Reaper (32 page)

“At least we’re locked in here together,” I told Hunter.
 
“We’ve got to get out of here.” I jumped out of bed and rushed to the window. “Of course,” I huffed when I saw the bars. I went back to the bed and dropped on my knees, desperate to find something to break this spell.

Someone knocked on the door. I scrambled up and climbed back into the bed.

“Dr. Green would like to see you,” a young nurse told me when she stepped into the room. She waved her hand. I hurried over so she could escort me down the hall and into his office. Hunter trotted behind me, stopping to sniff the floor every few seconds.

The nurse had to unlock a set of double doors that led into a long hall. We went down a flight of stairs, through another set of locked doors, turned a corner and stopped in front of an office. She softly knocked on the door, opening it when someone called ‘come in’.

 
Dr. Green was sitting behind a large metal desk that was covered with papers. A bookshelf lined with psychology books took up the entire wall behind him. Weird blue and red paintings hung on the wall to the left, and a large window was to the right. The nurse ushered me in, spun around, and closed the door. I sat down nervously in an uncomfortable wooden chair.

“Hello again,” Dr. Green said politely and smiled that same forced smile. “Let’s begin right where we left off.”

“Ok,” I mumbled and tried to surreptitiously look around for a means to escape.

“Tell me about school,” he continued.

“I graduated early,” I replied flatly.

“I am aware. What was school like for you?”

“Um, normal, I guess. I loved it.” That was a lie. I felt like a freak every single day. “I had friends and got good grades.” Was it obvious I was trying to sound mentally sound?

“Did you ever have any boyfriends?”

“Yeah,” I lied smoothly. “A few.”

“Tell me about them.”

I shrugged. “It was nothing special. We went out, did normal things, ya know?”

He clasped his hands together. “No, I don’t know. Care to expand?”

“There’s nothing to say.” I forced myself to keep eye contact.

“And what about Ethan?” His eyes sparked when he said ‘Ethan’.

“What about him?” I replied carefully.

“How did you two meet?”

“The internet, which is the normal way to meet psychos, I hear.”

“Is Ethan from Indiana?” Dr. Green asked. He uncapped a pen and flipped open a notebook, prepared to take notes.

“No,” I said honestly.

“Hmm, interesting. Where is he from?”

“Marble Falls, Arkansas,” I told him, saying the first thing that came to mind.

“His family too?” he asked after he jotted down the name of the city.

“Uh, I think so. I’m not familiar with his family.”

Dr. Green kept asking me questions about Ethan: where we went on our first date, what Ethan’s father did for a living—assuming he still had a living father, or if Ethan had ever been arrested. I had a hard time playing dumb when it was so obvious something wanted info on my demon hunter.

 
It was nearing five o’clock when Dr. Green said he had to make a phone call. I sprang out of the chair without having a plan in mind. He had left the manila folder of my information on top of his desk. I glanced at the door, debating if I had enough time to look.
Who cares, I can play crazy
, I thought and opened the folder. My birthday, state of birth, and physical description was on the first page. I flipped to another. ‘Psychosis NOS’ was handwritten on the top. Under that was a list of symptoms and why I fit the diagnosis.

I had been hallucinating. I had been seeing things that Hunter and the horses couldn’t even see. I shook my head. I love Ethan more than anything in the entire world. He was real, our love was real, and if it was the last thing I did, I was going back to him.

 
Hunter, who had been sitting patiently my by side, put his head in my lap and whined.

“I know, boy. But we’ll figure it out, I promise.” I rubbed him between his eyes and looked out the window. We were on the first floor in the back of the hospital. A dark alley ran the length of the building.

Hunter got up and paced around the room looking bored. He sniffed the garbage can that was by the door.

“Get away from that,” I told him. He ignored me. “Hunter,” I said sternly. Again, he ignored me and proceeded to knock it over. Great, just freaking great. I had as much control over Hunter as I did Romeo…which was none. I need out—now.

The door opening startled me. Dr. Green beamed, and this time his flash of teeth seemed genuine.

