by Nicole Thorn
“I need a good view of my subject, Lamb. Sit still,” he said without his eyes leaving the paper in front of him. I watched for a few minutes as he made the basic shapes of a human being and slowly started adding detail. He meticulously added soft lines for the curves of my face. He spent the most time on my lips—no surprise. He erased and redrew them at least three times. He said he needed to get them perfect.
I looked down at the stick figure I was drawing and frowned. I clearly didn’t get my biological mothers artistic skills. A child could probably have done a better job than me. But any art skills I had weren’t in sketching. I could almost paint my way out of a paper bag, but even that wasn’t very good. Hale was talented though. It made sense that he chose this as his elective.
“My goodness,” Mrs. Lore said when she was making her rounds. “That is lovely.”
“Thank you,” Hale said like he only half heard her. He was too focused on the sketch. And I was focused on not blushing at the attention he was giving me.
“Clearly you excel when you have the proper muse,” she added.
A crooked smile appeared on his face. “Very true. I happen to have the most beautiful subject one can have. Almost a pity that I’m the only one who gets her.”
Must not run from embarrassment… Must stay strong.
Mrs. Lore went back to walking the room and I relaxed just a little. I could handle Hale staring at me, that was nothing new. But I didn’t like other people noticing me. It was uncomfortable. He was the only thing that could make me feel comfortable in my own skin.
Hale set his picture down, covering it either from me or from the world. Then he scooted his chair right next to mine. He leaned over and looked at what I was doing. He had the decency not to laugh. “Who might that be?”
I squinted my eyes at it. “I don’t know. But I hope he pulls himself together soon.”
He lightly laughed before he put his feet up on the table and went back to his sketch.
I was trying hard to not think about what might happen tonight. I’m sure Hale was doing the same. We were stuck pretending that everything was okay just to keep up appearances. One wrong move and Miller could catch on to us.
We still haven’t heard from Dottie and that wasn’t helping my worry. She ducked out on lunch again and I had no clue where the Hell she was. I had half a mind to have Hale call her. Since he had her number… But if I did that then I’d guarantee that he’d have to be thinking about it again. At least like this there was a chance that he was thinking about more pleasant things.
Unfortunately, the boy knew me too well. He asked me, “Are you worried?”
I couldn’t lie to him. He’d know, and he deserved better than that. “I’m worried about how this is all going to go down. If Dottie talked her dad down don’t you think she would have found us by now?”
He pressed his lips to my shoulder. “Don’t lose hope. There’s a fair chance this will all work out. We’ll find her before we go home.”
I nodded. “Okay. You’re right.” I just needed to calm down. I was prone to panic and it was showing.
I glanced at Hale and he was back to his sketch. His face was calm and I stared at him until I felt calm too. It worked, surprisingly. He had a talent for settling me and he remained unaware of it.
We finished up class and trudged onto Gym. Jenna decided that it would be a baseball day. And she wanted to put Hale and I on different teams.
“No way,” I crossed my arms so I couldn’t throw my red vest at her. “Why should we?”
She sighed. “So I can get you to actually play.”
I looked over at Hale, who had no problem letting me fight this alone. He was too easy going. I’d need to fix that. “I’ll play properly if you let us play together.”
“You keep forgetting that I’m the teacher here. If I keep letting you guys screw around then all of the kids are gonna start and I’ll have a mutiny on my hands. The year is almost half over, can you just cut me a break.”
“Why should I? You’re making me play against my boyfriend. How is it gonna make him feel when I kick his ass?”
Hale turned to me with amusement. “Now who’s cocky?”
I set a hand on my hip. “Do you want to be on different teams?”
He shrugged. “We’re only playing for a half hour. And what I’d rather be doing isn’t an option.”
I felt like his whole goal in life was to make me blush. But thankfully Jenna pretended not to understand what he was talking about. She’s known me forever and I think the idea of me with a boy is a little weird for her. She saw me and Hadley like little sisters.
