Desolate (Riverband #2)

by Sara Daniell

  “I’m not hallucinating. I’m not going crazy?”

  “No, you’re not.” Janet went over and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. She poured herself a glass and drank. “However, I am for telling him. You’re going to get my ass killed, Reese.” She took another drink.

  I looked at Janet. “I won’t say anything and it’s not like anyone would believe me if I did.”

  She poured another glass and downed it. “You’d be surprised.” She leaned heavily against the counter. “Garrett doesn’t know, Havock. Please. Please don’t tell him.”

  I nodded and looked at Reese. “Our relationship just went to a whole new level of weird.”

  She looked at her hands and nodded. “I can understand if you want to end things.”

  Janet scoffed. “After all the shit he did while you were gone. He better not. He’ll never find anyone as good as you to put up with his dumb ass.”

  I smirked. “Or you’ll just turn me into a frog.”

  Janet chuckled. “We can’t actually do that. It doesn’t work that way. The witches you’ve heard about aren’t what we are.” She took another drink.

  Reese fidgeted with her charm bracelet. “Besides I suck.”

  My mind immediately went to the gutter with Reese’s comment. I bit back a smile. Now isn’t the time, Havock. I looked at them both. “I won’t say anything. But what does this mean for me? Can I still be with Reese?”

  “Yeah.” Janet plopped down on the couch with another glass of whiskey.

  “Besides, after what she did to get back to you I doubt anyone could take her away from you again.”

  Reese smiled a little.

  “Think you should slow down on the Whiskey, J?” I asked as I took Reese’s hand in mine.

  Reese squeezed my hand and looked at J worriedly.

  “Nah, it takes a lot to get me drunk. Besides, between Garrett and I fighting, and now you knowing what I am, I think I need to drink.” She downed the Whiskey then put her head back. “You two should probably head home.”

  As if on que, my phone started ringing again with mom’s ringtone. I stood, helping Reese to her feet. “Ready?”

  She nodded then looked at J. “Thanks, Janet.”

  Janet pinched the bridge of her nose and grunted in response.

