The Cardinal

Charlotte and Amy made their way down the steep hill to the lake under the unusually cloudless sky. It was one of those years where a sunny week in May could get up to the 80s before the gloom of “Juneuary" descended. Charlotte glanced at Amy and saw her gaudy bikini top peeping through the zipper of her hoodie. "Are you seriously going to swim? It's all mud and there's probably still algae this time of year." Charlotte knew that Amy was hoping to show off her new swimsuit to their classmates, who would also be at the lake. She could sometimes be embarrassed by Amy's exhibitionism. "I'm just going to get some sun. Jesus!" Amy sighed, exasperated by Charlotte's prude streak. "What is this thing you're wearing?" she asked, playfully pulling a bit too hard at Charlotte's rain jacket. Charlotte had removed the winter lining, leaving it to puff up and sag in the wrong places without the snug layer inside.

As they walked past the lush yards and neat Craftsman houses in the lakeside neighborhood, Charlotte thought she saw a bright red cardinal fluttering in the lower branches of a leafy tree just ahead, rare for the Pacific Northwest. But as they got closer, she saw that it was a faded red ribbon tied in a pretty bow.  

Their friendship had not really been the same since Amy's sweet 16 party. It had gone late into the night with some of the girls staying over, but Amy mostly focused on her bandmates, Dave and Joshua. The crowd of friends hovering around the fire pit in the backyard were passing around a bowl to smoke at various times throughout the night, a fact that Amy's parents guessed but didn't mind, given their own long access to marijuana from Seattle and, before that, British Columbia. What they didn't guess was that Amy had asked Jackie to go to the liquor store and buy alcohol for the party. Jackie, Dave’s older sister, had graduated three years earlier and was one of the most popular girls in her class, so it was pretty easy to see why Amy adored Jackie’s sharp wit and brassy smile. When Amy and Jackie returned to the party  with their triumphant haul, Charlotte felt conflicted–it wasn't that she disapproved, really, but she felt left out of the fun. Amy hadn't even told her about her plan with Jackie. Charlotte was beginning to feel like Amy didn't trust her.

At the liquor store, Jackie must have given the cashier Amy's home phone number for the account while she was inside, because Amy's father saw the purchase record the next time he visited the store. When his wife, Carolyn, confirmed that she hadn’t gone to the store, they both suspected Amy but knew she would shut down when confronted. Carolyn promised to call Charlotte's mother, Anne, to see if she had heard anything about it. Carolyn and Anne had been friends since Charlotte's family moved to town five years before, and their relationship mirrored their daughters' because Anne was the more anxious of the two. 

During the mothers' call, Anne asked Charlotte to get on the phone extension because Carolyn had a question for her. But when Charlotte picked up, it was actually Anne who spoke. "Did Amy ask someone at the party to buy alcohol? Her parents found the charge on their account." Charlotte, shocked, could hear Carolyn's nervous laughter on the other end of the line. "Oh, don't...it's ok, you didn't have to come to the phone,” Carolyn said. But Anne had ambushed them both, and Charlotte knew that it would be worse if she didn't answer. It was more than just being grounded, her mother would be ashamed of her and embarrassed by her daughter's part in the deception. Carolyn seemed sympathetic, but still, she didn't say any more or hang up the phone. A long silence followed, and finally Charlotte told them about Jackie going to the liquor store. Anne thanked her daughter for telling the truth and Carolyn, flustered, told her not to worry about it.

Both girls were grounded and Charlotte tried to explain to Amy that their mothers had already known, so there was no use lying. She had been trapped. Amy claimed she didn't care, and that her parents were mostly concerned about the dangers of binge drinking and hosting a party where minors had access to alcohol. They were angry, but it would blow over. That had been in March.

Now on the path to the lake, Charlotte looked back at Amy to see something dangling out of her sleeve. She hung back a few steps and linked hands with Amy, lifting up her wrist for inspection. It was the raggedy end of a red ribbon. "Where did this come from?" she asked. "Is it from the tree?" Amy lowered their hands but didn't pull away. "I like it. I don't think they were using it for anything, it looked like it was there for a long time," she said. Charlotte smiled a little and shook her head, amused by Amy's tendency to adorn herself with random things.

When they got to the lake, it was indeed muddy but their friends' blankets and camp chairs dotted the lawns next to the water. Someone was playing music and a picnic of snacks was set out on an old quilt on the grass. The pair always made a noticeable entrance as opposites in appearance, sprightly Amy with her fiery red hair and stately Charlotte with her dark locks. Several friends greeted Amy and Charlotte, but Charlotte noticed a new face in the group. She hadn't seen her at school, and of course Amy was interested right away. She herded Charlotte toward the snack quilt, where the new girl was standing. She was tall, and the shifting facets of her jet black hair reflected the sun as she spoke. "I'm Eileann," she said. As Amy introduced herself, Charlotte stood off to the side but noticed the necklace Eileann was wearing. It was a silver chain with a pendant shaped like a galloping horse, and it looked like an antique. 

Eileann laughed when she saw the ribbon tied at Amy’s wrist, and then her green eyes suddenly flashed. "Does this belong to you?" she demanded, mock serious as she caught the ribbon and brought their hands together. Then her sly smile returned. "Just kidding." Charlotte thought she saw Eileann look at her as if she were in on some kind of joke. “Looks like a crios,” Eileann said. Amy was already snatching her hand back in false exasperation, enchanted by the new girl’s attention. Even though Amy was playing along, Charlotte didn’t think she knew what a crios was. But Charlotte’s Scottish family had taught her about handfasting and the elaborately knotted cords used in the pagan betrothal ceremonies.

