by Rue Volley
He opened his eyes and licked his bottom lip then bit into it. I could see a small trace of blood, and he stood up and sucked on his bottom lip.
“I…”
The doctor walked in and had a clipboard in his hand. Thorn rubbed the side of his neck and glanced at him. I desperately wanted him to stay, but he nodded to me. “You need rest.”
“Thorn.” My plea was left unanswered as he left the room without looking back. My heart was torn in two. One side ached to be with him, and the other wanted shelter.
It wasn’t until that moment that I knew without a doubt that I was drowning with no hope of survival and to be honest, I didn’t want to be saved.
Days passed and finally I returned home with my parents. My dad rushed around the side of the car and helped me out. My legs felt weak, and I carried a dull headache in the back of my head. The doctor said I would recover, but if any disorientation took place, then I had to revisit him and get another cat scan. From what they could tell I had escaped with the mild concussion, a torn muscle in my right calf and a hairline fracture to my left shoulder blade, not to mention the three stitches to the back of my head. Things could have been much worse.
A week passed, then two, and I started to feel much better. I hobbled out of my room and into the hallway teetering on my crutches. I made my way to the top of the stairs and had to stop when a vision hit me, one that kept coming back time and time again. I could see the red eyes and dark black antlers reaching into the night sky. I half stumbled when a sharp pain raced through my right temple.
My aunt came around the corner and up the stairs with a tray in hand. She paused and looked me over. Her eyes appeared dull and her skin pale. She had been crying. I could tell. I tilted my head and backed away, allowing her to make her way past me. She turned and held the tray in hand trying her best to appear joyful.
“Aunt Luna?”
She bit her lip and started to walk toward my room. “You shouldn’t be up, honey. Come back to bed and eat. I made some chicken noodle soup. I’m not going to brag, but it’s the best in the world, so you should take advantage of it.”
She paused by my door, and I reluctantly made my way back to my room, passing by her and reaching my bed. My body was sore from not moving more than anything now. I wanted for nothing more than to shed these crutches and go back to school. The sooner, the better.
But more than that I wanted to see Thorn. It had been weeks.
I set my crutches down and made my way back into my bed. I leaned against my headboard, and she stepped up and placed the tray across my lap. She sat down and picked up the spoon, gingerly placing it into the bowl and then blowing on it. She lifted it to my lips, and I grinned.
“I can do that.”
She shook the spoon, and I parted my lips. She placed it inside, and the broth was exquisite. The flavors danced across my tongue and forced me to make a noise that meant only one thing…I loved it. She grinned and dipped the spoon back into the bowl.
“I should have known what you were doing, Echo.”
I chewed and swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“Going into that dark place.”
I looked down and then back up to her. “I should have told you, I’m sorry. You warned me, and I didn’t listen to you. I lied, I’m so sorry.”
She set the spoon down and stood up, making her way over to the window. She stared out into the thick pine.
“No, this is my fault. I should have known better than to think that I could take care of you properly. I was selfish, and fool hearted to believe that I could provide a good home for you.”
“How? How were you selfish?” I asked. “I went to that party without telling you what I was doing. If anything, this is my fault. You should have known where I was, especially since I seem to be so clumsy. This is totally on me, Aunt Luna. It isn’t your fault. It really isn’t.”
She turned back. “I was with him that night. We…well, I feel horrible.”
It took me a second to catch up, but when I did, I blushed. She meant Mr. Jenny, and she meant she was with him…like with him, with him. My heart fluttered.
“You don’t need to feel bad, honestly. This is totally on me, and I should be grounded or something, right? Just ground me. Trust me; I deserve it. I’ll stay home for the rest of the year. I won’t go anywhere. Nowhere at all, except school. I have to go there, but everything else? Done.”
She laughed and turned back to look me over. “Your parents love you very much.”
“They’re gone aren’t they?” I asked, suddenly feeling an emptiness. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of her…” I trailed off.
She sighed and made her way back over to the bed. She sat down and leaned in, touching my cheek. “Yes, they flew out late last night after they visited her grave.” I lowered my eyes, and she lifted my chin. “It isn’t you, your dad, well, he’s obsessed. They love you, Echo, trust me, they do.”
“They miss her,” I whispered.
“Oh, sweetness.” She hugged me, and I relaxed into her shoulder, staring out the window and into something I didn’t expect to see. Clear sky. I narrowed my eyes.
“Hey, is that the sun?” I wiped the tears from my eyes.
She turned and smiled. “Yes, it is.”
I grinned. “Finally,” I whispered.
My aunt leaned in and kissed my forehead. She sat up straight and adjusted my hair, pushing it behind my ear. Her fingers felt soft. Her touch compassionate. She stood and quickly eyed the tray. “Make sure you eat all of that.” I nodded, and she made her way to the door and left me there with the sunlight streaming into my room. My eyes shifted to my side table when my phone hummed against the wood. I picked it up and pressed the button.
