Blood Curse

Chapter Twelve

 Wyatt's car door slams as we get into the car after leaving the house and I jump in surprise.

"What the hell was that?" he demands.

I swallow hard, noticing Wyatt's eyes have turned a deadly shade of black. "I didn't think he would figure it out."

"You didn't think," he spits.

Fear snakes its spindly fingers down my spine as Wyatt speeds away from the curb. He wouldn't go through all this trouble to save my life just to kill me now, would he?

I flinch when Wyatt reaches toward me and he whips his head to look at me as he switches gears. My pulse slows when I realize he was just reaching for the gear shifter but I still move my body as close to the door and as far away from him as possible. Wyatt frowns at me but turns back to the road without saying anything, his eyes turning back to their original color.

The rest of the drive back to Spencer's is spent in silence and I jump out before he even has time to park. I notice the other members of our group sitting around the living room watching the TV but walk right past them up the stairs and into Spencer's room. I know Morgan will come after me wondering what happened and I'm glad the door to Spencer's room has a lock on the inside.

"Sadie?" I hear her ask. "Are you okay?"

The handle rattles as she tries to open the door and I can feel the vibrations on my back when she knocks.

"I need some time," I say quietly, knowing she can hear me and will understand that I want to be alone for a while.

"Okay," Morgan replies. "I'm here if you want to talk or if you need anything."

Sighing, I lean my head back against the door when I hear her footsteps retreat down the stairs. I can't imagine what my father must be thinking right now. His daughter goes missing for weeks and then suddenly shows up with a half-assed explanation and then she walks out again? Not the reunion he probably had in mind. It wasn't the reunion I had in mind either. I wish I could have spent more time with him to explain how sorry I was and tell him about everything that happened to me. Well almost everything. I was planning on keeping the more graphic details of my time away to myself. Those are things he doesn't need to know.

Picking myself up off the floor, I have just enough energy to get myself to the bed before I collapse onto it in exhaustion. It's only been a little over 24 hours since Morgan and I were rescued so I still don't have much of my strength back. It's going to take a while for me to regain the weight I lost and even longer for me to put on the little bit of muscle I had.

The exhaustion begins to take over as I lie there on the bed and before I know it my eyes begin to close as I fall asleep.

The sound of heavy drops of water hitting hard stones has my eyes snapping open. The harsh scent of mold and damp fabric from the mattress I'm lying on has my heart beating at hyper-speed.

"No no no," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping to be anywhere else when they open again.

Stone walls and a heavy wooden door with a small barred window at the top greet me when I chance a glance through slitted eyes. A whimper escapes my lips involuntarily as images from my stay here flit through my mind.

I can't be back here. We got out. Noah got me out. This isn't real. But the mattress beneath me feels real and the dampness in the air caressing my skin feels real. The red gown I once wore feels real against my body and I shudder as the fabric swishes around my legs when I try to stand. My legs feel weak and my neck sore; from sleeping in an awkward position or from something more sinister I don't know.