The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn Chapter 1 - Part 2 Ryan Adler squinted at the road and exhaled through his nose, his breath silenced by the music that coiled through the Nissans interior. He loved the way fresh snowmelt made the road look black, like a stretch of satin ribbon glistening in the sun. The cabin wasnt near a damn thing, and that was why Ryan loved it. Out here, there was nothing but mountains, trees, and an endless expanse of sky - pale blue with brushstrokes of wipsy white. Hed seen more of the world then he had ever expected to see, jetting off to places like Switzerland and Austria in the name of fresh powder, excusing the expense because business was business. Hed been born lucky; he was smart and handsome, thankful that hed managed to escape most of his fathers traits save for a few. Ryan was an entrepreneur, just like his dad; his charm and disarming smile had gotten him far. But to his fathers chagrin, Ryan had no interest in real business; no passion for stocks and investments - the very things that had built Michael Adlers empire. Ryans passion was tangled in the swaying of pines that dotted every black diamond run of every ski resort on earth. But his heart was forever present in the San Juan Mountains; his passion had been born in those hills. Ryan slowed the Nissan and hung a left onto a rough road. The potholes were treacherous but still visible, most of the snow that had fallen onto the pavement having melted in the afternoon sun. The change of pace pulled Ryans blue-eyed husky, Oona, out of her nap; he watched her move around in the rearview mirror, pressing her sleep-dried nose against the back window, her dog breath stinking up the place. The farther they drove, the rougher the road and thicker the snow became. Aspens and ponderosa pines flanked both sides of the drive, tall and swaying despite the air around them seeming calm. Stopping the car completely, Ryan lowered his window with an electrical buzz. What is it? Jane asked her brother, stretching in the passenger seat with a road-tired moan. She peered through a dirty windshield up at the trees that towered ahead of them. The space between them was filled a moment later when Lauren leaned forward between the driver and passenger seat, hiding a yawn behind the palm of her hand. She hadnt made a peep for a good few hours, and Ryan had nearly forgotten that his sisters best friend was back there at all. He reached down and twisted a knob close to the bottom of the dash, engaging four-wheel drive. Are we going to make it? Jane asked, a little worried. She had always hated the road that led up to the cabin, especially in the winter. Its steep pitch made it treacherous, and they had had a close call on their previous visit, the Nissan catching some black ice and nearly careening into the ravine that ran along both sides of the road. Of course were going to make it, he told her, slow-rolling into a couple of inches of hard-packed snow. Jane tried to relax as they progressed forward, but her muscles refused. It was Ryans idea to come up here during the winter. He was the one who got snow-crazy at the mere suggestion of winter precipitation. Jane was more of a summer girl - bikinis and floppy-brimmed hats and suntan oil. Her eyes widened as the Nissan started to slide sideways. Oh god. The exclamation came from their backseat passenger, and Ryan couldnt help but grin. Jane rolled her eyes at his glee. He loved freaking her out with his driving, and shed learned that keeping her mouth shut made him less prone to try stupid maneuvers. But this was Laurens first time as a passenger, and her little outburst was enough to have him stomping on the gas a little too hard, the Nissan spitting gravel out from beneath the back tires like a rock geyser. Almost to the driveway, he assured them, only to have Jane groan in reply at the reminder. Whats with the driveway? Lauren asked. Its not a driveway, Jane said. Its a nightmare. Its a driveway. Its a nightmare, and its more of a road than a driveway. Its like a quarter of a mile long, and its all uphill. Well, Lauren said, casually crossing her legs as she leaned back in the center of the bench seat. That sounds promising. The Nissan spit dirty snow onto the road behind it as Ryan stepped on the gas, pushing it up a precarious incline - a slope that was scary to drive up when it was dry, let alone when it wasnt. The Adlers had had many a mishap on that hill, the worst of which had happened during their final winter break as a family - her and Ryan, Mom and Dad. The road thick with snow, Michael Adler had insisted that he and his two kids get out and push the car that refused to make it up the slick incline while their mother jammed her foot onto the gas. Mary Adler had nearly burst into tears as her husband yelled for her to get behind the wheel. They never made it up that hill. The car caught traction and lurched forward just enough to have Ryan stumbling onto his knees while Jane fell onto her chest, hitting her chin on the frozen ground, nearly biting her bottom lip clean through. Jane covered her eyes as the Nissan rambled upward, holding steadfast to her silence, and after a few tense minutes, the car crested the drive and Chateau Adler came into view. Lauren blinked at the house. The hostess didnt