Bruises of the Heart Page 17

  "I really didn't think anything like this would happen for a long time. It's one of those things that always comes along when you're least expecting it."

  "That's usually how it goes."

  "I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll be able to sleep — after a while, that is," I said, still grinning like a fool. My cheeks were going to break soon. Either that, or they were going to fall off completely. If nothing else, they were going to be sore in the morning, but the reason was as good a one as I had ever seen.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It only took a week for everyone in town to find out Noah and I were engaged. It appeared we would be the topic of discussion for the remainder of the school year. We might have even rated above prom and graduation. For the most part, everyone was happy and supportive of our decision.

  Three days after Tara had announced to the school at large that we had gotten engaged, there was a bouquet of dead flowers left on the porch of the cabin. I found them when Noah took me home after school.

  "It has to be him. Who else would do this?" I asked in a trembling voice. Will was obviously ticked off now that he'd heard Noah and I were engaged.

  "I don't know. I can't believe the police haven't caught up with him yet. The last I heard, his parents weren't even sure where he was anymore. This has to stop, though, and I'm afraid when it comes to an end it won't be a good one," Noah said.

  We were sitting on the couch. His arm was across my shoulders and he was rubbing my upper arm. "It's like my dreams are coming true. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice starting to rise to panic level.

  "You aren't going to lose me," he said, taking me by the shoulders and looking into my eyes. "You have me for life, and it's going to be a really long life together before I let you go anywhere. As for what we're going to do, we're going to call Sergeant Jones and tell her what we found."

  After speaking with the officer, I called Mom at work and she rushed home to assure herself that we were okay. She was the epitome of outward calm as she sat and listened to Noah tell her what he had done. "I think you did the right thing calling the police. Are they coming out here?"

  "Sergeant Jones said that she would drive out before dinner to talk to us and take another statement. She sounded like she was ready for this whole thing to be over, too," Noah told her.

  No one could even begin to imagine how badly I wanted this to be over. To be able to move on and just live my life with Noah, to not have to look over my shoulder at strange sounds or whenever I got the feeling someone was watching me, would be close to heaven. Maybe Will would make a move and get caught before someone I loved got hurt. I knew I wouldn't be able to live with anyone getting hurt because of me.

  The next day after school, there was a snake nailed to the cabin door. This time we didn't even go inside, but went down to my grandparents' house and called the police from there. It was all becoming a little creepier than I had expected.

  We approached the cabin slowly and reluctantly the following day after school, but there didn't appear to be anything out of order, and we both breathed sighs of relief. I made sure to call Mom and let her know everything was fine, then we tried to do our homework in between staring at each other and kissing.

  "Hey, you two," Mom said by way of greeting us when she got home. "I was glad to hear that there wasn't anything new to adorn the cabin with today. Victoria, you have a package, and did you start dinner?"

  "Yeah, I did. It's just a chicken casserole and it's still in the oven. It should be done in the next fifteen minutes or so."

  "Excellent. Thank you so much. I'm just so frazzled these past few days that I can't seem to get my head straight," she said.

  "I know what you mean."

  "I know you do, and I'm sorry about that. Now, let's try not to think about it for the rest of the night. Okay?" She smiled at Noah and me.

  I reached for the package that had come for me in the mail. There was no return address and I hadn't ordered anything, so I had no idea who it was from. I tore through the paper wrapping, took the top off, and screamed.

  "Tori! What's wrong?" Noah was at my side instantly.

  I could only point at the box laying partially open on the kitchen table. He stepped up to the table and took a look inside, then spun around to look at Mom and me. "We're out of here. All of us. Now."

  He grabbed my arm with one hand and Mom's with the other and propelled us out the front door, down the steps to his truck. He practically threw me into the front seat with my mom coming after me.

  "What is going on? What was in that box?" she demanded.

  Noah and I remained silent as he barreled down the drive to my grandparents' house. The lights were on, and as we came to a gravel-spewing stop, my grandfather came to the front door.

  "Get inside now," Noah ordered, and we went. Once we were all inside, Mom looked at me and demanded to know what had been in the box, while Noah went and called the police.

  "It was a heart," I rasped.

  My statement was met with three identical looks of shock. My grandfather was the first to recover and he quickly left the room, presumably to go and talk with Noah. My grandmother came over and dragged me to the sofa and put her arm around my shoulders.

  "I called the police and they are on their way," Noah said, making us all jump when he came back into the room. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

  "Victoria said that it was a heart. It wasn't human, was it?" Mom asked.

  "I don't think so, but it looked like it. It was probably a pig's or something, but I didn't think that it was safe to stay there. And I know that I'm just the fiancé, but I really don't like the idea of you two staying there tonight. I'll go back up when the police get here and get you what you need for the night."

  "I think that would be for the best as well. I don't like the idea of anyone sending my daughter a heart, whether it was a pig's or not. I would feel more comfortable staying here, if that's all right with the two of you. Oh no, the casserole is still in the oven!"