“Echo.”
My breath hitched. “Thorn,” I spoke as clearly as I could.
“I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
I scanned the room. “You don’t belong to me.”
He laughed. “That’s a matter of opinion.”
My face reddened, and I rubbed the base of my throat.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
I had nodded before I spoke. “Yes.”
“Good.”
There were a few seconds of silence between us. “Where have you been?” I asked.
He paused. “I’m with my father, in Africa.”
I bit my lip and remembered what Mr. Jenny had told me about Mr. Vega and his obsession with hunting large game. “Hunting?”
“Yes, well, he is, I’m reading.”
I closed my eyes and could imagine him with glasses and a large book in hand. It made me smile. He already drove me crazy; I don’t know if I could stand seeing him that way.
“Echo?”
I blinked. “Yes?”
“I miss you.”
I parted my lips. “I miss you so much. When are you coming home?”
He let out a sigh. “Soon.”
“How soon is soon?” I asked.
“Not soon enough.”
I closed my eyes. “I agree.”
He paused again, and I could hear voices in the background. “I have to go.”
“Okay.”
The line went dead, and I clutched the phone in my hand like I could hold onto the moment. Finally, I lowered it and stared out the window.
“Okay,” I repeated.
19
Two more weeks had passed, and I let the warm water rush over me. I swallowed hard, and the water dripped from my chin. I was now able to shower myself instead of depending on the tub. I had missed the simplest of things, but most of all, I missed him.
I missed him every moment of the day. That emptiness that was left behind when Midnight fell had been partially filled with thoughts of Thorn. I was grateful that he could do that for me.
I placed my hands on my he
ad, flattening my hair and moved them back just above the fading cut to the back of my skull, pressing the water down my back and over my bruised shoulder. Other cuts and bruises ran the length of me, ending at my calf. I turned in the shower and let the water beat against my skin, wincing for only a moment.
I was healing with each passing day. The body rebounds where the mind can’t always make the same strides. I could see the bottle on the edge of the sink through the clouded glass of the shower door. I still hadn’t taken a single one, and my dreams continued to haunt me. Some consisted of repeats of that terrible night in the jungle and others a return to the pine, the red-eyed beast, and Thorn.
He was the reason that I endured it. If I couldn’t have him here with me, then dreams would have to do.
I ran my hand over the large bruise on my upper thigh. It was slowly fading to a pinkish red where it had once been a deep black. I had never experienced the injuries that my parents and Midnight had over the years. They had fallen many a time with a broken ankle here, a bruised tailbone there, and then there was the broken back my dad had when we were eight. Everyone said he wouldn’t walk again and he defied them all by getting up a few months later and never looking back.
I wasn’t so strong, but this accident had proved that I might be a little more durable than I previously suspected. Most of all, it told me what I really wanted to know.
Thorn felt the same way about me that I did for him. The pain was worth that and more.
I toweled off and carefully put my black leggings on, hissing as I pulled them over my calf. The burning in my muscles would come and go, reminding me of my mortality. If only I could find an immortal to bite me and give me not only eternity but shed this weakness. Ridiculous, I know.
Obviously, I read too many novels.
I slid my white tank top on, skipping the need for my bra. Then I picked up my black zip up hoodie that sported the white and black Port Royal High School patch on it.
Oddly enough, I was starting to miss school. I never thought I’d hear myself admitting to that.
I pulled my hair up and had to pause when my shoulder fought against me. I powered through it and balled my hair up and let it rest on the top of my head. I turned, making my way out into my room. I walked to the window and sat down, gasping when I spotted Thorn sitting on the ledge right outside of the thick glass. My eyes lit up. I couldn’t help but let a happy grin spread across my face. I reached up and grabbed the iron handle, turning it and pushing it outward. He was crouched on the ledge like a bird with a look of trepidation on his face.
“What are you doing out there?” I asked as I looked down and the height made me dizzy. I leaned back, hopping on one foot and resting my knee on the cushion.
“I tried.” He said as he placed his hand on the outside of the window.
“You tried what?”
He grinned. “I tried to stay away from you.”
I bit my lip and my breath caught in the back of my throat.
“I don’t want that.”
“You needed to heal.”
I swallowed hard. “I could heal around you.”
He smirked. “Don’t be so sure.”
He lingered and then looked down and back up at me. His eyes appeared brighter than they had in a while. Almost unnatural. He also looked paler. The sun had hidden behind the clouds, but it teased here and there. He noticed and quickly looked back at me.
“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked.
“And what if I don’t?”
He paused. “I’ll leave and not bother you again.”
He started to turn, and I shook my head. “No, no.” He paused and turned back toward me. His expression changed, and I half grinned. “Come inside, before you fall. I can’t believe you climbed up here; it’s crazy.”
