I did as she said and nervously looked into her eyes. She smiled and caressed my hair, tears glassing over her eyes.
“I didn’t understand his urgency that night, but…four days later, in the middle of the night I heard that sound erupt all around me, waking me from a deep sleep. At first…I thought he was home and went to look for him, but he wasn’t. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. I searched every room in the dead of the night.
“When I opened the front door to look outside, Evan was on the front porch – I never heard him say the words – I couldn’t; the sound wouldn’t let me. I didn’t hear the wake, the days that followed. The only sound I could hear above it was Kara’s voice…until you were born. Then it began to quiet. It would change with the mood of the moment – I remember it putting you to sleep when I didn’t have the strength to...”
“You’ve always heard this?” I asked in a shaky voice.
She nodded.
“That’s why you didn’t listen to the music...you didn’t want to cover it...” I said as my eyes rushed over her expression.
“This is your song,” she said, pointing at the thin air. “There are hosts of others that are mine. I still hear new ones from time to time.”
“Do you ever see him?” I asked, wanting desperately to show her what I saw last night.
A smile beamed across her face. “All the time,” she said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.
“I wish I’d known,” I mumbled, not understanding why she’d never told me this. “How did he know he was gonna die?” I asked in an angry voice, thinking he could have avoided it.
She pulled me to her and rocked us back and forth with the slow rhythm of the guitar. “Your father…could see clearly. His gift haunted him.”
“How?” I asked, petrified.
Her hand caressed my hair. “Everyone can see…everyone can hear…most just choose to ignore the world around them –it’s easier that way. It’s easy to be blind….it’s easy to play the role the world has given you…you father fought it…defied his nature, and….it refused to let him find peace in that choice.”
I turned forward, burying my face in my hands. At that moment, I wanted to be blind – to live a normal life. I didn’t want to be anyone’s last hope. An old anger swelled deep inside me. I could remember thinking that these shadows had caused my father’s driver to crash his bus – that they stole him from me. Helping them should be the last thing I’d want to do – I guess the only reason I did is because I didn’t want to die – I didn’t want my mother to lose me, too. I felt my mother’s hand gently moving across my back.
“You’re stronger than he was...than either of us…you’re always protected,” she said quietly.
I looked up at her, wanting her to explain – to tell me how to escape this hold they have on me.
I could tell she wanted to explain something to me badly….something she thought I couldn’t comprehend at this moment….and I trusted her instinct to keep it from me – at least for now.
We sat in silence for a while, watching the sinking sun, then I felt her arm go around me. I knew she was trying to find some way to build my confidence…to make me feel safe, but couldn’t quite find the path she wanted to take….so she chose to explain her version of what happened to me. “As you grew up – anytime you were in danger, your dad would tell me – his music would erupt, and I’d run to you just in the nick of time. Last Thursday, it was so loud and violent that it shook my soul; I’ve never been more terrified for you….I called Rosa, and she told me you were safe and sound, watching a movie at the apartment with Bianca – as I hung up the phone with her – it all made sense – I realized that as soon as your new friends came into your life – we grew even more distant – that you were starting to turn inward, away from everyone. I ran every step I could to get to you, screaming at your dad to watch you until I got there….something told me he couldn’t, and I guess I was right because when I found you, I saw the shadows – I saw Britain waiting for you to submit.”
Flashes of what I saw last night came to my mind, and terror consumed me. “I don’t know how to send them away, mom – I’ve tried,” I said as my voice and body trembled.
“Free will, baby,” she said, gently pulling me closer. “I didn’t tell you this for you to fear them – I told you this so you could be strong and tell them to go away. I’m not a fool, I know it’s not that simple, that you’ll struggle – but I also know that you’re strong enough – bright enough - that they’ll never take you over.I’m quite certain that if anything – you’ll only grow stronger – more determined because of this.”
I shook my head no, knowing I’d become the weak link.
“Listen,” she said, squeezing my shoulder. “Your father always told me that if he listened, he’d find a way out of the darkness…you just have to listen.”
She pulled me to her shoulder, and we sat in silence for a moment as my thoughts raced through a reality that I couldn’t comprehend.
“I admit, I was afraid for you,” she said quietly. “But I’m not anymore – I know you’ve found your father again – that you’ve remembered Draven – that with allies like them in your life, there isn’t a darkness or shadow you can’t help.”
I looked up at her. “Draven doesn’t know what I’m up against – he’s gonna be furious,” I said quietly.
“Not at you,” she said under her breath.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said quietly.
She smiled faintly. “Hold your ground – turn your enemies into your weapon, at least that’s what I would do.”
I heard a knock and looked up to see Kara in the doorway.
“Am I interrupting? It’s been quiet for a while,” she asked, carefully gauging our mood.
My mother smiled. “We were just catching up.”
A relief seemed to sweep over Kara. “Well, I was gonna go to the store and get some popcorn and a movie – do you guys need anything?” she asked, walking to the couch.
“I do. I’ll just ride with you,” mom said, hugging me before standing. “Coming?” she said, reaching her hand for mine.
