No, I was definitely not moving.
“Are you going to get that?” he asked quietly.
I pushed my face harder against his chest, “No. No I’m not going to get that.”
He laughed a little and the sound echoed deep in his chest, making me smile and eased more of that built up tension.
“Do you want me to get that?” he asked, still a hint of a laugh remaining in his voice.
“No, absolutely not,” my shirt muffled voice exclaimed.
The sound reverberated through the house, louder this time, the voice of someone yelling my name between the loud pounding.
“You know he’s not just going to go away.” He tried to pull my face away from him so he could look me in the eyes. I refused to move and pushed against him to keep my face buried. “Trystie, why won’t you answer him? What happened?”
The tone in his voice let me know he knew something was up.
He tried again to move me, but I still wouldn’t let him.
With my face still pressed against him, I answered his question. “I just don’t want to see him right now. Maybe he’ll think we’re not here and he’ll leave.”
As if in response to my statement, the yelling got louder outside. “Trystie, I know you’re home. Jayson’s truck is in the driveway. I’m not going anywhere until you come down here and talk to me!”
Jayson gave a sort of grunt and stroked the back of my head. “So much for your brilliant plan. I don’t know what happened, and I have a bad feeling it is something I am not going to like, but if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. But we need to do something about him standing outside, banging on the door. What would Justin and Kimber think coming home at two a.m. to find a frozen seventeen year old on their front porch?”
I smiled against his chest at the thought of Halo standing outside and freezing his ass off. But I knew Jayson had a point, that I couldn’t let him stand out there, which I had a feeling he really would do. Plus, if he was still there when Kimber and Justin got home from there late night out, I might actually be in trouble, if anything, just for being rude enough to allow him to sit there and do nothing about it.
I took a deep breath, breathing in his wonderful warm and comforting scent and sat up. “Fine. But stay up here, okay? If I need you I’ll yell.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I put up my hand in protest. “Please Jayson, let me handle it myself. I need to do this, myself.”
I just inched my way off the bed, when Jayson grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him in the darkness. Only a sliver of light peeked above the horizon.
“I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t like it, but I will try to respect whatever it is you want me to do. So please get me if you need me.” He bent and brushed his lips across my cheek.
Than I was headed down the stairs toward the front door and… Halo.
I opened the door to find Halo sitting in the wicker chair, parked right next to the door. As the front door opened, he jumped up, wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm.
“What do you want, Halo?” I asked quickly, my hand braced on the edge of the door and ready to slam it in his face.
“Can you at least let me in? It’s freezing out here.” I watched as a shiver raked him, his breath leaving little puffs of white in the air.
“You could just leave and go home, I’m sure it’s nice and warm there.”
His eyes widened in shock, than narrowed. I honestly hope he didn’t think it would be that easy, but apparently he did. “Are you seriously not going to let me in? We have work to do, this isn’t just about us.”
“No, I am seriously not going to let you in and there is no us, Halo.”
“Maybe not right now,” he said, not looking so cold anymore as his arms dropped away and he took a large step toward me, way closer than I wanted him to be. “But there will be.” He reached his hand up, dragging his fingers over my cheek, than left. No fighting, no arguing, nothing. He just walked away and I watched, in disbelief, as his black BMW drove down the dark driveway and disappeared.
I opened my eyes to find it was still dark out. I sat up and looked around the room and saw nothing at all, only a slight glow of the moon from around my lowered shades. I felt someone move around in my bed and I jumped, realizing the second I turned that Jayson was still here. Here to keep me safe. I smiled at his back, feeling completely relieved at his remembered presence. I slowly slipped out of bed and made my way across the room, quietly, toward my door. I desperately needed a drink. I turned the handle and slid out the door into the hallway, checking to make sure I didn’t wake Jayson as I went.
The door softly clicked when it closed and I turned around to find I was no longer standing in the hallway of my house. In fact, I wasn’t in my house at all. Nothing but dark foggy woods stood before me. I could hear the bugs and the slight crunch of leaves and snow as animals ran around in the dark.
My heart froze in my chest and I couldn’t breathe. I turned quickly to grasp my door handle and run back to my room, but when I turned, the door was no longer there, only more of this vast dark forest. I panicked, spinning in circles trying to find a direction to run, but everything looked the same and there was no light coming from any one direction. There was no light at all, anywhere.
I stopped myself from spinning around and sat hard on the cold, snow covered earth, grabbing my head in my hands.
Think stupid, think!
I inhaled deeply and lifted my head to calmly look around again, to figure out my next move, when I realized all the noise in the forest had gone. No more bugs, no more animals, not even a gust a wind.
Nothing.
I stood up slowly, my eyes unfocused on any particular spot but more aware of everything around me. I dusted the lingering flecks of snow from my thin sweats and pulled my arms in around me, covering what I could of my exposed, tee-shirt wearing arms.
