Shadow Heights

by E. N. Goeking

  “Who is he?” He stroked his fingers across the back of my hand and faint green lines of light stenciled their way on my skin.

  “I cannot say Mina but trust me when I say that he isn’t someone you’d want to meet.”

  “What does this mean for us?” I challenged, scared that I would never see him again.

  “We should never have gotten so close but it breaks my heart to be away from you. I never expected to fall—I never wanted to hurt you. I hate myself for what happened to you.”

  “You didn't make me move into that house Jaden.”

  “I know but I gave permission to the city for occupancy. It was thoughtless for me to agree to such a thing.”

  “Would you quit blaming yourself for everything that's happened?” I shouted, my voice filled with aggravation. “I will not let you blame yourself for this.”

  “Somebody has to,” he defended. “You're in way over your head. There's no escaping this nightmare once you consent to move in.”

  “Well, maybe if that was included in the brochure, I might not have moved here.” We shared a laugh but I could see despair in his eyes. Even though he had let me in, the worry that was plaguing his heart was all that he could feel from that moment forward.

  “How I love your innocence.” He inhaled my neck, sliding his nose along my skin. “I never want you to lose that.” He exhaled slowly at my ear and goose bumps began to form on my arms. He sat back in his seat and rolled down his window. A cool breeze blew in that swirled the negative energy away.

  “Why did you finally decide to tell me all this?”

  “It's selfish for me to hide it from you when you're just as involved as I am. For some reason he has chosen you and who am I to keep the truth from you any longer. If you're going to be entangled in this scheme, it's best that you know what you're getting mixed up with.”

  “I don't know how I got involved in the first place.” He chuckled and took my hand.

  “I know you don't want to hear this but I think things would've been better if we never met. Your family would've been fine and none of this would be happening.”

  “You don't really know that,” I hurried to defend.

  He spoke quickly, “Don't I? It all makes perfect sense to me. If I had never been tempted by fate and fell into its trap, you would be safe.”

  “You think being with me is a trap?”

  “Yes because as much as I want to be with you, I know it's hurting you at the same time.” He rubbed his temples to alleviate his headache and I noticed the veins protruding in his forehead. “I’m afraid this is all happening again. Even though I no longer live there, he's getting at me through you. Finally, he’s found something to captivate my interest. You just happened to move into my old house?” His eyes shifted to mine and he cackled. “That was no mere coincidence. I can’t believe that any longer. It probably worked better than he planned. He didn’t think we would have such a connection. You’re actually making this easier for him.”

  He played with his goatee and I felt the tension rising up my body which made me nauseous, like I could throw up at any moment.

  “I’m not feeling too good. Can we get out of here?”

  “Yeah. I'm sorry.” He started up the car and we drove away. My mind was running wild without any plans for stopping. I couldn’t blank out the panic that was attacking from me the inside. How was it possible that I had any involvement in his story? What had I gotten involved with? I wasn't sure I even wanted to know how far the rabbit hole went but I was already tumbling downward. You can't help who you fall in love with, it chooses you and I was willing to do almost anything to be with him so I guess I deserved this.

  When we pulled into his driveway, Chad was waiting on the steps with Eric in tow. We both got out and met them at the door. I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw that I had four missed calls. I looked at my call log and saw that after two calls from Greg, there were two calls from my mom. One was from her cell phone and the other from the house. Why was she calling me? I had a new voicemail so I dialed and listened.

  It was nice to hear Greg’s voice even though it was worrisome in tone. When I got to my mother’s message, I nearly bashed my phone against the sidewalk. Apparently Greg called her and she now knew I wasn’t in Cherry Ridge. She demanded an explanation and said that I had better call her soon or she would be calling the police. Once I heard the word police, I ended the call and dialed her number immediately.

  “Where are you?” she demanded without even saying hello.

  “Calm down. I’m in town.”

  “Why did you lie to me?”

  “I felt like I had to. There was no other way.”

  “No other way to do what?” I didn’t know how to go about explaining the situation with my dad the other night. At this point, there was no way she was going to believe me in the mood she was in. “Who are you with?”

  “Jaden.” I heard her exaggerated intake of breath.

  “I want you home immediately. Your father and I will be taking away your driving privileges. You’re only allowed to drive to school and that’s it young lady.”

  “You can't do that Mom. I'm almost nineteen.”

  “If you're living in our house, you will abide by our rules. Tsk. I can’t believe you did this Wilhelmina. We’re both very disappointed in you.”

  “I understand,” I cowered, feeling my body shrink another few inches.

  “You better be home in five minutes.”

  “Okay.” I sighed in defeat. I threw my phone in my purse and hurried inside. They were sitting around the living room, Jaden weighing a few bags. He must’ve sensed something was wrong because he got off the couch and approached me. He cupped the side of my face and searched my eyes for an answer.

  “I have to go,” I sobbed. I ran past him and up the stairs to get my things. When I got to his room, the door was locked but I didn’t have to wait long. He was right behind me. After unlocking it, I shoved past him. I made sure all of my things were together and I slung my bag over my shoulder. He placed a baggie in my free hand. “Thanks.” I slipped it into my pocket.

