A Life Unexpected: Holly Nather Book One (Holly Nather Series) (32 page)

“JETT, STOP LYING! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!” I yell.

Jett quickly stands up and runs to me, grabbing me by my shirt. He shoves me against the wall—his face is inches from mine. With a stern voice he says, “I’m telling you the truth, damn it! I would never joke about something like this!” I push him away from me. As his foreign words sink in, I stumble around the room trying to find Holly. I throw open the bathroom door.
Holly.
I run into the hallway and scream her name. A few maids stop cleaning and turn to look at me then start whispering to one another. I turn to go back into my bedroom but lose my balance and fall against the wall. I slide down to the floor; my breathing has become erratic. I run my hands through my hair, and tears are trying to escape from my eyes. Jett is standing in front of me trying to comfort me, but
nothing
will make this better.

Through a clenched jaw, I ask, “How?”

Jett kneels down in front of me and somehow remains calm. “Internal bleeding. It must have been slow.”

“She was fine! She had a few scratches and bruises… She—DAMN IT! Jett… What if…
what if
… she isn’t dead?”

“Luke, she is dead. I am sure of it. I went to her funereal, stood over her lifeless body in the casket, and watched them put her body into the ground. I know what you are thinking. I don’t think that is the case here.” I shake my head in disbelief as Jett speaks. What if Holly chose Gaia? Her birthday was the night we fell asleep after the war. It is possible. I am not sure which is worse, her dying or her
not
choosing me. Either way, I don’t have Holly with
me.

Looking at Jett, I plead, “Kill me.”

“No. Absolutely not! I’m going to get the doctor; he needs to know you are awake.” Jett starts to teleport but stops when I grab him by the throat and shove him against the wall. Using magic he tries to get me off of him, but he has obviously forgotten that I am stronger.

Anger raging and through a clenched jaw, I yell, “I SAID KILL ME! I AM THE DAMN KING! IT IS AN ORDER!”

I loosen my grip on his throat—enough for him to be able to speak. “Let. Go.” He says, while fighting to breathe.

I let go of his neck when I realize I am about to kill him. I stare at my hand that almost killed one of my best friends.
I’m quickly losing my mind.
Jett bends over, placing his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He looks up at me with murder in his eyes. His voice dripping with anger he says, “I have slept in that chair watching and waiting for you to wake up. I didn’t want you to wake up without an
immediate
explanation of what happened.” I start to attempt an apology but he cuts me off. “Luke. She is dead. Brody is dead. Mason is dead. Arlo and Mallory—dead. All that is left from our group that day is
you
and
me
.”

The seriousness of his voice confirms he is telling me the truth. Not that I don’t believe him, I just don’t
want
to believe him. Growing weak from the news, I find the wall for support. I close my eyes, trying to fight back tears, but fail. My voice full of confusion, I say, “I helped Mallory find her parents! I gave Arlo a job at the castle! Mason was fine. Nothing is making sense!”

“You must have dreamt that.” Jett says while sitting down on the ground, his head leaned against the wall.

“There is no way that was a dream! She was fine!”

Turning his head to look at me with serious eyes he says, “I wish I were lying, but I am not.”

I bury my face in my hands.
This can’t be happening.
“Jett…” He looks at me but doesn’t say a word. “I need to get out of here.”

“Where are you going? You need to see the doctor.” He demands.

“I don’t need to see
anyone
. I
need
to be alone.” I grab my journal, the only thing I have left to remind me of Holly, and leave.

LUKE

I TAKE ANOTHER
drink from the bottle that has become my best friend since my life shattered to pieces. I ignore the stares and whispers as I stumble down the crowded street. Maybe I will be lucky enough to find myself in some sort of trouble that will result in my death. I try to take another drink from the bottle that is now empty.
Damn.
I lean against a concrete wall trying to clear my muddled head enough to figure out where I can get more to drink.

First, I hear footsteps, and then I hear Jett’s frustrated voice say, “There you are. You have to stop this. You are going to kill yourself.”

I sway my head to look in his direction. With slurred words I attempt to say, “Tha-t…wo-uld be the plan.” I lose my balance and fall over a trash can.

Jett lets out a deep breath and says, “Oh hell...” He grabs me underneath the arms and puts me in a sitting position. “You are going to have to get yourself together. Gaia declared war, and you will have to fight.”

I laugh hysterically, hold my empty bottle to the sky and when I catch my breath, I mumble, “Then, cheers to an easy death.”

“Okay. I’m taking you home.” Jett tries to get me to a standing position, but I drunkenly push him off.

“I DON’T HAVE A HOME!” I yell.

“That is your own fault! You gave up your position as king to Avenir!” Jett kicks a can across the street. “Your home is at my house right now.”

