Little Red

by Trista Jaszczak

  “It’s okay, it’ll be fine.

  We didn’t do anything.

  Think about it; Josh basically shot himself.

  James wasn’t touching the gun.”

  She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly.

  “I’m just really scared.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “I can’t go to jail.” She wipes at her face

  “You’re not going to,” I say

  “You can’t go to jail!” she yells

  “I promise, I’m not going to jail.

  It’ll be fine.

  Neither of us killed him.

  James didn’t kill him.

  Josh pulled that trigger himself by mistake.” I repeat

  She looks down and covers her face.

  Her emotions are more than just unsteady now.

  Anger and sadness are dominant.

  She wants to scream and cry, she just doesn’t know which to do first.

  I silently give her leg a slight but gentle squeeze to remind her I’m right here.

  I glance back at Aaron and Ian for a moment.

  Their looks say it all.

  Thank God we have bail money if needed, but with Josh’s parents in a high place and his best friend as the officer who is questioning us, we need a plan.

  Right now, it’s to avoid jail at all costs

  I just found out she was pregnant yesterday, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around that thought and now this happens.

  We knew there was a possibility.

  I’m not stupid, but this asshole Jeb may be hell bent on charging us with Josh’s murder.

  I release another breath, and I feel Red’s hand on my knee.

  I look at her for a moment, and she quickly pulls her hand away apologizing.

  I give her a little smile.

  We have more than enough on our plates trying to figure each other out.

  We barely know one another.

  We know we have a deep connection that is somehow being fed by the moon and my curse, and we know that she is pregnant

  Her cheeks begin to fill with a vibrant pink.

  “I – I just…” she gives her head a little shake.

  “I don’t know how to act around you.”

  I hear Ian laugh in the backseat only to receive a whack to some part of his body from Aaron

  “It’s okay; we don’t have to figure everything out in a day.

  I’m still trying to wrap my mind around you being pregnant.”

  She looks down and focuses on her belly.

  “She’s really in there, huh?” She seems in awe as she places a hand on her stomach.

  “I never thought that I would be a mother or even be good at it if I did become one.”

  “I didn’t think I’d be a father.

  You know, with the curse.”

  She gives me a little nod.

  “You guys can really feel the baby?”

  I grin.

  “We’re basically like dogs.”

  She giggles softly as I feel her relax.

  “Sorry, just seems funny hearing that.”

  “The moon changed us to be wolves, but without all the shape shifting.

  It damned us to feel this immense rage as each full moon gets near.”

  “The wolf abilities are just an added bonus,” Ian adds from the back seat

  She makes a funny face, making her nose scrunch in such an adorable manner that it makes me smile.

  “What are your other abilities, exactly? I know James told me that night, but I guess I’m just trying to understand everything.”

  “Well, we can feel how others feel, and we can tell when you’re nervous or sad.

  I can feel when you get upset or when you relax.” I tell her.

  “Last night after…” My voice trails as I remember my brothers are in the back seat.

  I clear my throat and look at her.

  “You had a really beautiful feeling coming from you.

  Peaceful and happy.

  It made me feel really good.”

  Her cheeks flush with color for a moment.

  “What else can you do?”

  “We’re strong.

  We’re fast, very agile,” I tell her

  “And we each have stronger abilities that set us apart,” Aaron joins in.

  “Like Ethan is stronger than me, but my senses about things are stronger than his.”

  Her cheeks suddenly turn bright red.

  “What about the…the…the night in the woods, was that..?” her voice trails softly as she looks down, suddenly ashamed she was going to ask.

  She peeks over her shoulder and it’s clear that she forgot Aaron and Ian are even back there

  Her cheeks suddenly blaze with a bright magenta as she brings a hand to her head.

  “That…well, the best way to put it is that when two people have a very strong attraction I feed off of that.

  So, you being attracted to me makes me more attracted to you.”

  “I guess I have a lot to learn,” she whispers softly

  “Red, you don’t have to be embarrassed,” Ian tells her.

  “Honestly, we’re all adults here.

  It’s just a part of life.”

  She laughs.

  “I guess there’s no hiding what we did at this point.

  Sooner or later it’s all going to show.”

  “That’s okay,” Aaron tells her, “if anyone gives you any trouble, we’ll just use our super wolf skills and knock them into next week.”

  She relaxes completely and laughs loudly.

  It’s nice seeing her at ease, and it makes me hate having to pull into the little police department lot.

  When she realizes where we are, she takes a deep breath in and releases it very slowly.

  This is clearly the last place any of us want to be.

  * * * * * *

  The stark white walls give off a sense of foreboding as I pace the floor, back and forth.

  I can’t believe they separated us.

  I can’t believe I even let her be taken from my sight.

  Even with the distance and the wall between us, I can feel her anxiety and distress

  I stop and stand still, making another attempt to train my ears to hear her.