Charlotte turned to find Dave smiling and holding his arms out for a quick hug. She liked Dave and felt like she could be herself around him. “Hey Shallot! How’s it going?” he said. He had been calling her that for a couple months now. “Did you know shallots are named for the Middle  French eschalotte, or ‘from Ascalon’?” he had asked. “It’s an ancient city called Ashkelon now but it goes back to Egyptian, Canaanite, and Byzantine times.” Charlotte made a mental note to do some research later, but for now she wanted to needle Dave. “So I’m an onion?” Charlotte teased. “You’re an old soul,” Dave said. “It suits you.”

Now Charlotte sat down on the grass and Dave followed. “Are you going to band practice later?” Charlotte asked. Dave shook his head. “No, Amy called it off. I think she wanted to spend more time with you. She said she hadn’t seen you in a while.”  Charlotte smirked. “I thought she didn’t want to see me. She seemed annoyed earlier.” Dave looked at her steadily. “No, she really needs you,” he said. “She secretly likes it when people take care of her.” 

Dave and Charlotte watched the sun glint off the water. “So who's Eileann?” she asked. “Ellen? Island?” Charlotte’s joke didn't land, and Dave hesitated, like he didn't recognize Eileann’s name even though they’d been talking together earlier. “Did she just move here?” Charlotte ventured again. “Oh…no,” Dave murmured. “She said she’s lived here for forever.”

Amy and Eileann branched off from the party as the afternoon waned. The sun disappeared, bringing back the cloudy grey weather from earlier in the week. By the time they had to return home, it was positively foggy out on the water, and the mist was starting to float in to surround them. Their friends went home shivering and Charlotte searched for Amy by the shore. She saw Eileann and Amy on the dock next to the little rope ferry that went across the lake. At first Charlotte thought that Amy’s hand was bleeding because she saw a red rivulet coming from her sleeve. But she realized it was that ratty ribbon made vibrant by a trick of the sky’s pale metallic light. It was curling and cutting sharply around Amy’s hand now. 

Amy was standing almost at the edge of the dock, paying little attention to how close they were to the water. Being a bit taller than Amy, Eileann was peering down into her eyes. They had made friends fast, Charlotte thought. But that was no surprise from Amy. Charlotte looked closer and saw that Eileann had taken off her necklace. Amy seemed transfixed as she held her hair up so Eileann could clasp it around her neck. The horse pendant was swinging lightly in the air before landing softly on Amy’s neck. Charlotte had a sudden fear that Amy was falling into the water. "Amy!" she called, to get her attention. Charlotte waved from the shore, aware of how alone she felt now that all of their friends had gone home. "Are you ready to go?"

Eileann and Amy said their goodbyes and Eileann winked at Charlotte. "Hold on to this one," she joked, but something in her voice made Charlotte uneasy. She and Amy started down the path to the neighborhood again, but the fog was getting thicker. Amy was ahead as they got to the sidewalk near the Crafstmans. "Hey wait, " Charlotte called. She zipped her saggy rain jacket up, glad to have it now in the sudden chill. Amy seemed to be walking slower, but Charlotte still couldn't catch her and remained a few steps behind. "Let's go up this street instead,” Amy said, pointing. “I don't know where it lets out,” Charlotte argued, but Amy had already started ahead. She noticed Amy was walking in a plodding, automatic way and thought she must be tired. Even though the street was not far from their usual route, it seemed to lead away from their destination. Charlotte stopped to get her bearings and look for the nearest cross street in the increasing gloom.

When she looked up, it wasn't Amy she saw, but Eileann. She recognized her tall frame and black hair. “Hey, I thought you left,” she called. Eileann turned toward the lake after barely glancing back toward the sound of Charlotte’s voice. Charlotte started climbing the hill again, thinking Amy must be waiting at the top.

When Charlotte reached the summit, she still couldn’t find her friend. “Amy!” she called. The wind was stronger on the ridge and she heard it rise to a soft howl. She could see the hazy valley below where the lake should be. Then she caught a glimpse of someone several blocks down the hill. It was Amy, looking a bit bewildered. Charlotte felt the distance between them elongate but the reflective light put Amy into even sharper focus. She was looking past where Charlotte stood at the top of the hill like she was in thrall. It occurred to her that Amy might have been drinking again, and she felt a stab of concern. But part of her wondered if Amy had broken away on purpose, hoping to double back to the lake. 

Charlotte felt mute, almost embarrassed. Had Amy wanted to stay behind without her? Sudden drops of rain pelted down, making Charlotte shiver. She started back down the hill, keeping Amy in sight this time. It was hard not to pick up speed on the steep surface, and Charlotte fought to keep her balance. She called out to Amy when she was still a few blocks away, the downward slope carrying her voice with the wind. Finally, Amy saw Charlotte and locked eyes with her. As Amy started to move toward the incline, Charlotte saw the thick mist part behind her. Eileann rushed out of the darkness, the wind lifting her hair like a mane. Before Amy had a chance to fully turn around, Eileann violently grasped the ribbon on her wrist and brought her face to face. Charlotte saw them both freeze for a moment before Eileann, still holding the ribbon, dragged Amy into the fog.