The Abyssal Pt. 01

'Do you hear that?' he said.

'Hear what?' Violetta responded, taking a place on the other sofa.

'Quiet, dainty, ghostly footsteps on the stairs just a few moments ago.'

'That was me, Casper.'

'My bad,' he said, flashing her his charming smile. Oh how charming it was, too, in the light of this room. She suddenly had an urge to join him on the other sofa, but she quashed it.

'That's brilliant ghost detecting. You should stick to the paintbrushes, though.'

'Right, I will. Anyway, are you ready to be scared senseless?'

'If you mean by your lame sense of humor, I already am.'

'Ouch, you sting me with your words, ma'am. You can come a little closer, I don't bite.'

'No, I can't.'

'Can't, or won't?'

'Shouldn't,' she answered, and this was entirely the truth. She was worried she might hurt his feelings with this answer, but he nodded amiably, if not with a small amount of embarrassment.

'Alright,' he said, 'I didn't mean to sound... uh, you know.'

'I know. You didn't. I just...' she trailed off, then shrugged. If there was something in his offer, she wanted to take it. If he wanted her, she wanted him worse. Even if not. There was some attraction growing inside her out of nowhere, and she did not want to explore it. Now that she was divorced, she had no desire to fuck her way through the male population and leave a trail of destruction. What made it worse was that she knew she could if she wanted. The memory of the actor reminded her of that.

'Should I start this?' he asked.

'If you must.'

'You'll like it, I swear.'

'Whatever, just start this crock and get it over with.'

Jason started the DVD, and for the next forty minutes followed a show that Violetta might have found amusing if it had not been filmed in her own childhood home, some of which was in the room where she herself was now staying. She did, in fact, recognize the group of paranormal investigators from television commercials she had seen, although she had not lied about watching little television.

The show began with an interview with—who else—the one and only Maddalena Eastman, who took the group on a short tour of the house, explaining the paranormal phenomena that had been reported mostly by guests. Violetta mostly rolled her eyes through this segment as the investigators listened to her sister with wonder and awe, voicing their amazement at all the right points. They next strung wires and infrared cameras through the alleged hotspots in the house, then tromped around all night with flashlights, digital cameras and other nifty gadgets, waiting for the fun to begin.

It started slowly, the group of them sitting around in the dark and jawing about what a beautiful home it was, what a pleasure it was to be staying there, what an honor it was to be allowed to investigate the place. They were a likeable group, and if Violetta watched television on a regular basis, she could see herself watching the show just for the sake of seeing a group of likeable people doing a rather unique job. They were genuine and believable at least, seemingly not the kind of people to fake a haunting with parlor tricks just to get on television. But after the initial setup, after making their acquaintance with the old Eastman house, the weirdness began.

It started with unexplained noises that at the same time might have been easily explained. A young man and a young woman, Violetta did not catch their names, wandered into the kitchen of all places, and after some chatter, began hearing tapping noises. They did not seem to think much of the occurrence, but dutifully scanned the kitchen for something that might be making the sounds. They found nothing, but the young man explained confidently to the camera that this was an old house, and old houses make their own noises, they settle, they creak and groan.

'If that's you making that noise,' the young man called out to the darkness, 'can you do it again?'

At first nothing and then, sure enough, another tap. Violetta could see Jason turn and grin at her out of the corner of her eye. She ignored him.

On the television, the young woman stepped forward, looking down at some instrument she had in her hand, and said, 'We'd like you to tap once for yes, and twice for no. Are you the one that's making that noise?'

Again, a pause, and again, a single tap. Both of the young people let out elated sighs.

'Are you the spirit that lives in this house?' the young man asked. He was answered by a single tap. Well obviously, Violetta thought. What kind of dumb question was that?

'Are you unhappy?' the young woman toned in. 'Do you want us to leave?' This time, she was answered by two taps.

Violetta let out a groan of disgust. Jason looked over at her.

'What is it?' he asked.

'Well, she just asked two questions in a row,' Violetta said with a tone of irritation, 'and she was answered by two taps. So there's no way to know what the answer was, if it was no to both questions or yes to the second one.'

