CHAPTER 2

The ride to Salisbury took only a few hours. Manda had wanted to take turns driving the land rover, but Michael wouldn't hear of it. And because she'd never set foot out of New York State before, he'd told her to sit tight, and enjoy the scenery. She grumbled, but soon after, she found herself enjoying the ride.

They passed a rambling wooden inn with a gabled roof, a row of old-fashioned storefront buildings stretched along the road beyond the inn. Several smaller roads wound up into the foothills, where Manda saw a white church steeple and scattered wood-frame houses. A river ran along next to the main road leading down into the sea, its banks covered with golden yellow leaves. A group of tourists were exploring old sailboats moored along the seashore and a lighthouse at the tip of a point of land.

By the time Michael finally parked his vehicle in the parking lot next to the port, Manda was ready to jump out of the vehicle. From here on, they would have to wait for a ferry to take them to Goldworth Isle.

While Michael went to buy the tickets for the ferry ride, Manda stretched a bit to ease her cramped back and legs. As she looked on at the Atlantic Ocean just a few yards away from her, she could see tiny islets scattered all over the ocean like black dots. The only thing visible was the tall structure of lighthouses, and an ocean liner floating across the horizon.

Manda zipped up her parka against the blast of northeasterly. The weather was cooler here than back home in Apple Point. Besides, it was almost the end of autumn.

Michael came over toward her and handed her a ticket.

"The ride to Fern Island will take an hour," he told her. "Then we'll have to take a different boat to Goldworth."

"What time will the ferry arrive?"

"In half an hour. Want to get something to eat while waiting?" he asked.

She hesitated, glancing up at him. "Can you get seasick if you're on a ferry?"

He gave a deep chuckle. "Not that I know of. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Oh. But I think I'll skip it."

"Suit yourself. Do you want to take a walk?"

"Sure."

She hooked her arm through his and they started walking away from the harbor, heading toward the pier. Boats lined along the dock, and she could see a few men lifting up brown cartons onto their boats.

They were about to pass a cruiser when someone jumped across their path. Manda stepped back to avoid collision. A tall young man with brown crew cut hair, possibly her age or a year older, glared at her way.

"Watch where you're going, lovebirds!" the guy growled. He was wearing gray crewneck sweater with sleeves rolled up. His muscular arms strained against an armload of box that he was holding against his chest.

Manda tensed when the guy finally turned to face them. She knew him from her high school, and suddenly, everything that she wanted to forget during those years came back to her, causing her fists to clench involuntarily.

"You watch where you're going, Brock Hall," Manda shot back.

The knowledge that she knew his name seemed to make him gave her a second look of surprise.

"Wait a minute... You look kinda familiar. Do I know you?" His dark brows furrowed in concentration, as if trying to place her face with a name.

Manda glared back, refusing to divulge her name. At the moment, she wished Michael wasn't here to witness this.

Brock lifted a hand to snap his fingers. "Oh, yeah... I remember, you're Rider... Manda Rider. The slut Pearl used to tell me about."

Manda's ears burned at hearing his words. "That's not true," she retorted.

"You better take back your words, buddy," Michael spoke up in a hard tone. He looked impassive, but his blue eyes had darkened in controlled anger.

Brock glanced at Michael with a mocking smile. "So, the pretty boy is your newest beau, eh, Manda?"

Manda almost raised her fist to his face but Michael had caught it before it did its job. She looked up at him in confusion, but he gave a silent shake of his head. Incensed, she yanked her arm away from his grasp.

"Just consider yourself lucky this time," she told Brock through clenched teeth.

"Like a broken nose? I ought to sue you for that." This time it was Brock who looked annoyed. Obviously, he still remembered what she'd done to his nose. His nose looked intact at the moment though.

She folded her arms and glared at him. She didn't care if he sued her after what he had tried to do to her.

"Say, what happened to Pearl. Haven't seen her around, have you?"

Manda and Michael exchanged a glance before turning back to him.

