Silenced 2: The Overtaking (Silenced Series)

by RaeBeth McGee-Buda

  “Oh, sweetheart, come on in and make yourself at home. I’m here for you for as long as you need me.” I say trying to be supportive, and forgetting everything that happened in the past few months.

  I lead Casey into the living room and tell her to put her bags in the hall closet. I really want to find out why she is so upset, and I figure this is a good time to tell her that Patrick’s coming over. Gosh, how did things get so messed up?

  First, I find out Mom lied about Dave. I began searching for my dad and that led to a dead end. I found out about Sarah and nearly died. Now, this happens. This is too much.

  Coming out of my jumbled thoughts I notice Casey staring at me.

  “Start talking, what’s wrong?” I say trying to get this out of the way.

  “Teddy hasn’t answered any of my calls for three days. Well, I decided to call him one more time as I was pulling out, and he finally answered.”

  “You should never call a boyfriend that much. It looks like your begging for his attention. Just think about it, maybe he was seeing how he’d feel with a few days of no communication or time spent together? Guys do that sometimes. They like to test themselves to see if what they have is really what’s meant to be.” I say hoping I sound like I know what I’m talking about.

  “No, that wasn’t it,” Casey adds. “There’s more. Come to find out, it wasn’t him who answered the phone. Some woman answered it. She said she and Teddy have been dating for about seven months.” She cries harder.

  “And how long have you two been dating?” I ask.

  “Three... which means he’s cheating on her! I don’t want to be that girl who ruins a relationship. I never knew about her. I immediately broke it off. The bad thing is Shelly told me this was going to happen. That’s what the entire fight was about. How could I have been so stupid?” She cries, sobbing harder now.

  As she’s done talking, the door bell rings. Patrick’s here and I didn’t even tell Casey. Hopefully, this will cheer her up instead of upsetting her more. I know I don’t need any more drama in my life. I feel like I’m living in a soap opera.

  “Were you expecting someone?” Casey asks wiping her tears away.

  “Actually, we were going to talk to you about that, but we didn’t get to it in time. Landon, get the door, please.” I say, trying to sound calm.

  I turn back to Casey. “Landon was talking to Patrick about the same time I was talking to you earlier. He told Pat he was more than welcome to come over as I was telling you the same thing. We didn’t know what the other was doing, until we started to tell each other we were getting company. I really hope you don’t mind.”

  “Amber, you know how I feel about Pat and don’t say you don’t know what I’m talking about! I know you do. You’re not stupid. Anyone can see I’m still madly in love with him! I can’t be here with him, and not have him. I’m sorry.” Casey says in a hushed voice.

  As Casey stands up, Patrick and Landon turn the corner from the hallway into the living room. I know she’s speaking the truth and she’s in love with him. This is so freaking screwed up.

  “Hi Casey, nice to see you.” Patrick says trying to make the situation better.

  “Hello, now I will be on my way, Amber. Thanks for having me over. I had a nice time. I’ll call you la...”

  I cut her off. “Actually, Landon talked to Patrick and he said he doesn’t mind if you’re here. Just because you two aren’t dating, doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, right?” I ask, hopeful.

  “Well…yeah…but I really don’t know about this. I think at this moment in time, it’s still too hard for me after what I did to Pat. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here.”

  “Casey, its fine.” Patrick says calmly. “I know you really don’t have anywhere else to go. Please, stay.”

  After a few moments of hesitation, I look over at Casey and wink. “Gosh, we are supposed to be adults, and we’re acting like a bunch of immature kids. Casey just get over yourself. You’re going to stay anyway.”

  “Now, if you don’t mind…” I continue, “Casey and I have some talking to do in the other room. Patrick just make yourself at home and you guys plan the movies. Casey and I will be out in a while,” I say killing the awkward silence.

  “Ok.” Landon says as he motions to Patrick in the direction of the television.

  We go into the bedroom to finish our talk.

