Chapter Nineteen

Edited girlfriend!

SoI edited all of Don't Be Afraid and corrected all the grammar errors. There might still be like one or two but whatevs. You might want to go reread Don't Be Afraid again becauseI changed a few things. I also changed Jessie's name to Jesse because it sounds a lot less girlie.

Chapter Nineteen

When I open my eyes I stare into something violet. No, it wasn’t just something violet, it was Jesse’s eyes. He was by my side looking me in the eye and shaking my shoulders.

“Athena are you okay?” Jesse asks. He was still shaking me.

“Yes Jesse I’m fine! Stop shaking me.” I almost yell. He finally let’s go of me but doesn’t move. I look around to see Mike and everyone else in the room staring at me.

“What’s going on?” I say yawning. Why is everyone staring at me? Did I have something on my face?

“Athena you’ve been asleep for four hours. We started to get worried if you were ever going to wake up.” Mike explains.

“But I thought the anesthesia was only supposed to keep my asleep for thirty minutes?” I ask.

“Well we thought that to, but we couldn’t get you up.” Mike says. I wonder if my dream had anything to do with that. Now that I think about it, I can’t even remember my dream.

To stop everyone from staring at like the freak I am, I decide to lie.

“My immune system has problems with handling anesthesia. In the past it had kept me asleep hours longer than it should of. Sorry, I forgot to tell you before the experiment.” I lie smoothly.

Mike nods, “Okay, well I think that everyone should sleep now. It’s real late now.” Mike instructs. I look down at my phone to see that it was in fact 11:37.

When everyone stops staring at me and moves gets ready for bed, Jesse stops me. He grabs my arm and turns me around to face him.

“What really happened?” He commands. He face was all serious and cold, like I did something to make him angry.

“What do you mean? I told everybody already what really happened.” I say curtly.

“No, you lied,” He tells me. He grips my arm a little tighter. “How I know? It’s because you talked while you were asleep. You were speaking in some unknown language Athena. It didn’t even sound like a language, it was more like you speaking tongues or something. You were also moving like you were possessed at one point. Thank god I was only one there to witness it; or else everyone else would have thought you were more a freak than you already are.” He says rudely. My mouth was agape. What has gotten over Jesse?

“What’s wrong with you? Maybe Emery was right, maybe you’re the one who’s stalking me. Are you trying to kill me Jesse? Is that your plan? Because, frankly Jesse, I don’t really know who you are.” I raise my voice. I yank my arm out of his grasp.

“Emery? Why were you with Emery? Even though you told me that he scares you, he freaks you out; you still have no problem hanging out with him! You claim that you’re not friends and you don’t like him or have feelings for him, but that didn’t stop you from letting him in your house last night. Yes, I saw you let him in your house when nobody was home!I don’t think he’s good for you Athena!” He yells. It was evident that Jesse was furious; and well, so was I.

“Funny, he said the same thing about you. And why do you care if I’m with Emery? I know more about him than I do you. I trust him more than I do you. So just leave me alone Jesse! I’ll figure this out myself.” I yell. It was a good thing that we were away from everybody or else people would have had heard the whole conversation.

I didn’t look at Jesse again as I turn around and start to walk to where the cots were. I didn’t look at Jesse again that whole night.

***

It was Saturday morning and I was back home. My mom didn’t ask any questions about last night. I don’t know if I should take that as a good thing or a bad thing. I was getting ready to go see my dad like I do every Saturday. I would always bring my dad something for him to read, do, or eat every time I went there. At the Institute they were real strict on what I can and can’t give my father. If I brought him something to eat it had to be prepackaged or sealed.

I decide to give my dad Hamlet; you know the book I was using for self-defense when Kyle climbed through my window Sunday. I was giving it to him because he always loved classics. Just like me.

After I drove to Johannes Mental Institute and signed in to get my visitor’s pass, I was in the visitor’s center waiting for my dad to be escorted out of his cell.

After a few minutes my dad came into the center with guards on both sides of him. He smiles when he sees me.

He came over to the table I was sitting at and sat down across from me.

“Hey Athena.” He says in a light tone.

“Hey daddy.” I say back. Yes I still call my dad ‘daddy’. Get over it.

“How’s school?” He asks. I roll my eyes remembering ‘how school is’.

“The same; Hell.” I answer truthfully. He laughs, probably remembering how I’d given him the same answer since 8th grade.

“How about your friends?”

“You mean friend.” I correct. Ever since last night, I don’t count Jesse as a friend anymore.

“Yes, your friend Kyle. Still breaking into our house and meeting up with his friend that pees sitting down?” He asks. I smile, I told you I tell my dad everything.

“Yeah, don’t know what the deal with that is. He won’t tell me who she is.” I say in annoyance. I cross my arms over my chest and sigh. It was really getting to me that Kyle hadn’t told me about his ‘friend’. I thought me and him were best friends that told each other everything. Well, I guess I’m a hypocrite since I kept parts of my life a secret from Kyle.

“Don’t worry about it. I have a feeling he’ll tell you soon. So how about boys?” My dad asks in a serious tone. Over protective dad strikes again. He’d always ask me this question whenever I’d visit.

“Well, I still have the sex appeal of a grape, if that answers your question. But as far as new annoying boys there is one.

“His name is Emery and he likes to get under my skin and annoy me a lot, but really he’s not all that bad. He’s kind of nice to me even though he flirts with me every other sentence.” I tell him, purposely leaving out Jesse. Dad didn’t need to know about the blonde boy who was crazy like me and my dad. Dad seems to think for a minute.

