“Come here, Donna, I need to erase your pain,” Alex said. I pulled away, watching as he touched her arm. “Lisa, when I’m finished, we must pretend she’s fallen and hit her head.”
I shook nervously, recoiling. He really could erase memories. Michael did forget me and now, he was erasing Donna’s memory of Ally and Pig. I needed to get away and fast.
Pig stood next to me, and as if he knew, pointed his nose east. “What, you want me to follow you?” I asked. He barked and raced ahead. I followed close behind. Anything was better than watching Alex erase Donna’s memories.
Twenty One
Rat Has A Secret
Pig and I ran all the way out behind Millie’s house. He stopped in front of the henhouse and motioned for me to look up. There, on top of the coop was Rat. His tail flicked angrily when he spotted us.
“Why’d you bring me to Rat?” I knelt down. Poor Pig. He longed to be held and loved but was unable because if anyone except Ally touched him—he’d kill them. What a horrible life he held. “Did Alex take one of my memories away, huh, Pig?”
He barked and pointed at the cat. What did he want me to do? “Rat knows all of our secrets.” Ally wept, slouching against the side of the coop. “He holds all our thoughts and if you ask him the right question you can learn the truth about anything. That’s his special gift or curse as I call it.”
“How do I know this isn’t some trick?”
“Why would Pig bring you to Rat if it were? Do you think he’d let you touch the cat if there was some horrible consequence awaiting you? He’s stopped Rat from touching you before; don’t you remember?”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because, as much as you and Alex doubt me, I have changed, maybe not enough but I want you to ask Rat about me, too and why I did the things I’ve done. I deserve some sort of chance. Everyone screws up and I just know you will forgive me if you ask Rat about me.”
“Pig, is this true? Should I touch rat?” He barked and Rat hopped down, inches from my feet. I knelt and took a deep breath. “Rat, what memories of Michael have been erased?”
I placed my hand on him and instantly I was in C I N Boarding School. Ally and Michael lay together on a bed in one of the dorms. He twirled pieces of her red hair in his fingers. It was redder than I’d ever seen before.
“I love you, Alison Moody.” Michael bit her earlobe. Pig rested in the corner, sleeping soundly.
“I love you more,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around him. “I think I’m ready now.” He kissed her neck softly, positioning himself. “You really do love me?”
“Yeah,” Michael pushed himself against her. “I do.”
“I’m nervous,” she said, placing her hands on his chest, “Maybe we shouldn’t.”
“It’ll be okay,” Michael said. I looked away, listening to the headboard bang against the wall. “Oh, Marie!”
I turned abruptly; eyes wide. Ally scrambled from underneath him. “Marie?”
“It was an accident,” Michael stammered, “You know I don’t like that girl.”
“We were making love and you shout her name? How do you explain that away? I don’t understand. Michael, you said you never cheated on me. You did, didn’t you?” Ally curled up in a ball and sobbed. “You had sex with Marie. You lying cheat. Get out!”
“Ally, okay, it wasn’t on purpose. It just happened. I’m in love with you, not her. She means nothing to me.”
“I said, get out!”
Pig stood up and barked, threatening Michael. “Look, Ally, I told you, Marie means nothing to me.” He stood in the middle of the room naked. I tried to avoid staring but I couldn’t.
Ally pointed at Michael. “Pig, sic him, now.” He charged but Michael jumped out of the way. He grabbed a pillow and raced out of the room, slamming the door shut. Ally covered her face in the pillow and wailed. “Why would he do this to me, Pig? I thought he loved me.”
I let go of Rat’s neck, shaking the thoughts out of my head. Michael had lied to me. He’d said he almost lost his longevity because he went to his father’s funeral. Did he even remember being in a relationship with Ally? “Ally, I—”
“Don’t tell me about whatever you saw. Alex erased my pain and I don’t want to know what he removed. He only takes away things when he feels someone can’t survive knowing the truth.” Ally sighed. “I never want to know. I remember being miserable but can’t remember why.”