"Haven't you heard? She's dead, Brock," she replied in a flat tone.

"Oh. That sucks," he replied and then shrugged. "Now, out of my way. You're blocking my path." He climbed into a motorboat that was docked next to the cruiser, and loaded the box that he was carrying into it. Once he'd done arranging it, he returned to them.

"Say, you two going to Jackie's party?" Brock asked.

"What's it to you?" She couldn't help retorting.

"Nothing." He shrugged. Then he turned to Michael. "I didn't think we get introduced properly. I'm Brock Hall." He offered his hand.

"Michael Mackenzie," he said calmly, shaking his hand.

"You speak funny. Where are you from?" Brock asked.

"From Mars."

Brock frowned, looking a little confused, before he nodded. "I think I've heard of that place. Well, gotta go now. I need to bring back some stuff for Jackie."

Without another glance at them, he climbed into his boat. He turned the rudder, pushing the stern away from the dock before the boat idle away in the forward direction. Soon, the motorboat was breezing across the ocean. Manda finally glanced up at Michael.

"What's up with that? Are you trying to be funny?"

He grimaced. "I just didn't want to waste my breath explaining about my accent to him. I didn't expect he didn't get it." He glanced at his wristwatch. "Let's bring out our stuff from the jeep. We should get going ourselves."

-o-

There were already a couple of motorboats, and a cruiser lined along the dock when the boatman had left her and Michael at Goldworth Isle. The isle only had a mansion on it, not to count a lighthouse and a water tower. The mansion, which the earlier Foxworth's ancestor had dubbed as Goldworth after the clusters of seaside goldenrod sprouting all over the isle, had a Gothic architecture to it. The structure reminded Manda of a creepy haunted mansion she'd often seen in movies, the grouped chimneys and pinnacles, the sloping roof, the parapets and the oriel and quatrefoil windows.

The ferry they had taken from Salisbury had docked at Fern Island, which was an island just a spitting distance away from Goldworth Isle. Unlike Goldworth Isle, the Fern Island was like a small town, and it had everything in it from grocery stores to the mayor office. After arriving at Fern Island, they had to hire a boatman to take them to Goldworth Isle. The ride had taken them about ten minutes.

Manda slung her light overnight bag over her shoulder before she stepped up to the front door of the Goldworth mansion. She couldn't help wondering if Jackie still remembered her. She sent you the card, so she must have remembered! she chided herself. Another horrifying thought that kept plaguing her mind over and over, what if Jackie had sent her the card so she could pull a joke on her and humiliate her again? Manda knew that she wasn't Jackie's friend since high school, and the thought of being at Jackie's party should make her at least feel cautious.

Manda stepped back from the door, having an urge to turn around and go home. She hated to admit it, she was nervous. And scared. She didn't care if she felt like a coward, but she couldn't bring herself to press the doorbell.

"Hey, are you all right?" Michael's concerned voice filled the silence.

She turned to him and forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"You're not alone," he said as if reading her mind.

"I know."

She felt a little better when she felt his warm, reassuring hand around hers. In a way, she was glad she'd invited him to the party in the first place. She took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

A moment later, an elder man in his sixties answered the door. He was wearing a typical black and white butler suit.

"You're here for Miss Foxworth's gathering I presumed?" the butler said in disdain. Manda had to wonder if he didn't like parties, or the younger generation, or both.

"Yes. I'm Manda Rider, and my friend Michael Mackenzie," she told him, handing him the invitation card.

He barely glanced at it, and instead, opened the door wider.

"Miss Foxworth is in the living room," the butler told them.

"OK. Thanks," Manda replied, stepping into a large foyer. The room had dark wood paneling, complemented with the deep red tiles of the floor. Across from her was a staircase, leading up to the first floor. Huge portraits hung along the hallway as the butler guided them to the living room. She noticed they passed a large doorway that led to a dining room. She hoped her mouth wasn't hanging open. The dining room was five times larger than the one she had at home. The long dining table and chandeliers reminded her of what she'd seen from home magazines for the rich and famous. She wondered if Jackie's family often had dinner gatherings. It seemed like a waste of space.