I shook my head no. “I need to talk to Draven,” I answered.
“You don’t have to say a word – just let him see you again,” my mother said, looking down at me.
I nodded and looked over my shoulder out the window. She leaned down and kissed my forehead before they left. I leaned back into the couch, took in a deep breath, and tried to figure out how I would explain all of this to Draven – what we would do. I knew running away wouldn’t stop it – that if we ran away with Austin, we’d not only leave our family in heartache, but we’d also bring the devil to the doorstep of countless unsuspecting souls…I couldn’t let that happen.
Chapter 17
I took a deep breath, then stood to walk back to my room. Now that it was dark, the only light that showed my way came from over the short wall. I reached for the light to turn it on, but I hesitated – I was tired of being afraid of the dark.
I heard the door close downstairs, then I heard my phone vibrating. I looked at the stairs behind me, knowing my phone was still in my bag – that the one that was ringing was Britain’s. My heart started to race, and I felt a sick feeling absorb me. I walked to my bed and felt around on the floor, trying to find it. I could see the light from the screen under my bed. I thought about just leaving it there – to just ignore it – to call Draven and tell him to come over, but then I had the insane idea that maybe I could try this once more – just tell Britain to go away.
I stood with it in my hands. My body was trembling so much that I had to struggle to slide the bar to answer. The sound of the guitar grew louder, and the tune was powerful - almost as if it were scolding me.
“I’m gonna tell him,” I said quietly to the guitar. I just wanted to try once more.
I head Britain’s voice. “Tell me what?”
I looked down at the phone, then slowly raised it to my ear.
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“I don’t need you to feel safe,” I said bleakly.
“At this moment, you do,” he said in an alarmed tone.
“This is over,” I said with a jagged breath, squeezing my eyes closed. “This ends tonight – it’s over – I promise you that.”
“Charlie, wait, you don’t –” I didn’t let him let him finish. I hit ‘End’ on the call. I didn’t want any warnings from him – any words that would confuse me further. I wasn’t helping him until Draven was safe.
I was terrified that he’d call back, so I held the button down, wanting to turn it off. I had an overwhelming fear that I’d just called the devil to battle – and I wasn’t sure I’d survive.
“This is what you’ve been hiding,” I heard Draven say shortly.
I turned to see him standing at the top of the stairs with an angry scowl on his face. As I stepped closer, he held his hand out, stopping me.
I hesitated, then said, “It’s over – I was gonna tell you – right now,” in a trembling voice.
“Tell me what?” he said through a locked jaw. “That you’ve been playing me for a fool?”
“No,” I said in an angry tone, not understanding why he was being so cold. “I was protecting you from them.”
“I heard you: ‘This ends tonight,’” he repeated coldly.
I stepped forward, wanting to see him more clearly - to explain. He held his hand out tell me to stop. “You’ve been cheating on me – on us – no wonder you didn’t want me to see you – this – this is over!” he said, turning to walk down the stairs.
“Draven?! Stop – listen to me!!” I said, chasing after him, but before I could take another step a force blocked me from going forward and the guitar screamed in anger.
“Let me go!!” I screamed, pushing forward against the nothing that was holding me back. I flung Britain’s phone over the wall in pure anger. “Draven – come back – I need you!!”
The sound of the guitar bellowed, and the invisible force wouldn’t let me move. “Let me go!!” I yelled, struggling and finally falling to the ground.
Out of the corner of my eye on the staircase that led to the studio, I saw my father. He was staring at me with absolute fear and heartache, like he wanted to tell me something but couldn’t. He started to walk up the stairs as the pressure that was holding me back released me. I hesitated, not knowing if I should chase Draven or follow him. I scrambled to my feet and raced up the stairs after my dad. The song changed; it was one of rage and heartache. When I got to the studio, his image was in front of the window and the lights were blinking on and off rapidly.
“Say it,” I said through my teeth as my heart raced. “Just say what you want to – I don’t understand –tell me how to beat this!”
I walked boldly to my father, holding his concerned stare as tears began to pool in my eyes. Once I reached him, he vanished. I balled my hands into fists, furious with him, with Draven. My eyes looked past where he was standing, through the window, to Draven’s house.
I saw him; I saw Draven. At first, I thought maybe it was Aden, but he was there, too. Draven’s back was to the window, and Aden was playing the drums. I pressed my forehead against the window and blinked my eyes to make sure I hadn’t gone insane – there was no way he had made it home – I doubted he’d even made it out of the driveway.
My eyes grew wider, and my heart pounded in my chest as my breath left me. The window fogged over instantly, then the word “RUN” appeared.
I turned and grabbed my bag, throwing it across myself, then ran down the steps, trying to find my keys. I pushed through the back door. It was dark now, and I could hear the hiss of the shadows as I rushed to my car and struggled to find the right key.