His jaw flexed, and he slowly crawled inside as I backed away. He gracefully stood up and quickly scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the bed, setting me down on the side of it. He acted like I didn’t weigh anything at all. He didn’t join me. Instead, he turned and looked around the room, taking it all in. He acted like he had never seen a bedroom or a bed, let alone spent time with a girl alone in one. All of which I knew was untrue.
The thought of him being with anyone else weighed heavy on my heart, but I’m not naïve. A boy like him? Of course, he had been with other girls before me, probably doing much more.
He looked back at me just as my thoughts stopped torturing me. The look on his face made me feel like he could tell what I was thinking. I placed my hands on my lap and pressed on my palm with my thumb, rubbing it in a circular motion. He lowered in front of me and took my hands in his.
His eyes searched mine. “How are you feeling?” he spoke with such concern. I nodded to him, trying to form words when all I could think about were his lips. He hid a smile and looked down, again reacting to me when I had said nothing at all.
“Fine…well, good, better now,” I responded without remorse. It wasn’t a lie.
He sighed. It was the first time I had seen a real physical reaction from him except for the scowling and moments of joy that would contort his face. The rest was a mystery to me, as he was, and may always be but I hoped that I could break through some of that wall that he had built up around himself.
One moment hot, the next cold. It made me dizzy.
“Let me see.” He lowered to one knee and placed his hands on my leg. He handled me with a gentle inquisitiveness. My eyes locked onto his fingers as he slid them up my ankle and close to the injury on my leg. I flinched, but not from pain. His touch caused a reaction in me that I couldn’t control. One that sped my heart up. He stopped and licked his lip, looking up at me and then leaning in to inspect the cut to my skin. He traced the outer edges of the bruising. I gripped the comforter on my bed; my knuckles turned white. He reached up and gently started to unzip my hoodie. I quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it, and he paused.
“Do you want me to stop?”
I shook my head, and my hand relaxed. He rose up and moved to one side of me, sitting down and turning me away from him. He lifted his hand and carefully moved the hoodie down over my shoulder, exposing more of my skin. I trembled, and he paused, leaning in close to my ear.
“I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“Don’t make any promises that you can’t keep,” I said without any hesitation.
His fingers moved across my skin sending waves of pleasure across my back and down my spine. I tried to control my breathing, but I was soon finding myself gasping with each slow caress at the end of his fingertips. He reacted to me by slowing down. He leaned in and placed his soft lips to my shoulder blade, and I felt the kiss lingering on my skin. It matched the sweetness he had shared with me in the cemetery. Tortured, searching for something more, just like I was.
He moved in closer and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me in. His chest rose and fell in unison with my own, and I closed my eyes, lingering on the moment and hoping it would never end.
“Promise me we’ll never change,” I whispered.
“More promises?” he asked.
He leaned in behind me and kissed the side of my neck. His lips parted, and I felt his teeth against my skin. I sucked in my breath as a light knock came to my door. Thorn dashed to the window and climbed out as I rushed toward him. He turned and smiled at me. He leaned in and touched my lips.
“Thorn, please.”
“It’s hard to promise something like that.” His eyes lingered on me.
“Humor me.”
“I would never.”
“Why? Why can’t you promise me?”
“Echo, please.”
I backed away from him. “Thorn, I’m serious.”
My Aunt called out. “Echo?” Then she stepped into the room.
I turned, looking pale. My mouth sat ope
n, and she tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”
I pointed at the window, and he was gone. I blinked a couple of times. “I just…the sun. I missed it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Well, the doctor called. He said you could return to school tomorrow if you like.”
I nodded to her. “I’m going.”
She laughed. “I’ve never met a child who enjoyed learning as much as you do.”
I swallowed hard. “Yep, I love it.”
She winked at me. “Okay then, oh, and yes. Daniel keeps coming over to check on you, and Mattie. I think I’ve held them off as long as I can.”
I smiled. “Oh my God, I need to talk to both of them. Dad said they’re okay, right?”
She placed her hand on her hip. “Of course they are, honey. No one took a tumble that night but you.”
I eyed the window again and then returned my gaze to her. “Good, well, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
I touched my head as a flash of memory popped up, and I felt myself falling backward. I stood up and clutched the side of the bed. My aunt ran to my side and grabbed my elbow. She leaned in.
“Echo? Echo? Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I regained my balance and nodded to her. “Yeah…no, I’m fine.”
“Perhaps you should lay back down.”
I didn’t argue with her as she helped me back into bed. “If you wake up in the morning and feel dizzy at all you are not going to school.”
She pulled the covers up and touched my forehead with the back of her hand. I grinned.
“Thank you.”
“For what, hon?”
“For this, all of it. I appreciate it, I do.”
She leaned in and kissed my forehead, then backed away, moving a few stray hairs from my face. “Anything, always.”
She stood up and left my room, closing the door behind her. I rolled onto my side and stared out my window as the clouds slowly darkened and the slivers of sunlight made way for more rain.
20
I sat in the library and stared at the blank piece of paper. I leaned in and scribbled a few words, quickly sitting upright and taking them in.
