by Tanya Dawson
“You will do more than that.” His words vibrated through me with intention. He slid across the room, and within seconds, his hands were on my shirt pulling me up. Luckily Edwin was just as quick and was by our side, ready to jump in if needed.
“I’ll make sure he does what he is supposed to do, Dad.” They exchanged a knowing glance, and my father took his hands off me, and I sank into the couch. He was more forceful than usual.
“You will follow her at all times. It is imperative that Olivia chooses us.” His stare brought fear to everyone in the room. He took a sip of whiskey from his glass and placed it on the table. It was never good when he was drinking.
“He’ll do it, Dad.” Hannah offered as she sat next to me. Her voice entered into my head, and only I could hear her telling me to sit up straight. I envied her abilities but also feared them. She knew what my father was thinking and looked terrified.
“Failure is not an option.” He looked at each of us with a force I had never seen before, “I will not be laughed at.”
“Children, please gather around me.” My mother, Ava, waived her arms towards us and we quickly sought her refuge, “Your father has been working on something that will affect all of our bloodlines. We need you to follow instructions because this can’t be taken lightly. Henry, I need you to do as your father suggests.” My mother looked at me with so much sadness in her eyes. She was the rock that held us all together and made us the family we all were, dysfunctional but still a family.
“I didn’t mean anything by the car; I thought it would entice her.” I offered and felt dumb that I thought it would even work. She was different than the other girls; she wouldn’t just fall into my trance.
“I know you did, Henry.” She patted my head. She looked much older than she was. She was tired from many years of fighting off a spell a witch had cast on her in The Stacks, when she was challenged for something my father had done. I hated him for it. He grew stronger and never aged while she became old and weak.
“Tomorrow. I will get Olivia to trust me at school.” I sat back down and let a big sigh escape my lungs. For as many girlfriends that I had, I still could not figure out women, but somehow I needed Olivia to trust me.
“I can befriend her as well,” Hannah suggested. She took a spot next to mom on the floor and crossed her legs, her fingers intertwined her long brown hair, and her eyes were ready to overflow with tears.
“It has to be Henry.” My father stated as he stared out of the window. His eyes glazed over as he took another drink from his glass then threw it against the fireplace, as we all trembled in fear. “You hear me? It has to be Henry.” He made his way to the front door, staggering from all the alcohol he had been drinking, and swung it open leaving us. We all sat looking at each other, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
“Your father is under a great deal of stress from the council.” She stopped to lean over to cough violently. My sister rubbed her back as Edwin passed her a glass of water.
“Why can’t he work on breaking the spell that was cast on you? You’re dying, Mother.” I held back my anger towards my father only for her benefit. She needed to believe we would still be a family once she passed, and that day was coming soon.
“It’s difficult to explain, and I don’t want that burden on my children.” She recovered from her bout and leaned back in her chair that was in front of the fireplace. “I wish we could tell you more so you would understand, but we won’t place that weight on you.”
“We need to be doing more for you, Mama.” Hannah rubbed her hand. It pained me to see my mother grow old so fast and knowing that the end was getting close and our father could do something about it, but wouldn’t.
“Father is doing his best.” Walt offered as he took a drink of whiskey from his glass. His eyes said otherwise. He was just as frustrated as the rest of us.
“Maybe he would do better without drinking.” I was bold and instantly regretted it. Before I could blink, Walt had me by the throat, and I was strung up against the wall, hanging by his fist.
“Listen here little brother; you will do as you are told, and you will find out what she knows, or I will do it for you.” His breath reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were of a hollow soldier.
“Walt!” My mother’s rough voice pierced the air, and he dropped me as soon as he saw her standing inches from us. He quickly grabbed her arm and led her back to her chair to rest. “You will leave that boy alone Walt. He has a simple heart. There is no need to harden it yet.”
“I just wanted to scare him straight Mama.” He placed the warm knitted blanket on top of her and shot a look my way that had the opposite meaning of his words to her.
“I’ll get close to her and find out what she knows.” I swallowed hard, not fully knowing how I was going to do this as it appeared that she had no interest in me whatsoever.
“I trust you will Henry.” My mother sat back, and I could see the agony her body was in.
“I’ll drop you off at school tomorrow.” Edwin offered. Apparently, I would not be driving for a while.
“Just remember to make an impression Henry. Just be yourself, and she will trust you in no time.” Mother smiled as she nodded off.
Edwin motioned for me to follow him into the hallway and I gladly obliged. Anything to get out of that room.
“I can’t share more with you, because I don’t want you directly involved. I will say this, it’s all about our shares in The Stacks.” His jaw stiffened as he spoke quietly. His seriousness was not something I was familiar with.
“Understood.” The one word I could manage.
“Don’t try to find out more.”
“Edwin?”
“I wish I didn’t know, Henry.” He grabbed both my shoulders and shook them gently, but his eyes said more. I didn’t want to know more.
“Tomorrow!” He started to walk away from me, “Tomorrow, you will find out what she knows or else Walt will, whether we want him to or not.”
