Dead in the Water

by Chrystal Vaughan

  "Christ, Eva, what the hell were you thinking, going out there with that scumbag? I can't believe you did that. Actually, I can believe it. You're never afraid of anything. It's always been like that. Remember when we were kids, and I wouldn't swim in the ocean because I was afraid of sharks? Remember what you told me? You said, 'Better to be eaten by sharks than die a coward,' and you were only like eight years old then. And so I went swimming with you, and we didn't get eaten by sharks. You were always bold like that, but you were right. I don't know what I would ever do without you. I'd never chance anything; never try anything new or dangerous. Don't ever leave me, Eva. I'll die if you do."

  He cried for a while, finally giving in to exhaustion and curling up in the chair as best he could, vowing to be the first thing she saw when she woke up and the last thing he saw when he fell asleep was her beautiful, sleeping face.

  And that was how it happened. Jesse woke to an angel whispering his name. He sprang from the chair, his back protesting the long hours twisted into unnatural shapes, and wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tight and vowing over and over to never let her go. He spoke rapidly, making promises to always be there for her, to always protect her until she stopped him with a kiss. He nearly climbed into the bed with her, wanting nothing more than to be as close to her as humanly possible, but the machines she was hooked up to started beeping alarm signals and he returned to his chair just before the nurse came in.

  "Good, you're awake. Nice to have you back Eva. I thought this guy here was going to need a bed of his own, you nearly drove him out of his mind. I'll go get the doctor, but can I bring you anything while you're waiting?"

  Eva asked for some juice and the nurse left. She turned to Jesse. "Ok, tell me what happened. Did that asshole, Justin, get a new roommate in jail? You know, the kind they call Bubba?"

  Jesse laughed a little. It was going to take a while to bring back that carefree feeling he'd had before Eva was nearly killed. He concentrated on telling her the story without bringing back any of the fear she must have felt when they were trying to kill her.

  "We saw Natasha had been hanging out with Justin after you and I got together, right?" She nodded. "So I guess she was doing sexual favors for all three of them; Justin, and his two buddies, Isaac Reyes, and John Ficken. Ficken was the dude who punched you," he added, seeing a fierce expression come over her at the mention of Justin's friends.

  "Anyway, she was stealing money from her mother to pay for their drugs, and stealing alcohol from her stepfather's liquor cabinet to give those guys. She started talking to them when they were drugged up and drunk, giving them, uh, you know sexual things while they were messed up. She was telling them how I was such a jerk and how you were, um, a slut, and that if they helped her get rid of you, then she could have me back. I guess Justin didn't care about her that much because he agreed to do it if they could uh, well, have you. You know, before they killed you. I guess that pissed her off but she decided it didn't matter if she could have me. I don't imagine my opinion on the matter was taken into consideration, let alone yours."

  "Those fuckers," Eva growled. Jesse chuckled. She was such a fighter.

  "So...long story short, Justin spilled the whole story and made Natasha the mastermind of the whole thing. One thing he said was that her stepbrother, Mark, was um, molesting her, and finally there will be an investigation into what really went on in that house. Not that it does her much good now," he added a little sadly. He felt sorry for Natasha, but not sorry enough to dismiss the fact she'd tried to kill Eva.

  "You could have died," he said softly.

  She looked at him intently. "But I didn't."

  "No, you didn't."

  Jesse didn't tell her about the doctor saying her heart had stopped on the operating table for three minutes. And she didn't bring it up again. Finally, the doctor came in and unhooked her from some of the machines. The nurse didn't say anything, but she did bring Eva's juice and an extra pillow, handing it to Jesse with a raised eyebrow. He smiled his best Jesse Williams, megawatt grin at her and she chuckled, exiting the room and leaving them alone.

  He climbed up in the bed with Eva, taking care not to jostle her or mess with her IV tubes. He pulled her small body close to his and wrapped himself around her. She sighed in contentment. "It was a long day, wasn't it babe?"