“Fine,” I threw my hands up. “I’ll do what you want, Jay. But as revenge, I’m playing with full demon strength. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I marched off to my team’s side and Hale went to his.
Traitor.
My team was the first to play in the field and I was on third base. The first two people up to bat didn’t even hit the ball. Then Hale stepped up to the plate. He smiled at me like he hadn’t just let me lose against Jenna. He’d regret that later.
When the pitcher threw the ball Hale had no problem making contact. It flew through the air and past the pitcher and the guy on second base. I stayed where I was because my revenge would come soon enough. Hale ran and got to second base before the ball was retrieved. He smirked at me from his spot and I didn’t give him any attention.
Next up was Kenna. She looked pissed off to be here and I took great joy in seeing that. She still hadn’t bounced back from Luc’s perfect dissection of her. I was starting to think she never would.
The ball was gently lobbed to her and…it hit her square in the nose. I snickered while she yelled out obscenities to the pitcher and Jenna.
“Shut up and take your walk, Kenna!” Jenna yelled back at her, making her stop. She stomped her foot and did as she was told.
Hale walked over to my base and tried to kiss me on the cheek, but I dodged him. When he looked at me with betrayal, I said, “No touching. We’re on opposite teams.”
His eyebrows shot up. “This from the girl who can’t seem to keep her hands off of me?”
“Ha,” I said it like was a word. “I do just fine keeping my hands off of you, redcoat. Wanna find out just how fine?”
He didn’t look worried. “How appropriate that we’re on third base since—” I covered his mouth with my hand.
“What the Hell is wrong with you?” I looked around to make sure no one heard him. I didn’t know exactly what he was going to say but I knew it would be embarrassing.
He bit my hand and I snatched it away. “I win,” he smiled.
Not even kind of…
When we switched sides I was second up to bat. Hale was right behind me at the plate, as catcher. He didn’t seem pleased with his placement but he didn’t complain. He did however, make a comment on how much he enjoyed the view when I stepped up. I turned around and stuck my tongue out at him. It only seemed to make things worse.
I focused on trying to make the ball disintegrate when it came time for me to hit it. I promised a show and I’d give em a show. The bat connected with the ball and I watched for about two full seconds as it ripped through the air and flew past everyone who was supposed to catch it. They ran after it and someone on my team yelled for me to run. So I took off. I ran around the bases and hit home before they even found the ball.
Hale stood up and dropped his mitt on the ground so he could snatch me by the hips. “I believe that calls for a congratulatory kiss. Don’t you agree?”
I crossed my arms as he held me in place. “Not so sure about that.”
“I can be sure enough for the both of us.”
I wiggled free of him and his eyes became even more playful. He looked like if I ran, he might chase me. Before I got the chance to find out, Jenna escorted me back to the dugout.
When class ended and Hale and I got dressed, we stood by his car while he tried to get a hold of Dottie. She wasn’t answer
ing her phone and I was starting to panic again.
“What are we supposed to do?” I asked as I was chewing on my thumbnail.
Hale slipped the phone into his pocket after his seventeenth attempt and scratched his head. “I’m not sure. I can see if Ethan has heard from her but I don’t want him involved in this.”
“Neither do I. Maybe she’s still talking to him.”
Hale didn’t appear to agree with me. I saw dread in his grey eyes. He was trying to figure this out on his own. My battle. I needed him as far from this as he could be.
“Maybe you should stay home tonight,” I suggested.
He looked at me like I was insane. “I don’t think so, Rory. I’m not going to sit in my bedroom waiting for a call from you saying that everything is handled. Or a call from your mother saying—” he stopped himself and fear crept into his voice. “It’s bad enough that I’m supposed to let you be alone when he comes to try and kill you.”
“Hale—”
“I know,” he nodded. “Human. Still, I can’t imagine how I’m supposed to just stand by and listen to you fighting for your life.”
I opened my mouth to respond but Hale’s phone cut me off. Without a second to think, he answered it and put it on speakerphone. “Yes?”
