Torn

by Shelli Bowers

  I could hear the doorbell ringing and a loud pounding, but couldn’t make since of it yet.

  “What happened?” I muttered trying to break free from the nightmare I was in. Pain, horrible pain was shooting through my body. I cried out. I saw blood on my mom’s hands. She was crying. Dad was bringing towels from the bathroom. “Blood? Where’s blood coming from?” I moaned.

  “Alex, let me see. Your bleeding.” I heard mom’s panicked voice.

  “Mom, Dad” I cried. “I’m scared.” Mom was pressing her hand to my throat.

  “Is it bad?” I heard Camille ask mom

  “I don’t know yet, will you go see who’s at the door, I’m guessing its Devin” Mom told Camille.

  “Oh my God, he bit me. Stephen bit me.”

  Dad said, “I’ll start the shower. Get her in there and cleaned up, then we can see how bad the wound is.”

  “Ok, Ok” mom sobbed. She was loosing it. Dad swooped in and lifted me out of the bed and the next thing I knew, I was in the shower clothes and all. Ah, it felt good, it was warm.

  I could hear Devin in my bedroom and Camille explaining to him what had happened. I wanted to see him, but I didn’t want him to see me in this shape.

  “Let me see your wound.” Mom said

  She pulled my night shirt off which left me in my panties and bra, but she needed to see what damage there was.

  “It’s stopped bleeding now. It doesn’t look to bad. I think the puncture wounds were deep. That’s why it bled so much.”

  “My back, it hurts”, I cried.

  “Let me see” mom said. “Oh honey, you have scratches all down it. Big claw marks. Did Stephen do this to you?” Anger now replacing concern in her voice.

  “Do you think she needs a doctor?” Dad asked

  “Well, it can’t be stitched. It’s just two big, deep holes. I can clean it and disinfect the scratches. What do you want to do honey?” Mom asked

  “And just how will we explain how I got a huge bite mark on my neck in my sleep?”

  “Well, we can’t explain it, but if you would feel better about it, I can come up with something.” Mom said as she turned off the water and wrapped my robe around me.

  “If it looks like it’s going to be fine, I would just as soon fix it up here. Devin’s going to freak as it is. Speaking of which, he can come in now. Camille too.”

  “I’m going to go find that boy, and I’m going to put a stop to this once and for all.” Dad barked as he stormed out the bathroom door.

  “Dad, please don’t,” I yelled to him as he went. “Oh mom, please don’t let him. He doesn’t know what he’s getting into. Dad, please. I need you with me right now. I’m scared.” I yelled in hopes of coercing him to stay put. I burst into tears again. The magnitude of the night finally setting in. Dad came rushing back in.

  “I’m here honey, I’m here. I won’t go anywhere. I promise. Please don’t cry.” Dad picked me up out of the tub and mom wrapped a towel around my hair. Dad carried me back to my bed.

  Camille and Devin had stripped off the blood covered sheets, and were putting clean ones on. I could see the concern in Devin’s face. I could tell he wanted to snatch me out of my Dad’s arms and into his, but he knew it wasn’t his place to.

  “Dad’s out now looking for Stephen,” Devin told my dad.

  “Good, what’s he going to do when he finds him?” Dad asked him.

  “He’s planning on putting an end to this whole mess. Stephen went missing and his Dad got worried. He called my dad to come and help find him.”

  Dad laid me on the bed and mom tucked me in. Devin was on one side of me and Camille was on the other. Devin took my hand in his. “Are you okay?” He whispered close to my ear.

  “No, not really. Physically I will be ok, but I’m terrified.” Tears spilled down my face again. “He almost killed you this time. He was trying to kill me too. I was afraid it would really happen.”

  “Hey, look at me, I’m okay. You’re the one that’s hurt. Let me see what happened.” I pulled my robe back enough for him to see my shoulder. I could see the rage boil up in his eyes. He clinched his fist together, and I could see his jaw muscles working as he ground his teeth.

  “I’m going to call Dad and see what’s going on.” Devin said

  “I’m coming with you,” my dad said. “I want to know what’s going on too.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Mom took Devin’s place by my side, Camille still on the other. “I’m so tired,” I said. “But I’m afraid to go to sleep.”

  “Well, wait and let’s see what Devin has to say when he comes back, Okay.” Mom said

  “That sounds like a good idea.” I said. Camille and Mom tucked in around me.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Mom asked

  “About the dream?” I said

  “Yeah, I would like to know what happened, but only if you’re ready to talk about it.” Mom said

  So while we waited to find out what happened with Stephen I told Mom and Camille about the dream. When I had finished we were all three setting in my bed crying.

  67

  Bobby

  “Is he okay?”

  “I don’t have an answer for you my friend. It appears he’s in some kind of coma. He’s alive, but unresponsive. I would suggest that we get him to a doctor as soon as possible. I have no way of knowing what damage as been done to his physical body. There may be none. It may be spiritual damage that we have to worry about.” Old Man Crow said.

  “Thank you for coming. I’m sure Stephen would have died if you hadn’t been here.” I said

  “He still may.” Arthur said.

  “It means a lot to me that you tried to save him, even though he was hurting your son.” I told Arthur.

  “Come, let’s get him some help.” Old Man Crow said.

  “What about the evil spirit that was attached to him?” I asked.

  “I have banished him back to the dream world. He is no longer attached to Stephen. We just have to make sure that he doesn’t ever go back there again.” Old Man Crow told me.

  “If I’m lucky enough to get him back, I will make sure he never goes there again.”

  68

  ALEX

  Devin and my dad came back into my bedroom. “I talked to my dad” Devin said. “It’s over”

  “What do you mean it’s over?” I asked

  “Well, they found Stephen and he was so far gone that Old Man Crow had to go in after him. He was able to bring Stephen back and trap the evil spirit back in the dream realm. Stephen’s not recovered yet and they really aren’t sure that he will. He’s at the hospital in a coma.”

