by Rashaad Bell
“Sure.”
I was startled by her response. “Really?”
Dakota was turning it over in her hand, examining it, before unzipping her book bag and shoving it inside. “My last boyfriend, him and has dad were like, really in to hunting. I went with them a bunch of times; they taught me lots of things.”
“Your mom would allow you go on hunting trips?” I asked.
“Hell no.” She laughed. “She thought I was at guitar class mostly.”
“How are you doing with that?” I pulled her closer, positioning my arm around her waist as we walked. “You wanna talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” She asked.
“Your mom.”
She drew away from me, her body trembling just a bit. “No.”
“How come?” I enquired.
“I just…” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I just don’t want to dwell on it.”
I could tell she meant what she said. “Fair enough.”
Chapter 3
Could you rewind that please…
We walked on in silence from that point on. Dakota would relentlessly look over her shoulder, scanning the area behind us, concerned that we were being followed. I had endeavored to comfort her, explaining that I would be able to hear if we were being shadowed, but she didn’t believe me. Ultimately I stopped trying and let her do what she needed to do to feel safe. Sometimes she would grip her book bag to her chest snugly and not let go for long stretches at time. I didn’t ask her about this, reckoning that it was the weapon inside the bag that gave her some semblance of security.
I began to contemplate about how I was going to handle the whole Dakota situation. How much should I articulate to her about what was going on? Everything was organically associated and yet they were all isolated pieces as well. Is it really essential for her to know the unabridged narrative? Did she need to know the meticulous verity behind the soldiers that were at her house or is recognizing that they were in pursuit of me enough? If I were in her shoes, would I even rest without knowing the unedited truth? She lost her entire family because of me. The least I could do was offer her the insanity behind it.
Connor is going to be problematic.
If he tries to harm her…
“Are we there yet?”
I broke out of my trance, looking around. “Well...yeah.” I announced, surprised myself. I pointed to my house. “It’s right over there.”
“You kinda zoned out.” Dakota said.
“Yeah, I know.”
“You get like, deathly still.” She added. “I mean, for like the past forty minutes you were lifeless, like a mannequin, a walking statue. You didn’t even blink.”
“I do that sometimes. When I’m deep in thought, I just…I don’t know, it’s like you said, I just zone out. I can go on for hours like that now, motionless, lost in thought. It doesn’t seem that long to me, just a few moments really, I’m just thinking you know, but to everyone else…” I didn’t know how else to explain it. “Is that going to be a problem? I can understand if…”
“Nope.” She didn’t even hesitate.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Madison, I just watched you shoot three men and torture a fourth.” She explained. “Not blinking doesn’t really rate that high on my list of turn offs right now.”
I wanted to laugh, but I stopped dead in my tracks, pulling her protectively behind me.
Dakota let go of my hand and began digging in her bag for the gun I gave her. “What’s wrong?”
I placed my hand over her book bag. “That won’t help.” I scanned the area, searching every shadow for movement, listening for even the slightest telltale sign.
“I know you’re there!” I challenged.
Connor stepped out of the shadows into the light of a street lamp. “Still picking up strays I see.”
“Who is that?” Dakota asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, luv?” He answered.
She hid further behind me. “Is he one of the bad guys?”
“I don’t know baby.” I replied honestly. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Of course I’m one of the bad guys.” Connor stepped back into the shadows. “Can’t you tell by the jacket?”
“Connor!” I cast an eye over the area in front of me, but he was gone. “Connor!”
“No need for all the brouhaha…”
Dakota screamed as I spun around. Connor was there, directly behind us, extremely close.
“..here I am.”
I pulled Dakota behind me.
He pointed at her. “I thought I told you to kill the little one over there?”
Obviously, he needed clarification. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Is that right, now?” He folded his arms. “Then why did you bring her here?”
I took a step forward. “I don’t owe you any explanations either.”
“Yes…” Connor took a step towards me. “… you do.”
He was upset and spoiling for a fight. Not necessarily with me, but I could tell in his current mind state I would due. “Hawking sent men to her house looking for me.”
He eyed Dakota. “Oh did he now?”
“She didn’t tell them anything Connor.” I sidestepped back into his line of vision.
“And how do you know that?” He was almost feral.
“Because she doesn’t know anything to tell.” I explained. “Besides, I was there. They killed her mom, Connor. They killed her because of me.”
Connor was glaring at her again. “She doesn’t look all that broken up to me about it.”
“She doesn’t…” I risked a quick look. She was so scared. “She doesn’t want to dwell on it.”
“Doesn’t want to dwell on it?” He repeated sarcastically. “Yeah, right. You know how she makes you get Madison. Do you really think now is the time for one of your experimentations in self-control?”
“She’s my responsibility, Connor.”
“Just like that little Judas we picked up at back at the 20twelve Lounge right?” He was furious, growling. “Believe you me; it’s only a matter of time before that little dollop of joy stabs us all in the back real swift like.”
“Back off Connor. You’re not going to touch Girard.”
