It Came Looking

It was the summer of Reneé’s 24^th year that lingered as if it were a drop of blood that could never be washed away like the almost perfect murder. Try as she might, she could not forget the past but in the five years that had passed since then, she remained single and still lived at home with her parents and little sister, Lola. At times she was able to hold the oppressive cloud of that summer at bay but her sister had opened up fresh wounds- wounds that may have healed had it been five years ago.

It was five years ago when Lola, then 17 years old, ran into the house, tears streaming down her face. She was a silent crier, always had been, and even then the only noise from her was the thudding of her footsteps as she ran up the stairs. Reneé was torn between going up to her sister and comforting her, or meeting her boyfriend, Mark, at his house as she had promised him earlier. She chose to see Mark and spent a wonderful evening eating dinner cooked by him (he could cook a mean foie gras). Not once during that night did she wonder why her sister was crying.

As the days flew by, Reneé spent more and more time with Mark. Sometimes he would come to her place while Lola was around and she would notice the way Lola's eyes seemed to always avoid Mark's when he talked to her. Other times, when Lola thought no one could see her, she would glare at Mark angrily as if he had betrayed her in an unforgivable way. Soon she would mysteriously become absent whenever Mark chose to come over, claiming that she had an exam to study for and that the only peace and quiet she could get was at the library. If only Reneé had seen the signs ... if only.

Over the next few weeks she noticed bruises and cuts appearing on her sister’s body. Finally, she decided to ask what was happening. One night, after her parents had gone to sleep, she went to Lola’s room. Lola was still awake, standing at her window, gazing off into the distance as if in a trance. “Lola we need to talk,” said Reneé from behind her. Lola spun around startled. Reneé could see that her eyes were swollen red from crying. Lola wiped her tears and forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“About what?” asked Lola tremulously.

“Is something wrong?” asked Reneé. “I’ll always be here for you. Please talk to me.”

Lola’s smile disappeared off her face and was replaced by an expression of  startling anger. Her eyes seem to darken ever so slightly. “You don’t care what happened to me! It takes you weeks to ask me what’s wrong? Go away! Just go!” she yelled at Reneé. She turned around and resumed staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought again.

Reneé didn’t press the issue. She cared about her sister but if she didn’t want to talk about it, she wasn’t going to force her to. Yet it struck Reneé as odd that her sister was angry with her ... almost as if Lola blamed her for something. She left Lola’s room and now five years later she wondered if she could’ve been a better sister to Lola. She wondered if she had shown more care towards her, would things have turned out different?

A couple of months later, on the rainiest night of the year, Lola came home soaking wet. Not a word did she say as she scampered up to her bedroom and locked herself in. Not a word did Reneé ask her for Lola’s silence and distress had become almost normal these past few months. Reflecting back she realized she chose to be oblivious to Lola's suffering. It was easier that way. Yet that night stuck in her memory like a knife lodged in bone. As the rain beat against the window as if an angry creature were trying to get in, Mark disappeared. It was in the morning when the police came to interview her that she knew what had happened.  He had vanished without a trace and five years later, there was still no sign of him … nor was there any sign of Lola’s necklace. It was a gold chain with an ivory wolf pendant that her mother had given her. Reneé wore a similar one but instead of a wolf she had a swan. It was a necklace of more sentimental value than monetary worth. Lola maintained that she had lost it and that was that. There was nothing that could be done about the necklace … or Mark.

Up until a few minutes ago, her memories of Mark had been  quite fond. He had taken her to see Cirque Du Solei when it had come into town. He had taken her skating when it was a full moon, just so he could tell her that she was more beautiful than the orb that hung in the sky. He had taken her swimming in Talou Lake and then they had watched the stars in the skies and counted them until they fell asleep, wet and holding each other. When her cat, Poosie, had died when a car ran over her, he held her for hours as she sobbed into his shirt uncontrollably. Yet the last memory she associated with Mark were her sister’s words, spoken only minutes before.

 Her relationship with Lola had deteriorated to a point where they didn’t talk to each other. Reneé tried over the years to talk to Lola but Lola shut her out. Her bruises had long healed but evidently the ones inside of her had not. In silence she carried whatever burden was thrust upon her and yet today, as she ran past Reneé down the stairs and to the front door, she had something to say to Reneé. She had longed to hear Lola’s voice directed at her but she had not expected that five years of silence would mount to this: “Mark raped me five years ago on Talou Lake, the night he disappeared. He ripped my necklace off my neck and had me. I got away from him, made sure he wouldn't do this to me again. He did things to me all that summer but you just didn't care.” She spat it out as if she were chewing something bitter and unpleasant. Before Reneé could say a word, she stormed out of the house, leaving her with more questions than answers.

