Uninvited
By: Michelle Elizabeth
Tags: Novel, Fiction, Writing, Hidden Lake, Creativity

“Are you coming to help set up?”

“No,” Susie said and went back to watching Once Upon A Time.

“You’ve been sitting on that couch binge-watching TV since you got out of school. It’s going to be a beautiful day today. Come on,” Mallory said leaning over to tickle Susie who flinched once Mallory’s fingers met her skin.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes,” Mallory grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “You need some sunshine, let’s go.”

Susie whined a bit more about not wanting to go even though she knew it was a losing battle. At this point, Mallory had tuned her out and started barking out orders of what they needed to take to the beach. Mallory was on the Community Party Committee, and it was her thankless job to set up and most importantly clean up after every event. She didn’t want it, and she sure didn’t volunteer to do it, she got roped into it by Ann Murphy after Jack disappeared.

The sun blazed hot overhead, and Susie immediately regretted wearing her black Maroon 5 T-shirt and jeans. She should have worn her bathing suit, and shorts like her mother suggested, but she embarrassed by her overdeveloped for twelve-year-old body and chose to hide it at all costs.

As soon as she completed setting up the tables with disposable plates and utensils, she retreated to the lake’s edge, rolled up her jeans, and sat toes in the water so at least her feet would be cool.

Ann asked Mallory while they hung twinkle lights across the top of the pavilion, “How is Susie doing?”

“Well, she finished seventh grade with second honors. But ever since summer vacation started, she’s just been sitting on the couch, stuck in front of the TV.”

“Maybe she needs to unwind from school and relax.”

“Maybe…Something seems off about her. And you know girls at that age. She’s not gonna tell me.”

Ann shrugged, she didn’t know the slightest thing about raising girls. She had one child, Zach and he was more than enough for her stop her childbearing immediately after his birth with Mr. Murphy in full agreement.

“Here comes Mr. Important,” Ann declared before finding something to keep her busy elsewhere.

Mallory knew that was code that the Lindys had arrived. There was no love lost between Ann Murphy and Lindy number four, as Mallory liked to refer to him.

Some people need to feel important like they’re in charge of something. The entire neighborhood knew that Clarissa Lindy ran the show at home, Mallory supposed that the neighborhood his Great Great Grandfather once owned was his last shred of being in charge of something even though it was parceled up and sold off long ago.

Mallory remembered her husband Jack, who was a history teacher, told her when they first moved to the lake that Lindy’s grandfather was a drunk and an excessive gambler. He was in debt up to his eyeballs by the time he died, and his widow was forced to sell everything just to stay in her home. But that’s what happens with drunks. They wind up wrecking it for everyone else.

“Hi, Mallory,” Charles said in his overly cheery way of talking, “I thought you ladies might need some strong hands, so I brought my son with me to help out. Charles laughed, the ladies did not.

Charlie made his way over and shook Mallory’s hand before being directed over to the shed where they kept the trash cans and coolers that need to be dragged out and cleaned.

“That should keep him busy for a while,” Mallory said and smiled at Charles.

Mallory didn’t bother asking Charles for any help. She knew in advance that was why he brought his son. Charles was dressed impeccably as usual, but his attire was more suited for a garden party and less a neighborhood hoedown. Mallory yelled over to Susie that Charlie was here, but Susie ignored her, stuck in her reverie down by the water.

Susie heard the car drive up and she knew who got out of it when her mother called her to help and she pretended not to hear her. The last place she wanted to be was anywhere near Charlie Lindy.

She sat by the water until her mother physically came and got her to help Charlie and even then, she protested. As soon as Mallory turned her back, Charlie put his index finger in his mouth and slowly pulled it out, laughing when Susie ran off towards home dodging the cars that were beginning to arrive for the party.

The barbeque was in full swing, and people had begun to eat when Mallory noticed that she hadn’t seen Susie for a while. She walked around the beach until she found Ann, who was chatting up the new family and asked her if she saw, Susie.

“Not since the setup, I’m sorry,” Ann said before introducing her to Laurel and Tom Ericksen. They shook hands, and Laurel asked for a description of Susie because maybe they saw her on the drive up.

“We did see her. She was walking down Myrtle and then she stopped to talk to that guy over there,” Laurel said pointing to Dwight, “I just assumed he was a relative or friend.”

Mallory was shocked, “What is he doing here?”

“Who?” Ann interjected before turning around to see.

“Dwight Teegan. He knows this is a family event and he’s not allowed to be near any children.”

“Why?” Laurel asked curious to know the answer.

“He’s on the sex offender registry.”

“You’re kidding. In this neighborhood?”

“Yeah, hold on a sec, I’m going to go have a talk with him,” Ann said leaving the group and walking off in Teegan’s direction.

“And you said my daughter was talking to him?”

“Yes,” Laurel replied hoping she wasn’t getting the poor girl in trouble. The last thing she wanted to do was start off being the neighborhood busybody.

They couldn’t hear what was said, but by the look of how Ann was talking with her hands and pointing, they could tell she was not happy. Teegan stood there, resigned in his defeat before getting back on his motorcycle and riding off in the direction of the woods.