"Are Jackie's parents here?" Manda asked the butler.

The butler gave her a strange look.

"This is the Foxworth's summer house. Her parents live in New York. Miss Foxworth also has another apartment in New York. Maybe you haven't heard about her father -"

"Dexter," a soft feminine voice suddenly called out.

The butler, who turned out to be Dexter, clammed up, turning toward the voice with a red face.

"Miss Foxworth," he said gravely. "These are Miss Rider and Mr. Mackenzie."

A petite young woman with long curly blond hair, and a pair of brilliant blue eyes approached them from the living room doorway. She was wearing a pair of designer jeans and black tank top. Her skin was tanned and nicely toned. Instinctively, Manda glanced at her own pale ivory hand. Maybe she should consider getting a tan for once. Jackie didn't change much from the last time Manda had seen her. The beautiful girl dismissed Dexter before turning to both of them.

"Both of you are the remaining guests. Everyone else is here," Jackie spoke in a calm voice. "How are you doing, Manda? You haven't changed at all."

"I - I'm fine," she replied, unsure of how to react toward Jackie's nicety. "I was surprised to receive your invitation."

"You were Pearl's friend. Let's just say any friends of Pearl's are my friends, too."

Manda stifled a retort, wanting to contradict what Jackie had said. They hardly were friends even before Pearl's betrayal. Never were, never will be. And she hated Jackie now for manipulating the situation.

Jackie glanced at Michael with a calm look, but her eyes showed mild interest.

"You must be the guy who was supposed to marry Pearl. She'd told me about you before," Jackie said to him.

If Michael had been surprised, he didn't show it. Instead he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Don't want to sound rude," he said, "but I'm glad it didn't happen."

Manda glanced at Jackie, wondering if the girl was offended. Michael wasn't the type of guy who minced words. He was blunt when he wanted to be.

Jackie didn't look offended. Instead, she smiled. "You're very unequivocal, aren't you? I like that. So, are both of you steady, now? Since there is only one unoccupied room left, both of you can sleep in the same room."

Manda tried to hide her mortification. She gave a sideway glance at Michael, afraid what he might say to Jackie. Sure, they'd kissed once, but she didn't want to rush things, and Michael understood her decision.

"We're... We're friends." He coughed. "Very good friends. Just give us separate rooms, please."

"Oh, what a pity. I suppose I can arrange that one of you to sleep in different room," she said, still in that soft, innocent voice of hers that Manda found it to be graveling to her ears.

"Is Rachel here? Maybe I can stay with her," Manda told her.

Jackie hesitated. "I'm sure I can arrange that. I'd better -"

"Jackie! We haven't finished discussing about Ri-"

A handsome young man strode into the foyer, but stopped his tracks when he saw Manda and Michael.

"Oh, I didn't know you're having company," the man said.

Jackie looked a little embarrassed by the interruption. "Pat, I'm sure you remember Manda Rider from our class?"

Manda remembered Patrick Crissinger very well. Who didn't? Especially when he was the class president, and football captain at the same time. With his silver blond hair, and deep gray eyes, it was no wonder why most girls in school would rather kill Jackie to take her place as his girlfriend. That was a long time ago. Pat and Jackie had broken up after they graduated high school.

Unlike other girls, Manda found herself unable to like Pat; there was something about him that made her cautious around him. He was too perfect. That could be the problem.

"Manda Rider?" Pat echoed in puzzlement as if trying to remember her name.

Manda didn't feel offended, and she had gotten used to it by now. Who would remember a mere nobody like her anyway? She'd always be Pearl's best friend to everyone.

"Oh, I remember. You used to be Pearl's friend or something," Pat said, echoing her mind.

"Yeah, that's me," Manda mumbled. She hated coming to this party already.

"Pat, this is Michael Mackenzie. Michael, Patrick Crissinger," Jackie introduced both men to each other.