It was too much to believe that Mark raped Lola all those years ago but why would she lie? With great sadness she reflected that she had wasted five years mourning for a man who perhaps met a much deserved end. And suddenly the water works began, her tears gushing out as Lola's had many times before. Reneé went up to her room and crawled into bed, hoping that the last five years was a mere dream. Despite the cloying summer heat that made staying in her room unbearable,  she soon drifted off into deep sleep.

All was still in the darkness of the night, the only light, a dim glow from the moon that played peek-a-boo from behind the clouds. Somehow summer had turned into winter and snow covered the ground in a sea of white. More snow fell from the heavens accumulating in drifts. For reasons unbeknownst to her, Reneé found herself standing barefoot in the snow. She was dressed in light pink, pyjamas and shivered as the cold cut into her skin like a carving knife. Yet in her mind, she had a purpose. It was an urge to walk through the snow until she reached Talou Lake, a lake that once held fond memories for her. She was not worried or scared, she knew there were answers at the lake but for what questions, she did not know.

She trembled as the cold caressed her like a deprived lover as she set out slowly for Talou Lake. With each step she took, the wind blew harder but when she was within 50 meters of the lake, it died suddenly as if a switch had been flipped. She did not take another step as if she were waiting for someone to meet her here. The snow fell on her skin and melted like her heart had once melted when Mark was there for her. Her breath misted in the air, curlicues of smoky breath drifting off into the distance.

And from the depths of Talou Lake rose a figure, cloaked fully in black and although the face was not covered, where it should’ve been was a pit of darkness. The figure moved towards her, not quite touching the ground. As fearful as Reneé felt, she stood her ground for her mind told her this was who she was waiting for. It moved closer and closer to her, until it stood a meter away from her, a macabre specter indeed. Curiously, it was not dripping wet, despite floating out of Talou Lake. “Do you want Lola’s necklace?” it asked in a voice that sounded overwhelmingly beguiling and sweet.

Reneé felt that retrieving the necklace was her purpose, so without hesitation she replied, “Yes, I want her necklace.”

“Then I must have something in return,” said the cloaked voice in an almost mockingly, musical tone.

Reneé hesitated. The voice was familiar, yet in that moment she could not quite recognize it. She did not know what this meant and alas she asked the more pertinent question, “Who are you?”

The cloaked figure was silent for a moment. Then it spoke slowly, no hint of mirth in its voice, "Who I am is not important.”

“What can I offer you in return?” she asked reluctantly. Perhaps all he wanted was money, for that’s what everyone wanted.

"I don't want what you can offer. I merely want seven drops of blood," whispered the cloaked figure. Reneé did not feel at ease with the cloaked figure but she needed that necklace. Soon this would all be over with and perhaps she would never have to see this cloaked figure again.

The cloaked figure strode past her and beckoned her to follow. Reneé trudged through the snow, not knowing what to expect. She stared at the back of the cloaked figure- there was something familiar about its shape but she could not quite put her finger on it.

To her utter surprise, the cloaked figure led her to her own home. As they reached the front door, it raised a finger, gesturing Reneé to remain outside. It then melted into the door as if it were a ghost walking through it, leaving her in the cold as the snow continued to fall around her.

Two minutes later, the cloaked figure appeared through the door. By now, the moon was completely covered by clouds and the light of the stars was such that barely a shadow could be seen. “I put the necklace back where it belongs,” it said in a haunting voice.

Reneé did not say a word. She felt that the cloaked figure spoke the truth, yet there was something out of place and though she did not know what it was, she felt compelled to remain silent. The cloaked figure drifted off into the night, once again beckoning Reneé to follow.

Hours later, they reached Talou lake. Without a glance backwards, the cloaked figure slowly melted into the lake until it fully disappeared. Reneé’s mind warned her not to go into the lake. As she turned around to go home she heard a sound. “Reneé,” a voice whispered. It was a soft voice and its cadence seemed as if it came from under water. She had heard this voice before. Five years had passed but Mark’s voice was a permanent memory. She glanced at the lake  but all she could see was the snow that swirled in the air and floated downwards.

She walked back home in the miserable weather and eventually came upon her front door. She was exhausted, her mind numb with cold. She entered her home, whereupon she climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

It was from this dream that she awoke as the first hour of sunlight passed by. She hoped her sister would be ready to talk to her today. She needed to know more about Mark for his death had been eating at her like a flesh-eating disease for many years. She needed to know if he was truly the rapist that her sister had claimed him to be or was he the man of her memories, the man who thought she was more beautiful than the moon. She quietly went to Lola’s bedroom to talk to her. She knew Lola always woke up early. To her surprise, Lola lay asleep, her face as pale as snow.

As Reneé started to leave her room, she noticed something. Around Lola’s neck was a gold chain with an ivory wolf pendant. It was the necklace she had said Mark ripped off her neck the night he disappeared. Yet more startling, were the seven puncture wounds on her throat ... and in that moment she knew; Mark had come back for her sister.