Let There Be Blood

by Tina Traverse

  “How do you expect it to help, Shawna?”

  “It would help because it’s what the public adores. The rags-to-riches story, the triumph over adversity, it’s empowering. It inspires. I’d be considered a hero.”

  “Okay, I see your point. But, would your fans praise you and lift you on their shoulders if they found out that you got knocked up by one of your johns and had an abortion?”

  Shawna’s stomach heaved and she felt her world crash around her. “You wouldn’t!”

  “I would.”

  “Avery, what’s going on with you? You’re not the man I fell in love with.”

  “Then tell me, who is the man you fell in love with?”

  “He was giving, loving and kind. He had a pure heart and soul.”

  “That was before that Avery had his heart ripped out of his chest by the bitch he thought loved him. Who discarded him like some piece of trash just because of one mistake.”

  “Fucking your best friend was not some mistake, Avery. You betrayed me by keeping that part of yourself from me and cheating on me.”

  “It’s not cheating when we weren’t together! You broke up with me, remember? As for keeping my bi-sexuality from you, it wasn’t intentional. It’s not an easy topic to discuss. I felt so much shame.”

  Avery’s voice lost its edge as his hurt seemed to replace his anger.

  “I know you feel shame, Avery, but you’ve nothing to be ashamed off. No one should be ashamed of who they are. I just wished you were honest with me and told me. But I’ll still need time to process all of this.”

  “How much time? Before or after our child is born?”

  “P-pardon? What did you just say?”

  “You’re pregnant with my child, aren’t you?”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Your assistant Kayla spilled the news to me a couple of days ago and congratulated me on my pending fatherhood. When were you going to tell me?”

  “The night I broke up with you, but I chickened out. I’m sorry that you had to find out like this.”

  “Then you have no other choice but to marry me.”

  “I can’t marry you, Avery. We just broke up!”

  “On the contrary, Shawna.”

  “Give me one good reason!”

  “I can give you two. One, no child should be raised without a father, and two, I’ll be bound by our eternal bonds of marriage to never spill your dirty little secrets.”

  “That’s nonsense. Many children have been raised without fathers and have grown into successful and stable adults. As for my ‘dirty’ secrets, I have my own leverage. I can tell the world about your one-night stand.”

  Avery’s cobalt stare froze the blood in Shawna’s veins. His lips curled into a sneer as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

  “May I speak to media relations, please? Yes, tell them I just found out some serious juicy details about Shawna Jones, the actress from Let There Be Blood. Yes, and I have proof.”

  “Okay! Okay! Stop, I’ll marry you.”

  With a smirk of satisfaction, Avery closed his phone and gingerly placed it in his top pocket.

  “Wonderful. Go and get your beauty sleep. Tomorrow is a big day for us. We’ll be eloping.”

  Avery grabbed her around the waist and kissed her long and deep. Shawna felt dizzy with dread. In one night, her life had turned into a nightmare.

  Chapter Eight: Shadow

  Katrina tugged the blanket tighter around her and pulled out her laptop. She skimmed through the variety of threads on her favorite Let There Be Blood fan page and came across one about her.

  What a bitch. How in the name of fuck did a nobody like her get Aaron to adopt her?

  I know, Katrina is such an ugly whore and is so undeserving of such perfection of nature. How can Aaron stand looking at her every day? Gross!

  Someone needs to take pity on Aaron and kill Katrina, ending his suffering.

  I’ll be his daughter, no problem! I wouldn’t mind him tucking me in at night.

  I heard Avery Evers just tolerates her because Aaron is his BFF.

  The taunts went on forever, but out of the hate, there was a comment that was different.

  While I’m a defender of the right to free speech, I don’t condone this form of petty bullying of an innocent person. A person who is attacked simply because her mother and father are famous. This is a display of jealous hate and will be stopped. For those of you who are hiding in the shadow of this chat room and who are afraid to admit that you like and support Katrina Brooks, I have started a petition to be forwarded to the creator of this website to remove and block all trolls. It’s time that their bridge be blown away and expose these cowards for what they really are, abusers of the right to free speech.

