Beautiful Legend: An Angsty College Romance

by Waverly Alexander

  “We need to get to the car.” Taylor’s breath was puffing out erratically, and I grabbed her hand with my free one, trying to calm her down. I was shaking inside, but I was somehow able to keep my body from trembling.

  “I’m not leaving Laney,” I said.

  “Don’t go outside. You need to stay inside the residence,” I heard the operator say, but I was distracted, trying to figure out what to do. I hadn’t gone through everything up until now just to get plucked off in my own home like a sitting duck. And I wouldn’t let that happen to my friends, either. I had to protect them, even though I’d failed to protect my mother and sister.

  “Whatever you do, don’t hang up.” I pressed my phone into Taylor’s shaking hands.

  “You can’t go out there.”

  “I’ll be right back. I’ve gotta get Laney.” I crawled across the bedroom floor, and as if on cue, as soon as I got to the hallway, there was a loud screech of metal by the back door, like someone was trying to pry it open.

  I slipped into Taylor’s room and grabbed her purse off of her vanity, and dumped the contents out. I scrambled for a moment in the dark, but once I had her wallet in my hand, I grabbed the first card I could find and crawled toward Laney’s door. With a couple of flicks of the wrist, I slid the card between the door and the frame, twisted the knob to the right, and popped the lock.

  My stomach plummeted when the distinct, metallic smell of blood burned my nostrils and overtook my senses. Laney’s bed was empty, her window shattered. The cold October wind pouring through it smacked me in the face.

  “Laney!” I screamed, frantically looking around her room. My fear of whoever broke in was quickly replaced with the fear that Laney was seriously injured. I had to find her. I didn’t bother crawling as I made my way back to the hallway. I could hear the sirens headed toward us, but the rest of the house was eerily quiet. My concern for Laney completely overrode the panic that police cars usually brought on, and I dashed down the hallway without giving them a single thought. I was laser-focused on my only mission—to alert the dispatcher to what I’d found so that the police could be updated about the seriousness of the situation.

  “Taylor! Give me the phone,” I called into my bedroom, and was relieved when she rushed out toward me.

  “Where’s Laney?” Taylor asked as we saw the red and blue lights flashing in the driveway. But I snatched the phone from her. I knew we didn’t have much time.

  “Ma’am, what's going on?” the operator asked calmly.

  I kept my voice low and crouched with Taylor by the side of the couch, keeping the front door in view. “Our other roommate is missing. Her window is shattered. I smell blood.” I swatted at Taylor to quiet her when she cried out at the revelation.

  It wasn’t even thirty seconds later that two armed police officers kicked in our front door. One rushed to us, ushering Taylor and I outside while the other officer searched the house.

  They took our statements simultaneously; I figured because it was a small town and they weren’t used to much more than fender benders on the one light street leading out of town. Taylor and I fed off of each other, finishing each other’s thoughts as we told the officer about the vandalism to her car, the feelings of being watched, and how Ryan was sending her threatening text messages. Taylor was quiet when I mentioned my mother and sister’s murder.

  “He’s in prison, but I just thought you should know,” I finished quickly.

  Taylor gave me a side hug, squeezing my shoulder in silent support, for which I was grateful. I was still amazed at how I had been able to control my panic and anxiety during the whole event, especially at the appearance of the police, and I credited Taylor for a lot of that. Her presence, along with my drive to protect Laney and her, didn’t leave much room for emotional breakdowns. I’d tell her the whole story later, but for now, we needed to focus on Laney. The police officer asked if he could take my phone in case there was anything of value for the case, and I readily agreed.

  Two more police cars showed up with an ambulance in tow, and without saying a word, the officers headed through the yard and around the side of the house. It was only then that I realized Taylor’s phone was still missing, and I’d have no way to call Josh and tell him what happened.

  Taylor grabbed my arm and whispered, “You don’t think it’s that guy, Jeff, do you?” I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, and I should have been feeling the same way, but he was Josh’s cousin, and I trusted Josh’s judgment so innately that I couldn’t explain it.