“My h-ome isth deathhh.”

“You are drunk.”

“Pu-leassse. Jusss kill me.” I beg through slurred words.

Jett sits down beside me and says, “You can’t get drunk to fix this. That is not going to bring Holly back. Neither is death.”

“N-OTHING ISSS GOING TO BRING HER BACK!” I get up to attempt to walk away but quickly have to lean against a trash can for support. Jett doesn’t say anything. I start kicking trash cans and destroying anything and everything in my path. After I sort-of calm down, I not-so-gracefully sit/fall down on a nearby bench.

“Luke—” Jett starts.

Pointing my finger in Jett’s face, I say, “DON’T try to act like you understand. Why didn’t I die? Why, Jett? WHY?!” I pull my journal out of my jacket pocket. I am so drunk I can barely open the damn thing. Jett places his hand on the journal, and I tightly grab his wrist. Through a clenched jaw, I hiss, “Don’t. Mine.”

In a calm voice, Jett says, “Luke, you are going to have to let go. Letting go is the only thing that is going to make any of this better.”

I grip his wrist tighter—to the point of breaking, and yell, “THIS IS ALL I HAVE LEFT OF HER!”

Looking around Jett says, “Will you please just come to my house. You do realize you are on a public street?”

I tuck my journal back into my coat pocket and stumble as I stand up. “I am going for a walk.”

“No, you are not. You know the type of Versipellis that come out here this late at night. With you in this state of mind, you are an easy target.”

I roll my eyes at Jett and say, “Don’t care.” Jett forcefully grabs my shoulders, and instantly I’m at his house. “I didn’t ask you to take me anywhere.” I say, but Jett doesn’t reply. He walks to his room and slams the door shut. I plop down on the couch and don’t look forward to another night where I lie awake and think about
her
.

Looks like another sleepless night.
I allow myself to sober up a bit before I try to get up. I go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I look like pure hell. I run my hands through my hair that desperately needs to be cut and over my untrimmed face. I hear Holly in my head on a daily basis, screaming for me to help her. Jett has literally had to restrain me at times when her voice is the loudest. I feel badly that Jett has to deal with me but appreciate his effort to
try
to fix the unfixable—me.

What I remember of the fight that day is not what really happened. My mind only concocted something that would ease my mind of reality, or that is what the psychiatrist tells me. When I told the psychiatrist I can hear Holly screaming for me, he declared me insane and recommended I give up the throne. Avenir Day now is responsible for Terre. He and his family would have been the next in line for the throne if anything happened to me. He is an excellent king. I feel bad for him, though. Gaia declared war shortly after he became king. Some stupid Versipellis almost killed a Fae there, and we will soon be in war because of it. I am happy though, easy death for me. I won’t go into that war with any fight. I just want to die. I have begged to die, but no one will kill me. I have also thought of killing myself. If Jett wasn’t such a good babysitter, I would have succeeded and be dead.

I leave the bathroom and walk back to the couch to
try
to sleep. I sit up and sigh in frustration when I realize sleep will not be coming anytime soon. I reach underneath the couch to read my visions of Holly, but my journal isn’t there.
Jett.
I sling his door open with my magic before I reach the entrance of his room. He is sleeping, but not for long. I start tearing his room apart looking for my journal. I forcefully flip his bed over with him in it, causing him to jump up pulling magic.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

“WHERE IS THE JOURNAL, JETT?” I yell while rummaging through his room.

“HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?” He yells back while trying to put his room back in order—unsuccessfully. Every time he puts something back I throw it across the room.

I realize it is nowhere in his room but refuse to calm down. I
know
he has it. “TELL ME—” Jett storms out of the room before I can finish what I am about to say. I go after him and feel like a complete ass when I see Jett standing by the turned-over couch and the journal laying on the floor. It must have scooted further under the couch.
Oops.

Jett puts the couch back as it was and sits down on it. He takes a deep breath, lets it out and says, “Luke, you have to stop this.” I ignore every word that comes out of his mouth. I go to the couch and kneel down to get my journal. It’s not there! I
just
saw it. I look at Jett who is holding it, but not for long. It disappears. I quickly stand to my feet and pull enough magic to kill him.

“I DID IT FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!” Jett yells as I send him flying against the wall. I walk to the front door and turn to Jett before I leave.

“
You
must not realize how
good
that was for me. It was all I had left, Jett. Now, I have
nothing
.” I slam the door as I leave.

I haven’t gone to visit Holly’s grave yet. I haven’t had the courage. I admit. I really have lost my mind. If I go I’m scared I will dig her out of that grave and try to bring her back to life. My mind will never be at rest with what happened, not until I am dead and buried next to the one who gave my life meaning.

HOLLY