My intentions were to simply go to the park and retrieve the notebook I had left in the grass beside the dam, but when I saw the group of kids swinging from a rope swing on the south side of the park, I was distracted. So I decided to go check it out.
I blamed my loneliness for being drawn to the small group of teens at the river's edge. The sound of their laughter. The fact that they looked so carefree, so un-infested by demons, unaware that the world was such an evil place.
And what would it be like to have companionship beyond the perimeters of my dreams?
I had Dammon. But then again, companionship with Dammon put him on the endangered species list.
There was Sean. But I couldn't call what Sean and I shared companionship.
There was Addy. Yeah, no companionship happening there!
I was truly alone. Even though this had never bothered me before, for some reason hearing that laughter made it bother me now. What would it be like to be normal, to live a normal, mundane life, to have normal parents and a normal, demon-less mind?
All that stuff sounded a little boring, but it had to be better than what I'd experienced.
A group of sopping-wet teens, of both boys and girls, had been dropping from the rope swing and into the river. Every one of them had stopped what they were doing when I walked up to them. Even the guy swinging across the river. Of course, the rope itself didn't stop, but he seemed to have. I suddenly wondered if maybe I was the only one incapable of seeing the gaping hole in my neck that Sean had to have left after there after biting me, because the way these kids were looking at me made it seem as though there was something horribly wrong with me.
Then I remembered.
How could have I forgotten?
I was a freak. With long, knee-length white hair. One blue eye. One green eye. Of course they would be looking at me like they were.
I was going to keep walking by and pretend I had some other destination in mind, when one of the girls stepped forward. She had long, dishwater-blond hair, and was wearing a very skimpy bikini. Her near-nakedness was probably what had drawn this crowd to begin with. I didn't get it. Why did girls show there bodies this way? I always felt like it was a disgrace to the female species.
"You can't be here," bikini-girl said, snootily. These were exactly the types of girls I used to beat-up in school.
"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "And why not? This just so happens to be a public park. And guess what? I just so happen to be part of the public."
"No, you're not part of the public," said one of the boys in the crowd.
"Because you're Sean's," said Bikini-Girl. I detected a hint of jealousy in her tone, buried beneath the sound of detest.
"So, get out of here," said another girl.
"Before he sees us," someone else said.
I was confused. Why would they be concerned about Sean seeing them with me? I wanted more information, but the crowd began to take on a slightly hostile attitude. Some of the girls were whispering amongst themselves, while others backed away from me, mostly the guys, making a show of disassociation. The guys turned their backs to me and quickly walked away, pretending I wasn't even there and they went on about their business. Only a few girls stayed, hovering close to Bikini-Girl.
I looked around and didn't see Sean anywhere, which made me even more confused.
"I told you to leave," said Bikini-Girl. Then she shoved me in the shoulders.
What happened next wasn't exactly my fault. It was reflex, really. Like when a doctor taps a knee and the entire leg kicks out. I threw my fist at Bikini-Girl, landing my knuckles square in her nose. Bikini-girl flew backward and landed in the arms of one of her hovering friends. I knocked her out cold. My punches always seemed to have this effect on girls like her, girls that had never taken a beating before.
I decided that this was an excellent time to go get that notebook I'd left near the dam, so I turned and headed in that direction.
I was really surprised to find that no one had come after me. But after thinking about this for a moment, I determined why no one had. For some strange reason, these kids believed they shouldn't be around me because I was Sean's. Maybe they feared what Sean would do to them if one of them had come after me. Which made me wonder what Sean was going to do to Bikini-Girl.
I climbed down the river bank and stopped where I had ditched the notebook. To my surprise, it was still there. I bent over the spot where I had buried my poem and the words I'd written, confessing my love for three men. The now earth-saturated paper was still there. I quickly un-crumpled it and opened it up to read it once again. Or maybe I simply wanted to torment myself some more. After over-reacting and knocking Bikini-Girl out, I deserved a little torment.
I looked at the paper. Only, it wasn't mine. The penmanship was far more elaborate and old-world looking than my hand was capable of. And, as hard as it was to believe to be possible, what had been written was far more disturbing than what I had written.
There where three names written, is all. The first two had check-marks next to them. The last name did not. But I had a feeling it was pending one.
Sean
Dammon
Bane
I stared at this for quite some time, trying to understand. Someone, undoubtedly Sean, had replaced my poem with the three names of the men I believed I loved. There were check marks next to Sean and Dammon's names. It reminded me of a to-do list. Sean's name was checked off because this was Sean's to-do list. And of course Bane's name wasn't checked of.
Good luck finding him!
But the thing that disturbed me the most was the check mark next to Dammon's name. Why? Why was there a check mark there?
My heart sped up.
In the back of my mind I was certain I knew the answer to this question. Dammon's name was checked off Sean's to-do list because he had taken care of it. He had taken care of the fact that I believed I loved him.
But how?
My heart quickened even more.
If anything where to happen to Dammon, I'd never forgive myself!
I would tell him tonight, that I couldn't see him again until I broke up with Sean. And I would do exactly that. I would never see Dammon again, no matter how much it would pain me. I had to keep Dammon safe. It was selfish of me to have jeopardize his safety.
That's when it hit me.
"Oh, God!" I whispered to the trees around me. "Sean knows!"
Sean knew Dammon was the one who put the stitches in my finger. Sean knew I was still seeing Dammon behind his back! Sean knew Dammon was one of the three men I believed I loved!
Sean knew!
My eyes dropped to the check mark next to Dammon's name, and dark, mucky defeat oozed through my gut, as if I was already too late to save Dammon.
Dammon was in serious trouble. I had to find him. And now. I could not wait until tonight.
But what if it was too late?
What if Sean had done something---
I dropped the notebook and the crumpled-up paper and I ran.
****
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bane