by Kylie Rae
“I’m not sure. I suggested a counselor, and she yelled at me. Stormed out, really. She told me she could handle it, but I don’t think she can. Maybe if you or Dan called her...”
“You know how she gets, though. She won’t answer the phone. We should come visit her. And he can be the muscle if we need to bring her home. Dan will agree. It can be like one of those intervention things. Not that we should call it that, though.”
“Right, she wouldn’t appreciate that, even if she knows we’re right.” Robin sighed and wiped away the few tears that had escaped. “I really didn’t want it to come to this. But you’re right, of course. She needs you guys to come get her.”
Rose sighed. “Okay. We’ll be seeing you soon then.”
WHITNEY DIDN’T KNOW where she was or what she was doing. She had flashes of memory she wasn’t even sure were hers. The only evidence she had was the hardware store receipt in her wallet and the smell of smoke on her clothes.
She’d bought lighter fluid. More than a normal person would ever need. And a lighter. That’s it. Combined with the stench that lingered in her nose, and she could only come to one conclusion. But she didn’t want to think about it.
She considered running through a workout video, but the idea made her head spin.
She sat on her couch and listened to the sirens outside her window. She listened and ignored everything else. Until she fell asleep.
“ROBIN... HUN. PLEASE come to bed,” Marnie patted the blanket next to her half-heartedly.
Robin paced in front of the window and hit redial again on her cell phone, but Whitney still wouldn’t answer. She turned back to look outside and held back a sob when she still saw the fire blazing in the distance.
“Sweetie...” Marnie tried again.
“No. I can’t. Not until I’m sure Whitney is okay.” She hit call again.
Marnie flopped back onto her pillows and closed her eyes. “Kay...”
Robin rolled her eyes. Marnie was getting on her nerves and she’d been texting the new girl, but after her horrible day she’d wanted some comforting. “I think I’m just going to go. I’ll check in on her on my way and I’ll call you later.”
“Mmhmm...” Marnie waved and pulled the blanket back up to her chin. “Catch you later, sweets.”
Robin grabbed her sweater and bag and let herself out. Whitney wouldn’t answer. Not after their fight. But that fire was way too close to their apartment building. She needed to be sure.
But as she got closer to their neighborhood, she realized where the blaze roared. She slowed her car and pulled over to the curb and stared ahead of her with her mouth hanging open. For the second time that day, tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
The art gallery. All those beautiful paintings. All those works of art that she spent so many afternoons staring at and loving... All gone.
Firetrucks lined the street and fought the blaze, but it was obviously no use. The roof had already collapsed. Firefighters were more concerned about containment now and Robin knew it was all gone...
She pressed her forehead into the steering wheel and let the tears fall.
KEVIN- CAN I SEE YOU tonight?
Whitney- I’m not feeling great today. Had a fight with Robin.
Kevin- Oh
Whitney- How about tomorrow?
Kevin- It’s a date
Whitney- <3
Whitney set her phone down and went back to barricading her apartment door with furniture. Her couch and recliner barred the door already, and now she pushed her kitchen table across the floor. She refused to let something else happen tonight. She double checked all the locks on the windows. She needed to not hurt anyone else or do anything wrong. A rope hung from her bedframe to attach to her legs. She needed to sleep.
Exhausted, she flopped onto her bed an hour later, ready to pass out. She was desperate to be normal again, and she was sure the lack of rest caused her fumbling grip on reality. She was still embarrassed about how she’d blown up on Robin in the coffee shop. That wasn’t like her at all. But she still hadn’t brought herself to call and apologize.
Whitney’s breathing slowed, her eyelids dropped closed and her body relaxed. Sleep took her at last.
Chapter Sixteen
Steve smiled, pleased with himself, as Julie fell back against the pillows to catch her breath. He trailed his fingers over her stomach and exposed chest, relishing the shiver it sent through her body. Julie giggled and swatted his hand away.
“I could get used to that,” she said.
“Thank you, I’ll be here all week.” Steve winked.
“More than a week, I hope.” She dragged him down for a kiss.
He caressed her face and stared into her eyes. Adoration overcame him and knew she was feeling something similar. “For as long as you’d like.”
He drew her close, and the heat turned back up as their hands roamed each other’s bodies. But then a noise at the bedroom door interrupted them. A whine and scratch on the wood. Steve groaned and Julie giggled again.
“Guess I forgot to take her out after dinner,” Steve said and glanced around for his pants.
“I wonder what would have made you do that?” Julie said and wiggled her eyebrows. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and grinned.
Steve shook his head with a smile. “I’m blaming you.” He pulled a sweatshirt over his head and leaned down for one more kiss. “I’ll be back. Wait up?”
Julie stretched and yawned. “I’ll try, but no promises.”
Steve opened the door and his corgi leapt up at his legs with a few joyful barks. He scratched between her ears before he retrieved her leash from the hall table to clip to her collar.
“Come on, Bella,” Steve said as he went down the hall, the pup wiggling around his ankles.
Bella tugged on her leash and trotted down the stairs to the main door. They emerged into the brisk night air and Steve drew in a cleansing breath. He took in the night sky and allowed himself a moment to appreciate how nice his life had been lately. But then Bella jerked his hand that held the leash.