  He snorted. "Yeah something like that. Go to sleep, sweetheart."

  She did. So did he.

  Eva

  March 14, 2014

  I was in the hospital for two weeks. I guess when you almost die, they want to make sure you're ok before they let you go. You know, so they can't get in trouble if you croak in their driveway or something.

  Anyway, Jess visited me every day, and my parents and his parents too. Eric and Beth visited a few times, which was super sweet. Eric told me I wasn't allowed to die right when Jesse finally got a normal girlfriend. Me! NORMAL? That was so awesome of Eric to say. I almost hugged him. I did hug Beth though. Carefully, I was still all scarred up and it hurt like a bitch most of the time. She promised to take me shopping when I got better, and honestly I can say I was really looking forward to it.

  When I got home, my notebook was open and Alex had written, “Thank you” in it. I showed it to Jesse and he told me about Alex using my phone to text message him that I was in trouble. We checked our phones, to have these mementos of him more than anything, but they were gone from both our phones. Oh well. At least it's over and Alex can go peacefully wherever he was supposed to go next. We held each other a while and then things heated up as they usually do but I was scared. What if he didn't want to touch me with the scar? What if he felt like I was, I dunno, no good anymore because of what those guys were planning to do?

  Jesse

  It took Eva a long time to recover, a lot longer than Jesse had imagined. The wound on her side was ugly, red and puffy, and stayed that way for many weeks. The stitches looked as though they were going to pull out of her flesh, and she made jokes about being Frankenstein's monster, but he knew it bothered her.

  One night in April, an unseasonably warm day spurred them to the beach, far from Haystack Rock, where Jesse pulled his new blue hoodie over his head and dropped it in the Jeep's driver seat. Eva was wearing a white tank top under her hoodie and refused to take her sweater off, knowing her scar would be visible through the thin fabric of the tank top.

  "Come on, babe, it's fine. No one is going to notice and fuck 'em if they do," he coaxed.

  Finally, the worst happened. Eva started crying. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, and she fought him as always. "Why? Why did this happen to me? I didn't ask for any of it. ANY OF IT!" she sobbed into his chest, hitting him with her small fists over and over until he caught her fists in one hand and held them behind her.

  Jesse stroked her hair with his free hand and murmured soothing words. Finally, her tears tapered off to occasional hiccups and she pushed away from him. He released her hands and she glared up at him. "Sorry," she muttered. He didn't say anything. He took a step toward her and she held her ground, her stance defiant. He kissed her soft lips once, twice, and again until she responded, her body language cooling off from anger to desire, in spite of herself. With a swift movement that caught her breath in her throat, he pulled her hoodie up over her head and tossed it into the Jeep. The tops of her perky breasts peeked at him at the neck of her tank top, and her slender figure was emphasized by its clingy fabric. He let his eyes roam over her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. He didn't notice any scar. All he saw was her beauty.

  "You're amazing," he said softly. "Desirable. Hot. Mine."

  He swept her up in his arms, careful not to pull on the injured side, and carried her down to the beach. Finally, she laughed, released from her hang-up about the scar. She had Jesse. She didn't need anyone else's opinion. They spent the day frolicking in the waves and laughing, playing tag and wrestling gently in the sand. She drew huge hearts in the wet sand with their initials in them, and he la
y in the dry sand, sprawled full length and one hand propping up his head, watching the woman he loved play with the ocean.

  He still waited for the right moment to propose to her, but knew she was still too fragile. Her outburst at the Jeep had proven that. She told him a little bit about what Justin and his buddies had said they were going to do to her and he could tell she was conflicted about her own desires now. He kind of thought maybe she was worried about his feelings for her after everything that happened, but he hoped not. He did everything he could to let her know how much he desired her still, how much he loved her. He knew she still wanted him, could tell when he kissed her. She responded as always, but then pulled back after a few minutes. Before, he was the one who had stopped them but nowadays he didn't even have a chance. He only hoped time would heal her wounds, both the ones on the outside and the ones on the inside.