“Rat, tell me who else Ally tried to kill and why.” I placed my hand on Rat again. I was in the woods behind the Mood’s old house next to the graveyard. Frank was young and with long black hair. It was tied back in a ponytail. His eyes were purple just like mine. Donna leaned against a tree. Her hair and eyes were much darker and she looked happy.
“Frank, did you mean it when you told me you loved me?” Donna grinned. “You aren’t still dating Ally, are you?”
“I’m yours; I’ll break up with Ally tonight.” He kissed her neck. His shirt was off and there was a tattoo of a dagger splitting a heart in half. His hands went to her belt. He unbuckled it and forced down her pants.
“Wait a minute,” Donna said, shoving him as hard as she could. “I never said I wanted to have sex.”
“Shut up.” Frank grabbed Donna by the neck. “You aren’t going to play hard to get anymore. That game is over.” He shoved himself against her and slapped her across the face. His body thrust hard and fast. She screamed and smacked his shoulders.
“Get off of me! Help!”
Ally stood next to me. I waved my hand and it sliced through her. I was watching the past. Her eyes watered and she pointed. “Pig, get him!”
Pig charged, attacking Frank’s leg. He yelled, kicking Pig aside. He yelped, rolling on his back. When Frank was done, he looked up at Ally.
“You’re next, you little tease.” He threatened, pointing at Ally. “Your dog just bit my leg. Look at the blood!”
“You’re no longer one of us,” Ally announced. “Pig took away your longevity. Your eyes are already returning to black. You’re a cheating scumbag; and a rapist.”
“How dare you!” Frank screamed, charging forward. Alex stood alongside Ally now and struck him with lightning. He flew backwards and smashed into a tree. He shouted and grabbed his arm.
“You broke my arm!” Frank screamed.
“Leave, right now!” Ally ordered. “If you don’t go I’ll tell everyone what you’ve done to Donna.”
Frank ran towards the railroad and hopped across. Instantly, he grew ten years older. He looked over at Ally and stuck out his middle finger. “I should’ve raped you instead.”
I let go of Rat and took deep breaths. So, Alex erased that memory from both Ally and Donna. What a horrible, horrible man Frank was! Why would Alex allow him to come back? For what purpose?
Ally cleared her throat. “Do you understand me better now?” She whispered, ripping blades of grass from the ground.
“Rat, show me what happened today between Donna and Ally.”
I was walking alongside Donna and Ally. They were trekking through the woods laughing and teasing Pig with a piece of beef jerky.
“C’mon, Pig.” Donna laughed, prancing on her tiptoes. “Remember when we had silly crushes on Frank? Back before he lost his longevity.”
Ally stopped and glanced at the very tree where Frank raped Donna. “Does this tree look familiar to you?”
Donna stopped, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s a tree, Ally.”
“It was you, wasn’t it? You took my boyfriend away, didn’t you?” Ally sobbed, leaning against the tree. Her fingernails dug into the bark. “He raped you and I saved your life. But that never would’ve happened—he never would’ve tried to rape you if you weren’t flirting with him behind my back! You’re the one who’s the traitor. How could you? How do you live with yourself? Donna, no wonder you’re always alone. No one at C I N trusts you. You’re a back stabber and a boyfriend stealer!”
Donna charged forward. “No
one raped me. I was never your friend! You’re a miserable person, Alison Moody, I hate you!”
Pig raced out of the bushes and growled, showing his fangs. “Go away, Pig.” Ally ordered but he did not back away.
“He doesn’t scare me. He’s a stupid dog full of himself.” Donna flipped her hair over her shoulders and stomped away. Ally and Pig ran towards the little house. She fell over Jane Mood’s grave and wept bitterly.
Donna leaned against the iron rail and sighed. “I wish you had burned for real in that house.”
Ally stood eyes red and watery. “Go away! I mean it.”
“Who died and made you the boss?”
“I said go!”
“Make me.”
Ally raced forward and pushed her to the ground. Donna grabbed her by the leg and the girls tumbled down the hill, scratching and pulling hair. Pig chased after then and bit Donna in her leg.
“Your dog—he bit me!” Donna shook, racing for the old two story house. “I’m going to grow old and die! How could you do this to me?”
