Burdened (A Burdened Novel) (38 page)

“Scott has been missing all day. He is not
answering his phone. He didn’t come by today. I saw him last night, but that was it.” I thought she knew. No, Scott still hasn’t told her—he erased what he had said.

She is talking too fast
, rambling. “Okay Glen, calm down a little.”

“Can you call Nathan and see if he is okay and what’s going on? I haven’t seen him all day
—hell, since yesterday—and it’s really killing me.”

Call Nathan. I d
on’t even have Nathan’s number
to
call him. Wait—why don’t I have Nathan’s number?

“Hello
, Glen,” my dad says, now at my side.

“Oh
my gosh, Mr. Warren. I haven’t seen you in forever. How have you been?”

“Thank you for asking. I’ve been well. What brings you over?”

“I need Tracey to call Nathan to find Scott.” Doesn’t she just come right out and tell it.

“How does Nathan know Scott?” my dad asks
, interested.

“Or
—how do you know Nathan?” Glen asks my dad, inquisitively.

My dad raises an eyebrow
. “I don’t know him yet, however I am aware of him. Why does Tracey need him to find Scott for you?”

This conversation is getting confusing.
Nathan
, I think to him, since he said I can reach him anywhere. I let Glen and Dad go back and forth. He doesn’t respond.
NATHAN
! I say to myself with more emphasis. It’s weird yelling to him in my head.
NATH
–!

Yes
, Tracey
?

Hearing his voice comforts me.
Hi
.

Hey
.

Umm, sorry to bother you. Glen is at my house looking for Scott and needs me to call you
, but I don’t have your number—which I realize is weird. She wants to know if you know where Scott is
. That was a lot to think.

It
is
a lot, and yes, Scott is with me. And you are never a bother. Scott will call Glen when he’s on his way back to her house—later tonight. How was your day
?

It was nice. I enjoyed the time
with my parents
.

I could tell. I’ll be there later. And I’ll give you my number when I get there. But
for now, just pick up your phone and pretend we’re talking. We are in the middle of something. Love you.

Love you.

See you in a few hours. Wait up for me.

Always
.

Fingers snap in front of my face. I’m kooky
-smiling, not realizing it. I shake it off, focusing. “Tracey, can you call him?” Glen is frustrated. Scott really needs to get his shit together.

I pick up my phone
, pretending to call Nathan. This is so lame. I talk to myself—as if Nathan is on the other line. I don’t understand why Scott can’t just tell her about him, so maybe she can reach him when she needs to. I pretend to end the call.

“They are together, but
they’re busy. Scott said he will call you when he is on his way to your house later.”

She lets out a disturbed breath. “Okay, thank you. What were you about to do?”

“Sit back with my dad and catch up. He’s been gone a while.” I look over to him. He’s still looking at Glen like she’s off her rocker. “I’ll see you later. Maybe we can all do something Saturday.”

“
That’s a good idea. I’ll see you later. Call me if their plans change. Or, the next time you talk to Nathan, have him tell Scott to call me.” She walks away.

Her car is parked in front. “Okay
, Glen.” How did I miss it as we were pulling up?

My dad and I walk through the front door. “You mother still doesn’t lock this door?”

“No, never have and never will,” my mom states, peeking out from the kitchen.

“What happens if someone tried to come in here on us?” he asks jokingly.

“They won’t, but if they do, they’ll have to answer to the man upstairs. So what was all that about with Glen?”

Uninterested
, I say, “She needed me to call Nathan to find Scott.”

“Why couldn’t she call Scott?”

“Apparently, he wasn’t answering his phone.”

“Why not?”

“Mom, I don’t know. Scott and Glen is one relationship I care not to get involved with. I ask no questions and care for no answers.”

I follow my dad to the family
room. “So Nathan and Scott are cousins?” I guess Glen told him that part.

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s nice for you and Glen.”

“I don’t know if I would say
that it’s nice. I mean, yes, Glen and I are best friends. But sometimes Glen and Scott can get…overbearing, when Nathan and I are just trying to spend time together.”

We sit
down on the same couch. “I can see that. When Glen was talking to you, you sort of zoned out. What happened there?”

I don’t know how to explain that
, so I do the best I can. “Sometimes I do it to irritate Glen. She’s always bothering me with Scott stories or Scott problems. So I give her the ‘I’m not here’ face and she leaves me alone.”

He chuckles
. “Guess that didn’t work today.”

I join his laugh. “Guess not.”

“The next time you talk to Nathan, let him know I would like to meet him tomorrow. I head back out on Monday and I promised your mother I would take her out this weekend.”

“Okay
, Dad, no problem.” He turns on the TV. I’m worn out and can’t stop twiddling my thumbs. I lay my head back on the pillow of the couch, dozing off.

I wake up feeling lighter
. It’s dark and my dad had left me in the family room. That’s not like him. He’d usually carry me to my room or wake me up. My right hand is burning. I rub it, getting up to turn on the lights.

Looking at my hand, my palm is dark
-red, turning completely black. I watch it as black, thin vines travel from my palm up my arm. They grow, curving up the muscle of my forearm to my shoulder. It stops at my shoulder, and what seem like thorns, dig into my skin.

The pain increases
, surging up my neck, burning my ear. I turn on the light-switch and stare at myself in the mirror on the wall. Nothing shows on my neck, but my ear is red with vines covering it.

