by Holly Hood
I winced at his harsh words. Was it so hard to believe I cared about him?
“It’s not funny.” I got up, finding my clothes on the floor. “A week ago you told me we would take off together. Now you’re leaving me behind.”
“Things changed,” Slade assured me. He sat up watching me dress. “I know you’d hate me later if I made you leave. It would be a selfish thing to make you do. You have your family here.”
“Yeah, some family.” I drug my brush through my hair. “They don’t think anything has changed. And they are willing to throw you to the wolves along with everyone else to keep me out of trouble.”
“And you should be grateful someone is willing to do that for you,” Slade said. He dropped his feet to the floor and lifted his own shirt off of the floor.
“I’m not because I don’t want anything to happen to you. I care about you,” I said. I set my brush down.
“And they care about you,” Slade zipped his pants. He pulled his shirt over his head, lifting his shirt back up. “And before I forget, what has gotten into you?”
I touched the claw mark on his chest. “You got into me.” I smirked, kissing his lips.
“I have to go,” he whispered against my lips. He stroked my hair. “Don’t make this hard. I hate saying goodbye to anybody.”
I raised an eyebrow. He had shared something with me besides sexual positions.
“Let me come. And we won’t have to say goodbye.”
As if she sensed my intent on fleeing, Nona tapped on my door. Slade pulled away. He shook his head moving to the window.
“Hold on, Nona.”
Slade pulled the curtain back. “I’ll find a way to get ahold of you. Not going to promise it will be soon, but I will.”
“What if something happens to you?” I didn’t want to think about that. The idea the coven wanted to get their hands on Slade for killing Audrey made me ill. I knew if they found him bad things were going to happen. He might not be so lucky the next time.
“Hope, don’t worry about me. There’s no point in driving yourself crazy. I’ll figure something out I always do. Take care of yourself.”
I bit my lip. This didn’t feel right. “You don’t plan on coming back.”
Slade slipped through the window. He grabbed the railing of the balcony, dropping down and out of sight.
I closed the window. And dropped down on the bed, I curled up into a ball.
Nona tapped on the door again.
“Go away,” I said.
I wiped my tears and rolled over. A little piece of paper folded in half sat beside me. I opened it.
I hate regrets. And I hate goodbyes. And I know you’re going to hate me, but the best thing for you to do is to forget you ever met me. I need to fix this.
I crumpled the paper. He made me believe his absence would be temporary. He planned on saying goodbye. And now I was angry.
Angry for being such a fool I didn’t see it coming.
Chapter 6
I missed him. I wished everything could be normal so that I could call him my boyfriend. I wanted the boring part of life. Where we fought about simple things and maybe in the end we settled down and married. Those were supposed to be the fun things in life.
I didn’t know where Slade was. I didn’t know how he felt. And after almost two summers I realized I never knew anything about him at all.
How could you get into such a mess with someone you knew so little about?
I stared at the vegetables in the supermarket, poking at the cucumbers.
Dad tossed two heads of lettuce into the cart. “Earth to Hope.”
I pushed the cart forward. “I think we should make dinner tonight, give Nona a break,” he said picking up a tomato.
I shrugged. Two old ladies hurried by us casting the nastiest look at me. I could feel their eyes burning my skin with all the hostility they exuded. I ignored it and moved down the aisle.
The woman next to me took off in a hurry to get away from me. I groaned letting go of the cart.
“Maybe I should go wait in the car,” I told Dad. “Seems to me there’s a theme going on here.”
He wasn’t catching on. “I don’t see anything unusual. Why don’t you grab some hamburger?”
I headed off; of course he wouldn’t feel what I did. He was known as the town drunk. I was the scary girl that fell in love with the bad boy in town, the girl who practiced black magic.
I turned the corner heading for the meats not happy to see Jesse and his friends. All fell silent the instant they laid eyes on me.
I held it together, and pretended not to notice them as I lifted some hamburger from the cooler.
“I didn’t know witches ate meat,” the short blonde said. She smiled.
I rolled my eyes. “How original.”
Jesse watched, not saying a word.
“What’s wrong? Nobody else left to lure to Henry Park and sacrifice?” she said.
I dropped the meat right there on the ground and stepped over it. “Do you want to take this outside?”
They all started laughing at me.
“Look the witch is getting angry,” Jesse laughed. “And Slade isn’t here to protect her.”
I balled my fist ready to strike.
“Why don’t you guys go find something else to do?” Hutch interrupted, he grabbed my fist and guided me away from the taunting and all the hard stares.
“What are you doing here?” I said. I found it odd he always showed up.
“How would you have explained that one?” he asked ignoring my question. “You throw some magic around and make those kids fear you; they toss you in a holding cell and try to charge you with something all over again?”
I shrugged. “Sounds fine by me.”
Hutch held the door open for me. “Now you don’t care anymore?”
I didn’t know what I should care about. I hated Cherry, I hated the fact Slade left. And I didn’t want to go back to school.
“I’m finding it really hard.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like the Hope I know,” he said. “What would make it easier?”