mention the size of this place, I gather, Ryan murmured. A massive stone-and-log home stood before them, tucked into the trees so thoroughly that it was invisible until, suddenly, it wasnt, its grandiose two-story front entrance dominating its facade. Holy shit, Lauren said. This is the cabin? She made eyes at Jane, then looked back to the house ahead of them. This is a goddamn mansion. It was a trophy home - the kind of houses the rich built for themselves as an occasional getaway. The landscape had been dotted with these estates for the last ten miles, no two less than miles apart, thousands of acres of heavily wooded hills separating one from the next. They were regal, inevitably decorated with the finest furniture, with expensive paintings that were far more status symbols than declarations of the ownders discriminating taste. The same could be said of the Adlers chateau. Michael Adler had decorated the place in the style of a hunting lodge, but the man had hunted all of a handful of times in his life. The walls were decorated with mounted heads of deer and elf, of beasts that Ryan assumed his father considered a catch, but they had been bought and paid for. It was all for show - as was everything in Michael Adlers life. Wait until you see it all lit up, Jane mused. She loved this place as much as Ryan did, though she liked it more when she could lie out on the deck and bask in the high mountain sun. There was something magical about sitting out on the porch, listening to the trees sway in the wind. But she could see why Ryan loved the snow. It gave the place a mystical feel; paradise in the middle of nowhere. Lauren stood in the doorway - a side entrance that led from the porch into a massive stone-walled kitchen. She watched Jane disappear down a hall directly ahead of her, apparently on some sort of missions - probably headed for the thermostat. It was cold inside, no more than fifty degrees. Ryan took a seat on the edge of a heavy table to the right of the door, bags at his feet, his phone already glowing as he checked his reception, not seeming the least bit interested in the grandeur laid out before him. But Lauren was stunned. This place is incredible, she confessed, almost afraid to step farther inside. The island at the heart of the kitchen was bigger than her apartments bathroom. The cabinet doors were rich cherry gleaming with varnish. There were two ovens, one on top of the other, next to a stove that looked like it had come straight out of one of those fancy Food Network cooking shows. She paused, furrowing her eyebrows at a pair of massive doors, both of them paneled to match the cabinets. Is that the fridge? she asked. Ryan nodded, still fiddling with his phone. Probably empty, he admitted. Janes going to drag you into town for groceries. I guarantee it. Lauren twisted a piece of blonde hair around her finger, looking through the kitchen to the centerpiece of the living room, visible through a large stone arch that connected the rooms. The fireplace was ostentatious, big enough for her to lie down in and not have her head of feet touch either end. Imposing stones crawled up the wall above the hearth, and she couldnt help but wonder how on earth anyone had managed to get them inside the house, let alone up on the wall like that. An elks head stared at her from across the room, challenging her to recall a more impressive creature, dead or alive. The challenge was a futile one. Growing up in a two-room trailer in Winnfield, Louisiana, the only elk shed seen before this one were the ones her dad skinned in the backyard. Oona padded past her, crossed the expanse of kitchen, and jumped onto the leather sofa. Lauren opened her mouth to protest but stalled when amusement danced across Ryans face. Thats okay? she asked, nodding to the dog, who was dancing a circle on top of an expensive looking couch cushion, her paws wet from the snow. Its fine, Ryan replied. Huh. She hadnt expected him to be so obliging. I wouldnt have guessed. Her face flushed before the words had completely escaped her throat, her heart fluttering at the shadow of a beguiling smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. There was something about Ryan that held her attention - the way he carried himself, graceful and self-assured; the way he leaned against the table, his feet crossed at both ankles. He was one of those people who seemed always ready to be photographed even while doing the most everyday things; annoying, when she always looked awkward in pictures even when she tried to look good. She had heard things about him over the years, like the fact that he was an adrenaline junkie, and how hed turned his passion for snowboarding into a winning business venture. From what Jane had told her, what was once little more than a hobby now pulled in a hefty salary by way of advertising. Big companies paid to have their ads on Ryans website - snowboards and winter gear - and all Ryan had to do was pay for bandwidth and travel to exotic destinations all in the name of photographs and reviews. And judging from the size of the place, if Ryan was anywhere near as successful as his father, he was as loaded as he was attractive. Are you going to come? she asked, turning to face Ryan fully for the first time. To the store, she clarified. With us. Ryan lifted his