  TheShadow

  The person who tagged his or herself The Shadow had left a link of a petition for those interested to sign. Katrina didn’t think that the petition would gain much support, but by the end of the week it had gathered enough signatures to influence the owner of the site to remove and block all abusive threads and comments.

  Katrina contacted The Shadow to thank him.

  TheShadow: You are welcome, Katrina. I had to do what was right. I’m flattered that you would take the time to personally contact me.

  Kat: Of course I was going to contact you and say thanks. No one has stood up for me before like this. I’ll never be able to repay you for your kindness.

  TheShadow: It was my pleasure. Though if you really want to repay my kindness, would you consider staying in touch with me?

  Kat: Sure, I’d like that.

  TheShadow: I know you contacted me through the email address I left on the petition, but I’m deleting this account today. Here is my private email address.

  theshadow@christianmuse.com

  I trust you will keep it private?

  Kat: You can trust me.

  TheShadow: Wonderful. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.

  Kat: Me too. ☺

  Aaron had suspected that Katrina had not been taking her medication when she began to display some of the warning signs. She had been sleeping late, missing her shifts at the coffee house where she worked part time, and since Katrina had been home, she had been slipping in and out of trances. Aaron brought his suspicions to Martina and she agreed with him, because she’d noticed some strange behavior of her own.

  Katrina was displaying some overtly sexual behavior; walking around the house in just her underwear or towel, ‘accidently’ walking in on Aaron in the shower and coming home with her clothes and hair disheveled and smelling of alcohol. Plus, she had been spending a great deal of time online. When confronted about it, Katrina would not answer and stormed off to her room.

  Martina had set up an emergency session with Doctor Browne, but Aaron felt that Katrina needed more than sessions with her doctor. Aaron felt he needed to find out why Katrina was spending so much time online. He knew that asking his daughter why was going to get him nowhere, so he decided he would take her laptop and do some investigating once Katrina had stepped out for the evening.

  “Good night, Aaron, I’m going over to Molly’s.” Katrina flashed by him in a blur. He was about to tell her to have a good time when the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “May I speak with Aaron Brooks, please?”

  “Speaking.”

  “Mr. Brooks, do you know a Martina Murphy Brooks?”

  “Yes, she’s my wife.”

  “Mr. Brooks, this is Evan Masters from USC University Hospital. Your wife has been in a serious car accident.”

  Panic rose and his heart stopped at the news. “I’ll be right there!”

  “Katrina! We have to go. Your mom has been in a car accident.”

  When they were finally allowed to enter the Intensive Care Unit, the surgeon approached Aaron.

  “Mr. Brooks, I’m Kevin Williams. I’m the surgeon who operated on your wife.”

  “Can you tell me what happen
ed?”

  Aaron followed the doctor to Martina’s room. She was covered in tubes and bandages, barely recognizable. Katrina held her hand, Martina’s fingers looking fragile under the tubes sticking out. The doctor spoke very quietly to Aaron, so Katrina wouldn’t hear.

  “Mr. Brooks, your wife was t-boned by a car that went through a red light at an intersection. She suffered massive internal injuries, including trauma to her head that resulted in cranial bleeding.”

  “Oh my God!”

  “We have repaired the damage as best we could, but your wife is in a deep coma. The injuries she sustained internally were severe, and she’s in critical condition.”

  “What’s her prognosis?”

  “The next 48 hours will be critical in determining whether or not she will pull through. I’m so sorry, Mr. Brooks. Please know that you’re in the presence of some of the best medical professionals in the country. We will do everything humanly possible to see that she fully recovers.”

