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Chapter Seven
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2024-10-29 19:42:56My mother’s bellowing from the bottom of the stairs for me to wake up came all too soon. As much as I would have liked to lay in bed for a while longer and fantasize that Kenton was in bed snuggling me, I had responsibilities to tend to. The horses would be expecting their morning feed and fresh water. I could be a few minutes late, but not a few hours.
I dragged myself out of bed and splashed cold water on my face to help rouse my body. The minty toothpaste that I used to brush the night scum from my teeth did wonders to help me feel fresh and functional. I quickly ran a brush through my wavy locks and pulled them into a smooth pony tail. Although, I doubted that it would stay smooth for long, at least it would start out that way.
“Did I hear you up in the middle of the night?” mom asked as I entered the kitchen.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I had a snack,” I said, quietly.
“Outside?”
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The days that followed were blissfully uneventful while the nights were filled with amorous anticipation as Kenton continued to pay me his visits.Days turned into weeks as we got to know each other better. Although I was frustrated by my attraction to him that was going nowhere, I was also happy and thankful for the friendship we’d developed.My eighteenth birthday was in a few days and I really wanted to introduce Kenton to my mom and brother so that he could join in on my birthday celebration.I was usually outside on the patio for fifteen minutes or so before he’d appear. I spent that time dreaming about seeing his face over the top of the candle flames as I blew them out.“Are you sleeping?” he whispered from the shadows.I kept my eyes closed. “Just thinking.”“It must be something pretty good that you’re thinking about with a smile like that on that pretty face,” he sai
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The day of the picnic came around and I was both sad and frustrated. Not only had my mother invited a few dozen people that I barely knew or didn’t know at all to it, but I hadn’t seen Kenton since the night I’d asked him to come and mom scared him away.I did my best to be pleasant and amiable to the guests as they arrived, but, let’s face it, they were my mother’s guests, not mine. To add to my angst, Michael Jefferson arrived with his two sons and his niece in tow. I was definitely not in the mood to meet and entertain people of my own age.My mother’s voice grated every nerve I possessed as she walked up to me with Michael and his offspring following like baby ducks. “Missy, honey, this is Michael Jefferson. His farm is on the other side of the reserve. I’m sure you’ve seen it while riding.” Michael vigorously shook my hand while mom continued to introduce me to the newcomers.
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Cindy came around the following morning right after breakfast to take me up on my offer to go riding. She was accompanied by Wally. Since he was also an accomplished rider, I didn’t mind giving him a horse to ride. I was just glad that I had three. I don’t know how we would have managed if we were short a horse.We said very little while we rode single file along one of my favorite trails in the reserve. Since I wasn’t much of a gabber, I was fine with the silence. It wasn’t until we reached the part of the trail that allowed us to see their farm that Wally spoke.“That’s our place,” he called out as he pointed in the direction of the farmhouse.“I thought so,” I said as I stopped Roger and waited for them to position their horses next to me.“It doesn’t look lived in from here.”“You’re right,” Cindy said as she shaded her
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Even though it had been almost a week since Kenton had paid me a midnight visit, I managed to move past my disappointment and enjoy my quiet time under the stars on the patio for a while each night before heading to bed.The full moon was approaching again. I’d spoken to my mother about my newfound habit and assured her that I was perfectly safe from any of her – what I considered imaginary- werewolves. It concerned me that someone as intelligent as she was could even contemplate the existence of those mythical creatures, but I let it go since she’d made no more fuss about them.I was stretched out on a lounger with my eyes closed, remembering my younger years of star gazing with my father, when a soft, masculine voice said, “You look deep in thought.” I recognized it immediately as Kenton’s voice.Scowling, I opened one eye. “So, you decided to grace me with your presence?”True to h
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Silent tears of rage, disappointment, and frustration flowed freely as I slipped through the patio door into the kitchen. I was half way up the stairs when I met Josh coming down for a middle of the night snack.As I quickly wiped away the tears, I realized that Kenton was right. Had we stayed as we were much longer, we would have been caught. Even so, that still didn’t excuse him for the callous and abrupt way he left me standing on the patio.My brother pressed his body against the wall to make room for me to pass. As I did, he sniffed the air while rubbing his eye with his fist and said, “You smell funny.”“Nice,” I grumbled as I hurried past him. “Real nice.”“I’m serious. What did you eat? Whatever it was, stay away from it. You stink like… I don’t know… a dirty animal.”I could feel the stickiness of my virgin blood as it
