The Haret (The Haret Series) (6 page)

             
“Taz?” Esther called out as she stepped toward the back of the cabin and aimed her light at the unoccupied corner. Her legs went weak while a scream escaped her lips. Her light disclosed the face of an unshaven man hiding in the darkness. His eyes flashed in anger as he stepped toward her and in one swift move grabbed the light from her hands. His rasping voice shattered the silence.

             
“What are you doin’ in my house?”

             
Reed grabbed Esther’s hand and bolted outside. They sprinted across the clearing dashing into the forest hurdling fallen trunks and debris. Adrenaline gave Esther the strength she needed to keep up with Reed’s swift pace. She wasn’t sure if they were being pursued and she had no desire to look back. Reed took a sudden quick turn, yanking her along causing her to lose balance. She fell forcefully on top of him sending them both spiraling. Reed lost no time. He pulled her up nearly throwing her back down under a large bolder that looked like the mouth of an underground cave. He motioned for her to stay quiet. Her recent exertion left her gasping for breath. She covered her mouth hoping to stay as quiet as possible but her heart was accelerating by the second. She was sure Reed could hear it pounding against her chest.

             
The snap of twigs announced the approach. She watched Reed grip his knife and felt her heart move to her throat. She could only imagine what might transpire next. The footsteps continued to grow closer and then stopped inched from their hiding place. Reed looked at her and motioned for her to stay still. She held her breath and peered through the foliage. The moon gave little light but it was enough for her to recognize the expensive leather boots standing in front of her. And then she heard a familiar voice call out.

             
“Esther is that you?”

             
She exchanged glances with Reed before scrambling to her feet.

             
“Taz?”

CHAPTER NINE

             
“You want to tell me where you’ve been for the past week Miss Rebold?” Detective Russell stood by the side of her hospital bed enjoying the peppermint in his mouth.

             
Felicitas shivered and looked around the room. His words caused her head to spin. A week? How could it have been a week? To her it had only been ten minutes since she jumped from the trailer and ran into the woods.

             
“I already told the police I don’t know.” She answered him quietly. “The last thing I remember is running into the woods. I must have fallen and blacked out or something. The next thing I knew I was trying to find my way back to the bonfire when Esther jumped in front of me.”

             
“So you are not aware an entire week has passed?”

             
The statement terrified her every time she heard it. Esther surprised her when she jumped in front of her in the woods hugging her and crying and talking so fast that Felicitas could barely comprehend anything she was saying. Once Esther and Reed told her she had been missing for a week she nearly fainted, her mind not being able to sort through all the chaotic information and now the Detective hovering over her bed was doing nothing to put her at ease.

             
“No. As far as I know it’s Friday October the first.”

             
“Who’s the father of your baby Miss Rebold?”

             
Felicitas paled and looked at her mother.

             
“We know you’re pregnant.” Detective Russell was smug in his announcement.               “The information surfaced during our investigation to locate you. Is the father your boyfriend Ian Carlton?

             
Felicitas shut her eyes not believing everything that was taking place around her.               

             
“No.”

             
“Who is Raine Zadock?”

             
Felicitas didn’t answer so Detective Russell asked her again.

             
“Who is Raine Zadock?”

             
Her heart seized at the mention. There was only one way the Detective could know the name Raine Zadock. She swallowed hard and kept her eyes closed.

             
“I don’t know.”

             
“You don’t know or you don’t want to tell me?”

             
Detective Russell crossed his arms in front of him.

             
“Is that who you ran after in the woods last Friday night? Did you two plan a rendezvous to run off together?

             
She didn’t answer and the room grew quiet.  Melvin Rebold stood and walked out.

             
Felicitas looked up at her mother for help. Sharon interpreted her daughter’s plea.

             
“Do you have to question her now? It’s one in the morning. She is confused and exhausted and I don’t think interrogating her at this late of an hour is going to do anything to jog her memory. Can you please allow her some rest and continue this in the morning?”

             
Detective Russell eyed Felicitas; his stare made her uncomfortable. He said nothing but bit down on the remaining piece of peppermint in his mouth and crunched it loudly then without taking his eyes off her he pulled a tube of Chap Stick from his pocket and smeared it across his thin lips.

             
“I’ll be back in the morning. I hope a good night’s rest will jog your memory.”

             
A tear escaped her eye and made its way down her cheek as she watched him leave the room.

             
“I’m sorry mother. I was going to tell you I was pregnant but I just found out today….or last week.”

             
Sharon gave a half smile. “We’ll talk about that later hon. I need to go find your dad. Why don’t you try and get some rest.”

             
“He’s upset huh?”

             
“He was worried sick about you.”

             
“Is he really mad…that I’m pregnant?”

             
Sharon continued her professional smile. The one she always gave when she was postponing her inevitable conversations of doom.

             
“Get some rest hon.” She leaned over and kissed Felicitas forehead.

             
“I’ll be back in the morning.”

             
“You’re seriously leaving me? I‘m terrified right now and don’t think I should be left alone.”  There was anger in her tone that didn’t set well with Sharon. She pursed her lips in disapproval.

             
“You are far from alone Felicitas. The hospital is fully staffed and there are nurses to see to your need. Your father however needs me right now and I think it is in your best interest that I go console him.” Having said her peace she collected her purse and jacket and left the room.

             
Felicitas gave way to her tears. She did not want to be alone. Why did her mother insist on running after her father? She needed her now more than he did but that’s how it always was, why did she expect anything different? She looked around the sterile room and felt as if she were stuck in a terrible dream.