shoulders in a shrug, haphazardly tossing his phone onto the table, assuring her that cell phone service out here was a bust. I guess I should, he said. She doesnt drink, so, you know, asking her to buy booze... You havent been brainwashed into her wino ways, have you? Wino ways? Sure, he said, sliding off the table. You dont believe that whole oh I hate the taste of anything but Bordeaux argument she gives, do you? Lauren stood silent, not sure whether to play along or defend Janes honor. Im convinced this is just the beginning. Today, only red wine; tomorrow, shell be converting to Mormonism. Ill go find her. She hooked a thumb toward the hallway, waiting for Ryan to tell her it was okay to breach the perimeter of the kitchen and explore further. Sweet, he said, failing to look up. Lauren ducked into the hallway, feeling awkward. Jane paused at the top of the stairs and glanced down the hallway, which was gloomy despite the bay window at its center. The only door on the right side of the wall led to the master bedroom. She was sure Ryan wouldnt want it - too many bad memories, too much resentment - and she wasnt about to give it up to Sawyer and his girl once they arrived. Her heart twisted against the splinter that had been lodged there since high school. Shed nearly bailed on the entire outing when Ryan had broken the news, but had stopped just shy of telling him to forget it. The place was on the market, ready to sell to the highest bidder, furniture and all. And to pile one heartache on top of another, Ryan had just sold half his company to a guy out in Switzerland. It was a huge step forward for Powder 360, but her brother would be spending six months out of the year travelling to Europe, living in an adorable Swiss bungalow at the foot of the Matterhorn and calling her on Skype. She was sick over it, not sure how shed be able to handle life without her twin brother at her elbow, always there when she needed him - sometimes there when she didnt. This was their last chance to visit their childhood haunt: Ryans favorite place in all the world. She refused to screw it up, no matter how hard her heart thudded in her chest at the mere thought of seeing Sawyer with another girl. Veering right, she pushed the door open into the master bedroom - her favorite room in the house despite its history. There had been many a fight within those walls during family getaways that had been intended to be fun but always turned sour, and the master bedroom was where all of that bitterness was born. But the window that swallowed the majority of the far wall pushed the sadness of her fathers yelling and her mothers tears out of her mind. Spectacular in its size and view, that window overlooked tree-dotted hills and a stone-topped mountain distant against the sky. Shed spent many an afternoon sitting in front of that very window as a girl, gazing out onto the wilderness. The view, and the fact that the room had its own fireplace, was irresistible. Lauren stepped inside the room, gasping at its size. Please tell me were bunking together, she said. I know there are plenty of rooms to go around, but, Janey... I know, Jane mused, still appreciative of its grandeur after all these years. Lauren immediately went for the bathroom, and Jane couldnt help but laugh when a gasp sounded from the open door. The master bathroom was just as extravagant as the bedroom, fit for a queen, with its oversize tub and vanity. For the next four days Jane planned on forgetting her students, the fact that Ryan was going to leave her soon, and that Alex was still back in Phoenix, waiting to make her life a living hell; shed soak in that amazing bathtub every night. If she was lucky, their fathers Italian girlfriend had left expensive toiletries that could be exploited. It was the least that bombshell of a runway model could do. Oh my god. Laurens voice echoed from inside the bathroom, Jane crossed the length of the room and cocked a hip against the doorjamb, her arms pretzeling over her chest as she chuckled at her best friends astonishment. You dont get it, Lauren protested, plucking a delicate perfume atomizer off the vanity and lifting it to her nose. I grew up in a trailer. I know. In the back country. With the alligators, right? Jane smiled. Why didnt you tell me? Lauren asked, and Jane shrugged a single shoulder in reply. It makes me feel weird, I guess. What does? Lauren asked, uncapping a tube of lipstick, twisting it to reveal fire engine red. This house? The money, Jane confessed. Her fathers pile of cash had always been a source of discomfort for her. Ryan had embraced it, investing it wherever he could, taking advantage of the fact they had an absent father who liked to buy their love with hundred-dollar bills. But Jane had always turned away. Yeah? Lauren cast a sidelong glance her way. At least you dont let it show. Jane gave the bathroom tile a sad sort of smile, unsure whether that was good or just plain stupid. Shed settled into an almost mundane lifestyle of teaching second graders how to glue together collages and how to play the recorder because it made her happy, but she struggled. Sometimes I wonder whether my dignity outweighs my brain. Jane shifted her weight from one foot to the other, watching Lauren lean into the oval gilded mirror. She pulled the lipstick