  “I can’t believe it,” Casey says. “I’m here in the same house with Pat in the next room, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. Amber, you don’t know how much I care for him, and how badly I realize I messed up.”

  “From what I’m hearing from Landon, Patrick’s having problems with Stacey. They’re together but if things keep going the way they are now…” I say giving Casey a mischievous look.

  “I want to know this but honestly, then again, I don’t. I don’t want to have false hopes. I want to be back with him but I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”

  This entire day my mind was kept from Sarah and from my cut. The bad part is with all the drama, I forgot to take my pain medication. I didn’t realize it until a throbbing pain begins by the stitches.

  “Oh, I’ll be right back. I’ve got to go get a drink. Can I get you anything?” I ask trying to hide the pain.

  “What do you have?”

  “I just went shopping. There’s water, soda, tea, juice, and beer.”

  “I’ll take a soda.”

  I walk out to the kitchen and grab my pain medication. I wish I didn’t forget about the pills. I don’t need this right now. Casey needs me.

  As I am putting my glass in the sink, Landon looks over. The look on his face shows he noticed what was going on. I watch as he jumps up off the couch and runs over to me. Then, just as I feel his hand, everything goes black.

  Chapter Five

  I wake up and look around. I try to sit up but the stinging pain in my arm stops me.

  “Amber, tell me the truth. What happened to your arm? I’m worried about you.” Casey demands when I look up at her.

  Landon jumps in. “She doesn’t take too well to pain. No matter what level of pain she’s in, she always passes out.”

  It looks like Patrick and Casey believe him. This is a relief. After a few minutes, I’m able to sit up. It takes about half an hour for me to be able to stand and move around.

  We all go back to our conversations.

  “What’s she like?” Casey asks.

  “Who?” I ask confused.

  “Stacey.” Casey replies.

  “Oh… I’m not really sure you want to get into that. Why don’t we talk about something else?” I suggest, trying to avoid the subject.

  “Amber, come on, we’re all adults and I want to know what this girl is like. If we are supposed to be friends, I have to know what I’m up against.”

  “I’ll tell you but don’t let it get you down. She’s very nice. Patrick seems happy with her, and she treats him very well.”

  Casey frowns. “I thought you said they’re having problems.”

  “I did, and they are. But, it’s nothing really big. I only said they were on the outs to make you feel more comfortable with him.”

  “That isn’t right. There’s no need to lie to me. I’m a big girl, and I can handle the truth. I know I screwed up with Pat. But, I’d like to know exactly what’s going on with him.”

  “Patrick left his drugs alone as you already know.” I answer. “When he got out of the hospital, he had to have a nurse come to his house and help him with his recovery. Mainly, to help him get out of bed and move around. He went through the healing process quickly. The doctors were even surprised how fast.”

  “So, where does Stacey come in?” She asks.

  “She’s the nurse; actually the student nurse. He was asked if he cared if they had a student accompany the nurse to his house for a learning experience, and he agreed.”

  “He met Stacey, and they immediately hit it off?” Casey asks, rolling her eyes.

&
nbsp; “Kind of. Landon and I went over for a visit while the nurses were there. Stacey and I started talking first. She and I hung out a few times. To this day I still don’t know her like I know you. I don’t know if the plans are still on for this weekend because I don’t really know what’s going on with…well… you know.”

  “North Carolina?”

  “Yeah,” I say taking a deep breath. “Anyway, Stacey is really easy to talk to. I think if things were different, you two would be friends.”

  “I don’t see that happening. She has one thing I badly want.”

  “Give it time. Time will heal your heart.” I tell her trying to give her hope.

  “So, what does she look like?” She asks.

  “She’s about five feet tall, long blonde hair, baby doll looking face, and she wears glasses when she works. I’m seriously beginning to hate her because she’s so perfect. Well, looks wise anyway. We all went to the pool and let me tell you, I was so jealous. She has the perfect body all guys want.” I say laughing.

