Karma

Chapter 1

"Stop it, Brendon!" Dylan said as she ran away from him.
"Never!" Brendon said as he aimed his gun at her. Dylan crouched down behind his couch. She was trying to be so quiet. Dylan didn't want Brendon to find her. A noise in the distance distracted Brendon, and he went in that direction. After making sure the coast was clear, Dylan sat with her back against the back of the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. In the distance, there was a yell and screams. Brendon had shot Betty. She then heard him running back towards where she was. Brendon ran straight through the living room towards the kitchen and garage. Dylan stealthily crept towards where Betty was.
Betty was sat in Brendons bedroom with a nerf dart near her. Shouts were heard from the garage. Spencer and Dan had been caught. There was only Dylan to find. Footsteps could be heard, so Dylan hid in Brendons closet. She was finding it very difficult not to laugh. She had to stifle her laughter. Brendon came back into the bedroom and checked the ensuite. He then retreated back to the dining room.
"Aha!" Brendon said and went out to his studio. Dylan went into the ensuite and sat behind the door, knowing full well that Brendon wouldn't check there again. It took another 20 minutes of searching before Brendon gave up.
"I win!" Dylan said, coming out of the ensuite.
Everyone sat in the living room with drinks and snacks. This had been a great distraction for Dylan. She was still stewing over the letter that Owen had sent her.
She was still undecided whether to visit him or not.
"How are you?" Betty asked Dylan quietly.
"I am ok. Truly, this has been the first day that I have woken up feeling OK, Bet." Dylan replied.
Betty nodded her head.
"That's good. I think that to make this decision, you need to do it on your own, with no one else's opinions being factored into things." Betty squeezed Dylans hand and smiled at her.
"I know. I am sleeping at home tonight, get some clarity, and weigh everything up." Dylan looked at her boyfriend and her friends. " I know I have a lot of support. I am thankful for it." Dylan got up to leave. She kissed Brendon goodbye and said bye to her friends. Dylan drove home smiling.

"Dear Dylan,
I hope that you are well. My parents tell me that you are doing very well at college. I am happy that you are flourishing.
I am writing to you because I was hoping that you could visit me. I understand that might be difficult to do with college, but if you could, then I would really appreciate it.
There are some things that I need to say to you, face to face. You can bring whoever you want with you too. Please at least consider it.
Thank you

Owen x"

Dylan reread the letter for the hundredth time. Sighing, she laid the letter down on her coffee table.
She picked her phone up and called the hospital that Owen was in, back in Philadelphia.
"Hello, Philadelphia psychiatric and mental health services hospital. How may I help you?" The reception asked. Dylan explained the situation and was put through to the correct department.
"Hello, this is Dr. Newby. I understand that you are enquiring about Owen James?"
"Yes, he wrote me asking me to come and see him."
"Ah yes, you must be Dylan, is that correct?" Newby asked.
"Yea, that's me." Dylan laughed.
"Ok, it was myself that encouraged Owen to write to you. He needs to apologise for the harm he has caused you. I do understand that it is a huge thing to ask you to do. After all, I am sure that you are dealing with a lot of trauma. There's no right or wrong answer here. If you don't feel up to doing it yet, I totally understand, Dylan." Dylan was quiet for a few seconds.
"I have questions I need to ask you before I give you an answer."
"Of course." Dr Newby said, sitting up in his chair, taking a pen and some note paper. Dylan exhaled.
"Is Owen still delusional?"
"He is a lot less than he was. His delusions are being controlled with medication and therapy."
"Does Owen still have violent outbursts?" Dylan was shaking a little bit now.
"Not as often as he used to. There are plenty of nursing staff about to restrain him. If you are really concerned, we can restrain him with straps." Newby replied. Dylan gasped.
"Ok, does he still have any feelings towards me? It's just that if I do come, my boyfriend is coming with me along with one of my best friends."
"He hasn't expressed anything. He would declare how much he loved you. And that you were his property. Through workshops and therapy, we have steered Owen away from that train of thought."
"I see." Dylan said, still unsure.
"I will give you my direct line so that if you have more questions before you make a decision, then you can get straight to me."
"Thank you, Dr. Newby." Dylan said and ended the phone call.
She then messaged the group chat about what she had just been told.
'So, can your safety be guaranteed?' Joe asked.
'Newby said it can. He said that there are plenty of nurses around to restrain Owen.' Dylan replied.
'Does the doctor think you going will help towards Owen getting better?Nicole asked.
'I don't know. But he gets to apologise to me. I am not sure what good that will do to him. I mean, it will take more than sorry for me to even start to forgive him.'
'I am also concerned about Bren, too. He's my boyfriend now, and I don't know if Owens knows about him.'
'Would his Dr tell him?' Joe asked.
'I don't know. I hope so. I wouldn't want to blindside Owen. That could trigger more violence.'
'Fuck.' Nicole said. Brendon was reading the messages but not commenting.
'I just want the people I love to be safe if I do go and see him.' Dylan said.
Dylan put her phone down and
decided to cook herself some dinner.