“Alright, alright,” he said as she dragged him towards the park down the street. “Let’s hurry, okay? Julie’s waiting.”
Bella paid him no mind. She sniffed the sidewalk and bushes but wouldn’t decide on a spot. She led him around the park and onto the small bridge, his feet dragging. At long last, she picked the park bench next to the pond. Steve stared at a tree and waited for her to do her business. He imagined Julie, warm in bed - his bed - until Bella barked and pulled at his arm again.
“You done now?” Bella wagged her tail in response. “Okay, let’s go home.” He turned to go and ran into Whitney. “Woah! Hey, sorry.” He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, but she barely responded. “What are you up to?” But then he noticed her eyes half closed and her mouth hung open. His brow creased, and he wondered what would have brought her to the park in the middle of the night. “You okay?”
Whitney’s free hand swung up and her kitchen knife missed Steve’s face by inches. He pulled back and took a few hurried steps away.
“Jesus!” His reflexes had barely kept him alive. Shock set in as he stared at the large knife. “What the hell?”
Bella barked at Whitney as she swung again. Steve dodged and pushed her arm away. Whitney advanced a third time, and Bella lunged and bit her ankle. She fell to her knees and Steve ran away. Once they were on the other side of the park, Steve risked a glance back over his shoulder. Whitney knelt on the ground, right where he’d left her. She didn’t even look in their direction.
He slowed to a walk. Bella whined and yanked at her leash. He frowned, unsure now as his heart rate returned to normal. Not only had Whitney seemed out of it as she attacked, but now she wasn’t even pursuing them. What was wrong with her? Would she really have killed him if her knife had hit its mark? Had she even known it was him?
Steve hesitated at the door to his bedroom after he’d arrived home. Should he tell Julie? Shoul
d he call the cops? He was attacked and might have been seriously hurt... but it was Whitney. And it was obvious she wasn’t in her right mind. Maybe Julie could tell him what to do.
But upon opening the door, Steve found her passed out in his bed. She looked so peaceful with one arm tucked under her head and her hair fanned out on the pillow next to her. He couldn’t bring himself to wake her. He would tell her in the morning. It would make better sense in the daylight.
Whitney rolled over and opened her eyes. She felt more rested than usual and experienced a brief moment of relief. Until she realized the blue sky hung above her and registered the rough concrete beneath her. She sprang up, looking all around and then down at her hands.
She spotted the kitchen knife laying in the grass, but it was clean. So were her hands. No blood had to be a good sign. But how had she gotten out of her apartment? Along with the barricaded door, she’d tied her feet to her bed frame...
She half-walked, half-ran back to her building and kept looking around to see who might notice her. She wore PJ shorts and had bare feet, so she would be a spectacle. Mostly she hoped she wouldn’t run into Robin along the way. But then she understood how she’d gotten out. The fire escape ladder was lowered to the ground. Whitney decided it was the only way she’d get back in and climbed. Each rung dug into her bare feet and she fought to hold back her tears. She now hoped no one was at their windows to see her struggle up the ladder.
Back in her room, she found the ropes untied. That simple. She couldn’t fight the overwhelming fear anymore. She fell onto the floor and cried.
Steve wasn’t a morning person, so Julie kept to herself while they showered and got ready for work. She was especially okay with their morning routine because he always made them cups of the best coffee she’d ever tasted.
Once in the car, Steve drove to work in silence. Julie applied her makeup in the passenger seat and sang along with the radio. The caffeine buzz combined with the lingering euphoria from the night before had her glowing.
Steve glanced at her from time to time and wondered how to bring up the incident with Whitney. He wasn’t sure where to start. He’d questioned if the attack had even happened.
“Are you angry about last night?” Julie asked abruptly. She dug through her bag for mascara.
“What do you mean? Mad about what?” Her question caught him off guard, and he wracked his brain for something he could be mad at her for.
“Because I was asleep when you got back. I really tried to stay awake.”
Oh right. That. “No, I’m not mad.” So, it hadn’t been a dream. He’d really been in the park. Whitney had really attacked him.
“Well, then, what’s the matter? You’ve been a little extra grumpy this morning.”
“It’s... um...” Steve pulled into a parking spot and turned to face Julie. He took a deep breath and jumped right in. “Something... crazy happened when I was walking Bella and... I don’t know what I should do.”
“Well, what happened?” Julie applied her lip gloss now and stared into the mirror.
“We went through the park, like usual, and Whitney was there.”
Julie raised her eyebrows at her reflection, but she still didn’t look over.
“She attacked me with a kitchen knife.”
“What?” Julie turned away from her makeup at last. “Are you hurt?” She grabbed at his arm and patted down his chest.
“No, I got away. Bella bit her and she fell down.” He clasped her hands together in his to stop her search.
“Did you call the cops?”
“No...”
She pulled one hand free and swatted his arm. “Why not?”
“Because... She was out of it or something. It was like someone had drugged her. Her eyes weren’t even open all the way.”
