Garrison stuck his hand out.
“What?”
“Don’t leave home without this. Technology makes life much easier.” He handed me my cell.
“Yeah, thanks.” I shoved it in my pocket.
Kaleb came closer, placing his large hand under my chin, he tilted my head so I looked him in the face. “Don’t doubt your worth, Shanntal. You are everything to us and you mean something to everyone here. You’re the change that we’ve been waiting for and it’s why we stand by you and why we’d die to defend you. We’ve all made and will continue making sacrifices so you live. We need you here with us.”
I felt his sincerity. “Thank you Kaleb, it means a lot knowing you think so highly of me. I’m grateful to have someone so loyal and true in my life.” I smiled at his large mass.
I considered Kaleb the older brother I’d always wanted. He was nurturing and caring, everything I imagined an older brother would be. He always looked out for my best interests. Garrison felt more like a younger brother that always tagged along. We loved each other, but weren’t able to speak about our feelings as openly. I loved having him around, though I secretly preferred the conversation and company Kaleb provided.
Garrison grabbed Kaleb by his sleeve and the two rejoined the others. I figured they were giving me some time to process everything. I swirled my feet in the sand drawing broken hearts with the tip of my shoe, thinking about all the people that had been hurt because of me and all the sacrifices they’d made. Why did they do it? What was so special about me? Tears were beginning to swell in my eyes and I was really getting tired of crying all the time. Ever since I’d lost my family it was all I ever seemed to do. I let out a sigh; even they died because of me. I was much more trouble than I was worth. Maybe everyone would be better off if I just disappeared.
Someone grabbed my arm and held me back as I started to walk away. “It’s not safe for you to leave. You’ll just cause yourself more trouble and grief if you go.”
I turned to see that it was Jayce. I felt confused by his gesture. Did this mean he wanted me to stay? Did he forgive me? I looked into his deep brown eyes, expecting they would answer my questions, expecting they’d tell me he’d forgiven me and wanted me back forever. Instead he looked away. He couldn’t stand to look me in the face. A few days ago we’d meant everything to each other and now we couldn’t even carry on a simple conversation and look one another in the eye.
“I have to leave, Jayce. Don’t you understand? I can’t handle this anymore. It’s all too much. How much guilt and pain do I have to suffer through in order to make you understand? I’m so incredibly tired of hurting and don’t want to cause any more pain.” I pulled my arm away from his reach.
“Shanntal, don’t do this. Please.”
I couldn’t bring myself to listen to him. My mind was made up. Leaving was the best way to fix things. “I’m really sorry. I never meant to hurt you or anyone else. I never meant for any of this.”
“Then stay and sort it out. Make things right for everyone. Make all our sacrifices worthwhile.”
“Jayce, I don’t know how to!”
“Don’t quit, Shanntal, you can’t just walk away from this. What will you prove by doing that? How will you fix anything? This won’t go away by itself, you need to face it.”
“Don’t you get it? I never wanted… I never asked for any of this. I’m sorry! What more do you want from me?” I screamed. I couldn’t keep my voice down. I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. I looked away and saw everyone in the group had now turned towards me.
Their silence was more than enough, the final straw. I reached my breaking point; the tears and rage took over. I couldn’t hold them back any longer. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, I took off running down the beach. I was going to go far away. I’d leave them all behind. I hadn’t asked any of them to look after me and couldn’t deal with this growing guilt from all their sacrifices and losses. I didn’t want anyone else hurt because of me. Come what may, I’d deal with my fate, my destiny, all on my own.
I was halfway down the beach tromping over the debris and heading towards the parking stalls. I tripped over a log and slammed down hard on the gravel. Cringing in pain, I looked back to see if anyone had noticed. Sure enough, they were all watching. This fueled my anger. I picked myself back up and kept on running. I didn’t have a car, but decided running on asphalt would be easier than on sand. As soon as I hit the pavement I ran full tilt. My rage gave me unexpected speed and endurance.
About a third of the way up the big hill I had no choice but to slow down. I could barely breathe. I gasped for air and slowed my pace to a mere walk. Walking would be the only way possible to make it to the top of the hill and now that I was able to think rationally, I was even angrier with myself.
When I made mistakes I tended to do them big. Do it big or don’t bother, was what my father always said. Stand up for what you believe is right because everything worthwhile is worth a good fight. A good fight? Ha! Now that was ironic. I wasn’t fighting. I was, alone, running away, being nothing but a coward. This wasn’t what he’d taught me. I moved off to the side when I heard a car coming. A black shiny vehicle pulled alongside me.
“Cooled off yet?” Jayce leaned over the passenger seat.
I felt sweaty and defeated. My tantrum had left me pretty much exhausted. I took a deep breath, opened the car door and got in. I was going to face this here and now. No more running away.
Jayce surprised me by not heading back towards the beach. Instead, he drove in the opposite direction and turned down a different road. I trusted him enough to find out where we were going once we got there.
