Page 88 of Awakening

Meet me at Espresso. Find a seat in the back.

Anthony

Are you okay? What’s going on?

Olivia

I’ll see you soon.

I can’t get into all of this over text with him. I’ll fill him in, and hopefully he can help me disappear. I just need to find somewhere to stay until I’m able to get on my feet in a new city. When I arrive at the coffee shop, I park in a tiny lot in the back. I get a text just as I’m preparing to get out of the car.

Unknown Number

I have the answers to all your questions. I know the truth. Meet me at 5674 Willow Rd in Conifer. Ethan won’t know.

An uneasiness churns in my stomach. Who would possibly know about what happened between Ethan and me this morning? Could it be from Max? Maybe he knows I overheard him and he wants to tell me what’s really going on. Why wouldn’t he just use his own number, though? Maybe it is him, but he doesn’t want Ethan to be able to trace him. I’m not sure I even care about the truth, whatever that is, at this point. I just know I want nothing to do with whatever is happening in Pinewood.

I go in through the back entrance at Espresso. Anthony, still in his scrubs, sits in a secluded booth in the back, just as I asked. His back is to me, likely because he’s anticipating that I’ll come in through the front door. Coming up behind him, I slide into the booth across from him.

“Hey.”

His eyes widen when he sees me. I know I must look like a horrendous mess. I’m not wearing any makeup, my eyes are puffy and swollen from crying, and I haven’t even brushed my hair today.

“Jesus, Olivia.” He frowns with concern. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks,” I say with a short laugh.

“Sorry.” He reaches for my hand. “I don’t mean it like that, but this isn’t you. What the hell is going on?”

I take my other hand and place it on top of his, gripping it tightly as I try to fight the tears from surfacing again. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“We’ll start by going back to my place. You’ll be more comfortable there.” He starts to stand up.

“No.” I grab his arm. “He’ll know to look for me there.”

He frowns, freezing mid stance. His square jaw tics as he stares at me, and he sits back down slowly. “He hurt you. Tell me what the fuck he did to you.”

“He’s a liar, Anthony. Everything that has been coming out of his mouth has been a lie, and I played right into it.”

“Hey,” he says, taking my hand again. “Whatever happened is not your fault. You were told you have a history with him, and you wanted to believe in the good you saw in him. Damn it,” he says, pulling back and running his hands through his hair. “I fucking knew it. I knew you shouldn’t trust him.”

“I know. You were right,” I say as the tears start trickling down my cheeks again. “Ugh. I’m so freaking sick of crying.” I wipe them away with the palm of my hand.

The anger spreads across Anthony’s face. “That means you’ve been feeling this way for a while. I left you alone after you texted yesterday because I was trying to respect your wishes. Why didn’t you come to me if there was a problem?”

“It’s not like that exactly. We went to see the baby, which was draining. Then last night Ethan and I got into a fight, and I thought we were good, but then this morning happened.”

He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing the back of my hand. “Tell me what he did. My feelings for you are still the same, Olivia. I love you, and I’ll always protect you.”

I do believe Anthony loves me. Anthony has always been a man to say what he means. I can trust him with this. “Ethan is crazy. I think he’s literally, dangerously, crazy. He has somehow brainwashed an entire community of people.”

Anthony frowns. “Brainwashed?”

“I don’t see another explanation for it. This community, Anthony, it’s so weird. They call it a private neighborhood, but it’s more like a private town. The entire place is gated off and there aren’t just houses there. They have shops, restaurants, and while on a small scale, it’s anything you’d find in a small town. They even have their own little grocery store.”

“Hmm,” he says, chewing on his bottom lip. Anthony nods and his eyes dart from side to side. “Okay. So, what is it that he brainwashed people to believe?”

I sit frozen for a minute.

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