by Krysta Scott
“It’s all right. I’ll get the door.” Nikki rose. After a few steps someone entered the kitchen.
“Nikki. I’m here.” Her adoptive mother held out her hands to the child. The baby turned her head and toddled into her mother’s arms. A welcoming embrace enfolded the small body and kissed the top of her head. Little Nikki snuggled into her mother’s bosom.
“Daddy doesn’t want me.”
Her mother chuckled. “Of course he does sweetheart. He just left for work. He’ll be back.”
Little Nikki leaned away and looked into her mother’s trusting face. “R-r-really?’
“Yes, sweetie, we’ll always be here for you.” Her mother stood and brushed the dust from her pants then held out her hand. “How about some breakfast?”
“Oatmeal, please.”
Her mother set her at the kitchen table. Swept away her tears then went about assembling breakfast.
I remember you, Mom. How many times had she dried her tears? Helped her with homework or picking out clothes? Nikki watched her mother and her younger self, laughing and joking with an aching heart. This was her home. Her safe place. When had things gone wrong?
“I love you, Mom.” But the woman didn’t look up from the stovetop where she stirred the oatmeal with a wooden spoon. She glanced back at her tiny charge, eyes brimming with pride and adoration. Little Nikki had made them a family long before Cassie.
Nikki breathed deeply. Her mother smelled of fresh linen and lavender soap. A deep calm settled over her. This moment was right. A time when things were simple. A place where love occupied every corner. Darkness didn’t linger here. Her mother brought two steaming bowls to the table. She set one before Little Nikki and then sat down to eat. The scene broke Nikki’s heart. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t stay here and bask in the warmth her mother provided. That would be cowardly. A way to avoid the dangerous things she had to do. That wasn’t behavior worthy of a mother who kept her safe from harm. Now she would have to break the Angelus family to make them whole.
Nikki walked over to mom and child who ate in silence. A sense of contentment hovered around them. If she defeated Parker, she would never be a part of this happy home again. She must sever the connection. Her heart ached. But it had to be done. She placed a hand on her mother’s arm and knelt to see her face. The woman never flinched or acknowledged Nikki’s actual presence. “I can’t explain this but I have to leave. If I’m successful, you won’t ever even have known me. I’m so sorry. But I can’t stay here. That’s what Parker wants and I won’t be distracted. When I go through that door I won’t ever be back.”
Nikki started for the door. Before she opened it, she took one final glance at the blissful domestic scene. “Goodbye, Mom. I love you.”
She stepped through and closed it shut, the click loud and decisive.
****
Garrett stood next to Nikki’s bed. A gust of wind caught him, and he grabbed on to one of the posts to prevent himself from slipping to the floor. Another gust hit him, shoving him back. His fingers slipped from its firm grasp on the pole. The surroundings of Nikki’s bedroom began to change.
A vanity replaced a desk. Two end tables became one. Stacks of magazines piled up, then down. Garrett threw himself onto the bed. As he did, the four poster bed turned into a sleigh bed. The comforter switched from mauve to green.
He snatched up the paper they had laid out before she went under. The date remained the same but the print was changing. Not the major events but smaller ones, altering faster than he could read them. He grabbed Nikki’s hand, wondering how he would change. What he would lose. He couldn’t lose Nikki. He loved her. He tightened his hold on her hand.
Another gust slammed against his chest pushing him into the air. A dark hole formed on the wall behind him. Churning and whipping the air around. Icy tendrils wrapped around his ankles pulling his feet toward the chasm. He tightened his hold on Nikki’s hand. Perspiration burned between them loosening his grip. His fingers slipped an inch and he lurched further away pulling Nikki with him. If he held on Nikki would be pulled with him into the void. Then they’d both be lost. Garrett brought her hand up, pressed his lips against it, then let go. “Don’t change me, Nikki. Take care to save the important parts.”
Nikki shifted in her sleep. A shaky sigh slipped from her lips. He held fast to the possibility she heard him as he tumbled through the endless void.
