Eden Cove Vol. 5

"Get busy living or get busy dying". - Stephen King

"CHEERS!" Finn yelled and clinked his beer into Jessamyn's soda glass. They had wrapped up the last day of training for the maze and the whole crew had decided that a dinner out was a must. Finn had insisted on pizza and beer and said he would "work it off later". Jessa thought this sounded ridiculous since she had never in real life seen anyone with a body as perfect as Finn's. He was a real-life fantasy, and she knew that he knew it. After two weeks of training with him, working in close quarters, and designing training manuals with him, Glenn and Melanie, Jessa had come to the conclusion he was as close to perfect as a man could get. Which meant way out of her league.

"Want a sip?" Finn whispered in her ear. Jessa just shook her head no. Finn was 26 and had shared that he worked at Karol's for the extra cash until his business got off the ground. It was crazy to her that he started his own auto repair business, he and Jason came up with the idea after their second year in college and ran with it.

"Are you excited about opening night?" Jessa asked him quietly, knowing that he was. The friendship they had struck up was unexpected and easy.

"Crazy, wicked excited Jessamyn". Finn laughed

Jessamyn rolled her eyes and looked up to see Justin watching her and Finn. She smiled, he was too far down the table for her to talk to but he had asked her for a ride back to the apartment. Tomorrow would kick off the Carnival of Chaos event and everyone was excited and nervous about exactly what to expect. It was a Friday evening, which was normally slow in September after school started but with all the hype around this, between the locals and the staff, management had decided they need all hands on deck. Jessamyn, Molly, and Justin had been watching horror movies all week to prepare. Taylor had stopped by a few times and seemed very disappointed that Molly and Justin were always there. This was a sign of his immaturity to Jessa because Molly was her roommate and Justin was their best friend. Justin had told her multiple times that she should dump him even though Jessa tried to explain, that there wasn't a way to dump a guy she wasn't dating. Thankfully, Taylor had been busy with school and Jessa was hoping that things would just fizzle out. She didn't want it to be a dramatic thing between the two of them for lots of reasons. Starting with how dramatic it started, Ashley was finally speaking to her again in a normal voice, without looking like she wanted to punch her in the face. Jessamyn had heard all her life how dramatic Amelia was as a child and teenager and so she strived to be the opposite. Even though her parents laughed when they said it, Jessa felt like it wasn't the best personality trait to be known for. She recognized that Amelia was the favorite child, but she still tried to be the opposite. And lastly, Jessa just didn't want a reputation at work for drama or being "slutty". Those comments still hurt and they didn't represent who she was, she hated that she felt the need to prove it but she would. She didn't want people talking about her the way they did Bethany. The funny thing was she was sure that Bethany didn't go through half the number of guys that Molly did but no one said things like that about Molly. Everyone loved Molly.

"You about ready?" Justin asked her as Jessa was listening to Finn tell another story about a demanding customer from the shop.

"Oh, yeah! I'm exhausted". she answered Justin, said her goodbyes to everyone at the table and grabbed her stuff.

"Goodnight sweetness!" Finn yelled after her. " That's my partner!"

Justin stayed silent until they got to her car but she could tell he had something to say, as always.

"Go ahead". she said as she rolled her eyes.

"How do you deal with that asshole? Sweetness? Is he 80 years old? Does Freddy even call you sweetness? Why does he feel like he can call you pet names anyways?" Justin ranted on about Finn while Jessa started the car and turned the radio up. She had heard it all a few times by now.

When Jessa didn't respond to any of Justin's complaints, he changed the station on the radio multiple times until he finally found something he liked. A new rapper he kept telling her was going to " be a big deal, trust me". Jessa drove towards the apartment still thinking over why Justin was coming home with her. She knew Molly had told him it was fine to stay over, she had asked Jessamyn if it was okay with her but things between Molly and Justin were not romantic at all. Molly had shared that Justin did kiss her one time but there was no chemistry between the two of them. She wondered if something had changed and the thought kind of bothered her. Justin had been spending less time with Adam since he left his job at Karol's and started dating the new girl. He spent almost all of the time he wasn't at work with her and Molly. If they decided to hook up, where did that leave her?

"So are you sleeping with Molly tonight?" Jessa blurted out the words she had been holding back all night. Justin gave her a surprised look and then busted up laughing.

"What the hell? No! You thought I was sleeping with Molly?" Justin asked her still laughing like she had asked the dumbest question ever. "I'm sleeping on the couch. Unless you're offering to share your bed?"

"Don't laugh at me! I didn't know!" Jessa yelled a bit too loudly in the small car and to her horror, her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Calm down. I'm not laughing at you. But no, I would not sleep with Molly. I think you know that". Justin said softly.