             
She was glad when her nurse came in. At least she wouldn’t be totally alone. She watched the nurse pick up a black sharpie and write her name on the white board.

             
“I’m Lisa; I’m your nurse for the night. Lisa placed the sharpie in her pocket and faced her.

“I read about you in the papers. You really don’t know where you were for a whole week?”

              Felicitas sighed. How many times was she going to be asked the same question?

             
“No. I can’t remember anything.”

             
“Do you know who the president is?”

             
“Barak Obama.”

             
“Good. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

             
“Just thirsty.”

             
Lisa smiled a bit mischievously bringing instant comfort.

             
“There’s a girl outside that is dying to get in here. She’s been hiding around the corner from your family. Says her name’s Esther and that she’s your best friend. Do you want to see her?”

             
Felicitas raised up excited.

             
“Yes! Please.”

             
Lisa smiled again. “I’ll do that and be back with your drink in a minute. If you need anything just push the call button. I’ll come running.”

             
Felicitas smiled relieved and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She wouldn’t be alone after all and to top it off she couldn’t think of any one she’d rather have staying with her than Esther. Now she was glad her mother had gone home.

             
Within seconds Esther ran into the room pouncing on Felicitas bed.

             
“Finally! I thought they would never leave. I brought my stuff to stay the night. The nurse said I could that is if it’s okay with you. “

             
“Are you kidding? I don’t want to be alone tonight. I feel really weird. Of course my mother couldn’t stay she had to go coddle my dad.”

             
“He’s been really upset, especially about you being pregnant.”

             
“You know too?”

             
“Everyone knows Taz.”

             
Felicitas groaned and laid her head back against the bed. Miss Purity the virgin of Stones River High, pregnant. She would never hear the end of it.

             
Esther gave an encouraging smile.

             
“Everyone loves you Taz. We were all so worried. No one was making fun of you.”

             
“So I guess Ian knows too.”

             
Esther squirmed a bit.

             
“Uh huh.”

             
Felicitas groaned.

             
Esther grabbed her hand and held on tight. “He’s pretty hurt and a tad angry but he’s really worried about you too.”

             
“Does he know that I‘ve been found, that I’m back from where ever I was?”

             
Esther nodded.

             
“I called him. He wanted to know if you were okay and what you were saying happened. I told him you had amnesia… So Taz, you want to tell me about it?”

             
Of course she wanted to tell Esther. She had wanted to tell her from the moment she took her first pregnancy test. Esther was the only person she could confide a story of this caliber. She realized she would eventually have to disclose the information to her parents and the authorities no matter how bizarre it seemed. She could tell the detective was suspicious of her anyway. She would run it by Esther and see how she responded to it.

             
“Esther do you remember back during the summer of our freshman year, the night we had the camp out at the Reddick estate?

             
“If you mean the night you walked in your sleep and nearly scared me to death, then yes.”

             
“Did I ever tell you about the dream I had that night?”

             
“Kind of. You said it was weird sort of like an out of body experience or something.”              

             
Lisa entered the room with two cans of soda and two plastic cups. Felicitas waited for her to open the coke and pour it over the crushed ice. She did the same for Esther and then left the room again. Felicitas took a sip trying to decide the best way to begin.

             
“It’s happened a lot more since then.”             

             
“You mean you’ve had more out of body experiences?”

             
She took another sip. The cold burning of the soda was heavenly.

             
“I’m not sure if that’s what they are, I think they are dreams but they’re different. I had the first one on the night of the camp out, I dreamed I was running through the woods and I was being chased by these horrible creatures. They were kind of reptilian, like half man and half dragon but they were beautiful. They had the face and body of a man, but they had wings like a dragon, and they breathed fire from their mouths. In my dream they began closing in on me and I was terrified. Then while I was running someone grabbed me and pulled me up to safety. He said his name was Raine Zadock and he was the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. He had long sandy brown hair, and azure eyes. The moment I saw him I wanted to burst into tears, it was like I had known him forever.

             
Esther took a drink and crunched her ice.

             
“Now why can’t I have dreams like that?”

             
“In my dream we were sitting high in the trees and were watching the creatures. Raine told me they were the very essence of evil and were looking for me and I had to stay away from them. He said their leader was the most devious of all and would try and deceive me so I must always be very careful. I asked him who they were and he called them Drakes and told me to beware of the one who called himself Savas because he wanted to destroy my purity. I asked him who he was and why he was telling me all of this.  He didn’t answer he just kissed me and said I should return to my friends but to remember everything he told me. That’s when I woke up sleep walking.”

             
Felicitas paused a moment trying to read Esther and wondering if she should continue. Even listening to herself tell it sounded preposterous and Esther had never looked more serious. She sat staring across the room either absorbed by the story or lost in her thoughts of how insane her friend had become. Felicitas couldn’t tell which one it was. She knew Esther was the most sensible practical person of her age and had planned to go to law school after college.  She could only imagine what she must be thinking. Esther took advantage of the pause.

             
“Do you think it was a vision, like a sign from God to keep your purity?”

             
Relief flooded over her. At least Esther had not dismissed her story completely.

             
“Maybe…I mean it could have been, but I think it was much more than that, because like I said, I kept having the same type of dreams and Raine was always in them. It’s always hard to remember them afterwards so I started keeping a journal and as soon as I would wake I would write everything down. It made so much sense then but the next morning it was all just gibberish.”