The pain circles my head
, penetrating my forehead. Touching my head with my right hand, it is hot as fire. I jerk it away quickly, leaving my forehead red with a burnt handprint on it. I rub over it with my left hand. Staring in the mirror, I watch my irises turn black and spread out to the white of my eyes.

What the hell?
! I widen my eyes, watching them turn to black. What the hell is happening to me?

“Tracey
, I will come for you, even if I have to start from the inside and work my way out. I will destroy you
and
my son! Tracey, do you hear me?!” Nathan’s dad’s face appears in the mirror before me. “Do you hear me, Tracey? TRACEY, DO YOU HEAR ME!?” he shouts, making me jump away from the mirror. I land on the couch.

“Tracey!” I jolt
up from the couch, panting, unable to catch my breath. “Tracey, look at me.” I see nothing. The voice sounds like my dad’s, but I’m not sure. “Tracey, can you hear me?” His panic is increasing my own panic. “Tracey!” He shakes me.

“Excuse me
, sir, can I see her? Maybe I can help.” It sounds like Nathan.

“I don’t see how, but come
on over.”

Seconds later
, warm hands touch me, calm fills me; the panic feeling is being taken away. I can breathe better. “Tracey,” Nathan says, too calmly. “Focus. It’s okay. Calm down.”

Opening my eye, I’m calm.
They focus, seeing him, and I grab him roughly around the neck—entirely too quickly. He hugs me back with just as much force. “It’s okay, Tracey.” I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in.

“Ladybug, what happened?
Are you okay?” Dad places his hand on my shoulder, massaging it lightly.

I can’t let Nathan go yet
. I don’t want to. If I do, everything will come back—the pain, the disturbing feeling I had before he touched me. “It’s okay, Tracey.” Nathan rubs my back firmly, not pushing me away.

“I
—I am.” I don’t want to talk, just hold and be held.

When you’re ready
, baby, no rush. Although…your dad is looking at us a little weird
.

I chuckle
, pulling back. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine
, ladybug. Is everything okay?”

I don’t know how to answer
him. I take a minute to breathe and work through my feelings. “Yes, I just had a bad dream.”

Nathan wraps my right arm inside his as my dad sits on my left side. “You’re sure you
are feeling okay?” His voice sounds uncertain.

Before I can answer
him, my dad says, “You scared me. You were panting in your sleep and cringing like you were in pain.” Worry is in his voice.

“I’m fine
, Dad. I’m sorry I scared you. Have you ever had a dream that felt so real? That’s something like how it felt. It scared me.”

“Does this happen often?”

“No.” I try to move my right hand, in an attempt to push my hair back that’s sticking to my forehead, but Nathan won’t let me. So I do it with the left and he looks at me. “Is everything okay?”

His face is calm
. “Yes, just worried about you is all.”

“That makes two of us
,” my dad mutters. I look back at him and he’s staring at me.

“Really
, Dad, I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you both.”

My dad looks at Nathan. “Well
, I’m going to assume you’re Nathan.”

“That’s right
, sir. Sorry to have barged in like I did.”

My dad stands
, straightening in a way that tells Nathan to stand. I look at him.

Nathan smiles at me.
Don’t move from this position. I’ll explain later
. He stands up, reaching his hand out to my dad. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Warren.”

My dad completes the hand shake. “I take it Tracey has told you about me?”

Not really. “Yes, sir she has.”

“Well
, that makes two of us. I’ve heard a share about you as well. You’re dating my daughter?”

Nathan smiles slightly. “Yes
, sir.”

“I take
it you treat her well, considering the way she reached for you when she woke up from her nightmare.”

“I do treat her well
, sir, and I will continue to.”

“Very good.” My dad takes a step back. “Well
, if you’re okay, ladybug, I’m going to meet your mother upstairs and turn in for the night. Nathan, I trust that I can leave you and her down here
alone
and you will be gone by eleven?” It’s actually a statement, rather than a question.

“Yes
, sir. You have my word.” Yeah right. Not likely. My dad leaves the room and Nathan sits back down beside me. “Why don’t you turn on a movie for us to watch?”

I flip through the channels
, not really caring what I turn on. “What’s going on?”

“Wait.”

“Wait for what?” I’m frustrated. He needs to tell me something.

He gives me a serious look that makes me sit back and relax. I do
, becoming impatient. “Just wait,” he says sternly.

I wait
, turning to the HBO channel. I watch him as he watches the TV not saying anything. I grow even more impatient, but reluctantly stay calm. I really wish he would tell me what’s going on.

“Don’t panic
, Tracey,” he says, forty-five minutes later, grabbing my hand. He turns it over for me to see.

My palm is black
, like in the dream. The thorn vines go all the way up to my inner-elbow. Panic rises in me. Nathan moves to my other side, grabbing my regular hand. I touch my ear, remembering it too had vines.

“Does my ear have it too?” I ask quickly.
“Do you think my dad saw it?”

“
No, he would have said something. But, with him being on your left, he couldn’t see that side. And yes, your ear has the vines too.” He’s sitting straight forward.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Why did it happen?” I follow quickly.

“I’m not sure yet,” he repeats.

“How do we take it off?”

“Baby, I’m not sure yet,” he says, keeping his irritation contained.

“Well
, what are you sure of?”

“Tracey.” He squeezes my hand. “Calm down
. We will figure this out. Can you tell me what happened in your dream?”