  He kissed my forehead. “What’s wrong?”

  “My mom knows everything. She knows I’m with you and that I lied.” His eyebrows lowered with frustration.

  “How’d she find out?”

  “Greg called her, I guess, after talking to you.” He scratched at his chin and I could tell he was angry. “Don’t blame him for this, please.”

  “Call me later.” He kissed my hands.

  “I’ll try. They're taking away my car so who knows if they'll let me use my phone.”

  “You’re eighteen. Can they really ground you?”

  “Yes. As long as I’m in their house, I have to.”

  “Live with me then,” he blurted out. I was shocked by his suggestion but didn't think I was ready for that yet.

  “Thanks but I can’t. Besides, I thought you wanted to end things.” He chuckled.

  “I never said that. I said things would be better for you. You're all I want in this heartless world.” I rose onto my toes, kissing him softly on the lips. “Are you okay with everything I told you? You’re not sickened by me?”

  “No.” I ran my hand down his neck. “I’ve gotta go before she calls the cops. I’ll call you when I can.”

  “Be ever watchful.” He kissed my neck and I left, walking away before he was done. I said my goodbyes to the boys downstairs and hurried to my car. I feared that I wouldn’t see Jaden again for a long time after that night and I feared for my life. There was an evil lurking in Shadow Heights that was dead set on hurting me or worse, killing someone that I loved.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  As I drove up the long lane to our house, dread filled my insides. I was not looking forward to this one bit. It was hard enough dealing with the issue of my father but now I had multiple items to discuss with both of my parents. I wished I had the same charm that Caylie had. She could always talk her way out
of punishment. She was such a little sneak.

  My mom was waiting for me on the front steps with a bathrobe tied around her waist. I took a deep breath and got out of the car. I took the high route. I avoided her glare as I approached her, walking past her into the house but she followed a close step behind. I sat my bag down in the hallway and turned to face the queen while in her glory. Her arms were crossed against her chest and her feet were planted firm for a proper confrontation.

  I watched as her facial expressions quickly turned from anger to worry. She reached her hand across and I flinched in fear that she would smack me but instead she touched the side of my face in a mother’s gentle way.

  “What happened to you?” Crap, I had forgotten about my face. How was I going to get myself out of this one? I couldn’t tell her I was in an accident and I couldn’t tell her what really happened so I just stood there speechless. My inaction proved worse for my case in the end because that's when the accusations started to fly. “Did Jaden do this?”

  My eyes went wide. “What? No. He would never hurt me.”

  “Steve, get in here!” she shouted. He soon joined us in the hallway and looked me over while I tried to avoid any sort of contact.

  “Are you okay?” He had genuine concern in his voice, not for one second realizing that he was the one who did it. It was hard to see my father back to normal after what he did. I looked away and nodded, fighting back the tears that were forming.

  “You didn’t answer me,” my mom commanded. “Is this Jaden’s doing?”

  “No! I just said that,” I yelled, grabbing my bag and heading up the stairs.

  “You’re not going to see that boy again Mina. Not after this.” I glared at her.

  “How can you do this to me? I love him Mom.”

  “How can you love him?” she asked without an ounce of compassion. “You haven’t even known him for that long.”

  “I guess you would never understand.” I wiped away the tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “I want your keys and phone.” I pulled out what she demanded and threw them at her. Luckily for me, she caught them and they didn't smack against her face.

  “Fine. What am I supposed to do about school?”

  “We’ll figure something out,” my dad answered for her. I looked at him suspiciously. Was he himself or Julien Laenzar? Was he in my mom and causing her to react this way? Or...were they doing it on their own? I was so confused and frustrated that I felt like pulling my hair out. I ran up the stairs, leaving their unanswered questions behind me. I locked my door and threw my things on the ground. They can’t treat me this way. I’m almost nineteen.

  After hours of my groveling had passed, I was tired of fighting. I didn’t want to go down and be with my parents so I just stayed in my room. I wrote Greg an e-mail and I wasn’t kind with my words. I suppose I should’ve mentioned something to him earlier that way he wouldn’t have called my mom and exposed me but either way, there was no reason for him to be so paranoid that he'd call my parents. Jaden didn’t arouse that kind of suspicion.

  I changed into my pajamas and went to bed early. I didn’t even go outside to have a cigarette the whole night. I was too depressed and frustrated by all that was happening. I tossed and turned for over an hour because my mind wasn’t ready to sleep.

  I lay under the covers, pulling them up to my chin, and stared up at the ceiling while my mind circled around the numerous thoughts accumulating in my brain. I relived Jaden’s narrative and realized there was something bigger I didn’t understand.

  Who is this Master? I wondered in depth but then again, maybe I didn't want to know. Why was Jaden so frightened of him and why was he interested in me?