Cautiously, I looked around, through the dense fog and the dark woods. My foot moved forward and took a small step away. I felt the small tingling in the back of my brain, screaming, telling me, don’t move! Just stay and wait. But there was something else inside me, probably a deep down curiosity and thrill of this danger –no matter how stupid it was- that excited me and pushed me forward. Before I knew it the small space that I had started in was no longer in sight and I was deep within the darkness.
For a reason unknown, I stopped walking, stood there motionless and looked around. Again, I felt something, something telling me to stop and look, really see what was there in the dark.
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply and slowly let it out, feeling my rapid heartbeat pounding in my chest. When I opened my eyes, I tried to see things differently than I had before, looked for things I wouldn’t normally see.
It was there I saw it, in the shadows. Just a slightly darker outline of a person. No visible features apparent within the dark folds of shadow.
I knew deep down that seeing anything in this forest should have set off some kind of warning alarm, but it didn’t. I was nervous, sure, but again my curiosity would get the better of me, and I started walking toward the shadows.
“Hello?” I said as I stopped a good distance away. I may be curious but I wasn’t stupid.
The phantom hesitated a second than took a step forward. “I’ve been waiting for you.” it said still clinging to the shadows.
I raised a tentative eyebrow. “Really? And how did you know I was coming?”
He gave a small throaty laugh. “Because you always do. Because I wanted you to.”
There was something about his voice that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put a finger on exactly who he sounded like and I still couldn’t see him. I refused to move any closer and he wouldn’t leave his safety in the shadows. “Why?” To what question I wanted answered, I don’t even know.
He smiled in the comfort of his surroundings. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his satisfaction, like I had said exactly what he wanted. “Turn around.”
/>
I waited, looking at him, unsure if I should turn my back on him to look at whatever was behind me. I considered it for a moment, than slowly spun around.
At the moment my movement finished, a girl about my age began to walk toward me. She was definitely taller than me, with long, attention grabbing legs. Her long wavy blonde hair swept over her shoulders, almost reaching her slender waist and very vibrant hazel eyes, but it was her smile that you immediately noticed. It was a genuine smile, a smile that when you saw it, not matter what mood you were in, you wanted to smile with her.
I had no clue who she was, or why I was brought here to see her, so I stayed where I was and watched her come toward me.
When she was no more than ten feet away, the air around her changed, becoming more dense. Her breath taking smile began to falter, her stride became pained and slow and her eyes got an almost haunted look in them. Before I knew it, she was on the snow covered ground, crawling and reaching out toward me.
“Help me.” It came out as nothing more than a whisper, but it felt like she had screamed it in my ear.
As I watched, frozen in my place unable to even lift my hand to hers, her skin drained of all color, becoming pasty and covered with death. She was only a foot away from me, reaching up, begging for help, when all her strength dissolved. She toppled over off her knees, landing on her side. I watched in horror as she let out a shaky breath and all life died from her eyes.
I stared at her lifeless body, trying to slow my heartbeat, calm my breathing. I closed my eyes and looked over her, into the woods surrounding us.
What had just happened?
I whirled around to face the one who brought me here, to ask why he wanted me to see this. But when I turned, he was no longer there. As hard as I focused on the shadows surrounding me and the trees, he was nowhere to be found.
I bolted upright, my sheets burrowed around me. I was drenched in sweat and trying to catch my breath. I looked around my dark room, seeing nothing but the slight light from the moon drifting in around my curtains.
I felt an arm wrap around my waist and jumped at the cool, unexpected touch. “You’re okay,” he said, pulling me into the warmth of his chest. “You’re alright. It’s alright. I’m here.”
I leaned against him, feeling the comfort of his arms around me, his presence, when I absolutely needed it, and closed my eyes, taking deep, slow breaths.
Jayson was right, I was alright and he was there. It was just a bad dream. Another bad dream. The thing was, this time I woke up remembering. Everything.
Jayson slowly pulled us backward against the pillows. He kept me close, tight against his chest. I could feel his heart racing. Concern?
I found myself lying there, listening to his heart pound and slowly return to a normal pace. His arms flexed around my back and he laid a soft kiss on the top of my head. I expected him to say something, ask me what was wrong, anything. But nothing came. I realized then how much I truly did care for him, how much he cared for me. I hoped he always stayed in my life because I really did depend on him, I really did love him.
I stayed still, wrapped in my blankets and Jayson’s rich woodsy scent. Everything about him calmed me and I felt if I moved, even a little bit, the feeling would dissolve, leaving me empty.
His arm slowly rubbed, comfortingly, up and down my arm and I closed my eyes, never wanting the feeling to end.
“Trystie?” He whispered so softly I could barely hear him mere inches away. Even though I heard, I didn’t answer. “I love you,” he whispered again, no louder than he had before.
And I fell sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
I woke up late the next morning to the sound of Saturday Cartoons playing softly on my TV, a strong arm holding me tight to a warm chest. I laid there for a little while with my eyes still closed, not wanting him to notice I was awake yet.
I heard a rumble deep in his chest as he fought back a laugh. Without opening my eyes I said, “You are such a child.”