Jessamyn parked the car and cut the engine off, and started to open her door when Justin touched her arm. Jess stopped moving and looked back at him, barely able to see his face in the dark. He gently pulled her close to him and he held her close for a long time. Jessa wasn't good at hugs, she always felt a little uncomfortable when people wanted to hug her and found an escape quickly. This hug she found herself relaxing into and breathing in the way Justin smelled. Justin never said a word, he just waited for her to pull away from him like he knew she would and they both got out of the car.

Jessa could hear the phone ringing as she was unlocking the door, she rushed to turn the key and push the door open.

"Hello? Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Jessamyn?" came the response.

"Yes, it's me, it's her. This is Jessamyn Ally" she stuttered out. Who was calling at almost midnight on a Thursday?

"Hey, Jessamyn Ally! This is your sister, Amelia Stewart". Amelia said laughing. "Is that really how you answer the phone?"

"Yes, I mean no. Millie? Why are you calling so late? Is everything okay? Are you okay? Did something happen?" Jessamyn was talking fast and spitting out questions. She never got calls from her sister, well she never did when she lived at home.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry, the time difference, I figured you would be awake. I just got all the kids to bed, it's 9 p.m. here. I'm sorry. I can let you go". Amelia sounded shaky and embarrassed almost, confusing Jessa even more.

"No, no. I was just coming in the door, so I ran for the phone. I just wasn't expecting you to call. It's fine to call me, anytime. Really". Jessa tried to sound normal. This was weird though.

"Oh, okay. Out late huh? Well, no, you're young. Listen, this is getting awkward. Um, so I'm coming home for a visit. The kids and I fly out first thing tomorrow morning. We are staying at that new B&B, Crawford Point? I haven't seen it in person, obviously but the guy on the phone sounded nice. What do you think?"

"Wait. You're coming here? Tomorrow? Why?"

"Well, we haven't been out there since Kai was a baby!"

"I know, I just meant, it's September, you normally come during the holidays, right?"

"Yeah, I know Jessamyn. Listen, I just needed some time away, okay? It's not a big deal, although I'm sure mom will try to make it a big deal. That's why I'm not staying with her. I need some time to myself. The kids and I need a vacation and I wanted to come home. Oddly enough, I feel like I should come home. Okay?"

"Sure. Of course. I can't wait to see you. I have to work all this weekend. Do you think you could come to Karol's? We are doing this brand new Halloween event! Oh, I don't know if the kids would like it or not. But maybe Mom could watch them? Or if you don't want to come alone-"

"That sounds amazing! I would love to see that! You know Halloween is my favorite holiday. I bet Gracie would love it too, she's 10 now so I think she will be okay doing a Halloween night at KK's".

"Okay, that sounds good!" Jessa said. She didn't know her niece well enough to know if she would be okay or not.

"Thanks, Jessa, see you tomorrow". Amelia said quickly and hung up without waiting for an answer.

"Who was that?" Justin asked

"My sister, she is flying in tomorrow for a visit-" she didn't get to finish the thought because Molly and Jason crashed through the door.

"HEY!" Molly screeched at top volume. Jason stood beside her, arm slung around her shoulder, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, Mols, maybe be quiet, it's midnight and we have neighbors". Jessa said and forced a smile to show she wasn't being pissy. Not yet anyway.

"Okay Mom! We will be so, so quiet. You guys won't hear a thing". Molly smirked at Jess and Justin, then pulled Jason by his hand towards her bedroom. The door slammed closed. Jessa looked at Justin and rolled her eyes.

"You can sleep in my room. But a pillow is going between us". Jessa said to him.

"Deal". he said and then added, " thank you, Jessa".

It was the first time in her life she had ever spent the night with a man in her bed. She felt very nervous while she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, which is what she normally wore to bed but was that acceptable? Justin wasn't going to think she was trying to be cute, was he? She didn't want to wear her clothes. She walked out of the bathroom quickly, into the dark bedroom, and got in bed. Relieved to find that Justin had already put a pillow in the middle of the bed.

*****

A few miles away, Lisa had given up trying to sleep and she rolled over to face Jimmy. She hit him to be sure he was awake too.

"Do you think she's getting a divorce?" Lisa asked him in the darkness.

"No". Jimmy mumbled in the darkness.

"Why would she take the kids out of school and use all her vacation time to come here? Alone? Now? Do you think he left her?" she asked.

"No". Jimmy replied a second time.

"Do you think she's having an affair? Leaving him?" Lisa tried again.

"Did you ask her that?" Jimmy asked a question back finally.

"No!" Lisa shot back.