  I felt like I was flying high in the clouds of fantasy when I needed to have my feet planted firmly on the ground. Ever since I met him, my life had been changing but I had been sightless to all the effects this was having on me and my loved ones. I was beginning to feel like an outsider like Jaden but I wasn’t quite ready to let go of my past. Part of the old me was still hanging on, in a lifeless struggle just to live another moment, mostly for the sake of my parents but also for myself because I was fearful of saying goodbye to the stability of that life and all that it meant for me. But the harder I tried to fight these changes, the deeper my resentment grew for the ones who were keeping me there.

  Jaden. I missed him already and my heart ached because I didn’t know when I would see him again. My parents still hadn’t indulged me of their plan but I knew it wouldn’t be good. I felt bad that I couldn’t call him and let him know what was going on. I knew he would be growing weary as the hours passed without a phone call.

  I woke late that next afternoon and finally made my way downstairs to face my parents around one. My mom was in the living room watching a movie and my dad was in his den working on paperwork. He rarely made an appearance in the family, hiding out in the back room for the majority of his home life. I ignored my mom as I went into the kitchen.

  The door swung open and I jumped from fright when I saw Caylie standing behind it. I could tell she took pleasure in seeing me this way.

  “You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” she chuckled. I grabbed a banana from the counter and peeled the outside, munching a bite from the top.

  “What are you doing home so early?”

  “I’ve got a paper due tomorrow and I haven’t even started.” I raised my eyebrow.

  “Nothing like waiting until the last minute.” She rolled her eyes and took a drink from her glass.

  “So...I heard mom reamed you.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  “What happened?” I moved past her and filled a mug full of coffee. “Mom said you were with Jaden all weekend.”

  “Yeah.” I blew on my coffee before taking a sip but decided to add some creamer first.

  “Did you two get in a fight?” I scrunched my brow. “You can tell me.”

  “No, Caylie, we didn’t fight. Someone else did this.” I pointed to my face. I was in need of some nicotine and rushed past her to the other room. I went into my room to fetch my smokes when I saw my mom rummaging through my things. I cleared my throat and she stood up, slightly embarrassed that I caught her.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded. After seeing my purse in her thieving hands, I snatched it from her. I held it open, looking inside to make sure she hadn’t taken anything.

  “Making sure my daughter isn’t a criminal,” she replied. I held my door open with my arm, showing her the way out.

  “Get out Mom! You can’t invade my privacy like this.” I slammed the door after her and looked around at the rest of my things. I found my bowl and weed still in their hiding place. Good. She didn’t find them. What could she have possibly been looking for?

  I spent the rest of the day in my room, completely alone with my thoughts. I listened to half of my CD collection and was ready to start the second half when I heard the doorbell ring throughout the house. I looked at the clock and it was almost eight. Who would be coming here now? I walked into the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs, concealing myself behind the wall so I could eavesdrop. My sister answered the door but she stayed quiet.

  “You shouldn't be here,” Caylie finally spoke in a low voice. I peered around the corner and saw a hint of flowing black hair and my heart beat hard like a drum. Jaden. My mom entered the hallway and I turned before she saw me.

  “Oh, Jaden, hello.” I could detect a hint of smugness in her voice.

  “Hi Mrs. Hunter.” He removed the dangling hairs that were in his face.

  “Mina is not allowed to have any visitors right now.” A straggling tear that had been forming for some time finally trickled down my cheek. “My husband and I think it would be best if you didn't see our daughter anymore. We'd like you to leave.”

  “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude but I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay.” His voice was commanding and I admired his bravery.

 
“Caylie, go upstairs,” she demanded. My sister trotted up the stairs and when she reached the top she saw me. She gave me a silent apology and went into her room. “Mina is perfectly fine now that she's home. You’re lucky I don’t report you for hurting my daughter the way you did.”

  “Hurt her? I never—” Jaden started to defend.

  She interrupted. “If you don’t leave, I will call the police and get a restraining order against you.”

  “Mom!” I screamed, revealing myself to them at the top of the stairs. Jaden’s eyes jumped to mine and I felt a numbing pain radiating out from them.

  “Get back in your room! Steve,” she shouted for my father. Jaden was still focused on me, not once looking away. My dad entered the room, his slippers scuffing across the floor.

  “My wife told you to leave young man and I think you should.” Jaden’s posture revealed his anger. “I won’t tell you again.”

  My father walked right up to him, stopping only a few inches from his body. Jaden glanced at me once more and for my sake, he left the house without starting a confrontation. I hurried down the stairs to catch him and tried to maneuver my way through my parents but they pushed me back, causing me to slide across the waxed floor on my butt. They went back to their normal activity and after waiting a minute, I sprung to my feet and fled the house.

  “Jaden, wait!” I shouted from the porch while he was still within view. He was driving away and I could see his brake lights through the trees. I screamed his name as loudly as I could muster. His brakes screeched to a halting stop and I hurried down the lane.

  I ran to him and we met in the center of the driveway. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he braced me tightly, lifting me from the ground. The sweetness of his scent enveloped me into our world. “Meet me after class tomorrow. It might be our only chance to see each other,” I said quickly. He set me on my feet. He looked up at the house and saw my dad coming out after me but he tried to ignore him.