The Peculiar Case of the Lost Colony Read online

  “So, have you ever been to North Carolina?” I squeaked out awkwardly and abruptly, waking Isabella from her slumber. She raised a brow slowly, glancing towards Agnes before returning her attention to me. It was obvious she was a bit put off by the sudden interruption of her slumber—not that I could blame her. Agnes seemed relaxed, at the very least, by my attention being turned to the woman at my side. She ignored our conversation, engaging with Robert once more. I pretended to pay attention to Isabella’s reply, but I only half heard her words as I was so wrapped up in the conversation of the elder passengers in our group.

  “Am I to presume you and Martin came here before? Fruitlessly, I would presume, but—,” Robert began, but his voice was soon drowned out by Isabella grumbling and nudging my shoulder.

  “No. Before I met the two of you, I’d never been to the United States. I’ve heard some things about the area, though. You scared of meeting some hill people, Abigail? I expected so much more of you,” she grinned, taking a sip from her bottle of water. I made a face, giving her a light shove as Agnes laughed mildly from her place opposite of us in the aisle.

  “Oh, honestly, Isabella. I can’t even begin to fathom that these so called hill people would be any worse than dealing with you for an evening,” the older woman drawled. Isabella scoffed, settling back in her seat and closing her eyes.

  “Such a sour puss. You know you adore me, Aggie. You don’t have to hide your feelings anymore,” Isabella murmured idly, paying little mind as Agnes managed to pull off a defiant expression.

  “How could anyone hope to resist—,” the older woman stopped short, clutching the armrests of her seat as the plain began to jolt and shake a bit. Agnes’ expression was pale, and in spite of the turbulence, Isabella lurched out of her seat and staggered across the aisle to grip Agnes’ hand.

  “Ma’am, we’re going to need you to take a seat,” the flight attendant called out, though Isabella only rolled her eyes before repeating his words mockingly.

  “Take a seat, take a seat. You take a seat dude, can’t you see my friend is freaking out?” Isabella called back smarmily, and as the plane began to right itself and resume a calm path, Agnes laughed almost hysterically as she gripped Isabella’s hands. Robert observed her with an expression of concern, one that I was sure was very similar to the one I was sporting in the very moment.

  “You silly girl,” Agnes murmured, touching her hand to Isabella’s cheek. Izzie snorted, rising awkwardly to her feet and casting a cursory glance at the flight attendant.

  “What’s he gonna do? Toss me off the plane?” Isabella grumbled before slinking back to her seat, sinking into the cushion. Agnes had shifted her grip to Robert’s hands, holding tight and squeezing her eyes shut. She spoke quietly, but I could just make out her words.

  “If I die, this will be for naught,” she whispered. I frowned, unsure of what exactly she meant by her words. It wasn’t as if anyone could live forever, but I could see how the idea of dying in a plane crash would be more troubling than a distant and peaceful death. I realized I’d been staring for a few moments too long, and cleared my throat before glancing to Isabella. She was watching Agnes with a concerned expression, though she seemed to know just as much as I did about the entire situation.

  “The flight attendant could very well have the pilot land and have you removed,” I pointed out, drinking from my own bottle of water. The other woman scoffed, but I paid her little mind, focusing my attention on Agnes once again. She seemed vaguely more relaxed, and I noted that Robert gripped her hand tightly, speaking softly and soothingly to her. I frowned a bit, in spite of how adorable the scene was. I could never hope to offer the older woman such comfort in a situation like this. I felt like an outsider among my own friends, though admittedly, the thought may have been rather melodramatic.

  “Don’t worry, dear woman. You won’t be so easily slain. And once we make our way to this lost colony, everything will have a way of working itself out. I’m absolutely certain that there’s something there that can help you... help us,” Robert murmured. I tensed my hands on the arm of my seat, trying to put together the pieces that seemed to be so absent from my own ponderings. Robert knew something that Isabella and I clearly did not, but the comfort he offered Agnes made little sense. Maybe the idea of living forever, as far fetched as it was, was easier than dealing with the thought of an inevitable death.