That was a threat I did not want to unleash on Olivia.
CHAPTER 5: OLIVIA
I ARRIVED EARLY AT school this morning as I wanted to slip in to be alone. I felt more comfortable walking through the halls first thing in the morning keeping to my schedule. No one noticed me anyway, and I preferred it that way. I’ve always had difficulty making friends before and going to public school is no different. On top of being expected to fit in, I also didn't want to make good friends. That would mean having to explain what happened to my mother. I wanted to keep my secrets to myself.
I felt cautious this morning, I wasn’t sure why but my guard was up. As I turned the corner in the hallway, I immediately felt beads of sweat begin to form on my forehead. My hearing also heightened which seemed very odd to me as it had never happened before. I could hear the slightest crinkle of paper, and nobody was in sight. I felt ridiculous and silly feeling like this, so I put it out of my mind and told myself I was being dramatic as my mother had said to me many times before.
I turned the corner, and as I passed a darkened classroom, I suddenly could feel something or someone looking at me from inside. I walked cautiously by it and made sure that I was as far away from the door as possible. Once I had passed, I scolded myself for thinking so foolishly.
Suddenly a hand clasped over my mouth and an arm reached around my stomach; I was being pulled towards my attacker. I tried to scream but his grip was too firm, so I flailed my arms and legs as he pulled me into the dark classroom. My heart almost leaped out of my chest. I couldn't scream because I was paralyzed with fear. What if this was the person who took my mother?
Seconds later, I was abruptly let go and pushed a few feet from where I stood. I quickly turned back and saw Henry standing there laughing.
“What are you doing?” I leaned against the wall and tried to gather my thoughts as my heart rate began to slow down.
He relaxed on the desk, his long tall frame calm and collective. His green eyes observed my figure from head to
toe, and my face turned bright red.
“If you're trying to be mysterious, you're going about it the wrong way. Right now I'm fit to put a peace bond against you.” I straightened my back and tried not to appear flustered from his attention, but there was something about him that I couldn't turn away from. It was almost like I knew him from somewhere other than here, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
“Can't hurt a guy for trying.” He came towards me, and I instinctively moved back. Skylar’s threat to stay away from him was fresh in my mind. I knew I shouldn't be around him, however at the same time, I felt comfortable around him, but I wouldn’t let him see that.
“I hope you're not vying for a position on the welcoming committee.” I tried to be funny, but it was more my nerves talking. There was just something about Henry and the way that he stood there looking at me that made me feel comfortable yet uncomfortable.
“So I guess you've been told to stay away from me.” He sat back in one of the chairs and flipped his legs up on the desk, leaning back contentedly with that deep stare into my soul.
“Why would you say that?” I was betting Skylar had told him to stay away from me. That somehow felt endearing. I never had someone look out for me like that, but it also made me wonder what their beef was, and why it extended to me.
“Just something the cheer squad may have said.” He looked at me with a smirk on his face, and I first noticed his dimples. They immediately made me smile. I turned my head so that he wouldn’t see that. I took an empty seat close to him; I didn’t want him to know the effect he had on me and also that I was a little scared to be in his presence.
He dragged his seat closer to me, so close our knees were touching. I turned to my left as I felt the warmth of his body inches from mine, as he leaned into my personal space.
“There's something different about you.” The heat from his breath made my cheeks red. My body froze, and I couldn't move away from him. It was like there was this power joining us together and familiarity that I had known before.
“And why is that?” The words came like a whisper from my lips. I was gravely aware of his presence. I didn't particularly want to move away from him. But I could hear Skylar’s voice in my head telling me to stay away from the Sabean family. How could he be so dangerous that I needed to stay away?
“I heard about your mother.” I froze as he said those words. His tone indicated that he might know more than I did about her. I felt the warmth of his body again as he leaned in and placed his hands on the desk behind me. He put his index finger under my chin and lifted my head until my eyes were level with his. He looked sympathetic for a moment, almost as if he knew what it was like to lose somebody that close to you.
“What do you know about my mother?” I stood up as I started to feel uncomfortable so close to him and began to wonder what his real intent was. Did he corner me in this classroom just to talk about my missing mother?
“I inquired.” He leaned back on the desk and watched for my response. I wouldn't give him what he wanted, whatever I thought that was.
“From who?” I didn't think many people knew about my personal life. Perhaps Ruby had mentioned something to Skylar in passing. I quickly started to gather my belongings that fell on the floor. However, I made sure he was within eyesight. I still felt I couldn't trust him as he was reckless and I wasn't sure of his motives. I also couldn't deny the attraction towards him, his fair skin with the most deep sea green eyes.
“Everyone wants to know about the new girl.” He stayed in his seat as he watched me pack up my book bag, not offering to help. His stare seemed to intensify as his eyes grew darker. He looked away for a brief second, and I felt my body relax.
“So, what do you want to know?” I pulled up a chair next to the desk he was sitting at hoping to make him uncomfortable, however he seemed to like my closeness and very quickly stretched his arms across the desk and leaned over, our faces only about a foot apart.