“He seems like a bad influence.” He interjects thoughtfully.

“Well mom seems to think otherwise.” I say. Dad furrows his brows and stares at me in confusion.

“What do you mean mom seems think otherwise?” He asks.

“Well, she likes him and thinks he’s a good influence.” I say.

“But Athena, how could that be? Your mother is dead.” He says.

“No dad. Mom isn’t dead. She still lives with us.” I tell him slowly. Sometimes my dad has these moments where he just seems to be out of it. He was a severe schizophrenic after all.

“Athena, I am telling you that your mom—my wife is most definitely deceased. I even have the hospital papers to prove it. She was murdered when you were six.” He hastily pulls some papers out of his pocket from the pants the Institute supplies him.

He gives me a paper that was really wrinkled. It was a newspaper clipping.

Woman Murdered At Martin’s Dead Point

Penelope Regina Marx’s, mother of two, body was found at Martin’s Dead Point. Late Sunday evening, when town citizen Wendy Marsh was going through her usual Sunday night trash pickup, she discovered Penelope’s body next to Martin’s Dead Point cliff. Investigators say that there were multiple stab wounds in her torso and neck. The murder weapon and murderer is still unknown. Investigators believe that this is a start of serial murders.

Last week they found Renee and Henry Swift’s, parents of one, bodies in the same condition as Penelope’s; multiple stab wounds along the torso and neck. Citizens of Martin town hope that the killer is caught and brought to justice.

What does this mean? That my mom is dead? If she’s dead than who has been living with me for the past ten years? Also they mention Jesse’s last name. Could those people be his parents? As far as I know, both of his parents are aliveand had another daughter.

“Dad could I keep this article?” I ask him. He looks at me and nods. I wipe the few free tears that have fallen down my face when reading the article. What if my mom was really dead?

“Before you leave Athena, I need to give you your birthday present.” He says with a smile, seeming to forget what just happened. Oh, I almost forgot that my 17th birthday is tomorrow.

Dad searches in his pocket for something and pulls out a bracelet that looks like to be made out of worn leather.

“My mother gave this to me when I was little. She said that god had blessed it himself. This bracelet has been passed down from generation to generation. No one in the family knows who made it and when it was made. I wanted to give it to you so that you’ll always feel protected. I have a feeling that you’re going to need it soon.” He finishes and smiles. I get up and hug him tightly.

“Thank you daddy. Here I got you another classic for you to read.” I give him Hamlet and say goodbye to him.

When I’m in my car ready to leave, I study the bracelet that he had given me. There were crosses across the whole bracelet. In the inside of it there were words in some language that I couldn’t even tell what the origin was.

I knew just by putting it on, I felt protected.

***

I was halfway to my house when I came across an odd looking store. It was small and compacted between two other small stores. The sign on the door read: Psychic Readings. Nothing more to it. I decide that getting a reading won’t hurt. I mean what do I have to lose?

I park my car on the side of the street and walk into the small store. The store smells strongly of herbs and scented candles.

There was a lady dressed in many scarfs and jewelry sitting on a stool behind the checkout counter reading a thick leather book. She had dark skin and wild looking gray hair that was pulled in a tight bun.

She looks up from her book and smiles. “Hello welcome to Mystic Readings. How may I help you?” She asks in a polite tone.

“I would like to know about the readings you have to offer.” I say. She gets up from her chair.

“Come. Follow me.” I follow her into the backroom where there was a table with a few candle lit on top of it.

She sits down and motions for me to sit across from her.

“Now what type of reading are you looking for? Tarot cards, palm reading, or just contact reading?” She asks.

“I don’t know? Which one do you think is best?” I ask. I don’t know about these things; I really don’t know the difference between the three

“Since I sense some distress and rush in your aurora, I think best would be contact reading. It is quicker and easier to understand for someone like you.” She explains. I nod at her choice even though I don’t know if I should be offended by the ‘someone like you’ phrase she used.

“Now give me your hand and I’ll read your energy.” She instructs. I hold out my hand and she grabs on to it with her icy fingers. I shiver a little at the touch.

“Okay, now close your eyes and breathe deeply. Clear you mind of all thoughts and concerns. Just relax.” I do what she says and let all my thoughts disappear.

She starts to whisper some words in a language I can’t comprehend. Her grip tightens on my hand. Her whispering gets louder and louder until it’s not a whisper anymore. She grips tighter on my hand and it starts to hurt a bit. Then she starts to shake vigorously, also making me shake with her.

I open my eyes to see her whites of hers; they were rolled all the way back. Then she lets go and jumps away from the table, knocking over the chair she was sitting at in the processes. There was pure terror evident on her face.

“Get away from me!” She yells. I was a taken back; what did I do?

“W-wha—“

“I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU DEMON!” She screams.

“But don’t you want me to pay you—“

“GET OUT NOW!” She screams once more. She starts to cry and pray in Latin.

I back up away slowly.

“NOW!” Her whole face was read with fear and rage. I was really starting to get scared now. I ran out the back room and then out the door to my car. I rest my head against my steering wheel and took a deep breath. What just happened?

I left my head up and start my car. Then something caught my eye. In my frosted window someone had written the words that even terrified me to move.

Soon, my love

A/N: JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER AND THEN ITS THE EPILOGUE! YAY!

Merry Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate!

Joke of the chapter:

Two cannibals were eating a clown. One cannibal said to the other: "This meat taste kind of funny."