  “So, those hill people,” Isabella resumed, tossing a piece of sour candy into her mouth. I gave the rowdy woman at my side a nudge to settle her down. She seemed reluctant to relax, bouncing slightly in her seat as she muttered under her breath. I didn’t care to consider the lewd things she was suggesting the attendant do to himself, instead yanking her headphones away from her and pressing them against my own ears. I could see Isabella’s lips moving, her expression pouty as she reached out to grab at the headphones. I slapped her hand away, closing my eyes and deciding that my time would be best served taking a nap—at least for the remaining duration of our flight. Robert and Agnes could carry on with their private conversations if they felt so inclined, and Isabella... well, I suppose she could simply entertain herself with her strange grudge against the flight attendant. In most circumstances, I would take it upon myself to reel my companions in, but not this time. I pointedly ignored Isabella jabbing her finger into my side, turning away from her and trying to calm my breathing. The plane gave another slight lurch, nearly knocking me from my seat. I yanked the headphones off just in time to see Isabella lurching from her seat, presumably to give the staff on board a piece of her mind.

  “Isabella, sit down! You’re going to get us all kicked out,” I called out, and Robert chuckled a bit before shakily rising from his seat and trailing after the young woman.

  “I’ll see that she doesn’t have us turned in to the local authorities. You two just relax, alright?” He said warmly, striding down the aisle. I glanced at Agnes, who was remarkably pale. Her body trembled from the extent of her anxiety, and I wanted nothing more than to offer her some sort of comfort. I shuffled across the center aisle, taking Agnes’ hand gently and offering her a smile.

  “Things will be better once we arrive at the lost colony. You can teach us so much about it, I’m sure,” I murmured. Agnes smiled faintly, brushing my hair behind my ear and sighing softly.

  “I should hope so. It’s quite fascinating. It’s a puzzle I’ve longed to solve for so long,” she offered in return, falling silent as Robert trailed back towards us. His face was flushed, and I quirked a brow as he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Isabella and the flight attendant have resolved their issues, it would appear,” he said quietly. I blinked, glancing towards the front of the plane where Isabella had taken off to. My face turned beet red as I took in the scene before me, reflecting that the flight attendant must have been some kind of masochist. After all, how else could you explain the furious liplock the two were currently engaged in.

  “Get a room!” Agnes crowed from her seat, seeming a bit more relaxed by the humorous scene. Isabella jolted back as if burned.

  “Oh... oh, yeah... and another thing... hrm. I’m going back to my seat now,” Isabella offered weakly, shuffling back to the seat beside me and burying her face in her hands as she sat.

  “Way to go, stud,” I murmured quietly.

  “Someday, little Bean, you’ll experience the call of the birds and bees as well,” she grumbled.

  I rolled my eyes, brushing her off as I settled in to consider the conversation I’d caught Robert and Agnes wrapped up in. Whatever we would find in this lost colony, I was sure it would bring some clarity to what I longed to learn about my employer.

  Chapter Three

  Fortunately, we managed to escape the plane with little to no damage—though Agnes did crack a few jokes about the state of Isabella’s chastity. For once, the other woman was left without a snide response. I might have thought something was wrong until I noticed Isabella was programming a new number into her cell phone. I prodded h
er in the side, raising a brow quizzically. In response, she flashed a small slip of paper with a name, a phone number, and a conspicuous drawn heart in the top corner. Her cheeks were almost as red as the ink itself, but I figured we’d had enough fun at her expense. Instead, I settled for quietly bumping my knuckles against hers while offering a reassuring smile. She grinned, but said nothing, tucking the slip of paper and her phone back into her pocket.

  “Ah, yes. As always, living in the lap of luxury courtesy of Agnes Astor Smith,” Robert announced as we finally found our rental car in the parking lot. It was, as one could guess, top of the line in every way imaginable. Isabella often joked about becoming a spoiled rich kid, though I couldn’t really argue the notion anymore—especially as we settled in the expansive back seat of the rental.

