“I’ll be right back,” I say as I stand up.
I walk towards the door trying to come up with something to say. I need to tell them I just want to stay their friend... that I don’t want to ruin what they have. I reach the door and open it a crack, dreading the confrontation to come.
“I say we either all date her or none of us do. It’s all in or all out.” Tanner’s voice floats through the door.
What is he talking about? I can’t date all of them at once. That’s not how it works!
“What about jealousy? It would be hard to see her with you two, even though I love you like brothers,” Chance asks, a tinge of anger to his voice.
“You’re both forgetting the most important part,” Noah says, frustration straining his voice. “Would Krissy even agree to it? It’s not something most people subscribe to. We need to accept the fact that we will most likely be friendzoned. It’s not like any of us have expressed our interest up to this point.”
“That’s because you made her off limits after we met her, dumbass.” Chase growls.
I quietly close the door and walk back to my mom in a daze. They all want to date me at the same time… That’s still not computing. What would people think if I did that? The appeal is there, but I can’t see how it would ever work. When Noah called me beautiful it made my heart beat faster, and the thought of kissing any one of them makes butterflies explode in my stomach. I shove the information in my box to deal with it later then sit down next to my mom again.
“Did you change your mind?” she asks with a mischievous smile. “Did you decide you like the boys fighting over you?”
“No, but it seemed like they were working it out on their own so I didn’t interrupt,” I mumble, not wanting to tell her what I heard.
“I’m sure it will work itself out. Matters of the heart always do.” She pats my hand absently.
“So… Are we just sitting around here until Victor comes back or are we free to leave?” I change the subject, not wanting to think about relationships and the craziness that is developing in mine.
“I don’t see why we would have to. We’ve never been contained to an area before.” She shrugs. “Do you want to see our apartment?”
“I’d love that.” My chest unclenches at hearing her say our apartment. At least she genuinely wants me with her. Maybe it won’t be so bad, even with her mind messed with.
She stands up and holds her hand out to me, like she used to do when I was little. I take it and stand up myself. She shakes her head and drops my hand.
“I don’t know why I just did that.” A confused look washes over her face. “I know you’re not a little girl anymore.”
“It’s ok, Mom. It shows you care.” I smile at her, trying to convey it doesn’t bother me. Little things like this are breaking my heart. I just want my mom back the way she was.
I follow her to the door and when she opens it the guys jump.
“We’re going to go see my mom’s apartment,” I say, trying to pretend I don’t know what they were discussing.
“That’s a good idea. We should know more about where we will be staying.” Tanner nods his head.
“Meet back here later?” Noah asks, meeting my eyes.
“Sure.” I smile at him.
Mom and I walk down the hall as they go back into the room.
“You could cut that tension with a knife. They seem like nice boys,” she says, smiling from ear to ear. “I was always worried that the isolation would prevent you from making friends and look at you now.”
“They are good guys but I don’t know what I’m going to do now.” I squeeze the place between my thumb and first finger, trying to keep control. I want to confide everything in her, but I’m scared of what she might think. Worse, I’m afraid of her asking what I want… Because if I’m being honest with myself, I would love the chance to date all three of them.
Chapter 14
We turn a corner and hit a hallway full of numbered doors. We walk up to the door with a gold forty-two on it and Mom takes a key out and unlocks it. As we step inside I’m a bit shocked at the hominess of it. Up until this point everything felt so institutionalized, but the warm hardwood floors and lavender walls feel like a far cry from what I expected.
“I got to pick the paint color myself.” Mom smiles at me. “I’ve always loved purple.”
“It looks really nice,” I reply as I take in the rest of the room.
It’s small, but there’s a tan loveseat and a television. The living area is attached to a dining room and galley kitchen.
“Let me show you your room.” She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the small hallway.
She opens the first door and inside is a full-sized bed and desk. The same hardwood floors and lavender paint are in this room. My eyes well up with tears when I see what’s on the desk. It’s completely covered in art supplies and a tattoo machine.
“You thought of everything.” I throw my arms around her, hugging her tight.
She might not be able to remember to check on me, but she thought enough to collect all of the things I enjoy.
“I wanted to make sure you felt at home if they ever got you back for me.” She squeezes me tighter. “I really have missed you now that you’re here.”
“I missed you too. When you didn’t come home, I was so scared. I called Uncle Tony and did what he said. I didn’t know what else to do.” I feel my heart tighten. “I found Dad and thought it was a good place. They knew you were in Wichita and said they would work on saving you.”
“You did everything right. We all thought that Vinco was bad back then. I’m just sorry I kept you so in the dark. I know now that was the wrong choice. I just didn’t want to worry you with something that might not even happen. You never told me when you started seeing things…” Her voice catches in her throat and she pauses for a moment. “If I had known you were, I would have reached out for help sooner. It looks like that might not have gone so well either.”
“It’s all water under the bridge, right? We can’t change the past but at least we are back together.” I pull back and smile at her.