“Well look at you, thinking you could muzzle the big bad here and that would make everything alright, like that would make me play nice?” He made a move towards Dakota, but I stopped him, my hand against his chest.
“I can control myself around her.” I explained. “I know I can.”
“Yeah, because that line of thinking worked out so well for you the last time didn’t it?” He was still staring at Dakota. “She’s being way too docile for someone whose mother was just murdered.”
“I told you Connor…”
“Right...” His movements were fluid and before I knew it, he had slipped past me and was only inches from Dakota, staring down at her. She froze as his head moved in close, their noses almost touching. “You Jedi mind tricked her.”
“What?” I stammered.
“That’s why she’s sooo…” He just shook both of his hands in the air at her. “…like this.”
“You weren’t there, Connor. You don’t know how bad it was.” I was trying to explain, but Connor wasn’t listening.
He was in my face now. “What else did you…instruct her to do?”
“Nothing.” I said, backing away. “I just…I needed her to calm down.”
“Then why did you bring her back here?” He asked again.
I refused to answer, choosing to remain silent.
“Madison.” He called out.
“What Connor?”
“First there’s me, then Ethan…” He pointed to Dakota. “…and now her.” Connor shook his head. “You know, two’s company, but three’s a crowd.”
“If you touch her, I swear to God Connor…”
“You’ll what?” He questioned. “Murder me in my sleep?” Nothing but laughte
r. “You know you can’t take me.”
“Connor.” I’ve never seen him like this before. At least not towards me anyway. “What’s wrong with you?”
He was pacing back and forth, severely agitated. “While you were out being a…blood slut, I was stuck here, cleaning up your mess. You remember Aiden don’t you? Your brother? The guy with sever blood loss who refuses to stay in the bed and rest. The guy I had to enthrall just so he wouldn’t remember what it was you did to him?”
He pointed to his head with his finger. “I had to compel him just to go to sleep. Then there’s your boyfriend…”
“You have a boyfriend?” Dakota asked out the blue.
Connor just stood there with a look of pure incredulity on his face. “We talk about her dead mother and there’s not a peep out of this one, but at the first mention that you have a boyfriend and now we can’t get her to shut up?” He shook his head. “But no, there’s no compulsion going on there, is it?”
I closed the distance between us, grabbing each of his hands. His whole body was tense, but my touch seemed to calm him down, his muscles seemed to relax. “Hey.” I touched the side of his face. “It’s okay Connor. I’m here now, I’m here. I’m with you now. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I was so…worried.” He closed his eyes.
“We have to stand together Connor. There is too much at stake right now. We can’t fall apart.” I ran my fingers through the side of his hair, his face tilting at my touch.
Then I pulled away.
He stood there, eyes closed for just a moment longer. “If I have to listen to Ethan explain to me about his never ending quest to always be there for his girlfriend, I’m going to vomit.”
“Come on Connor, it can’t be that bad.”
“I almost punched him.” He explained. “Twice. Not to mention the Judas…”
“Don’t call Girard that.” I calmly made my way towards Dakota, squarely placing myself between her and Connor.
“Her scent…it sickens me, but that’s not the real problem.” He admitted. “It’s your brother’s girlfriend. That blonde chick.”
“You mean Abigail?” I didn’t understand. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”
“She keeps asking me questions about our…you know…car accident. Just finding all the little plot holes in it, then driving a Mack truck through them.”
I came to her defense. “She’s just overprotective.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Why didn’t you just tell her to leave you alone?” It was that simple.
“You think I didn’t try?” He was in front of me now. I carefully pushed Dakota further back from him, putting a greater distance between the two.
“Well I did.” He finished. “Multiple times.”
“And?” I was missing something.
“That’s the point Madison.” Connor threw up his hands in frustration. “I told her multiple times, in so many words, to just leave me alone and you know what, she didn’t. That woman is impervious to compulsion.”
“Really?”
“I’ve never met anyone who was impervious to compulsion.” He thought hard. “Nope. Nobody.”
“So what does that mean?”
“I don’t think she’s human.” He admitted.
“Oh come on Connor, its Abigail.”
“I didn’t think Goodwin was human.” He made a gun motion with his index finger and thumb. “That’s why I shot him. I was testing my theory.”
“You’re not shooting Abigail.” I insisted.
Connor walked off towards the house. “We’ll see.”
Then he was gone.
I turned to Dakota. “You get all that?”
She inhaled. “You have lots of enemies, one of whom murdered my mother and tried to kill me. A chick that nobody trusts, an emo boyfriend, a psychotic, jealous booty call with super powers who wants to like, murder, hmmm, I don’t know, everything maybe? Also there’s the anemic brother who I’m pretty sure you just tried to murder, on accident mind you, so at least that’s a thumbs up. Then we have the brother’s girlfriend who seems to know that you and psycho dad are lying about something, but nobody can understand why, because like, psycho booty call seems so trustworthy to begin with…hmm…I think that’s it.”
“Yeah, I think you got it all.” I laughed.
