by Deandre Dean
About time Ginger got back to her room and ran the water for a bath. She grabbed a paperback and sat in the tub allowing the hot water to soothe her pain.
Ginger thought, “Thirty minutes of calm will do me some good”.
Later that day she was on her way down to the dinning hall for lunch. Diego and she sat together while they ate.
Diego says, “I noticed you have been silent all day. Is there a reason”?
She had no more excuses to keep what was going on from him.
Ginger responds, “Let’s go some where to talk in private”.
They got up and went out to the garden which she loved to go from time to time. The garden reminded her of her dad and the wisdom that he had. Ginger missed her parents and the relationship she had with both of them. If anything she wish she had more time but with Diego she felt complete.
Ginger says, “I haven’t been trying to keep this from you. Just a bad, complicated situation”.
Their relationship was built on trust so when she didn’t tell him immediately he would understand as she kissed him.
Ginger told him, “I have a lot to tell you so just listen so I can get everything out in the open”.
Thirty minutes later Ginger told him everything that had happened with Lucy and Jonathan last night. The mysterious Victor an obstacle she hadn’t anticipated and his sudden appearance today amplified the possibility he may be the one who killed her parents. Diego has known Lucy a short while but swore she could be trusted yet the meeting with Jonathan late at night was suspicious.
Diego says, “There are a few explanations for what they had met last night in private”.
Ginger waits but he had none at the moment so the confirmed her belief that she was a suspect. Question everyone and everything that one knows or thinks they know. Ginger looked at Diego and hoped he was right before they went their separate ways. She was done being suspicious and was going to talk to Jonathan face to face as a friend to get some results.
Chapter 23:
She cleared her mind to allow her body to shift from solid to a shadow. The transformation was like looking into a mirror allowing her old self to vanish. She was light and glided out of her room toward the sky. The world vanished beneath her while she cleared her mind to search for Jonathan’s essence. Each person has a unique aura or essence that can be located, tracked or found if concentrated on.
Locating Jonathan on this planet was a lot more difficult then she originally estimated. His signature wasn’t registering anywhere so she needed to try harder. This was the results of all her training, honing her abilities to track people. Focusing her mind and she felt a faint buzz of his presence in a bar.
The bar was dark, dank and smelt of sour whiskey when she materialized in the back by the bathrooms. No worries about being carded by doing this so she can talk to him without interruption She spotted Lucy and Jonathan talking quietly in the dark corner.
Lucy seemed to be enjoying his company which was shocking from what she saw last night and it was clear by watching them that they had history. A past that they had shared intimate moments that she had stepped in the middle of. The closer she got to their table, a giggling Lucy straighten when she caught sight of Ginger. Jonathan didn’t seem concern with her presence.
Jonathan grinned and encouraging said, “Please take a seat”.
She joined them and ordered lemonade waiting to see which of the pair would spill what was going on.
Lucy says, “Jonathan. You sure you wan to do this here”?
Jonathan replies, “The girl has come for answers. Let’s chat and see what is unveiled tonight”.
Hours passed and Ginger texted Diego she would see him tomorrow. After the second drink and sharing stories Lucy was a happily drunk but a happy drunk. She looked at her watch and it was 1:08 in the morning. Jonathan was watching her closely.
Jonathan says, “How about another round”?
Lucy responds instantly, “Yes. Make mine a double”.
He got up to get another round of drinks for the table. Lucy jumped up at that moment to change the song on the jux box. Ginger was swaying left to right in her chair from the smooth jazz song playing getting in the groove of friends sitting and passing stories. They didn’t much ask her opinion as they spoke but Ginger was still part of the conversation.
Ginger wondered, “Was this how friends (adults) hang out”.
Lucy returned and started refreshing her makeup at the table. Seconds later Jonathan returned with drinks as Lucy put away her compact mirror. Taking a tiny sip and noticing her lemonade was now a lemon drop. She took a larger gulp to mask the liquor before listening to the mellow jazz change to a drum filled club song. It had rhythm and she felt odd suddenly as her vision blurred.
Ginger tried to stand up but stumbled as she looked over at Lucy who was now passed out on the table. She looked at Jonathan and his grin seemed devilish in that moment which intensified her need to run away from him.
Ginger says, “What did you put in my drink”?
She made a huge mistake trying to approach him as a friend and not a threat now she would surely pay for that error. And what was worst is that Diego wouldn’t be looking for her because she stated she would see him later on. Her mind was fuzzy as she lost consciousness wishing she was back in bed with Diego.
Chapter 24:
Ginger woke up and should have detected a poison or a toxin in her drink. He had touched her a few times somehow masking or blocking her abilities. Looking around and noticing her surroundings. Her head was foggy but it looks like a garage where another chair Lucy was still passed out. Her hands were bond and Ginger looked down to see the same result.
