Dreamers (The Dreamers Series) (15 page)

My stomach aches under my skin as Heather’s defeated and scolded tone hits me like a sucker punch. It kills me to hear her sad.

“No, Heather, I thought I knew you,” Mia snarls.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her. I know I got a little too rough. But I never would have gone through with it—I know myself.”

“Whoa, wait just a second, Heather. This is news to me. What the hell do you mean you got too rough? What exactly did you do to my sister?”

Sweat beads on my forehead, and I begin to pace. I hope Heather keeps her mouth shut. I don’t want Mia to find out about what happened that night, and I especially don’t want her to find out like this. She’ll rip Heather apart in there, and Cayden might too. I close my eyes bracing myself for a fight to break out. I consider going out there to stop this before it escalates, but I hear Heather respond. I stop and listen closely with my ear against the door.

“Talk to Sydney. If she didn’t tell you, then I guess she has her reasons. I’m not going to betray her by telling you something she doesn’t want you to know.”

“Okay, Heather. I will. My sister won’t hide things from me.”

She storms away from Heather and knocks heavily at the door, demanding I let her in. The only way I’m getting out of this conversation is by lying. I see a trashcan near my desk, which inspires the
I’m sick
idea.

“Mia, I’m vomiting again. I’m tired, and I want to go to bed. Go home please, and let me rest,” I lie.

Mia reluctantly agrees from the opposite side of my bedroom door, while Cayden reiterates that he can be here is less than five minutes if I need him.

“Thanks guys, I’ll call you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

I figure it’s safe as I hear the front door squeak to a close, leaving Heather and I alone in the apartment for the first time since that night.

The phony rasp I threw into my voice has actually made my throat dry and scratchy. I want a glass of tea, but that means facing Heather. I wait for a minute, trying to swallow spit as a substitute. It’s not working, yet only makes it worse. I’m aware that there will be a point when I will have to leave this room anyway, so I might as well get it over with now. I feel the need to apologize to Heather for Mia’s attack, as well as for my own mistakes. I don’t know where to begin, I’m truly terrified that she hates me. The thought of her shunning me turns my stomach, leaving me nauseous and weak again. I don’t want to live without her as my best friend. I wish we could just go back to the days when things were uncomplicated. I’m so lost in thought that I startle as I hear a light tap at my door. She has come to me first. Thank god. Wait, what if she’s here to tell me to leave? The thought makes my heart stop briefly. The best way to find out is simply to ask. Like a Band-Aid, I just get it over with.

“Heather, do you want me to leave? If so, I can call Cayden to pick me up,” I call from behind the door.

“Leave? No, Sydney.” She sounds insulted that I would ask such a question. “Actually, I found something on the counter in the kitchen when I came home yesterday. I grabbed it before anyone saw it and put it in my truck until the police left. It was addressed to you so I wanted to respect your privacy and make sure nobody else got their hands on it.”

“What is it?” I ask cautiously.

“It’s a letter. From—Lana.” She slips it under the door.

My fingers begin to tremble instantly. Anger screams, and I hate myself for letting Lana’s presence, even just through a letter, intimidate me to the point that I’m shaking. I open the door. I need to see her face, the face that has comforted me so many times in my life. Her glasses are off, she’s been crying. I can’t stop myself as I reach my hand through the crack of the door, swiping my thumb underneath her big brown eye, catching a final tear.

“Uh—thanks, Syd. Allergies are starting to kick up a little.” She tugs at the collar of her lime green polo, unsuccessfully attempting to use it as an eye cloth.

I reach for a tissue on my desk, and begin dabbing her sadness away.

“Heather, why are you crying, honey?”

“I have done nothing but sit here and think about what my life would be like if you weren’t in it. I don’t know what I would do if she had seriously hurt you. I’m so sorry, baby, for everything. You have no idea how responsible I feel for what happened.”

“Look, I don’t want to dwell on what might have been. I’m alive, and so lucky. She never physically hurt me. Enough, though. I don’t want to talk about Lana—please. I’m just not ready yet.”