He pulled the car over by a small boat ramp sitting in-between a bunch of greenery. I thought we were going to keep going, but he managed to park perfectly in the middle of two bushes. I looked over, wondering what he was up to. He shut off the engine and we sat there, stuck in the car surrounded by leaves and branches.
I felt so nervous. I couldn’t move or speak as I waited patiently, wondering what was going to happen next. We sat for a long while, neither of us saying a word. The quiet made me more uncomfortable. I picked at my fingernails, played with a strand of hair, looked out the window. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Why did you bring me here, Jayce?” I said, my tone low, hesitant.
He took a minute before looking at me. Desperation was written across his face, putting a lump in my throat. I fought the urge. I wasn’t going to cry. I had no right.
“I’m not sure how to act around you anymore,” he said. “Things have become so different.”
I didn’t say a word.
He looked out the window as he fidgeted with the steering wheel for a minute. Then, he let out a sigh.
“Jayce…”
“Why did you pick him over me?” he said, cutting me off. “You don’t really think you love him, do you? He’s controlling you. Don’t you see that? You’re just a puppet. Nothing more.”
This wasn’t going to get us anywhere. He was too hurt and apparently I was still too mad. We’d just end up saying things we’d regret if we had this conversation now. I tried opening my door to take some time to cool off, but couldn’t because of how he parked. Bushes sat right outside my door, pinning it closed. There was no escape.
“Perfect!” I huffed, sitting back in my seat. I wasn’t going anywhere in the near future, so this was going to come to blows here and now. At least there was one thing about this that made it feel right: I was about to accept responsibility for the pain I’d put him through.
“Jayce, I’ve already said I was sorry. I’ve tried to explain why I did what I did the best way I possibly could. I felt obligated because he saved me. I made a wrong decision. I’m not perfect. I’m sorry it hurt you, but you must know this hurt me too. Do you think I liked doing this? Do you think I enjoyed watching you get hurt?” I tried to keep my voice calm, but there was a growing sharpness I couldn’t avoid.
He looked awa
y, but not before I saw the look upon his face. My comments clearly hurt him more.
Frustrated, I said the first thing that came to mind. “Honestly, how much is one person supposed to endure? I think I’ve filled the bad luck quota for at least ten lives now.” I rolled my eyes and turned my head away so I no longer faced him. I stared out at the greenery filling up the space around my window. I traced my finger along some of the leaves.
We sat quietly for a few minutes. Then, he spoke softly. “I loved you, Shanntal, with all my heart and soul.”
I looked over at him.
“I thought you were my other half, the part that would make me whole. Guess I was mistaken.” His head sunk down as he looked away.
“Jayce, words aren’t going to fix this. We’re both saying things we don’t really mean. You’re hurt because of me and I am hurt because of everything else. Connect to me. Look inside. See what I see, feel what I feel. Maybe it will help explain better than words.” I wasn’t going to back down until he tried. Connecting might be our last chance to fix things.
I felt him connect, and I felt thankful. He was back inside my thoughts and I felt him all around me. There was a sense of satisfaction knowing he felt everything I did. This would help him understand. I thought back to everything that had happened since we’d parted ways. I ran through every single detail, no matter how big or small, just so he knew what I’d been through while I was away from him. I wanted him to know that he was never far from my thoughts.
He witnessed the argument with my uncle and how I found out that he’d known all along that I was an immortal. Then when I was crying and running out of the house, escaping from everyone. I let him feel the confusion and betrayal so he could understand how lonesome and alone I felt. Then, I called out for Daray.
As he experienced this, his calm face changed to a hard line. I ignored him and kept on going to when we had flown through the air. Next, I showed Jayce the horrible rundown house and how unwelcoming my reception was once inside. His hard expression now grew angry.
I wasn’t about to stop because of his reaction. I let him view the dungeon and revealed the prisoners. I showed him how Daray had pulled out my ring and he watched as I turned him down. He continued to view as Daray stormed out of the room and how I became nothing more than another prisoner in the house. I showed him how Layla broke through the window to rescue me. Lastly, I brought up all the thoughts I had about him. I needed him to know how many times he crossed my mind while we were apart.
I felt him leave, taking a piece of my heart with him. I looked over nervously as I anxiously waited for him to say something, to say anything. I hoped he understood how much I really loved him and how hurt I was by being away from him.
“I’m sorry for adding to your problems.” He looked me in the face now as he spoke.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know. Besides, I think I’m the one to blame here.” I looked down.
“I had it all wrong, I’ll admit it. I should’ve connected instead of just imagining what was going on.” He lifted my face, “I’m sorry I left you alone. I should have supported you better while you tried to get this figured out.”
He said everything I wanted, except… telling me he still loved me and wanted to be with me.
“Now I suppose you understand what I meant by how much can one person endure.”