She allowed her mind to relax clearing away all the worry and tension that had been building. Pushing her mind to find Jonathan who was upstairs in the house looking for a weapon probably. She heard a faint thought he would kill her and use a spell to erase Lucy’s memories of they running into her.
Ginger says, “Lucky woman”.
That sucked as she clenched her fists and tried to test the resilience of the restrain. Ginger let out a frustrated breathe glad that at least Lucy didn’t have to see her high school sweetheart this deranged. Before she could try anything else Jonathan was coming back into the garage.
Ginger answers to herself, “I can do this. Think. Think. Think.”
She stopped fighting the restrains to see if she could get inside his thoughts. Closing her eyes and slowly she began to relax her breathing. In seconds she had entered his thoughts and they were vial. She couldn’t stay in his head for long without becoming violently ill and slammed back in her body where Jonathan had made his return. She wished she had more time and saw that he wasn’t moving as if suspended in time.
Ginger thought, “No this can’t be happening”?
This isn’t the first time this has occurred but gladly the best time ever. She cherished the time she had to try and escape. Her feet weren’t bond so she got up off the floor and dashed toward the garage door. She pushed with her mind shattering it to splinters and heard a growl behind her.
The growl was coming from Jonathan.
Ginger thought, “Time was up”.
She ran into the kitchen. Using her telekinesis to cut the stove on before pulling the gas line to slow down Jonathan. She grabbed the first butcher knife she passed. She went to the hall in between rooms to get a good vantage point so he couldn’t sneak up on her. Using all her wits Ginger began to cut through the plastic band. Hoping Jonathan wouldn’t let anything happen to Lucy and was worried about the gas.
She prayed she made the best decision and finally the band snapped freeing her. Tossing the knife out the open window so a weapon couldn’t be used against her. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Before she could think Ginger jumped out the window, shattering her leg on impact with the window. The glass fell around the former edges as she rolled to her feet.
Looking around as she ripped her cotton jacket
to make a quick bandage to stop the bleeding. Her adrenaline was in high gear that she hadn’t felt anything but knew that not stopping the bleeding would be her death. Preparing to run when Jonathan’s fist connected to her left jaw caused her to side step. The pain sizzled as she used her bandage leg to give him a round house kick to the face. Jonathan was stunned little did he know that she was prepared for this moment by working during painful or exhaustion.
She quickly delivered a right elbow and a left jab to his abdomen. Ginger was shocked by a thundering noise above. The clear blue sky had darken quickly and thunder roared again, lighting nearly stuck her. She dodged it and saw a line of blood dripping down Jonathan’s face. His anger was clouding her concentration to try and figured out his next lighting strike. This was ok she could use her mind it was the most powerful weapon she had.
The words were echoed enough times by Caleb as she pushed all her anger and pain into a ball of energy. It was building and she knew from instant that he was about to attack. At that same time that Jonathan’s lighting came at her Ginger pushed her mental energy blast onto him. The lighting never made it as Jonathan fell down slowly. Ginger breathed a sigh of relief as she ran inside to check on a confused Lucy. Once Lucy was fully awoke her thoughts were hard to mask and she was devastated. Lucy pulled out her phone and dialed Aaron Darkholme. A year later and Deju vu hit Ginger as she waited with Lucy for a clean up crew and to fill out a incident report.
Chapter 25:
Hours later when Ginger got back to the palace she laughed to herself at the irony. No teen should have to spend two birthdays in a row with her life in danger. At least this year she had Diego to go home to. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep for the next 72 hours. Knowing Diego they were going somewhere romantic and she could stand a few more hours but joy this time and make up for the rest of her day.
Inside her room Ginger looked at her phone and a text from Diego saying be ready in a hour.
Ginger says, “Gee. Fun”.
She sluggishly went to the bathroom and ran a hot bathe to soak in. The tension of the day was tremendous and she grabbed her copy of Bukowski to read. Relaxed twenty minutes later Ginger quickly got dressed to meet Diego in the front of the palace. Clearly with Jonathan gone she felt a ton safer and he opened a portal back to earth.
She lovingly held onto his warm body while they crossed dimensions. He took her to Brandon’s Cuban restaurant in Beverly Hills. The owner Brandon was Diego’s uncle and she was happy to meet him. Diego’s parents were off visiting Spain at the moment or he would have introduced her. Aaron hadn’t gotten a confession from Jonathan but was hugely leaning in the direction he killed her parents with the car accident.
She had only stunned him temporarily and a tiny part of Ginger wished he was dead. She had only just began to fully heal and he brought up some of her old wounds. Her mom and dad would be ashamed at her petty, hateful thought but she was only human. There was no way she could have peace with his being imprisoned for life yet justice prevailed. The dinner at Brandon’s was excellent and the food was delicious. They hugged Brandon bye promising to return soon. With all the excitement Ginger hadn’t given a thought to if she wanted to return to the palace or the house she grew up in.