  “He’s Josh’s cousin,” I said quickly. “He really helped Josh when he was younger; he wouldn’t do something like this. I trust Josh.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear. That means a lot if you trust someone.” Taylor nodded, but we both turned when we heard a broken sob and officers yelling for someone to get them a gurney.

  “We’ve got a female. Shallow breathing. Significant blood loss.”

  My teeth chattered as the wind whipped right through me, and we watched as two firemen carried a gurney with hurried precision past us and disappeared behind the house.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to,” Taylor said as we sat in the waiting area of the emergency room. They’d rushed Laney back about twenty minutes before, but we’d still heard nothing. I didn’t feel scared, but numbness seemed to veil all of my emotions. “But I don’t mind listening if you need someone to confide in,” she added when I didn’t respond.

  I bit my lip, looking away from her for only a moment before I decided that I needed to do this. I needed to tell someone and know that I could trust their motives. Taylor would never betray me or use what I was about to reveal to her against me.

  “The memories are really foggy, not even just the attack, but everything before that.” I rested my elbows on my knees, looking down at my hands, trying to concentrate because I didn’t want to start panicking. I took a deep breath when Taylor leaned over and placed her hand on my shoulder, encouraging me to continue. “A man who lived a few streets over had been watching my older sister, Jamie, for a while. She was fourteen.” I cleared my throat, trying to keep my voice even and to keep any more memories from resurfacing. As terrible as it sounded, I didn’t want to remember. It hurt too much.

  “You said he’s in jail?” Taylor interrupted, and I assumed that she was wondering if there was any chance he could be behind the break-in tonight. I didn’t know who attacked Laney, but my gut told me that if he had anything to do with it, I would have been his first target, not my roommate who had no connection to my family.

  I nodded, finally straightening in my chair and looking over at Taylor. “Yea, he was convicted and got life without parole, so it couldn’t have been him tonight.” I sighed, then continued, “I was only seven when he went to trial, so I don’t really remember much. I just remember being scared because I didn’t have anyone with me besides the social workers that were assigned to me.”

  “You didn’t have any other family?” Taylor asked. “You don’t have to answer that. Obviously you didn’t.” She grimaced at the thought.

  “My mom’s family disowned her when she married my father. They thought he was bad news; I honestly don’t remember him much.” I shrugged. “She was pretty young at the time. And when he left us, she didn’t have anyone to turn to, so I can hardly remember a time when it wasn’t just my mom, Jamie, and me.”

  “I’m so sorry, Addison.” She gripped my hand, silently letting me know it was okay to tell her the rest if I wanted to.

  “I don’t remember too many details about the attack. But my sister would sleep in my room sometimes because I was young and scared to sleep on my own. He stabbed us both, but she took the brunt of it because she tried to protect me. He killed our mother first in her bedroom,” I said, almost mechanically because it was things I’d heard over the years when I was bounced around between foster homes, not actual memories. “I don’t remember feeling the pain, bu
t I remember Jamie saying my name over and over after he ran out of the house.” I felt my eyes prickle with tears for the sister that I knew loved me so much. I think that's where my compassion for my elderly rescue dogs originated from, wanting to ease their last days, even if it caused me pain. I never wanted any person or animal to be ripped out of the world and suffer as my mother and Jamie did.

  “They changed my last name when the trial was over as part of some sort of witness protection program for minors, and I was sent to live in Virginia for a while, but eventually came back to Maryland.” Taylor was quiet and her eyes pooled with tears as I finished speaking. “So now you know why I’m as paranoid as I am. Checking the locks and all that. Thanks for never making a big deal about it or asking me to tell you when I wasn’t ready.”

  “I’m so sorry you went through all of that. But I’m glad you told me,” Taylor said sincerely and hugged me. “You don’t have to be alone anymore. You’ve got Laney and me.”