  My Princess was a witch. For real. I was positive I’d never be used to the reality of it, and I’d probably avoid talking about it unless I had to. I wanted us to be us again, but that was far from possible now.

  ~~~

  I wasn’t allowed back to school for the rest of the week. Jackson ended up getting suspended, too. The principal made it very clear I was being suspended for previous transgressions but also for pushing Jackson do what he did, which wasn’t fair. I didn’t throw a punch or anything.

  He also said if it weren’t for living in a small town and my mom being a saint, I’d be repeating my senior year. He called me everything but a fuck up, but he pretty much labeled me that by the list of wrong doings he threw at me and saying I’d never amount to anything.

  I drove Reese to school earlier and told her I'd pick her up at the end of the day. So, that meant I had the rest of the day to do whatever. Sleep sounded great.

  I was worried about Reese, though. What if someone made her mad today and she lost control? The fact that she was a witch scared me. My mind couldn't even process it. Every time I tried to think about it, my mind just regurgitated it like spoiled food. But I had to think about it. I had to think about it because I was concerned for her.

  I knew she needed help from the ones who took her from us and were training her, but then I also remember her ribs and the other bruises all over her body. Unacceptable.

  Mom was in the process of taking them to court, claiming abuse, but now it all made sense. It wasn’t abuse, but we couldn’t explain that to mom or the court. Reese told me that we couldn't tell anyone and that she was already worried that Jackson was suspicious. The fact she was a witch had to be a secret locked tighter than Fort Knox or she could be in danger. Whatever the hell that meant.

  I had just turned on the TV to occupy my mind when the doorbell rang. I got up and looked out the window. I could only see the side of a man. I opened the door. "Mayor Johnson?!"

  I moved to let him in. His clothes were ripped and he had a beard that would need hedge trimmers to fix. He looked worse than terrible.

  "Is she here?!" He asked as he coughed and stumbled until he was leaned heavily against the wall.

  “Who?”

  “Reese!” He yelled the best he could.

  "She's at school." I caught him before he fell. Within seconds, he was passed out in my arms. I was going to need help getting him out to my truck. He wasn’t the smallest guy and was leaning against me with dead weight.

  He needed a doctor. I laid him down carefully and called for an ambulance. I kept my hand on his wrist to make sure his heart was still beating and watched his chest to make sure he was breathing. I didn't know a thing about CPR, but I'd try if I had to.

  I texted Reese.

  Me: Go find Garrett and tell him to bring you to the hospital.

  It wasn't long and I heard sirens. I opened the door to let the medics in. I explained to them what happened as they loaded him on to a stretcher.

  Reese: Okay on my way. Why am I on my way?!

  After they got him in the ambulance, I got in my truck to follow.

  Me: Your dad isn't dead.

  Reese: I’m on my way!

  As I drove, I wondered how he knew to come to my house. And where exactly did he come from? Who had him? Or did anyone have him at all? Did it have to do with the witch stuff? I shook my head.

  I pulled up to the hospital and followed the medics and Mayor Johnson in. A nurse stopped me and started asking me questions while another nurse and the medics got him into a room.

  "Havock?!" I heard Reese yell.

  I turned and opened my arms. She launched herself at me, and I held her.

  "He's in a room. I don't know anything yet."

  The nurse smiled at her. "We will let you back there as soon as they get him stable."

  Reese nodded. "What's...what’s all wrong with him?"

  "We don't know yet." The nurse patted her shoulder as she walked past us.

  "I need you two to wait in the waiting room," a lady said from behind a counter.

  I took her hand and walked with her into the waiting room. I explained everything that happened.

  Tears were streaming down her face as she looked towards where her dad was.

  Janet came over to us with a bruise on her cheek and a bloody lip. Reese looked at her. "Janet? What are you doing here? What happened to you?”

  She smiled a little. She sat next to me and Reese. "I heard about your dad and thought I’d come to see how you were doing."

  Reese looked at Janet’s face. “What happened to you?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about.” She leaned back against the waiting room chair.

  Janet was like me. If she didn’t want to tell you something, she wouldn’t. There would be no convincing her to say a thing. I held tightly to Reese’s hand. “Where did Garrett go?”

  “I don’t know. He said something about going to get a snack.” Reese put her head on my shoulder.

  “There he is,” Janet said as she jerked her head towards the door. She shifted in her chair and winced.

  I laid my head on Reese’s. I loved how her hair always smelled like pears and vanilla. Garrett walked over and immediately looked at Janet’s wounds. “Uh oh,” I whispered to Reese.

  “What happened, J?” he asked as he sat down next to her.

  She shrugged. “Ran into a door,” she lied badly. She took the snickers out of his hand and took a bite.

  “That was one badass door,” I mumbled as I closed my eyes.

  Garrett didn’t push Janet for the truth. He nudged me. I opened my eyes. “How’s Mayor Johnson?”

  "We don't know anything yet."

&
nbsp; A nurse walked in. "Reese, you can go see him now."

  She looked at me then the nurse. She nodded and stood to follow the nurse.

  I shook my head in disbelief and looked at Janet and Garrett. "Shit you guys that was weird as hell. He just shows up, asks for Reese, and then passes out." I shook my head again. Between my girlfriend being a witch and her mangled dad showing up on my porch, my life had become a really horrible movie.

  “That’s crazy, but I'm glad he’s back. I'm sure the town will be happy. And Reese. She’ll be happy to have her dad back."

  Janet started digging in her purse. "Havock," she said looking at me.

  She pulled out a card. "I'm sure things will be hectic at your house tonight. Tell your mom to call that number and order. I’ll pay for it and drop it off." She smiled at me and Garrett then stood. She looked at Garrett longer than friends look at friends before talking again. “I’m going to go get Reese some clothes and things. I’m sure she’ll want to stay here with her dad.” She turned and left.

  I handed Garrett the card. He raised a brow. "Why did you give it to me? I already know the number."

  I laughed. "She’s your friend. Or is she more?” I teased.

  Garrett laughed. "Whatever. She's way older than me and one of my best friends."

  "Have you not ever heard of a cougar?"

