Desolate (Riverband #2)

ASIN:
B00N4HHNO2

Copyright © 2014 J.L. Hackett & Sara Daniell

This book is a work of fiction.  Characters, places, and things that happen are all fictional. This book may not be reproduced without written permission from the author.

All rights reserved.

REESE

I only saw the shadows before.  But now they speak to me.  They whisper dark things that keep my mind in a constant war.  I had hoped that I was just seeing things because I was nuts, but they were becoming all too real.

I felt the need to cover my ears when they started up again.  But it didn’t matter.  They were in my head and getting louder.

Just a little further. It won’t hurt long.  It’s the only way to get peace.  To forget everything you felt for him.  You don’t deserve happiness. You’re losing your mind.  Do you want to bring the rest of the world down with you?  No one will miss you.

Their chilling whispers filled my small room. It was impossible to escape them.  I looked at the large rusty nail that I had pulled from the wall.  The nail that I had pressed to my vein only moments ago.

I shook my head and tried to ignore my constant tormentors.  I went back to working on my hole behind the dresser.

These crazy ass people I was staying with had me locked in a room with bars on the window. Of course, I had stabbed one of them with a butter knife, so, they had a reason to keep me locked up. I wanted to get to Havock, and dammit, I was going to get to him. He was the only one who could save me.

I heard someone coming down the hall towards my locked door.  I quickly cleaned my mess up and moved the dresser in front of the hole. I sat down on the bed and glared at the door as it opened.  I placed the nail under my thigh. Troy and Brad, the ones keeping me prisoner, came in.

“We need to talk to you,” Troy said as he took a hesitant step towards me. He knew better than to get too close. I smirked a little at the memory of me stabbing him with a butter knife. There was a little hint of guilt, but not much.

I clenched my jaw. “Let me out.”

“We can't do that,” he said as calmly as possible.

Brad glared at me. “You know what?! We're trying to help you, brat!” he snapped.

“You're not helping me! You took me away from my home!” I yelled out as I stood and tried to figure out a way past them.
Oh hell, may as well try.
I charged towards them, attempting to get by. It was stupid considering I was only five-five and these guys were well past six feet. Troy grabbed me to keep me from leaving, and as his arms wrapped around me, I kicked and fought, clawing and scratching. It wasn't doing any good, and anger filled me.

“LET ME GO!” I screamed out. I felt my pulse quicken.  Something was fizzing inside me. It was like I was soda in a can being shaken violently.  The hairs on my arms stood up as this strange energy soared through every inch of my body, but more prominent at the tips of my fingers.  I had to look to make sure I wasn’t sticking my finger in an electrical socket.

The next thing I knew Brad was flying across the room as if he was attached to invisible strings. His body was yanked across the floor as he fought to try to find something to grab a hold of to stop him.  He hit the wall with a thud, putting a large dent in it. As he slid down the wall, behind me, Troy yelled out in pain and let go of me. I turned around to see red angry whelps appearing on his arms.

I used this freakin’ weird moment to my advantage.  I took off. I didn't question what had just happened. I got out of the house and ran towards the back field. I spotted the tree line and forced my legs to carry me faster through the woods. 

Limbs slapped my arms and face.  I hadn't made it very far when I was tackled to the ground. I yelled out as pain radiated through my side.

“You have to listen!” Troy yelled as he held tight to me. “If you don't get control, you're really going to hurt someone! You'll hurt Havock!” He warned, using the only name that would make me listen.

I stopped struggling against him. “Wha...what are you talking about?” I asked quietly. “I would
never
hurt Havock.”

“You may not mean to, but you could and will if you don't listen to us.”  Troy's grip on me loosened. “We want to help you. This is why we took you away. Why we used you and Havock being together as a reason to get you away from the Satterly’s before something really bad happened.”

“I just want to go home,” I said as I got some of my fire back in me. I started fighting again, but Troy held firm. “Just let me go,” I begged as a tear slide down my cheek. I was in pain, physically and emotionally. I needed Havock. I needed my family.