“I didn’t mean it!” Ally called, chasing her into the house. “I didn’t know Pig would really attack! He hasn’t liked me much since Lisa got here. Really, Donna, I’m sorry.”
I let go of Rat and wiped the tears from my eyes. Alex and I had both been wrong about Ally. She hadn’t really killed anyone and it was Donna who’d lied. Ally just happened to be in the wrong spot every time.
“Ally,” I sniffed, searching around. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m not a very nice person. So, it makes sense for people to point their finger at me.”
“Rat, show me what Ally and Alex are really like.” I placed my hand on his back.
I stood inside a cancer ward. It was in the middle of the night and there was only a few nurses working the graveyard shift.
“Who in here is terminal?” Ally asked, reading a long list of names. “Millie Brown and Bill Ward; hey, that’s the guy who used to own the convenience store. He was nice.”
“Okay, I’ll help Millie and you go fix Bill,” Alex decided, disappearing down the hall.
I let go of Rat. What else did this cat know? Frank. Who was he? Why did I feel like I knew him?
“Rat, why do I feel like I know Frank?” I placed my hand on him again.
Frank, now twenty-seven, climbed through my Florida bedroom window; except, it was an office. Paper littered the floor and there were coffee stains on the desk. He snuck into my parent’s bedroom and rummaged through my mom’s jewelry box. The front door opened and in walked my mom. She was in a waitress uniform. She loosened her cumber bun and unbuttoned her long sleeved white work shirt. She turned on the shower and took off the rest of her clothes.
“I can’t wait to get this smell off me!” Amber exclaimed, stepping into the shower. Frank took off his shirt and there was his tattoo of an ugly dagger piercing a red heart. Next, he unbuckled his pants.
Was he going to get in the shower with my mom? Did she have a boyfriend I didn’t know about? Or at least remember? She turned around and her eyes widened, “What are you doing in here? Who are you?”
He slammed her into the wall, grabbing her wrists.
I let go of Rat and climbed to my feet. I ran over close to the pond and collapsed on my back. Frank raped my mother. He was an evil man.
Suddenly, a horrible thought came to me. Frank and I were the only ones who had purple eyes. Frank had black hair just like I used to. And I was able to feel Alex’s pain before I was struck because; it was very possible that Frank was my father.
My head spun. That was why Pig refused to let me touch him. I couldn’t handle this! I had another thought: Alex only took away things that we couldn’t handle. Michael. Did he take away his pain? Was I his pain?
I ran back to Rat. Ally and Pig glanced up at me. “I have another question for you, Rat. What happened between Michael and Alex this morning?”
Alex opened his door, but Michael shoved him back inside. Pig looked up and growled. “I want Pig to end my pain. I don’t want to live anymore. You’ve taken the woman I love away from me!” Michael wailed, falling onto the floor. “Please, have Pig touch me.”
“I can’t let him do that,” Alex said. He took deep breaths. “Please, Michael, I’ve never had anyone. You’ve been with every girl here, and during the summers you and Reginald always sleep around with the townsfolk. Why can’t I have her?”
“I’m in love with her! She’s different. I haven’t fooled around since I picked her up at the train station. She’s been the only woman on my mind.”
“You can stay away for a little while, if that will help.”
“No, I want you to kill me.”
“Can’t I just take your memory of her away?”
“There’s nothing you can do to erase her from my heart.”
Alex placed his hands on Michael. Little zaps of electricity left Alex and transferred to Michael. He twitched and then shook his head.
“What am I doing in your room?” Michael asked.
“I dunno.” Alex scratched his head, “You came in here and then you just passed out on the floor. Are you eating right, Michael?”
“I eat whatever Pete and Marie give me.”
“I’ll talk to them about putting more vegetables in your diet. I don’t want you fainting again.”
I let go of Rat. Alex didn’t take away Michael’s memory to be mean. He took it away as the only alternative. Michael would’ve tried to touch Pig.
