Kaede must have seen my look of interest because he looked down and then nodded warily in the direction of where Amy had disappeared earlier. “Our Amy has a mind of her own. Only one here who can reel her in is Dante—a benefit of being the big brother.”
“Dante is only one year older than me,” exclaimed Amy, raising one finger in the air for emphasis as she quickly re-entered the room. She was more conservatively dressed, at least for her, wearing black leggings that displayed her long legs, and an oversized multi-colored shirt that hung off one shoulder. As per usual she was still wearing the same black choker, which she was fingering with her index finger.
“I’m still your big brother, nonetheless,” Dante responded, tossing his granola bar wrapper in the trash, then sat across from me at the table. He glanced over and we locked eyes. I nodded and he gave one of his casual one-sided smiles.
“Good morning, Mia.” His voice was warm and I continued to stare back at him, analyzing his tone. It was different from the day before.
It was almost more … personal.
Amy’s eyes instantly flicked from Dante to me as she looked with narrowed eyes. Then she glared back at Dante and frowned, sticking her tongue out at him. She walked over to me, grasping my arm unexpectedly.
“Don’t get any ideas, brother.”
Dante glanced at Kaede, who was snickering quietly behind him, and then back at his sister. “What are you getting at?”
“If I can’t have Kaede, you can’t have Mia,” she exclaimed as she continued to hold onto my arm, as if claiming me.
Dante scoffed at the idea. “Are you crazy? What makes you think I want to have Mia? Stop with that overactive imagination of yours. You’re reading too many of your romance novels.”
“You know I’m right, Dante. I can tell about these things, you know.” Amy looked at him with untrusting eyes.
Dante laughed at her response. “Yeah, you’re so right. You know, being so worldly and all.” The sarcasm in his voice was apparent.
“Um, guys,” Kaede interjected as he opened up the refrigerator, pointing inside. “I hate to interrupt but we have another issue to deal with.”
Amy and Dante walked over to Kaede. I quickly finished my toast and drank the last of my milk. I approached them as they stared into the fridge and looked over Dante’s shoulder to see what they all were looking at.
It was empty.
“Hmm,” Kaede slammed the refrigerator door shut and rested against it, folding his arms over his chest. He shook his head. “I ain’t going. It’s your turn, Dante.”
Dante ran his fingers through his hair, making a face. “Already?”
Kaede answered by pointing a finger at a piece of paper that hung on the fridge door by a magnet right next to his head. Analyzing it, I realized it was a schedule for grocery pick-up, alternating between Dante, Briggs and Kaede.
It was indeed Dante’s turn.
Dante smiled when he saw me looking at him. “We rotate for who goes shopping for groceries.”
Amy looked at the schedule and gave a pout. “I used to be up there too, but now I’m not allowed.”
Kaede playfully pulled a strand of Amy’s long hair as he spoke. “And for good reason.”
Amy made a face at Kaede, then turned her focus on her brother. “Can’t I go with you, Dante? I want to go outside.”
“No,” Dante immediately answered. “It’s dangerous.”
I frowned at Dante’s response.
Dangerous? Again, what did they mean by that?
Kaede glanced at me, further explaining. “It’s dangerous out there, Mia. For females, redheads especially … like you. There’s been a lot of kidnappings in the area. Almost at an unusual rate, to be honest.”
Dante interrupted by adding, “And when the police do manage to find the girls, it’s too late, if you know what I mean.”
I saw the serious look on his face, glanced toward the window, and frowned at his words.
I did know what he meant.
Kaede broke the troubled silence. “So we try to stay inside—at least, Amy stays inside. Like a lot of people in town have been doing. The police didn’t order a lock-down per say, but it seems to have happened that way. People are getting nervous, even mentioning the S word.”
“S word?” questioned Amy.
“Serial. As in, serial killer.”