****
Heat shot over Nikki. A tall house, white and stark, against the night sky burst into flames. Orange and yellows crackled as the blaze devoured the structure against a lush lawn. A halo of light chewed at the insides. Two people rushed outside. A small girl and an older boy.
“Go to the safe place,” The boy yelled at her.
“No, Sean—I want to stay with you.” She threw her arms around his neck. He lifted her up and tore her away from the burning embers.
“No, Nikki, stay out here. Grandfather will be here soon. I have to find Dad.”
Terror tolled through her at the mention of her name. She looked closely at the little girl wearing a flannel nightgown, clutching a teddy bear. The scene sparked recognition as flames consumed the house. A long ago buried place she had forgotten or perhaps been willed to forget. She had an older brother. Sean. He was born eight years ahead of her? A brother she’d adored and looked up to.
Memories of Sean flashed by. Reading her a book. Teaching her to tie her shoes. Sneaking her favorite box of cookies down, index finger pressed to his lips.
Love, known and lost, washed over Nikki, watching her eleven-year-old brother hug her for the last time as he raced into the house. She ran to the far corner of the yard, as promised, squishing herself behind the large rose of Sharon bush.
She held tea parties there with Sean. It was their secret spot. The place they whispered about the odd things that occurred in their home.
Where was her mother? Memories pounded through her. Mom was at Nikki’s grandfather’s to go to a doctor appointment. She left Dad and Sean to watch over Nikki until she returned.
Nikki let out a psychic scream. One her mother would hear. Her grandfather had to come and save them. She screamed and screamed. Sean was still in the house getting dad. Who would save them?
Nikki cowered in the corner of the yard, heat covering icy skin. Her brother rushed outside, tears streaming down his face. When he reached her, he pulled her close. “I couldn’t get to him. He made me leave.”
Tears rushed down her face as she remembered the terror that had frozen her three-year-old self. The intensity of the fire. Ashes floated and fell as the house crumbled in on itself.
“Daddy!” she screamed. “We have to get him out.”
“I’m going back in,” Sean whispered. “I won’t let him die in there. I’ll be back soon. Grandfather will be here soon.”
Sean rushed back into the house his form getting smaller and smaller against the light of the blazing inferno. She waited in the fading light of the fire watching for her daddy and brother. Waiting for her grandfather. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay,” she murmured over and over.
Little Nikki rocked back and forth, speaking meaningless words as she sobbed into the sleeve of her nightgown. Waiting for her family that would never return.
Nikki stepped away from her younger self. How could she have forgotten her older brother? Songe hadn’t even mentioned she had one. Rage burned through her similar to the white hot fallen embers of her childhood home. He would pay for leaving out important details.
Just as quickly, her shoulders slumped. Thinking like that made her no better than Parker Hanover. There must be a better way to handle such fury.
She glanced about. Parker had thrust her here, but it was time to find her way out. Now that she knew the truth, she controlled the rewind button. She whirled away from the scene. “I’m coming, Parker. There are no more secrets to tell. You can’t stop me.”
****
A sizzle of energy slashed thr
ough Nikki, dropping her to the ground. Parker rounded on her. “Stay away or I’ll send you back.”
He marched to the cords of his memory. He pulled, wove, and reshaped them.
“There’s nowhere else to send me,” she said. Her voice remained controlled and steady. “Your time is up.”
Parker ignored her, weaving through his intricate ritual. Nikki lunged to stop him. He whacked her with one hand, staving her off. The taste of blood touched her mouth. Bitter. Acidic. Rejuvenating. She wiped it away. This time she would win. She lunged again. “You will stop. You can’t change the past.”
“You did.” He pushed her away.
Nikki toppled to the ground. Rearranging history devastated nature’s equilibrium.
She spat out the blood and rubbed her bulging lip. “If you do this you won’t ever see Lori again.”
At those words, he paused. A slow smile crept upon his lips. “It isn’t a choice between my powers and Lori. I can have both.”
Parker turned back to his weaving. Somehow the man had piggybacked onto her essence and now sought to destroy all of her work. A surge of energy erupted from her. It shot from her fingers. Electric tendrils sliced at Parker. He screamed swiping them away.
