a little color.”

“This is great. I am going to lie out and dry off. Just make sure I don’t dissolve,” I told her in a whisper as to keep from any eves droppers.

Nessa pulled her sunglasses up and winked. Then she puts her ear bud back in and pulled her sunglasses back down before lying down again. I joined her and listened to the sounds of the ocean in peace. I faded in and out of consciousness as I soaked up the blazing sun. It wasn’t until a shadow blocks out the sun that I stirred and sat up. It was Noah and he looked like he just saw a ghost.

I instantly snapped to attention. “What just happened?” I asked him.

“Mm I am not quite sure. It was the strangest thing. I was making that sandcastle and I got the coldest shiver. It was like ice piercing though my veins. I could have sworn that I saw a flash of some man. Then I felt as if my body was being taken over for just a minute. It freaked the hell out of me,” he admitted.

“Maybe it is time to call it a day,” I said as I elbowed Nessa.

“It will be sunset soon anyways…” Noah said clearly shaken.

Nessa pulled out her ear buds and sat up. “What is going on?”

“We will tell you on the way back to the hotel. I think it is time to go back. It is getting late,” I told her.

She looked as if she was going to protest, but restrained and nodded. “Alright, we can go through a drive thru and pick up dinner on the way back,” she suggested.

“That is a great idea,” Noah said.

I studied his dark hair and piercing muddy eyes. He looked good in nothing but swim trunks. The muscles to his torso were defined and I had a second of impure thoughts. Then my attention snapped back to Tom and I turned away, ashamed. Nessa cut me a look and we head back to the car in silence.

Once we were back on the road, I explained what Noah had seen to Nessa. She too looked freaked. I wish I had seen it. We all agreed from here on out that we need to keep our guard up. Someone was obviously targeting us.

We grabbed some burgers and fries before reaching the hotel. After shutting the door behind us, we tore into the food, leaving no crumbs behind. Full and exhausted after the day in the hot Florida sun, I let out a yawn.

“Are you tired already? If so, we can take first shift if you want. Why don’t you take a shower and get into something more comfortable,” Nessa suggested.

I was sluggish and drained so I reluctantly agreed and headed for the shower. I washed the sand and grit away from our day of fun just like washing the evidence of its existence away. The hot water scorched at my skin and I closed my eyes, letting it envelop me.

I decided to forgo the flats due to a massive amount of blisters I was now sporting and opted for the soft foam of the flip flops Nessa bought me. When I returned to the room, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee, I stopped dead in my tracks. The look on Nessa and Noah’s face was grim and they look clearly shaken to the core. Something had obviously happened in the time that I was in the shower.

“What’s up guys?” I implored.

“Umm, you might want to be sitting for this,” Nessa replied.

I sat on the edge of the bed obediently, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Okay, what happened in the last fifteen minutes to freak you out so much?”

Silently, Nessa looked at a white card, and then reluctantly handed it over. It was a plain hotel greeting card. I opened it and see the handwriting scrolled across it. My blood turned to ice in my veins as I read it.

You can hide, but you can’t escape what is coming. Things are not what they seem. If you want answers, ask Shane Dawson. Check the cemetery plots before the clock runs out for him.

-S

It took me a minute to process everything. This person clearly had access to our room first of all. They knew who and where we were second of all. Third of all, our answers hung on a man named Shane Dawson who was clearly in a great deal of trouble himself.

Nessa’s eyes met mine and it was clear she was holding back her tears. Noah ran his hands through his brown hair and leaned his head back, eyes closed. This was so much to take in. It was no wonder that they were as forlorn as they were.

“Where was this?” I asked.

“Sitting on the nightstand, in an envelope addressed to all of us. This person knows who we are. It looks like their name starts with an S, which is one step closer than we were. Clearly something big is coming. We need to find this Shane Dawson fellow before it is too late. He may be our only chance to stop whatever is going on,” Noah answered.

“Okay, but what cemetery? There has to be half a dozen in the area. There is no way we can find him. What do you think he means by plot?” I asked, instinctively knowing the answer in my gut already but needing to hear him say it aloud.

“I think he is buried alive and that means the clock is ticking. I suggest we call information and get a list of all the cemeteries first. Then we call them and see if a Shane Dawson was recently buried at any of them,” Noah said.

“I hate cemeteries. They are haunted and spooky. I can’t imagine going to one in the middle of the day, let alone at night. I especially can’t fathom digging up a body,” I said, shivering at the thought. “Maybe he is just at the cemetery, not buried or anything so morbid.”

“We can call the police and get help,” he added.

“No, police are not an option,” I said very matter of fact.

“Okay, then information it is. Who is going to do the calling?” he asked.

“I need to talk to Nessa, it would be best if you did.” Then I added “please.”

Noah nodded and I pulled Nessa by the arm outside and into the car. I didn’t bother to say a thing until we were both seated and the doors were locked.

“What the hell is going on?” Nessa asked, tears flowing freely now.

“I don’t know. Was it Noah?”

“No. I read his mind and he is completely in shock. It wasn’t him.”

“That is much worse. It feels like this nightmare began and has no intention of ending anytime soon. Who buries people alive? That is morbid,” I told Nessa.

“It is no more morbid than injecting us with super powers and then tracking us. It feels like we are the prey and there is a predator out there just waiting to pounce at the right moment.”

“This whole thing is awful. How are we going to unbury this Shane Dawson?”

“The old fashioned way, I guess we are going to have to buy some shovels. We have to wait until the sun completely sets also. I don’t want to get caught and hauled to jail in connection with well, Tom’s murder,” Nessa replied.

“Well hopefully Noah has some luck,” I said, trying not to think about Tom.

I opened my car door, finished with this conversation and watched Nessa follow me back inside the room. Noah was still on the phone and when he saw us, he held his finger up signaling to wait a minute and thanked the person on the other end of the line.

“We have good news and bad news. The good news is there are only three cemeteries nearby. The bad news is that only two have had any recent burials and none named Shane Dawson,” Noah said.

My brows knit as I thought on that. Then I said finally, “Let’s try the two with recent burials. There could be some sort of message or signal there that leads us to the right place.”

“That is my thought as well,” he replied.

“We just need to get some shovels on the way,” Nessa added.

“You guys get changed and then we will go,” I said picking up the card to inspect it one more time.

Nessa and Noah scattered to get a change of clothes and I looked deeper at the card. It was written in blue ink and the handwriting was clear and concise blocky lettering. There was nothing unusual about it to give it character. The only thing I managed to discover that Nessa and Noah hadn’t was the embossed recycle sign on the back of the card.

Most recycled symbols are embossed clear or some variation of green. This one was a sky blue. It was odd, but still not enough to get us any closer to the truth. I showed it to Nessa and she frowned but lifted her shoulders, just as confused.

“Alright, looks like we are doing this. Are you ladies ready?” Noah asked, tucking the card in his back pocket.

“As ready as we will ever be,” I grumbled as we left the hotel and made our way to the car.