  “Now you’re rubbing it in.” Casey says chewing on her nail.

  “Anyway, she’s attending West Virginia University for nursing.”

  “How old is she?”

  “She’s twenty-five.”

  “Oh, so he likes them older? That could’ve been one thing that was wrong with our relationship.” she says sarcastically.

  We finish our conversation, and head to the kitchen for a snack. While eating, we overhear Landon and Patrick talking.

  “Did you and Stacey get things worked out yet?” Landon asks him.

  “Not really. She likes to party all the time, and she messes with drugs. Landon, you and I both know that’s my weakness. I don’t mind if she wants that life, but I just left that part behind.”

  Landon looks at him sternly. “She needs to learn to respect you for what you want, and she needs to start thinking about how hard those parties are for you.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Patrick says. “I love parties. The drugs are at different places at each party. I stay away from them, and enjoy all the beer. I don’t want to take the chance. Man, that’s part of what happened to me and Casey.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know what she did to me in the hospital was wrong, but I can’t get her out of my mind. I know she’s sitting in that room, behind that door, and there’s nothing I can do.”

  “Even if she was sitting here, Pat, you still wouldn’t be able to do anything. You’re with Stacey. Dude, she’s hot.” Landon says, trying to talk sense into Patrick.

  It figures, guys only look at women by their body, and not what is in their hearts.

  “Which one...Casey or Stacey?” Patrick asks.

  “Stacey. I don’t look at Casey that way for several reasons. One, she’s Amber’s friend, and it’d be wrong. Two, if Amber found out I said her friend was hot, there’d be war. She’s the jealous type.”

  When they’re done talking, Casey and I join them in the living room and get ready for the movies. Landon finishes up the popcorn, and Patrick gets the soda. I put in the first movie and Casey turns out the lights. When everyone’s comfortable, we begin the movie.

  The first movie is a bad choice, “My New Best Friend.” Seeing the main character doing the drugs and overdosing isn’t what I need to see. This immediately brought back the reality of Sarah. I try hard to hold back the tears, but the pains too much.

  I run to my room. That part of the movie keeps running through my mind. I sense the darkness lurking up on me and try to fight it. Pain starts throbbing through my arm where I cut last night. As the pain grows stronger, the pain in my heart from Sarah doesn’t diminish. My heart beats faster and it’s hard to breathe.

  “Amber, are you ok?” Landon asks.

  “The movie… it… the darkness… Landon help me!” I reply in between gasps of breaths.

  “Help you? What’s wrong? What are you talking about with the darkness?”

  “The pain is too much!” I manage to get out in one breath.

  “You need to calm down. I can’t make out what you’re saying. I can’t help you until you calm down!”

  I try to regain control. The darkness is more powerful than ever. I begin to sweat as I pace the room, trying to shake the feeling and still this doesn’t work.

  “Is everything ok?” Casey asks looking worried.

  “Yeah.” I manage in a raspy voice.

  “Oh…okay…well, I’ll be out here if you need me.” She says as she walks out of the room.

  “The movie brought back reality with North Carolina. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be fine.”

  Landon waits until he hears the movie playing again.

  “Try to explain this to me. I don’t understand and I want to understand so I can help.”

  “You can’t help me. I can’t even help me, Landon.” I reply, noticing I’m beginning to regain control.

  “What do you mean by the darkness?” Landon asks again.

  “I’ll explain when I’m not trying to fight it, and when we don’t have company. I’m going to take a shower. Go ahead and go back out there with them. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone until I know…”

  I try to make it look like I’m fine but I’m far from being okay. I gain enough control to be able to breathe normally. Deep down inside I know the darkness is simmering, waiting for the right moment to attack me again.

  “Well…all right…if you need me, don’t be afraid to yell. I’ll be in as quickly as possible.”

