by Keya Jay
Chapter thirty-six: Ryder Ferris
Ryder woke up next to baby Larissa; she snored quietly as she slept. He removed himself from the bed and silently closed the door as not to wake up Larissa as he went to find Skylar, knowing her she couldn’t possibly still be sleep. Ryder wasn’t sure what time it was but he checked the whole house and found no sight of her. Instead of thinking that she was in some kind of trouble he just guessed that she went out a little early to take care of some necessities for baby Larissa.
Ryder wanted to help Skylar out but knew if he offered her his help she’d refuse it so instead he helped her without asking her if she wanted it, two things could happen because of this she could be mad or she could be grateful and quite frankly he didn’t care which one she was. Ryder noticed that Skylar hadn’t stepped foot in her mother’s room since they had found her body the way it was and he couldn’t really blame her but he wanted to make it a place where she’d be happy to go, surrounded by good memories and not the bad ones.
Ryder spent over a couple hours working on her mother’s room before he deemed it done. He wasn’t sure if she’d even see it but he was almost positive that she would, whenever she was ready. When he was done with that he realized that it was nearly 5 in the evening. Larissa had gotten up over hours ago and he had sent her into the kitchen and made her something to eat; now she watched him pace back and forth going out of his head with worry. Ryder stopped as he looked back at the little girl knowing that he had to do something to keep her entertained.
“Hey, do you want to go shopping for new things for your room?” he asked her.
“Yay,” she said as she clapped excitedly. “Is auntie Shky coming too?” she asked as she hoped down from the kitchen stool and walked over to him.
“No auntie Sky hasn’t come back yet,” he said as he held out his hand for her.
“Oh,” she said sadly as she placed her hand in his.
“But she will be back ok so don’t worry,” he said as he picked her up and walked her outside to his car. He didn’t have a car seat for her but having her sit on his lap in the front seat was even more dangerous than sitting her in the back seat by herself. Just as Ryder had her all buckled in he moved toward the front of the car and could see what looked like the edge of Skylar’s fee t pocking out of her back yard. “Umm Larissa,” Ryder called to her as he watched her from his back seat. “My car isn’t working do you think we can go shopping another time and just wait here for Auntie?” he asked. The little girl looked as though she was actually contemplating this before she said, “Ok!” and tried to unbuckle herself from the car.
“Here let me help you,” Ryder said as he reached into the car and unbuckled her seat belt and then lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the house. Ryder opened the door of the house and was just about to let Larissa in when he heard someone calling his name.
“Ryder!” Ryder turned to see Brooke and some blonde making their way toward him but he didn’t have time for them, Ryder entered the house while he held onto baby Larissa’s hand and led her up to her room.
“I need you to do me a favor,” he said to the little girl. “I need you to look around this room and then tell me everything that you would like to change ok, but not now I want you to think about it first ok?” he asked as he looked at her with hopeful eyes.
“Ok, she said as she entered the room.
“I’ll be right back ok,” he told the girl before closing her door and heading toward Skylar’s backyard to see what the hell she was doing back there. Ryder could see Skylar more clearly now as he moved toward her and she looked like she was sleeping so he went over to nudge her lightly but she didn’t stir. “Damn it,” he growled as he bent down to pick her up. He had no clue how long she stayed like this but one thing he knew or sure was that she wasn’t dead. Ryder walked the rest of the way out of her back yard until he reached the front of her house; he maneuvered her lightly so that he was able to open the door.
Ryder cradled Skylar in his arms and walked toward the couch in her living room. As he sat down he wiped the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was out cold and she was breathing kind of heavy.
“What the hell happened in here?!” her friend Brooke said as she barged into the house.
“You need to check your tone,” Ryder warned her. She looked at him in disbelief before running her hands through her hair and shaking her head wildly.
“What the hell happened to Skylar?’ she asked as she pointed a shaking finger in Skylar’s direction.
“If I was not holding a very unconscious Skylar at this very moment I would like nothing more than to smash your face into the door you just came through. Now, I will tell you one last time I’m in no fuckin mood to be playing around, lower your voice,” he said as he too tried to contain the level of his voice so he wouldn’t raise any suspicion out of the little girl currently upstairs. Brooked voice was much calmer as she tried to get her words out.
“Wh-what—”
“What she is trying to say is what the hell is wrong with Skylar?” The blonde that he has currently seen hanging around Brooke said. Ryder’s body physically shook with the need to hurt the inconsiderate bastard.
“What’s your name?” Ryder demanded of the boy.
“Wh-? This is no time for introductions,” Brooke spoke up.
“I think it’s a greater time than any” Ryder said and she agreed without hesitation.
“My name is Casper,” he said looking at Brooke disapprovingly.
“Well Casper I need you and your girlfriend or whatever the hell she is to leave right now,” he growled. “Because if I end up screaming at the both of you and beating you until your both unrecognizable that will then result into getting that baby girl up there to come down here and see her aunt like this and if that were to happen I would have to kill the both of you,” Ryder warned.
