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“You know more about these movies than you pretend to, but you’ll find out.” Sadie laughed and pressed play, then snuggled close to her sister.
Sadie could feel Charlie rolling her eyes or huffing about how the main character was making poor choices, but less than she normally did. Once the film’s credits rolled, Charlie put on her backpack and turned to Sadie. “That movie was a bit iffy but better than the ones you normally pick out. I suppose.”
“I think you might be turning to the horror side. Finally,” Sadie cooed, walking her sister to the door.
“Also, if tomorrow is a good time for the haunted house, I can pick you up for it.”
Sadie nodded. “Sounds perfect. Message me before you head my way.”
After her sister left, Sadie took the movie back to her room. She stopped in her tracks when she caught the scent of honey combined with sandalwood. River. The smell enveloped her, stronger than it had been when she’d opened the boxes of his things. Fear had struck her in the heart that his comforting smell would eventually fade, but this was stronger, not fading…
Sadie squeezed her eyes shut, knowing her mind was playing tricks on her. “You got this,” she said, opening her lids as she slowly backed out of the bedroom to go and bathe.
As she peeled off her clothes and stepped into the warm shower, her stare didn’t waver from her wedding ring. Should I take it off? Even for a little while? Why was it a struggle to decide what to do? Maybe she should’ve taken it off after she released River’s ashes. Yet she still didn’t want to give up her dreams of him. He hadn’t been there the past two nights and the thought worried her.
Once she finished attempting to drown her thoughts while cleaning herself, she draped a towel around her body, then slipped off the ring, resting it on the sink counter.
A hollow feeling traveled through her, screaming at her to put the ring back on. It was anger inside her that she’d never felt before, unnerving her slightly. She shoved the ring on her finger and sighed as she came back to herself.
After getting ready, Sadie collected her notebook and headed outside for fresh air. She stopped in her tracks at the edge of the porch, listening. Same as the day before, quiet echoed around her, owning every inch of the woods.
She trekked through the trees, gazing around her. Not a single sound besides what was coming from her. Her feet snapping twigs, her breaths, the rustling of the notebook.
Sadie caught sight of a dead finch on the ground farther away, her stomach sinking at the sight of it, but decided to let nature take its course with the bird. She found herself stopping at a rotting tree stump and lowered herself to the dirt in front of it to outline the two short stories she needed to work on for separate articles.
She’d gone to the cabin a few times throughout the day but always returned to the same spot. And when the night started to descend, Sadie closed her notebook, peering up at the sky until the stars shone brightly. A cool breeze trickled in, rustling the branches, followed by an owl hooting in the distance. It was as if the quiet had waited until night cloaked the woods to speak.
As she stood, her gaze caught on movement in the distance. A dark silhouette slid from one of the trees and bolted deeper into the woods.
Sadie’s eyes widened—her heart raced. It was too far away to tell if it was an animal or a person, yet she was leaning toward the supernatural… She thought the previous night had been a trick of the eye, but maybe it was a spirit that had vanished into the ground. What did she have to lose that she hadn’t already? She turned on the phone’s flashlight and followed in the direction the silhouette had gone, the breeze picking up, the branches rustling harder. Sadie was about to turn around when another—or the same?—silhouette leapt from the oak tree that she’d carved into, twigs snapping as it took off.
“What’s happening?” Sadie was about to lunge for the shadowy figure but cursed herself for not having some sort of weapon besides a phone. But then, a familiar scent struck her nose, so very familiar. Sandalwood and honey. Just like it had been in the cabin’s bedroom, in River’s things. His scent.
As foolish as it was, she called out his name. “River?” But of course no one answered. No one came running toward her. Fear tore through her—not of who it could be, but of who it wouldn’t be.
So she fled for the safety of her home, locking the door behind her. River’s scent permeated the air again, filling the cabin. Her body shook as she slowly walked into her bedroom, the smell growing more potent. Hand trembling, she lifted one of the pillows and inhaled. Sandalwood and honey.
Taking a deep swallow, she looked around the space as if he would slip out from the closet or beneath the bed, turn on the vintage stereo system and sit in the chair with his headphones on.
Sadie twisted her wedding ring round and round her finger, her breaths quick. She didn’t want to call Charlie—her sister would tell Sadie she was unstable without saying the word. Maybe she was. But there was Skyler—she could always call him. Besides that, he was also a police officer…
The phone rang several times, and she was about to end the call when he answered, “Sadie? Are you finally inviting me to your new mysterious place?”
“Skyler, can you come over in the morning?” Her words came out in a rush. “Not on police duty, but to check out something in the woods for me.”
“Woods?” He chuckled. “What are you up to?”
“Living in the woods, apparently. You know, in the cabin I’ve been bewitched by for years.”
There was a long pause before he spoke. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you moved out there. Do you want me to come now? You sound a little off.”
“No, I’m fine. Just come in the morning.”
“All right. If you need me sooner, I’m there.”
“Thanks, Skyler.” Sadie clutched her phone at her side after ending the call.
She needed to release the words yelling within her, so she went into the living room, writing inside her notebook what had happened in the woods. The story was becoming disjointed, but eventually, she would stitch it all together. Dr. Sadie Frankenstein. Idiot.
