More Than One: A Novel

by Fowler, Monica

  Michael and Ash were no longer fighting, both trying to process what happened. Once Michael got a better view of her, he broke down, too. He tried to get up and go to her, but Ash still had him pinned down. I knew he wasn't going to let him go that easily.

  Dr. Dean made his way over to Abigail and she was still holding Elizabeth, crying. He put his fingers on her neck and after a minute, his head dropped. I knew what this meant for him. He shook his head and stood up to walk to Mrs. Dean.

  Everyone was dumbfounded. No one expected these events, but here we all were, everyone with their own part in this crazy play. My heart sank as I looked around at all the sad faces. It was finally over.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  I woke to the flight attendant giving us instructions for our arrival. We left Rome in a hurry to get away from all the drama. I couldn't stay there another minute and my parents were happy to oblige my request. Ash was with us and I was happy he didn't decide to stay behind like his parents wanted him to. I know it was selfish of me, but Georgia was where he belonged.

  While I waited for the plane to descend, I thought of the final events of our stay in Rome. All I could think about was how Michael went crazy because Elizabeth killed herself, and how Abigail didn't speak for the duration of our stay. She looked at me with cold eyes, even though I knew she didn't blame me for anything.

  The faces of the victims kept coming back to me. All of them wanted to know why. Why did they have to die? I couldn't answer the question. I didn't know what to say. In the end, their killer avenged them, as well.

  But who was going to take the rap for the murders? Was this going to go on being unsolved? There was no way the Dean's would turn themselves in and sadly, I wouldn't want them to. What kind of person was I that I didn't care what happened to the victim’s families? Not worrying about them being consoled or getting closure. Honestly, there was nothing I could do, but if I could, would I?

  Ash grabbed my hand, breaking me from my thoughts and we exited the plane. My parents were right behind me and that gave me comfort. My dad's face has been placid since we left Ash's house and my mom hadn't stopped crying. I think she is struggling with whether she is mad that I put myself in danger or relieved I'm okay. It has been a roller coaster of emotions for everyone.

  “I'll get the bags, you kids go find us a taxi”, my dad said with his arms wrapped around my mom.

  “Yes sir,” Ash replied.

  Still holding my hand, Ash led us through a group of people coming in the opposite direction. I gripped his hand still hanging onto the silly notion someone was after me. I couldn't shake the feeling. Once we were outside in the fresh air, my mind began to clear.

  “I'm going to walk down here to check and see if they can call for a taxi. I'll be right back,” Ash said letting go of my hand.

  “No,” I screamed before I could catch myself. The word came out of nowhere.

  Ash stopped in his tracks. Once he took in my scared expression, his faded and was replaced with concern. He pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. I was so overwhelmed, I started crying.

  “Shh, it's okay. It's all over now. I promise, you're safe,” he said.

  I still couldn't control the tears. I knew it was all over, but why did it have to happen in the first place? I was never going to forget this. I was never going to forget the innocent people whose lives were taken for a cause that didn't even pan out. I was so grateful to get on that plane and come back to my normal life, that I didn't think twice about it until now. My life was never going to be the same again.

  Standing outside this airport in Atlanta made it all real for me. I was back home and I still felt like someone was watching me, waiting to take me out.

  “Is everything alright?” my mom said running up to me.

  My dad was behind her with a bag in his hand and some young man trailing him with a cart carrying the rest of our luggage.

  “Yes, she's just a little shaken up. I think she needs some time to process it all,” Ash said.

  I let go of Ash and buried my head in my mom's chest and started up again. My dad took no time to put his arms around the both of us. Even this wasn't helping. All those years of trying to protect me and even they couldn't erase this pain.

  “This isn't right. Michael is insane now and God knows what Abigail is going through. And what about the people Elizabeth killed, their families? Who is going to help them?” I said.

  “Baby, there was nothing you could have done to stop what was happening. It's not your fault,” my dad replied.

  “Yeah Jay. I know you feel bad about what happened, but you had no control over it,” Ash chimed in.

  “Listen to yourselves. Don't you care at all?”

  “We do care, but what can we do? What could we have done without getting my parents arrested for the whole mess?” Ash asked.

  “I don't know,” I yelled, pulling away. “We didn't even try though.”

  I started crying harder. I didn't want to be the monster Elizabeth was. She killed those people without a backward glance and now I'm disregarding it. Did I have blood on my hands, too? This was too much. I felt like throwing up. I knew deep in my heart I couldn't have helped those people, but in that same area of my heart, I knew I should have tried.

  My dad pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. I hugged him back and drained myself of all my tears. I was tired of crying, tired of hurting, tired of everything.

  “Let's get you home,” my dad said.

  A taxi pulled up in front of us and rolled down the window asking if we needed a ride. Ash helped grab the bags and put them in the trunk. We got in and headed to the dorm.

  We made it to the school within an hour, Rach wasn't in the room like I expected. I hadn't talked to her in a couple days either. She was probably with Derrick.

