When I got to the top, I stood up the best I could. I hopped on my good foot over to the window and looked out. There was some traffic going by but there was no way for me to get out. I hope Jaden gets here soon. How could I have been so naive? I should've listened to him.
I surveyed the room and everything looked just as it did in my dream. There was nothing in here but then again I couldn’t see very much. I paced across the floor to occupy my time. I took it slow as I moved, applying a little more pressure to my ankle with each step. It didn’t feel broken, though, maybe a light sprain I hoped.
I twirled a piece of hair around my finger as I moved. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Trapped in an attic by some crazed ghost who has inhabited my father. But was that even true? I didn’t even know the truth. Who was this man? Who was the boy? What was anything, nothing made sense.
A light gust of wind blew past me and there was a clamber of movement across the floor. My eyes shifted to every corner, hoping I was still alone. I didn't think I could take any more surprises in this house. I hoped he wasn't coming up to join me for more family fun. I heard a car door shut outside and I staggered over to the window to look out. It was Ryan’s car but I couldn’t see who got out. I heard a pounding sound on the door downstairs as it echoed throughout the house. I made my way to the steep staircase and almost fell down the steps since I was in such a hurry to be rescued.
“Mina!” I heard Jaden’s voice softly from downstairs. I pounded on the door hoping that he would hear it.
“I’m in the attic! Jaden!” I kept pounding on the door and I soon heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. The doorknob shifted at my side.
“Jaden?” I asked, making sure it was really him.
“Are you okay?” he asked commandingly.
“Now that you’re here. Can you get me out?”
“I’m trying.” He fumbled with the door for a moment and exhaled loudly in failure. “Stand back!” I took a few steps back on the stairs and stared at the door with watchful eyes.
“Okay.” I heard him grunt as something slammed against the door. I didn't know whether it was his whole body or his foot. He began speaking out loud in a language that sounded more like sound effects than words. What is that? There was a metal click and the lock was released. I was surprised to see that it opened easily with the force he exerted upon it. It didn’t come crashing down to the floor, not even coming unhinged. I ran through the doorway and embraced him.
“Where is he?” Jaden asked next to my ear while he looked around the hallway.
“I don't know,” I sobbed. He touched the side of my face as he saw the damage.
“Mina,” his eyes went soft, “there’s no way you’re staying here tonight.” He punched the wall and I could see his rage taking over. “Let's get out of here before I do something I regret. I'm in the right mind to kill someone.”
I hobbled my way into my bedroom. As I opened the door, it looked perfectly normal. There were no big holes in it, no broken doorway.
“What’s wrong?” He took a few steps toward me.
“He chopped through this door with an axe.”
“Are you sure?” he asked with his blue eyes probing me. I stared back at him in disbelief, why would I make that up? I opened the door and grabbed the bag I packed earlier. Jaden handed me my cell phone after he found it on the floor behind us.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
“Only if you want to,” I answered. He scooped my feet up from the floor and took each step carefully as he held me tightly in his arms.
When we reached the bottom step, my father walked out of the living room to meet us. They stared at each other for a moment, sharing something private like a form of psychic communication. Jaden moved to the doorway and my dad glided across the floor effortlessly, blocking us from making an escape. Jaden dropped me to my feet and positioned me behind him.
“Jaden, my boy, is that you all grown up? So good of you to drop in and see us again,” my dad spoke but in a different voice entirely. I could feel my hair rise with his words and I covered my mouth in horror. Oh my god, it was all true.
I pressed my head against his back, trying to conceal myself as much as possible. Jaden reached for the door but my dad braced his shoulder. They exchanged looks of fury and Jaden took a step forward. He was always ready for a challenge and never backed down from conflict. I didn’t know whether to follow him or stay where I was so I decided to cower in the corner and watch him from afar.
“Don’t ever touch her again! Do you hear me?” Jaden's voice was forceful, authoritative. “She isn't part of this!” My dad haughtily laughed in his face. A wicked sneer rose to his cheeks and I could see the heat rising up Jaden's body like a furnace to the top of his head.
“I'm afraid she is, my boy.” He shifted over, peering at me around Jaden's shoulder. Jaden pushed forward, creating a barrier between us. “She is far more important to this family than you or your miserable sister ever were.” Jaden’s hand grasped his neck and swung him across the room, pinning him against the wall. A crack formed in the wood surrounding him. I held my hand up to my mouth in disbelief by the strength he was displaying. There was no way that he could hold my dad's entire body weight with just one arm. Only body-builders were able to do that and Jaden was nowhere near that large.
“Leave her out of this!” he growled in a low roar. “I swear, if you hurt her—” Jaden hollered but his grandfather refused to reply. Was he even still in there? Why was he no longer fighting back? My dad’s body began to convulse underneath of him and screams echoed through the walls with each burst that erupted from his hand. The lights above us flashed and pulsed in rhythm with the tremors that passed through his body.
The tendons in Jaden’s neck were standing out and he gripped his throat even tighter. My dad was gasping for air and I grew frightened. “Jaden stop! He’s still my father.”