The house was hers’ now and Frost had finished all the mortgage payments. It was a financial advantage that wasn’t even a consideration as Ginger suggested they take a quick walk. Try and burn off some of that wonderful food of. The warm summer night was beautiful and this time of night was magical. The next part of her life could wait into tomorrow after her lunch date with Frost and Hannah. She missed them and was looking forward to seeing them.
Walking around the street and up the block was nice when she decided to stop by her house. Perhaps spend the night, seeing it might help her make a decision one way or the other. Inside her old house the pair made their way to her old room. Instances took over and clothes were disregarded as fire and passion consumed them. Later that night cuddled up next to Diego everything felt perfect at that moment. Life was good as she drifted off to sleep. Hours later Ginger awoke with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. The pain was like none she had ever experienced.
It felt like a piece of her was missing as she got out of bed and headed down the hall for a glass of water. Taking slow sips from the tap the pain slowly started to ease but not fully going away. Placing the glass beside her on the night stand and crawling back in bed beside Diego. The warmth that she felt getting out of the bed had evaporated. She placed her hand on Diego’s thigh and shivered at how cold he felt. A silent alarm went off in her head.
Dead bodies are ice cold but the temperature of the room was warm. Throwing back the cover as she got out of bed looking down at the lifeless body were the man she loved had been when she went to sleep. Tears escaped her eyes and the realization that another person she loved was gone. The silence of the room caused her to crash to the floor and just weep.
Who to call? She had lost her parents and that broke her heart. Now the man she loved was dead and gone, alone she thought who would put her through so much pain? The tiny white slip of paper caught her eye. It held the answer she hadn’t noticed it before. It sat alone under the lamp on her small dresser. Getting up and with a shaky hand she picks it up and looked at the cold black bold print words. It said, “Enjoy, love Feltus”. The man she heard so many horrifying things about did this. The only question now was why?
There were a thousand questions she had but why was the most prominent. She screamed and found the strength to move again. Releasing a shaken uneven breathe she reached for her cell phone charging in the corner. Looking at Diego a small hiccup left her tight throat. Calling Aaron Darkholme to alert him of the situation. She hung up the phone and dialed Frost who was still next door before asking him to come over. She quickly texted Caleb and Lucy there was no way she was returning to their world as she walked through the house.
All the memories she had with Diego she had left behind and now she waited in the front yard. Frost came up to her and she was still silently crying so he just held her into her finally able to release the painful words. Diego was dead and she needed to find this Feltus person. She would stop him from hurting any other families like he destroyed hers’. Ginger needed Frost to do one last thing for her and that was sell the house. No good memories could replace the precious last night she shared with Diego.
Aaron arrived with an ambulance in tow to take care of the body. He marched right over to the pair. Aaron nodded his head to Frost in acknowledgement and she gave her statement as best she could under the circumstances. Ginger waited while he wrapped up the report with a forgotten half drink cold cup of tea in her hand that Frost made. Thanks to Frost she didn‘t feel alone at the moment and asked him to use whatever money she had to pay all the expenses for Diego‘s funeral. Of course he replied he would take care of it.
She turned back to Aaron and pushed the one request she wasn’t ready to voice yet. It felt as if she was giving up but maybe this was the right move. She needed his help and Aaron smiled warmly before telling her that wouldn’t be a problem just let him get his people off the property. After the funeral they could move her in and Frost’s mouth hung open. She was moving in with him and his family. If Feltus was after her then she had friend in his daughter. Both were being hunted by this mad man so hopefully they could deal with this together.
Chapter 26:
A few days later Ginger was packed up and ready to leave her past behind. She never got her lunch with Frost and Hannah who helped pack her things. She stayed with Frost unable to go to the places she had come so familiar with and the house sold surprisingly quickly. Caleb and Lucy were sad when she told them the day of the funeral but Victor stayed neutral on the matter. Lucy had become a close friend and she felt guilt for thinking Lucy might have killed her parents.
Lucy had read her mind and said, “I owe you my life so a little misunderstanding is a small price to pay”.
&n
bsp; Ginger smiled when Lucy hugged her goodbye and promised to keep in touch. She would and not isolate herself like she did before when she lost her parents. She packed her journals and a few keep says to stay in the spare room she had occupied the past week. Frost’ parents were so supportive and she thanked them a lot.
Diego was gone and to meet his parents at his funeral was the last straw. In the back of her head that may be the part of her reason she needed a fresh start. To move past all this pain and find some sort of happiness.
It was Malcolm who told her before she left that living her life and trying to be happy was something her parents would want for her. That made sense and she thanked him but a small part of her was glad to leave. So much had happened to her that she needed distance to try and reclaim all that was taken from her. On the drive to his place Aaron got a call and he hit speaker.
Stacey says, “I needed a ride”.
Aaron was about to refuse when Ginger stated she didn’t mind so he headed to North Hollywood to pick up his daughter and her bestfriend from a museum.