Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (34 page)

“Macy,” I replied with a warning tone, picking up on her meaning behind her
‘explore my options’ comment.

“Just
sayin’,” she answered, throwing her hands up in a temporary surrender.

We spent the rest of evening in front of the TV hanging out enjoying our new comfy couch. The news reported yet another body being found.

 
“Hikers made a startling discovery today. The badly decomposed body

of
what appears to be a female victim was found

by
John Wilson and his wife Carrie as they

hiked
through a wooded trail near their Sandy Springs home today.”

“Yeah we were walking, and our dog was going crazy digging at the ground.
 When he wouldn’t come when called, we went to investigate, and that’s when we saw the body.”

“Does the news ever report anything good?” Macy asked after hearing the report. “I mean hearing stuff like this makes me wish you
’d kept that treadmill.”

“And put it where, Mace?
 It’s not meant for outside to be rained on, and our place doesn’t have room for that.” 

“I know, but maybe you should consider getting a gym membership. Or that yoga thing you were talking about.”

She was right the news hardly ever reported anything good, and it did make me nervous sometimes. However, I wasn’t the only jogger out in the mornings. We moved to an area that we felt was relatively safe for two single females, but it wouldn’t hurt to be more vigilant when I was out.

“So what time do I need to pick you up tomorrow?” she asked, turning off the TV.

“My appointment is at 3:45, and I asked Patrick if I could be off by three. We should be able to make it from Howell Mill to Buckhead in that timeframe right?”

“Yeah, shouldn
’t be a problem. And I’m telling you, you’re gonna love Dr. Preston.”

Macy had me set up an appointment with her GYN since I didn
’t have one. The lack of insurance before now kept me from my annual check-ups. I knew Seth said he’d take care of the birth control, and he had been very good about using a condom the last few times we were together.

However, I still had the cloud over my head from last Monday.
 I knew it was probably too soon to do a pregnancy test since my period wasn’t due until next week, but I planned on asking the doctor to do one anyway.

As I tried to sleep later that night, I was once again tormented. Seeing that news report triggered my nightmare, it
’d been a while. I had been thankful for the peaceful sleep. 
I was running, being chased, but I could never get away. I was running into the darkness, and he was gaining on me. I couldn’t escape; he was gaining on me getting closer and closer until finally he grabbed me. 
I woke up breathing heavy and sweating.

I kicked off my covers and pulled my knees to my chest.
 It always felt so real, so intense, and so damned scary. I glanced at my clock; it was four-thirty. I doubted I would be getting back to sleep. Fresh air always cleared my head, but instead of going for a run, I grabbed a blanket then went and sat out on our small back patio. 

Curling up in the lounger, I set the alarm on my iPod just in case I fell asleep.
 The night air was crisp but not too cold. The light breeze that blew caused me to draw the blanket tighter around my shoulders. It was surprisingly quiet; the only sounds were the symphony of crickets accompanied by the occasional passing car. Scrolling through my playlist, I selected Christina Perri then settled back to look up at the stars.

The peace and quiet allowed my mind to wander to a place it hadn
’t gone in a long time. My child would have been almost three. I imagined having a little girl with Paul’s hair and my eyes. I would have loved her even if her father didn’t. My life would have been so different from what it is now. I doubted I would have moved; instead I would have stayed, knowing Macy’s family would have been a great support. 

I wasn
’t sure how my own parents would have reacted. Would they have been disappointed in me, or would they have been excited to be grandparents? If they were excited, would they have given up their dream of living in Greece to move back because of me? I hoped not. They had already sacrificed so much because they had me, I wouldn’t have let them do that. 

Raising a child as a single mother would have been hard, but I would have made it work without his help.
 I gave my head a little shake to clear out those thoughts. All of this thinking of what might have been served no purpose other than to remind me of my shortcomings. I couldn’t change the decision I’d made, and continuing to dwell on it only made me hate myself. Resting my hand on my abdomen, I settled back into the lounger. 

“One week. One week and I will know,” I said into the darkness.

***

“Good morning. Time to get up. Are you hungry?” I asked, entering the cell.

I was trying to remember to feed this one.
 I didn’t want her wasting away like the last one. The putrid smell she left behind was still burned into my nose. Pet scrambled to sit up, her eyes wide with fear, but she was too scared to move. She tried to open her mouth to speak but winced and closed it again. The wound on her cheek started bleeding again. Eating could be a problem.  

I sat on the bed and held the bowl out for her.
 She pressed herself against the wall, attempting to put space between us.

“Come now, you have to eat.
 You will need your strength.” 

I wasn
’t in the mood to play but figured I should do something with her since she was here. Her hands were shaking as she took the bowl from me then scooped out a small spoonful of the oatmeal. She never took her eyes off me when she took her first bite, taking care not to open her mouth too wide. Unlike the previous one, this Pet ate, apparently choosing to not go hungry over the fear of possibly being drugged again. I sat patiently until she finished most of the bowl.  

“Would you like to go home now?”
 I asked once I was sure she was finished. eating. Frantically, she nodded her head yes while handing the bowl back to me. “Okay, I’ll make you a deal. If you can get out of here, I’ll let you go.”

Her eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty.
 I slowly got off the bed and went to stand in the corner.

“I
’m making it easier for you,” I said, answering the unspoken question that showed on her face. “If you can get out of here, I’ll let you go.” 