“You’re right. We should head back. I’m sure Victor will be back before dinner time. So what do you think? Are you going to stay with me?” she asks, her eyes full of hope, but I can tell by the way she’s holding her hands together she’s terrified I’ll say no.
“Of course I want to stay with you. I love you, Mom.” I hug her again. “I’m sorry I was rude to you before you left.”
“I don’t even remember it,” she assures me.
We leave the apartment and return to the meeting room. When we arrive Tori and her mom are the only ones there.
“Krissy!” Tori grins when she sees me. “Meet my mom, Adell.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake her hand. “This is my mom, Jo.”
The two women start chatting and Tori pulls me off to the side.
“So, what do you think of this place? Do you think it really is safe for us here?” she asks, twirling her hair.
“I don’t know what to think, but Tanner was right. It’s our parents. They wouldn’t intentionally put us in harm’s way. We just have to trust they made a good decision, and if we find out otherwise, then we will reevaluate,” I answer touching her arm.
“I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. My mom always said if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Tori gives me a worried look. “This feels too good… And CODA always seemed good.”
“I say we quit thinking about it for now and enjoy having our moms back. It doesn’t feel too good to me, but my mom has issues…” I look over at my mom, still worried how she’s going to be long term.
“Sounds like a plan. I forgot that your mom had issues. Maybe it isn’t too good then,” she says as the door opens.
Tanner, Noah, Chance, and their parents come in followed by Victor.
“I hope you have all had a good time catching up with your loved ones. Have you made a decis
ion on where you’d like to stay?” he asks, his voice still causing shudders to crawl down my spine. I don’t care what anyone else says, this man has a serious creep factor, even when he’s trying to seem kind.
“I want to stay with my mom.” Tori grins.
“Me too,” I chime in.
“We’re staying with our parents too.” Chance points to the other two guys.
“Excellent. I was hoping that was the choice you would all make.” Victor grins, and I fight the urge to shudder visibly. “We’ll give you a couple of days to settle in then start you in our training program.”
“Wait… what training program?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“For your abilities. An untrained memory eater is a dangerous one. Once you learn to control your abilities, you’re free to pursue whatever education you choose,” he explains, staring at me as if he could see within my soul.
“I have something to tell you so please don’t freak out.” My mom tugs on my arm to get my attention.
“What?” I ask, looking at her skeptically. Her worried expression has me wondering what it could be.
“I should have told you this before you made your decision, and if you change your mind, I understand…” She rubs her hands together and bites her lip nervously.
“What?” I ask staring at her, waiting for her to spit it out.
“Victor and I are dating. He spends quite a bit of time at the apartment,” she says quickly, then flinches as she waits for my reaction.
“Ok…” I reply, not sure what answer she was expecting. “But aren’t you technically still married to Dad?”
Her eyes open wide. “I forgot we were together,” she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. “How could I forget I was married to your father?”
“I mean you haven’t seen him in years so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but maybe when they messed with your memory of me, they erased him too?” I suggest, feeling bad for hurting her.
“That would make sense. I still need to figure this out.” She rubs her hands together and her forehead wrinkles as she worries.
“Don’t worry about it right now. Let’s go eat dinner,” I suggest, trying to distract her.
I should have kept my mouth shut. It’s not like they’ve been together for years, but I feel a sense of loyalty to my dad, and Victor just gives me the heeby jeebies. This is all a big mess. The dream of my family getting back together is falling apart before my eyes.
“Sounds good to me,” she says.
“Before I forget, let me return your cell phones. You’re free to call anyone you wish. We urge you not to stay in contact with CODA, but it’s your choice,” Victor says as he holds out our phones.
Why would they give our phones back if they really were the bad guys? They can’t be as evil as we were led to believe. I walk forward and get my phone, glad to have it back. Now I can let my dad know I’m ok.
When I check the screen, I have twenty missed calls and several texts. I put it in my pocket to go over later. I want privacy before I see what’s going on.
We all say our goodbyes before Mom and I head back to her apartment. As soon as we arrive, she heads to the kitchen and I go to my room.
I sit on the bed and pull my phone out and look at the missed call list. All of them are from my dad except one. Tony called once, before Dad even started calling. I listen to his voicemail first.
“Sorry about the way things went down, kiddo. I wanted to tell you what was going on but I didn’t know how deep into CODA you were. After you left, Vinco caught up to me. It was nothing like I expected. They explained to me how they found your mom and tried to get you, but you evaded them. I had the choice to follow them to Wichita and took them up on it. When I got there, I learned that things were very different than we were taught and joined up with them to rescue you. I know you probably hate me, but listen to what they have to say. I’m going to try and get your dad out of here, but if something goes wrong, just know I love you. Tell your mom I said hi.” Uncle Tony’s voice plays through my phone as my hands shake.
He knew they were going to take us the way they did and he said nothing. I had my suspicions but hearing him admit to it makes my blood boil. I get why he did it, but he should have said something. Maybe I would have listened. I mean, I trusted him… Angry tears stream down my face as I start listening to the rest of my messages.
