Poisoned Ivy

Chapter 11

We were driving through the forest during a torrential downpour. I saw a man in the front seat driving with a woman in the passenger seat. She turned her head back to check on me, there was a sense of guilt and sadness in her loving eyes.

"Katherine," The driver pulled my mother's attention away from me in my car seat, "you're doing the right thing." She didn't have time to reply.

The car skidded. It flew off the road. She reached out for me. The car crashed into a river. The water started to rise up. The walls were crashing in on top of me. I cried. I couldn't breathe. Her hand rested on my cheek for a brief moment before a set of strong arms tore the door open. A stranger unfastened me and carried me away from her gentle arms.

On the shore, he turned around and began to lower me to the ground but stopped when the car was whisked away. I didn't see the car tumble down the rapids. He held onto me and buried my head into his shoulder. I felt myself sink into the darkness.

I could hear the sound of heat splitting a log in the embers of the fireplace. I slowly stirred awake on the sofa. A frown instantly marred my features when I tried to sit up. My whole body ached. I'm pretty sure I would be admitted to a hospital and put into a full body cast if I were human.

My eyes adjust to the room and I try to identify the other figures in here besides myself. Benji is asleep in an armchair to my left, my feet rest on Roman's lap at the end of the couch, Cameron sits on the floor directly at my arm's reach with his back leaning up against the sofa, and Henry and Cole are curled up next to the fire.

I blink and focus on the figure illuminated by moonlight as he sits on the window bench. Wren or Garret? He rustles as if sensing my curiosity and implores me with his icy blue eyes. Wren's initially dull gaze couldn't be more chilling in impact, but there's a flicker in it. I don't get him.

"You don't have to." Wren's voice echoes inside my head. My eyes widen and I open my mouth to speak, but he pulls a finger to his lips before turns his head back to gaze outside, ending the conversation.

I try to mentally recap what happened. I shouldn't have followed Wren home. I shouldn't have eaten that apple pie. I shouldn't have shifted in the pen. I shouldn't have picked Cameron for my tutor. I shouldn't have run back to the house. I shouldn't have jumped out a window. Oh right, I jumped out a window, and then, I...

I can't remember.

Am I losing my mind? I can remember jumping out a window but not why I did or what happened after that and now I'm hearing voices in my head. It's not like I would've lost consciousness from the fall. Did I land on my head or something?

I swing my legs down onto the floor between Roman and Cameron. What is with these guys? They're all within a seven food radius. I wince from the stinging at my waste and instinctively put a hand on it. I realize that my torso is only covered by my sports bra and my side is bandaged. I try to breathe myself through the pain. If I can't manage this, how would I manage childbirth?

"That's years away." Roman's voice is now in my head. I dart my head and he has one eye peeking open at me and a smug smile.

"It better be." Benji's menacing growl is also in my head. What the hell is going on?

"Telepathy." Roman explains. I burn at his satisfaction from my confusion.

"Stop doing that!" I exclaim.

"Keep it down kitten." Wren mischievously eyes me, "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Your nightmares and yells keep waking me up." Roman stirs.

Nightmares? How the hell do they know about those? My cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Relax." Cameron whispers. "We all get them."

Yeah, but they're private.

"Not anymore." Roman counters.

Please just stop. Get out of my head and leave me alone. I don't want to add more shit to my list of problems. I hold my head in my hands so my hair blocks my face from them, even though it's dark and their eyes are closed.

"Speaking of, I didn't realize you were claustrophobic Ivy." Cole interrupts, "If you can learn to identify episodes early on, then you should try to train yourself to relax. Blink more often than normal, let your shoulders go limp, and relax your jaw."

I start massaging my temple and clenching my jaw. I swear, for guys who can read my thoughts, they suck at actually knowing what I want.

Roman chuckles. "No, we know. We're just choosing not to listen to you."

Oh two can play this game.

"I'd like to see you try." Roman challenges.

I start mentally reciting the lyrics to the Barbie theme song. Within two seconds there's a unanimous audible groan from everyone. Try and get that earworm out of your head you earworm!

Cameron laughs at Roman, "She got you!"

I get to my feet but they shake underneath me. I reach out for something to keep me balanced and I end up bending over with my left hand on Cameron's right shoulder. I grind my teeth and pray my legs don't give out.

Seconds before I completely fall over, Roman picks me up from behind and swings my feet off the ground. He turns to lay me back down on the couch.

"Let me down, I need to pee." I lie. I just want to be alone. Is that too much to ask?

"Yes, it is." Roman's voice is harsh, but similar to how he acted yesterday on the staircase with Wren. Is he being...possessive?

"No way Barbie!" Roman scoffs and turns his chin up and away from me.

"Whatever, Ken." I roll my eyes.

"Why does he get to be Ken?" Cameron pouts.

"Feel free to be the gay best friend, Cammy." Roman directs at Cameron.

"You kids are terrible liars." Benji interrupts, "Go back to sleep."

Roman laid me back down on the couch. I tried to fight him and sat up after my back hit the cushion. Roman tried to sit back down at my feet but I kicked at him. He grabbed my feet and held them up, making my back fall onto the sofa.

I growled as I struggled, "Let me go!"

Cameron crawled up from the floor, situating his left arm on the back of the couch and his right just above my left shoulder. He leaned in inches from my face. His eyes were frighteningly black, "You can't leave."

"Why not?" I barely breathe.

"We'll follow you everywhere." He leans in closer, playfully looking me in the eye before he moves his head and kisses me on my forehead.

I don't know what to think. My mind is empty of thought, but my face flushes in the darkness of the room. Cameron pulls his head away and sighs, "Great, now we can sleep."