Soulmates

26

"Yeah? Where'd Alex go?" I should've been listening-
"I asked her to leave so I could talk to you alone."
"Okay... What about?"
"You, actually." Me? Why did she want to talk about me? She had her own problems- "I'm worried."
"About me...?" Part of me wanted to shrink into myself but I knew I shouldn't.
"Yes. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, you're spacing out and you weren't listening. You didn't even notice Alex leave. Are you thinking about my dad-"
"No. No, that wasn't it, but now I am." I rubbed my face and covered it with my hoodie sleeves.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Not now. "I'd rather we do after the whole thing with your dad."
"Okay. We can do that. Just remember, you can tell me anything. I swear. You can tell me anything and I won't see you different, won't act different to you. Remember that, okay?"
I nodded. I already know that my mind will make me doubt she means it.
"Harper." I looked at her again. "Remember that. Okay?"
"I-... okay."
"Okay. I promise we can talk after it all, okay?"
"Okay."
"Well," Callie looked behind her at the microwave where it said the time. "It's 11:20 and we're not doing anything. I say we just go now." She got up and grabbed the crutches, going off the screen. I heard her call for Alex and heard her coming down then they came over to Callie's phone.
"Are we going to leave now?" Alex asked.
"I really don't see why not, and we don't know when my mom is going to come back out here, so I say it'll be better to just head there now." Alex shrugged in agreement and Callie grabbed her phone. "I'm going to turn off my camera, now. Just mute your mic when I say, if not sooner."
I nodded along and she smiled at me before turning off her camera.
***
"Okay, Harper, turn off your mic."
"Okay." I tapped my screen and turned off my mic so no sound was going to come from Callie's phone that was from me.
There was a noise from Callie, probably her doing something on her phone, and then she said, "And inside we walk."
I took deep calming breaths and listened to what was going on.
"Alex go find some candy for us," Callie said. Was this when Alex was going to leave Callie to try to get her dad to come out?
"Okay," Alex said, then heard her walking away and then Callie's crutches on the floor.
"Callie R-... Taylor?" I heard shuffling and Callie spoke.
"Yes? Who are you?"
"You don't know me?" I inhaled shakily and tried to keep calm. I wasn't even there, my nerves should only be so high. "It's me, Callie. Your dad."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because, God damn it..." He took a deep breath, most likely to calm his quickly growing aggressive voice. Then another. "We... We have the same eyes, okay? And you have hair almost like your mother's, except it's a shade off."
Callie took a shaky breath.
I heard her crutches as she moved what was probably a step.
Forward or backward, I had no clue.
"What do you want?"
"What do I want? You're the one obviously seeking me out. Does Dorothy know about this little plan?"
Callie said quietly, "No."
"Oh," he breathed like it was very entertaining. "I know your friend is here, but she isn't very close." Callie moved her crutches a step again.
I'm starting to think it's backwards.
"I'm only here because I have things to ask."
"Oh, how fun!" The sound of hands clapping together. "Well, don't let me scare you. Out with them."
"Why."
"Why what? Why did your mother force me away? Why does your mother say I left voluntarily the last time? Why am I still here? Why-"
"Why did you abuse us?"
"Oh. That answer's more simple than the others, sadly." He sounded generally sad. "I have anger issues and with you, and Dorothy not always listening and obeying me, then the addition of Scarlett... It was more work than I anticipated. Than Dorothy anticipated, too, but she'll never admit she took it out on me when she risked it because she knew I could take it. I... Did enjoy punishing her when she did, though. When she risked it.
"So many ways one can harm someone while still making sure bones aren't broken..."
"Why were you so careful where you harmed us? Why specific places?"
"Oh, like your shoulder blades?" He laughed after a moment. "I didn't care for going to prison, so I was careful and picked places it wouldn't normally be seen. Hence why I burned your shoulder blades, because it could be covered with shirts without question.
"It was always easier to be careful with your mother, though. Over the years I made sure I knew every item of clothing she had, bought, or gave away. Knew her style. Knew which outfits covered what."
I hated him, hated his voice, his words, how he spoke-
"Do you think I'll have your anger problems?" I froze. I didn't know Callie got angry often. Didn't know she thought it might be because of him-
"Hmm... Most likely. I didn't think they'd show up until you were out of the house, because with the way Dorothy was already raising you before she forced me away, but... With you asking, I'm sure it's come up several times now."
Callie didn't speak.
"Well, what's a time you did something someone would do to make sure they have control? To make someone submit to you? You might've been aware you were doing it but couldn't bring yourself to stop, or you could've looked back and realised that was what it was... I know by your silence it's happened."
And, damn me for thinking it, send me to hell for doing what he wanted Callie to do, but I thought.
She slammed her hands down during our first Skype video call.
"Nope, not possible." She slammed her hands on the table, most likely for emphasis, but I flinched nonetheless and she winced. "Sorry..."
I covered my mouth with my hands even though my mic was muted and Callie couldn't see me. She had realised. Realised she did that naturally, to make sure she was in control, and hated it, winced about it and apologised.
Callie still didn't say anything.
"Oh? With your soulmate it's happened, I'm assuming. Does she know you're doing this? Her twin brother Oliver know? How does Harper feel about you doing this tonight?" He laughed. I couldn't breathe. How does he know my name? Did my parents talk to him? But why would they mention Oliver-
"You and Alex are... Very open about your soulmates. How'd he do on his math test, by the way?"
Who?
"How the fuck do you know that?"
"You had that conversation while shopping. Here, actually. Well, not this exact spot, but you know what I mean."
"Don't even mention Harper and Oliver to me. You don't get to talk to me about them."
"Oh, but I'm your dad, isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Talk to you about your soulmate? How about we do that, actually."
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"I can tell you're thinking it. Scared that you'll take it out on Harper, that you'll hurt her. I can see it on your face. You don't want to wait any longer to meet her, but you know if you did do all of that then you'd rather suffer being alone than hurt her."
He chuckled, and it turned into a full blown laughing. What's he thinking? What's he doing?