“That was fun, mom. Can we come again?” She asked walking backwards so she could talk to them.
“Be careful sweetie,” her mom said with a twinkle in her eyes as her dad laughed shaking his head
Then her mom’s smile slipped off her face and Abella saw her dad’s eyes narrow as if something was wrong. That was when she felt it, a presence behind her that was dark.
She stopped and spun around as her father and mother rushed forward grabbing her and pushing her behind them.
“What do you want?” Her dad said in a harsh voice, and Abella was scared because she never heard her daddy speak like that.
A laugh filled the air, but Abella found it strange because it sounded young for some reason, and then a voice said, “You know what we came for.”
“Never,” her daddy said in a growl, and then her mother raised her hands creating an explosion. Then they begin to run.
“You are not getting away from us this time, David,” the voice called out.
Abella was sobbing as her daddy picked her up in his arms and she saw her mommy behind them using her powers to slow their pursuers down.
“Daddy,” she whispered.
“I love you, Abella,” he said as he put her down when they heard a cry. “Remember that no matter what you hear later, I love you and your mother.”
“Daddy,” she screamed after he gave her a kiss on her forehead and ran back the way they came where her mother had been.
Abella woke up with slight scream on her lips and she was sweating as she looked around noticing that she was sleeping on the couch.
She got up and staggered to the kitchen where she got a glass of water and put the glass to her forehead closing her eyes.
The dreams were getting worse, she thought before her eyes flashed opened as her hand stilled and she frowned.
David? The man in her dream had called out her father’s name as they begin running. What…before she could complete the sentence, her head began to throb and she moaned as she closed her eyes tightly. However, one thing kept floating through her mind: was she finally starting to remember that night?
Chapter 11
The next morning Abella got ready to go to school, but she wouldn’t be staying. Dressed in a pair of dark jeans, blue shirt under a jean jacket, and a pair of sneakers, she left the house heading for school, and her only other solution to her problem.
She was early then most students, but she strolled through the doors heading for the office.
Ms. Helms looked up with a smile that Abella returned although it was with a weak effort, and she closed the door as she said, “Ms. Helms, I need to speak with you about something important.”
Ms. Helms face showed confusion as the door shut.
About an hour later, Ms. Helms sat back in her seat with a frown on her face, “Abella, are you sure you want to do this? You only have four months left before you graduate.”
Abella smiled but it was sad as she said sighing the papers, “No, but it is for the best. Besides, I can finish up at night school. It isn’t the same, but I need to get a job.”
The day before Uncle Jed left, he told her that Dr. Olsen informed him that he was given orders to give her the charges for her hospital stay, and they totaled out to almost ten thousand dollars. When she saw the bill, her eyes had widened at the amount and checking her account, she could pay it, but it dwindled what little money she had left. Buying the house hadn’t been a wise decision, but she had wanted a place to call her own. She regretted that decision now, but she had to deal with the consequences.
Uncle Jed had been upset when he gave her the news and he had been upset with her choice, but he understood it.
“Is everything completed, ma’am?” She asked Ms. Helms.
Ms. Helms looked up at the young woman and she sighed, “Yes, everything is completed.” She frowned as she said slowly, “If I help you find a decent part-time job, do you think that will help you until you graduate?”
At Abella’s look, she said stubbornly, “Your grades are very good. It would be a waste to have you drop out now.”
Abella sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she said quietly, “What is the job?”
She wasn’t going to admit to herself, or anyone else, that she had an interior motive for dropping out of school.
Ms. Helms smiled before saying, “My sister, the librarian for the county library, is looking for a part-time helper, or assistant. It would mean working weekends and most weeknights until the library closes, but it is a job.”
Abella frowned as she closed her eyes shuffling things around in her head. What she had left from her inheritance was enough to continue to pay her bills on the cottage, but the chances of her going to college dropped the minute she bought the cottage, something she hadn’t really realized until she had to pay the hospital. Her eyes opened slowly and biting her lip, she looked Ms. Helms.
Ms. Helms smiled as she read the wariness in Abella’s grey eyes, but she also saw that she was considering it. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down her sister’s cell number, “Here is her number. Give her a call and don’t worry, she will give you an interview.”
She looked at the clock and asked, “Do you want to go to class or…?”
Abella shook her head, “I am going to go ahead and call your sister. If she has no problem hiring a high school student, then I will see you tomorrow.” She looked down at the papers and Ms. Helms grabbed them ripping them up.
“If you still decide to drop out after talking with my sister then you can resign them,” she told Abella with a smug smile, and Abella chuckled as she stood up.
“Yes, ma’am,” Abella said before heading out the door.
Ms. Helms waited until the door closed and picked up her phone to dial her sister’s number, “Cicely, I gave that student the one that I was telling you about, your cell number. She needs a part-time job.” She listened for a few minutes before she started chuckling, “Cicely, she won’t give you any trouble. Besides, she was thinking of dropping out of school and this was the only way I could get her to consider finishing. She only has a few months left before she graduates.”