She hesitated a moment, but slowly she uncurled herself, tentatively placing her feet on the floor. She gave me another glance before bolting for the door.
 I waited a few seconds before picking up the bowl off the bed and heading towards the stairs. At the top, she lay on the ground just in front of the door, panting for breath. I stepped over her and opened the door, and she tried to drag herself towards the warming rays of the morning sun. Tears ran down her cheeks as her breathing became more labored. She finally collapsed just inches from the door.

 
I stooped down to watch as the realization hit her in the final moments. Her eyes looked at me then the bowl in my hand before the life faded away.
 She didn’t last long enough.

“I didn
’t need nor want her.” 

***

Work was interesting. Patrick was in a mood after one of the suppliers we used came by, unannounced, complaining about bounced checks and a long-standing unpaid bill. After the supplier left, Patrick got on the phone for a bit, and I could hear him yelling even with his door closed. He stormed out of his office around one and never came back. Even Kerrin was unsure of what to make of the day’s events.

I finished filing away the last of the orders.
 I called out bye to Kerrin before grabbing up my purse and heading out the door. Seth was again waiting for me when I got off. He’d been back to his old self so far this week, and I was relieved about that. It made me feel better to think that maybe he was just having an off week last week. I thought about asking him if he’d been under some extra stress but decided against it. I’d rather not bring it up since he was seemingly back to his normal, charming self. I liked him like this, so there was no point in upsetting the balance. We all have our bad days, granted his bad days were nothing like any I’d ever encountered before, but it was just one week. I couldn’t let one week overshadow the previous months; that wouldn’t be fair. 

“You look tired.
 Are you okay?” 

Seth wrapped his warm arms around me.
 I tensed slightly when I felt his hand at the nape of my neck; he frowned for a moment before relaxing his face and giving me a quick kiss.

“I am a little tired.
 I didn’t sleep well last night.” 

Seth opened the door for me, and I slid onto the plush, leather seat.
 

“What kept you up?”
 he asked, kissing the back of my hand after he entered the car.

I smiled at him. His face showed genuine concern and it was a welcome change from the cold looks I
’d gotten last week.

“Nothing, just a strange dream.”
 I felt silly talking about being kept up because of a nightmare as if I were a child.

“Want to talk about it?”
 He asked, stroking my knuckles softly with his thumb. 

I reached up to stroke his cheek.
 The stubble on his face felt scruffy, yet comforting under my hand. Slowly, I leaned over to give him a quick kiss.

“No, but thanks for asking.”
 

He shifted back in his seat then gave my hand another quick kiss before pulling out of the parking lot. We settled into the usual silence. I still thought it odd he never had his radio on, but I never asked why. This was normal for us.
Maybe I could have the carefree thing like Macy, just a little different. 

“Oh, I won
’t need you to pick me up tomorrow. I’m getting off early, and Macy’s coming to get me.” 

“Why?”
 

“Because I have a doctor
’s appointment.” 

“Are you ill?”

“Um, no. It’s the, um gynecologist,” I answered, feeling my face get hot having to tell him what kind of doctor I was seeing.

When he turned to look at me, he was wearing a frown, and that look made me nervous. “I told you I was taking care of things.
 Do you not trust me?”

“No, it
’s not that,” I replied quickly. “It’s just good for me to go, to…check things out. It’s an annual thing for us females,” I explained, trying to ignore the very uncomfortable feelings that were taking over.

In all my time with Paul, we never talked about these sorts of things. In fact, he
’d rather me not mention anything having to do with the female reproductive system. 

“When is your period due?”
 

I looked over at him. My mouth hung open in shock. “Why would you ask me that?”
 

“Because it
’s something I need to know,” he replied nonchalantly. “You could be carrying my child right now.” 

I squirmed in my seat, wishing I was home already, but traffic seemed to be at a stand-still, prolonging my discomfort.
I was hoping he wouldn’t remember that little issue. However, recalling how he reacted, I knew he would. 

“I
’m waiting for an answer, Calida.” 

My entire body tensed when he said those words.
 On reflex my hand went to the back of my head, remembering the sting in my scalp when he yanked my hair last Saturday.

“Um…in about a week or so,”
 I mumbled, unable to look at him. 

There seemed to be no topic off limits when it came to me.
 I wished he was as forthcoming about himself.

“Have you taken a test?”
 Seth looked over in my direction briefly, and I shook my head no.

“I, I didn
’t figure I needed to unless I had a reason.” 

As my date approached, I got more and more nervous over the thought of it possibly being late.
 He apparently was satisfied with my answers, and we settled back into a silence. I looked out the window, trying to figure out what I would do if I was pregnant. What would that mean for Seth and me? My job? The timing wouldn’t be ideal, but I would make it work, even if Seth wanted to dodge his responsibilities.

“Why didn
’t you just ask me to take you?” 

His question took me by surprise. “Why would you want to?
 Most guys avoid that kind of doctor’s office like the plague.”

“I
’m not most guys.”

“That
’s the understatement of the year,” I muttered under my breath. The smirk that played on his lips let me know he’d heard it. 

When we finally made it to my house, Seth killed the engine, and I sat waiting on him to come open my door. He circled his arm around my waist after helping me out of my seat.
 Absentmindedly he ran his hand through my hair, watching as the strands fell through his fingers. I tried not to tense up, but at least this time, he either didn’t notice or he chose to ignore it.