'You're enjoying this, aren't you?' Jason said rather smugly.

'No, I'm pointing out the flaws in this whole thing. I mean, tapping? Really? That's the best they can do?'

'Well, you haven't seen the whole thing yet, have you?'

'I guess not.'

'Then stay quiet and watch.'

'Don't tell me to stay quiet,' Violetta mumbled, 'you stay quiet.'

The show continued after a dramatic commercial break, reiterating the wondrous miracle of the tapping phenomenon. The scene then switched to another pair of investigators, a pair of middle aged men whom Violetta gathered were the founders and leaders of the group. They seemed more level-headed and experienced than the first two, maybe not as prone to excitement over something as simple as tapping. The two found themselves in Violetta and Maddy's father's old office, which Violetta had not yet been inside, but which appeared exactly the same as the day she had left. She knew it would be, and it would be kept miraculously clean throughout the years by Nancy and her loyal crew.

One of the men took a seat behind her father's enormous desk, and Violetta was none too pleased about that. It was a bit of territorial jealousy on her part, she supposed. She had very few memories of her father, who passed away when she and Maddy were only four years old, but the one memory that was clear in her mind was the picture of Jack Eastman sitting behind that desk, a plume of pipe smoke surrounding his head. She and Maddy would sneak into his office while he was working, and he would surely catch them, glare down at them at first and then break into a huge grin. Behind that desk, he looked simply huge, but more like a giant teddy bear than anything else. And then he would get up...

The two men in her father's office sat silently for a few moments, until one of them picked his head up quickly.

'Did you hear that?' he asked.

'Yeah.'

Silence, and then gentle thumping noises.

'Footsteps?'

Another dramatic silence, then more footsteps. Cut to commercial. Violetta was sitting forward on the sofa, the fingernails of the first two fingers on her left hand gripped tightly between her teeth.

'Violetta?' Jason said as the commercials played on.

'What?'

'Are you okay?'

In truth, Violetta was not okay. It had been the footsteps in her father's office that had gotten to her. The tone, the volume matched Jack Eastman's gait perfectly, one of those things from childhood that Violetta remembered vividly. The way he got up from his desk and came over to her and her sister. If this show was fake, and Violetta was beginning to believe it was not, they had really done their research. And they were tapping into something in Violetta's almost forgotten memories that she shared only with her sister.

'I'm fine,' Violetta said finally.

'You look like you might be sick. I can turn this off if you want.'

'No, don't,' she said, looking over at him. She expected to see the look of smug satisfaction on her face again, but it was not there. Just concern. He rose from his seat, wandered over to the small bar in the corner of the room. He poured some brandy into two small snifters, then came back and handed one to Violetta.

'I should have asked,' he said, 'do you drink?'

'If you insist,' she said, taking a sip, savoring the warmth spreading through her body.

'You're sure you want to keep watching?'

'Yeah. Stop asking me like I'm some kind of wimp. The reason I look the way I look is because some creepy shit is happening in my old house. You'd look this way too. And don't gloat about it.'

He smiled at her, then went back to the other sofa and sipped his drink. And she, not feeling particularly cozy where she was, finally swallowed her pride and joined him there.

'Glad you changed your mind,' Jason said.

'Don't get any ideas. I just don't want to be alone over there.'

'Right.'

Violetta felt herself stiffen as the show started again, first with the usual reiteration of the footstep phenomenon. The two men sat silently in her father's study as the footsteps continued, moving from one side of the room to the other then stopping. Then moving back. Then moving to the bookcase and stopping there. The footsteps were pacing the study, as only members of the Eastman family could have known Jack Eastman did. The ones living in the house, the ones who heard him up there every night, constantly testing the sturdy floor of his private room.

'Footsteps?' one of the investigators said.

'They're definitely distinct footsteps. Whoever is here with us now, please give us another sign of your presence.'

And then, on the television, the men jumped as the study door swung open on its own.

Okay, little girls, time to scatter like sticks in the wind.

Violetta heard herself issue a gasp of surprise, then her hands clutched Jason's knee. He looked down for a moment, then tried to ignore it. She did not think much of it, just needed someone, anyone, to grab a hold of and hang on through this. The show, though she would never admit it to Jason, was much, much worse than she had imagined.