  Katrina enjoyed her daily emails with the mysterious person called The Shadow. When she asked The Shadow his real name, he stated that because of very private reasons, he could never reveal his true name. The only thing The Shadow would admit to was he was a man in his mid-twenties who worked the night shift at a manufacturing company. He would please Katrina with stories of his youth, his family and friends. Katrina would tell him stories of her life and unburden her sorrows with him. The Shadow made her laugh and was a great source of comfort during this period of darkness for her.

  The Shadow even christened her with a nickname, Kitten.

  Soon, the daily emails were not enough for Katrina.

  Kat: I want us to meet.

  TheShadow: Why?

  Kat: I’m getting tired with just talking with you through email. I want to see your face, hold your hand, hear your voice.

  TheShadow: And to feel my arms around you?

  Kat: Yes, I do.

  TheShadow: I’ve been wanting the same thing, Kitten. Okay, when do you want to meet and where?

  Kat: Are you free to meet me tomorrow night at the playground near St. Matthew’s General? I don’t want to be too far away from my mom.

  TheShadow: You are in luck. Tomorrow is my night off. I’ll meet you at the playground at around 9pm, okay?

  Kat: Perfect! I can’t wait!

  TheShadow: I’ll be counting the minutes.

  It was dark, and the moon was just a sliver in the sky. The air was cold, with a fog threatening to roll in. Katrina sat in a swing, anxiously waiting for her mysterious friend to arrive.

  Taking a quick glance at her watch, Katrina noticed it was already 9:30, and he was a half an hour late. Her disappointment sank to the pit of her stomach. The Shadow had stood her up.

  Katrina was about to leave when she felt a hand on her arm. She screamed.

  “Shh, Kitten! It’s me, The Shadow. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” A deep, silky voice caressed and calmed her.

  Katrina let out a sigh of relief. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry, I thought you were... well, I didn’t know who or what you were. Is that why you call yourself The Shadow—because you like lurking in them?”

  Her new friend chuckled. “Well, I’ll not call what I do lurking. It sounds so sinister. I just like the shadows because I feel comfortable in them.”

  The Shadow adjusted his hoodie as he sat in the swing next to Katrina. She wanted to see his face, but he remained masked by the darkness.

  “May I ask why you were late, The Shadow?”

  “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be late but I was running, ah, an errand and it took longer than expected. Please call me Shadow. The Shadow makes me sound like an object.”

  “Of course. I understand about you being late. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

  “How’s your mom?”

  “She’s making some progress. She’s breathing on her own, and the docs moved her to her own room.”

  “Fantastic! Does that mean she’s out of danger?”

  “I hope so. Her doctor is cautiously optimistic, but I have faith that Mom is going to be okay and will be home soon.”

  “Good. You hang onto that faith. Doctors don’t know anything. All they know is stuck between the pages of some medical journal.”

  It felt good to hear Shadow’s encouraging words. She savored his deep silken voice.

  “Would you like to come home with me and talk some more? I have the house to myself.”

  Shadow stepped back. “I’d love to come home with you, but I do have to go and take care of some other, uh, obligations. I did enjoy our brief time. I want to see you again. Will you agree to meet me here, same time tomorrow?”

  “I’d love to!”

  “It’s a date, then,” he replied, kissing her fingertips. “Thank you. Goodnight, Kitten.”

  “Goodnight, Shadow.”

  Then like a puff of smoke, he was gone.

  Katrina felt a little confused as she pressed her fingers to her lips. Though there was a mild chill in the autumn air, Shadow’s lips felt like ice against her skin.

  Chapter Nine: Betrayed

  Filming had wrapped up for the day. With thoughts of Martina once again occupying his mind, Aaron almost missed the two custodians chatting as they cleaned the set.

  “Did you hear that Avery Evers ran off with Shawna Jones and eloped?”

  “No way! Are you sure? I heard they broke up.”

  “That’s what I heard. Jonas is Avery’s assistant, and Avery told him he didn’t need him for the next couple of days. Then someone was out for a jog this morning and saw them entering a church. Avery was decked out in a suit and Shawna a simple white dress and carrying a small bouquet of flowers.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. The dude works quickly!”