“What little girl?” Brooke asked.
“You can’t kick us out,” Casper said.
“As long as I am under this roof I can do whatever the hell I want.” He’s going to make this difficult, Ryder though as he looked into the young man’s face.
“We’ll be back,” he said as he grabbed a hold of Brooke’s hand.
“Only if I allow it,” Ryder said as they left.
“Aww I knew you’d stay.”
“I really don’t have time for you right now,” Ryder told Skylar’s mother as he rubbed circles into Skylar’s back.
“You know you can’t leave her again, she can’t go through this withdrawal by herself you know?”
“And I don’t plan on making her,” he said as he raked his fingers through her hair.
“Good now what about that child upstairs?”
“What about her?”
“Do you think you can handle her?”
“She loves me that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Love is given and received you know?”
“Yes and she’s giving and I’m receiving.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know that.”
“Look can I focus on one problem at a time please?! You can’t possibly think that this is going to be easy for me! She thinks—she thinks I’m the one kidnapping and hurting those whisperers and I’ve spent too much of my damn time protecting them to take accusations such as those.”
“Look this is all Skylar has left ok, she lost me, and she obviously lost you so all she has left is this case. Solving this case is important to her because she thinks it will make her father proud and in a way it will but he’ll be proud of her regardless. The point I am trying to make is what the hell did you expect she’d do once she found out? You know the entire band of kidnapped wisps, you apparently live in a warehouse which is perfect to store the wisp in and there are pictures of you interacting with them. If you were her what would you think?”
“She could have come out and asked me not just flat out accuse me.”
“Yes, because you’ve been so willing
ly to give her answers before right? Don’t do this to her, as a mother I am begging you to just hang in there with her ok? She needs you, she may deny it until her lungs turn blue but you and I know the truth.” Ryder looked down at the unconscious Skylar knowing that her mother was right, he’d be no better than his father to abandon her once he realized that she wasn’t entirely sane. He wasn’t about to leave her knowing that she was the way she was like his father did to his mother, he was going to stay here with her rather she wanted him to or not and they were going to get through this together and if—if he were to ever leave her he’d make sure that it was with her in the best kind of condition possible, where he’d know she’d be fine on her own, only then would he leave.
“Ok,” he said as he looked back over at where her mother should have been sitting but she was gone. “I’ll do it,” he said into the darkness even though she was no longer in the room with him anymore. Ryder sat Skylar down on the couch and went to find Larissa, it was getting darker outside he wasn’t sure if it was smart to leave her all alone up in her room. Before Ryder could fully reach the stair well there was a knock at the door. Ryder turned slowly and peeked over at Skylar to see if the knock had woken her; it didn’t so he went to the door to see who it was. In the open space in front of him stood Skylar’s sister. To say that Ryder was surprised to see her would be an understatement.
“What are you still doing here?” she asked him.
“What the hell do you want?” he asked ignoring her question and quizzical looks.
“I need to speak to my sister,” she said as she tried to peer over his shoulder and into the house.
“She’s sleep what do you want?” he asked again.
“Why is she sleeping it’s only like 7 o’clock?” she asked.
“Because she’s tired, a kid can do that to you you know. Now what do you want?” he asked—again.
“I need to give her these papers,” she said holding them up for him to see.
“What are they?”
“They’re all the paper work that came with Larissa, her birth certificate, and every hospital report she has ever gotten, for like allergies and things like that.” Ryder held out his hand for the papers and Melissa hesitated for a moment before handing them over to him. “Can I see her?” she asked. Ryder almost laughed at her ridiculous request, like he would actually let that happen.
“Sorry,” he said though he really wasn’t, “but maybe you should have thought of that before you gave her up so easily,” he said before closing the door in her face. Ryder didn’t bother looking over the papers he sat them on the counter and went to check on Larissa.
When Ryder entered Larissa’s room he found her on the floor sleeping next to a piece of white paper that she had been drawing on and crayons and markers all over the place. Ryder cleaned up the crayons and markers and placed them into the bucket she had gotten them from then he picked up her drawing before picker her up and setting her on the bed. He tucked her in and thought twice before placing a kiss on her forehead and leaving her room. Ryder peered down at her drawing of a big flower and decided the he’d hang on Skylar’s fridge, hoping that when she woke up she’d see it.
Ryder walked back over toward Skylar and lifted her back into his arms and carried her up to her room. He laid her down on her bed and tucked her into the covers before sitting on the edge of her bed and placing his head in his hands. He was so screwed besides having to somehow find out where Carter had been taken off to and checking in with his mother at some time now he has to watch over Skylar and watch out for the little girl she has to take care of. Ryder laid back against the bed, knowing that Skylar was still knocked out and Larissa was or still should be sleeping there was nothing else for him to do at the moment. Ryder got under the covers and slid in beside Skylar but quiet enough so that he didn’t wake her.
