Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (83 page)

     
By the time I
finally made it home, it was just after four in the morning. I hadn't called
for a cab. I hadn't even looked for a phone. Keeping alongside the lake, I
headed south until I eventually found myself in familiar territory. Luckily,
there weren't too many people out and about during this time.

     
Though still
fuzzy, my mind was on high alert, prepared to use the remaining two bullets. If
someone came after me, I would be ready. But for now, I thought I was safe.

     
Would it get
back to 'Val' that those kids had failed?

     
It definitely
would if I returned to the Luxadigm tomorrow. Until I knew who had been keeping
tabs on me, I wouldn't be able to go back.

     
The apartment
was silent. I searched the living room, my breathing uneven.

     
...
What now?

     
But, of course,
I already knew the answer.

     
Heading into
the bathroom, I started the shower. More than anything else, I wanted my bed.
Or at the very least, a bath. A chair, even. Whatever would help alleviate the
aching tension and soreness from my body. But it was out of the question. I had
to keep moving.

     
As I undressed,
I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Just a glimpse though, as I wouldn't
allow for any more than that. I was white - much whiter than usual. My hair was
a disaster and there was blood on my face, neck, and hands. It had dried a long
time ago, forming into thick, black chunks of crystal that melted into a bright
red as the water began washing over my skin. The back of my head where I'd been
hit with the chain stung the most. Finding that there was also dried blood in
my hair from the wound, I had to take a few extra minutes to get it out.

     
Afterwards, I
just focused on getting the rest of my body clean. Not that it would make that
much of a difference. I could scrub all I wanted, but I was officially a killer
now. Nothing would ever change that.

     
But as my
former hero would say, "I won't think about that now. I'll think about
that tomorrow."

     
I didn't bother
drying my hair. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I began heading over to
my room to find different clothes.

     
Do I call
Ethan?

     
…No.

     
I couldn't talk
to him. Not like this. Not when I still had no words. I needed time.

     
You have to
tell him it was someone in the building, though.

     
But what if
Karina was also involved? It was doubtful, of course, but if it was true and
she answered his phone again, only to discover that I was still alive…

     
I ran to charge
my phone, pacing frantically as I waited for the screen to go on. There were no
missed calls and no missed messages. Ethan had never tried to contact me.
Karina hadn't told him, then. Go figure.

     
Wait.

     
It's already
morning in New York, right?
Quickly, I scrolled through my screen until I
found the unfamiliar icon I was looking for. It was the tracking app he had
installed. I had never used it before. I felt odd using it now. What exactly I
was trying to find, I couldn't say. But I knew it wasn't a good sign when I
found his name grayed out. Either his phone connection was off or it was dead.
Was he okay? He wasn't hurt, was he?

     
Out.

     
Just finishing
getting ready. Don't think anymore.

     
I pulled out a folded up box and some bags from the
hallway closet and went back into my room, glad that I'd taken the time to pack
most of my things last Saturday. The only things I hadn't packed were the
clothes that I loved the most.

     
Clothes, shoes,
and accessories aside, I only had a few books and movies since most of my reading
and movie watching was done on the laptop. And I was always careful to never
purchase any knickknacks or baubles that would be troublesome to pack, so the
total amount of boxes was rather small.

     
When I was done
with my room, I headed into the bathroom to clear it out. From under the sink,
I found Ethan's shampoo and body wash and decided to bring them with me. I
would need to feel close to him once I was gone. I also packed a few simple
nightgowns into my suitcase, along with the easiest clothes to mix-and-match,
and Sir Leucippus.

     
Then I went to
pull out my safe, making sure to take only what I needed. I stuffed a couple of
the new stacks of cash Noel had sent over into my messenger bag, and then a
bunch more into the suitcase. The rest of the money was in a shoebox, already
packed away with my other clothes.

     
After tearing
off a small piece of paper from a notebook, I wrote a quick message to Ethan
before taking my necklace off and wrapping the paper around it. Carefully, I
placed it into the safe. I didn't know how else to reach him without calling
his cell or the house. I didn't know where he was staying, nor did I have the
time to find out. I wouldn't even be able to risk contacting his office later
on, not without taking the chance that someone would find out.