“Nikki, Catherine just called. Call me back when you’re on your way.” His voice is concerned but steady.
“Nikki, call me now.” His voice snaps out harshly.
“Damnit Nikki, if you’re not ok, I’m kicking your butt,” he clips, his voice tinged with panic.
He becomes more and more frantic with each message.
“Please call me,” he pleads. “I need to know what happened. I failed you.”
My anger surges even further. His own brother knows exactly what happened to me and sat there while he lost his mind. What kind of fucked up person does that? I reach the last message.
“I know you’re safe. At least according to my brother. Call me and confirm this when you get your phone back.” He growls into the phone.
I glance through the text messages really quickly, all of them the same as the voice mails, pleading with me to call him back. I dial his number, my hands shaking. I don’t know what to say. My brain is a jumbled mess.
“Nikki? Are you alright?” My dad answers, relief in his voice.
“I’m fine. No one is hurting me,” I answer. “But people here paint a very different story than people there.”
“That’s what Tony says. Catherine, Tony, and I are heading there now. God help me but I believe my brother. Everytime I pushed to save my wife, I got answers of her being nongifted and our resources are best spent elsewhere. Catherine did some digging and learned they always leave nongifted children behind and the only record we have of them saving a nongifted parent is Tori’s dad,” he rattles off.
“That’s what we were told here as well. I need to warn you, they messed with Mom’s memory bad. I don’t know how to help her.” I admit, tears streaming down my face. “She’s dating a vampire.”
“We’ll figure it out. And she can date whoever she wants to, Nikki. I haven’t been there for years. It would be crazy for me to think she would wait forever,” he says gently, though a tinge of pain slips through his voice.
“I’m glad you are coming.” I smile at the phone, hoping he can hear it in my voice.
“I gotta go; we just hit heavy traffic. Hopefully, I’ll see you in a little while. I don’t know what to expect when we arrive,” he admits.
“I’ll see you soon then,” I reply then hang up the phone.
Chapter 15
A weight is lifted off my chest, knowing both of my parents will be here soon, though I’m not looking forward to seeing Tony. His betrayal stings, cutting deep into a place I didn’t realize he could hurt me. I trusted him so much… I know he thinks he was helping me, but at the same time, he knew they were going to drug me and kidnap me. The end doesn’t always justify the means.
I put my phone on my desk then go to the kitchen and join my mom. Victor had shown up while I was in my room. I really was hoping he would stay away and give me the chance to reconnect with my mom tonight, but no dice.
“I talked to Dad. Tony is bringing him and Catherine here,” I tell her, watching for her reaction.
“That’s wonderful news!” she exclaims, then a confused look crosses her face. “But who is Catherine?”
“Oh, she’s this awesome woman I met when I first arrived at CODA. She took in the guys,” I explain with a smile, thinking about how sweet she was to me when I showed up on her doorstep.
“I’m glad someone was there for you.” She walks over and wraps her arms around me. “I’d very much like to meet this woman and thank her myself.”
“They’ll be here soon I think.” I hug her back.
“I should call and check on things.” Victor clears his throat as
he pulls his phone out.
“Tony, how are things going?” he says into the device. Then waits as he listens for a reply on the other end.
“Good, good. We’ll have a team ready to expedite the process. They can both join us here as soon as they are cleared.” Victor finishes the conversation and hangs up his phone. “They’ll be reunited with you as soon as they go through the same process as you did, Krissy.”
“I need to let the others know.” I jump up and run back to my room.
I grab the phone off of my desk and open a group text with the guys.
Me: My dad and Catherine are on their way here. They pretty much confirmed the stories our parents told.
Tanner: Catherine’s on her way? That’s awesome!
Noah: Really? What did they say exactly?
Chance: Kick ass!
Me: Maybe you guys should come over and hear it for yourselves when they get here.
Noah: I want to.
Chance: I’ll be there. Text us when they arrive.
Tanner: Thanks for letting us know.
I shove the phone back in my pocket then go back to the kitchen. Mom is almost finished cooking and it smells amazing.
“What are you cooking?” I ask, trying to look over her shoulder at the stove.
“Mushroom stuff,” she replies, leaning to the side for me to see.
I see the meat and mushroom mixture in a white sauce and my stomach growls. This is one of my favorite meals she makes. A timer goes off and she removes the rice from the stove then takes the lid off and fluffs it up with a fork.
“I’ll let you ladies eat in peace. Call me if you need anything, Jo.” Victor stands up and leaves.
“He still gives me the creeps,” I say after the door shuts behind him.
“I don’t see it.” Mom shrugs. “Grab a plate and let’s eat.”
I grab a plate from the counter and pile rice on it then drench it in the yummy mushroom sauce. We sit at the small four seat dining table and start eating. The flavors explode on my tongue with the first bite. The creamy sauce and the mushrooms are perfect. I finish off my plate without taking time to talk.
The Strange Existence of Krissy Nichole (The Memory Eater Chronicles Book 1) Page 10