I threw the car in reverse and sped around the side of the house. I couldn’t see anything – my headlights weren’t powerful enough to shine through the shadows that were blocking my path. As my car drove over the bridge, I felt the vibration of the wood as it began to fall. I tried to speed forward, but the floor gave way and the back of my car crashed through to the creek below. My front wheels were balancing on edge of the bank, but as the water began to push against the back of the car, the wheels lost their balance and the car began to slide back.
The water started to rush in all around me. I tried to open the door, but the weight of the water was too much. I was petrified. I turned in my seat and started to kick the window – I used all the force I could as my feet slammed against the glass over and over again. The water was climbing over my body – it was cold and dark. I took in a deep breath and put my head under the water and kicked once more – that time, the window gave way. I turned in the water and climbed through the broken window, feeling the glass slice my side.
I surfaced by my car, only to find myself trapped again. The bridge had collapsed all around me, and though I was above the water, I knew the only way out would be to swim beneath the bridge. Dark shadows began to take shape – and whisper to me, “Come, Charlie…come, Charlie.”
I glared in their direction, then took in a deep breath and dove under the water. The bed of the creek was littered with jagged rocks, and I had to struggle in the darkness to find my way around the wood that had fallen from the bridge. I felt something holding my leg back; in my panicked state, I was sure it was the darkness. I turned my body to fight it, and when I did I saw that it was a jagged rock that that had hooked my jeans. I was losing my breath, so I pulled forward, feeling the leg of my jeans tear away from me.
I found the surface and my breath in the next second. I crawled out of the bank, gasping for air. Coughing the nasty creek water out of my lungs, I tried to focus my eyes so I could find my bearings; I had no idea which way to run. I crawled forward and saw feet before me. My eyes slowly rose up to see Britain reaching his hand down to help me up.
“What happened? Are you OK?” he said in a concerned tone.
I didn’t take his hand – I scrambled to my feet and glared at him. “You need to read the rule book again – I told you to go away – how dare you try to kill me!” I screamed in anger.
“Me?” he asked in an astonished tone as his steel blue eyes looked innocently over me. I knew that look….and it didn’t belong to Britain….it belonged to Bianca. I tried to focus my eyes, fearing I was in shock and that they were playing tricks on me. “Charlie… you’re safe with me,” the image of Britain said calmly as it stepped closer me. “Listen…it’s silent.”
I looked all around me and heard the silence of the darkness. In my mind, I called forth the sound of my song – I remembered it as loud as I could, flooding the silence with its purity.
“I hate the silence,” I said through gritted teeth as I felt the song in my mind empower me.
“You know what your problem is?” the image asked in an amused tone. I knew then for sure that Bianca was behind this image – I could hear her tone laced in the image’s words.
“Apparently, I don’t,” I said, glaring at this image.
“I’ll tell you,” the image said smugly. At that moment, I saw her come to life within it – I saw Bianca; I guess she figured out she wasn’t fooling me. “You’re too stupid and blind to see your own power – too stupid to see that not only will I end you – I will end them all.”
“If you touch them – if you even look in their direction, I will stop at nothing to destroy you – my willpower alone will end the tragedy you bring.”
“’Tragedy,’” she repeated as she smiled confidently, like that was what she adored: tragedy.
“Aren’t you the devil - a demon ?” My eyes looked over her in disgust. “No, you’re not the devil – you’re just a servant – too weak to have your own life – too weak for me to even conceive as real - I should pity you, but I can’t; there are too many others that deserve my help.”
She laughed out loud and stepped forward. “You are nothing – do you hear me? Nothing – not anymore.”
I pushed her, and she stumbled backwards, then her image changed b
ack to Britain’s strong image. As his arms encircled me, pulling me against the cold energy, I could feel it in whatever this was I was fighting. At that moment, I saw headlights beam across us; it was Madison. She slammed her car in park and pushed her door open.
The image nodded his head in her direction, and all at once dark shadows consumed her. I screamed in horror as I watched her vanish. I couldn’t tell if she was still here or not. I thought I could hear her saying random words, but there was no way for me to be sure – I was still hiding behind my song in my mind, and my heart was beating violently in my ears.
“Let her go!” I screamed, pushing against this cold, dark energy that seemed to hold more power than any human could perceive.
“Why, Charlie? What good would that do me?” the image asked in an amused tone as he let me go.
“Send the shadows to me!” I demanded.
The image shook his head no. “I’m not a fool…never have been.”
“Obviously, you’re blind – I wouldn’t submit to you for silence – the only way I’d come to you would be if they heard silence – if they were protected and allowed to live their lives the way they wish – even if meant fighting your kind.”
The image slowly began to circle me; I ignored it. As I stared at Madison, I could see her through the darkness, she was helping – breaking through them. I knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d be at my side. In the distance, I could see headlights speeding toward us – I knew as high as they were that it had to be Draven – that he’d seen my father’s warning in the window of his studio – that he was coming for me.
The image circled in front of me and reached its cold arms around my shoulders. “Go back to sleep…,” the image said as the pupils within its eyes began to expand and contrast just as Draven’s Hummer reached my driveway. The image breathed in, and I felt the warmth of my soul fading – a numbing cold filled every part of me.