Inferno Part 3

~185~ Illusions

Raya's POV

I get out of bed because I'm crazy thirsty, and walk towards the stairs. The house is mostly dark, but light is shining from downstairs. When I get to the top of the stairs, I stop.

Jake is mad, and is talking on the phone to someone.

"You listen to me and you listen to me REAL good. I REFUSE to tell that little girl how much of a colossal waste of space you really are. Believe me when I say that it's not for your benefit—It's for hers. The moment I tell her you're really just a huge piece of shit, she's gonna think that there's something wrong with her. You WILL come down here to visit her, hear me?"

He's talking to Justin

"Justin, if I have to, I'll get on a flight and drag your sorry ass here myself. You promised her you'd keep in touch. When's the last time you even talked to her?.....Yeah? Well that's unacceptable. You WILL be here by Friday, or I'm coming to get you."

I hear him throw his phone down roughly on the table, and then sigh. "I kept telling Ellie not to expect more out of him, but I honestly thought he was changing. I should've listened to my own advice. I saw the way he acted around her. I saw how much he loved her. Why the hell is he acting like this again?!?"

"I don't know," I hear Sarah say softly.

After a few minutes of quiet chatter, I decide to go get my drink. I'm so thirsty.

I go downstairs and act like I just woke up.

"Woah! It's midnight, girly. Why are you up?" Jake asks.

"My throat's dry," I say as I get a bottle out of the fridge.

"You feeling ok?" He asks as he touches my forehead.

"Yeah."

I take a long, deep drink, feeling my aching throat soothe immediately. My throat gets dry often for some reason. It has for a year or so.

He watches me hard, and then clears his throat. "How long you been awake?"

"Few minutes"

I stay strong under his scrutiny, forcing myself to look unbothered.

"K. Want me to go up with you and tuck you in?"

I smirk as I throw the bottle away. "No. Goodnight!"

I get upstairs and climb in bed, completely and utterly exhausted. When I fall asleep, I actually dream about Justin.

I'm standing watching him from a distance, and he only silently waves at me.

When I wake up, my pillow is completely soaked in my tears.

~*~

The next few days are normal, except Jake is on his phone constantly, and occasionally he goes outside to talk.

I pretend like I'm clueless, but I know.

Justin doesn't want to come see me

I don't understand what I did wrong. He seemed fine when we said goodbye—He even seemed sad. I don't understand what I did to make him mad at me. He was one of the first adults I ever knew that I liked. That I trusted.

I used to pray that he would adopt me.

Jake comes in one afternoon, and he looks furious. He slams the door and then goes to the fridge, getting out a beer roughly and slamming that door too.

"Why are you so mad?" Ethan asks as he looks up from his homework.

Jake looks at him, opens his beer, and takes a long drink.