I crossed my arms, pondering his question. “I don’t know anymore.”
And I didn’t.
I sat down on the store bench. That way Dad found me once he panicked and thought I went on a killing spree. “I don’t feel like I belong anymore.”
Hutch sat down.
I couldn’t believe I admitted that to him. But I was in a bad place.
“Part of me says go back to college and forget that any of this even happened. Another part of me says stay here and wait for Slade to come back.”
“At least the first choice has you doing something other than waiting for something that perhaps isn’t meant to be,” Hutch said.
I groaned. “Tell me how you really feel, Hutch.” Way to shoot my hopes and dreams down I thought.
“I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. But I know a thing or two about covens,” Hutch said. “I’ve been running away from what I did for a long time.”
“Are you afraid it will sooner or later bite you in the ass?” Life was great at sneaking up on all of us.
“I’ve yet to find that out. So I must be doing something right,” he said with a shrug. “My advice, forget about him and worry about you. Soon enough you’ll have other things to worry about.”
I stared at him confused. “If he thought I was in danger I don’t think he would have left me here to fend for myself.”
“That’s not what I meant. Life happens, even when you’re trying to run from it.”
Dad came through the door of the shore store. “Alright, alright, let’s get going. Say goodbye to your friend, we need to get home.”
I stood up. “My keeper has summoned me. If you need me I will be chained to my grandmother’s tower.”
I waved to Hutch and followed my dad through the parking lot.
Chapter 7
Most nights I couldn’t sleep.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Slade. I would run stupid sex scenes over in my head, trying to relive something other than anger or sadness.
In a time like this that time being me stuck in Cherry caged like an animal, sex occupied my thoughts. Not how much my life changed, or about finding a way to fix things, just sex.
Slade and sex went together. He was a walking aphrodisiac, from the top of his head, to the black boots on his feet.
I sighed, rolling over and buried my face into my pillow. I wanted to hear his voice before I lost it. I wanted to hear him disappoint me in that sexy domineering way he always did.
It always left me angry but at the same time I would have been willing to tear off all my clothes and climb into bed with him if he asked me to.
I knew the reason I chose to lay in bed instead of going back to college. It didn’t matter if I was alone dealing with being a witch. I didn’t want to lose Slade forever.
I loved a criminal. And that kind of love it could be illogical, yet intoxicating and something I didn’t want to let go of. I wanted to bury it in the ground and watch it blossom.
I needed a sign. I let out a breath of air. My phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Mayor Sinclair here, am I speaking with Hope?”
This was not the sign. It was almost three in the morning.
“Yes, this is Hope.” I pushed my hair from my shoulders sitting up in bed. “What is it?”
“Are you familiar with Ocean Avenue across from the gas station?” Mayor Sinclair said.
I shook my head. “Yes, but this isn’t making any sense. What is going on?”
“Meet me there in ten minutes.” He paused. “It has to do with your father.”
I dropped my feet to the floor at the mention of my dad. “Is he okay?”
The last I saw him he was in the house cleaning up the dinner dishes. I hurried for my shoes.
“Ocean Avenue in nine minutes,” Mayor Sinclair instructed. The phone went dead.
I zipped up my hooded sweatshirt and tiptoed past Nona’s bedroom being sure not to wake her. I knew if she found out it would be difficult to get away.
As I hurried down the stairs I couldn’t help but think back to a time in Georgia when my mom hurried off in the middle of the night after my dad at the end of their marriage.
I pulled the door shut, and ran down the steps. I ran to my car, throwing the door open and climbed in. Nona’s house was dark.
“Please, please, let him be okay.” I started up my car and pulled out of my parking spot. I picked up speed the further away from Nona’s I made it. Ocean Avenue was a short trip from Nona’s house.
I was the only car on the road. My headlights cut through the darkness as I sped up looking for the gas station. My headlights landed on the empty parking lot. I came to a stop, my jaw dropping.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked myself. I threw my car into park and jumped out.
Dad’s van lay on its side, headlights flickering in the darkness. I ran across the parking lot.
“Where is he?” I said, afraid to go any closer.
Mayor Sinclair motioned me over. I took one step afraid to be anywhere near him, but I needed to find out why he called me.
I took a breath, closed my eyes and moved closer. I knew no matter the situation I needed to see. I opened my eyes and relief swept over me. Dad sat on the ground beside the Mayor, his head down, his legs out in front of him; he was a little banged up, but alive. Nowhere as bad as the mayor’s wife and I knew that was because he was drinking.
“Dad, what is going on?” I dropped down on my knees to get a better look at him. But he wouldn’t look at me.
“I did something…I’m sorry,” Dad slurred.
“You’re drunk,” I said, standing up and backing away.
“He wasn’t alone,” Mayor Sinclair said. He gestured toward Dad’s van.
“Could somebody please explain something to me?” I said. “Why hasn’t anybody called an ambulance or a tow truck?”
Mayor Sinclair didn’t care about my family. I knew he would be the first person to enjoy seeing us all miserable.