  Eva

  April 16, 2014

  Jesse and I have been pretty busy. Since February, when Natasha Milligan and her friends tried to kill me, a lot has happened. First of all, Justin Perkins went to prison for attempted first-degree murder. Since he was a senior, and eighteen, he was, of course, tried as an adult. His two pals were also sentenced but they got lighter sentences, accessory to attempted murder. In any case, they won't be bugging us for a while.

  We had to testify against them though, that was awful. I had to say in court the vile things they'd told me they were going to do to me. Jesse held my hand the whole time and seemed really calm, but I could tell he was mega pissed. I'd never told him exactly what they said and I'm not gonna write it here so I can look back and dwell on it. It was bad, end of story.

  One of the hardest things to deal with has been my scar. It didn't heal very well. I was really self-conscious about it for a long time, until Jesse finally tore my hoodie off my body and let me know in no uncertain terms that he still thought I was sexy. I had been kinda holding back from him until he did that. I was sure he'd want to find a new girl who wasn't all scarred up and a freak to boot. I guess I was wrong. Thank God.

  May 4, 2014

  Today is the best day of my life. Last night, Jesse and I had a bonfire on the beach, just the two of us. We had a picnic dinner and watched the sun set. It was totally cliché and cheesy and perfect. Just as the sun hit the water on the horizon's edge, Jess turned to me and kissed me and let me tell you it was the best kiss yet.

  And then he said it. "Eva Dunbar, will you marry me??? I mean, you know, when we grow up?"

  And I cried and blubbered, “yes.”

  He put the most amazing ring with a big honking diamond on my finger and I might have thrown myself at him. We'll worry about the details later, where to live, where to go to college, when to have kids...none of that mattered in that moment.

  We finally sealed our bond in the time-honored way, in the sand with the ocean's waves urging us on. Jesse was so good to me, and I was so ready. I felt no pain, like other girls do, but only pleasure and he buried his face in my neck whispering my name over and over at the end. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

  June 23, 2014

  I haven't had any episodes of spirit writing since the last time Alex contacted me. Jesse says it's because I was under anesthetic and it ruined my psychic mojo or connection in my brain or some scientific-y crap. God I love him. I'm guessing it has something to do with us consummating our relationship (I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence).

  I decided to stop writing this journal. There isn't anything weird about me to write down anymore. I'm just your average happiest girl on earth.

  Alex

  Alex Carmichael watched Eva grow into a self-assured young woman, with Jesse at her side. He saw her struggles and triumphs, and was proud of her when she graduated, first in high school as valedictorian, and then did the same in college, with honors.

  He oversaw their lives, constantly checking in on them and making sure everything was going according to plan. The plan he'd have had if he had lived, for himself, or for her.

  He was grateful for the man Jesse became and how he stood by Eva's side through their lives together, raising three beautiful children and loving each other madly, deeply.

  And he waited for them, in his little-boy form, waited patiently for them to come play in the ocean's gentle waves with him, to let the water lap over their feet and to dig their toes in the sand, laughing. Always laughing.

  About the Author:

  Chrystal (Christina) Vaughan (1976-present) is the author of Dead in the Water, a paranormal young adult novel. Mrs. Vaughan lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or teaching, she is an avid reader and enjoys spinning yarn. She is currently at work on other novels, as well as a children’s book.

  Acknowledgements:

  Thanks to my husband for putting up with ink stains on his coffee cups and the nightlight on during odd hours. Also, thank you to my children (biological and otherwise) for their continued enthusiasm and support. Thanks to my proofreader, Dee van der Vyver, and my editor, Kathy Mehl, and my test readers, Kymri Butcher, Dayna Clark, Laura Nolte, and Heather Tramp. You guys rock!

  Social Media Links:

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  Blog: http://chrystalvaughan.blogspot.com

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