 
“Can I use the restroom?” I asked suddenly.

“Of course, it’s right there.” He pointed to a door not too far from his office. “I’ll watch the dog for you.”

“Ok,” I agreed. I didn’t have a plan, and I needed one ASAP. I closed the door and leaned against the bathroom sink. Again, I felt nothing. If I was really in a mental hospital, surely there would be some sort of heavy energy in the air, and maybe even a spirit or two. I stared at my reflection.
 
Maybe I was crazy. I was basing reality off of whether or not I could sense spirits…I shook my head. I couldn’t think like that.
This isn’t real.
Ethan is real, I love him, and I needed to go to him. He had to be panicking, unable to find me.

I looked around the bathroom for something I could use in my escape. It was a small room, with one toilet and one sink. A stupid, ugly fake plant was in terra cot pot, painted an awful dust rose pink. A can of air freshener and a box of tissues sat on the sink. There wasn’t anything in here I could use as a weapon. I was just about to leave when I thought of something.

Hoping it would work, I piled a few paper towels on ground. I took the fake flowers out of the pot and threw them in the garbage. I put the pot on the paper towels, covered it with a few more, and stomped on the pot. Careful not to be too loud, I sifted through the pieces to find one big enough to act as a make-shift knife. I rolled up the rest of the shattered pot and tossed it.

Glad I hadn’t been stripped of my clothes and stuck in a non-functional hospital gown, I put the piece of terra cotta in my pocket and went back into Dr. Green’s office.

“When are my parent’s getting here?” I asked as soon as I sat down.

“Soon, I would expect,” he said calmly.

“Yeah, me too.” I nodded. “Can I call them?”

“Oh, I don’t think it will be much longer.”

“I really want to talk to my mom,” I said with a quiver in my voice. “I’m starting to miss her.”

Dr. Green smiled. “Then you can go ahead and call her.”

Eagerly, I picked up the phone. I let my hand hover over the buttons. “I-I don’t re-remember the number!” I stammered, forcing tears to well up in my eyes. I looked up at Dr. Green. “Can you go get it for me? I know Rose has it.”

“Of course. Sit tight,” he soothed.

He closed the door behind him. I sprung up and dashed to the window. The locks stuck at first, creating a flash of fear and dread, but I was able to force them open. I stabbed the sharp end of the terra cotta into the screen. It tore easier than I expected.

“Hunter,” I called, relieved when he listened. “It’s a bit of a jump but we can do it.” I helped him onto the window sill and watched as he gracefully jumped down. The office door flew open.

“I had Rose call and your parents are—” Dr. Green froze. “What are you doing?”

“Escaping, duh.” I edged closer to the window. He could easily grab me.

“You don’t want to do that, Anora.”

“Yes, I do. This isn’t real,” I said through gritted teeth. Dr. Green rushed over. His hands closed around my arm; he pulled me toward him. I gripped the piece of terra cotta. “And you’re not real.” I stabbed the sharp clay into his thigh, dragging it down and tearing his skin. Dr. Green cried out in pain and stumbled back. Chaos was about to erupt from the hospital, and I needed to be gone. I dove out the window, twisting on impact. The pain didn’t have time to register. I scrambled up, took hold of Hunter’s collar and took off.

I wasn’t familiar with downtown Paradise Valley. I didn’t know where I was or what direction to go in, though I was certain that there was not a mental hospital in the heart of the town. Hunter and I tore down the alley, across a street, and around a few blocks before I saw a sign that said ‘Indiana Ave’. I ran straight ahead and was hit with a familiar sight: the bank that held my inherited money. I knew how to get home. The only problem was it was a very, very long way.

Sirens screeched in the distance. “I’m on the lam,” I said to Hunter. I was so scared and confused and angry that I was in a fragile state. “I’m actually on the lam!” And then I burst into crazy giggles. The giggles went away as soon as I saw flashing red and blue bouncing off nearby buildings. I sprinted into an alley, paused to catch my breath and let the cop car pass, and then started my epic run back home.

