“Less facetiousness and more facts.” Jayden led the way toward the car parked in the visitor parking area. “That’s what you always say.”
“I know.” Ian overtook her and triggered the locks on the car. He put Nadia down so she could get into the backseat and buckle up before closing the door. “I just wish…”
“We had never stepped into your lives?” I concluded. “I mean—let’s be honest. Your daughter has picked up some bad habits because of me. Been attacked by a flock of wild birds, nearly chased by the police, and now a target at school.”
“That’s not it.” Ian rested his hands on the top of the car, his face tired of holding onto anger, let it go with a sigh. “My wife and I embarked on becoming foster parents because we know from our own experience how hard it can be for a child like you to transition into a supernatural world like this. The last thing any of us need is more problems, but somehow they seem to find their way to us no matter what we do. Moments like this make me wonder if I had chosen the right path for my own family.”
Wow. Mr. Therapist even struggled with the reality of this newfound preternatural community. If that was truly the case, then my kinfolk didn’t stand a chance.
#
Dinner conversation was dominated by what happened to Jayden and me in the cafeteria. I would’ve told Kurt about it, but I was too tired to visit him at the hospital today. Since I was still alive to talk about the incident, Nadia and I agreed we’d visit tomorrow and tell him then. Bree wasn’t very happy with that plan but went with it since it was our decision.
Just as we finished dinner, the doorbell rang. Nobody was expecting any visitors, but Ian warned Jayden that if it was her friends, then this would be a five-minute conversation at best. He got up from his desk to answer it. Given how they were more interested in seeing a show rather than helping me, I’d feel better if he gave them one minute.
The female voice at the door caught my attention. I had heard it before. I leaned forward from the couch to see if I could catch a glimpse of them in the foyer but still couldn’t see. Ian allowed her inside.
“Phaedra,” he said. “Do you know this lady? She apparently knows you.”
The color must have drained out of my face and settled into the pit of my stomach when she entered the living room. Everything inside me shook with a combination of both anger and fear. More so anger. That bitch had no place in our lives anymore. How she managed to find us here had me wishing I had a hot poker to stick in her eyes.
All of the tools from the fireplace fell out of the rack and clanged to the floor. Everyone put on their oh-crap faces. Most of the time, I’d do what I can to quell my emotions. For Aunt Shelley, I didn’t care.
“Aren’t you going to say anything,” she said, holding out her welcoming arms.
She stood there with her hand held wide, black boots with a short gray skirt to top them off and a matching sweater under a black leather coat. Unlike her usual disheveled self, she stood upright with confidence high on her shoulders and her nose slightly angled upward. Her beady eyes met mine with the type of precision mastered by a sniper. None of her makeup could hide the rosacea on her brown cheeks or the wrinkles around her yellowish eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ball at the back of her head like a demonic school teacher.
“Go to hell. How’s that for something?” It was the best greeting that abusive bitch would ever get from me.
Picture frames shattered one by one around the room as though we were in a shooting gallery, some falling onto the floor and smashing into more pieces. Ian ducked his head as did Shelley. Nadia screeched from the kitchen as more glass shattered across the dining room, spraying shards everywhere. Bree grabbed her, ducking her to the floor and covering her as best she could while the dirty silverware Jayden was collecting from the table flew out of her hands.
When the invisible shooting gallery stopped, everyone slowly reconvened in the living room. That was pretty calm in comparison to what could’ve happened. When Nadia saw Aunt Shelley, she screamed and darted upstairs crying. Bree went after her while Jayden stayed, though only poking her head into the living room.
“Well,” Shelley said, dusting off a few shards that landed on her jacket sleeve. “It’s good to see some things never change. Now pack yours and your sister’s things because we’re leaving.”
“We’re not going anywhere with you.” I stood and glared at her, daring her to take a step closer.
“According to the law, I’m your next of kin while Kurt is laid up. That means you and Nadia are coming with me. Or would you rather I call the police and social services over here to convince you? While I may not possess your precious gifts, I know what your kind fear the most. Let’s not put it to a test, shall we?”
Whether Shelley knew if the preternatural world existed or not didn’t matter. Her ability to expose it was the problem because it could drag Jayden and Vanessa into the spotlight they’ve been trying to hide from for years. I couldn’t do that to them.
Unlike other members of our family, she didn’t fear our powers. She wanted them.
Chapter Twelve
“Why don’t you go somewhere and die?” I replied. “You’d be doing the world a favor.”
“Phaedra,” Ian admonished before turning apologetic. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Since the fire—”
“Save your breath, boy scout.” She lifted a hand to stop him before closing the distance between us. “I know my niece and how disrespectful she can be. Too bad, you people weren’t able to change that before I got here. But then again, it’s only been a few days and miracles have been known to happen in less time.”
“Nadia and I aren’t going anywhere with you.” I kept my glare on her. “We’re not about to add bruises on top of the ones you had given us.”
“Your mother gave you those bruises and you know it.”
“There’s a difference. It happened with mom because she was going through a schizophrenic episode. She didn’t know what she was doing, so I can forgive her for that. You chose to drink yourself into a rage and beat the crap out of us.”