Abella let herself into her house almost two hours later and she sighed wearily as she headed for the kitchen. She had called Ms. Helms sister not too long after she left the school.
She shook her head as she remembered meeting Cicely Benders after their short conversation on the phone.
“Mrs. Benders,” Abella had said walking up to the desk and the woman lifted her head with a frown. Abella met a pair of violet eyes that had startled her until the woman snapped, “Miss Deans?”
Abella had shook her head as she said, “Yes, ma’am. Ms. Helms gave the number and advised that I call you.”
Carla Benders had looked over her as if she was under a microscope and then she said bluntly, “I will give you a week’s trail and if you are not doing what I ask of you, or any problems, then you will be gone.”
Abella had been stunned as the woman hadn’t asked her a single question neither had she asked her to fill out any paperwork.
“Mrs. Benders,” Abella had begun only to have Mrs. Benders to cut her off.
“Be here tomorrow after school,” Mrs. Benders told her before turning away to greet a woman and her daughter.
Abella had stood there for a few seconds before walking out slowly. For a moment there, it had felt as if Mrs. Benders had read her mind and Abella had a funny feeling that she was in for lot more than she bargained for working at the library.
She wasn’t hungry as she opened the refrigerator so she grabbed a Snapple drink and headed upstairs making sure the door was lock and the lights were off.
Once in her room, she ran a hot bath and began to get undress when her cell rung. She sighed as she went back into the bedroom for it before heading back to the bathroom as she answered, “Hello.”
“Caden said he was fine with the meeting at the restaurant,” Jessa told her as she turned her eyes
to Caden who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
He mouthed “speakerphone” and she rolled her eyes before hitting the button.
“Okay,” Abella said wearily. “Just let me know the time and day, and we will go from there.”
They heard the water running and Jessa laughed as she teased, “Taking a bath?”
“Yes, because I am sore as hell,” Abella said bluntly.
Jessa stopped smiling and asked worriedly as Caden straightened from the doorframe.
“Are you okay? Do you want me to…?” Jessa began.
“Thank you, Jessa, but I am going to take a bath and go to bed,” Abella told her.
Jessa was silent for a moment and then she sighed, “You will call me if you need anything, right?”
“Yes,” Abella said after a second thought.
“I guess it is good enough,” Jessa said ruefully.
She looked at Caden and noticed that he was still with a hard look on his face, but she saw that underneath he was worried.
“Jessa, I will see you tomorrow,” Abella said.
Jessa laughed and said, “I will see you tomorrow at school. Goodnight, Abella.”
Abella sighed with resignation as she flipped her cell closed and finished getting undressed so she could take her bath. She knew why she had been thinking of dropping out of school, and that was because of Caden Brody. Even though they had only talked a few times, he unnerved her as she remembered his eyes from the grocery parking lot. She shivered slightly but it wasn’t from being cold, and that made her frown even more.
Once she climbed in the tub and sunk down, her aching body screamed at her as the hot water began to ease her muscles and she let the frown fade from her face. She may not understand it but his black eyes made her feel safe for some reason.
She closed her eyes on a sigh and began to drift off, and then she began to dream.
“Daddy,” she screamed watching him run back the way they came. Then there was silence. She trembled were she crouched her eyes blurry with tears as she listened to the sounds around her. She was scared stiff but she remembered her father’s words one time when they saw a young deer in the forest and how her dad said to stay absolutely still so not to scare away the young deer. His words came back to her as she crouched there until a voice said behind her, “So this is the little witch?”
She screamed as she turned around and then scrambling away on her knees, she edged away from him before gaining her feet to start running. She made the mistake of running in the same direction they came and she heard the man’s laughter behind her as she came across her mother and father lying in their own blood.
“Abella,” her daddy choked out as blood ran from his mouth.
“Now, David, we will take care of your daughter,” a voice mocked before a hand came out and backhanded her to the ground.
“Leave her alone,” her daddy clenched out as he tried to sit up only to fall back to the ground.
There was laughter around her at his weak actions, but Abella lay there tears running down her face, and her lip was bleeding where the man had hit her.
Then the voice behind her, “David, you should have never left you know. Father was very upset as you were the best besides me, of course.”
Abella even though she was scared, heard the jealousy in the man’s voice, and she turned her head to look at him.
She was shocked to see how young he really was and noticing her look he sneered.
“What the hell are you looking at?” He snarled before he hit her in the face knocking her to the ground again.
“Abella!” Her daddy cried out, and the man stopped for a moment to look at him as a gleam entered his eyes. He chuckled darkly before he started kicking her and Abella drew into a ball to protect herself.
“Stop, you are going to kill her,” her daddy croaked out.
“That is the idea,” the man smirked as he grabbed her by the back of the head and yanked her to her feet.
She didn’t see the knife as he plunged it into her, but her eyes widened at the pain. She felt the pain a few more times, but for some reason the pain wasn’t as bad as it was earlier.
