Torn from Heaven: Sophomore Sons

Chapter 33

Lee and Kit walked up onto Jess's porch and knocked on the door. Lee looked around on the porch to see mounds of something underneath the snow. He bent down and wiped off the snow and there was a hard orange matter. He tapped it with his fingernail and it made a tink, tink sound. Lee stood up, still staring at the mound.

"Hey, Kit. What does that look like to you?" Lee asked, pointing down at the orange thing.

"I don't know, rock, maybe even clay," Kit said, shrugging it off. The front door opened and Jess's mother answered.

"Hello, can I help you?" she said, cheerily. Lee was speechless. Jess looked just like her mother and yet seemed so normal. She was wearing a sleeveless dress with matching heels.

"Hello, ma'am. Is Jess home? We're friends of hers and we haven't seen her in awhile," Kit spoke up. This might have been the biggest lie Kit has ever told.

"Oh, of course, she's just upstairs cleaning her room. Please, come in," Jess's mom said, pleasantly, stepping back and opening the door wider. Lee and Kit walked inside to see Jess's dad sitting in a comfy chair reading the newspaper.

"Thanks, Mrs. Kingsty," Lee said, observing how odd the normality was. There were action figures and building blocks on a small rug in front of the chair.

"Oh please! Just call me Carrie!" Carrie said, enthusiastically. Lee nodded in discomfort but for Kit this was everything she'd want. A normal family. A mom and a dad who weren't up to something, a little brother who was happy. Jess's dad stood from his chair with a big smile slapped across his face.

"Honey, who are these children in our home?" he said in such an odd way.

"These are Jessica's friends, Honey. Kids, meet Abel," Carrie said, still smiling. "Abel this is, oh my, I forgot to ask their names," Carrie said, changing her expression. Lee looked at Kit like they were in the old witches house from Hansel and Gretel.

"I'm Kit and this is my friend, Lee," Kit said, reaching out to shake Abel's hand. Abel grabbed Kit's hand and shook it with a strong grip.

"It's lovely to meet you," he said, smiling, and let go of Kit's hand. He turned to Lee and offered to shake his hand. "I'm Carrie's husband," Abel said, smiling as he shook Lee's hand.

"I assumed that you were," Lee said, mocking his cheeriness. Abel tilted his head slightly.

"Jessica's room is upstairs," Abel said, pointing upstairs, almost taking Lee's hand with it. Lee smiled, utterly freaked out and quickly paced up the stairs. As they were walking down the hallway a small boy was running down the hall and downstairs, making Lee jump.

"Dude, it's just her brother," Kit said, watching Lee cling to the wall.

"You don't know what he is or what he's capable of. He could be her little minion," Lee said, paranoid. Kit rolled her eyes as they walked to Jess's bedroom door. It had pink feathers and shiny gems on it and a light hanging above it. This door looked better than Kit thought she did on a daily basis.

"Should we knock?" Kit whispered as Lee opened the door practically throwing it in. Jess was resting on her knees, facing away from the door at an altar with incense burning. She was bowing her head and resting her wrists upwards on the altar as she was reciting some text in an old language. When Lee came through the door she stopped and turned her head to the side.

"So this is what cleaning looks like? Can't wait to see how you cook. Do you roast newborn lambs alive over an open flame?" Lee asked, feeling confident. Jess smiled and stood up.

"I cannot believe it took you this long to rip off the tape. I mean, you two are so stupid. Did you like my little message?" Jess said, slowly starting to laugh. Lee looked around the room and picked up a tennis racket and hit Jess in the face. Jess fell to the floor and held her jaw. She reached into her mouth and pulled out her tooth, holding it in her hand.

"What? Not funny anymore, Jessica? Why are you fucking with us?" Lee asked, ragefully.

"To buy some time and because you guys are so easy," Jess said and spat out some blood.

"So it was you? What are you buying time for?" Kit asked and Jess rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course it was me, you guys didn't know that? You guys really are stupid," Jess said as Lee pulled back the racket and Jess put up her arm. Lee dropped the racket and Jess laughed as Lee reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small iron cross and threw it on Jess. It landed on her thigh and there it stayed.

"I- I can't move it," Jess said, trying to move the cross and trying to stand up. Lee walked over to Jess and crouched down.

"That right there is Priest-blessed steel, Bitch. Guess you aren't going anywhere, until I pick up that cross. So let's talk," Lee said as Jess tried to struggle and the cross slowly started to burn through Jess's jeans. "The more you struggle, the more painful this is gonna be," Lee said, threateningly. He picked up the racket and walked over to the altar. "So, what did you get out of fooling with us like that?" Lee asked, holding the racket over the altar.

"A good laugh," Jess said, smiling. Lee slammed the racket down on the table smashing a couple of bowls with offerings in it and sending a knife flying across the room. The smile on Jess's face soon faded.

"You wanna try that again?" Lee asked and Jess said nothing. Lee shrugged and walked over to a shelf near Jess's door. "I couldn't help but notice that this is the exact glass bird that Shawn got you for Christmas last year? You remember don't you, you selfish bitch?" Lee yelled at Jess and picked up a small clear glass bird off the shelf.

"Don't touch that!" Jess said, struggling and the cross started to burn her skin. Tears dripped down her face.

"What? This fucking thing?" Lee asked, angrily as he threw the bird at the wall and it shattered. Jess screamed and started crying real tears.

"Do you feel like talking now, Jess?" Lee asked, dropping the racket on the floor. Jess's parents walked into her room and Abel grabbed Kit and Lee, holding them tightly. Lee and Kit struggled against Abel but it was no use.

"Awe, Honey, I don't think our daughter and her friends are getting along," Abel said in a bright voice. Carrie walked over to Jess and flicked the cross off her leg and it went into the wall. Carrie walked over to Abel and he passed Kit to Carrie.

"You guys have met my parents haven't you? Mr. and Mrs. Clayhead?" Jess said, laughing and walked over to Kit. "This is so much more than you think it is, Kitten." Jess said, sharply and smiled.

"What do you want?" Kit asked and Jess's smile widened.

"What do I want? I want you to stay away from my man! But that has nothing to do with me distracting you. Like I said, so much bigger than you. What, you thought you were special or something 'cause your parents died?" Jess said. "Get rid of them. They're stinking up my room," Jess said, waving off Carrie and Abel as they just stood there. "Outside with them. Now," Jess demanded. The two sprung to life and carried Kit and Lee to the window in Jess's room and threw them out of it. Lee and Kit landed in tiny bits of glass and hard snow.

"Kit, are you okay?" Lee asked still lying where he landed.

"I think so," Kit said. She noticed Jess in the window hitting Abel on the head with her palm. Jess looked down at her hand and then rubbed it, as if there was something on it. Kit sat up and immediately felt a pain in her forearm.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Lee asked and crawled over to Kit as she was holding her wrist. "We have to go," Lee said as he helped Kit stand.