Entry #516357, added on 06-20-07 @ 6:23 pm EDT
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| Chapter Twelve | Entry #516357 |
Even as I drive by the hospital, pick up my mother, and take her home, my eyes are constantly shifting back and forth, searching every surrounding area for anyone that I wouldn't trust.
I hear my mother sigh and turn to look at her in my passenger seat. She leans her head back against her headrest and her eyes are closed. I open my mouth to tell her something, but I close it when I discover that I have nothing to say.
"I'm sorry," she says.
I grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn white. "For what?" I ask, though I know why she's apologizing. The sound of it makes my heart shatter.
Her head rolls to the side so she can look at me. "I'm not stupid, Beth."
"I never said-"
"I know that it was Eric. I know that I was stupid to ignore your dislike for him. I know he tried to-" she cuts off, and I glance over in time to see the tears on her cheeks before she attempts to wipe them away.
"It's okay, Mom," I say. I pull into our driveway amd turn off the car before facing her and reaching out for her hand.
"It's not okay," she shouts, pulling her hand away.
Shock hits me and I scoot closer to the driver's side door. My mother always had a clear reason for snapping at me, but now it wasn't so clear to me.
She drops her head in her hands and her shoulders shudder slightly. "I know he tried to hurt you," she says, lifting hre head nad turning her eyes on me. "But he didn't, did he?"
I shake my head, still shocked at her reactions. "No, he didn't hurt me. I'm fine."
"Thank God for that," she mutters. Without another word, she opens her door, climbs out, and disappears inside the house.
I follow her in and make her camomile tea to help her sleep. I take a shower, change my clothes, then sit on the couch with that day's pile of homework.
I'm at a loss for how to deal with this. What can I do? I have no clue. I don't know who these men are. All I can do is lock my doors and wait for them to come again. But what happens when they do? I'd just proven with Eric that I can't exactly do much damage, and I couldn't keep relying on Wren.
I slept on the couch that night, refusing to go far from the front door. Nothing would ever touch my mother again, and I was going to make sure of that.
Unfortunately, my restless sleeping didn't help much the next day when I couldn't focus on my school work. The sky has continued to be dark and stormy all day, and people groan and complain about it as I walk through the halls. It makes me angry. They don't know what it's like to be where I am. They never will.
I'm excited about lunch, hoping that Wren will confide in me about his plan that he'd spoken of. But when I walk into the cafeteria and see our table empty, my stomach clenches in fear.
Stop it, I tell myself. He's probably just late.
And when he doesn't show up ten minutes into the lunch period, panic settle into the pit of my stomach. What if they got him too? I knew he would be a target eventually, but I wasn't ready for that.
I survive through the rest of the day by trying my hardest not to focus on Wren's disappearing act. But once the bell rings, I rush home, park my car in the driveway, check on my mother, and sprint to Wren's house.
I pound on the door, though I know it will anger his aunt.
It is she who opens the door and stares at me with a cold gaze. "Cna I help you?" she asks in a snotty tone. She might have just said I was the scum of the Earth.
Too bad I didn't care. I was breathing heavily as I asked, "Is Wren here?"
Miss Caroline looks at me as if I belonged in an institution. "Of course he's not here. He went out of town this morning."
"Out of town?" I shriek. "Where?"
Now Miss Caroline looks offended. "That's not really your business, is it?" Then she slams the door in my face.
I slouch home, knowing I should feel relieved at hearing the news that Wren is simply out of town, but relief seems to be the last thing on my mind. Because not only does this mean that I am alone, it also means that they have split us up and will most likely go after him.
I shake the thought away and open my front door. I hear rustling somewhere in the vacinity of the kitchen. "Mom?" When I had checked on her earlier, my mother had been sound asleep in her room, but when I step into the kitchen, I see her standing next to the open refigerator door, putting something in her mouth.
"Mom! The doctor said no solids for a few days!"
She spins around, her eyes wide like a guilty child. Her surprise fades and her shoulders slump. She pulls a half eaten strawberry out of her mouth. "Oh, Beth, one measly strawberry is not going to kill me." She closes the fridge door and takes a seat at the small plastic table.
"Mom, I don't care. You can't take risks with your health."
She slams a fist down on the tabletop. "There is nothing wrong with my health! I was poisoned, taken advantage of. So, unless Eric poisoned every scrap of food in this house, I'll eat what I like." She stands and strides out of the kitchen and down the hallway, where I hear a door slam.
Words cannot express the embarassment I feel upon entering the cafeteria the next day and finding my table empty once more. Two days ago, I had ditched my best friend for a guy who a day later pulled a disappearing act.
I just hope it isn't a permanent one. The thought of this makes me sick. It also makes the ground rumble slightly.
I walk to my table and sit by myself. For the majority of the period, I stare down at my tray. Scenarios run through my head of what could happen to Wren while he's away.
This is my fault, I tell myself. I should never have brought him into this. But I didn't bring him into it. He brought himself into it.
My thoughts are broken by a bout of obnoxious laughter. I look up to see a group of giggling girls surrounding Sean and his blonde once more. Only this time, Morgan has joined in, She sits next to a skin-and-bones brunette, looking solemn.
I thought she would be happy. She was obviously one of them. Why isn't she laughing?
Suddenly, her eyes meet mine in a flash. I don't look away. With my eyes, I ask her what she's doing, hanging out with people who spend their days finding ways to break people's spirits.
Her eyes don't send me the answer. They are empty, vacant. She looks away, and I can feel how ashamed she is to be with such people. But I won't pity her. It is her descision. Instead, I think once more about Wren.
I'd hate myself forever if I brought him to harm.
I look up to Morgan again. She still has her eyes on me. I stand with my tray in hand, the food on it uneaten, and walk to the trash cans. I dump my tray, and feel her eyes on me still as I walk out the doors. I spend the rest of the period in the library. |
© Copyright 2007 GryffindorGurl (UN: magicfreak11 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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