"Well, good, at least you did that right". Jimmy said quietly. The women in his life were a mystery to him. In truth, Jessamyn had a special place in his heart and with her gone, he felt a little more empty. He wasn't an emotional man. He was quiet and introverted to a fault. He had never had many friends, just the guys at work that he grabbed a beer with once a week. He had always felt as though Lisa and Amelia lived in their own little universe. He watched them and loved them but he wasn't really part of their world. When Jessamyn came along, Lisa started to disconnect from them. Jimmy tried hard to be a good father but perhaps he hadn't been enough. He felt so proud looking at his girls now, but did they feel proud looking at him?

"Jimmy, I'm really worried about her". Lisa whispered into the dark.

"I'm worried about both of our girls". Jimmy replied.

*****

On the other side of the country, Amelia shook her head. Why did her family make everything so hard? Why did she feel the need to go back there anyways? She knew they would have questions but honestly, it was annoying. She just wanted to go home, take a vacation, take the kids to the beach, relax at the B&B, read, maybe go to KK's, and just get away from here for now. At least Jessa was still so young and self-involved that she didn't even ask why Kaden wasn't coming along. Her mother did right away, and Amelia doubted she bought that lie about him having to work. Kaden on the other hand had taken the news just like she had expected. He said he hated that she felt this way but he supported her and wanted what was best for her. He had arranged to have the last four days of the trip off so that if she decided she wanted him to come out, he would. If not, he would find things to do here at the house. At that moment, Millie almost folded and told him to come with her. But in the end, she held firm to her original decision and booked tickets for just her and the kids.

*****

Jessa checked her reflection in the mirror one more time. Her hair was as decent as it was going to get after working outside all day. She had wanted to wear it down because she knew it looked better that way but the curls she took the time to put in that morning were long gone. She quickly but carefully applied her black glitter eye shadow, she put on the glow-in-the-dark earrings shaped like knives and a black headband with matching knives. She had gone with Molly and Justin to the nearest mall, an hour away, to find some stuff to spice up her costume. She wanted to go a little goth and try the black lipstick she bought but she wasn't sure Finn would be into it. Ugh! Who cares what Finn thought anyways? She decided against the lipstick and headed out for the maze. Her stomach was in knots. She knew she knew what to do and so did her crew but it was the first time guests got to walk through the maze and she couldn't wait to see it all come together. She immediately felt a little deflated as she approached the entrance of Waking Nightmare only to see Finn leaning against the new sign, talking to Henley and Cara. The girls, who could be twins, both in looks and in attitude, were chosen by Glenn to work at the maze. Cara worked at Bumper Boats and Molly said she was the biggest pain in the ass, which Jessa quickly found out for herself. Henley worked at Bandit and rumor said she requested working the entrance position all day so she would flirt with guys. Apparently, she flat out refused to work the controls because she "didn't need that kind of stress". Jessa didn't know how the hell either of them had jobs. She knew why Finn liked them, they wore their polo shirts two sizes too small and unbuttoned to give everyone a good glimpse of their boobs.

Finn nodded at her but looked right back at Cara. Great, last night she was sweetness, and today she barely gets a look. Jessa was annoyed at herself. She didn't care about Finn's attention really, she just didn't want to be the girl who got overlooked so easily. Thankfully, Freddy, Timmy, and Hunter walked up behind her and all three seemed happy to see her.

"You look great Jessa!" Hunter said. He had been off all day since he was back in school and was excited to work the maze.

Jessa thanked him, hugged Freddy, and told Timmy it was great to see him. The four of them were buzzing with excitement and ready to get started so Jessa yelled to Finn that she was starting the rotation.

"Alright, cool. Brooklyn called in though". Finn called at her back.

"What?" Jessa spun around to face him. Finn took that as his cue to follow her and get to work.

"Henley, Timmy, can you guys grab the stanchions from the back and start the set-up for the line, please? Freddy, Hunter, can you grab the water coolers and get them filled up and in the positions we discussed yesterday? Cara, grab some brooms and dustpans and get one up here at entrance and one at exit. Then round up anyone else who shows up and bring them to me and Jessa inside. Thanks". Finn barked out quickly and with authority.

"But--" Henley started to object to his directions but Finn just yelled out his thanks again over his shoulder and kept walking.

Jessa looked over at him but quickly looked away. She loved the way he did that. No one argued with Finn because he didn't allow it. She needed that energy too.

Less than an hour later, the maze was ready to open. The rotation was written, it was simple since the event was only three hours long. Jessamyn had been the one to push for a rotation change at all. Finn had said they would be fine in one position for three hours a night but Jessa liked giving them a chance to move. This was a new event and they should get a chance to move around and try different spots every night. In the end, Finn said he didn't care and if she did, they should do it. Everyone was in their first position of the night, Freddy was at the entrance, ready and waiting for the guests to start pouring in. Jessa had put Hunter as Maze Assistant #1 , MA1, to keep the guests moving through and assist anyone who got too scared and needed to exit the maze. Henley was taking MA2, Logan at MA3, and Cara at EXIT. She had put Naomi out in the entrance queue line talking to guests and sweeping up. Lily was doing the same thing on the path out of the exit, only she had a flashlight to make sure the guest stayed safe on the way back to the main path. Jason was roaming the area, answering guests' questions, directing them to the entrance, and sweeping up. They were ready. Let the show begin.