  "It's more than okay. I insist," my grandfather said. "And we'll go take care of the oven when the police get here." I could see the bulge of his pistol at the small of his back, and the shotgun he was carrying was really hard to miss.

  I think I must have started to hyperventilate, because everything was starting to look fuzzy and I couldn't get enough breath. "Tori, honey, slow down. It's going to be okay. Calm down, breathe slowly. That's it. Feel better now?" Noah asked, his lips close to my ear.

  I nodded, even though I could still feel the icy, panic-driven fear flowing through me. I was desperately trying to keep it together, but I could feel the threads of my control beginning to unravel.

  The rest of the night passed in a blur. I'm not sure I slept at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see the open box with its bloody contents in my hands, and I couldn't stop my mind from wondering, What if it had been my heart?

  Simply being thankful I had gotten away from him when I had wasn't enough to calm my fear any longer. I felt an overwhelming desire to do something, but I didn't know if there was anything I could do. I finally made a decision when the sun rose, and good or bad, I was sticking to it. After tucking my phone into my back pocket, I walked into the barn and made my way down the center aisle.

  I had done everything I could think of to prepare for this moment and I still wasn't sure I was actually ready. It was as peaceful as it had always been, and I was relieved to see Lily and Midnight were not in their stall today. They had been taken out to one of the fields to graze with the other horses. I could hear every breath I took and savored it as if it were my last. I listened to every footstep I took, hearing the straw crunch underfoot, smelling its sweet fragrance.

  I stopped midway down the aisle and waited for what I was sure was about to happen, and I wasn't disappointed.

  "Hello, Victoria. I was wondering if you were actually going to come." Will's voice came to me from the shadows
beside the open door.

  "I said that I would be here."

  "Yes, you did, but you can't blame me for being a little uncertain about your motives. After all, you are a cheating witch." He laughed, a high, breathy one that sounded more than a little crazy.

  I wondered at his sanity, and my own for that matter. Then he came out of the shadows and I got my first good look at him. Being on the run from the police didn't seem to have had any impact on his personal appearance. His clothes were clean and looked new, and he was also freshly shaved and showered. Apparently his parents had known more about his whereabouts than they'd told.

  "You're looking well."

  "Yes, well, I have been staying at various motels in the area. I have to move every few days, but that hasn't really been a hardship. Luckily, my parents are both trustworthy where you are not. Enough pleasantries. Let's get to why we are both here." His face hardened into the angry mask that still made me shrink back in fear.

  "I want you to leave me and my family alone. I think that there has been enough damage done. It's time that you turned yourself in and got some help. If you go to a facility where you can get the help you need, I won't press charges against you."

  He laughed at me. "Because of you, everyone in three counties is looking for me. Because of you, I can't go home and see my parents. I have to meet them at weird places so they can give me money, and then it's only for a few minutes because half the time they are being followed," he said, punctuating each point with a step closer to me.

  I reacted instinctively by taking a step back to match each of his. He smiled a cruel smile when he realized I was scared, and I knew he would use my fears against me however he could.

  Reaching into his waistband, he pulled out a gun, and I almost laughed. My dream had been prophetic to a point. At least I had been able to protect Noah from his fate. "What do you need that for?"

  "Now, I always thought that you were smarter than that. What do you think I'm going to do with this? Target practice?"

  From somewhere deep inside myself came a strength that straightened my spine. As scared as I was, I still felt an inner power I had forgotten I possessed well up inside of me — a silent reminder that I was strong and in charge of my own fate. I wouldn't let him or his actions frighten me any longer.

  I took a step toward him and saw confusion cross his face quickly, then his cocky grin replaced it. "What? Are you going to try and kiss and make up now? Don't you think that it's a little late for that?" He smirked at me.

  I balled my hand into a fist and brought it up so fast he never saw it coming. I connected with his jaw and felt pain instantly radiate up my arm. Will stumbled backward, caught off guard by my punch, and I took the opportunity to kick him in the knee.

  He went down and landed on his butt, but he never let go of the gun. He brought it up in front of him, and instead of turning and running out of the barn to head for somewhere safe, I dove at him, gripping the pistol in both of my hands.

  We struggled for control. Will elbowed me in the face, bringing tears to my eyes, and rolled both of us over so he could pin me to the floor. I was still trying to take the gun away, or at the very least keep him from aiming it at me and pulling the trigger.

  My still-healing ribs protested every movement I made, and the pain was sapping what little strength I had. I could feel my arms getting weaker, and my hands were so sweaty they started to slip off the barrel. Tears came to my eyes because I knew I wasn't ready to die, but what other outcome could there possibly be?

  Making one last effort to push the gun away, I felt my hands sliding off and I saw a demented smile light up Will's face. My stomach clenched tight with a sudden, last spark of fear as I made one last valiant attempt to turn the gun.

  Bang! The deafening sound was the last thing I heard before darkness encroached.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I watched the funeral from above the cemetery. It was beautiful, with lots of flowers and timed perfectly with the setting sun. It had always been my favorite time of day, so it seemed almost poetic the internment was taking place then. I thought there would have been more people, but maybe they'd wanted to keep it small, just for the family members.

