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Authors: Krystal Wade
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life.”
“I know. You’re right.” Dad walked to the bed, pink highlighting his cheeks. “We tried to protect you. We did everything they told us, yet we’ve failed. Don’t forget us, and when whatever all this is passes, promise to visit your mother.”
Dad kissed my forehead and gave me a long, trembling hug, cocooning me with his warmth and protection, with his unwavering love.
I shook my head, crying. I would have preferred screaming, fighting, even Dad cussing and forcing me to go to my room and then throwing away the key. Why did he tell me goodbye? Where was I going? Losing me? “I… I don’t… What’s going on?”
“They’ll explain everything.” He pointed at Derick and then Mr. Crawford with his thumb. “I’ll go get your mother and have her bring some things for you. She’ll want to see you off.”
Dad headed for the door.
“See me off? Dad?” I looked to Derick, but his face was pale and he stared at the ground. He knew something, something he felt guilty about, but something he wasn’t about to share. Not here. Not now.
“I love you, kiddo.” Dad thudded down the stairs, leaving me leaning against Derick’s bed, blanket in a pool at my feet, heart shattering into a million pieces.
Crazy. I’d gone crazy. That was the only explanation for any of this. Maybe it was a dream. I was still asleep, or maybe Derick and Mark hadn’t rescued me from the kidnappers. Maybe I was drugged for talking back so much. That was it. Psycho Number Two drugged me.
Being in the hands of murderers made more sense than my dad saying goodbye.
He wouldn’t give up on me
.
Dad wouldn’t
abandon
me
.
I smacked my face. “Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. None of this is real.”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Mr. Crawford said, turning and walking from the room.
My feet were too numb for standing, for chasing after my father or Derick’s to demand an explanation for their weirdness. Dad left me
with
Derick, in his bedroom. What the hell? I shook my head and looked at Derick, and he met my eyes, taking slow, careful steps toward me.
“Derick, why am I not waking up? Why do I keep seeing all these insane things? Why did my dad walk out the door? Why did your dad—?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and reached for my hand. “The second half of my story. I need to tell you now.”
hat could the second half of the story you started telling me last night have to do with anything? My dad didn’t want you around me. What more is there to know?” I paced the carpet, ready to turn and run if Derick said the wrong thing. Dad left me. He
left
me. Thought he was
losing
me.
Derick sat on his bed, taking too much time to respond. Way more than I was willing to give with Dad acting… “I have to—”
“The night we kissed, something happened to me. After I dropped you off and your dad took off, I felt… weird.”
I growled. Could this day get any worse?
A smile lit Derick’s eyes. “Not that kind of weird. I felt alive, warm; I could have taken on the world.”
“So that’s why you didn’t call me—or look at me—because I made you feel
good
?”
He sighed and scooted back. Resting against the headboard, Derick opened his arms for me. “Will you promise not to freak out, not to think you need to call Dr. Pavarti, or go running and screaming away from me?”
The invitation to lay on him tempted me beyond belief, but his words had the opposite effect. I shook my head. “Why would I run from you?”
“I came home that night, feeling weird, and when I walked through the door, my parents didn’t see me.” Spinning his thumbs around each other, Derick didn’t meet my eyes.
My patience wore thin. I needed answers from him. Fast. Or I was going to find them myself. “O-kay. What’s so weird about that?”
He looked up, expression void of color, of humor. “I was invisible. I tried talking to them, but it took hours for whatever effect your kiss had on me to wear off.”
I snatched up my
“I know. You’re right.” Dad walked to the bed, pink highlighting his cheeks. “We tried to protect you. We did everything they told us, yet we’ve failed. Don’t forget us, and when whatever all this is passes, promise to visit your mother.”
Dad kissed my forehead and gave me a long, trembling hug, cocooning me with his warmth and protection, with his unwavering love.
I shook my head, crying. I would have preferred screaming, fighting, even Dad cussing and forcing me to go to my room and then throwing away the key. Why did he tell me goodbye? Where was I going? Losing me? “I… I don’t… What’s going on?”
“They’ll explain everything.” He pointed at Derick and then Mr. Crawford with his thumb. “I’ll go get your mother and have her bring some things for you. She’ll want to see you off.”
Dad headed for the door.
“See me off? Dad?” I looked to Derick, but his face was pale and he stared at the ground. He knew something, something he felt guilty about, but something he wasn’t about to share. Not here. Not now.
“I love you, kiddo.” Dad thudded down the stairs, leaving me leaning against Derick’s bed, blanket in a pool at my feet, heart shattering into a million pieces.
Crazy. I’d gone crazy. That was the only explanation for any of this. Maybe it was a dream. I was still asleep, or maybe Derick and Mark hadn’t rescued me from the kidnappers. Maybe I was drugged for talking back so much. That was it. Psycho Number Two drugged me.
Being in the hands of murderers made more sense than my dad saying goodbye.
He wouldn’t give up on me
.
Dad wouldn’t
abandon
me
.
I smacked my face. “Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. None of this is real.”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Mr. Crawford said, turning and walking from the room.
My feet were too numb for standing, for chasing after my father or Derick’s to demand an explanation for their weirdness. Dad left me
with
Derick, in his bedroom. What the hell? I shook my head and looked at Derick, and he met my eyes, taking slow, careful steps toward me.
“Derick, why am I not waking up? Why do I keep seeing all these insane things? Why did my dad walk out the door? Why did your dad—?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and reached for my hand. “The second half of my story. I need to tell you now.”
hat could the second half of the story you started telling me last night have to do with anything? My dad didn’t want you around me. What more is there to know?” I paced the carpet, ready to turn and run if Derick said the wrong thing. Dad left me. He
left
me. Thought he was
losing
me.
Derick sat on his bed, taking too much time to respond. Way more than I was willing to give with Dad acting… “I have to—”
“The night we kissed, something happened to me. After I dropped you off and your dad took off, I felt… weird.”
I growled. Could this day get any worse?
A smile lit Derick’s eyes. “Not that kind of weird. I felt alive, warm; I could have taken on the world.”
“So that’s why you didn’t call me—or look at me—because I made you feel
good
?”
He sighed and scooted back. Resting against the headboard, Derick opened his arms for me. “Will you promise not to freak out, not to think you need to call Dr. Pavarti, or go running and screaming away from me?”
The invitation to lay on him tempted me beyond belief, but his words had the opposite effect. I shook my head. “Why would I run from you?”
“I came home that night, feeling weird, and when I walked through the door, my parents didn’t see me.” Spinning his thumbs around each other, Derick didn’t meet my eyes.
My patience wore thin. I needed answers from him. Fast. Or I was going to find them myself. “O-kay. What’s so weird about that?”
He looked up, expression void of color, of humor. “I was invisible. I tried talking to them, but it took hours for whatever effect your kiss had on me to wear off.”
I snatched up my
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