From the look on his face I felt confident he got it now. I didn’t feel or see any of his emotions or memories while we were connected. I was too busy trying to explain my side of the story. I wasn’t quite sure how he felt and it made me feel uneasy.
Jayce leaned over closer and picked up my hand, gently entwining his fingers with mine. A warm tingling sensation took over my body. His penetrating stare remained focused as he looked deep in my eyes. He moved in closer until he was only a few inches away from my face. I felt his warmth. Everything in me began feeling right. It felt the way I did before all of this happened, but I couldn’t let my excitement show. He wasn’t finished and I didn’t want to be mixing up any signals. I needed him to say the words.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to keep him away from you. I’m sorry your whole world has changed again. One good thing did come from all of this, you now know who you really are.” He ran his fingers over my arm and slipped them back into my hand.
Tingles shocked me everywhere his fingers touched. He made me melt. All the anger and resentment I’d felt earlier were gone. I felt alive again. I needed Jayce in my life; he was my cure, my light.
He let go of my hand, started up the car and began backing out. I smiled as I looked over at him. Without warning he reached over and slammed the car into park. My body jerked from the sudden halt. He leaned in, kissing me hard on my lips, wrapping his fingers in my hair and pulling me closer to him.
The sweet sting of his kiss took me by surprise. I’d almost forgotten how it felt. I didn’t ever want him to stop. I wanted him to kiss me forever. He broke away when things began getting pretty heated. I flushed red; at least one of us had the will to do so.
He wore the biggest smile and looked over at me now. Oh, how I missed it. I loved how such a simple thing could brighten up my life. Who was I kidding? I loved everything about him. I pulled him back over by the scruff of his shirt and kissed him again. “I love you, Jayce. I always have and always will.”
“I’ll always love you too.” He squeezed my hand tightly. He gave me a wink as he reached his left hand over awkwardly, taking the car out of park. He didn’t let go of my hand for a second. Even when it took him a second to change gears, he held my hand tight.
We made our way back to the beach where we found the others right where we’d left them. I felt quite embarrassed for how I’d acted before. Garrison and Kaleb both smiled when they saw me and Jayce approaching. Once we were no more than a few feet away from the group Jayce suddenly stopped. I almost crashed into his back because I’d pulled myself behind him, trying to hide until I could figure out what to say to everyone for my earlier behavior. “Jayce?”
He spun around and grabbed onto me as he pulled me in closer to a locked embrace. I smiled, all my worries disappeared. I’d forgotten about the others standing there when he kissed me again on my lips. As he pulled his lips away from mine, he whispered in my ear, “I love you, Shanntal, know that I will for eternity.”
Smiles greeted us and I couldn’t help but smile back. Standing hand in hand with him I beamed, happiness radiated off me. Everyone else also appeared to be in visibly better moods. Even Aiden smiled at us.
I looked around our circle and noticed that we had some guests. There were three faces I didn’t recognize. Two females and a massive male had joined since my departure. Layla introduced them.
“Shanntal and Jayce, I would like to introduce you to Allayna, Kynthia and last, but obviously not least, Kael.”
The newcomers all had similar purple eyes. Allayna was the blonde. She was slightly on the chubbier side, not fat, just built bigger than most girls. She was quite pretty, but not exotic looking like Layla.
Kynthia was the exact opposite of Allayna. Thin, tall, with jet-black hair falling in her face. She nervously bit her lip, her eyes shifting back and forth as she checked everyone out. The poor girl jumped at every little sound and looked like she wanted to just shy away and go back into the world where she could walk alone.
Kael, now he was a force to be reckoned with. Built like a barge, he was absolutely the largest, most muscular being I’d ever met. Muscles bulged off every inch of his well-developed body. He looked as if he could crush a tree between two fingers. He’d be quite frightening if it wasn’t for his sandy brown hair and big toothy smile.
Thanks to them arriving, we now had a better chance. The more help we had on our side, the better. Daray needed to be stopped and as long as he roamed, there was the danger of him coming between Jayce and me.
The day passed quickly, as it usually did when I was around Jayce. The sun was beginning to set and Aiden decided it
would be best if we retreated back to their house for the night. As long as everyone was together, we had a better chance of a peaceful evening. Everyone agreed to meet back at the house.
As we headed towards the car, I felt excited. I’d never been to where Jayce lived and wanted to see what it was like. Was it a normal house? Or was it a rundown shack like the one Daray lived in?
Jayce drove and after a while, we came upon a long winding driveway located on the edge of town. Trees lined the asphalt, while flowerpots with bright blossoms were placed sporadically along the winding road. We followed the drive until it led us up to a beautiful home. The large house had four white pillars, two on either side of the dual front doors.
Jayce and I were the first ones to arrive. He parked just beside the steps leading up to the front door. He walked over to grab my hand as I made my way out of the car. We walked together up the front steps and he snuck a quick kiss.
Escaped the Night Page 13