“You’re wrong Mina. He’s not your father.” The lights blinked faster and it made me dizzy, like a strobe light going off right in front of me.
“What’s happening?” I shouted over the electric hum. A few of the light bulbs burst from the voltage circling around and the shattered pieces fell to the floor. After we were left in darkness, I could see a bluish green glow emanating inside my father’s throat and Jaden’s hand was gleaming red like heated metal. I quickly gasped. What are you Jaden? “Stop it!”
He finally broke from his trance and released his hold. My father’s almost lifeless body fell to the floor, shaking the wood under my feet. I cringed and covered my eyes in revulsion. He came to me in the dark and I screamed when he approached me.
“I’m sorry Mina.” I started weeping. I couldn’t stop them from coming out after everything that had happened. I could no longer deny what was happening or pretend that I was safe from harm. I wrapped my arms around his body and he hugged me tight, comforting me from every angle but I was fearful by his abundant strength. How was it possible that Jaden had such a power? Was it something he was born with? Did his friends know about it?
“I won't let anyone hurt you.” He brushed his fingers across my face and moved the hair from my eyes. We made our way on to the front porch and he carried me down the stairs. I leaned over his shoulder and took a look at the house. Should I leave my mother here with that man? What if he tries to harm her?
“You’re staying with me tonight and I won’t hear another word about it.”
“Good. I want to be with you.” He placed me neatly in the passenger seat and slid the seat belt overtop of me, locking it in place. I let my head slip back and hit the headrest. I stared out the window at the house. Every light inside was off and it was hard to distinguish from the trees.
Chapter Twenty Three
“Are you sure you don't want me to take you to a hospital?” he asked and I nodded my head. He turned left out of the driveway and I immediately wondered where we were going. This wasn’t the way to his house. He must’ve noticed my pro
bing eyes and he answered for me.
“We’re going to the cabin.” I sighed in relief. At least it was far enough out of town, far away from my house. How was I ever going to go back there? How could I ever face my dad after this? Would he even remember what happened in the morning?
I must’ve fallen asleep on the way because I woke up in Jaden’s arms while he was carrying me inside. As we entered the living room, Ryan saw me and shot up from the couch in panic. “Holy fuck. What happened?” Jaden didn’t say a word but looked at him and Ryan seemed to know. He nodded back in recognition. “Can I get you something Mina?”
“Some water would be nice.”
“Coming up.” He ran into the kitchen to fetch it.
“You can set me down,” I said quietly. He hesitated but then set me on my feet. “Thanks.” He was still holding onto my hand, not wanting to let go. “Can I have a towel? I need to clean up my face and check out my ankle.”
“Yeah.” He disappeared into the backroom and came back with a freshly clean black towel. “I figured this would be the best color to cover up the blood.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your white towels.” I moved past him and went into the bathroom. I cringed when I saw myself in the mirror. My left cheek was swollen and puffing up to my eye. There were cracks of blood formed into my skin and my bottom lip had a small gash in it. Blood trail stains dripped from my nose to halfway down my neck. It would’ve made a great Halloween costume. The color in my complexion dropped to a pasty white after seeing all the blood and I suddenly felt nauseous.
I threw up into the toilet, dry heaving mostly. I moaned in nausea as I flushed it away. I ran the water until it was warm, washing my hands with soap and rubbing them over my face. I splashed some of the warm water across my cheeks a few times and scrubbed my skin lightly with the towel, removing any trace of blood. I grabbed my hair brush from my bag and combed it into a style that lay over the left side of my face.
I rinsed the towel out until not one dot of red came out in the water. I squeezed out the excess liquid and draped it over the sink to dry. I brushed my teeth slowly and was careful not to scrape my gums. I opened the door and Ryan stood in the hallway with a glass of water in hand.
“Thank you.” I held it up to my mouth and took a few short sips. I flinched when the glass hit the cut on my lip. “Where's Jaden?” Ryan nodded his head to the front door. I sat my glass down and went outside to join him. He was leaning against the railing, absorbed with his own thoughts. I leaned onto his body and wrapped my arm around him.
“Does it look better?” I asked, forcing him to examine my wounds.
“Definitely but that’s the last thing you should be worrying about.” The right side of his face lifted into a smile but it wasn't one of sincerity. He rubbed my arm tenderly and kissed the top of my head. “I'm so sorry Mina.” I held the tears back that were starting to form.
“Thanks for rescuing me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Please don't thank me.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm probably the real reason he came after you.” I placed my fingers at his lips to silence him.
“Can I ask you something?” He reached across with his other hand and brought my face to his, kissing me tenderly on the lips.
“All right.” I tried to catch my breath.
“How were you able to do that tonight?” He raised an eyebrow, making believe that it was all an illusion. “Don't play innocent. I saw something happen to you. You emitted something out of your body.” My eyes were probing.
“You see, this is one of the things I was trying to protect you from.” He looked away. “I didn't want you to know what I was.” I jostled as a chill passed through me.
“What are you?” His eyes danced to mine.
“I'm not a monster. I'm human, just like you.” I wrapped my arms around myself for fear of collapsing. “I'm just a little stronger than most.”