  They were all sad to say goodbye, but I thought everything had turned out the best it could have. There really wouldn't ever have been another way for the whole situation to end. Once the wheels of fate had started to turn for me, one of us had to die, and the other would have to go on and face the next day and the one after that.

  Wishing Will hadn't died wouldn't change anything now. If he had gotten help or had been caught before that night in the barn, maybe everything would have ended differently. It was such a waste of potential for someone to die so young. But in a small way, I was glad I had known him. I now knew how strong I was, and that I could survive whatever life chose to throw at me.

  I felt something at my knee and looked down into a pair of ice-blue eyes, but they weren't Noah's. They belonged to a beautiful, pure white Siberian husky. I patted Ghost on the head, silently acknowledging it was time to go.

  Turning and following the puppy down the small hill took less time than I had thought it should, but I was feeling lighter these days, both in mind and in spirit. Waiting for me at the bottom of the hill was Ghost and Noah.

  "Are you finished satisfying your curiosity now? Feeling some closure, I hope?" Noah asked.

  "Yeah, I'm good now," I said, stroking the puppy, a gift from my fiancé.

  Noah pulled me into his arms and grudgingly accepted that Ghost pushed between us. "You know this dog is supposed to protect you from other people, not me."

  "She likes me, and I don't need protecting anymore. The nightmare is over. Now all we have to do is live a very long and happy life. Are you ready for that?" I asked, teasing.

  "I think I can handle it. Shall we?" He motioned to the open door of the truck. "I wanted to show you the farm before it gets too dark."

  "I will follow wherever you lead."

  After a brief kiss, again interrupted by Ghost, we climbed into the truck and went to see where our future was waiting — the place where we would learn about one another, raise our family, and hopefully live a very long life… together.

  Epilogue

  The definition of heart is "a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that, by its rhythmic contraction, acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of blood". Heart is also defined as "one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations". Our hearts are resilient. When bruised, they heal and continue to do their job in the body. When we allow our hearts to lead us in all we do, we are capable of doing miraculous works in the lives of others and we let them see the goodness we hold inside. Allowing others to see the beauty each of us holds within is truly amazing.

  "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.

  And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream."

  Paulo Coelho

  About the Author

  JJ Nite lives in Alabama with her husband and three children.

  Also from Astraea Press

  Chapter One

  “You look exhausted, Mrs. Johnston.”

  I stared into her sunken eyes, rimmed with dark circles. My joints ached for a split second and then subsided. I saw the redness and swelling… the stiffness… They flashed like snapshots in my mind. Instantly I knew her fingers ached when she played the piano, and I knew her stomach ulcer kept her up at night. One touch could take it all away. But Gran had enforced the keep-your-hands-to-yourself rule at an early age.

  “Oh, Lorelei, you know… story of my life, hon.” She glanced up at the oversized, walnut-framed blackboard with the specials scrawled in chalk, and handed me her menu. “Bring me the usual, will you? And a slice of that famous lemon pie?”

  “You got it.”

  The café was swamped tonight, the sudden cold snap meant lots of aches and flu bugs. People flocked to the Lemon Balm Café and
Tea House for the ambiance as much as they did for the herbal tea.

  I poured steaming water into the clear glass teapot. This wasn’t your typical English breakfast blend. Well, it was… but with a few extras added in. Then again, this wasn’t your typical tea house, and I wasn’t your typical teen. Not even close.

  The freak label got smacked on my forehead long before I understood what it meant to be a clairsentient empathic healer. Basically, I can see when people are in pain, and well… heal them. Being gifted might sound great; but it’s meant a lifetime of trying to hide what I can do, and why, just to blend. In a town the size of Drearyton Cove, population sixty-three hundred, blending, was nearly impossible. After the quote-unquote incident, it was safer to leave the healing to Gran’s secret blend of teas. “Witnessing a child who could heal with the touch of a hand would be too much for people around here," she’d said. And so I listened — mostly — keeping my hands to myself, and staying far away from sports, parties, and people, which were no more than accidents waiting to happen. Not only for the obvious reasons: accidents meant injuries, injuries meant blood. Nothing made me hit the floor faster than that bitter, metallic stench of blood.

  “Where’s the hawthorn and chamomile blend, Neil? Never mind, found it.”

  “Mrs. J’s arthritis flaring up again?” he asked, leaning across the chrome counter.

  “She didn’t mention it, but I can tell.”

  Neil’s face folded into a grin, and we exchanged a secretive look. At sixty-something, Neil was our town’s resident hippy. He was as laid back as they come and wore his long grey hair pulled back into a perfect ponytail. Gran opened Lemon Balm twenty years ago, and Neil’s been here since day one, running things after Gran died and mom refused to help out. Pretty much since then, the whole town switched from coffee to tea. He’s one of the privileged few who knew why.