It seemed like hours by the time my feet hit the gravel of my road. Not one car passed me on my journey. Not one. I was shivering from the cold, misty air, panting from running for the longest I ever have, and sore from moving my legs as much as I did. I didn’t slow down until I was on my street. A thick fog rose from the ground. The spell was unraveling. My world was back. Refusing to let the fog stop me, I picked up the pace again. Afraid I would pass my house, I suddenly stopped, my feet sliding on gravel.

With my mind, I pushed the fog away. I smiled settled on my face when the muted glow of the porch lights was visible through the dispersing fog. I ran down my driveway, not taking my eyes off the light. My shoes scuffed along the cement sidewalk and I stumbled up the stairs.

“Thank God,” I panted heavily as the front door opened. I stepped inside and was swallowed by white mist.

Chapter 13 - Home Sweet Home

The white mist circled around me, encasing me in a dizzying spiral of confusion. I stumbled forward, my dewy boots slipping on the hardwood floors. I threw my hands out in front of me, trying to catch my faltering balance. I hadn’t even realized I had fallen until the impact shot pain up my knees.

“Anora!” René’s voice came from somewhere. “She’s here!” I heard the sound of running, a door opening, and then slamming shut. A hand landed on my back. “Anora?” René asked. “Holy shit,” she muttered and knelt down on the floor next to me. I sprawled out on the rug in the foyer, unable to open my eyes.
 
“It’s ok,” René soothed and ran a hand over my hair.

I realized I was still panting. Not wanting to concern René any more than she already was, I pushed myself up and leaned against the wall. The floor vibrated under heavy footfalls. Someone sank down and wrapped an arm around me.

 
“What the hell happened?” my brother asked, his voice shaky with fear.

I felt like I did the time I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl one too many times at the state fair. I kept my eyes closed, waiting for the spinning sensation to stop. The back door opened and slammed shut again. It only took him a second to race to the front door. Hunter’s wet nose pressed into my neck, right under my ear. I instantly felt a shade better. Ethan wasn’t far behind. Harrison moved out of the way and Ethan put his arms around me.

“Annie,” Ethan whispered, his voice still choking back the fear he had felt. He gently pushed my messy hair out of my face. I briefly opened my eyes; René and Ethan mirrored the same expression of confusion and fear. Harrison looked terrified. “Can you hear me, Anora?” Ethan asked.

“Yes,” I said, closing my eyes again. “I’m really, really dizzy.” Ethan’s hands slid under my arms and he slowly pulled me towards him, so that my head was resting in his lap. I tried to sit up. “I think I’m gonna throw up,” I said hoarsely.

“Want me to take you to the bathroom?” Ethan asked. I nodded and let him lift me to my feet. My vision swirled with each step I took. René held my hair out of my face and Ethan gently rubbed my back as I vomited into the toilet.

“I feel better now,” I said, slumping down against the wall. “Can someone bring me water?” The wild spinning slowed. I rested my head in my heads; what the hell really happened?

“Here,” Harrison said, extending a glass of cold water.

“Thanks.” I took a drink. A flash of hot pink caught my attention; René was still wearing the breeches. I looked Ethan up and down, he too had on the same clothes as he did the last time I saw him, as well as Harrison.

“Annie,” Ethan began, still rubbing my back. “Where did you go?”

“I was kinda kidnapped and held hostage,” I said, not sounding too sure of myself.

“For half an hour?” René turned her head a little sideways.

“No,” I mumbled. “A day.”

“You weren’t gone for a day, Annie,” Harrison stated.

“Yes I was,” I argued.

“No, you weren’t,” Ethan told me, looking warily at René.

“Ok,” I said and set the cup down. “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to sit on the bathroom floor.”

 
Ethan sprung to his feet and offered me a hand. Still wobbly, I took it and let him pull me to my feet. We moved into the family room. I wrapped myself tightly in a blanket and fell onto the couch. Hunter snuggled close next to me.