Dottie sighed on the other end, “Sorry, I’ve been busy.”
“I’m sure,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Got something to tell us?”
“I’ll just cut to the chase. I talked him down. He said he’s been a little off his rocker lately. He’s taking a couple weeks off work and we’re going to take a little vacation. You’re safe.”
Hale’s shoulders relaxed but I didn’t move. “Safe?”
“Yeah. We’re packing tonight and he’s putting in his notice at work tomorrow morning. Then we leave for Washington. He has a few old friends up there and I thought a visit might help him feel a little better. I think he’s gonna be okay.”
Was it horrible that I didn’t care about his mental health? He wanted to kill me, so I couldn’t gather the sympathy that I think she was looking for. In my head he was just a crazy bastard that hurt his daughter and my boyfriend.
“Where are you now?” I asked.
“In my room. I just started packing. Dad has some stuff to get for the trip. It’s all settled.” She sounded so sure of this. Even kind of happy. I’d never heard her like that before.
“That sounds nice, Dottie,” Hale said. “You’ll keep us updated on your father, right?”
“Of course. But honestly, I’m not sure we’re going to stay in town. We talked about moving last night. He wanted to stay until I finished school but I don’t really care about it. I’m going to try and convince him to start looking for places during Christmas break.”
Hale smiled. “I’m taking Rory home now. Thank you.”
“Yeah…I’m sorry about all of this. I didn’t know that I’d start all of this. But it’s over now.”
Hale hung up with her but I hardly noticed. This didn’t feel right. It couldn’t be this easy. Could a man Hell bent on revenge just change his mind like that? Maybe if his daughter was the one trying to get him to change his mind.
“Home?” Hale said to me.
“Uh, sure.” We got into his truck and my mind was fogged the whole way back.
Mom and Hadley seemed relieved by the news that my troubles were behind me. Hadley decided we should celebrate with alcohol and Mom decided that we wouldn’t be doing that.
“Pizza?” she asked us.
“Nah,” Hadley sighed. “I think we should go for something else. Maybe that new Italian place. I hear they have good bread.”
“We’re risking a new place cuz you want bread?” I laughed.
Her eyes darted around. “Maybe.”
“I don’t mind risking it,” Hale decided. “I’m a fan of bread.”
Hadley smiled wide. “Thank you, little brother…. in law…—sorta. I appreciate your support.”
“Glad to give it.”
“Super. Who’s coming with me? They don’t deliver, we’ve got to call ahead.”
I groaned but Mom said she’d go with her. Then she eyed us. “Maybe not. I’d be a bad mother if I left my daughter home alone with her boyfriend.”
Hadley snorted. “Aw come on, Mom. What are they gonna do in a half hour? Nothing good.”
“Very true,” Hale sighed. “A half hour is nothing at all. A blink, really.”
Ah. So much fun hearing my family talk with my boyfriend about sex. Not mortifying at all. Nope. Not even kind of. Damn it.
“We done now?” I rocked up on the balls of my feet.
“Aww,” Hadley half hugged me. “I remember being shy about sex. Once you start doing it all the time it makes you a lot less uptight about it.”
I groaned and wished for a second I were dead. “I look forward to it,” I said sarcastically.
Mom just shook her head. “I guess that dream I had of you dying a virgin isn’t gonna happen.”
My cheeks burned and Hadley said, “That’s a terrible thing to wish on someone. You should be happy that Aurora found someone to screw her every which way but loose.”
My mouth dropped open and even Hale managed to blush a little. “Jesus, Had…”
“Bit much,” Mom said as her eyes studied the tile in the kitchen. “Maybe we should just go now.”
And they did.
Hale and I recovered in the living room while we waited for Mom and Hadley to get back. We decided to just go ahead and pretend that Hadley didn’t say any of the stuff that she did in fact say. It was less embarrassing that way.
I’m gonna need revenge for this.
