Six

For the remainder of the evening, Eliza kept to herself.  The last thing she wanted was another encounter alone with Billy, so she made sure she stayed in her tent.  David was close by, meaning he would hear any intrusion into her privacy.

The night was peaceful.  Crickets chirped in the distance, and there was a gentle breeze rustling leaves.  Eliza closed her eyes and laid back, listening to the occasional echo of an owl's lonely cry through the trees.  She sighed heavily and pulled the top blanket to her sleeping bag over her body.  When her mind was clear, she was able to sleep.

The next morning, Eliza woke, squinting from the sunlight beaming through the seams in the top of her tent.  She groaned and slowly stretched her mouth open in a yawn.  With natural reflexes, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.  Morning breath wasn't so pleasant!  She climbed out of her tent and made a beeline for the bushes behind the van to relieve herself. Then, she searched the supplies for a bottled water, and her bag for her toothpaste and brush.

Eliza stood beside the van, wetting her toothbrush and applying paste.  She then began to brush vigorously, trying to butcher the stench in her mouth.  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Billy exiting his tent and joining Luke and David by the morning fire.  They were cooking some sort of breakfast, and Eliza hoped they had at least made hot chocolate.

When she finished brushing, she rinsed her mouth with water and discreetly spit onto the ground.  After putting her things away, she trudged over to join the guys by the fire.

"Morning, sunshine," David said with a chuckle.  He was busy poking at the fire with a stick.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, sitting beside Luke on a long log.  She elbowed his arm in a silent greeting.  Without looking up, she could feel Billy's stare.  She hadn't meant to ignore him but he made her uncomfortable since the last time they were alone together.

"Good morning." His voice was low and calm.  She looked up, meeting his gaze, and smiled uneasily.

Her eyes darted away quickly, before he could detect the fear in them. "Morning, Billy." She said, then turned her attention to David.  "Got any hot chocolate? It's chilly out here." She hugged her arms to her chest as if to prove a point.

He watched her shiver and nodded, snapping his fingers at Luke as he spoke.  "Hand me a mug, please?"

Luke grabbed one that was sitting beside him and stretched his arm out so that David could reach it.  Eliza watched as her brother filled her cup and then thanked him gratefully as it was passed to her.

There was little conversation as the four sat and ate breakfast.  They were all exhausted from the night before.  Eliza didn't mind the silence.  She felt content just being there with them.  Except for Billy, of course.  It was habit now for her to watch his every move.

When everyone finished, David announced that it was time to pack up and leave.

"No fishing?" Eliza asked him.

"Not this time.  I just want to get out of here.  I caught a bad vibe with that couple.  I don't think they were alone.  If I'm right, that means people will be looking for them by now." He hastily began to grab things and carry them to the van.

Eliza stood up, furrowing her brows in confusion.  She scratched her head then followed quickly behind her brother.  "Wait, David, you mean you knew they weren't alone?"

He spun around and faced her.  "Don't you pay attention? I said it was a vibe.  I'm not absolutely sure."

"Clarify, please.  I want to know exactly why you have this vibe." She demanded.

"When Luke and I found them, they were alone, but their campsite had about four tents.  We wouldn't have taken them but there was no one else, Eliza." He gave her a moment to soak it all in, then continued.  "Now, let's go, before people start coming by to question us."

"The bones, David," she said in a hushed tone.  "Did you at least discard of them properly?"

"Yes.  No one will be able to find those things.  I just don't want to even be here if a search party shows up.  That would mean we were involved in some stupid way.  People would ask questions, cops would ask questions, and I hate questions!"

His eyes were wide and Eliza decided it was best to stop bothering him about it.  "Okay." She turned and went to her tent and began the process of disassembling it.

When everything was packed and they'd made sure that there was no evidence, the group headed home.  Eliza chose to ride in the passenger's seat this time.  She didn't want to deal with Billy's accusing eyes.

When they finally reached the house, Eliza grabbed her bag and ditched the guys.  They would probably get mad at her for not helping, but she didn't care.  The first thing she did once she was inside was drop her bag on her bed and rush to the shower.  The warm water was relaxing, and she spent thirty minutes letting it massage her back.  She hummed a peaceful melody as she lathered soap onto her body and washed her long black hair.

After her shower she wrapped herself in a cream colored towel.  She took out another towel and dried her hair until all the excess water was soaked up.  Then, she busied herself brushing it and putting it into loose pigtails that fell over her shoulders and down her chest.  When she was satisfied with her appearance, she dropped the towel and  put a fresh outfit on.  After applying dark eyeliner, she straightened up her bedroom then headed downstairs.

David was in the kitchen opening a new case of beer.  Eliza grinned.  "Again?"

He chuckled and cracked one open.  "You know me." He began to chug and Eliza walked past him towards the den.  Luke and Billy were just getting into an exciting video game.  Eliza plopped onto a recliner and got cozy, watching the game with little interest.