“You can't go home. This is your new home,” he mumbled something under his breath, and suddenly, I began to feel drowsy. “Sleep. We'll talk when you're awake,” he whispered then I fell fast asleep.

~~~
 

I woke up to my left wrist handcuffed to headboard of the bed. I sat up and tugged at it, but it was locked tight.

“We need to talk,” Troy said as he looked down at his arms. He rubbed the red whelps then leaned forward in his chair. “You're very interesting.”

“No, she's a brat, and we should have let them kill her,” Brad said from the corner.

Troy cut his eyes at him. “She's just a scared kid who doesn't know anything. She doesn't know about her mother or why her father was taken.”

I glared at them. “What are you talking about?” I asked through the pain. My ribs were killing me.

“Don't get an attitude with us,” Brad snapped. “You threw me against a wall and hurt Troy!”

I flinched and shook my head. “I didn't do that! Are you insane?!” Great, I was locked in a house with bat-shit crazy people.

“You're a witch, Reese,” Troy said calmly.

I started laughing coldly. “You are insane,” I stated as I tugged on the cuffs.

Brad held his hand out and a blue flame appeared in it.

I was speechless. I blinked a few times praying, hoping I was seeing things. “How...What?” I asked in confusion.

“We're witches and so are you,” Troy said calmly. “Your mother was a witch as well.”

I stared at them both in shock. That couldn't be happening. And definitely couldn't be true. I looked at my hand that was shaking. I was going crazy. Witches weren't real. The blue flame wasn’t real and neither were those shadows I kept seeing. It was all just a hallucination that wouldn’t stop. A mental break down.  Yeah, that was logical.

“We can help you learn how to control your powers. And with time, you'll be able to leave here, but you can't until you learn control,” Troy said as he looked at me.

I shook my head. “This can't be true! I don't believe you!” I yelled as a tear fell down my cheek. I couldn't be a witch. This was a lie. “If...if I'm a witch why didn't dad tell me or mom? Why haven't I been able to do anything? Why?!”

“Because we all thought that maybe you weren't. When a witch marries a mortal sometimes their powers don't transfer. Usually, we see a witch's powers around three or four. You didn't show any signs. So, we kept you in the dark. Your father was going to tell you, or was supposed to tell you, on your sixteenth birthday.” Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “But he didn't.”

“The only reason we know you're a witch now is because your therapist called us. She's one of us. She told us that you're seeing dark shadowy figures. Those only appear to witches. Humans can see them when the shadows appear to them, but they only appear when a witch is around. They're drawn to our powers, sent by dark witches to torment us.”

Yep, that was definitely what they were doing. They were tormenting the hell out of me. They were making me feel like I was losing my mind.

“That's why we took you. Why we brought you here. We knew that if the shadows were tracking you then it was only a matter of time before your powers fully manifested,” Brad said with a little less edge to his voice.

I tried to calm my breathing as I looked at Brad.  He was older.  The wrinkles near the corners of his eyes and peppered hair gave that away.

“We can teach you how to use them and teach you control,” Troy said as he held up the key to the handcuffs. His smile was soft and kind.  Like Brad, his dark hair was starting to gray.  Maybe these guys were really trying to help me. Well, at least Troy was.  Brad was mean and abusive. “But you can't tell anyone about this. We don't tell others outside our group. It isn't safe for us or them. Our kind barely escaped the last witch hunts. We wouldn't survive another one.”

I looked at the key. I didn't know how to process this. Any of it.  But I wanted out and maybe if I played along, I could catch them off guard again. “What happened to my mom and dad?”

“Your mom was a powerful witch but not powerful enough. She was a Guardian of The Light. We all make choices. Some choose the light some the dark. She was a powerful witch that was supposed to keep the balance. Keep the dark ones in check. However, she wasn't powerful enough to keep herself from going mad. Dark witches can project shadows. They can't harm us, but they can play on our mind and torment us. They tormented your mother until she went mad. One night, she couldn't take it anymore. She walked to the river and drowned herself. We,” Brad looked at Troy, “tried to get there in time to save her, but we were too late. And as for your father, we're not sure exactly who has him.”

“So...why am I seeing the shadows? What do they want from me?” I asked my voice shook a little.

“I believe they think you're the next Guardian. If you are then they will do everything they can to get you on their side. Whichever side has the guardian has the advantage,” Troy said as he unlocked my cuffs.

“Where's my dad?” I asked as I rubbed my wrist.

Brad and Troy exchanged glances. “Like I said not really for sure. We think the other side has him. If they do then I'm sure they'll try to use him against you. That's why we brought you here. It's time you learned about your powers and how to handle them. Without that none of us stand a chance. If a guardian doesn't rise up soon then a war will rage between our two sides. A war that will not only affect our kind but the mortals as well.”

I looked at my hands. “Why can't I learn from you and still stay with Havock?” I asked quietly.

“Because that boy is a distraction and you don't need that. Plus, no one can know. It's time for you to give him up and grow up,” Brad said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

I looked at him with all the anger and fear I was feeling. “I'll never give him up, and I swear to you I'm getting out of here and going to him.”

Troy looked taken aback. “But what about what we told you? What we need you to do-” he stopped when I stood.

“I have lost everyone I love. I won't lose Havock too! If you want me to stay away from him you'll have to keep me locked up forever!”

Brad stared daggers at me. “Oh, we will. Until we know we can trust you, you'll be staying right here.”

They both started to leave. “Your training begins tomorrow whether you like it or not. Get some rest.”

They both walked out of the room locking the door with me inside.  I waited a few moments then went over to the dresser. I pushed it to the side then cursed as I saw my hole had been fixed and re-enforced.

“Dammit!” I cursed then went back over to the bed.