“A lot stronger,” I corrected while remembering the power he exhibited on my dad. “But you aren't just human. This isn't normal Jaden. I've never seen anyone do that, not even in the movies. I always knew there was something different about you. I could feel it. Any time you are around, I can feel it.”
“Have I been hurting you?” He was suddenly concerned.
I shook my head, “No.” Relief washed over him. “So how did this happen to you?” I imagined him in a weird alien lab getting injected with a glowing serum.
“I was born with this, Mina. It isn't something that I wanted for myself, it just happened.” My eyes widened. “I'll understand if you want to end things. It's the only plausible thing to do but then of course I’ll have to kill you.” He laughed to lighten the mood but I sat down in a nearby rocking chair while I thought things through. He lit a cigarette and its woodsy odor wafted into my nose. “Your silence is killing me. I wish you would say something.”
“How come you never told me?” He took a few steps over and squatted to his knees.
“You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to open up to and I was fearful of losing you. My whole life has been a lie and I'm exhausted from trying to hide who I am. I know that this ability I have is not normal but it's a huge part of who I am.” Was it even possible for things like this to exist? I could only begin to imagine what was done to him to obtain such a power.
“I feel like the elephant man when you look at me that way.” My eyes shifted to another direction and I apologized. “You shouldn't be viewing this in such a way. It should comfort you to know that there are things outside of your world that do exist, amazing things. You've been lied to your entire life by the powers in the sky and government. There is so much you don't understand yet and it wouldn't be fair for me to indulge you with them until you're ready.” He stroked my hand. “You're disgusted, aren't you?”
“No,” I said with haste. “I don't know what to think of it but I'm not disgusted. I just wish you had been honest with me.”
“Please try and understand this,” he pleaded. “Mina, I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you. You were walking down the sidewalk and even though you were a stranger to me, I felt this bizarre connection to you. Somehow, I knew that you were important to me.”
I swallowed hard and felt my heart race against my ribs as I remembered that day. The fading of reality that had occurred when our eyes first connected and the feeling that pierced through my heart like an arrow.
“Then I kept seeing you everywhere and I couldn't hold off our meeting any longer. I'm always aware of the synchronicities of life and it's as if the universe desired our meeting as strong as I did. If you felt the same thing, it only proves my point. We were meant to meet in this life and that is why I didn't want to frighten you away until I knew you would stay.” His body became increasingly warm and the swirling in his eyes was like a pool of water.
I closed my eyes and felt an electric charge pulling me, guiding me to his mouth like a magnet. His kiss was still as sweet as the first time but the sensation building inside of me was growing stronger—my heart was swelling with emotion. I could no longer refute what was happening between us any longer and either could he. I had fallen for him in the deepest way possible, monster or not. I knew it was love because for the first time in my life I believed that I had a soul and it was gleaming.
Chapter Twenty Four
I woke up early the next morning and rolled over to see Jaden sprawled out across the bed in a deep sleep, half of his body outside of the blanket. His bare chest heaved in and out with each breath and I knew that he was in a deep sleep. I didn’t want to bother him, and I didn’t want him to see me this way so I walked quietly to my bag and went out the door.
I was mortified when I saw my battered face in the mirror with a swirling of mismatched colors. My cheek was badly bruised but the swelling had gone down at least. I washed my face with quick swipes from a wash rag and combed the dried blood out of my hair. I twisted my hair
up in a clip and applied some makeup. I paid careful attention to covering up most of the bruising but after finishing, I don’t think it helped much and it made me look cheap.
I changed into the clothes I had packed the night before, putting on a long-sleeve black top and some jeans. I applied a small amount of lip gloss and threw everything into my bag. I walked back into the bedroom and Jaden was lying on his elbow wide awake. I sat down next to him and he grabbed my legs, pulling me onto the bed next to him. He wrapped me in his arms and breathed me in.
“Morning,” he said quietly. “How’s the face?”
“A little better. Whatever you gave me last night helped.” He kissed the side of my neck, under my hairline which produced a chill that tickled me to my toes.
“Did you sleep well?”
“It took me a couple hours but I had a lot on my mind.”
“You should've woke me up.” I shook my head.
“What should I tell my parents?” He squeezed me tightly while fiddling with my hair.
“You should at least talk to them. Let them know what your issues are and maybe they’ll want to move. That might be my only chance to get you out of here.” I released myself from his arms and sat at the edge of the bed.
“I thought you agreed to drop this nonsense of me moving away.”
“I'm trying. It's going to take me some time.” He sighed heavily on his pillow. “I can't believe you've agreed to put yourself in harm's way for me. You have no idea what you've done.”
“I’ll figure something out about the house,” I said while playing with my lip. Thoughts ran through my mind and I couldn’t make them stop. Should I consult a spirit cleanser or maybe, judging by the way he could inhabit people, a priest would be more appropriate? I was surprised that I hadn’t received a phone call from either of my parents. Were they completely unaware about what happened last night? If that was the case, how was I supposed to explain the situation to them? I’ll go home covered in bruises and they’re gonna want to call the cops.
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