  “That’s fine.” I say as he goes to leave the room. “Oh, and Landon…”

  “Yeah,” he says turning around quickly.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, honey. Go get your shower, and I’ll see you when you’re done.”

  I just need to get a shower to try to relax. As they finish the movie, I go in the bathroom and lock the door.

  Chapter Six

  The darkness begins to overtake me as I ready myself for my shower. For some reason, the darkness knows when the timing isn’t right, and when to back down. The only way to get rid of the darkness and its’ control, is to cut.

  I don’t know what I can use to free myself. Even though I don’t intend on getting in right away, I start the shower, just like I did when I lived at home.

  After the water temperature was right, I quickly start looking everywhere I can for something to use. This hasn’t been a problem since I began cutting because I had a razor blade. Looking everywhere I can, I spot my makeup bag. I know exactly what I’m going to use. Digging carelessly through the bag, my vision blurs and my heart rate jumps. I’m trying my hardest to see through black spots for my compact case.

  I fight to open it so I can break the mirror. I drop it on the floor hoping the impact will break it. It doesn’t work. I put the compact on the floor and stomp down as hard as I can on the mirror. After a few stomps it breaks. Finally I can get rid of the darkness. At least that’s what I thought until I hear a knock on the door.

  “Are you okay in there?” I hear Landon ask.

  “I’m fine.” I yell back hoping he won’t break down the door to make sure I am fine.

  “I heard a bang.” He says through the door.

  “Oh...I dropped the shampoo bottle. I’m fine.”

  “All right, see you in a bit.”

  I wait to see if Landon’s standing outside the door. After a few moments, I hear nothing. As I bend over to grab a piece of the broken glass, I notice blood all over the floor. I limp over to the side of the tub and pull my foot up to see the bottom.

  I got it all right. There’s a nice piece of glass imbedded in my foot. There’s only one thing to do. Pull it out. As I do more blood comes with. I place my foot inside the shower to rinse it off. I can see the cut clearly. It’s not bad. The warm water’s actually helping with the bleeding.

  I grab a rag sitting in the shower and hold it to my foot. It starts stinging and I realize t
here’s soap on the rag. The burning’s intense, making me want to scream.

  I grab another piece of the mirror and carefully take it across my leg as a means of distraction. I make sure that it’s up far enough on my leg, so if I wear shorts, no one will see it. Making sure it didn’t go too deep, I let the blood come out. The pain of Sarah washes away for now.

  When I’m done, I jump into the shower to clean up. By the time I’m completely finished, I notice I’ve been in the bathroom for nearly an hour. Hopefully, I can clean up the mess, and dress before Landon comes back to check on me.

  I walk into the living room. They’re talking and laughing. Patrick’s sitting beside Landon on the couch and Casey’s in the kitchen getting more to drink.

  “Feeling better?” Casey says as she turns around and sees me.

  Taking a deep breath, I reply, “I do. I’m sorry for that. It’s been really hard on me the past few days.”

  “Did they ever tell you what happened to Sarah? If you don’t mind me asking.” Patrick asks in a gentle and cautious voice.

  “All I know is she overdosed on some kind of medicine. Donna, Sarah’s mother is supposed to call me and let me know.”

  “I’m taking she hasn’t called yet?” Casey asks, sitting on the island stool.

  “No, not yet.”

  Patrick adds. “I’m sorry to hear about her. I wish you and her family all the strength in the world to overcome this. If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know we’re here.”

  This helps a lot. Having friends that truly care means a lot. I can’t believe how far I’ve come within a year from moving. My entire image has changed, and the way I feel about life has changed as well.

  “Thank you for being there for me.” I reply, faking a smile. “Now, let’s watch a movie. I really don’t want to sit and talk about it.”

  I fall asleep by the end of the next movie. As Patrick and Landon get me to the bedroom, I briefly wake up. Landon’s sleeping beside me, and I faintly hear Casey and Patrick talking.

  “This is weird.” Casey says.

  “What do you mean?”