     
Because I had
absolutely no idea about what was going on or who had come after me, I had no
choice but to disappear completely. That was the only thing that guaranteed my
safety.

     
Making sure I
had everything, I took the safe and my two bags with me out into the living
room and then went to find another piece of paper so I could write a small
letter to Dale.

     
Well, I'd meant
for it to be small and simple, but I may or may not have ended up getting a
little gushy towards the end.

     
Once finished,
I stuffed it into an envelope labeled 'Coops,' along with some money and two
keys. After taking a deep breath, I set it down onto the center of the coffee
table and placed my phone on top of it.
I won't be needing that anymore.

     
Using the house
phone, I tried to speak normally as I called for another fucking cab.

     
The closer I
got to reaching Ethan's front door, the worse the paranoia became. I felt as
though the whole world was watching me. Whether his place was safe or not, I
had no way of knowing, but either way, I had no intention of staying long.

     
I went straight
into his office and pulled my laptop out, setting it on top of his desk. It
would have to stay, too. Digging into one of the drawers, I grabbed a piece of
paper and a pen, ready to write another message for him - this time a goodbye.

     
It was so much
harder to think of words for Ethan. Actually, it was impossible. And there were
still a few days until he returned - what if someone else found it? Until I
knew what was happening, I couldn't trust anyone. I couldn't say anything about
where I was going. But I also couldn't lie to him like I had in Dale's letter.

     
Tick-tock,
Daphne. The sun is coming.

     
I did the only
thing I could think of.

     
In the center
of the paper, I wrote
S9E6
. And just underneath, a signature - a
near-perfect circle with cat ears and an 'x' in the center for whiskers.
Somehow, I managed a small smile. It reminded me of a baby version of the
Luxadigm logo.

     
I folded the
paper and stuck it into an envelope labeled 'Spook,' and then headed into the
music room. If someone
did
come looking here, they probably wouldn't
think to check the piano. If Ethan was suspicious enough, he might. At the very
least, he would find it whenever he decided to play again.

     
At this point,
I began to feel a bit ridiculous. But then I told myself that one couldn't be
too careful, especially when their life was in danger. Very carefully, I placed
both the envelope and the safe inside and slowly lowered the lid of the piano,
praying that it wouldn't cause too much damage, if any at all.

     
His bedroom
came next.

     
There wasn't
any time to dwell on what I would be missing. I went straight into his closet
and grabbed one of his dark blue ties and another button-up shirt, quickly
stuffing them into my suitcase.

     
The last stop
was the kitchen. If I'd been capable of feeling things as I normally did, I
would have laughed.
Guess who's stealing your groceries, Spook?
From one
of the cupboards, I pulled out two plastic bags and began stuffing them with
various snacks and whatever other edibles that I knew would survive the short
trip I was about to make.

     
Okay…Time to
run.

     
Exhaling, I
turned to go. Then I stopped.

     
I couldn't
move. I wasn't ready to leave yet. That, or my body was shutting down, too
exhausted to keep going.

     
...
Maybe
just a few more minutes, then.

     
Stopping had
only made me feel worse, as I was now able to register just how much pain my
body was in. How long had it been since I last slept? In the past, I could go
two or three days without proper sleep. But the night's events had taken a toll
on me. Still, I pushed it aside for now. I could sleep for as long as I wanted
once I returned to my own home.

     
Slowly, I began
shuffling my way to the nearest window. It was light out, now. Dark clouds
covered the entire sky, visibly sweeping through as though a storm was either
coming or going - I couldn't tell which. But it wasn't gray out. It wasn't even
blue. It was one of
those
mornings. The heavenly kind. The golden kind.

To
the angels who watch my back (literally):

Puppy
Chew-Poo Chabadoochi (aka Puppet), May Belle (aka MiBell-Chu),

Gigi
(aka Gigi-Ga-Froom), and Bilbo (aka Bilbo-Chu).

You're
my Littles for everyday.

To
anyone who read this book and made it to the end:

Thank
you for taking the time.

To
anyone who read this book, made it to the end, and enjoyed it:

Hello,
friend. There are no words to express how happy I am.

To
anyone who read this book and felt:

I'm
here for you.