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Wally and Josh were nowhere to be found when we returned from our ride. Cindy acted undisturbed by their absence. She spent the time waiting for her cousin grooming the horses and helping me clean out stalls. It was refreshing to see how much she enjoyed the actual labor involved in tending to the animals. I was beginning to think that I was an odd soul since I actually found mucking out stalls and dragging bales of hay about the stable both pleasurable and rewarding.We put the horses out to pasture and giggled about their antics as they rolled in the dirt and undid our beautiful grooming jobs, raced each other, and even had an occasional disagreement that involved kicking and nipping. We were marveling over their distinct personalities while we compared them to humans when Josh and Wally joined us. To my discomfort, Ethan accompanied them.It was at that point that I noticed a change in the behavior of the horses. Where they&
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I was exhausted from a full day, which was good because I had no intention of sitting outside that night. I was so hurt by - and angry with - Kenton Walters that if I ever saw him again it would be too soon.At one point, I could sense that he was standing outside, looking and waiting for me. I was tempted to go to the window to confirm that feeling, but I didn’t. I forced myself to stay in bed just in case I was right. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me searching the night for him. How pathetic would that be?I was unable to sleep as I tossed and turned while I fought the urge to go outside and look for Kenton. By the time morning came, I’d made up my mind to take the chief of police up on his offer to let me stay in the trailer. Perhaps after a week or two there, I would have broken my habit of sitting on the patio, as well as gotten over Kenton.I found my mother in the kitchen making pancakes.
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Kenton and I said very little to each other while we labored with the move. Josh behaved rudely around Kenton, but Kenton acted unbothered and I paid him no mind, since I assumed that he’d been poisoned by the Jeffersons.Whenever I felt bad about the obvious snubbing Josh gave Kenton, I told myself it didn’t matter to me. I reminded myself that I was mad at him and never wanted to see him again. Although, I had to admit – privately, of course - that Hap’s praise of him peaked my interest. How had he managed to single handedly keep the reserve free of vandalism and human vermin each night?When we were all unpacked and Hap had sent the moving trailer away, my mother invited us all back to the house for dinner. She insisted that it was too much for us to try to cook a dinner for ourselves after a day of packing and moving supplies, and then unpacking and setting up for the horses; as well as Josh and me.
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I cradled Cindy in my arms. Hap had allowed us one dim light so that we wouldn’t be completely in the dark; for which I was grateful. Unfortunately, it didn’t give me enough illumination to get a good, clear look at the damage Joe did to Cindy. To add to her misery, there was no bathroom to clean up in. Clearly, the room was not intended for housing anyone for any length of time. We’d been provided with a bucket to do our business in and a few bottles of water and a rag to clean Cindy up with.I quickly discovered just how twisted Hap was when he offered me two bottles of water and, with an evil chuckle, said that they had to last me a day so use them wisely. We literally had to choose between cleaning Cindy’s wounds and quenching our thirst. It didn’t help that the drug Hap gave Cindy left her with an unquenchable thirst.I grew angry with my parents for not telling me that I had magical blood inside of me. H
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I was in the stable, tending to the horses, when Cindy finally ventured out of the safety of her room. I stood in the walkway and watched as she snuck from the house to the stable like a thief in the night.“What’s with the I spy routine?” I asked as I went back to mucking out Peter’s stall.She grabbed a pitch fork and began cleaning Daisy’s stall. “I was worried that Hap was still here.”“He left around eight,” I said. I dug the tines of the fork into the soft floor of the stall and asked, “What’s wrong with Hap?”She wiped at the tears as she said, “I saw him bring those girls in the night. He had them handcuffed and tied together like cattle.”“Hap?” I practically screeched with surprise.“I know,” she said. “I thought that he and my uncle hated each other. You can imagine my surprise when I saw him de
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“Did you know that Josh did that to my mother?” I whispered as I pulled Hap to the corner of the kitchen to speak with him in private.“No. How do you know?”“She told me.”“So, she’s starting to remember,” he said as he headed out to the patio. “Kenton, my boy, I’m in the mood for a smoke. How about keeping me company?”Kenton shot me a quizzical look, but gave Hap no argument as he followed him outside. I did my best to read Hap’s lips, but when my mother came to me to discuss our evening meal, I had no choice but to look away.My curiosity about why Hap wanted to confer with Kenton about Josh attacking my mother was all consuming to the point that I had difficulty keeping up with the table talk over dinner. If anyone noticed, they made no mention of it.My mood was such that I would have preferred to take off after dinner and find m