“Forever, at heart.” He said, followed by another rumble of laughter. “Did I wake you up?”
“No, I’ve been awake.”
I felt him shift a little away from me and I forced my eyes open to look up at him. He had maneuvered himself in a way so he could see my face. “You’ve been awake? How long have you been awake?”
“I don’t know. At least a couple minutes, I guess. Why is that important?”
I saw as he opened his mouth to say something, than must have thought better and closed it on his response. Instead he laughed. “Here I was trying not to make noise or even move because I didn’t want to wake you, when you were up. I could have been rolling around on the ground, laughing, by now.”
“No body said you needed to hold on to me all night Jayson,” I said as I pulled his arm out from under me and threw off the covers to get up. “If fact, you’re lucky you even got to sleep in my ridiculously comfortable bed. I should have made your ass sleep on the floor.” I got up and started toward my bathroom. I wasn’t sure why, but his response somehow hit a nerve. Maybe it was being treated like a frightened child.
He didn’t say anything as I walked into the bathroom and lightly closed the door. I brushed my teeth and washed my face and still felt…
Confused, I shucked off my clothes and turned on my shower. I hopped under the hot, steaming water and just sat there as the water pounded on my head, pouring over my face. Slowly, I let the water wash away my tension and fear.
After a few minutes, I heard a light knock on the door. When I didn’t respond, I heard the door click open and a slight breeze swirled in sending goose bumps over my naked skin.
“Trystie, Can I come in?”
“No, Jayson. I’m in the shower.”
“That’s not what I meant. Please?”
“The least you could do is close the door. You’re letting in a cold breeze and it doesn’t feel good.”
The door made another soft click and the room began to fill with the steam once again, sending my goose flesh away with a wash of heat.
“So? What was so important you needed to come in here while I’m in the shower?”
After a short silence I heard him sigh. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For what, exactly?”
“I don’t know, for being an insensitive asshole, I guess.”
“It doesn’t sound like you’re really all that sure.” I shut off the water and rung the excess water out of my hair. “Will you turn around, please?”
I peeked around the corner and saw he had done as I asked. Without pushing the curtain completely open, I reached around and grabbed my towel off its hanger and wrapped it around myself. Upon flinging the curtain completely open, I noticed Jayson’s very apparent smirk reflected in the foggy mirror.
“What exactly is so funny?” I asked, a little annoyed.
“That you asked me to turn around.”
“Why the hell is that funny?” I pulled the towel tighter and it only processed to make his smile wider.
“You know, I have seen you with a lot less on than a towel.”
“That may or may not be true, but that doesn’t mean I should run around naked in your presence all the time, Jayson.” I gave him a dirty look and proceeded to open the door to get some clothes.
“Maybe not, but I sure wouldn’t mind.”
As irritated as I was not more than ten minutes ago, it must have leaked away somewhere during my shower because his smart ass response did nothing but make me smile.
A half hour later I was dressed and downstairs making a very late breakfast. I had noticed, when I first came down, there was a note on the table from Kimber and Justin explaining they had decided to make their Friday night date into a long weekend thing, that they would be back late Sunday night and to call them if needed. I just shrugged and pushed the note away wishing I could just say, “Hey, let’s get away for the weekend. Where should we go!” But I knew I couldn’t do that. Who’s running away from their problems? No
t me.
Just as the food was ready, I heard Jayson come running down the stairs and vault into the closest chair.
“What’s for breakfast?” he asked leaning back in his chair, the front legs lifting off the ground. “I’m starving!”
“Scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon and home-fries.” I said as I walked over to hand him his full plate.
“I so could get used to this,” he said reaching out as I handed him a big glass of orange juice.
“Don’t get your hopes up.” I said sitting down across from him and flipping on the little flat screen in the kitchen. All he did in response was look up and give me that breath taking smile he had, just before stuffing a mouth full of eggs in his mouth.
I shook my head and turned my attention to my food as a news update took over the screen. What I heard caused my throat to close and my home-fries to get lodged in my throat on the way down. I coughed hard, and took a drink quickly while fumbling for the remote volume.
“Early last night the parents of a young Newtown student’s parents made a call to the local police about the possible disappearance of their daughter, Sable Woodsley.” The local news reporter announced. “The police were reluctant to begin an official search for the young girl due to the short amount of time she had been missing and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.”
I glanced over at Jayson who seemed to be watching the news flash with little emotion. I, on the other hand, felt sick to my stomach. I wasn’t quite sure yet, but something wasn’t right.
“The seventeen year old Junior at Newtown High School was last seen going to her room after dinner around six forty-five last evening with the promise to work on an on-going school project. According to police reports, her father went up to her room around seven thirty and she was no longer there.” The screen switched to a picture of the Woodsley home, then to a side view of the house. “Her parent’s continue to state that she did not come downstairs to leave and leaving threw her window, pictured here on the top floor, is seemingly impossible without severely bodily damage.”
Beautiful Nightmare Page 26