  Besides my actual brute force, hearing is my strongest sense

  Jeb’s baritone voice is easy to pick up, especially since he’s louder than necessary.

  I trail up to the mirror separating us.

  I run a hand down my tired face and stare at my own reflection.

  I am a wash with emotions, my own, Red’s, our baby’s and Jeb’s

  A loud bang rattles the mirror and shakes my reflection as though something has flown into it.

  Now, I feel her terror and her hysteria more than ever as it begins to radiate off her as clear as day.

  It’s enough to boil my blood and spark the need for me to fight the rage that’s starting to build in me.

  What the hell is he doing in there? I give listening in another shot as I finally pick up on a few sentences

  “I know that you did this on purpose,” Jeb’s voice booms at her.

  “Just admit it, Samantha.”

  I can’t hear her muffled reply as she yells back to him, though the waves that I can pull off her are more than enough to fill me in on her state of mind

  Another bang sounds off in Red’s room; this time I’m able to catch a slight yelp out of her

  “Just tell me the truth,” Jeb hollers.

  “You shot him.

  You shot and you killed my best friend,” Jeb continues.

  “You killed Josh Darren.”

  Without stopping to think, I let my fist crash into the painted brick wall.

  A few paint chips and pi
eces of brick crumble onto my boots.

  Suddenly, the thick wooden door flies open and bangs into the wall behind it

  Jeb scowls at me.

  “Just what in the hell are you doing in here?” His eyes train on the damaged brick, the mess on the floor, and then to the blood on my knuckles.

  “You just damaged police property.

  I can put you in jail for that.”

  I shake off his threat.

  “Where is she?”

  Jeb laughs, clearly mocking me.

  “You don’t get to call the shots, pretty boy.”

  “Like hell I don’t.” I look up as the light shining through the doorway is blocked briefly.

  I glare past Jeb to see Sam…my Sam…my Red handcuffed and being escorted by another officer.

  Tears are making shiny little rivers down her cheeks as the officer holds tightly to her arm

  “What the fuck do you think you are doing to her?” I say, letting a growl escape from my throat.

  “Get those things off her.”

  Jeb laughs again and gives his head a shake.

  “She is none of your concern.”

  “She is every bit of my concern,” I snarl.

  “She is mine, and she is carrying my baby.”

  Jeb shakes his head at me.

  “Well, pretty boy, unfortunately for you and Sammy, you don’t have any jurisdiction here.” He laughs.

  “I, however, do, so sit your ass down.”

  Without thinking, my rage fills me.

  I reach for the metal chair and fling it forcefully across the room

  “Oh no, pretty boy,” Jeb hisses, “You’re not having trouble controlling that temper, are you?”

  “Fuck you,” I growl

  Jeb raises one eyebrow as he lets out a chuckle that makes my rage course faster throughout my body.

  I slam my palms hard on the pressed board table.

  “We didn’t have a damn thing to do with this.

  You can’t keep us here forever.”

  Jeb’s thin lips twist up and into an ugly grin.

  “Oh, you can go whenever you like, but your pretty little pet is staying right here with me.”

  “I’ll be damned,” I shoot

  “I’d like to see you stop me.” Jeb smiles

  My hands clench the table, and before I even realize it the table is flying into the wall opposite me.

  Loud footsteps become unmistakable as both Aaron and Ian practically fall through the doorway of the bitter interrogation room.

  Panic and anger washes over their normally relaxed faces as they stare between me and the mess in the room

  “Ethan, what the fuck are you doing?” Aaron shoots off, running a hand through his messy hair as he lets out a breath

  Two more cops barrel in, now out of breath and complaining between deep breaths that Aaron and Ian can’t be in this room

  I finally point to Jeb.

  “He told me I can’t stop him.”

  “So you threw a table at him?” Ian asks, astounded, glaring down at the rubble

  “Neither of you can be back here,” Jeb says, shoving his finger into Ian’s chest

  “Well, it doesn’t look like your buddies stopped us, so you are more than welcome to try if you like,” Aaron says, letting the rage twinkle off his silver eyes

  As Jeb begins pushing the chair out of his way and muttering a few words under his breath about Aaron, the officer with Red reappears.

  Her hands are locked firmly in front of her in handcuffs as the officer leads her by her elbow.

  She sniffles softly and looks so completely helpless that I feel something in me close to snapping

  “What the hell?” Aaron spins on his heels, glaring down at Red’s hands

  “You need to take your hands off her,” I say roughly

  Ian’s eyes flip from Aaron to me, before turning to the stunned police officer.

  “I would listen to them if I were you.”

  Red looks around at the destruction in the room with a pale and sickly face.

  “What happened?”

  “They were trying to arrest you,” I tell her, as though it should be the most obvious thing in this room.

