A Family Affair: A Novel of Horror (15 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

She woke to find her room bathed in sunlight. She yawned, stretching her arms high over her head, and realized that sh
e felt wonderful. Her body seemed to be weightless, as if every care and strain had been lifted from her. She could not remember ever feeling so alive. And the room, how sparkling it was, how vivid the paper flowers that covered the ceilings and walls. And everything seemed freshly washed with sunlight.

At the dresser, Aunt Abbie was busily arranging fresh flowers in the little vase.

“Good morning,” Abbie greeted her with a cheery smile. “I hope you slept well.”

“Yes, I did,” Jennifer replied. “And it is a good morning, isn't it?”

“I didn't disturb you, did I?” Abbie looked concerned for a moment, but Jennifer's smile reassured her.

“I think nothing could disturb me this morning,” she said with a laugh.

Abbie looked pleased. She gave her flowers a final pat. “I think the roses get prettier every day,” she said, admiring her own efforts.

“They really are quite beautiful this morning,” Jennifer agreed. And it was true. The roses were the loveliest she had ever seen. The reds were like the color of blood, and the pinks like the glow of a summer sunset.

“Thank you,” Abbie said. She started for the door. “Oh, and breakfast is ready.”

When she had gone, Jennifer rose from the bed. She slipped into the white robe Aunt Abbie had left for her. The fit was perfect, and it felt, as she walked, as though she were truly floating on air. The robe billowed gracefully behind her as she descended the stairs.

The family all looked and smiled as she entered the dining room. How pleasant it was to be among one's own! Without asking, she seated herself in the empty chair beside her mother.

“I hope you slept well dear,” her mother greeted her, patting one of Jennifer's hands in the affectionate and possessive gesture Jennifer remembered from the past.

“Oh, yes,” Jennifer said. “And I'm starving.”

Her mother smiled slightly at that, the same stiff smile of old.

“Well, this should help a bit,” Aunt Christine suggested, handing her a large platter of steaming biscuits. “We've eggs, and fresh cream, and fruit this morning. So eat heartily.”

It was, Jennifer had to admit, a delicious breakfast, and she helped herself generously. Everything looked and smelled wonderful, and tasted just as good. She began to devour her food greedily.

Glancing to her left, she saw Marcella. Marcella sat without touching the plate before her. Jennifer looked toward Aunt Christine and raised one eyebrow quizzically.

“Oh, that Marcella,” Aunt Christine laughed, seeing the glance and the raised eyebrow. “You know, in all these years, I've never been able to coax her to eat breakfast.”

“I don't like breakfast,” Marcella said flatly.

“I just don't know what will become of that girl,” Aunt Christine said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

V. J. Banis
is the critically acclaimed author (“the master's touch in storytelling...”—
Publishers Weekly
) of more than 200 published books and numerous short stories in a career spanning nearly a half century. A native of Ohio and a longtime Californian, he lives and writes now in West Virginia's beautiful Blue Ridge.

You can visit him at
http://www.vjbanis.com