“Could you just give me a few days? I want to try the medicine a couple more nights and see what happens. I’ll feel safer with you in the house.”
“I don’t know. When your mom gets back, she might have different plans.”
“I’ll talk to her. She’ll understand.”
Nana nodded and turned to head down to the basement. She didn’t promise to stay, but Reagan was hopeful. The house was quiet, more like a tomb than a home. Knowing she still had catch-up homework to do from her missed days, she headed upstairs.
She picked up her backpack from the bedroom floor and threw it on her bed, dumping its contents. Sheets of missed assignments floated out. Reagan went through all the papers and put them in order of how much time each should take. She wanted to get as many done as possible before her mom came home.
Ten assignments in all, some Reagan could knock out in a flash; others were going to take some thought and time. Neither of which she had right now. As she was organizing the papers and other materials, she noticed a folded sheet of paper sticking out of her binder.
She unfolded each layer with care, wondering what it would say and who it was from. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, but she recognized the signature: Abby.
We should talk.
That’s all it said. There was no date on it and Reagan had only been back one full school day since she broke Abby’s nose. Curiosity won over reason, and Reagan went to get a school directory and find the number. She called.
“Hello.”
It was Abby, no backing out now. “Abby? It’s Reagan.”
“Hold on a minute.”
Reagan could hear walking and the closing of a door.
“About the other day, I only said those things because Rafe asked me to.”
“What does Rafe have to do with it?” Reagan was perplexed.
“He wanted me to get you angry, and he came up with some ideas on what I could say. I was so mad at you, and people at school keep telling me I’m just some substitute for Dex until you come around.”
Abby took a second, like she suddenly became aware she was babbling and giving too much away. “Anyway, I had no clue he was going to attack you. I wanted you to know how he set you up, though, just in case the other night wasn’t enough to convince you he’s crazy.”
Why even tell me? Why help me at all? Reagan wondered. She considered the possibility that Abby wasn’t a horrible person after all, and the guilt came. “Thanks for telling me. I hope your nose is healing okay.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea and go thinking we’re friends. You freaking broke my nose! I told Dex about what happened, because that’s what girlfriends do, and he wanted me to tell you. It’s done, so stay out of my way. He’s mine.”
Reagan couldn’t help but smile, grateful to Abby for destroying a momentary lapse in character judgment and an unnecessary feeling of guilt. “You can have Dex. I have bigger problems. But, since we’re talking, I suggest you back off the comments at school. I’m a bit on edge lately, and you saw first-hand what happened last time.” Reagan couldn’t help herself. Sometimes being bad felt so good.
Abby’s only response was a dial tone.
Reagan hid in her room until her mom called for dinner. Entering the kitchen and not seeing Nana there almost sent Reagan running back upstairs, but her stomach intervened. She was starving. Lately, she always seemed to be. Nana never showed up, and Reagan’s parents barely spoke.
After she finished eating in utter silence, she stood and took her dishes to the sink. She rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher.
Before she could leave, her father finally spoke. “Your mother and I asked your grandmother to leave. It was too upsetting to have her here with everything else going on. We’re taking her to the airport in an hour. She’s downstairs packing.”
Rage threatened to take over. Reagan couldn’t believe they would do this to her, and without any warning. She kept her hands to her side, fists clinched.
“Stay calm,” Sam said.
A rush of calm dampened the anger. She took a couple of breaths to make sure, before she said, “Let me take her to the airport. It’s the least you can do. I need to say goodbye.”
Her parents exchanged glances, and then her father nodded. If she were a betting woman, she would lay a lot of money down that Mom bullied Dad into this decision. With the approval in place, Reagan headed down to the basement. Rounding the corner, she could see into the guest bedroom. Nana was packing, with her head bent.
Tears started streaming down Reagan’s face more with each step forward. By the time she got to the bedroom, she could barely see. She walked over and threw her arms around Nana’s back. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know, honey. But I have to honor their request. It doesn’t do either of us any good, or my daughter, for me to fight them right now.” Nana turned to Reagan and placed hands on both her shoulders. “If you need me, I’m a phone call away. Sarah is, too. You can do this. You’re stronger than you think. Plus, I have something for you. Something I made myself after your grandfather died. I only wish I’d been able to give it to him.”
Nana turned to some tissue on the bed and pulled out a pendant. “Add this to your other necklace. It will protect you from evil spirits.”
Reagan took the pendant, laying it flat into her palm. Round, with four symbols inside: on the right and left they were the same as her protection rune, on the bottom, a cross shape, and on the top, one that resembled the bottom half of a stick figure—minus the head. All of them were within the bigger circle in four quadrants, encircling a smaller hole in the middle. It was mesmerizing.
“Thank you, Nana. I’ll always wear it.”
“When you wear it, picture it in your mind. Draw the images mentally. Then, speak the words, ‘keep me safe’ over and over again.” They hugged. Nana let go and turned to zip up her suitcase.
They walked hand in hand upstairs. Mom was still in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Mom said. Her head dropped, and the words were barely audible.
“Me, too,” Nana replied. “I’m only a phone call away. I hope you’ll call.” With those words, Nana pulled her suitcase through the kitchen and toward the garage. Reagan worked up the meanest face she could and threw it at her mom.