“How about we all sit down and talk about it?” Ian hurried around her and placed himself between the two of us. “Seriously. There’s only so much our insurance can afford to fix and I’d prefer not to make a claim if I can help it.”
He had a point. As hyped up as I was, I wouldn’t put it past my powers blasting out the windows throughout the first and second floors. Besides, I had caused enough damage to their property in the few days that we had been around. Given another month, the Kendrick household will look about as dilapidated as ours.
“I have a better idea.” I grabbed my crutches and started out the room. “You two talk. I’m pretty sure I know how this conversation will go and I’d prefer it didn’t end with a chalk outline.”
When I made it upstairs, I pulled out my cell phone and called Kurt. Someone had to know what was going on and if they didn’t, then they needed to know.
“Are you shitting me?” Kurt asked. “No way in would I authorize something like that. Neither would mom. She doesn’t want her anywhere near you two.”
“Well, she’s here.” I gulped as I looked at the closed bathroom door. I didn’t want Nadia to be privy to this conversation since I could still hear her crying inconsolably in the other room. “How the heck did she find out about the house?”
“I have no idea, but I’m getting a lawyer even if I have to peel myself out of this hospital to find one. She can’t do that.”
I closed my eyes and forced myself to think this through. As much as I wanted Kurt to intervene, he couldn’t. His stupid doctor would probably make a statement that he’s not well enough to take care of us and that would only leave us with Shelley again. Mason couldn’t take us in either for the same reason the Kendricks couldn't keep us. We weren’t family. There was no one, really. Most of our family lived too far away and probably wouldn’t be in a hurry to help us out either.
“No,” I said. hating myself for even letting the word slip from my lips.
“What do you mean ‘no’? Phae, I’m not going to let that bitch get her hands on you or Nadia. I’ll be out of this hospital in a few days. Just stall her until then. Run away, if you have to.”
“She’s already making threats about calling the cops. You know as well as I do if they come here, it’ll make things worse. I can’t control my powers. I already had a meltdown that destroyed some stuff downstairs. The walls will go next. Can you imagine seeing that one on the news?”
He paused. “She’s only there for the insurance money, you know. Mason’s already helped me make a few calls so we have the claim rolling. We’re looking at more than two-hundred-fifty grand when all is said and done because mom was smart enough to get another assessment of the house done after dad finished the initial renovations. If we flatten what’s left of the house and sell the land, we can use that to pay off the remaining mortgage. The insurance money would be a great down payment on a second home.”
I snorted. “Are any of those maniacs still interested in buying a burnt shack?”
“Well if it’s any consolation, nobody has taken their bid off the table either.”
“What?”
Strange. Our house wasn’t livable due to the fact that there was a lot of water damage from putting out the fire, not to mention, it was missing part of the roof and a side wall. Who would want a death trap like that?
“I have an idea,” I said.
“God help us all.”
“Would you shut up and listen to me for a sec?” I paused to finish gathering my thoughts. “All I need is about a week and my ankle will be better. Nadia and I could sneak out of the house and come back here. You’ll be out of the hospital by then and—”
“No.”
“No? Why not?”
“Why not?” He paused as if to calm himself. “When I said run away, I meant for a day. You’re talking about you and our little sister being in the streets by yourselves for a whole week. You don’t know what it’s like to live like that, Phae. I had to do some horrible things that I still don’t want to talk about to make sure I had a safe place to sleep and food in my mouth until I found Mason.”
“Kurt, it won’t be like that.”
“How do you know? Do you?” When I didn’t answer, he continued. “We both know Aunt Shelley is there to snag you two up like free poker chips. She’ll use you guys to get her hands on the insurance money and I’ll give it to her if she leaves you guys with the Kendricks. She has my word on that.”
“She wants a check. Not your word. Until then, she’ll use us as collateral.” Sighing, I pulled my ankle up on my knee and tightened the straps. “Don’t give that money to her Kurt. She has no rights to it and you know that. Nadia and I will endure until—”
“Phae, no.”
“I’ll find a way to get us out.” I spat it out there so fast that the words echoed through my head again as extra reassurance. “In the meantime, you have to handle the household logistics and get better. Don’t give a dime to Aunt Shelley unless you hear from me. As for mom—”
“I’ve got her covered,” he said. “I’ll send Mason to the cemetery to look for her. He’ll think I’m nuts, but you’ve lived with mom’s psychosis longer than anyone. Even in her schizophrenic state, you know how she’s thinking better than anyone else.”
“I still want to find out who’s responsible for nearly burning down our house.”
“You can’t do that from wherever Aunt Shelley is taking you. I’ll dig into those offers and see if there’s a connection to the fire. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find an arsonist in our midst. Your job is more important than anything else.”
“Which is?”
“Stay alive.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“Phaedra, please come out,” Ian said. “We have to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I said my goodbyes to Kurt and opened the bathroom door. “We have to go with her.”