“Honey,” her mom said, and Abella looked at her with blurry eyes looking past the man with evil eyes.
“Mom,” she whispered, and the man laughed as he said cruelly, “She is already dead.”
Abella wasn’t listening as she stared at her mom, and her mom smiled sadly, “I will protect you,” she stopped as she glanced behind her and her father strolled forward grabbing the hand she held out to him.
“We will protect you,” she amended turning back to her. “Someone is coming and they will get here in time.” Abella could see the hope in her mother’s eyes at this statement.
“Abella,” her daddy said. “You will hear many things later on as you get older and some of what you hear will be true, but one thing I want you to remember is that you are my precious daughter, the only other person besides your mother that was my whole life.”
Abella saw a look pass over both of their faces and then she heard the man holding her, “Damn, someone is coming. Let’s get moving.”
“What about her?” Someone asked, and Abella felt her body tossed to the ground.
The man laughed as he said, “Leave her. If she survives, we will finish what we started later on.”
Abella heard it all as they ran away but her eyes stayed focus on her mother and father.
“I was…” her daddy started to say…
Abella jerked up as her cell rung waking her from her dream. She shivered as she felt how cold the water was and she sat forward draining the tub before standing up and pulling the shower curtain. She took a quick shower as her mind went over the dream that she remembered, and she frowned. What was her father trying to tell her, she asked herself as she climbed out wrapping a large towel around her body.
She grabbed her phone checking to see who called and she shook her head noticing that the number was blocked. She headed to her room where she placed the phone on her nightstand, and quickly got dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.
She sighed heavily as she climbed on the bed and she turned out the light hoping that she wouldn’t be plague by dreams, but unfortunately, the dreams were now release.
The next morning after a restless night of sleep and before she headed to school, Abella answered the knock on her door to reveal Dr. Olsen with a regretful look on his face.
“Come in,” she said to him stepping aside to allow him to enter, but there was a frown on her face.
“I am sorry about this, Abella,” he said as he stepped in the living room.
“Uncle Jed told me, and I got the bill in the mail,” she said looking at him with a question in her eyes.
“The bill was sent to you, but I am responsible for making sure that they get their money,” he explained, and although still confused, Abella nodded her head.
She walked over to a bookcase and pulled out a checkbook before sitting down on the couch.
“Normally, the Alpha pays the hospital bill, but I was told that as you are not a member of the pack, he doesn’t have to pay it,” he informed her.
He watched as she wrote the check out and he didn’t mention that Caden had no idea that his father was the one who told him to give the bill to Abella and that Caden wasn’t to know about it, or pay it.
Dr. Olsen shook his head as he thought about Caden and Jessa mother’s mate because he was a sour man who assumed that he would have made a better Alpha although he had no bloodlines of an Alpha. Caden’s mother was the one with the bloodlines of an Alpha, and she was the one who ran the pack although her mate believed he had been the one in charge. He tried to explain to him about Abella, but the man didn’t want to listen as if someone had told him something else, and Dr. Olsen had a suspicion that he knew who was talking to him.
“The Alpha shouldn’t have to pay my bill, Dr. Olsen,” Abella was saying pulling him out of his thou
ghts.
She tore the check off and stood up placing the checkbook back in its place before handing him the check.
Dr. Olsen looked down at the check in amazement because it was in the full amount of ten thousand dollars.
He looked up at her and he said in a stunned voice, “Can you really pay this much at once?”
Abella smiled slightly as she told him, “I can, but it takes a huge chunk from my savings.”
She sighed as she started toward the kitchen calling over her shoulder, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Dr. Olsen followed her and watching her move around, he could see the weariness in her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked in concerned voice.
“I had a restless night, but otherwise I am fine,” she told him.
He had a cup of coffee with her and after rinsing out the cups, she walked out with him locking the door behind her.
“Have a good day at school, Abella,” he called, and she smiled giving a wave before climbing into her car.
He watched her drive away before he got in his own car heading to the hospital.
Jessa smiled as she hurried over to Abella who was opening her locker.
“Hi Abella,” Jessa said with a smile. “How about we hang out today after school?”
Abella frowned as she pulled the books she needed from her locker, “I am sorry, Jessa. I start my part-time job this afternoon.”
Jessa sighed in disappointment, “Okay, but maybe after you get off from work” wondering where Abella was working.
“Sure,” Abella said with a laugh as they headed for their first class of the day.
Jessa was frowning when she entered her house that evening, and Timothy coming downstairs saw it.
“Good afternoon, honey,” he said meeting up with her and drawing her into his arms kissing her passionately.
“Hi,” she said huskily, and he laughed. “What was that frown on your face for?” He asked placing his hands on her waist.
“Oh,” Jessa said shrugging her shoulders, “I wanted to hang out with Abella today, but she said she was starting her part-time job.”
The Witch Prophecy Page 10