ↄↄↄↄↄ
Dropping off Nana at the airport was the hardest thing Reagan ever had to do.
Driving back through blinding tears, she wondered how she managed to steer. Home wasn’t a place she wanted to be anymore. Anger welled inside her more with each mile she covered.
When she arrived, she put the car in park and sat in the driveway. She wasn’t sure she could face her parents. After a few deep breaths, she turned the key and took it out of the ignition. Her feet felt like dead weight as she swung them out onto the driveway. That’s when she saw them.
Cars lined the street just outside her house. She only recognized Serena’s and Aspen’s cars, but Reagan knew it couldn’t be good.
Entering the front door, Reagan was blindsided by the faces surrounding her: Mom, Dad, Dex, Serena, and Aspen.
What the hell?
“Reagan, we all wanted to gather to talk to you. We all love you.”
“Mom, what are you doing?” Fear clawed at Reagan.
“Get out!” Sam’s voice filled her head.
Feeling like a caged animal, Reagan turned to leave. Before she could, the door opened. In walked Dr. Ableman.
It was worse than Reagan imagined.
“Mom, you know what I think of him. Why is he here?” Reagan knew she was screaming. She wanted to scream until everyone in the room ran away.
“Reagan, for God’s sake, he’s here to help.”
“He never helps! Why can’t you see that?” With each word, Reagan inched closer to her mom.
“Now that my mom’s gone—”
“How dare you mention Nana! She’s the only one that could’ve helped me, the only one who
ever listened.”
“Reagan, sit down.” Dad moved to stand between his wife and daughter.
Everyone was so quick to order her around, to take away her choices. Her mom had hidden the truth for years, and Dad had gone MIA since Sam’s death. No more. Reagan was taking control of her life, and she was doing it now.
“Dad, how dare you? You haven’t done anything either. Where do you go every night?”
“Enough, Reagan!”
“No!” She pushed her dad, knocking him into the wall three feet behind him.
Blinded by pain and fury, she turned to flee.
Dr. Ableman wasn’t the only one who’d entered the house. Two men in white uniforms were there, too.
Reagan pushed past Dr. Ableman, but one of the men caught her.
A needle puncturing her arm sent her anger into overdrive.
“This isn’t going to help, Mom. You know that,” Reagan said, pleading.
“I don’t know anything anymore.” Mom’s words were garbled as they came out between sobs.
Reagan’s dad was holding her mom but looking at his daughter. “We’re only trying to help. It’s just for a few days, so they can monitor you. We don’t want you hurting yourself.”
Stop saying that, Reagan screamed in her head. Help didn’t come without consideration of the person’s needs.
“I didn’t hurt myself, Dad. You sent Nana away. You made this happen,” Reagan yelled. Fear took hold, and she started kicking at the orderly trying to restrain her. She caught his jaw with her fist, and a sickening pop sounded through the room. Startled and in pain, he lost his grip. Reagan took advantage and bolted. She made it halfway down the hall before the two orderlies overtook her.
An uncontrollable fury let loose a feeling of power Reagan had never experienced. She threw her head back into one orderly’s face. Then she felt another sharp stab in her arm.
ↄↄↄↄↄ
She woke up in a bed. Still groggy from the drugs, she shook her head trying to clear it. Her hair fell into her face. Trying to reach up and push it back, she found her hands were restrained. Thick straps wound around her wrists and attached to the metal railings on the side of the bed. Panic took over, and she started fighting. Alarms went off.
“Stop fighting,” a male voice said. “You’re just making it worse. Get control.”
That voice again. Something about it was so familiar. Reagan focused. The young man walked closer to her bed. He was tall, lean, and had beautiful olive skin. As he came closer, Reagan gasped. His eyes. She’d never forget those eyes.
“I know you,” Reagan said.
Two nurses came in behind him. “Ladies, don’t worry. I’ve got this one. You’re both near the end of your shifts. Go on.”
“Okay, Rowan, if you’re sure,” one of the nurses said.
Rowan. She knew that name. But where? Knowledge was on the edge of remembrance. But it lingered there.
“I’m sure.”
They left, and he turned to Reagan. “You’re going to have to be calmer. Otherwise, you’re going to stay doped up. Is that what you want?”
“No.” Reagan felt her body soften. “I just don’t want to be here.”
“I know. You won’t be here long; especially if you do as I say.”
She focused on his eyes and the sound of his voice. Let them wash over her. Allowing the calm to descend, she felt safer the longer she stared. “Okay, I’ll listen.”
“First of all, stop talking about things they don’t understand. It won’t just cause trouble here; it’ll also bring unwanted attention your way.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“I’ll explain later, but for now I’ll tell you I’m a friend. The sooner you believe that, the better.” He took her vitals and turned to go.
“Please don’t leave me.” Reagan couldn’t stand the idea of being abandoned in the hospital room by herself. It was late, and darkness flooded into the room from the wall of windows. The eerie glow of the fluorescent light wasn’t helping.
“I’ll be back, and I’ll be around.”