“The world has gone to shit,” Dante responded, a sickened look in his eyes. “People are vanishing in hospitals and prison cells, on top of the kidnappings and murders. It’s no wonder we’re all hiding out. Did you see what happened to that teen they discovered a couple days ago? He was carved up like some sort of Thanksgiving dinner with all these markings on him. That’s messed up.”
Amy shook her head, looking like she’d cry at any moment. “I went to high school with him. His name was Jared and he was a couple years younger than me. I remembered he liked to draw. He always drew these murals around school—they were beautiful. There was this … beacon of light in him that I always admired. Now it’s gone.”
“Just like Dante said. The world has gone to shit. We’ve changed our routine but we manage.” Kaede looked at both Amy and Dante as he replied, “We’re family. We gotta stick together.”
Family.
It was a term I couldn’t relate to as of yet. But smiling was … kind of. Seeing the understanding smiles on the faces of the three before me, the love that they obviously had for one another, it was something that I instantly knew I wanted in my life. Perhaps one day I would smile without purposely thinking about it and it would be instinctive, like breathing.
I wanted to know more about the kidnappings, the murders, and the deaths that were apparently accumulating across the city. I, too, longed for the sense of fresh air, as I could no longer remember what that felt like, having no memories from my past.
I focused back to the trio and realized that time had carried on, and I needed to catch up with it. Amy had given up on wanting to leave the apartment and was now sitting in the living room as she watched a show on the television screen. Kaede popped open a can of cola and took a drink while Dante was walking toward the front entrance. As he took a step on the first rung, I instinctively moved in his direction, my feet having a mind of their own. For some reason, I felt a connection with Dante. I couldn’t quite explain it but I knew it to be true. It was different from the interactions I got with Amy and Kaede. Even Briggs.
Although there was something about Briggs I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Hey, where are you going?” Dante put a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stop in my tracks. He had just opened the door and I stood below him on the stairs.
I frowned up at him, then gestured toward the opened doorway, looking into the hallway.
“You’re gonna stay here with Kaede and Amy. When we said it was dangerous out there for girls, that meant you too, Mia.” He looked me up and down and laughed as he noticed my bare feet. “And it’s not like you’re dressed for the outdoors.”
Dante patted me on the head, then waved farewell. “I’ll be back in a bit. We should get you some shoes,” was the last thing I heard him mumble as he walked down the hallway and disappeared around a corner.
I stood there a moment, then slowly raised my hand to the same spot where Dante had touched.
It had felt … nice.
CHAPTER FOUR
I KNEW BRIGGS was staring at me from behind. I could feel the heat coming off his intense gaze, landing somewhere between my shoulder blades from where he sat on the metal rungs near the front entrance. I remained seated, not glancing his way, keeping my eyes on the television in front of me, trying not to shudder from the attention.
Waiting.
It was now late evening. Both Briggs and Dante had returned hours earlier, Dante with food and Briggs with his usual sour expression. Kaede and Amy had kept me mildly entertained with stories about their past, and about reality television shows starring less than appropriately dressed characters
. I wondered if this was how they usually spent their days, lounging around.
I wondered what their purpose was.
Sandwiched between Amy and Kaede, they were watching the current show intently, Kaede’s right leg fidgeting against the couch while Amy bit her bottom lip, anticipation clearly on her face over what would happen next. Although my gaze too was on the television screen, my focus was on Briggs. I found him challenging to decipher.
All the others were open books. Amy was innocent, naïve about the world, seeming younger than her nineteen years. Pure. Kaede was wary but approachable. An old soul. Dante was safe, kindhearted. Trustworthy.
But Briggs was different.
For some reason I couldn’t read him and I wanted to know why. I tilted my head and slowly turned around until I stared directly into his dark-framed sunglasses. We stayed like that, neither of us looking away, until he finally broke contact and stood, walking down the hallway until I heard the door to his bedroom slam shut.
I flinched.