“I…” Worry dotted Ian’s angered eyes, though I knew it was for me. “I promise you we won’t give up on you or your sister without a fight. We can take it to social services if that’s what you want. With your testimony on her being an unsuitable guardian, I’m sure we can—”
“Don’t bother.” I slid my crutches under my arms and hobbled into the hallway. “I’m not stupid, you know. The only reason why she’s doing this is for the insurance money. She’s going to use Nadia and me as bargaining chips for Kurt to give her all rights to the insurance settlement.”
“That’s insane.”
I snorted. “Yeah, well, welcome to my family tree.”
“Phaedra, I can’t let the two of you go anywhere with that woman. Mason told us enough about your family’s background and why she didn’t trust any of them with you.” He gulped. “He told us you two were subjected to physical abuse. I can’t in good conscience let either of you leave the house in your aunt’s crazed custody.”
“You don’t have a choice. She’ll head straight to the newspapers with what she knows and bring hell to Jayden and Vanessa. She’s good at causing problems for anyone who stands in the way of what she wants. Just ask my grandmother about how she ended up in a nursing home.”
“Phaedra, you don’t have to take the weight of the entire preternatural world on your shoulders. You’re only seventeen, for heaven’s sake. It’s not your responsibility to—”
“I’m almost eighteen.”
He opened his mouth.
I touched his arm to quiet him.
Human contact with anyone outside my immediate family was like a foreign substance to me. I knew from the forlorn look in his eyes that he really cared for us. That he meant what he said. Everyone outside our family has always been the enemy, even Kurt when he came back. This was the first time I really felt something for someone wasn’t related to me. More than I felt for the Wicked Witch who waited downstairs. While I wasn’t ready to call this place home or them my extended family, this was as close as I’d ever get. Not only did it hurt my heart to see how much Nadia liked them and wanted to stay, but it killed a little piece of me, too.
“Look.” I blinked back unshed tears I didn’t know I had. “I need you to work with Kurt on getting the settlement for our house. Maybe help him search for a new home for us when we come back. We need that more than anything right now. And if there’s anything you can do to get Kurt back on his feet sooner and stop Aunt Shelley from terrorizing more than just our family, I’m game for that, too.”
Defeated, he lowered his gaze from mine and patted the back of my hand. “Okay.”
“Take my phone.” Jayden slipped around her father and handed it to me. “It’s for Nadia. I know she’s too young to have one, but just in case she needs one for extra security or something to remember us by. Right, Dad? She can call whenever she wants. Both of you can.”
“Novel idea.” Forcing his smile, Ian nodded his approval. “And while I know you may not need it, we have some money. Something tells me you won’t get any from your aunt. Oh, and I won’t take no for an answer either.” He left both of us in the hall and hurried down to the master bedroom.
“I uh…” Jayden gulped as we stood in the tight space alone. Her gaze fell on everything but me. “You guys aren’t going to stay with her, are you?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I know what I would do if I were you, and being with that creep-toid isn’t it. The first chance I get, I’d throw Nadia on my back and bolt. If you do, call me. We’ll find a place to meet and maybe stash you guys away.”
I lowered my head and grinned as heat flooded my cheeks.
“Phaedra! Nadia!” Shelley shouted from downstairs. “Pack your squalor and get your tails down here! I don’t have all day.”
“Thar she blows.” Jayden glanced over her shoulder. “If you can help it, make sure she doesn’t grab the railing when you guys leave the house.”
/>
Rather than read any more into what she said, I went into the bedroom where Nadia and I slept and started packing. My little sister was too distraught to care about anything else, so Bree painstakingly helped gather up her things. One time I caught her wiping away tears as she carefully folded some clothes and placed them in our duffle bag. Bree made sure to put a stuffed panda and llama into her backpack.
“I don’t want to go.” Nadia threw herself into my arms and cried. “I want to stay here.”
“Same here, Squirt.” I gently stroked her frizzy hair and kissed her crown. “It’ll be okay. You know I’d never let anything happen to you. And besides, if Aunt Shelley is smart, she won’t mess with either one of us. I’m not above using the full force of my powers to knock her around her own house for a change.”
Nadia said nothing. Instead, she tightened her embrace. Swallowing through the tightness in my throat, I looked to Bree for some help. This was one of those things I couldn’t fix alone. I always did everything I could to make things better for Nadia, but I was out of my element on this one.
Bree came across the room and hugged us both. She kissed Nadia, but when she kissed me, too, an image of my mom flashed in my head. An image of her sitting in that cemetery and playing in the dirt instead of being with us. It was her job to comfort us, but she couldn’t be here. I didn’t hate her for it, I just wish she was here instead.
All of the books fell off the shelf above the desk. The pillows flew off the bed and the curtains lifted in the air and fluttered as though some invisible wind had blown them away from the closed window. A crack split from the floor to the ceiling.
“Sorry.” I closed my eyes and forced myself to get a grip on my emotions. With my luck, we would drop through to the first floor.
“It’s okay.” Bree half-smiled and squeezed my arm. “Jayden still has to work off those dents and scratches she put in the car, so what’s one more project?”
Silent Scream (Bittersweet Series, Book 2) Page 10