I got up and walked back towards school, or at least my pretend school. I needed to talk to Alex. He wasn’t the villain I made him out to be. He loved me. Why he loved me--I didn’t know but I knew for certain that I was the only one he’d ever cared about in this way. I turned around. Pig and Rat followed close behind with Ally.
“I, um, wanted to ask you a question,” Ally stammered. “Did you learn the truth about your secret? I wanted to make sure before I took Rat and Pig back to the house with me.”
“No, I learned who Frank is.” I frowned.
“Frank?” Ally seemed confused. Did she not know he raped my mother? If that wasn’t my secret, what was?
“What question should I ask?”
“Ask Rat why your mom hasn’t come back for you yet.”
“What do you mean, Ally?” I climbed down the steps, inches from her face. “Did you and Alex do something?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry.”
I picked up Rat in my arms. Before I ever even asked, I was in a Denny’s with Alex, Ally and my mom. Amber had come for me! She came back!
My mom placed her hand on Alex’s arm. He saw the rape. His face burned and all he thought about was me and my safety. He was really going to let me go home with her until he realized that I was her problem. My mom was never going to get better as long as she was with me. He stood up and grabbed his chair.
“Alex,” I screamed.
He put down the chair.
I breathed heavily. “Mom, don’t touch Alex, he doesn’t like it.”
“Uh, I can see that.”
Alex nodded and scooted back to the table.
Our waitress inched her way over with a look of horror on her face. “I-Is everything all right here?”
Ally smiled. “Yes, of course. We’re just very hungry.”
“I’ll ask the kitchen staff to push your order,” The waitress said, backing away from the table slowly.
Ally nodded. “That’s a very wise idea.”
My mom grabbed my hand. “So, Lisa I thought we could leave for home today. I figured since you have your permit you could drive until it gets dark. I would have some time to rest up from my drive here and we could stay in some cheap hotel for the night.”
“Sounds good to me.” I hooted, raising my fist in the air.
Alex narrowed his eyes at Amber. “Why would you want to take her with you? Do you have a place to live? Aren’t you still s
ick?”
Amber stood her ground. “Leaving my daughter here isn’t going to help make me better.”
“I’m afraid she is your problem.” Alex crossed his arms and leaned them on the table. “Isn’t that right, Amber? It’s hard to look at her now that she’s older and looks so much like him?”
“Lisa, let’s get out of here. This kid is scaring me. I’m sorry I left you with these freaks.”
I obeyed, pushing my chair away from the table. Ally grabbed my shirt and jerked me backwards. “What’s happening?” Her eyes watered. “Alex, what’s going on? I don’t understand.”
Alex folded his arms across his chest. “Nothing, don’t worry, Ally. Amber isn’t taking Lisa anywhere.”
Amber grabbed my arm and tugged. She led me out the front door.
“Get in the car, Lisa. Those kids are crazy. That boy is going to kill someone one day. He’s like the next Ted Bundy or something.”
She started the car.
Alex and Ally raced out of Denny’s and stood on the sidewalk. “What did you see, Alex?” Ally whimpered. “I don’t want Lisa to leave. I like having her here.”
“She’s a child of rape. Her mother hates her,” Alex exclaimed. “Hates her!”
“Make her stay!” Ally cried, hitting him in the shoulder.
My mom put the car in drive and hit the gas. We merged onto the highway. My mom blasted the radio and began singing. It was an old song by Cyndi Lauper; Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
We merged into traffic. Alex and Ally still stood in front of Denny’s. “Now, Alex!” Ally tugged on his shirt. “Or else I will!”
“Fine! I’ll stop them,” he shouted. Electricity emanated from his fingertips.
“We’re almost out of Lynn,” my mom squealed. “Almost free!”
I grabbed the dash and my mom clutched the steering wheel.
She hit her brakes and the car spun in a circle.
A bolt of lightning from Alex’s fingertips hit the roadway; splitting the Lynn, Massachusetts sign in two.
Hurry on home.
Alex said it. I reached over and grabbed my mother’s hand. We looked at the sky. It was clear; not a rain cloud in sight.
C I N: Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin. You never come out the way you went in. (The C I N Series) Page 16