“Ignore Briggs,” said Dante with a kind smile. He had been silently watching the entire interaction between the two of us on the other couch. I glanced over at him, seeing a look of exasperation on his face and he rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t like people—don’t take it too personally.”
He walked over and squeezed my shoulder. “Frankly, I enjoy you being here, despite the fact that you don’t talk,” he ended with a wink.
I remained quiet, staring at him silently. For some reason I wanted to communicate with these people instead of just the nods and shakes of the head. I found it irregular that I was unlike them and didn’t know why. Dante was just about to walk away when I grabbed him by the wrist. He stiffened and looked back at me, as did Amy and Kaede.
I realized it was the first time I had initiated contact in the short time that I had been with these people, not counting when I had awaken Dante’s sleeping form. To them, it was a strange act for me to do.
I glanced around the room, looking for something that could assist me. Zeroing in on what I was looking for, I released Dante’s hand and stood up. I walked over to the television stand and picked up a pad and stray pen. I attempted to write out a sentence.
I didn’t get very far.
I looked down at the symbols that I wrote instead of text. I tried again, placing the pen on the paper, focusing on getting the words in my mind on paper. I didn’t see Dante glancing over my shoulder, trying to make out the words that I was trying to write but with no success. He slowly reached out a hand and carefully took the pen and pad as I stood there, frozen.
I realized it would be more difficult to express my thoughts to these people than I had originally thought.
Amy got up from the couch, looking at the expression on my face. Standing next to her brother, she glanced down at the scratch marks that I had written on the pad of paper. “It’s okay, Mia. You don’t have to know how to write or talk here.”
“Yeah. Amy will do enough talking for the both of you,” remarked Kaede, who was still sitting on the chair, munching on a bag of chips.
Amy turned as she glared at Kaede. “I’m trying to make Mia feel better here.” She grabbed the pad from Dante’s hand and threw it roughly at Kaede.
Kaede, seeing the oncoming assault, ducked for cover as he nibbled on a chip. Standing up leisurely, he gave a wink. “Love you too, Ames.”
I felt a pat on my arm as I turned away from Amy, whose cheeks were suddenly becoming a rosy color. Dante looked down at me with a smile. “Amy’s right. In time you’ll probably remember everything, probably be able to write and talk again. I’m no doctor but I’m guessing that injury at the back of your head must have shaken you up. You should be fine in no time.”
I remembered the injury that I had sustained and impulsively reached for the back of my head. It was still tender but tolerable; I didn’t think that was the cause of my memory loss. To think that all the answers and questions I had were locked up in my own mind was quite disheartening. I frowned as I felt what could only be described as sadness overtake me. Sadness. I was able to feel real emotions and not the sterile thoughts that I’d had when I had first woken up.
A hand reached up to touch my cheek and I looked up to see Dante wipe away liquid that had fallen on my face. It took a moment to register that the liquid was coming from me.
Tears.
Dante looked down at me with distressing blue eyes. It made me pause. He looked tired. I didn’t know exactly why but something akin to guilt pierced my heart; I was most likely the cause for his fatigue.
I shook my head, not enjoying or comfortable where my thoughts were leading me. I had to get away from all these feelings I was suddenly experiencing. So I smiled, that same smile I had practiced in front of the bathroom mirror. Then I nodded to Dante and walked away, exiting to my tiny bedroom. My only place of escape, really.
As I shut the door quietly behind me, I sank my body down to the ground and sat on the floor, my back pressed against the bedroom door, cradling my head in my hands.
I wanted to remember.
Frustrated, my eyes squeezed tightly, I started pounding my head with my hands, trying to force myself to remember anything from my nonexistent past, where I came from, who I was.
All of a sudden, something butted against my behind and I looked down to see a piece of folded paper that had slid under the door. I hesitantly reached for the paper and read:
Fear not the unknown.
For out of recognizing
fear comes wisdom.
I sat there staring at the words with the paper clutched tightly in my hand. I immediately thought of Dante, whose kindness was written all over the page.