She clutched Jason like that the rest of the show, creeping closer and closer to him on the sofa until she was practically cuddled up against him. As the ghostly phenomena on the television continued, she cared less and less.

The investigators were ecstatic about the door opening on its own, although they were smart enough and considerate enough to take the hint and leave the room. The team continued through the rest of the house, catching many different noises, some of which could be explained away simply, others that could not. They had some device that detected thermal energy, heat waves from different sources, and some of the images they caught with it were truly creepy. Figures disappearing around hallway corners, peering around doorways. The kinds of things that the human mind imagines when it's alone in a dark house and surrounded by history.

Around three in the morning by the show's time, the investigators decided to gather their things and leave. They wished Maddalena a fond farewell, and told her they would be back in a few days to show her what they had found, just as Nancy had told Violetta they did. There were a few scenes of the team going over their evidence, growing wide-eyed and agape at just the right moments. There was more evidence to be had as they reviewed digital sound recorders, finding phantom voices and noises even there. All in all, it seemed that the Eastman house was a veritable hotbed of paranormal activity.

Before the show could continue, however, the front door in the foyer opened behind them, and Maddy entered. She closed the door behind her, then paused as she surveyed the scene in the parlor. After a moment, Violetta realized how it looked, her virtually snuggled up to a guest of the Inn, in the dark. Maddy looked none too pleased, but for a single vicious moment, Violetta was thrilled with it.

'Well, I see you've met one of our guests already, Violetta,' Maddy said, trying to sound casual but failing. 'Mr. Porter.'

'Miss Eastman,' Jason said, standing up stiffly as if he'd been caught feeling up his girlfriend on his mother's sofa.

'This is cozy,' Maddy said, dropping her purse onto a table beside the front door.

'It really is,' Violetta said, realizing and not caring how aloof her tone sounded. Maddy's eyes darted to her, sharp as tacks, and cold.

'Violetta, can I speak to you quickly in private?'

'By all means.'

Violetta jumped off the couch and hustled into the hallway with her sister. Maddy stormed through the hall and turned into the kitchen, closing the big wooden door behind them.

'That man is a guest of this inn, Violetta,' Maddy said in a hiss of air, trying not to raise her voice.

'So what?'

'So you looked awful comfy snuggled up on that couch with him.'

'Are you kidding me?'

'No, I'm not. I'm trying to run a business, not a brothel.'

'Oh, Maddy,' Violetta said, her temper building moment by moment. She would do her very best to hold it back, especially knowing how things had been for Maddalena recently. But she knew she could only hold on for so long. 'Really, was that necessary? You think... what?'

'It's not what I think, it's what I know. I know you.'

'Do you really?' Violetta asked. 'It's been twenty years since we've even seen each other, and you think you know me?'

'You were always the flirty one, Violetta, and we both know it. You were the one who brought Roger into our lives.' Maddy's tone was hurtful, and Violetta was certainly hurt.

'I brought him into our lives? I did? Like you didn't accept it? You didn't enjoy it?'

'You know what I enjoyed.'

'Yeah, well, you didn't turn your nose up at Roger, either. Did you?'

'No, I didn't.' And there was that silent dignity back, the aura that made Violetta jealous. She had no dignity, she thought, silent or otherwise. She was the flirty one, she couldn't deny it. The party girl. The slut.

'What do you think I was doing out there, Maddy?'

'I don't know. Does it matter what I think?'

'It does.'

'I don't think you've changed a bit over the years, Letti. I think you bring heartache everywhere you go.'

There was the knife in the heart that Violetta had been expecting since this whole thing had started. There it was, sharp as a razor, cutting so deep and twisting.

'Fine, Maddy. Maybe you're right, maybe I'll go out there right now and fuck that... that boy right there on the couch. And I'll do it just to piss you off if I want to. I know what it all comes down to is that you'll never ever forgive me for what I did, even though I'm your sister, even though I'm the only one who ever loved you for exactly who you were.'

Maddy was silent for a long time, and Violetta thought her face softened a bit, thought she might be ready to concede.