  “Dang, Aggie. You know how to go all out, don’t you?” The third female of our group mused aloud, fidgeting with the small television screen on the back of the driver’s seat. Agnes chuckled, watching Isabella fiddle around with vague amusement.

  “If I knew there would be a dvd player, I would have brought one of my favorite documentaries for you girls to watch,” she grinned, laughing outright as Isabella leveled her with a glare.

  “Documentaries are the devil’s media,” Isabella said in serious tones. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, focusing my attention on the scenery passing the outside of the car.

  “God forbid you learn something for once,” I said under my breath, realizing too late how catty I sounded. I turned to offer Isabella an apology, but she only looked amused.

  “I’m glad we’re of the same opinion, little Bean,” she grinned. Apparently, with that, the conversation was done. She pushed her headphones back into place, closing her eyes as we made the trip to our current lodging, at least for the duration of the trip. I watched her for a moment, idly wondering how she had managed to recover from our last trip so effectively.

  “An enigma, that one,” Robert said from the driver’s seat, and I resisted the desire to point out hypocritical that statement was. As time passed in the company of those in the car with me, I had slowly begun to realize that we were all enigmas in our own ways. If anything, the eldest of our group presented more of a mystery than any of us women—though he and Agnes were certainly neck to neck.

  “So... another cabin, huh?” I inquired softly, the conversation feeling strangely stilted without the usual dramatics and juvenile behavior of the woman snoozing in the seat beside me. Agnes nodded, her expression a bit strained.

  “I know our last place of lodging wasn’t anything particularly impressive, but I assure you that this rental will be much more to your liking,” she assured me, and I truthfully had little doubt. Still, the memory of the snake I’d found in my sheets was still fresh in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the sense of dread—the thought that it might happen again. Then again, the snake that I’d found during our last trip was nothing compared to the snake of a man that we were preparing to come head to head with once more. The idea of seeing Martin again was even more nauseating than the idea of coming across any slithery or scaly things.

  “I’m sure it will be fantastic,” I said with an agreeable smile, catching sight of Robert watching me in the rearview mirror. I kept my expression schooled into one of kindness in spite of the desire to stick my tongue out at the older man. As he smiled and returned his attention to the road, I felt confident that I could relax a bit.

  “Oh, beyond fantastic. We’ll have a magnificent view of the stars when night falls. I’ve always been keen on the idea of stargazing,” Robert said cheerfully, turning down a back road that seemed to lead into an endless forest. I glanced towards Isabella, who seemed to be stirring from her restful slumber. “We’re nearly there, as luck would have it,” the older man continued, appearing to notice Isabella’s state of wakefulness as well. She smacked her lips, glancing towards the front seat where Agnes sat. Agnes offered her a faint smile, though, truthfully, the older woman still seemed out of sorts from the bumpy plane ride. I had expected her to have gotten over her little bout of anxiety by that point, but there seemed to have been something about the particular incident that had disrupted her usual sense of calm. Isabella reached up to touch her shoulder, smiling gently at the older woman. She seemed to relax as we came to a stop outside a particularly immaculate rental cabin. Any doubts I had about where we’d be staying dissolved as I lay eyes on the building.

  “Holy crap! That’s where we’re going to be staying?” Isabella asked, excitement dancing in her eyes.

  “Yes, dear. Now come along. Let’s unpack our things,” Agnes suggested, stepping out of the car. We all tumbled out after her, except for Robert who approached the situation with a higher level of decorum, as usual. Isabella shuffled around to the back of the car, heaving several bags out with little difficulty. Robert took the remainder, or made to, before I grabbed mine with a polite smile.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s check this place out,” I cheered, leading the group to the front porch of the cabin. Agnes edged past me to unlock the door, pushing inside with a content little smile. I hurried in behind her, looking around the interior with a pleased gasp. It was actually a fairly modern setup, contrary to what I’d been expecting. The living room had several cushy chairs, as well as a pristine looking sofa all angled around what had to have been an at least sixty inch television. I knew we wouldn’t have much time to dawdle and watch television, but it was a nice change of pace from our prior lodging all the same.