He was right.
Eventually I would understand all of this, why my memories were wiped clean away and how I had ended up in this place. For now, I would just have to go through the process of recovering myself.
It finally clicked in my mind that even though I couldn’t write, I could clearly read these words written in front of me.
I got up from the floor and made my way to the bed, lying on my back. Staring up at the ceiling, I clutched the piece of paper in my hand. None of this seemed real: not even lying on this bed. The only thing that seemed authentic was the piece of paper I held in my hand.
Fear not the unknown. For out of recognizing fear comes wisdom.
And because these simple words were the only thing that seemed real, I would listen to it, I would not fear what was to come. Eventually I would figure out what was going on.
It would be revealed to me.
There was a light knock on my door and I looked up to see the door slowly opening. Dante peeked his head through, smiling.
“How you feeling, Mia?”
I sat up in bed, watching him enter the room and close the door behind him. I tucked the note underneath the pillow and stared back at him expectantly.
He was holding a pair of shoes.
He must have noticed where my attention was because he looked down, then sat next to me.
“Here,” he said, placing the shoes in my lap.
I peeked down and saw white tennis shoes with bright yellow and green laces.
He had bought me shoes.
“I noticed that you didn’t have any,” he said sheepishly with a half-smile. “Thought I’d buy you a pair in case you wanted something on your feet other than socks.”
I glanced at the shoes a final time then to thank him, placed them on my feet. I rose from the bed, then took a couple steps.
They fit.
“They fit,” Dante exclaimed, smiling. “I didn’t know if I got the right size or not but you seemed a little smaller than Amy and I know Amy’s size so I got one size down.”
I stared, unblinking, at him.
“And just to let you know, I tried looking you up. You know, any missing person’s reports that fit your description. I couldn’t find anything but I’ll keep you posted in case something comes up. You have to be reunited
with your loved ones, right?”
He laughed again, scratching his head. “I’m beginning to sound like Amy, aren’t I? Blabbing on and on. Anyway, I’ll leave you to your room.” He glanced down at my shoes.
“And your new shoes.”
As quickly as he came, he left, and I was left standing alone. I glanced down at my shoes, then toward the door.
Loved ones. At the thought, I swear, the tattoo on my shoulder tingled and I rubbed it absentmindedly. I took off the shoes then placed them at the foot of my bed. Sinking to the floor, I leaned my head against the wall.
I knew on the other side of that wall was Briggs. Faintly, I could hear the rumbling of his voice, as if he were talking to himself. Perhaps he was mirroring my position, only the wall separating us.
Rising so I knelt, I turned, then placed my palms flat against the wall. I closed my eyes and pictured Briggs as I saw him last: dark and foreboding. I tried focusing on that deep, yet surprisingly soothing voice when it wasn’t shouting at you. A man who didn’t want to let people in, yet for some reason ignited a curiosity in me that I couldn’t fight.
When I opened my eyes again, they widened slightly when I realized I was no longer in my room. How can that be? Heart beating rapidly, I rose to my feet, and looked around the unfamiliar room. My eyes widened when I saw I was no longer alone.
Briggs sat on the edge of the bed facing forward, toward me. I held my breath and waited for his voice to pierce my ears in rage and confusion as to how I had gotten into his room. But nothing happened. I turned and realized he wasn’t staring at me but through me. He looked at himself in the mirror, his birthmark deep red, and he still wore those sunglasses that hid his soul from prying eyes.
I glanced away from his reflection to look back at Briggs. Then I walked closer to him, again wondering how this was possible. I had somehow managed to jump from my room to Briggs’ room, and now I was invisible to his eyes.
His door suddenly burst open and I froze, then relaxed when I saw it was only Dante. He couldn’t see me either. Shutting the door behind him, I watched him stare at Briggs. They said nothing to each other, my eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them.
Never Letting Go (Delphian Book 1) Page 3