Nikki didn’t have time to consider what she was doing or how she was able to do it. She allowed static to build, rage fueling her charge. It swelled and pulsed, filling the emptiness. All the lost souls. She would undo everything to set the world right. With the strength of a woman possessed, she sent the electric current after him—through him, until Parker shifted farther and farther from the tapestry.
“How did you?” His voice came out in a harsh whisper.
“I’m sorry, Parker, but I can’t save you. You’re unfixable.” Nikki neared him, eyes fixed on his. “You will stay out of your parents’ minds.”
His eyes glazed over in terror. “Stay away.”
“All evil you have done will now be aimed at you. Any anger you feel you will turn on yourself.” Instinct sent the command spewing forth.
“Myself,” he repeated.
“You’re done.” Nikki waited, breath held. Seconds later, Parker dematerialized.
She dropped to the ground, all energy sapped. She took a breath and dragged herself up. With painstaking surety, Nikki approached the tapestry. The threads dark and leathery. Dry and unwieldy. With a sigh, she pulled at one cord and began weaving. The color lightened from dark brown to tan. Dry husks softened into pliable fibers rich with recharged life. She stepped back and inspected her work. She nodded. Parker’s mind was as it should be.
But she wasn’t done. There was one more thing she had to do before she could return home.
****
Parker Hanover woke his heart slamming against his chest. His arm burned, itched, on fire. He clenched his teeth against the seething pain. He rubbed his arm, sending jagged pricks like a million pieces of glass. He bolted from the bed and switched on the light. His arm was covered with small circular welts and red sores oozing blood. Black skin crusted the edges. What the hell? He jumped back.
Amy turned on the bed and sighed. Her eyes closed. She’d always been a deep sleeper but couldn’t she notice he was in pain? “Wake up, bitch.”
Amy’s head shot up. “Parker?”
“Look at this.” He shoved his arm at her. “What happened?”
She focused on the burn marks with wide eyes. “I d-d-don’t kn-kn-know.”
“You did this.”
She hugged the sheets to her neck. “No.”
“They sure as hell didn’t get there on their own.” He stalked toward her. Her eyes bulged in a mockery of the little porcelain doll he’d met years ago. She trembled, whimpering like a mewling kitten caught in a thunderstorm. Every flash of light and quake of thunder broadcasting a consequence she couldn’t escape. That’s right, little kitten. This is your fault.
“Please don’t. Things have been so good,” she whimpered. A sickening weak sound. She didn’t deserve this house, their daughter, or the diamonds glittering in her lobes. He’d gone into debt to provide her with such luxuries. And this was how she repaid him? Acting demur, innocent, and pitiful? She was a demon. She’d burned him while he slept. He reached for the studs in her ears.
A blunt force struck him in the face. Pain exploded behind his eyeballs, white specks blinding his vision.
Suddenly, Amy was at his side. “Parker? What’s wrong?” She caressed his face. But acid sizzled his cheek. He reared back, crawling from her. Poison. She was poison.
“Get away,” he screeched.
“What happened to your face?”
“You hurt me.”
“No, I would never…” She drew near.
A heavy weight slammed into his gut, robbing him of air. He curled into a ball and glared but she was two feet away. She couldn’t have possibly body slammed him. He forced out ragged breaths.
“This is no good.” Tears of frustration formed. He was no blubbering fool but excruciating pain intensified each time Amy drew close. A new stab of pain sliced his thigh like a knife through yielding skin. “Stay away…from me.” His words huffed out in ragged pants.
“What?”
She was poison. Toxic sludge. He edged his way to the living room. Still she followed. “No. Stay where you are.”
She froze. Confusion muddled her angelic face. But it was a veneer. She wouldn’t fool him again. “Amy,” he stated as calmly as possible, “this isn’t going to work. I want the divorce.”
“No, it’s been so perfect.” She ran toward him. “We can’t give up now.”