Michael shook Pat's hand.

"You're Michael Mackenzie?" Pat looked surprised, before turning to look wary. "Excuse me for asking, have you ever been tried for murder before?"

"Pat!" Jackie admonished. Trying to cover for him, she said, "Pat's taking pre-law at Princeton. I think that's how he knew about court cases."

Michael looked impassive. "I don't mind. In fact, you're right. I've been on trial before - but not for murder."

"Look, that's all in the past, Pat," Manda spoke up, feeling irritated. "Don't believe everything you've read."

"It's all right, Manda," Michael said to her calmly.

"I think we should get you to your rooms," Jackie said.

"Great idea," Pat cut in. "Now, we can continue where we left off -"

"There's nothing to continue, Pat," Jackie returned in a soft tone. "I've already told you what I think of Ritchie. There's nothing of what you say can change -"

"The hell you are."

"Uh, I guess we better find Dexter," Manda said, but Jackie and Pat barely glanced at her.

"Let's leave these two squabbling with themselves," Michael said, and both of them turned around to begin searching for Dexter.

-o-

"You seem to have interesting friends. Jackie didn't seem as bad as you made her out to be. I didn't expect her to look so... angelic," Michael remarked as Manda followed him to the door of his room. He stepped into the room and dropped his canvas gym bag on the floor.

His room was only next to Manda and Rachel's, except his room was a little smaller compared to theirs, and he had his own bathroom. A queen-sized bed stood in the middle of the room, against the wall. A couple of red velvet armchairs, and a small coffee table were placed at one corner of the room. There was a heater next to the bed, and two windows. One of the windows overlooked the sea, and the other overlooked the indoor swimming pool, and the backyard. A little further ahead behind the mansion, he could see a water tower. He guessed the water was pumped underground from Fern Island.

"Don't be fooled by her charms," Manda was saying when he finally turned to her. She folded her arms, glaring at him. "I've already told you what she'd done to me."

It took him a moment to realize that she was talking about Jackie. "Even if you were right, we still haven't heard her side of the story." He knew he had stepped over the line when he saw her stormy eyes, shooting daggers at him.

"Are you implying that I lied?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that what you've experienced had been from your interpretation."

"And you think my interpretation was wrong?"

"I didn't say that. Nevermind." He sighed. Sometimes he couldn't understand Manda. He'd only meant it as a statement, certainly not to accuse her of lying.

He opened the window to let the fresh, salty air into the room, but the air was too chilly, so he closed it back.

"Nice view," Manda said, standing next to him. "My room has one window, and the only view I get is the lighthouse."

"I don't think we'll be staying in our rooms all day," he told her.

"I don't know if I feel like hanging out with them. Did you notice Jackie only invited not even a fifth of the class to stay here? Why did she leave out the rest of them?"

"I don't think she could accommodate the whole class to stay here. She only has six bedrooms in this house. Besides, it's a good thing, too. I'll be having trouble remembering everyone's names at the same time," he said with a grimace.

Before they settled into their rooms, he'd met a couple more of Manda's old schoolmates along the way. One of them was Eric Rolf, who couldn't stop spouting off long, intricate jargons about nanotechnology. Michael's head was still buzzing from his so-called lectures.

And the other Manda's ex-schoolmate was a girl named Casey Larkin, the daughter of the New York governor. She seemed to have known him from Pearl, but he and Casey had never met before. Casey reminded him of the high-class society girls he used to mix with, too featherbedded and vainglorious. The only difference he noticed was the girl was too blunt, and Manda had told him the other kids in school used to call her 'Laser Mouth' behind her back. He wasn't surprised.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked. "I'd like to know the bearings and surroundings around this place a little better."

"Yeah. Sure," Manda replied grudgingly, obviously still peeved at his earlier statement.

They walked out of the room. Their rooms were almost isolated from the rest of the house. Michael didn't mind a bit. Aside from that, he was relieved nothing had gone wrong, though he felt it was too early to make that statement.