He left before she had a chance to say anything else. She stared at the door, not sure what to do next. As she became more aware, she moved her tongue around in a mouth that felt like she’d been chewing on cotton all night. What she wouldn’t do for some water. Plus, she had to go to the bathroom. She twisted her arm to an angle so she could hit the nurse call button.
“Yes,” a woman said over some kind of intercom.
“I need to pee, and I’m thirsty,” Reagan said to the ceiling, not sure in which direction to project her voice.
“Someone will be right there,” the voice said.
Less than a minute later, an older obese woman waddled in holding a plastic mug with a straw poking out of it. “Here’s some water. Let me sit you up and give you some.” She pushed a series of buttons to get the bed in a comfortable position.
Never had cold water tasted so good. It eased the pain in Reagan’s throat, but then it reminded her how much she still had to pee. “Can you help me to the bathroom?”
“I’ll get you a bed pan. For now, you aren’t allowed to be up on your own.”
Reagan was a prisoner.
The nurse moved Reagan to her side, placed the bed pan under her, and helped her back to sitting. She was humiliated, but the urge to pee won out. When she was done, the nurse removed the pan and stuck two white pills in Reagan’s mouth. “Take these, you need some sleep.”
She took a sip of the water and swallowed. The nurse seemed satisfied and turned to leave the room. As soon as she was gone, Reagan spit the pills onto the bed. She used her hand to wiggle the blanket around to hide them. She tried to go slow, but one of them fell to the floor. Reagan let her head fall back on the pillow, feeling defeated. She’d just have to pray the next nurse to come into the room didn’t notice the pill on the floor or the one smushed into the sheets.
If Reagan wasn’t already insane, she would be after a few days of being tied down. She’d do anything to avoid taking those pills and have more dreams while she was immobilized. That’s what they all wanted; to see her lose it.
Rowan was right. She had to get control. His image filled her head. He had the wolf’s golden eyes.
“You have a visitor,” the nurse said.
Reagan’s mom walked into the room and over to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like you care.” Reagan refused to look at her mother. “How do you think I’m feeling, Mom? I can’t move my hands.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to come to this.” Mom turned to grab the one chair in the room, scooted it closer to the bed, and sat down. “Dr. Ableman said he’d stop by later today. Talk to him.”
“Talking to him has done me a lot of good so far,” Reagan said. “Please tell me that idiot is not my doctor here.”
“Actually, no, he’s not, but he was going to do a courtesy call since he recommended this place.”
Of course he did. It was all starting to make sense now. But at least he wasn’t going to be the moron in charge. “The only person who can help me is Nana. You can’t keep me from her forever.”
Nana wasn’t the only person who could help her, but Reagan doubted a large wolf with golden eyes was going to waltz in and start explaining things. Then again, Rowan had those eyes and he seemed to want to help.
Her mom’s voice brought her back to reality, and not a good one at that. “Nana is filling your head with a bunch of stuff you don’t need right now. We need to get past this, and back to normal. That’s all I want.”
“Sorry, things stopped being normal the day Sam died. We can’t go back.”
Mom shook her head and stood back up. “I shouldn’t have come. I just didn’t want you to be alone.”
That’s exactly what Reagan was—alone. She never should have trusted her mother or Rafe. And Mom would make sure Nana could get nowhere near Reagan. There was Rowan, but she wasn’t sure what to thi
nk of him yet; or if he’d even be back. She hadn’t seen him since that first day.
Frustrated, and feeling at a huge dead end, she decided to treat her mom the way Mom treated Nana. “I need my space. Just like you didn’t like Nana’s help, I don’t like yours.”
“You don’t get to make that decision, Reagan. You’re not an adult.”
Reagan couldn’t help herself, an I-know-something-you-don’t-know smile spread across her face. “Actually, I’ll be eighteen in just a few months. You can’t hold me against my will at that point.”
“It’s time for some adult honesty then, dear. That’s one of the reasons we put you here now. You need the help, and once the doctors have evidence of your mental instability, they can keep you here; eighteen or not.”
Images of the night they drugged and hauled Reagan to the hospital flooded her mind. She hadn’t helped herself by fighting. Rowan was right, she had to keep herself calm. Her parents weren’t going to help, and she had no way to contact Nana and ask for her help. Or do I? It was rare, but a couple of times, Nana’s voice had come through. Maybe it was time to try and contact her again.
But Reagan had to keep her parents away, at least for a bit, to clear her head and keep from getting so upset. A plan began formulating in her mind.
She rang her nurse call button. When the nurse popped in, Reagan asked to have the doctor come. The nurse nodded and excused herself to check his schedule.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Mom asked, clearly agitated and caught off guard.
Reagan refused to give up anything.
The nurse popped her head back in the room and said, “It’ll be another twenty minutes, but I can have him stop by.”
Twenty minutes felt like hours, especially since Reagan and her mom had a standoff of silence in effect.
“Mrs. Cooper, Reagan, you asked to see me,” the doctor said when he walked in.
Reagan had yet to catch his name, and didn’t care to be bothered with it. He was a means to an end. “Actually, I asked to see you. I know you’re here to help, but I have a request, something I think is very important to me getting better.” Reagan put on her best wounded but trying look.
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 16