  I flopped down on the bed and looked around the room. Everything was as I left it. This was normal I guess. My parents and Ash entered the room soon after. Ash was carrying my bags.

  “Honey, you know you can come home with us to Kansas. You don't have to stay here. Take some time off and clear your mind and then come back,” my mom said.

  “I know mom, sounds tempting, but if I'm going to put this behind me, I can't run from it. This is my life, here, in school and working and being around my friends,” I said looking at Ash. He smiled big. He was probably worried I would leave. “Besides, if Ash can do it, so can I. He will protect me, right Ash?”

  “Oh, you have nothing to worry about Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock, I will take care of Jamie. I won't let anything happen to her and I'll make sure she gets through this,” he said.

  I was still a wreck, but I had to say something to comfort my parents. I didn't want to go home and be in some cocoon of nothingness. I wanted to stay here and get back to my life. That was the whole reason we went to Rome in the first place. I knew soon enough, the events would be a distant memory. I just had to fight to get to that point.

  “Okay baby, the offer will always be on the table if you want to come home. You're a grown woman now and I will respect that, but next time, you better call us if anything happens. I don't care what it is, we need to know,” my dad said.

  “We mean it Jamie,” my mom chimed in crying.

  “I promise.”

  I stood and hugged them both. My mom squeezed me so hard, all the air left my lungs for a quick second. She didn't let go until my dad came and pried her off me to hug me himself.

  “We are going to the hotel and get rested up. We'll be here for a couple of days just to make sure everything is okay,” my dad said.

  “Okay, call me later when you get settled in,” I said wiping a tear from my mom’s cheek.

  “We love you so much kid,” my dad’s eyes were watering as he spoke. I didn't know if I could bear it any longer without crying myself.

  “I love you guys so much, too,” I said.

  “You get some rest. Maybe now it will be of rainbows and unicorns,” he said grinning, makin
g the lines more apparent around his eyes.

  “I will.”

  “Ash do you need a ride?”

  “No sir. If its okay with Jamie, I wanted to stay here and uh, hang out,” he said looking at me.

  “Of course its okay.”

  “Well, we'll see you guys later,” my dad shook his hand and they turned to leave.

  Before they got out of the door, my mom turned and looked back and forth between Ash and me. She managed a shy grin and walked to Ash and embraced him. He was caught off guard, but welcomed the hug.

  “You are a good person. Always remember that. Thank you for being here with my daughter. She needs you more than she realizes,” she said. With that she blew me a kiss, turned on her heel and they left.

  Ash stood stunned in the middle of the room. He looked at me, his wicked smile returned and he winked.

  “I told you your parents loved me. This is a sign Jamie.”

  He rushed over and squeezed me. I inhaled deeply. This felt right. I pulled away from him, but with my arms still around his waist and looked into his eyes. Those big brown eyes. He came to save me. He loved me no matter what and I loved him, now more than ever.

  I released his waist and put my hands on the sides of his face and pulled him to me. He kissed me, but not like before. Before he held back, I know that now. This time all his emotions went into that one kiss and I was able to reciprocate. He was my knight in shining armor. Rach was wrong. It was him who came to my rescue.

  He finally pulled away from me and I couldn't place the look he had on his face. What look did I have on my face? I wasn't confused anymore. I wanted to be with him.

  “I'm sorry Jamie, I thought that's what you wanted me to do,” he said backing away.

  “No, no Ash, I did want you to kiss me.”

  “But your face... you look scared or something.”

  “I'm not scared, Ash. I know what I want and I want to be with you.”

  His infectious grin returned and he picked me up and swung me around. He was holding me so tight and I felt so safe in his arms. My Ash.

  “Are you serious?” he asked putting me back down.

  “Yes, I'm serious. I love you, Ash,” I replied.

  “I love you, too, Jamie.”

  The kiss was so intense. And once again, I was taken to my favorite place. The ocean. He's holding my hand and leading me to the water. The sun is setting behind him, making his skin look more golden than usual. His smile is bright and there is love in his eyes. Love for me. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and walked further into the water.

  “I'm so in love with you Jamie,” he said and kissed my forehead. “This is it baby. I'm all in. Together forever,” he said.

  “Together forever.”

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Bonus Alternate Ending

  He grabbed my hand and led me back to the car. He came around, got in on his side and before he turned the car on, he looked at me. The look actually scared me; it was very sinister. All the excitement was drained from the air and was replaced with one of melancholy.

  He finally started the car and turned the opposite direction from where we came from. I figured he knew a short cut since he knew the town so well; so I didn’t question it. We went further out and the lights started to disappear behind us. The area started to look old, ancient, and rundown. I gazed out the window and we were closing in on a heavily wooded area. The amazement I felt was now replaced with an eerie feeling in the bottom of my stomach.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  He didn't answer. He just kept looking forward, his face expressionless.

  “Michael, where are we going?” I asked again.

  “Just relax Jamie. I'm taking you to another one of my favorite spots. It’s on the way,” he said with a smirk.

