How To Capture The Crow

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

       I run my fingertips across the outline of the bird on the note and I ponder who could have sent me flowers. Just as I do I look up and I see two bulky black shoes hanging off of my roof. I walk out from under my porch and I stare up trying to see what or who is on my roof.

          "Did you follow me?" I say a bit confused.

          The girl I met earlier gracefully jumps down from my roof and puts her hands in her pocket.

          "My name is Raven." She says and tilts her head to the side letting her short hair cover up one of her eyes.

          "I'm..."

          "Emma." She interrupts me.

          I stare in her eyes wondering how she knows my name. Did I tell her my name? I can't remember much from the night I slept at her house. At least I think it was her house... I snap myself out of my analytical mind and I look at her again.

          "Is that my bag?" I say looking at my bag slung across her shoulder.

          She looks down at my bag and shrugs her shoulders.

          "Do you want it back?"

          "Well... yeah." I say shaking my head yes.

          "Come and get it then. Tonight, Cypress Lake." She turns around and jumps up grabbing onto the side of my roof pulling herself up then looking down at me. I stare back up at her speechless. She walks away and I lose sight of her.

          "But... Hey!" I manage to say putting my hand across my forehead and covering my eyes from the sun trying to see her again.

          I slowly lose interest trying to find her after I circle my house and determine she's gone. I walk back into my house and I shut the door staring at the flowers I got at my door step. I get a vase and put them in some water then I look at the time to see when I will have to leave to see her, I mean...

          "Raven" I say aloud and then smile a little    

          The day passes by slowly, but when the time comes to leave I call a cab and make my way over to Cypress Lake.

          I softly step on the soggy leaves through the narrow pathway to the lake. The lake looks like it's secluded. This path is almost gone, being taken over with vines and fallen branches from the tall bushy Cyprus trees.

          "Hello?" I say shyly as I reach the edge of the murky lake.

          I fold my arms feeling a bit insecure and scared. 

          "Are you here?" I say quietly looking around the still water.

          "Caw!" I hear the loud screech of a crow and I flinch.

          I look up into the sky and see a huge crow sitting on one of the Cyprus branches staring down at me. Suddenly I hear a twig crack behind me and I turn around and stare into the dense foliage.

          "Raven?" I say and feel my heart racing. "This isn't funny!" I say and hope for a reply.

          "Who's laughing?" I hear her raspy voice say as she walks out of the shadows and into the light.

          I stare at her and take a deep breath in relief holding my arms still keeping them tightly folded.

She takes my purse and slips the strap onto the side of a tree where a small branch must've broken off leaving a perfect nub to hang things on.

As she sits down on a log she lights a cigarette and stares up at me leaning back on one of her hands.

"Well. I guess I should get going then." I say and quickly walk over to my purse and grab it.

She smirks as she blows the smoke out of her mouth.

"What?" I say asking why that was something to smile about.

"If I were to follow a complete stranger out here, into the dark foggy lake, I'd want more than just my purse back." She flicks her cigarette into the lake and stands up and walks over to me getting closer until I feel a bit uncomfortable. "So what is it that you want Emma?"

"I... need to go home." I say a bit confused shifting my eyes from hers down to the ground.

The silence I have caused becomes unbearable until I notice her feet walking away and back into the shadows of the night.

"Raven..." I say quietly looking up to see her dark clothing fading away from the touch of the moonlight. "Raven" I say again walking the way I saw her leave into the dense woods. "Wait" I say walking quickly and pushing the branches out of the way. "Raven!" I say louder and I look around trying to see something, anything. "I'm sorry!" I put my hands on my head taking a deep breath. "I just... I don't know what I want."

I slowly make my way back out of the woods and across the overgrown path again. I walk all the way to the edge of the road where I take out my cell phone from my purse pocket to call a cab and notice that I don't have any signal. I shake my head and begin to walk down the dark road as the street lights above me flicker on and off.

"Someone who won't hurt me" I whisper to myself as I walk down the lonely street miles away from my house. "It's all I want."

Flash back

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          "What did you do to her!" I scream holding my mom's limp body in my hands.

          My step father looks at his hands covered in blood and doesn't say a word.

          "It's okay mom..." I cry hard wiping the blood off of her face.

          She stares up in my eyes.

          "I Love you Emma" She mutters

          "I love you too mom... You'll be okay..."

Her eyes begin to roll back into her head and I notice how cold and unresponsive she's become.

          The EMT's quickly bust threw the door and they wheel her away. I hold onto her hand as they put her into the back of the ambulance not letting go even for a second.

          "I'm still here mom. I'm not leaving." I say my eyes full of tears.

The doctor enters the room where I was made to wait. His face tells me what I already knew.

"She's dead" He says.

My heart drops and I become speechless.

******************

End

I can feel tears streaming down my face, but I quickly wipe them away. I know I can't change my past. I can't bring back my father who died when I was two years old. I can't fix my step father who is in state prison awaiting the death penalty for how he brutally beat my mom to death, and even if I was the smartest person in the world I couldn't save my mother.

I hear the loud high pitch motor heading my way and I step to the side of the road looking as a motorcycle speeds past me. The motorcycle quickly turns around and I stop walking and stare at it as it speeds up to me again.

"Get on" I hear Ravens raspy voice say as she holds out a spare helmet for me.

I look at the helmet and I grab it gently sliding it over my hair and sitting on the back of the bike wrapping my arms around her waist.