She had Charles on the brain.  She pulled her phone from her pocket and absentmindedly checked the time.  It was barely turning one p.m.  She sighed and gazed out of the window beside the recliner.  It was sunny but looked lifeless.  There was no breeze or movement of any kind. It reminded Eliza of a boring painted scenery plastered on the wall of a waiting room in a doctor's office.  She laughed silently at the thought then turned her attention back to the video game in front of her.  From the looks of it, Luke was winning.  He had a satisfied grin on his face, while Billy looked quite aggravated.

She shook her head and went back to thoughts of Charles.  She was excited for their date that evening and didn't know if she could contain it.  She wanted to scream and shout, jump for joy or do anything that would express her emotions.  Instead, she stayed silent, with a solemn look on her face.

The hours dragged on and Eliza sat alone, practically staring at the wall.  When six p.m. rolled around, she jumped up and ran up to her bedroom to begin getting ready.  She decided to style her hair in long curls, and wear a beautiful silk black gown.  It was long, touching her ankles, with a slit that reached her thighs.  It was strapless and hugged her bosom quite well.  The material was tight against her skin, giving a pleasant accent to her curves.

There was a red lace trim that wrapped around the top and bottom of the dress, matching perfectly with her red heels.  To finish the look, Eliza applied dark eyeliner and mascara, and a natural shade of eyeshadow that brought out the deep color of her eyes.  Her lips were teased in a dark, seductive red lipstick.  She was angelic, like a porcelain doll, in a dangerously evil way.  She admired herself in the mirror one last time before applying a hint of perfume on her neck and wrists.

Grabbing her purse and keys, Eliza made her way out of the room and down the stairs.  She barely made it to the den when she heard Billy behind her.  She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, then spun around to face him.

"You look nice," he said in a hushed tone.  He examined her from head to toe, then looked directly into her eyes.  "Is he picking you up here?"

Eliza immediately gasped.  "What makes you think I'm going out with anyone in particular, Billy?" She pursed her lips, trying to keep her composure.  She wanted to get this encounter over quickly so she wouldn't be late meeting Charles.

"Well it's not every day that you dress like that.  Don't you think I know you well enough to figure that out?" He laughed lightly.  "I'm not stupid.  I want to meet him."

Something about the way his eyes flicked when he finished his last sentence made Eliza's stomach flop.  He was dead serious.  "There is no him, so stop bothering me about it."

He folded his arms over his chest and shook his head.  "Whatever you say, Eliza.  But," he paused and raised an eyebrow.  "Don't forget what I told you last night."

Her eyes rolled as she let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Goodbye, Billy," she said, turning on one heel and moving quickly towards the door.

"Eliza, wait."

She ignored him.  Her hand twisted the knob and she yanked the door open.  Slamming it shut behind her, she jogged to her car, fumbling with the keys to unlock it.  Finally, she settled inside, locking her door before Billy could reach the car.  He had followed her out but he wasn't chasing her.  He merely stood on the front lawn, watching her as she pulled the car out and sped away.

Eliza's palms were moist and she tried drying them on the steering wheel as she drove.  She didn't want what Billy had said to ruin her night.  But, she couldn't stop thinking about it.  He wasn't going to leave her alone.  Her mind was reeling as she tried to come up with a plan to stop all of it.  None of her thoughts satisfied her and she took a deep breath, trying to wipe the thoughts away.  She would force herself to forget about Billy while she was with Charles.  She had to.

She pulled into the bar & grill parking lot right on time.  She saw that Charles' car was already there and he was standing outside of it, casually smoking a cigarette.  Eliza felt her stomach twisting nervously as she climbed out, grabbed her purse, and locked the car.

When he saw her he smiled and approached.  "Perfect timing," he said, then stopped in his tracks when she turned to face him.  His mouth gaped as if he'd never seen such beauty, and he was literally speechless.

"What?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

He gained his composure quickly, taking a few deep breaths before he said anything.  "You're stunning, Eliza. Wow." It was all he could manage at the moment.

She smiled shyly, carefully pushing a long curl from her face.  "Thank you.  You're not so bad yourself."

He laughed.  "I am sorry.  I've just never been shocked like that before."

Eliza felt as if she would faint at any moment.  His formal attire was just as appetizing as hers.  Dark colors suited him nicely and she couldn't keep her eyes off of his perfectly sculpted body as he led her to his car.  She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his intoxicating cologne.

He opened the door for her, like a true gentleman, and waited for her to settle in before shutting it.

She waited until he was in the car and pulling out of the parking lot before talking.  "So where are we going?" Her eyes scanned the road in front of her as she tried to figure out his destination.

"It's a surprise." He flashed her his charming grin and she felt like floating.  She didn't care where he took her, as long as she was with him.