  I leaned back in my seat and held myself. Something was wrong. I started to regret coming out with him tonight. This trip wasn't worth the feeling I had swimming around in my stomach. I sat in silence as we took turn after turn down some old, dusty road. Finally, we came to a stop in front of a worn out looking building. It was in the middle of a clearing with withered up trees in the distance. This looked like a scene from a horror movie and I didn't want to be here.

  “Why are we stopping here?” I said shaking.

  “Like I said, this is my favorite spot,” he said opening his door. “Get out of the car.”

  “I don't want to. Can you please take me back to Ash's place?”

  “Can you please take me back to Ash's place,” he said in a whiny voice, mimicking me. “Get out of the car,” he yelled.

  I jumped and unlocked my seat belt. He was waiting for me to open the door. He just turned into some monster right in front of me. I thought I was seeing another side of him that was nice and sweet, instead it was a front for the bully he really was. I wondered what he was going to do to me. I opened the door and slowly got out of the car.

  He came around, grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the abandoned building. I wanted to cry. I thought my nightmares were over and now it was starting again with the man I thought loved me.

  He was hurting my arm as he gripped it tighter and tighter. I looked around to scope out my surrounding. There was nothing here, no houses, stores, anything. If I screamed, no one would hear me. We got to the door of the building, and he knocked twice. I wondered who was in there waiting on us.

  The door finally opened, but there was no one there. He pulled me through and pushed me to the ground. I looked around at what seemed like some old factory. There was rusted machinery in the corner and an assembly line in the middle of the place. There were stairs that led to an upstairs office; I could see the window that was covered over by sheets.

  Michael was standing over me with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't even look like the guy he was in Georgia or the one that just showed me around town. He looked like some old man with serious psychological issues. I tried to stand up, but he took his foot and pushed me back down.

  “Michael, why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?” I asked with tears streaming down my face.

  “It's not what you did to me, it's what you, your family, and your friend’s family did to her,” he said pointing in the direction of the door.

  I gasped as Elizabeth came into full view. She was standing there with a maniacal look on her face. I scrabbled backwards as she walked forward to stand over me. I knew this was going to be the end. My dream was actually coming true. I couldn't believe this was happening.

  “I don't understand. What did I do to you?” I said, crying harder.

  “Year after year I had to sit in that room, being held hostage. Day after day, they poked and prodded me with needles trying to find a cure for their precious Ash. No one cared about how I felt, what was going on in my life, they just used me,” she said.

  “Why didn't you just run away? Why didn't you just leave and not let them do that to you?” I asked.

  “Because, I knew I would die without the cure. I had to stay until they came up with a way for me to live.”

  “But what does that have to do with me? You're cured now, you can go live a normal life,” I said scooting back some more.

  She smiled and tilted her head to the side.

  “There is no way they are going to let me go. They just said that to make poor little Jamie feel better, but you know as well as I do that they can't afford to let me leave. They want to keep me here so they can continue to study me. This was never about me, it was about Ash and his well being,” she said.

  I knew she was right. I already had a feeling that Dr. Dean wasn't going to let go of her so easily. What if something else came up and Ash was in danger of dying again? They wouldn't have any way of knowing if she wasn't around.

  I looked at Michael who was still standing guard with his arms crossed.

  “Michael, where do you fit in all of this? I thought you loved me.”

  His head flung back and
he let out a loud laugh. He laughed so hard, tears came out of his eyes.

  “I never loved you. That was all apart of my baby's brilliant plan,” he said moving close to her. “She can see what you see, remember? She knew you would figure things out and want to come here for yourself. But I had to ensure that you would want to come out with me tonight. I said whatever I thought would make you feel comfortable with me.”

  “And you were the best. She fell for it,” Elizabeth said kissing him.

  Was his real name Issac? He had to be the person Abigail was referring to. What I didn't understand is, if he was helping her all along, why didn't I dream about him? There was a lot that I didn't see, but I should have seen this coming.

  I wanted to throw up. I closed my eyes, trying to figure out a way out of here. I left my phone in the car, so I couldn't call anyone. There was nowhere to run and even if I did make a break for it, I wouldn't know where to go.

  “Please let me go back home. I didn't mean for any of this to happen to you and I'm truly sorry. Please let me go home,” I begged.

  “You can't go back home. I need you,” she said smiling.

  “You need me? What do you need me for?” I asked confused.

  They started laughing again.

  “You are going to give me a better life. A life with all the friends and family I never had,” she said. “You're going to give me your life.”

  The realization hit me like a bolt of lightening. She was going to kill me and take over my life. Now it was starting to make sense to me. Everything she had done, led me here, right to the place where I was about to die.

  “But Dr. Dean said he was going to let you go when he knew you were better. He promised he would,” I said weakly.

  “Dr. Dean is a liar. What kind of man keeps a person locked up for years just to do research on them? I thought they were doing something great, something that was going to change lives, but I find out that they were using her as a lab rat. No one should ever have to endure that,” Michael said with anger in his eyes. “We know he won't let her leave, so we are taking matters in our own hands.”