Witness (2 page)

I pushed in the last digit, then texted “are you awake” to Britain.

“This would be easier if you’d just say go or stay,” I said to the room. My father and I had these one-way conversations daily. I would argue my point, and sometimes he’d appear and look into my eyes. Seeing him always calmed me down, but it never resolved my raging emotions.

My phone remained silent. I settled deeper into the couch and let my aching eyes close. “I’m afraid…I’m scared if I go…you won’t follow me there,” I mumbled as I felt myself drift off to sleep.

A warm sensation came over me, and I opened my eyes slowly. My father was next to me on the couch. I sat up slowly and reached for his hand. As he took mine, a calm that could not be mine came over me.

“I will always be with you.” he whispered in an angelic tone.

I knew then that I was dreaming; I’ve never heard him speak when I was conscious, which made me doubt that what he said in my dreams was real – that it wasn’t something my mind fabricated to give me peace.

“What’s happening to us? What’s happening to Madison? How can they find her in her dreams?” I asked.

My father reached his arm out, beckoning me to come closer. I moved my legs and crawled to his side and let my head lie against his shoulder. In my dreams, he felt so real – so alive. I felt his arm come around me, and the illusion of safety grew stronger.

“Madison’s fate is calling her…it has nothing to do with you,” he said softly

“If it has something to do with Britain – if it’s hurting her – it has to do with me.”

“My Charlie…you have to understand that everyone has a purpose that only they can see…our fates come together at times…but when the whole story is told, you will see that our path is one we must walk…sometimes…alone.”

I looked up into his dark eyes, which carried the peace I craved. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“You’re not alone…the one that carries your heart will always walk with you…one day, the one that carries Madison’s heart will walk with her.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering if he was trying to tell me that somehow Britain and Madison had a fate that intertwined. That didn’t make any sense; even if it did, who was the other guy?

“Draven’s mad at me…he still wants to go…it just doesn’t feel right…at least not right now.”

The room seemed to grow colder, and the sense of protection began to fade. I looked up at my father with questioning eyes, fearing that this dream was about to turn into a nightmare. “He’s not mad at you…he’s mad at what’s happening to him…he’s scared and angry.” A painful seriousness wrapped in the ugly reality of foreboding came across his peaceful expression. “You can’t let him push you away…he needs you now more than he ever has.”

I sat up quickly. “What?! What do you mean?! What’s happening to him?!”

At that moment, the room began to vibrate and my father vanished. I reached for where he was just as I was awakened from my dream and found my phone vibrating against my chest.

I rubbed my sore eyes as I pushed myself up. It was almost six, and Britain had texted me three times.

The first said, “I am now – why are u up so early”, followed by “are you OK?”. The last one said, “You’re scaring me – I’m on my way.”  That was the text that woke me.

My fingers raced across the screen: “You know you can’t come over here.”

He texted back instantly: “Iol I was just trying to get a response.”

“Mission accomplished,” I texted back

“It’s getting old not seeing you. I think I should talk to your sister.”

Because I had played dumb – let Britain think that I my memory was missing once again – he thought that Kara and my mom were oblivious to what really happened that night my car crashed through the bridge.  Even though I never clarified if it was him or Bianca behind the images that nearly killed me – killed Draven, all of us – I knew he was well aware of every moment I endured. Part of me lavished the idea that he was furious with Bianca like he was the night of my party and somehow punished her for hurting me….the other part of me - the dark, untrusting part of my soul - told me that he not only knew what happened to me, but condoned it….I tried to ignore that part.

A week went by after that night before I heard from Britain again. When he texted me late one night, I panicked at first…then text by text, I devised a plan to let him think I was just a weak little girl. I told him that I had crashed my car, that because of the crash I’d lost a lot of my memory, and the pain medicine I was taking was only making what memory I did have worse; that because of that, my mom and Kara were even more overprotective of me now.

When he pried about Draven, Madison, and Aden, how they were, I knew he was trying to see if they had tried to wake me, if they had told me what I was capable of doing. I told him that they were old friends and that I liked to play music with them. I managed to change the subject when he brought them up every day…it was like a game – a game of wits. He stopped asking what color Draven’s eyes were a few weeks ago…it was weird how concerned he seemed to be…he would say, ‘are his eyes gold like honey’, or something like ‘did you say his eyes almost glowed’. Both phrases seemed out of character for any guy to say, especially someone like Britain. I told him Draven’s eyes were every color but the one they really were – a mesmerizing emerald green laced in black. One night, I asked him who’s eyes were that color and why he thought Draven’s were…he just changed the subject after mumbling that he thought he saw me with someone that looked like that.

I knew he was testing me right now, hoping that the late - well, early hour - would cause me to be off guard – but I was a sharp as a nail. The dream with my father had every one of my protective senses on high alert. What was my father saying? That something’s happening to Draven – beyond this? I was so confused. My response to Britain was instantaneous.

“No – she’s mad at me that would make it worse.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing – just told her to leave and she didn’t”

“Wow. Looks like I’m not the only one becoming restless.”

“Stop it – friends remember.”

“Friends see each other – they don’t text at odd hours of the day.”

“I just wanted to know if you were sleeping well.”

“Really.”

I rolled my eyes at his text. I could hear the sarcasm behind it, and sarcasm was becoming my first language. My fingers flew across the screen as I texted, “yeah really – what’s wrong with that NEVERMIND.”

“I love it when you’re mad” was his response.

“Tired – not mad.”

“You didn’t sleep.”