“Oh...” Dakota held up one finger. “And apparently I’m under mind control. Can’t forget that, it’s the most important one.”
“Wow.” I’ve never heard it broken down quite like that before. “You still wanna come with me?”
She took hold of my hand again. “When I change my mind Madison, you’ll know it.”
I led her down the street, my house just there in the middle of the cul-de-sac. When I opened the door, everything hit me all at once, my parent’s death, what I did to Aiden, the blood of everyone in the room, the peril that we now face. It was all there, just waiting for me.
Everyone that I cared about was here in this house, everyone that I wanted to protect. How I was going to do it, I wasn’t sure, but I would sacrifice myself before I let any person in this home come to harm.
“Who’s your pal?” Girard asked. She was sitting in the living room next to Abigail on the couch eating something I’m sure she shouldn’t be. Ethan was on the chaise lounge chair and he got up when he saw me. I crossed the living room and collapsed into his arms kissing him with all the passion that I could muster.
“Hey baby.” He smelled so good, his touch a consoling blanket of serenity that I didn’t feel with anybody else. Connor made me feel protected, Dakota made me feel loved, but Ethan, he made me feel at peace.
I slipped out of his embrace, not because I desired to, I could escape into his arms forever, but rather because there were things that needed to be accomplished. I made my way over to Abigail, my saccharine Abigail and hugged her tightly.
“You okay?” She seemed withdrawn when she spoke to me, like before, but I let it pass.
“No.” I honestly wasn’t. “But it’s okay.”
I situated my arm around Dakota’s shoulders. “Everybody this is Dakota Theia.”
“Um...hi.” She leaned in. “Could have gave me a heads up on that.”
“She’s going to be residing with us for the foreseeable future.” Despite some unusual looks because that proclamation, I began to point everybody out. “You’ve already met Connor.” I said. “Umm...for right now, I’d advise that you just…stay away from him.”
“Good call.” He agreed.
Dakota didn’t even look at him. “Not a problem.”
“This beautiful girl here…” I pointed towards the couch. “This is my best friend, Abigail.”
Abby gave her a speedy wave. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“She’ll undoubtedly twenty question you later.” I added.
“Damn straight.” Abby replied.
“Over there is my boyfriend Ethan.” I blew him a kiss. “You can trust him, he’s good peeps.”
“Dakota.” Ethan and his one-word greetings, I just love him.
“And that’s Principle Girard.” I frowned somewhat. “Trust her less.”
“Well thanks.” Girard exclaimed.
“You’re welcome.” Her just being in my living room felt uncanny. “I’m going to want you to bring Dakota up to speed later, okay?”
“On what?” Staci asked.
“On everything.” I replied.
Connor gave me a cantankerous look, but I ignored him. If he didn’t like that, he’s damn sure isn’t going to like what transpires next.
“Okay.” I breathed in deep. “Here we go.” I turned to Dakota. “You might want to take a seat.” I thought about it for a moment. “I think I might wanna do that as well.”
The loveseat was empty and it was just big enough for two, which was superb because I led Dakota over to it and we both sat. I grabbed her hand and fingers locked, our hands resting on my knee.
“Okay, so a lot of shi
t has gone down.” I began. Connor, who was leaning up against the wall, stood fully up. “People want to hurt me…want to hurt us and it’s dangerous that you don’t know what’s going on. If you don’t know what’s happening, you won’t know if you’re in trouble because you won’t know what to look for.”
Connor face palmed himself. “I’m going to need alcohol for this.”
“Kitchen, bottom cabinet, next to the dishwasher.” I said. “Bring the bottle and pour me a glass.”
He made his way out the living room. “Roger that.”
I turned towards Abigail. “You’re right to question Connor about the accident.” I admitted. “There was no accident.”
She leaned forward, hands clasped together, her forearms resting on her knees. “I know Madison.”
“You know?” I asked.
Connor was back, handing me a drink.
“Scotch.” He said. “Good year too.”
I drained it all in one gulp.
Abigail eyeballed Connor in disgust as he made his way back to his spot on the wall. “Like I would believe anything that came out of his mouth.”
Connor pointed at Abigail, then to me. “Told ya.”
“I flew to California with Connor.” I explained.
“Wait, you did what?” Ethan asked.
Connor shrugged. “I have a plane.”
“Some incidents ensued while I was over there.” Just ruminating about it, I could feel the machete in my torso. “Let’s just say I died.”
Abigail was horrified. “Madison, oh my God.”
“She’s inept like that.” Connor poured himself another drink. Swallowed it whole and then starting taking large draughts straight from the bottle.
I squeezed Dakota’s hand. I was beginning to tear up and leaned towards her for support. Her hand was on the back of my neck and our foreheads were pressed up against each other. I stayed like that, eyes closed until I could get it all together.
“I’ve got you.” She whispered in my ear. “If you fall, I’ll be there to catch you.”
I had to force myself away from her embrace. “Like I said, I died and Connor…”
Everyone turned to look at him.
He wiggled his fingers. “That would be me.”
