Beneath the Watching

3. Mabel

3

MABEL

The massive, gothic mansion was situated right beside the ocean, a multi-story pile of bricks and unfettered wealth. It was an imposing building straight out of a dark fantasy novel, reeking of mystery and adventure with its towers and peaks. It wouldn’t have been surprising if shape-shifting ravens were lurking about or if poisonous apples grew on trees in the garden.

The property had fascinated me and my friends when we were younger, and we’d drive by just to make up stories of what could be occurring behind the closed doors. It was hard to believe I’d finally be finding out and get to explore.

Al drove us up the long, pebbled driveway, seagulls swooping and diving overhead with deep blue water sparkling in the near distance. After we turned the car over to a glove-wearing parking attendant, we entered the foreboding structure.

My boyfriend wandered off quickly, squeezing my hand and sending me a generic smile before he left my side. He lifted his phone to his ear, his bristly hair sticking out over the device’s edge like he had a brush attached to the side of his head, leaving me to wander and wish he’d get a haircut. He disappeared into the crowd, swallowed up by a sea of silk and bowties.

The first thing I noticed about the home’s interior were the gargoyles everywhere. Black and gray statues of fantastical beasts stood sentry in corners, on shelves, and in the middle of the hall, appearing to observe passersby. They were well-made, carved with intricate details and gave the impression they could come to life at any moment.

“Oh my god, there you are,” Madison exclaimed, interrupting me as she rushed over. She looped her arm with mine. “Creepy decorations, right?” I nodded in answer. “Kiara came with me,” she said. She was in an especially cheerful mood, her excitement threatening to rub off on me if I wasn’t careful. She was overwhelmingly happy and I wasn’t done checking out the foyer.

We walked out onto a large expanse that looked over the ocean. We were at a significant elevation, large rocks bordering the edge of a cliff several yards away from the patio we’d entered. Couches were arranged around firepits, and groups of people had settled on them, drinking, talking, and laughing.

I listened to the conversation around me, while relaxing with my friends. I waved at Kiara, who seemed spaced-out. She had been through a lot of hard things in life, having lost her parents and then a violent boyfriend in a house fire. The experiences had understandably changed her. She was now emotionally unstable and prone to over-indulging, which likely accounted for the dazed look on her face.

She’d never said a word about the vision of the snow that evening in the abandoned house and I had to wonder if that night added to her already fragile state. I watched as she grabbed two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter. “Go big or go home, Kiara.” I heard Madison’s boyfriend say to her, laughing.

If I’d said anything, would it have helped her or hurt her? I bit my lip and glanced down at my lap. It almost felt traitorous, having seemingly physically gone to the place and not letting her know. The compulsion to tell her was immense but I didn’t, not wanting to add to her angst.

Al started playing with Madison’s hair, pulling on her carefully spiraled curls, and making childish noises as she giggled. I let out a deep breath while James chided them.

An awareness trickled across my skin, the ghost of a touch across my shoulder blades. Slowly, I turned my head and then swung back around. Stefan was eyeing me, seated on a couch behind us, across from one of the firepits. He was outfitted in all black, possibly even his socks, causing me to consider if everything else underneath was the same deep shade. My heart rate increased at the illicit thought while I fought against the memory of him stroking my cheek.

When I looked up, the man Kiara had disappeared with the other night was standing directly behind her, touching her. Levon kissed the top of her head while narrowing his eyes at me with a knowing gaze.

What he thought he knew; I had no idea. I suspected he’d realized I’d noticed his eyes. Stefan had said some strange things to me, before, that implied I could “see” something. That had to have been what he meant. I glanced away; the tiny glow of his irises was too much for me to handle and too disconcerting because no one else noticed. Everyone was acting like the phenomenon was an ordinary occurrence and I had to guess no one else could see it or the party would’ve turned into utter chaos.

Logically, I should’ve been freaking out, but I also knew it would do no good. It wasn’t like anyone would believe me.

Several of the men, including Levon, finally strolled away. “What was that about?” I asked Kiara.

“I know him,” she answered.

Madison then filled me in on some details while I indicated I had forgotten the man. I hadn’t, but I didn’t want to talk about it while I was still evaluating everything going on around me.

I listened while Madison encouraged Kiara to fuck him and live a little. Kiara then downed even more alcohol as if the very thought of getting into bed with the man was pushing her too far. I watched her eyes flutter shut and her skin pale before he came back to get her, gently leading her away.

Something was definitely going on, and I didn’t know what. Things like what I was seeing just didn’t happen, people’s eyes didn’t change, and you didn’t wake up in other places unless you abused drugs or alcohol. The sense of urgency I felt in the air kept pushing at me, prodding me. If too much time went by, I’d have to say something.

Kiara was the one I would go to first, I decided, since she’d seemed to have seen the snowy landscape. Saying anything about the men’s eyes changing color would likely never happen—someone else would have to mention it first. I couldn’t keep holding it all in or I’d end up like my friend. I suddenly had a lot more empathy for her and marveled over how she’d managed to hold it together for as long as she had.

Madison was oblivious to everything, as always, having the time of her life. She didn’t notice the undercurrent, the sense of malignant urgency that I’d somehow become attuned to. This was why she was so good at her job as an event planner—she was gifted with unrelenting optimism. Where Madison didn’t appear to care about anything other than having fun, Kiara seemed to care too much about every little thing. With my own general lack of affect, the three of us tended to balance each other out.

We relocated ourselves to a ballroom when Kiara returned from whatever she’d been doing, and my mouth fell open at the sight of the magical scene the second we stepped through the entrance. It was as if all my childhood cartoon princess fantasies had come true. The space was truly extraordinarily magnificent.