“Your father wasn’t alone. It seems he’s taking a liking to my wife,” Mayor Sinclair said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh come on, if that’s true than where is she?” I headed toward the van.
“I wouldn’t go any farther if I was you,” Mayor Sinclair said. “It’s not pretty.”
I refused to believe him. I headed for the van.
“Hope,” Dad said standing up, he started forward. “Don’t go over there. You don’t want to see what I did… it’s awful.”
I covered my mouth, dropping down from the side of the van in shock. She wasn’t anything like I remembered her at the party that night. The night she made me feel worthless. She was lifeless, bloody and halfway through the windshield.
I closed my eyes trying to catch my breath. Everything was like a bad nightmare.
“Now do you understand why I didn’t call the police?” Mayor Sinclair said.
“What if there’s a chance for her?” I didn’t want to believe the worst. “We need to call someone.”
“Why, so your dad can go to jail and the entire town will find out how much of a whore my wife was?” Mayor Sinclair fixed his tie. “I don’t think so.”
Dad remained silent.
“You care more about your image than maybe saving her life?” What if she was alive? He would just let it be?
“I called you here to give you a chance at saving your father. But if you’re saying you’d rather be moral than by all means call somebody,” Mayor Sinclair slipped his hands into the pockets of his dress slacks.
The thought of him in a jail cell made my heart sink. And if we were anywhere else in the world that was where he would be.
“Is this what you do?” I crossed my arms. “You make offers when people are at their weakest?”
“That’s up to you. Are you willing to hear it?” Mayor Sinclair’s eyes danced with amusement.
“He’s my dad,” I said.
“A simple favor is all I ask. You do me one favor and I will take care of this entire mess. It will be like nothing ever happened,” Mayor Sinclair said. “Unless your father is not worth it.”
“Hope, let it go.” Dad spoke up. “That’s it; I can’t pull my daughter in this. I thought I could… but I can’t.”
“Fine,” I said.
“You don’t even want to hear what that favor is?” Mayor Sinclair asked. He pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket.
“It doesn’t matter. And besides, I get the feeling no matter what it is I would be against it,” I said.
“The love of a daughter, such a beautiful thing our children are.” Mayor Sinclair smiled a sickening smile. “We will talk soon. Why not take him on home, before Cherry is up and running and things get stickier for us all.”
I followed Dad to the car.
“I can’t believe you agreed to do anything for that man,” Dad said pulling the door shut.
I started the car with shaky hands. I couldn’t believe he killed the Mayor’s wife. I buckled my seat belt and pulled out of the parking lot.
“I did a bad thing…” Dad slurred, he dropped his head back against the car seat.
“And I have a feeling what I am going to do is going to be even worse,” I muttered.
Chapter 8
I sat at the edge of my dad’s bed. He opened his eyes, staring around the room trying to make sense of where he was.
“I keep forgetting we are staying with Nona,” Dad said.
I pursed my lips watching him. Waiting.
“What’s up?” He sat up, scratching his head. “Why do you look so somber?”
I let out a breath of relief. “Nothing, I’m fine.” The spell worked. He didn’t remember a thing.
“I have a major headache; could you get me something for it?” He rubbed his temples.
“Sure,” I said, taking off out of hi
s bedroom. I didn’t know where Nona kept her medicines so I went searching for her. She was in her exercise room doing Pilate’s and yelling at someone or something—I wasn’t sure which.
I didn’t ask for the Tylenol, I stayed quiet taking in the situation. There plastered on the television was the Mayor’s wife. My heart sink down to my toes.
“Nona,” I said. The word only just came out, I felt weak.
Nona blotted her forehead and tore her eyes away from the television.
“What is it, Sweet pea?”
“Dad has a headache, I wasn’t sure where you kept the Tylenol,” I said, my eyes darting away from hers.
Nona traipsed past me. She lifted her bottle of water from the windowsill.
“Has your father been drinking again?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Is that why his van is gone?”
I didn’t know what to say.
“In the drawer in his bathroom there is enough Tylenol for the entire town of Cherry,” she said. “What has gotten into you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Your acting like you’ve seen a ghost,” Nona said, she looked at the television again. “First a murder, now another missing woman, this town is going to shit.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or herself. I bit down on my lip pretending to listen to the news reporter.
“The mayor’s wife no less. I wonder where she could have taken off to.” Nona dropped down on her yoga mat. “She’s married to the mayor for crying out loud. There’s no going up from there.”
“Funny,” I said, shifting uneasily. I wanted to get out of there. Not listen to my neurotic grandmother try and figure out what I already knew.
“A woman is missing and you think it’s funny?” She dropped down staring at the ceiling. “I don’t see anything funny about this.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I got to get dad his Tylenol,” I said, hurrying out of the room before she could object or make me feel anymore guilty.
I wondered where the mayor’s wife was. What he would do to cover up the accident. Or what happened with dad’s van.
I needed to get away, to figure out what to do. Everything was falling apart all around me. And now my dad was part of it.
