Page 22 of Encircled in Darkness
We sat outside to avoid the roaches that crawled over every surface of the house and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“Happy Birthday” She said and reached into the bag, pulled out a chocolate bar, and handed it to me.
Pushing a piece of brown hair off my face, I hugged her and snapped the candy in half, offering it to her. She took it and we enjoyed a few minutes of peace while we ate the rare treat.We snacked on it as the sounds of our mother echoed from inside. She was yelling and bumping into furniture as she got ready for her ‘date’.
A car pulled up a few minutes later, and a man got out, his nice clothes a stark contrast to the poor neighborhood. Natalia gripped my hand and pulled me closer to her as the man made his way to us. His eyes grew wide when he saw us sitting there, and his steps faltered as he looked to the trailer and back to us.
“I’m looking for Everly Jenkins.” His brown eyes moved back and forth between us, his gaze lingering on me.
“She’s inside.” Natalia explained, knowing that was one of the many names our mother went by, and stood from the wobbly table with my hand still in hers.
We left him standing there and walked to the park a few blocks away. It was a Saturday afternoon and there were families in the park, fathers pushing their children on the swings and mothers tending to small scraps with love. The sting in my face wasn’t as bad, but I could feel the swelling in my cheek, and I wondered what it would be like to have a parent who cared about us.
She pushed me on the swing, and we laughed as we returned home. The sun was almost down when we got back, and all the lights were out when we got to the trailer. Natalia looked at me and reminded me, “Put your headphones on as soon as you get in the bedroom and keep your eyes to the floor.”
I knew the drill and took her hand as we climbed the two rusted steps inside. The house was quiet, and I looked at her to guidance. Shrugging her shoulders, she tiptoed down the hallway, looked over her shoulder, and placed a finger over her mouth. I nodded and waited for her to return.
Natalia returned a minute later with a look of confusion on her face. She looked back over her shoulder, then turned to me. “She’s gone.”
I smiled, hoping she didn’t come back tonight. She didn’t even tell me happy birthday. The next morning, we went to school and she still wasn’t there when we got back. Days turned into weeks and when the landlord came to collect on the first of the month, our lives became a nightmare that ended the day Natalia adopted me and saved us from the system.
I snapped out of the dream and found myself tucked into bed, alone. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was past noon. Standing from the bed, I stretched and felt the glorious ache in my core from my evening with James. It was a pleasant soreness, unlike the mornings after my time with Victor and hisfriends. Walking into the living room, I looked for James and saw the coffee pot was half full of lukewarm coffee. He wasn’t in the backyard, and when I looked in the driveway, I found his truck missing.
Searching, I found no note from him and the tears welled in my eyes. His absence hurt more than it should, and a weight settled in my chest. Wiping the tears away, I chastised myself for the emotions welling up in me. I had no reason to have hurt feelings, but somehow, I did. I trusted his words and for him to be gone with no explanation made the darkness grow and the hope fade. Heating myself a cup of coffee, I settled onto the back deck, my eyes locked on the spot where the scarred man stood.
Through the pain, I could hear the darkness taunting me, reminding me who I really was.
He got what he wanted. Why should he stay? He’ll be back when he wants to fuck you again. Stop thinking you’re special. You’re just a whore.
James
I felt her body grow lax in my arms, and I softly stroked against her shoulder as I watched the sun begin to rise. The peach and oranges that grew were beautiful as I looked down at the sleeping angel in my lap. I had never taken the time to appreciate the beauty in a sunrise, but holding Amaya made everything feel new. Kissing her head, I carried her to bed and covered her with a blanket. She curled into her pillow and I couldn’t stop myself from snapping a picture of her sleeping.
I pulled the door closed and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. When I went to retrieve my phone not even an hour ago, I spoke quickly with Skid who had no new information. I poured myself a cup of coffee and went back to the back porch to see if there were any developments. I called him and he answered on the first ring.
“Good morning. I’m surprised your drinking coffee and not that nasty green slime you enjoy.” He chuckled. I looked at the camera mounted on the edge of the deck and flipped him off.
“I’ll survive. Fill me in.”Taking a sip of the bitter black coffee, I waited for his report while I walked to the back of her yard.
“Camera captured a large shadow last night but no video on the actual person. I called in Freddie and Devlin’s here, going through the last few months to see if this was a onetime thing.” I nodded and squatted in the damp grass, seeing shoe prints in the loose soil.
There were multiple sets of impressions and I clenched my fist, realizing someone had been watching her house, watching her, and I wasn’t aware. Turning to the camera, I spoke to him, the monsters pushing against my ribs and ruling my rational thought.
“I want him found and brought to me. Whoever he is, he’s been here a few times. I want another six cameras covering the outside of the house. I don’t want a single blade of grass left uncovered. Find out if there are any cameras on neighboring houses and tap into them. He had to get in and out somehow, and I want to know why. Now!”
“Rein it in James.” Devlin spoke across the line and I felt the rapid breaths building in my chest. My ‘brother’ was two years younger than me, but he was the only person who truly understood the monster that lived deep inside. It was born from the necessity to survive the eleven years of abuse, neglect, and horrors I, we, had to endure.
“Someone is trying to get to her. I don’t want to leave her, but I need to get to my computer.” I had spent my entire life in front of a screen, and I would use those skills drilled into my head by Marco to track down the bastard threatening her. His words repeated in my head as I flexed my hands, hoping to relieve the building tension.
Monitor, search, watch, record.
“I’ve got Freddie up the road in one of the vans and we’ve got eyes on the house. She’s safe.” Devlin reasoned and I nodded.
Disconnecting the call, I went back in the house, secured the backdoor behind me and went to check on her. Standing in her doorway, I watched her sleep. I had watched her through the cameras more nights than I’d like to admit. She sighed contently and I smiled, knowing I was one step closer to making this selfless woman mine.
Using the keys I had made for her locks, I secured the house and looked up at the camera mounted behind the light fixture. Knowing Devlin was monitoring her, I begrudgingly left her alone, feeling the hollow spot in my chest grow wider the further from her I got. I cranked my truck and quickly pulled away from the house, my eyes scanning the neighborhood as I drove away. I saw Freddie in a painter’s van parked at a house for sale a few doors down from hers. Nodding to him as I passed, I sped through town and back to my building overlooking Pierce Lake.
Using the elevator, I got off on the third floor, waved my watch in front of the sensor, and pressed my hand against the black screen to the side of the door. It scanned my print and with a whirring, the door locks disengaged, and I opened the steel door. Entering the freezing cold room, I found Devlin and Skid both working on their computers.