across her bottom lip, running her pinkie along the rim of her mouth a second later. Thats what makes you who you are, Jane, Lauren reminded her, hypnotized by her own bright red mouth. Yeah, except that I borrowed money from Ryan last month for rent. Jane rolled her eyes at herself. I wont take the money from my father, but Ill take it from my brother. Its completely idiotic. Maybe its because you love your brother but hate your dad. Lauren turned to face Jane, puckering her lips, revealing the new her. Slutty, she said, raising an eyebrow at her friend. Speaking of daddy, does this stuff belong to that chick hes banging? Jane pushed away from the door, taking a seat on the edge of the tub while Lauren snooped around, completely unabashed in her curiosity. Alessandra, Jane said. From Milan. I bet its easy to look amazing when your lipstick costs fifty bucks a tube, Lauren said, then struck a pose. What do you think? Am I runway ready? Think Mr. Adler would approve? Jane furrowed her eyebrows. Your brother, not your cheating ass of a dad. She puckered again before capping the lipstick and tossing it onto the vanity. Or is this too brazen for him? She mussed her long blonde hair, piling it on top of her head before glancing over her shoulder at Jane. I thought you didnt like guys with money. Jane smiled to herself. She was glad Lauren found her brother so intriguing - God knew he needed a good woman in his life. There had been so many girls - athletic types, clubbing types, the kind who wore nothing but sneakers following the type who goery sopped in heels. After a few dates, Ryan had dismissed them all. And then there was Summer. He had met his dream girl in a business management course at ASU. Summer was smart and funny and drop-dead gorgeous, and she knew how to ride as well as he did. She had been tenacious, challenging him like nobody else ever had, pushing him further than he thought he could do, and Jane had loved her for it. Summer had been the one who had believed in him when he had come up with the crazy idea of starting a website dedicated to the sport the both adored - she had been the one to convince Jane it was a fantastic plan, that it didnt matter that they had to drive hours for a mediocre mountain at best. It was the passion that mattered, and Ryan had enough of it for the whole world. And yet, despite the love Jane was sure Ryan had for Summer, their relationship crumbled, Jane hoped that infidelity - the very thing that had destroyed their family - hadnt been what had done them in. She didnt want to think of her brother like that, didnt want to think that he could be as callous as the man he insisted he didnt want to become. I dont know, Lauren said. Hes starting to grow on me. What, after spending six hours with him? Lauren made a face, let her hair sweep across her shoulders, and plucked a tissue from its holder before rubbing the lipstick from her mouth. And what about Sawyer; youre sure youre okay with this? Im here, arent I? Jane shrugged. Ryan already asked me that like a hundred thousand times, anyway. Im sure he has, but did you tell him the truth? Jane offered her friend a tight-lipped smile. That was the million-dollar question, and the answer was no. Shed spared Ryan the truth and told him what he wanted to hear - that it was fine, she was over it. Because what kind of girl pined over a guy for o decade? If she wanted to grieve the loss of a relationship, it should have been the one shed lost less than three months ago, not the one that ended in her senior year of high school. Theres probably nothing downstairs, Jane concluded, changing the subject. It would have been nice to have stopped at the store along the way, but Ryan had taken a shortcut to save them nearly an hour, and they had bypassed the nearest town by a good twenty miles. Lauren gave her a strange smile in response, like shed just remembered a joke. What? Lauren shook her head and tossed the red-smeared tissue into the trash can next to her sneakered feet. Nothing, she said. Lets go. **************************************************************************************** If youve come to the end and are now wondering where the scary bits are, please have no fear. This is basically the part of the book where you get to know the characters and their backgrounds and why they are there in the first place. Also, my fingers hurt and I forgot just how long this chapter was. So, part two is done! Yes, this has probably seemed like a let down compared to the first chapter, but dont forget thats the one that pulls you in, and its not even the best parts. I am now however going to be away most of the weekend starting tomorrow but I have a little time in the afternoon to continue typing up some, so part three should hopefully be up tomorrow afternoon my time. But as I leave, I ask you one question; Have you thought of what has happened to poor Dons wife, Jenny, yet? All to come tomorrow, as it turns out Ive written 11 and a quarter pages tonight in just this part... so stay tuned as we discover what is being bought in the shop, the red mark in the snow, where is their internet, and the start of chapter 2, where Jenny starts to worry. Goodnight!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 03:03:20 +0000
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