  “Oh! Oh, let’s go check out the bedrooms,” Isabella said with grin, dashing up the stairs. I jogged to keep up with her, musing that I should have definitely found myself in better shape after the time I’d spent adventuring with these women. I hit the second floor just in time to see Isabella dart into a room at the end of the hall. Assuming she’d chosen that room as her own, I turned to the nearest bedroom with a smile. It held a large canopy style bed with a cherry wood frame and exquisitely woven linens. I parted the canopy itself, preparing to launch myself into the bed. I stopped short as I noted a lump moving around the sheets, and a scream ripped itself from my throat as I staggered backwards.

  “Not again!” I wailed, pointing balefully at the bed as Robert peeked in to check on me.

  “Oh, dear,” he murmured, using the end of his walking stick to raise the sheets. A small black snake was coiled in the center of the bed, and Robert chortled as he moved to grab it with all the finesse of a professional snake handler. “Only a black racer, Miss Bean. Not venomous by any means, and exceedingly useful for keeping the rodent population under control,” he hummed, carrying it out of the room without another word. I stared after him through wide eyes, my heart hammering in my chest. Isabella peered in a moment later, her expression sly.

  “I thought I’d leave this room for you to investigate,” she hummed, cackling and darting away as I flung a pillow at her.

  “You absolute brat! You knew there was a snake in here,” I shouted after her, giving chase as she tried to get away from me. I grabbed her by the back of the shirt, yanking her backwards and very nearly knocking her off her feet.

  “Oh, Little Bean, I wouldn’t dare take that joy of such a discovery away from you,” she cooed, tapping me on the nose before pulling away, brushing herself off. “You’re so shrill, honestly, I’m sure the neighbors could hear you, and they’re likely miles away,” she said bluntly, pushing away from me with the aid of her walking stick. I rolled my eyes, huffing unhappily and following her downstairs where Agnes was fretting over something or another. “Come on, Aggie. You’re still freaking out about the plane ride? It’s not like we crashed,” Izzie sighed, stepping up behind Agnes and drawing her in for a bear hug. Agnes grunted, struggling for a moment before simply allowing the hug to happen.

  “If the plane ride didn’t kill me, I’m sure your over the top embraces will,” she muttered.

  “Everyone’s gotta die sometime,” Isabella mused, raised a brow as Agnes went pal
e. I couldn’t help but notice how terrified she was when confronted with the idea of her own death, and I glanced towards Isabella with an inquisitive expression. She shrugged a bit, resting her chin atop the older woman’s head. “Everyone except you, of course. We all know you’re of a higher calling that us laymen,” the dark haired woman continued, drawing away from Agnes with a faint smile.

  “I suppose you have a point,” Agnes said wearily, glancing up as Robert came in from releasing the snake. “Honestly Robert, the girls could have taken care of that,” she grumbled, offering Isabella and myself a chastising look.

  “We all know how much Little Bean loves snakes. I wanted her to get the full North Carolina experience,” Isabella drawled, releasing Agnes and smirking down at me. I offered her a halfhearted glare, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “And we all know how much Isabella hates chocolate, so I suppose it’d be just as well if I threw her stash away,” I countered, matching her tone. The other woman looked terrified by the mere implication, holding a hand to her forehead and looking as if she would very nearly faint.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” She spat. I gestured as if to say ‘try me’, before we both dissolved into giggles. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. You have to admit, it’s a little funny,” she continued, rocking on her heels.

  “Hilarious, I’m sure. Now, if you all have everything unpacked, I think it would be nice to go out on the town and take everyone’s mind off of the frights we’ve had,” Robert suggested, resting a hand on the shoulder of the elder woman. Agnes nodded agreeably, looking between the rest of us.

  “As they say, nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina,” she sighed, twirling a finger before turning towards the door. “We can at least fetch something to eat. I’m starving, considering someone wasn’t particularly willing to share her snack stash,” the older woman said grudgingly, and Isabella snorted in response.