“I know, I’m not pushing. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“And thank you for not telling anyone about the letter. I already had to give a police report before I left the hospital. I have no interest in discussing this with anyone else, and there is no telling what kind of personal things she might have wrote in here. The entire thing is humiliating enough without everyone in Atlanta finding out.”

“I understand, Syd. I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“Do you want to come in and sit down?”

“Um—no. I’ll leave you in privacy before Mia comes back and knocks me out with a hammer.”

Her posture returns to its typical reserved and laid back nature as she leans against the door frame, crossing her legs at the ankle. Her light khakis are perfectly wrinkle free, the bottom cuffs turned up slightly to show off her lime colored Chuck Taylor’s she paired to match her polo shirt. Everything about her seems normal, at least that’s what she’s trying to portray. I’ve known her long enough to identify when she is uncomfortable—which she is. She’s itching to get away from me. The way she fingers that little piece of hair that keeps falling in her eyes and the way she keeps biting her bottom lip from the inside is telling. I’ve seen it on her before—she’s feeling anxious. I should’ve known she would hate me after everything that’s happened. She doesn’t even want to be around me. I can’t say that I blame her. All I can do is try to make her understand, and be honest with her this time, like a real friend should.

“I’m sorry about the way she treated you, Heather. I asked her to let me handle my own business, but you know Mia, she has to control everything.”

“She’s your sister, that’s what she’s supposed to do. The thing I don’t get is why she’s so pissed at me. If you didn’t tell her about—that night, then what’s her beef? Is it because I let Lana get to you?”

This is my first opportunity to be honest, and I don’t know how. If I tell her about the bracelet, it’s sure to prompt a laundry list of other questions—questions I’m not ready to answer, especially with our friendship on thin ice already. Nick is not a safe conversation right now. Soon—I will tell her soon.

“There are a lot of things we need to talk about, Heather—that being one of them. I owe you an explanation, as well as a huge apology. I need some time to get my thoughts together. I’m going to read this letter, and after that if I feel up to talking I’ll come and get you. Is that okay? I’m not blowing you off, but this letter is burning a hole in my head. I’m ready to extinguish her from my mind permanently.”

“I understand, Syd. When you’re ready, I’ll be here.” She turns from me quietly, returning to the living room.

Like a Band-Aid, I rip the letter from the envelope, unleashing her god-awful perfume scent into my room. I hated her perfume, it always coated my mouth with its strong sweet aroma. The fact that she sprayed it on her stationary is no surprise; she always took pride in her scent, saying how much Nick loved it. Disgusting. I prep my eyes for the message I’m about to read, adjusting my squint to read her sloppy lettering. It’s written in red pen, what a nice touch.

Hey Red,

I’m sure you’re just thrilled to hear from me. If you are reading this than things must have gone bad and I’m dead. There are a few things I need to say to you that you MUST remember.

1: Don’t share the information I give you with anyone, including Dominick.

2: Heather is NOT the enemy, she is the closest thing to an ally that you’ve got, use it to your advantage.

4: Most importantly, DO NOT bargain with Peyton, no matter what you do. She’s on to you and she doesn’t play nice. I don’t know everything, but I do know she has his body hidden somewhere, I don’t know where. She’s bat shit fucking crazy! I blackmailed her and ended up in a loony bin. The only reason I ever made it out of there is because YOU showed up. Peyton found out that you were living in here. She is well aware of Dominick’s ability to reach people in that room. She learned of Dominick’s ability when I first moved in. I was foolish and confided in her before I found out who she really was. Chances are, you’ve already encountered her more than once and you didn’t even know it. That said, be choosy about who you talk to regarding Dominick.

Things were not supposed to end this way. When Peyton asked me to come to the apartment and “handle” you, I agreed because I missed Dominick and I wanted to see him, not to mention it got me out of that nut house. The original plan was to kill you and she would make sure I still had contact with Dominick for the rest of my life, which sounded like a good deal to me at first. But I told Dominick my plan and he threatened to never speak to me again if I hurt you. So things kinda changed. That’s when I knew…it’s YOU he loves. I tried to change his mind but he is way too far gone.