The line to get inside the Carnival of Chaos had every ticket booth backed up with families, couples, and friends, and in the middle of it all stood Amelia, Grace, and Tristan. Everyone wanted to see the creepy side of Karol's Karnival. Amelia was already amazed by the change in the park in the years since she had last visited. It must have been when Tristan was a toddler. He didn't look impressed now, he was a California boy through and through. Grace, on the other hand, looked excited and even reached over and squeezed her mother's hand.

The radio crackled " HQ to all radio holders. Gates are open. Have a great opening night!"

Jessamyn and Finn nodded to each other. Go time. He went inside the maze and she stood with Freddy at the entrance. They saw the guests approaching, a few running to be the first in line, Freddy smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Let's do this!" Jessa said.

The night came alive with screams, lights, and laughter. And it brought Jessa to life too. She was mesmerized by the number of people moving through the park, the screams echoing through the maze, and the nervous look on the faces of the people about to enter Waking Nightmare. She and Finn had not stopped moving since the first guests arrived but it had been non-stop excitement for Jessa. This was better than she could have hoped for when they first started planning out the event.

"Jessa!"

She turned quickly and saw her sister standing there with two kids. Wow, kids really did grow up fast. They didn't even look like the kids she brought with her the last time she visited. When was that? Two years ago? Amelia had changed her hair, it was short now, cut in a cute bob above her shoulders. And much lighter than Jessa had ever seen it. She looked thinner, but not skinny, like a healthy thin. She looked beautiful. Grace was almost as tall as she was now, with long dark hair and dark eyes, like her father's. Tristan was much the same, with dark hair, and dark eyes and he looked weary. Was he scared?

"Millie! You're here!" Jessa said and ran to her. Before she thought about it, she threw her arms around Amelia, shocking both of them and for a few seconds, they both held on for dear life. Jessa was lost in her own world, swept away in the spirit of the night, riding high and happy to see her sister again. Amelia welcomed any show of affection from her little sister that she never got to know and as she held Jessa for those few seconds, surrounded by flashing lights and people screaming, she felt she was finally home.

"Look at you! Oh my God, Jessamyn. You look gorgeous! The pictures Mom sends do not do you justice!" Amelia said and she meant it, Jessa looked beautiful, even in the dorky uniform.

"Shut up! Look at you, you look like a model!" Jessa said back and she wondered if everyone in California looked like that.

"Oh please! I've started running, lost a few pounds, and changed my hair, That's it". Millie answered. Then she gestured to the kids and said " They just love this event, Tris insisted on coming with us. He just watched IT for the first time and loved it. Guys, say hi and give your aunt a hug!"

Grace stepped forward quickly and hugged Jessa but without speaking. Tristan waved but didn't move from his spot.

"Hey, guys. I can't believe we haven't seen each other in two years. But now we have some time to hang out while you're here." Jessa tried to sound relaxed and cool but she didn't know these kids. She wanted to but it was hard to find the right words.

"That sounds cool." Grace said.

"Yeah." Tristan agreed.

Finn called her on the radio and Jessa hugged her sister again before rushing off to assist him with a guest complaint, then Freddy had a lost child that needed help finding his parents, then Hunter had a guest who fell in the maze and needed First Aid. It was a busy night and when it was done, Jessa was excited that she got to do it all again tomorrow.

She had just finished doing her final walk through of the maze when Finn walked up to her, hugged her, and said " we rocked this tonight girl! We make a great team".

"Yes, we really did!" she hugged him back, enjoying the feel of his back under her palms, and then said, " see you tomorrow, partner."

She waited by the entertainment trailer for Justin to come out. Even though they worked in the same maze, he couldn't break character to talk to work while they were open. And before opening, he was busy getting dressed in his costume and hanging out in the trailer with the other entertainers. She couldn't wait to talk about how his night went and tell him everything that happened with her. When Justin finally came out, he was walking with a pretty blonde girl, they were laughing and Jessa didn't think she had ever seen her before. When Justin saw her, he waved and walked in her direction.

"Hey. Thanks for waiting for me". Justin greeted her with a big smile.

"Yeah, of course. Who was that?" she asked.

"Who? That girl? That's Courtney". he answered.

"But who is she? I've never seen her before".

"She's just a girl Jess."

Come back to Eden Cove soon and read Volume 6 to find out what happens next during the Carnival of Chaos.