The Accomplice(69)

Casey and Mason took a risk by staying friends with Luna and Owen. They weren’t ostracized on Luna’s level, but their world shrank too. Then it expanded again, and their college experience returned to something closer to normal. But Markham would always be a hostile place for Luna, though not once did she consider transferring. Being ostracized was status quo for her. She’d survive.

Even from the safe confines of his family’s retreat, Owen wasn’t surviving quite as well. During those first few weeks after he left Markham, he fell into a quicksand of depression. Owen killed most days in his bedroom playing Grand Theft Auto and taking extended naps. Griff cooked all the meals. Owen would get a plate, grunt, and return to his room, which was becoming more and more rank. Whenever Luna visited, Owen told her not to come, that she could mail his school assignments to him. In fact, most things could be emailed, but she kept coming back. When she was there, Griff was even more of a dick about making Owen leave his room. One time, Luna brought tabs of acid and suggested they take it. Griff got pissed off, started lecturing her about some guy in Pink Floyd who went insane. Then he confiscated the drugs. When Griff was hiding the contraband, Owen asked Luna what she was thinking.

“I heard it helps with depression,” she said.

“I’m not depressed,” he said.

“What are you, then?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t visit anymore.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

Sunday morning, Owen waited in his room for the sounds of Luna packing up to leave. She knocked on his bedroom door.

“I’m going soon,” Luna said.

“Okay,” Owen said.

“If this is my last visit, I want to go out on the rowboat,” she said.

“It’s freezing. You don’t want to do that.”

“Come on,” Luna said. “Let’s go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, and you shouldn’t either.”

Luna and Owen went back and forth for a while. Until Owen shut the door on her. Luna kept knocking and saying that she’d leave if he went out on the boat with her. She’d never bother him again after that.

“Give me your word,” he said.

“Promise,” Luna said.

Fifteen minutes later, Luna was rowing them out into the middle of Pontoosuc Lake. Owen felt a strange energy coming off her. It made him feel unsteady and, frankly, a tad frightened. Her eyes were darting around; her mind was working on something. She wasn’t admiring the sparkling blue water or enjoying the physical effort of maneuvering the small boat. It was an unusually brisk morning. Luna shivered as she rowed.

“Okay, let’s go back,” Owen said.

“No,” Luna said, refusing eye contact. She regarded the oars. “These are clamped on?”

“Yeah. Why?” Owen said.

“I wondered what would happen if we lost the oars,” she said.

Owen already had a strange vibe from Luna. Her comment only heightened the feeling.

“That’s why they’re clamped on, so you don’t lose them,” Owen said.

“I see,” Luna said.

“I think we should go back,” Owen said.

“I’m too tired,” Luna said, releasing the oars.

Owen wasn’t sure what her angle was, but he wasn’t buying it. “Okay, I’ll row,” he said.

Luna stood up and jumped on the stern. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought she was trying to flip the boat.

“Stop it, Luna—what the fuck,” Owen shouted.

He half-stood, trying to reach the bow to rebalance the weight, all the while yelling, “What are you doing? Stop.”

While Owen’s center of gravity was elevated, Luna barreled right into him, tackling him into the water. The shock of the cold took his breath away. Once submerged, his temperature slowly dropping, it occurred to Owen that Luna might be trying to harm him, kill him perhaps. Adrenaline surging, Owen swam to shore, stumbled out of the water and up the banks to his house, not once looking back for Luna. He was colder than he’d ever been and utterly confused and somewhat frightened. Luna, not as strong a swimmer, barely made it back to shore before hypothermia set in.

Owen walked into the house, soaked to the bone, shouting for his brother.

“What the hell?” Griff said upon seeing Owen blue-lipped and drenched, shivering uncontrollably. “Where’s Luna?”

Beyond the sliding glass door, Luna lurched toward the house, in even worse condition.

“Dude,” Owen said to his brother, “she’s fucking insane. She pushed me in. I think she’s trying to kill me. I swear to fucking god.”

“What?” Griff said. He was sure he misunderstood.

“I’m taking a shower,” Owen said. “Keep her away from me.”

Griff took a stack of towels from the linen closet and met Luna at the back door.

“What happened?” Griff said.

“Show-er,” Luna said between chattering teeth.

Luna rushed into the guest room and took a hot shower. Griff ramped up the heat and started a fire. Luna was still shivering. She kept stomping her feet, like they were asleep. Griff gave her tea and blankets and told her to sit by the fire. He alternated between trying to warm up her feet and checking on his brother. Owen had followed up his shower with a hot bath. The door was locked. He wasn’t taking any chances.