I figured if I were the one to find his body and set him free that he would know that I love him more than you ever could. That’s why I couldn’t let you go. I held you here to keep Peyton at bay while I continued to search for his body. Screwing with your head was just a perk, to keep things interesting, but I know he will never be mine. His heart belongs to you. The asshole wouldn’t even kiss me.

I still want you to help him, even though I can’t anymore. There’s something bugging me that I can’t quite figure out…Why is Peyton hiding him? Isn’t she putting herself at risk by keeping his dead body somewhere? There’s something missing in this story and I need you to figure it out. Do the right thing and set him free, Sydney.

Heather is completely blind to what’s going on with Dominick. You need to get Heather to open her eyes and see what is going on in her own house. Peyton has a soft spot for her. USE IT if you need to. Peyton made me plant that bracelet in her drawer after she heard you and Cayden talking about it at the Greek restaurant. You were supposed to find it and leave the house thinking Heather was a psycho or something. But you didn’t leave. Peyton didn’t want anything to go down around Heather.

Since that didn’t work I tried to drug Heather’s wine the night she went all psycho rapist on you, hoping she would pass out and I could snatch you from the apartment and handle you elsewhere. Again, plans fail and it didn’t work exactly like I planned but in the end I made it work. If Heather hadn’t left that morning I would have been forced to do something with her in the house and Peyton would not have been happy about it.

The only reason I’m telling you this is because you and Dominick aren’t exactly on good terms right now so you might not want to help him. Try to remember that you owe him. He saved your life. Without him I would have taken your ass out in a heartbeat. Repay him by bringing him home. He needs to crossover so he can find happiness.

Time to go now,

Lana

Hint Hint: Peyton owns the building. Start digging there, its public record. Trust me, once I finally made the connection everything started to come together. And remember, keep it on the down low. If the wrong people find out you’re as good as dead, and Nick is stuck forever.

So many things don’t make sense. Lana didn’t really know much more than I do. She knows Peyton has Nick’s body hidden somewhere, but she never managed to figure out why or where. She was merely trying to hold on to him, she wasn’t trying to save him. Selfish lying bitch.

As for Heather, how exactly is she tied to Peyton? Why is Peyton so protective over her? Heather is innocent; she didn’t stash that bracelet, it was planted. I knew in my heart she wasn’t to blame for any of this. I was so incredibly wrong about everything.

The guilt eats away at my heart like acid inching its way through me, slowly deteriorating me from the inside out. Heather never did anything other than love me. Look what I gave her in return—disloyalty and lies. I hurt her, and for that I will be eternally regretful.

I try to avoid the nagging thought that Peyton could be anywhere, listening, watching—waiting to strike. A new fear builds in me, a fear of what I can’t see or hear. A fear of what is blending into my life so flawlessly that I haven’t even noticed it. Who is this woman?

I leave my room fearfully, scared to death my best friend in the world hates me, and with good reason. I’ve never felt so horrible about anything in my life.

“Heather.”

She won’t look at me, but she answers. From a side view I see tears glistening down her face.

“What’s up, Syd?”

“Can you ever forgive me?” Fat tears stream down my cheeks.

“Forgive you? Are you kidding me? I attacked you. And worse yet, left you here alone for a psycho to take you hostage. You’ve done nothing wrong, Sydney. I’m the one who should be begging forgiveness, not you.”

“You’re wrong. I know this is hard to understand, but it wasn’t you, it was Lana. She spiked your wine that night. She was in the house. She admitted it in this letter. Aside from the letter, I know it wasn’t you.”

“What? She was here and she drugged me? Sydney, are you for real?”

“Heather, I wouldn’t lie to you. I will never lie to you again. I’m telling you the honest truth.”

“Again? What have you lied about before?” Her full attention is on me now.

I try to gently avoid the question. After Lana’s warning, I’m afraid of dragging Heather into this. I don’t want her to become the focus of anyone dangerous—such as Peyton. Whether or not Lana is right and Peyton has some sort of allegiance to Heather, I’m taking no chances. I won’t let anyone hurt her.

“I can’t tell you, Heather. I have to keep this quiet for now, for my safety and yours. I can’t put you at risk.”