  Garrett shoved my shoulder and laughed. "Shut up. I can’t even think about her as anything else."

  I smirked. "She's pretty hot. You might want to call that number but not just to order food."

  Garrett rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."

  I looked up and saw Reese walking over to us. She was wiping her eyes.

  I stood and walked over to her. "How is he?"

  "He's stable. They gave him a lot of medicine to make him sleep. They said he wouldn't be awake till morning and since he's in ICU, I can't stay." She came over to me and put her head against my chest.

  I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head. "You might want to call Janet. She figured he’d have to stay and you’d stay with him. She was going to get you some clothes and things.”

  Reese pulled out her phone to text Janet as we walked down the hall.

  REESE

  Your mom is here. She’s with us. She’s one of us now. Your father couldn’t love her because of what she was and had become. No one will love you either. We love you, Reese. We could take care of you. Death is easy. It’s like sleep, Love. The world isn’t a place for those with your magnitude of power. Come help us rule the other side.

  I woke up in the kitchen, in the corner near the bay window with a knife to my throat. I dropped it and screamed. Tears started pouring down my cheeks and I heard footsteps pounding down the stairs.

  “Reese?” The footsteps came closer. “Reese!” Havock yelled as he reached for the knife. The knife shot across the floor as the Shadow’s voices screamed at me.

  He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. The shadows became silent and the knife was back on the counter in its holder where it normally was.

  “What were you doing?!” Havock asked, demanding an answer.

  I was shaking all over. “I...I…” I looked over my shoulder and Garrett, Johanna and Rick were walking into the kitchen with Scott plowing past them to get to me. He jumped up putting his paws on my side and licked my arm.

  “What’s going on? We heard you scream,” Mrs. Johanna said as she came closer to me. She touched the side of my face. “Are you alright?”

  Rick called Scott over to him then asked Garrett to take him outside.

  I was shaking so bad. “I don’t know,” I whispered. I’m going crazy. I’m losing it. I just tried to slit my own throat. WHAT the hell?!

  Havock was shaking, too. He saw me and the knife beside me. I could only imagine what was going through his mind. He looked at his parents. “She was just having a nightmare. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Why is she in the kitchen?” Mrs. Johanna asked confused.

  “To get something to drink. I’ll handle it, mom.”

  She looked at Mr. Rick and he nodded at her. She looked at me over her shoulder worriedly as they made their way out of the kitchen. Havock looked at me.

  Tears filled his eyes. “What were you doing with that knife, Princess?”

  Tears fell down my face. “I...I think I was trying to slit my throat,” I whispered. “I woke up and stopped myself.” I rubbed my left arm in an agitated manner. “They were talking to me in my dreams. I don’t know, Havock. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

  “Who was talking to you?”

  “The shadows.” I didn’t know what to do. I wanted Havock to hold me, but I didn’t know if he’d want to hold me after what he saw.

  Garrett came back in with Scott. He started to say something to Havock but he cut him off. “Just go upstairs, Garrett.” He ran his hand through his hair and clenched his jaw.

  Garrett looked at me then called Scott up the stairs with him.

  “What I just saw isn’t-” His breath caught in his throat and his hands were shaking. He started pacing the kitchen before kicking a chair over. “How do I even talk to you after something like that?!”

  Tears fell down my cheeks. “I don’t know.” I looked at him. “Can you just hold me?”

  His fearful eyes locked on mine. He hesitated a minute and came over. He hugged me and didn’t let go. “I’m at a loss, Princess. If I wouldn’t have come down here there’s no telling what might have happened. Dammit, I can’t even process this!” He started yelling and let go of me.

  We needed to take this conversation outside before the entire house came back down again. “Havock, let’s go outside.”

  He took my hand and hurried with me out the back door. He needed about thirty cigarettes to calm down. “So you didn’t try to kill yourself on your own?!”

  I shook my head and leaned against his truck. “I didn’t even know what I was doing until I woke up. That’s when I screamed.”

  He put his back against his truck next to me. He shook his head then went around to the driver side. I saw him digging around in the glove department. He came back over with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit one with a trembling hand. Tears fell down his face.

  “From now on you sleep in my room. I don’t give a damn what my parents say.”

  “What if I hurt you?! I can’t hurt you, Havock. You’re my world.”

  “And what the hell am I supposed to do if you hurt yourself?!” He flicked the ashes and looked down at me. “You just had a knife to your throat! Then when I tried to get it off the floor it moved with no one moving it! Those shadow things… are they in my house?!”

  “They show up wherever I am. Remember Christmas break. That’s what I saw!” I ran a hand through my hair. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to hurt you.” Tears fell down my face, and I wiped them as they fell.

  He laughed coldly. “Yeah right.” He finished his cigarette then wiped my tears. “Maybe you were sleep walking. Maybe the shadows are just dreams. Maybe you could see a doctor or something about medicine? Hell, I’ve got weed in the truck. That could help. Seriously.”

  “Why do you have weed in your truck?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Did I say weed? I meant…yeah I said weed.”

  I face palmed then chuckled a little. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I could think of something. I have a mental list of things that I’d love for you to do with me. Weed, hit a back road…all your problems solved.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “No drugs,” I said as I poked his chest. “But a back road sounds like lots of fun. I have a mental list of things that I want you to do to me.” I smiled mischievously.

  “I’ll go grab my keys.” He hurried inside.

  ~~~

  I held dad's hand as I waited for him to wake up. When his eyes opened tears filled my eyes. "Daddy?" I stood up and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "How are you feel
ing? Do you need me to get a nurse?"

  He shook his head and closed his eyes. He squeezed my hand.

  A tear slipped down my cheek. "I love you, daddy." I kissed his cheek. “I've missed you.”

  He kissed my hand and smiled a little.

  "What'd they say? Did they say you were going to be okay?" I asked as I sat on the bed next to him.