“So? She could have hurt you! She could have killed you! What if she hurt someone else after you got away?”
“I... I don’t know.” He rubbed his eyes, stunned. “I didn’t think about all that.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Julie threw her makeup back into her purse and shook her head. “We need to call the police.”
“Wait... how about we talk to Robin first? She’s been her friend forever. Maybe she just needs help.”
Julie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine. We’ll talk to Robin first. But if someone else got hurt last night...” She shook her head again. She jumped out of the car and slammed her door.
“WAIT. WHAT?” ROBIN rubbed her eyes. They’d found her during lunch and Steve told her what had happened.
“She attacked -”
“Yeah, yeah.” Robin cupped her face in her hands and stared at the table in dismay. “My Whitney, though? She wouldn’t hurt anyone. She’s so timid and nervous. I don’t think she’s even ever slapped someone.”
Guilt washed over Steve for having to tell her this. He took a moment to wish everything was different, and plowed ahead. “Yeah, it was her.”
“Oh, my god...” Robin put her head on the table.
Julie and Steve exchanged a look.
“Should we call the police?” Julie said after a minute.
“No... no. That would put her through too much shock. She needs a doctor. Medication. I could tell she was falling apart... I told her... I told her, damnit!”
“Has this... uh, has this happened before?” Steve asked.
“This exactly? No. She’s never attacked people in the middle of the night before.” A hard laugh barked from her throat.
“That you know of.” Julie said and folded her arms tight across her chest. All of her affection for Whitney had evaporated when she’d threatened the man she thought she loved. She now felt bitter and angry.
Robin shot a glare at her. “No, this has never happened before. She’s had breakdowns. She has terrible anxiety. She’s locked herself in a room for three days and tried to starve herself. But she’s never attacked anyone.” Robin took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “We lived in a tiny town; we would have known if she was sleepwalking through the square or something. But she’s also been through a huge shock. Two, really. She moved away from everything and everyone, and she was mugged. She couldn’t handle it. I saw it coming, I tried to help her, but she shut me out. This has been too much for her.”
“So what do we do?” Steve asked.
“Her parents are going to be here tomorrow. I called them yesterday. They’ll take her back home, back to her doctor. We need to keep her safe until then. Watch over her.”
“Keep other people safe, you mean.” Julie rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, that too. But she could just as easily hurt herself!”
“Okay, okay.” Steve put his hands between the two women to stop the fight he saw coming.
There was a tense moment of silence, but then Ben burst into the room and drew their attention. His head swung in every direction until his eyes landed on Robin and he jogged to their table.
“Is Whitney here?”
“Uh, why?” Robin asked, taken aback. “How did you even get in here?”
“Who are you?” Steve cut in.
“I’m Ben. Whitney’s boyfriend’s friend. And I’m friends with the security guard. I need to find her. I need to talk to her and Kevin won’t pick up the phone.”
“She’s on leave right now,” Steve said. “She’s probably at home.”
“What do you need to talk to her about?” Robin asked.
“Did she attack you too?” Julie added and folded her arms.
“What?” Ben’s face scrunched in confusion. “No... She’s... she’s in danger. I think.” He rubbed the back of his head and avoided eye contact.
“What?” the three of them asked together.
“I, uh, shit. I dunno. I mean... I know who mugged her. And I told him she’s going to find out and now he’s acting all weird. And Kevin is pissed at me so he won’t answer the phone. And the guys got a gun. And yeah... I thought I should warn her to look out.”
Julie’s eyes widened and Steve’s mouth fell open. But Robin jumped up with her hands balled into fists.
“You knew! For how long?”
Ben took a step away and realized he might also be in a bit of danger here. “Since it happened...”
“And you didn’t think to tell anyone?” She raised one fist and ignored the people that were staring from the other side of the room.
“I - uh–no.”
Robin took another step forward, but Steve grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Ben.
“Okay, here’s the plan. How about you call Whitney and see if she’ll meet us later for a drink?”
“She tried to kill you!” Julie tried to protest, but Steve held up a hand.
“I doubt she’s aware of what she’s doing. If we can get her to listen, she might seek help willingly.”
Robin bit her lip. “That sounds good and all, but I’m not sure she’ll agree to meet with me. We got into a pretty nasty fight. I suggested therapy, and she went off.”
“Tell her you want to make it up to her or something. I’m sure she won’t answer anyone else’s calls.”
Julie crossed her arms again and stared at the opposite side of the room. Some people had gone back to their lunches, but she noticed several of them still sneaking glances their way. Steve waited for Robin to decide. Ben shuffled his feet, unsure of his place in all of this and what exactly they were talking about. At last, Robin pulled out her phone.
“Okay. She’ll ignore my calls for sure, but I’ll send her a text. I’ll ask her to meet for a drink in town so we can talk.”
“And if she doesn’t show, we’re going to the police,” Julie said, her voice toeing the line of hysteria.
Robin closed her eyes and wished for control. “Okay. Yes. Police if she doesn’t show.”
“Uh, what about me?” Ben asked. He hadn’t meant to speak. He’d wanted them to forget he was there so he could sneak away, but he had gotten caught up in their drama.