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Stephen had been very nice to me when I first met him, and Old Man Crow had said that the evil spirit had influence over the way he had been acting lately. I know that he chose to mess with the spirits because he was jealous and spiteful towards Devin, but I couldn’t be happy about him being in a coma.

  “I’m glad it’s over” was the only response I could manage.

  “Dad, Old Man Crow, and Mike are on their way over now. Old Man Crow wants to make sure that you are alright.” Devin told me.

  “Mike’s coming?” Camille said with a big grin on her face.

  “Your hopeless” I teased her.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, I think it’s cute”

  “What’s cute?” Camille asked me.

  “I think she’s talking about you being in love with Mike. And the fact that your face lit up when you heard you were going to see him.” My mom said.

  Camille gave mom a look that said she didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. Then she just grinned and said “Guilty as charged. I’m going down to wait for him. Your alright now aren’t you Alex?”

  “Sure, go ahead” I said

  “We’ll give you some time alone with Devin” mom said as she got up off the bed.

  “I don’t know about time alone.” My
dad started to argue with my mom.

  “We already talked about this, she will be fine” mom told dad. I knew she had told my dad about the rule about waiting to be together until the bonding ceremony.

  “Are you 100% sure about that?” Dad didn’t want to believe it, I could tell. He wasn’t comfortable with his little girl growing up.

  “100%, now come on” Mom told dad as she weaved her arm through his and led him out of the bedroom. Devin and I were alone.

  69

  ALEX

  Devin came over and wrapped me up in his arms. It felt so good to be there again. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed him.

  “I missed you” I said

  “I missed you too.”

  “I thought he killed you this time. You weren’t moving and you were bleeding real bad. I just gave up. I didn’t know what else to do.” Tears were streaming down my face again.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. I’m safe, you’re safe. Everything’s going to be fine now.” Devin said trying to comfort me.

  “Is it really over?”

  “It’s really over. Dad said he doesn’t think Stephen will make it.”

  “That’s not how I wanted things to end. I feel sad about it. I know he started it, but he got in over his head.” I told Devin, not sure if he would agree with me or feel that Stephen got what he deserved.

  “I never really liked Stephen, but I didn’t want things to end this way either.”

  “What will happen to his tribe now?”

  “He has two younger brothers. If he doesn’t recover it will be left to the next in line to carry on the pack.”

  “Oh” That was all the response I had left. I just wanted to forget about everything that had happened. I wanted to stay here in Devin’s arms, enveloped in his smell and warmth.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from this” Devin whispered to me.

  “It’s not your fault Devin. You done everything you could for me. You fought Stephen with all you had.”

  “Still, I feel like I should have done more to protect you.”

  “You did, you sacrificed yourself to Stephen so I had a chance to get away. But I couldn’t leave you.”

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything happened to you.”

  “It didn’t, so let’s not think about it. No more about the past. Let’s think of our future.”

  “Our future?”

  “Yes, our future. You don’t think that I went through all that to let you go do you?”

  Devin chuckled and pulled me closer. “I wouldn’t let you go even if you tried.”

  “Good”

  “You know what would be better” Devin asked as he bent his head down where I could feel his breath on my neck.

  “What?” I whispered back.

  “This” was his reply as he pressed his lips to mine. Our lips stayed entwined until we heard a knock on the door. It was his dad and Old Man Crow coming to check on me. Once they decided that I was fine and out of danger they all left. I was supposed to be getting some sleep. It was hard to think about going to sleep again after the night I had. Camille stayed with me and I eventually fell asleep. I dreamed of Devin.

  70

  ALEX

  “Oh My God!” Camille shrieked. “I can’t believe how beautiful you look.”

  “Really? Thanks, you look gorgeous as always. Do you think Devin will like it?”

  “He’d have to be dead not to like it”

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this dress. I’ll be lucky if my dad let’s me leave the house.”

  “You look like a movie star in that dress, and your mom will take care of your dad.” Camille said

  “How long before the boys get here?” I asked

  “Any time now.”

  “You know I never thought that I would get you to the prom. When you showed up in that Gators jersey the first day of school, I thought it was hopeless. Look at you now.” Camille said

  “I can’t believe it either. I had lots of tricks up my sleeve to get out of it.” I confessed.

  “You little sneak, you promised.” Camille scolded

  “Well, you got your way. I’m in a dress that has less material to it than that entire jersey, I have on hills, make-up and my hair is a work of art in itself. “

  “It’s not so bad, now is it?”

  “No”

  “You can thank me after Devin see’s you. His mouth is going to hit the floor.” Camille said

  “Thanks Camille, for everything. You’re the best.”

  “I know. Now let’s go, I hear the limo in the driveway.”

  EPILOUGE

  She was right. It was worth it, seeing the way Devin looked at me. I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world when he looked at me.

  We had a magical time at the prom. We agreed to do the bonding ceremony after graduation, and we would have a wedding in the summer before we went to college. We’re going to do both ceremonies with Camille and Mike.

  Stephen is still in a coma. Doctors have done everything they can for him, but he’s not responding to any of the treatments. Old Man Crow and Eagle Eye are working on some more spiritual treatments. The two tribes are trying to get along now. They have monthly meetings with both communities to try and bring both sides together. It will be a slow process but I think in time things will get better. Stephens’ younger brother has temporarily taken over the role as the next leader. He’s only 14, so it will be some time before we know if he finds a mate. Who knows, maybe they will form one tribe again. Camille and I have been learning a lot about their culture. After all we will be living on the reservation after we finish school. It’s not the place I dreamed about running off to after high school, but it sure is with the boy I dreamed about.