She grabbed his arm sending another onslaught of pain to every nerve ending. He writhed like he’d landed in a bed of fire ants. He yanked his arms away, gritting his teeth against the burning scrape of her nails as he wrenched free. He crawled on all fours. The effort mustered every ounce of his withered energy. He trapped Amy’s gaze and sent the force of his will into her. “You will divorce me and never come near me again.”
“Parker, I don’t understand.” Her voice grated on his eardrums. “Let me help you. I’ll do whatever we need to make this work.”
Parker observed his wife through slit lids. He was sure he’d held eye contact. Why was she fighting him? He gathered his frayed power for one more go. “I said stay away from me.” He gritted out the words.
“After all we’ve been through.” She moved toward him and waves of agony ripped up his abdomen, knocking his head against the floor.
“No.” He held up his hand but the bitch kept coming toward him. Pressure built against his neck choking off air. He clawed at his shirt, gasping. His vision dimmed.
Then blessedly Amy stepped back, her hands up in a placating gesture. Air flooded his lungs.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Tell me what to do.”
“Just stay back.” He worked his way to the door. “Just let me go.” With the last of his strength, he wrenched open the door and fled, impervious to her pleas. Deaf to her anguished screams. Every step closer to the street brought another wave of relief. Balm to his skin. Once outside, he glanced down at his arm. The burns, gone, the swelling under his eye down.
He was free!
Parker raced to his car, sucking in deep breaths of soul-soothing oxygen. Each precious inch down the crooked sidewalk taking him farther away from the nightmare that occupied his house. He thumped against the car, sending a throbbing sting up his arm. But that was nothing compared to the bone searing agony inflicted by his wife. He yanked the door open and settled into the velour interior. Safe. Thank God. He was safe.
He’d have to go back to his parents’ house but that was only temporary. He reached for his keys and froze. The familiar bulge wasn’t there. Shit! He’d left his keys in the house. His eyes fixed on the twin rectangle windows flanking each side of the front door. There was no movement. Could Amy have gone back to bed? Dare he risk it? His parents lived over ninety miles away. He couldn’t walk. Maybe they would come get him.
He moved his hand to his back pocket. His phone wasn’t there either.
Fuck! He couldn’t do anything right. He slammed his fists against the steering wheel. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t go back in. Not with her there. His stomach clenched.
He surveyed the surrounding houses. Occupant’s peacefully sleeping while he was forced to live through this hell. Wasn’t a chance any of them would help him. Not after all the lies Amy had spread. He gripped the wheel as if the force of his will could power the car. Turn your anger on yourself.
He shook his head. But a foggy remnant of a memory intruded his mind. The front door flew open and Amy charged toward him. The devil incarnate. Destroyer of his world.
No.
She would not put him through that hell a second time. He opened the glove compartment and grabbed his hand gun. He lifted his hand, pointed the glock to the space between her eyes and squeezed. But sharp pains raced up his shins. Burning, festering. Moisture clouded his vision. Turn your anger. The words teased him, challenged him. Go on, you can do it. Turn your hand. Look down the barrel.
Being this close to Amy caused too much agony. Yes. It’s no good shooting Amy. He shook his head. “No!” His voice cracked in the quiet car. Shooting her would rip a hole through your heart.
His head throbbed. A pulsating twinge that grew stronger the closer Amy drew near. It was too much. He was powerless to stop it. He had nothing left. His hand moved without thought. He took the barrel into his mouth.
Pulled the trigger.
****
Nikki made her way to the access point of her adoptive mother’s place in her grandfather’s memory. She entered through the portal Grandfather opened long ago when he coldly handed Nikki over to the Angeluses.
She searched back, looking for Eva’s reaction in receiving the news of having a baby. Most especially when they learned they couldn’t conceive on their own. Then the bliss when she became pregnant with Cassie.
Things grew complicated as Nikki aged. Strange things began to occur. Events almost wiped out with only the smallest remnants to trigger their memory. Or Nikki would remember things that hadn’t happened. The niggling doubt. The strange looks. Events her parents couldn’t remember.