“This is ridiculous,” I gasped, my typical reservation abolished at the vision of the beautiful room.

Crystal chandeliers and pendants hung everywhere. Towering candelabras lined the wall, lit with large candles. Everything was golden and sparkling and lush. Cushioned bench seats were set in massive arched windows, elegant drapes framing them while orchestral music began in the background.

Madison’s boyfriend urged us to move, and we sought an area to congregate in, out of everyone’s way. Al swooped in, scooping me up to sit in his lap on an upholstered cushion. I giggled at the surprise contact and glanced out over the floor, meeting Stefan’s eyes. He stood as if he were one of the etched to perfection gargoyles, all dark and handsome, shutting down my laughter with his stare while the crowd streamed by. He’d jailed me with his gaze, his position unmoving while I froze like a deer in headlights.

Madison grabbed James’s hand, breaking the spell with her movement, and dragging her boyfriend in the direction of the dance floor. Al released me, sliding me down onto the seat and he squeezed my hand, dismissing me. “I’ll be back,” he announced.

A sense of peace washed over me; relief over finally being left alone to take everything in. I wiggled backward on the cushion, prepared to examine everyone around me. I tracked Madison and her date, watching them smile at each other. Did he not know? Al was nowhere to be found but I knew he’d cut in later, stealing a dance with my friend.

There was nothing going on between them, of course.

Maybe I could ask Madison to be more discreet with her flirting? Perhaps I should care about the chemistry between the two of them a little more? It would be the right thing to do.

Stefan suddenly appeared in front of me. “How have you been sleeping?”

“Good. You?” Such an odd question my interest was instantly piqued, and I forgot my worrying.

He glanced at my shoes. “How do your feet feel?”

My feet? “Do you have a foot fetish? My feet are fine.”

Irritation flashed across his eyes, forcing a slight red glow. Nice . I smiled at him. I didn’t think he had a thing for feet, but I’d wanted to give him an out if he didn’t really want to talk to me. Why would he?

“Happy to hear you don’t have frostbite,” he remarked. “I’d say you came close.”

What was he doing here? How had we dreamed together? Was that what happened? I had no recollection of how I’d gotten into the snowy wonderland or how I’d gotten back. It’d just happened, and I wanted it to, again. Strange to think you could get frostbite that way. It didn’t seem possible it had been real and yet he was implying it was precisely that. His words really left me no choice but to believe it was.

“I have all my toes.” My face heated over my comment about foot fetishes, and I hoped he’d forget I mentioned it. It was just like me to throw out a weird statement at just the right moment.

I waited for him to excuse himself, run away from my awkwardness. He was still there; I hadn’t managed to push him away. My head buzzed at the realization, and I felt my cheeks warm.

He held his hand out, and I stood up, letting him lead us to the dance floor. Wordlessly, we danced, one of his hands curled around my waist, his fingers entwined with my own. As he twirled us around, I wondered if he’d asked about my feet because he wanted to dance with me. I was only wearing socks that night in the snow and my toes had nearly frozen solid.

That night felt both real and like a figment of my imagination as I considered the events. My heart fluttered in my chest, and I shoved the thoughts down. I wanted him to want to be here with me right now more than I wanted him to worry about my toes.

My free hand was resting on his shoulder, and I slid it down to his waist, smoothing my palm over his chest before setting the edge of my fingers above his belt. I felt him tensing as I explored, felt the heat of his gaze. He’d made no move to stop me, although I’d thought I’d heard an intake of breath. He drew me in a little closer, his warmth wrapping me in a thick blanket before he tilted his head. His lips skimmed my cheekbone, and the scent of his aftershave filled my senses.

I was captured under his spell, aware of each move of his muscles, switching my focus from his hands to his hips, to his lips, and then the brush of his soft hair against my forehead.

I’d softened my stance, completely giving in to his allure, when I thought I smelled smoke. A sharp scream broke my reverie, and a rush of wind echoed through the hall, but nothing moved, and nothing I could see was on fire. Everyone stayed as they were, dancing and celebrating, ignoring the cry for help. Stefan stopped moving but kept a firm grip on my hand as I followed his gaze.

The man Kiara was with earlier was near her on the other side of the dance floor, along with the blond man, Julian. There was someone else too, with a strange hat. I couldn’t see anything clearly, between the moving bodies. The man she’d been with, Levon, walked away from her and then Julian left in another direction.

Voices in the crowd swirled around me, snippets of conversation, under the twinkling lights. “ Dead ,” is what I thought I’d heard, the one word standing out amongst all the others. “ Death. ”

I shook my head. This was a party, not a wake, and my friend needed me.

“I have to go,” I told Stefan, reluctantly pulling away from his clasp.

Madison hurried toward Kiara and the two of them vanished into the crowd as I followed, winding my way back to the cushioned seat where we’d settled earlier.

Immediately, Madison sent me to get more champagne, and I hurried back with a couple glasses as quickly as I could. “What’s going on?” I asked, passing the drinks to her outstretched hands.

Kiara had mascara streaming down her cheeks in black lines and her eyes were red and swollen. Madison and I listened to her wail about her necklace being stolen by her dead ex-boyfriend, watching helplessly as she dissolved into hysterics.

She demanded I fetch her another drink, and I rushed off, returning as quickly as I could. What else could I do? She’d finally cracked, lost her mind, and denying her drug of choice wouldn’t make any difference at this point. We’d known it was coming.

After a few minutes, she began rocking back and forth and an annoyed James ordered Madison to take her home. As soon as he’d walked away, Kiara rolled her eyes and announced she needed to get some fresh air. I watched as she shoved her way through the crowds, wondering if I should go after her.

We never saw her again.