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Kenton was right. It took several days, but I eventually felt like my old self again.I’d divided my time between tending to the horses and visiting my mother in the hospital.I was a borderline basket case for the first day as I watched for Ethan’s return to – at the very least- seek revenge for that twisted mind of his. Happily, whatever Kenton did to make him stay away worked. By day number two, I was breathing easy again.Hap and Kenton made sure to be at the house in time for dinner, which we all took turns providing either by cooking it or carrying it in. It gave me a small sense of normalcy in a world that no longer felt normal.I made no mention of our conversation about my heritage or the fact that Josh wasn’t related to me by blood and neither did they. I appreciated that. I’d heard enough that I was struggling to absorb. I knew there was more, but it could
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I was alone in bed when I awoke the following morning. I checked the time. It was still early. I remembered promising myself that I’d toughen up to my new reality when I awoke and continue living. I’d start by reuniting with the horses. The house felt cold and empty without my mother or Josh in it. My footsteps actually echoed as I walked across the marble tiles and I wondered why I’d never noticed that before. I wasn’t sure if Kenton was still on the property or if he was coming back - or maybe Hap was around somewhere - so I made a full pot of coffee. For the first time since we’d moved into that grand house, I wished it wasn’t so large. If someone wanted to disappear in it, it would take a considerable length of time and effort to find them. Again, I was surprised that I’d never noticed that before then. I was in the middle of mucking out a stall when faint memories of Ethan’s mouth titillating my crotch fl
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Kenton left me to shower and change without interruption. When I was done, I beckoned him to join me in my room. I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and I didn’t want to be alone. The afternoon was barely approaching evening and I knew that the horses would need tending to. I mentioned to him that I’d take care of them after I’d had a short nap. He didn’t argue, but something told me that he’d tend to them himself rather than wake me up. As I drifted off to sleep in his loving arms, I made a silent promise to myself that I’d toughen up and resume living in the morning. I just needed one more night of self-pampering and nurturing while I absorbed the realization of my new life. It was dark when I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. I reached for Kenton, but he was gone. I looked at the clock. It was ten in the evening. I’d slept for five hours. Although I was still tired, my body had normalized enough that
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I literally camped out at the hospital for a few days while I waited to see whether or not my mother was going to be okay. When Hap told me that she’d been mauled, he either failed to tell me the extend of her injuries or I failed to comprehend them. When I finally got to see them, I almost fainted. Not only had one side of her face been ripped up to the point she looked like Mrs. Frankenstein, the left side of her torso had so many stitches, it reminded me of a patchwork handbag that I once owned. Even though she was beautiful, I’d never known my mother to be shallow about her looks, but this would be the test of things. Her looks were destroyed. Even if the scars did fade - like the hospital staff kept assuring me they would – the meat of her flesh had been damaged. She’d never look the same again. It was her third day in the hospital when she finally woke up and spoke to me. Hap happened to have stopped in to check on her and wa
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It was early morning before I roused out of bed. My cell phone was on the nightstand, which told me that my mother had come to check on me; probably more than once. It couldn’t have been later than six in the morning, so I was surprised when the smell of coffee and bacon alerted my stomach to the fact that I hadn’t eaten in a day and a half. I was starving.Assuming that it was my mother ratting around in the kitchen, I hopped out of bed. Standing still for a moment, I mentally surveyed the condition of my body. I was tender in the abdomen, but, other than being hungry, I was pretty much back to my old self.“I’m starving!” I called out as I slid my feet into a pair of slippers.I’d slept in my tee shirt and underpants. The morning was cool so I slipped into my robe before bounding toward the kitchen.I stopped short when Kenton turned around and smiled. The pl
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It was late morning when I awoke to the heavy knocking on the door. I called for Kenton with a raspy voice, but he didn’t reply so I dragged myself out of bed to answer it. When I stood up, I could feel the blood gushing down my legs.“Missy? Missy, it’s Cindy. Are you in there? I went to check on the horses. Have you tended to them yet?”I leaned against the wall while I tried to make the world stop spinning. “I’m sick, Cindy. Try the door to see if it’s locked.”A loud gasp told me that the door wasn’t locked and my friend was inside. “That’s way too much blood to be your monthly. What’s going on?”My voice trembled with fear and weakness. “Can you help me?”“What do you want me to do? Do you want to go to the hospital?”I looked down at the pool of dark blood on the floor and nod