Hale and I were sitting on the couch while we were waiting. The TV wasn’t on, nor was any music. I was pretty sure we were playing a game of who would jump who first. I was always the one who lost that game, so I was determined to not lose this time.
I started tapping my foot on the floor in anticipation and anxiousness. Then I was actually on the floor. Hale had my legs around him and his face was buried in my neck.
All was going well until Brom Bones decided to join us. He hopped onto Hale’s back and it made him burst out into laughter. He moved enough so that we weren’t attached anymore.
The cat started meowing loudly at us, like he was yelling. His hair was standing on end as he went on.
“That cat had some awful timing,” Hale sighed with his forehead against my chest. “How do I get him off of me?”
“You need to just stand up. He’ll go to sleep if you don’t.”
He did as I said and Brom Bones nearly had a heart attack. I’d never seen him react like that before. He hissed and took off running.
“What the Hell is his problem?” I said when I got up.
“Too much catnip?”
“Maybe. I need to find him and make sure he’s okay. He never hisses at people.” I started walking up the stairs and Hale followed me to Hadley’s room. It was where Brom Bones always went when he was freaked out.
And the damn window was open.
I cursed under my breath. “I know he went in here,” I said as I searched the room. He wasn’t one to go outside, but he was nowhere to be found. We searched the rest of the house and still couldn’t find him.
“We should look outside,” Hale said. “I imagine Hadley would be quite upset if she came home and he was gone again.”
He had a point. We left through the front door and it was pitch black outside. Typically there would be street lights on but for whatever reason, they were out.
“You go left and I go right?” Hale asked.
“Sure. We can meet up in ten minutes,” I kissed him goodbye and we split up.
I started down the dark street looking for the cat. My mind wasted no time going back to that night with the gun. It didn’t take me long to regret separating from Hale. I think I was a little scared of the dark. If I were holding his hand this would be a lot less scary.
I calle
d for the cat but I didn’t hear him anywhere. Just the wind blowing against the trees. The leaves were falling and I could hear them crunching under the feet of people or other animals.
I kept on down the sidewalk until I heard glass breaking under me. I looked to my feet and I could barely see what it was. I thought maybe a beer bottle. I pulled out my phone and shined a light on it.
The glass was odd. Like that of a headlight on a car. There wasn’t much, just a few large shards. It was spread around a ten foot radius, like it fell. I looked up and shined my phones flashlight at the sky. I saw the street lamp, missing the lamp part. All that was left were jagged shards along the edges.
My body went cold as I turned around and looked at the spot under the last street lamp. The glass was spread farther away, but sure enough, it was there.
My breathing quickened as I went to put my phone back in my pocket. My hands were shaking so hard that I dropped it onto the concrete. I heard the plastic of the case as it snapped.
I never got the chance to reach for it.
Something hard connected with my temple and pain exploded in my brain. I felt my eyes roll back in my head as I went down. I stumbled on the fall and sliced my hand open on the glass under me.
Spots clouded my vision as I tried to figure out what was happening to me. I made out a blurry figure above me. It tossed something out of its hand and I heard it make contact with the ground.
“Hello, little Fallen,” the voice said. “Glad I found you. I was starting to think I’d need to just torch your house.”
My vision started focusing again and I recognized the figure. “W-what are you doing?” I asked, every syllable causing my head to pound. “Dottie…Dottie said…”
My head was a mess of pain so intense that I could hardly think. I didn’t know what he hit me with but I could feel the blood dripping from my hair and onto my face.
“Oh,” he laughed. “Did my daughter talk to you? Not surprising. I spent a whole day listening to her desperately pleading with me. I’m sure you can imagine how torn I was.”
I tried getting up, but Miller’s foot went to my chest and the wind was knocked out of me. I went down again and cried out in agony. “Not so fast,” he wagged his finger. “I might be tight on time, but I still intend on having a little fun.” He threw his foot into my side, destroying any hope I had of standing up and making a break for it.