'You're right, Letti, I'll never ever forgive you for that. Never in life. I didn't lie, I still love you. Even if you leave again, right now, I'll still love you. But I can't ever forget what happened. I can't forget that you, Violetta, are the one that hurt me worse than anyone ever hurt me in my whole life. Something like that doesn't just go away.'

The blow hit Violetta like it was meant to. Her insides melted away, a hot flush rose on her face. It was everything that she had feared over the course of her entire adult life. All put into words by the one person she did not want to hear it from.

'Maddy, do you even want me here?'

'Nancy made me call you.'

'Okay. Thank you for being honest.'

She packed her things quickly, so engulfed in what she was doing that she did not notice Jason Porter standing in the doorway of the bathroom separating their rooms. When she looked up, he was watching her silently.

'What?'

'So that's it?' he asked.

'That's it.'

'Back to wherever you came from. Los Angeles, is it?'

'That's right.'

He sighed, nodded, came in uninvited and sat down on her bed. She did not protest, did not have the energy to protest.

'Just like that,' he said, and she whirled on him.

'What the fuck is your point?'

'Just... that you're easily swayed. She's obviously upset, about your mother, about whatever went on in the past. She wants you to be as miserable as she is because... well, because she's human, it's how we deal. We share our feelings with others. And you just fed her everything she wanted.'

'Can I ask you something?' Violetta asked, turning back to her bag again, folding and refolding clothes she had been folding for ten minutes.

'Sure.'

'Why do you think you're so goddamn clever?'

'I just know people, that's all.'

'Oh, really, sitting outside alone with your little paints and your brushes and the trees and the clouds in the sky? And you know all about people, don't you?'

'No, not all. But some. I at least spend some time listening instead of just reveling in my own misery.'

'Fuck you, Jason. You can go to hell, for all I care. Enjoy the rest of your stay in this rathole.'

Jason, seemingly not phased by any of it, shrugged and stood up. He moved towards the bathroom, but something else moved over Violetta quickly. It was remorse, and it made her grab his arm before he could go.

'I'm sorry,' she said.

'It's okay. You needed that.'

'I know. I'm so... don't tell her this, please.'

'I'd never.'

'I'm so sad that she hates me so much. She's my sister and she hates me.' She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she used every bit of will in her to keep them from flowing over. She wasn't embarrassed about crying in front of him, but she knew that if she started, she might not be able to stop.

He stood next to her and smiled. 'I punched my brother in the balls once.'

'You... what?'

'Punched him in the balls.'

He said nothing more, and in spite of everything, Violetta started to laugh. A deep down laugh that sent the tears streaming from her eyes, that made her insides ache. A laugh she had not experience in forever. She suddenly clamped a hand to her mouth as if the noise might attract an angry governess, bent on keeping her in line. Maybe she thought Maddy might hear it and grow angrier. Either way, she could not help herself, and she laughed for a long time, while Jason only looked at her with his dry smile that made her laugh more.

She ended it leaning on the dresser, gasping for breath. Then she looked up at him, wiping tears from her cheeks.

'You... sit down, please.'

He sat down on the bed again. She looked down at him from the dresser.

'So what do I do?'

'You want my advice now?' he asked. 'I thought I was full of shit.'

'You made me laugh harder than I can even remember. And while I hate to admit it, you've been right every time we talk. So speak on, sage.'

'I don't really have any sagely advice. I just think... I think you and your sister should give it another chance. Fight it out in the front yard if you have to. I mean, Jesus, it's been how many years?'

'Like twenty.'

'That's way too many. She's your sister. Your twin sister. How many people can say they have that?'

'I don't know if I can take it if she can't forgive me.'

'If she won't forgive you then that's her problem, not yours.'

Violetta nodded. She looked at him, and he looked back at her. And in spite of herself, she could feel she was growing more and more attracted to him by the minute. She did not want to prove her sister right, but she might not be able to help herself. To hide it, she turned back to her bag and played around in it some more.

'Did you hear the argument?' she asked.

'Most of it I couldn't help but hear.'

'I'm sorry what I said about you.'

'Stop apologizing. Do you really think I take it personally, all the times you've been a bitch to me. Just in the past day?'