  “Yeah, but why would they get married so quickly and in secret?”

  “Who knows, Slim? These celebrities are just fucking crazy.”

  Aaron was in shock.

  First the note, and now a farce marriage to Shawna. Avery was being a coward by going out of his way to avoid the truth of his feelings for him. Aaron felt a tear fall down his cheek and wiped it away. He was not going to weep like some lovesick fool that got his heart broken. It had taken only one night of passion for him to realize the truth.

  “Please, Aaron, drop the subject!” Avery pleaded.

  “No, I want to talk about it like you promised. You’ve been avoiding me.”

  They were in the middle of Cedar Grove Park, filming the scene where Elizabeth tells Lance that she slept with Toby. The big breakup scene.

  “I’m sorry, Aaron. But we have to talk about this later. Here comes Shawna.”

  Aaron wanted to scream as he watched Avery walk away from him and towards Shawna. Avery gave her a kiss before leaving her to do the scene.

  Lance’s grip tore into Elizabeth’s flesh as she tried to get away from him.

  “Please, Lance, let me go. It’s over between us!”

  “Why?”

  “You know why, I just told you. Let me go, you are hurting me.”

  Lance tightened his grip, making Elizabeth’s eyes water with pain. “I will never let you go, Liz. You told me you loved me and wanted to be with me forever. Those are the words you whispered to me as we made love last night. What changed?”

  “I love Toby, not you. Those words were a lie. They have been since the day my love turned cold when I saw you drain the life from my sister! You are a monster, Lance, and you will never change.”

  “You bitch! It’s her isn’t it? It’s that fucking witch Jasmine that turned you against me, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now let me go!”

  Lance’s claws dug into her skin, piercing a vein as he pulled her closer.

  “You do know what I’m talking about! Jasmine hates me. She can’t stand the fact that her best friend is in love with me, and put a spell on you to make you hate me and fall in love with
Toby. Admit it.”

  “Lance, you’re delusional. You need help. Jasmine is a powerful witch, but there is no spell out there that could make me hate you and fall in love with your best friend if I truly loved you. I thought I did, but I don’t.”

  “Then answer me this, whore. Can you deny that Jasmine hates me and would do anything in her power to get me away from you?”

  “Yes Jasmine hates you. She has good reason. You lured her into your bed, got her pregnant and then forced her to get an abortion.”

  “Jesus, Liz, that was ten years ago, when I was still human! Jasmine can’t still be holding on to that.”

  “How fucking arrogant are you? Let me see if I can get it through your thick head. The doctor botched the surgery, messing up her uterus so she can never have babies. The Smith bloodline ends with her. No one would be able to get over a tragedy like that, no matter how much time has gone by.”

  Lance relaxed his grip on Elizabeth’s wrist a little.

  “Fine. I get it why she hates me, but why does Jasmine want you to love Toby? Why’s he so special?”

  “She didn’t pick him. My falling in love with Toby is for real. There is no spell.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question! Why Toby? He’s a vampire like me.”

  “Toby may be a vampire, but he is gentle, kind and loving. He’s been there for me when you weren’t. Toby has been a constant shoulder to lean on.”

  Elizabeth shook with fear as Lance’s eyes grew dark with rage and black veins snaked across his features. She knew what was coming next, and she was helpless to escape from it.

  “How could you remain with me, make love with me, and tell me you love me while being in love with Toby? You’re either a cold-hearted con artist, or a backstabbing whore. I have a feeling you’re just a bit of both. If I can’t have you then neither can Toby. Goodbye, Liz.”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes to shield herself from the horror of Lance’s fangs closing in on her neck and piercing her skin.

  “Cut! Wonderful! Amazing, Aaron and Shawna. A very emotional and convincing scene. That was your best work to date, Aaron, very real,” the executive producer praised them.