“Everything.” His eyes drank me in, and the air began to feel very thin. I swallowed hard and tried not to look scared of his closeness. I returned his gaze and studied his face. His features were predominant, and he looked even better up close. His skin was so pale and flawless.
“Ask a question.” I dared him.
“Anything?” His eyes smiled, and my stomach turned.
“Anything.” I checked the distance between us and leaned back a little to add some space so I could breathe more freely. At the same time, I didn't want him to know that this little game scared me. Something inside of me believed he knew more about my mother than I did.
“How do you like staying at the Whitby residence?” The edges of his lips slightly turned up with a smirk. He was playing me. He knew something that I didn’t.
“It's great. Is that all you want to know?” I leaned back in, shortening the distance between us and noticed his eyes avert to the left, almost like he was the one that was uncomfortable now.
“No, as I said, I want to know everything.” His eyes shifted back to mine, and I was wrong, he was very confident, so we held that gaze for what seemed like forever.
“Olivia?” Our stance was so intense that I hadn't even notice Skylar enter the room with several other people. I quickly turned to him and felt embarrassed that he walked in on such a private moment.
“Why are you alone with him?” It didn’t take long for them to be chest-to-chest, almost as if they were going to go into battle to fight over me, which seemed absurd.
“We were just waiting for class to start.” Again my face turned red, and I turned away from them both, grabbing my book bag and fumbling around with it. I barely knew these two and I felt embarrassed for getting caught talking to Henry alone.
“I suggest your new friend leaves, Olivia.” The two of them stood there waiting for the other to move, but neither budged. You could feel the tension in the air. The slightest scrape of your foot might spark a fire.
“I'll see you later, Hun.” Henry pushed past Skylar’s shoulder and touched my arm with a sharp, shocking jolt. His eyes not leaving mine until he was past Skylar. It was like I was in a trance and part of me wanted to go with him, but for some reason, I felt I needed to keep this connection between us a secret for now. He left the room without turning back, I forced myself to keep my eyes on Skylar and his friends and forced a huge smile.
“I thought I told you not to see him.” Skylar was apparently upset and making way too much of this encounter. I had barely met this guy, and I felt like he was more of a chaperone than a new school friend. But I could tell from the sincerity in his eyes that he did have the best intentions for me, and at some point, I might need somebody that was sincere to me and only me.
The only thing I needed to focus on was finding my mother, and there were many secrets that I wanted to uncover, and Skylar might be the one to help me.
“It's not what you think. We just ended up being the first ones here.” I don't know why I didn't tell him what happened but I wanted to keep it to myself, I didn't need to give him any reason to go after Henry again. I certainly wasn't sure how long the feud between them had been going on and why.
“Promise me, for real this time, that you won't spend any time alone with him.” He leaned into me, and at that moment, I knew I needed to trust him, after all Ruby chose him to help get me settled in. I nodded yes.
“I thought I would introduce you to my friends. This is Eve, Garrison, and Amber.”
Eve and Garrison were total opposites in the looks department. Eve had gorgeous blonde hair that flowed in long waves, her skin was flawless, and her eyes were brown and mysterious. She clung to the arm of Garrison, who had short brown hair that was spiked and his chest and arms looked like he knew a thing or two about pressing a bench. Amber had gorgeous light brown hair with blue eyes with a hint of purple, her cheeks flushed quickly, and I could tell she was likely timid.
“It's nice to meet you.” I stepped back uneasily as it was hard for me to make friends. I
was used to being a loner and keeping to myself. I also wanted to protect my mother. She wasn’t always in a good enough mood to meet people.
“I've seen you around lately looking a little lost.” Amber giggled a little to lighten the mood, and it made me chuckle, as well.
“We’d love to show you around. I've only been at the school for a few years, and I know how it can be, trying to meet the right kind of people.” Garrison offered, and Eve gave him a slight push that made me wonder what he meant.
“I've lived here all my life. It's not that big of a place.” Amber smiled and took out her phone. “What're your digits?”
I fumbled getting my phone out of my coat pocket quick enough.
“It's new. I’m not sure...” Amber grabbed the phone from my hand and added all of their cell phone numbers in it, then put my name in her phone.
“Here. Problem solved. We are all in there now, so don’t be afraid to call or text. We can rescue you at any time.” She flashed a bright smile, and I wondered what she meant. “Oh! And here is Skylar’s number.” She showed me on my phone and smirked at Skylar, who quickly turned away.
“Don’t be afraid to text him if you need help.” She smiled and I looked towards Skylar, whose face was now bright red. My mind wondered what help I would be needing.
CHAPTER 6: OLIVIA
AS SOON AS THE LAST bell rang, I rushed out of the classroom and ran out of the building. I didn't need to run into any more people and just wanted to be alone. School had been taking up a lot of my time, and it was time that I needed to look for my mother.
I had no leads and had no idea of where to start, but I knew she was out there and I had to find her.
For the past several nights, I had been having dreams of her calling out to me for help. I could hear her, but I couldn’t see her. I’d be close to finding her then I would wake up, right before.