“No –restless roommate.”

He was silent for a few minutes. The last time I saw Britain face-to-face, Madison was with me. It was right after she had told me she had dreams that he was in. When they looked at each other that day, I felt this odd current flowing between them – like they were seeing each other differently, and neither one of them wanted to do that. That look they gave each other – the intensity in that moment when he protected her from Bianca lingers in the back of mind…I know I felt something beyond attraction there – something old, deep, and too complicated to speak into words.

Britain seemed to ask about her more than Draven or Aden. Madison was always talking about Britain, too, but not in an adoring way – she was trying to figure out what he was. She had partnered with Evan, Draven’s dad, on tracing the family history of Bianca and Britain.

Evan had never returned with anyone that could help us. He had found people that could see – but as he got to know them, he realized that we could see deeper than they could, that we were stronger. Six weeks ago, Madison had flown over to the UK to help him. She only stayed two weeks; when she came back, she moved her bed into my room along with most of her clothes. Her parents didn’t mind…I think they knew she was ready to run – and like my mom, they wanted her to feel safe, even if it meant they couldn’t be with her. I’m not sure if they know about the shadows and what we can see or not; they act like my mom…as if we’re just normal teens.

Last I heard, Evan thought he’d found a few people that could see as well as we could, and he was trying to convince them to come here. I know Draven was eager for them to come – he thought if more of us were around that we could control the darkness better, and by doing that I would be more comfortable leaving this dimension, or even just living in this one in peace.

Britain texted back, “I saw her yesterday.”

My heart started hammering against my chest, and my face flushed. Madison never said she saw him, and I only remember her being out of my sight for like ten minutes – the reality of being stalked was hard to handle when it was thrown in my face.

“Where?”

“Gas station – I almost said hi – but she was having a wicked fight with the gas pump.”

“Bad day – bad night for her,” I texted.

“Why?”

“Not sure.”

“Maybe you should ask.”

“I did – no comment.”

“Come now I’ve looked into those tantalizing green eyes of hers – she knows something” was his response.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I read the text. Madison’s eyes were her best feature; they complemented her olive skin and long dark hair. They also looked powerful enough to reach into your soul and read all of your secrets. His compliment of her only fueled the idea that I did feel something between them that day. 

I kept my sarcastic, edgy mood and instantly texted back, “Big word – stalking her now???” Tantalizing, really?! Who texts words like that?

His response was instant: “Jealous much?”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t jealous; I had no reason to be. “Protective – not jealous” was my truthful response. I wanted him to know I didn’t care - but if he hurt her or anyone else, I would stop at nothing until I got revenge.

“Why would you need to protect her from me?”

Oh crap – I just let him walk me into that one. My eyes raced back and forth, looking for the perfect remark.

“She is just as messed up as I am – we protect each other – from everything.”

“I’m not dangerous.”

“Debatable” – damn - it - I - did - it - again! Walked right into a trap. I had to end this conversation.

“Why?” was his instant response

“Tired – going to sleep.”

“Sleep tight sleeping beauty.”

I rolled my eyes and sat up quickly. Texting back and forth with him always left me anxious and wide awake.

I looked down at my phone; it was almost seven now. I scrolled through my texts to see if Draven had ever texted me to tell me when he got in last night, but I couldn’t find one from him at all.  A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach…I was losing him…after everything: all of the waiting for us to be old enough to be together all the time, to run our own lives, after what Bianca did to me…I was still losing him…I can’t let that happen.

I was tired of this silent game we were playing, from hiding from my problems. I was going to tell him everything – why I was scared, that I’d been talking to Britain, that he was showing an interest in Madison now. I knew that couldn’t be good, not with the way she was acting lately. I stood and stretched and decided to get dressed and go to Draven’s...I was going to end this fight before it tore us apart.

Chapter Two

Madison was still sleeping soundly, so, quietly, I pulled on my favorite jeans, grabbed my white hoodie, and covered my dark purple tank top, then wrote a note telling her where I was going.

Kara was walking out of her room when I landed on the bottom stair. She looked over me once, then headed to the kitchen. I knew she was still mad at me for fighting with her yesterday. My mom had been in Boston for the last few days, and the tension between me and Kara had been building…they were both on Draven’s side – they both wanted me to run, and that hurt; it made me feel like I wasn’t wanted or wouldn’t be missed.

Kara had always been a positive person, a strong mother figure – but that was the last thing I wanted now. Misery loves company, and she wasn’t fitting the profile.

Every time I tried to explain to her why I was so uptight or what I was worried about, she would just tell me to focus on how I felt about Draven and let everything else fall into place – meaning run like hell with Draven at my side. That was foolish advice; I wasn’t a story she could just write, a character that she could weave together and push to a perfect ending. I was a real person, and as far as I was concerned she needed to focus on her own marriage; I mean seriously, just fly over there and see him, practice what you preach.

I followed her into the kitchen and grabbed my keys from the hook by the back door.

“I’m going to Draven’s – I don’t know when I’m coming back.”

Kara was pouring water into the coffee pot. She glanced at me with sleepy eyes and halfway smiled. I rolled my eyes and opened the back door. I knew she thought that she was getting through to me, but I don’t think there’s anyone who could ever understand how terrified I was.

I held my breath as I stepped out the back door, fighting the anxiety that usually stopped me at this point. I knew the comforting sound of my father’s guitar was about to vanish and the whispers would begin. I found a sound in my mind – one that was tainted with screaming guitars – and held on to it as I stepped forward.