  I make an attempt to push my way to her only to have Jeb give me a hard shove back

  I can tell that Ian has had more than enough as he makes a grab for the cop who is holding Red’s elbow

  Jeb is quick to step in between them and give Ian a hard push

  “Feeling feisty there, Barney Fife?” Ian taunts

  “You don’t touch my men,” Jeb spits furiously

  “Oh, I am so sorry…” Ian’s voice trails as he loses himself in a fit of laughter

  “I will not hesitate to arrest all four of you!” Jeb glares at Ian briefly

  Red’s eyes finally meet mine, and I feel as though some part of me is calm.

  She is forcing herself to stay cool and collected in order to help keep us out of jail.

  She inhales and exhales slowly.

  “It’s okay; just calm down,” she tells us, raising her cuffed hands to brush her long hair from her face.

  “You three cannot end up in jail.”

  “Calm down?” I say in disbelief.

  “Red, you’re in handcuffs.”

  “It’s okay.” She whimpers, and I now catch a small wave of illness bouncing off her

  “I beg to differ,” I say in a soft tone.

  “You’re being arrested and you’re pregnant, Red.”

  She gives her head a slow shake.

  “They were taking me to the bathroom.”

  I glare down at the portly cop who has remained at her side.

  “And you fucking cuffed her?”

  His eyes move to Jeb.

  “He ordered me to, so she wouldn’t run.”

  I roll my eyes and glower at Jeb.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “I thought it was a nice touch,” Jeb adds

  I ignore his banter and look back to Red.

  “Are you alright?”

  The rounded cop begins working her cuffs off her.

  “She just got a little sick.”

  “What do you mean ‘she got sick’?” I find my voice rising drastically

  “What did you do to her?” Ian cries suddenly

  Rage begins to emit from all three of us.

  I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek as I look at Red, who stares back at us warily.

  She’s pale, weak, and on the verge of tears.

  She has fought back as much as she could but Jeb has hounded, yelled, and threatened her throughout her interrogation.

  So much in fact, that he’s the cause of her illness as of this moment, and I catch fear of him coursing through her body.

  She’s making herself cooperate only out of the fear of what Jeb can do to her.

  When her blue eyes catch mine and give me the most pitiful expression I’ve seen on a person, I feel the rage slowly begin to lift.

  My only thought is to get to her and protect her

  It’s when Jeb gives her a shove forward that the rage returns and nearly sends Aaron, Ian, and me off the deep end.

  He points at the lopsided chair.

  “Pick that up and have a seat, Sammy.” He glares over at me.

  “Though I should keep you separated just for fun.”

  I sneer again, just before he slams the wooden door behind him.

  We exchange glances for a moment, and as Red releases what seems to be a sigh of relief, Aaron and Ian begin tripping over one another to pick up the chair for her.

  I finally force my own legs to move as I reach for her and pull her into the safety of my arms.

  I breathe her in, and the rage lifts from my body.

  I feel her crane her neck around me
to glance at the devastation around the room: the flipped and partially busted table, the now upright but crooked chair, the paint chips and brick crumbled on the floor

  She takes a moment to squeeze me closer and sighs.

  “You guys are crazy.”

  I let out a little laugh; I’ve never understood the full power of a woman until this very moment

  * * * * * *

  Even after our interrogations, we’ve been sitting in the police station for hours.

  Red’s condition has only gotten worse.

  I place a hand on her back, rubbing slightly.

  I look at Aaron and Ian, who only shrug, unsure of what to do themselves.

  We’ve told our stories at least ten times, never changing one detail.

  I can hear some muttering from an adjacent office

  “We have nothing to hold them on…”

  “Their stories line up with evidence…”

  I can only pray they’re talking about us

  Red finally looks at me with a pale face.

  “I don’t feel so well,” she stammers

  I jump from my seat and kneel in front of her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just still feel,” she pauses to swallow, “so sick.”

  I nod as the door opens.

  Jeb steps in and places his hands on his hips.

  “We’re letting you go.

  Apparently, the evidence is in your favor.

  But I swear, with God as my witness, if I find out any of you had anything to do with this...”

  Aaron is on his feet and in front of him.

  “Is that a threat?”

  Ian reaches for Aaron.

  “Come on, man; don’t waste your time.”

  I nod.

  “Red is sick.”

  “Oh, poor little thing,” Jeb taunts.

  “Got herself knocked up.”

  Aaron lunges forward.

  “You leave her out of this.”

  Ian grabs Aaron by his arm, locking eyes on Jeb

  “Looks like someone wants to spend the night in a jail cell,” Jeb growls.

  “I have a real nice one for you both.” His eyes fall on Ian.

  “I have the perfect cellmate for you, Playboy, he’ll think you’re real pretty.”

  Ian scowls as he fights his rage and forces himself not to make a dive for Jeb

  Aaron shakes his head.

  “On what fucking charges? Last I checked, you’re the one running his mouth.”